The Peru Gazette

Source: Joyce Mitchell to be released from prison 5 years after helping with Upstate NY escape – syracuse.com

By John T. Ryan

Peru – Feb. 5, 2020 – This morning forty-five volunteers, including 20 members of the Northern Adirondack Central School (NACS) Key Club, loaded a shipping container at the North Country Mission of Hope headquarters. Over the course of about two hours they packed the 40-ft container with school, office and medical supplies, plus clothing. In several days the container will arrive in Puerto Rico.

When the work was finished and donuts were served Mission of Hope Director Sr. Debbie Blow addressed the students describing the severe earthquake and storm damage Puerto Rico has experienced over the past several months. She thanked them and their advisors Cindy Hoff and DeAnn Gregory for volunteering and greatly expediting today’s task. She encouraged the students to consider becoming regular volunteers.

Sr. Debbie also thanked the 25 other volunteers who regularly load containers and assist with Mission of Hope tasks. They worked hard to today, but their smiles reflected gratitude to the students for making today’s task so successful.

Peru – Volunteers are busy this morning preparing a delicious meal for this afternoon’s St. Augustine’s Church/Peru Community Church Soup Kitchen at Paul Calkins Hall in St. Augustine’s Parish Center. Debbie Bell volunteers in the kitchen each week. She’s preparing asparagus soup for today’s meal. It will be accompanied by beef stew and a delicious dessert. Serving is from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Northern Orchards in Peru donated the asparagus and Panera Bread of Plattsburgh donated the desserts.

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Woking adjacent to the Mace Chasm Rd.

Looking toward Peru from the Mace Chasm Rd.

Plattsburgh, Peru, Keeseville – Many local residents have noticed all the power line and utility equipment working between Plattsburgh and Keeseville.  Contractors hired by NYSEG, our local electric utility, are working to provide more access to broadband service and improve the safety and reliability of our electric power.

Michael Langlois, Manager of Regional Operations, at NYSEG’s Plattsburgh Division explained. “There are currently two major initiatives taking place within NYSEG’s Plattsburgh division. The first is a project in support of New York State’s broadband access goals. In 2015, the state invested $500 million to provide broadband access to all New York State residents. In Plattsburgh, the local NYSEG division is supporting these efforts as contractors hired by the telecommunications companies set taller poles and transfer high voltage conductors. This work will provide the telecommunications companies ample utility pole space to run their low voltage cables.”

“The second major initiative taking place involves the rebuilding of high voltage transmission lines within the division. Work has been completed on a critical loop feed within the division’s central region. Nearly 10 miles of older wooden “H” structures have been replaced with larger and more resilient wood and steel structures. In a separate project, the division is upgrading 16.5 miles of a major transmission line used to supply alternate feeds to many parts of the service territory. The transmission line being rebuilt runs from the Town of Plattsburgh, passes by the Town of Peru, and ends in the Town of Keeseville. The work is anticipated to be completed by March 2020. The transmission rebuilds will ensure the safe, reliable delivery of power for years to come.”

NYSEG’s Plattsburgh Division service territory includes 41,818 electric customers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton counties. The division’s electric infrastructure includes 40 substations, 330 miles of transmission lines, and 2,254 miles of distribution lines.

Read a previous Peru Gazette article on Verizon’s broadband expansion plans

On Saturday, February 15, Amy Ivy is returning to Cornell Cooperative Extension Clinton County to hold a workshop on Choosing Vegetable Varieties and Garden Layout. The workshop will be held at our office at 6064 State Route 22, Suite 5 in Plattsburgh from 10:00am to noon. There is a $5 fee for the workshop and pre-registration is required. Contact Jolene at jmw442@cornell for more information or to register or call us at 518 561-7450.

Jolene Wallace
Horticulture Program Coordinator
CCE Clinton County

PLATTSBURGH, NY – The Strand Center for the Arts is excited to host “Indigenous Reflections,” artwork created by renowned painter, David Kanietakeron Fadden, in the Main Gallery. This upcoming exhibit showcases Fadden’s work from early 2000 to 2020 and will open in The Strand Center Main Gallery on Friday, February 7, 2020. A free reception will be held from 5:30-7:30 pm that night.

David Fadden was born in Lake Placid, NY in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. He was raised in Onchiota, NY, graduated from the Saranac Lake Central School, and attended North Country Community College. In conjunction with the formal art training he received in the educational system, he learned technical skills and artistic insight from his parents: John Fadden, educator, illustrator and painter; and Elizabeth Eva Fadden, wood sculptor and potter. His area of expertise, in respect to creating images of Native Americans, has been nurtured by learning from his paternal grandfather, Ray Fadden, designer, author, and founder of the Six Nations Indian Museum of Onchiota, New York. 

Fadden’s work has been exhibited in Albany, New York, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Centre Strathearn in Montreal, Quebec, the Unison Arts & Learning Center in New Paltz, NY, the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery, the National Museum of American Indian and the Aboriginal Art Centre in Gatineau, Quebec. His illustrations reflecting Native American legends are found in numerous children’s books, such as Fulcrum Publishing’s Keepers of the Animals, Keepers of Night & Native American Animal Stories, Keepers of Life, and New England Press’s Cave of Falling Water. His work has also appeared in “How the West Was Lost: Always the Enemy,” produced by Gannett Production which appeared on the Discovery Channel. In addition to illustration and graphic design work, Fadden creates portraits reflecting the people he knows best, the Kaniehkehaka (Mohawk). Using acrylic as his primary medium he works at capturing human emotion and expression as well as reflecting aspects of his Mohawk culture. 

 As a cultural educator and storyteller, Fadden found that his paintings could be utilized as an educational tool. To help dispel the stereotypical image of the noble savage or stoic native, he produced paintings that depicted Native people laughing and expressing other emotions. Several of his works illustrate contemporary issues affecting native people across the continent. These more political paintings help bring awareness to issues that seldom make the headlines but impact the lives of Indigenous people.

In some of his work, Fadden uses a technique similar to mosaic composition, producing paintings that the viewer “hears.” Using a pointillism style, he creates an image with dabs of paint which he then arduously outlines and fills with a design or image. The result is a complicated mass of images that from a distance looks like a portrait. When the viewer closely examines the painting, they can see the smaller images in each mosaic.

NOTE DATE CHANGE. EVENT Rescheduled! PLATTSBURGH, NY – The Strand Center for the Arts is thrilled to announce Judy Guglielmo as the featured artist in their Gallery Cooperative. This forthcoming exhibit will take place in The Strand Center Community Gallery on The rescheduled Opening Reception will be held Friday, February 14, 2020 from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM.

The Gallery Cooperative is a collection of artists, each expert at their chosen medium. This means that as well as the featured artist, Judy Guglielmo, painters Marilyn Kretser, Donna Austin, Gordon LeClaire, the SCA Watercolorists, and Lynn Manning will be present. In addition, these artists will be joined by pastel artist Diane Leifheit, photographer Ron Nolland, ceramicist Nancy Armitage, and work from the S. Booker collection.

Wilderness Rescue: On Feb. 1 at 10:24 a.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for assistance for a 26-year-old female from Hagaman with a possible right leg fracture near the summit of Scarface Mountain. Six Forest Rangers took snowmobiles in to Scarface as far as possible and then hiked the rest of the way before reaching the injured hiker at 12 p.m., just below the summit. The Rangers evaluated the hiker and packaged her for carry-out down the trail. The Rangers reached the snowmobiles at 1:30 p.m. and transported the woman back to the trailhead. She declined medical transport and advised she would be transported via personal vehicle to Saranac Lake for treatment. The incident concluded at 2:10 p.m.

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Special Board Meeting – February 5, 2020

The Peru School Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 4:00 PM in the High School Community Room. The sole purpose of the meeting is to further discuss and consider taking action on a proposed modified lacrosse program. At this time, no other District business is anticipated for this meeting. 

The full Board agenda will be available on the District’s website (perucsd.org). 

All are welcome. 

The EITC Coalition the Adirondack Region established the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and AARP TaxAide sites. Representatives present at today’s news conference included (L-R): Project Manager Jose Pitchard, UFirst Federal Credit Union V.P. Jody Carpenter, United Way Director of Development Kathy Snow, IRS Tax Consultant Kathy McNulty, RSVP Director Kate Gardner and AARP District Coordinator Carrie Johnson

By John T. Ryan 

Plattsburgh – Today is Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day. If you or someone you know qualifies for EITC the impact can be significant. “People who don’t apply may be missing out on a federal refund of up to $6,557 plus an additional New York State tax credit,” said Kathy Snow Director of Development of the United Way of the Adirondack Region. The Earned Income Tax Credit is for people who work for someone else or own or run a business. If you qualify you must file a federal tax return even if you owe no tax or are not required to file. You could pay less federal tax, pay no tax or receive money back. The amount of credit or refund is based on if you are single or married and if you have no children or the number of children living with you. 

Determining qualification in this region is easy because there are eight free of charge tax preparation sites located in Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties. Last year the eight sites processed over $6 million in income tax refunds. 

Clinton County’s tax preparation site is located at the Senior Citizens Council, 5139 North Catherine Street in Plattsburgh. It is one of the busiest in New York State. Its qualified RSVP tax preparers began preparing returns on January 27th and will be doing so through April 10th. Appointments are not needed or taken. 

SeaComm Federal Credit Union and UFirst Credit Union are participating on Super Saturdays. After having made an appointment taxpayers can stop by either institution for free tax filing assistance. Both institutions are also offering free information about asset building, banking and savings.

The EITC threshold for tax year 2019 is $56,000. The threshold is based on adjusted gross income limits as shown below: 

Earned income and adjusted gross income must each be less than: 
$50,162 ($55,952 if married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children 
$46,703 ($52,493 if married filing jointly) with two qualifying children 
$41,094 ($46,884 if married filing jointly ) with one qualifying child 
$15,570 ($21,370 if married filing jointly) with no qualifying child 

The maximum tax credit for 2019 is: 
$6,557 with three or more qualifying children 
$5,828 with two qualifying children 
$3,526 with one qualifying child 
$529 with no qualifying child 

Click here to see tax preparer locations, dates, times and needed documents 

Editor’s Note: The total tax refunds processed originally read $1 million. It is actually $6 million and that has been corrected. 

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