The Island Dispatch and Grand Island PennySaver had a special guest judge for the annual Easter Coloring Contest.

The New York State Independence Party announced their endorsements for the 2019 election in the Town of Grand Island.

Without making any amendments to the proposal presented by district administration, the Grand Island Board of Education voted to adopt a $63 million 2019-20 school budget at a Tuesday.

Members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart presented the Grand Island Town Board with a certificate of commendation designating the town as a Purple Heart community.

The DeGlopper Memorial Committee will host a work party Sunday, April 28. Anyone willing and able is invited to attend.

Sidway Elementary School's playground committee is in the home stretch of fundraising for a new playground at the Baseline Road school.

As Island residents are now fully aware, Grand Island is moving full-steam ahead when it comes to solar energy.

Mark S. Nemeth has announced his candidacy for Grand Island Town Justice this year. He has received the endorsement of the Grand Island Republican Party, Conservative Party and the New York Independence Party. He will appear in those primaries on June 25 as well as those of the Democrat, Green and Working Families parties.

It's up to 13 years in business and counting - and 63 services offered and counting - for the Island Ship Center.

Volunteers are again needed to sell newspapers to support Kids Day on Tuesday, April 30. Proceeds from this paper sale help support the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital and Cradle Beach in their efforts to care for loved ones.

Longtime Grand Island resident Beverly A. Kinney announced her candidacy for reelection to the Grand Island Town Council.

I have grown up on Grand Island, a mother of two, and the wife to my husband, Mike, of 23 years. My parents and in-laws are residents of Grand Island. We love our town. I am passionate about serving and helping others. Grand Island is our forever home. I want to give back to the community that raised me and now my family.

George Hauss is running for Grand Island town clerk. He has been an attorney for over 23 years and is a certified public accountant, practicing in the areas of real estate, tax, estate planning, and probate. He has lived on Grand Island for 15 years with his wife of 25 years, Lisa Marie, who works as a nurse at Erie County Medical Center, and their two rescue dogs and cats.

The Erie County Department of Central Police Services is joining counterparts nationwide this week to participate in National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, an annual event held in April to honor and recognize 911 call-takers - the "first" first responders - for their dedication and service to the public during some of the most difficult moments in a person's life.

The Erie County Department of Mental Health (ECDMH), in cooperation with the Erie County Sheriff's Office and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo's Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable, has announced plans to establish an Erie County Reentry Resource Center in the offices of ECDMH's Forensic Mental Health Services at 120 W. Eagle St., Buffalo.

The Erie County Division of Budget and Management announced Erie County's long-term debt burden has been reduced by close to $100 million since Jan. 1, 2012, a decrease of nearly 25% in the seven years since Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz took office.

State Parks will begin to implement a plan this weekend of seasonal boat dock permitting along the West River Shoreline Trail.

Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz announced a slate of county public works projects that are planned for 2019 on Monday, March 25. This year, Erie County will spend over $40 million to maintain and repair county roads along with bridges and other structures, including curbing and drainage. The work will be completed by the Erie County Department of Public Works and is scheduled to begin as soon as the weather allows.

People who compost are able to improve the health of their gardens, as well as reduce the amount of waste that they leave for the garbage truck each week, said master gardener Bonnie Benton. Benton spoke to a full house at a presentation organized by the Grand Island Farmers Market and sponsored by the town's Conservation Advisory Board on March 28 at the WNY Welcome Center.

The Town of Grand Island is considering formation of a task force to address its aging water infrastructure and consider an expansive overhaul of hydrants.

In recognition of the recent merger between The Food Bank of Western New York and Meals on Wheels for Western New York, KeyBank, in partnership with the First Niagara Foundation, is awarding a $25,000 proactive grant to applaud the nonprofit agencies for merging into a new entity called FeedMore WNY. The newly formed organization will share services and reduce expenses to increase food distribution over a larger geographical area and provide additionally enhanced programs to help even more people in the local community.

The Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry is preparing for warmer weather and is now accepting applications for seasonal employment in 2019. Available positions include cashiers and starters at both Elma Meadows and Grover Cleveland golf courses, park maintenance workers for various locations throughout the parks' system, and lifeguards at the beach.

Without further ado, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, in partnership with Lawley and Joe Basil Chevrolet, introduces to the community Shamrock Olms and Meadow Lark, two new heavy-duty trucks that will serve District 2 (Cazenovia, South and Heacock Parks) and District 4 (Delaware Park).

Three alumni of Grand Island High School were set to receive Distinguished Alumni Awards at a ceremony on Friday in the Grand Viking Theater of Grand Island High School, 1100 Ransom Road.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Grand Island Central School District Music Department has been selected by the National Association of Making Music Foundation as one of the Best Communities for Music Education in the United States for 2019.

Tuesday at the town's Golden Age Center, members of the center helped Betty Marinell celebrate her 98th birthday.

The Buffalo Launch Club announces two upcoming programs of interest to boaters:

Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns and the Erie County Office for the Disabled will hold a special Disability Awareness Outreach Day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Erie County Auto Bureau located in the Eastern Hills Mall, 4545 Transit Road. Persons interested may utilize the Dipson movie theater entrance located at the backside of the mall.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz on Wednesday delivered his 2019 State of the County address at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo before hundreds of community leaders and county residents, touting the successes of his administration and setting a course for economic and community development into the future.

Erie County, in partnership with the City of Buffalo, the Town of Wheatfield, and the Western New York Stormwater Coalition, is once again offering rain barrels and compost bins to encourage households to reduce their environmental footprint through water conservation and reducing fertilizer use.

More than 500 fire departments across New York have already signed up for the ninth annual RecruitNY Weekend (April 27-28). RecruitNY is a cornerstone campaign of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY), with the goal of increasing membership in the state's volunteer fire service. The 2019 RecruitNY weekend is scheduled for April 27-28.

The Erie County Department of Public Works Highways' Division has announced the initial 2019 program of county roads targeted for repairs, including roads in each of the county's five highway districts, with mill and overlay work designated for several roads that sustained damage over the winter.

The Buffalo Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced it will begin an urgent handicap accessibility focus for veterans' posts in Erie County.

It has been 100 years since Zonta International was founded in Buffalo, and the Grand Island club is celebrating the centennial in style with its annual Fashion Show & Luncheon.

Saturday afternoon, several local boys basketball players from Niagara Frontier League schools gathered at City Honors High School for the 2019 Silver Hoops Classic.