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Sharing love is on many people’s minds at this time of year. Have you ever considered being a foster parent? It’s one of society’s best ways of sharing love.
The Clinton County Department of Social Services is hosting an informational meeting on Tuesday, January 11th. All are welcome and there is no commitment. It will be held at 13 Durkee Street from 6 p.m. to 7:30 pm. Please call 518-565-3320 to confirm attendance or to ask questions. Attendance must be confirmed.
After last night’s heavy rain and wind, it’s surprising that the sounds of chain saws are being heard almost everywhere today in Peru. Joanne Kennedy was kind enough to share photos of one uprooted tree on her property and several downed trees on the Peru walking trail
Dick’s Sporting Goods in The Champlain Center Mall was honored to host a Meet and Greet for the New York State Championship Girls Soccer team from AuSable Valley High School on Saturday, December 11th. Several players from the winning team were on hand signing autographs, handing out giveaways and talking to young athletes about their accomplishments. “We were very excited to host this event and recognize these young ladies for all their hard work this season,” said Greg Mills, Store Manager of Dick’s Sporting Goods. “Bringing the State Championship to a school in the North Country is a great honor and we wanted to do something to thank the players, coaches and the AuSable Valley School district.”
Information from the North Country Chamber of Commerce
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that masks will be required to be worn in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement.
As is often the case with gubernatorial mandates during the COVID pandemic, supporting documentation and guidance follows some time after the initial announcement.
In regard to Governor Hochul’s mask mandate announced yesterday, the New York State Department of Health has made available two resources to help businesses comply with the new requirement. You can find those below.
This measure is effective Dec. 13, 2021 until Jan. 15, 2022, after which the State will re-evaluate based on current conditions.
What exactly are the requirements?
Any person, past their second birthday and medically able to tolerate a face covering, must wear an appropriate mask while in any indoor place, regardless of vaccination status. However, businesses and venues can choose to implement a vaccination requirement, requiring proof of vaccination as a condition of entry inside the business or venue. Whichever requirement is selected, it must apply to all within the business/venue’s capacity, including staff, patrons, visitors, and guests. A business and venue cannot do a “combination” requirement.
Business/Venue Proof of Vaccination Requirement
Businesses and venues that implement a proof of vaccination requirement must ensure that anyone 12 years of age or older is fully vaccinated before entering indoors.Businesses/venues can accept Excelsior Pass, Excelsior Pass Plus, SMART Health Cards issued outside of New York State, full-course vaccination through NYC COVID Safe app, a CDC Vaccination Card, or other official immunization record.
Business/Venue Mask-Wearing Requirement
Businesses and venues that implement a mask requirement must ensure all patrons past their second birthday and medically able to tolerate a face covering wear a mask at all times while indoors outside of physical eating or drinking.
Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that a bill he authored to help stop the spread of invasive aquatic species in the Adirondacks was signed by Governor Hochul today.
“I am proud to have authored this bill that will help combat aquatic invasive species in the Adirondack region and I want to thank Governor Hochul for signing this bill today. Invasive aquatic species present a serious threat to both our environment and our economy. These pests carry harmful diseases which can infect native plants and animals and damage local ecosystems. Once these species spread, attempting to contain them can be extremely expensive and time-consuming. This bill will prevent spread before it starts by instituting regular inspections and by educating boaters, which will not only save time and money but also better safeguard our environment as well as protect land values for property owners.”
The measure extends the 2014 aquatic invasive species measures that recently expired and builds upon the law which will authorize the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to establish several inspection stations across the Adirondack Park as a precautionary measure against the propagation of invasive species. The stations authorized by the bill can be set up at any location in the Adirondack Park and within a ten-mile radius of its border, and would provide certifications for inspection and decontamination in addition to providing direct education and outreach to boaters, which will help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species.
Grand Isle, VT – The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) seeks proposals for a program that will implement innovative enhancements to best management practices (BMPs) on farms in the New York portion of the Lake Champlain Basin in 2022. These enhanced BMPs will help reduce phosphorus runoff, a prominent threat to clean water in Lake Champlain. Up to $50,000 is available to support the program.
Innovative enhancements to BMPs are practices that go beyond the required benchmarks and fulfill advanced conservation components of a farm’s environmental management plan. The grant is intended to fund practices in nutrient management, cropland conservation and pasture management that are often under-supported.
The program will focus on practices that are tailored to the specific conditions of individual farms. The enhanced BMPs will help meet the goals of the farms’ New York Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Tier 3 plan by reducing phosphorus pollution and improving farm viability.
The successful applicant will provide outreach to and identification of farmers near or adjacent to water bodies in the New York portion of the Lake Champlain, provide technical assistance and implement BMP enhancements, and document projects.
This work will help achieve the Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystem goals of LCBP’s long-term management plan Opportunities for Action (plan.lcbp.org). It is supported by funds awarded to NEIWPCC on behalf of the LCBP by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Proposals are due January 28, 2022 at 12pm EST. The full request for proposals is available on the LCBP website at lcbp.org/grants. For more information, contact Myra Lawyer at (518) 897-1241 ormyra.lawyer@dec.ny.gov.
COVID-19 cases have increased dramatically across the North Country over the past few weeks with Franklin County reporting the highest number of daily new cases last week. Every county in the North Country is currently under a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is in desperate need of state resources to help them address the rise in cases, especially as the omicron variant continues to rise.
At the height of the pandemic, the state-operated two vaccination sites in the North Country and various testing sites. Since the state closed the vaccine clinics, folks across the region have found difficulty scheduling vaccine appointments, especially as the FDA approved the booster shot and the vaccine for children aged 5-11.
There have been similar difficulties scheduling COVID-19 tests since the state sites were closed where many have found it nearly impossible to get tested in a timely fashion. Due to issues with health insurance companies not covering tests authorized under standing orders, hospitals and medical providers require doctors’ notes to obtain tests. Since doctor notes are often difficult to obtain, many find Walgreens to be the easiest way to get tested but often have to wait 7-10 days for an available appointment. Others are spending upwards of over a hundred dollars for molecular or antigen rapid tests from a pharmacy.
In September, November, and last week, Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) wrote letters to the Governor asking for state testing and vaccination sites to be reopened. “State testing and vaccination sites are being opened across the state and the region continues to see a surge in COVID-19 cases, yet there has been no discussion from the State to reopen testing and vaccination sites in the North Country,” said Assemblyman Jones. “Constituents have repeatedly contacted my office asking for help getting the vaccine or booster shot or to find a testing site and one constituent who is a cancer survivor told me that she had to travel all the way to Albany to get her booster. The North Country stands ready to receive additional resources for vaccination and testing residents to respond to the rise in COVID-19 cases,” Jones said.
– CCHD offers free COVID-19 vaccine clinics every Thursday. Visit www.clintonhealth.org/covid19vaccine to schedule a first, second, third, or booster. Check back frequently, as additional appointment and dates may be added.
– Local Vaccination data: https://public.tableau.com/…/viz/Covid-Draft/Dashboard. According to the North Country COVID Vaccine Dashboard 117,609 total doses of COVID-19 Vaccine were given in Clinton County as of 11/28. As of 11/28, 69% of all Clinton County residents had at least one dose of the vaccine and 65% of residents had completed their vaccine series. 77% of residents 18 years and older have received at least one dose.
Patients continue to have access to lab services at three convenient locations
PLATTSBURGH, NY (12/10/2021) – Laboratory collection services will pause at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) Valcour Imaging at 16 DeGrandpre Way beginning on Monday, December 13. Hospital officials said the decision was made due to staffing shortages, which are seriously impacting health care organizations in the region and across the country.
Patients can continue accessing lab services at three CVPH locations, including the CVPH Health Plaza at 89 Plaza Boulevard, which is about one-eighth of a mile away from Valcour Imaging. Below are the three locations offering lab services and hours of operation:
Site
Address
Hours of Operation
CVPH Main Campus
75 Beekman Street, Plattsburgh
M-F: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Weekends: 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CVPH Health Plaza
89 Plaza Boulevard, Plattsburgh
M-F: 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CVPH Diagnostic Center
828 State Route 11, Champlain, NY
M-F: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Patients can schedule an appointment for laboratory services by calling (518) 562-7340. Walk-in services are also an option at CVPH Health Plaza during hours of operation and at CVPH Diagnostic Center in Champlain from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday. Those with scheduled appointments will be given priority and seen at their scheduled time, while walk-in patients will be seen based on time of arrival.
CVPH Valcour Imaging continues to offer other diagnostic services, including:
X-Ray: Mondays and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
MRI: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
CT: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ultrasound: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A full list of diagnostic services available to patients can be found here.
Peru Tractor Parade – Saturday, December 11th, 7. p. m. The late Orville Keyes’ town truck will lead the parade.
The parade will proceed north on Jarvis Rd., right on Route 22B, down Main St., right over the bridge, bear right at Liberty’s on the Union Rd, left up Cross street, left on Route 22, continue by Stewart’s, to Maiden Lane, then to Winding Brook to Route 22B, left on the Mannix Rd., left on Washington St. to the River Rd. and done.
The farmers are dedicating the 2021 parade to Orville Keyes, who passed away on Saturday, November 27th. Keyes was a Town of Peru Highway Department employee for 22 plus years. Prior to that, he worked for Everett Orchards.
