The Westchester Brief | 07.20.26: The $999,000 Median Home and the County's Task Force

The Westchester Brief | 07.21.26: A Westchester Hospital Corp Just Grew Fourfold

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Westchester Medical Center Health Network folded eight hospitals under one license this month, held by the Westchester County Health Care Corporation — the same public benefit corporation behind Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. We break down what the consolidation actually changes, and the governance question nobody's asked yet about a Westchester-chartered corporation now licensing hospitals in four other counties. In This Episode: (0:00) WMCHealth's eight-hospital licensing consolidation (3:15) The governance question and the national consolidation pattern (4:45) What's Happening: a 30-year Larchmont bagel shop closes Sources: Beckers Hospital Review; WMCHealth press releases. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share the show with a neighbor. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Westchester Brief | 07.20.26: The $999,000 Median Home and the County's Task Force

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Westchester County's median single-family home price hit $999,000 in Q2 2026, up 16.2% year over year, while sales fell roughly 7.8%. The Board of Legislators' Affordability and Economic Development Task Force held its first meeting this month, and the county launched HomeSeeker, a new centralized portal for affordable-housing listings. We break down whether this is a policy response or a process — and what's still missing. In This Episode: (0:00) The county's affordability task force vs. a $999,000 median home (3:30) HomeSeeker and the county's new downsizing push (4:45) What's Happening: Wayfair's first New York store lands in Yonkers Sources: Houlihan Lawrence Q2 2026 report via Westfair Communications; Westchester County Board of Legislators. Subscribe to the newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com for stories like this first. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Friday Intel | 07.17.26: NY's New 75% Nicotine Tax

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Starting September 1, 2026, New York is extending its 75% wholesale tobacco tax to nicotine pouches like Zyn for the first time, and Westchester County retailers have just 21 days after an August 31 inventory count to pay tax on everything already on their shelves. This week, The Friday Intel breaks down what the tax actually costs at the register, which of Westchester's 933 registered tobacco retailers are affected, how New York's rate compares across the Connecticut and New Jersey borders, and the one detail almost every headline is getting wrong about whether this law touches vapes at all. In This Episode: 0:00 — Cold Open 0:30 — Intro and Context 1:30 — The Data 3:45 — The Surprise 5:30 — What This Means For You 6:30 — Close Sources: NYS Department of Taxation and Finance (tax.ny.gov); Tobacco Reporter; Vaping360; NYS Department of Health Open Data. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share with a neighbor. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Westchester Brief | 07.16.26: Albany's $1B Medicaid Cut

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Albany's state budget could keep a billion dollars that has traditionally flowed back to New York counties through a Medicaid pass-through arrangement, money Westchester's own budget was never built to lose. This episode breaks down Governor Kathy Hochul's proposal, Albany County's unanimous proclamation against it, and what it means for a Westchester budget that already closed a $197,700,000 gap this year through 8% department cuts and roughly 180 eliminated positions. In This Episode: (0:00) Albany's proposed Medicaid pass-through cut and what a $1,000,000,000 statewide hit could mean for Westchester (3:30) What's Happening: County Executive Ken Jenkins signs a new apprenticeship law for big county construction contracts Sources: Albany County, NY, County News release, July 2026 Westchester County Government, 2026 budget signing release NYS Focus, "No Solution to Health Coverage Cliff in Delayed State Budget," May 28, 2026 If this episode helped you understand your county a little better this week, leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts, or share it with a neighbor who lives here too. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Westchester Brief | 07.15.26: County's $500M Housing Scorecard

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Westchester County says it's spent nearly $500,000,000 on affordable housing since 2019. We dig into the county's own numbers behind that figure: the Housing Implementation Fund, the New Homes Land Acquisition Program, and the 3,383 affordable homes those programs have produced. Plus, a new $25,000,000 fund with a hard August 21 application deadline, and the accountability question the county still hasn't answered. In This Episode: (0:00) The county's $500M affordable housing investment, explained (0:45) The 3,383-unit scorecard since 2019, and where the money came from (1:45) Housing Flex Fund II and the August 21 deadline (2:30) HomeSeeker, the county's new centralized housing portal (3:00) What's still missing: no municipality-by-municipality breakdown (3:30) What's Happening: county ties construction contracts over $250,000 to apprenticeship programs Sources: Westchester County - New Multifamily Affordable Housing Construction Program - homes.westchestercountyny.gov Westchester County - Housing Flex Fund II program page - homes.westchestercountyny.gov Westchester County - HomeSeeker portal - homeseeker.westchestergov.com Subscribe to the newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com. It's the fastest way to get stories like this one before they air. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.