Mary Ann Ronconi, Berne

KNOX — On Wednesday, a Cohoes man crashed in Knox, and later died of severe injuries, after a brief police chase elsewhere had ended.
Jason S. Benn, 49, was pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center.

State Police, in a press release on Thursday, said event unfolded this way:

Helene G. Goldberger, Paul J. Baitsholts, Berne

Karen Schimmer, Berne

Laurie Searl, Berne

Dianne Sefcik, Westerlo

These days, each one of us, as citizens, have to be on our guard to see that the United States’ great experiment in democracy succeeds. It seems it would be easy in a small town for those representing the people to be attuned to their needs.

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. 

BERNE — Barbara Ann (née Traver) Snyder, a longtime Hilltown beautician, died peacefully on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, after a brief illness. She was 91.

Born in Hudson, New York, she was the daughter of the late John and Clara Traver. She moved to Berne for her senior year of high school where she met her husband, Jimmy.

Richard Umholtz says he nearly died seven years ago.

“I came into the house and went splat on the floor. I did not trip,” he said. “It was like somebody turned the electrical switch off … Everything worked mentally. Physically, nothing worked.”