Current News

The launch of the Solarize Grand Island program will take place at Town Hall Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to noon but not everyone in the Grand Island Town Board sees the program in the same light.

Progress continues on the DeGlopper Memorial expansion in spite of a rejection by the Buffalo and Erie County Greenway Fund Standing Committee to direct some funding to the project.

Grand Island Central School District will conduct an active shooter training and lock-down drill Tuesday, May 22, at the Grand Island High School and Veronica Connor Middle School campus, 1100 Ransom Road.

The Niagara Region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is asking residents and others to avoid using the West River Parkway until all construction work is completed this fall.

On Friday evening, the Niagara Falls Wolverines and Niagara-Wheatfield Falcons sent their ace pitchers out to the mound for a big Niagara Frontier League game at the Niagara Falls turf facility. With two aces on the mound, majority of the crowd thought it would be a pitchers duel. That was not the case, Friday. The Falcons used 21 hits to defeat the Wolverines, 22-11, in a game where the score was not indicative of the gameplay throughout.

Law enforcement agencies in Erie County on Friday joined the Erie County Department of Central Police Services in an interfaith Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Public Safety Campus in Buffalo, part of National Police Week events being held around the country in observance of the sacrifices made by law enforcement officers.

It's "Royal Wedding Week" on "The Chew." From regal dishes to royal crafts, co-hosts Michael Symon, Clinton Kelly and Carla Hall are helping viewers celebrate the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in splendid style.

The stakes are high as the top 5 "American Idol" finalists perform in hopes of winning America's vote and making it through to the finals, as the search for America's next superstar continues on its new home on America's network, The ABC Television Network, Sunday, May 13 (8-10:01 p.m. EDT), streaming and on demand.

The St. Francis Guild of Mount St. Mary's Hospital has announced four of the hospital's past junior volunteers will receive this year's Karen Mahoney Scholarships.

Just in time for Mother's Day, Amy Grant's sentimental and timely "Say It With A Kiss" is available on digital and streaming platforms for the first time. The unifying lyrics written by the singer, songwriter, mother and grandmother encourage listeners to prioritize love and kindness to all we meet.

"Moments: Mighty Sound," releasing today, will mark Bethel Music's debut spontaneous album, featuring a collection of a dozen songs captured live at Bethel Church in Redding, California.

Karen Carter of Tucson, Arizona, a self-proclaimed fan of "Chopped," "Cake Wars" and "Barefoot Contessa," has won the inaugural Food Network "Fantasy Kitchen Giveaway." Carter's name was randomly drawn from nearly 25 million entries to win $250,000 toward the kitchen of her dreams.

Finding a trusted mechanic can be difficult at times, which is why AAA rigorously reviews facilities to find the best. AAA Western and Central New York recently recognized approved auto repair (AAR) facilities in its annual "Top Shop" award program.

One-thousand urban planners from across North America, Europe and Asia will be coming to Buffalo in October for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) national conference, being hosted by the department of urban and regional planning in the University at Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning.

Radiate Music, in partnership with BEC Recordings, releases singer/songwriter and contemporary Christian music artist Aaron Bucks' debut single, titled "California." The song is available on all digital formats by clicking HERE.

Multi-cam comedy "Last Man Standing," starring Tim Allen, will air on FOX during the 2018-19 season.

Six-time winning "Voice" coach Blake Shelton, award-winning and internationally acclaimed band Panic! At The Disco and breakthrough country star Kane Brown are set to take the stage on NBC's four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series "The Voice" on the Tuesday, May 15, live telecast (8-9 p.m. ET/PT).

Coming off their successful debut seasons on "The Voice," current season 14 coach, three-time Grammy Award winner and 2018 Billboard Music Awards host Kelly Clarkson and season 13 coach and Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson will reclaim their red chairs on season 15 of "The Voice." Clarkson and Hudson will compete against Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine and country music superstar Blake Shelton.

Four-time Grammy nominee Matthew West released his new music video on Friday for "Becoming Me" as a tribute to moms this Mother's Day. Found on West's latest chart-topping album, "All In," the heartfelt song was written to honor his wife, Emily, along with his own mother.

Charles Daniel Mock, 70, of Alvin, Texas, passed away Sunday, April 29, 2018 in Houston, Texas. Charles was born June 1, 1947, in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and was a resident of Alvin for two years, formerly from Waynesboro, Virginia.

Empire State Development on Friday announced the beginning of construction for a $440,700 project to create a new jellyfish exhibit at the Aquarium of Niagara. This will be the first time in the venue' 53-year history that it will permanently house such animals among its collection.

Deal Realty is again taking part in the VFW Memorial Day parade in Lewiston. This year's event begins at 11 a.m. Monday, May 28.

Syfy has announced its upcoming summer schedule, which includes the return of "12 Monkey" (June 15) along with "Wynonna Earp" and "Killjoys" (July 20) airing back to back on Friday nights. Additionally, "Sharknado Week" returns to Syfy with an all new shark-filled movie event beginning Sunday, Aug. 12, and leading into ultimate shark showdown in the finale of Syfy's hit franchise, "Sharknado," airing on Sunday, Aug. 19, at 8/7c.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation on Thursday announced Mark W. Thomas will retire this month. He has served as the western district director for State Parks since 2007.

NBC's hit series "World of Dance," which premiered as the most-watched new summer alternative series in 10 years in 2017, has been renewed for a third season.

Congressman Brian Higgins announced federal grants provided through the National Endowment for the Arts totaling $136,500 for the Western New York art and cultural community.

"97 Rock" personality Rich "Bull" Gaenzler joined Canalside Management Group on Thursday to announce the lineup for "Canalside Live," the boardwalk's 2018 summer concert series. The acts include:

Back in January, Rich Tedeschi of Imagine Community Gardens proposed a plan at Lumber City Church about a possible community garden in the City of North Tonawanda. Nearly four months later, that same idea is being installed on Sommer Street in NT.

On Monday, the Town of Wheatfield Town Board voted to deny a proposal from Jon Rosen of USA Cycling for a 10-week bicycle racing series at Vantage Point Industrial Park off of Lockport Road.

NBC Sports' exclusive coverage of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs concludes Thursday with a decisive game 7 for the 10th consecutive year, as P.K. Subban and the defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators clash with Patrik Laine and the Winnipeg Jets for a chance to advance to the Western Conference Final.

Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Meghan Trainor has released not one, but two new songs from her forthcoming, third full-length studio album. First up, she shared the sassy single "Let You Be Right." She also dropped another track titled "Can't Dance."

The Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy graduated its 66th class during a ceremony held Wednesday at Niagara University's Castellani Art Museum.

Buffalo Prep, an organization that provides educational opportunities for underrepresented youth, recently announced an all-new scholarship fund in Robert G. Wilmers' name, established by M&T Bank. The announcement was made at Buffalo Prep's 2018 Celebration of Achievement event on May 2 at Kleinhans Music Hall.

The Niagara County Department of Social Services program integrity unit, working with the Niagara County Sheriff's Department and the district attorney's office, announced they have saved the taxpayers of Niagara County $3,889,542 as a result of various cost-avoidance measures.

The Erie County Department of Public Works has announced additional roadwork to be conducted in 2018 on higher-traffic roads across the county as part of its "Overlay A" and "Overlay B" projects.

The Kenan Center House Gallery, 433 Locust St., Lockport, will present the biennial Niagara Frontier Art Exhibit from May 20 through July 8. It welcomes artists from the Buffalo-Niagara region working in a variety of two- and three-dimensional media.

We're just about a month away from the exhilarating action of the Thunder of Niagara Air Show and get ready - it's back and better than ever in 2018.

Registration is now open for "Building Buffalo and Beyond," which is the theme of the 2018 STEAM Conference. The Aug. 6-7 event, co-presented by the Education Collaborative of WNY and WNY STEM Hub, will be held on the Daemen College campus, 4380 Main St., Amherst.

American appetite for electric vehicles is heating up. A new AAA survey shows 20 percent, or 50 million Americans, will likely go electric for their next vehicle purchase, up from 15 percent in 2017. With lower-than-average ownership costs, increased driving ranges and the latest advanced safety features, AAA sees a strong future for electric vehicles.

American workers took an average of 17.2 days of vacation in 2017, according to new research from Project: Time Off, jumping up nearly a half-day (.4 days) from 2016. This marks the highest level for American vacation usage since 2010 (17.5 days) and a more than full-day increase since bottoming out at 16.0 days in 2014.