The Peru Gazette

Governor Commits $1 billion in City Fiscal Year 26 and $510 Million in City Fiscal Year 27, Including $510 Million in Recurring Funding 

NYS News Release of Feb. 16, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani today announced New York State will allocate an additional $1.5 billion in operating expenses over two years to help address New York City’s fiscal challenges. 

This additional funding includes $510 million in recurring funding targeted towards costs that had shifted from the state to New York City under prior administrations, including about $300 million for youth programming, a restoration of $150 million in sales tax receipts that would have otherwise been retained by the state, and $60 million for public health. The remaining $500 million will be targeted to shared priorities to be determined in subsequent discussions.

“A strong New York City means a stronger New York State. This investment protects services and puts the city on stable financial footing,” Governor Hochul said. “New Yorkers expect the state and the city to work together, and I’m proud to partner with the Mayor to deliver for working families.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “Working New Yorkers did not create this budget crisis and they should not be the ones to pay for it. After years of staggering fiscal mismanagement under the previous administration, our city deserves responsible and collaborative leadership. I am heartened by this budgetary progress and Governor Hochul’s partnership at this critical moment. This is what it looks like to begin a new, productive, and fair relationship between City Hall and Albany – focused on delivering for working New Yorkers.”

Governor Hochul has increased support for New York City every year since taking office. This investment builds on her recent commitment to expand universal child care in New York City.

In recent weeks, the Mayor reduced New York City’s budget gap to $7 billion by deploying in-year reserves, committing to an agency savings plan, and incorporating higher-than-expected revenues. Together, the Mayor and Governor are forging a renewed partnership between City Hall and Albany focused on restoring fiscal responsibility and building a balanced budget that delivers for working New Yorkers. 

To the Editor:

• Fruit instead of candy — fresh, frozen, or dried without added sugar
• Nuts or seeds instead of chips — choose unsalted when possible
• Vegetable sticks with hummus instead of crackers with dip
• Air-popped popcorn instead of buttery snack mixes
• Yogurt with fruit instead of sugary desserts

This April, the Social Center invites North Country residents to see Water for Elephants on a day trip to Proctors Theater in Schenectady on Sunday, April 12.

The Elizabethtown Social Center continues a 20-year tradition of bringing North Country residents to Broadway musical theater shows in New York City and the historic Proctors Theater in Schenectady. Trips include dinner, luxury coach bus transportation, museums and shopping.

Hailed as a critic’s pick, The New York Times calls it “stunning, emotional, heart-filled and gorgeously imaginative.” 

Water for Elephants follows a young veterinary student who, orphaned and broke during the Depression, joins the traveling Benzini Brothers Circus. He falls for Marlena, an equestrian star married to the abusive ringmaster, August, while caring for a special elephant named Rosie. Initially thought to be untrainable, Jacob discovers that Rosie only responds to commands in Polish, making her a star attraction and a symbol of hope for Jacob and Marlena. The deluxe visuals won Tony nominations for scenery, costumes, lighting, direction and Best Musical.

In The Beginning

Trips to see musical theater were the brainchild of former Essex resident Frank Walls, who enjoyed leading tours around his native New York City, peppering the travelers with anecdotes of his past adventures and city trivia.  He enlisted the Social Center to assist with organizing the trips in 2009. When he relocated back to the city, the Social Center took the baton from Frank.

As the fall New York City trips typically sold out immediately, the Social Center added a spring day trip to Proctors Theater. The beautifully renovated theater anchors a revitalized Schenectady arts district filled with galleries, vintage shops, and diverse restaurants—all part of the day’s experience.

Frequent participant Norma Goff says “The Social Center takes care of the entire itinerary and logistics, so my friends and I can just relax and enjoy ourselves.”

Past shows include Hadestown, The Rockettes, Six, Hamilton, Some Like it Hot, and even the Book of Mormon.

Proceeds support free musical theater trips for youth

Group rates keep trip costs affordable for participants. Proceeds fund twice-yearly theater trips for Boquet Valley Central School District students in grades 6-12, including stops at a museum and restaurant along the way. 

Social Center Director Laurie House says “The Social Center fully funds one trip for about 45 students and organizes a second one with the Boquet Valley School. The trips provide cultural experiences many local teens would not otherwise have.  We are very proud to offer this opportunity!”

To register for the April 12 trip or for more information, call the Elizabethtown Social Center at (518) 873-6408 or email news@elizabethtownsocialcenter.org. This year, the Social Center is offering a discount for Water for Elephants for parents traveling with their children who are under 18.

Before Whitney Park was established, wealthy businessman W.C. Whitney built up his Adirondack empire

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Joey LaFranca photo

Congratulations to Peru! The Nighthawks are your 2026 Section VII Wrestling Champions! Congratulations to all our wrestlers making the trip to state competition following a great day of sectionals yesterday! #SectionVII #Wrestling : @joey_lafranca

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 Tapestry
   

 
Tapestry Vocal Ensemble brings the enchantings sounds of France to the Adirondacks on Sunday, March 8th at 3pm at the Methodist Church on Rt. 3 in Saranac.  Admission at the door only; General Admission $20, Children and Students $10.  

 Postcards from France travels through France from Provence to Brittany to Paris and beyond, including traditional toe-tapping dances and songs of Fauré, Satie and Édith Piaf. Pray Tell No Tales on Me spins timeless stories of infatuation, betrayals, unhappy wives seeking new lovers, and a chilling murder ballad. Women’s Voices Then and Now shares old and new perspectives on women’s lives and dreams from medieval love songs to complaints of rebellious nuns, tangos and French salon music of the Belle Epoque and beyond. Three Weddings and a Funeral features music of Guillaume Du Fay and his contemporaries including songs dedicated to each occasion, dances, toasts and love songs. Starry Night, designed for the Wilson Observatory in LA, brings together gorgeous music and imagery for a one-of-a-kind experience. Transcending Boundaries travels from a mysterious garden to a salon in Paris, from concert halls and jazz clubs to the streets of Buenos Aires.

“It ranges from the Celtic-adjacent folk sounds of Brittany to the beloved Paris chanson of Édith Piaf’s repertoire. But this is no nostalgia trip, thanks to the fresh and innovative arrangements. The gorgeous vocals by Cristi Catt and Daniela Tosic are joined by Rachel Bell on accordion, James Falzone on clarinet and rhythm guitarist Andrew VanNorstrand in a release that will delight any Francophile.”
—Noah Schaffer, WBUR, Boston’s NPR Read more »

Not an exact image of the meal

Fish and Chips (Tater Tots)

Vegetable

Dessert 

Served 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., take-out only, at St. Augustine’s Parish Center, 3030 Main St., Peru, NY 12972. 

All are invited and welcome!

Veteran NPR reporter with updates on local athletes competing in luge, bobsled, ski jumping, and more

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Important story on NYC corruption and incompetence 

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Albany, News Release Feb. 11, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today highlighted her proposals to bring down costs of auto insurance rates and tackle fraudulent claims across New York State. The Governor is taking common-sense steps to battle fraud, limit damages paid out to bad actors and ensure that consumers, not insurance companies, are prioritized. These proposals build on Governor Hochul’s ongoing efforts to make the state more affordable and put money back into the pockets of hardworking New Yorkers. 

“For most people, car insurance isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity, especially here on Long Island where people rely on their cars to get to work, get to school or even go grocery shopping,” Governor Hochul said. “These common sense proposals will crack down on the bad actors that are driving up the cost of car insurance and putting that financial burden on innocent, hardworking New Yorkers.” 

New Yorkers pay some of the highest car insurance rates in the nation — totaling just over $4,000 annually on average, nearly $1,500 above the national average. Car insurance rates are driven up by a combination of fraud, litigation, legal loopholes, and enforcement gaps, with staged crashes and associated insurance fraud inflating everyone’s premiums by as much as $300 per year on average according to some estimates.

Cracking Down on Fraud To Lower Rates for Everyday New Yorkers

Increasingly sophisticated actors stage elaborate accidents, designed to allow for “jackpot” payouts from insurance companies or jury awards, and these scams are becoming more prevalent. In 2023, there were 1,729 staged crashes in New York State, which ranks second highest in the nation for incidents of staged fraud. In total, insurance carriers reported 43,811 incidents of suspected motor vehicle insurance fraud to the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) Insurance Frauds Bureau in 2025. This is up from 24,238 incidents of suspected motor vehicle insurance fraud from 2020, an 80 percent increase in five years. 

To combat these organized criminal efforts, Governor Hochul is taking a whole-of-government approach to cracking down on auto insurance fraud, including: Read more »

Report highlights $411 million in visitor spending, key community initiatives, and regional promotion effort

LAKE PLACID, NY (February 12, 2026) – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) released its 2025 year-end report, showcasing initiatives that promote the Adirondacks as a premier destination while simultaneously investing in community priorities and sustainable tourism. The report highlights strong economic performance, community-focused initiatives, research efforts, regional marketing campaigns, and a new strategic plan.

As the region’s destination marketing and management organization (DMMO), ROOST’s program of work balances the local tourism economy with community well-being. To achieve this mission, ROOST’s program of work includes efforts in housing, infrastructure, and asset development while promoting the Adirondacks as a premier destination for visitors.

According to Dan Kelleher, ROOST CEO, the organization’s role is comprehensive and includes many initiatives of which the public may not be aware. “ROOST’s work as a DMMO helps to ensure that tourism not only attracts visitors but, more importantly, strengthens the quality of life for our residents,” he said. “Our team is committed to balancing economic vitality with environmental stewardship and community well-being. Looking back over 2025, we are incredibly proud to reflect on a year of progress and collaboration.”

The 2025 year-end report identified that ROOST’s marketing efforts delivered a strong return, directly benefiting local communities and households.

• Visitor Spending: estimated total overnight visitor spending in Essex County reached more than $411 million, with an estimated 3,036,275 overnight visits.
• Tax Relief: tourism-generated tax revenue provided critical support to residents. Without state and local tax revenue generated by travel and tourism, each Essex County household would pay an additional $6,305 per year in taxes; each Hamilton County household would pay an additional $6,213 per year.
• Exceptional ROI: ROOST 2024 Annual Leisure Travel Study revealed an 84:1 return on investment. This result means that for every dollar ROOST spent on marketing, $84 in tourism revenue was generated by visitors within local communities.

ROOST’s marketing activities highlight the Adirondacks as a prominent vacation destination, ultimately driving year-round visitation throughout the area. These activities included:

• Communications strategy, focused primarily on media relations, resulted in feature stories about the region in publications including: USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, AARP, National Geographic, Travel and Leisure, BBC, CBS Evening News, and many more.
• Over 3,500 social media posts, 2,600 YouTube uploads, 12.8 million emails delivered, 230 paid media placements, and 3.1 million unique website visits.
• Completion of a massive undertaking to rebuild the centralized database software powering seven regional websites and six partner sites, enhancing the digital experience for visitors, regional partners, and community members while optimizing for artificial intelligence integrations.

• Launch of the new LakePlacid.com website, which serves over 1.3 million unique users annually with over 3,750 total content pages.
• ROOST also finalized its 2026-2028 strategic plan along with its destination marketing and management plan, setting the stage for future sustainable growth, including the early 2026 debut of the new multi-region Adirondacks, USA website.

ROOST also made significant advancements in destination management initiatives throughout 2025. Highlights of activity include Read more »

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North Country Community College started its seventh consecutive term of enrollment growth with the start of the 2026 semester

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February 13, 2026 

February 13, 2025 

Albany, Feb. 10, 2026, News Release – Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Department of Health has officially joined the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), strengthening the state’s role in global public health preparedness and response. 

“New York has always led in public health and safety and now we’re doing our part to protect lives while the federal government puts Americans’ health at risk,”Governor Hochul said. “By joining GOARN, we’re sharing our expertise, laboratories and highly skilled workforce to detect and respond to outbreaks worldwide while helping prevent global health threats from reaching New York State and the United States. Protecting New Yorkers means protecting communities everywhere — I’ll always stand up for the health and safety of our state and country.”

In January, the Trump Administration withdrew the United States from WHO, compromising the country’s global health safety and preparedness to respond to future pandemics. 

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Joining GOARN shows New York’s commitment to fast, coordinated responses to public health threats. Through this partnership, we will share our expertise, provide laboratory support, strengthen infection control and help manage public health emergencies worldwide.”

GOARN, coordinated by the World Health Organization, is a global network of over 300 technical institutions and networks that provide rapid outbreak detection, verification, and response. It supports countries with technical expertise, laboratory capacity and operational coordination to mitigate public health threats.

The New York State Health Department, established in 1901, is one of the nation’s oldest and largest state health departments, overseeing disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, environmental health, maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention and regulation of healthcare facilities. Its Wadsworth Center provides advanced diagnostic testing, genomic sequencing, antimicrobial resistance monitoring and reference services that will now support GOARN operations internationally.

The partnership will enable the Department to provide technical assistance, support capacity-building initiatives, strengthen risk communication efforts, and coordinate with international public health partners.  

This partnership would also provide New York State with earlier access to global outbreak intelligence, enhance workforce expertise through real-world response experience, strengthen laboratory and surveillance capabilities, and improve preparedness for emerging and re-emerging public health threats, further protecting the health of New Yorkers. 

Plattsburgh, NY, News Release of Feb. 10, 2026 – New York State Assemblymember Michael S. Cashman today announced his appointment to two additional New York State Assembly standing committees, the Small Business Committee and the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee.

The Small Business Committee focuses on the small-business aspects of economic development, working to develop practical tools and legislative strategies to promote, support, and foster small business growth throughout New York State. Small businesses are a key driver of local job creation and economic resilience, particularly across the North Country and rural regions like the Adirondacks.

“The Small Business Committee is a welcome and important assignment, especially for the North Country which has such a large and diverse small business economy with special needs in areas like the Adirondacks,” Garry Douglas, President and CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce said. “We congratulate Assemblyman Cashman and look forward, along with our partners, to actively working with him on behalf of our region’s small businesses.”

In addition to Small Business, Assemblymember Cashman was also appointed to the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, which develops and considers legislation impacting prevention, treatment, and recovery services for individuals and families statewide. The committee also provides oversight of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) to ensure policies and initiatives expand access to vital services across New York. Read more »

 Call for Submissions To Run Through April 3; Submit Recommendations Through New Online Portal 

Albany, NYS News Release of Feb. 13, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of EXPRESS NY (Expediting Processes and Regulations to Enable Streamlined Services), a new statewide effort to make government work better by tackling outdated and burdensome regulations, policies, and practices that stand in the way of delivering for New Yorkers. EXPRESS NY is the next phase in the governor’s 2026 State of the State commitment to cut excessive red tape to speed up government and make it easier, faster, and more affordable to deliver the critical projects and services that New Yorkers need. 

“While Washington Republicans seek to gut government at every opportunity they get, we’re strengthening government in New York through real efficiencies and reforms,” Governor Hochul said. “New Yorkers navigate regulations in ways big and small, from small businesses trying to get off the ground to local leaders trying to build needed housing and infrastructure; today, it is clear toat that it is often too hard and takes too long to navigate red tape and get approvals. I’ve charged my team to slash excessive red tape, and by asking the people who interact with bureaucracy every day for their ideas, we can deliver a more responsive and effective government that supports the dreams and ambitions of New Yorkers and takes this state to the next level.”

In October, Governor Hochul directed state agencies to identify outdated or obsolete regulations and policies. In this initial phase, agencies identified nearly 100 potential regulations and practices in need of reform, modernization or elimination. Opportunities to cut red tape that state agencies have identified include: removing unnecessary fees for small businesses, expediting occupational licensing renewals for workers, digitizing paper-based processes, rescinding unenforced and out of date regulations, and reducing burdensome and unnecessary reporting requirements.

Now, Governor Hochul wants to hear from New Yorkers directly to seek their ideas on cutting red tape and making government work better. The State has launched a new portal for New Yorkers to identify regulations, policies, and practices that add unnecessary process, undue burden, or are simply out of date. Specific areas of focus include recommendations that will: 

• Speed up housing & infrastructure development by addressing obstacles that slow down our ability to build affordable housing and other infrastructure New Yorkers depend on: transportation, child care centers, water infrastructure, parks, community centers, and more.
• Support small businesses by tackling burdensome requirements and fees that make it difficult for businesses to launch, serve customers, or grow.
• Streamline access to services by simplifying complicated processes or removing unnecessary hurdles that prevent families from accessing benefits and services that New York State supports or oversees (e.g., healthcare, child care, nutrition, mental health).

New Yorkers should submit ideas in a new portal that the State has launched here. The call for ideas will be open until April 3. Read more »

Carl Rubino: Who Is This Guy? Carl consistently pens lyrics with characters that come alive in scenes that paint a picture and tell a story, often with an unexpected twist and a dash of emotion.  Carl’s songwriting rule is simple. If you can’t close your eyes and “see” the song keep rewriting or throw it out!  Initially focused on blending contemporary folk and what country music was before it turned into something else, delivered with his gutsy baritone over a melodically fingerpicked acoustic guitar, some of his more recent work fuses elements of contemporary folk or “typical” Americana with jazz that blend elements of jazz composition with his penchant for telling stories in songs.  Many have likened his recent songs to the fell of traditional jazz ballads – picture someone like Tony Bennett singing in a smoke-filled cafe in Paris or New York. He also forays into the blues and even an occasional political satire piece.   Carl is often appreciated by those who are drawn to some of his influences, like John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Bill Morrissey and Steve Earle.   He writes his songs and performs on guitars and keyboard/piano.

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