Berne-Knox-Westerlo secondary school principal Mark Pitterson, 56, will retire at the end of this school year after roughly six years with the district.

BERNE — Pamela J. Porter, a devoted wife and mother and an adoring grandmother, died peacefully on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. She was 67.

EAST BERNE — Gary G. Willsie, known for his kindness and love of life, died at home on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. He was 66.
He was born on May 3, 1955, to Glen and Shirley Willsie and spent many years working on the family farm.

Knox’s agricultural advisory committee has suggested to the town that it set up farmer advocacy signs along town roads and ask the state’s Department of Transportation to move back certain guardrails in an effort to keep local farmers comfortable and safe. 

DELMAR — Milton J. Hart Jr., a World War II veteran and devoted family man, was the longtime owner of the Agway in Berne.

He died peacefully on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, the day after his 96th birthday.

WESTERLO — Everett J. “Jim” Crawford died on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, holding the hands of his children. He was 64.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, he was the son of the late Gene and Mark Crawford.

Discussions began last year among the Westerlo Town Board members about how to clean up a body of local laws that can at times be contradictory and confusing to residents and town officials alike. The town now has an agency in mind to help make those necessary clarifications.

“I’ve been wanting to be a writer my whole life,” says Jessica Perrin Barcomb, who has just published her first novel, “Letting Go.”

The Helderberg Lake Community Association, which is attempting to secure $500,000 to repair the Helderberg Lake dam through a town-managed loan, has responded to the series of concerns raised late last year by lake residents unhappy with the way the association has handled the repair.

Jeffrey Bogue, who spent much of his life in Connecticut, left his estate to the town, surprising town officials, who did not know much about him until Bogue’s cousin, Rosemarie Kuhar, sent them a letter.