Current News

As Hurricane Harvey blasted Texas, gas prices shot up across the country. At $2.37, today's national gas price average is 4 cents more expensive on the week and one of the largest one-week national gas prices surge seen this summer. Gas prices have not changed locally in the past week.

Better Business Bureau and BBB Wise Giving Alliance are advising people who want to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey to do so with caution and make sure their donations get to the people who need it most.

Administrator Linda McMahon, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is encouraging small businesses to comment on the federal register notice posted earlier this month. The notice is in response to President Donald Trump's executive order 13777, which aims to ease the burdens placed on America's small businesses.

Canada's largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event, Fan Expo Canada recently announced its 2017 programming lineup. Chock-full of contests, parties, meet-and-greets and more, the all-ages pop culture convention will cover all 750,000-square-feet of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre over the Labor Day weekend, Thursday, Aug. 31, through Sunday, Sept. 3.

"Ship-Hop, Starring I Love the 90s Tour" is partnering with Susan G. Komen Miami/Fort Lauderdale just in time to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Another state has signed up to bring Niagara University's first responder disability awareness training program to its law enforcement officials and emergency personnel. This time, it's Virginia.

The Carnegie Art Center will host six weeks of jazz concerts beginning Sept. 14. "Jazz at the Carnegie" will include performances by The Bobby Militello Quartet, Sharon Bailey, Jon Lehning, Mark Filsinger, Carina & the Six String Preacher, and the Fredtown Stompers.

BoxLunch, a pop culture gift store with a cause, announced it will open its newest New York location, in Cheektowaga, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at the Walden Galleria.

The Niagara Frontier Region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced the annual permit lottery for the 2017 pheasant-hunting season will take place Monday, Oct. 2. This will include the drawing for both the youth hunt and the regular season hunt.

Hands Healing Heroes will host its fourth annual Veterans Appreciation Day from noon until 4 p.m. Saturday Sept. 16, at the John A. Duke Center, 1201 Hyde Park Blvd., Niagara Falls.

France's Plasticiens Volants will bring its "Big Bang" production to Lewiston on Saturday, Sept. 2. The show includes giant inflatable planets, comets and animals in a tale as old as time.

The 16th annual celebration of jazz in the Village of Lewiston - now known as the Northwest Jazz Festival, Lewiston, NY presented by Northwest Bank - kicked off Friday with lines of people piled up and down Center Street. Music rang out across a half-dozen stages, and crowds flocked to a plethora of local food vendors.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center thanked its employees and volunteers for their dedication to the patients and community they serve with an employee appreciation day picnic at two locations.

Youngstown First Presbyterian Church will be the site Sunday, Aug. 27, for the second annual Chili Cook-off and Basket Auction in support of the Parkinson's Foundation Moving Day.

Grand Island senior citizens went to Town Hall Monday in numbers to insist the Town Board staffing needs at the Golden Age Center.

In the lower River Region, Youngstown will be the place to be come Monday, Sept. 4, as the Village of Youngstown, along with the Porter Youngstown Ransomville Business Association, local residents and businesses, is set to stage a decades-old community favorite: Youngstown's Labor Day Parade.

"Who Shot Biggie & Tupac?" is an investigative crime special examining two of the greatest murder mysteries in pop culture history. The special, which digs deep into the entangled murders of hip-hop's most legendary adversaries - rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls - airs Sunday, Sept. 24 (8 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX. The two-hour investigation will be led by actor and rap music icon Ice-T and award-winning journalist and documentarian Soledad O'Brien.

Empire State Development and the Economic Development Group (EDG) Inc., the operator of the Western New York Workforce Training Center (WTC) announced Friday that Stephen Tucker was appointed the WTC president and CEO.

Grammy-Award winning rap artist Lecrae's Columbia Records debut album, "All Things Work Together," is now available for pre-order here: http://smarturl.it/ATWTAlbum.

Gotee Records' Finding Favour has just released their latest album, "Farewell Fear," which is available now by clicking HERE or visiting FindingFavour.com.

Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest will start their first full season together on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" the week of Sept. 5-8, and they're kicking it off by taking the concept of "live" to new heights with "Live is LIVE Week."

JoAnn Pellegrino, R.N., M.S., C.N.O.R., R.N.F.A., was named vice president and chief nursing officer at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

The Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo, presents "Shopkins Live! Shop It Up!" at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14. Tickets are on sale now.

The San Francisco 49ers take on the Minnesota Vikings in NFL preseason action this Sunday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis - the site of NBC's Super Bowl LII broadcast exactly 23 Sundays later (Feb. 4, 2018). NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will live stream all NBC NFL games this season to desktops, tablets and connected TVs.

The famous Summer of '69 All-Star Band will hit the Lewiston Stone House stage Saturday, Sept. 9, to raise funds for the Lewiston-Porter High School music scholarship program. The event begins at 6 p.m. at 755 Center St.

Kayla Salonek and Jon McGinn were married in a private ceremony in her parent's backyard.

With the 2017-18 season, Women of the Word begins its 30th year of interdenominational Christian Bible study on Grand Island, hosted by Trinity United Methodist Church, 2100 Whitehaven Road.

Joseph B. Scibetta, 73, a clinical social worker of Grand Island, entered into rest on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2017, in Kenmore Mercy Hospital after battling lymphoma.

Sunshine set the scene Monday night for a ceremony honoring individuals who significantly contributed to the Town of Niagara.

Big design changes have been made to plans for the proposed sports facility at the Summit Mall.

North Tonawanda natives Amy and Jay Berent have brought their popular Pulp 716 Coffee and Comics store to town.

The Town of Niagara's "Music Mania Mondays" concert series held a sponsor appreciation night this week. Sponsors of "Music Mania Mondays," including Niagara Frontier Publications Publisher and CEO Skip Mazenauer, received gifts of appreciation from Town Board members. Also recognized were coaches from the town's recreation department for their commitment to youth in the town.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos announced Friday the Niagara Falls Water Board violated water quality standards as a result of an Aug. 15 combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharge that caused a substantial visible contrast to the natural conditions in the Niagara River. The state issued a notice of violation (NOV) to the water board earlier in the day.

Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School will hold open houses for prospective students from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, and from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, at 520 66th St.

Street closing dates and times for The Northwest Jazz Festival, Lewiston, NY:

Following the global phenomenon of "Force Friday" in 2015, Disney and Lucasfilm today announced "Find the Force," a global augmented reality (AR) event rolling out on "Force Friday II" (Sept. 1) to commemorate the worldwide launch of new products inspired by "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

James R. Campbell died on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017 at the age of 62.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will celebrate the life and career of acclaimed comedian, actor and filmmaker Jerry Lewis, whose irrepressible zaniness and frantic creativity made him a defining figure of American entertainment in the 20th century, with a five-film tribute. The event will take place on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, in honor of the nearly 50 years Lewis spent hosting The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, encouraging viewers to donate to the charity.

Congressman Brian Higgins was joined Thursday by City of Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, local representatives and members of the U.S. Army Buffalo Recruiting Station for a special presentation to 100-year-old World War II veteran and Niagara Falls resident Patricia Knibbs.

The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the University of Rochester have developed a new agreement to streamline admission between the Rochester post-baccalaureate pre-health program (PBPH) and UB Doctor of Pharmacy degree.