April 8, 1933 – Jan. 25, 2018. Frank Cozzarelli had parents who believed education was the key to success. He proved them right. The first in his family to attend college, he became a respected professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University at Buffalo. Retired since 1996, his presence is still felt. “The chair...

Beginning as a boy, Salvatore Pacella was a hard worker. Born in Pacentro, a medieval village in the mountains of central Italy, he was one of six children and left school in the fourth grade to help support his family by taking firewood to town on a donkey and selling it. “I went back with him this past August, and he showed me where he harnessed...

Former Buffalo Common Council member Michael LoCurto has died. LoCurto’s mother, Joan Feroleto LoCurto announced his death in a Facebook post early Friday morning. “I lost a part of my heart tonight. My precious Michael LoCurto has passed,” Feroleto LoCurto stated.  LoCurto was serving as the deputy commissioner in the Erie County Department of Env...

Salvatore A. Valvo was a career officer with the Buffalo Police Department whose work as McGruff the Crime Dog sent home an important message to hundreds of  schoolchildren throughout the city. "He was one of the first McGruffs," said Gina Rath, his daughter. "He'd go to the schools dressed up like McGruff telling kids how to stay safe. He genuinel...

“Italian Christmas Concert in Buffalo,” a traditional Italian Christmas concert featuring award-winning Italian tenor Micheal Castaldo and friends, will take place on Friday, December 8, 2017 at 8:00p.m. at Alden Presbyterian Church, 13298 Broadway, Alden, NY 14004. Castaldo will perform classic Christmas carols from his chart-topping best-selling...

A hearing on a petition that calls on Buffalo lawmakers to remove the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Park — and rename the park — prompted a spirited debate Tuesday in Common Council chambers. Proponents of removing the statue, as proposed by the Buffalo Anti-Racism Coalition, argued it's unseemly to have a monument to a historical figure...

The existence of statues, monuments and public displays in Buffalo should not be governed by the whims of an angry mob fueled by delusions of "correcting" history or society. The city of Buffalo, and Western New York as a whole, has many more important issues that are completely unrelated to the names of city parks or any public monuments. History...

After sitting vacant for almost a decade, plans are moving forward for the new Italian American Cultural Center in the former home of the North Park Branch Library located at the corner of Delaware and Hertel avenues. State Sen. Chris Jacobs and Assemblyman Sean Ryan each secured $150,000 state grants to remove lead and asbestos from the landmark b...

An online petition calls for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from Columbus Park in Buffalo -- and for the park's name to be changed, as well. As of mid-day Thursday, more than 800 people had signed the Change.org petition -- which was approaching its goal of 1,000 signatures. The petition references efforts to remove Confederate monu...

The South Buffalo Italian Festival will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday on South Park Avenue in front of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Started in 2005, the festival this year will honor co-founders Rich Angrisano and Carmella Bongiovanni Schroeder, who both passed away this past year. A tree will be planted in their memory. Childre...