Grand Island High School has announced that Job Search Seminar will be held Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Holiday Inn Grand Island, 100 Whitehaven Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakout sessions will be provided by local colleges.

The Grand Island Lions Club has been serving the community for more than 50 years, and though most people are familiar with our eyeglass collections, our Special Kids Picnic, our annual spaghetti dinner, and our involvement with the Miracle League Field, most are not aware of all the behind-the-scenes activities we perform and the services available through our work and our association with sight, hearing, health, and environmentally-related professionals and organizations.

Take, for example, the trip a used pair of eyeglasses takes from your face to the face of someone, somewhere in the world, who needs them but, unfortunately, can't afford them. How can we do that for just 8 cents a pair?

The Kaegebein Community Playground Committee will host "Dinner and a Show" to raise money for a new playground.

On Friday, March 1, the Playground Committee will supervise the annual Kaegebein Talent Show, with a spaghetti dinner fundraiser preceding the show.

The event will take place at Grand Island High School, 1100 Ransom Road.

The 2013 Relay For Life Kickoff Party will take place Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the senior cafeteria of Grand Island High School, 1100 Ransom Road.

Grand Island Women of the Moose Lodge No. 180, 2524 Grand Island Blvd, will hold a chili cook-off to benefit cerebral palsy on Sunday, Feb. 17, starting at noon.

The Niagara Regional Theatre Guild will celebrate its 90th anniversary with a pre-show ceremony sponsored by KeyBank, including ribbon-cutting and a birthday cake on stage, after the show "Inherit the Wind."

Ray Billica has announced that he will seek re-election to the Town Board position of councilman he has held for the last three years.

The Holiday Inn Grand Island and Niagara Frontier Publications have pledged support for the annual Citizen of the Year award banquet with platinum sponsorships.

WIVB-TV's Luke Moretti will act as this year's master of ceremonies at the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year awards dinner.

Town of Grand Island officials and local police are hoping a $1,000 reward will help resolve a spate of vandalism incidents that have taken place at the Nike Base.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard has reported the arrest of two offenders for driving while intoxicated by sheriff's road patrols in separate incidents on Sunday morning, Jan. 27.

Following three motor vehicle incidents on Friday, Jan. 25, Grand Island Fire Co. rescue personnel had to contend with two separate accidents on Sunday, Jan. 27.

On Saturday, Feb. 9, Serene Gardens, 2800 Grand Island Blvd., will host a free Japanese cooking demonstration and tasting, beginning at 4 p.m. Explore two basic staples of Japanese food, miso soup and sushi roll, with Serene Gardens' Chef Satomi Smith.

Coming off of a recent Buffalo Soup Fest award for "Best Kept Secret," Satomi will demonstrate how she prepares these dishes from the first step; making broth for miso soup, washing the rice properly, making the vinaigrette for sushi rice, etc. Following the class there also will be a sake and wine tasting.

Football and chili go together like Interact and Rotary. The latter two joined together Tuesday at Grand Island High School to make chili in advance of the Super Bowl.

Grand Island is putting out the "Open for Business" sign and taking a proactive approach to business development.

Members of the town's Economic Development Advisory Board are ramping up efforts to promote the town as business-friendly. EDAB Co-chair Tom Knight said the group's goal is to recruit new business to the Island "that are a fit and makes sense, without stepping on the toes of existing businesses."

The Grand Island Board of Education worked through a lengthy agenda of approvals, reports and tabling of items.

The board also had a new look, which included new Interim Superintendent of Schools Paul Hashem, Vice President Paul Krull presiding and trustee Tak Nobumoto in attendance via Skype. Trustee Joan Droit was absent due to a medical problem, and the board is functioning without a president since David Goris' resignation earlier in the month.

Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick has announced that a Home Energy Assistance Program outreach will be held Tuesday, Feb. 5, at Grand Island Golden Age Center, 3278 Whitehaven Road. Interviews will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. All applicants will be interviewed.

The Grand Island Historic Preservation Advisory Board is looking to scan pictures to save for future generations. Bring your old pictures of family, friends, buildings, etc., from earlier days on Grand Island, to be saved for posterity.

The music department at Grand Island High School has turned its ship around 180 degrees in presenting "Anything Goes" as its spring musical this year.

John French Wakeley, entered into rest Jan. 28, 2013. He was a resident of Grand Island.

The Town of Grand Island has received a grant of more than $200,000 to improve sidewalks in the Ransom Road neighborhood near Grand Island High School and Veronica Connor Middle School.

Members of St. Stephen School Mission Club lovingly decorated special placemats to be given to incarcerated men and women, through the Kairos prison ministry.

The Grand Island Rotary Club, in its weekly meeting at the Buffalo Launch Club on Jan. 16, was treated to an unfolding story of the difficulties, and successes, of Muslims in Western New York reaching the public with the message of their tolerance and Americanization.

The talk was by Dr. Khalid Qazi, professor of internal medicine at the University at Buffalo, and also chair of the WNY Muslim Public Affairs Council. He led off with an example of how security difficulties kept a "MASH" unit sent by the U.S. Army to Pakistan from really helping after a devastating earthquake there in 2005, until Qazi and other medical personnel (Pakistani natives) who were also there on a relief mission, intervened.

The talk was by Dr. Khalid Qazi, professor of internal medicine at the University at Buffalo, and also chair of the WNY Muslim Public Affairs Council. He led off with an example of how security difficulties kept a "MASH" unit sent by the U.S. Army to Pakistan from really helping after a devastating earthquake there in 2005, until Qazi and other medical personnel (Pakistani natives) who were also there on a relief mission, intervened.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announces a free rabies clinic will be held from 3 until 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at North Buffalo Community Center, 203 Sanders Road, Buffalo.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard administered the oaths of office to newly elected Grand Island Fire Co. officers on Saturday, Jan. 12, at fire headquarters, 2275 Baseline Road.

Both firematic and administrative officers were sworn to uphold their 2013 community protection duties. Howard was joined by Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick, New York State Assemblyman John Ceretto; representative of New York State Sen. Mark Grisanti, Ron Descenes; Grand Island town officials, including Mary Cooke, other special guests and family members in praising the selfless dedication of these GIFC volunteers.

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce held its board of directors meeting and installation of newly elected directors at the Holiday Inn Grand Island.

Grand Island High School has announced that Job Search Seminar will be held Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Holiday Inn Grand Island, 100 Whitehaven Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakout sessions will be provided by local colleges.

Job Search Seminar was developed by the Grand Island High School Business Department in response to local businesses and their need for more qualified and prepared student workers.

The Grand Island Central School District (until May 1) will make available to all hall walkers an individual locker in which to store their personal items while exercising. These lockers are conveniently located close to the high school Viking Mall.

Call Bobby Cushing at 773-8820, ext. 6, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to obtain a locker number and personal locker combination number. Should there not be a person to answer a phone call, press "0" and leave a message, which will promptly be returned.

The next airing of Grand Island High School's Viking Vision news program establishes another milestone for the student-driven news program.

On Sunday, Dec. 30, the Buffalo Launch Club installed its new board of directors for the 2013 season.

The Launch Club is one of the oldest and most highly regarded powerboat clubs in the United States. Newly installed Commodore Andy Barbasch says that the club is anticipating one of its best years ever; "While half of our members are non-boaters who join for the facilities and activities, our boating members consider the park-like setting of the 95-slip marina the premier boat club in WNY."

A sign that spring and a new boating season is not far away is the annual installation of officers of the LaSalle Yacht Club in Niagara Falls.

Robert A. Savoy, entered into rest Jan. 10, 2013. He was a resident of Grand Island.

Claude "Bob" Pettitt passed away Dec. 25, 2012, at the age of 88 in Dayton, Ohio. He was formerly of Grand Island.

Jerome L. Szczublewski passed away on Jan. 16, 2013.

John A. McCarthy of Grand Island entered into rest on Jan. 16, 2013.

The Village Inn and Serene Gardens were winners Sunday at the third annual Buffalo Soup Fest, held at the Hearthstone Manor in Depew. Village Inn owner Mike Carr and Sarah Mallare took home the Best Chili award at the event for their Mayan Chocolate Chili, while Satomi and Dr. Joshua Smith of Serene Gardens took home an award for Best Kept Secret.

Rehearsals are ongoing for the Grand Island High School Music Department presentation of the Cole Porter musical "Anything Goes" in the auditorium of Grand Island High School.

Cassie Oursler scored the 1,000th point of her Grand Island Vikings basketball career Jan. 4 in Niagara Falls.

Students from Grand Island High School had a record-setting weekend in Lockport. A team of 101 students in the DECA program traveled to Lockport High School for the Region 12 DECA competition. Fifty-seven returned with awards, the most Grand Island has ever had in the program's history.

In an unexpected addition to Monday evening's Board of Education meeting agenda, board President David Goris announced his resignation from the board, stating he no longer has sufficient time to devote to the position.