The Peru Gazette

Source: Burlington Progressives’ sweep concerns former council members

PLATTSBURGH, NY – The Strand Center for the Arts is thrilled to host “Precarity,” artwork created by educator and renowned painter, Ian Burcroff, in the Main Gallery. This upcoming exhibit will open in The Strand Center Main Gallery on Friday, March 6, 2020. A free reception will be held from 5:30-7:30 pm that night.

Ian Burcroff was educated in art at SUNY Plattsburgh and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks where he received an MFA in Painting. From there he became Fine Arts Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Art as well as a stint as Humanities Department Chair at SUNY Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, NY.  Burcroff has had an impressive amount of solo painting exhibits and has contributed artwork to a number of group painting shows across North America including locations such as the Studio Place Arts in Barre VT, SEABA Gallery in Burlington, VT, The Annex Gallery in Fairbanks, AK, Kirkland Art Center in Clinton, NY, and The Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh, NY.

Concerning the show, Burcroff stated: Read more »

Source: What’s Happening at The Strand Theatre this weekend!

FUN.  FAITH.  FOOD.

Peru, NY:  Peru Community Church invites everyone to an informal, all-inclusive, multigenerational, hands-on exploration of Easter through activities, crafts, music, storytelling and food on Sunday, March 15, 2020 from 4:00pm – 6:00pm in the Peru Community Church Fellowship Center.

Messy Easter is an exciting way to connect with new people, have fun at church, explore your faith and share a meal with others.   We will start with a time of activities, crafts and informal conversation for all ages related to the Easter story.  Yes, it will be messy, so come as you are, prepared to have fun.

Following the time of activities and crafts, we will move to a time of storytelling, drama and music to bring the Easter story to life.  Be prepared to participate, dance, sing and learn more about Easter.  After our time of Easter storytelling, we will gather at tables to share a hot meal together.   There is no cost.

Whether you are young, old, single, partnered, LGBTQI+ or straight, Messy Easter is for you.  If you have questions or doubts about your faith, Messy Easter is for you.  If ‘regular’ church is just not for you, or Sunday mornings are too hard, Messy Church is for you.  This is a worship experience for everyone and a place you might just encounter God working in your life.  All are welcome.  Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

The Peru Community Church welcomes everyone to worship.  Our Fellowship Center is located at 13 Elm Street at the intersection of Pleasant and Elm Streets in Peru, NY.

Funding Available Through the Consolidated Funding Application

Not-for-profit organizations (NFPs) can apply for funding to undertake Census outreach efforts in hard-to-reach communities. Governor Cuomo is committed to ensuring New Yorkers receive the representation and resources they deserve. To aid in this effort, the Governor has launched a $60 million statewide campaign to ensure every New Yorker is counted.

All NFPs interested in receiving funds for census efforts from counties and select cities to work on census outreach for hard-to-reach communities must be pre-qualified prior to partnering with any county or with the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, or Yonkers. Each NFP must submit an application through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA).

NFP Deadline: Ongoing

All questions regarding the census process for not-for-profits may be directed to NFPqualification@census2020grant.ny.gov. Visit NY’s 2020 Census website for more information.

A new report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli shows the challenges faced by the state’s school districts are as varied as the state itself. Regional factors including the local economy, labor force mix and demographics all have implications for spending, pupil outcomes and the delivery of services, including special education. The report details school district demographic and financial information from nine separate regions outside New York City.

“School districts must navigate a complex set of state rules and local needs to determine how to best educate our children and pay for it,” DiNapoli said. “My office’s report identifies the regional changes and trends that could impact district budgets now and in the future. It is a useful tool to better inform lawmakers, stakeholders and taxpayers about local and statewide issues.”

Revenue Picture

In the 2017-18 school year, districts received $40.6 billion in revenues, which included state and federal aid, the School Tax Relief program (STAR), and local property tax revenue. Property taxes made up more than half of the total revenues (53.1 percent), a modest increase from 2007-08 (51.9 percent). Over the same period, state aid as a percent of total revenues increased slightly from 37.1 percent to 38.3 percent, while the remaining shares both decreased with federal aid, declining from 3.4 percent to 2.9 percent and the STAR program dropping from 7.5 to 5.8 percent.

The percentage of revenues from each of these sources varies district-to-district. Since state aid formulas include factors intended to offset differences in local property values and incomes, districts with higher wealth, by these measures, generally receive less aid and rely more on property taxes. Long Island (66.3 percent) and the Mid-Hudson region (64.1 percent) had the highest percentages of revenues from property taxes. On the other end of the spectrum, the Mohawk Valley and North Country rely on state and federal sources for two-thirds of their revenue.

Spending Outpaces Inflation

School district spending outpaced inflation both regionally and statewide. Expenditures grew 26 percent between 2007-08 and 2017-18 compared to inflation of 16.6 percent.

In 2017-18, the median school district spent $24,737 per pupil. Districts in the Mid-Hudson and Long Island tend to be wealthier and spend more per pupil. The report notes many factors can affect the differences in spending including the local cost of labor, which is generally much higher in downstate regions.

Other findings in the report include:

• Enrollment is generally down, dropping at least 5 percent in most districts since 2007-08.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 14 percent of children in New York state (outside of New York City) lived in poverty in 2017. Long Island had the lowest concentration of students (less than 8 percent) and the Mohawk Valley had the highest (nearly 19 percent).
• A quarter-million students were classified as having a disability in 2017-18. Regionally, North Country districts had the highest percentage at 15.7 percent, while the Mid-Hudson had the lowest at 12.6 percent. Districts statewide spent, on average, $20,820 more per special education student than on general education students.
• The statewide four-year graduation rate for students with disabilities outside of New York City was 64 percent, compared to about 90 percent for general education students. Nearly a fifth of disabled students remained enrolled in school beyond four years of high school.
• Between 2007-08 and 2017-18, the total number of English language learners from K-12 increased from 59,222 to 91,448–a jump of 54.4 percent statewide. The percentages in the Capital District, Central New York and Western New York regions more than doubled. Nearly half of Long Island’s increase was in just seven school districts.

New York City, which is many times larger than the next largest school district in the state and has been discussed extensively in other analyses by the Office of the State Comptroller, is generally omitted from this regional presentation (including in the statewide comparisons).

Full Report

https://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/pubs/research/education-revenues-and-expenditures.pdf

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Brandon Way and Teresa Larsen

Main dining room

Just a touch of the beautiful view

Bar dining area

By John T. Ryan

Peru – Word of mouth travels fast in the North Country. On November 6, 2019 The Mariner Bar and Grill opened its doors. There wasn’t a sign outside, but customers started coming through the door. Owners Brandon Way and Teresa Larsen still haven’t advertised, but they say business has been very good, so good that If you plan on dining at the restaurant on either Friday or Saturday evening they advise making reservations.

Dana’s Rusty Anchor operated at the same location on the Lake Shore Rd. at 4016 Route 9 until January 8, 2019 when a fire devastated that restaurant. Following an extensive rebuild and total renovation The Mariner opened featuring a large, modern dining room, a smaller dining area, an attractive bar and an open kitchen. Both dining areas and the bar have an expansive view of Lake Champlain and Valcour Island.

Brandon Way and his wife, Teresa Larsen, worked as computer app developers for several years before having second thoughts. Brandon explained, “We asked ourselves. Do we really want to keep doing this? We love the restaurant industry more than anything we’ve ever done in our lives. Believe it or not, I love waiting on tables. I don’t know why, but I love it.” Way and Larsen have many years of restaurant experience, beginning in high school.

Teresa explained, “I love the hospitality part of serving good food. When I go out, I want to relax, be entertained, and have a good time. I want the same thing for others.”

Brandon describes The Mariner’s menu as having French, Spanish and Portuguese influences but still a hometown classic. Teresa added, “Our chefs are out of this world. Lonnie Furnia is our executive chef and Kevin Perrone is our sous-chef.” All foods are cooked to order; the kitchen doesn’t have a microwave. Brandon went out of his way to acquire a Montague steak broiler specially designed to sear a steak so that it retains its juices. Coquille St. Jacque has been the restaurant’s most popular seafood. Burgers are made to order and there’s a kids menu.

As the climate transitions into warmer weather, The Mariner’s atmosphere will change from cozy to more casual. Teresa said, “There will be a summer vibe here on the marina. There are 15 transit day slips making it easy for someone to pull up outside. A little further out there are 120 sailboat moorings, plus hundreds of boats are typically around Valcour Island. Customers will be wearing sandals and shorts.”

Both Brandon and Teresa say they want customers to come to a place where they find quality food and hospitality. When Brandon’s not supervising every dish that leaves the kitchen, he says he’ll be shaking hands and listening to what people are saying.

This winter, The Mariner Bar and Grill is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Hours will change in the summer. Call 518-565-8511 for reservations. If the parking lot in front is full, there’s plenty of parking just across the street.

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The state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is not doing enough to ensure adequate protections are in place for children who are placed in the custody of relatives or another suitable person outside the foster care system, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“The Office of Children and Family Services needs to do more to protect children placed with relatives or guardians outside of foster care from harm or neglect,” DiNapoli said. “OCFS lacks adequate oversight and uniform standards to ensure children in direct placement are not put into another bad situation and are kept out of harm’s way. OCFS attempted to dismiss the serious findings of our auditors rather than take proactive steps to address these glaring issues. I urge the agency to act on our recommendations.”

OCFS oversees the state’s child welfare system and is responsible for supervising and coordinating child welfare services, which are administered by 58 local Departments of Social Services (local districts) throughout the state. One alternative to foster care is direct placement, where a child is placed in the direct custody of a relative or another suitable person. In direct placement cases, courts usually order the local district to supervise the placement. State regulations require local districts to document that a family member or suitable person can safely provide for the needs of the child.

DiNapoli’s auditors found Read more »

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