Good morning subscribers. ☕This is your Wednesday, December 18, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.

All too familiar. The Rye City School District held its first-ever reunification drill at Milton School this month, a proactive measure to prep for emergencies like Monday’s school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin, where two people, including one student, were gunned down.

The Standard Reunification Method, which is the procedure that has been adopted in Rye, is a system designed to safely reunite students with their families following a school crisis.

It was developed in 2012 by the I Love U Guys Foundation — a nonprofit founded by two parents who lost their daughter in a 2006 school shooting — whose mission is to restore and protect the joy of youth through educational programs and collaborations with schools, families, and other organizations, according to its website.

“Hopefully we’ll never have to use this, but [we wanted] to practice and learn how to conduct a reunification,” Schools Superintendent Eric Byrne said.

The drill, held on a recent Wednesday afternoon at Milton, focused on the internal process of how a parent or caregiver would pick up their child following an emergency event — as well as how the schools would work with the fire and police departments on traffic control, according to Byrne. 

It came days before the 12-year anniversary of the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman opened fire killing 20 first graders and six school employees — marking the second deadliest school shooting at the time.

To read the full article click here

-Today’s newsletter is curated by Christian Falcone

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IN OTHER NEWS

Welcome. Rye Country Day School has tapped Chris Hughes, the leader of a Maryland all-girls boarding academy, to take over as its assistant head of school. -Camille Botello

Superwoman. Bowyn Brown, a four-year varsity starter and member of Rye High’s 2023 girls’ state champion soccer squad, was named November’s athlete of the month. -Mitch Silver

Mayday. A small airplane crashed on I-684 near Harrison killing one of its occupants on Thursday. The collision took place near exit 2. -Record staff

AROUND TOWN

-Rye’s firefighters decorated fire trucks, grabbed goodie bags, and helped Santa get his sleigh ready to go for their annual candy can run on Sunday.

-Looking for some holiday activities, Westchester has plenty of festivities to offer — from holiday lights and train shows to fine dining and immersive drinks.

Off the record: The Board of Education has contracted with search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, and will pay the company $26,800 for its superintendent search.

WEATHER

Today’s Weather Channel local forecast calls for a high of 49 degrees with afternoon showers. 🌧 Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.

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CITY

Leaf Blower Complaints Nearly Double Across City Following Increased Restrictions

In the second year after the Rye City Council passed a law increasing restrictions on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, citizen complaints about leaf blower noise have nearly doubled.

The Rye Police Department reported that calls about illegal leaf blower use — including the use of more than one blower — rose to 107 in 2024 from 60 in 2023.

The citizen complaints led to sharply increased police enforcement. There were 28 citations issued for leaf blower violations in 2024, up from just five in 2023.

-by Howard Husock

POLICE & FIRE

Crime Trends: Three Arrests Made in November, Although Overall Police Calls Decline

Police activity in Rye saw a decline in November compared to October, according to department data.   

Police made three arrests in November, including nabbing a Long Island man in a stolen silver Nissan full of illegal pills, who was caught trespassing on private property on Nov. 4. While the 21-year-old was originally due in court on Nov. 19, the case was adjourned until Christmas Eve, according to a Rye City Court spokesperson.  

-by Rosie Newmark

COMMUNITY

Elissa Carroll’s New Installation Brings Beauty of Rye to Walls of Coveleigh

For oil painter Elissa Carroll, a new installation at Coveleigh Club in Rye allowed her to do what she loves most — create large-scale oil paintings of nature and light.

The three 65-inch by 65-inch canvases line a white wall in Coveleigh’s newly renovated ballroom, opposite the windows facing the Long Island Sound.

The paintings, entitled “Swimmers Lane at Sunrise,” “Late Afternoon Sail on the Sound,” and “Buoys Floating at Sunset,” capture the natural beauty of Rye and the way light shifts and changes on the water.

-by Alison Cupp Relyea

LETTERS

Kids Need to Learn From Cell Phone Choices 

This fall, Rye Country Day School has followed in many other school’s footsteps by completely banning the use of cell phones during school hours for upper school students. This decision appears to be a reversal of a course that the school had been on. Over the past years, it has been giving more freedom and power to students, such as loosening the dress code and opening up pathways for students to give constructive feedback. 

A complete ban on cell phones is the opposite of this, restricting the opportunity for students to choose when to go on their phone during so-called “free” periods. This time is supposed to be for students to use as they see fit, whether that be hanging out with friends, reading a book, or doing homework. 

-by Rhodes Boester