“He says, ‘My job isn’t to change minds. It’s to open minds,’” said Superintendent Marie Wiles of Guilderland’s new DEI director, Derek Westbrook. “I just love that. That’s what education is all about.”

Ronald Lee Sands, who as a youth growing up in Altamont had a passion for adventure and making model planes, graduated from the Air Force Academy and went on to help design the F-4 Phantom, the primary fighter jet used in the Vietnam War.

Judi Dineen, Altamont Reformed Church

The Altamont Rescue Squad, a not-for-profit ambulance squad that serves Guilderland, Altamont, and Knox, will continue service for now, but is not asking the towns of Knox or Guilderland for money since it is unsure whether it will be able to sustain itself after Guilderland’s in-house ambulance service changed a policy that affects how many calls the Altamont squad can take.  

The original masonry tower, located in the Northeastern Industrial Park, was built a half-century ago, according to David Messercola, and is no longer safe for burning drills.

EAST BERNE — Harold B. Grippin, a Korean War veteran and a long-time resident of East Berne, died at home on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. He was 93.

Born in Binghamton, New York on Feb. 18, 1930, he was the son of the late Ralph and Harriet (née Bogart) Grippin.

To host two multi-day music festivals this year — one in June and July, and the other coming up at the end of this month — organizer Matthew Burke received mass-gathering permits from the town of Guilderland, per the town’s law. Officials are consulting with an attorney to find out whether events at the same property should instead require a special-use permit. 

Guilderland resident Sue Green said the Bozenkill meets the Black Creek right behind her house where she has lived for half a century. “I’ve watched it; I’ve protected it. But most of all, I’ve watched it change dramatically over the last couple of years,” said Green.

“I’m relieved for it to have ended as peacefully as it did but have concern for his behavior,” said Guilderland Police Lieutenant Joe DeVoe who was on the scene for the entire incident. “He could have caused serious injury or death. Bullets were going into other rooms. I’m just thankful our quick responses aided in ending this peacefully.”