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

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.

The Westchester Brief | 07.14.26: Mount Kisco's $2.7M Sidewalk Win

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Westchester County just broke ground on its first Complete Streets construction project, and it happened in Mount Kisco, not the county's biggest cities. Jim breaks down the $2.7 million sidewalk and safety award, the $15 million countywide program behind it, and what it means for the eleven other Westchester municipalities still waiting on their own projects. In This Episode: (0:00) Intro: the county's $15 million sidewalk fix breaks ground (0:45) Mount Kisco's $2.7 million Complete Streets award and Phase 3B (2:00) What the countywide Complete Streets program actually funds (3:00) Why Mount Kisco got there first, and what it means for Yonkers, White Plains, Peekskill, and Dobbs Ferry (4:15) SUNY Purchase's Neuberger Museum opens a Holt Broadside exhibition for America's 250th (5:15) Sign-off Source: Westchester County Government, "Westchester County's Complete Streets Program Advances with First Construction Award in Mount Kisco," westchestercountyny.gov, July 8, 2026 If you found this episode useful, leave The Westchester Brief a review on Apple Podcasts, or share it with a neighbor who lives on a street without a finished sidewalk. 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 | 07.13.26: Yonkers Sewage Failure Shuts Hudson

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] A Con Edison power cut during a July heat wave knocked the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Facility offline, sending partially treated sewage into the Hudson River and triggering a multi-municipality health advisory across Westchester County. From Yonkers to Briarcliff Manor, residents were told to stay out of the water for the better part of a week. In This Episode: (0:00) Con Edison's load-shedding decision and the Yonkers plant failure (0:35) The Hudson River health advisory and which towns it covered (1:20) The $185,000,000 already budgeted to upgrade this exact plant (2:15) What's Happening: Westchester's new apprenticeship law for county contractors Sources: Westchester County Government — "Westchester County Advises Against Recreational Use of the Hudson River Following Yonkers Wastewater System Failure" Mid Hudson News — "Ban on Hudson River swimming remains in effect" CBS New York — "Massive raw sewage discharge into Hudson River prompts health advisory in NYC and Westchester County" Subscribe to the newsletter at iliveherewestchester.com for this story and everything we're tracking across Westchester County this week. 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.