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Tens of Thousands of Users Since 2021 Helped Greatly Improve Safety in the Route 73 Recreation Corridor
Albany, April 17, 2026 – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the return of the parking reservation system for the privately-owned Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR). The no-cost reservation system produced another successful year in 2025 by helping mitigate risk to pedestrians and motorists along the busy stretch of Route 73 in the Town of Keene. Reservations for the 2026 season will begin April 17, 2026.
“We are thrilled to see so many people enjoying the Adirondack High Peaks and thanks to the reservation system, many visitors are able to do so much more safely,” DEC’s Deputy Commissioner for Natural Resources Katharine Petronis said. “Since 2021, this system results in fewer cars dangerously parked on the shoulder of a windy stretch of road with low visibility around curves, and provides hikers with a safe, off-road parking option. The more people who make reservations before the hike, the safer they will all be.”
The Adirondack Mountain Reserve is a privately owned 7,000-acre land parcel located in the town of Keene Valley that allows for limited public access through a conservation easement agreement with DEC. The reservation system does not apply to other areas in the Adirondack Park.
The reservation system operated by AMR facilitates safer public access to trailheads through the AMR gate and for Noonmark and Round Mountains and improves visitors’ trip planning and preparation by guaranteeing parking upon arrival.
The AMR-specific parking reservation program requires visitors to make a no-cost parking reservation in advance of their visit to access trails and trailheads on AMR lands. Reservations can be made as close as 4:00 a.m. for same-day spots, allowing last-minute cancellations to open spots for other parties. Since the launch of the reservation system in 2021, more than 56,000 users registered to make parking reservations. In addition to promoting visitor safety, reservations assist with trip planning by guaranteeing a parking spot. In the past, it was not uncommon for parking spots to fill before dawn.
Prior to the reservation system’s creation in 2021, pedestrian traffic, illegal parking, and roadside stopping along Route 73 created a dangerous environment for hikers and motorists alike. DEC and AMR launched the no-cost reservations for required use May 1 through October 31 each year.
Reservations will be required for parking, daily access, and overnight access to these specific trails. Reservations can be made by visiting AMR’s website beginning April 17. To avoid road congestion from unmanaged drop-offs, walk-in users without a reservation will not be permitted.
The AMR parking lot is accessible for entry between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. daily. The automatic one-way gate allows late-night hikers to depart from the lot after the attendant has left the premises.
Peru, NY, April 18, 2026 – Peru, NY, April 18, 2026 – Peru Firefighters are at work this morning hoping to build up the Greg Timmons Memorial Scholarship. Stop by the Peru Fire Department and show your support!!!!!!! They’ll be working until noon.
Hamlet of Raquette Lake Hamilton County Wilderness Search: On April 12 at 8 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about a lost hiker off trail behind the Burketown neighborhood. Forest Rangers Cleinman, Miller, and Scott responded. At 9:15 p.m., Ranger Miller made voice contact with the 55-year-old and located them deep in a swamp, getting cold in wet jeans. Ranger Miller walked the subject out of the woods. Resources were clear at 10 p.m.
Town of North Elba Essex County Wilderness Rescue: On April 13 at 12:15 p.m., three Forest Rangers responded to a call to assist three hikers off trail on Haystack Mountain. The hikers said they were lost and unprepared for the weather. Rangers called and using mapping software, led them back onto the trail and then met them to provide food and water.
Rangers suggest checking the weather before hiking. The temperature and conditions at the top of a mountain are often very different from what it is at the trailhead.
If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on State lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region.
Peru, April 17, 2026 – On September 3, 2024, Peru voters approved, by a margin of 121 to 70, the Fire Department’s plan to expand and upgrade its fire station. At the time, Architectural Engineering and Design Associates (AEDA) estimated having to borrow no more than $5 million. However, when contractor bids were opened on April 7, the project cost totaled $6.65 million—significantly higher than anticipated.
To help cover the gap, the department can use its $710,000 Building Reserve and $340,000 in district funds, but will still need to borrow an additional $600,000. Chad Frechette, Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, noted that AEDA now projects a tax rate increase of 51 cents per thousand of taxable value, which is lower than last September’s estimate of 72 cents per thousand dollars of taxable value. Falling interest rates should also help reduce borrowing costs. If the estimates hold, property taxes on a $300,000 home would rise by $153 over the 25-year loan term.
Voter approval is required for the department to borrow the additional $600,000 needed to move the project forward. A special election will take place at the fire station on May 5, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
A public hearing to answer questions will be held on Tuesday, April 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the fire station. Frechette said the commissioners will meet before the hearing to discuss whether further cost savings can be identified.
The renovation replaces the wood structural members with steel, extends the truck bays by 40 feet toward Bear Swamp Road, and replaces the bay flooring, roofing, engine bay doors, and most sprinkler, electrical, and HVAC systems. New facilities include an equipment storage area, a fitness room, a locker room, a decontamination room, an updated social room, space for the historic Brockway truck, an expanded EMS area, and larger eastside parking.
Peru, April 16, 2026 – Peru Central School District is proud to announce that senior Sarah Guay has been named a winner in the “A Day in the Life of a School Bus” statewide art competition with her painting, titled “First Odyssey,” sponsored by Leonard Bus Sales.
The competition challenges New York high schoolers to capture the essence of school transportation. Sarah’s winning entry—a stunning acrylic painting on wood panel—depicts a school bus nestled in autumn foliage as a young boy prepares to board.
As a winner, Sarah will receive a $1,000 educational scholarship to support her art studies when she enters college this fall. Additionally, her painting will be reproduced as a professional-quality print and distributed to school transportation departments throughout New York State.
Serves as a One-Stop Shop To Enhance Building Performance, Deliver Utility Bill Savings and Improve Quality of Life
Albany, April 16, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $125 million is available to upgrade affordable multifamily housing in upstate New York. The State’s new Affordable Multifamily Program Upstate (AMP Up) provides support for a wide range of cost-effective energy efficiency and electrification improvements in these residential buildings and serves as a one-stop shop to enhance building performance, deliver utility bill savings, and improve comfort and quality of life for New Yorkers.
“The launch of this new program marks a significant step forward in how New York delivers clean energy solutions to low-to-moderate income communities while prioritizing affordability,” Governor Hochul said. “Today, we are making it easier to implement critical building upgrades and improve the living experience for families and residents in upstate multifamily buildings.”
The Affordable Multifamily Program Upstate (AMP Up), administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), provides incentives for a wide range of projects in multifamily buildings, including simple upgrades like energy efficient appliances, air sealing and insulation to more substantive upgrades such as window replacements, heating system upgrades, and comprehensive modernization efforts. Owners of existing multifamily buildings north of Con Edison’s service area that contain five or more households, and in which at least 25% of households earn at or below 80% of area or state median income, whichever is higher, are eligible to apply. Additional information about the program, incentive levels, and how to access and submit an application can be found on the AMP Up website here.
Additionally, AMP Up includes funding for resilience enhancements for projects facing climate change hazards to help protect New Yorkers from flooding and extreme heat as part of a first-of-its-kind resiliency pilot. The program also provides a complimentary concierge service that guides owners through the project from planning through construction and commissioning. The concierge service includes application assistance, building assessments, project scoping, funding guidance, construction monitoring, and project close-out.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said,“AMP Up is designed to meet building owners and residents where they are by offering flexible incentives that scale with the ambition of each project. Through an efficiency-first approach and a complimentary concierge service that provides assistance from assessment to completion, NYSERDA is reducing barriers to lowering energy costs and helping upstate multifamily buildings make lasting clean energy improvements.”
Building owners can partner with participating contractors to assist with program applications and guide projects through implementation. The participating contractor is responsible for submitting the application and all required documentation, and confirming that program minimum requirements are met.
To learn more about the new program, NYSERDA will host an informational webinar on April 28, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Interested participants can register here.
“It’s really about communication, accessibility, accountability,” Smith said. Transparency is not just good practice in his line of work – it is essential.
An IRS rule change taking affect in 2026 resulted in this advice:
At the postal facility. Go to the counter and ask the clerk to “round-date stamp” or “hand cancel” your item (this assumes you’ve already affixed the proper postage). This is the circular, manual stamp most of us are familiar with. To avoid legibility issues cropping up during processing, ask the clerk to place the stamp in a clean area of the envelope.
At the retail counter. Get a postage validation imprint (PVI). After you pay for postage, the clerk prints a white rectangular sticker (the PVI) and affixes it to your envelope. Like the hand stamp, the IRS accepts the date on a PVI label as the official postmark and proof of when USPS took possession of your return.
Send your return via certified mail. This is sometimes called “the gold standard.” With certified mail, you get a receipt with the date stamped on it. If the IRS claims they never received the return or that it was late, this piece of paper is physical proof that a USPS employee held your tax return in their hands on April 15.
Hopefully, these tips on mailing your tax returns on time will give you a little peace of mind.
Bids came in higher than expected 
Peru, April 16, 2026 – Peru Central School District is proud to announce that senior Sarah Guay has been named a winner in the “A Day in the Life of a School Bus” statewide art competition with her painting, titled “First Odyssey,” sponsored by Leonard Bus Sales.
