The Peru Gazette

St. Augustine’s K of C Bingo scheduled for Christmas Day is cancelled so that everyone can celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior. Bingo will be conducted next week, January 1st, New Year’s Day at 7:10 p.m.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Source: Newly elected senators take on Cuomo over school funding – Times Union

Source: Court rules against paddler in Adirondack case – Times Union

Source: New York poised to lose two congressional seats – Times Union

Peru resident Joe Kelley passed away this past Thursday. His obituary can be found at the Hamilton Funeral Home website. Here is a story about Joe’s life the Peru Gazette posted almost two years ago. He will be missed by many, many people. Click here to view our previous story.

Click here to view Joe’s obituary. 

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018 – 4:30 p.m. Mass

Christmas Day, December 25, 2018 – 9:30 a.m. Mass

Source: Upstate N.Y. population is still declining

Source: After Big Losses, a N.Y. House Republican Clashes With Her Party – The New York Times

Source: Local parents honor son by spreading Christmas cheer – Sun Community News & Printing

At its December 19, 2018 meeting the Town of Peru Zoning Board approved by a 3 to 2 vote the Hamilton famly’s application for a use variance to construct a solar farm on the Mannix Road east of the Hamilton Funeral Home. The proposal will still have to be considered by the Peru Planning Board. Click here to view our previous story on the application. 

Source: Report: NTSB investigators frustrated by lack of access to Schoharie limo – Times Union

Source: Sheriffs skeptical over legal pot – Sun Community News & Printing

From the Office of Assemblyman Billy Jones

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) congratulated the North Country on receiving  $64.8 million through awards provided by the North Country Regional Economic Development Council (REDC).

“This state funding allows the North Country to attract new visitors and businesses helping our local economy to thrive,” said Jones. “The North Country continues to move forward with new ideas and this funding will help see these come to fruition.”

The funding will support a range of projects throughout the North Country, including:

• a mid level lodging hotel in downtown Tupper Lake featuring seventy-five rooms and a host of amenities and features;
• site preparation and first phase construction for the new AstroScience Center via the Adirondack Sky Center;
• several towns including Dannemora, Ellenburg, and Saranac will construct new salt storage facilities;
• the city of Plattsburgh will be able to make upgrades to their Water Resource and Recovery Facility as part of the downtown revitalization as well as construct a pump station to reduce potential harmful algal blooms;
• the creation of a state of the art theatre facility in Saranac Lake by the Pendragon Theatre;
• Citizen Advocates, Inc. will invest in a new commercial and residential development on West Main Street in downtown Malone. The four-story structure will be comprised of up to six new commercial spaces on the first floor, and 40 affordable apartments above;
• an infiltration and inflow study will be completed by the Village of Chateaugay in order to enhance its water system;
• the recreation center in the Village of Rouses Point will be rehabilitated to include facilities and expanded parking as well as enhanced equipment;
• the Memorial Park in the Village of Malone will be rehabilitated and enhanced to reflect community needs and pedestrian safety;
• an inherited abandoned missile silo, which is back flooded with ground water in the Town of Dannemora will be converted to a geothermal well for heating and cooling the facility, as well as a tracking solar array to achieve Net Zero Energy performance.

“The North Country REDC is giving our region the opportunity to improve our facilities and create new prospects,” said Jones. “The council’s efforts, including the extremely hard work by North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas and Clarkson University President Anthony Collins, is bringing the North Country into a prosperous future for our hardworking families and our children. I applaud their efforts and look forward to the development of these many deserving projects.”

Source: Cutting acquitted of murder charge; guilty of manslaughter – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: North Country awarded $64.8M in economic development aid | Local News | pressrepublican.com

Source: Degrees conferred at SUNY Plattsburgh winter commencement – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: Charter Spectrum settlement: How to get your refunds and free channels

Here is the entire December 15, 2018 concert at St. Augustine’s Church in Peru. The Choir dedicated the concert to organist Lynn Wilke and to Choir member Ginny Derrick both of whom passed away in 2018.  Click here to view.

Source: Area farmers react to Farm Bill – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: Voters OK CVES capital project – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: ECH data breach exposes patient info – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: Poinsettias Have a Long and Colorful History – – The Adirondack Almanack

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers at Work in Clinton County

Town of Altona
Clinton County
Enforcement: On Dec. 13 at approximately 3 p.m., Forest Rangers were dispatched by DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch to Purdy Road for a report of two intoxicated individuals driving on seasonal access roads and discharging firearms from the roadway. The New York State Police were also notified and sent an additional unit. While conducting their patrol, the Forest Rangers observed a vehicle matching the suspect’s description. The suspect was subsequently placed under arrest for Driving While Intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, also a misdemeanor.

Source: A record 4.7M New Yorkers get coverage on state health exchange – Times Union