The town of Berne will soon be getting a new playground at its town park. The town is also working on a long-term project to set up a natural playground, which uses materials from nature to let children play.

Newly elected board member Helen Lounsbury called for more public input at an upcoming organizational meeting. Other members questioned how involved the public should be in decisions by the board members it elected.

In Berne, the town-owned property of Switzkill Farm will be the site Saturday of a day-long species count and biological survey known as Bioblitz.

The White Sulphur Springs Hotel, a resort over 100 years ago, and later owned by a church in Queens, was torn down Wednesday.

A woman charged with neglecting over 50 animals on her rescue farm in Berne pleaded not guilty to eight charges of failure to provide sustenance on Tuesday night.

As part of an initiative to restore young forest habitats, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation discussed areas they will clearcut and make suitable for such habitats at the Margaret Burke Wildlife Management Area in Knox. 

A lawsuit from Altamont against Knox, challenging the assessment, is expected to go to court soon.

The results of a lab report in Knox indicate there are higher than recommended levels of contaminants in the Knox Highway Garage’s well water. 

In Westerlo, a landlord who shot a Canadian goose on his property has been ticketed for killing a migratory bird out of season. 

Blighted properties taken on by the Albany County Land Bank can be found in suburban and rural areas like New Scotland or the Helderberg Hilltowns.