Current News

Heart of Niagara Animal Rescue is hosting a family-friendly event where people can bring their dogs and enjoy a day of picnic fun and frolic.

The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team acquired defenseman Josh Gorges from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Minnesota's second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

The Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. and AAA Western and Central New York unveiled a brand new "Niagara USA wrapped" motor coach tour bus on Monday outside of the Niagara USA Visitor Center on Rainbow Boulevard.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. and its partner, Global Spectrum, today announced the USA vs. Belgium World Cup soccer match will be shown live on two large screens set up for fans at Canalside on Tuesday at 3 p.m. (rain or shine.)

Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School was one of 16 BISSNET Schools to receive the Oishei STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) grant. The grant will provide $40,000 for three years and is intended to promote STEAM education in the school and community, as well as collaboration with other education institutions.

Organizers of the Niagara County Peach Queen program are encouraging potential contestants to turn in their application to participate in the program, taking place during the Niagara County Peach Festival Sept. 5-7.

"The Biggest Loser" returns to NBC Thursday, Sept. 11, ready to change lives. On board for season 16 are trainers Jessie Pavelka and Jennifer Widerstrom, who will join returning trainers Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince. Alison Sweeney returns as host of the series.

Enrique Iglesias and Zac Brown Band have been added to the lineup for the "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular," which will air Friday, July 4 (8 p.m.), with an encore presentation at 10 p.m. highlighting the second hour of the special.

A brand-new roster of chef competitors battle for the opportunity to cook against culinary icon Bobby Flay in "Beat Bobby Flay" season two this summer. New episodes kick off Thursday, July 31, at 10 p.m.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce will host a "Summer Business Blender" Thursday, July 10, at Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours and Water Street Landing.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. today announced its schedule for Canalside's Fourth of July celebration, which will take place Friday, July 4. This free event will feature some of Buffalo's best talent, children's activities, food and a fireworks display presented by Russell Salvatore over the Buffalo River.

The Lewiston Council on the Arts will join the festivities at the 24th annual Olde Sanborn Days Arts & Crafts Show Saturday, July 12 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and Sunday, July 13 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Enjoy the charm of this old-fashioned country fair and craft show, which has plenty of activities and demonstrations for the entire family.

New York State Sen. Mark Grisanti recently named Joseph Pasek as recipient of his "Veteran of the Month" recognition program.

The Erie County Fair 5K returns Saturday, Aug. 9, at 9 a.m. at the Fairgrounds in Hamburg. This USTA certified 3.1-mile course is one of the flattest in Western New York. The starting and finish line are at the entrance of the grandstand. The race route takes participants through the Town and Village of Hamburg.

Throughout the month of July, the SPCA Serving Erie County will be the recipient of partial proceeds from the sale of an all-new SPCA ice cream created by local shops. "Doggone Delight" is a vanilla ice cream with pretzel pieces, peanut butter, and a fudge swirl.

Nationally syndicated morning talk show "LIVE with Kelly and Michael" announces the lineup of guests appearing on the show this week.

Start your engines and bring your ride to Our Lady of Peace Nursing Care Residence for a different kind of fundraiser. Our Lady of Peace Cruisers Day, in conjunction with Cataract Cruises of WNY, presents "Super Cruise" Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the facility located at 5285 Lewiston Road in Lewiston.

The Fourth of July is one of the most stressful and potentially dangerous times of the year for pets. While you and your family, friends and neighbors are celebrating the holiday with fireworks, pets are finding these festive activities anything but celebratory.

On July 26 and 27, the Niagara Wine Trail will hold its sixth annual Wine & Culinary Festival in Academy Park, located in the heart of the Village of Lewiston.

Advanced Dental presented a check for more than $3,600 to the 914th U.S. Air Force Reserve Base Thursday morning, the result of a fundraising campaign that donates all proceeds from professional teeth whitenings to the base's office of family support services.

The Buffalo Sabres selected eight players on the second day of the 2014 NHL Entry Level Draft, including three in the second round. After taking winger Brendan Lemieux with the 31st overall pick, Buffalo traded pick 39 to Washington in exchange for the Capitals' 44th and 74th picks this year.

The Lewiston Police Department invites the community to a memorial service to be held Saturday, June 28, in honor of Radar, the LPD K-9 who was unexpectedly put to rest earlier this month.

The Lions Club International Foundation recently honored Lewiston Community Lion Ron Craft. He received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award during the Lewiston chapter's fifth anniversary dinner. The Melvin Jones Award is the highest given by the Lions Club International Foundation.

The saga over Lewiston's finances took on a new turn this week.

Council members Mike Marra and Ron Winkley presented numbers at Monday's Town Board session disputing Town Supervisor Dennis Brochey's and Town Finance Officer Paul Kloosterman's analysis showing a $700,000 budget deficit for 2013 and similar projections for 2014.

Marra opened with a detailed explanation of the town's budget picture - one that point by point challenged Kloosterman's analysis heard at the May 29 Town Board session.

The Buffalo Sabres selected center Sam Reinhart (Kootenay - WHL) with the second overall pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft Friday. He is the team's first-ever second overall pick and the highest selection for the club since it picked Pierre Turgeon first overall in 1987.

Born in North Vancouver, B.C., Reinhart comes from a long line of hockey players in his family.

Covanta Niagara presented $250,000 to Niagara County Community College President James P. Klyczek and several members of the NCCC board of trustees, NCCC Foundation board of directors, and NCCC distinguished alumnus State Sen. George Maziarz Tuesday evening.

Eleven-year-old Emily "Noodle" Cooper will represent Casal's Boxing Club at the National Golden Girls Boxing Championships July 7-12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Come to Porter on the Lake, Dietz Road in Youngstown, for a great "Sunday fun day," July 13, to raise money for The Family and Friends Down Syndrome Association of Niagara.

Google Maps photographers are headed to the Village of Lewiston. They'll bring their "Street View" technology to the streets and businesses Thursday, July 10.

On Saturday, June 14, the annual Father's Day Lawn Mower Race and Classic Car Show took place along the West River to support Grand Island Relay For Life. This family-friendly event, founded by Islander Floyd Doring even had a race category for push mowers for the younger race fans.

The Erie County Sheriff's Office responded to 214 calls from June 7 to 13. Below is a sampling of the noteworthy incidents on Grand Island.

The following incidents occurred from June 9 to 15, as reported by the Grand Island Fire Co. A total of 37 calls were answered by the department during this period. The GIFC has now responded to 655 calls so far this year. The GIFC responded to 576 calls at this time last year.

Alexander Cousins of Grand Island will join the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert July 1 at Knox Farm in East Aurora.

The Miracle League of Grand Island and WNY is saying "Thank you" to the scores of volunteers who went to work on Father's Day weekend at Veterans Park to build the latest addition to the baseball complex for the disabled.

Happy summer, Grand Island!

Enjoy free fishing (no license required) at Fisherman's Landing at the South Grand Island Bridge on Saturday, June 28, in a contest sponsored by the Recreation Department from 8 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Prizes will be awarded on July 1 at 2 p.m. More information is available on the "Recreation" page of the town website at gigov.com.

Summer concerts under the Grand Island Rotary Club Gazebo in the Town Commons begin on Tuesday, July 1, and run through Aug. 12. This year, two will be held at Byblos Niagara Resort & Spa: July 8 and July 22. The schedule is on the town's websitegigov.com and in the Island Dispatch. Hope to see you out enjoying some live music!

An Island group is seeking to explore environmental issues on the Island through the medium of photography.

The Grand Island PhotoVoice project began Wednesday night at St. Timothy Lutheran Church with an introductory meeting attended by more than a dozen people. The GI version of the PhotoVoice tool is meant to express viewpoints of community members regarding their health and environment in the wake of the 2013 conviction of Tonawanda Coke for polluting and violating the federal Clean Air Act.

Kim Yaeger, a facilitator and member of the St. Timothy congregation, will collect photo submissions from the community that address how the outdoor environment improves, threatens or harms health and quality life.

The process of building a new million-dollar storage and maintenance building for Veterans Park is underway.

At its meeting Monday, the Grand Island Town Board set a public hearing for Monday, July 7, at 8 p.m. in Town Hall to consider an application by Russell Certo to rezone 1881 Bedell Road from R1D to M2 for the purpose of constructing the maintenance building.

Board members held a meeting with Bedell Road residents May 21, where they explained the town would lease the property with an option to later buy it at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. The lease-and-buy option would allow the town to avoid prevailing wage laws and save 20 percent on the overall cost of the project.

Scott Stapp performed songs from his new album, "Proof of Life," and a number of hit Creed songs at a solo concert inside the Seneca Niagara Casino's Bears Den in Niagara Falls.

The picture you see here is a 'coon drinking the sweet water from the hummingbird feeder on my back porch. It had been hanging there for about three to four weeks, and when the hummingbirds came back it was a happy feeder.