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More About The Peru Gazette

The editor is John Ryan at email: perugazette@gmail.com. The Peru Gazette is a free community, education and information website. It is non-commercial and does not accept paid advertising.

Comment Policy

The Peru Gazette welcomes comments on posted stories. The author MUST include his/her first and last name. No  foul or libelous language permitted. The Peru Gazette reserves the right to not publish a comment.

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New N.Y. laws that will go into effect on Jan. 1

Click here for the Spectrum News story 

2023 North Country Honor Flight Schedule

UVM Medical Center, CVPH welcome first babies born in 2023

A mother who gave birth on New Year’s Day shares her birthday with her newborn son

Click here for the NBC5 story 

Hochul sworn in as first woman elected governor of New York

Click here for the Syracuse.com story 

With eyes and ears open, Sunny Eappen takes the helm at UVM Health Network

Click here for the VTDigger story 

With eyes and ears open, Sunny Eappen takes the helm at UVM Health Network

Click here for the VTDigger story 

St. Augustine’s Soup Kitchen Menu for Wednesday, January 3, 2023

Beef Stew
Bread
Dessert
Served take-out only, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St., Peru, NY.
All are welcome at our table.
Happy New Year to all!

Once a reformist ‘Watergate baby,’ Patrick Leahy leaves office a Washington institution

Click here for the VTDigger story 

Peru Gazette’s 2023 Wish

My 2023 wish is that I’d find someone who would like to contribute stories about happenings and people to the Peru Gazette. As many of you know, the Peru Gazette focuses on Peru news, but it also links to stories that affect Peru residents or might interest Peru residents. A few dozen people read some stories, and several thousand people read others. For example, thousands of people read the November 2 story on Vivian Edwards, the Jamaican orchard worker. The Gazette will always do its best to cover local government. Public bodies, whether schools, town governments, or fire departments, deserve news coverage.
 
If you’d like to discuss contributing stories, please email me at perugazette@gmail.com.
John Ryan
Editor

DEC releases “Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report”

Pandemic-driven numbers provide valuable insight

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

New DEC laws restrict use of harmful chemicals

Chemicals were used in cleaning solutions, cosmetics, food packaging, and children’s products

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Former Pope Benedict XVI, the first pontiff to resign in 600 years, dies at 95

Click here for the NBC News story 

Adirondack Farms and Suburban Propane Present Check Donation to the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity of Clinton and Franklin Counties, Inc.

Peru – Adirondack Farms and Suburban Propane today, presented a $1,000 check donation to the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity of Clinton and Franklin Counties, Inc. (JCEO) to support their local food pantry programs.
Adirondack Farms Co-Owner Shane St. Cyr and Suburban Propane’s Assistant Vice President of Product Supply Craig Palleschi presented the check to JCEO Community Outreach Worker April Wright at the JCEO location in Peru.
On Giving Tuesday, Adirondack Farms hosted a fundraiser on their Facebook page encouraging community members to help raise funds. For each share of their Giving Tuesday Facebook post, Adirondack Farms committed to donating $5, up to a $500 donation. Suburban Propane committed to matching the funds raised. In total, $1,000 was donated to the JCEO.

Diabetes rates may surge in US young people, study finds

The number of people under age 20 with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. may increase nearly 675% by 2060 if trends continue, researchers say

Click here for the NBC5 story 

Goodbye Big Macs: All McDonald’s restaurants on NY Thruway to close soon

Click here for the Syracuse.com story 

Peru’s Highway Department introducing high tech to reduce road salt usage and eliminate sand

Springtime street sweeping will not be necessary 

By John T. Ryan

Peru – What Supervisor Brandy McMcDonald predicted to be a five-minute December 29 town board meeting ended up being a fifty-minute meeting. Action items included:

  • Purchasing fencing to enclose road salt.
  • Purchasing a road salt tracking system and cameras.
  • Transferring several budget line items.
  • Making regular payments.

Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell is gradually introducing a road salt reduction program to reduce salt use, eliminate the need for sand, protect the environment, and save money over the long term. Springtime street sweeping will also not be necessary. He recommended implementing the program in Peru after seeing the system successful in Lake George and after considerable research.

Town plow trucks will spray a low salt-content brine on roads before a storm’s arrival. GPS-linked truck systems will record and calibrate salt application amounts. “Live Edge” plows installed on each truck are segmented in a series of jointed, spring-loaded sections that move up and down, conforming to a road’s surface, removing snow and ice closer to the surface than traditional plows, and reducing the need for salt.  In addition, video cameras along roads will provide up-to-date information on road surface temperatures and conditions. So instead of driving to distant places like Peasleeville to inspect a road, highway personnel can view road conditions on their cell phones. Farrell mentioned the Peasleeville, Patent, River, and Union Roads as probable camera locations. The board authorized the purchase of monitoring software at an annual cost of $5,040 and six solar-powered cameras at $37,484. Click here for a more detailed explanation of the program. 

It also awarded a bid to C&E Fencing for $10,635 for providing and installing fencing to enclose the town’s salt storage area. Salt’s rising cost led to Mike Farrell’s decision to add more fencing to the salt storage area.

Interim Youth Director Christine Marino reported that 112 children signed up for the Youth Commission’s winter basketball program. They’ll play on eight teams, with the schedule announced on January 20. Three coaches are still needed; therefore, Marino will actively seek coaches over the next several days. The Ski Club will begin traveling to Whiteface in about two weeks.

The board will advertise for a permanent youth director in the next few days. Marino, who has been serving as interim director, said she is interested in the civil service position.

Supervisor Brandy McDonald thanks all residents who generously contributed to his effort to purchase food and toys for local families and children.  He said the program assisted 76 families and 141 children.  Peru’s JCEO Outreach worker April Wait was also a big help. 

In other actions, the board:

  • Authorized payment #4 in the amount of $243,104.74 to Luck Brothers related to the Elm Street sewer project.
  • Approved line item budget transfers from accounts with excess funds to accounts with inadequate funds for the following items:

$15,991 – General

$143,314.05 – Highway (Michael Farrell said this transfer was related to higher than anticipated heating fuel and truck fuel costs)

$13,021.43 – Sewer

$523.37 – Valcour Sewer

$3,763.95 – Water

NY’s gas tax holiday ends this weekend. That’ll add 16¢ more in taxes per gallon

Click here for the NPR story 

Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoes bill to close NY tax loophole for condos

Click here for the Syracuse.com story 

Hochul signs N.Y. Living Donor Support Act

Makes N.Y. first in nation to allow reimbursement for kidney and liver donations

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Swanton Border Patrol reports hundreds of ‘encounters’ in November

Click here for the NBC5 story 

No Mega Millions winner, jackpot now $640M (see smaller prizes won in NY)

Click here for the Syracuse.com story 

Christmas blizzard update: Death toll at 34 for Erie County, officials say

Click here for the Syracuse.com story 

Expanded protections for N.Y. victims of crime

Crime-related costs may now be covered for ‘revenge porn’ and reckless endangerment

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Gov. signs “30 by 30” environmental bill

30 percent land protected by 2030 will promote N.Y.S. biodiversity and resources

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Excelsior Scholarship applications open for Spring 2023

Applications for SUNY and CUNY eligible students open through Feb. 9

Click here for the Sun Community News Story