Current News

Bob Heisner teaches Bushido at his building on Niagara Falls Blvd. He became proficient in the martial art through a blending of six different disciplines that he learned while serving in the military during and after the Vietnam War. He said the process of training doesn't just help muscles, it stays with the student and gives the self-determination and will to become whatever it is they aspire to become.

The Town of Niagara Business & Professional Association is hosting its annual Awards Dinner for 2019 honorees on Jan. 29 at the Four Points Sheraton, 7001 Buffalo Ave. in Niagara Falls. All proceeds will go to the TNBPA Scholarship fund to help families offset the cost of college.

Proceeds from North Tonawanda's 10th Mayor's Charity Snowflake Ball will benefit the Vietnam Veterans WNY Chapter 77, which maintains a museum in Tonawanda and helps provide food and necessities to veterans and their families in need. This chapter, with its 675 members, is the largest in New York and fifth-largest in the nation.

A crowd - standing room only - faced North Tonawanda officials at the Jan. 7 public hearing for the proposed changes to the city's sanitation program. Several residents approached the board with deep objections to the recommendations proposed by Niagara County Environmental Science Coordinator Dawn Timm and DPW Superintendent Mark Zellner.

The Kaleida Health DeGraff Memorial Tower in North Tonawanda, formerly used for inpatient care, has been listed with Pyramid Brokerage Co. to attract a developer to fill the five-story building. Some of the property's highlights, according to Pyramid, include easy access to the I-290 and its suitability for redevelopment, as well as it being ideal for multi-family residence and affordable housing.

Buffalo Coffee Roastery hopes to solve this question by roasting, grinding and selling fresh beans from around the world in the hamlet of Sanborn, at 5844 Buffalo St.

At a Comcast investor presentation held in the iconic Studio 8H of 30 Rock, NBCUniversal unveiled Peacock, a free premium ad-supported streaming service with subscription tiers offering more than 600 movies and 400 series, as well as compelling live and on-demand content across news, sports, late night and reality. From world-class originals and treasured hits, to blockbuster films and streaming channels, Peacock will offer consumers everything fans love to watch, all in one place.

As it begins its 125th year in service to the community, Pinnacle Community Services has announced Laura Pennington Gawel will now lead the organization as president and CEO.

The Kenan Center will present the ninth annual Niagara Wine & Beer Tasting Fest, brought to the community by Niagara's Choice Federal Credit Union, from 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Kenan Center Arena. Proceeds from the event support arts, educational and recreational programs at the Kenan Center.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today announced an additional $2 billion in energy-efficiency and building electrification initiatives to combat climate change. The New York State Public Service Commission has approved an ambitious set of energy-efficiency and electric heat pump targets to dramatically reduce energy consumption in New York.

Junior goalkeeper Brian Wilson of the Niagara University men's hockey team has been nominated for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Lewiston author, actor and community advocate Sophia Smith will participate in a book-signing event inside the Lewiston Public Library, 305 S. Eighth St. She will autograph copies of "Swinging From the Chandeliers" from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1.

Republican Assemblyman Angelo Morinello has been appointed as the ranking minority member for the Assembly's standing committee on codes for the 2020 legislative session. Morinello has an extensive background in the criminal justice system, including serving as the Niagara Falls City Court judge from 2001-15.

The Niagara Falls City Council will host a series of community meetings at various locations throughout the city.

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the lineup for its fourth annual "Rockin' the Downs" concert series, which take place outside on the racetrack on eight Friday dates, starting in June and running into August.

Printmaker and educator Katy Sloan of Buffalo will demonstrate silkscreen techniques, methods and uses at the next Niagara Arts Guild meeting. Sloan studied at SUNY New Paltz and demonstrates printmaking at the Book Arts Center and Starpoint Intermediate School.

The Dale Association will host the Center for Elder Law & Justice Mobile Legal Unit from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 33 Ontario St., Lockport. The team of experienced attorneys and paralegals travels throughout WNY to provide free "done in a day" legal assistance for older adults.

When the cold weather hits, so do a variety of winter weather challenges. Whether it's heavy snow and ice or below-zero temperatures, these conditions can impact your daily drive. To help stay safe on the road, Allstate offers tips on how to brush up on winter car driving know-hows.

WellNow Urgent Care - one of New York's fastest-growing urgent care providers - has been named the "Official Urgent Care Partner of the Buffalo Sabres" for the 2020-22 seasons. The three-year partnership encapsulates a one-of-a-kind partnership to help connect Buffalo Sabres fans with timely urgent care services.

Congressman Brian Higgins announced Buffalo State's Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Art Conservation Department will receive a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for preservation education and training. The three-year grant extends from 2020-22.

The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning will host public hearings for the draft 2020-24 Consolidated Plan for Community Development and the 2020 Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant ("CDBG"), Home Investment Partnership Grant ("HOME"), and Emergency Solutions Grant ("HESG") during the week of Jan. 20 in three communities across Erie County.

HBO Max has ordered eight episodes of "The Event," an unscripted documentary series. Viewers will be given an unprecedented look behind the scenes of the extraordinary events created by Wolfgang Puck Catering and legendary restaurateur Wolfgang Puck. From Renegade 83, each one-hour episode will follow various members of Puck's team as they strive to amaze clients and surpass even the highest expectations. With events such as the Academy Awards Oscars party to the 10,000-guest Adobe MAXBash under their belts, the sky's the limit for this team.

HBO Max, on Wednesday at its WarnerMedia Television Critics Association day, announced a greenlight for a three-part animated miniseries, "Aquaman: King of Atlantis," which will be executive produced by James Wan ("Aquaman" and the upcoming "Malignant") through his Atomic Monster production company.

HBO Max, the upcoming direct-to-consumer offering from WarnerMedia set to launch in the spring, announced Wednesday that Sundance award-winning director Chinonye Chukwu ("Clemency") will direct the first two episodes of its limited drama "Americanah."

TNT's post-apocalyptic sci-fi series "Snowpiercer" will premiere Sunday, May 31 (9 p.m. ET). Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel series and the film from Golden Globe Award winner Bong Joon Ho ("Parasite"), the new series stars Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly ("A Beautiful Mind") and Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs.

NBC will televise "The Road to F9: Fast & Furious Fan Fest" at 9 p.m. ET Friday, Jan. 31. The hourlong special will celebrate Universal Pictures' upcoming ninth chapter in the "Fast & Furious" series. It will feature the world premiere of the film's much-awaited trailer.

"Shrek The Musical," produced by the Wilson Music Parents Association, will be staged in the William H. O'Connor Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Jan. 23-25 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 26.

The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency on Wednesday announced its Consolidated Funding Application for the Microenterprise Grant Program has been approved by New York, with $200,000 in funds being made available. The program will provide resources to support and foster the development of local microbusinesses.

Attorney General Letitia James announced over $8 million in grant awards as part of the Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement ("Cities RISE"). Cities will use these grants to launch innovative programs related to housing and strategic code enforcement. The program aims to innovatively address and transform blighted, vacant or poorly maintained problem properties through the use of housing and community data from various state agencies.

Today, international sports and lifestyle brand New Era Cap Co. Inc. commemorates 100 years of being "the true authentic cap on and off the field." From creating fashionable Gatsby-style hats in the 1920s, to the invention of the New Era 59FIFTY fitted cap in the 1950s, to the crowning of a next generation of professional athletes in the 1990s, caps have been worn by those who achieved greatness and changed history.

Looking forward to spring, warmer weather, and a little green? Then join the Youngstown Garden Club at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, for "An Evening of Wintergreen" and garden-themed auction at First Presbyterian Church, 100 Church St.

IRS-certified accounting students from the University at Buffalo School of Management will again provide free tax preparation services to individuals and families with annual incomes below $56,000.

The eighth annual "Magic of Storytelling" campaign kicked off this week, during which Disney will celebrate its 75 millionth book donation to First Book, a nonprofit that provides new, free and affordable books to educators and organizations serving children in need. The "Magic of Storytelling" campaign aims to inspire families' imaginations, cultivate a lifelong love of reading in kids, and bring new books to underserved communities across the country.

Atlantic Records/Hear It Loud have signed Colton Dixon to an exclusive label deal. The award-winning American Idol fan favorite and finalist will debut his first single in nearly three years, "Miracles," on Jan. 24.

Niagara University's online programs in education were ranked among the Top 5 in New York state by U.S. News & World Report, a global authority in education rankings. In addition, Niagara was the only institution of higher education from Western New York to appear on the list.

WarnerMedia today announced an expanded relationship with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the groundbreaking new wrestling league that has already redefined wrestling with resounding success after only a few months. WarnerMedia has extended its deal for "AEW: Dynamite," a Top 20 new cable unscripted series, through 2023. In addition, the parties have agreed to launch another night of AEW action, offering more of the fans' favorite wrestlers, with a second show straight-to-series.

With a "Final Jeopardy!" category titled "Shakespeare's Tragedies" during match four, Ken Jennings was the only contestant to answer correctly: "Who is Iago"? With the winning answer, Jennings was crowned the champion of ABC's "Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time" Tuesday on ABC.

The Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, in conjunction with WNY PRISM, the Cornell University Cooperative Extension, and the NYS Hemlock Initiative is presenting a free public event focusing on the hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive aphid-like forest pest that is currently spreading in Western New York forests. The spread of HWA threatens the Eastern Hemlock, an important tree species that is a critical part of forest ecosystems, provides stream habitat for trout species and creates habitat for numerous other plant and animal species.

The History Center of Niagara will host a trivia program - reminiscing about old TV shows and movies - at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at 215 Niagara St., Lockport.

A University at Buffalo neuroimaging researcher has developed a computer model of the human brain that more realistically simulates actual patterns of brain impairment than existing methods. The novel advancement represents the union of two established approaches to create a digital simulation environment that could help stroke victims and patients with other brain injuries by serving as a testing ground for hypotheses about specific neurological damage.