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Grandpaws Place in Youngstown this week announced a change in ownership.

Following 10 years in business providing a vacation destination for pets, owners Andrew and Elaine Bell decided to scale back to concentrate further on their existing business in the Village of Lewiston - Grandpaws Pet Emporium, located at 245 Portage Road. They announced that Will and Trista Gabrielli, who have been running the kennel, would be taking over full ownership.

"Of course we have mixed feelings about leaving," says Elaine. "We will miss seeing our dog and cat buddies every day, although they are always welcome to visit us at the store."

For sophomore Michelle Ball, volunteering her time at Lewiston-Porter's annual Veterans Day Dinner on Nov. 10 was simply a matter of showing respect.

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Recognizing the need to serve more and more struggling families and individuals, the Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission is leading the "500 Meal Mission" initiative in Niagara Falls, where staff and volunteers from area churches and the community will prepare 500 home-cooked, complete turkey dinners and deliver them to the homes of the homebound, seniors, families and anyone in need.

The Rescue Mission is not yet "sold out" of its 500-meal capacity, so those desiring a meal can call 716-253-1463 to place an order free of charge to any household in the City of Niagara Falls or adjacent town.

Like many of the young stars that run on a weekly basis at Ransomville Speedway, Billy Coleman has stepped up to the plate and seen success.

Coleman, 24 years of age and another Ransomville-based driver, turned some heads during the 2011 season and hopes that this is the start of something big. Coleman finished second in 2011 points in the very competitive Ransomville Speedway Streetstock class. He was in the hunt for the title right down to the final points night.

"I was very pleased with the way this season has turned out," said Coleman at last Friday night's 2011 Ransomville Speedway banquet. "We were right in the middle of the title up to the end of the season. It was an exciting season."

The following activity occurred Monday, Oct. 31 to Sunday, Nov. 6, as reported by the Lewiston Police Department. LPD logged a total of 119 calls during this period.

AAA Members Insurance Agency announces that applications are now available for its fourth-annual AAA Insurance Scholarship for Community Excellence. Open to high school seniors, the deadline for consideration is Dec. 23, and applications are available for download by visiting www.AAA.com/Insurance.

St. Peter R.C. School children were treated to a ride to school on a Lewiston No. 1 Volunteer Fire Co. fire truck on Wednesday, Nov. 9, as part of a fire safety program. The students were asked to create a poster of an escape route or illustrate another thing they learned about fire safety from the Lewiston No. 1 firefighters.

Lewiston-Porter Middle School's Builders Club has begun a new school year of serving our community.

The second annual Lewiston-Porter Middle School PTSA fall mixer, a networking event for the Lew-Port community and a fundraiser for PTSA, took place recently.

University at Buffalo Associate Professor of Psychology Jamie M. Ostrov's work on understanding the development of bullying behavior in pre-school children has won him some influential admirers and boosters.

Town of Porter Board members ended up having a lively session Monday night at Town Hall, one that stretched well beyond an hour - lengthy by Porter standards.

Local veterans found that the younger generation does appreciate their service at the annual Veterans Day Dinner on Thursday.

The 2011 golf season may be just about over, but there's still news coming from the Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club on Creek Road.

The Town of Porter reminds boaters that its new boat/trailer storage ordinance, specifying seasonal restrictions for medium density residential areas is now in effect. This is taken from Article V, paragraph 80, of the town's boat storage ordinance covering storage and seasonal dates in medium density residential areas:

Election Day had few surprises in northern Niagara County, as most ran unopposed as incumbents in the towns of Lewiston, Porter, Wilson and Newfane.

Grand Island Cub Scout Pack 630 spent some time with U.S. Border Patrol agents Monday, Nov. 7, at the U.S. Border Patrol Sector Office on Grand Island to learn about the mission of Border Patrol and the duties of the agents.

The official installation of New York DECA members took place at Salvatore's Italian Gardens last Tuesday night.

The Grand Island Town Board passed a right-to-farm law Monday after receiving strong support from the Island's farming community at a public hearing.

The Grand Island Town Board issued two proclamations at its meeting on Monday.

Someone lit a fire under the Grand Island Republican Party on Election Day.

Watch this episode or Stephen will set the building on fire ...

At the Monday evening meeting of the Grand Island Board of Education at Kaegebein Elementary School, Superintendent of Schools Robert Christmann announced the retirement of Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Karen Karmazin effective Dec. 7.

Christmann said that Karmazin would be missed and that he would have more comments on her tenure with Grand Island at the next board meeting. Karmazin declined to speak much at the meeting about her retirement, but did comment that her years of service have been "an extraordinary experience."

Billy Crystal will serve as host for the 84th Academy Awards.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Billy back to the Oscar stage," said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak. "He's a comic legend and Oscar icon, and it feels good to have him back where he belongs."

This will mark Crystal's ninth time as host. Only Bob Hope has hosted more Academy Awards presentations, with 19 ceremonies between 1940 and 1978. Crystal last hosted the Academy Awards in 2004.

"Some of the best moments of my career have happened on the Oscar stage. I am thrilled to be back there. Actually, I am doing this so that the young woman in my pharmacy will stop asking me my name when I pick up my prescriptions," Crystal said.

The Stereo Hogzz, one of Paula Abdul's Groups, was eliminated Thursday from "The X Factor." After Steve Jones announced that Lakoda Rayne and The Stereo Hogzz received the fewest votes following last night's movie-themed performance show, judges Simon Cowell, Abdul, L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger asked the two finalists to perform their "song for survival" and then eliminated Houston's The Stereo Hogzz.

Members of FOAR SCORE, the oldest race fan club in America, presented a plaque to Salisa's All American Diner in Wheatfield.

A fox found Nov. 4 off of 21st Street under the Lockport Road Bridge in Niagara Falls is presumed positive for rabies.

Horizon Health Services has applied to the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services for permission to establish an addiction service satellite center at the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

If approved, the integrated center for primary care and addiction would be the first of its kind in Niagara County and one of the first in the state.

"This is a groundbreaking approach that will meet a very pressing community need. The integrated center takes a one-stop approach to serving patients, making it more convenient for patients to access a broader range of services at a single location," said Memorial Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sheila K. Kee.

Organizers of the annual Electric Lights Parade are so excited about the results of the "care a ton" food drive, they've decided to extend the collection.

Town Supervisor Robert B. Cliffe got a nod of approval for a second term in office from Wheatfield voters on Tuesday, easily winning re-election.

The Niagara-Wheatfield Board of Education, reeling from an audit report received at last week's regular meeting, is looking at extra workshop meetings in upcoming off-meeting weeks to deal with some hard decisions on future school district spending.

On Nov. 2, Wayne Drescher of Drescher & Malecki presented a report on the district's external audit, which showed the district could end up having a deficit as high as nearly $8 million for the 2012-13 school year.

The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council on Wednesday finalized and adopted the council's five-year strategic plan and priority projects for the region, which is composed of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties. Focused on preparing the region's workforce for its key industry sectors, investing in smart growth infrastructure to pave the way for private investment, attracting and retaining more visitors and leveraging Western New York's research capacity to drive innovation and commercialization, the plan will be submitted in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's challenge to stimulate real, regional economic development.

When the first African-American woman to serve in the Niagara County Legislature retires in December after an 18-year legislative career, she will leave having repeatedly commanded the attention of some of the state's top leaders.

At least two of them will be on hand to toast her retirement at a gala later this month.

H. Carl McCall, who served as state comptroller during much of the George Pataki era in state government, will be the keynote speaker at a tribute honoring the accomplishments of Deputy Minority Leader Renae Kimble, D-Niagara Falls. That tribute will be held Nov. 17 at Niagara County Community College. Also on hand will be Assemblyman John D. Ceretto, the Lewiston Republican who often worked across the aisle with Kimble on a number of issues impacting western Niagara County.

Academy President Tom Sherak announced today that Academy Award-winner Brian Grazer will join Don Mischer as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards. This will be the first time Grazer has produced the Oscar telecast.

The Niagara County Early Child Care QIP is set to graduate its first cohort of child care centers.

"The X Factor" Top 11 finalists, including Girls - Melanie Amaro, Rachel Crow and Drew; Boys - Astro, Marcus Canty and Chris Rene; Over 30s - LeRoy Bell, Stacy Francis and Josh Krajcik; and Groups - Lakoda Rayne and The Stereo Hogzz, will perform songs from the movies live tonight (8 to 10 p.m.) on FOX.

"Damn Yankees," directed by NU's director of theatre Steven Braddock, opens at the Leary Theatre on Nov. 10. This Tony Award-winning musical, with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, is a story about how Joe Boyd (played by sophomore John Staton Jr.), a fan of the hopeless Washington Senators, makes a deal with the devil in hopes of bringing his team to victory against those "damn Yankees."

As Regis Philbin prepares to depart his long-running talk show on Nov. 18, the staff of "LIVE! with Regis and Kelly" has put together a spectacular send-off, with favorite guests, musical tributes and an hour-long final show commemorating Philbin's nearly three decades on "LIVE!"

Jennie Garth ("90210," "What I Like About You") has been cast as the lead in the ABC Family comedy pilot, "Village People," from executive producer Meg DeLoatch ("Brothers," "Eve," "One on One").

It's an inspiring Thanksgiving special unlike any before on "The Biggest Loser," when the holiday treat "The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now?" premieres on Wednesday, Nov. 23 (9-11 p.m.). Viewers can catch up with some of their favorite contestants from past seasons of the series, but they'll also be treated for the first time ever to hilarious bloopers featuring the trainers, host Alison Sweeney and the contestants.