The Peru Gazette

Source: What’s in the state budget for the Adirondacks? – – The Adirondack Almanack

Source: CCE Essex receives $385k USDA grant to expand local food buying – – The Adirondack Almanack

Source: US-Canada border reopening talks to begin

A total of 286,600 people were on the payrolls of Vermont employers in December, a number that hasn’t changed since September. But it’s 28,500 fewer jobs than in December 2019, before the pandemic started, a 9% decline. That’s the 5th largest employment decline in the nation. Only Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts and Michigan have experienced steeper job losses.

Source: Woolf: Vermont’s employment recovery expected to be slow – VTDigger

Source: Pressure Cooker: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Restaurant Workers | Food + Drink Features | Seven Days | Vermont’s Independent Voice

Source: Burlington’s police transformation czar weighs in on challenges

“We made it in the building bitches! We’re taking it back! We are taking it back, we made it in the building!” the defendant, James Bonet, said on one of the videos, according to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Albany.

Source: FBI charges Glens Falls man in Jan. 6 storming of U.S. Capitol

Source: Franklin the snow giant | News, Sports, Jobs – Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Source: Group Calls On Vt. Newsrooms To Address Gender Bias, Lack Of Diversity In Coverage | Vermont Public Radio

Source: After Examination, Tests, Sen. Patrick Leahy Heads Home From Hospital | Vermont Public Radio

Source: Winter weather advisory issued for northern N.Y. and Vt. | Sun Community News PLATTSBURGH | A winter-weather advisory has been issued for portions of northern New York and Vermont through Jan. 27.

Source: City & State Coronavirus Update co-sponsored by Pesetsky & Bookman, PC

Source: ‘We are gutted’: Hudson Falls schools stay remote after 12 bus drivers exposed to COVID | NCPR News

Source: DiNapoli: 31 School Districts Designated in Some Level of Fiscal Stress | Office of the New York State Comptroller

State Senator Dan Stec (R,C,I-Queensbury) is supporting a comprehensive legislative agenda focused on helping restaurants and the hospitality industry.  

“The impact on our hospitality businesses, in terms of jobs and revenue lost, due to the COVID shutdown and restrictions has just been enormous,” said Stec.

“Long-time, successful small business, fixtures in our communities, have been closed.  Many others are just barely hanging on.  These businesses are in need of a lifeline and a show of support from state government that we get it and that we will do all we can to help.”

At a press conference in Albany today, led by Senator George Borrello, a restaurant owner from Western New York, Stec and his colleagues announced a package of bills that aim to provide relief to business owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Measures included would:
n Exempt small businesses from being penalized with higher unemployment insurance rates due to layoffs resulting from COVID-related, government-mandated closures. The exemption would extend for a period of one year from when they are permitted to return to full capacity;
n Provide small businesses additional time to pay monthly sales and payroll taxes as well as business and property taxes;
n Provide a one-year extension for renewal of liquor licenses;
n Direct SLA fines into a business relief fund; and
n Create an employee retention tax credit, modeled after the Federal Employee Retention Credit, to help employers keep workers on payroll.
“Taking action on these and other measures would help businesses stay open, which we very much need to make an economic recovery possible,” said Stec.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today issued guidance to help prevent conflicts between people and coyotes.

“Coyotes may become more territorial during the breeding and pup-rearing seasons, which in New York run from January through March, increasing the risk for potential conflicts with people and pets,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “While coyotes are an important part of New York’s ecosystem, New Yorkers are encouraged to be aware of the increased risks for conflicts and follow DEC’s guidance to prevent coyote encounters.”

The Eastern coyote is found in many habitats, from rural farmland and forests to populated suburban and urban areas across New York State. Coyotes are well adapted to suburban and even urban environments and tend to avoid conflicts with people. However, conflicts with people and pets may occur, particularly during the spring denning and pupping period. If coyotes learn to associate food, such as garbage or pet food, with peoples’ homes, these animals may lose their natural fear of humans and increase the potential for close encounters or conflicts.

To reduce or prevent conflicts with coyotes, New Yorkers are encouraged to take the following steps:

• Do not feed coyotes.
• Do not leave food outside. Pet food and garbage attract coyotes and other wildlife and increase risks to people and pets:
• • Do not feed pets outside.
  • Prevent access to garbage.
  • Fence or enclose compost piles.
  • Eliminate availability of birdseed. Concentrations of birds and rodents that come to feeders can attract coyotes.
• Do not allow coyotes to approach people or pets. If you see a coyote, be aggressive in your behavior: stand tall and hold your arms up or out to look as large as possible. If a coyote lingers for too long, make loud noises, wave your arms and throw sticks and stones.
• Teach children to appreciate coyotes from a distance.
• Do not allow pets to run free. Supervise outdoor pets to keep them safe from coyotes and other wildlife, especially at sunset and at night. Small dogs and cats are especially vulnerable.
• Fence yards to deter coyotes. The fence should be tight to the ground, preferably extending six inches below ground level and taller than four feet.
• Remove brush and tall grass from around homes to reduce protective cover for coyotes. Coyotes are typically secretive and like areas where they can hide.
• Contact the local police department and DEC regional office for assistance if coyotes exhibit bold behaviors and have little or no fear of people, or if seen repeatedly during the daytime in a human-populated area or near residences. Seeing a coyote occasionally throughout the year is not evidence of bold behavior.
• Ask neighbors to follow these steps to prevent coyote conflicts.

For additional information about the Eastern Coyote and preventing conflicts with coyotes, visit the DEC webpages below:

Eastern Coyote

Coyote Conflicts

Feeding Wildlife: A Wrong Choice

Tips to Eliminate Wildlife Conflicts

Regional DEC Wildlife Offices

Source: Ice Palace work to begin Thursday | News, Sports, Jobs – Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Source: Cuomo: Vaccination rate among health care workers exceeds 70 percent