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Rosie Newmark

I’m a Northwestern University Medill graduate with a background in journalism and history. My experience includes both daily news and long-form reporting, with a focus on social issues and politics.

I’m currently a part-time beat reporter at The Rye Record and a research assistant for Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jonathan Eig. I also freelance for American Libraries Magazine and the Hyde Park Herald. Previously, I interned with The Daily Herald and The Record North Shore, covering daily and breaking news in Chicago’s suburbs. At Northwestern, I contributed to The Daily Northwestern and edited for North by Northwestern and Wavelength Magazine.

Originally from Chicago, I’m now based in New York and always open to full-time journalism-related roles and freelance work.

The Rye Record •

Darien Police Find Success — And Social Media Fanfare — For Transforming Parking Lot Into Facebook Marketplace Exchange Site

Darien police have taken matters into their own hands, designating their public parking lot as a safe exchange site in an effort to curb increasingly dangerous scams and even deadly encounters over online purchases.


Buyers and sellers from tag sale sites and social media apps like Facebook Marketplace looking to make swaps can meet in this monitored area, located on the south side of the Connecticut department’s police station, which is under 24-hour video surveillance.


Darien Police Chief...
The Rye Record •

Two Cars Stolen Near Train Station, Later Found in The Bronx: Police

Two vehicles that were stolen from commuter parking lots near the Rye Metro-North station have been found by police in The Bronx, according to Rye PD.


Police announced the thefts occurred at Station Plaza, both popular parking spots for Metro-North commuters in an Instagram post last Wednesday. In both cases, the vehicles were left unlocked with the keys inside, according to police.


The first vehicle, a 2013 Jeep Wrangler, was stolen on Sept. 4, while the other, a 2014 Ford Edge, was taken...
The Rye Record •

Crime Trends: Leaf Blower Summonses Plateau After Four Months of Spikes, Data Shows

Leaf blower summonses finally leveled off in July after significant year-over-year increases since March, Rye PD data shows.


Police issued only one leaf blower summons this July, compared to zero issued in July 2024. The lack of activity ends a four-month trend of dramatic spikes, where leaf blower summonses increased by 25 in June and May, and 37 in April, year-over-year numbers show. In March, 13 additional summons were doled out compared to the same period in 2024.


Police Lt. Michael An...
The Rye Record •

City Pitches $76M Investment in Capital Projects Through 2030

The city unveiled its $76 million five-year Capital Improvement Program, an ambitious “wish list” for public infrastructure projects with nearly half the funding allocated for next year.


Several projects outlined in the 2026-2030 plan are already underway, including upgrades to the city’s Department of Public Works Salt Shed ($2.2 million), a $4.1 million reconstruction of the Theodore Fremd retaining wall to stabilize the roadway and protect the downtown from flooding, and a new $2.8 million...
The Rye Record •

Osborn, Midland Schools Installing Modular Classrooms to Replace Outdated Portables

Midland and Osborn schools are moving forward with the installation of long-anticipated modular classrooms to replace old portable units that have been in use for more than 20 years.


While the new modular wings were originally scheduled to arrive in July, fabrication delays pushed delivery back until August. The units have now reached both schools where they have begun the craning process, according to a district press release.


Once all units are installed, officials will set a timeline f...
The Rye Record •

Rye Passes on Splitting Public Safety Department, Instead Seeks New State Waiver for Commissioner Kopy

The City Council has “indefinitely” tabled separating its Public Safety Department into two emergency services divisions, leaving Rye’s well-compensated commissioner in place — as long as New York state signs off.


The city had initially pursued the idea of amending its charter to restore separate police and fire departments earlier this year, leaving Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy’s future potentially in jeopardy.


Separate departments had long been established in Rye until 2016, w...
The Rye Record •

Rye School District’s Biggest Earner Pulled in Over $320K: Records

Eight Rye City school employees earned salaries of more than $200,000 in 2024, with one raking in over $320,000, school district records show.


Former Superintendent of Schools Eric Byrne was the top earner of the school district’s 500 employees in the 2024-25 academic year, collecting $327,000. Byrne, who spent seven years running Rye schools, was first hired in 2017 at an annual income of around $260,000.


Byrne is now the interim superintendent for the school district in Darien, Conn., fo...
The Rye Record •

Registered Sex Offender Suspended from Rye Job at Le Pain Quotidien Amid Investigation

Managers at Le Pain Quotidien say they have temporarily suspended a registered sex offender from his job at the Purchase Street bakery and restaurant chain.  


Wale Gai, 30, was suspended from his job at LPQ after a New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services alert went out listing his address as 30 Purchase St., the site of Rye’s LPQ bakery-restaurant.  


In 2019, Gai was convicted of a sex crime involving an underage girl, and last year was seen frequenting the Rye Public Library....
The Rye Record •

Rye Police Installing New Dashboard Cameras on Patrol Vehicles

Rye PD is in the process of installing new dashboard cameras in its primary patrol vehicles, updating equipment that was installed following recommendations from a city police review committee formed after the murder of George Floyd. 


The new video cameras are part of a larger equipment package for the department’s 16 police cruisers, said Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy. 


“The old dash cams in the cars had broken and had begun to become unserviceable,” Kopy said.  


The installa...
The Rye Record •

City Taps Seven Rye Residents to Lead Newly-Formed Deer Management Committee

The city has formed a seven-member deer management committee as it looks to control the animal’s overpopulation, as well as mitigate damage to city property and avoid vehicle accidents. 


Deer overpopulation has long been a concern in Rye. The city formed a similar committee in 2015 after complaints about property damage, deforestation, and rising Lyme disease cases. 


The issue recently resurfaced and was first discussed by the City Council in May. 


City officials plan to work alongside...
The Rye Record •

City Council Postpones Leaf Blower Discussion to 2026 After Sparring Over Transitioning to Electric

After months of debate, the Rye City Council unanimously voted to postpone any discussion of altering leaf blower regulations until 2026, but not before some members haggled over the timing of transitioning fully to electric-powered ones.


The council has been weighing a plan to shorten the fall and spring cleanup seasons for gas-powered leaf blowers since May, when Republican Councilman Bill Henderson pitched the proposal while pointing to noise and air pollution.


After hearing from landsc...
The Rye Record •

Westchester Health Department Shutters Coveleigh Club Beach Through Friday

Rye’s Coveleigh Club beach will be closed through Friday following heavy rainfall that swept through Westchester County on Wednesday, Westchester health officials announced.


The closure is part of a broader precautionary measure — protecting the public health and keeping recreational waters safe for swimmers — affecting multiple beaches in Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, and Rye after 1.16 inches of rain fell in the past 24 hours.


County health officials said the stormwater runoff into the Lon...
The Rye Record •

The Osborn Plans Major Expansion, But Westchester County Raises Concerns

Correction: This article was updated on Aug. 14 at 3:45 p.m. to reflect the number of trees that are proposed to be replanted as part of The Osborn’s development plans.


The Osborn is planning a major campus overhaul, but not without concerns from Westchester County officials and some neighbors of the affluent retirement community.


The 56-acre private property on Theall Road, home to The Osborn for more than a century, is set to undergo a sweeping transformation that was unveiled before th...
The Rye Record •

New Jersey Fugitive Arrested Nearly 2 Years After Allegedly Beating his Girlfriend Outside the Rye Marriott

A New Jersey man wanted for attacking his girlfriend on Midland Avenue was finally captured in Westchester after Rye police had put out a warrant for his arrest nearly two years ago.


Fugitive Daniel Twomey, of Lodi, N.J., had been on the run from law enforcement since a September 2023 incident in the city where he allegedly beat the unidentified woman and briefly held her captive.


He was apprehended in Tarrytown on May 29 and transferred over to Rye authorities.


He now faces charges for...
The Rye Record •

Crime Trends: Leaf Blower Summonses Spike for 4th Month in a Row

Leaf blower summonses issued in June saw the greatest percentage jump yet in 2025, along with an increase in traffic stops and city code complaints, Rye PD data shows.


Police issued 28 summonses for leaf blower violations in June, skyrocketed (833 percent) from the three summonses they issued in June of last year.


The spike in summonses year-over-year has been an ongoing trend for months, with March summonses increasing by 14, April summonses up by 36, and May summonses rising by 25, accor...
The Rye Record •

Unconfirmed Shark Sighting Leads to Water Evacuation at New Rochelle Beach

A reported shark sighting at Glen Island Beach in New Rochelle prompted lifeguards to order a water evacuation over the weekend, though authorities say it remains unclear what was actually spotted.


Swimmers alerted the lifeguards of a shark fin they spotted near the shore around 2 p.m. on Sunday.


Glen Island Beach lifeguard Max Pitocci told News12 Westchester that once alerted, the lifeguards blew the whistles and ushered the swimmers out of the water without much panic. No injuries were r...
The Rye Record •

District Taps Nick Clair as Permanent Rye Middle School Principal

The Rye City Board of Education has appointed Nick Clair as Rye Middle School’s new principal.


His appointment came after a weeks-long search by new Rye City School District Superintendent Patricia Murray and the Board. Before his permanent appointment, Clair served as Rye Middle School’s interim principal.


“Along with the recommendation of our committee, the Board and I strongly believe that Mr. Clair is the right person to help the district continue to meet the goal of developing an edu...
The Rye Record •

Midland Avenue Deli Caught Ablaze Monday Yields No Injuries

No injuries were reported after a fire broke out Monday night at the Midland Avenue Deli, sending smoke through a mixed-use building and prompting a multi-agency emergency response.


Just before 10 p.m., Rye firefighters were dispatched to 382 Midland Ave. after reports of smoke in the basement. The building houses a ground-floor deli with two apartments above.


Upon arrival, crews encountered light smoke throughout the structure, soon visible from the outside, leading to an upgrade of the...
The Rye Record •

Rye Second Grader Repeatedly Sexually Abused and Bullied by Classmate, Parents Allege in New Lawsuit

A second-grade girl at the Osborn School was sexually abused and bullied by a male classmate over a span of at least several months, while the school’s administrators did little to stop it, the young girl’s parents claimed.   


The girl was in first grade at Osborn when the bullying began in June 2023. Her parents learned of the problem and the children’s teacher and lunch monitors were made aware of the harassment, which continued, the recent court filing alleged.   


Things only got worse...
The Rye Record •

City Council Majority Rejects Ethics Code Review Years After Controversial Tree-Cutting Dispute

The Rye City Council declined to move forward with a $10,000 review of the Code of Ethics in an up or down vote at Wednesday’s meeting — more than two years after a controversial tree-cutting incident at the root of the issue.


Mayor Josh Cohn unexpectedly introduced the need for a review at the May 7 meeting, citing what he called an unlawful and politicized “investigation” by the city Board of Ethics into a 2023 emergency meeting he convened.


Cohn proposed hiring Steven Leventhal for no m...
The Rye Record •

NYPD Officer Arrested by Rye Police For Stealing Over $85K from Wells Fargo Victims To Pay for BMW, Trip to the Caribbean

An NYPD officer allegedly stole more than $85,000 from unsuspecting Wells Fargo customers while working at a Rye Brook branch before joining the police force. 


Yeison Rodriguez-Acosta, 27, was arrested by Rye police on Thursday, accused of illegally accessing money from the accounts of 14 victims and using the funds for lavish personal expenses, including a BMW X6 lease and a trip to Caribbean. He also used the funds to pay off credit cards for himself and family members, police said.


Fou...
The Rye Record •

Heat Advisory Issued With Humidity Expected to Boost Temps Into the 100s

A heat and air quality advisory is in effect for Westchester County.


The National Weather Service issued the warning on Wednesday morning, warning that heat and humidity could make outdoor temperatures feel like 100 degrees or hotter through Thursday night.


At the same time, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has rated the air quality as unhealthy for sensitive groups due to elevated ozone levels through 11 p.m. Wednesday night.


The Air Quality Index is expecte...
The Rye Record •

Family Sues Rye Over Property Damage to Deceased Dad’s Clinton Avenue Home

The estate of a longtime Rye resident is blaming the city for years of alleged property damage from a municipal pump station project that has left his Clinton Avenue home unsellable.


The city and its contractor, ELQ Industries, unlawfully entered the property of George Ford Sr. without permission, digging up the lawn, cutting down trees, and failing to properly repair damage for more than a year, according to a lawsuit filed in Westchester County Supreme Court.


The family of George Ford Sr...
The Rye Record •

Crime Trends: Leaf Blower Summonses Up For Third Consecutive Month, Data Shows

Leaf blower summonses rose for the third consecutive month in May, while arrests also climbed in reversing a downward trend seen since January, year-over-year Rye PD data shows.


Police issued 37 leaf blower summonses this May, up 208 percent from May 2024, when just 12 summonses were issued.


The increase has been a trend over the past three months, as March and April saw leaf blower summonses increases of 13 and 37, respectively, compared to 2024 numbers, according to the police department...
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