Congressman Bill Owens has announced his support of the tax cut compromise between President Obama and the Republicans.

The complete press release is below:

MASSENA – The Greater Massena Chamber of Commerce and Winter Carnival Committee are putting out the call for participants in 2011 Massena Winter Carnival Parade.

The theme for this year’s winter carnival parade, which will take place on Friday, Feb. 4, is ‘Fire and Ice.’

Line up times and location will be announced closer to the parade date.

Parade applications are available at the chamber office or at www.massenachamber.com, and must be submitted by close of business Monday, Jan. 31.

POTSDAM – Canton-Potsdam Hospital will host a children’s holiday party 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, in the 2nd floor conference rooms.

A holiday movie, puppet show, Santa, coloring, cookie decorating, storytelling, crafts and Doctor T-Bear and Frosty the Snowman will be featured.

POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Chamber of Commerce Town/Gown Committee says that The Clarkson Inn is the December nominee for the 2011 Pride-In-Potsdam award.

The inn, at 1 Main St., is operated by J.R. Weston, Inc., a for-profit, tax-paying subsidiary of Clarkson University. The hotel celebrated its 25th anniversary this September. The hotel was completed in autumn of 1985.

Town & Gown committee chair Rob Bicknell presented the nomination to hotel manager Peggy Snell at the chamber’s afterhours event Dec. 9 at the inn.

West Stockholm photographer Jim Bullard has a photo in the 2011 calendar issued by Paddling.net.

The photo, of a canoeist on Lake Colby near Saranac Lake with full autumn leaf color, is the one chosen for October in the calendar.

POTSDAM – The Creative Spirit Art Center will hold a celebratory gathering marking the end of the “Fall into Art” exhibition at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16 at the center, 6 Raymond St.

This is an opportunity to meet and interact with the artists featured in the show: Artists In Residence – Otto Czerepak, Len Mackey, Julian Vadas, and Andrew Minnery, as well as guest artists Kira LaRose and Matt McKenna.

You can support the arts and the artists with a chance to tour the studios and glimpse what is in store for the future there.

Refreshments will be served.

To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Northern Light Yoga Center, located at 595 Miner St., Canton. This new yoga center is a wonderful addition to our business community and I encourage people to get out to see the center.

Rebecca Rivers, owner of the center, is incredibly supportive of my business, The World Artisan, in Potsdam. I would like to thank her for this support.

To the Editor:

Trinity Episcopal Church in Potsdam would like to thank everyone who attended our annual Thanksgiving community dinner Nov. 25, 2010.

We were most happy to share the bounty of a traditional feast, in the warmth of greeting old friends and meeting new ones.

We appreciated all the volunteers who purchased, prepared, served or packaged food, as well as cleaned up.

We have much to be grateful for. Trinity Church welcomes all throughout the year.

Michele & George Arnold

dinner coordinators

“Soaring Gas Prices” (Sound Off, Dec. 8-14): I’ve learned to not get stressed out over things I have no control over. No one likes higher gas prices. It’s been the number one complaint for years. Lets face it, oil companies run this country! Remember about 5 years ago, the price of gas was flirting with 5.00 a gallon? (Who was president? An oil man.) So $3.17 isn’t too bad. Besides you can bet after the holidays the price will drop again. And remember when the price of gas was under a dollar? But the average car only got 10 miles per gallon. It’s all relative!