Featured News

INTERVIEWS: Nick has had enough. When "Grimm" returns with the second half of its second season (beginning tonight), he and Renard will have a good, old-fashioned brawl.

INTERVIEW: "Psych's" "B Team" is grade-A quality. Timothy Omundson (Det. Carlton Lassiter) and Maggie Lawson (Det. Juliet O'Hara) are no one's second banana.

Rocker Billy Idol will ignite the summer concert season at Artpark on June 4, kicking off "First Niagara presents Tuesday in the Park." One week later, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts are slated to take the Outdoor Amphitheater stage. Tickets go on sale March 15.

The Western New York community once again demonstrated its generosity as 1,307 donors contributed $72,549 to a diverse group of non-profit organizations that participated in "Spring It On," the area's first 24-hour fundraising event held March 1.

Discussion topics at Monday's Lewiston Town Board session were numerous and varied. A big one concerned the proposed Town of Lewiston Community Recreation and Senior Services Center.

The Town of Niagara Lions Club celebrated its 60th anniversary at Antonio's Banquet Hall in Niagara Falls.

Dig out the bathing suits and grab your friends. The 2013 Olcott Lions Club "Swim for Sight" at Krull Park in Olcott Beach is just around the corner.

ECOsponsible project manager Dennis Ryan met Tuesday with Village of Lewiston trustees to update them on his company's intent to use the lower Niagara River to generate electricity through hydrokinetic turbines.

Three remaining Robert Moses Parkway North alternative designs are in agreement regarding the section of roadway between Main Street and Findlay Drive. (Image courtesy of the scoping report presentation.)

Tuesday night, the Lewiston Porter Board of Education received the proposal for phase two of the capital project from Steve DiMatteo, of Gordon W. Jones Associates Architects.

The 10th annual USPA Red Brick Bench Press Championship drew 135 weightlifters to Buffalo's Connecticut Street Armory last Saturday, Feb. 16, to raise funds for the Friends and Family of Western New York Military.

Travelers from Mongolia visited the Town of Niagara Town Hall last week. From left are Mongolian Olympic champions Naidan Tuvshinbayar (judo) and Munkhsailhan Usukhbayar (wrestling) Town of Niagara Supervisor Steve Richards; and Pagva Bira, Ph.D., chairman of the National Authority Police Force (Khuch) Bayanzurkh District, Mongolia.

Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier announced late Wednesday afternoon that Lindy Ruff was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. Regier also announced that Ron Rolston will serve as the interim head coach of the Sabres, beginning with the team's game against Toronto on Thursday, and continuing through the remainder of the season.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce will honor 10 businesses and individuals at the annual Chamber Awards Gala on Friday, May 17, at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston.

What do bingo, candy and a pharmacy have in common?

Not much, unless they are in the hands of Christopher Sauls, pharmacist at Summit Park Pharmacy in Wheatfield, as he works his audience of senior citizens.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has announced that the draft scoping report for the Robert Moses Parkway North/Niagara Gorge Corridor project will be available for the public to review beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 20, with a public open house. The open house will take place from 3 until 7 p.m. in the Cataract Room at the Conference Center Niagara Falls, 101 Old Falls St.

The format of the open house will allow the public to review the alternatives derived from the scoping process and to have questions answered by the consultants. Members of the public can also leave written comments. The plan covers the area of the Robert Moses Parkway from Main Street in the City of Niagara Falls to the Village of Lewiston.

Dennis Brochey is a well-known mechanic, a Kiwanis Club member and a Village of Lewiston trustee.

He can also bench press more than most of our readers.

On Saturday, Feb. 16, Brochey will host the 10th annual USPA Red Brick Bench Press Championship.

On Friday, the Niagara USA Chamber announced its award winners for the Chamber Honors Gala on March 22. Honorees include Nik Wallenda, the Rev. Joseph Levesque, Dr. James Klyczek, Certo Brothers and Timothy Mulvey of Mulvey Construction. Wallenda will also serve as keynote speaker for the event.

With mounds of snow on the ground, it's safe to say Niagara Falls will not be a hotbed of tourism this weekend.

There will be one notable caravan coming to town, however. And its leader can't wait to visit the Cataract City.

When "Touch" returns to FOX for its second season, it will be set in a new city, with new characters and a new direction. Say goodbye to the Big Apple, the nefarious group home and the stand-alone episodes of the week. Instead, the show will boast a bigger, more action-packed, L.A.-set storyline.

Some of the 64 Pomeranians rescued from squalid conditions in Lockport over the weekend started leaving the SPCA of Niagara for new homes Wednesday.

John Jr. and Frances Herstek are still each other's valentines.

While celebrity marriages today sometimes can be measured in days and weeks, the Wheatfield couple will celebrate 71 years together on Feb. 7.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-I-C-Lewiston, will introduce legislation to legalize mixed martial arts in New York. The sport is expected to generate more than $5.2 million in economic activity a year in Western New York, plus additional revenue for the state. Currently, MMA is regulated and recognized by 36 out of 44 states that have athletic commissions, including California, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly led his team to the Super Bowl four consecutive times - a record that will be hard to match for future generations. The Bills, however, lost all four games. Since then, Kelly has never watched highlights of any of those games, he tells "CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood" in an interview to be broadcast Sunday, Feb. 3 (9 a.m.), on CBS.

The issue of grease trap maintenance, or lack thereof, is once again rising to the surface in the Village of Lewiston.

INTERVIEW: An opera singer, a model, a showgirl and a cow-tipper.

No, it's not the start of a bad bar joke, but the resumé of an up-and-coming music star.

Doreen Taylor is all of the above - and a pioneer of country funk, to boot.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday for Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union. The newest branch of the largest locally owned credit union in Western New York opened this week at 721 Center St. (formerly HSBC Bank).

VIDEO/NEWS: The Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., announced Tuesday that he will resign from his position as president of Niagara University at the conclusion of the current academic year.

INTERVIEWS: While science fiction fans (myself included) have been mourning the end of "Fringe" for weeks, the attitude on set was more joyous in the final days of production.

INTERVIEW

Now what?

Fans of "Suits" are on the edge of their seats waiting to see how the hit drama will follow - or top - its whale of a midseason summer finale.

The Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. has announced the popular daytime game show "The Price Is Right" will once again offer the Niagara USA destination as a prize for a vacation.

INTERVIEW: It's been an interesting on-screen progression for actress Rachel Nichols.

"Continuum" debuts on the Syfy Channel.

Lewiston just can't quench its thirst for history.

The first Lewiston Cocktail Festival will take place on Saturday, March 2.

New York's Department of Environmental Conservation announced this week it has extended the public comment period for a draft permit renewal application on file from CWM Chemical Services LLC to 60 days, and will now close comments on March 29.

CWM, a Waste Management company, currently owns and operates a commercial facility for the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous and industrial non-hazardous wastes on an approximately 710-acre site on Balmer Road in the Town of Porter.

The Village Inn and Serene Gardens were winners Sunday at the third annual Buffalo Soup Fest, held at the Hearthstone Manor in Depew. Village Inn owner Mike Carr and Sarah Mallare took home the Best Chili award at the event for their Mayan Chocolate Chili, while Satomi and Dr. Joshua Smith of Serene Gardens took home an award for Best Kept Secret.

In an unexpected addition to Monday evening's Board of Education meeting agenda, board President David Goris announced his resignation from the board, stating he no longer has sufficient time to devote to the position.

Niagara County Community College hosted more than 800 students from 22 Western New York school districts at Tech Wars 2013 on Wednesday. Competitions ranged from RC Heavyweight Sumo Robotics to 3D Modeling and CO2 Car Races.

The Buffalo Sabres have announced the team will open its week of training camp practices at First Niagara Center to the public, beginning with a night practice and scrimmage on Monday, Jan. 14, at 5:30 p.m. For the remainder of the week, from Tuesday to Friday, practices will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, applauded several pro-job initiatives in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State address and urged the state's chief executive to focus on rebuilding Western New York's economy in 2013 and beyond.

His eyes wide with panic, he darted from person to person in the room trying to find someone, anyone, who could take him away from this scary, noisy place. His raggedy, overgrown black coat was dull, and he obviously hadn't been eating - his frame was little more than skin and bone.