North Tonawanda School Board gets a new board president and new meeting dates
NORTH TONAWANDA – With incumbents re-elected, the same board members took their seats at the North Tonawanda Board of Education’s reorganizational meeting this month, but new people took the top seats...
View ArticleNiagara County faith-related events July 28 – Aug. 4
Monday PRAYER: The Healing Rooms of Buffalo Niagara is open to pray for anyone who needs physical, emotional or spiritual healing, 7 to 9 p.m., Potters House Christian Community Church, 723 Seventh...
View ArticleRestaurant review: Mela in Niagara Falls celebrates diverse flavors of India
NIAGARA FALLS – Once upon a time, if you mentioned “Indian restaurants” in downtown Niagara Falls, thoughts probably turned to the long-since forgotten “Turtle,” a snapper-shaped structure that housed...
View ArticleEvents for people with disabilities
Independent Living of Niagara County is hosting its eighth annual Bass Fishing Derby on Aug. 4 at the Lower Niagara River. Registration begins at 6 a.m. at Old Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown,...
View ArticleA homespun ‘Field of Dreams’ is a Lockport man’s...
LOCKPORT – George Davis spent the better part of a decade building the field before his dreams would come true.Like Kevin Costner’s character in the film “Field of Dreams,” Davis was haunted by...
View ArticleRash of Legionnaire’s Disease cases baffles local health officials
An unexpected outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease in Erie and Niagara counties in the past two months has health officials searching for the cause, so far unsuccessfully.In Erie County, there were 38...
View ArticlePlea deal possible for Best in disposal of 5-year-old’s body
LOCKPORT – A plea bargain may be on tap for Tyler S. Best, the Buffalo man who led Niagara Falls police to the body of 5-year-old Isabella M. Tennant, and to her killer.In a brief Niagara County Court...
View ArticleMosquitoes infected with West Nile virus found in Amherst
Two pools of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus have been found in Amherst, the first sign of the disease this year in the region, Erie County public health officials reported Friday.The...
View ArticleThree Buffalo schools awarded $13 million in turnaround grants
Three of Buffalo’s underperforming public schools have been awarded a total of $13 million in school turnaround money, the state’s education commissioner announced Friday.That’s the good news.The bad...
View ArticleMalamute Tavern’s closing signals start of new era in Old First Ward
Signs are all around that the times are changing in the city’s Old First Ward.A new park two years ago.A new casino on its way.A makeover of Ohio Street coming soon.Another sign came this week when...
View ArticleFor trio, New Year’s resolve pays off
By scott scanlon Refresh editorIt’s hard to get on a spinning bike or elliptical machine in many Western New fitness clubs on Saturdays in January. Come two minutes late to a Pilates or aerobics class...
View ArticleFort Erie lawmakers object to Buffalo Common Council merger suggestion
Just weeks after Ottawa and Albany settled a bitter controversy over development at the Peace Bridge, another “international dispute” is brewing along the U.S.-Canada border.This time, the Town...
View ArticleFor younger Bonham, ‘The Song Remains the Same’
If any musician in the world has the right to perform in a “Led Zeppelin tribute band,” it has to be Jason Bonham.After all, he is the son of the late, great John “Bonzo” Bonham, the Zeppelin drummer...
View ArticleDesire for locally grown produce helping to drive farm growth
After spending 12 years in California, Lana Ricupto moved back to the Buffalo area and noticed something different about local supermarkets: she could easily get homegrown produce.It wasn’t always...
View ArticleWas casino deal really a ‘win-win-win’?
When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Seneca Nation President Barry E. Snyder Sr. agreed in June to end their casino standoff, the governor described the agreement as a “win-win-win” – for the state, the...
View ArticleStriving to stay the course
ANDOVER – They plunged into frigid water, withstood electric zaps and emerged caked in mud. All to prove they’re one Tough Mudder. The scene unfolded on a 12-mile course that looped through rugged...
View ArticleCastellani exhibits celebrate Western New York’s cultures through food
LEWISTON – The Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University recently opened two new folk art exhibits focusing on the cultural lives of Western New York’s ethnic communities.A free opening reception...
View ArticleQuality of life factors in our wages
If you're a firefighter or a plumber – even a bank loan officer – the Buffalo Niagara region is an enriching place to work.If you're a lawyer, an engineer or a computer whiz, not so much.The federal...
View ArticleNature Watch / By Gerry Rising Urban park thriving in the shadow of landmark...
I drove down past the Buffalo Central Terminal recently to check on the progress Dave Majewski is making on his unique urban park,a triangular three-acre enclave bounded by Memorial Drive, Curtiss...
View ArticlePortland man charged with DWI after rollover accident
PORTLAND – A Portland man struck a parked vehicle on Route 20 in Portland Sunday morning, causing his own vehicle to overturn, Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputies reported.Frederick S. Brown, 28, was...
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