Two Hilltown Scouts — Emily Purcell and Taryn Hanley — have earned the Girl Scouts’ highest honor, the Gold Award.

The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades nine through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. 

Berne’s latest farmers’ market, initiated as a response to the coronavirus, had its opening on Wednesday, Aug. 5, in what vendor Todd Gallup, of Berne’s Gallup Farms, told The Enterprise was an “extraordinary success.” The market will continue to operate Wednesdays from 3 until 5:30 p.m. at the Berne Town Park with no established end date. 

About 140 people gathered for a peaceful, home-grown Black Lives Matter rally in Berne on Sunday. Most of them listened to speeches in the park pavilion while two dozen stayed near their motorcycles and pickup trucks on the edge of the parking lot — several saying they saw themselves as protectors since they view the BLM movement as destructive.

Following an inquiry from The Enterprise, New York State’s Committee on Open Government has issued an opinion that the Berne Town Board has been calling for executive sessions under inappropriate pretenses.

George Christian, Berne

A Black Lives Matter rally planned by Berne resident Laurie Searl has drawn strong criticism on Facebook, leaving some would-be attendants worried about a counter-protest that could turn violent, as has happened both locally and across the country.

A state audit has revealed that Knox Town Clerk Traci Schanz failed to deposit more than 300 fee collections within the legally required timeframes and made reporting errors that left the town with an unremitted cash balance of more than $3,000, according to a report from the Office of the New York State Comptroller. Schanz said she is grateful for what she learned from the audit and new procedures have been put in place.

We are experiencing the “dog days of August” in July. Hopefully, you are staying cool and hydrated.

June was a busy month for the Helderberg Ambulance squad. There were 44 calls in June with 21 transports. 

Dianne Sefcik, Westerlo