The Westchester Brief | 06.04.26: The Sanctuary County Fight

The Friday Intel | 06.19.26: The World Cup Comes Home

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] The World Cup final will be played 12 miles from Westchester County — and the data says this region is less a bystander than a home team. This week on The Friday Intel, we map Westchester's actual slice of a $3.3 billion tournament: the overflow economics, the matchday-train rules that will strand anyone who waits, and the surprising demographic finding that reframes the whole thing — Port Chester is nearly 46% foreign-born, almost double the county rate, with about 90% from Latin America. When Mexico or Brazil plays at MetLife, it's a home game for entire Westchester neighborhoods. In This Episode: - Cold Open — 0:00 - Intro & Context — 0:30 - The Data: $3.3B, 1M+ visitors, the overflow play, the transit gauntlet — 1:30 - The Surprise: the World Cup comes home — 3:30 - What This Means For You — 5:00 - Close — 6:00 Sources: NY/NJ Host Committee & NJBIZ (economic impact); NJ Transit (matchday rail plan); U.S. Census / Statistical Atlas (Port Chester demographics); Westchester Magazine (county immigrant communities; Kanopi pop-up); Front Office Sports (hotel "rate event"). 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 | 06.18.26: The Rent Vote Is Monday Night

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] On Monday, June 22, the Westchester County Rent Guidelines Board votes on how much more tens of thousands of rent-stabilized tenants pay starting October 1. The nine-member board — three tenant, three landlord, three public members, all appointed by the County Executive — is decided by its three "neutral" public seats. The hearings across Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and White Plains are done; the vote is four days out. We explain how the board works, what the landlords and tenants are arguing, and why last year's 2% and 3% outcome is the number to watch. In This Episode: (0:00) Nine people, one room, and tens of thousands of renters (0:20) The data: the board's 3-3-3 structure, the County Executive's appointments, and last year's 2%/3% vote (4:20) Quick hit: Metro-North's proposed 500-space North White Plains garage (5:00) Close Sources: Yonkers Times ("Rent Guideline Board to Hold Public Hearings and Meetings"); NYS Homes and Community Renewal (RGB hearings/livestream); Westfair / Building and Realty Institute (landlord position). Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share the show with a neighbor. Tags: Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, White Plains, rent stabilization, Rent Guidelines Board, housing 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 | 06.17.26: Yonkers' 4.75% Tax Hike

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Yonkers calls itself "Hollywood on the Hudson," but the city's new $1.64 billion budget still raised the combined property tax rate 4.75%. On May 29 the City Council unanimously adopted the largest budget in Yonkers history, trimming Mayor Mike Spano's proposed 5.25% increase but preserving all services and its workforce with help from $55 million in state aid. We explain why a development boom hasn't eased the homeowner's bill — and why the timing, days before the June 23 primary, matters. In This Episode: (0:00) "Hollywood on the Hudson," and a tax bill that went up anyway (0:25) The data: a $1.64B budget, a 4.75% rate increase, $55M in state aid, and the growth-versus-tax-base question (4:15) Quick hit: the World Cup arrives at MetLife (5:00) Close Sources: Yonkers Times ("City of Yonkers Adopts 2026-27 Budget; Tax Increase Reduced to 4.75%"); Westfair (Spano FY2026–27 executive budget); News 12 Westchester (state aid and council vote). Subscribe to our newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com. Tags: Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, Yonkers, property taxes, city budget, Mike Spano 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.

I Live Here Westchester | Linh Hoang: Flowers, Vietnamese Coffee, and a 135-Year-Old Bank in Tarrytown

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Linh Hoang is opening Dahlia's Song in Tarrytown — a flower shop, Vietnamese café, and workshop space inside a 135-year-old former bank building on North Broadway. She grows over 400 dahlia varieties herself, including breeds that exist nowhere else, and she's building something Westchester has never quite seen before. In This Episode: (0:00) How a lifelong passion for flowers turned into a business (2:30) Finding and falling in love with the historic bank building (5:25) Growing 4,000+ dahlias across 400 varieties — and breeding originals (7:30) What Vietnamese coffee culture looks like at a table in Tarrytown (9:30) Thursday workshops: florals, watercolor, community, and kids (12:00) Competing against 1-800-Flowers with freshly cut, homegrown stems (13:20) Running seven businesses as a single mom — and why she's doing it (15:50) Opening end of June — how to follow the journey Follow Dahlia's Song on Instagram @dahliasong and visit dahliasong.com. Subscribe to The Westchester Brief at iliveherewestchester.com.1 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 | 06.16.26: No Rate Cut, and What It Costs You

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] The Federal Reserve meets June 16–17, and markets put the odds of holding rates steady at roughly 99% — no cut since December. For Westchester County, where the median single-family home now runs about $940,000, that means mortgages stay near 6.5% and the "wait for a cut" strategy gets more expensive. We translate the Fed's decision into the real monthly cost of buying a home here, and explain why the oil-price spike is part of why the cut isn't coming. In This Episode: (0:00) Why a Washington rate decision lands on your Westchester mortgage (0:25) The data: a ~99% chance of a hold, 6.5% mortgages, and a $500-a-month gap on the county's median home (4:20) Quick hit: Playland opens for its 98th season (5:00) Close Sources: CME FedWatch / CBS News / NerdWallet (June 2026 Fed outlook); Freddie Mac PMMS (30-year mortgage rate); Q1 2026 Westchester residential sales data (median price). Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or share the show with a neighbor. Tags: Westchester County, I Live Here Westchester, local news, mortgage rates, Federal Reserve, housing market, home buying 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.