Good morning subscribers. ☕ This is your Tuesday, July 2, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.

Congratulations to the RHS Class of 2024. With summer in full swing, Rye’s Class of ‘24 recently took their final bows before exiting stage left. But first, the 220 graduating seniors had to face sweltering temperatures that peaked at 93 degrees on June 21 — the day of their commencement. The ceremony, which took place at Nugent Stadium, included the addition of circulating fans, buckets of ice water, and tents for senior citizens.

The graduation was symbolic in a sense, as ‘24 marked the final class to navigate through the pandemic as high school students.

Turn it off! Growing concern over the dangers associated with social media and smartphone use has led a group of local moms to activate — and advocate for a ban until the age of 16.

Rye’s own Lee Flanagan has already appeared on “Good Morning America” and “The View.” She recently sat down with The Record to talk about her growing sustainability company, Pure Sage.

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

IN OTHER NEWS

-For the first time in school history, the Rye High School girls lacrosse team made it to the finals of the state Class C Championship. The Lady Garnets came up short, however, falling 9-5 to Sayville High School, which capped off a perfect 21-0 season. -Mike Tepedino

-The Board of Education will research cell phone usage this fall and conduct a “community conversation.” The school district is looking to update and strengthen its current cell phone policy. -Emerson Roche

-Rye City Hall is hosting a blood drive with the New York Blood Center on July 15, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are allowed if space permits. You can sign up at ryeny.gov.

-The city will kickoff its summer street resurfacing on July 8 with the milling of Highland Road; new pavement will be put down on July 11. The work will take place from Purchase Street to the city boundary line.

What we’re hearing: After six-and-a-half years, Rev. Kate Malin will be leaving Christ’s Church Rye for a position as the next rector of the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City. Sept. 8 is scheduled to be Malin’s last Sunday in Rye.

Let the Kids Play, the donor group pledging to fund the installation of artificial turf at the Nursery Field property, has reached the $2.9 million threshold needed to pay for the project ahead of a city-imposed July 1 deadline.

-curated by Christian Falcone

WEATHER

Today’s Weather Channel local forecast calls for mostly sun in Rye with a high of 83 degrees and a UV Index of 9.☀️ Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.

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SCHOOLS

Neither Heat nor Clouds Could Stop Rye High School’s 220 Graduating Seniors

The resilient Rye High School Class of 2024 beat intense heat and side-stepped expected rain to receive their hard-earned diplomas and toss their mortarboards to the skies.

Altogether, 220 seniors graduated on Friday, June 21, on a hot and sticky evening at Nugent Field, as clouds gathered but held off. To manage the heat on the field, staff added fans, buckets of ice water, and tents for senior citizens.

Superintendent of Schools Eric Byrne congratulated the seniors for being the last high school class to go through the pandemic.

-by Chris Urban

COMMUNITY

Concerned About Social Media, Moms in Rye Launch Nonprofit Initiative to Delay Smartphone Use📱

Concerned about the dangers of social media and smartphone use, a group of Rye moms recently founded IRL-Rye (which stands for In Real Life), a nonprofit dedicated to creating community and conversation around healthy tech habits, including delaying smartphone and social media use until age 16.

Founded by Lauren Tesoriere, Emily Wells, Maureen Neckles, and Jennifer Mellet, the group held its first community-wide event at the Rye Free Reading Room last month.

Katey McPherson, director of professional development for Bark for Schools, a company that offers monitoring for kids’ electronic devices, moderated the event, explaining that she hoped that “parents walk away from our education sessions empowered and motivated to be more intentional about monitoring and supervision of a virtual playground that doesn’t come with any staff.”

-by Cassandra Spiss

POLICE

Sixth Grand Theft Auto Case Reported in Rye This Year

The Rye Police Department is warning residents to lock their cars after the sixth vehicle of the year was stolen, this one near Dearborn Avenue.

Police Lt. Michael Anfuso emphasized that even though car theft is trending down, the department is encouraging residents to take precautions.

On June 21, police reported the stolen car from a private residence on Everett Street, which they say was taken at around 3 a.m. Anfuso told The Rye Record the owners had left their car unlocked with the keys inside, and they didn’t have a security camera.

“We constantly are putting out posts on social media … but a lot of the times people aren’t hearing the message,” Anfuso said.

-by Camille Botello

POLITICS

Latimer Ousts Bowman in NY-16 Victory for Democratic Party Establishment

George Latimer won the highly charged NY-16 Congressional District primary race, unseating Democratic incumbent Jamaal Bowman in a landslide. 

The Associated Press called the race at 9:38 p.m. on June 25, with Latimer ahead by 10 points. By the following morning, his lead over Bowman had widened to 17 points with 88 percent of the votes counted — dashing the progressive’s bid for a third term in Congress. 

The sizable defeat for Bowman, 48, was a stinging rebuke by Westchester voters.  

Latimer, 70, won with 63 percent of the vote in the Westchester County portion of the district, which also spans a section of the Bronx.  

-by Christian Falcone, David Hessekiel and Andi Hessekiel

PEOPLE

Lee Flanagan is on a Mission to Better the World with Style

You don’t need to lose your sense of style to have an impact.

That’s what Rye resident Lee Flanagan was thinking when she started her company, Pure Sage, which marries style and sustainability in reusable bags.

“One bag can replace up to 500 single use bags in a year,” Flanagan said. Pure Sage bags are made from recycled plastic bottles and “roll up into the size of a candy bar,” secured with a sage-green band.

Flanagan has received plenty of recognition for her innovation. She has been featured on “Good Morning America” and “The View,” and her bags were included in the Grammys’ gift bag.

-by Becca Elsen