June 2026
S M T W T F S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930  

News Categories

Site search

More About The Peru Gazette

The editor is John Ryan at email: perugazette@gmail.com. The Peru Gazette is a free community, education and information website. It is non-commercial and does not accept paid advertising.

Comment Policy

The Peru Gazette welcomes comments on posted stories. The author MUST include his/her first and last name. No  foul or libelous language permitted. The Peru Gazette reserves the right to not publish a comment.

Recent Comments

Rattlesnake Mountain trail closed – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: Rattlesnake Mountain trail closed – Sun Community News & Printing

Vermont National Guard to Distribute MREs to Vermonters | Bite Club

Source: Vermont National Guard to Distribute MREs to Vermonters | Bite Club

Demolition is done, construction to start

Sign erected when construction was scheduled to begin last month.

Photo taken at 5 p.m. today

By John T. Ryan

Peru – The old Maplefields gas station-convenience store at 654 Bear Swamp Road was demolished yesterday. Today contractors trucked away the remaining debris. The installation of the footings should begin tomorrow. Wright & Morrissey Inc. of South Burlington is the general contractor. Fuller Excavating of Keeseville is also working on the project.

Code Enforcement Officer Bob Guynup said Maplefields qualifies as an essential service under the terms of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus March 22nd ‘PAUSE’ Executive Order. All on-site employees are required to wear masks.

The new building has been a long time coming. Planning Board and Zoning Board approvals were granted in 2017 with construction scheduled to begin that fall. Nothing happened in 2018 or 2019. Construction was expected to start 30 days ago but was delayed when the coronavirus crisis worsened. If the original construction is maintained the new store should be in operation in about 90 days.

Maplefields is a growing company operating at 44 locations. According to the company website: “Still based in St. Albans, Vermont, Maplefields strives to be the best in the business with a strong focus on community involvement, bright clean stores and the most outstanding staff you can find in any convenience store. Maplefields is best known for having a high-quality coffee program and very clean bathrooms all of which boast fresh flowers. Maplefields has locations as far west as Malone, New York and as far east as Littleton, New Hampshire.”

Link to Peru Gazette’s 2017 story with more details.
http://www.perugazette.com/…/maplefields-plans-major-expan…/

Plasma Donations from Recovered COVID-19 Patients


In coordination with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Red Cross is seeking people who are fully recovered from the new coronavirus to sign up to donate plasma to help current COVID-19 patients.

People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that can attack the virus. This convalescent plasma is being evaluated as a treatment for patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections, or those judged by a healthcare provider to be at high risk of progression to severe or life-threatening disease.

Click here for more information 

Quebec’s COVID-19 Case Count Has Now Passed 20k With Over 1,000 Deaths – MTL Blog

There were 102 more deaths announced in the past 24 hours.

Source: Quebec’s COVID-19 Case Count Has Now Passed 20k With Over 1,000 Deaths – MTL Blog

A soup kitchen message from Peru Town Supervisor Brandy McDonald

((Please Share)) Tomorrow If Anyone needs a hot meal let me know or inbox me your address and I will pick it up at 430pm in Peru at the Soup Kitchen and Delivery it and leave it on your doorsteps.Tomorrow between 445pm-515pm. They are having Shepherds Pie, Asparagus soup and Molasses Cookies inbox me on Facebook or text my cell # 1-518-593-3078 ((A Huge thanks goes out today to Ruth Hamilton Neil Hamilton Patti Thew Hamilton Family and to Marian Morse- Peters for the very Generous donation I will be dropping off tomorrow to the Soup Kitchen In Peru also again to Brenda A Brelia for making more Face masks again today !!!

 

 

Antibody testing could inform when different regions can reopen | NCPR News

Source: Antibody testing could inform when different regions can reopen | NCPR News

Stec Applauds Cuomo’s Regional-Based Plan

 Assemblyman Dan Stec (R,C,I-Queensbury) today applauded the announcement by Governor Cuomo that New York State will use a regional approach to reopening New York State’s economy. This move comes on the heels of the bipartisan advocacy of Assemblyman Stec, local and regional leaders and area small business owners to abandon a one-size-fits-all approach for one that more accurately reflects the situation on the ground in different parts of the state.
“I welcome the Governor’s announcement that our state will reopen region-by-region,” Stec said. “As I’ve personally said to the Governor’s office during daily updates and heard from local business owners and elected officials, we need to acknowledge that the needs of the North Country and other parts of the state at this time are simply not the same as the needs of New York City and downstate suburbs. Today’s announcement is a sign that the Governor has listened and is responding to what I and so many upstate leaders have said and encouraged.
“By opting to move forward in this fashion, the Governor has taken a key first step in helping upstate get back on track,” he added. “Restoring our economy and coming up with new strategies to help the record amount of unemployed New Yorkers get back to work is going to take time and a lot of hard work and planning. We’ll have to proceed safely, cautiously and responsibly to ensure we continue to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in our region, but this news is a great start.
“In the days, weeks and months ahead, I look forward to working with the Governor, my colleagues in the Legislature, local business owners and our community stakeholders to help safely reopen and restore confidence in our economy,” Stec concluded.

Clinton County COVID-19 Positive Tests No Change at 56

Clinton County Health Department COVID-19 Case Update 
 
Contact Tracing Vital to County’s Efforts to Control the Spread
 
Plattsburgh, April 21, 2020. Expansion of testing and contact tracing have been identified at both the state and national levels as key to a safe reopening of businesses and other sectors of society. Each time the Clinton County Health Department (CCHD) receives notification of a positive COVID-19 test result, contact tracing begins.
 
Contact tracing includes interviewing an individual who is ill or has tested positive for COVID-19; determining where they have been and who they have been in contact with, and reaching out to those contacts. The same is done for individuals who meet the criteria of a suspect case, even without a positive test result. The contact tracing team for COVID-19 also connects individuals who must remain in isolation or quarantine with community resources to help them meet the needs for food and other essential items.
 
“Contact tracing is a routine part of any communicable disease investigation”, according to Erin Streiff, Director of Health Care Services for the Clinton County Health Department. “What’s different with COVID-19, is the scale. There are many more people to contact and more follow-up needed as people are advised to remain in isolation or quarantine as a result of exposure to the virus. More people are needed to accomplish the task.”
 
The County’s contact tracing team currently consists of 15 individuals and includes Health Department staff, Sheriff’s Department representatives and additional assistance from the Department of Social Services. “The size of the contact tracing team for any disease investigation depends on the number of people who are ill or suspected of being ill,” Ms. Streiff noted. “The well-established partnerships that exist among County Departments and other community organizations allowed the team to grow as needed.”
 
CCHD developed a “Just in Time” training (JITT) for new additions to the contact tracing team. JITT is a term used to describe the training that quickly teaches the specific steps needed to carry out a task during an emergency or disaster. This training is another factor in the County’s ability to expand contact tracing as needed.
 
In the coming weeks, it is likely that more testing will become available in all areas of the state and nation. With this increased level of testing, a larger team will be needed to do contact tracing. Clinton County is anticipating the need to expand its capacity.
 
COVID-19 case numbers in Clinton County for Tuesday, April 21, 2020 are as follows.
 
Lab-confirmed positive 56 – Recovered 40 – Deaths 2
Probable 3 – Recovered 2 – Deaths 1
Suspect 42 Recovered 37 – Deaths 0

Governor Cuomo April 21, 2020 Livestream

COVID-19 GLOBAL UPDATE

More than 180 nations worldwide have confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The following have the highest number as of 4 a.m. ET*:

  1. US 787,960 (+3.72%)
  2. Spain 200,210 (+0.77%)
  3. Italy 181,228 (+1.26%)
  4. France 156,493 (+1.55%)
  5. Germany 147,065 (+0.91%)
  6. UK 125,856 (+3.86%)
  7. Turkey 90,980 (+5.42%)
  8. China 83,849 (+0.04%)
  9. Iran 83,505 (+1.57%)
  10. Russia 47,121 (+9.96%)

Source: Johns Hopkins University

*Percentage change over 24 hours

Frequent flyer, loyalty programs affected by coronavirus: Full list

Source: Frequent flyer, loyalty programs affected by coronavirus: Full list

Clinton County Court still handling ‘essential matters’ | Coronavirus | pressrepublican.com

Source: Clinton County Court still handling ‘essential matters’ | Coronavirus | pressrepublican.com

Cuomo gears up to allow elective surgeries in some upstate regions | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Source: Cuomo gears up to allow elective surgeries in some upstate regions | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Dartmouth-Hitchcock takes stock of Covid-19 crisis, eyes future – VTDigger

Source: Dartmouth-Hitchcock takes stock of Covid-19 crisis, eyes future – VTDigger

Body of missing person found in Lake Champlain – VTDigger

Source: Body of missing person found in Lake Champlain – VTDigger

‘Save our school, please!’ Vermont students plead for lifeline as state colleges eyed for closure

Source: Save our school, please!’ Vermont students plead for lifeline as state colleges eyed for closure

Sweet News – 2020 Maple Season Report – – The Adirondack Almanack

Source: Sweet News – 2020 Maple Season Report – – The Adirondack Almanack

State DOH conducts antibody testing in Plattsburgh | Coronavirus | pressrepublican.com

Source: State DOH conducts antibody testing in Plattsburgh | Coronavirus | pressrepublican.com

No change in positive cases COVID-19 tests from yesterday.

Clinton County Health Department afternoon 4-19-20 COVID-19 Case Update. Plattsburgh – Of the 505 tests for COVID-19 that have been conducted in Clinton County to date, Clinton County Health Department reports that 56 have come back positive for COVID-19.

Of these lab-confirmed cases, 37 have recovered. Indeterminate results have been received for three individuals, 2 of whom have recovered from their symptoms. Additionally 44 suspect cases have been identified; 36 of whom have recovered. The number of deaths associated with COVID-19 in Clinton County remains at 3 (2 lab-confirmed and one probable).

Maplefields comes down

Peru – A small pile of rubble is all that remains at Maplefields on the Bear Swamp Rd. this evening. The demolition of the old building was planned for March 15th, but it was delayed by the coronavirus crisis.

Owner R. L. Vallee had hoped to construct a new building in about 90 days. The Gazette will try to determine more information tomorrow.

Click the link to learn more about the new building. It’s about twice the size of the structure demolished today.

Click here to learn more about the new Maplefields 

Watch live: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gives coronavirus update – CBS News

Source: Watch live: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gives coronavirus update – CBS News

Mazdzer stays positive through bumps on the Self-Quarantine track

Source: Mazdzer stays positive through bumps on the Self-Quarantine track

Tele-Town Hall: Ask Our Hospital Presidents & YOU’RE INVITED

Chamber set to host a conversation with hospital presidents on the impact of COVID-19!

Plattsburgh, NY – On Thursday April 23rd at 10:00 AM, the North Country Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a conversation with hospital presidents to give us updates and answers to questions regarding the response by our hospitals to COVID-19 and the impacts on hospital operations.

Featuring:

MICHELLE LEBEAU, President, UVM Health Network: CVPH and Alice Hyde

SYLVIA GETMAN, President and CEO, Adirondack Health

JOHN REMILLARD, President, UVM Health Network: Elizabethtown Community Hospital

Register and ask your questions by visiting northcountrychamber.com!

As impatience grows, still no plan for widespread COVID-19 testing in North Country | NCPR News

Source: As impatience grows, still no plan for widespread COVID-19 testing in North Country | NCPR News