Current News

Colonial Village Elementary School held its annual Invention Convention earlier this month.

Niagara Frontier Publications is hosting its third annual "Your Favorite Fish Fry" contest. From Feb. 25 through April 19, an entry ballot will be included in our "Fishy Deals" special section and online at www.wnypapers.com. Use it to vote for the restaurants that serve delicious fish dishes.

New York State Sen. Mark J. Grisanti, R-I-Buffalo, announced this afternoon that his petition in opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to give free college to state prison inmates has reached 5,000 signatures.

With winter storms coming almost continuously in some areas this season, heavy snow and ice strains roofs and puts one at risk of significant property damage.

The New York State Public Service Commission, as part of its continuing effort to improve natural gas safety, has directed gas utilities in New York to conduct a risk assessment of their distribution systems, focusing primarily on areas where third-party excavations might have occurred after the installation of gas pipes.

Congressman Chris Collins will introduce legislation to prohibit the use of federal taxpayer dollars to provide a college education to convicted criminals. The pending legislation is in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's announced plan to use taxpayer dollars to fund college degree programs for convicted criminals in New York state prisons.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons provides states with funding for educational and other programs at state prisons and correctional facilities. Collins' legislation would ban states from using the federal taxpayer dollars to fund college degree programs for convicted criminals.

Counties yesterday called on state lawmakers to include all preschool children in any effort to expand universal pre kindergarten in New York state.

Permit distribution for the remaining waterfowl hunting season, which runs from March 1-10 at Beaver Island, West River Parkway and Motor and Strawberry islands, will be done by call in.

Turner Classic Movies has unveiled the complete list of 20 cities that will be treated to a free theatrical screening of the classic "Casablanca" (1942) on Tuesday, March 4.

On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Queen City Roller Girls will host a double header. The Lake Effect Furies' travel team makes its 2014 debut, followed by the Devil Dollies and the Alley Kats taking the track.

Niagara University's College of Education and College of Arts and Sciences are partnering to offer a new dual-degree program designed to train the next generation of mental health practitioners.

"ACM Presents: An All-Star Salute to the Troops," a concert event featuring some of the biggest names in country music paying tribute to our armed forces, will be broadcast Tuesday, May 20 (9 p.m.), on the CBS Television Network. The special will be taped Monday, April 7, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

At its Feb. 19 board of directors meeting, Arts Services Initiative of Western New York appointed three new directors.

Exactly 20 years to the day after the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, Mary Carillo looks back at the events leading up to, during and following the ladies' figure skating competition in the special one-hour "Nancy & Tonya."

Two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz will present at this year's Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced Thursday. The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air Sunday, March 2, live on ABC.

Merrell Lane, vice chairman of the Niagara Military Affairs Council and a member of the Air Force chief of staff's civic leaders program, recently met with top leaders of the U.S. Air Force at the 2014 Air Force Civic Leader Program Conference in Washington, D.C.

The Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo, presents Pat Metheny Unity Group on Wednesday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.

Tully's Good Times Restaurants in Amherst, Clarence and Cheektowaga have joined forces with the Special Olympics NY Western Region to raise money for the upcoming Special Olympics New York State Summer Games, taking place June 6-8.

The University at Buffalo will host the 11th annual Safe Schools Initiative Seminar for law enforcement and schools on Monday, March 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Center for the Arts on the UB North Campus. The event is free, but registration is required.

This year's seminar - "The Role of Leadership in Making our Schools Safe" - will be led by retired U.S. Army Col. Danny R. McKnight, a distinguished and highly decorated veteran who served 28 1/2 years as a U.S. Army Ranger.

McKnight's presentation will highlight the unparalleled commitment and leadership required to be successful when executing operations in the most difficult and severe situations.

NBC Olympics and the United States Olympic Committee will present an unprecedented 52 hours of coverage of the upcoming Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games across NBC and NBCSN, including 27 hours of live coverage, beginning with the opening ceremony Friday, March 7, at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN. TeamUSA.org will live stream all events from the Paralympic Winter Games.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, is calling for the restoration of the cuts to education funding from 2011 with the Partnership for Smarter Schools, a bipartisan alliance of parents, teachers and education professionals working to improve New York schools.

Sabine is a key member of the Ghost crew in "Star Wars Rebels." As seen in this special video, featuring early design concepts, animation tests and final art, Sabine is unlike any "Star Wars" character - especially in her love for blowing things up and tagging her work with graffiti.

Advocating for student financial aid isn't easy. Just ask Matt Nadler and Kalene Faricellie.

Artpark & Company announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that English indie band Arctic Monkeys will perform June 18 as part of the "Coors Light Wednesdays" concert series in the Outdoor Amphitheater.

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, announced today the company is boosting its support for Roswell Park Cancer Institute in a big way this year by signing on as a "Big Wheel" sponsor for The Ride For Roswell 2014, which will be held Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28.

The new sponsorship significantly extends Tops' existing support for RCPI, best known through its annual Run/Walk for Roswell. The Tops Run/Walk is a family-friendly event held each August in Williamsville to raise funds through Roswell Park's Team Cure Challenge program. Over the past six years, the event has raised more than $625,000 with the support of Roswell Park, the local community, vendor partners and Tops associates.

Niagara County lawmakers were outraged Tuesday night at plans by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to give taxpayer-funded college degrees to hardened criminals doing time in New York's prisons - and became the first county in the state to go on the record opposing the prison perk.

In a rare show of bipartisan anger at the Democratic governor, county legislators unanimously passed a resolution that opposed Cuomo's college-for-criminals scheme and called on the New York State Legislature to block it. The resolution was sponsored by every single member of the County Legislature's Republican and Democratic caucuses.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued a warning to New Yorkers based on numerous complaints received by his office from consumers who have been contacted recently by scam artists posing as representatives of Microsoft or an organization allegedly affiliated with Microsoft, such as P.C. Solutions.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, came out in opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to offer a free college education to prisoners.

The Buffalo Sabres have announced the team terminated the contract of forward Linus Omark.

Every team needs a tough guy. Introducing Zeb, the (smart) muscle of the Ghost crew from Lucasfilm's upcoming animated series "Star Wars Rebels."

During this season's first live performance shows of "American Idol XIII," airing tonight (8 p.m.), and tomorrow (8 p.m.), FOX will give viewers at home a front-row seat to all the backstage action and behind-the-curtain excitement via a live camera feed during select commercial breaks.

Free health screenings will be the order of the day on Saturday, March 1, when Memorial Medical Center wraps up American Heart Month with "Heart Smart: A Free Wellness and Education Event."

The debut of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" generated strong sampling at a special midnight start time following late local news and NBC's coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

This Wednesday on "LIVE with Kelly and Michael," hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan stun unsuspecting "Homeland" star Mandy Patinkin with two huge surprises during a new interview recently taped for the show.

"Countdown to the Oscars" offers viewers a backstage pass to the Academy Awards, featuring interviews with this year's nominees, rarely seen footage of the nominated stars before they were famous, and a special celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Forrest Gump."

If you are not familiar with a "gran fondo," you are not alone. A "gran fondo" is a type of bicycle ride that originated in Italy and is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. The name translates to "big ride" and is known as a "party on wheels," with scenic routes, open country roads, and fun pit stops to enjoy along the way.

Catholic Academy of Niagara Falls will host its annual basket raffle Saturday, March 8, at the school, 1055 Military Road. Doors open at 10 a.m. Drawings for the baskets begin at 7 p.m.

It's a medal-worthy week on the "Late Show with David Letterman" when medal-winning U.S. athletes from the XXII Olympic Winter games in Sochi, Russia, visit the broadcast this week (11:35 p.m.) on the CBS Television Network.

New York State Sen. Mark J. Grisanti, R-I-Buffalo, announced Tuesday he has launched an online petition to gather public opposition to a recent proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to give taxpayer-subsidized college classes to inmates at 10 state prisons.

The petition, "Say 'NO' To Free College For Prisoners," went live Tuesday.

"I have received numerous phone calls, emails and Facebook messages related to this initiative, and the overwhelming percentage of them are negative," Grisanti said.

"I support rehabilitation and reduced recidivism, but not on the taxpayer's dime, when so many individuals and families in New York are struggling to meet the ever-rising costs of higher education," he added.

Former Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez joins CBS Sports as an analyst for the CBS Television Network's NFL pre-game show, "The NFL Today," and will contribute across multiple CBS platforms, including "Inside the NFL" on SHOWTIME and CBS Sports Network's Sunday pre-game show, "That Other Pregame Show."