The Rotary Club of Grand Island and the Grand Island Central School District's PTSA honored 12 graduating seniors from Grand Island High School Tuesday at the annual Rotary/PTSA Students of the Year award banquet, held at Byblos Niagara Resort & Spa.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will host the 18th annual KidBiz Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Grand Island sponsored another Document Destruction Day, offering safe and secure destruction of sensitive materials.

Lucy M. (née Sturm) White, entered into rest May 31, 2014. She was a resident of Grand Island.

Cancer is the enemy that attacks indiscriminately, said Mary Dunbar-Daluisio, 59, former co-chair of Grand Island's Relay For Life. "Cancer doesn't care how old you are. Cancer doesn't care how young you are. It doesn't care what gender you are. Cancer affects so many people because it doesn't just affect the person with cancer. It affects that person's family and friends."

Sally Jeanette Meyer Chandler, born in Buffalo, on Dec. 17, 1925, passed away peacefully on May 8, 2014, in Austin, Texas, after an extended struggle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Grand Island's 12th annual Relay For Life is here, and Island residents are buzzing with excitement. For the last few months, teams have been collecting bottles, selling barbecue chicken, holding bake sales and raffling various baskets all to raise money for cancer research and prevention.

As the American Cancer Society's largest fundraiser, Relay For Life has become a global event in more than 20 different countries each year. Locally, Relay is set to open at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, on Grand Island. It will run overnight until 2 a.m. June 1 at Veterans Park.

Terry Schweitzer, division manager for Republic Services, the Town of Grand Island's trash and recycling hauler, said he's heard all about what he can do with his company's new 95-gallon recycling carts.

Town, county and state government officials praised the Grand Island Fire Co. for its proud tradition of community service for the past 76 years. This anniversary celebration tool place at fire headquarters on Saturday, May 17, and was well attended by family members and special guests, including local fire service officers.

Board of Directors Chairman Greg Butcher noted that the GIFC has kept pace with increased membership recruitment demands and took in a class of six rookies during 2014. Personal sacrifice is nothing new to members of the volunteer fire service, who provide more than 70 percent of fire and emergency medical services protection throughout the United States. He concluded that GIFC accomplishments to date would indicate that the township is "in very good hands."

While growing up in Grand Island, Kristina Bulera fondly remembers spending much of her summers on the beach or the playground at Beaver Island State Park. During the past couple of summers, the 29-year-old co-owner of the Riverstone Grill with her husband, Chaz, would ride her bicycle to the park with a trolley on the back for her 3-year-old daughter, Avery.

Blanche Joan (née Majda) Fibich, age 92, of Niwot, Colorado, formerly of Grand Island, died Monday, May 5, 2014, while at home. Her daughter, Sylvia Fibich, and son-in-law, Tom Yulsman, were at her side.

Memorial Day weekend isn't just for things like dragging out the grill or spring planting. It's time to remember those who have fallen protecting this country's freedom.

Among the formal ceremonies and other celebrations planned this weekend are:

The Father's Day Classic Car Show & Lawn Mower Race benefiting the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life on Grand Island will be held this year on West River Parkway at Long Road, Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jill Sheehan, pictured, a senior at Grand Island High School, was honored in April with the Outstanding Soloist Award at the Dixie Classic Festival in Washington, D.C., April 3 and 4.

The Neighbors Foundation food pantry in the basement of Old St. Stephen Church is well stocked thanks to the generosity of Island residents and their mail carriers.

The Grand Island Board of Education began its Monday evening meeting with a presentation on the proposed 2014-15 school budget adopted by the board on April 22. Assistant Superintendent of School Business Services Joe Giarrizzo outlined the two propositions to be voted on by residents on Tuesday, May 20.

On March 21, 2013, the day before Eileen Sweeney-Melgar's 52nd birthday, she was lying on the couch and was enjoying "The Walking Dead," an AMC program that featured the dreaded zombies.

Shawn Conschafter, sales manager at Anchor Marine on Grand Island, wants to remind Western New Yorkers it's not too late to become involved with boating this year.

The 2014 season started locally on May 15, which, in comparison to last year's April 1 opening date, is a significant delay.

In celebration of the beginning of the season, Anchor Marine, located at 1501 Ferry Road on Grand Island, is holding an open house Saturday, May 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as Sunday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What makes Anchor Marine different from other area watercraft dealers?

For the second year in a row, Grand Island's The Beach House has won Niagara Frontier Publication's "Best Fish Fry" contest.

Patrons at LobsterFest 2014 will enjoy freshly cooked Maine lobster as they take the "ultimate musical journey through the decades of rock and pop music," courtesy of headline performer New York Rockin Revue, pictured.

The number of fatal crashes doubled on Niagara County roadways from 2012 to 2013. One out of 10 drivers still refuses to buckle up.

A new adaptive playground on the Island for children with disabilities is just weeks away.

The Miracle League of Grand Island and Western New York took delivery Wednesday of equipment that will form a new playground adjacent to the present ball diamond and pavilion in Veterans Park.

Grand Island Fire Co. Chief Matt Osinski notes volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention has consistently been given "top priority" by the GIFC, and the results speak for themselves.

Bottle Junction co-owner Ray Pabon watches as a customer returns 519 plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans and then walks out the door $25.95 richer than when he walked in just minutes before.

Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick and Town Supervisor Mary Cooke have announced a partnership to outfit town offices with furniture from the county's surplus warehouse.

Grand Island resident Charles H. Meyer Jr. entered into rest May 3, 2014.

Jennifer Stefanski and Erich Burchfield, both of Los Angeles, exchanged vows Sept. 21, 2013, at The Canfield Presbyterian Church in Canfield, Ohio. The Rev. Larry Bowald officiated at the 5 p.m. ceremony. A reception followed at the Youngstown Country Club in Youngstown, Ohio.

On Wednesday, May 14, law enforcement personnel who have died in the line of duty will be honored in an interfaith memorial service at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 400 Ridge St., Lewiston.

PHOTOS: The auditorium at Grand Island High School has been gutted as part of the ongoing capital project in the Grand Island Central School District. Work on the ceiling went on high above the aud floor on the platform.

Olivia Goc and Ryan O'Neil recreate the famous spaghetti noodle scene from the Disney animated movie "Lady and the Tramp" during Monday's Lions Spaghetti Dinner.

During American Stroke Month in May, the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, asks all New Yorkers to learn two things that may save a life.

Stroke is the most preventable cause of disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds, yet 80 percent of strokes are preventable.

According to the American Stroke Association, knowing if you are at risk for stroke is critical, because many risk factors can be modified and controlled. The No. 1 stroke risk factor is high blood pressure.

The Lewiston Public Library, 305 S. Eighth St., in the Village of Lewiston, announces the following programs, events and activities for the month of May.

Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs recently announced the launching an aggressive campaign to significantly increase the number of Erie County citizens opting to become organ donors.

"Our goal is to raise the number of registered organ donors at our auto bureau by 30 percent," said Jacobs.

According to Unyts, 80 percent of people who become organ donors register at their local auto bureau. "That means we at the Erie County Auto Bureau have a unique privilege and a responsibility to tell our customers that this simple act of checking a box can save countless lives," said Jacobs.

The Grand Island Lions Club's 45th annual spaghetti dinner will be held Monday, April 28, at the Byblos Niagara Resort and Spa from 5 to 8 p.m. The Lions will not only offer sumptuous piles of plated pasta, a basket raffle, and a presentation of Lions' Peace Poster contest entrants, it will also offer the community access to representatives from area service agencies who will be able to provide information on their services (some free or at low cost) and even volunteer and employment opportunities.

Volunteers are again needed to sell newspapers to support Kids Day on Tuesday, April 29. Proceeds from this paper sale help support the Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo.

Islanders will decorate their homes and workplaces with purple to show their support for the American Cancer Society and Relay For Life.

The liberating world of scuba is now an exciting option for disabled people in the Western New York area with its first student, Tom Schofield of Burford, Ontario, a quadriplegic. After 30 years out of the water, and a few false starts to learn scuba diving, Schofield was finally able to realize his dream of training to become a diver with the help of the regional Handicapped Scuba Association Training Team, Byblos Niagara Resort & Spa and Adventure Scuba and Watersports.

Republic Services will deliver new covered, wheeled recycling carts to each Grand Island household later this spring. The 95-gallon container, similar to the one pictured, was chosen to encourage greater recycling by Grand Island residents and to prevent recyclables from blowing through neighborhoods on windy days.

Three Grand Island High School music groups earned superior ratings at the Dixie Classic Festival in Washington, D.C., with one winning the top prize.

St. Stephen School on Grand Island was the latest setting for the magic and mischief of Rob and Carol Allen of Wheatfield, sponsored in part by the Western New York Dairy Industry.