Current News

Members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement with Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center in balloting held Wednesday.

"May Madness" hits Food Network this spring as Food Network pits Iron Chef vs. Iron Chef in the first-ever "Iron Chef America: Tournament of Champions." With five episodes and a panel of revolving judges, the tournament features high-stakes, bracket-style battles between the best of the best in the culinary world.

R.A. Dickey, whose sudden success for the New York Mets led to his becoming the only knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young award, talks about his career and the pitch that saved it in a "60 Minutes" profile to be broadcast Sunday, April 14 (7 p.m.), on the CBS Television Network.

Officials at Ryu-Kon Group have announced their permanent move to Niagara Falls. There three-day convention will bring in crowds from around the globe to promote creativity with anime, gaming, steampunk, pop culture, art, creative careers and more. The Ryu-Kon Anime & Gaming Convention, which had its debut last summer in Canandaigua, will take place July 26-28 at The Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls.

The Niagara Falls Family Y invites families to attend "Healthy Kids Day" from 1 until 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. This free and interactive event is designed to help family members form healthier habits together. It includes children's fitness assessments, arts and crafts, "no-bake" cooking, healthy nutritional information and more.

The "Springsational" craft and vendor fair will be held Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at St. Peter Lutheran School, North Ridge (gymnasium), 4169 Church Road, Cambria (between Route 104 and Route 93).

In tonight's live "American Idol" Top 6 results show (8 p.m.), FOX will present an on-screen double-box live camera feed of the show during a commercial break featuring official sponsors Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T - a television first for entertainment programming.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Niagara presented a "Bowling Blender" Wednesday at the new Lewiston Event Center.

Niagara County leaders intent on protecting the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and its 3,000 jobs are set to hire a consulting firm specializing in protecting military installations from defense cuts as the Obama administration gears up to potentially launch a new round of base closures.

On April 20-21, visitors to Old Fort Niagara will have the opportunity to explore the beginnings of the American Revolution with musket firings, storytelling, living history programs and ceremonies honoring veterans of more modern wars.

The National Rifle Association released this statement on Wednesday:

"Battle Rounds" begin Monday with previously named advisers Hillary Scott, Sheryl Crow, Joel Madden and Pharrell Williams joining forces with Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Usher and Shakira to prepare teams for next phase of competition.

Village of Lewiston Mayor Terry Collesano recently issued a proclamation designating Aug. 10-11 as the "Art of Green Weekend."

Artpark will host Canadian pop-rock band Marianas Trench with Air Dubai for a concert Saturday, June 15.

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, has announced the company has won CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity's (CenterState CEO's) Business of the Year Award in the "more than 50 employee" category.

For the first time in American history, on April 22, people in 200 cities and 45 states will join and will walk together in solidarity to raise awareness of child abuse and crimes against children at the inaugural Million March Against Child Abuse.

Western New York welcomes back The Tragically Hip with special guest Grace Potter & The Nocturnals for a performance Friday, July 19. The event is part of The Outer Harbor Concert Series.

The silver anniversary Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day conference is on Thursday, May 23. It will feature Western New York professionals and businesses that specialize in services for people with developmental disabilities. The full-day conference will be held at The Conference Center Niagara Falls, 101 Old Falls St.

The Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy is holding an information session at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. The event will take place in Dunleavy Hall, Room 127, on the campus of Niagara University.

With spring weather finally here in Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania, people are beginning to think "road trips" and entertainment. Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel will offer the best of both worlds from April 11-14 with the second annual Seneca Allegany Casino RV show, presented by Colton RV.

Heart of Niagara Animal Rescue took in its first dog rescues recently, adoptions are underway and the organization is growing and needs more volunteers. The public is invited to attend a volunteer/foster meeting this Tuesday, April 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lewiston Public Library (Community Room), 305 S. Eighth St.

Registration is now open for the fifth annual "Run with the Rapids" 5K, on Saturday, May 18, in downtown Niagara Falls. This USA Track & Field-sanctioned race benefits the Downtown Niagara Falls Business Association.

Immanuel returns to The Lighthouse Cafe, 555 Davison Road, Lockport, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. Immanuel will be "unplugged" as band members bring their own style of original contemporary Christian music to The Lighthouse Cafe.

State Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-I-60, recently announced the appointment of Hamburg resident Ric Dimpfl as his fire, EMS and emergency services liaison for the Southtowns portion of the 60th New York State Senate District.

Robert B. Engel, president and chief executive officer of CoBank, has been named to the board of trustees of Niagara University. His election was announced by the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., president of the university.

"So You Think You Can Dance" returns for its historic 10th season with a two-night season premiere event showcasing America's talented dancers during the audition rounds Tuesday, May 14 (8 p.m.), and Wednesday, May 15 (9 p.m.), on FOX.

The second guest speaker in Lewiston Council on the Arts' new Discovery Series is Susanne Schillings, pastry chef and owner of Exclusively Schillings. Her presentation, "Art & Mystery of Chocolate," will take place on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m., in the Historic Lewiston Opera Hall, 732 Center St.

The 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV is the most-watched NCAA Tournament in 19 years, according to Nielsen.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports' exclusive live coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship game on Monday, April 8, which saw Louisville beat Michigan on CBS, delivered an average overnight household rating/share of 14.3/23, up 18 percent versus last year's 12.1/19, according to Nielsen.

The 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards led CBS to a Sunday night victory as the night's top program in viewers and demographics with the event's highest measures in viewers since 1998, in households and adults 18-49 since 2001, and in adults 25-54 since 2000, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for April 7.

The Rolling Stones, who rocked London and New York in 2012, have announced they will kick off their "50 And Counting" tour in Los Angeles at the STAPLES Center on May 2 (provide there is no playoff game). The tour debut will be followed by performances in Oakland, San Jose, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Toronto, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia.

Congressman Chris Collins, NY-27, is co-sponsoring legislation in the House of Representatives that would help create a more accurate picture of America's unemployment problem.

NBC and Esquire Network (formerly G4) are teaming once again to bring the heart-racing obstacle course competition series "American Ninja Warrior" to television this summer. The show will air weekly on Esquire Network and then NBC on consecutive days, with original episodes on each network.

Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated Goo Goo Dolls premiered the video for their new song "Rebel Beat" Tuesday on VH1.com. The P.R. Brown-directed video will premiere on the VH1 Top 20 Countdown April 13.

Two of the most celebrated names in jazz will perform at Artpark's Mainstage Theater as part of the venue's summer-long 40th anniversary celebration: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on June 24, and Chick Corea & The Vigil on Aug. 2.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli has announced he has reached agreement with five Fortune 500 companies - Southwest Airlines, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Plum Creek Timber Company, Harley-Davidson and Noble Energy - to disclose political spending made with corporate funds.

In the fifth episode of NBC's reality competition show "Fashion Star," the contestants were challenged to work in unexpected pairs with teammates to develop separate pieces that form one cohesive look.

INTERVIEWS: While there were many chair turns in week two of NBC's "The Voice," a fearsome foursome stood out among those advancing to the "Battle Rounds."

After a tour of one of the largest gun shows in the state of New York, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has announced that three more gun show operators have agreed to follow the model gun show procedures developed by the his office to promote uniform gun show operations across the state.

As the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra prepares for its May 8 performance at "Spring For Music" at Carnegie Hall, it has partnered with M&T Bank and United Way in New York City to send underserved students to concerts.