The Peru Gazette

Adirondack Independence Day Celebrations – The Adirondack Almanack –

JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF MUSIC AT THE LITTLE AUSABLE PARK GAZEBO EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT FROM 6:00 TO 8:00 PM JUNE 30 THROUGH AUGUST 25

JUNE 30 THE CHILLBILLYS – CLASSIC THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ROCK

JULY 7 BOOTLEG BAND – COUNTRY, TOP 40 VARIETY, 60’S ROCK- PRESENT

JULY 14 THE CASTAWAYS – COUNTRY, CLASSIC ROCK, FOLK, 50’S – PRESENT

JULY 21 TOWNE MEETING – FOLK, COUNTRY TO ACOUSTIC ROCK

JULY 28 FLASHBACK REUNION – 50’ AND 60’S MUSIC

AUGUST 4 DANA & SUE ROBINSON – FOLK AND TRADITIONAL MOUNTAIN MUSIC

AUGUST 11 COMPASS ROSE BAND (FORMERLY BACK PORCH BAND) – BLUEGRASS, COUNTRY

DOUBLE HEADER WEEKEND – AUGUST 17 THE BROTHERS KASCHAK BAND – INDIE, ACOUSTIC MUSIC DUO

AUGUST 18 NO CO LOCAL – ROCK, SOUTHERN ROCK, NEW COUNTRY

AUGUST 25 TOO TALL STRING BAND – ADIRONDACK, CELTIC, COUNTRY, BLUEGRASS

IN CASE OF RAIN, CONCERT WILL BE HELD @ THE PERU COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP CENTER **BRING CHAIRS & BLANKETS, NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ALLOWED**

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE TOWN OF PERU 643-2745 x 7

Watertown Daily Times | Fort Drum releases additional information about soldier killed Sunday.

Watertown Daily Times | Fort Drum may lose 1,500 soldiers in long-term cuts.

Syracuse’s Lennon finishes second in 10,000-meter USA Championships » Sports » Press-Republican.

Sales tax hike approved in St. Lawrence, Essex, Clinton, Franklin counties « The In Box.

From the office of State Senator Betty Little

The New York State Senate passed an historic package of bills today
that would ensure equal pay for women, strengthen laws against human
trafficking, provide greater support and protection for victims of domestic
violence, stop sexual harassment, and end discrimination of women in the
workplace related to gender, pregnancy, and family status. Read more »

Regular Mtg Agenda 06242013

Lawmakers Approve Use of Lever Voting Machines for Fall’s Mayoral Voting – NYTimes.com.

Watertown Daily Times | Schumer urges the Army to consolidate 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in the face of potential cuts.

Watertown Daily Times | Drum connector lures military drivers, leaves businesses in dust.

Watertown Daily Times | Indian River student prepares to graduate after death of parents.

Big Adirondack issues – hogs, landswaps – clear legislature « The In Box.

North Country Cross Burnings Are Nothing New – The Adirondack Almanack – The Adirondack Almanack.

Senator Betty Little (left) and
District Attorney Kate Hogan and Sheriff Bud York of Warren County

From the Office of state Senator Betty Little

The New York State Senate will act today on the “Public Assistance
Integrity Act,” sponsored by Senator Tom Libous (R-C-I, Binghamton) and
cosponsored by Senator Betty Little (R-C-I, Queensbury)  that would help
cut down on the flagrant abuse of EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards
by prohibiting welfare recipients from using cash assistance to purchase
tobacco, alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets or to gamble. Read more »

Woman charged with robbing 96-year-old » NEW TODAY… » Press-Republican.

Click here to see graduation rates by county and then by district

The State Education Department (SED) today released high school graduation rates for the 2007 cohort (students who entered 9th grade in 2007). These data show that New York’s overall graduation rate continues to rise slowly over time. SED also released outcome data for the same cohort based on aspirational performance measures, which are designed to measure how students are progressing toward college and career readiness. Outcomes on the aspirational performance measures are significantly lower than the cohort graduation rates. The data also show that in both the graduation rate and the aspirational performance measures, the achievement gap between white students and students of color remains.

“New York’s overall graduation rate has improved, but nearly a quarter of our students still don’t graduate after four years,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch.  “And too many of those students who do graduate aren’t ready for college and careers. Read more »

In 2013, the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is funding research to evaluate the agricultural benefits and environmental impacts of using tile drainage on farms.

The use of tile drainage has been a critical best management practice on American farms since 1835. In the early 1900s, William H. Miner, for whom the agricultural research institute in Chazy, NY, is named, championed the use of patterned tile drainage to dramatically improve drainage efficiency and crop production potential on poorly-drained North Country soils.

The farmer-driven NNYADP has identified the need for research to better understand how the use of tile drainage interacts with the soil, crop production and the environment in the Lake Champlain Basin region of Northern New York, where agriculture is considered a major nonpoint source of phosphorus to the lake. Read more »

The CFA was opened to applicants today and applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. on August 12, 2013. The CFA is available at https://apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/. Read more »

Commentary: ARTA Rail Trail, Economic No-Brainer – The Adirondack Almanack – The Adirondack Almanack.

DURHAM, NH (06/14/2013)(readMedia)– Douglas Osborne of Peru has earned High Honors for the spring semester of the 2012-2013 academic year at the University of New Hampshire.

Students named to the Dean’s List at the University of New Hampshire are students who have earned recognition through their superior scholastic performance. Highest honors are awarded to students who earn a semester grade point average of 3.85 or better out of a possible 4.0. Students with a 3.65 to 3.84 average are awarded high honors and students whose grade point average is 3.5 through 3.64 are awarded honors.

On the web: http://readabout.me/achievements/Douglas-Osborne-of-Peru-Named-to-the-University-of-New-Hampshires-Deans-List-for-the-2013-Spring-Semester/6584791.

Clinton County treasurer won’t run » Local News » Press-Republican.

USS Arkab – In Service May 1944, Out of Service January 1946

By John T. Ryan

Ralph Santor has always associated with people just a little older than himself. He was one of the youngest members of Peru High School’s class of 1944. He was also one of the youngest at his U.S. Navy seaman’s training and as a member of the crew of the USS Arkab.

Ralph Santor – Bottom Left

Ralph Santor and his son Butch

Last Saturday, at age 86, Ralph Santor was once again the youngster in the group. He was the youngest veteran to participate in the North Country Honor Flight to Washington D.C.  Both Ralph and his son Butch, who accompanied him on the trip, had a great day. Ralph said, “Seeing the World War II Memorial, The Iwo Jima Monument and Arlington Cemetery was a great experience.” Butch enjoyed the trip because he was able to assist his father and some of the other veterans, especially in getting on and off the bus.

Seaman Ralph Santor has many memories of his World War II service.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on the first day he was eligible –  May 1, 1944, the day he turned 18.  He served on the USS Arkab, a 441-foot long ship with a 206 member crew. The USS Arkab transported cargo and over 1,200 passengers to bases in the Pacific, steaming some 60,000 miles by December 1945. Ports of call included Pearl Harbor, Manus Island, and the Admiralty Islands.

On one of those islands Santor met the pilot of the Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 bomber that dropped the hydrogen bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Colonel Paul Tibbets told Santor, “If you would have gotten here a week ago I would have taken you for a ride.” Santor responded, “The hell you would have.”

Ralph Santor – Bottom Right

Sailors are famous for enjoying their onshore liberty and Santor is no exception.  One planned two-day liberty in Hawaii was extended to two weeks after the captain met an “old friend” on shore. Santor had already emptied his wallet thinking he had only two days of liberty. He managed to borrow $7 from two buddies and enjoyed at least one more night away from the ship.

Discharged from the Navy in July of 1946, Ralph returned to the North Country where he went to work for Truman Davis driving a tractor-trailer filled with Peru apples to buyers throughout the northeast. In the early 1950’s, he began working for Fort Edward Express driving a tank truck over 2 million accident-free miles during his career. Santor smiled broadly when he talked about representing Fort Edward Express at a truck driver rodeo in Syracuse. He said simply, “I was a good driver and I loved it.”

Ralph Santor – 2 million accident-free miles for Ft. Edward Express

Santor’s family has been the center of his life. In 1949, he married his childhood neighbor, Marilyn St. Louis. They had two children, Ralph (Butch) and Sandra Lynn (Sandy). Sandy Santor passed away in 1999 and Marilyn Santor passed away in February of 2012. Ralph still resides in his home at the corner of the Military Turnpike and the Irish Settlement Road.