H. Rose Schneider in The Altamont Enterprise reports that plans to build the Helderberg Earth and Sky Observatory in Berne in Albany County remain at a standstill. “We’re kind of in a holding pattern right now,” said Ron Barnell, the leader of observatory efforts. Switzkill Farm, where the facility was planned ranks 3, or “very dark,” on the Bortle scale in terms of darkness, which is needed for a star-gazing institution. The group behind the proposal is currently looking for other nearby locations, and working with Berne-Knox-Westerlo schools, the University at Albany, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to create educational programming locally. Read the full story in The Altamont Enterprise.