Anthony Molinaro's Orleans-Niagara BOCES building trades program has helped out in the community numerous times. With winter approaching, the students got a special request to help out with a structure to house feral cats.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and the Hyde Park Business & Professional Association teamed up to turn Niagara Falls pink in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Whether it's scarecrows, pumpkins, corn stalks or scary figures, with Halloween coming, many individuals, community groups and businesses have decorated their homes and grounds with colorful, and sometimes haunting, fall displays.

About 30 members of the Niagara-Wheatfield girls swimming and diving team volunteered their time the morning of Sept. 22 to assist in the Hospice Dash 5K Race and the Mighty Niagara Half Marathon in Youngstown.

October is Fire Prevention Month and volunteer firefighters in the Niagara-Wheatfield area have been busy, not only protecting the community, but holding open houses and special programs.

The classic thriller "The Spiral Staircase" continues at the Ghostlight Theatre, 170 Schenck St., North Tonawanda.

The Niagara County Department of Mental Health recently recognized three members of its community services board of directors.

Town of Niagara Supervisor Steve Richards and Deputy Supervisor Marc Carpenter show a hubcap painted with the town's bicentennial logo, which was sent to the town by Dottie Farrell of Niagara Falls.

It started in the late 1970s in an old pickup truck parked on the side of the road. Sisters Ann and Mary Jo Goodman would drive up from their parent's farm in Wilson and sell produce roadside at the same Wheatfield location, which now houses Goodman's Farm Market.

The Niagara-Wheatfield Board of Education recognized a number of students at its Oct. 3 meeting. Among them was Zora Raglow-DeFranco who has been named as a Commended Student in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program.

October means pumpkins, and there's plenty of local spots to pick out the perfect specimen for carving or decorating.

"He's the boss," said Andrew Bell, indicating the black and white cat sprawled on the desk at the SPCA of Niagara.

As Bell sat behind his new desk, Sam the cat regally accepted a scratch behind the ears and spread out bonelessly claiming more territory. Sam, after all, came to the SPCA first. Bell just started his new job as executive director on Oct. 1.

Calamar's headquarters in Wheatfield was selected as one of the locations for a private and independent filmmaker working on his second feature film.

Jenny Vinson, head coach for Town of Niagara Illusions Cheerleaders, recognized the challenges that would face her team as she and a group of her students left the Wheatfield Cheerleaders and formed the Town of Niagara Cheerleaders.

The American Bus Association has announced the "War of 1812 Encampment - the Capture of Fort Niagara," held Sept. 1 and 2, was designated as one of the "Top 100 Events in North America for 2013" by an experienced tourism industry selection committee.

The 2012 edition of the World Pumpkin Weigh-Off begins at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Great Pumpkin Farm, 11199 Main St., in Clarence.

Violet (Heisterberg) Bush (pictured) celebrated her 100th birthday on Sept. 9. A dinner party was held in her honor with friends and family gathering Sept. 15 in the community room at the Woodlands Senior Village in Wheatfield, where Bush has lived since April 2008.

Kinetic Kitchen and Bath is now under new ownership and management. The showroom, located at 1655 Fashion Outlet Blvd., Town of Niagara, has been newly renovated.

It was Navy Day at the Aquarium of Niagara. Navy divers, visiting Western New York as part of Navy Week, demonstrated their skills in the main pool and even played underwater tic-tac-toe on the glass-viewing wall of the pool with the youngsters standing on the dry side.

The 2013 budget, public hearings, Halloween hours and even a warning were part of the Town of Niagara's Town Board meeting on Tuesday.

The Wheatfield Lions Club's Five Senses Nature Park on Ward Road was dedicated in honor of the late Henry Scibisz of Wheatfield on Sept. 9. Scibisz was founder of the club and promoted the establishment of the park.

This pit bull puppy gave a slurp of approval to Niagara County SPCA employee Lauren Zaninovich after unofficially "christening" a new improvement donated to the facility. (photo by Susan Mikula Campbell)

WBBZ-TV will introduce "The Fred Jackson Show" to the local program roster beginning Monday, Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. Jackson, star running back for the Buffalo Bills, has been a member of the team since 2007.

Michael Dallessandro, supervisor of transportation at Niagara-Wheatfield School District, joined area law enforcement representatives at AAA headquarters in Williamsville recently to remind the public about staying vigilant on the roads now that schools are open.

As one of the hottest summers on record draws to a close, county, local and state officials officially dedicated a new resource designed to help children in central and western Niagara County cool down.

It's being called Wheatfield's "Off the Beaten Path" Farmers & Specialty Items Community Market, tucked into the parking lot at Town Hall, 2800 Church Road.

Anu and Komal Chandan, M.D., Russell Hurlburt and John Percy have been named co-chairs of The 2013 Premier, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center's annual black tie dinner and entertainment gala.

It was another beautiful summer evening, Thursday, Aug. 16, when four civic groups met at Five Senses Park on Ward Road to enjoy Wheatfield Lions Club's annual steak roast.

The party isn't over in the Town of Niagara.

This Saturday, Wegmans on Military Road will offer its own salute to the town's bicentennial celebration with its version of a "Town of Niagara BBQ" to finish off the summer season.

For the second time since he was elected, Wheatfield Supervisor Bob Cliffe sought approval Monday for expanding the supervisor's term of office to four years and limiting each supervisor to a maximum of two terms.

Once again, his request for a second on his motion was met by silence from the members of the Town Board.

Cliffe said he had tried to change the individual board members' minds on the matter since he brought it up in his first year in office.

Highwire artist Nik Wallenda returned to Niagara Falls on Thursday, Aug. 23, to update the media about his plans to open a daredevil museum. It was Wallenda's first trip back to the area since he crossed over the falls to Canada on June 15.

The SPCA is usually all about the animals - like Gabby, shown in the photo at right, taking a cooling dip in a plastic pool.

The third time is certainly a charm for the Eternal Brothers Motorcycle Club. The club recently hosted the third annual Elizabeth Bondi Memorial Bike Run in support of the programs and services of Niagara Hospice.

Mike & Nate give new meaning to the phrase, "God works in mysterious ways."

Over 50 days, the two churchgoing college buddies - Mike Buonaiuto, 22, and Nate Frankoski, 26 - biked 2,500 miles to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Attendance was down a bit this year due to intermittent rain, but organizers of the Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival reported a lot of happy customers last weekend at Gateway Harbor in Tonawanda.

Church services, a rock climbing wall, live animals, games, music, demonstrations and plenty of food - the 34th annual Wheatfield Family Picnic at Fairmount Park this Sunday, Aug. 19, has it all.

Mia Skinner has given new meaning to the phrase "pop art."

The owner of Soda Can Earrings, Skinner and her business made a return visit this weekend to the Lewiston Art Festival, the event she said where her business all started.

The Town of Wheatfield Republican Club will hold its 42nd annual family picnic from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, at the Wheatfield Lions Club picnic pavilion on Ward Road next to the Wheatfield American Legion.

Wheatfield often has too much water, especially off Krueger Road. North Tonawanda has two huge, unused pipes going under River Road to the Niagara River.

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta confirmed the importance of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station on his visit here Thursday.