Congressman Brian Higgins, City of Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, Niagara Falls City School District Superintendent Cynthia Bianco and other community partners gathered to officially celebrate the opening of a new playground at Gill Creek Park.

New York State Sen. Mark Grisanti recently named Jason Jaskula as "Veteran of the Month."

A resident of the Town of Hamburg who served in the Army with the 165th MP Company and later with Criminal Investigation Command at Fort Knox, Jaskula is the eighth recipient of the monthly honor presented by Grisanti.

"I am pleased to recognize Sgt. Maj. Jaskula for his passion not only for serving our country, but for supporting other military veterans," said Grisanti, a member of the State Senate's veterans, homeland security and military affairs committees. "His tour and military career is filled with various awards and honors, and his work with the Buffalo City Court veterans program and the Department of Veterans Affairs location in Buffalo is to be commended."

WWII Army Staff Sgt. Edward Joseph O'Donnell passed away Nov. 30, 1960, but his service to his country will always be remembered.

MOPS is starting a chapter in Niagara County at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 1073 Saunders Settlement Road, Niagara Falls. The program will be held the first and third Tuesday of each month, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16 (9:15-11:15 a.m.).

Mothers of Pre-Schoolers is a program to meet the needs of every mom.

Assemblyman John Ceretto is advocating for the construction of a new convention center in downtown Niagara Falls. As ranking minority member of the Assembly Tourism Committee, Ceretto sees this convention center as crucial to bringing construction jobs to the region, and enhancing Niagara Falls' long-term status as a tourism hub in New York.

"Since becoming an assemblyman in 2010, continuing Niagara Falls' legacy as a tourist hotspot in our state has been a top priority of mine," Ceretto said. "Currently, our downtown lacks the type of major draw that would bring tourists and tourism dollars into the city during the cold-weather months. Building a convention center and multi-use arena in Niagara Falls would fill that void."

Congressman Brian Higgins presented United States Army veteran Sgt. Benjamin Benally with the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while serving in Afghanistan.

Congressman Chris Collins has announced $176,703 in federal funding for two local fire companies: Naples Fire Department in Livingston County, and Rapids Fire Co. in the Town of Lockport. The grants were allocated through the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which is designed to help fire responders improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types.

"Providing the necessary funding for our first responders is an excellent use of federal resources," Collins said.

Sevenson Environmental Services Inc. of Niagara Falls has honored four of its tractor-trailer drivers for a combined 1.2 million miles of safe driving.

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.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. met and approved two contracts that will move forward and start construction on a permanent lighting installation at the Connecting Terminal grain elevator in Buffalo.

North Tonawanda Mayor Robert G. Ortt announced during a press conference the 2014 "Thunder on the Niagara" boat racing event will be "bigger and better" than the past eight years.

Just a few weeks remain before nationally recognized "Mummies of the World: The Exhibition" leaves the Buffalo Museum of Science on Sept. 21.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo traveled to Niagara Falls Friday to announce Uniland Development Co., a Western New York-based development company, has been selected as the preferred developer to rebuild and transform the former Rainbow Centre Shopping Mall in Niagara Falls.

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 Niagara County Fair announces the 2014 Grace Herr Award recipient is Paul Rockwood, a fulltime farmer in Lockport who enjoys volunteering his time and expertise for the fair.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. Chairman Robert Gioia recently announced the agency plans to hold a community open house to seek public scoring of three possible blueprints for the Buffalo Outer Harbor. The goal is to turn the long-neglected industrial property into a world-class mixed-use waterfront development that will combine open spaces and public waterfront access with well-needed economic activity and private investment.

ECHDC officials are working with Empire State Development and Perkins+Will's San Francisco and New York-based planning and architecture team. They want Western New Yorkers to review the three plans that were designed using input from the nearly 600 people who participated in three interactive meetings last month.

Parks and gardens along the historic Niagara Portage will be the featured destinations Saturday, Aug. 9, as four city institutions present a series of outdoor activities for people of all ages.

Last year, Lewiston resident Angelo Sarkees began the "Deposits for Food" initiative, collecting bottles, cans and scrap to raise funds for a pair of Niagara Falls charities. In year two, the program's impact more than tripled, and Sarkees presented checks of $1,000 each to Community Missions and Heart, Love and Soul on Thursday.

Members of the Schoellkopf Auxiliary Garden Club are readying the park for their upcoming Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Auxiliary Fundraiser, "Sing Sisters Sing," scheduled to take place Thursday, Aug. 7, from 6-9 p.m.

The New York State Department of Health has awarded a $376,000 grant to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center to support the launch of an innovative program to support family members caring for Medicaid beneficiaries at home and in the community.

The program, called "Building Bridges to Home and Community Care," will restructure the hospital discharge process to ensure better post-hospital care and reduce hospital readmissions and nursing home stays, thereby generating more than $2.3 million in Medicaid savings between now and September 2015.

New York State Sen. Mark Grisanti recently named Kelly Carrigg as the seventh recipient of his "Veteran of the Month" recognition program.

A resident of the Town of Hamburg who served with the 82nd Airborne Division, Carrigg is the seventh recipient of the monthly honor presented by Grisanti. She was awarded following an application and nomination process coordinated by staff members in Grisanti's veterans liaison office.

Conesus Fest for Charity is proud to announce the 21st anniversary of "The World's Largest Disco," presented by Univera Healthcare, to be held Saturday, Nov. 29, beginning at 9 p.m. at the Buffalo Convention Center.

North Tonawanda Mayor Rob Ortt, the endorsed Republican candidate in the 62nd Senate District, met with the local leader of an activist group that has grown by leaps and bounds since Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the nation's most restrictive gun control act into law last January.

Workers from Solar Liberty, a solar panel installation company headquartered in Buffalo, put the finishing touches on a solar photovoltaic system situated atop the Orchard Park Fire District's Central Station on July 14.

Explore & More Children's Museum has received a large anonymous donation through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, another gift from The John R. Oishei Foundation, and a grant from the Peter C. Cornell Trust, all toward the growth and planning of the new museum set to open at Canalside on the Buffalo waterfront in 2016.

Newfane resident and Miller Hose Volunteer Fire Department member Martin (Marty) Horanburg is the recipient of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York Fire Service Community Achievement Award for his tireless efforts to give back to his community.

For nearly 50 years, Horanburg has dedicated himself to the residents of the Town of Newfane as a member of Miller Hose. He has had a long and distinguished career as a firefighter, holding various offices, including second assistant chief, assistant chief, fire chief, assistant treasurer and vice president. In addition, he was named Miller Hose Firefighter of the Year in 1981.

Citizens in Erie and Niagara counties will have an opportunity next week to contribute to a continuing dialogue about how the Buffalo/Niagara region can grow more sustainably through the first half of the 21st century.

Last fall and throughout the winter, nearly 800 citizens participated in a creative mapping exercise to consider where Buffalo/Niagara should grow - and how - over the next 40 years.

Now the results are in and the regional planning effort known as One Region Forward is asking citizens back to consider the comparative costs and benefits of a range of alternative regional scenarios and to refine their advice on which way Buffalo/Niagara should grow.

The owners of Western New York's most enduring and successful roller skating venue have purchased the Skateland Family Fun Center and will reopen the popular Lincoln Avenue venue this fall.

Maurice D. Cooper Jr. and his wife, Barbara Hamilton Cooper, own­­­­­­ers of the Rainbow Rink in North Tonawanda, said they will spend the summer updating the popular family entertainment venue and preparing for what they are confident will be its long-term successful future.

"The City of Lockport and the surrounding communities deserve to continue to have a safe, well-run, family-oriented fun center," Maurice Cooper said. "Skateland has a proud history and we are convinced that its best years are still ahead."

The First Niagara Foundation and Habitat for Humanity will work together to build a new home at 118 Fox St., Buffalo. Employees of the bank will work at the house this month to help a local single mom and her children make their dream of home ownership a reality.

Habitat for Humanity ensures everyone has a decent place to live by providing affordable housing to families that might not otherwise be able to own a home. The houses are sold to pre-qualified families at no profit and with no interest charged while Habitat holds the mortgage.

The home on Fox Street is expected to be complete in late 2014. The First Niagara Foundation is providing $15,000 in funding for Habitat for Humanity to complete the project.

The first-ever Niagara USA nail polish line will launch at "Mini Mani's." The Old Falls Street event takes place Saturday, July 12, in downtown Niagara Falls. The public is invited to join NTCC and Gridlock Lacquer for the unveiling of new nail polish products showcasing the iconic heritage, natural beauty and romantic ambience of Niagara USA.

In a formal ceremony at the Niagara Falls Veterans Memorial in Hyde Park Monday, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Bluhm was presented with the Purple Heart military service medal awarded for wounds sustained in action while serving in Afghanistan.

A plaque honoring Nik Wallenda, "King of the High Wire," was installed Monday in Niagara Falls, New York. The monument sits near the spot where Wallenda mounted his tightrope to cross the falls into Canada June 15, 2012.

Thousands visited the Buffalo waterfront to experience "City of Light," a multidisciplinary arts happening at Silo City. Now in its fourth year, the event was coordinated by Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo.

On Sunday, May 25, the Lewiston/Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary Club held its 32nd annual Shaw Festival Garden Party and Theater event. The Rotary members' affair featured beer and wine tastings, food and live music followed by the Shaw performance.

New York State Sen. Mark Grisanti and New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan announced the Hamburg Public Library will receive a New York State Library Construction Grant of $449,399. Funding for this grant was included in the state budget passed earlier this year.

Libraries across the state applied for competitive construction grants that could fund up to 75 percent of the cost for a project. The minimum grant award was $2,500. The funding is awarded by the New York State Department of Education, Division of Library Development.

The Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. and AAA Western and Central New York unveiled a brand new "Niagara USA wrapped" motor coach tour bus on Monday outside of the Niagara USA Visitor Center on Rainbow Boulevard.

Standing along the western terminus of the Erie Canal, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Brian Higgins announced introduction of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act (HR 4641), a bill to extend the canalway's authorization for the next 15 years.

Buffalo's National Garden Festival is now in its fifth year and once again features a group of outstanding private gardens to visit on your own on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the month of July.

Adventurous couples seeking a unique wedding photo location need not look any further. Imagine starring down Class VI rapids as you and your wedding party have the big day captured like no one ever has.

The new Niagara Jet Adventure and Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. are looking for a couple to "take the plunge" this summer.