TWIW 27: June 29, 2026

In this episode:

• Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler joined County Executive Ken Jenkins to discuss the upcoming heat wave later this week and how to safe from heat-related illnesses. 
• Mayor of Pleasantville Peter Scherer joined to highlight exciting updates about the Village. 
• Jenkins previewed the upcoming exhibition, The Declaration Distributed: Westchester County’s Holt Broadside of 1776, which opens to the public July 4. 
• Deputy County Executive Joan McDonald spotlighted New York State's official FIFA World Cup Final Watch Party, which will be held at the Kensico Dam Plaza.
• McDonald also gave an update on upcoming events at 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, June 29th, and this is this week in Westchester, the briefing. As we head into the holiday week, Westchester County is preparing for a prolonged period of dangerous heat and humidity that's expected to last at least through Saturday with the potential to continue right on through Sunday. The hottest conditions are expected Wednesday through Friday when the heat indexes, when it actually feels like outside when humidity is factored in, are forecast to reach between 100 and 110 degrees, with some localized areas potentially feeling as hot as 105, 110 degrees. Even Wednesday can see our heat indices approaching 105 degrees, and Saturday may still bring those heat indexes near 100 degrees. Adding to the concern, overnight temperatures will remain unusually warm with lows in the upper 70s and the low 80s. That means there will be very little relief overnight, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses over seven of several consecutive days. The greatest danger is going to be between 12 noon and 8 p.m. every day when the heat will be at its peak. The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch for Westchester and the surrounding regions from Wednesday through Friday evening. So we have a few different things that we are going to have happening for us. Parks in Westchester for the pools were going to close. Pools and beaches are going to close at 7.30 instead of 6.30. And that means the last entry is going to be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Seniors will be able to have a link on our Department of Senior Programs and Services website for all the senior nutrition center sites that have air conditioning and will remain open for seniors as cooling centers. In addition to the heat, there's also the potential for showers and thunderstorms for Thursday, uh Tuesday and Wednesday with an isolated risk of severe storms north and west of New York City on Wednesday. Here to tell us how to stay safe in this heat is our Commissioner of the Department of Health, Dr. Shalita Ambler.

SPEAKER_04 2:50

Thank you. So good afternoon. July is getting off to a very hot start with summer heat and humidity expected to create, as you heard, dangerous conditions. We need to be prepared for high temperatures and oppressive humidity that can push the heat index values even greater than 100 degrees from Wednesday to Saturday. So when you spend time outdoors, I want you to remember to stay hydrated. Do not over-exert yourself and take breaks in the shade or air conditioning. Be sure to check on any older adults and others who may be more vulnerable to this extreme heat. You need to make sure that your pets have access to water and to shade. Infants, those with asthma, pregnant women, older adults, and those with heart disease or other respiratory or heart conditions should spend less time outdoors until the air quality improves and the temperatures start to cool. Residents with greater sensitivity should shorten their outdoor activities, take more breaks, and watch for symptoms of heat-related illness and follow their health provider's advice. Exposure to poor air quality can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, sneezing, a runny nose, and of course shortness of breath. It can also worsen some medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. Heat stroke is a very serious and life-threatening condition that claims many lives nationwide each year. It's when the body really loses its ability to regulate its temperature. Symptoms can include hot, dry skin, shallow breathing, a rapid, weak pulse, and confusion. Anyone suffering from heat stroke needs to receive emergency medical attention immediately. This is when you call 911 if you expect, if you suspect heat stroke and take immediate action to cool the overheated person while waiting for emergency help to arrive. Heat stroke and hydration can surprise you. The elderly, young children, and those with high blood pressure, heart disease, or lung conditions should be especially careful to avoid heat-related illness. You want to push fluids, especially water, because children and older adults sometimes forget to drink enough. High humidity and some medications can also increase a person's risk for heat stroke. We have a long holiday weekend to look forward to. And if the food has been out more than an hour, you need to discard it. Please don't eat it because it could make you sick. So to sum up, I want you to drink at least two to four glasses of water per hour during this extreme heat, even if you're not thirsty. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar. These can actually cause you to lose body fluids. Also avoid very cold drinks because they can cause stomach cramps. Best to stay indoors, ideally in an air-conditioned place during the hottest part of the day. And if your home isn't air conditioned, try to spend a few hours at a shopping mall, public library, even your grocery store, anywhere where they've got air conditioning. A few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler. And when you go when you go back to your warmer place. So if you must go outdoors, please remember to wear sunscreen with a high protective factor of at least 30. We've talked about melanomas and the risk of that. Don't want anyone to end up getting a bad skin burn that could pre-pose them to skin cancer. A hat to protect your face and your head, wear lightweight, light-colored, loose clothing. So not what I usually wear, which is solid black. That's not what you want to wear for the next few weeks. So light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that will reflect the heat and sunlight and allow your body to breathe. Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly. If you've got elderly neighbors, you want to make sure that their air conditioning is on. Remind them that they need to drink. And also the very young. Young children, forget that they need to drink too. And anyone with special needs. Assure your pets have enough water and food and limit their exercise during a heat wave. And as I said before, please make sure that your pets have some shade. It's really important because they can get heat-related illness as well. Thank you, and I hope everybody has a great 4th of July.

unknown 8:38

Thanks, Dr.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 8:40

Thanks, Dr. Amler. That's our Commissioner of Health, Dr. Shalita Amler, and she was giving some really good suggestions and things that are going on to be able to watch out and prepare for this particular weather when people might be taking it for a little bit for granted to make sure that they are staying inside air conditioning if they can. And some great places that are free just to walk around in if you need to do that as well. Some people will also take this opportunity to go to the movies and that kind of thing, and it'll be a good opportunity to do that. Thank you for reminding us all, Dr. Amler, about our furry friends as their coat and their tongue when they're um panting and that kind of thing, and walking around on that very hot concrete or asphalt. Um they'll pause aware they um let their heat get out. So thanks a lot uh for for doing that. Umicipal guest today is a friend of ours that we love to see. Um he is our mayor from Pleasantville, Peter Shearer. Um he's gonna uh uh share some exciting updates from uh from the village, and he's gonna talk about some ongoing projects and initiatives. But I know he's always gonna talk about one of my favorite times of the year because it's Pleasantville Music Festival time, and I know it's another great time that we have to do. So, with that, our mayor, Peter Shearer, Pleasantville Mayor. Likewise.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Uh thank you, Ken. Uh, delighted as always to be here and uh delighted to say what almost every one of the municipal leaders who comes here says. Uh the partnership with the county uh under Ken, under George behind uh before him, has been really utterly remarkable. I came back from the New York Conference of Mayors annual meeting in May and ended up in a conversation with some folks from upstate, and they're like, Really? You like your county? And uh I could say fullheartedly, yes. So thank you for that. Uh Ken is exactly right. In the world of Pleasantville, we're now one day short of two weeks out from the Pleasantville Music Festival. This is our 20th annual festival, uh, Saturday, July 11. Uh, Pleasantville Musicfestival.com is the location for all the information, all of the lineups, all of the details, and also the means to get uh tickets. Our uh headliner band this year is OKGo. Uh for those who don't know OKGo, I encourage you to go to YouTube and type in OKGo, and you will encounter uh quite a series of utterly remarkable YouTube videos that OKGo has made over the years. I can report that my now adult daughter said, Well, you know that treadmill video, don't you? And I'm like, what treadmill video? Uh I go to it, and I think at the time there were like 77 million views, something to that effect. So if you haven't seen it, you should see it. And once you see it, you will be unable to avoid the desire to come to Pleasantville, New York on Saturday, July 11 to enjoy uh 14 bands on three stages, uh food, craft, vendors, et cetera. Uh, and a shout out to all of the people who make it possible, including uh uh one of our prime sponsors, Northwell Health, uh, our two neighboring hospitals, uh Phelps in Terrytown, in Sleepy Hollow, Northern Westchester, and Mount Kisko, uh, will be uh present. Uh and uh it's just a great opportunity to knit together not only a great community event, but the kinds of community services that keep us all uh healthy and uh will uh also no doubt uh assist you if any of the perils that Dr. Amler has reported uh fall your way. The arts continue to be vibrant uh in the village of Pleasantville as uh uh our county executive knows, Arc Stages, uh which has uh programs for uh kids, for teenagers, for adults, and then a community stage program and a professional stage program, has built a uh grand and new theater, 144-seat prosenium theater. Uh Ken has seen it. Uh, he was he was dragged into uh a role, I think mostly willingly. He said he wouldn't sing uh at the annual gala uh in which uh he and I uh had various exchanges uh where I was supposed to be dead. So that falls into the category of there are lots of reasons I like my county, and that guy is one of them. So arcstages.org. Uh take a look at that. It would be worth your time. Uh the Gordon Parks Foundation is right on 48 Wheeler Avenue. They have a small gallery, but also a gallery very much worth your time. Uh, the life's work of Gordon Parks, uh, one of the most important documentary photographers of the 20th century, and the most prominent black documentary photographer in history, uh, his entire archive lives at 48 Wheeler Avenue, and there is a gallery in front, often works of Gordon himself, but as is the case right now, an exhibition uh put together by a young photographer and a writer who are inspired by the works of Gordon. So uh I encourage you to take a look at that show. Uh go to Gordon ParksFoundation.org and you can find out the uh timing. But the current show is a show put together by a photographer, Devin Allen, a young man who is now a very accomplished photographer, but who ended up in the streets of Baltimore during the riots that occurred uh some years back, uh shot a photograph uh and uh with I think his phone, it ended up on the cover of Time Magazine. I think the first time a non-professional's photograph had ever ended up on the cover. So uh Devin Allen is a remarkable guy, and uh that visit is worth your time. Our farm market continues to be vibrant every Saturday uh year-round at Memorial Plaza. Recently pulled back the curtain uh at Westchester magazine uh to report that the Pleasantville Farm Market uh earned best of Westchester for count them 13 consecutive years. So just a remarkable uh show of success by the people at Foodchester who work with us to run it, and every one of the vendors as well as all of the people who come and shop. On a civic note, uh, we're in the midst of a fairly substantial project to try to get our arms around pedestrian safety issues, traffic safety issues, areas where there may be conflict. Uh, we were favored with a $160,000 federal grant through a program called SS4As, Safe Streets for All, and that has allowed us to hire uh two consultants, uh traffic group NV5 and planning consultants uh BFJ, who have been our planning consultants for a long time. And they have put together uh a really remarkable program, not only doing a deep dive into the history of accidents in Pleasantville, to identify where the hotspots existed, what kind of uh intelligence we can gather about when accidents happened, how they happened, and uh what we might do to mitigate them. Uh at PleasantvilleSafestreets.com, they've set up an interactive map, and uh folks can go into that interactive map, highlight a location that's a concern to them, click a pointer, add a pin, and uh a window pops up for the person to identify the issue they have uh wanted to highlight. So as of a week ago when we had a public presentation of all this, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 such pins in a community of 1.7 square miles. Uh so I would say we have our work cut out for us. Uh but the result of all of this is that we will end up for the first time, uh, instead of a sort of disconnected series of concerns and complaints about traffic, uh, a really comprehensive database that will allow us to sort of sift through, identify high priority items, identify uh items that are middle priority or perhaps lower priority, and factor into that the question of is this a problem we actually have a means to fix, or is it written in the geography of the world that we can't solve that problem and would like to relieve the tension at that site in a different way? So uh great stuff going on, and what we're hopeful uh and are confident of that uh this database and the data we will uh be able to uh develop will assist us in in some uh grant-making efforts down the road. So uh long story short, there are lots of reasons to come to Pleasantville, a thriving downtown, lots of restaurants, uh lots of uh uh theater stuff, lots of opportunities to see movies at the Jacob Burns Film Center. Again, uh an amazing, amazing anchor for our village celebrating shockingly its 25th anniversary. Doesn't seem like it could be that long. Uh but a big shout out to the Jacob Burns Film Center uh and their Media Arts Lab for all they do. They have an incredible summer of stuff lined up. Uh so here's your opportunity to come to Pleasantville, see a movie, have a QA with a director, have a meal somewhere, and uh drive past Parkway Field and notice the place you'll come on July 11 for the Pleasantville Music Festival. So thank you, Ken. Appreciate it. Me. It's always great scene. Likewise.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 17:53

So so the mayor was referring to uh um the AUS uh synth of the Arcs Theater's presentation. It was an offshoot of weekend at Bernie's, and the mayor was Bernie. So we really had a great time to do that. But there's so many great things that are happening inside the village of Pleasantville. Um the mayor touched on a bunch of those. Um, not only is the farmers market awesome, it is one of the best in Westchester 13 years in a row. Um, but it is certainly very vibrant, it's really a great community from that. And when you have that downtown area, um Wheeler Avenue, as the mayor was pointing through, um, a bunch of different food venues that are there, as well as touching with um Jacob Burns Film Center, and then also this pro the studio, the digital arts, media arts, right across um the road from them, and it's been fantastic to do that. And you never know who you might see um in the Jacob Burns Film Center, and certainly things that are going on. We always like to give a shout out to um one of the mayor's predecessors, our county attorney John Nona, um, who helped set that stage with the uh the Jacob Burns Film Center. But again, Mayor Shear is awesome and fantastic, and every once in a while you might look look around and see um his acting credentials in shops, because he is awesome and fantastic, and we really um enjoy being there. And the music festival is awesome. If you have an opportunity um to to do that, um take a chance and make sure that you do that. It's been fantastic over the years, um, and making sure to move forward. And the village of uh Pleasantville, it has just been a fantastic and part of the town of Mount Pleasant, and it's Pleasantville all the time. So thank you so much, Mayor, um, for doing that. And I know that he has in the um in that farmer's market area, they also have um they they have their veterans memorial that's um growing out um from there. It's been a been a very good work um to be able to change some of the um the downtown area to be more of a um a common area where people will be able to get together right around where the farmers market is, right across from one of my favorite diners, to be able to do that um as well. So again, thanks, Mayor, for everything that you bring and keep that great work going forward in Pleasantville. Um as we all celebrate in Westchester and around the country the 250th year of our um Declaration of Independence, Westchester County is proud to share one of its most treasured and historical artifacts with the public, the Westchester County's Holt Broadside, one of the earliest printed copies of the Declaration of Independence. Um this document is believed to be the actual document that was read in white plains on the courthouse steps shortly after the declaration was adopted. This Thursday, July 2nd, we're going to join our partners at the New Berger Museum of Art at SUNY Purchase to unveil a remarkable new exhibition centered on the Hulk Broadside Declaration of Independence. This declaration and exhibit is a reminder of the story of America's founding, and it didn't happen just in Philadelphia or Boston. It happened right here in Westchester County, the neutral ground, as many of us know. Our communities were part of the birth of this nation, and this extraordinary document connects us directly to that history. The exhibition, the declaration distributed, Westchester County's Holt Broadside of 1776 opens to the public on July 4th at the New Berger Museum of Art at SUNY Purchase. Um, since it's going to be one of those hot days, it's going to be an opportunity to do some inside look. And again, it is going to be fantastic, and it's free to be able to have see this rare opportunity to see the priceless artifact up close while learning about its journey over the past 250 years, the role it played in spreading the ideas of liberty and independence and preservation efforts will make sure that generations to come can be able to see that. With that, let me turn over to the Deputy County Executive. Joe McDonald. Joe.

SPEAKER_03 22:04

Thank you, County Executive. On a different note, if you're looking for a fun way to experience the excitement of the FIFA World Cup final, we have great news. On Sunday, July 19th, Kensico Dam Plaza will host New York State's official FIFA World Cup Final watch party, bringing together soccer fans from across the region to watch the world's biggest game on giant screens in an unforgettable atmosphere. We can't tell you who the players and what teams are going to be in because we still have a lot of games between now and July 19th. This free event is organized by New York State and promises to be a day filled with excitement, entertainment, and community spirit. But because of the size and unique setup of the event, there are some rules and policies that will differ from those at the county-sponsored events that we normally hold at Kensico Dam Plaza. So we encourage anyone planning to attend to review the event information before arriving. Tickets are free, but you but they are required and they are going quickly, so be sure to reserve yours today. We look forward to welcoming fans from across Westchester and the Hudson Valley and beyond for what promises to be an incredible celebration of this beautiful international game. And now I'll turn over to the parks events coming up. As the county executive mentioned, our pools are open, and because of the heat that we're going to be experiencing these this week on Wednesday and Thursday, they will be open until 7.30. Normally they are open until 6.30, with the latest entrance at 6, but the latest entrance at 7.30, you can come up until 7. So those are Tibbetts Brooks Park, Sprain Ridge Park in Yonkers, Saxon Woods Park in White Plains, Wilsons Woods Park in Mount Vernon, and Playland Park Pool in Rye. With the exception of Playland Park Pool, all of the other park pools require a Westchester County residency. Our beaches are also open, and they will be open until 7:30 as well. Glen Island Park in New Rochelle and Playland Park Rye as well. Another thing that's coming up is on Friday, July 3rd is our annual Kensico Dam Plaza Fireworks, our music fest and fireworks. The pre-concert entertainment begins at 5 o'clock p.m. with a DJ and the Naked Soul Band at 7 o'clock. Fireworks will begin around 9 p.m. Refreshments will be available for purchase, free parking and admission. Bring blankets and chairs for seating. Because of the popularity of the fireworks, carpooling or taking mass transit is encouraged. Parking at the North White Plains or Valhalla train station is also recommended. The event and the fireworks will be rain or shine, except in the event of lightning. Thank you, County Executive.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 25:20

Thank you, Joan. All right, Joan, thank you so much. And there's uh everything that we have going on in the nationally accredited and award-winning park system. Um there's basically a free event every day in the park system. There's 354 days, or 364 days of free events that we have if we laid them all out across the park system. Make sure you download the parks app, all your iOS, uh your Apple device or your Google Play Store, um, download the official parks app to see all of those things that are happening. Um the Beaver World Cup one, Joan, as Joan was mentioning, uh is not the county uh county sponsored event, it's New York State sponsored, but it's at Kensico Dam, and there's so many things that happen there, people may be used to things happening in a certain way. Make sure you take that time to sign up. I know that um that popped up on the website as well, and it also is part of the briefing. Um, so again, thank you for all of that job. Um we had so much uh this but we started this week's uh presentation in our briefing this week with our um commissioner of the Department of Health, Dr. Shalita Amler, um, to tell us everything on how to do things more safely, especially as we uh head into this heat wave. Um, you know, we want to start by making sure that we wish everyone a very safe and happy Independence Day. And while you're and whether you're gonna spend time with your family or your friends visiting one of our parks or pools, exploring our communities, or joining us Friday evening for the annual music festival and fireworks at Kensico Dam, or Saturday on Independence Day itself at Palay Land Park for that fireworks show. Um, we hope you're gonna have a wonderful holiday weekend. As you celebrate celebrate, please remember this week's extreme heat is more than just uncomfortable. It can be dangerous. If you're planning to be outdoors, drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning, wear light clothing, and be sure to check in on your older neighbors, the young children, and anyone who may be especially vulnerable to heat. And please don't forget our pets either they need plenty of water and a cool place to rest. So have a happy, a safe 4th of July, and we'll see you next week. And that's this week in Westchester. I'm County Executive Ken Jenkins. Thank you so much for watching.