The Peru Gazette

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Grand Isle, VT — The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program, in partnership with NEIWPCC, invites the public to Love the Lake 2026, a winter speaker series featuring four presentations on environmental and cultural heritage topics. Free coffee and dessert will be provided. Please note that the location for the February 19^th presentation with Teage O’Connor has been changed to the Rock Point Center in Burlington, Vermont.

February 12: What lives in Lake Champlain? Snorkeling to find out!
Graham Montague, underwater explorer and PhD student at the University of Vermont

February 19: The Connection Between Trees and the Lake
Teage O’Connor, Executive Director of Crow’s Path, in collaboration with the Wild Burlington Society

March 12: Wool and Water: Communicating Science with Fiber Art in the Lake Champlain Basin and Beyond
Michale Glennon, Senior Research Scientist at Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute

March 19: Vermont’s Revolution
Angie Grove, Executive Director of the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum

All presentations will take place from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at 54 West Shore Road in Grand Isle, Vermont, with the exception of Teage O’Connor’s presentation, which will be held at the Rock Point Center in Burlington, VT.

For more information and to register for virtual attendance, visit lcbp.org/events.

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The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Qu?bec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, quality management and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit https://www.lcbp.org/.

Defendant Had Fled Sentencing in June and Was Later Captured in Cohoes With Help of Cohoes Police Department

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced that Devin Zielinski was sentenced to serve two to six years in state prison for stealing $230,000 in pension and social security benefits from an elderly victim. Zielinski was also ordered to pay $115,000 in restitution. Zielinski’s partner in the scheme, Amber Diacetis, was previously sentenced to time served in jail, ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution and serve five years of probation.

Zielinski had been sought by police after he failed to appear at his initial sentencing scheduled for June. He was located in Cohoes with the assistance of the Cohoes Police Department and arrested on October 10, 2025.

“Preying on an elderly victim to steal his money and deprive him of his basic needs is simply reprehensible. Devin Zielinski now faces the consequences of his crimes in this despicable case of elder abuse,” DiNapoli said. “My thanks to Rensselaer County DA Donnelly, State Police Superintendent James, the Schodack Police Department for their partnership in ensuring the victim received the care he needed and holding accountable the criminals who took advantage of him. I also want to thank the Cohoes Police Department for their assistance with locating and capturing Zielinski.”

Donnelly said, “Through strong partnerships with the New York State Police, the Office of the State Comptroller and the Schodack Police Department, we have been able to hold Devin Zeilinski accountable for these criminal actions.  I am pleased that we are able to provide this elderly victim with a measure of financial compensation by requiring that the culpable parties pay restitution.”

“This case is a tragic example of elder abuse and financial exploitation, carried out over several years by individuals who betrayed the trust of a vulnerable victim,” James said. “I commend the outstanding collaboration between the Office of the State Comptroller, the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office, the Schodack Police Department, and our members of the New York State Police. It is through strong partnerships like these that we are able to identify abuse, protect those who cannot protect themselves, and bring offenders to justice.”

Zielinski and Diacetis convinced the 87-year-old New York state pensioner to let them be his live-in caregivers and control his finances. They betrayed his trust, stealing his monthly $3,526 pension and $2,138 Social Security benefits. From January 2018 to August 2023, the two stole $230,000 from his bank account.

Due to their theft, the victim’s mortgage, property taxes and other bills were not paid for four years and the bank foreclosed on his house, power was cut off, and his car was repossessed. The two had their victim living in wretched conditions and in need of care, which he has since received. Zielinski continued to squat in the home after the victim was removed and the foreclosure proceedings began.

Zielinski had pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the third degree in April. He was sentenced before Judge Jennifer Sober in Rensselaer County Court.

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Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by emailing a complaint to investigations@osc.ny.gov or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.

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Public Hearing scheduled for another multi-million dollar infrastructure project

By John T Ryan 

Peru, NY – If you are one of the many people waiting for the Telegraph Road Dry Mill Brook culvert to be replaced, there was good news for you at the February 9 Peru Town Board meeting. Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell reported that a Notice to Proceed has been issued and that the project should be completed by October 1. Farrell said there was a misunderstanding regarding the box culvert delivery date at the bid opening. At the board’s last meeting, Farrell reported that the culvert wouldn’t be delivered until at least Oct. 1. 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regulations should also expedite the project. The regulations prohibit any in-stream work beginning October 1 to avoid disturbing spawning fish or their habitat. Farrell said he’s trying to find a certified bridge inspector who would charge less than $250,000, the first price he received. The inspector has to be on-site daily, and a construction trailer must be in place.  Farrell’s comments begin at the 23-minute mark of the Gazette’s meeting video. 

Engineering plans for upgrading Peru’s Reservoir Road water source and treatment system is at the design stage. Peru’s contracted engineering firm, Barton  and Loguidice, estimates that the project will cost approximately $9.4 million. The town plans to fund the project through a 50% grant the town received from the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation and a 0% interest anticipated 30-year term loan. The board conducted a public hearing on the project on May 29, 2024. (Click here to view video of the hearing) A public hearing to notify the public that there was a defect in the original public notice for this project is scheduled for February 23, 2026, beginning at 5:45 p.m. 

AES Northeast Supervising Engineer Nathan Bull reported that the wastewater treatment plant project is going as planned. Two structures are on schedule.  Site-work and prep are on track. The preliminary treatment – Administration building is enclosed enough to allow contractors to continue work. Costs are as planned. Bull’s report begins at the 4-minute mark of the Gazette’s meeting video. 

Later in the meeting, the board approved four contractor payments related to the wastewater treatment plant project: $174,116.06 to Murnane Building Contractors; $349,464.67 to John W. Danforth Company; and $173,731.25 to K & L Plumbing Inc., plus a $3,849 Change Directive to J.W. Danforth.  

Mike Farrell reported that his personnel will have to remove a power pole near the soon-to-be-replaced Lyons Road culvert. Bid opening on that project is scheduled for February 20 at 11 a.m.  Farrell is also continuing to plan for the Westcott Road culvert replacement project. He said that safety dictates the project must take place within the next two years. 

Historian Helen Nerska reported having America 250 planning underway and that she is looking forward to spring/summer historical tours in Peasleeville and Lapham Mills. 

Youth Director Krista Marino reported the January 23 statewide State of Emergency required her to cancel Saturday basketball games. Some towns did not realize that NYS requires game cancellation during a state of emergency. 

At 6:46 p.m. Supervisor Randall asked the board to adjourn to a litigation related executive session with no further meeting decisions expected. 

Correction 1/10/26 at 3 p.m. Replaced “executive sessions” with “personnel issues.”

Correction 1/12/29 – The board conducted a public hearing explaining the treatment plant project on Mary 29, 2024.  The Gazette initially reported that the February 23 public hearing would state project details. 

Click here to view the meeting video.

Click here to view meeting minutes Posted 03/04/26

The Organizational meeting of the Peru Town Board was held on Monday, January 12th, 2026 at the Peru

Town Hall. Those present were Mr. Craig H. Randall, Supervisor; Mr. Kregg Bruno, Councilman; Mr. Eric

Duquette, Councilman; Mr. Melvin Irwin, Councilman; Mr. Nick Weaver, Councilman. Also present were

Mr. Scott Thurber, Town Justice; Mrs. Sara Mitchell, Town Justice; Mr. Michael Farrell, Highway

Superintendent; Mr. Courtney Tetrault, Water/Sewer Superintendent; Mr. Tyler Jarvis, Deputy Highway

Superintendent, Ms. Pamela Barber, Confidential Secretary to the Board and Mrs. Christine Crawford,

Town Clerk.

The meeting was called to order at 5:00 PM by Mr. Randall with the Pledge of Allegiance.

RESOLUTION NUMBER: 26.01-12-1 Read more »

Read more »

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A dream takes shape: Mountain biking shop meets modern-day general store in Elizabethtown venture

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Free 8-week series includes private sessions with dietitian

Plattsburgh, NY — Helping cancer survivors rebuild their relationship with food and improve their overall wellbeing with a balanced approach to nourishment are the goals of Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT), an eight-week series that begins Thursday, March 12 at 5 pm. It is free for all cancer survivors.

Offered by the FitzPatrick Cancer Center (FCC), part of University of Vermont Health – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), the two-hour MB-EAT classes will be held at the hospital. MB-EAT includes two private sessions with a dietitian.

Developed by leading behavioral health specialists, MB-EAT is an evidence-based program that employs mindfulness meditation, experiential eating exercises, self-reflection and traditional education practices to establish a balanced approach to nourishment.

Charlotte Gosrich, RD, JD, qualified MB-EAT and certified mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor, facilitates the series which can help participants better understand hunger cues, reduce stress driven eating and cultivate a more compassionate approach to nourishment.

“Cancer treatment can change the way people think and feel about food and their bodies” said Gosrich who also serves as an FCC dietitian. “This program offers survivors a place to reconnect with themselves in a supportive environment and develop more mindful eating habits.”

For more information about MB-EAT, contact Alex Fleming, LMSW at afleming@cvph.org or 518-562-7534.

Chili 

Vegetable

Bread  

Dessert 

Served 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., take-out only, at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St., Peru, NY 12972. 

All are invited and welcome!

What: The 2026 Michelin Winter Tire Academy will offer a two-hour, hands-on winter driving experience at the Lake Placid Airport. Participants will learn how to navigate snowy and icy conditions on a custom-built course with expert instructors. Vehicles will be provided.

When: Select dates in February: Feb. 7–8, 14–15, and Feb 21–22.
Session times: 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 2 p.m.

Where: Lake Placid Airport, 27 Airport Lane, Lake Placid, New York

Who: Michelin is a French tire company founded in 1889 and is known for producing high-performance tires for cars, bicycles, aircraft and heavy vehicles, as well as its iconic Michelin Man, Bibendum.

Cost: $250 per vehicle (plus tax). Vehicles will be provided and can hold up to four (4) people.

Registration: Call (866) 277-6038 or register by visiting the Lake Placid website: lakeplacid.com/events/michelin-winter-tire-academy0.

Additional Information: Participants must be at least 12 years of age to attend the Michelin Winter Tire Academy as a passenger (non-driving) guest. Guests 18 years of age and up who present a valid driver’s license at event check-in may participate as a driver. Participants can e-mail info@MichelinWinterTireAcdemy.com for additional information.

Photo album: Courtesy of Michelin.

1. Call Meeting to Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call 

4. MOTION/DISCUSSION: To Accept Reports from all Departments: (Water/Sewer/Valcour; Highway; Town Clerk; Dog Control; Youth Department; Code/Zoning; Supervisor’s Report; Court; Website; and Banking Reports, JCEO);

5. MOTION: Acceptance of Minutes for the Special Meeting of January 29, 2026.

6. Community Input. 

7. DISCUSSION/MOTION: AES Northeast PWWTP Project Update.

8. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Approval for Supervisor to Sign Project Contracts and Documents on Behalf of the Town for DWSRF Project 19830.

9. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:   Order to Schedule a 202b Public Hearing for Feb. 23, 2026 For Project Water Treatment. 

10. DISCUSSION/MOTION: Approval of Murnane Building Contractors Pay App. #7 for Peru WWTP Project. 

11. DISCUSSION/MOTION: Approval of John W. Danforth Company Pay App. #7 for Peru WWTP Project. 

12. DISCUSSION/MOTION: Approval of K & L Plumbing Inc. Pay App. #3 for Peru WWTP Project.

13. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Approval of Change Directive P-CD.02 by J.W. Danforth.

14. DISCUSSION/MOTION:  C & S – Telegraph Over Dry Mill Brook Culvert Update

15. DISCUSSION/MOTION. Barton & Loguidice Peru Water Treatment Plant Project Update Report

16. DISCUSSION: Other Business. – Town Board

17. DISCUSSION: Other Business. – Dept. Heads

18. DISCUSSION: Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

19. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Pay December 2025 Bills.

20. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Pay January 2026 Bills.

21. MOTION: Adjourn to Executive Session.

22. MOTION: Return from Executive Session. 

23. MOTION: Adjourn Meeting.

As of February 9, 1016 at 7:26 a.m. 

Click here for the Adirondack Almanac story 

Peru  – Pancakes Plus Breakfast, Sunday, February 8, 2026 served by the St. Augustine’s Knights of Columbus, St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. $10 for adults, $5 children 5 to 11, Children under 5 are Free. Take-outs are $10. 

The menu includes Pancakes,Waffles, Strawberry Sauce, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Home Fries, Real Maple Syrup, and much more. 

The next Knight’s breakfast is March 8. 

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Click here for the Adirondack Almanac story 

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies statewide are participating in the national enforcement initiative to eliminate impaired driving during this year’s Super Bowl celebrations. The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) funds the campaign, which began Tuesday, February 3, 2026, and runs through Super Bowl Sunday, February 8, 2026. Along with increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify and arrest impaired drivers, police will target speeding, distracted driving and other reckless driving behaviors.

“If you’re like me and your team didn’t make it to the big game, you know there’s always next year,” Governor Hochul said. “However, if you drive impaired or make poor or reckless choices that put you and others on the roads in danger, next year may not come. We want all New Yorkers celebrating Super Bowl LX to plan ahead, have a designated driver or be the designated driver. Law enforcement officers will be out across the state making sure football fans are celebrating responsibly so we all can see the day the Buffalo Bills bring home the Lombardi.”

During the 2025 Super Bowl weekend campaign, law enforcement officers arrested 1,021 people for impaired driving and issued 49,948 total tickets. Read more »

Governor Hochul states that the bill’s guardrails will ensure integrity of patient decision and preparedness of medical institutions, February 6, 2026 – Governor Hochul today signed legislation S.138/A.136 that will allow medical aid in dying to be available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live. This historic bill signing comes after careful reflection and deliberation with the sponsors of the bill, advocacy organizations, and everyday New Yorkers brave enough to share their personal experiences in order to get this legislation across the finish line.

“Our state will always stand firm in safeguarding New Yorkers’ freedoms and right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right for the terminally ill to peacefully and comfortably end their lives with dignity and compassion,” Governor Hochul said. “This journey was deeply personal for me. Witnessing my mother’s suffering from ALS was an excruciating experience, knowing there was nothing I could do to alleviate the pain of someone I loved. It took years of intimate discussions with our bill sponsors, health experts, advocates, and most importantly, families who have similar firsthand experiences. New Yorkers deserve the choice to endure less suffering, not by shortening their lives, but by shortening their deaths — I firmly believe we made the right decision.”

The bill, as passed by the Legislature originally included a number of protections in order to ensure that no patient was coerced into choosing medical aid in dying and that no health care professional or religiously affiliated health facility would be forced to offer medical aid in dying. The Governor worked with the Legislature to include additional guardrails that will make sure people won’t be taken advantage of, while still ensuring terminally ill New Yorkers have the choice to die comfortably and on their own terms, including:

• A mandatory waiting period of 5 days between when a prescription is written and filled.
• An oral request by the patient for medical aid in dying must be recorded by video or audio.
• A mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
• A prohibition against anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
• Limiting the availability of medical aid in dying to New York residents.
• Requiring that the initial evaluation of a patient by a physician be in person.
• Allowing religiously-oriented home hospice providers to opt out of offering medical aid in dying.
• Ensuring that a violation of the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
• Extending the effective date of the bill to six months after signing to allow the Department of Health to put into place regulations required to implement the law while also ensuring that health care facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.

In December, the Governor joined the bill’s sponsors, supportive advocates and New Yorkers with lived experience at a press conference announcing the agreement reached with the Legislature to make medical aid in dying available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live. The Times Union also published an op-ed to outline her support for medical aid in dying.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera said, “I’m honored to carry the Medical Aid in Dying Act on behalf of the new Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. Our state must ensure terminally-ill New Yorkers can choose their journey. I want to thank Assemblymember Paulin and former Senator Hoylman-Sigal for their tireless work to give these New Yorkers the option to make an end-of-life care decision in a dignified and compassionate manner, and to Governor Hochul for signing this bill into law.”

Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, “Today is a historic day for New York. “The Medical Aid in Dying Act gives New Yorkers the dignity they deserve at the most vulnerable moment in their lives. This legislation is about love, autonomy, and easing needless suffering. My sister died a horrific death from ovarian cancer, and in her final days she was in pain so overwhelming that she begged for death. Her experience is, tragically, the story of so many others. Most people will never choose medical aid in dying, but they want the reassurance of having it as a compassionate safeguard that offers comfort even if it is never used. I am profoundly grateful to Governor Hochul for recognizing the deep compassion at the heart of this legislation and to the extraordinary advocates who have spent years working to make this day possible.”

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Today’s signing of the Medical Aid in Dying Act marks a historic step forward for compassion, dignity, and personal autonomy in New York State. For terminally ill New Yorkers facing unimaginable pain and suffering, this law ensures they will have the ability to make deeply personal end-of-life decisions on their own terms. This legislation has been years in the making, shaped by the voices of patients, families, physicians, advocates, and faith leaders who courageously shared their experiences. From the beginning, I have said this bill is not about ending life — it is about shortening death and easing suffering. I am deeply grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul for signing this bill into law and for working with the Legislature to strengthen critical safeguards that protect patients, providers, and families while preserving meaningful choice for those with less than six months to live. I also thank Senator Gustavo Rivera for his leadership as Senate sponsor, Assembly sponsor Amy Paulin, Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the advocates who helped bring this legislation across the finish line. Most of all, we owe a profound debt of gratitude to the New Yorkers with terminal illnesses and their loved ones who bravely shared their stories to ensure future generations have greater dignity, comfort, and control at the end of life.”

Compassion & Choices Senior Campaign Director Corinne Carey said, “We are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul for listening to families navigating the realities of terminal illness, to our legislative champions for their steadfast leadership, and to the advocates — many of whom did not live to see this day — whose courage made this moment possible. This law is the result of more than a decade of steady, persistent advocacy by thousands of New Yorkers who shared deeply personal stories and helped move this conversation forward across our state. The Medical Aid in Dying Act affirms a simple but profound principle: that everyone deserves compassion and the freedom to make deeply personal decisions about their own body and their own care at the end of life.”

End of Life Choices New York Executive Director Mandi Zucker said, “Governor Hochul delivered on her promise to New Yorkers by signing the Medical Aid in Dying Act. End of Life Choices New York was proud to be at the Governor’s announcement in December when she said she would sign the bill, and we were excited then. But today’s milestone is something altogether different – one that we are so proud to have played a small part in seeing to fruition. Yet today’s announcement that the Governor signed the bill is not the end of the fight to implement Medical Aid in Dying for millions of New Yorkers and their families. It is another mile marker in the long and winding road towards fairness, choice, peace, and dignity for all of those watching loved ones struggle with a terminal illness. Over the next six months and beyond, End of Life Choices New York will engage in a massive educational effort for physicians, attorneys, nurses, pharmacists, doulas, and so many other professionals who will be immediately impacted by this new law, as well as the general public. We look forward to working with the Governor’s office and many professional organizations to ensure the law is implemented successfully and efficiently.”

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