Current News

Presti Karate Centers hosted international black belt testing on Saturday, Oct. 8, conducted by an international board. Eight students were promoted to the rank of black belt or higher.

First-degree black belt recipients included: Lewiston's Robert Blakelock, 13; Rory McGuire, 13; and Jordan D'Angelo, 12; and Niagara Falls' Chris Smith, 15; Amanda Mrzygut, 16; Chris Drake, 13; and Philip D'Angelo, 15.

Carly Presti, 10, of Wilson ranked as the youngest-ever promoted to black belt. Presti has compiled more than five years of training.

Third-degree black belt recipients included Greg Bullock of Niagara-Wheatfield and Doug Boje of Pendleton.

Tables full of books of all types are available at the Youngstown Free Library's fall book sale.

During an Oct. 20 "Meet the Candidates Night," candidates for town offices were asked durng the question-and-answer portion of the forum: Do you believe the town should pay for the maintenance of sidewalks not owned by the town, and if so, how would you propose paying for it?

I was pleased to learn in a recent issue of the Island Dispatch that our Grand Island Community Federal Credit Union is expanding its services to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers on Grand Island.

Grand Island put together its most dominating performance of the football season last Thursday to win the Chuck Funke Memorial Classic, 28-0 over Hamburg.

Veronica Connor Middle School
Five musical groups performed at the Connor Middle School fall concert on Wednesday night in the Grand Island High School auditorium.

School Bus Safety Poster Contest winners from Sidway, St. Stephen, Kaegebein and Huth Road schools were treated to breakfast at Tops on Thursday morning.

The Erie County Sheriff's Office reports its officers responded to 207 calls from Oct. 22 to 28. Below is a sampling of only those incidents the ECSO reported to the Island Dispatch.

The following incidents occurred from Oct. 24 to Oct. 30, as reported by the Grand Island Fire Co. A total of 23 calls were answered by the department during this period. The GIFC has now responded to 1,256 calls so far this year.

On the cusp of breaking the $1 million mark in funds raised for the American Cancer Society, supporters of the Grand Island Relay For Life held a "reunion."

Tuesday's general election features a rematch of the 2007 race for town supervisor between Peter McMahon and Mary Cooke.

Cooke said four years ago after her defeat that some had urged her to run a negative campaign, which she declined to do. This year, she's pointed out what she considers McMahon's shortcomings and called a vote for the incumbent a vote for the status quo. McMahon's campaign has primarily focused on his tenure as supervisor, saying that with regard to his accomplishments in such areas as reducing debt and expanding green space, "leadership is the key."

For one county lawmaker retiring as the Niagara County Legislature downsizes in response to a public referendum, the final weeks of his term have provided an opportunity to bring a multi-year battle to a successful close.

Thursday night it was announced that InTENsity, the group that Paula Abdul mentored, was eliminated on "The X Factor." After Steve Jones announced that InTENsity and The Stereo Hogzz received the fewest votes, judges Simon Cowell, Abdul, L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger asked the two finalists to perform their "song for survival" and then eliminated InTENsity.

The American Legion Wheatfield Post 1451 will conduct Veterans Day ceremonies at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at the Wheatfield veterans monument on Ward Road.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce hosts its next business "Blender" on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Lewiston Village Pub, located at 840 Center St., Lewiston.

On Election Day, Holy Ghost Lutheran School will have hundreds of homemade baked goods for sale starting at 6 a.m.

The Niagara-Wheatfield Board of Education will accept requests from any individuals interested in serving on the 2011-12 budget committee.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-I-Lewiston, is urging state leaders to provide $10 million to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to help close the authority's $15 million deficit and avoid service cuts and layoffs.

ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas," cable's biggest holiday programming event of the year, returns with 25 continuous days of holiday-themed entertainment for the whole family. From Dec. 1 to 25, viewers can ring in the holidays with original movies, holiday specials and returning favorites.

Seneca Nation of Indians President Robert Odawi Porter wrote Wednesday to the Cuomo administration scolding it for what he described as not negotiating in good faith about gaming money withheld from the state and casino host communities. However, Porter also agreed to waive the negotiation process required under the state gaming compact and proposed an expedited arbitration process to quickly resolve the issue.

Porter noted that he wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo nearly nine months ago. In that letter, the president proposed an alternative so the Nation could pay directly to Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Salamanca and other casino host communities.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, for Election Day.

Wheatfield has the most contested town races (supervisor and two Town Board seats), while Town of Niagara has only one (highway supervisor). In county races, all voters will vote in the county clerk race, and depending on district, some also will vote for County Legislature candidates.

Wheatfield Supervisor Robert B. Cliffe is seeking re-election to a second term, running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines, while Donald J. Wallace is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Wheatfield councilmen Larry L. Helwig (R, C, I) and Gilbert G. Doucet (R, C, WF, I) are seeking re-election. Opposing them are Robert J. Pino (D) and Barbara A. Lange (D). Town Clerk Kathleen M. Harrington and Superintendent of Highways Arthur F. Kroening are running unopposed.

Joe Petrozzi and his son Russ of Capitol Cleaners are again collecting, cleaning and giving gently used coats and other winter wear to the needy families in Western New York. The days for distribution to the community are Saturday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

VA Western New York Healthcare System is celebrating Veterans Day with ceremonies at both the Batavia and Buffalo sites. All veterans are encouraged to wear their medals as America recognizes the legacy of veterans on Friday, Nov. 11.

The United States Army Reserve's 99th Regional Support Command will conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the Niagara Falls Armed Forces Reserve Center later this morning.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center will conduct a weekday flu shot clinic for adults 18 and older from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the hospital's auditorium, 621 10th St., Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has set an early November project start for $400,000 of building renovations and technology upgrades at the Summit Healthplex in Wheatfield.

The new digital mammography suite will feature a state-of-the-art, full field digital system with a computer aided detection program, a dedicated workstation for image display and interpretation; and a digital picture archiving and communication system.

This digital technology will shorten a patient's exam time, lower the radiation dosage, enhance physicians' image interpretation capabilities and reduce the need for retesting.

The Historical Association of Lewiston announces tickets are now on sale for its seventh annual Tour of Homes, scheduled for Dec. 3 and 4 in Lewiston. Chris Castellani, Lewiston resident and owner of Supermarket Liquors and Wines, has stepped forward as the presenting sponsor of this event.

The North Tonawanda History Museum and the Niagara Frontier Chapter of New York State Women are joining forces to present a program by Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner, an authority on Matilda Joslyn Gage. The program begins at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the museum, 54 Webster St., North Tonawanda.

The show is over for The YellowJackets from the University of Rochester on NBC's "The Sing-Off."

FOX has ordered a second season of unscripted series "The X Factor."

CBS Interactive Music Group's acclaimed concert webcast series, "Live on Letterman," will feature music legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Peter Gabriel in a live webcast concert from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (9 p.m.). He will perform tracks off his recently released album, "New Blood," which re-imagines many of Gabriel's best-loved songs spanning his solo career. In a first for the popular music series, Gabriel will perform with a live orchestra.

The Niagara Region's state legislators - including sens. George Maziarz and Mark Grisanti, and Assemblyman John Ceretto - have been working hard behind the scenes to help resolve the dispute between the Seneca Nation of Indians and the state of New York over the distribution of revenues from the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel. In January 2009, the Seneca Nation began withholding revenue payments due to its belief that the state breached the 2002 compact that gave gaming exclusivity rights to the Native American tribe.

Nik Wallenda will appear before the Niagara Parks Commission Nov. 16 to discuss his application to walk on a three-inch wire across the Niagara Gorge between Canada and the United States.

National recording artist Stacy Clark headlined the first-ever "Winestock," a full week of local music headliners, at Hops-N-Vines in Lewiston.

A jarring fact underscores the events and activities that Roswell Park Cancer Institute has coordinated as part of Lung Cancer Awareness Month this November: 1,500 people die every year in Erie County because of this disease, which is the biggest cancer killer in the U.S. Lung cancer kills more men than prostate cancer and more women than breast cancer.

"By getting these cancers detected early when they're small and more easily treated, we can cut that statistic down dramatically," said Mary Reid, Ph.D.

The Niagara Regional Theatre Guild will hold auditions for "Into The Woods" and "Broadway In Concert 13" beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 14 and 15. The auditions will take place at The Ellicott Creek Playhouse, 530 Ellicott Creek Road, Tonawanda.