Sunday Briefing: Torture-Murder Conviction, Robotics Champs, Library Design Honor
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 26 2026
A Note from the Publisher
After so much work in March to increase load times to give readers a better experience — and block bots and AI scrapers — I ran into a whole new set of issues in April (RSS feed issues).
You may have noticed that Talk of the Sound has not been displaying its usual regional news links on the home page — and they have not been appearing on Nextdoor either — over the past couple of weeks (since 14 April). These are articles from other local and regional outlets that I curate and share. I have been dealing with a cascading series of technical issues affecting my publishing workflow. Despite considerable effort on my part — and with the assistance of my web hosting provider and Claude AI — I have not yet been able to fully resolve the problem. I am actively working on it and hope to have the external article links restored shortly. In the meantime, they appear below because I added them manually.
This has taken time away of actual reporting 😡
Below is this week’s structured briefing.
If You Read Nothing Else This Week
New Rochelle Woman Sentenced to Life Without Parole in Westchester’s First Torture-Murder Conviction
New Rochelle High School Robotics Team Makes History at VEX V5 World Championship in St. Louis
New Rochelle Library Chosen for National Design Institute Case Study
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Public Safety & First Responders
Rye YMCA Child Care Worker Charged With Endangering Toddler
FDNY and Westchester Fire Departments Conduct Joint Operations Drill
Westchester DA Reports 244 Gun Arrests, 220 Guns Seized in 2025; New Rochelle Ranked #3
Rye Police Arrest Connecticut Man for DWI on Purchase Street
Westchester County Airport Plans Emergency Drill at Playland
Brazen Break-In at Larchmont's Corner Store
Larchmont Police Blotter: Lipstick Larceny
Westchester County Police, Fire and EMS Agencies Conduct Full-Scale Airline Crash Drill at Playland
New York Gun Violence Hits 20-Year Low Amid Statewide Decline
Westchester County Police Lead Major Multi-Agency Drivers of Violence Enforcement (DOVE) Operation
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Courts & Accountability
Rye Won’t Take the Fall for Jeanine Pirro’s Tumble Outside City Hall
Westchester Court to Sentence Kenya Tilford; New Rochelle Torture-Murderer Faces Life Without Parole
New Rochelle Church Street Stabbing Case Transferred to Westchester Domestic Violence Court
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Schools & Government
Meteorologist John Elliott visits Trinity Elementary in New Rochelle
Village of Port Chester Advances Comprehensive Plan Update
Gov. Hochul Unveils Plans for World Cup Fan Events in New York
New York Awards $6 Million in Environmental Justice Grants; $200,000 for New Rochelle Youth Training
Westchester Moves Website to .gov Domain
Westchester County Restores Playland Park for 2026 Season Grand Opening
New Rochelle Awards THRIVE Grants to 12 Local Nonprofits
New Rochelle Opens Applications for Municipal Arts Commission
Cable TV, Three Municipalities and a Not-for-Profit
Should the Village of Mamaroneck Save LMC?
First Ever Mayoral Primary in Larchmont
Construction begins in Port Chester on $4.7M waterfront path project
Pelham Homeowners Face 8.5% Tax Hike as Village Blows Through State Cap
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Sound Shore Community & Culture
Rendering Revealed For 414-Unit Tower at 260 North Avenue in New Rochelle
Where Jeanine Pirro Stands With Her Ex-Husband After Scandal Drove Them To Divorce
Teriyaki Madness to Open in New Rochelle, New York
Workshop at New Rochelle Public Library Teaches How to Preserve Family Documents and Photos
New Rochelle Barbershop Seeks Local Artists and Photographers for Wall Displays
New Rochelle B&GC to Host Annual Golf Outing and Be Great Gala at the Wykagyl Country Club
Ground Breaking on Westchester Crossing in Port Chester
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Words in Edgewise
This week’s commentary and analysis.
N/A
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
Katharine Wilson Conroy, Daughter of Gov. Malcolm Wilson, Dies at 83
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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
