The Peru Gazette

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17 degrees, sunny, cheerful morning.

[Mar 21 PM Update] directly from the US National Weather Service Burlington VT: “Snow ratios remain in question as well, though in general, we should see >10:1 on the front and back ends of the storm, with 5-10:1 during the bulk of it during the daylight hours on Saturday. Central and southern Vermont, where mixed precipitation and warmer surface temperatures are forecast, is expected to see the greatest chance of impacts to the electrical grid, with scattered power outages likely due to heavy snow and ice-laden tree limbs. To the north, where the precipitation stays all snow and generally around 10:1 across the storm, snow amounts of 8-12″ appear likely, with the higher elevations above 2500 feet potentially up to 18″ from Mt. Ellen to Mt. Mansfield to Jay Peak.”

“If I didn’t dislocate my knee, I never would have started track,” said Evie Liberty

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SARANAC LAKE, NY — The annual ‘Round the Mountain Canoe & Kayak Race is set for Saturday, May 11, part of a full weekend of paddling activities in Saranac Lake.

Hosted by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) with support from over a dozen partners, ‘Round the Mountain Weekend features the traditional Saturday race as well as the Freshet Film Festival, a paddler mixer and a community paddle.

“Saranac Lake is one of the busiest NFCT trail towns, hosting several of our marquee events and serving as a hub for paddlesports in upstate New York,” said Karrie Thomas, executive director of the NFCT. “The ‘Round the Mountain’ race is a mainstay of spring in the Adirondacks, and this year, we’re excited to team with our local partners to add more activities to round out the weekend.” Read more »

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DiNapoli estimates that the securities industry accounted for approximately $28.8 billion in state tax revenue, or 27.4% of the state’s tax collections, for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2022-23

Information from NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli 

The average annual Wall Street bonus dipped to $176,500 last year, a 2% decline from the previous year’s average of $180,000, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s annual estimate. Wall Street’s profits were up 1.8% in 2023, but firms have taken a more cautious approach to compensation and more employees have joined the securities industry, which accounts for the slight decline in the average bonus.

“Wall Street’s average cash bonuses dipped slightly from last year, with continued market volatility and more people joining the securities workforce,” DiNapoli said. “While these bonuses affect income tax revenues for the state and city, both budgeted for larger declines so the impact on projected revenues should be limited. The securities industry’s continued strength should not overshadow the broader economic picture in New York, where we need all sectors to enjoy full recovery from the pandemic.”

The $33.8 billion bonus pool for 2023, which closely matched the 2022 pool, was well below the 25% growth seen in 2020 ($37.1 billion) and the 15% jump seen in 2021 ($42.7 billion), but slightly over the pre-pandemic high of $32.1 billion. Read more »

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By John T Ryan

Peru/Plattsburgh, March 20, 2024—If you’ve never been to Peru’s Courthouse, you may not know Holly Stone. She’s been a Peru court clerk since 2011. Holly and her husband Terry’s 25-year-old son Austin is battling brain cancer. 

Austin Stone is a 2016 Beekmantown High School/CVTEC and 2023 Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) graduate. Before the onset of his illness, he worked in Rochester as a computer game design and development engineer.

Peru Town Judge James Kirby, who has worked with Austin’s mom for many years and has been battling cancer himself for over two years, commented. “I’ve met Austin. He’s a very nice man. We couldn’t ask for a nicer family. Cancer is an awful thing for a family to go through.”

The first sign of Austin’s cancer came on November 19, 2023, when he suddenly lost consciousness. On January 5, physicians diagnosed his illness as a rare form of cancer called oligodendroglioma multifocal. He has four cancerous brain tumors. Associated symptoms commonly include seizures, headaches, altered sensations (strange smells or hallucinations related to the sense of smell), muscular weakness (mainly down one side of the body), and a loss of control of bodily movements. Austin’s experiencing all of those symptoms.

Austin’s Aunts, Sandy Rasco, Judy Rasco, Gail LeBeau, and Uncle Art Rasco, are organizing a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for April 27 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at the Quarry Road American Legion in Plattsburgh. There’ll be an auction, raffle, music, and great food. The dinner, raffle, and auction proceeds will help with Austin’s medical and travel expenses to Burlington and Boston. Auction donations and gift cards to help purchase dinner supplies are needed.

If you would like to discuss a potential collaboration or to make a donation, you can contact Art at 518-569-1859, Sandy at 518-293-1116, Gail at 518-225-2186, or Judy at 518-569-9849.

Given Holly Stone’s long and valued service to our community, the Peru Gazette hopes Peru will rally behind the Stone family.

Nomination deadline is March 31 

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that nominations for his 2024 Women of Distinction Awards are underway. The Women of Distinction Awards are held annually and honor local women who have had significant positive impacts on their community and those around them. Awards will be given for various categories, such as health care, business, volunteer work, and education. The deadline for nominations is March 31, and the awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 9 at 6 p.m. at Clinton Community College’s Stafford Center Theatre.

“For the past seven years, it has been an honor to recognize some of the women who make the North Country a great place to live,” said Assemblyman Jones. “I am inspired every year while reading through the nominations- there are truly some amazing women in our region. I cannot think of a better way to honor Women’s History Month.”

Residents who wish to nominate a woman for the awards can fill out a nomination form online at https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Billy-Jones/story/109406.  Nominees must live in the 115th Assembly District, which includes all of Clinton and Franklin counties and a portion of Essex County. Last year’s Women of Distinction award winners were: Sarah Maroun (Education Award), Gail Roberts (Community and Civic Affairs Award), Sarah Howell (Healthcare Award), Linda Young (Volunteerism Award), Elizabeth Pearl (Businesswoman Award), Jacqueline (Jackie) Madison (Military Service Award), Jessica Kline (North Country Neighbor Award), and Judith (Judy) Lefebvre (Service to Hometown Heroes Award).

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2023 -Lions Club President signs up volunteers

2023 Green Up Day is a GREAT FAMILY EVENT!

Spring has arrived, signaling it’s time to start planning the 3rd Annual Town of Peru Green Up Day, which will be held on Saturday, April 20th, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. We invite you to join the Peru Lions Club and the Peru K-5 PTO along with our sponsors, Stewart’s Shops and Casella, to celebrate Earth Day by helping our planet and community as we pick up garbage and debris along the town roads.

Meet us at the Peru Fire Dept. to get bags, gloves, pickers and safety vests so you can participate safely. The first 50 kids who join us will receive a coupon for one free ice cream cone from Stewart’s. Can’t you join us on April 20th? Please email us to find out how to participate on your schedule. For further information, contact us at perunylionsclub@gmail.com or perupto@gmail.com.

Peru Gazette photos at the 2023 Green Up Day

Youth Summer Employment opportunity in the Town of Peru. Work with kids, have fun, and get paid. Apply on Recdesk, which can be accessed on the Town of Peru webpage. You must be a town resident.

To apply, click here and scroll to the BOTTOM of the page 

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