Mr. and Mrs. Earl Grimes of Grand Island will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 8.

Singer/songwriter Marc Scibilia, a Grand Island native now living and working in Nashville - and signed to Capitol Records' IRS label - is returning to Western New York Friday to perform at Babeville's 9th Ward. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. event. Tickets are $10.

President Obama has designated the month of September as National Preparedness Month. As part of this recognition, the Erie County Local Emergency Planning Committee is hosting a public information forum.

The Miracle League of Grand Island and WNY celebrated another high-water mark in the organization's brief history with Saturday's ribbon-cutting for a new playground in Veterans Park.

On a warm summer's afternoon, three young women and their families sat on folding chairs amidst the gardens of the Huth Road Elementary School courtyard. They were there Friday to receive their high school diplomas after spending hours working on academic areas of difficulty in summer school.

Kids needing a haircut before going back to school have a new old-school option.

The Real Barbers II has opened in the Grand Island Plaza, next door to M&T Bank and across from Adrian's Custard and Beef.

Celebrities. Athletes. Politicians. Your friends and family members.

Just about everybody, it seems, has taken part in the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge" to raise awareness - and funds - for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, or "Lou Gehrig's Disease." To date, more than $40 million has been donated.

Pastor Leslie E. Chambers of the Town of West Clarksville passed away Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at home after a brief battle with cancer.

Sally Trietley Mergel, 83, of Grand Island was called to heaven at home Aug. 17, 2014, surrounded by family and comforted by her devoted husband of 24 years, Philip Mergel.

Grand Island Historical Society officers Carolyn Doebert, Sharon Nichols and Maggie Gushue presented a framed copy of the original 1864 deed of the fifth-oldest house on Grand Island to current owners Robin and Bryce Shipman at their recent festive sesquicentennial birthday celebration.

Construction of a $1.3 million parks maintenance building and Recreation Department offices passed review by the town Planning Board Monday night.

What started out three years ago as a combination of Mike Geblein's retirement party and friends really like to cook peppers so let's have a cook-off has evolved into an annual event at the Geblein compound.

The Niagara Regional Theatre Guild has announced its 92nd season of community theater on the Niagara Frontier.

State Sen. Mark Grisanti introduced legislation today (S.7935) that would expand the boundaries of the Power Proceeds Allocation Act funding program to include all of Erie County. This expansion would allow eligible businesses and not-for-profits in all of Erie County to apply for power at a reduced cost.

The Grand Island Fun Center is calling Buffalo's best miniature golfers for its second annual mini golf tournament on Aug. 24 at 1:30 p.m. Golfers will tee off and compete for more than $500 in cash and prizes.

Grand Island High School students took home the People's Choice award and a third-place yellow ribbon from the Chalk Walk competition at the Lewiston Art Festival Saturday.

The Grand Island Town Board proclaimed Aug. 16 National Airborne Day in the town during its meeting Monday and encouraged Islanders to observe and commemorate the event.

The Grand Island Town Board has called the results of the first month of use with the new 95-gallon wheeled recycling carts "fantastic."

In a press release to the media this week, the board said the amount of recycling by Grand Islanders in the first month of using the carts that were delivered in May by Republic Services has increased.

Buffalo Division Manager Terry Schweitzer and Municipal Services Manager Terry Grady of Republic Services met recently with the Town Board to review the recycling numbers and the overall program, the statement said. According to the town, when compared to the same time period last year, the Grand Island recycling rate has increased by more than 30 percent.

Island contractors showed up at Town Hall Monday to criticize a proposed local law that one called "blue collar vs. white collar."

A public hearing at the monthly Town Board meeting was attended by many of Grand Island's contractors, who gave input on Local Law Intro No. 13 of 2014 that would amend chapter 407 of the town code to allow contractor maintenance yards as a special use in certain residential districts, subject to certain conditions.

Just before taking public comments, Town Supervisor Mary Cooke said, "What's currently going on in town right now may not all be legal, and we're trying to figure out a way to allow someone who has a small operation to be able to work in their property that they have without disrupting their entire neighborhood so that we don't get complaints from people who say, 'I live in a residential neighborhood. I didn't sign up for this.' "

During the Monday evening meeting of the Grand Island Board of Education, trustees heard reports on a variety of topics, including some important staffing changes. Dr. Andrés Arroyo is leaving his position as assistant principal of Grand Island High School to become principal at Newfane High School. Arroyo has served Grand Island for the past seven years and earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

His resignation comes close behind that of Assistant Principal Michael Lauria, who left his job earlier this summer to become principal at Springville High School. Administrators acted quickly to search for and to hire replacements for Arroyo and Lauria, and high school Principal Dan Quartley introduced the new staff to the Board of Education at Monday's meeting. They are T. Michael Carter and Corey Gray.

Genevieve (née Gelia) Weber, entered into rest July 31, 2014, at the age of 87.

Elizabeth Baker of Dania Beach, Florida, died Aug. 2, 2014 at what she called "the wonderful age of 94."

The new disability-friendly playground in Veterans Park, part of the Miracle League complex, is now complete and open for play "for the whole Western New York community," said R.J. Wynne, president of the Miracle League of Grand Island and Western New York.

This year's Paddles Up, hosted by the Niagara Greenway Commission, drew tourists and locals alike to Beaver Island State Park to experience the area's largest paddlesports event.

Paddles Up Niagara, the Niagara River Greenway Commission's annual paddle sports event, returns to Grand Island for its ninth year of operation.

The main attraction of Paddles Up is its 4.8-mile paddle from the Little Beaver Launch Site to the East River Marsh Site and back.

Residents in Grand Island are about to benefit from a national backpack giveaway campaign.

The Cellular Connection, the largest Verizon Premium Wireless retailer in the U.S., in a joint effort with its customers, has announced that it will donate 100,000 backpacks full of school supplies to children through its School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. Last year, the company donated 60,000 backpacks.

More than 350 participating TCC stores across the U.S. are inviting local families to bring their children to the store between noon and 2 p.m. on Aug. 2 to pick up a backpack filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, glue and more.

Dorothy Mae Bull Maier Killian, age 93, of Oxford, Florida, peacefully passed away on June 9, 2014.

Frank O. Eldridge, entered into rest July 20, 2014. He was a resident of Grand Island.

Jerry Richard Livingston Sr. of Canaseraga, N.Y., passed away at home July 3, 2014, after a difficult battle with cancer. He was born April 6, 1941, in Buffalo to Martin Luther and Esther (Jepson) Livingston.

Arthur "Artie" Lawrence Bascomb, age 65, of Brookfield, Connecticut, passed away Thursday, July 17, 2014.

A Grand Islander stole the spotlight from a famous Victoria's Secret model Monday and ended up on the front page of various international news websites.

Island native Kara Dudley is the anonymous woman seen upstaging supermodel Karlie Kloss in several Internet photos posted July 21 on celebrity websites. Dudley was photographed coming out of a New York City shop after searching for Taylor Swift, who had appeared to have gone into it earlier. She saw the paparazzi, but was oblivious to the statuesque Kloss, who was standing directly behind her.

A Ward Park resident told the Grand Island Town Board that she expected to retire to the duplex she owned for the last 14 years, but a neighboring property changed her mind.

Patricia Kostenbauder told the board at its monthly meeting in Town Hall Monday that she expected to spend her retirement at her home at 80 Ward Park. "However, we had a change of plans because of the transient vacation come next door," she said.

"Because of the problems with this house, because they continue this illegal transient vacation house, which is a business in a residential area, we've decided to sell our duplex," Kostenbauder said.

In an age focused on social media and the iPhone craze, millennials are losing touch with good old-fashioned hard work. Technology has made it too easy for this generation to forget about the labor involved in running a successful business, regardless of the industry.

The Grand Island School and Business Alliance has been active for more than 20 years, introducing high school students to an environment that requires hard work for success.

Students can choose to compete in the organization's Corporate Bowl, shadow local employers and personnel, partake in mock job interviews, and hear community speakers made possible by GISBA, so that these young participants are better prepared for the working world.

"So, it's very unusual," stated Town of Grand Island Supervisor Mary Cooke. She was referring to the back and forth communication that exists between town officials and the Grand Island Board of Education and district administration. The current schedule of joint meetings with the town and school boards stands at a healthy three times per year, a precedent that was set when the Robert W. Christmann was superintendent of schools. Current superintendent, Dr. Teresa Lawrence, has continued to place a priority on the meetings.

On Monday evening, the Grand Island Board of Education held its annual organizational meeting in the Grand Island High School Professional Development Room. As part of the board's regular monthly meeting, organizational meeting business included swearing in of trustees Susan Marston and Karen Carroll prior to the meeting.

Lisa Pyc was voted in as the new school board president in a 4-2 vote, replacing Tak Nobumoto, who lost his board seat in the May election. Susan Marston was elected as vice president in a 5-1 vote. Trustee Paul Krull was absent from the meeting. District Clerk Janet Schuster administered the oath of office to the new officers.

Mary A. (née Langan) McGraw, entered into rest Thursday, July 3, 2014. She was a resident of Grand Island, formerly of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Jim Sharpe, chairman of KidBiz, said it was great day to be in the Town Commons Saturday, but that's usually the case for the Chamber of Commerce event that provides children a chance to run their own businesses.

The Grand Island High School Class of 2014 is a work in progress just like the school building from which they graduated Sunday.

Beaver Island State Park will sponsor a waterfowl ID course presented by the state Department of Environmental Conservation on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Beaver Island Club House.

The second annual Grand Island School and Business Alliance Golf Tournament will be held Tuesday, July 22, at River Oaks Golf Club, 201 Whitehaven Road, to raise funds for GISBA.