As fair season ramps up, New York State Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball spoke with The Enterprise about bird flu, which has been infecting dairy herds in other parts of the country, and has led to testing requirements for animals shown at fairs and other measures that are helping New York ward off danger. 

KNOX — New York State Police believe they know the identity of a dead person found in Knox late last month, but are awaiting DNA results to confirm before releasing the information.

Tom Galvin, who has spent his life and career at Berne-Knox-Westerlo, is being honored for his achievements as the girls’ basketball coach. Galvin is also the athletic director and dean of students. 

The Knox Planning Board, which has so far relied on fairly skeletal solar ordinances to guide its project determinations, will be holding a public hearing for a more robust, 15-page law at its next meeting on Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m, at the town hall.

Represented by attorney Andrew Brick, former Westerlo planning board members Angela Carkner, Richard Kurylo, and Gerry Boone have sued the town board and the newly designated planning/zoning board, claiming that the abolishment of the planning board, passed with a simple 3-to-2 majority of the town board, required a supermajority to approve.

The Rensselaerville Town Board is hoping to get a number of properties in the town cleaned and up to standards, but won’t be receiving help for the most problematic one, on Sayre Road in Medusa, after the state Department of Environmental Conservation assessed the property and decided not to take action. 

Westerlo’s Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman George Spahmer said that the quasi-controversial application was approved 4-to-0 with one member abstaining. 

Rebecca Haaland began Boosted Coatings five years ago when she was just 19. She sought to expand her powder-coating business to Westerlo, at Shepard Farm this year, inadvertently triggering a massive political battle that saw the town’s planning board eliminated.

ALBANY COUNTY — In April, New York State passed the Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment (RAPID) Act through its budget, making it easier for transmission-line projects to be built in the state by shifting the Office of Renewable Energy Siti

Former Westerlo Planning Board Chairman Beau Loendorf submitted a letter to the Enterprise editor this week bemoaning the town board’s decision to abolish the planning board, among other things. The town supervisor and town attorney both issued responses that defended themselves and turned the blame back on Loendorf and the planning board.