The Peru Gazette

Capitol Confidential » Moreland Panel releases first set of recommendations.

Four dead, 67 injured as New York train derails – Yahoo News.

Peru, NY, woman pumps out hundreds of holiday pies – WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-.

Dick, Marlow pace Div. I boys’ soccer all-stars » Sports » Press-Republican.

Come one, come all to Peru Jr./Sr. High school on December 6^th and 7^th at 7:30p.m.  The Peru Drama Club proudly presents Up the Down Staircase written by Christopher Sergel from the book by Bel Kaufman.  Tickets can be purchased for just $5.00 per person.

Sylvia Barrett, a young English teacher is offered a position at Calvin Coolidge High School. Between the overcrowded classroom, the obnoxious requests from the school, and barely being able to take attendance the first day, she knows this will be difficult. Fortunately, she gets support from her co-workers and best friend. Throughout teaching here, she learns that these students are more complex than she could ever imagine. This makes her question the definition of teaching, and what it is all about. Through her struggles, she gets in trouble with administration, and helps the students with any struggles, and helps them to become the best they can be.

Will Sylvia inspire her students? Will Alice ever confess her love to her crush? Will Joe Ferone become a drop out? Will he ever be able to go up the up staircase? Come to the show to find out!

The Cast: Read more »

    As a special holiday greeting to its members and the community, the North Country Chamber of Commerce is once again sponsoring the broadcast of “The Story of the Little Reinbear”, an original Christmas story authored by Chamber President Garry Douglas.

     The story will be presented on WIRY/Hometown Radio (1340 AM) on the following schedule:

     * Saturday, December 7th, 5:15 – 5:30p.m. 

     * Monday, December 9th, 5:00 – 5:15p.m. 

     * Friday, December 13th, 5:00 – 5:15p.m. 

     * Wednesday, December 18th, 5:00 – 5:15p.m. 

     * Tuesday, December 24th, 3:45 – 4:00p.m.

State audit scolds Essex County » NEW TODAY… » Press-Republican.

Lawrence Gooley: My Dad Lives On – The Adirondack Almanack – The Adirondack Almanack.

Watertown Daily Times | Fort Drum aviation unit released from seven-day lockdown amid outcry from families.

Food pantries restock shelves with $4.5M from state – Times Union.

Casino site no longer a safe bet – Times Union.

PLATTSBURGH, NY (11/24/2013)(readMedia)– Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York & the Alpha lota Chapter of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. will present “The Art of Public Speaking” on Saturday, December 7, 2013 from 1pm-3pm at SUNY Plattsburgh, Sibley Hall 100. The event is FREE and is open to all girls through grade 12 – girls do not have to be a currently registered Girl Scout to participate. Fun activities and healthy snacks will be included in the program. Sharpening communication abilities helps young women succeed in a world that demands confidence, articulation and the ability to clearly communicate ideas. By building superior speaking skills, young women will prepare to excel in school, attain their dream jobs, defend their beliefs and values, and become leaders in their schools and communities. Please RSVP by Monday, December 2, 2013 to Northernregion@gsneny.org. Questions? Call (518) 563-1560.

About Girl Scouts: Read more »

The Keeseville-Peru Ecumenical Choir will be performing two concerts.  The first concert will be Saturday, December 14, 2013, at St. John the Baptist Church in Keeseville at 7:30pm. The second concert will be Sunday, December 15, 2013, at St. Augustine’s Church in Peru at 7:30pm.  The choir is directed by Jeanette Woodruff and accompanied by Carol Bachand.  The 65 member choir will be performing a variety of sacred and secular Christmas music.  Admission is free.

Regular Mtg Agenda Nov 25 2013

ST. AUGUSTINE’S PARISH CENTER, 3030 MAIN ST., PERU

Saturday, December 7, 2013, 10 am – 3 pm

COME JOIN US TO SHOP WITH OVER 30 VENDORS – SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST!

     BROWSE                            CRATE & CHRISTMAS          ST. VINCENT’S THRIFT

FATHER ALAN’S                    THRIFT SHOP WILL BE         STORE WILL BE OPEN

CHRISTMAS SHOP               OPEN (Misc. Treasures)        (slightly used clothing)

SCRATCH-OFF LOTTERY TREE RAFFLE

HOT LUNCH FOR SALE – SPONSORED BY THE CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS

(Chicken Soup, Split Pea Soup; Egg, Tuna, Ham Salad Sandwiches; Sausage and Peppers; Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Soda, & Water)

GET YOUR DECADENT DESSERT FROM THE BAKE SALE – ALSO SPONSORED BY THE CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS.

SANTA WILL BE AT THE PARISH CENTER FROM 11 AM – 1 PM

ENJOY THE SWEET ADELINES BETWEEN 1 PM AND 2 PM AS THEY ENTERTAIN US WITH HOLIDAY SONG

HEARING SCREENINGS CONDUCTED BY PLATTSBURGH STATE UNIVERSITY SPEECH & HEARING PROGRAM GRADUATE STUDENTS

I represent the United Way Campaign Team for the Adirondack Region. United Way funds 40 different agencies in Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties. I co-lead one of these agencies: The Champlain Valley Chapter of The Compassionate Friends. This is a self help bereavement support group for families who have had children, grandchildren or a sibling die. This is run by volunteers only. With the funds from United Way we can send out newsletters, run meetings, host a memorial walk and candle lighting ceremony, and also do other fun events for our members.

The United Way Campaign is in full swing this Holiday Season and with everyone hustling around to make sure we check everyone off our Holiday lists, I would like for you to consider giving a gift in honor or memory of a loved one to this year’s United Way Campaign. Holiday shopping is exhausting, so why not save some time and drop off a donation to The United Way Office on the Tom Miller Road in Plattsburgh. There are always gifts to purchase for those hard to buy for people on our lists. Why not give a gift that will keep on giving. One gift will help 40 partner agencies.

If you have already done your shopping for this season, think about other times of the year when you are invited to anniversary and birthday parties, retirement parties and you just don’t know what to get. A gift to the United Way will take the guessing out of what to get them.  Imagine how proud the honoree would feel opening a card with a message inside saying where the gift went in their name. Times are challenging in our world today. Please help our neighbors and together we will reach our goal. Last year alone, our 40 partner agencies helped over 80,000 individuals collectively.

Respectfully submitted,

DaleAnne Wolter

West Chazy, NY

ALBANY, NY (11/21/2013)(readMedia)– Recognizing the legal challenges often faced by our nation’s military veterans, the New York State Bar Association has established a special panel of attorneys to provide free phone consultations and discounted legal services to veterans statewide.

More than 155 attorneys from around the state, including representatives from two local bar associations, have agreed to participate in the new Veteran Referral Panel, which will continue through Memorial Day 2014. The State Bar will continue to recruit attorneys and local bar associations to participate in this program in an effort to meet the demand for these legal services.

“Veterans are often forced to deal with a variety of issues relating to employment, family matters, healthcare, housing, disability, pensions and finances,” said State Bar President David M. Schraver of Rochester (Nixon Peabody), who served in the U.S. Navy as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

“With this pilot program, the State Bar Association continues its commitment to those who have served our country and who now need our help,” he said.

Under the program, participating attorneys have agreed to provide free phone consultations and offer a 25 percent discount on their regular fees. The program is available to veterans in need of various legal services, not just those services related to obtaining veterans benefits. Read more »

By John T. Ryan

It appears that the North Country business community has recognized that the Bear Swamp Road is a great place to do business. Livingood’s Restaurant is scheduled to open in a few days; Allen Turner’s four new apartments behind McDonald’s are being rapidly occupied and tonight the Zoning Board gave its approval to the CFA Insurance Agency’s application to expand its presence on the road. The insurance agency plans to relocate its business from 704 Bear Swamp Road to the former Beaumont Medical Building at 686 Bear Swamp Road and hopes to be operational at the new location sometime in January.

CFA’s current building

CFA Insurance Agency Owner Clark Forster said, “We’ve been located in Peru for twelve years. It’s a great place to do business. People are attracted to this community and our business is steadily growing. We need more space.”  CFA has six employees and plans to increase the number of employees as its business grows. It specializes in property and casualty insurance, employee benefits, retirement plans and estate planning including life and long-term care insurance.

At 4,800 square feet, the new building, which was constructed in 1974, is almost three times as large as CFA’s current location. Forster explained, “I hope to rent space to other business services and professional companies.”  The accounting firm, Chauvin Business Systems, rents offices at Forster’s current location and will be moving to the new building.

Town of Peru Zoning Attorney Thomas Murnane informed Forster that the Planning Board should conduct a Site Plan Review of his plans, but that should not hold up Forster’s purchase of the property.

CFA’s new building

State to bankroll Whiteface Highway repair » Breaking News » Press-Republican.

Donald McBayer and his granddaughter Demi

By John T. Ryan

The absentee votes have been counted and according to the unofficial vote count Donald McBrayer will become a member of the Peru Town Council on January 1, 2014. On Election Day McBrayer led Lana Knight by 12 votes. After counting absentee ballots, he led by 15 votes.

Two Town Council seats were up for election. According to Greg Campbell, Republican Commissioner of the Board of Elections, Jim Douglass received  a total of 1,037 votes, Donald McBrayer received 781 and Lana Knight received 766. Based on The Peru Gazette’s Election Day report Douglass received 50 absentee ballots, McBrayer 52 and Lana Knight 49. Lana Knight told the Peru Gazette that she already called McBrayer to offer congratulations and that she had no plans to challenge the vote count. Both McBrayer and Knight have said that was a clean campaign and that the voters had a choice of three good candidates.

From the Office fo State Senator Betty Little

In advance of the 2014 Legislative Session set to begin in January, State Senator Betty Little and her Republican colleagues today announced a report outlining numerous proposals to simplify New York’s tax code and reduce taxes. The report was developed based on testimony collected through a series of statewide hearings this fall.

“Helping small businesses by simplifying the tax code and providing broad-based tax relief is what’s needed to spur our economy in the North Country,” said Senator Betty Little.  “Everyone agrees that our economy needs help. The most effective way to do that is by helping those that generate revenue and create jobs.”

Highlights of the recommendations made in the preliminary Senate report include, among other things:  enact a permanent two-percent cap on

state spending growth and dedicate every dollar of surplus savings to tax reduction; create an optional simple personal income tax calculation; eliminate the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT); and reduce property taxes.

The plan also proposes to eliminate unfair tax treatment by making all retirement income tax-free, thus encouraging seniors to remain in New York.  Currently only Federal, State, and local pension income is completely tax-free.  The Senate Republican proposal would amend New York’s Estate Tax by conforming it with the Federal Job Creation Act and the American Taxpayer Relief Act to protect family farms and small businesses and eliminate the incentive to transfer wealth from New York to other states.

The report also highlights the need to review New York’s current, piecemeal-style approach to tax relief – which involves providing tax credits to specific industries – in favor of a simplified system that produces a lower tax structure for all businesses. Senator Little has proposed her own “circuit-breaker” tax relief proposal to direct property tax relief to those based on income and financial need.

Capitol Confidential » Thruway construction finished between exits 23 and 24.

By Adele Douglas

The well-attended November 12, 2013 Board of Education meeting had a full agenda. These are the highlights of the evening.

Renaming the reorganized Peru Central School was decided. Grades K to 6 will be called Peru Elementary School and grades 7 to 12 will be called Peru Junior/Senior High School as selected via the survey the school conducted last year.

Genie Denton took the School Board Member Oath of Office. She replaces Jon Ruff, who recently moved out of the district and therefore had to resign. The Board selected Genie from several interested individuals. Her term ends May 21, 2014.

Jacquelin Hall was present as the Board recognized her husband David for his 30 years of public service as a school board member, 15 of those years on the Peru School Board. Hall passed away on October 18^th, 2013.

Board members observed student learning when costumed fourth grade students told the Board about their field trip to the 1812 Homestead in Willsboro and first grade students honored military veterans with a very moving presentation.

During the public comment period two issues were raised related to new policies the Board is considering. Michele LaPoint asked that the Zumba classes be allowed back into the school.  She spoke of the value of these classes to individuals and the community. After much discussion it was determined that since no new policy was yet in place the old policy that allowed the Zumba classes to use the Crackerbox gym was still in effect.  The Board will continue to discuss the new “Public Use of School Facilities” policy.

Michelle Bechard spoke about the proposed policy that would prohibit homemade treats from being sent in for special events, thus ending the tradition of sending in homemade cupcakes for birthday parties in the Elementary School.  While she understood that the State is concerned about food safety, she pointed out a number of reasons that this policy was a bad idea including the cost to parents of having to buy cupcakes. She asked the Board to reconsider the policy. Later in the meeting the Board discussed the issue and seemed to agree with Ms. Bechard’s concerns.

The Board also authorized the creation of three additional bus runs at an estimated cost of $10,500. The buses will be for those secondary students who stay for tenth period.  To date they’ve been riding home with the elementary students.  Separate buses will avoid a wide mix of ages on the buses as well as make sure the buses that bring older students back from CVTEC, CVPH and Seton Central don’t keep the elementary school buses waiting.

The Board authorized the Business Administrator to fund extra-curricular activities for the 2013-2014 school year. Overnight accommodations for clubs and activities will be funded at the discretion of the District.  Funded travel will continue to include sports at state level competitions and will be extended to include Model UN and high-level music and math competitions.

Malone furniture firm shuts down » Breaking News » Press-Republican.

This was the scene at the Clinton County Board of Elections at 3:45 this afternoon as officials counted absentee ballots. The Peru Town Council seat sought by Republican Donald McBrayer and Democrat Lana Knight is undecided with McBrayer leading by only twelve votes on Election Day. Absentee voters will decide the election.