Good morning subscribers. ☕This is your Wednesday, June 25, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.

Today’s Weather Channel local forecast calls for a dangerously high of 97 degrees with ☀️ Stay indoors and hydrate. Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.

Why? When people refer to Patricia Murray as the “The Data Queen,” she laughs, but doesn’t shy away from the label.

“It’s obviously a joke, but in all seriousness, I think data is helpful. I consider myself a math person, a numbers person,” Murray told The Record in a recent interview as she preps for her new role leading the Rye City School District.

For Murray, who officially steps into the schools superintendent position on July 1, data is not about spreadsheets or test scores alone -- it’s about insight.

“Data can point you to needs, specific needs for individual students, and it can tell you things about a grade level, a school, a system,” she said. “It helps you point to your ‘why.’”

Murray has two teenage daughters who attend school in Chappaqua. She said that being an educator has had a big impact on her parenting as she feels she has a unique perspective to adolescence.

After attending a Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert in Boston with one of her daughters, Murray became a "Swiftie" -- a nickname fans of the pop icon use. While her daughters have moved onto other pop stars like Gracie Abrams and Sabrina Carpenter, Murray still considers herself a devoted Swiftie.

She has worked alongside outgoing Superintendent Eric Byrne, who is stepping down after leading the district since 2017, for the past four years as assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

To read Rosie Newmark’s profile of the new superintendent in its entirety, click here

-Today’s newsletter is curated by Christian Falcone

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IN OTHER NEWS

Sweating it out. Scorching heat in the Rye forecast this week has prompted early school dismissals and beach openings, as officials urge residents to take precautions amid rising health concerns. -Rosie Newmark

Hazard. A visible substance spotted on the surface of the Byram River section of the Long Island Sound triggered an emergency response in Port Chester. -Daily Voice

That was fast. Longtime Rye Neck Schools Superintendent Eric Lutinski, who announced last year he’d be leaving after 30 years in the district, has accepted a job as the interim superintendent in Pleasantville. -Camille Botello

AROUND TOWN

-RowAmerica Rye continued its dominance in the eights at the 2025 U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships. The men’s and women’s varsity eights both won national titles in Sarasota, Florida.

-Rye Town Park, including Oakland Beach, is one of 12 sites in the city of Rye that have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was originally designed in 1909. In the late 1700s, the property was acquired by Ezekiel Halsted and around 1880, Ezekiel’s descendants began to develop the land as a summer resort and built an inn as well as a ferry pier.

Off the Record: Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy is allowed to collect his state pension while running the police and fire departments in the city of Rye through a 211 waiver. As a result, Kopy collects his $115,000 annual pension — state records show — on top of his $195,000 city salary.

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FROM OUR PARTNERS

BUSINESS

Coffee Talk: At Long Last, Winfield Street Opens at Rye Metro-North Station House

After seven years of negotiations with the MTA, pandemic-related pushbacks, and bureaucratic hurdles, Winfield Street Coffee finally opened its doors Friday at the Rye Metro-North station house. 

The coffee shop had its soft opening, launching limited hours (6 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Saturday) and serving coffee, breakfast, lunch, and pastries. 

“We’re just really excited to be opening in such a dynamic and historic town,” owner Breno Donatti told The Record. 

-by Mayra Kalaora

SCHOOLS

Caps Fly as Rye High School’s Class of 2025 Graduates

The Rye High School Class of 2025 graduated on Friday evening at Nugent Stadium, its bleachers filled with proud families and loved ones.  

The ceremony marked the school’s 94th annual graduation. To commemorate the special occasion, the scoreboard read RYE 20/GARNET 25, and the clock was frozen at 20:25.

Most of the Ivy League schools, Stanford University, New York University, Northwestern University, and UC Berkeley are included in the list of colleges and universities the Class of 2025 will soon head to.  

-by Mayra Kalaora

CITY

Judge Tosses Nursery Field Lawsuit, Bringing Closure to Artificial Turf Battle

The last legal hurdle in the fight over Nursery Field was crossed last month when a judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the artificial turf installed there.

The decision brings the contentious saga to a close as a judge found that the Rye City Council, the city building inspector, and city Board of Appeals properly assessed potential environmental and health hazards of the artificial turf installation project, and were rightfully the lead agencies responsible to oversee the plans, according to the Westchester County Supreme Court ruling dated May 19..

-by Camille Botello

POLICE

Rye Police Arrest Man for Flashing Pellet Gun in Road Rage Incident

Rye police on Thursday arrested a Yonkers man for flashing what looked like a hand gun during a road rage incident on Boston Post Road.

Police charged John Chin, 63, of Yonkers, with menacing after the incident. Back in 2021 Chin was also arrested for menacing and criminal mischief in White Plains, the Rye Police Department confirmed.

-by Camille Botello