Current News

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce announced this week the 2020 Citizen of the Year award recipients are as follows:

Monday morning, Town of Grand Island Supervisor John Whitney issued a proclamation to address the COVID-19 threat and declared a local state of emergency within the Town of Grand Island.

The Grand Island Memorial Library will be closed to the public through Tuesday, March 31, at 8 p.m. as per recommendations from the county executive in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Erie County Department of Health is releasing results of reports from COVID-19 testing on individuals in Erie County. There are currently 36 lab confirmed cases in Erie County residents as of noon today. Additional tests are being run by our Public Health Lab and commercial labs and results will be released when available.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the 15th annual Colvin Cleaners "Gowns for Prom" distribution event is postponed until further notice.

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, we've all become experts in the principles of prevention: Wash your hands for 20 seconds. Cough into the crook of your elbow. Avoid crowds and stay 6 feet way from others. Wipe down frequent touched surfaces often. Wash towels daily.

Greetings from Community Missions. I wanted to pass along an update as to what we are seeing within our programs at this time related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For nearly a century, Community Missions has been an outlet for the community to help one another to get through difficult times. Already in the first few days of this situation, we have seen this generosity of spirit in many ways!

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has temporarily suspended all elective surgery procedures effective at the close of business Friday. The action aims to make more inpatient beds available in anticipation of an increase in the number of patients with COVID-19 who are expected to present to the medical center.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced he is signing the "New York State on PAUSE" executive order, a 10-point policy to "assure uniform safety for everyone."

National Grid on Thursday announced it's increasing staffing and closely monitoring Friday's weather forecast, which calls for high winds, with gusts of up to 60 mph, across portions of upstate New York.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted the following: "I will sign an Executive Order mandating that 100% of workforce must stay home, excluding essential services. This order excludes pharmacies, grocery stores, and others."

Thousands of their doctors, nurses, ancillary and support staffs are working tirelessly to care for patients. Their efforts are nothing short of heroic. As they know better than anyone, flattening the curve is crucial to managing hospital surge.

ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES OR ENTITIES, including any for profit or non-profit, regardless of the nature of the service, the function they perform, or its corporate or entity structure, are not subject to the in-person restriction. (Essential Businesses must continue to comply with the guidance and directives for maintaining a clean and safe work environment issued by the Department of Health).

Things have escalated very quickly since I last wrote this column, and much more may change by the time you read this.

Our community's new normal is drastically different than what it was one week ago. Businesses, organizations and residents have had to adapt to changes that seem to be happening by the hour. New ways of doing business has evolved with owners becoming innovative with what they have to offer. Some businesses have had to adjust their hours or close - hopefully temporarily. The workplace has changed, the community has changed, the home has changed. It is a change for everyone.

The Lenten fish fry has become increasingly popular in the past decade, as more and more eateries have added haddock or cod to their menus. While some are still learning how to perfect that beer batter or the keys to quality coleslaw, Lewiston's Tin Pan Alley has long since mastered the fish fry. In fact, its dish has been a spring staple in the River Region for a quarter-century.

Edgar (Ted) Sackett Bates, 81, of Ocala, Florida, passed away March 14, 2020.

On Thursday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released guidance to help state and local jurisdictions and the private sector identify and manage their essential workforce while responding to COVID-19.

The Niagara County Department of Social Services today announced it has been working to identify open child care slots for public and private sector employees who are deemed essential and are having child care issues.

Congressman Brian Higgins reported Friday on new restrictions at the border between the United States and Canada, which will be put into place by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security effective 11:59 p.m. today, in a binational response to limit the COVID-19 outbreak.

Congressman Brian Higgins on Friday announced U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reported the IRS tax filing deadline for this year is being moved to July 15, 2020.

We want to assure you that we take the health and well-being of our community, clients, and associates very seriously. Like you, we're closely monitoring the quickly developing effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Per Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order on Thursday:

Kaleida Health released the following updates and reminders Thursday regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic:

Niagara County Public Health Director Daniel J. Stapleton on Thursday afternoon released the following statement regarding the three positive COVID-19 test results the Niagara County Department of Health received from the New York State Health Department. These three individuals live in western Niagara County, which includes Niagara Falls and the towns of Niagara, Lewiston and Porter.

Congressman Brian Higgins, D-NY-26, announced the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved New York's request for a disaster declaration based on economic injury caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Higgins and other members of the New York federal delegation sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging approval of the disaster designation.

The Erie County Department of Health is releasing results of its disease investigations on the individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 in Erie County. There are currently 29 lab confirmed cases in Erie County residents. Additional tests are being run by the Public Health Lab and results will be released when available.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday signed an executive order mandating businesses that rely on in-office personnel to decrease their in-office workforce by 75%. This follows his directive Wednesday that all businesses implement work-from-home policies.

With its compelling storylines, tight acting and just plain fun plot twists, "The Blacklist" is the perfect show to binge - or just jump in fresh when the series returns from a midseason break on Friday.

The New York State Public Service Commission initiated a proceeding to address the strategic use of energy-related data, and to develop the policies necessary to appropriately balance privacy and system security concerns with a rapidly changing marketplace. Ready access to customer energy usage and system data is a central theme of the state's "Reforming the Energy Vision" (REV) strategy to animate markets and to promote innovation and customer choice.

Starting Friday, March 20, Dash's Markets will offer special shopping hours for seniors and expectant mothers. Dash's will provide these exclusive hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-7 a.m.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, in consultation with the Trump administration and the coronavirus task force, authorized the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to implement an immediate foreclosure and eviction moratorium for single-family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages for the next 60 days.

dick clark productions and NBC announced that the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, scheduled to air live on NBC from Las Vegas on Wednesday, April 29, is postponed and will be rescheduled to air on NBC at a later date.

There are a number of tips and practices to follow to maintain a positive outlook and avoid fear or panic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety is a normal human response to stressful situations, but knowing how to manage stress during this time is critical.

KeyBank today announced additional steps it will take across its network to support clients and help protect our teammates and communities from the spread of coronavirus. Starting March 19, all KeyBank branches will move to serving clients by drive-thru or in its lobbies by appointment only. This move will allow KeyBank to continue to offer full-service to its clients while also instituting appropriate social-distancing guidelines as recommended by local, state and federal health authorities.

Follows directive Monday limiting crowd capacity for recreational & social gatherings to 50 people, temporary closure of movie theaters, gyms and casinos as well as on-premise service at restaurants & bars