Town of Porter Supervisor Duffy Johnston recently presented a $15,000 check to Village of Youngstown Mayor Raleigh Reynolds to assist with upkeep of the senior van. The Village of Youngstown and Town of Porter share the van, which takes area seniors to doctor and hospital appointments.

The Lewiston-Porter Class of 1958 has distinguished itself among alumni in myriad ways. As individuals, they are a uniquely accomplished, both personally and professionally. As a class, dedication and generosity is unparalleled.

Reduce, reuse, recycle is a common mantra for environmentally minded people. Lewiston's Cub Scout Pack 855 recently learned it will conserve resources, protect the environment and save money if Scouts can make the mantra a habit.

Year in and year out, the best amateur golfers from around the world storm into Lewiston around the middle of July to play in the Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club. 2018 will be the 60th anniversary of the tournament. A press event Thursday evening announced the stakes will be even higher this year.

Hibbard's Original Frozen Custard has served cones and cups and bowls of sweet treats to generations of Lewiston residents. This summer, the Hibbard family is hoping to dish up and distribute custard from larger serving windows.

The Youngstown Business and Professional Association held its quarterly membership meeting Tuesday at Ray's Tavern.

Embody Health and Wellness Studio is expanding on the renovated third floor of the Red Brick Municipal Building in the Village of Lewiston. The studio offers a wide range of fitness and yoga classes, as well as personal training and nutritional coaching.

More than 500 students from 13 schools in Western New York passed up watching the Buffalo Bills playoff game Sunday and took part in a competition of their own.

Prior to Christmas, DiMino Tops Lewiston partnered with Niagara Frontier Publications to sponsor the annual holiday coloring contest. The supermarket displayed each child entrant's work in the foyer and then donated gifts to the winning posters.

It was another full house in Youngstown over the weekend at the "12th Night Ball" fundraiser at Old Fort Niagara.

An agreement to purchase the Frontier House appears to have fallen through, and the Village of Lewiston's most famous property is, once again, up for sale.

With a new supervisor (John "Duffy" Johnston) and two new council members (Irene Myers and Tim Adamson) sworn-in, the Town of Porter held its reorganizational meeting for 2018. Tuesday's session saw a number of authorizations, appointments and approvals, including the following:

The Neptune Water Ski Club held their annual New Year's Day event in the Niagara River at Lewiston. They had to break ice out of the boat launch to get the ski boat in the water, and then had to ski around the ice flows in the river.

Assemblyman Angelo Morinello recently paid a visit to the Lewiston-Porter campus and the Primary Educational Center building to congratulate all the students from the PEC and the Intermediate Education Center who completed the 2017 Summer Reading Challenge.

Here is a look back at some of the top issues from 2017.

The annual Youngstown/Town of Porter Community Holiday Baskets project has been declared a great success this year. Scores of volunteers worked a village-townwide collection campaign from Dec. 11-16 at the Red Brick Village Center gym. Through the efforts and the donations of many, 50 families received food boxes, and over 90 children received clothing and toy items.

It's that time of year again for another great, family-friendly, event: Youngstown's Caroling in the Village on Saturday evening, Dec. 23.

The Lewiston Garden Club celebrated its Christmas luncheon Tuesday at the Youngstown Yacht Club. The group is shown with gifts and food baskets collected for four families from Community Missions in Niagara Falls.

As part of a holiday luncheon program on Tuesday, the Lewiston Senior Center donated dozens of presents to needy Lewiston-Porter Central School District families, and even more canned goods to the Heart, Love & Soul Food Pantry in Niagara Falls. In addition, scarves were given to the Youngstown Porter Community Christmas Baskets program.

Community support was the topic at the Kiwanis Club of Lewiston's dinner meeting Wednesday Dec. 6, at The Brickyard Pub & B.B.Q.

Cub Scout Pack No. 855 enjoyed a fun and educational meeting on Thursday, Dec. 7, when Jennifer Grier, marketing specialist with Greater Niagara FCU, was invited for an interactive financial literacy workshop. The scouts learned the importance of saving money and making a plan for future purchases "Avengers" style.

The giving season is underway in Youngstown.

The Lewiston Community Lions provided needed toiletries for this year's "Holiday Hero" program through the American Red Cross.

The North Pole temporarily relocated to Lewiston this weekend.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has announced completion of phase one of a restoration project at the Stella Niagara Preserve's landing in Lewiston.

"Christmas at the Farm" will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 9-10, at the Sanborn Lewiston Farm Museum, located at 2660 Saunders Settlement Road (Route 31). The family-centered event includes a meet-and-greet with Santa, with each child ages 2 through 8 receiving a small gift from St. Nick.

Old Fort Niagara invites the public to experience the holiday spirit in the company of 18th century-style merrymakers at this season's "Castle by Candlelight" tours on Dec. 9 and 16. Music, crafts, demonstrations and more will make the French Castle, decorated by the Youngstown Garden Club, brim with festivities. The event will also include the feu de joie celebratory cannon and musket firings.

VFW Lake Ontario Post 313 in the Village of Youngstown has unveiled its new drop-off box for retired U.S. flags. The box is located outside the post at 434 Third St.

Driving down Center Street from Academy Park toward the river, you've probably noticed it already.

Niagara University recognized the accomplishments of five individuals - while raising critical funds for student scholarships - during its 2017 President's Dinner, which was held Nov. 17 at The Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls.

Small Business Saturday (aka "Shop Small Saturday") has grown by leaps and bounds as, each year, more and more communities participate and build advertising campaigns to encourage patronage. AMEX reported small business owners generated $15.4 billion in 2016, as 112 million people visited their local retailers.

Col. Jeremy Robert Johnson and Village of Lewiston Deputy Mayor Bruce Sutherland were the most recent inductees into the Lewiston-Porter Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

Following significant discussion, the Lewiston Town Board, by a 4-1 vote, gave its endorsement Monday of a local law to approve the amended Rubino brothers' concept PUD - with conditions - for a proposed development off Upper Mountain Road near Bronson Drive. The planned unit development covers 107 units, including 91 patio homes and four-unit townhouse buildings on property currently owned by Donald Smith.

The Historical Association of Lewiston's signature event, the Lewiston Tour of Homes, will kick off the holiday season Christmas Walk weekend, Dec. 2-3. Tickets are on sale now for the 13th annual event, themed "Christmastime with Fieldstone and Holly," which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

Barenaked Ladies' "Last Summer on Earth Tour 2018" will make a stop at Artpark on July 10, alongside Better Than Ezra and KT Tunstall. The triple bill will be presented on the Outdoor Amphitheater stage as part of the "Tuesdays in the Park" concert series.

Northern Niagara residents hit the polls on Tuesday and spoke their minds with most candidates handily winning their respective offices - save for one exception in the Town of Lewiston. There, voters sent a message to the GOP-controlled majority by electing Democrat John O. Jacoby Jr.

The Village of Lewiston's crown jewel has a new owner - one who has yet to be identified. Over the weekend, the Hastings family - Richard, his wife, Judy, and son, Alan - reached an agreement to sell the Frontier House and almost one acre of property for $800,000. The deal was represented by Dian Ruta, a licensed associate broker with Great Lakes Real Estate Inc.

American Legion O. Leo Curtiss Post 380 in Ransomville invites the community to a Veterans Day rededication ceremony of the Veterans Memorial in the Curtis Cemetery, at the corner of Youngstown Lockport Road and Curtis Avenue in Ransomville. The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11.

Despite efforts this week by the Hastings family to try and answer the Village of Lewiston's Frontier House inquiries, and to provide some renovation plans, Zoning Officer Ed DeVantier still intends to issue appearance tickets in Town of Lewiston Town Court.

If the owner of the Frontier House doesn't provide a "schedule of performance" by Wednesday, Nov. 1, he could be fined hundreds of dollars - or more.