Municipalities in New York State have been successfully sued after passing laws similar to Berne’s proposed ATV law — which would open up several town roads to use by ATVs and other recreational vehicles — because they failed to prove that public roads provide critical access to ATV trails and did not properly conduct an environmental review.

BERNE — Berne residents — and even some out-of-towners — arrived in force at the Berne senior center to weigh in on the town board’s controversial bill that would open up many of the town’s roads

Andrew R. Gibson, the Westerlo resident who pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide following a drunk-driving crash that killed Berne resident Lisa Sperry in 2021, is hoping to reduce his sentence by convincing the court that his prior felony convictions are invalid.

The new Hilltowns Community Resource property — a house — is just down the road from where the group was previously located, at the Westerlo Reformed Church on Route 143. Having their own location provides them the opportunity to put on a diverse range of programs such as nutrition and cooking classes, health insurance enrollment, and more.

The solar energy company’s initial plans for a 4.4 megawatt solar farm in Knox failed in 2021 after a remote-meeting snafu in which a planning board member dropped out just before she was to cast the deciding vote. The company has resubmitted its proposal with “improvements in terms of stormwater management, setbacks, [and] landscaping,” according to a project manager.

After being arrested for suspected DWI last month and released, a Middleburgh man is alleged to have repeatedly violated an order of protection that prevents him from contacting his wife for matters unrelated to their children, including while police were interviewing his wife.

Berne hopes to open up many of its roads to all-terrain vehicles, but data indicates that more than half of ATV deaths occur on paved roads, and various safety groups and ATV manufacturers explicitly advise against operating those machines on pavement. 

A man riding his snowmobile with friends on an abandoned ski slope in Berne was critically injured after he lost control of his vehicle. Because deep snow prevented an ambulance from reaching him, the local fire departments relied on all-terrain vehicles and utility task vehicles to make the rescue, with assistance from Albany County and the Helderberg Ambulance squad. 

After Albany County withdrew its offer to purchase Switzkill Farm in Berne because it became apparent that the property needed substantial investment, it offered to help “secure” the buildings on the property to prevent further deterioration while the county focused on other projects, according to county spokeswoman Mary Rozak, but Berne officials “didn’t want any part of that.” 

In its draft climate resiliency plan published earlier this month, Albany County offers an inventory of its various assets, how those assets are threatened by climate change, and what steps it and its municipalities should take to stem and defend against those threats.