By Zach Simeone

BERNE — With the state’s financial crisis as a backdrop, the Berne-Knox-Westerlo school board surveyed its residents on the quality of the district’s schooling, and held a community forum on maintaining excellence in tough times.

VOORHEESVILLE — Local students are “torturing” two high school students here using hate blogs and harassment, according to relatives of the targets.

NEW SCOTLAND — After a public hearing Wednesday with a standing-room-only crowd, the town board unanimously adopted a local law to extend the commercial building moratorium three months.

KNOX — was an Air Force colonel and an environmental engineer who loved his family and the town of Knox.

NEW SCOTLAND — Controversy continues to swirl around Sphere Development and its plans to build a retail mall at the site of the old Bender melon farm.

Nooney resigns, town budgets for half-time assessor

NEW SCOTLAND — After a contentious, but award-winning, revaluation, former town assessor Julie Nooney has taken a position with Siena College. The town board accepted her resignation last month.

Move for Kormos ouster on hold

NEW SCOTLAND — The town has postponed a controversial ethics hearing for Commercial Zoning Advisory Committee co-chairwoman Elizabeth Kormos that was supposed to be held Wednesday.

NEW SCOTLAND — The town board approved a preliminary $5.6 million budget this week, offering town employees raises while trying to keep its fund balances intact.

NEW SCOTLAND — The newly-elected New Scotland Republican Party chairman said this week that there is a difference of opinion between Republicans and Democrats on how the town should be developed.