Pop culture and family phrases took center stage at the Berne-Knox-Westerlo graduation this year, as speakers quoted family, the comedian Kevin Hart, and the song “Respect” in their parting messages to the graduates. 

Physical therapist and Delhi village board member Janet Tweed has a narrow lead to take on incumbent Republican Assemblyman Chris Tague in the 102nd District in November. Tweed’s opponent in the primary is Mary Finneran, a grassroots activist and former educator.

The budget cuts six faculty and staff posts — two teachers, three aids, and one administrative assistant — and eliminates the school resource officer program, Bulldog Club and other after-school programs, next year’s graduation ceremony at The Egg, late bus runs, and field trips, among other things.

The Old Songs Festival, which is being held at the Altamont fairgrounds from June 28 through 30, features folk music and artisans, with opportunities for attendees of all ages to learn about various crafts and create their own. 

At a public hearing on Supervisor Matthew Kryzak’s proposal to eliminate the town’s planning board and hand its duties over to the zoning board of appeals, more than two dozen residents showed up to beg the board to turn it down. 

The Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education had opted not to make slight reductions in its budget proposal after it had failed to reach the 60-percent approval rating it required for going over the tax cap. The district fell even further from the mark on the second go-round.

Supervisor John Dolce said that he has a list of 24 properties in the town that are in poor condition, but there were questions about how the town should approach a cleanup process that he worries could cost half a million dollars. 

Thomas F. Conover, a 35-year-old man from Westerlo, was told to leave a gathering of people at a Westerlo home, only to return with a shotgun, which he aimed at several people, including children, according to the New York State Police. 

The Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education needs more than 60 percent of district residents to vote “yes” for a tax-cap piercing budget on June 18, or else will have to move to a contingency budget that could result in cuts to after-school and athletic programs, among others. 

Two town board members are already in opposition, with one, Josh Beers, saying he feels the savings is too minor and that it could be motivated by political vendettas. Supervisor Matthew Kryzak, who made the proposal and said there had been conversations about this as far back as 2021, denies this. A public hearing is scheduled for June 18 at 6 p.m.