The University at Buffalo Center for Assistive Technology has received a $ 4.7 million competitive award from the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitative Research.

The 2013-18 award was announced as CAT celebrates its 25th anniversary and brings the total amount of extramural support generated by the center to about $100 million since its founding in 1988.

Lockport Mayor Michael W. Tucker joined federal, state and local dignitaries Oct. 9 to mark the beginning of restoration of the famed Erie Canal Flight of Five Locks. Remarks were made during a community celebration on Canal Street in the heart of downtown Lockport.

The University at Buffalo and Kaleida Health have announced the joint appointment of Carroll McWilliams (Mac) Harmon, M.D., Ph.D., as chief of the division of pediatric surgery and director of the pediatric surgery fellowship at the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and pediatric surgeon-in-chief (chief of surgery, pediatric surgery) at Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo. His faculty appointment will be professor in the UB department of surgery.

Harmon, currently professor and director of pediatric surgical research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine, will begin his new positions at UB and Women & Children's Hospital on Jan. 1, 2014.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Thursday the state and the City of Niagara Falls will partner to launch the Downtown Niagara Falls Development Challenge, a major competition to select a team of world-class designers, developers and operators to envision and develop signature projects in the downtown area that will attract significant private sector investment and accelerate the revitalization of Niagara Falls. The goal of the competition is to transform downtown Niagara Falls into the ultimate tourist destination to attract and retain visitors from around the world, by building and enhancing the amenities and attractions available in the area.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced a lawsuit Tuesday to prevent Amigone Funeral Home Inc. from reopening its crematory in a residential neighborhood in the Town of Tonawanda. The crematory, which the A.G.'s camp said has a long history of generating offensive odors, soot, and excessive noise into the neighborhood, has been the source of persistent community complaints. While a July 2012 agreement with Schneiderman's office resulted in Amigone suspending operations at the crematory, the funeral home has recently signaled its intention to restart operations.

State Sen. Mark Grisanti, in partnership with City of Tonawanda Mayor Ron Pilozzi, Time Warner Cable and SunnKing, hosted a free electronics recycling event in the Town of Tonawanda.

The attendees at the 13th annual Technology & Homeland Security Forum are already up on languages like Java, SQL, Python and ASP.NET. But this year, the only languages that some of their presenters are familiar with are Alpo and Milk Bone.

Michael J. Mitchell, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Aaron Wilson have been appointed medical director and program director, respectively, of the Wound Center of Niagara.

A general, vascular and laparoscopic surgeon, Mitchell is a graduate of Canisius College and the SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine. He completed his surgical training at SUNY Buffalo. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

A Niagara Falls native, Wilson holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree from the State University of New York at Brockport and spent five years working in orthopedics and wound care at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown before returning to school to complete a Bachelor of Science in nursing at Binghamton University.

The Buffalo Sabres have announced a new community program this season that will involve Sabres players, coaches, team officials, alumni and fans supporting a variety of different nonprofit agencies and individuals in Buffalo, Western New York and Southern Ontario. "Sabres Community Assist" will be a six-day endeavor, taking place from Oct. 18-23, that will include player visits to area nonprofit organizations, a fundraising walk to benefit the I AM effort, and will shine a light on individuals whose lives have inspired and impacted others.

Covanta Niagara, the owner and operator of the energy-from-waste facility off 56th street in Niagara Falls, in partnership with State Sen. George Maziarz and Assemblyman John Ceretto, today announced a plan to help neighbors with a rodent infestation problem stemming from road construction and sewer work on Buffalo Avenue. Over the past several weeks, Covanta has been meeting with neighbors and state and local government officials to discuss the issue in the community, and hired Orkin Pest Control to conduct a survey and develop a remedial plan.

Leadership Niagara kicked off a new program year for its eight-month youth leadership development program, LYNC, at Camp Kenan in Barker this weekend. Eighty student leaders from 12 Western New York high schools gathered together for two days of orientation, leadership skills and concepts, high ropes and camping.

Community leaders, private industry, state and federal representatives joined forces to kick off the next phase of major investment into the restoration of 6.2 miles of the Buffalo River. This internationally recognized project is one of the largest river cleanups in the country.

The Buffalo River Restoration Partnership includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes National Program Office, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Honeywell, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Over the past decade, the combined efforts from the various partners in this partnership have leveraged nearly $75 million into restoration of the Buffalo River and its shoreline, making it one of the Great Lakes most successful revitalization efforts.

Throughout this month, the art works of John Briglio will be on display at Wine on Third, 501 Third St., Niagara Falls.

As part of its "Dialogues on disABILITY Speaker Series," the Museum of disABILITY History will welcome artist and photographer Char Szabo-Perricelli. The event will take place on Friday, Sept. 27, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Museum of disABILITY History, 3826 Main St., Buffalo.

The artist will host a candid Q-and-A, as well as a presentation that will focus on architecture and the ability of photography to preserve and uphold the integrity of historic structures. Szabo-Perricelli will also share observations on the JN Adam Developmental Center, as well as her reflections on social attitudes toward people with disabilities.

A New York Air National Guard officer who spent nine years preparing to coordinate space shuttle rescue missions has taken command of the New York Air National Guard's 107th Medical Group of the 107th Airlift Wing.