Current News

Mount St. Mary's Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Mount St. Mary's commitment and success in implementing care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for the treatment of stroke patients.

Brian and Cathy Martin, new owners of The Natural Link, pose with a selection of hams they're selling just in time for Easter. Stop in and see them at their store, located at the corner of Center Street and Portage Road, just around the corner from Hibbard's Original Frozen Custard.

Assemblyman John Ceretto is initiating talks to seek support for two new economic development initiatives to boost the Niagara Falls tourist economy. First, Ceretto is exploring the possibility of building the new Buffalo Bills stadium in Niagara Falls. A recent report about the stadium task force named Niagara Falls as a possible site. In addition, he is looking to bring Nik Wallenda back to the area.

"Bringing the Bills to Niagara Falls would be a major victory for our community. It would give our local tourism economy a big shot in the arm and create jobs for Western New York families," Ceretto said.

During a winter season with record snowfalls, demand rose considerably in the crisis and community services division at Community Missions, located in downtown Niagara Falls.

The organization saw a 24 percent increase in demand for its crisis housing, including a sobering 156 percent increase in nights of shelter given to children during the first three months of 2014, as compared to the first quarter of 2013. CMI provided 3,091 nights of shelter within its crisis housing programs during the first quarter of 2014, compared to 2,502 over the same time period in 2013. When considering those under the age of 12, the Mission provided a total of 420 nights of shelter during the first three months of 2014, compared to just 164 in 2013.

The increased demand for nights of shelter to children has been a yearlong trend.

A Niagara University recruitment poster earned a Silver Award as part of the 29th annual Educational Advertising Awards, sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report.

The poster, bearing the university's trademark "Education That Makes a Difference" tagline, was designed by TWG Plus.

The Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara Foundation's 15th annual golf raffle is taking place Sunday, April 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Sanborn Fire Hall, 5811 Buffalo St. The event offers golf enthusiasts the chance to win more than $20,000 in men's and women's golf-related equipment and trips.

The Buffalo Sabres Wednesday announced the team signed an affiliation agreement with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, the professional developmental league for the American Hockey League and the NHL. Elmira joins the Rochester Americans, the Sabres' AHL affiliate, as the chief minor-league development teams for the Buffalo Sabres organization.

The Buffalo & Erie County Greenway Fund Standing Committee approved more than $1.7 million in funding recently for five projects to improve the waterfront along the Niagara River Greenway.

The following entities proposed projects that were awarded funding: Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Buffalo Olmstead Parks Conservancy, Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association, Cazenovia Community Boating Center and the Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council. The funding is from the New York Power Authority and was made possible as a result of the federal relicensing of NYPA's Niagara Power Project in 2007.

In honor of Arbor Day, the International Association of Administrative Professionals is hosting its first tree sale fundraiser, featuring a variety of shrubs and trees supplied by Schichtel's Nursery Oregon.

The Buffalo Sabres today announced several changes to the team's coaching staff, effective immediately.

Speaking of his new restaurant, chef Michael Clark promises, "We're not going to be your everyday pizzeria."

Business partners Clark, of Niagara Falls, and Lewiston's Tony Vescio plan to open Big Guys Pizzeria and More early next month in the addition next to Hibbard's Original Frozen Custard on Portage Road. The eatery's name comes from its signature pie, a 28-inch pizza affectionately called "The Big Guy."

NBC's Emmy Award-winning musical competition series "The Voice" has narrowed its season-six field to the top 12 artists, all of whom will compete for the title when live episodes begin Monday, April 21 (8-10 p.m.).

Old Fort Niagara will honor first responders and veterans with two separate programs during May. On May 4, OFN will offer free family admission to all firefighters, ambulance and law enforcement personnel. May 4 is International Firefighters Day, and the fort will admit first responders and their families free of charge from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

The Coalition of Agencies in Service to the Elderly will hold its 25th annual Spring Professional Networking Conference, "Caring and the Caregiver," on Wednesday, May 14, at 9 a.m.

Catholic Charities of Buffalo will give away a generously donated 1999 Harley-Davidson FLHR Road King motorcycle. Only 200 tickets will be sold at $100 each and the drawing will be held at noon May 9 at Catholic Charities Montante Administrative Center.

Looking for the freshest candies this Easter and upcoming Mother's Day? Steer clear of the drug store and hop on the Greater Niagara Region's delicious "Chocolate Trail," which features outstanding confections made the old-fashioned way by local chocolatiers and sweet shops.

INTERVIEW: Christina Grimmie is a serious contender - and that makes her a serious threat to the other coaches.

But that's not how she sees it.

As the clock ticks toward the anticipated premiere of "24: Live Another Day," a special half-hour behind-the-scenes preview of the event series, "24: Live Another Day: Jack Is Back," will air Saturday, May 3 (8:30 p.m.) on FOX.

Buffalo's own Dirty Smile wants to perform in Rome.

But they'll need your help.

The Hard Rock Café is searching for local rock stars to take the stage in the heart of the Roman Empire with "Hard Rock Rising," the world's largest and most far-reaching battle of the bands competition.

Five Niagara University students are currently attending the sold-out Major League Baseball Diversity Business Summit in New York City.

NBC Sports Group's coverage of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins with a triple-header of games on Wednesday night, the first night of two months of Stanley Cup Playoffs hockey across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and NHL Network.

Earth Day will be celebrated Tuesday, April 22. In Niagara County, the event will be marked by a partnership between Opportunities Unlimited and two First Niagara bank branches.

Joining the all-star "Summer Rush 2014" lineup at Seneca Casinos is "The Voice" Live Tour on Friday, July 11. The concert features singers from this season, as well as winners and finalists from previous seasons.

Joining the all-star "Summer Rush 2014" lineup at Seneca Casinos are a solo acoustic performance by Melissa Etheridge at Seneca Allegany Events Center on Sunday, June 22, and "The Voice" Live Tour on Friday, July 11, at Seneca Niagara Events Center.

To encourage children and their parents to receive routine immunizations, Mount St. Mary's Neighborhood Health Center is partnering with Fidelis Care for National Infant Immunization Awareness Week.

The White House recently announced the first National Day of Action will take place April 30. "America's PrepareAthon!" is a nationwide, community-based campaign to build a more secure and resilient nation by getting more Americans to understand what disasters could happen in their communities and what to do to be safe and prepared.

There are a lot of people that don't know, or even realize this but there are many critters that can be hypnotized. It wouldn't actually put them in a hypnotic state, but more or less immobilize or relax them temporarily.

The New York Power Authority encourages visitors of all ages to submit a sculpture for the sculpture contest, one of the featured events at its "Every Day is Earth Day" celebration, Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the admission-free Power Vista, the visitors center for NYPA's Niagara Power Project.

Seventy years after serving in World War II, U.S. Army veteran and Kenmore resident Carlton Small received the military medals he earned, including a Bronze Star, in a special presentation by Congressman Brian Higgins, Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Anthony Caruana, and Village of Kenmore Deputy Mayor Tim McCarthy.

The 2014 NHL Draft Lottery, a weighted system to determine the order of selection for the first 13 picks of the 2014 NHL Draft, will take place Tuesday, April 15, at 8 p.m.

3 Doors Down has announced summer tour plans, including a July 23 Artpark date in the Outdoor Amphitheater as part of the venue's "Coors Light Wednesdays" series.

Brad Arnold, Chris Henderson and the members of 3 Doors Down have assembled in a Nashville studio writing songs for their sixth studio album, to be released in 2015.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today announced the results of its fraudulent refund prevention program. In 2013, 255,000 fraudulent and erroneous refunds totaling more than $413 million were stopped, and the department has identified $287 million in questionable refunds already this year.

The department uses a combination of sophisticated technology and highly trained staff to review every tax return and stop suspicious refunds before they're issued. The program is a model for other states, and was recognized this year with an Outstanding Technology Award by the Washington, D.C.-based Federation of Tax Administrators.

Thirty-five members of the 107th Airlift Wing will spend three weeks in Australia this month helping the Air Force Space Command install a Space Surveillance Network radar there.

The most important message regarding Ellicottville's 2014 Summer Music Festival, which takes place July 4-6 is this: It's a family affair.

The 914th Airlift Wing is honoring important members of military families across the state on Tuesday.

The First Niagara Foundation is sponsoring the fifth annual New York Business Plan Competition. The event is hosted by The SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University at Albany's School of Business, and Syracuse University, in partnership with SEFCU, SUNY, and collegiate partner institutions across the state.

The 2014 New York Business Plan Competition features regional competitions in New York's 10 Regional Economic Development Council zones that will lead up to a statewide final competition at CNSE's Albany Nanotech Complex on April 25.

The New York Power Authority on Monday issued its 2013 annual report, combining a summary of the past year's accomplishments with updates on its sustainability activities in one comprehensive publication.

At the same time as the issuance of its annual report, NYPA also released an overview of its financial performance during the past three years, which can be viewed at http://www.nypa.gov/AR13/ar13-Financials.pdf. Both documents demonstrate how prudent management practices place NYPA in a strong financial position to implement its 2014-19 strategic vision, announced last month, and available at www.nypa.gov/PDFs/StraVis2014/.

When it comes to pets, dogs travel with their humans the most often. In fact, they account for over 85 percent of pet travelers. This makes sense; most dogs are happy to go on adventures. They love car rides and can't wait to hop in and head out anywhere, whether it's down the street to the park or halfway across the country on an extended road trip.

On Wednesday evening, April 9, eight men and one woman representing the Niagara County Auxiliary Police Department graduated from the Niagara County Auxiliary Police Academy.