Sunday Briefing: $55M Library Bond, $300K Court Ruling, NY Power Prices Surge
This briefing draws from reporting at Talk of the Sound, analysis and commentary published in Words in Edgewise, and selected regional coverage for the week ending April 19, 2026
A Note from the Publisher
A solicitor in Dublin sent a “private and confidential” cease-and-desist letter on behalf of Rob Rubicco and his daycare centers. I published the letter and wrote two overlapping articles as my response:
Irish Solicitors Demand Removal of Rubicco Coverage; Publisher Responds, Publishes Letter
I did not remove any articles. I will continue to report on Rob Rubicco and his daycare centers. In fact, expect more this week.
I wrote last week about an SEO Parasite website called National Today. Their despicable plagiarism of legitimate news outlets and exploitation of hard-working journalists doing original reporting was reported on Yahoo News: A Prominent PR Firm Is Running a Fake News Site That’s Plagiarizing Original Journalism at Incredible Scale. The article quoted me at length from my previous article prompting me to write a third article: I’ve Been Calling Out the SEO Parasite National Today and Its Rotten CEO Ben Kaplan — Turns Out I’m Not Alone
I did a ton of work analyzing the basis for the New Rochelle Public Library $55 mm bond which after the 2016 school bond at $106.5 mm would be the second largest bond in the history of New Rochelle. They proposed a Zoom call interview this week so I sent a list of detailed questions. One startling item from their 2020 building condition survey is that as a “school district library” all facilities oversight is supposed to occur through the City School District of New Rochelle and New York State Education Department. It did not, going back to 2003; there were no fire inspections of the library buildings for 17 years.
Below is this week’s structured briefing.
If You Read Nothing Else This Week
New Rochelle Library $55 Million Bond Voter Guide 2026: Full Analysis + Questions to Ask
New York Electricity Prices Rank Sixth Highest in the U.S.
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Public Safety & First Responders
Pelham Police Pay Tribute to K9 Hunter, Who Served Community From 2016 to 2024
Larchmont Police Arrest Two in $25,000 Elder Fraud Scheme
Port Chester Police Warn of Rise in Gym Locker Break-Ins, Credit Card Fraud Reported
Fourth Suspect Arrested in New Rochelle Heritage Homes Shooting
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Courts & Accountability
Shooting Case Update: Grand Jury Indicts New Rochelle Man, Plea Appearance Scheduled for Wednesday
Car Theft Ring Member Caught at New Rochelle Dealership Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison
New York ESCOs to Pay $71 Million Settlement to Rate Payers in Regulatory Dispute
New York Jury Finds Live Nation, Ticketmaster Violated Antitrust Laws
Man Pleads Guilty in New Rochelle Gun-in-Couch Case
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Schools & Government
New Rochelle School District Account Posts Sitcom Clip With Suggestive Content
New Rochelle School District Says Facebook Account Was Hacked After Inappropriate Posts Appear
Police Investigate Swastikas Found on Playground Equipment at Pelham Elementary School
Rye Country Day School Among Winners at Westchester Envirothon
Operation Prom Dress Giveaway Returns to Westchester for 22nd Year
Rye City School Board to Consider Adoption of $116M Budget for Next Year
Westchester Communities Mark Earth Day With Cleanups, Festival and Arbor Day Events
Town of Mamaroneck Will Hold Public Hearing on Senior Citizens Tax Exemption Revision
Latimer Gains Democratic Renomination for Second Term
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Sound Shore Community & Culture
New Rochelle City Hall Exhibit to Showcase Ugo Mochi’s Work in NRCA Rotunda Gallery
New Rochelle Firefighters Win Charity Hockey Game Honoring Captain Andy DiMaggio
Pelham Art Center to Launch Art Social Series April 24
Sprint to Flint Returns to Larchmont on May 29
Port Chester-Raised TV Icon Ed Sullivan Set For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction
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Words in Edgewise
This week’s commentary and analysis.
Westchester County’s Parental Leave Policy Leaves Newer Hires With Little or No Paid Time Off
Full archive available at Words in Edgewise.
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Ongoing Investigations & Major Series
These long-running investigations continue to inform coverage across the region:
Flowers Park RFP & FOIL Litigation
New Rochelle Thimblerig Series
Sustainable Westchester Series
Alec McKenna – Kamal Flowers Archive
New Rochelle Board of Education Investigation
Nightmare on Stephenson Boulevard / NRPD PACT Unit PFFL Porn & Gambling Website
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In Memoriam
N/A
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Closing
Words in Edgewise is the weekly civic briefing produced by the publisher of Talk of the Sound.
Talk of the Sound exists to provide consistent, fact-based reporting on the institutions that shape daily life in the Sound Shore.
If you have information relevant to public accountability in New Rochelle or neighboring communities, you know how to reach me.
Thank you for reading — and for being part of a community that values informed civic life.
— Robert Cox
Publisher, Talk of the Sound
