(Welcome to our weekly pet column, courtesy of Pet Connection Programs Inc. of Marilla. We post a new article each week, so be sure to check back on a regular basis!)

Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease in the United States and Canada, and the risk is increasing. Those engaging in outdoor activities like golfing, camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, property maintenance and outdoor workers such as park officers and surveyors should be on the lookout for black-legged ticks. They could be carrying the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Pet owners also need to be aware of these pesky critters.

LEWISTON, NY – Today the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission (NFBC) announced the upcoming installation of a second primary inspection lane within the Canada plaza at the Whirlpool-Rapids International Bridge crossing. This construction project—scheduled to commence on September 2nd, 2014, and conclude on or before October 9th, 2014—is being undertaken to increase processing capacity at the crossing. The Whirlpool-Rapids Bridge has recently experienced rapid increases in usage and wait times, due to the growing popularity of the NEXUS trusted travel program.

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. - Dozens of Cheektowaga residents showed up to a meeting to see what's next for a vacant, run-down lot on Union Road.

The Benderson Development Company held a meeting Wednesday night to announce plans to turn the more than 20-acre plaza into office and warehouse space.

But some residents wonder if another warehouse is really what the area needs.

"The bottom line is, to see that vacant lot every time you drive through the entrance into Cheektowaga, the entrance into West Seneca. You see this empty ugly looking lot," Town of Cheektowaga Supervisor, Mary Holtz said. "I mean we could do something. We can't force them to put businesses in there that won't come. So I mean it comes down to the economy."

The new complex will be known as Garden Village Commerce Park. The proposal will be brought to the town planning board in August.