CHEERS to Dr. Jonathan Slater and the dedicated students from the spring 2009 Advanced Advertising Strategies and Advanced Public Relations Methods classes, who worked with the City of Plattsburgh Recreation Department to create two unique campaigns to aid in the promotion and awareness of the Plattsburgh City Beach and the City Recreation Center. These two campaigns will have lasting effects on both facilities for years to come. The Recreation Department received a great product from the students, and the professor's vision for service learning and his instructional techniques allowed the students to learn about new concepts and immediately implement them in a real-world environment. Their efforts went well beyond what is expected of most students, and it became clear that these projects meant more to them than just a grade. This is another prominent example of why the North Country's colleges provide far more value to their communities than just the money they bring in.

JEERS to the State Department of Environmental Conservation for raising its fees for certain senior citizens purchasing hunting licenses. Beginning Oct. 1, as we have discussed in stories in the Press-Republican, the cost for a basic sportsman's license for those over 65 goes from a modest $5 to an astounding $47. And the age limit to qualify for that senior-class license goes from 65 to 70. That means those outdoorsmen ages 65 through 69 won't re-qualify for a senior-citizen rate again until they reach age 70. It has been six years since the DEC adjusted its rates, but it would've been more prudent to phase the increases in, rather than hike them drastically all at once. CHEERS, though, to the town clerks across the region who are pointing out to these aging sportsmen that it is cheaper for them to purchase a lifetime license for $50 before the Sept. 30 deadline than it is to buy a license every year for $47.

CHEERS to all of the people who ran so many successful fundraising sporting events this summer. A great deal of money is generated, painlessly, by these fun events throughout the North Country. One example is Georgia Pacific's softball tournament to benefit the FitzPatrick Cancer Center at CVPH. The event drew softball teams from as far away as Malone and Saranac Lake. With 39 teams representing communities and local companies, G-P Safety Manager Lola Miller and her band of volunteers were targeting a 50-percent increase over their record $10,000 raised at last year's event.

CHEERS to the Peru Town Board for taking immediate action on what has become known as the perilous intersection of the Dashnaw and Lapham's Mills roads, which has been the site of numerous serious vehicular accidents over the years, including one recently that claimed the life of an off-duty state trooper. The town reacted urgently by installing four-way stop signs. Previously, traffic on only one road was stopped, and limited visibility created a demonstrable hazard. We'll never know how many lives the board will have saved.