The Peru Gazette

By John T Ryan

Doug Brown has a big birthday coming up on December 31, Birthday #105. Tomorrow, Friday, December 5, will also be a big day for Doug; he’ll be leading the Peru Tractor Parade as its Grand Marshal.  Most people know Doug as the longtime owner of Peru Hardware, a rural mail carrier, and a World War II Veteran.

Your reporter pleads guilty to not having visited Doug since I wrote a story about him two years ago. Today, I found him almost as active as before, with one notable exception, he no longer drives. He commented, “I have heart trouble, so my doctor doesn’t want me to drive anymore.”  Fortunately, Doug’s daughter, Wendy Silverman, and her husband, Bob, live nearby and are available to assist him whenever needed.

Bird carving is still Doug’s favorite pastime. A beautifully carved heron proudly displayed in his living room features a First Place ribbon hanging from its neck, a testament to his craftsmanship that earned him the award at the Clinton County Fair last summer. Before I left, he eagerly showed me the birds he was currently working on in his workshop. He pointed to one in particular, mentioning that he was redoing it because he wasn’t satisfied with how he had painted it.

When I asked Doug two years ago what the secret to his long life was, he replied, “I’m always looking, thinking ten years ahead at things I want to do. So I keep busy all the time. That’s the only thing.” Today, while he may not be looking ten years into the future, he is certainly staying busy and looking great.

Be sure to give Grand Marshal Doug Brown a big wave on Friday when his daughters, Wendy and Gail, transport him as Grand Marshal in the Peru Tractor Parade!

Click here to read the Peru Gazette’s January 24, 2013 story on Doug Brown. 

Click here to read a Peru Gazette story on Doug Brown’s military service and participation in a June 2013 North Country Honor Flight. 

12/4/25, 7:15 p.m.  Spelling of “Wendy”  and “notable” corrected. 

By John T Ryan

Highlights of Peru Town Board Meeting of November 24, 2025 

Highway Superintendent  Michael Farrell said the town should be advertising for bids on the Telegraph Road culvert project in either December or January.  Farrell hopes work will start soon after the town awards the contract.

Town of Plattsburgh Zoning/Codes Officer Steve Imhoff is acting as Peru’s Zoning/Codes Officer until the town fills the open position.  The town advertised the position online on ZipRecruiter.com

The Board approved:

Requesting NYS to reduce the speed limit on the Fox Farm Road.

Amending the Town Court’s Justice Court Assistance Program (JCAP) grant application amount from $ 5,000 to $8,000. The grant monies will fund courthouse security equipment and enhance online capabilities.

Hiring Brooks Investigations LLC to provide a security officer at $75 hourly whenever the Clinton County District Attorney (DA) staff is presenting cases. The DA’s staff usually appears for 4 hours twice a month.

Reimbursing $406.20 to a resident for home damage incurred as a result of a sewer line backup.

Compensating Justice Scott Thurber for picking up Justice Jim Kirby’s caseload. The compensation will equal what the late Justice Kirby would have received.  Town Justice Elect Sarah Mitchell will take office in January.

Click here to view the Peru Gazette’s Meeting Video 

The 2025 Peru Tractor Parade will be held on Friday, December 5 beginning at 6:15 to 6:30 PM.  105-year-old Doug Brown will be the Grand Marshal. Make plans now! The Tractor Parade is one of Peru’s special events. At 5:30 PM retiring town councilman Jim Douglass will light the town’s Christmas Tree at the Little Ausable River Park Gazebo. 

The parade starts at the Irwin farm on Jarvis Road, left on River Rd., right on Laflure Lane, right onto Rt. 22, right over the bridge, right at Liberty’s on Union Rd., left on Cross St, left onto Route 22, back over the bridge to Stewart’s, left on Holden Ave, left on School Street to 22, and done.

News Release, December 3, 2025 – Funds Assist with Purchases of Wildland Firefighting Equipment for Rural Fire Departments

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is now accepting applications for $851,255 in Volunteer Fire Capacity grants to help rural fire departments protect public safety and natural resources. The application deadline is December 22, 2025.

“Volunteer fire departments are essential partners with DEC Forest Rangers in battling wildfires across the state,” said DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton.  “The Volunteer Fire Capacity grant program helps support fire personnel in these departments with the resources they need to continue the vital work protecting our communities and State lands.”

The Volunteer Fire Capacity grant program is funded by the U.S. Forest Service and administered by DEC’s Division of Forest Protection. Eligible fire departments will receive 50/50 matching funds up to $3,500, a $1,000 increase from last year. In 2024, the program provided grants to 345 fire departments.

Eligible fire departments include those that are at least 80 percent volunteer and provide wildland fire protection to a rural area within their jurisdiction. Fire departments that receive a grant award must complete all grant process paperwork.

Only expenses directly related to wildland firefighting suppression efforts are eligible for funding.  These include the purchase of protective fire clothing and PPE, modern communications supplies for more effective action on incidents, firefighting supplies such as nozzles and hoses, tools and other smaller scale supplies, and water delivery systems such as cisterns and dry hydrants.

Expenditures not directly related to firefighting, such as search and rescue supplies, acquisition of land, construction of buildings and facilities, major apparatus purchases, and maintenance items (gas/gas cans, oil, bar chain oil) are not eligible for funding.

For applications and additional information about the grant program, contact DEC at (518) 402-8839, or write to NYSDEC, Division of Forest Protection, 625 Broadway 11th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-2560, or visit the DEC website.

Ambition and a passion for discovery lead a first-generation student to Dartmouth

Click here for the VTDigger story 

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Click here for the Vermont Public story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

Click here for the NCPT story 

Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On November 29 at 7:55 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Warren County 911 about a hiker with chest pains approximately 1.5 miles in from the Clay Meadow trailhead in the Lake George Wild Forest. Four Forest Rangers and the Bolton Fire Department reached the 56-year-old from Gansevoort, made a health assessment, and determined a carry out was necessary. Rescuers used a wheeled litter to transport the hiker to the trailhead where they turned over care to Bolton EMS. Resources were clear at 10:10 p.m.

Clay meadow rescue

Clay Meadow rescue

Town of Lake George   
Warren County   
Public Outreach: On November 29, Forest Rangers participated in Lake George’s annual Lite Up the Village celebration. An inflatable Smokey Bear on loan from the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact traveled with a decked-out Ranger engine brush truck.

Lake George’s Lite Up the Village

Town of Hadley
Saratoga County
Wilderness Rescue: On November 28 at 12:54 p.m., Forest Rangers Carabetta and Clute responded to a call for a hiker with a wrist injury on Hadley Mountain. The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, Hadley-Luzerne Fire Department, and Rockwell Falls Emergency Medical Services (EMS) also responded. By 2:40 p.m., rescuers reached the 55-year-old from Maryland approximately 0.75 miles up the trail. The hiker slipped and fell on their mountain descent. Rangers provided microspikes and trekking poles due to the icy trail conditions. They reached the trailhead at 3 p.m. Rockwell Falls EMS transported the patient to the hospital.

Hadley Rescu

Read more »

Click here for the New York Focus story 

I have been advised that Robin Caudell has had to cancel her December 4th Presentation at the Clinton County Historical Association – I apologize but this is beyond both Robin’s and my control. 

Helen Nerska, Director
Clinton County Historical Association.

Applications Due April 1, 2026

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a second round of the County Infrastructure Grant Program, which will provide an additional $50 million to support small- and medium-sized county-led infrastructure projects. Modern infrastructure is fundamental to New York State’s economic vitality. By supporting small- and medium-scale projects, the state can maintain its competitiveness, generate additional economic growth and continue to advance Governor Kathy Hochul’s bold housing agenda. Applications will be accepted now through April 1, 2026. Empire State Development (ESD) requires submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI) prior to filing a final application. Links to the LOI and application are available here.

“Coming from local government, I know firsthand how funding for local infrastructure projects can change a community — uplifting residents and providing those communities with a sense of purpose,” Governor Hochul said. “When counties are offered assistance to build more infrastructure, it gives these communities the opportunity to attract more visitors and spur housing development for generations to come.”

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Growing the state’s housing stock is not just a priority; it is a structural pillar of Governor Hochul’s administration and the essential catalyst for robust, sustainable economic growth. With another round of the County Infrastructure Grant Program, we are making a targeted investment that will provide critical housing stability for New Yorkers. This simultaneous effort will enhance the sense of place and vitality across our communities, creating the groundwork necessary to cultivate new jobs, attract new residents, and welcome visitors.”

With only one job seeker for every 22 square miles, plenty of jobs remain open in Hamilton County towns

Click here for the Adirondack Explorer Story 

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New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Monroe County District Attorney Brian Green and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced that Karen Walsh, a 68-year-old Rochester woman, pleaded guilty to stealing $12,973 in state pension payments sent to her mother, whose death had not been reported to the pension system. As part of the plea, Walsh was ordered to pay full restitution upfront.

“Ms. Walsh tried to profit off of her mother’s death and defraud the state pension system,” DiNapoli said. “Now, through my partnership with law enforcement, she has been held accountable for her actions and must repay the money she stole. My thanks to D.A. Green and the New York State Police for their work with my office to ensure justice is served.”

“The defendant’s actions represent a misuse of the New York State pension system and, by extension, an offense against the citizens who fund it,” Green said. “Allowing such conduct would undermine the integrity of a system relied upon by countless public servants who dedicated their careers to their communities. I appreciate the thorough work of the State Comptroller’s Office and the New York State Police in this investigation that assisted in today’s resolution. The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office is committed to seeking justice and accountability for all who commit economic crimes against the residents of New York State.”

“Ms. Walsh used her mother’s death to her advantage and continued to inexcusably collect the pension meant to support her mother for the remainder of her life. We will continue to aggressively investigate any case involving financial corruption and those who take advantage of the pension system. I commend the Comptroller’s Office and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office for their partnership in this investigation,” James said.

Walsh’s mother, also of Rochester, received a monthly payment as the beneficiary of her deceased husband’s state pension. When she passed away in 2020, her pension payments should have stopped, however, Karen Walsh failed to report the death to the pension system and instead pocketed the money.  A total of $19,524 in pension payments went to Walsh’s account.

Walsh stole $12,973 by withdrawing over $4,000 from the account and transferring at least $8,000 to a second account in her mother’s name to which she also had access. She wrote checks from that second account, forging her deceased mother’s name and endorsing the back of the checks with her own signature, before depositing them into her own account. Walsh also used the second account in her mother’s name to make personal credit card payments, pay for home improvements and buy groceries.

Walsh pleaded guilty to petit larceny before Judge Van H. White in Rochester City Court.

Adirondack Blood Donor Center offers many opportunities to give during December

 Plattsburgh, NY – Adirondack Blood Donor Center officials are asking all eligible donors to add donating blood to their holiday to-do list this year.

The need for blood and blood products is constant while donations traditionally decline during the holiday season, according to Laboratory Manager Shannon Nutbrown.

The schedule of community blood drives in December is as follows:

• Thursday, Dec. 4, Medisca, 626 Tom Miller Road, 1 to 4 pm
• Friday, Dec. 5, Clinton County Government Center, First Floor Meeting Room, 137 Margaret St., 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
• Tuesday, Dec. 9, Plattsburgh Rehab and Nursing Home, 8 Bushey Blvd.,1 to 4 pm
• Wednesday, Dec.10, CVPH’s R3 Nursing Unit Solarium, 75 Beekman St., 5 to 10 am
• Friday, Dec.12, West Side Ballroom, 253 New York Road, sponsored by the Clinton County ARC, 9 am to 1 pm
• Monday, Dec. 15, FCI Ray Brook, 128 Ray Brook Rd., Ray Brook, 12:30 to 4 pm
• Thursday, Dec. 18, Holy Name Church Hall, 10 Church Lane, Ausable Forks, 4 to 7 pm
• Monday, Dec. 22, Essex Fire Department and co-sponsored Masonic Lodge, 2659 Station Rd., Essex, 4 to 7 pm
• Tuesday, Dec. 23, Bloomingdale Fire Department, 1640 Route 3, Bloomingdale, 3:30 to 6:30 pm
• Friday, Dec. 26, Champlain Centre Mall, 60 Smithfield Blvd., noon to 4 pm
• Monday, Dec. 29, Champlain EMS and co-sponsor Knights of Columbus, 1150 Route 11, 3 to 7 pm

Patients at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone and Elizabethtown Community Hospital (including Ticonderoga) along with the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake benefit from the donations collected at drives conducted by the Blood Donor team and sponsored by community groups and local businesses. Donors can also donate at the Donor Center, located at 85 Plaza Blvd. and open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. One donated pint can help up to three North Country residents.

Blood donors must be at least 16 years-old (16- and 17-year-old donors must have written parental/guardian consent), in general good health and weigh at least 110 lbs. A screening questionnaire addressing personal medical, social and travel history is completed prior to donating and a donor card or another form of valid identification is also required. Donors must wait 56 days between donations.

Learn more about the Adirondack Blood Center, giving blood and becoming a sponsor at UVMHealth.org/GiveBlood or call 518-562-7406.