Current News

The University at Buffalo will host the 11th annual Safe Schools Initiative Seminar for law enforcement and schools on Monday, March 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Center for the Arts on the UB North Campus. The event is free, but registration is required.

This year's seminar - "The Role of Leadership in Making our Schools Safe" - will be led by retired U.S. Army Col. Danny R. McKnight, a distinguished and highly decorated veteran who served 28 1/2 years as a U.S. Army Ranger.

McKnight's presentation will highlight the unparalleled commitment and leadership required to be successful when executing operations in the most difficult and severe situations.

NBC Olympics and the United States Olympic Committee will present an unprecedented 52 hours of coverage of the upcoming Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games across NBC and NBCSN, including 27 hours of live coverage, beginning with the opening ceremony Friday, March 7, at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN. TeamUSA.org will live stream all events from the Paralympic Winter Games.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, is calling for the restoration of the cuts to education funding from 2011 with the Partnership for Smarter Schools, a bipartisan alliance of parents, teachers and education professionals working to improve New York schools.

Sabine is a key member of the Ghost crew in "Star Wars Rebels." As seen in this special video, featuring early design concepts, animation tests and final art, Sabine is unlike any "Star Wars" character - especially in her love for blowing things up and tagging her work with graffiti.

Advocating for student financial aid isn't easy. Just ask Matt Nadler and Kalene Faricellie.

Artpark & Company announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that English indie band Arctic Monkeys will perform June 18 as part of the "Coors Light Wednesdays" concert series in the Outdoor Amphitheater.

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, announced today the company is boosting its support for Roswell Park Cancer Institute in a big way this year by signing on as a "Big Wheel" sponsor for The Ride For Roswell 2014, which will be held Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28.

The new sponsorship significantly extends Tops' existing support for RCPI, best known through its annual Run/Walk for Roswell. The Tops Run/Walk is a family-friendly event held each August in Williamsville to raise funds through Roswell Park's Team Cure Challenge program. Over the past six years, the event has raised more than $625,000 with the support of Roswell Park, the local community, vendor partners and Tops associates.

Niagara County lawmakers were outraged Tuesday night at plans by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to give taxpayer-funded college degrees to hardened criminals doing time in New York's prisons - and became the first county in the state to go on the record opposing the prison perk.

In a rare show of bipartisan anger at the Democratic governor, county legislators unanimously passed a resolution that opposed Cuomo's college-for-criminals scheme and called on the New York State Legislature to block it. The resolution was sponsored by every single member of the County Legislature's Republican and Democratic caucuses.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued a warning to New Yorkers based on numerous complaints received by his office from consumers who have been contacted recently by scam artists posing as representatives of Microsoft or an organization allegedly affiliated with Microsoft, such as P.C. Solutions.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, came out in opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to offer a free college education to prisoners.

The Buffalo Sabres have announced the team terminated the contract of forward Linus Omark.

Every team needs a tough guy. Introducing Zeb, the (smart) muscle of the Ghost crew from Lucasfilm's upcoming animated series "Star Wars Rebels."

During this season's first live performance shows of "American Idol XIII," airing tonight (8 p.m.), and tomorrow (8 p.m.), FOX will give viewers at home a front-row seat to all the backstage action and behind-the-curtain excitement via a live camera feed during select commercial breaks.

Free health screenings will be the order of the day on Saturday, March 1, when Memorial Medical Center wraps up American Heart Month with "Heart Smart: A Free Wellness and Education Event."

The debut of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" generated strong sampling at a special midnight start time following late local news and NBC's coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

This Wednesday on "LIVE with Kelly and Michael," hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan stun unsuspecting "Homeland" star Mandy Patinkin with two huge surprises during a new interview recently taped for the show.

"Countdown to the Oscars" offers viewers a backstage pass to the Academy Awards, featuring interviews with this year's nominees, rarely seen footage of the nominated stars before they were famous, and a special celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Forrest Gump."

If you are not familiar with a "gran fondo," you are not alone. A "gran fondo" is a type of bicycle ride that originated in Italy and is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. The name translates to "big ride" and is known as a "party on wheels," with scenic routes, open country roads, and fun pit stops to enjoy along the way.

Catholic Academy of Niagara Falls will host its annual basket raffle Saturday, March 8, at the school, 1055 Military Road. Doors open at 10 a.m. Drawings for the baskets begin at 7 p.m.

It's a medal-worthy week on the "Late Show with David Letterman" when medal-winning U.S. athletes from the XXII Olympic Winter games in Sochi, Russia, visit the broadcast this week (11:35 p.m.) on the CBS Television Network.

New York State Sen. Mark J. Grisanti, R-I-Buffalo, announced Tuesday he has launched an online petition to gather public opposition to a recent proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to give taxpayer-subsidized college classes to inmates at 10 state prisons.

The petition, "Say 'NO' To Free College For Prisoners," went live Tuesday.

"I have received numerous phone calls, emails and Facebook messages related to this initiative, and the overwhelming percentage of them are negative," Grisanti said.

"I support rehabilitation and reduced recidivism, but not on the taxpayer's dime, when so many individuals and families in New York are struggling to meet the ever-rising costs of higher education," he added.

Former Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez joins CBS Sports as an analyst for the CBS Television Network's NFL pre-game show, "The NFL Today," and will contribute across multiple CBS platforms, including "Inside the NFL" on SHOWTIME and CBS Sports Network's Sunday pre-game show, "That Other Pregame Show."

The Rapids Theatre will host "Fostering Hope: A Gala for Every Child," a foster care program, Saturday, March 1. Proceeds will go to Every Child to help children within the foster care systems in Erie and Niagara counties.

State Sen. George Maziarz released the following statement Tuesday:

KHM Counseling of Niagara, a Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce member, held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony Thursday, Feb. 13, at its new office location at the Power City Building in Niagara Falls. Tours of the historic Power City Building were given during the open house celebration.

State University of New York Empire State College will hold public information sessions about its degree programs at its Niagara Frontier Center.

Oscar winner Anne Hathaway will present at this year's Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced Tuesday. The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air Sunday, March 2, live on ABC.

The University at Buffalo Department of Theatre & Dance will present "The Tempest" from Thursday, March 6, to Sunday, March 9, in the Black Box Theater located at the Center for the Arts.

A study conducted by a Niagara University professor and five of his students has been accepted for presentation at the International Conference on Writing Research, one of the foremost writing conferences in Europe.

Cancer has been a part of Casey Dahlstrom's life since he was 3 years old, but rather than run from the memory, he embraces it.

Dahlstrom will describe his life with cancer at the Grand Island Relay For Life Kickoff Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Connor Middle School cafeteria. The event was postponed exactly three weeks due to bad weather. Relay For Life itself, the largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, will have its 12th edition on the Island at 2 p.m. May 31 and runs to 2 a.m. June 1.

The Erie County Sheriff's Office responded to 162 calls from Feb. 1 to 7. Below is a sampling of the noteworthy incidents on Grand Island.

Scout Sunday (for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts) was celebrated at the 9 a.m. Mass Sunday, Feb. 2, at St. Stephen R.C. Church, 2100 Baseline Road.

Rehearsals continue for the St. Stephen's Parish Players performances of "Bye Bye Birdie" in the St. Stephen School cafetorium.

A 17-year-old girl from Grand Island is the recipient of a bedroom makeover thanks to a team of local volunteers.

The LaSalle Yacht Club has turned its Pasta Sauce Off benefit over to two successful fundraisers who are all of 11 years old.

March 1 is the deadline for all Basic STAR, Enhanced/Senior STAR and veterans property tax exemptions to be added to the assessment roll for school tax year 2014-15 and town/county tax year 2015.

Saturday, Feb. 8, dozens of walkers, skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers braved the elements to take part in the fourth annual Robert G. Hoch Winter Memory Walk on West River Parkway

On Feb. 10, the Grand Island Board of Education worked through a varied agenda, including information on Grand Island's 2014-15 budget and a report on the three-year capital improvement project. All board members were present, including Donna Tomkins and Paul Krull via Skype.

Regarding the New York state budget, the board unanimously approved a resolution to get rid of the Gap Elimination Adjustment, GEA. Each year since 2009-10, foundation aid to school districts has been frozen at 2008-09 levels. In addition, aid may be taken from school districts and applied to the New York state budget to close deficits.

New recycling carts will soon turn up on Island roadsides.

Republic Services will soon provide 95-gallong recycling carts to every home on the Island at no cost to taxpayers.