Labor Day Lift Off: Sept 5–7, 70 Balloons

A photo-focused round-up expands beyond regional coverage to include travel-themed highlights and a courthouse moment. The Times-Union August 2026 showcase covers first day of school, football, high-profile murder trial, food-pantry relief, and a historic cold-case arraignment in Jacksonville. The Buffalo News continues its Western New York crime and courts coverage, with church bankruptcy proceedings and trafficking prosecutions alongside community resilience. Colorado’s Labor Day Lift Off festival will run Sept. 5–7 at Memorial Park with about 70 hot-air balloons, morning launches and evening glows, plus a photo contest with prizes and viewer-voted winners. A separate photo feature follows a father and his 3½-year-old twin daughters pausing at a courthouse fountain during a Seattle trip. The piece notes that the event invites photographers to capture the festival and compete.