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Send us Fan MailWestchester commuters are paying higher Metro-North fares in 2026, but the marquee benefit keeps moving. We break down Penn Station Access, the New Haven Line's one-seat ride into Penn Station that promises up to 40 minutes a day in savings, and why its timeline just slipped to 2027 at the earliest and possibly 2030 for full service. We also look at where the county is spending now, from a roughly $125 million Yonkers station upgrade to cleaner, stronger locomotives on the Hudson Line.In This Episode(0:00) The commute shake-up: what's changing on your line, and when(0:35) Penn Station Access and the one-seat ride to the West Side(1:40) Why the timeline slipped to 2027, and maybe 2030(2:25) Higher 2026 fares now, benefit later: the core tension(3:15) Yonkers, New Rochelle, and new Siemens Charger locomotives(4:30) What to watch next(4:55) What's Happening: free World Cup Final watch party at Kensico DamSourcesMTA, Penn Station Access project page (project overview and stations)NBC New York, Metro-North to Penn Station timeline reportingStreetsblog NYC, Penn Access completion delayed to 2030MTA, 2026 fare and toll increase press release (effective January 4, 2026)Governor Hochul's office / New York State United, Kensico Dam World Cup Final watch experienceSubscribe to our free newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com for the full story and everything else we're tracking across the county.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWestchester County wants to spend up to $150 million modernizing the HPN airport terminal. The Friday Intel digs into the data and finds the catch: HPN moves 2.2 million passengers through a 1995 terminal capped at 240 scheduled passengers every half hour, a 1980s limit the renovation won't touch. The county is buying comfort, not capacity.In This Episode(0:00) A $150 million fix, and the number nobody mentions(0:25) The 1995 terminal and 2.2 million passengers(1:10) The 240-per-half-hour cap and four-of-six-gates rule from the 1980s(2:15) The surprise: comfort versus capacity(3:00) What it means if you fly HPN, live nearby, or pay county taxes(3:50) CloseSourcesWestchester County and HNTB: the terminal modernization and feasibility studyAirport capacity data: HPN passenger counts and the Terminal Capacity AgreementLeave a review on Apple Podcasts, or share this episode with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailBarnes & Noble is gone from White Plains City Center and Neiman Marcus is leaving The Westchester, while Wayfair plants its first New York store in Yonkers. We map who is moving out and who is moving in across Westchester County, and explain what vacant anchors do to mall values and the local sales-tax base.In This Episode(0:00) Two stores out, a furniture warehouse in(0:20) The closings: Barnes & Noble, CH Martin, Neiman Marcus, Saks Off Fifth(1:15) The openings: Wayfair, MINISO, and the dining wave(2:15) Why a dark anchor hits shopping-center values and the tax base(3:00) The 20,000-unit residential bet underneath it all(3:40) What else is happening: Housing Flex Fund II's August 21 deadline(4:05) CloseSourcesWestchester Magazine: business openings and closingsWestfair: Neiman Marcus and the Saks Global restructuringLeave a review on Apple Podcasts, or share this episode with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe Essential Plan cliff lands today. As of July 1, New York lowered the income line for its no-premium health plan, and roughly 47,000 Hudson Valley residents, many in Westchester County, lose coverage. We trace the change from a 2025 federal law to a Westchester kitchen table, and explain where the costs go next.In This Episode(0:00) A rule changes today, and 47,000 neighbors wake up uninsured(0:25) How the income line dropped from 250% to 200% of poverty(1:15) The federal law that cut $7.5 billion from a $14 billion program(2:15) Marketplace plans, premiums, and the $2.5 billion left unspent(3:00) Why uninsured residents become a hospital and county cost(3:40) What else is happening: the Katonah Museum's founding-families exhibit(4:10) CloseSourcesFiscal Policy Institute: regional impacts of the July 2026 Essential Plan cliffNY State of Health and NY Health Access: the income-eligibility changeSubscribe to the newsletter for the full story delivered to your inbox at iliveherewestchester.com.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWestchester is short roughly 21,000 homes and rental vacancy sits under two percent. The usual explanation is land, money, and demand. This week's guest, developer Nick Khamsopa, makes a different case: the real bottleneck is people, specifically the shortage of developers who can hold a municipality, a pension fund, an environmental attorney, a lender, and an architect together long enough to break ground.Nick started with a hammer, spending five years in a union carpentry apprenticeship before moving up through contracting into financing and community development. Today he runs Hudson Housing Lifestyle in Warwick, building on brownfield sites with union labor and long-term financing designed to keep working families where they already live. We get into the unglamorous, deal-by-deal work of actually assembling a project, and why that, not land, is where Westchester's housing math breaks down.In This Episode (0:00) The headline housing story, and what it misses (1:30) Why the bottleneck is developers, not land or money (4:00) From union carpenter to community developer (8:00) Brownfields, union labor, and financing that keeps families in place (15:00) What it actually takes to break groundLeave a review on Apple Podcasts, or share this episode with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailFor seven years, Westchester County homeowners could deduct only $10,000 of their state and local taxes. For 2026 that cap jumps to $40,400, a swing worth thousands of dollars a year for most households below the income phase-out. We explain how the new SALT cap works, why it expires in 2029, and how the Conley versus Lawler race in New York's 17th district will help decide its future.In This Episode(0:00) The deduction you lost in 2018, and the news most people missed(0:20) How the $10,000 cap became $40,400, and the $505,000 phase-out(1:45) What the change is worth at a Westchester kitchen table(2:45) Cait Conley, Mike Lawler, and the 2029 clock(3:30) What else is happening: the New York Blood Center's new Rye campus(4:00) CloseSourcesSmartAsset and Anchin: the 2026 SALT cap and phase-outNews 12 Westchester: the NY-17 Democratic primary resultLeave a review on Apple Podcasts, or share this episode with a neighbor who owns a home here.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe Hendrick Hudson school district in the Town of Cortlandt, Westchester County faces a shortfall of more than $25 million for the coming year as the last of its Indian Point nuclear-plant revenue runs out. We break down how the district got here, and why an 8% tax hike or a savings raid are the only exits left.In This Episode(0:00) The promise of closing Indian Point, and the bill that came due(0:20) How $25 million a year in plant payments fell to $3.3 million(2:00) The 8% override vote, the $6.6 million reserve draw, and 52 lost positions(3:00) Why every community with one giant taxpayer should watch this(3:45) What else is happening: the county's new Affordability and Economic Development Task Force(4:15) CloseSourcesPeekskill Herald and River Journal Online: Hendrick Hudson and the Indian Point revenue lossSpectrum Local News: the district's budget shortfallSubscribe to the newsletter for the full story delivered to your inbox at iliveherewestchester.com.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWestchester County has the highest property taxes of any county in America — a typical bill near $10,000 a year. But the government everyone blames takes the smallest slice. This week on The Friday Intel, we break your property tax bill apart: how Westchester compares to the wealthiest suburbs in the country, how wildly the bill swings from Scarsdale to the rest of the county, and the one finding that should change who you pay attention to — schools take about 63 cents of every property tax dollar, while county government takes only about 16.In This Episode:- (0:00) Cold Open — the highest tax bill in the country- (0:30) Intro and Context — decoding one lump number- (1:30) The Data — the ranking, the peer comparison, the town-by-town spread- (4:00) The Surprise — where your tax dollar actually goes- (5:15) What This Means for You — your bill, home-shopping, and the new SALT cap- (6:15) CloseSources: Tax-Rates.org (Census-based county rankings); New York State Comptroller (property tax distribution); Ownwell (Scarsdale); Wiss (2026 SALT cap).Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWhen Washington cuts food aid, the cost lands somewhere, and this month it landed in Westchester County. This episode examines two federal nutrition programs under pressure: WIC, which a House spending bill would fund $200 million below current levels while cutting its fruit-and-vegetable benefit 10%, and SNAP, whose lapsed funding hit local food providers immediately. County Executive Ken Jenkins opposed the WIC cuts and steered $50,000 to Feeding Westchester, a move that shows both the county's response and the limits of backfilling federal programs with local dollars.In This Episode:(0:00) When Washington cuts, the cost lands here(1:00) WIC: what the House bill would do(2:15) SNAP, and the county's $50,000 to Feeding Westchester(3:15) The pattern: federal pullback, county budget pressure(5:00) Quick hit: $122.5 million for 94 new Bee-Line busesSources: Westchester County ("Healthy Food is a Lifeline, Not a Luxury"); Black Westchester (county allocates $50,000 to Feeding Westchester); Food Research and Action Center (House WIC and SNAP cuts).Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailDan D'Amico has knocked on nearly six thousand doors in Yonkers District 16. Not with a team. Largely by himself. What he's heard is not what the county is spending money on.D'Amico is a former FDNY firefighter, a working real estate broker, and the Republican candidate challenging the incumbent for Westchester County Legislature District 16. In this conversation, he breaks down what affordability actually looks like when you're sitting across from a family trying to buy a home in Yonkers, why the county's $45 million EV charging station line item doesn't match a single conversation he's had at the doors, and what four years of inaction on Hurricane Ida flooding has cost his neighbors on Warburton Avenue.He also walks through what a county legislator can actually do — and what they can't — so you know what you're voting for when November arrives.In this episode: the broken math of homeownership in Westchester. The 18-month timeline to build a single home in New York versus six months in Florida. Why the county cut every department by 8% and raised taxes in the same budget. The fire victim in downtown Yonkers who got a housing voucher in one hour after weeks of getting nothing from his own legislator. And what D'Amico wants you thinking about when you're standing in the booth.Subscribe to The Westchester Brief at iliveherewestchester.com. New episodes Monday through Friday at 6 AM.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailPlayland, the county-owned amusement park in Rye, opened its 98th season this spring with the historic Dragon Coaster restored. But behind the nostalgia is a real governance question for Westchester County: after the private operator Standard Amusements exited its contract in January 2025, the county is running the park directly, and last season drew just over 213,000 visitors. This episode looks at how Playland ended up back in county hands, what it costs taxpayers to run an amusement park, and why this summer's attendance is the number that decides the park's future.In This Episode:(0:00) The most fun question in county government(0:45) Playland's history and the Standard Amusements breakup(2:30) A bumpy 2025: attendance and the closed Dragon Coaster(3:30) Why a public amusement park is a financial risk(5:00) Quick hit: the 2026 SALT deduction cap jumps to $40,400Sources: Westchester County Parks (Playland 2026 season); Rye Record (county takes over Playland operations; 2025 season recap).Subscribe to our newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailFor decades, thousands of Westchester County deeds have carried restrictive covenants, clauses that once barred homes from being sold to people of certain races, religions, or ethnic backgrounds. They've been unenforceable since 1948, but the language stayed in the records. This episode explains a new process, effective June 3 under New York Real Property Law Section 327-a, that lets property owners formally redact those discriminatory covenants from their recorded deeds through the Westchester County Clerk's office, how the administrative process works, and why so few residents know it exists.In This Episode:(0:00) The sentence buried in your deed(1:00) What restrictive covenants are and how they spread(2:30) The new law: Section 327-a and the Clerk's form(3:45) How the redaction process actually works(5:00) Quick hit: the county's $25 million Housing Flex Fund IISources: Westchester County Clerk (Land Records Forms, RPL Section 327-a redaction); New York Real Property Law Section 327-a.Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailFor seven years, Westchester County homeowners could deduct only $10,000 of their state and local taxes. For 2026 that cap jumps to $40,400, a swing worth thousands of dollars a year for most households below the income phase-out. We explain how the new SALT cap works, why it expires in 2029, and how the Conley versus Lawler race in New York's 17th district will help decide its future.In This Episode(0:00) The deduction you lost in 2018, and the news most people missed(0:20) How the $10,000 cap became $40,400, and the $505,000 phase-out(1:45) What the change is worth at a Westchester kitchen table(2:45) Cait Conley, Mike Lawler, and the 2029 clock(3:30) What else is happening: the New York Blood Center's new Rye campus(4:00) CloseSourcesSmartAsset and Anchin: the 2026 SALT cap and phase-outNews 12 Westchester: the NY-17 Democratic primary resultLeave a review on Apple Podcasts, or share this episode with a neighbor who owns a home here.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailTomorrow's Democratic primary will settle several Westchester County races outright, yet turnout will be a fraction of the electorate. This episode breaks down what's actually on the June 23 ballot, from State Comptroller and the 17th Congressional District to two County Board of Legislators seats, town supervisor races in Greenburgh and North Castle, and the Larchmont mayor, and explains why a low-turnout primary gives the voters who show up outsized power over a $2.5 billion county budget and your local tax rate.In This Episode:(0:00) Why tomorrow's primary is the real election(1:30) What's on the ballot: Comptroller, NY-17, and the local races(3:30) What these offices actually control(4:30) Turnout, your ballot, and how to check it(5:00) Quick hit: the Rent Guidelines Board's final voteSources: New York State Board of Elections (June 23, 2026 primary certification); Westchester County Board of Elections (early voting and polling locations); Black Westchester (2026 primary candidate guide).Subscribe to our newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe World Cup final will be played 12 miles from Westchester County — and the data says this region is less a bystander than a home team. This week on The Friday Intel, we map Westchester's actual slice of a $3.3 billion tournament: the overflow economics, the matchday-train rules that will strand anyone who waits, and the surprising demographic finding that reframes the whole thing — Port Chester is nearly 46% foreign-born, almost double the county rate, with about 90% from Latin America. When Mexico or Brazil plays at MetLife, it's a home game for entire Westchester neighborhoods.In This Episode:- Cold Open — 0:00- Intro & Context — 0:30- The Data: $3.3B, 1M+ visitors, the overflow play, the transit gauntlet — 1:30- The Surprise: the World Cup comes home — 3:30- What This Means For You — 5:00- Close — 6:00Sources: NY/NJ Host Committee & NJBIZ (economic impact); NJ Transit (matchday rail plan); U.S. Census / Statistical Atlas (Port Chester demographics); Westchester Magazine (county immigrant communities; Kanopi pop-up); Front Office Sports (hotel "rate event").Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailOn Monday, June 22, the Westchester County Rent Guidelines Board votes on how much more tens of thousands of rent-stabilized tenants pay starting October 1. The nine-member board — three tenant, three landlord, three public members, all appointed by the County Executive — is decided by its three "neutral" public seats. The hearings across Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and White Plains are done; the vote is four days out. We explain how the board works, what the landlords and tenants are arguing, and why last year's 2% and 3% outcome is the number to watch.In This Episode:(0:00) Nine people, one room, and tens of thousands of renters(0:20) The data: the board's 3-3-3 structure, the County Executive's appointments, and last year's 2%/3% vote(4:20) Quick hit: Metro-North's proposed 500-space North White Plains garage(5:00) CloseSources: Yonkers Times ("Rent Guideline Board to Hold Public Hearings and Meetings"); NYS Homes and Community Renewal (RGB hearings/livestream); Westfair / Building and Realty Institute (landlord position).Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share the show with a neighbor.Tags: Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, White Plains, rent stabilization, Rent Guidelines Board, housingSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailYonkers calls itself "Hollywood on the Hudson," but the city's new $1.64 billion budget still raised the combined property tax rate 4.75%. On May 29 the City Council unanimously adopted the largest budget in Yonkers history, trimming Mayor Mike Spano's proposed 5.25% increase but preserving all services and its workforce with help from $55 million in state aid. We explain why a development boom hasn't eased the homeowner's bill — and why the timing, days before the June 23 primary, matters.In This Episode:(0:00) "Hollywood on the Hudson," and a tax bill that went up anyway(0:25) The data: a $1.64B budget, a 4.75% rate increase, $55M in state aid, and the growth-versus-tax-base question(4:15) Quick hit: the World Cup arrives at MetLife(5:00) CloseSources: Yonkers Times ("City of Yonkers Adopts 2026-27 Budget; Tax Increase Reduced to 4.75%"); Westfair (Spano FY2026–27 executive budget); News 12 Westchester (state aid and council vote).Subscribe to our newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.Tags: Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, Yonkers, property taxes, city budget, Mike SpanoSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailLinh Hoang is opening Dahlia's Song in Tarrytown — a flower shop, Vietnamese café, and workshop space inside a 135-year-old former bank building on North Broadway. She grows over 400 dahlia varieties herself, including breeds that exist nowhere else, and she's building something Westchester has never quite seen before.In This Episode: (0:00) How a lifelong passion for flowers turned into a business (2:30) Finding and falling in love with the historic bank building (5:25) Growing 4,000+ dahlias across 400 varieties — and breeding originals (7:30) What Vietnamese coffee culture looks like at a table in Tarrytown (9:30) Thursday workshops: florals, watercolor, community, and kids (12:00) Competing against 1-800-Flowers with freshly cut, homegrown stems (13:20) Running seven businesses as a single mom — and why she's doing it (15:50) Opening end of June — how to follow the journeyFollow Dahlia's Song on Instagram @dahliasong and visit dahliasong.com.Subscribe to The Westchester Brief at iliveherewestchester.com.1Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe Federal Reserve meets June 16–17, and markets put the odds of holding rates steady at roughly 99% — no cut since December. For Westchester County, where the median single-family home now runs about $940,000, that means mortgages stay near 6.5% and the "wait for a cut" strategy gets more expensive. We translate the Fed's decision into the real monthly cost of buying a home here, and explain why the oil-price spike is part of why the cut isn't coming.In This Episode:(0:00) Why a Washington rate decision lands on your Westchester mortgage(0:25) The data: a ~99% chance of a hold, 6.5% mortgages, and a $500-a-month gap on the county's median home(4:20) Quick hit: Playland opens for its 98th season(5:00) CloseSources: CME FedWatch / CBS News / NerdWallet (June 2026 Fed outlook); Freddie Mac PMMS (30-year mortgage rate); Q1 2026 Westchester residential sales data (median price).Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share the show with a neighbor.Tags: Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, mortgage rates, Federal Reserve, housing market, home buyingSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailAbout one in four Westchester County homes heats with oil — roughly 85,000 households — and this is the week they face a quiet but costly decision. Heating-oil pre-buy and cap-price contracts are sold in summer, and this year those households are pricing winter against the largest oil-supply disruption on record. We break down the numbers, why oil-heated homes get no state affordability backstop, and what to do before you lock a contract.In This Episode:(0:00) The summer oil decision facing 85,000 Westchester homes(0:20) The data: one in four homes on oil, NY heating oil at $4.10–$4.80, the Strait of Hormuz shock, and the NY HEAT delivered-fuels gap(4:30) Quick hit: early voting in the June 23 county primary begins June 13(5:10) CloseSources: U.S. Census ACS (Westchester home-heating-fuel share); Win Climate / NY Renews, "NY HEAT and Energy Affordability in Westchester" (energy burden, delivered-fuel exclusion); NYSERDA Home Heating Oil prices; Westchester County Office of Consumer Protection (local gas/oil prices).Subscribe to our newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com.Tags: Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, heating oil, energy costs, NY HEAT, Hudson ValleySupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWestchester County just crossed one million residents — the highest population ever recorded, with the largest single-year gain of any county in New York State, at a moment when 38 of the state's 62 counties are losing population. Today's Friday Intel breaks down the data underneath that milestone: where the growth is concentrated, what it is doing to housing prices, why the cities absorbing the most new residents are also the ones under the most fiscal stress, and what the population trajectory means for anyone buying, renting, or commuting in Westchester County right now.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold Open: 38 counties shrinking, Westchester growing(0:30) Intro and Context: The milestone and why the distribution matters(1:30) The Data: Where the growth is concentrated, what housing prices are doing(3:30) The Surprise: Growth is landing hardest in cities least equipped to absorb it(5:00) What This Means for You: Buyers, renters, and commuters(6:00) CloseSources: Census Bureau county-level population estimates; Westfair Communications Q1 2026 housing data; World Population Review 2026 projections.Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share with a neighbor.Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, Friday Intel, local news, Westchester population, housing market, New Rochelle, Yonkers, White Plains, demographic dataSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailA church carnival in Tuckahoe ended May 30 with three injured officers, a hospital transport, and police from multiple counties shutting the event down. Coverage has called it a teen takeover. Today's Westchester Brief asks the harder question: what was the event permit, what was the crowd management plan, and what institutional failure allowed a community institution to become a multi-county mobilization? This is a governance story, not a crime story — and the accountability gap in local coverage is exactly where The Westchester Brief should be.In This Episode:(0:00) What happened at the Tuckahoe festival on May 30(1:00) Why the permitting process is the story — and where the public record is(2:00) The multi-county response: what it tells you about planning assumptions(3:00) Social media and crowd amplification: the structural problem for community events in 2026(4:00) What Tuckahoe officials are now deciding — and what residents should demand(4:45) What's Happening in Westchester: Domestic Violence High Risk Team secures $1M grant for second yearSubscribe on YouTube for the video version: youtube.com/@iliveherewestchesterWestchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, Tuckahoe, public safety, event permitting, crowd management, community events, accountability journalismSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailA Westchester-based company just hit a $1 billion valuation in quantum computing — one of the most strategically important technology sectors in the world — and almost no one in the county has heard of it. SEEQC, Inc. manufactures superconducting quantum chips in Elmsford, expanded its facility with a $3 million Empire State Development grant, and is closing a merger with Allegro Merger Corp. today. Today's episode covers what SEEQC actually does, why quantum hardware manufacturing is different from anything else in Westchester's economy, and what the Element 46 accelerator's tech trajectory says about where the county is heading.In This Episode:(0:00) SEEQC: What it is and why it matters(1:00) Quantum hardware vs. quantum software — the manufacturing layer that can't move(2:30) Why Elmsford? The state incentive and talent corridor story(3:30) Element 46 Demo Day: Westchester on the national tech calendar(4:30) What's Happening in Westchester: New York Blood Center Enterprises campus opens in RyeSubscribe on YouTube for the video version: youtube.com/@iliveherewestchesterWestchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, SEEQC, quantum computing, Elmsford, tech economy, Element 46, Westchester business, Empire State DevelopmentSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimously passed the Visual Gun Warning Law on June 2 — requiring licensed gun retailers to display graphic health warning imagery at the point of sale. Westchester is the second jurisdiction in the United States to enact this type of requirement. The vote is done. The implementation hasn't started. Today's episode covers what the law actually requires, what the county's Department of Health now has to design, what the First Amendment exposure looks like, and why a unanimous vote is only the beginning of this story.In This Episode:(0:00) What the Visual Gun Warning Law requires — and what it doesn't yet answer(1:00) The Department of Health's role: designing the imagery from scratch(2:30) What research says about graphic health warnings at point of sale(3:30) The First Amendment challenge: compelled speech and what courts have said(4:30) What's Happening in Westchester: Element 46 Demo Day, Westchester on national Tech Week calendarSubscribe on YouTube for the video version: youtube.com/@iliveherewestchesterWestchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, gun safety, Visual Gun Warning Law, Westchester legislation, public health, firearms, Board of LegislatorsSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailOn June 22, the Westchester County Rent Guidelines Board will vote on allowable rent increases for all rent-stabilized apartments in the county — leases running October 2026 through September 2027. Last year's approved rates were 2% for one-year leases and 3% for two-year leases. Landlords say those increases fell short of actual cost growth. Tenants say any increase is a burden in a county where workforce housing is already scarce. Today's episode breaks down how the board works, who controls it, and what is actually at stake for the tens of thousands of Westchester households in rent-stabilized units.In This Episode:(0:00) The June 22 vote and what it decides(1:00) How the Rent Guidelines Board is structured — and where the real power sits(2:30) The landlord argument: building costs outpaced last year's increases(3:30) The tenant argument: workforce housing in a county where rents already hit $3,000+(4:30) What's Happening in Westchester: Summer season opens — Playland, Wine and Food Festival, PrideSubscribe to the I Live Here Westchester newsletter for the full story delivered weekly: iliveheremedia.comWestchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, rent stabilization, Westchester housing, Rent Guidelines Board, tenant rights, landlord, YonkersSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailViolent crime in Westchester County fell 25% in 2025 — and that number deserves more than a headline. All seven major crime categories declined simultaneously. Overall index crime dropped 17%. And one city — Mount Vernon — reported zero shooting incidents in the first quarter of 2026, placing it among just five departments statewide to reach that mark.This week on The Friday Intel, Jim breaks down what actually drove the numbers: the Real Time Crime Intelligence Center, the multi-agency DOVE enforcement operation, and the focused deterrence model behind both. Then he asks the harder question: can it hold?In This Episode:00:00 — The number: 25%01:45 — The mechanism: Real Time Crime Center and DOVE04:10 — The breakdown: all seven categories05:30 — The standout: Mount Vernon's zero-shooting quarter08:00 — The sustainability question11:15 — CloseSources:- Westchester County State of the County Address, May 2026- Talk of the Sound / Mid Hudson News crime reporting- NYS DCJS (cross-reference pending)Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWestchester County is on the Trump administration's Department of Justice list of sanctuary jurisdictions — but County Executive Ken Jenkins says that designation is wrong, and the distinction he's drawing has real legal and financial weight. Today's episode breaks down what Westchester's actual policy says, what the DOJ designation means under Executive Order 14287, and what the funding exposure looks like for the county. We also look at the anti-commandeering legal doctrine the county is leaning on, the airport security standoff that made the stakes concrete, and the immigrant communities in Yonkers, Port Chester, and New Rochelle at the center of it all.Timestamps:0:00 — Hook: Westchester on the DOJ list0:30 — What the county's policy actually says1:30 — The DOJ designation and Executive Order 142872:30 — Funding exposure and the airport standoff3:20 — The legal doctrine behind the county's argument4:10 — The human stakes: Westchester's immigrant communities5:00 — What Jenkins is threadingSources:- Executive Order 14287 (Federal Register)- Westchester County Executive public statements- Second Circuit case law on anti-commandeering doctrine- U.S. Census Bureau demographic data, Westchester CountySupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailIn 2011, Westchester County closed its outpatient mental health clinics. This past March, after nearly fifteen years, the county opened a new Mental Health Safety Net Clinic in White Plains. County Executive Jenkins called it a signature initiative. The honest version: it's a policy reversal — and the 2011 closure was a policy choice with real consequences.Today's Brief examines what the fifteen-year gap actually cost: ER overcrowding, overburdened nonprofits, and a system that left the people with the least private-market access to care with the least county support. It also asks whether one clinic, in one location, is proportionate to the problem.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open — the 2011 closure(0:30) What the new clinic offers and where it is(1:15) What the fifteen-year gap cost: ERs, nonprofits, families(2:30) Income stratification and mental health access in Westchester(3:15) What the county got right in 2026(4:00) Whether one clinic is enough(4:45) CloseSources: Westchester County government | County budget documents | American Hospital Association | National Alliance on Mental IllnessSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailGovernor Hochul broke ground on Westchester Crossing in Port Chester in April — 957 housing units, a hotel, retail, green space, and senior housing on the long-vacant former United Hospital campus. The state calls it transformational. Today's Brief asks the harder question.105 of those 957 units are designated affordable. That's 11%. Housing advocates typically cite 20% as the threshold where affordability shapes a development's character. Westchester needs between 44,000 and 77,000 more units by 2040. And the AMI threshold for those 105 units — the number that determines who actually qualifies — has not been made public.This episode holds both things simultaneously: the milestone is real, and the math deserves scrutiny.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open — 105. That's the number.(0:30) What Westchester Crossing actually is(1:15) The 11% affordability ratio(2:00) The AMI question nobody is answering(3:00) Port Chester context — who this community is(3:45) The gap between the press release and the housing need(4:30) CloseSources: Governor's Office | Business Council of Westchester | HUD income limits | U.S. Census BureauSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of I Live Here Westchester, host Jim Jockle sits down with Cait Conley, a fourth-generation Hudson Valley native, Special Operations combat veteran, and candidate for Congress in New York’s 17th District — one of the most competitive races in the country.Cait shares how growing up in a blue-collar, service-oriented family shaped her values, why 9/11 led her to West Point, and what it was like to serve for 16 years on active duty, including six combat deployments and groundbreaking work in tactical Special Operations. The conversation moves from the battlefield to the Situation Room, where Cait later helped lead counterterrorism policy at the National Security Council and election security efforts at CISA.From there, the discussion turns to politics — and the hard questions. Cait lays out her views on affordability, housing, healthcare, AI, climate change as a national security threat, reproductive rights, veterans’ care, and what “political courage” actually means in Washington today. She explains why NY-17 is a true purple district, why she believes voters deserve a different kind of leadership, and what she would prioritize if elected.This is a candid, high-stakes conversation about service, accountability, and the future of a district — and a country — at a crossroads.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailA training plane flipped over on takeoff at Westchester County Airport last month. Two people walked away with minor injuries. But that one incident follows a fatal crash in 2025 that killed six members of a family of physicians, and a federal funding standoff earlier this year that disrupted the airport's security staffing. Three incidents in twelve months. One airport. And a legitimate oversight question nobody in county government is asking publicly.Westchester County Airport runs commercial charter operations and general aviation flight training side by side — inside one of the most densely populated suburban counties in the United States. The FAA, the county's Department of Public Works and Transportation, and DHS all have overlapping roles at this facility. When something goes wrong, who is accountable for what? That answer is not as clean as it should be.This is not a story about aviation danger. It is a story about institutional accountability.**In This Episode:**0:00 — The Cessna overturn, May 18, 20261:30 — The 2025 MU-2B family crash2:45 — The DHS security standoff4:00 — The dual-use problem explained5:30 — The institutional question**Sources:**- FAA incident reports, Westchester County Airport- NTSB preliminary reporting, MU-2B crash (2025)- Westchester County Executive public statements, DHS funding disruption (2026)- Westchester County Department of Public Works and TransportationSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe MTA has launched a $6.2 billion capital program for Metro-North — the largest in the railroad's history. Westchester County has approximately 20,000 housing units under development across Yonkers, New Rochelle, and White Plains, all concentrated around Metro-North stations and built on the assumption that the railroad is reliable and competitive with driving.Today's Friday Intel runs the data: what the capital program covers, why Westchester's entire transit-oriented development strategy depends on delivery, and three specific numbers to track over the next three years to know whether the investment actually performs.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:20) The number: $6.2 billion and the program scope(1:00) Grand Central Artery, Hudson Line, and Westchester's three corridors(1:50) The 20,000-unit development bet and the railroad variable(2:40) Ridership trends and the hybrid work complication(3:20) Three things to track through 2026-2027(4:10) CloseSources: MTA Capital Program | WCA Annual Real Estate Conference, May 2026 | Bisnow Westchester Development Report---Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailOn June 23, Democratic primary voters in two Westchester legislative districts will choose nominees for seats that could reshape the Board of Legislators. Early voting starts June 13. Most people haven't heard of either race.Today's Brief introduces both: the 15th District, where two strong Democrats are competing to challenge the only Republican on the 17-member board, and the 17th District, where an open seat in Yonkers will be decided by primary voters.This is the accountability journalism the Brief is built for — treating legislative races as seriously as they deserve.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open — June 23 is closer than you think(0:30) Why the Board of Legislators matters: $2.5B budget, county oversight(1:15) 15th District: Nicodemo vs. Skipper, and what's at stake(2:15) 17th District: Terrero vs. Oquendo-Thomas, open seat in Yonkers(3:15) How to vote: early voting June 13–21, primary June 23(3:45) Quick hits: Yonkers update, Eastchester clock(4:30) CloseSources: News 12 Westchester | Westchester Board of Elections | Westchester County government---Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailOn May 4, the Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimously passed the Lessor Prevailing Wage Act — closing the gap between wage protections on county-owned and county-leased construction sites. Most people missed it.With approximately 20,000 housing units under active development across Yonkers, New Rochelle, and White Plains — and the MTA's $6.2 billion Metro-North capital program ramping up — the timing of this law matters. Today's Brief explains what it does, why the owned-vs-leased distinction matters, and the workforce context that makes it significant beyond the legislative fine print.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open — the vote nobody noticed(0:25) What the Lessor Prevailing Wage Act does(1:15) Why the owned-vs-leased gap existed and why it mattered(2:00) The construction boom context: 20,000 units(2:45) The workforce story behind the law(3:30) The enforcement question(4:00) Quick hits: MTA $6.2B, primary races(4:45) CloseSources: Westchester County Board of Legislators | Bisnow | WCA Real Estate Conference, May 2026---Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailOn May 20, school budget votes ran across Westchester. 25 districts passed. Eastchester didn't. Yesterday's Brief covered the Yonkers school district's $101 million structural gap. Today's episode is the companion: what a failed budget vote actually signals, and how two different failure modes point to the same broken school finance system.Today's Brief covers what happens next for Eastchester under New York State Education Law, why failed budget votes are as much about trust as taxes, and the structural argument that connects both stories this week.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open — the May 20 vote results(0:30) What a failed school budget vote means(1:15) Eastchester and what the "no" vote signals(2:00) The contrast with Yonkers — two failure modes(3:00) New York State's 43-district fragmentation problem(3:45) What happens next for Eastchester(4:15) Quick hits: mental health clinic open, Wednesday preview(4:45) CloseSources: News 12 Westchester school budget results | NYSSBA | NY Education LawSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe Yonkers Board of Education met this week to consider closing School 21 — a neighborhood elementary school — to address a $101 million structural budget gap. The superintendent said the gap isn't from mismanagement. It's from a state funding formula Albany hasn't fixed.Yonkers Public Schools serves 23,000+ students: 73% economically disadvantaged, 22% with disabilities, 13% English Language Learners. The district has the highest graduation rate among New York's Big 5 cities. It's being rewarded with a funding formula that doesn't reflect what it actually costs to run it.Today's Brief covers the three structural forces driving the gap, why Mayor Spano's Albany trip didn't solve it, and the accountability question that belongs in the state legislature — not at the Yonkers Board of Ed.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open — the 90% graduation rate(0:30) The $101M gap and what's driving it(1:30) The Foundation Aid Formula — what it is, why it fails(2:30) Mayor Spano and Superintendent Soler go to Albany(3:15) Where the accountability belongs(4:00) Quick hits: primary races, AAA bond rating(4:45) CloseSources: Yonkers Public Schools | Daily Voice | Yonkers Times | Hoodline | WAMCSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThis week The Westchester Brief covered Westchester's housing crisis from the municipal accountability angle. Today's Friday Intel puts a single number at the center — 11,703 — and runs the math on what it actually takes to close the gap.Westchester County has committed $500 million and produced 3,383 affordable units since 2019. At the current production pace of roughly 483 units per year, closing the county's own identified deficit takes 24 years. To close it in a decade, the county needs more than double the current output.Today's episode covers why county funding alone can't get there, what role municipal zoning plays, and three specific data points to track through the rest of 2026.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:20) The number: 11,703 and what it measures(0:50) The production math — 3,383 units, $500M, and why the gap isn't closing(1:45) Why municipalities are the constraint, not money(2:30) The federal funding variable(3:15) Three things to track through year-end(4:00) CloseSources: Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment | HUD FY2026 allocations | Westchester County 2026 Budget | Welcome Home WestchesterSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThe Welcome Home Westchester campaign released housing policy scorecards for all 43 Westchester municipalities last December. The county's Housing Needs Assessment puts the current affordable unit gap at 11,703. Most local governments are not helping close it.Today's Brief covers why the county can fund housing but cannot force municipalities to allow it, which towns are making real progress, and why the planning board in your town is the actual decision-making body on housing — not county government.Quick hit: Playland opens Saturday, May 23rd.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:20) The Welcome Home Westchester scorecards — what they measure(1:00) The 11,703-unit gap — current need, not a projection(1:45) Why county government can't solve this alone(2:30) Who's doing the work: Peekskill, Greenburgh(3:15) The municipalities protecting the status quo(4:00) The planning board as the actual decision point(4:30) Quick hit: Playland(4:50) CloseSources: Welcome Home Westchester | Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment | Westchester County 2026 State of the CountySupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWestchester County announced last week that overall crime dropped 17% in 2025 — violent crime down 25%, every major index category improved. This week, police departments across the county are reporting a surge in vehicle thefts. Both things are simultaneously true, and the gap between them is the story.Today's Brief examines what annual aggregate crime statistics actually measure versus what is happening in real time, why county-level data and neighborhood-level conditions can diverge, and why the asymmetric visibility between annual improvement announcements and seasonal crime surges matters for residents.Quick hit: A housing number to set up Friday's Intel — $500 million committed, 3,383 units produced. The data tells a more complicated story.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:20) The 17% figure — what it measures and what it doesn't(1:00) The vehicle theft surge — the specific pattern and what's driving it(1:45) Annual stats vs. real-time conditions: why the gap matters(2:30) The asymmetric visibility problem in county crime communications(3:30) Practical guidance: what to do about the current wave(4:10) Quick hit: the housing number(4:40) CloseSources: Westchester County press release | News 12 Westchester | 2026 State of the County AddressSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailIn March, the U.S. Energy Secretary and a Republican congressman showed up at the gates of Indian Point to announce a restart push. County Executive Jenkins said no. The political story is simple. The legal story is not.Today's Brief maps the five-party consent framework that governs any restart, identifies where each party stands, and explains the federal preemption argument that could make the entire consent structure legally unenforceable. Holtec sued New York State in 2024, a federal court agreed on a related question, and New York's appeal to the Second Circuit is currently active.Quick hit: The Hendrick Hudson Central School District is the only party in the consent chain that has issued no public position. Its silence is notable.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:20) The March announcement and Jenkins's response(1:00) The five-party consent framework — who they are and what it requires(1:45) Where each party stands today(2:30) The Atomic Energy Act preemption argument(3:30) What the Second Circuit case means for Westchester's veto(4:20) Quick hit: Hendrick Hudson's silence(4:50) CloseSources: Highlands Current | ENR | Westchester County | WAMC | Womble Bond DickinsonSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailTuesday, May 19th, voters across Westchester County head to the polls for the annual school budget vote — the highest-stakes, lowest-turnout election of the year. If the budget fails, there's no revision: districts default to a contingency budget, which means automatic program cuts and frozen staffing.Today's Brief covers what's on the ballot in White Plains, how New York's 2% tax cap changes the math for districts asking for more, and why the few dozen voters who show up on a Tuesday evening in May hold more influence than they realize.Quick hit: Mount Vernon was one of only five police departments in New York State to record zero shooting incidents from January through March 2026. The county acknowledged it at the State of the County and moved on. We're tracking it.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:20) How school budget votes work — and what happens when they fail(1:10) White Plains — what's on Tuesday's ballot(1:45) The 2% tax cap and why it matters this year(2:30) The accountability argument for showing up(3:45) Quick hit: Mount Vernon Q1 shooting data(4:15) CloseSources: White Plains Public Schools | New York State Education Law | Westchester County 2026 State of the County AddressSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailKen Jenkins led his State of the County address with a crime number: overall index crime down seventeen percent, violent crime down twenty-five, murders down fifty-seven percent — the lowest January through May count since 1990. Today's Friday Intel benchmarks those numbers against every regional peer and the national average.Against Nassau (down 10.1%), Suffolk (8.7%), NYC (2.9%), and the FBI's national suburban average of 5.7% on violent crime, Westchester's performance stands out. The twenty-five percent violent crime decline is more than four times the national suburban rate.Then the show asks the question the data cannot answer: what is actually driving the outperformance? And why hasn't the county published an independent analysis showing which specific interventions produced which results — especially given the surveillance infrastructure we examined on Wednesday?In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:25) The regional benchmarks(2:00) The national comparison: 4x the suburban average(2:45) The 57% murder decline(3:15) What's driving it — and what the county hasn't published(4:30) The accountability askSources: FBI UCR 2024 | Westchester County press releases | Nassau/Suffolk/Rockland crime data | Long Island PressSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailJuly 1, 2026: the federal government begins narrowing health coverage for lawfully present immigrants. By October, federal Medicaid funding for a significant portion of that population is eliminated under the 2025 reconciliation law. Nationally, 1.4 million people are projected to lose coverage. Westchester County has not publicly quantified how many of its own residents are affected.Today's Brief connects the federal policy change to Westchester's specific context — a large, established immigrant community, a county already absorbing $197M in budget pressure, and a state that has committed to partial coverage but cannot fill every gap. And it closes the week by threading Monday through Thursday into one structural story: a county asked to do more with less across housing, fiscal policy, surveillance, and health coverage simultaneously.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:25) July 1 and October — what changes and when(1:15) Westchester's affected population(2:00) The state's partial response and its limits(2:45) The county's silence on local numbers(3:30) Connecting the week's coverage(4:15) What this show is tracking nextSources: KFF | Georgetown CCF | NYS Focus | Westchester County websiteSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailIn February, Westchester County's Real Time Crime Center announced it was monitoring social media for teen takeover threats following a chaotic incident at Bay Plaza in the Bronx. It was covered as a public safety story. Today's Brief covers it as a surveillance story.The RTCC operates 480 license plate recognition cameras capturing sixteen million plates per week, AI pattern analysis tools, and now social media monitoring. There is no published data retention policy. No framework governing who can access the data or whether it is shared with federal agencies. And a review of the Board of Legislators' public record found no hearing, no resolution, and no committee report on the RTCC's scope or civil liberties implications — ever.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:25) The Bay Plaza incident and Westchester's response(1:15) What the RTCC actually is — cameras, AI, and scale(2:45) The missing data retention policy(3:30) Social media monitoring and unanswered questions(4:15) The legislative record: nothing found(4:45) The direct asksSources: Westchester County RTCC press release | ABC7 NY | MOBOTIX/LPR documentation | Atlas of SurveillanceSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailWestchester County's 2026 budget has a name: Ken Jenkins is calling the 5.27 percent property tax increase the Trump Tax. And on the mechanics, he's right — federal funding uncertainty, shifting aid formulas, and tariff costs created a $197 million gap the county could not absorb without raising taxes and cutting services.Today's Brief examines what the federal framing gets right and what it obscures. The budget eliminates 180 county positions — roughly five percent of the workforce. It imposes eight percent cuts on nearly every department. And it sets a baseline for a county facing potential losses of up to $700 million in state and federal aid in 2027. The $60 average annual tax increase is modest in isolation. It is not modest in context.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:25) What the 2026 budget actually contains(1:45) The federal framing: what's accurate and what's convenient(2:30) The 180 eliminated positions — the underreported story(3:15) The 2027 $700M exposure(4:00) Quick HitsSources: Westchester County Executive budget press releases | Yonkers Times | cicbca.orgSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailKen Jenkins delivered his 2026 State of the County address last Wednesday. Crime is down seventeen percent. Violent crime down twenty-five. Back-to-back triple-A bond ratings. The county jail is the first in New York State to hold three simultaneous national accreditations. Those wins are real — and they deserve acknowledgment.Today's Brief opens the accountability ledger. Jenkins named specific housing projects with specific addresses: units in Peekskill, Ossining, Tarrytown, Croton-on-Hudson, and Greenburgh. The question is how many of those units exist today versus how many are still in permitting or planning. He also went on record opposing Indian Point's restart, creating a direct conflict with state and federal energy priorities. And the announcement that the Lenape Nation will be housed at the Ward House in Tuckahoe received one sentence. It deserves more.In This Episode:(0:00) Cold open(0:25) What Jenkins earned credit for(1:30) The housing pipeline accountability question(3:00) Indian Point: Jenkins draws a line(3:45) The Lenape Nation and Tuckahoe(4:30) The open ledger framework(5:15) Quick HitsSources: Westchester County 2026 State of the County Address | Westchester County Community Development press releasesSupport the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailThis week in Port Chester, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the groundbreaking of Westchester Crossing on the former United Hospital site—957 new units with $65 million in infrastructure backing. That number adds to the roughly 20,000 housing units already in motion across Yonkers, New Rochelle, and White Plains. But look closer at what's actually being built, and the pipeline tells a different story than the headlines suggest.We break down the real data: unit mix, affordable share, tenure, geography. We find the counterintuitive truth that most Westchester residents aren't being served by this pipeline—and we tell you exactly what this means if you own, rent, or are still looking.**0:00** Cold open**0:30** What's coming this week**1:30** The data: 20,000 units, 957 new at Westchester Crossing**4:00** The surprise: who this pipeline actually serves**5:30** What this means for you**7:00** Close + Monday tease**Sources:** NY HCR (Westchester Crossing); News 12 Westchester; Bisnow; Westchester Magazine; New York YIMBY; Zillow Westchester dataLeave a review on Apple Podcasts or share with a neighbor.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailFor eight years, the federal SALT cap of $10,000 cost Westchester homeowners real money every year. This year, that cap sits at $40,400—and for a typical Westchester household with $18,000 in property taxes and $14,000 in state income tax, the math is roughly $5,300 in annual federal tax reduction at a 24% marginal rate. The window is four years. The cap reverts to $10,000 in 2030 unless Congress acts. Most Westchester homeowners haven't done the math yet. We do it on Thursday's Brief.Plus: ConEd rate case awaiting PSC ruling, school budget proposition forums ramping up ahead of the May 19 vote, Bobo's expanding to Tarrytown and Yorktown Heights, and Green Ossining's Earth Day Festival this Saturday.**0:00** Cold open**0:25** The SALT cap change and the math**3:45** What changes if you itemize again**5:00** The 2030 reversion and planning window**5:45** Quick hits across Westchester**7:00** Close + YouTube CTA**Sources:** IRS; OurTaxPartner 2026 guide; SmartAsset SALT coverage; NY PSC; Westchester County Executive; NYSSBASubscribe on YouTube for the video version.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailOne week from today, County Executive Ken Jenkins delivers the 2026 State of the County Address at the Michaelian Office Building. An $2.5 billion budget signed in December. 8% cuts to every department. 180 positions eliminated. Nearly $500 million committed to housing. A utility fight with a state regulator. We break down the four pre-built narrative tracks Jenkins walks in with—and what to watch for on Wednesday, May 6.Plus: IBM Somers enforcement update (28 arrests in 30 days), Metro-North fare impact, the NYBCE tri-state campus in Rye, and the WMCHealth / Hudson Valley Care Coalition projection of 80,000 Medicaid social-needs screenings this year.**0:00** Cold open**0:20** State of the County: what Jenkins walks in with**4:00** The four narrative tracks**5:15** What to watch specifically**6:00** Quick hits across Westchester**7:15** Close + newsletter CTA**Sources:** Westchester County Executive press; Yonkers Times; Westfair Communications; NYSP press; WMCHealth; MTASubscribe to the newsletter at iliveheremedia.beehiiv.com.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

Send us Fan MailLast Monday, three men were detained near Mount Kisco Elementary after students reported being approached during recess. One reportedly offered them a drink. Open beer cans were found nearby. Police increased patrols. The district is now weighing playground privacy screens. Halston Media called it a "red line" for community safety—and with the statewide school budget vote coming on Tuesday, May 19, one quiet decision about one playground may set the security baseline every Westchester district has to answer to.Plus: the Brenda Fareri Pavilion on track for 2026 opening, Michael Psilakis opens klêma in Larchmont, 260 North Avenue rendering revealed in New Rochelle, and the Mental Health Safety Net Clinic operational in White Plains.**0:00** Cold open**0:20** Mount Kisco Elementary incident**2:30** Why this becomes a countywide precedent**4:15** The May 19 budget vote framing**5:15** Quick hits across Westchester**6:45** Close + YouTube CTA**Sources:** News 12 Westchester; Halston Media Group; NYSSBA; WMCHealth; New York YIMBY; Westchester MagazineSubscribe on YouTube for the video version.Support the showI 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]: www.iliveheremedia.comFollow us on Instagram: @iliveheremediaSubscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.