Of Interest: May 8, 2008

May 08, 2008 04:00 am

— Unicel switch problem cuts service
PLATTSBURGH -- Some Unicel customers in the Northeast had spotty or non-existent cell-phone service for more than 10 hours Tuesday.
In a press release, Rural Cellular Corp., which does business as Unicel, said a network outage began at about 4 a.m. Tuesday. A software issue in a switch that all network traffic must pass through was resolved by Unicel engineers that afternoon.
By phone Wednesday, Rural Cellular Corp. Public Relations Manager Miriam Svobodny said wireless service was affected throughout Unicel's northeast territory, which includes parts of New York, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Connectivity decreased throughout the day, she said, until the engineers figured out what was wrong. Customers may have experienced delays and intermittent service during the event as their phones reregistered with the network.
Svobdny said the network was back up and operational by 2:30 p.m. that day.
"We truly appreciate our customers' patience as we worked to resolve these issues."
City School Board budget hearing set
PLATTSBURGH -- The Plattsburgh City School Board will meet at 6 tonight at the Duken Building.
If an executive session is needed, it will be held at 6 p.m. and end about 7:30, at which time the board will return to public session.
The spotlight is "The Best Thing About Kindergarten."
Following that will be a hearing and presentation of the 2008-09 proposed budget.
The public is encouraged to attend.
Burke Adult Center taking corsage orders
BURKE -- Burke Adult Center is taking orders for hand-made Mother's Day corsages.
The corsages are made from fresh carnations, baby's breath and fern, in assorted colors, for $5 each.
Pickup is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Call 483-1089.
City School District may offer pre-K
PLATTSBURGH -- The Plattsburgh City School District is exploring interest in the addition of a universal pre-kindergarten class.
Students must be Plattsburgh city residents. This half-day class would be housed at Bailey Avenue Elementary School for children who will 4 years of age on or before Dec. 1. It will be taught by a certified early childhood teacher and teaching assistant, with a maximum of 18 students in each session.
There will be two half-day sessions each day during the regular school year. Tentative hours for the morning session will be 8:30 to 11 a.m. and noon to 2:30 p.m. for the afternoon session.
Parents will be responsible for their child's transportation to and from school.
The decision to create the pre-kindergarten classes will be made after reviewing the parent-interest survey, which can be picked up at any elementary school. The completed survey must be returned no later than May 23.
For more information, call Mary Louise Lamberti, principal of Momot Elementary School, at 563-1140.
By the end of this school year, parents will be notified whether the program will be implemented.
Raffle being held to help stroke victim
CHAMPLAIN -- Friends of Keith Favreau, a Champlain resident, husband and father of two who is recovering from a severe stroke, are having a raffle to help with his medical expenses.
Jane West, secretary to the supervisor, said tickets cost $5 and are available at the Town of Champlain Offices.
Drawings range from $25 to $500, and winners will be announced May 30.
Call the Town of Champlain at 298-8160 for more information.