Current News

With the summer months upon us, pet travel is at its height, and it's time for a reminder about the dangers of leaving your pet in a parked car. Whether you're parking in the shade, just running into the store, or leaving the windows cracked, it is still not OK to leave your pet in a parked car.

Local leaders came out in force Wednesday night to thank volunteer firefighters and EMS workers as the Western New York Volunteer Firemen's Association kicked off its 115th annual convention at the St. Johnsburg Firehall in Wheatfield.

Old Falls Street is hosting a free, day-long celebration of live music on Saturday, from noon until 10 p.m., on the middle block.

Get ready to vote America: NBC's top-rated summer series "America's Got Talent" has selected the Top 47 acts to vie for the coveted $1 million grand prize beginning Tuesday, July 29 (9 p.m.). The 48th act, chosen by "Today" viewers in the "Today's Got Talent" contest, will be revealed live during the "America's Got Talent" results show July 30 (9 p.m.).

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.

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.

Grammy winning singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan couldn't write songs during a difficult period in her life where she went through a divorce, the death of her adoptive father, and the breakup with a manager, she tells Anthony Mason in an interview for "CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood."

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.

With more than 8 million Americans now accessing health insurance through new options in the Affordable Care Act, there has never been a more crucial time for policymakers and insurance plans to act to save lives - and public dollars - by expanding and easing access to tools and treatments to help smokers quit, according to the American Lung Association's "Helping Smokers Quit: Tobacco Cessation Coverage 2014" report.

Electrophysiologist Chee Kim, M.D., FACC, has performed the first cardiac cryoablations in Western New York at the Gates Vascular Institute.

Wednesday, after America's vote was revealed on "So You Think You Can Dance," Tanisha Belnap, Brooklyn Fullmer, Bridget Whitman, Zack Everhart, Marcquet Hill and Serge Onik were the three girls and three guys who received the fewest votes. The judges - Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and guest judge Misty Copeland - determined at the end of the show that Fullmer and Hill would be sent home.

A delegation of officials from the Niagara Military Affairs Council visited Washington, D.C., July 22-23 to meet with some of the top leaders from the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense and New York Congressional Delegation to advocate on behalf of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

On the same day he met with the Niagara Military Affairs Council in his Washington, D.C., office, Congressman Brian Higgins spoke from the House Floor to issue his continued support for preserving the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station's place in Western New York.

The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team signed defenseman Andre Benoit to a one-year contract.

Town of Lewiston Councilman Mike Marra is resigning.

Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School honored notable alums the weekend of July 18-21.

James H. Billington of the Librarian of Congress has announced Billy Joel as the next recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Just when you think it can't get any hotter, more superstar performers have been announced for "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing Tuesday, Aug. 5 (8 p.m.), on ABC.

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.

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.

Republican Assemblyman John Ceretto called for Deputy DEC Commissioner Eugene Leff to recuse himself from proceedings on the proposed expansion of the CWM Landfill on Tuesday.

A Grand Islander stole the spotlight from a famous Victoria's Secret model Monday and ended up on the front page of various international news websites.

Island native Kara Dudley is the anonymous woman seen upstaging supermodel Karlie Kloss in several Internet photos posted July 21 on celebrity websites. Dudley was photographed coming out of a New York City shop after searching for Taylor Swift, who had appeared to have gone into it earlier. She saw the paparazzi, but was oblivious to the statuesque Kloss, who was standing directly behind her.

Host Adam Richman ("Man v. Food") previews new NBC reality series; "Food Fighters" will pit home cooks against some of the country's most famous professional chefs in a battle to determine who can make select dishes best.

Feld Entertainment Inc., producers of "Disney On Ice" and "Disney Live!," is bringing top performing cable TV series for preschoolers to the stage in "Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate & Princess Adventure" presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt.

The NHL and the Buffalo Sabres have announced the schedule of Sabres games that will air nationally on NBCSN, the national television partner of the NHL in the U.S. Eleven Sabres games in 2014-15 will be broadcast on NBCSN, with the remaining 71 games to be broadcast on MSG, the team's local TV rights-holder.

The NHL and the Buffalo Sabres have announced time changes for seven Sabres games in the 2014-15 regular season. Game times were adjusted to accommodate national television broadcasts.

After receiving thousands of submissions from across the country, the summer's No. 1 show, "America's Got Talent," and "Today" have selected the top three acts to compete for the final spot in the "AGT" live shows.

Fire Magick and Cyr Wheel Man from Las Vegas-based Farrington Entertainment & Productions will continue to perform free to the public between 6 p.m. and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as between 1 and 5 p.m. on Sundays, weather permitting. The final performance, which was originally slated for Aug. 10, will now be Aug. 31.

Niagara County Community College is now a test site for the National Center for Competency Testing.

The Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo, announces The Brian Setzer Orchestra "Christmas Rocks Extravaganza!" will take place Sunday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $77, $67, $52 and $37, and go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

AT&T announced the company is seeking applicants for more than 150 jobs in New York. The new hirings will be primarily focused on technical and retail positions and are a result of AT&T's continued investment in the network and delivering a first-class sales experience.

"AT&T continues to expand its customer base in New York and invest in our network to ensure we are providing the high level of service customers have come to expect," said Marissa Shorenstein, New York president, AT&T. "As part our commitment to this level of customer service and to support our growth in the Empire State, we are pleased to have the opportunity to welcome more than 150 residents to the AT&T family."

Empire State Development today announced Praxair Inc. will invest $38.7 million to further expand and modernize its Praxair Technology Center located in the town of Tonawanda. The expansion will result in 1,111 direct full-time jobs remaining in the town, as well as the creation of more than 22 new jobs.

Praxair, a Fortune 250 company, is one of the largest employers in Tonawanda, where the company's facility is responsible for global plant engineering, research and development, North American operations communications, global plant monitoring, customer demand monitoring, and fleet dispatch and back office support functions.

Melissa Langridge, coordinator of user education in the Our Lady of Angels Library at Niagara University, has been named NU's outstanding employee of the quarter. Langridge, of Wilson, was presented with the award today by the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara president.

Starting tomorrow, the Village of Lewiston will start enforcing its law concerning so-called "pop-up" businesses on residential and municipal property. Trustees will especially crack down on homeowners on South Fourth Street who charge for parking on Artpark concert nights.

"Pop-up" food vending and ticket scalping will not be allowed, either. The board voted 4-0 to prohibit such business ventures.

"I think we all agree that now is the time to do something," Mayor Terry Collesano said.

A Ward Park resident told the Grand Island Town Board that she expected to retire to the duplex she owned for the last 14 years, but a neighboring property changed her mind.

Patricia Kostenbauder told the board at its monthly meeting in Town Hall Monday that she expected to spend her retirement at her home at 80 Ward Park. "However, we had a change of plans because of the transient vacation come next door," she said.

"Because of the problems with this house, because they continue this illegal transient vacation house, which is a business in a residential area, we've decided to sell our duplex," Kostenbauder said.

In an age focused on social media and the iPhone craze, millennials are losing touch with good old-fashioned hard work. Technology has made it too easy for this generation to forget about the labor involved in running a successful business, regardless of the industry.

The Grand Island School and Business Alliance has been active for more than 20 years, introducing high school students to an environment that requires hard work for success.

Students can choose to compete in the organization's Corporate Bowl, shadow local employers and personnel, partake in mock job interviews, and hear community speakers made possible by GISBA, so that these young participants are better prepared for the working world.

Mary A. (née Langan) McGraw, entered into rest Thursday, July 3, 2014. She was a resident of Grand Island, formerly of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

On Monday evening, the Grand Island Board of Education held its annual organizational meeting in the Grand Island High School Professional Development Room. As part of the board's regular monthly meeting, organizational meeting business included swearing in of trustees Susan Marston and Karen Carroll prior to the meeting.

Lisa Pyc was voted in as the new school board president in a 4-2 vote, replacing Tak Nobumoto, who lost his board seat in the May election. Susan Marston was elected as vice president in a 5-1 vote. Trustee Paul Krull was absent from the meeting. District Clerk Janet Schuster administered the oath of office to the new officers.

"So, it's very unusual," stated Town of Grand Island Supervisor Mary Cooke. She was referring to the back and forth communication that exists between town officials and the Grand Island Board of Education and district administration. The current schedule of joint meetings with the town and school boards stands at a healthy three times per year, a precedent that was set when the Robert W. Christmann was superintendent of schools. Current superintendent, Dr. Teresa Lawrence, has continued to place a priority on the meetings.