Good morning. ☕ This is your Thursday, Aug. 27, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.

Today’s Weather Channel local forecast is 80 degrees with afternoon thunderstorms. ⛈️ Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.

In the Rye of the early 2000s, going “into town” meant grabbing a CD from Sam Goody, paying cash for candy at the Smoke Shop, and watching another bank move into an empty storefront.

Sam Goody is long gone. The Smoke Shop closed years ago. And shopping itself has changed. Nationally, retailers closed more than 7,300 stores in 2024, 57 percent more than the year before, according to Coresight Research, amid fears of a “retailpocalypse.”

But downtown Rye is busier than ever. Head to Purchase Street, and you’ll find a wave of new boutiques, with a new sensibility and, in many cases, a new price point.

“The Rye shopper is very savvy, stylish, and sophisticated,” said Tim Baxter, owner of Baxter in Rye. “We have some very expensive things, but it’s great quality for the price, and the Rye customer appreciates this.”

Down the street is Sartina, which features new brands and up-and-coming designers, including a $570 Alemais mini dress, $550 Proenza Schouler pants, and jewelry of varying prices.

“Of all the stores in town, I have the most elevated price point,” said owner Carrie Heffernan, before adding, “I never want anyone to feel like they’re walking into my store and can’t buy something or feel intimidated by the price tag.”

Click here to read Holly Secon’s full report.

-Today’s newsletter is curated by Chris Marshall

➡️ Follow The Record, @ryerecordnews, on our social media channels and at ryerecord.com for the latest news. 💻📱

IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS. The Town of Rye has applied for $100,000 in state funding as it prepares to renovate the interior of the Rye Town Park tower building, a vacant Oakland Beach landmark built in 1910. — Howard Husock

WHEN IT RAINS... After 3.28 inches of rainfall last Thursday, another 5 million gallons of partially treated sewage was discharged from the Mamaroneck Sanitary Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Coveleigh Club beach in Rye, and several beaches in Mamaroneck and New Rochelle were closed until yesterday. More rain is in the forecast this afternoon.

MEET THE TEACHERS. When the Rye City School District begins the 2026-27 academic year on Sept. 8, there will be 23 new faculty members. Read up on the new hires who will serve the district’s students and families.

THE RYE FINDER. Test your RyeQ with this Rye-centric word search puzzle. This week’s challenge is to find the names of seven words associated with Playland. Answers run vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Submit your completed puzzle by midnight Friday for a chance to win prizes.

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Matt Anderson has a lot of patience. With the Rye Planning Commission’s recent approval of The Osborn’s wide-ranging expansion plan, Anderson, president and CEO of the Rye senior living community, took a major step toward a goal he has pursued for nearly a decade.

Witnessing the surge of the nation’s aging population, Anderson began talks with Rye officials in 2018 about changes he envisioned to meet the demand for additional services and amenities. But it was not until 2022 that the Rye City Council approved a zoning change that would allow expanded use of The Osborn’s 56-acre campus.

“If we don’t do something to change the way we deliver services over the next 10 years, the new consumer is going to be looking for something very different from what The Osborn offers today,” Anderson said.

Proposed additions in The Osborn’s first major update in 20-plus years include independent living apartment buildings, a new assisted living building, a wellness center, and cottages, plus underground parking and new dining options.

— Sol Hurwitz

More than two weeks after photos of a bobcat in Rye first started popping up on social media, another sighting occurred Aug. 13.

Rye resident Idaly Ramirez Diaz took pictures and video of a bobcat on Julian Street, a neighborhood road just west of the intersection of Highway 1 and Interstate 287.

While there’s no confirmation this is the same bobcat that was spotted before, animals of this type are rarely spotted in Rye’s vicinity. Rye police said sightings alone are generally not a cause for alarm, as bobcats don’t typically attack people.

“The Rye Police Department has recently received reports of bobcat sightings in the area,” police said Wednesday. “Bobcats are native to New York and, while generally secretive and seldom seen, can occasionally be observed in suburban areas.”

Annabel Monaghan’s fifth novel, “Dolly All the Time,” will be adapted into a movie, the former Rye resident announced last week on social media.

A reported bidding war for the movie rights to the best-selling book came to an end this week, with Sony’s 3000 Pictures landing the opportunity to make the rom-com. The production company is Temple Hill, which teamed up with 3000 Pictures to adapt several popular books into movies, including “The Fault in Our Stars,” “The Hate U Give,” and the Emmy-nominated “People We Meet on Vacation.”

“I am so excited about this, and the enthusiasm coming from Temple Hill and Sony is contagious,” Monaghan told The Record on Friday. “My fingers are crossed that it all pans out; at this stage, a million things can still go wrong.”

— Andi Hessekiel