TWIW 20: May 11, 2026

In This Episode:

• Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler gave an update on Hantavirus.
• Bedford Town Supervisor Ellen Calves joined to discuss issues effecting the Town. 
• Westchester County recognized National Police Week, and honored the 18 fallen heroes of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.
• Crime was down in Westchester County in 2025, and County Executive Ken Jenkins highlighted the latest crime statistics. 
• Deputy County Executive Joan McDonald gave an update on the PFAS Pilot Program, now available for residents to apply for free testing and mitigation for private wells.
• Westchester County Director of Consumer Protection James Maisano discussed a recent rise in Google impersonation scams, and precautions to prevent stolen personal information.
• Highlights from Westchester County Parks. 

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Transcript

Intro 0:06

Welcome to This Week in Westchester, the podcast, your weekly audio briefing from Westchester County government. Each week, County Executive Ken Jenkins breaks down the decisions, investments, and initiatives shaping life across Westchester. Clear information, real progress. One place to stay informed. Now here's This Week in Westchester.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 0:29

Good afternoon. I'm Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. Today is Monday, May 11th, and this is this week in Westchester, the briefing. We're going to hear from our municipal guest today, a really great friend of ours from the town of Bedford, Supervisor Ellen Cavez. We're going to hear from Jim Maisano talking about some things on consumer protection. Of course, we're going to have Deputy County Executive John McDonnell to give us everything that's going on in our nationally accredited and award-winning park system. But we need to start today with giving our Westchester family an update of things that are going on with Hunter virus. And with that, we're going to ask Dr. Shalita Amler, our Commissioner of Health, to come up and give us a status report.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Thank you, sir. Good morning. So today, three New York residents who were passengers on the MV Honduras cruise ship arrived at Offitt Air Force Base in Nebraska. One passenger is from New York City, one is from Orange County, and the other is from Westchester County. All three are expected to be subject to a 42-day monitoring period. We remain in close contact with New York State Department of Health regarding this evolving situation. And we'll be back if there's any further news to share. Thank you.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 1:55

Thanks, Dr. A. And and as people know that they of these folks, those three residents that are New York residents went directly from the ship to um Nebraska. So they are in Nebraska at this point in time. Dr. A, thank you so much. Dr. Shalita Amler, our Commissioner of Health, in come on conjunction with New York State Commissioner, um, Dr. James McDonnell, and certainly the folks in New York City. So the three um commissioners there are always taking care of business with that particular point. But again, those folks were in Nebraska at a um a Air Force base that is especially designed for all of this this kind of work. With that, let's turn over to our supervisor from the town of Bedford, Ellen Calvez. She's doing a fantastic job up there. She has not just affordable housing, things that she continues to do, making sure to have electric vehicle charging stations, but again, there's so many things that are going on, especially with PFAS and some other things. So with that, Supervisor Calvez.

SPEAKER_05 2:55

Thank you. Thank you, County Executive, for giving me the opportunity to share a little bit about the town of Bedford today, but also to offer up some of the exciting things happening in Bedford that people around Westchester may want to come engage with. So again, my name is Ellen Calvis. I'm the supervisor of the town of Bedford. My colleagues and I on the town board are proud to work and maintain our small town charm and our safety and security, our high level of quality services, resiliency, a lot of the things the county executive mentioned with affordable housing, sustainability, and really leaning into collaboration to enhance civic engagement and community participation. We are looking forward to the summer opening up our three pools and our camps in each of the parks. We have an annual fishing program this weekend, and we're going to be launching a new fishing boat program for community members to rent town boats on the DEP Reservoir, the Muscoot Reservoir. So that's a new program in collaboration with the DEP. We have our Food Truck Fridays starting in June as well that our community comes out to, and one of them will be accompanied by a World Cup watch with a giant screen at Bedford Hills Memorial Park to enjoy the World Cup together. And we have a kids' triathlon also at the park, second annual, and we get tons of participation. It's a great opportunity for wellness and youth in our town. And finally, we're working on a Katona Playground at the Katona Park and have community engagement sessions going on to learn what the community wants in this new inclusive playground in Katona. Tonight we're looking forward to celebrating our police department. We have the annual Sergeant Wade memorial ceremony accompanied by our police awards. And we do have very high standards for safety and security in our community, but we also appreciate all the work of our police department to do community engagement and outreach under the leadership of our chief Melvin Padilla. We are known as being one of the safest places in the state. We were named Safest City in New York two years in a row in 24 and 25. But we also have a lot of special outreach events with community to make sure that residents feel connected and secure in their interactions with our police. From pizza with police to ice pops with cops. They assisted the elementary school students in walk to school week this week. We have National Light out in August, which the county has helped support in the past. And our police department has an active and informative Instagram feed. So they really do go the extra mile to connect with our residents, and I'm looking forward to honoring them and thanking them for their service and dedication tonight at their awards ceremony. We also have in our three hamlets small businesses, community organizations, and vibrant activities underway. Each of our hamlets, Katona, Bedford Hills, and Bedford has its own unique personality. Coming up on Memorial Day, we have a parade in each of the hamlets sponsored by each of the fire departments, and the veterans and the Katona American Legion members join in, also with youth and community members. And our big parade of the year is the Katona Fire Parade, which will be on June 3rd at 7 p.m. Everyone lines the streets all the way through town, all the way to the fire department where the carnival happens. We usually have about 20 or 30 fire departments participating with their trucks and bands and entertainment. It's really the epitome of small town charm. It's a really awesome event. And speaking of carnivals, the St. Patrick's Carnival in Bedford Village is also this week. That usually is the way we announce spring in Bedford, is that the St. Patrick's Carnival is here. So in addition to parades and carnivals, the town of Bedford is also a destination for arts and culture. And I'll also mention a few ways that you can participate in that. We are always collaborating with our institutions, not-for-profits and small businesses to encourage vibrancy and visitors around our hamlet areas. So this Saturday evening we have the Katona Art Stroll. It starts, I think, as early as 3 o'clock in the afternoon, goes until about 8, and our galleries and shops stay open late. The Katona Museum is available for visitors, and it's a really there's music in the gazebo. It's a great night to come to Katona. We also have the Rosen House at Caramore is opening up the fashion of Lucy Rosen, who lived there and has opened up robust tours of that historic home on the beautiful grounds of Caramore, and also their summer season tickets are on sale now. Also in Bedford Hills, that's our hamlet that's really built up around the train station in Bedford Hills. We are so pleased to have a Westchester County downtown improvement grant that we have been putting to good work to beautify and enhance the economic vibrancy of Bedford Hills. And we're seeing a lot of the things come to life: the newly painted facades, small business signage that's gone up, new wayfinding and parking signs, a new hamlet welcome sign, and ongoing efforts to beautify the historic train station, which is a real gem in the center of the Hamlet. And we've also seen a renewed establishment of the Bedford Hills Business Association through all of these efforts. People are excited to be involved and join the Business Association and keep the economic development going. So thank you to the county for that opportunity. And lastly, what I'd like to spend a few minutes sharing with you is unique to this year and a great example of life in Bedford, which is our Rev Up 250 coalition, which is made up of a wide variety of groups and civic groups in our town to really lean into the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, civic participation, volunteerism, engagement, and hopefully there are some things that other people might want to come to from outside of our town as well. We are announcing actually this Thursday, as part of Rev Up 250, there will be a panel discussion of experts in activism and civic engagement and participation. John Cronin from Pace University, Campbell McKendry of Every Town for Gun Safety, Dan Friedman of the Bedford Playhouse, and moderated by Jesse Spelman Mignon from What's Up Westchester. They'll be viewing the videos that were the winners of our student video contest, asking youth what they think of American democracy today. And so the panelists will reflect on that. And I'm really hoping it's going to be, I know it's going to be an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation about democracy and our future with our youth. We are also going to be the only production in Westchester of 1776 The Musical this summer. So everyone should get their tickets. They're on sale now. That'll be at Bedford Historical Hall from June 19th to the 28th. It's a local production with a mostly local cast in this venue. And again, another great example of civic engagement. The year will continue with the town's Star-Spangled Splash Party. Our trifesta will be revved up with red, white, and blue and colonial games. We'll have a live reading of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July with fireworks at Caramore, of course. KMA, the Caton Museum, is hosting an exhibit Diplomacy at Home in collaboration with the John Jay Homestead, which will feature artifacts of the lives of the Founding Fathers. And the Friends of John Jay Homestead has an amazing suite of Gilder-Lerman panels, which articulate in a beautiful way the history of this area. Two will be customized to John Jay that will be traveling throughout Bedford in the coming months, including a special showing in the Bedford Townhouse in June. So a piece of revolutionary history that people can come and view. And of course, the year will round out with nearby Wardpound Ridge celebration, a reenactment, I believe, of the Battle of White Plains. And throughout Bedford, we will have tavern nights set up for all those who are participating in the county's fund, including the reenactors who are coming. We hope to have a lot of fun with that. So I'm just really excited to leverage this unique opportunity to expand and inspire civic engagement, economic vibrancy, partnerships with our local not-for-profits, and increased participation and dialogue and conversation with all of our residents. So thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today, and I hope to see you all in Bedford soon.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 11:33

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05 11:34

Thank you.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 11:36

All right, that was our supervisor at the town of Bedford, Ellen Caves, talking about so many of the things that happen in Bedford, the three hamlets, everything that goes on. And again, whether it's the exciting times as far as being able to lean into a revolutionary 250 for the 250th recognition of the United States, and certainly all the challenges from Westchester as being the neutral ground, which people don't remember all the time. We were the neutral ground between the Patriots and the Loyalists, but all the great food things that are going on and continued investments and leadership from Ellen and our town board and all of our team. They've been doing a fantastic job up there. But also the Kotona Museum, there's a lot of art and culture. Certainly, all the things that happen at Caramort, it is so fantastic. And again, um winding up at the Ward Pound Ridge reservation for all of us in the parks for that 1,000 reenactors that are going to be there. So everyone's going to come in in October, that's the um October 24th and 25th, I think, is the dates that we'll be having um the Revolutionary 250 with the reenactment of the Battle of White Plains with a thousand um a thousand reenactors. That's going to be an amazing opportunity. So again, Ellen, thank you so much. Um Ellen Calvez, the supervisor of the town of Bedford. Again, they've been doing such a fantastic job. But I they are so welcome in when you come through, and whether you go to up to KMA, the Kotona Museum of Art or any place else, and you can get to see connection to the history, the John Jay Homestead. Again, we have so many pieces of American history that connect through Westchester County, and Bedford is a hotbed of that activity. So again, thank you so much, Alan. Um and she did mention about the National Police Week, um, as are we are all going into National Police Week and certainly all the activities that are going on in the police week. Um, we're grateful for all of the courage, the professionalism, and dedication demonstrated every day by the members of our Westchester County Department of Public Safety and law enforcement communities throughout Westchester County. We try to get to as many as possible because the men and women of law enforcement put themselves in harm's way every day to protect our residents, respond in moments of crisis, comfort victims, support families, and keep our communities safe, often without that recognition and always with extraordinary commitment. National Police Week is not only a time to recognize the service of those who wear the badge today, but also a solemn moment to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices made by those who gave their lives in the line of duty. We always pause in sorrow and deep respect to honor the memories of those members of law enforcement. For us in Westchester County, there are 18 members of our Department of Public Safety and the predecessor agencies who made that ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting others. Their courage did not end the day that they were lost. Their legacy lives on in every officer who continues the work they began, in every family they protected, and in every community made safer because of their service. To the families and friends and colleagues of our fallen heroes, um, Westchester County will stand with you in gratitude and remembrance. Um their sacrifices will not be forgotten. We have our ceremony, which will happen on uh May 13th, and we will always recognize, remember, and say the names of all those 18 officers that were from 1792 was the earliest officer right into um 2009 for us in Westchester County. But again, that is something that's a solemn ceremony where we have every police department from everywhere around Westchester County that helps participate in that. But again, we celebrate with all of our local law enforcement as we continue to move forward. So we have those 18 offices, and be sure to watch um the police week ceremony that we have, obviously to be streamed live here on Facebook or um on the Westchester County on Westchester County NY.gov webpage to be able to see those coming up soon. So again, National Police Week, that's this week, and we're going to continue to support everyone in law enforcement. When we talk about law enforcement, we always want to continue to remind people that for us in Westchester County, um crime is down, and it was down in 2025. Um, those law enforcement officers, every agency continuing to do that work, working together. Um it was down in Westchester in 2025 as compared to the year before, including a 25 percent drop in violent crime. Overall index crimes, and that includes violent crime and property crime categories, were down 17 percent in Westchester, according to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, DCJS. These latest statistics I highlighted in my State of the County addressed on Wednesday, and Westchester continues to lead that way when we come to public safety. And those numbers tell the story clearly. In 2024, from 2025, compared to 24 crimes down across the board, every single one of the seven major crime indexes saw a decline, and that's violent crimes from murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault to property crimes, including burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle thefts. We continue to applaud, and I want to continue to applaud all the police departments in Westchester County, the state, New York State, on the collaboration that we do, the multi-million dollar investment from Governor Hochul in the county through the law enforcement technology grant program. So again, we continue to thank Governor Hochul for her leadership in understanding that fighting crime and keeping our straight and safe requires both innovation and investment. I'm incredibly proud of the dedicated men and women in law enforcement who work tirelessly to protect the people of Westchester County. So we continue to understand and make sure that we do from Westchester County and every law enforcement agency in Westchester that our public Department of Public Safety is funded at its highest levels ever, and it remains committed to working in partnership with all those municipal departments to keep our county safe. With that, let me turn over to Deputy County Executive Joe McDonald to lead us into our next section.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

Joe. Thank you, County Executive. Uh, I'm here to give an update on the PFAS situation. Many residents who rely on private wells for drinking water, as well as business owners, can now apply for free PFAS testing through a New York State pilot program designed to protect public health and improve water quality. The private well PFAS testing and mitigation rebate pilot program provides eligible homeowners, renters, and businesses with access to free PFAS water testing and financial assistance for treatment or connection to a public water system. This program is currently available in six counties across New York State, including Westchester. Every family deserves access to safe, clean drinking water, no matter where they live. Protecting the health and well-being of our residents is one of our highest priorities. This program is giving families the tools they need to better understand the quality of their drinking water. By expanding access to testing and mitigation resources, we are taking an important step forward in identifying and addressing PFAS contamination in private wells. We strongly encourage eligible Westchester County residents to take advantage of this opportunity. For those of you that aren't aware, PFAS are a group of chemicals, sometimes referred to as forever chemicals, that persist in the environment and have been linked to adverse health effects. While public water systems are regularly tested and regulated, private wells are not, making these pre-PFAS programs such as this one critical for protecting residents who have private wells for their drinking water. Eligible residents can receive this free testing for PFAS. If contamination is detected at or above New York State drinking water standards, participants may also qualify for rebates up to $5,000 for water treatment systems or up to $10,000 to connect to a public water supply. Residents interested in participating can learn more and apply through the New York State Department of Health website. And for additional information on PFAS, visit our own Westchester County Health Department website. Thank you, County Executive.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 20:50

Thank you so much, Joan. We're going to switch gears to get to the place for consumer protection. During this particular time of the year, there's so many things that are happening. So we have asked our Director of Consumer Protection, Jim Maisano, to come up and let us know the latest warning for scammers that are truly out there working really hard trying to take your things. With that, Jim Maisano. Jim.

SPEAKER_03 21:21

Thank you, Mr. County Executive. Folks, there's so many scams out there, as the county executive said. I'm just going to deal with one briefly today, but I'll put it's a Google impersonation scams. They're very hot and they're happening all over the place. It's being reported on consumer protection sites all over the country. Now I point out that the scams I'm going to talk about are probably being done using Microsoft and Apple too, because they use all of the major companies in social media to Google, Microsoft, Apple for scams. Because the scammers, scammers have a lot of uh templates. They just change the names on the on the scams. This one is the um Google scam. So a message or an email might come to you from Google. It looks legitimate, but it's actually a scam to steal your personal information or your money. So here's four of the tactics. Number one is fake security alerts. They say you get an email or a text that says suspicious active activity has happened on your account. Or you need to do a password reset. But those aren't really from Gmail or Google. They're from a scammer. But it looks it looks like a legitimate email. They try to create a false sense of urgency and they are trying to trick you into clicking on the link because the link is what gets you. When you get one of these emails and they say you need a suspicious activity, click the link, the password reset, click the link. When you click the link, you may have just given the scammer access to go inside your computer and steal every document on it. That's the danger. So be very careful if you get an email that says suspicious activity in your account or you need a password reset. I would never click on those links. Never ever click on those links. I would stop, I would slow down, I would assess, and I'll do and I'm going to get more into some things you should do, but be careful when you get those remote access schemes. This is where scammers pose as Google support saying again this is similar to what I just said there's a problem with your account click on the link so our our programmers can fix your account but basically they're going in your account to steal all the documents on your computer. So never ever ever click a link from Microsoft, Google or Apple that said there's a problem with your account click this link so we can help you fix your computer. That's a scam 100% of the time AI enhanced scams they are growing as we all know criminals are using AI to create fake chatbots or promote non-existent products. One of them is Google Coin there's no such thing but there's they say they can sell you a Google coin for crypto and that's a ripoff. Next is malicious calendar invites you think you got a calendar invite through your Gmail it's actually a scam or a Google chat invite where they want to talk to you and those can sometimes which is a whole nother issue for another day Mr. County executive romance scams. As I tell the seniors when I speak to the seniors romance scams affect everyone from teenagers up to senior citizens. And they use these chats where they'll talk to you for three or four months the scammer try to act like you're building a relationship but the whole time they're buttering you up to steal your money. So be careful with romance scams. So how do you protect yourself from all this number one verify the source of all communications I tell the seniors this all the time do not answer unsolicited communications. If your phone rings and it's some number you never saw don't answer. Let it go to voicemail. You have no idea who this person is and it's probably a scammer. So be very careful whether it's an email whether it's a text whether it's a phone call if you don't know who it is be very careful of it. And of course never just look never click on a link in an unsolicited email for the rest of your life. That's the best advice I can give you next secure your account multifactor authentication is a great weapon to fight these scams. If you don't know what that is when you log into your Gmail or your Google you can have them text a code to your phone which you then have to enter as a second level to get into your Gmail account. That's a great protection everyone should be using multifactor authentication. Inspect URLs if you if you click the link by accident they send you a link make sure you're looking at that link because you know what it might say www.com not Google Google one. They sent you to something that almost looks like Google but it's off by one digit. So always look uh if you made the mistake of clicking on the link and I hope you didn't when you get there inspect the URL at the top see where you are because you might know they do that on Amazon people say buy this on Amazon you're going to Amazon one where you log in they steal your login information. So all this stuff is so dangerous. And lastly the best advice I even have to do it slow down. When you get these communications they're trying to speed you up why they're really good at this these are just not somebody in there some people like to think it's somebody in their basement scamming you. These are professional scammers that are trained they know what they're doing and they always try to speed you up to make you make a bad decision quickly. So the best defense against these scams is pausing and verify any unexpected communication before you take any action. Folks the best protection you can have against scams is yourself. Please take action some of the ones I just recommended to protect yourself from scams because they're coming at you all day every day from every direction. Thank you Mr.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 26:52

County Executive I appreciate you that was Jimmy Zano director of consumer protection giving some really important tips on on scams. The last thing you said um Jim was real really important. These folks are professionals this is what they do right so you could think that you are um uh outsmarting them you can never get caught like that but the truth is is that they are really good at what they do um that's their job and and again our job is trying to give you the opportunities to make sure that you're protecting yourself. As Jim said make sure you look up at the um the email address you don't have to click on anything most of the time you just take your mouse up and look at it and you'll see that it's some ridiculously you know email that is not close to being um anything from an official source. I know a lot of people say you know don't click on anything because of that. Some of us set up our our credit cards and those things that it's supposed to warn you when a particular transaction takes place. So you have to validate those kind of things. So before you click you should always be able to pick up the phone and call not the number that's on the email or the text message but call directly to that company whether it's um Google or Apple or anybody Amazon and all those kind of things that makes a difference.

SPEAKER_02 28:05

Jim thanks a lot that those folks continue to do those things uh to try to get into your money and take your resources away so again thanks so much Jim with that let's turn back over to Joe McDonald thank you County Executive I'm going to give the parks update and first and foremost the event that we've all been waiting for Saturday May 16th and Sunday May 17th from noon to 7 p.m is the Playland Park preseason opening come and enjoy thrills family fun and the unmistakable magic of Playland Park you can once again soar above the shoreline on the iconic gondola wheel take a spin on the historic Grand Carousal which has been totally renovated after the fire and enjoy the timeless charm of Kittyland rides while all savoring favorite park treats and new food offerings throughout the grounds. Admission to the park and spectate for spectators only is free. Resident Kitty Land ride band is $20 a person and resident big park ride band is $27 per person. Say that three times fast. Non-resident kitty park kitty lands is $25 and non-resident big park ride band is $32. Parking is th is $15 a car. So you'll hear more from the county executive about Playland. On Saturday May 16th also at Edith Reed Sanctuary there is clay collecting who knew this was a thing but it is the sanctuary has some nice areas for the collecting of clay this is a make and take event that's fun for everyone and when you're done you can stop at Playland and enjoy all that it has to offer. And last but certainly not least is our second bicycle sundae on the Bronx River Parkway. Travel that 13.1 mile loop from Westchester County Center south to Scarsdale Road in Yakers. Bicyclist scooters inline skaters walkers and joggers no motorized scooters many points of entry and exit are along the way free admission and don't forget your sunscreen because it's going to be in the mid to high 70s on Sunday and I'll turn it back to the county executive.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 30:28

Thanks Joe yes and make sure that you download on official website from either your iOS Apple um Apple app store or for Google Play to download the official parks app. That's the one Westchester County Parks and it has many more of those activities throughout the 54 plus facilities 18000 acres um even some discounts that are available for you for that so make sure that you download that information from Westchester County Parks and we have this week in Westchester. So from celebrating the opening of the beloved county treasures to fall in crime rates and honoring the brave men and women who protect our communities there's a lot happening across Westchester County you know as we're getting into that summer season where there's so many things that are happening all over the county from our local communities right through to the county. Families once again feel the you know feel free and ride the gondola wheel the uh the chairs are back on it. We didn't have any chairs on it at all last year because it wasn't open we had to have a lot of things done and get things up to shape but that is open and that'll be fun. Spin on the historic carousel in Kidne Land and most treasured um it's not necessarily going to be ready to roll this weekend and that's the Dragon Coaster as it continues to get tested and ready but you never know it is preseason anything can happen. There's something special to watch Playland come back to life every spring the music the smells of popcorn cotton candy and generations of families making the rig of these memories together this year because we are so excited to see the Dragon Coaster being reopened it's going to be exciting a brand new chapter at Playland one that honors the park's incredible history while bringing new energy and experiences for residents and visitors alike. Westchester Parks and public spaces are truly the backdrop of so many of our memories and some videos music videos and weekends like this are a reminder of how lucky we are to have them here in Westchester. We had our friend come up this morning or this afternoon that was Calvez the supervisor of the town in Bedford let us know everything that's happening there, some really exciting things that are going on in the town but also continuing to make sure to get your gourmet palette on as well as seeing Rev 250 and everything else that's going on there. Culture, technology, music everything that's happening it's going to be an exciting time in Bedford this year. We started out with Dr. Shalita Amler letting us know um what things are happening from the hunter virus that were from the cruise ship and those folks are in Nebraska. So everyone chill out right now that's what we have to do. That's this week in Westchester. I'm Westchester County executive Ken Jenkins thank you so much for watching we are going to be so excited we also had Jimazano with us make sure you stay on top of those things. We'll be back to you if anything else comes up otherwise we'll see you out there maybe at Playland this weekend