On The Record: June 18

Author

Rye Record
June 18, 2024

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

Today, the NY-16 House primary tops our newsletter. We are one week away from Election Day and Rep. Jamaal Bowman is facing the fight of his life — following the release of a recent independent poll that showed the incumbent trailing his challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, by 17 points.

The feuding congressional rivals will make one final push to voters ahead of next Tuesday’s election. Bowman will be joined first by firebrand Bernie Sanders at a Hastings rally on Friday. Bowman and Sanders will then team up with progressive star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on Saturday, for a get out the vote event in the Bronx. Latimer, meanwhile, is touting recent key endorsements from the Daily News, Hillary Clinton and Mondaire Jones as he travels the Westchester-Bronx district.

Get out and vote! Early voting for the NY-16 race, and other primaries across Westchester, has already kicked off. Ballots can be cast at 25 different polling locations, including Rye, through Sunday, June 23. Election Day is Tuesday, June 25.

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

In other news

Has everybody heard about the bird? The osprey raptors that had decided to nest atop Playland’s ferris wheel, causing the ride to be taken offline for weeks, finally had their temporary homes removed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

And award-winning Novelist Veera Hiranandani visited the Rye Free Reading Room earlier this month to discuss her latest novel, “Amil and the After,” which was inspired by her father’s survival.

What we’re hearing

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Westchester County, effective until 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Heat index values are expected to reach between 95 and 100 degrees, and the county Health Department is warning residents to take precautions.

Rye police have begun cracking down on Purchase Street scofflaws. The issue? Double and illegal parking, including unauthorized parking in the handicap spot outside of Starbucks. Parking illegally in a handicap spot carries a $150 fine.

Con Edison will be performing utility work in the area of Forest and Oakland Beach avenues on June 17-18, 20 and 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on June 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Weather

Today’s Weather Channel local forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high of 89 degrees and a UV Index of 9.🌤

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U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, left, has an uphill climb to reelection, based on the latest poll numbers that find him down by 17 percent to his challenger, George Latimer.

The first independent poll in the 16th Congressional District Democratic primary shows Westchester County Executive George Latimer way ahead of incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman among likely voters.

Forty-eight percent of voters support Latimer while 31 percent support Bowman, with 21 percent undecided, according to the Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey issued on June 11.

The poll shows that voters differ significantly in their preferences when examined by age and ethnicity. 

Among likely voters polled, Latimer registered higher on favorability (65 percent to Bowman’s 51 percent) and lower on unfavorability (23 percent to Bowman’s 43 percent).

-by David Hessekiel

Interest in the Democratic House primary between incumbent Jamaal Bowman and his challenger George Latimer has seen a 57% increase in mail-in ballots, as of June 10, over Bowman’s 2022 primary challenge.

Early Voting Kicks Off For Much-Anticipated NY-16 Congressional Race

Early voting kicked off at 25 polling locations across Westchester on Saturday morning. Although there’s several primaries on the ballot, the one that has garnered much of the attention this election cycle is the 16th Congressional District race between Democratic incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, 122 people had voted in the primary for the 16th Congressional District at Rye’s early polling place, according a spokesperson with the county Board of Elections. This year marks the first time that the city of Rye has its own early voting location.

📍To vote early in Rye you must visit the Resurrection Early Childhood Center, located at 88 Milton Road, during the following times:

  • Tuesday, June 18, 12 p.m.-8 p.m.

  • Wednesday, June 19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

  • Thursday, June 20, 12 p.m.-8 p.m.

  • Friday, June 21, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

  • Saturday, June 22, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

  • Sunday, June 23, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Only registered Democrats may vote in person, by mail or early. But voters can cast ballots at any of the early voting sites across the county.

The Democratic primary for county district attorney is also on the ballot for Rye voters. That race pits civil rights attorney William Wagstaff against retired judge Susan Cacace. Adeel Mirza, a former prosecutor, just dropped out of the race and is now backing Wagstaff. Incumbent DA Miriam Roche is not seeking reelection.

In-person primary voting takes place on June 25. You can follow this link to determine the location of your polling place.

-by David Hessekiel and Christian Falcone

The osprey nests that had halted operation of Playland’s ferris wheel have been removed allowing for the iconic ride to resume operation.

Rye Playland’s iconic ferris wheel is now back in service after two osprey nests that halted its operation were removed. The nests were removed by the USDA’s Wildlife Services, according to Playland’s Facebook page.

Both nests were abandoned with nonviable eggs inside of them.

The nest was discovered atop one of the gondolas of the ferris wheel just before Playland’s Grand Opening on May 18.

-by Shannon Haines

Veera Hiranandani joined the Rye library on June 2 to discuss her latest novel, “Amid and the After.”

Inspired by her father’s survivor story in the Partition of India, Newbery Award-winning author Veera Hiranandani addressed identity, resilience, and grief in a discussion of her latest book, “Amil and the After,” at the Rye Free Reading Room.

Hiranandani, known for her previous novel, “The Night Diary,” read from and reflected on her new work.

Set against the backdrop of India’s 1947 Partition, “Amil and the After” continues the story of characters from “The Night Diary,” exploring the division of British India into two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, with the reorganization of political borders and the division of assets.

-by Alyssa Politi

Rye High School’s acapella group, Rhythm on Rye, performed at RyeACT’s Speak Out.

“Times have changed since our parents were in high school,” an anonymous Rye High School student shared at RyeAct’s Speak Out event on May 28 at Rye Rec. “Everything is different for us than it was for them.”

Middle and high school students were asked by RyeAct, an anti-drug and alcohol organization, to share their perspective on what adults should understand about Rye’s youth today.

The effort, contributing to RyeAct’s ongoing mission of substance abuse prevention, surveyed hundreds of students in Rye. Answers ranged from those of positivity (“I think life for youth in Rye is amazing”) to those more poignant (“We are trying our best”).

-by Emerson Roche