Participants in the Grand Island Relay For Life were asked to light a fire within at a kickoff meeting Wednesday at Connor Middle School.

The kickoff begins the season for the annual Relay, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Lynn Dingey, co-chair of GI Relay For Life, said the 2014 event will run at Veterans Park, May 31 at 2 p.m. to June 1 at 2 a.m. She asked those at the meeting to work to make the 2014 event "bigger and better."

Casey Dahlstrom was named the 2014 honorary survivor at the kickoff, while Mary Dunbar-Daluisio spoke on behalf of caregivers.

Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick announces his fourth annual Valentines for Veterans program was once again a great success, creating thousands of cards for local veterans and active servicemen and women.

Grand Island Town Engineer John Whitney received the Charles W. Nichols Award from the American Public Works Association, New York chapter, western branch, at its recent 2014 awards banquet. The APWA is a group of engineers who honor their peers for exemplary work; seven project awards and three individual awards were presented.

Students from Grand Island High School came out to Byblos Niagara Resort & Spa with resumes in hand waiting to hear those very words: "You're hired!"

New recycling carts will soon turn up on Island roadsides.

Republic Services will soon provide 95-gallong recycling carts to every home on the Island at no cost to taxpayers.

On Feb. 10, the Grand Island Board of Education worked through a varied agenda, including information on Grand Island's 2014-15 budget and a report on the three-year capital improvement project. All board members were present, including Donna Tomkins and Paul Krull via Skype.

Regarding the New York state budget, the board unanimously approved a resolution to get rid of the Gap Elimination Adjustment, GEA. Each year since 2009-10, foundation aid to school districts has been frozen at 2008-09 levels. In addition, aid may be taken from school districts and applied to the New York state budget to close deficits.

Saturday, Feb. 8, dozens of walkers, skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers braved the elements to take part in the fourth annual Robert G. Hoch Winter Memory Walk on West River Parkway

The LaSalle Yacht Club has turned its Pasta Sauce Off benefit over to two successful fundraisers who are all of 11 years old.

A 17-year-old girl from Grand Island is the recipient of a bedroom makeover thanks to a team of local volunteers.

Rehearsals continue for the St. Stephen's Parish Players performances of "Bye Bye Birdie" in the St. Stephen School cafetorium.

Scout Sunday (for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts) was celebrated at the 9 a.m. Mass Sunday, Feb. 2, at St. Stephen R.C. Church, 2100 Baseline Road.

Students in the fourth-grade class of Kaegebein Elementary School teacher Katherine Chadwick presented three performances Jan. 31 of a musical play called "Make a Difference."

The Grand Island Dance Center's Dance Ensemble had a very full performance season. The last performance of the season was at Niagara University for the halftime show.

Locating a new cell tower got a little easier with the passage of an amendment to town code.

The Grand Island Town Board changed its regulations on setbacks required for towers, reducing the minimum radius needed within the tower's fall zone.

The move followed a public hearing on the matter that took place last month.

Section 407-169 (C) of town code was amended to read: "The tower must be set back a minimum from any residentially zoned property or any front yard line, and from any residential dwelling, school or historic structure, by a minimum of the lesser of one and a half times its height and any antenna attached thereto, or one and a half times the tower's highest pre-engineered breaking point, as certified by a licensed engineer in a manner acceptable to the town engineer."

Shortly after 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, Grand Island Fire Co. rescue personnel responded to a motor vehicle accident involving a car and school bus on East River Road and Edgewater Drive.

The Village Inn and SATO, Serene Gardens' new restaurant in Buffalo, were winners again this past Sunday at the fourth annual Buffalo Soup-Fest, held at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

Niagara Frontier Publications Publisher Skip Mazenauer was presented the Niagara University Family Business Center Vision Award on Jan. 29. The award recognizes businesspeople who are successful, lead a family- or privately owned Western New York business, are committed to benefiting the community, and who have created something when others did not foresee an opportunity.

High jinks on the high seas is the setting for Grand Island High School's annual musical.

"The Pirates of Penzance" will be presented Thursday, Feb. 6; Friday, Feb. 7; and Saturday, Feb. 8, on the high school stage. This ambitious production is one of Gilbert and Sullivan's best known comic operettas.

The 2014 Grand Island Relay For Life will hold its kickoff event Feb. 5, and those who attend should go ready to rock.

Organizers of the GI Relay have adopted "Rock-Out Cancer" as the 2014 theme for the fund drive to support the American Cancer Society. The kickoff for 2014 will take place at Veronica Connor Middle School's cafeteria, 1100 Ransom Road, on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m.

At the kickoff, awards recognizing achievement from the 2013 Relay will be handed out as well.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard has announced the Civil Enforcement Division reached a four-year high in revenue, topping $1 million for the county's 2013 General Fund account.

As the sheriff is the state-mandated enforcement officer for all courts in New York State; the C.E.D. performs service and enforcement functions for its civil courts, including the service of summonses and subpoenas, collection of money judgments, and enforcement of court orders, including warrants of eviction. Service/enforcement and mileage fees, plus a "poundage" fee of 5 percent on all money collected are forwarded monthly to the county comptroller.

A proposed law to require public assembly permits had another hearing at Town Hall.

Local Law Intro No. 3 of 2013 - Public Assembly Permit would regulate parades and special events having more than 200 persons in attendance.

New York State Fire Training Instructor Mark Butler administered the oath of office to newly elected Grand Island Fire Co. officers on Saturday, Jan. 11, at fire headquarters, 2275 Baseline Road.

Members of the Grand Island Fire Co. took their oaths of office to newly elected officer positions during ceremonies at fire headquarters Saturday, Jan. 11. Both firematic and administrative officers were sworn-in.

The Grand Island Board of Education held its monthly meeting on Monday evening, Jan. 13, in the new Professional Development room in Grand Island High School. Part of the district's three-year multimillion dollar project, the former senior cafeteria has a new ceiling and lighting, three SMART boards, which are used for teacher and staff training, and some new furniture. The public premiere of the room is one of the many visible changes to the high school, including the STEM addition on Ransom Road where, despite last week's blizzard, work has progressed and is "on schedule," according to Vaughn Maracle of Campus Construction Management.

Earlier this month, State Assemblyman John Ceretto joined with friends and supporters in mid-winter salute to the Niagara Wine Trail.

Meals on Wheels Foundation of Western New York is the recipient of a $1,000 donation through Compu-Mail's "Charity Connection" program. The organization was selected from numerous online nominations made by Compu-Mail's clients and associates throughout last fall.

As a result of severe blizzard conditions that caused Niagara River ice jams, Grand Island residents encountered shoreline damage in the vicinity of 4300 East River Road. Although docks and boat houses sustained the most damage, residential properties in low-lying areas were also at risk.

The Metz Building on Long Road has been sold, clearing the way for development of what many consider the Island's most notorious eyesore.

Councilman Gary Roesch said at the end of Monday's Grand Island Town Board meeting that owner Jim Metz had sold the building, former home to Dunlop Tire headquarters, to Rudra Management of Cheektowaga, which he called developers of other hotels and motels in the area.

Roesch said he didn't know the sale price but said Metz, probably didn't get "anywhere near what he was asking" for all along in the sale.

An anonymous donor has provided what some are calling a "Christmas miracle" to the Miracle League of Grand Island and Western New York.

Fuccillo Automotive Group presented the Salvation Army with $200,000 Dec. 23 at Fuccillo Chevrolet of Grand Island as part of this year's campaign in which Fuccillo matched red kettle proceeds throughout Upstate New York.

The Neighbors Foundation of Grand Island would like to thank the hundreds of individuals and organizations who contributed to make our 2013 holiday distribution so successful. More than 65 of your neighbors were helped with food baskets and, where appropriate, gift cards or toys, for their children.

The foundation itself is a small, all-volunteer organization; we cannot do anything "ourselves." We depend on the community to recognize the need around us, and to respond so generously. Even in beautiful, pleasantly suburban Grand Island, there are needs, and you have helped. Thanks to all of you!

The Miracle League of Grand Island and WNY Inc. is closer to realizing the dream of a handicapped-accessible playground at the Miracle League baseball complex in Veterans Park of Grand Island.

The Miracle League of Grand Island and WNY announced Dec. 21 that it is the recipient of a $60,000 grant from an anonymous donor. Members of the board of directors accepted a $60,000 grant to be used toward the construction of the playground, a disability-friendly play area, purpose-built to accommodate all children.

In addition to the immediate grant, a matching challenge has also been made.

The students at St. Stephen School performed their Christmas Concert on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in the parish church.

On Saturday, Dec. 14, more than 100 children and parents enjoyed making graham cracker houses with Explore and More, A Children's Museum.

Grand Island Fire Chief Kevin Koch reports Grand Island firefighters responded to 12 storm-related incidents during a seven-hour period on Sunday, Dec. 22. Most of these early-morning calls involved instances of flooding, power lines down, and transformer failure, but no major structural damage, he noted.

St. Stephen's Mission Club students were busily preparing Christmas greeting cards for the elderly. These cards, made with loving care, are being delivered to the residents at Our Lady of Peace Skilled Nursing Facility.

The Neighbors Foundation of Grand Island is assisting a record 68 families in temporary distress this holiday season.

The Grand Island Town Board approved a $1 million service contract with the Grand Island Fire Co. at its meeting Dec. 16.

During a public hearing on the contract, Greg Butcher, chairman of the board of the GIFC, said the contract with the town "has been longstanding and the fire company provides an incredible amount of services to the residents of Grand Island, and I would challenge any other community in Erie County to provide as many services as we do to this community."

The Neighbors Foundation of Grand Island is happy to report that we will be helping 68 families, your neighbors on Grand Island, this holiday season. Well, no, we are not happy to report that number of families in temporary distress on the Island; all wish that the economy and sources of good-paying employment were better. What we are happy about is that so many Grand Islanders have helped: financial and food donations, gift cards, hands-on help, to allow the Foundation to provide that service to some of our less fortunate neighbors.

Fahim Mojawalla, owner of Island Ship Center, has announced the launch of his new website at www.IslandShipCenter.com.

After running his ship center business for seven years under the umbrella of his corporation, Creative Leather Concepts Inc., Mojawalla decided to make a new site for the pack and ship portion of his Island business, which has grown to offer services like package holding and printing.