The Peru Gazette

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that a bill he sponsored to amend the state agriculture and market law to ease restrictions on imports and permit requirements for dairy farmers has passed the Assembly (A.7481).

“This bill will not only help New York consumers by providing them with a greater variety of dairy products, it would relax unnecessarily restrictive laws that can prevent dairy farmers from efficiently distributing their products,” Assemblyman Jones said. “Our hardworking farmers were hit particularly hard by COVID-19 and it’s critical that we do everything we can to support their recovery and future generations of dairy farmers.”

The bill changes current law in two ways. The first section of the bill removes the requirement to obtain a permit in order to import milk and milk products into the state. Permit requirements impose an unnecessary burden upon interstate commerce since imported milk and milk products are already required to meet all standards and requirements applicable to milk and milk products produced or manufactured in New York. Repealing the permit requirement will benefit New York dairy farmers as many of them sell milk to processors and manufacturers, located out of state, which in turn sell and distribute milk and milk products in New York.

The second section allows the state agricultural commissioner to make a partial payment to a dairy farmer who has not been paid for milk if the defaulting dealer has secured its milk purchases by providing alternative security as opposed to the milk producer’s security fund. The law previously stated that this payment could only be made if the defaulting dealer had secured its purchases by paying into the milk producer’s security fund. This bill will correct this oversight and may enable certain dairy farmers to stay in business who, under the previous law, may not have been able to do so, noted Jones.

Source: Meadowbrook Healthcare required vaccinations for staff, threatened termination

Hope you’re able to open this very good article. Source: Pandemic highlights broadband gaps in Adirondacks

Get A Shot To Make Your Future – Registration Page Parents or legal guardians of any New Yorker, ages 12 to 17, can enter their child who has received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine dose (at any time), for a chance to win one of 50, four-year full-ride scholarships (includes tuition, fees, room-and-board, and expenses) to any New York State public college or university. Only one entry per child will be valid and all duplicate entries will be removed prior to the drawing being held.  Submit only one

Source: Get A Shot To Make Your Future – Registration Page

Source: Upstate NY summer concert venues: Who uses ‘pods’? Who requires Covid vaccines? – syracuse.com

Source: First 10 Winners Of New York State COVID Vaccine College Scholarship Raffle Announced

Source: First 10 Winners Of New York State COVID Vaccine College Scholarship Raffle Announced

Source: More young kids eating cannabis candy, other products, Upstate poison center warns – syracuse.com

Source: Federal bill looks to support local fairs | Sun Community News SARATOGA | A new federal bill now looks to provide grant funding to agricultural fairs to help ease financial losses from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Saratoga County’s four Adirondack towns seek to attract new residents | NCPR News

Source: As dairy farmers recover from pandemic, questions arise over support, milk pricing system | NCPR News

By John T. Ryan 

Peru – Up until five years ago, retired Peru teacher Don Evans had never been a gardener; now, he has a beautiful garden that most passers-by stop to examine. His garden doesn’t have corn, beans, and other vegetables; instead, it’s a fairy garden designed to make magic happen for children. It’s a miniature garden with structures, living plants, tiny houses, chairs, and other things designed to lure magical fairies. Known as an avid bike rider, hiker, and kayaker, building a fairy garden doesn’t precisely coincide with Don Evan’s other pursuits. He commented, “This slows me down. It allows me to be creative.” 

Up until this summer, only Don’s family and a few neighbors knew about the garden because it was in his backyard. When one of his daughters suggested he move it to the front yard, he was ready to make a move. Evans said, “I liked the garden back there, but I wanted more people to see it. I bit the bullet and went for it.” Assisted by his wife Shirley, the transfer and reconstruction  process took about two or three weeks, but all the hard work has been worth it. Shirley estimates that at least 100 people including many neighborhood children accompanied by their parents have stopped by over the past two weeks.

Don constructs the garden’s buildings in his basement workshop using his wood scraps and driftwood he finds during the couple’s walks along lakeshores, most frequently along Lake Champlain at Ausable Point. He used a plastic popcorn box to make the garden’s lighthouse. A building takes him two to three weeks to complete. He doesn’t take his ideas from any books or stories. Available materials typically determine what he is going to try next. Upgrading and changing the garden is an ongoing process. 

If you are traveling in the Quaker Springs subdivision, Don and Shirley invite you and your children to stop by and become enchanted as you browse and envision fairies visiting their 7 Oakdale Drive garden.

Source: Thousands to visit Adirondack Coast this summer for six major tournaments on Lake Champlain

APRIL 2021 DEPT REPORTS

Source: Essex County reports zero COVID cases | News, Sports, Jobs – Adirondack Daily Enterprise

PLATTSBURGH, NY – The Strand Center for the Arts is excited to host “seeing is believing,” a photographic exhibition featuring work by photographer, Ron Nolland, in the Main Gallery. This upcoming exhibit will open in The Strand Center Main Gallery on Friday, June 4, 2021. A free reception will be held from 5:00-8:00 pm that night.

Plattsburgh native Ron Nolland has been photographing the world around him for years, developing a collection of fine art images seen in galleries and shows throughout Northern NY. With most of his images based on nature, he looks to find patterns and details hidden in plain sight, striving to find more than originally meets the eye. Most of his images are from close to home, for he feels that if we look close enough, the sublime patterns of nature are there waiting for us to capture them. His work is focused on helping people see and believe in what is not always apparent at first glance.

Concerning the exhibition, Nolland states; “This show, especially after the long pandemic, is a wonderful opportunity to exhibit many of my more recent pieces that have had very limited exposure.  I have some old favorites of course, but I also have several brand-new photographs that have never been shown anywhere before. Most of the images are based on my desire to help the viewer see and believe some of the subtle, and not so subtle patterns in the world around us.”

A constant exhibitor at the Strand Center galleries and Member Shows for the past 16 years, Nolland has had solo exhibits in galleries including the Plattsburgh Public Library’s Hale Walter Gallery, Clinton Community Alumni Gallery, CVPH, The Depot Theater, Peru Library, Champlain Wine Company, and all the Off-Site Galleries in the Strand Center Program. He was an exhibiting member of the Community Gallery at the Strand Center, with his work displayed throughout the year. He was also a founding member and exhibitor of the Artist’s Co-op Gallery at Stonybrook.

Nolland’s solo shows throughout the North Country are always well received. Regularly selected for juried exhibitions, his work is also featured at Plattsburgh International Airport, and a permanent collection at Inn at Smithfield Best Western. CVPH has also acquired several pieces that permanently grace different spaces at the hospital. Several of Nolland’s images were featured in Blueline, an Adirondack literary magazine. A previous Adirondack Life Photography Contest Award Winner, his recent article in the magazine featured a group of his photographs of kite surfers in the Adirondack Park. Nolland also provides custom photography and exclusive pieces for clients. When not with a camera in his hand, he enjoys time with his family, bike riding, gardening, and baking bread.

Source: Scott vetoes noncitizen voting measures, setting new record – VTDigger

“A list of facilities to be closed is expected to be made public this week by DOCCS, an agency controlled by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor has repeatedly said that prisons should not be viewed as a “jobs program.”

‘“Everyone is waiting with baited breath,” said Michael Powers, president of the NYSCOPBA union. John Roberts, a NYSCOPBA vice president, said he has visited the staff in several North Country prisons in recent weeks.”‘

Source: Towns brace for prison closures | News | pressrepublican.com

Source: ‘Back to normal’: Bar owners happy NYS curfew ends | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Source: CNY air quality expert: Better ventilation beats dining restrictions in pandemic – syracuse.com