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Two Westchester County municipalities voted the same week to let empty retail space become something else. On August 5 the White Plains Common Council amended its zoning ordinance so roughly 90,000 square feet under the former Walmart at 275 Main Street can become self-storage. The same week, the Yorktown Town Board opened Jefferson Valley Mall to craft breweries, amusement centers, indoor recreation and trampoline parks. No member of the public spoke at the Yorktown hearing.

This episode looks at what those two votes do to the commercial tax base, and why the difference lands on the residential roll.

In This Episode

(0:00) Two towns, one week, the same conclusion

(0:20) White Plains: the 275 Main Street zoning amendment and the September 8 hearing

(2:00) Yorktown: Jefferson Valley Mall and Supervisor Ed Lachterman on the record

(2:45) Why a use change moves your tax bill

(4:15) The counterargument for adaptive reuse

(5:15) Quick hit: Harbor Island and Surf Club beaches closed for bacteria

Sources: Westfair Communications, reporting by Peter Katz, on the White Plains zoning amendment. Yonkers Times, reporting by Dan Murphy, on the Yorktown Town Board vote. News 12 Westchester on the Mamaroneck and New Rochelle beach closures.

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I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

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New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act took effect August 5, making New York the 13th state to authorize the practice. This episode skips the ethics debate and looks at the data instead. In Oregon last year, doctors wrote 637 prescriptions and 400 people died from taking them, meaning more than 200 people completed every step of the process and then never used the medication. New Jersey's five-year record suggests the law will reach one or two Westchester County residents in its first year. And New York has deliberately declined to maintain any registry of participating providers, which means a terminally ill Westchester family has no list to look up and no referral line to call.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open, a law with no directory
(0:30) Intro and context, what took effect August 5
(1:30) The Data, the eligibility rules, the self-administration requirement, and the missing registry
(3:30) The Surprise, 637 prescriptions, 400 deaths, and what that gap means
(4:30) What This Means For You, who to ask and the Hawthorne case
(5:00) Close

Sources
NYS Department of Health, Medical Aid in Dying law announcement and FAQ, August 5, 2026
Oregon Health Authority, 2025 Death with Dignity Act report, April 2, 2026
New Jersey Monitor, August 28, 2024
Spectrum News, August 5, 2026
America Magazine, July 31, 2026
Courthouse News Service, August 5, 2026

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Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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On August 3 the Mamaroneck Sanitary Sewer District plant discharged into Long Island Sound. New York's first public report said 4 million gallons. The correction filed the next day said 16,290, a factor of 245 inside the notification system residents rely on to decide whether it is safe to swim, boat or fish. It was the second Westchester County plant discharge in five weeks, and it happened in one of the four sewer districts covered by the county's decade long Clean Water Act settlement with Save the Sound.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open, two plants, five weeks, one number that was wrong
(0:20) Deep dive, the Yonkers failure, the Mamaroneck discharge, and the Save the Sound settlement
(4:00) What else is happening, tonight's Bee-Line student fare hearing
(4:35) Close

Sources
MyRye.com, Mamaroneck wastewater treatment plant sewage release, August 3 and 4, 2026
Yonkers Times, Yonkers wastewater treatment plant power failure, July 12, 2026
Save the Sound, Westchester County agreement ending Clean Water Act lawsuit, July 16, 2025

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Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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New York State's first Housing Acceleration Fund project closed on financing in Westchester County, at North White Plains, directly across from the Metro-North station. It is $178 million, 296 apartments, 30 of them affordable. This episode goes through the capital stack line by line and corrects the error most coverage will make: the $18 million in state money is not a grant, it is a loan repaid at 3% interest when the building is finished.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open, the number everyone is about to get wrong
(0:20) Deep dive, the capital stack, the AMI bands, and why a loan changes the argument
(3:50) What else is happening, New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act takes effect
(4:20) Close

Sources
New York State Homes and Community Renewal, first Housing Acceleration Fund project in Westchester County, July 30, 2026
New York State Department of Health, Medical Aid in Dying law takes effect, August 5, 2026

Subscribe to the newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia

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Westchester County is proposing to expand the Bee-Line student fare benefit to four trips a day, seven days a week, with a card valid for 12 months instead of just the school year. The public hearing is Thursday, August 13 at 5:30 p.m. This episode explains what the change would actually do for a family, what it collides with in a $2.5 billion county budget that cut nearly every department by 8%, and the specific questions worth asking before the vote.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open, a hearing with an outsized constituency
(0:20) Deep dive, four trips a day, the OMNY transition, and what the fiscal note has to answer
(4:00) What else is happening, Housing Flex Fund II applications close August 21
(4:35) Close

Sources
Westchester County, public hearing on proposed Bee-Line student fare adjustments
Westchester County 2026 adopted budget
Yonkers Times, Westchester County launches $25 million Housing Flex Fund II, June 15, 2026

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Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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More than $30 million in federal FEMA and Homeland Security funding for Westchester County is now conditioned on changes to New York State election law. This episode separates what is actually in the court record from what is the county's own claim, and explains what these grants pay for on the ground: interoperable emergency radios, planning staff and drills, and flood mitigation work in a county that has taken repeated storm damage.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open, a condition Westchester cannot meet on its own
(0:20) Deep dive, the DHS and FEMA grant conditions, the 25 state lawsuit, and the Jenkins letter
(4:10) What else is happening, the $39.7 million I-95 project between Mamaroneck and Rye
(4:45) Close

Sources
CBS News, 25 states sue FEMA and DHS over grant conditions, July 23, 2026
Rye Record, Westchester County calls on Congress to oppose the restrictions, July 31, 2026
Governor Kathy Hochul's office, start of the $39.7 million I-95 pavement project, June 4, 2026

Subscribe to the newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia

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Shark Week just wrapped on Discovery — but the real shark story this summer is happening in Westchester County's own backyard, from Rockaway Beach to Long Island Sound. This week, The Friday Intel breaks down what's genuinely new (a record run of sightings in Queens, a real shark caught in the Sound near East Haven, CT, and two great whites trackable live right now) versus what's an old story recirculating as if it just happened.

In This Episode
0:00 — Cold Open
0:30 — Intro and Context
1:30 — The Data: Rockaway's record sightings, Point Lookout's closure, the Jones Beach bite, and a real shark in Long Island Sound
3:30 — The Surprise: the "first great white in the Sound" story is actually from 2019
5:00 — What This Means For You
6:00 — Close

Sources: Newsweek ("Shark Sightings Surge Across New York Beaches as Great White Heads North"); Eastern Herald ("East Coast Shark Sightings Surge Through Summer 2026"); CNN (Jones Beach shark bite, July 3, 2026); NBC New York ("Long Island Shark Sightings Rise: Why That's a Good Sign"); OCEARCH Shark Tracker (ocearch.org); Connecticut DEEP 2024 Annual Report on Long Island Sound water quality.

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Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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Yonkers just broke ground on a $185 million mixed-use project and landed Wayfair's first New York store. White Plains just approved a 12-unit luxury condo building instead of another tower. New Rochelle is still building toward a waterfront district that won't open until 2029. This episode compares three of Westchester County's anchor cities' downtown strategies side by side for the first time.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open — three cities, three bets
(0:20) Deep dive — Park Square Yonkers, 510 North Broadway, and Pratt Landing compared
(3:30) What else is happening — Penn Station Access slips to 2028
(4:00) Close

Sources:
Westfair Communications — "Work begins on Park Square Yonkers; formal groundbreaking set for July 21"
Yonkers IDA — Park Square project page
Yonkers Times — Park Square Yonkers groundbreaking coverage

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share the show with a neighbor.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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Westchester County's AI-powered school bus stop-arm camera program cut illegal passing citations by nearly 24% year over year, from 17,867 to 13,621, while generating $1.34 million in citation revenue for the county. This episode breaks down how the technology works and what it means for kids and drivers across Westchester County.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open — a camera program that pays for itself
(0:20) Deep dive — the 24% drop, the $1.34 million, and how stop-arm cameras work
(3:20) What else is happening — Westchester Magazine's 2026 Best of Westchester winners
(3:50) Close

Sources:
Westchester County — official press release, "Westchester County School Bus Safety Program Reduces Illegal School Bus Passing by Nearly 24%"
News12 Westchester — July 24, 2026 coverage
Westfair Communications — "School bus cameras gain $1.34M for county, cut violations almost 24%"

Subscribe to the newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia

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Five different Westchester County stories showed up as breaking news this week — a task force meeting, a hospital settlement, a jobs-training bill, a transit grant, and an airport upgrade. Every one had already happened, one of them fifteen months ago. This episode breaks down how local information decays and recirculates, and why it matters beyond this one research process.

In This Episode
(0:00) Cold open — five stories, all of them old
(0:20) Deep dive — the Affordability Task Force, the AG settlement, the apprenticeship bill, the micro-transit grant, and the airport upgrade, dated
(3:15) What else is happening — Northwell Health's specialty practice investments
(3:50) Close

Sources:
Yonkers Times — Affordability and Economic Development Task Force first meeting, June 26, 2026
ag.ny.gov — Attorney General James's settlement with Westchester Medical Center Health Network, April 2025
News12 Long Island — apprenticeship/skilled-trades bill, April 21, 2026
NYSERDA — Peekskill-area zero-emission micro-transit pilot award, March 12, 2026

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Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
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Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.