This week, the Rensselaerville Town Board moved ahead with a law that would — on paper, at least — allow marijuana dispensaries to operate in the town, scheduling a public hearing for Sept. 28. Meanwhile, discussion about another law, which would regulate Airbnbs and other short-term rentals, was paused for lack of urgency.

Ed Mitzen spent much of his childhood in Voorheesville before going on to national renown as the founder of Business for Good, a not-for-profit that practices what he calls “venture philanthropy,” and which is now developing two businesses in the village where Mitzen grew up. 

In a letter to the Westerlo Town Board this week, the town’s planning board chairman, Beau Loendorf, requested that the planning board be allowed oversight of the new firehouse project sought by the local volunteer fire department, which is believed to be immune to local zoning. 

Jerry Parmenter, a Voorheesville native who owns and operates the landscaping business Elemental Landscapes, was awarded the Dr. George L. Good Gold Medal of Horticulture for his contributions to landscaping.

It took responders nearly 24-hours to find Wesley L. Knapp, an 82-year-old man from Pennsylvania who was declared missing the night of Sept. 10 after phoning his wife to let her know he was stuck in mud in the Stage Road area of Berne. 

Under the belief that an auto dealer would be setting up in Rensselaerville, dozens of residents showed up at a planning board hearing to learn that that was not the case — but it didn’t stop them from airing their grievances anyway.

Ahead of the Rensselaerville Historical Society’s annual Attic Treasures fundraiser, where the $10 admission covers one free appraisal with a small fee for any beyond that, The Enterprise spoke with one of the featured appraisers, Russ Carlsen, of the Carlsen Gallery auction house in Freehold, about valuing and selling antique objects.

The Knox Conservation Advisory Council is restoring the wetlands boardwalk in town, making improvements along the way. It’s calling on community volunteers to help complete the project before the group reaches the December deadline for the grant money it received.

A number of village residents had spoken in favor of keeping chickens in the village at the board’s July 18 meeting, leading the village board to draft a local law to that effect. A public hearing on the law has been scheduled for Oct. 3. 

Ibrahím Pedriñán, who is president of American Postal Workers Union Local 390 and the Albany County Central Federation of Labor, spoke with The Enterprise about the issues facing  United States postal workers, how citizens are affected, and why some people think the problems with the postal service are more than just mismanagement.