Current News

The Historical Society of North German Settlements of Bergholz (Das Haus Museum) was recently at the annual German Sommerfest on June 3 at the Buffalo-Niagara Heritage Village.

Recently, the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas named Hanzlian's Sausage Inc. as its member of the month.

Kelsey Tylec, 14, an eighth-grader at Edward Town Middle School, and Cassie Thayse, 14, a ninth-grader at Penfield High School, participated in the 14-and-under division of the Junior Beach National Qualifier at Charlotte Beach on June 17 in Rochester.

If there was any example of what hard work and dedication can do, Cole Janowsky is it. Cole competed in the 2018 WNY Powerlifting Championship for the first time and wowed the crowd as he broke the current junior 13-15 year old category record.

Recently, several Niagara-Wheatfield athletes were honored for their play during the spring season. The following is a list of award winners by sport.

Cataract Youth Football and Cheer announced that registration for their 2018 campaign is now open and one can register (securely) online at www.cataractfootballandcheer.com or in person from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 - 3:30 p.m., Saturday, June 23 and Saturday, July 7 at Cataract's home field, 4455 Porter Road, Niagara Falls. Players and guests should enter the athletic complex from the Pine Avenue entrance.

For 2018 Canal Fest there will be a new opportunity to save on Canal Fest ride prices. Pay-one-price wristband bracelets will be available every day the rides are open: Monday, July 16 - Sunday, July 22. Bracelets are $25 each on the midway. They are good on all rides on the day of purchase. The speed ride may require an additional ticket or two.

Calling all dogs! At 2 p.m. on Friday, June 29, The McGuire Group's Northgate Health Care Facility, 7264 Nash Road, North Tonawanda will host its ninth annual Dog Show.

On Tuesday night, the Town of Niagara Town Board held its monthly meeting. The meeting was relatively quick, but drew a few public comments and passed several items.

On June 7, the students at Niagara-Wheatfield's West Street Elementary School showed off their new rock garden at the entrance of the school.

On Tuesday evening, Dennis Judson, client service manager at Fisher Associates, was available for discussion on the proposed pathway along the north side of Fourth Avenue. Judson explained the details behind the design phase and the three scenarios initiated for the approximately 2,400-foot pathway.

Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara hosted a brief ceremony this morning to unveil the winning painting created by program participant, Ruth Denk, which was transformed into a 10-foot by 10-foot wrap mural and installed on the Covanta greenhouse at OUN.

The Niagara County art scene lost a talented artist and instructor last November when watercolorist Michael J. McMahon passed away after a lengthy illness.

Eight makers will vie for the title of "Master Maker" and a $100,000 grand prize on NBC's "Making It," which premieres Tuesday, July 31 (10 p.m. ET/PT).

Grammy Award-winning superstar duo Sugarland is celebrating the release of a critically acclaimed sixth studio record, "BIGGER," which arrived on June 8 via a joint venture with Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville.

A one-hour special from the James Beard Foundation (JBF) and Intersport, "JBFA: Stories from the 2018 James Beard Awards," showcasing the prestigious James Beard Awards for culinary excellence in a way that has never been seen before on network television - through the lens of a documentarian - will premiere on The ABC Television Network, Sunday, June 24 (4 p.m. EDT).

"The Great Food Truck Race" takes a culinary road battle through the Wild West this summer, with seven teams of food truck hopefuls competing to win a $50,000 grand prize.

Amazon Prime members can kick off their summer aboard a monster cruise ship with exclusive access to an early showing of "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" two weeks before the movie's release. The early showings for Prime members will take place at 3 p.m. local time on June 30 - two weeks before the movie's release - at one of about 1,000 leading theaters across the country.

Earlier this year, Provident Label Group/Sony Music announced Zach Williams' record-breaking single "Chain Breaker" became RIAA-certified Gold. Earlier this week in Nashville, Williams was presented with the official gold plaque, surrounded by his family, management, label team and fellow songwriters Mia Fieldes and Jonathan Smith.

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. and Albright-Knox Art Gallery on Thursday revealed world-famous artist Robert Indiana's "NUMBERS ONE through ZERO" sculptures on temporary exhibition at Buffalo's Outer Harbor. The 10, eight-foot-high COR-TEN steel sculptures, weighing close to 2,000 pounds apiece, are placed at Wilkeson Pointe and will be on loan until October 2019.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the release of two flood-risk management guidance documents for public review.

Change MS Wellness Foundation will host its fourth annual "Orange Affair: Taste of Summer" event from 6-11 p.m. Friday, July 27, at Dos Amigos on the Lake, 3800 Hoover Road, Blasdell.

A record-breaking 46.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Independence Day holiday, an increase of more than 5 percent compared with last year - and the highest number since AAA started tracking 18 years ago. For the 39.7 million Americans planning a Fourth of July road trip, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, predicts travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S. could be twice as long as the normal trip, with Tuesday being the busiest day.

This past spring, the Niagara-Wheatfield High School community endured a heartbreaking loss. Michael Ziegler - son, student, athlete and friend -- tragically passed away in March. To honor Ziegler, a member of the football, wrestling and lacrosse teams, a scholarships were put in place by donations from the Ziegler family and friends, as well as the Niagara-Wheatfield Sports Alliance, to carry on Ziegler's passion for athletics.

The Hyde Park "Summer Bash" is taking place Saturday, June 23, with events all day.

The Village of Lewiston Republican Committee intends to look over the mayoral race ballots submitted in Tuesday's general election.

Alan E. Govern has been promoted to group vice president at M&T Bank. Govern has been with M&T for eight years, having most recently held the title of administrative vice president.

Jane Schroeder, center, president of the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Auxiliary, presents a check for $23,918 to medical center President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo, left, and board Chairman James C. Roscetti during the auxiliary's annual meeting and appreciation luncheon.

Local elected leaders, businesspeople, current and former employees, friends and family members came out to The Silo Restaurant on Wednesday to celebrate the eatery's 20th anniversary on the Lewiston waterfront.

Former Village of Lewiston Clerk/Treasurer Anne Welch was elected mayor on Tuesday, defeating Deputy Mayor Bruce Sutherland by four votes (359-355).

Not to take anything away from the popcorn elements on "Shooter," which are a real blast, but the real reason why this series is so strong is that what we see is what we get. In other words, Bob Lee and Julie Swagger aren't that far removed from the actors giving them life. Both Ryan Phillippe and Shantel VanSanten are taking personal moments from their real lives and incorporating them into this series.

NBC has announced premiere dates for its 2018-19 fall schedule, which includes broadcast television's No. 1 program," "Sunday Night Football"; last season's No. 1 drama series, "This Is Us"; the launch of Oscar-winner Robert Zemeckis' new drama, "Manifest"; TV's No. 1 alternative series and four-time Emmy Award winner, "The Voice"; Tuesday night's new Ryan Eggold-starrer "New Amsterdam"; the new season of beloved comedy "Will & Grace"; and the third season of Mike Schur's mind-bending comedy "The Good Place."

On Sunday, more than 200 runners and walkers participated in the third annual Father Baker Father's Day 5K. The day brought avid runners, families and businesses to South Park Lake to run or walk the 3.1 miles around the park and Botanical Gardens.

In honor of Father's Day, Toni Cornell released a new cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares to U" that she recorded with her father, Chris Cornell, before his untimely death last May. On the eve of World Refugee Day (June 20), Toni pledges to donate her proceeds from the song to the International Rescue Committee, just as Chris did with the proceeds from "The Promise," his final music video.

On Tuesday, Republican New York State Sen. Rob Ortt joined his Senate majority colleagues for the announcement of jail-based service funding for 17 county jails throughout the state.

Niagara County lawmakers will take up a resolution tonight that will formally request that the county's economic planning facility be renamed in honor of former Commissioner of Economic Development Samuel M. Ferraro.

The Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops recently announced chef Marc Forgione will appear at the festival for a live cooking demonstration at noon on Saturday, July 7. One of the Iron Chefs on Food Network's "Iron Chef America," Forgione is also a restaurateur and cookbook author.

With summer right around the corner, McDonald's owner/operators in New York expect to hire approximately 9,000 restaurant employees.

The Cataract City's consumer-run human service and advocacy agency for people with disabilities, Independent Living of Niagara County, will hold a Disability Pride Niagara Olmstead Family Picnic at The Centennial Shelter in Hyde Park in Niagara Falls on Friday.

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the U.S., has approved funding for two grants totaling $832,000 to researchers in upstate New York in the first of two grant cycles for 2018. The grants are among 110 national research and training grants totaling more than $47.6 million that will fund investigators at 72 institutions across the country in the latest round of funding.