Current News

Rhythm & blues, country, pop and stand-up comedy head to Fallsview Casino in January with performances by R&B vocal group The Spinners, country sensations Chris Lane and Frankie Ballard, American pop group 98°, and comedian Kathleen Madigan.

University at Buffalo Department of Theatre and Dance presents "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie." The show is directed by Vincent O'Neill, artistic director and co-founder of Irish Classical Theatre, and associate theater professor in the department.

The remaining 10 celebrity and pro-dancer couples competed Monday on the fourth week of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." Season 17 alumnus Leah Remini joined in as the season's first guest judge.

Lockport CARES is in need of shift volunteers to help at the homeless shelters. Lockport CARES currently is at full capacity and the admission line is turning people in need away, because of lack of volunteers.

Frank Todaro and his company, Collision Masters, partnered with Geico and the P.U.N.T. Foundation on Tuesday to gift a car to a deserving family in need. Beth Bova and her daughter, Zoe, were in need of a car to drive to and from doctors' appointments at Roswell Park, as Zoe battles pediatric cancer.

Announced late last week from a joint press conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, The Department of Justice and AARP unveiled a new public service announcement campaign with iconic country music supergroup The Oak Ridge Boys to raise awareness of fraud schemes targeting elders.

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will burst with orchids at its annual fall orchid showAnchor from 10 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 10.

"Rescue Story," the long-awaited album from Grammy- and GMA Dove Award-winning artist Zach Williams, is out now. Supporting "Rescue Story," which is the follow-up to his Grammy-winning album, 2017's "Chain Breaker," is Williams' 21-city "Rescue Story Tour," which kicks off in Syracuse.

Arts Services Initiative of Western New York announced application materials for its annual "Give for Greatness" granting program are live.

Niagara Frontier Bible Church is hosting a family-friendly Halloween event from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at 5287 Bronson Drive, Lewiston. A story and refreshments will be provided. For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.niagarafrontierbible.com.

Niagara Falls City Councilman Chris Voccio will lead a one-hour fall foliage walk along the Niagara River Gorge at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. The walk will follow the upper trail between Whirlpool State Park and Devil's Hole State Park.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos announced new additions to the recently launched "DECinfo Locator," which is making new resources and information available to help hunters plan their outings this fall and throughout the year. DECinfo Locator has added two data layers - hunting on DEC-managed lands and wildlife management units - designed to help provide detailed mapping functions for hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts.

In the first pickup of the fall season, FOX has ordered nine additional episodes of the No. 1 new series, "Prodigal Son," raising the episode order to 22. From Emmy Award-nominated executive producer Greg Berlanti, executive producer Sarah Schechter ("Riverdale," "You"), and executive producers/creators Chris Fedak ("Deception," "Chuck") and Sam Sklaver ("Deception," "Bored to Death"), FOX said, " 'Prodigal Son' is a fresh take on the traditional crime drama with a provocative and outrageous lead character and a darkly comedic tone."

Food Network and Cooking Channel are preparing for food's biggest holiday with a full slate of Thanksgiving-themed programming, including a live on-air event and first-ever, interactive Thanksgiving streaming event on the new "Food Network Kitchen" app, marking a 40% increase in Thanksgiving content compared to 2018.

During a joint Hispanic Heritage Month event hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York and the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park on Friday, the community gathered to celebrate the service of Western New York Hispanic American veterans.

For the past 12 years, Jeff Dunham and his somewhat-inappropriate-proteges, Peanut, Walter, José Jalapeño, Bubba J. and Achmed the Dead Terrorist, have filled arenas across the U.S. and the world with their multiple, blockbuster tours. This fall, Dunham and his cohorts will set out on their brand-new international tour, "Jeff Dunham: Seriously!?" Dunham and his guys will visit KeyBank Center in Buffalo at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22.

New York Sea Grant has recently been announced as part of a three-year, $1 million, multi-state Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative project designed to help Great Lakes states respond to consumer demand for freshwater fish and a $14 billion national seafood trade deficit identified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service.

On Saturday night, fans of "Joker" received a special surprise when the Joker himself, Joaquin Phoenix, stopped by multiple screening of the film at Alamo Drafthouse LA. Dressed in a grey hoodie, Phoenix took time to meet with fans at each theater, answer questions, and snap a few selfies. The actor even talked about the origin of the iconic Joker dance moves!

Girl Scouts of Western New York's popular fall product program returns to help girls enrich their financial literacy and cyber-safety skills. Girls use an online digital platform to engage close friends and family to order candies, nuts, magazines, candles and other items. The fall product program runs until Oct. 26.

Life Recovery is a 12-step-based ministry for people with addictions or other life-controlling problems. Starting Thursday, Oct. 24, the meetings will be held every Thursday at 7 p.m. at Lewiston Assembly of God, 4754 Creek Road.

The Auxiliary of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center will hold a sale of "gently worn" men's and women's coats, jackets and blazers, along with purses and jewelry, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, in the hospital auditorium, 621 10th St.

"The Haunted Falconwood Halloween Party 2019" at Beaver Island State Park at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, will mark the official grand opening of The Falconwood Event Center at Beaver Island State Park.

On Friday, Nov. 29, the switch will be flipped to illuminate more than 1 million lights as the Fairgrounds Festival of Lights opens its 15th season. This time-honored, holiday tradition takes place at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg and is the largest Christmas festival in Western New York.

Irene F. Burley, age 93, of Fruitland Park, Florida, formerly of Grand Island, passed away June 10, 2019.

Eileen M. (Dealey) Minton passed on Sept. 28 after a brief illness.

The Grand Island Lions Club would like to ask anyone who has a used wheelchair that is no longer needed to consider donating it to the club.

The Grand Island Fire Co. joins with the National Fire Protection Association in recognizing that "Not Every Hero Wears a Cape: Plan and Practice Your Escape."

The New York State Thruway Authority announced this week that cashless tolling customer assistance sessions will continue at the Western New York Welcome Center on the first and third Tuesday of each month. The extension is the result of what the Thruway Authority called "the success and resident feedback of the previous sessions that have been held twice a week since June."

The Niagara County Peach Festival will likely get another year at Academy Park - if not more.

High water levels wreaked havoc with the Niagara County boating season, and led some to skip out on visiting the villages of Lewiston and Wilson this summer. Not wanting a repeat of this in 2020 - and seeking to reinforce the idea local stores are open for business - Village of Wilson Mayor Arthur Lawson and Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch held a "Lake Ontario 2020 Preparedness Meeting" Thursday at the Red Brick Municipal Building.

The Academy of International Business & Finance in 2019 is marking its 10th year as part of the Lewiston-Porter High School educational experience.

When you're a band with as much success as Switchfoot, it can be difficult to cram everything - in this case, 22 years, 11 albums and a string of hits - into one succinct concert. Two hours isn't nearly enough time to deep-dive into such a catalog of music and memories.

The Buffalo Sabres announced the team is holding a game-worn jersey auction that will start at 5 p.m. today. The auction will be held at auction.NHL.com until at 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.

The play "Night of the Living Dead" by Lori Allen Ohm will be presented at the Ghostlight Theatre, 170 Schenck St., North Tonawanda, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24. Performances continue at 8 p.m. Oct. 25-26, and at 2 p.m. Oct. 27. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at www.starrynighttheatre.com or by calling the theater at 716-743-1614.

Congressman Brian Higgins and Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster announced the city was awarded a $44,114 federal grant through the Department of Justice's Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program to assist the police department in continuing to fund two part-time police liaison positions, as well as provide 16 handheld radios.

Niagara University leaped 11 spots on U.S. News & World Report's annual survey of "America's Best Colleges." Niagara secured the No. 32 position in "Best Regional Universities - North." This position is a dramatic climb from No. 70, which was the university's standing in 2013.

Award-winning trio Selah will release their new album, "Firm Foundation," on Nov. 1 with Integrity Music. This will mark the first release with the new label partnership. The debut song, "Jesus Is King," from the forthcoming album, along with the pre-order, is available today here.

Christmastime is here! Fair Trade Services is excited to officially announce the holidays are upon us with the release of Phil Wickham's new album. Simply titled "Christmas," the 10-song project is the follow-up to his 2011 holiday debut, "Songs For Christmas."

Federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the DHS Federal Emergency Management Agency totaling over $900,000 has been awarded to the Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to assist with a number of emergency and security-related programs countywide. The grants will augment programs in emergency management performance, public safety answering points ("PSAP") operations, hazardous materials, technical rescue and urban search and rescue, and critical infrastructure.

The Aquarium of Niagara has been ramping up its own piece of property to properly serve both locals and visitors alike. For the past few years, the aquarium has made big changes such as "Penguin Coast" in 2018 and "Aliens of the Sea" in 2019. On Sept. 27, it announced even more construction to create a new - interactive - habitat for some of nature's misunderstood children in the sea. It's called the "M&T Bank Shark & Ray Bay"