Niagara County's favorite holiday tradition is back, as the Greater Niagara Ballet Co. presents "The Nutcracker." The 37th annual Christmas production is on stage at the Niagara Falls High School Performing Arts Center.

Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School's Campus Ministry Department collected food throughout the month of November.

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and congressmen Chris Collins and Brian Higgins today wrote to Small Business Administration Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet urging the SBA to prepare to swiftly administer disaster assistance to the Western New York region.

During the past year, Barker Lions have aided members of our community by providing hearing aids, eye exams and glasses for those who cannot afford them.

Kick off your holiday season with Niagara Cerebral Palsy and Aspire of WNY.

Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School is working hard to increase enrollment both locally and internationally. Three international students have been accepted into the 10th grade and will begin in January.

On Saturday, Erie Community College's Kats entered HARBORCENTER's glistening Canalside confines, dropped the puck against interstate rival Hudson Valley, and ushered in yet another example of how the three-campus college is continuously looking to enhance its downtown opportunities - both on the ice and in the classroom.

The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team will again take part in the NHL Hockey Fights Cancer program during the team's home game, presented by ECMC, Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. against the Edmonton Oilers.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced ASi LLC as the winner of the $1 million grand prize from 43North - the world's largest business idea competition.

Antonio's Banquet and Conference Center will be transformed into a magical wonderland Saturday, Nov. 8, as the Greater Niagara Ballet Co. once again presents its annual "Breakfast with the Sugarplum Fairy."

Congressman Brian Higgins visited the Food Bank of Western New York as communities across the country recognized National Food Day with events aimed at promoting access to healthy food.

A three-year long Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper strategic initiative assessing and identifying the critical habitats for the more than 900,000-acre Niagara River watershed was recently completed through the Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Hard Rock is rolling out the red carpet for its youngest rock stars to show off their best impressions. To launch the Hard Rock "Roxtars" program, Hard Rock Café, Niagara Falls USA, will host the "Does Your Child Look Like a Rock Star?" contest Saturday, Nov. 1.

Congressman Brian Higgins presented military medals and honors, including the Bronze Star, to the family of World War II Veteran Private First Class Samuel J. Insalaco.

Winners of The Niagara Arts Guild Fall Art Show were announced at the Lockside Art Center at the show's recent opening reception.

The giant panda is one of the rarest species on this planet. Shy, elusive and gentle creatures, they once ranged in great numbers between Beijing and the Himalayas. But now, after centuries of human expansion and destruction of their habitat, the giant pandas are on the brink of extinction, with fewer than 1,600 remaining.

The Western New York Peace Center held a Vigil to Keep Space for Peace outside the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base Saturday, as part of the Global Action Day Against the Use of Drones for Surveillance and Killing, which included events hosted worldwide.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Family and Children's Service of Niagara Inc. joined with officials from the PASSAGE Shelter and Niagara Falls Police Department Wednesday to mark the first-ever Domestic Violence Ribbon Walk and "Unmasking Domestic Violence" art exhibit in the Cataract City.

This past Thursday, Sandy Santos, Complete Senior Care PACE participant and a Niagara Falls resident, had her head shaved by Complete Senior Care employee and breast cancer survivor Kim Williamson.

Congressman Brian Higgins and New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan announced they are endorsing a plan for the development of Buffalo's Outer Harbor that was created by Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper.

Hard Rock Café, Niagara Falls USA, is uniting fans, musicians and survivors in honor of the brand's 15th annual Pinktober campaign.

"Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play," a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, will host a "Walkable, Bikeable Niagara Falls" workshop Oct. 7 at the Niagara Falls Public Library on Main Street.

Town residents and local officials showed up in force Thursday to dedicate a new historic marker that celebrates the founding of a small Erie Canal village that went on to become the modern town of Pendleton.

Live German-themed entertainment will be provided throughout the day by the Bergholz German Band, the German American Musicians, and the SGTV Edelweiss Dancers. Festival guests will also enjoy a wide variety of traditional German food, beer and wine vending, as well as other food and merchandise vendors.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a new, 1 million-square-foot site for the future SolarCity GigaFactory facility, which will manufacture solar panels at the RiverBend site in South Buffalo. The governor was in Buffalo to officially break ground on the project, which will create more than 3,000 jobs in Western New York alone, and a total of nearly 5,000 jobs in the state. The SolarCity facility will be the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, with more than 1 gigawatt of annual solar capacity when it reaches full production.

"We said four years ago that we have to change the mentality of Buffalo, and every day since we have been working hard to continue this new energy and momentum in Western New York," Cuomo said.

A massive, smoky fire at a containerboard factory in Niagara Falls on Saturday brought multiple volunteer fire departments to assist city firefighters in battling persistent flames.

Forty-five law enforcement supervisors from 30 sheriffs offices around the state attended the 17th annual Law Enforcement Division Supervisor's Continuing Education Program at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs.

Located at 8676 Buffalo Ave., in the heart of the LaSalle District of Niagara Falls, stands The Vault, a unique nightclub with all the comforts of your local pub.

Niagara Falls International Airport has two new charging stations for airport traveler use, as part of a statewide network of up to 3,000 EV charging stations slated for public and workplace locations across New York by 2018. The charging stations are being undertaken through Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "Charge NY" initiative, launched last year.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have released a request for proposals to identify an operator for the 1,037-slip boat marina and ancillary services at Buffalo Harbor State Park.

The RFP calls for an experienced marina operator to operate, maintain and improve facilities that include the marina, a restaurant building, parking spaces and several smaller buildings. The deadline to submit a proposal is Friday, Oct. 29. The lease would begin prior to the start of the 2015 boating season.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. invites the public to experience a celebration of all things that have made the Buffalo community a historic lakefront destination.

The Buffalo Maritime Festival at Canalside begins Friday at 3 p.m. with a boat parade and the arrival of the majestic U.S. Brig Niagara, which will serve as a centerpiece for three full days of events and activities that run through Sunday. Tug DeWitt Clinton and the Spirit of Buffalo, a U.S. Coast Guard Response Boat, plus dozens of other classic boats will join the brig.

The Lewiston/Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary Club was on site at the Terry Fox Run in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Sunday cooking hot dogs and hamburgers to raise funds to support cancer research.

The latest exhibition in the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University's TopSpin Series opens this Sunday with "alexandra spaulding: the one that I've kept closest." An opening reception is set for 2-4 p.m. with an artist talk at 3 p.m.

Buffalo Common President Darius Pridgen announced the Buffalo City Mission's ambitious plans to eliminate homelessness in Buffalo by 2020, and also discussed further advancements for the city's green code. The City Mission's new development project will provide housing and human services that are in line with the Homeless Alliance of Western New York's 10-year plan to end homelessness.

The City Mission's plans mainly focus on the much-needed expansion of its current over-capacity, one-story facility on Tupper Street. The project calls for a three-story, redeveloped campus that will supply more living space and needed services for guests of the mission struggling with homelessness.

FNUB Inc., an affiliate of the University at Buffalo Foundation, has entered into an agreement to sell the former Educational Opportunity Center building, 465 Washington St., to Ciminelli Real Estate Corp.

The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center has announced its second auto art exhibition will take place in the Main Art Gallery, 1201 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls. "Auto Art: Artists & Mechanics Showcase" runs Friday Sept. 12, through Saturday, Nov 15. The exhibit will feature 20-30 artists inspired by "the American love affair with the automobile."

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. Chairman Robert Gioia has announced the agency plans to hold a community open house to seek public input on a draft blueprint 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 economic activity and private investment.

Working with Empire State Development and Perkins+Will's San Francisco- and New York-based planning and architecture team, ECHDC officials want Western New Yorkers to review the draft plan, which was designed using the three preliminary plans created by the nearly 600 people who participated in multiple interactive meetings this summer.

Local businessman John Prozeralik, founder of the former John's Flaming Hearth restaurant, died Sunday, Aug. 24, at Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. has announced this summer exceeded all expectations, with more than 1 million visitors making their way down to Canalside for festivals, activities for children, concerts, arts and culture, fitness and more.

Enjoy a stroll through the past with "The People of Cold Springs Cemetery," Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. The Niagara History Center's "Step Back in Time Players" will take participants back to the 19th century to visit with famous Lockportians of days gone by, now residing in Cold Springs Cemetery.