Good morning. ☕ This is your Thursday, Aug. 13, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.

Today’s Weather Channel local forecast is cloudy with a high of 84 degrees. ⛅ Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.

Rye’s City Council is holding firm on the terms of the six-month moratorium it passed in June.

Last night, the council denied a waiver request for the owners of 43 Locust Ave. to move forward with a mixed-use construction project, refusing to provide an exemption two months into a pause on developments in certain areas of the city.

Property owners Kenneth Haas and Ursula Serluca submitted a petition June 25, about two weeks after the moratorium took effect. In a public hearing Wednesday, they requested to proceed with plans to demolish an existing building and construct a new three-story structure.

“We don’t know what future legislation is going to be. What’s before us may or may not comply with that,” Mayor Josh Nathan said of the proposed construction. “The reason for the moratorium is to pause while the municipality takes a look at rules and regulations and identifies any appropriate changes.”

As the city works to update its comprehensive plan for the first time in 40-plus years, two major topics of discussion have been preserving the character of the city’s neighborhoods and minimizing future flood damage.

“This street is part of the scope of the analysis we have consultants working on, and we’ll have committees looking at it as soon as possible,” Nathan said. “We just passed the moratorium, and it’s unfortunate the project is on the other side of it from the applicants’ standpoint, but public policy is what solves these issues.”

Click here to read Chris Marshall’s full report.

-Today’s newsletter is curated by Chris Marshall

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IN OTHER NEWS

DRIVING DISCUSSION. Rye Nature Center spoke at a City Planning Commission meeting Tuesday and a City Council meeting Wednesday, answering questions about the environmental impact of a new proposed driveway entering the city-owned property. — Chris Marshall

THIS BITES. The Westchester County Health Department announced this season’s first batches of mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus in Westchester were found in Rye. These are the first positives out of 61 batches of mosquitoes collected from 30 traps throughout the county. See tips to avoid the virus.

WASTE WATCH. A Port Chester trash truck was quarantined by Westchester County last week after radioactive materials were detected in the garbage it collected. The radioactive material was discovered by radiation detection equipment at a regional waste transfer facility.

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 flooding. Answers run vertically, horizontally, and diagonally.

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CITY

Westchester-Filmed Emmy Nominations Include ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ in Rye

Five TV series filmed in Westchester County received 23 combined nominations for the 78th annual Emmy Awards on Sept. 14.

Three of this year’s nominated productions — “The Diplomat,” “The Gilded Age,” and “Your Friends & Neighbors” — are in the running for Outstanding Drama Series, while “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” is nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

“Your Friends & Neighbors,” an Apple TV+ show starring Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet, filmed extensively throughout Westchester, including at Sunshine Coffee Roasters, Aurora Restaurant, Ruby’s Oyster Bar & Bistro, and Saigon Table in Rye, as well as Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Westchester County Airport, The Brazen Fox in White Plains, Yonkers Public Library, The Belvedere Estate, and Old Oaks Country Club.

The production returned to Rye on June 23 to film scenes for its upcoming third season.

Scorpios, a Pirate Ship Swing Ride, Set for Maiden Voyage Today at Playland Park

While most of the focus on Playland has been on the restoration of classic rides the past couple of years, the Rye amusement park is introducing a new ride this week.

Scorpios, a swing ship ride, will open for operation Thursday. Metallbau Emmeln, the German ride manufacturer, describes it as a classic “pirate ship” amusement ride that features an open passenger space in the shape of a ship, providing a thrilling, pendulum-style back-and-forth motion and seats 42 passengers.

Scorpios joins the park’s lineup of classic rides, which includes the Dragon Coaster, Grand Carousel and Sawmill River. Nearly all rides are now operating at Playland. Rides currently closed include the Playland Yo-Yo, the Whip, and Derby Racer.

Entry to the park is free, but rides require the purchase of a wristband. For the remainder of the season, wristbands will be sold at a reduced $15 price for Westchester County residents.

POLICE & FIRE

Fire Crews Contain Smoking HVAC at Rye Subaru

Rye fire personnel worked for more than two hours early Monday morning to contain an electrical malfunction of the Rye Subaru’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

Around 1:30 a.m. Aug. 10, the city’s Fire Department responded to the Rye Subaru building after receiving an alert for an automatic commercial fire alarm.

Upon entering the premises, firefighters encountered heavy smoke, which they thought was coming from the basement. Since the crew was still unsure of the source, Rye firefighters called the Larchmont and Rye Brook fire departments for backup.

With the assistance, the fire crews determined the smoke was actually originating from an HVAC unit on the roof. Officials isolated power to the area and used large fans to ventilate the entire Rye Subaru building until the smoky conditions subsided.

— Camille Botello