The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce will honor 10 businesses and individuals at its annual Chamber Awards Gala Friday, May 16, at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston.

Jerald I. Wolfgang, director of the Western New York Regional Education Center for Economic Development, has been appointed a member of the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency. The NCIDA provides a variety of financing mechanisms to attract and grow business.

Niagara County Community College will host its Spring 2014 Health Fair on Monday, March 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the main dining room on the second floor of the Student Center (G building) on the Sanborn campus.

A sculptural wall and minimalist dining set designed by University at Buffalo architects are finalists in the international Architizer A+ Awards competition — a prestigious recognition in the world of architecture and design.

Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel has quite the catch of an event for football fans on Saturday, March 22, as it hosts No. 83, Andre Reed, for a free autograph session. The Hall of Fame inductee and former Buffalo Bills wide receiver will be available to the public at the Seneca Niagara Events Center from noon to 3 p.m. with fellow Bills alumni.

The New York Lottery announced voting has begun for the "New York Sings" statewide singing contest featuring students from local public schools. The contest provides schools with an opportunity to win $10,000, $5,000 or $2,500 to benefit their music education programs.

Congressman Brian Higgins spoke on the House Floor about the national security and economic importance of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station to the Western New York region, in addition to expressing his support for the proposal to construct a new Customs and Border Protection border patrol station on the base.

Niagara Cerebral Palsy is holding its fifth annual "Snowflake Basket Auction," the proceeds of which benefit the vital programs and services provided to developmentally disabled individuals and their families. The event is March 21, from 4-8 p.m., and March 22, from noon to 5 p.m., at the Niagara Falls Elk Lodge, 1805 Fashion Outlet Blvd.

Ten teams led by University at Buffalo students have been identified as semifinalists in the annual Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition (Panasci TEC), taking them one step closer to the $25,000 in startup funding that will go to the group that presents the best plan for launching a viable new business in Western New York.

Explore & More today has two major gifts totaling more than $1 million in contributions to the museum's recently launched capital campaign for its new facility, which is opening at Canalside in 2016.

Across the eight counties of Western New York served by the WNY Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, it's estimated that 165,000 people provide some kind of care for a person with dementia. Those family and professional caregivers have a strong ally in the chapter, which is sponsoring its annual Dementia Care Symposium April 11.

New York Farm Bureau's "Harvest for All" program had its best year yet. With the final donation efforts tallied for 2013, farmers across the state gave nearly 9.3 million pounds of food to regional food banks, including those in upstate, New York City and Long Island.

The Niagara Floral Center and Greenhouse at Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara will offer a class teaching how to create a festive assorted cacti and succulents planter for a home or office.

Niagara Cerebral Palsy is celebrating its 60th birthday with a slew of events and new initiatives for 2014.

In March, the agency is holding its fifth annual Snowflake Basket Auction, the proceeds of which benefit the programs and services provided to developmentally disabled individuals and their families. The event will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. March 21 and from noon to 5 p.m. March 22 at the Niagara Falls Elks Lodge, 1805 Fashion Outlet Blvd., Town of Niagara.

All proceeds are used to benefit the persons served by NCP.

Residents continued to call on the Wheatfield Town Board on Monday to block Quasar Energy Group's plans to build a storage building at its Liberty Drive facility for equate.

Congressman Brian Higgins invites local high school students to participate in the annual congressional art competition. All artwork submitted from students in Higgins' district will be featured in a public gallery and available for viewing in an online gallery. The winning piece will be displayed in the tunnel to the U.S. Capitol.

While the weather outside might still be frightful, the Lewiston Garden Club is already thinking spring. Plans are underway for the ninth annual Lewiston GardenFest, slated for Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22, along Center Street in Lewiston.

Charles James Arthur Farrell visited Mount St. Mary's Hospital recently as part of his and his mom's check-up visit after being the first baby born at Mount St. Mary's in 2014. The staff presented the family with a gift basket in recognition of Charles being the first baby in 2014.

Mayor Paul Dyster is requesting the Niagara Falls City Council approve a $250,000 grant for Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center to assist in funding the construction of a state-of-the-art cardiac/stroke care center at the hospital.

Community Missions of Niagara Frontier Inc. has announced plans to participate in "Spring It On," a 24-hour online fundraising event designed to raise awareness and funds for nonprofit organizations throughout Western New York. "Spring It On" will be held the first day of spring, March 20, from 8 a.m. until 8 a.m. March 21.

State Sen. George Maziarz, R-C-Newfane, has announced the Senate approved legislation (S.2031-A) to change how members of the New York State Board of Regents are selected. The 17-member Board of Regents is responsible for supervising educational activities in the state, including the public education system and the SUNY system.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today presented Congressman Chris Collins, R-NY-27, with its annual Spirit of Enterprise Award in recognition of his support of pro-growth, pro-jobs policies during the first session of the 113th Congress.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for my support of pro-business policies during my first year in Congress," Collins said. "As a member of the House Committee on Small Business, and having been a businessman and entrepreneur myself, I recognize how important it is to support legislation that encourages business creation and growth."

The New York Lottery today announced the jackpot for Friday's Mega Millions drawing has been increased to $353,000,000. The $44,000,000 jump from Tuesday's advertised jackpot is due to brisk sales across all 44 participating Mega Millions states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Winter may be overstaying its welcome this week as a mix of snow, ice and wind are predicted today and tomorrow across National Grid's upstate New York service region. National Grid crews, as always, are ready to respond to any damage that may result from this latest round of severe winter weather.

Falls account for more than 1 million injuries in the U.S. annually. There are four types of walking accidents, with the most common being the slip and fall. That's the type of fall that happens when one falls due a surface not cleared of snow or ice.

On Wednesday, hundreds of students, parents and community members from across New York showed up at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's door calling for the resurrection of their school's programs, classes and resources, which have been cut over the past five years.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency Wednesday for the following counties as the latest winter storm crosses the state: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Wayne and Wyoming. The National Weather Service declared a blizzard warning for these counties.

The storm is expected to bring significant snowfall from Wednesday into Thursday in the western, central, capital and north country regions of the state. As part of the state of emergency, the governor ordered the activation of the state's emergency operations center at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

In accordance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's vision and strategy for building a world-class nanotechnology workforce in New York, the New York State School Boards Association and SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering announced nominations will be accepted for the third annual "Be the Change for Kids" Innovation Awards, which recognize educational programs that help students gain important 21st century learning and career skills.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, voted Tuesday against all incumbent members of the Board of Regents as a rebuke for their handling of the rollout of Common Core. Instead, Ceretto voted for Niagara County native Dr. Walter Polka, a professor at Niagara University who taught Ceretto while he was in college.

The third annual "Red Carpet Raffle" to benefit the Ghostlight Theatre will be held from 6-11 p.m. on Saturday, March 22, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 755 Erie Ave., North Tonawanda. The doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Seneca Gaming Corp. will host its eighth annual Spring Career Fair Wednesday, March 19, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Seneca Niagara Events Center in Niagara Falls, 310 Fourth St. Recruiters will be available to meet with job-seekers for more than 150 available full- and part-time positions at two Seneca Casino locations in Niagara Falls and Buffalo.

Among the many news items covered at Monday's Lewiston Town Board work session came a bombshell: Town Supervisor Dennis Brochey revealed the state Department of Environmental Conservation has moved on approving four permits with Quasar Energy of Ohio, allowing for use of upward of 2,500 acres of lands in the Town of Lewiston for the injection of processed equate from a Quasar facility in Wheatfield. State DEC approved the permits last summer; they allow for the injection/spreading of equate on lands in the town to begin almost as soon as the ground thaws.

It was learned Monday the permits were approved by DEC last August. That information was conveyed via correspondence from DEC to then Lewiston Supervisor Steve Reiter where it sat with no response.

Niagara County government offices will be closed Wednesday due to an anticipated major late-winter snowstorm that is currently projected to be centering its effects on counties bordering Lake Ontario.

The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council recently held a roundtable summit in Niagara Falls to discuss strategies and programs to assist Niagara County with regional economic development priorities. Participants were joined by members of the WNYREDC, elected officials, industry leaders, economic development partners and other invited members of the county communities for participatory roundtable discussions.

The summits focused on learning more about the role of the WNYREDC, the New York State Consolidated Funding Application process, the components of a successful funding application, and ultimately how to cultivate an increase in Niagara County projects that successfully receive state resources and support through the next round of the CFA funding process.

The New York Lottery today announced a top prize winning ticket for the March 9 TAKE 5 drawing was sold at the Rite Aid at 3636 Ransomville Road in Ransomville. The winning ticket is worth $59,577.

Fidelis Care, a statewide health plan with more than 975,000 members, reminds New Yorkers March 31 is the deadline to apply for coverage through NY State of Health: The Official Health Plan Marketplace.

You may have diabetes and not even know it. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25.8 million people have diabetes. Of these, 7 million have undiagnosed disease.

As part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "NY Open for Fishing and Hunting" initiative, the Angler Achievement Awards Program established a new state record for brook trout, New York State Department of Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced.

"Almost 200 entries were submitted into the program in 2013 with more than 75 percent of those qualified under the Catch and Release Category, indicating the sound stewardship ethic of New York's anglers," Martens said. "Not only does the Angler Achievement Awards Program provide deserved recognition to those anglers catching trophy fish, it also provides a useful snapshot of the quality of the state's freshwater fishery."

During the weekends of April 4-6 and 11-13, the wineries along the Niagara Wine Trail will participate in their annual wine and local food-pairing event, "Taste of the Trail." The popularity of this event has lead to its expansion to two weekends.

The concept of "Taste of the Trail" is to educate how wine can easily pair with each part of a meal. A sample from a local food vendor, or the winery's own favorite pairing, will be given at each location with a taste of three wines.

The statistics are alarming.

According to a community report released by the John R. Oishei Foundation's Mobile Safety-Net Team, poverty in Niagara Falls is growing, while the city's population is shrinking.