The Peru Gazette

“Michael Hopmeier, president and principal investigator for Florida-based Unconventional Concepts Inc., said his plan is to test the internal ballistics of military cannons made at Benet Laboratories in Watervliet. Hopmeier owns the former Atlas F nuclear missile silo in Lewis and is currently conducting small firearms testing indoors there.”

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Plattsburgh – The North Country Chamber of Commerce JOB FAIR will be held on September 21st at the West Side Ballroom in Plattsburgh from 3pm-7pm. The Job Fair is FREE for job seekers to attend. Representatives will be on hand to accept resumes, give out applications, set up interviews, and/or talk about career opportunities within their organization.

Some of the more that 50 participating organizations include:

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is granting $586,501.61 to eight fire departments in New York’s 21st District.

During the grant process, Stefanik held a webinar for NY-21 fire departments with FEMA staff to review the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and answer questions about the application process. Additionally, Stefanik provided letters of support for many of the awarded projects.

“Our hardworking firefighters selflessly answer the call to serve day or night, and now these taxpayer dollars will return to New York’s 21st District to support the hard work of our fire departments,” Stefanik said. “I am proud deliver these critical funds and work to ensure these frontline workers have the funding they need to effectively protect our communities and are equipped to keep themselves safe.”

A breakdown of the funding can be seen here:

• $183,238.09 to Ausable Forks Fire Department, Inc.
• $181,817.27 to City of Watertown
• $94,796.19 to Village of Greenwich
• $47,982.85 to Village of Lyons Falls
• $47,047.61 to Alexandria Bay Volunteer Fire Department
• $19,161.90 to Northpole Fire Co., Inc.
• $8,463.42 to Rutland Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.
• $3,994.28 to City of Ogdensburg

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“She dialed 911 as quickly as she could and was transferred to Burlington’s dispatch center. According to Keve, the dispatcher told her no police officers were available to respond and said, ‘“Ma’am, there’s nothing we can do since we’ve been defunded.”’

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 Waterville, Maine: The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) announced today that SUNY Cobleskill sophomore runner Jenna Swyers, Peru, N.Y., Peru High School, has been named the conference’s Women’s Cross Country Runner-of-the-Week for the week ending Sunday, September 4.

Swyers becomes the first Fighting Tiger women’s cross country runner to earn NAC Runner-of-the-Week honors in program history. The Peru, N.Y. native posted her first collegiate invitational victory on Saturday by winning the individual championship at the Castleton University Invitational hosted by the Spartans of Castleton University on their campus course in Castleton, Vt.

Swyers bettered the field at the event by covering the 5000-meter trail course in a time of 23:26 as the Fighting Tigers posted a team total of 37 points to place second in a field of three teams competing at the meet.

Cobleskill will return to action on Saturday, September 10, when they host their annual Steven A. Warde Invitational beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Trudeau Institute will produce monoclonal antibodies for Ampersand Biosciences to use in immunology testing

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Police asking for information leading up to the Labor Day crash

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Move to lower overtime threshold will cause new hardships for our farmers 

Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) today criticized the Farm Laborers Wage Board for its decision to lower the overtime threshold for farm workers from 60 hours a week to 40. With the pandemic causing tremendous economic hardship for many family farms and inflation causing a massive increase in costs, the decision will make it more expensive for both producers and consumers. Noting that this move isn’t finalized, he also urged Governor Hochul to reject this decision once it is presented to her.

“Our families have faced a major increase in prices on the healthy food and products they rely on and our farmers have had a difficult recovery from the COVID pandemic,” said Stec. “The wage board’s decision to lower the overtime threshold will only make our long-term recovery more difficult.

 “Most family-owned farms operate on tight budgets and deadlines. Lowering the threshold will force a change in operations for owners and impact the ability of farm workers to find and maintain employment,” he continued. “For our families, who are already working hard to make ends meet, obtaining the quality goods they deserve will become much more difficult.

“Despite the Farm Laborers Wage Board’s bad decision, there’s still time to do right by our farmers and families. I urge Governor Hochul to reject this proposal and ensure our farms can continue to grow and succeed,” Stec concluded.

“New Yorkers- not just farmers- will feel the ramifications of the Wage Board’s decision to lower the overtime threshold for farmworkers from 60 to 40 hours. Considering the current supply chain issues, the cost of fuel, and inflation, this decision will negatively impact access and affordability of fresh food and products from New York State farms. New York is one of the only states with this low of a threshold which is causing farmworkers to choose to work in other states, putting farmers at an unfair disadvantage in finding workers amidst a labor shortage. After working on a dairy farm for decades, I know the nature of farm work and it doesn’t follow a 40-hour work week- the seasons and the weather determine how much work needs to be done- and lowering the overtime threshold will continue to hurt the already suffering agriculture industry.”

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Peru – CVPH Donor Center Blood Brive, Monday, September 19th from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St. in Peru. 

Your neighbors need and appreciate your donation.

The blood drive is being coordinated by St. Augustine’s Knights of Columbus Council 7273. 

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Accident is near Keeseville – Flames, heavy smoke could be seen on I-87 Monday evening

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“Every day, we give back over $1.5 million in lost or forgotten money,” DiNapoli said

Staff from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s office will attend community events this month to help residents search for lost and forgotten money, also known as unclaimed funds. DiNapoli oversees more than 46 million unclaimed funds accounts valued at $17.5 billion and wants to return the money to its rightful owners.

“Every day, we give back over $1.5 million in lost or forgotten money,” DiNapoli said. “That’s a lot of money and we have even more to return. We would like for everyone to come out and search for funds that may be waiting for them to claim. You can search for yourself, for family members, friends, neighbors, churches, synagogues, mosques or any organization you care about and let them know that they may have money awaiting them.

The billions of dollars in unclaimed funds come from utility deposits, old bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance claims, stocks and other sources that have been dormant for years. Some accounts hold money that had been lost and forgotten for decades.

Residents who cannot make it to the events can search for and claim their money by using the online claiming system or by calling 1-800-221-9311.

View a map of unclaimed funds owed to New Yorkers by county and region. Learn more about Unclaimed Funds.

The Ausable River Association is holding a silent auction for a professionally built, Bloomingdale-style Adirondack guideboat, made ca. 1900. Photo provided – Kelley Tucker

WILMINGTON, NY – It’s a rare opportunity to own and row a piece of Adirondack history. The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is holding a silent auction for a ca. 1900 Adirondack guideboat in excellent condition. The guideboat was donated to AsRA by an anonymous local donor to raise funds in support of AsRA’s innovative, science-based programs that protect the freshwater of the Ausable watershed and beyond.

Although the builder’s name is not known, thanks to Ted Comstock & Chris Woodward, the broker and builder who completed the most recent study of these beloved watercraft (The Adirondack Guideboat: Its Origins, Its Builders, and Their Boats, 2018), it is evident —from its characteristic wide stem and fine craftsmanship—that this is a professionally built, Bloomingdale-style boat, made ca. 1900, with cherry decks, seats, cleats, and rails, and copper kick plates. It has always been varnished, never painted. Chris Woodward restored the boat, replacing some of the pine planking and addressing a few other issues, for the boat’s prior owner a few decades ago. The boat finished second in the two-person Willard Hanmer Guideboat and Canoe Race some years ago. It is ready to row. 

“What an amazing craft” noted AsRA Executive Director, Kelley Tucker.  “Guideboats were developed for the Adirondacks and their beauty and utility on our lakes is unmatched. We’re hoping its next owner will enjoy rowing this boat closer to its 200^th year.”

Starting bid/donation is $7,500. Auction runs through September 30, 2022. The guideboat is auctioned as is. Auction guidelines, photos and additional details can be found at: https://www.ausableriver.org/historic-guideboat-silent-auction. Proceeds benefit the Ausable River Association.