The Peru Gazette

Source: COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Wednesday | CBC News

Source: Groups urge awareness of North Co. homelessness | News | pressrepublican.com

Source: Auditor questions finding that those paid to relocate to Vermont added millions to the economy – VTDigger

“Last Friday, 20 paramedics and emergency medical technicians arrived at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, and 10 more were deployed to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center…”

Source: Biden sending help to Vermont hospitals strained by Covid-19 surge – VTDigger

Source: Covid omicron variant symptoms to look out for if you are fully vaccinated – syracuse.com

Source: Former Upstate NY dentist takes over NIH, becomes Dr. Fauci’s boss – syracuse.com

Source: 5 police officers rush into burning Solvay building, carry out man in a wheelchair: ‘This is what we do’ – syracuse.com

Source: New York High School Regents exams canceled for January | WUTR/WFXV – CNYhomepage.com

Source: “Reading Rainbow” returns with local art teacher as creative director | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | Amy Guglielmo has been in education for over 20 years. She was first introduced to Steven Beer, the Executive Producer of Reading Rainbow Live, when sh

Source: Burlington mayor, City Council at odds over search for police chief

Source: ‘Let’s do this for the kids’: United Way distributes 1,200 gifts to local orgs | News | pressrepublican.com

Source: SUNY taps outgoing Oswego college president to serve as interim chancellor – syracuse.com

“Nonprofits and government agencies that provide food to people in need can get a waiver from the law’s requirements. That includes community meal programs, food pantries and places of worship, according to the DEC.”

Source: New York ban on foam food containers, packing peanuts goes into effect Jan. 1 – syracuse.com

Source: NY’s health commissioner tests positive for Covid as Hochul says millions of home tests are coming – syracuse.com

Source: Flu returns to Vermont after taking a year off – VTDigger

Source: 2021 Last-minute “Support Local” Holiday Gift Guide – – The Adirondack Almanack

Source: ‘We are keeping schools open’ says Hochul | NCPR News

Source: Gov. Hochul: $65 million to help counties enforce New York’s mask or vax mandate | Local 22/44 News

The Stewart’s Holiday Match Program is showing the true spirit of the holidays with giving; customer donations have reached over $765,177 through Wednesday, December 15th. That’s over $1.5 million with Stewart’s match so far, and there’s just over a week left to collect!

APPLICATION DEADLINE NEARS

Time is running out for children’s charities to apply for Holiday Match funding. The deadline is January 31, 2021.  Organizations can easily apply online at stewartsshops.com.  All groups applying must be locally based, benefit children under 18, and be a qualified, charitable 501c3 organization.

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) recently announced that he will prioritize providing easier access to health care and broadband internet services, particularly in rural communities, during the upcoming 2022 legislative session.

“New York’s rural communities have long dealt with unique struggles that continue to receive insufficient attention from the state government,” Assemblyman Jones said. “Rural health care providers suffer from high operating costs and a lack of state aid, while access to broadband in rural communities is hampered by unnecessary fees and bureaucratic roadblocks. I’ll always fight for legislation that addresses and alleviates these issues for the health and safety of North Country families.”

Currently, travel and delivery reimbursement rates for rural home health care providers do not adequately cover the costs of the services, as travel times are generally longer than they would be in larger cities. Assemblyman Jones’ bill would amend this oversight by increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rate for rural home health care providers to cover actual transportation costs (A.802). Additionally, current state law does not allow fire departments to recover costs from providing emergency medical services, forcing many to stop offering these lifesaving services due to the increased cost. To remedy this, Jones has sponsored legislation that would allow fire departments to recover these costs (A.534). Similarly, in order to help EMS agencies have greater access to funding opportunities, Jones sponsored a bill that would classify emergency medical services as “essential services” (A.8395).

In an increasingly virtual world, it’s critical that all New Yorkers have access to broadband internet services not only for entertainment but for job opportunities, school assignments and doctor’s visits, Jones noted. A recent report by the state comptroller found that 19.3% of households in the North Country lack reliable broadband access. In order to remove a potential roadblock to rural broadband access, Jones has cosponsored a bill prohibiting fees for the use and occupancy of the state right of way in an agreement with a fiberoptic provider (A.8287) and introduced a bill that would prohibit charging these fees for fiberoptic broadband projects funded by the federal government (Bill # Pending). Fiberoptic providers are the only utilities that are required to pay these additional fees.