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American Libraries Magazine •

ALA Workers Vote Yes on Union

American Library Association (ALA) employees voted overwhelmingly to approve the formation of ALA Workers United (ALAWU), a new union representing staff at the 150-year-old association.
The final vote count, tallied on May 27, was 77–4, with 81 out of 87 votes counted. (Six votes were challenged.) The National Labor Relations Board will now certify the union, a process that may take approximately 10 days, allowing workers to begin collective bargaining.
“I’m so thrilled and honestly feeling real...
American Libraries Magazine •

ALA Workers Move to Unionize

About 100 employees at the American Library Association (ALA) began voting on April 24 to form ALA Workers United (ALAWU), a new union at the 150-year-old association.
If a majority of the 101 eligible staff members out of 161 ALA employees vote to unionize, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will certify the new union. Votes will be counted May 27.
In a March 2 open letter, 40 staff members announced their plans to unionize with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Emp...
American Libraries Magazine •

Airport Libraries Take Off

The layover was supposed to last two hours. Instead, it stretched into four or five.
Traveling alone through ­Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky ­International Airport (CVG), a woman wandered the concourse looking to pass the time. Then she spotted a sign for the Airport Library. When she arrived, she sat down, plugged in her devices, and picked up a historical biography she said she never would have chosen under normal circumstances. Before she knew it, boarding was announced.
Later, she hand-wrote a...
The Rye Record •

Crime Trends: City Code Complaints, DWI Arrests Increase, Data Shows

City code complaints and DWI arrests rose sharply in December 2025, compared to December 2024, according to data released this February by the Rye Police Department.


City code complaints rose to 17 incidents, up from nine last year, an 89 percent increase. There were two additional DWI arrests in December, up from zero in December 2024.


Officers made eight arrests in December, up from seven during the same period in 2024.


Guillermo Martinez-Echeverria, 31, was arrested on Dec. 2 for all...
The Rye Record •

NY State Waiver Greenlights Kopy to Continue Overseeing Police, Fire Operations in Rye

Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy will remain at the helm of the city’s police and fire departments after the state approved a waiver allowing him to continue in that paid role, while also collecting a pension from the New York State Police.


The state Civil Service Commission approved the city’s Section 211 waiver application on Jan. 14, in an effort to maintain continuity in Rye, allowing the commissioner to continue overseeing the city’s emergency preparedness efforts and coordination...
The Rye Record •

‘The Noise Goes Away:’ City Council To Consider Full Ban on Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers in Rye

Rye lawmakers are ready to consider banning gas-powered leaf blowers, reopening a debate that the City Council tabled last year amid disagreements over timing, technology, and an impending election that reshaped the council’s makeup.


The review will mark the first formal discussion of leaf blower regulations since August 2025, when the council unanimously voted to delay changes until this year after failing to reach consensus on how quickly the city should transition away from gas-powered equ...
American Libraries Magazine •

Racing the Clock

Hands flew, timers ticked, and tensions ran high. But team Piece Out found success by sticking to a classic strategy: starting its 500-piece jigsaw puzzle with the borders and sorting pieces by color. In the end, the team was the first to complete the puzzle—an illustration of a fantasy library—in 33 minutes and 23 seconds.
It was the winning moment of the inaugural speed puzzling tournament at Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) in southeastern Washington last January. Piece Out triumphed over 46 othe...
The Rye Record •

Crime Trends: Leaf Blower Summonses Surge Again in November, Data Shows

Leaf blower summonses skyrocketed in November, following a nearly year-long trend that has led to a record number of tickets in 2025, according to Rye Police Department data.


Police issued 229 leaf blower summonses in November, up from just one during the same month in 2024, marking one of the most significant year-over-year changes across all reported categories. The jump comes amid higher overall police activity, though department officials have previously attributed similar increases to ex...
The Rye Record •

U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 50 Years for Murder of Rye Neck High Graduate at California Army Base

The U.S. Army specialist who fatally stabbed Rye Neck High School graduate Andrew Smith at a Southern California military base last fall will spend the next 50 years in military prison.


Army Spc. George Cornejo, 27, pleaded guilty to the unpremeditated murder of Smith during a court-martial at Fort Irwin National Training Center in May, according to the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. A military judge sentenced Cornejo to 50 years of confinement, reduction in rank to E-1, and a dishonor...
The Rye Record •

Rye Fire Union Head Says Department is ‘Grossly Understaffed’ — As City Mulls New Hire For 2026

The Rye Fire Department is “grossly understaffed” given the demands and dangers of modern firefighting, the union president recently told The Record, despite the city’s initial refusal to hire additional manpower for next year.


The city currently employs 22 career firefighters across its two firehouses on Milton Point and Locust Avenue, but Ricky Colasacco, the Rye Professional Firefighters Local 2029 president, said the situation at times is so dire that only one firefighter is on duty at th...
The Rye Record •

Marion Anderson Makes Rye History as First Black City Council Membe

When Marion Anderson received an email from a friend shortly after her recent election to the Rye City Council, the message was simple: “She would be proud.”


The note referred to Anderson’s late mother, Evelyn, who came to Rye in the 1940s with only a second grade education and worked as a cleaner and caterer. Anderson, 69, said her mother’s memory has guided her throughout her life — especially in this historic moment as the first Black person ever elected to the Rye City Council.


The vic...
The Rye Record •

Westchester Power Program to Shutter — But Not for the Reasons Its Executive Director Claims

Sustainable Westchester has decided to pull the plug on its renewable energy program, and contrary to its executive director’s claims, the decision is not due to new regulations but to the program’s failure to meet existing outreach and education requirements.


In a letter sent to 26 participating municipalities, including the city of Rye, Sustainable Westchester Executive Director Noam Bramson attributed the decision to terminate the Westchester Power renewable energy program to new outreach...
The Rye Record •

New Jersey Teen Charged in Playland Burglary and Vandalism Spree

A 19-year-old from New Jersey has been charged in the late-night break-in at Playland amusement park that left behind tens of thousands of dollars in damage, according to Westchester County Police.


Anthony Conkling, of Wyckoff, New Jersey, surrendered to detectives on Thursday and faces felony counts in both third-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief, as well as misdemeanor charges of trespass and petit larceny.


Police said Conkling and two other New Jersey men, ages 19 and...
The Rye Record •

City Manager Proposes Override Budget, Hikes Tax Rate 8.43%

The city manager introduced his 2026 budget proposal Wednesday night that would raise property taxes by 8.43 percent and surpass the state tax cap without adding any staffing to the work force. 


The $54.5 million spending plan, presented by Interim City Manager Brian Shea to the City Council, represents a roughly $5.2 million increase over the current $49.3 million budget. The change would cost the average homeowner about $443 more per year — or roughly $37 each month — based on a home valued...
The Rye Record •

Rye Democratic Ticket Sweeps Election, Takes Newly Aligned Majority on City Council

This article was updated on Nov. 5.


The Democratic City Council candidates pulled off a clean sweep at the polls, winning all three open seats — and with it, unified control of the council. 


Candidates Marion Anderson and Amy Kesavan rang up 19 percent of the vote and Ward 18 percent, according to unofficial results from the Westchester County Board of Elections. On the Republican slate, Robin Jovanovich received 15 percent, and James Fee and Maria Shuck 14 percent each. 


“It’s a great...
The Rye Record •

Nambiar Easily Fends Off Van Kuller in Increasingly Contentious Westchester Legislator Race

This article was updated on Nov. 5.


Democrat Anant Nambiar coasted to victory over Republican Kurt Van Kuller on Tuesday night to become Westchester’s 7th district representative on the county Board of Legislators.   


Returns showed Nambiar, a Larchmont Democrat, with 65 percent of the vote, according to unofficial tallies from the county Board of Elections. 


Van Kuller, from Rye, received only 35 percent of the vote. 


“I feel so privileged to be the choice and thankful to the voters...
The Rye Record •

Nathan Tops Henderson, McCabe in Unpredictable Mayoral Race

Democrat Josh Nathan was elected Rye’s new mayor on Tuesday night, winning an unusual three-way race that had its share of twists and turns. 


Meanwhile, the Democratic candidates for City Council — Marion Anderson, Amy Kesavan, and James Ward — pulled off a clean sweep, winning all three open seats — and firm Democratic control of the council. 


Nathan, 60, captured 48 percent of the vote, outpacing Republican Bill Henderson (30 percent), and independent Rick McCabe (22 percent), according...
The Rye Record •

Osborn Counselor Resigns Following Settlement of Abuse Lawsuit Against Rye School District

The Osborn Elementary School counselor who allegedly neglected to address sexual abuse accusations involving two second grade students has resigned from her position. 


Emma McCabe, 34, was accused in a lawsuit against the Rye City School District of mishandling a report of abuse from one of her students. The young girl told McCabe, according to the filing, that a male classmate in her second-grade Osborn School class had touched her inappropriately — months after alleged bullying began in Jun...
The Rye Record •

Early Voting Numbers in Rye Plummet to 30% of 2024 Turnout — Democratic Voters Nearly Double GOP

Less than 1,250 Rye residents voted ahead of Tuesday’s election — less than one-third of the number of early voters during last year’s presidential race.


Registered Democrats cast 611 votes during the early voting period between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2, nearly twice the number tallied by registered Republicans (329), according to the Westchester County Board of Elections.


Unaffiliated voters cast an additional 300 ballots.


The Board of Elections does not release the breakdown of early voting...
The Rye Record •

Major Rye Democratic Donor Has Federal Fraud Conviction, Long Trail of Lawsuits

A donor to Rye’s Democratic City Council slate was convicted on federal fraud charges for stealing confidential documents from a New York City company and continues to face legal troubles.


New Rochelle resident Rob Rubicco contributed $1,000 to the Democrats’ ticket — the maximum allowed — on Sept. 16, weeks after he settled a 2022 civil judgment for roughly $166,000 over a breach of contract.


Rubicco, 42, told The Record that he doesn’t have any ties to the Rye candidates, but he’s intere...
The Rye Record •

Major Rye Democratic Donor Has Federal Fraud Conviction, Long Trail of Lawsuits

A donor to Rye’s Democratic City Council slate was convicted on federal fraud charges for stealing confidential documents from a New York City company and continues to face legal troubles.


New Rochelle resident Rob Rubicco contributed $1,000 to the Democrats’ ticket — the maximum allowed — on Sept. 16, weeks after he settled a 2022 civil judgment for roughly $166,000 over a breach of contract.


Rubicco, 42, told The Record that he doesn’t have any ties to the Rye candidates, but he’s intere...
The Rye Record •

Rye GOP Slate Says Omission of Party Label Meant to Keep Focus Local

The Rye Republican candidates for mayor and city council have left off any mention of their party affiliation from their marketing and advertising, a move campaign leaders say is not meant to distance them from President Donald Trump but rather to reflect their focus on local politics.


The “All in 4 Rye” slate’s website and political advertisements that have run in The Record do not contain a reference to the Republican Party, and the same is true of their Instagram page — launched in early S...
The Rye Record •

Rye GOP Holds $31K Fundraising Cushion in Latest Campaign Filings

In the last campaign finance filings before Election Day, the Rye Republican ticket continued to maintain a decisive fundraising margin, more than doubling their Democratic counterparts, while also inching closer to the $60,000 threshold.


The GOP amassed a total of $58,341 in donations from 115 donors, according to the latest financial report filed with the state Board of Elections on Oct. 24. The total reflects an increase of $7,067 and 20 new donors since the Oct. 3 filing. The average cont...
The Rye Record •

Meet the Candidates: Rye’s Mayoral Contenders Talk City Issues With The Record

Rye mayoral candidates independent Rick McCabe, Republican Bill Henderson, and Democrat Josh Nathan sat down with The Record’s politics team for wide-ranging interviews. The discussions centered on topics of importance to the city and its taxpayers.   


The following transcripts of those interviews have been edited for length.  


Additional reporting by Christian Falcone and Jon Elsen.  


  


Development


Q: There are 48 municipalities in Westchester County. Just two of those communiti...
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