• CHEER: We realize it’s very hard to think about baseball when temperatures are in the single digits, but, hey, it at least gets us thinking about warmer days ahead. Last week, the Niagara Falls Americans announced that tickets are available for the upcoming season, which kicks off on June 5 at Sal Maglie Stadium in Niagara Falls. It’s the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League team’s third season at the stadium, which has undergone some upgrades this offseason, including a new digital scoreboard and sound system, as well as a new electronic message board off Hyde Park Boulevard. If you’re filling out your summer calendar now, the Americans will host their first “Education Day Game” on June 11 with local schools invited out for a day of education, fun and baseball. To register or get more information, school officials are asked to email general manager Marc Witt at mwitt.canusa@gmail.com. The full 2026 schedule is available at www.niagarafallsamericans.com. Season tickets start at $99 and are available by visiting www.niagarafallsamericans.com.
• CHEER: The Buffalo Bills failed to mention a pretty big perk when they announced Mark Laurrie as the team’s 2025 Inspire Change Changemaker back in December — the Niagara Falls schools superintendent earned a trip to Sunday’s Super Bowl. The Inspire Change Changemaker is an annual recognition celebrating leaders who are driving significant, measurable change in their communities across the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative’s four pillars: education, economic advancement, police-community relations, and criminal justice reform. Laurrie was honored locally during the Dec. 28 Bills versus Eagles game at Highmark Stadium. The NFL Foundation also awarded Laurrie $10,000 and he decided to donate all of it to the Say Yes Niagara Falls program. Laurrie, who brought one of his sons with him to San Francisco, will proudly be decked out in his Bills gear for the big game. And he’ll definitely be rooting for the Seahawks …
• CHEER: Congratulations to the latest Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy graduating class. The keynote address at last week’s ceremony was delivered by Jonathan Schultz, Niagara County director of emergency services and fire coordinator. He said the new recruits were ready to protect and serve. “You didn’t wake up one morning and just decide to be here. You trained for this. You struggled for this. You were tested — physically, mentally, and emotionally — and you stayed the course,” he told grads. “That alone tells me something important about you. It tells me you are ready.” NFPD Officer Zackery Law, the graduating class president, agreed, explaining the grads had made it through six “grueling” months of training. “The people of Niagara County and Genesee County can rest assured that you are getting nine great new officers,” he said.
• JEER: It was bad enough losing everything you own, including a beloved dog, to a house fire, but the family of Robert Wynn said the situation was made worse by Niagara Falls city officials, who sent her father notification of code violations two days after the fire, while he was still being treated in the hospital. The 76-year-old U.S. Army veteran and cancer survivor’s daughter Marysa said the situation wasn’t made any better by Niagara Falls city officials, who sent her father notification of code violations two days after the fire, while he was still being treated for smoke inhalation in the hospital. Following the devastating Jan. 11 fire on Witkop Avenue, the Jan. 13 letter from the city inspections department advised Wynn of his need to repair the fire-damaged structure to city code and of his need to have stamped architectural drawings and building permits. The notice gave Wynn until Feb. 15 to comply with the department’s corrective action or face the possibility of the city corporation counsel’s office commencing legal action that the letter warns could result in “fines and penalties.” She said it was no time to add stress to an already difficult situation and we wholeheartedly agree. Robert and Marysa are working with his insurance carrier on his next steps. A GoFundMe was set up to help and is very near its goal of $5,000. To make a donation, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-robert-vietnam-veteran-after-house-fire.