RENSSELAERVILLE — On April 1, local poet Tom Corrado, of Berne, published “A Piece of Nothing,” a poem that on its face describes the experience of isolation, and the ensuing flights of fancy that provide solace in imagination. It doesn’t mention the virus, or quarantine, or any word that even suggests being alone.

Using money granted by the New York State Council of the Arts Decentralization Program, Friends of Conkling Hall hopes to expand its programming to include a wider variety of arts and artists.

A client of the Hilltowns Community Resource Center also volunteers there.

After a public hearing on a controversial bill to add members to the Berne Planning Board that was so contentious and technically flawed it was discontinued, Supervisor Sean Lyons says the town board will continue with its plan, resuming the hearing once people are allowed to meet in person.

Gary Greenberg, a Democratic candidate for the New York Senate’s 46th District, has been found ineligible for a ballot position in the state’s June 23 Democratic primary and said he’ll appeal the decision by the state’s Board of Elections.

The Hilltowns Community Resource Center is on track to keep in-need residents well-stocked  for the time being, thanks to a donation from the Carey Institute totaling around $3,000 of food items, as well as the generosity of residents in Guilderland and Altamont, Program Coordinator Mary Beth Peterson told The Enterprise.

In an attempt to support local farmers and small businesses, Berne Councilwoman Bonnie Conklin has proposed a farmers’ market in Berne.

As New York State politicians at both the state and federal level join the call for the protection of dairy farmers, who, across the country, are reportedly experiencing such difficulties amid the coronavirus that many are dumping milk, The Enterprise spoke with local farmers about how they’re faring. 

Following a court decision that nullified the Berne Town Board’s decision to appoint Thomas Spargo, a convicted felon, as chairman of the town’s planning board, the town board now wants to expand the planning board from five members to seven, which would clear the way for reappointing Spargo.

Berne’s attorney, William Conboy III, resigned from the position at the town board’s regular meeting on April 15. The board then voted to authorize Supervisor Sean Lyons to contract services from Bond Schoeneck & King, with Javid Afzali, who recently resigned as Knox’s attorney, as lead counsel.