The Peru Gazette

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The Section VII Girls Swim Championship goes to Peru! Following a great day in the pool, the Nighthawks came away with a meet-leading 389 points.

Here are all the team scores. 1. Peru 389 2. AuSable 249 3. Plattsburgh 170 4. Moriah 88 5. Beekmantown 22

Click here for individual results

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The Granny’s Attic Unique Boutique Sale is set for Saturday September 26^th, with doors opening promptly at 9AM, and until 4PM Saturday.  Available for purchase is a huge assortment of good quality and unusual items graciously provided by dozens of families from the area.  The sale continues Sunday September 27^th starting at 10AM (after church services) and until 2PM with most items at half-price.  Baked goods are also offered Saturday and possibly Sunday, until sold out.  A special ‘clearance’ sale follows on Saturday, October 3^rd  9AM to 4PM, with a ‘stuff the bag $5’ sale until noon, then remaining items ‘pay what you like’ or free for the taking noon until 4PM.  All are welcome!!

Sponsored by the Peru Community Church, this 17^th sale event is open to all, and is held in the Church’s Fellowship Center main hall at 13 Elm Street (corner of Rts.22B, 22, & Elm).  Proceeds from the sale support the missions, programs and operations of the Peru Community Church.  This year we are also honoring the memory of Sandra Lashua of Peru, who initiated the first sale named “Granny’s Attic” in 2015, and who recently passed away.  Some of the proceeds will be donated to one of her favorite charities.

The fun and excitement of every Granny’s Attic sale is always the community that comes together to donate, sort and organize, and then, on sale day, to greet old friends and meet new ones, Read more »

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Beef Stew

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!

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September 16, 2026 – Mobile sports betting has quickly become New York state’s second largest source of gaming revenue, trailing only the lottery. In State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026, mobile sports betting generated $1.3 billion in state revenues from taxes on gross gaming revenues, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report also notes that the increased wagering activity led to a 8.5% increase in calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline in 2025 since 2020.

“While the legalization of mobile sports betting in New York has boosted state revenues, the rise in problem gambling, particularly among young people, is a major concern,” DiNapoli said. “The rapid proliferation of the prediction markets, which generate significant revenue based on sports activities, only makes it easier to get hooked on these online platforms. I was encouraged by the state’s decision to double funding for problem gambling services from $6 million to $12 million, but this is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions being wagered. We need to do much more to identify how mobile sports betting is impacting New Yorkers and ensure consumers are protected.”

Gaming Overview in New York

There are six different forms of statutorily authorized gaming in New York: horse racing, the lottery, video lottery terminals (VLTs), casinos (commercial and tribal), sports betting (mobile and in-person), and interactive fantasy sports. Each of these provide a source of revenue for the state, most of which is used for education purposes. In SFY 2026, the state collected over $5.1 billion in gaming revenues, $1.3 billion (33%) higher than in SFY 2016. However, excluding mobile sports wagering, gaming revenues from all other forms declined by 0.8%.

The lottery remains the state’s largest source of gaming revenue with average annual growth of 1.8% from SFY 2010 to SFY 2023; however, these revenues were nearly 10% lower in SFY 2026 than peak collections in SFY 2023. Through July of SFY 2027, lottery revenues were up only 0.6% ($4.4 million) from the same period last year.

Mobile Sports Wagering Read more »

Half of All New York Households Are Eligible for Monthly Discounts

Nearly One Million Households Already Enrolled

Visit ny.gov/EAP to Learn About Eligibility and How to Enroll

September 17, 2026 – Governor Hochul today launched a new statewide enrollment drive to help millions more New Yorkers get a monthly discount on their utility bills through the State’s Energy Affordability Program (EAP). While 1 million households statewide are already enrolled in the EAP, the State estimates that approximately 2.5 million more households are eligible to enroll for monthly discounts – including many that are now eligible due to Governor Hochul’s expansion of program eligibility. Depending on household income, the EAP can help New Yorkers save up to hundreds of dollars per year on utility costs, with discounts set to make a typical utility bill less than six percent of household income.

New York’s Energy Affordability Program (EAP) and Expanded Eligibility

Up to half of all New York State households are eligible to receive monthly utility discounts through the EAP. While some households are automatically enrolled based on their participation in other programs, many other households can enroll by applying online via ny.gov/EAP. Households can save up to hundreds of dollars per year on their utility costs with EAP discounts – and the size of the EAP discount is based on household income.

Households are automatically enrolled in the EAP if they are currently enrolled in the Home Energy Assistance Program or the Public Assistance (i.e., Temporary Assistance), which are administered by the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance (OTDA).

Households are also eligible for EAP discounts if they are currently enrolled in numerous other programs. However, these households are not automatically enrolled in the EAP due to customer privacy restrictions that prevent automatic enrollment. These households can self-enroll to receive EAP discounts by applying online. This applies to households currently enrolled in:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Medicaid
• Veterans’ Disability or Survivors Pension
• Supplemental Security Income
• Lifeline Telephone Service Program
• Federal Public Housing Assistance
• Utility Guarantee
• Direct Vendor programs
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Safety Net Assistance
• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
• Head Start
• Tribal TANF
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

Effective January 2026, Governor Hochul’s administration also expanded eligibility to include New York households that are below the state median income, or below area median income in New York City, Westchester, and Nassau County. These households can also enroll by applying online via ny.gov/EAP.

Under this expansion, households at or below the following income levels are also now eligible for monthly utility discounts:

New EAP Enrollment Drive

Governor Hochul has directed the Department of Public Service to begin a new enrollment push to help more New Yorkers sign up for EAP discounts over the coming weeks and months.

As part of the enrollment drive, the Department of Public Service will do targeted digital advertising and work with other state agencies to use direct mail, email, and/or texts to inform more New Yorkers about EAP eligibility and enrollment information.

Social services agencies will cross-reference customers enrolling in other programs to EAP, agencies will partner with community organizations to attend in-person enrollment events, and utilities will directly inform customers on the enrollment process.

State agencies dealing with the public will also promote the program on their digital boards inside their public-facing offices.

Assemblymember Grace Lee said, “New York families are already stretched thin, and harmful federal policies are driving energy costs even higher. I thank Governor Hochul for making sure more households can access the relief they deserve. Half of all New York households may qualify, and I encourage every eligible New Yorker to visit ny.gov/eap and enroll.”

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Auditors estimate the district could have realized $1 million in additional revenues 

Auditors determined that the district’s investments were legal, safe and liquid. However, district officials did not develop and manage a comprehensive investment program. For example, during the audit period, officials did not prepare any cash flow forecasts to estimate funds available for investment or solicit interest rate quotes from financial institutions. As a result, officials missed an opportunity for the district to realize additional revenues of more than $1 million.

Click here to view the audit summary 

The Peru Central School Marching Band is always a highlight of the Applefest Parade. You can see them this Saturday, September 19. The parade leaves the Peru Elementary School at 11 a.m. to march down Pleasant and Main Streets.

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