INAUGURAL
Industry warns of cell-phone woes
Going to the inauguration next month? Planning to send a photo from your cell phone to your friends back home at the moment Barack Obama takes the oath of office?
The nation’s wireless providers hope you’ll reconsider.
Providers are boosting capacity in and around the National Mall to try to meet the demand of a crowd that is expected to exceed 1 million. But the industry warns that some dropped calls and delayed transmissions will be inevitable.
“If 4 million people show up on the Mall, absolutely expect delays,” said Joseph E. Farren, a spokesman for CTIA, which represents the wireless industry.
Sprint said Tuesday that it plans to increase wireless capacity by 40 percent for cellular service and 90 percent for its walkie-talkie feature. T-Mobile’s preparations exceed those of any single-day event in the company’s history, according to company spokesman Peter Dobrow.
Verizon Wireless, a big local player, referred questions to the industry association.
CTIA is suggesting that people avoid sending videos and photos from the scene, and send text messages instead of phone calls when possible to place less strain on the network.
BURIALS
Arlington to provide full military honors
Starting next year, the Army will provide full military honors for all soldiers killed in action when they are laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
The change in policy means funerals for enlisted soldiers will also include the horse-drawn caisson and other honors previously given only to certain soldiers, such as officers and Medal of Honor recipients.
Army spokesman Paul Boyce said Tuesday that the full honors also adds an escort platoon, a colors team and a band, whereas standard honors uses a firing party, bugler and chaplain.
The policy change applies only to Arlington because it is unique in having a caisson.
“Arlington National Cemetery is an expression of our nation’s reverence for those who served her in uniform, many making the ultimate sacrifice,” Secretary of the Army Pete Geren said in a statement released by the Army. “This new policy provides a common standard for honoring all soldiers killed in action.”
Though the full honors will be offered to families, it takes more time to arrange such services, so those who want the funerals more quickly are likely to decline. The full honors also will be arranged for members of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, if requested, officials said.
The policy will take effect early next year.
MINNESOTA
Board looks at disputed ballots
ST. PAUL, Minn. | Members of a board refereeing more than 1,000 disputed ballots in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race started their work gingerly Tuesday, squinting at ballots as they tried to figure out what some voters intended.
On their first day of work, the five members of the Canvassing Board dealt almost exclusively with roughly 440 challenges filed by Democrat Al Franken. Most challenges were attempts to keep a vote for Sen. Norm Coleman off the board, but some were aimed at getting an unclear ballot counted for Mr. Franken.
Mr. Coleman, the Republican incumbent, leads Mr. Franken by 188 votes out of more than 2.9 million ballots cast on Nov. 4.
It is the only unresolved U.S. Senate race. A Franken win would give Democrats 59 seats, when two independents who align with Democrats are included.
Mr. Coleman had twice as many challenges pending before the board as Mr. Franken, giving the Democrat more opportunities to pick up votes.
The board - Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, two state Supreme Court justices and two Ramsey County judges - hopes to finish its review of the ballots by Friday. State law allows decisions by majority vote on the panel, said Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann.
From wire dispatches and staff reports
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