The Peru Gazette

Ravoli

Vegetable 

Bread 

Dessert 

Served 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., take-out only, at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St., Peru, NY 12972. 

All are invited and welcome!

The neighborhood was hit hard by flooding in 2023 and 2024. Two and a half years later, little has changed.

Click here for the vtdigger story 

Proceeds from the sale support the Peru Community Church’s many programs and operations

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Anyone with pertinent information is asked to contact NYSP as the investigation continues

Click here for the Sun Community News Story 

Click here for the Sun community News story 

Click here for the vtdigger story 

Program Increases Cap From $250 to $5,000 After Successful First Year

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today he is returning even more lost money to New Yorkers through his fast-track program and is raising the payment cap from $250 to up to $5,000.

“Speeding up the return of lost money is priority of mine, and my office worked with the State Legislature in 2024 to create a way to fast-track money to people,” DiNapoli said. “After a successful first year, we are increasing the threshold up to $5,000. In these challenging economic times, every little bit helps as the cost of gas, groceries and everyday essentials rise.”

Launched by DiNapoli in January 2025, the Expedited Payment Program has increased the speed and scale at which the State Comptroller’s office can return certain unclaimed funds, while ensuring such funds go to their rightful and verified owners. Over 210,000 expedited checks have been issued so far, totaling $48 million, with an average payment of $229. DiNapoli now returns on average over $2 million in unclaimed funds each day.

Unclaimed funds are turned over to the State Comptroller’s office and can include old bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance refunds, utility deposits, stock certificates or unused gift cards. Individuals, businesses, nonprofits, religious institutions, schools or municipalities could have unclaimed funds.

The law provides the State Comptroller’s office with the discretion to increase the amount that can be returned without the filing of a formal claim, contingent upon rigorous verification of rightful ownership.

Before a check is issued, the State Comptroller’s office sends a notification letter to let recipients know a check is coming, followed by the check itself. Recipients are encouraged to open the letter and cash the check promptly. If anyone is unsure about a check received in the mail, they can verify it by entering the Claim ID at: osc.ny.gov/verify. There is never a fee to collect or search for unclaimed funds when claimed through the Comptroller’s office, and the accounts never expire.

Not all unclaimed funds qualify for expedited payment, such as estate claims. Individuals and organizations can search for and claim their funds at any time:

• Online: osc.ny.gov/unclaimed-funds
• By phone: (800) 221-9311, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• In person: at outreach events held across the state

Peru Gazette August 20, 2020 file photo

This is the Town of Peru 2026 highway paving schedule established by the Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell and the Peru Town Board.

Garrow Rd,

Mud Pond Rd. 

Donahue Rd.

River Rd. from the Donahue intersection to Calkins Rd.

Lapham Mills Rd. from just east of the intersection with Henri Sr. Drive and ending at I-87 overpass bridge

The Town of Peru announces the Department Workshop Dates as follows:
All times are at 4:00 PM at the Peru Town Hall.
May 5, 2026
Jun 2, 2026
July 7, 2026
August 4, 2026
September 1, 2026
October 4, 2026
November 3, 2026
December 1, 2026

Hochul’s counter would limit informal collusion with ICE only in civil matters.

Click here for the New York Focus story 

Hopes to fill gap left by closure of Y’s Bright Beginnings

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

Click here for the ProPublica story 

Albany, April 29, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of a new, decade-long survey effort designed to assess gambling behaviors of New Yorkers and evaluate where additional problem gambling-related services and supports may be needed. New Yorkers in all areas of the state will be contacted to promote participation in the surveys, the results of which will be used to inform enhancements and expansions to gambling services across New York. The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) is administering and overseeing the survey effort.

This 10-year study will target adults 18 years and older, and data collected will help OASAS understand trends and viewpoints associated with gambling harms, the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorder, and community awareness of risks associated with gambling. It will also assist in continued planning and implementation of prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery services within communities throughout New York. Questionnaire-based surveys as well as interviews and focus groups will be conducted through this initiative. More information about the survey effort can be viewed on the OASAS website. Read more »

February 2026 Minutes

March 2026 Minutes

Fire Commissioners were present to answer questions. Fire Dept. photo taken at the Gazette’s request.  The Gazette was present from 6 to 6:30 p.m. with a video camera ready to go 

Peru, NY – Only one fire district resident attended the Tuesday, April 28, Peru Fire Department Public Hearing on its plans to finance the fire station expansion. The man asked a few questions, then took a station tour. Several firefighters were present to answer questions.

Click here for the April 17 Peru Gazette story with more details. 

PLATTSBURGH, NY – Last Saturday, April 25, Unitary America, alongside volunteers Garrett Monette, Colin Clancy, Elias Cross, Omar Fathi, Ethan Breen, and Dennis Ivanov, removed roughly 500 pounds of garbage from alongside Route 11 in Champlain, New York, with efforts concentrated at the Route 11-Interstate 87 intersection, and the surrounding areas. A significant part of the garbage was single-use plastics, food packaging, cardboard, alcohol containers, and a smaller quantity of environmentally-toxic chemicals, including antifreeze, motor oil, and hydraulic fluid. The group also removed a large, discarded electrical wire.

Certain chemicals, especially motor oil and antifreeze, are highly toxic if they are discarded  into the environment, and can pollute hundreds of thousands of gallons of groundwater alone. The plastics and food packaging can release countless microplastics, which have direct environmental and human health-related impacts. Said plastics can additionally release PFAS compounds, which have been linked to significant health risks. Some of the trash removed was embedded in layers of soil, or had degraded into smaller pieces of plastic. These efforts of “Cleaning up litter and dump sites like the one Garrett and his team found are incredibly important. In this case, the crew found numerous old, leaky jugs of hazardous materials like motor oil. Not only is it illegal to wrongfully dispose of those materials by dumping them on the ground, but even small volumes of automotive fluids can degrade water quality for downstream users,” cites Curt Gervich, a professor of environmental science at SUNY Plattsburgh. Garrett Monette, leader of Unitary America, states that “Unitary America is committed to helping improve the North Country’s environment, promote water quality, and help ensure that our communities are healthy. If we want to create a cleaner future, then we need to get involved in projects like this that have a real impact on our watershed, our towns, and our futures. Action, not words.”

Unitary America is holding another trash cleanup focusing again alongside the Saranac River, on Saturday, May 2nd, from 9:30 to 3:00, meeting by the footbridge at the end of George Angel Drive in Plattsburgh (at the junction with the Saranac River Trail). All community members and college students alike are welcome. The organization is also holding a mental health seminar Saturday, May 2nd, from 1:00-2:00, at Gem Goddess Emporium in Plattsburgh, held by a licensed therapist. The organization has surged to almost 160 registered supporters, with over 40 volunteers as of April 25th, allowing it to develop more programs and impact more communities. More information can be found at unitaryamerica.org.

#222#
COMMUNITY CALENDAR LISTINGS
SATURDAY, MAY 2
TRASH CLEANUP – Unitary America is hosting its second trash cleanup at the Thelma I Douglas Footbridge, at the end of George Angell Drive in Plattsburgh, New York, between 9:30 am. and 3:00 pm. Those who want to make a real impact on their environment, care about their community’s health, and want to encourage environmental stewardship, are encouraged to attend. For those with questions, please visit unitaryamerica.org, or send an email to contact@unitaryamerica.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 2
MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR – Unitary America is hosting its first mental health seminar as part of its Caring America program, designed to help raise awareness about mental health, promote knowledge of coping techniques, and provide ways for local community members to find the help they need. All those in need are welcome to come, free-of-charge, to the Gem Goddess Emporium, in Plattsburgh, NY, between 1:00-2:00 pm., on Saturday, May 2nd. For those with questions, please visit unitaryamerica.org, or send an email to contact@unitaryamerica.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 9
FOOD DRIVE – Unitary America is hosting another food drive, its first food drive outside of the immediate Plattsburgh area, on May 9th, at the Peru Free Library, between the hours of 11:00 am. and 1:00 pm., in Peru. All those who need food are welcome to come, while supplies last. Food at the drive has been sourced from local North Country businesses and supporters. For those with questions, please visit unitaryamerica.org, or send an email to contact@unitaryamerica.org.

Centennial event celebrates generations of care

Plattsburgh, NY – A special gathering for retirees of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) will take place Wednesday, May 13, from 10 am to noon in the CVPH Boardroom as part of CVPH’s Centennial Celebration.

Centennial Committee Chair Kent Faus said the committee hopes retirees will drop in to reconnect with former coworkers and colleagues, share stories, and reminisce. Light refreshments will be served.

“Our industry has changed dramatically over the past century, and we’ve grown and evolved with it thanks to the hard work and commitment of generations of employees who set high standards for the care of their North Country neighbors. Honoring those who came before us and carried the organization forward is an important part of our 100th Anniversary Celebration,” said CVPH President Michelle LeBeau who encouraged retirees to attend the event.

The gathering is part of CVPH’s year-long celebration to commemorate a century of caring at 75 Beekman Street. Other events include a reenactment of the 1972 transport of patients from Champlain Valley Hospital to CVPH Medical Center, a carnival on the hospital front lawn, and a celebration of Alice T. Miner’s birthday at the Miner Institute. Learn more at UVMHealth.org/CVPHCentennial.

Future retiree gatherings are planned for Wednesday, July 8, Wednesday, September 9, and Wednesday, November, from 10 am to noon in the Boardroom.