The Peru Gazette

WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Owens today announced the nomination of 17 students to service academies this year.

“These academies offer Upstate New York young men and women the opportunity to receive an excellent education while serving their country, and I am pleased to nominate so many for service,” said Owens. “American service academies help to develop their students morally, mentally and physically.  As a home to Fort Drum, the North Country has long been known for the highest ideals of duty and honor and I look forward to seeing these future leaders carry on that tradition.”

A member of Congress can nominate students to attend an academy if they meet eligibility requirements and submit a detailed application.  The four service academies that accept nominations include the Air Force, Army, Merchant Marines and the Navy.  Owens, an Air Force Veteran, is pleased to announce the nomination of the following individuals to their respective academy:

United State Naval Academy:
Nathaniel Brenon, Brownville
Nicholas Koen, Hamilton
Mason Rabalais, Oswego
Keagan Rios, Clayton
Frank Slaunwhite, Canastota

United States Air Force
Thomas Burgess, Watertown
Katherine McCrum, Theresa
Steven Mesmer, Chittenango
Jordan Read, Sackets Harbor

United States Military Academy
Troy Amnott, Philadelphia
Greyson Barr, Cazenovia
Nathaniel Brenon, Brownville
Matthew Burleson, Fort Drum
Christopher Cantrell, Black River
Richard Charlton, Fort Drum
Sidney Flint, Jay
Patrick Kneram, Philadelphia
Nicholas Palmateer, Mayfield
Joshua Powers, Altona
Zachary Ziemer, Morrisonville

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By Donald McBrayer

It’s been a few years since we took our kids on a Disney World vacation in Orlando Florida and considering we celebrated our 25th anniversary recently, we decided it was time to revisit Mickey from an adult perspective.

There has been many changes to the park since our last visit. (Click here for more photos) The huge Mickey hand and wand have been removed from the Epcot ball (Spaceship Earth). MGM Studios is now called Hollywood Studios – a lawsuit over the use of MGM material apparently spurred the change in 2007. And, many of the attractions have been refitted to showcase more recent characters from Disney & Pixar. Obama has been added to the Hall of Presidents, Johnny Depp to the Pirates of the Caribbean, and the bone crushing horrifying alien from Tomorrow Land’s ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter has been replaced with a smaller, playful Stitch puppet from “Lilo & Stitch” . . . better for kids, booooooring for geeks.
And more changes are coming. Many of the attractions are under extensive renovations including The Tower of Terror, Blizzard Beach, and most notably, the iconic Cinderella’s Castle. It is a strange site seeing a huge construction crane hovering over the place of dreams. Many smaller attractions are also undergoing refits. If I had young children and was planning a Disney vacation, I would wait until 2012 when the work is completed.

Don’t get me wrong, Disney World is still a place of wonders and after 5 days there I still hadn’t seen half the place has to offer. We enjoyed fantastic dinners in the park’s most premier restaurants, took the time to explore how magic is created “behind the scenes,” enjoyed long romantic walks along the moon-lit paths of Epcot’s World Showcase, and marveled at everything from the gut-wrenching Yeti encounter at the Animal Kingdom to the explosions at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. It truly is a wonderful place.

If you plan to go I would suggest the following:

• Pre-plan as much as you can online including flights, meals, park passes (including hopper-passes) and transportation. Disney will do it all, but it has to be arranged before you get there.
• Try visiting after the holidays. We didn’t wait in line for a single attraction, never needed reservations for the restaurants (we made them but didn’t need them), and always had a seat on the buses, boats, and rails we used to explore the parks.
• Pace yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the fantasy and forget basic needs. Drink lots of water. Be sure to get a full night’s sleep every night you’re there. Eat a good breakfast. Don’t forget sunblock – it’s Florida afterall. Wear very comfortable shoes – you’ll walk an average of ten miles a day. And be ready for a stiff neck by day three – you’ll be doing a lot more looking up than normal and by the third day it takes its toll.
• Finally: Don’t be cheap. Dreams really do come true, but to do it right (including everything from flights to lodging to food & fun) you should budget around a thousand dollars a day.
  

Richard Williams, Chair of the Town of Peru Planning Board, called the meeting of Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 7:00pm to order. Read more »

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Congressman Owens News Release

Rep. Owens continues program to make office more accessible in sprawling district

WHAT: Members of Congressman Bill Owens’ staff will hold meetings with Upstate New Yorkers in an ongoing effort to increase constituent outreach. Four meetings will be held next week in Oswego and Franklin counties, with multiple more events planned throughout New York’s 23rd Congressional district in the coming months.

WHO: Staffers from Congressman Owens’ office

WHEN/WHERE:      Wednesday, January 19, 2011

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Oswego Public Library

120 East Second St.

Oswego, NY 13126

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Granby Community Center

920 County Route 8

Granby, NY 13069

Thursday, January 20, 2011

9:00 a.m. – Noon

Harrietstown Town Hall

39 Main St.

Saranac Lake, NY 12983

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Goff-Nelson Memorial Library

41 Lake St.

Tupper Lake, NY 12986

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Sean Magers, 202-480-5657

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