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.