The Peru Gazette

Source: Allegations against Cuomo: Alleged victim describes groping incident, says ‘sexually aggressive’ behavior increased overtime

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) announced that he helped secure several measures that will be included in the approved 2021-22 state budget to support North Country families and businesses impacted by COVID-19. Jones also will vote against the Excluded Workers Fund due to its flawed policy and concerns with potential inaccurate activity in an already bogged down system. Instead, the eye-popping allocation of $2.1 billion included in the proposal should have been allocated to benefit all struggling New Yorkers, especially those the North Country.

“This budget process was the most arduous and frustrating that I have been a part of since elected to the New York State Assembly. With that aside, I am pleased that the approved budget will invest in the North Country’s recovery, including assistance for our hardworking agricultural community, increased money for schools, and funding to tackle broadband accessibility and transportation infrastructure, along with support for our veterans.”

The approved budget will also include important funding for transportation infrastructure. “North Country residents depend on the stability of their local infrastructure. Whether traveling to work, to pick up children, or to obtain healthcare it is crucial that our roads and bridges be safe,” said Jones. Local municipalities rely heavily on Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) funding to complete necessary maintenance and improvements. The approved budget would increase CHIPS funding by $100 million for a total of $538.1 million in state aid. Tackling broadband infrastructure deserts will also help fuel economic development in the North Country, which is why Jones helped include a $1 million appropriation for a broadband study. We’ve seen how vital reliable, high-speed is for our state during the pandemic as we embraced working from home, telemedicine and remote learning, Jones noted. The 2021-22 approved state budget would also provide:

• An additional $50 million for PAVE NY, which is used to rehabilitate and repave local roads and bridges, improving safety for drivers;
• $100 million for the Extreme Winter Recovery program, which was cut in the executive budget proposal; and
• $39.7 million in funding for the Marchiselli Program, which helps municipalities complete local road and bridge construction and improvement projects.

Small businesses have undoubtedly shouldered a heavy burden throughout this pandemic as well. Small businesses remain the backbone of the North Country and will continue to fuel the economic success of the region. Jones supported small business relief that will be included in the approved budget which will provide the following:

• $1 billion for direct support to small businesses
• $800 million for small business grants
• $200 million in small business tax credits
• $35 million Restaurant Return-to-Work Tax Credit.

Local school districts will also benefit from the approved budget, which is welcomed news after schools were forced to adapt quickly to an entirely new educational model, which was a costly and challenging process. The final budget will provide $3.1 billion more in state education funding over last year and will increase Foundation Aid by $1.4 billion, for a total of $19.8 billion, with $335.2 million in total funding and a Foundation Aid increase by $9.9 million for the 115^th Assembly District. Funding for essential teacher programs will also be restored. Additionally, the approved state budget will provide $94.2 million for libraries and an additional $20 million for library construction grants, for a total of $34 million. The approved budget will also support child care by providing $2.4 billion for these services and create tax credits for businesses that offer child care programs.

Agriculture is another driving force in the North Country’s economy, and many of the farmers have stepped up to help address food insecurity while New Yorkers struggled with unemployment and other unknowns due to the pandemic. The 2021-22 budget one approved will provide $35.78 million for agricultural aid that will help local farmers, including:

• $500,000 for Farmland for the New Generation;
• $400,000 for Cornell Equitable Farm Futures Initiative;
• $300,000 for Northern NY Agricultural Development;
• $50 million for the Nourish NY program to tackle food insecurity; and
• extending the Farm Workforce Retention Credit for three years

Jones also noted that there were important provisions to help veterans included in the budget as well. As part of his commitment to support those who serve our country and provide veterans with the resources and services they deserve, Jones fought to restore $4.5 million in funding for veterans in the approved state budget, including an additional $495,000 for the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project, for a total of $5 million. The approved budget will also reestablish the state Division of Veterans’ Services call-in line to connect veterans directly to Veterans Benefits Advisors and will restore funding for the North Country Veterans’ Association. Additionally, the Hire-a-Vet tax credit, which offers a tax credit for employers who hire veterans, will be extended for two years.

Additionally, the approved state budget will provide $656 million for the Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) program, which is a critical lifeline for cities, towns and villages. Jones also rejected the executive budget proposal to close entry into the Enhanced STAR exemption program.

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Hundreds of people in the Potsdam-Canton area remembered and celebrated the life of 15 year-old Riley Basford on Monday. Basford was remembered as a kind, energetic young man with “an infectious smile” who loved to hunt, fish, and play lacrosse and football.

Source: State police warn of social media dangers after Potsdam teen’s death | NCPR News

Nearly 100 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed at UVM in the last week. That includes 40 on-campus and 54 off-campus students. Three staff members also have tested positive.

Source: UVM continues to see increase in COVID cases

Source: Burlington School District to remove police officers from schools – VTDigger

Source: SUNY offering one-shot Covid-19 vaccine to students before they go home for summer – syracuse.com

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Source: NY state budget: Deal to freeze SUNY tuition, expand TAP aid – syracuse.com

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Source: Lake Champlain targeted for new salmon rearing project | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | A new pen-rearing project is now aimed at improving post-stocking salmon survival rates in Lake Champlain.

Source: N.Y. prison visitation to resume | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | Prison visitation in New York is now expected to resume later this month.

Source: Chamber applauds aspects of N.Y. budget and business relief bills | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | As the North Country Chamber of Commerce continues to analyze final state budget bills under approval, local business advocates are applauding the signific

“New York’s budget has ballooned to a whopping $217 billion, which is an astonishing increase of more than $41 billion in just two years.  Despite the billions and billions of federal dollars to plug the state’s budget hole, this year’s budget includes more than $4 billion in new taxes to fund more spending.

“High taxes and a very challenging business environment, not the weather, has chased a lot of people out of New York State.  Rather than improve our competitiveness, this budget will likely hasten the exodus of residents, particularly professionals who have found this past year that they can do business in New York, but remotely and much more affordably.

“The $2.1 billion so-called ‘excluded worker’ fund to provide financial benefits of up to $27,900 for ‘off-the-books’ workers, including illegal aliens, held up budget negotiations for days as far-left New York City senators battled with more moderate fellow members.  At a time when businesses – many of them ‘mom and pop’ small businesses – are financially devastated and in need of help, the ‘excluded worker’ fund became the focal point.

“While I am very pleased funding and language for a comprehensive broadband study is in the budget, they also put in the budget a laudable but costly and unfunded mandate for low-cost broadband that may put small providers of broadband services out of business.  

“Finally, while some might call this budget transformative, it has been far from transparent.  The ‘messages of necessity’ and rush to pass bills late at night continues to reflect badly on a budget process that is anything but ‘good government’.”

WILMINGTON — The Ausable River Association (AsRA) announces the hire of Leanna Thalmann as their water quality associate. Working closely with AsRA’s scientific team and under the direction of Executive Director, Kelley Tucker, Thalmann will lead water quality monitoring, assessment, and stewardship of lakes and streams in the Ausable watershed and beyond.

A recent masters graduate of the University of Vermont, Thalmann studied water quality management with a focus on nutrient runoff from agricultural fields in the Ausable Watershed.  She received the Flanagan Scholarship at the W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute where she worked for the past two years developing skills in water quality monitoring, soil assessment, project management and technical writing. In 2019, she placed first for her presentation at the tri-society (Soil, Crop, Agronomy) meeting in the Soil & Water Conservation and Management Section in San Antonio, Texas.

Before attending the University of Vermont, Thalmann worked as a subsistence fisheries intern for the U.S. Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska. She operated a remote fish weir and enumerated adult sockeye salmon escapement. She also collected limnological field data (temperature, dissolved oxygen, light penetration profiles) and collected water samples for nutrient analysis.

Thalmann double majored in Environmental Science and Geology from SUNY Plattsburgh. She received the outstanding graduating senior in Environmental Science award and an undergraduate research award. She was the president of the Botanical Society of America student chapter. Thalmann has interned with Brookhaven National Laboratory and Suffolk County Parks and is proud to have contributed to their missions in conservation.

“I am excited to continue working in the Adirondacks and in the Ausable watershed,” Thalmann said. “The watershed is a great laboratory for clean water projects where we can identify challenges and test solutions.”

Leanna’s work revolves around clean water: she will continue monitoring AsRA’s 30+ sites on the East Branch, West Branch, and Main Stem Ausable River, monitor Ausable watershed lakes, and maintain AsRA’s extensive temperature monitoring network. She’ll also collaborate with AsRA’s partners on the Mirror Lake salt use reduction initiative, work with municipalities to track salt usage, oversee AsRA’s weather station, provide stewardship of the lake, and outreach to residents, businesses, and visitors.

Since 1998, the Ausable River Association has helped communities protect the region’s streams and lakes, their water quality, and the many forms of life that depend on them. More information about AsRA’s stream restoration efforts may be found online at www.ausableriver.org.