NOCO Express stores, its customers, and employees recently raised a total of $13,334 to support the Hospice Foundation of Western New York by selling paper sunflowers for $1 each at all of NOCO Express' 36 locations.

Niagara-Wheatfield area students headed back to school Wednesday morning. Aside from an accident involving an N-W school bus, opening day in local public and private schools seemed to go smoothly.

United Materials unveiled the first all-pink ready mix concrete truck in Western New York at its corporate headquarters, 3949 Forest Parkway, Suite 400, Wheatfield, the morning of Sept. 4.

The Town of Wheatfield Lions Club will hold its first "International Night" at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at the Wheatfield Lions Club pavilion. The event will include Lion Clubs from Canada and the U.S., including Fonthill, St. David's, Lewiston, Niagara and Pendleton and the host Wheatfield.

Bob Herman, Town of Niagara highway superintendent; Dave Grenier, division manager at Republic Services (Allied); and town highway staff, Bob Everard, Ryan Taylor, Barry Mitchell and Phil Mitchell show off the town's new hot box that was purchased with funds received from Republic Services.

Over the summer, Steven Fournier, son of Carole and Joe Fournier, designed and built flower boxes for the entrance of Niagara Hospice House as part of his Eagle Scout project.

The Wheatfield Family Picnic on Sunday started out with a few tears.

After the flag-raising ceremony, the signs that will be placed at the Niagara Falls Boulevard and Lockport Road ends of Walmore Road naming that section of the road the Spec. Alan N. Dikcis Memorial Highway were unveiled.

People who love their dogs found plenty of kindred spirits at the Niagara County SPCA's annual Dog Days of Summer event last weekend.

The Niagara Electric Lights Parade committee is seeking bands, civic groups, businesses, schools, elected officials, candidates, first responders, churches, etc., to participate in this year's 10th annual parade on Military Road in the Town of Niagara.

The Wheatfield Business Association awarded four scholarships during its May meeting at Westbys Pub & Grille. The 2014 scholarships were presented to Emily Belote, Joel Congi, Hannah Carrier and Jillian Wagner.

The Wheatfield Family Picnic is back again on Sunday, Aug. 24, at the town's Fairmount Park with its usual abundance of food, activities, animals, cars, community services and music.

Rita Tweedie, chief fiscal officer of Niagara Cerebral Palsy, will serve as the interim CEO/executive director for the organization. This comes after current CEO John Reardon's mid-August departure to relocate out of the area.

Dave Haseley is one of the Town of Niagara Highway Department workers who are making sure the hanging baskets and pots of flowers along Military Road that were installed by the town's Beautification Committee remain lush and beautiful with regular watering.

All individuals age 14 and above with a developmental disability living in or attending school/program in Niagara County are invited to tryout for the upcoming Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara talent show.

"Summer vacation" and "teacher" - when used in the same sentence these words typically produce responses varying from eye-rolling and head-shaking to exclamations of "Boy, it would be nice to have a job that gave me summers off."

Jim and Julie Hibbard have opened a new Hibbard's Original Frozen Custard location at the sweet shop located next to Clancy's (formerly Page's Whistle Pig) at the corner of Packard and Military roads, in Niagara Falls.

The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a C-130 aircraft simulator.

There's a new sheriff in town ... well actually, she's not a sheriff, but she is a peace officer for the Niagara County SPCA.

Niagara Organizing Alliance for Hope, or NOAH, a faith-based community organizing effort, will team with four congregations in Lockport to produce the first "Celebrate Lockport" event on Aug. 23.

The 115th annual Western New York Volunteer Fireman's Association Convention, hosted by the St. Johnsburg Volunteer Fire Co., was held July 23-26 in Wheatfield.

On July 16, Cub Scouts from Pack 833 out of Adams Firehall and their families took a trip to Regal Tips in Niagara Falls to see how and where drumsticks, drum brushes and many other cool items are actually made.

On June 12, Jessica Lamson and Brian Zuch were honored with the Niagara-Wheatfield Kiwanis' 2014 scholarship awards. The recipients and their families were treated to dinner at the Jetport Family Restaurant before Kiwanis President Mary Dohm presented the scholarship awards.

Local leaders came out in force Wednesday night to thank volunteer firefighters and EMS workers as the Western New York Volunteer Firemen's Association kicked off its 115th annual convention at the St. Johnsburg Firehall in Wheatfield.

Some 1,000 volunteer firefighters, fire police and emergency medical services personnel are expected to arrive in Wheatfield for the 115th annual Western New York Volunteer Fireman's Association Convention.

Anastasia Bajer, 2, of Sanborn, pets a goat at Olde Sanborn Days last weekend.

Quasar Energy Group's local representative Nate Carr is usually a minority of one at Wheatfield Town Board meetings when use of the company's equate as a farm fertilizer is discussed.

At Monday's board meeting, he brought reinforcements in the form of the Ohio-based company's Vice President for Technical Affairs Bruce Bailey and attorney Paul Keneally. The message was that the anaerobic digestion facility on Liberty Drive is not going to be driven out of town, and the town's moratorium and proposed ban on use of equate and building of a storage facility could be facing lawsuits.

Former Town of Niagara Supervisor Steve Richards received the expected sentence of three years probation from State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns on Monday in Lockport.

Burns said Richards could not be a political candidate during probation.

Richards had pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge on May 5 after being brought up on what started as 23 counts of official misconduct by the state attorney general's office. Richards' guilty plea involved having town employees pick up a drain and install it at his business.

As part of the agreement, Richards resigned from office and paid about $1,200 in restitution.

Remember the old Starlite drive-in movie on Military Road? The Town of Niagara can't bring back the joys of sitting in or on the hood of your car to watch the latest movies in the summertime in what is now Wegmans Plaza. However, local residents can bring the family and spread a blanket or bring a lawn chair to Veterans Park on Lockport Road (across from Town Hall) this summer to watch outdoor movies on a giant screen.

Puzzling Pixel LLC is a new company based out of Niagara Falls that helps business owners and organizations develop mobile ready websites and mobile apps.

A group of students at Niagara-Wheatfield High School have had a lot of questions about why more funding can't be obtained for their district.

More than 100 flags of various sizes are part of the annual Fourth of July display at the home of Paul Greinert, 6962 Errick Road, Wheatfield.

Covanta Niagara presented $250,000 to Niagara County Community College President James P. Klyczek and several members of the NCCC board of trustees, NCCC Foundation board of directors, and NCCC distinguished alumnus State Sen. George Maziarz Tuesday evening.

The June 18 Niagara-Wheatfield Board of Education meeting was a night of "beginnings and endings, from celebrating retirees and graduates to welcoming aspiring youth."

Tuesday's Town of Niagara Town Board meeting brought lots of smiles and good news for residents.

It started out on a high note with the presentation of a certificate to longtime resident Fannie Scalzo honoring her 100th birthday on June 7. Most of Scalzo's descendants also live in the Town of Niagara.

Four members of the Niagara-Wheatfield varsity soccer team have won the state cup in their respective age bracket and will travel to Rhode Island to compete in regional competition with their premier teams at the end of the month.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, helped passed a bill, A.10051, that would allow the Town of Niagara to sell certain lands that have been designated as parklands. These parklands the town is authorized to sell have gone unused for the past decade and have been replaced by new parklands. This move allows the town to sell the lands for economic development and improve the local economy.

"I was happy to carry this important local measure through the Assembly," Ceretto said. "Economic development and job creation are among my highest priorities, and this bill allows the Town of Niagara to expand its economy.

Wheatfield residents Monica Daigler and Julie Otto spent the day in Albany on Tuesday lobbying for legislation to require food produced with fertilizer made from sewage sludge to be labeled. They were hosted by Assemblyman John Ceretto (R-C-I-Lewiston), State Sen. George Maziarz (R-C-I-Newfane) and Assemblyman Ray Walter (R-C-I-Amherst).

For the fifth year in a row, a team from the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing has won the annual "TAG (The Adjutant General) Match," held May 31 to June 1 at Camp Smith Training Site, Cortland Manor.

On Wednesday, May 5, 1982, at approximately 12:30 p.m., 2-1⁄2-year-old Russell Mort disappeared from his fenced-in backyard at 2080 River Road, Lot 140, in the Town of Wheatfield.

After 32 years, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office continues to actively investigate this missing person case.

The annual "Soldiers Through the Ages" at Old Fort Niagara saw large numbers of people come to learn about the evolution of military life, gear and tactics. (photos by Wayne Peters)