Eligible SUNY and CUNY Students Whose Families Earn Up to $125,000 Annually Can Attend Tuition-Free College

Albany, May 26, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the application for the Excelsior Scholarship for new applicants for the 2026-27 academic year is now open. The Excelsior Scholarship, administered by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), provides eligible full-time students with tuition-free attendance at SUNY or CUNY two-year or four-year colleges. Students choosing to attend a participating private college in New York State can receive up to $6,000 toward their tuition costs through the Enhanced Tuition Award.

“Higher education should be a pathway to opportunity, not a source of financial strain. Programs like the Excelsior Scholarship and the Enhanced Tuition Award put opportunity within reach for thousands of New Yorkers ready to take the next step toward a college degree,” Governor Hochul said. “This program helps make higher education more accessible by allowing eligible students to attend SUNY and CUNY colleges tuition-free. It’s about keeping students in New York, supporting their goals, and strengthening our workforce and economy.”

In the 2024-25 academic year, $101 million in Excelsior awards was distributed to more than 25,000 students, enabling 72% of CUNY students and 55% of SUNY students to attend college tuition-free through a combination of the Excelsior Scholarship and other awards; additionally, $1.7 million in Enhanced Tuition Awards was provided to more than 1,500 students.

Students from households with federal adjusted gross incomes up to $125,000 are eligible for an Excelsior Scholarship award, and must also:

• Attend a SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year college
• Enroll full-time and complete 30 credits per year towards their program of study (including summer and winter terms); and be on track to graduate with an associate degree in two years or a bachelor’s degree in four years
  

More information and full eligibility criteria for the Excelsior Scholarship can be found here.

Additionally, applications are now being accepted for the Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA). ETA provides eligible New York State students up to $6,000 in tuition assistance at participating private colleges in New York State.

To qualify, students must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
• Be a New York State resident for at least 12 months before the start of the term
• Be attending a participating private college in New York State
• Have a combined federal household income of $125,000 or less
• Enroll full-time and complete 30 credits per year in their program of study
• Agree to live and work in New York State for the same number of years the award was received

Full eligibility criteria for the Enhanced Tuition Award can be found here.

The deadline for new applicants to apply for the ETA or Excelsior Scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year is August 31, 2026.

Students currently receiving either the Excelsior Scholarship or Enhanced Tuition Award do not need to submit applications annually to receive continued award payments; however, they must continue to meet eligibility criteria and complete the FAFSA and TAP applications, or DREAM Act application each year applying for aid.

1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. ROLL CALL
4. APPROVAL of May 2026 minutes
5. OPEN FLOOR TO PUBLIC HEARING

6. APPLICATIONS:

7. 1. File # P-2026-007 – Minor 2-Lot Subdivision – Parcel ID# 267.-1-3.23 – 392 John Boswell Rd – Robert Wright – APPLICANT SEEKS TO SPLIT LOT INTO 2 SUBDIVISIONS. LOT #1 = 19.4 ACRES, RETAINED. LOT #2 = 1.5 ACRES AS A GIFT FOR THEIR SON, TANNER WRIGHT.

8. ANY FURTHER BUSINESS

9. CEO REPORT

   1. Findings on the Board’s questions about fencing conditions for WJB Properties LLC’s storage facility on Town Park Rd.

10. ADJOURNMENT

Tom Venne performing on Sunday 11:30 – 2:30 

Mac’n Cheese 

Chicken Nuggets 

Vegetable 

Bread 

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!

DEC sets up portable toilets at popular Fish Creek and Rollins Pond campgrounds 

Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

Albany, May 21, 2026 – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other State agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from across New York State.

Hamlet of Paul Smiths
Franklin County
Training: On May 1 and 2, Forest Ranger Lieutenant LaPierre and Rangers Adams, Bowler, and Corey taught the basic wildland search course for members of Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks (SARNAK.) Rangers often work together with SARNAK on search and rescue missions, so training together makes things more efficient in the event of an actual emergency.

Town of Keene
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 9 at 9:30 p.m., two Forest Rangers responded to a dropped 911 call near the Garden parking lot and trailhead. Essex County Dispatch retrieved cell phone coordinates that placed a 22- and 26-year-old several hundred feet off trail between the Brothers and Phelps trails. At 10:45 p.m., Dispatchers made contact with a friend of the hikers who received a text message with updated coordinates that placed the hikers in Cold Brook Pass in Newcomb. At 1:30 a.m., Lake Colden Caretaker Raudonis reached the pair and assisted them to the outpost to get warm and dry. After spending the night, Caretaker Raudonis assisted the hiking party to the Marcy Dam Outpost. Ranger Jeffery met them and assisted them to the South Meadows trailhead. Resources were clear at 1 p.m.

Town of Warrensburg
Warren County
Water Recovery: On May 10 at 8 p.m., Warren County requested Forest Ranger assistance with the search for a missing kayaker in the Schroon River. NYSP, the Warrensburg Fire Department, and Warren County Sheriff’s Deputies began searching the area behind Library Avenue. At 9:30 p.m., crews found the kayak, but not the 21-year-old from Yonkers. The Warren County Marine Rescue Team and NYSP Underwater Recovery Team searched into the early morning hours with negative results.

The following day, Forest Rangers, DEC Environmental Conservation Police, NYSP, Warren County Sheriff’s Deputies, and the North Queensbury Fire Department continued searching. At 7:45 p.m., the NYSP Underwater Recovery Team located the subject deceased. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers its condolences to the family.

Town of Warrensburg
Warren County
Wildland Fire: On May 12 at 4 p.m., Warren County requested Forest Ranger assistance with a brush fire that damaged a structure. Rangers assisted Chester, Horicon, Minerva, Portersville, and Riverside Fire Departments to contain the fire by 8:35 p.m. The cause of the 2-acre fire remains under investigation.

Town of North Elba
Essex County
Wilderness Search: On May 13 at 1:47 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch contacted Forest Ranger Ezumah about a lost hiker near Street and Nye Mountain trail. Rangers Ezumah and Rooney met at the trailhead and made verbal contact with the subject one mile down the trail. They found the 47-year-old from Amherst next to Indian Pass Brook. Rangers provided warming layers and escorted the subject back to their vehicle. Resources were clear at 4:45 p.m.

Town of Elizabethtown
Essex County
Water Rescue and Recovery:  On May 15 at 9:48 p.m., Essex County 911 called Ray Brook Dispatch about two subjects in distress at Lincoln Pond. Three Forest Rangers arrived on scene and determined it was three subjects who were in the water after their canoe and kayak flipped. Rangers assisted two of the subjects out of the water. Members of Horicon Fire Department and EMS transported them to Elizabethtown Hospital to treat them for hypothermia. At 1:04 a.m., the Horicon Fire Department Dive Team recovered the third subject, a 30-year-old from Syracuse, deceased.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers its condolences to the family.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s “Hike Smart NY,” “Adirondack Backcountry,” and “Catskill Backcountry Information” webpages for more information.

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on State lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region.

CDC Data indicates Opioid-Related Deaths Down Nearly 52 Percent Since 2022

Albany, May 21, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today highlighted new provisional figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Vital Statistics System, which show a substantial reduction in overdose deaths in New York State from 2022 through 2025. The annual number of drug fatalities fell for a third year in a row and decreased by 44.9% in New York. That’s more than 5,000 lives saved. The largest reductions were seen in opioid-related deaths, which are down 51.9% since 2022.

“As Governor, I have been committed to reversing the opioid and overdose epidemic by making historic investments in prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and Recovery services and supports,” Governor Hochul said. “I am very pleased that over the past three years, we have seen a decline in overall overdose deaths. However, the hard work continues. We will continue our focus on removing health disparities and responding to new substances that are emerging in the illicit drug supply. Every overdose that occurs is one too many and addressing these public health challenges requires an ongoing and dynamic response.”

Click here for treatment information 

1. Call Meeting to Order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

4. MOTION: To Open the Special Meeting.

5. MOTION: Adjourn to Executive Session.

6. MOTION: Return from Executive Session.

7. DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION:  Approve Engagement Letter to Replace Special Counsel.

8. MOTION: To Close the Special Meeting.

May 21^st, 6 pm – Peru Free Library 3024, N. Main Street, Peru. The Battle of Valcour Island – before, during and after. With Reenactor and Historian Craig Russell. Hear the story of the most important naval battle of the Revolutionary War – fought on our lake on October 11, 1776.

Peru Gazette Patent Rd. Photo

Crossbow Expansion Widely Adopted by Archery Hunters

First Time in Modern New York History that Mature Buck Harvest Exceeds Yearling Buck Harvest

Albany, May 20, 2026 – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced that hunters harvested an estimated 227,032 white-tailed deer during the 2025-26 hunting seasons, approximately 2% more than the 2024 season and within 1% of the 5-year average.

“It is clear that deer hunters took advantage of expanded crossbow hunting opportunities this past season,” said Commissioner Lefton. “We are pleased that more hunters can participate in New York’s archery deer seasons and contribute to effective deer management into the future. The results from this past season continue to demonstrate that New York has much to offer for deer hunters.”

Following an amendment to the Environmental Conservation Law in 2025 that allowed deer hunters to use a crossbow in the same seasons, places, and manner as a vertical bow, DEC documented widespread adoption of crossbows. In 2025, crossbows accounted for 55% of the total archery season deer harvest. For comparison, in 2024, crossbows accounted for 33% of the total archery harvest. Crossbows are a more approachable hunting implement for hunters who are new to archery or have difficulty drawing a vertical bow. In 2025, archery hunters who harvested a deer using a crossbow were on average 9 years older and were more than twice as likely to be female than those who harvested a deer with a vertical bow.

The 2025 antlered buck harvest of 120,909 was 1% less than 2024, but finally passed a landmark in buck age structure. For the first time in modern history, New York hunters harvested as many 3.5-year-old or older bucks (28.1%) as yearling bucks (28.0%). For comparison, 25 years ago only 10% of harvested bucks in New York were 3.5 years old or older and 67% were 1.5 years old.

The 2025 antlerless deer harvest of 106,123 was up 5% from 2024. However, antlerless deer harvest throughout much of New York was still below what is necessary to achieve deer population objectives. Sufficient harvest of antlerless deer is necessary to keep deer populations in balance with available habitat and at levels that are acceptable to all members of the public. To encourage hunters to harvest more antlerless deer in future seasons, DEC recently proposed Changes to Hunting Regulations to Increase Harvest of Antlerless Deer.

Notable Numbers from the 2025 Deer Seasons:

• 0: The number of positive results from 3,050 wild deer tested for Chronic Wasting Disease, as efforts continue to “Keep NY’s wild deer CWD-free.”
• 530,808: The number of licensed NY hunters during the 2025 deer hunting seasons, an estimated 85% of whom actively participated in deer hunting.
• 11%: The estimated percentage of hunters who used the newly-offered E-tags for all of their 2025 deer hunting. An additional 19% of hunters used a combination of E-tags and paper tags throughout the hunting seasons.
• 63%: The portion of successful deer hunters reporting their harvest as required by law. This is well above the five-year average of 49%. Harvest reporting was likely increased through hunters adopting E-tagging, which requires immediate reporting as part of the tagging process.
• 2,567: The estimated deer harvest by 12–15-year-old hunters during the Youth Firearms Season.
• 17.1 and 0.7: The estimated number of deer harvested per square mile in the Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) with the highest (WMU 8R) and lowest (WMU 5F) harvest density.
• 12,385: The number of harvested deer checked by DEC field staff to gather data such as deer age, sex, and hunter reporting rates. This check data, along with hunter harvest reports, allows DEC to estimate the total deer harvest and monitor trends in deer populations.

DEC’s 2025 Deer Harvest Summary report provides tables, figures, and maps detailing the deer harvest around the state. Past harvest summaries are also available on DEC’s website. DEC’s White-tailed deer Management Plan provides information on how DEC determines deer population objectives throughout the state.

Click here for the NCPR story 

Albany, May 20, 2026 – New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that the New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund) delivered a strong estimated investment return of 11.94% for the state fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, closing at a record-high estimated value of $295.4 billion — the highest fiscal year-end value in the Fund’s history.

“The New York State Common Retirement Fund delivered another year of strong results despite economic uncertainty, persistent inflation, and turbulence out of Washington,” DiNapoli said. “Under my watch, our diversified, disciplined investment strategy continues to protect the retirement security of nearly 1.3 million public workers, retirees and their families. We have built one of the nation’s strongest and best-funded public pension funds by focusing on long-term stability, smart diversification, and responsible risk management. Reaching a record-high value is a testament to the strength of our investment team and our commitment to keeping the promises made to New Yorkers.”

The Fund’s long-term expected rate of return is 5.9%, the second lowest among major public pension funds in the country. During his tenure, DiNapoli steadily lowered the assumed rate of return from 8% to a more prudent and sustainable level that has earned praise from independent fiscal experts for strengthening the Fund’s long-term fiscal health.

While annual returns can fluctuate with market conditions, the Fund continues to deliver strong long-term performance, achieving a three-year annualized return of 9.74%, five-year annualized return of 6.77% and a 10-year annualized return of 8.94%.

The Fund’s value reflects retirement and death benefits of $16.8 billion paid out during the fiscal year.

As of March 31, 2026, the Fund had 39.4% of its assets invested in publicly traded equities. The remaining Fund assets by allocation are invested in cash, bonds, and mortgages (22.9%), private equity (14.3%), real estate and real assets (14.3%), and credit, absolute return strategies, and opportunistic alternatives (9.1%).

DiNapoli’s management of the Fund has received praise from two independent reviews in 2026. First, a legally required fiduciary and conflict of interest review of the Fund released in January recognized the Fund for its exemplary investment oversight, risk management, and ethical governance. This review, conducted by Weaver and Tidwell LLP and required by state regulations, is part of the reforms that DiNapoli fought for when he became State Comptroller to provide the public with a clear, independent assessment of how the Fund is being managed and where improvements could be made.

Weaver’s review found:

• The Fund operates under a strong governance framework with a rigorous system of internal controls and maintains a high level of operational transparency.
• DiNapoli manages the Fund with the highest ethical, professional, and conflict of interest standards, and acts for the sole benefit of the retirement system’s members and beneficiaries.
• The Fund has a great deal of focus on the fees applied to each individual deal and whether the proposed fees fall within prevailing market norms.
• The Fund demonstrates a strategic asset allocation between public and private markets that closely aligns with its peer group.
• Fund staff are knowledgeable and dedicated and manage the Fund in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

The review highlights that the Fund’s high-funded status and conservative assumed rate of return put it in a stronger financial position to meet long-term obligations than its peers and is able to weather market volatility. The funded status was 92.2%, as of March 31, 2025, and is still being calculated for the fiscal year that just ended.

A second independent review conducted by the State Department of Financial Services(DFS), the Funds’ regulator, found the investment and risk teams are performing their duties professionally and competently while safeguarding the retirement security of the state pension fund’s members. The report found total fund performance versus benchmarks over 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods “has been very good,” and highlighted the Fund’s consistently healthy funded ratio as evidence of a well-managed portfolio and low risk to pensioners, and found that investment fees and expenses were reasonable.

Employer contribution rates are determined by investment results over a multi-year period along with numerous other actuarial assumptions, including wage growth, inflation, age of retirement, and mortality. Integral to the Fund’s strength have been the state and local governments, which consistently pay their contributions.

The New York State Common Retirement Fund is one of the largest public pension funds in the United States. It holds and invests the assets of the New York State and Local Retirement System on behalf of nearly 1.3 million state and local government employees and retirees and their beneficiaries, and has consistently been ranked as one of the best managed and best funded public plans in the nation.

Links
Fund’s Historic Value and Rate of Return in Prior Years
Asset Class Returns
Return for Last Fiscal Year
Independent Review by Weaver and Tidwell LLP Review
Independent Review by State Department of Financial Services (starts on pg. 59)

Hakeem Jeffries urged Albany to avoid maps that aggressively boosted Democrats, sources told New York Focus.

Click here for the New York Focus story 

There will be a special meeting of the Peru Town Board held on Friday May 22 at 9:30 a.m. at the Peru Town Hall;  This meeting is to replace Special Counsel.

Click here for the Sun Community News story 

Buffalo and Rochester Continued to Lead the Way with Double-Digit Declines in Shooting Incidents

Albany, May 20, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced sustained progress in the ongoing fight against gun violence during the first four months of 2026 compared to the same time last year in communities participating in the State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. New data from the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) shows shooting incidents with injury dropped 17 percent, the number of shooting victims declined 19 percent, and the number of individuals killed by a firearm decreased 43 percent. At the same time, there were no firearm-related homicides in 18 of the 28 GIVE communities.

“New Yorkers are safer today because of our continued investments in proven, data-driven strategies that are helping reduce gun violence and save lives,” Governor Hochul said. “Everyone deserves to live free from the scourge of gun violence. As we work to continue this progress across communities that experience gun violence, my administration will continue to support the hard work of law enforcement, community organizations and local leaders on the front lines of this fight.”

The following GIVE police departments reported no firearm-related homicides during the first four months of the year:

• Amherst
• Auburn
• Binghamton
• Cheektowaga
• Hempstead
• Ithaca
• Jamestown
• Kingston
• Lackawanna
• Middletown
• Mount Vernon
• Newburgh (city)
• Schenectady
• Spring Valley
• Troy
• Utica
• Yonkers
• Watertown

The police departments participating in GIVE are on the front lines of fighting gun violence outside of New York City, with the 28 participating agencies collectively accounting for about 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms and 85 percent of all violent crime reported outside the five boroughs.

Compared to the first four months of 2021, the reductions are even more significant. Shooting incidents with injury declined 64 percent, from 324 to 116 incidents. Shooting victims decreased 66 percent, from 373 to 127, and firearm-related murders dropped 66 percent, from 61 to 21 deaths. These positive trends in GIVE communities follow last year’s all-time low numbers for all three shooting data points, which the state began collecting in 2006.

Gun violence in Buffalo and Rochester also continued to decline significantly. The Buffalo Police Department reported four firearm-related murders during the first four months of 2026, compared to 10 during the same period last year and 25 in 2021. Buffalo also saw a 32 percent decrease in shooting incidents with injury and a 34 percent decline in shooting victims compared to 2025. Compared to 2021, shooting incidents with injury and shooting victims each declined by more than 75 percent.

The Rochester Police Department reported one firearm-related murder during the first four months of 2026, compared to eight during the same period last year and 13 in 2021. Rochester also saw an 18 percent decrease in shooting incidents with injury and a 16 percent decline in shooting victims compared to 2025. Compared to 2021, shooting incidents with injury declined 61 percent and shooting victims fell 63 percent. Read more »

Peru, NY – May 19,2026 

2026 – 2027 Peru School Budget and School Board Elections Results

2026-27 Budget 

380 Yes 

151 No 

Purchase of up to three school buses

376 Yes

155 No 

School Board Candidates (Top two elected) 

Mark Hamilton – 399 (Elected to a 3-year term) 

Steven Peters – 274 (Elected to a 2-year term) 

Laura Hathaway – 269 

50 absentee ballots are included in the above totals 

There were 534 votes cast.