Carol J. Brandon of Lewiston passed away on Saturday, April 14, 2018.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday announced the awarding of $2.9 million in Lake Ontario Flood Relief funds to local governments in Wayne, Orleans, Niagara, Cayuga and Jefferson counties dedicated to restoration resiliency and recovery efforts following last year's flooding, and to protect the community from the damage of future storms. The state has committed $95 million to recovery efforts to support homeowners, small businesses and community infrastructure.

As Western New York continues to be deluged with heavy rains coming off a weekend of ice storms, wastewater treatment plants throughout the area are now contending with excessive inflow/infiltration problems. It's the result of plants receiving excessive stormwater run-off combined with the handling of normal sewage inflow/infiltration.

A plan to initiate repairs at the historic Frontier House is expected within the next 30 days.

Monday's Lewiston Town Board work session was another light one, with only a handful of items acted upon.

As part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's 15th annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day (April 28), Mount St. Mary's Hospital is joining forces with local law enforcement to help get unused and unwanted drugs out of people's homes.

The annual Tuscarora Heroes Park "garden mob" will be out in force during Lewiston's Earth Day spring cleanup at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 21, at the corner of Portage Road and Center Street in Lewiston.

The Historical Association of Lewiston's April program it titled "Re-Capturing the Flag." The event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah Fellowship Hall, 915 Oneida St.

Over past weeks, the Village of Youngstown has certainly seen its share of it, with recent news of the Melloni's Market Place closing - coming on the heels of the village's KeyBank branch consolidation. Now, comes word of another change on the horizon in the village - but a refreshing one. How about a new summertime happening the River Region can really forward to?

When the new Village of Lewiston fiscal year begins June 1, residents can expect to pay the same property tax - $7.38 per $1,000 of assessed valuation - but a higher water rate.

Wild Kritters of Niagara County will hold its 12th annual basket raffle fundraiser from noon until 4 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at the 3-F Conservation Club, 904 Swann Road, Youngstown.

Mount St. Mary's Hospital will host its diabetes education program, titled "Taking Charge of Your Diabetes," on April 16, 17 and 19. This series of three classes will be held from 6-9 p.m.

With Town Board members Al Bax and Bill Geiben, plus the town engineer and building inspector all absent - not to mention Supervisor Steve Broderick contending with a case of laryngitis - Monday's regular meeting was a rather light one.

The Lewiston Police Department on Sunday announced an arrest related to the 2012 hit-and-run death of Loren Jacobs on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Lewiston.

Past days and weeks have seen some significant economic news for the Village of Youngstown.

The second phase of expansion at Hibbard's Original Frozen Custard was approved Monday by the Village of Lewiston Board of Trustees. The Hibbard family was granted a special use permit for a 24-foot-by-13-foot concrete pad and customer queuing area with overhanging canopy. This waiting spot will be located directly behind newly enlarged serving windows, which were previously approved.

Fishing facilities including the pier at the base of the New York Power Authority's Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Plant will open for the season on Sunday, April 1, weather permitting. The fish-cleaning station will be available as long as temperatures remain above freezing.

Legendary rock 'n' roll star Steven Tyler will headline Artpark's "Tuesday in the Park" on June 12. He will be accompanied by classic rock/country/Americana act The Loving Mary Band.

With winter slowly turning to spring, discussions in the Town of Lewiston are once again turning to recreation ideas for the lower river.

The Lewiston Community Lions Club will host "Springtime in Lewiston Art & Craft Show" from 4-10 p.m. Friday, March 30, at the Brickyard Brewing Company, 432 Center St., Lewiston.

Western New York's renowned Summer of '69 All-Star Band will once again present an event to benefit the Home Assistance Referral Team. A charity concert is slated for 6-10 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at the Lewiston Event Center, 845 Cayuga St. The event has free admission. Guests can participate in basket and 50/50 raffles.

Artpark & Company is seeking artists, schools, groups and families to create fairy houses for display and competition at the eighth annual Fairy House Festival. The event returns as part of the Summer Solstice Celebration on June 16.

Each summer, Artpark & Company employs approximately 40 seasonal, part-time employees for its general staff. 2018 positions available include concession staff (bartenders, VIP skybox servers - must be age 18 or older by May to apply), box office staff, tollbooth operators and art department staff. All applicants must be available to work flexible day and evening hours, weekdays and weekends.

Wednesday night in Town of Lewiston Justice Court, the Hon. Thomas Sheeran told principal Frontier House owners Richard and Judy Hastings he wants to see "something that we can point to that gets us closer to the goal line" of exterior renovations and/or a sale. The judge gave the Hastings family 30 days in which to act.

A report by WalletHub finds the Buffalo-Niagara area ranks No. 4 among the best U.S. cities when it comes to celebrating Irish-American heritage for 2018. In its rating, WalletHub examined "17 key metrics, ranging from Irish pubs and restaurants per capita to lowest price for a three-star hotel on St. Patrick's Day to weather forecasts."

Linda White was chosen by Supervisor J. Duffy Johnston and the Porter Town Board as the 2018 Town of Porter Citizen of the Year. White has dedicated her time and effort in developing projects to enhance the quality of life for residents in the Town of Porter for decades as a librarian and volunteer in the community.

KeyBank will once again sponsors the Chalk Walk Competition presented by Lewiston Council on the Arts as part of the Lewiston Art Festival.

The Lewiston Harvest Festival, which expanded onto Center Street for the first time in 2017, is growing again in 2018.

Heart of Niagara Animal Rescue, a local rescue that has been saving the lives of unwanted, abandoned and homeless animals since 2012, will team up with local community groups for its annual fundraiser. The sixth annual "Heart to Heart: A Taste of the Niagara Region" will take place April 21, at the Cambria Wilson Volunteer Firehall in Lockport.

The Historical Association of Lewiston's next program night, titled "Mark Twain and the Niagara Frontier," will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah Fellowship Hall, 915 Oneida St., Lewiston.

Newsmakers saw the board accepting a community fundraiser donation to assist the just concluded Lewiston Family Ice Rink operations, a commitment of town funding to assist the Discover Niagara Shuttle for its 2018 operations year, and discussion for a proposed charging station to service electronic vehicles operated by the town.

Lewiston's Memorial Day remembrance committee announced it will sponsor a Memorial Day Parade, remembrance ceremony and community luncheon on Memorial Day (Monday, May 28).

To celebrate his first year in business, Lewiston Redemption Bottle & Can Return owner Bill Schiavitti is offering his customers more of a return on their empties.

To help area stroke patients live their highest quality of life, Mount St. Mary's Hospital is hosting a stroke support group. The next meeting for the group is 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in Room 249 of the main hospital at 5300 Military Road, Lewiston.

Mount St. Mary's Hospital will host its diabetes education program, titled, "Taking Charge of Your Diabetes," on March 20 and 22. This series of two classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce Lakeside Quarter Horses as the 2018 Youngstown Business of the Year. The Youngstown Business and Professional Association assists the chamber in providing a business honoree. Lakeside Quarter Horses offers lessons to children through adults and offers activities that benefit the community.

On Wednesday, representatives of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Downriver Post No. 7487, accepted a donation from DiMino Tops Lewiston. The money will go toward the restoration of the veterans memorial monuments inside Academy Park - a project the local VFW will spearhead this year.

The Lewiston Event Center was the site, Saturday night, for a fundraiser to benefit the Lewiston-Porter High School Summer of '69 Music Scholarship. The event featured a performance by the Summer of '69 All-Star Band with special routines by Lewiston-Porter High School students.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce Innovative Card Solutions as the recipient of the Sanborn Business of the Year Award.

The Lewiston Town Board welcomed a new town official on Monday, with the naming of Jacqueline Agnello as the new finance/budget director.