Latest / This Week in Westchester: The Podcast / TWIW 32: August 3, 2026

Transcript

TWIW 32: August 3, 2026 · This Week in Westchester: The Podcast

• 0:06
  Intro: Welcome to This Week in Westchester, the podcast, your weekly audio briefing from Westchester County Government.
• 0:13
  Intro: Each week, County Executive Ken Jenkins breaks down the decisions, investments, and initiatives shaping life across Westchester.
• 0:21
  Intro: Clear information, real progress.
• 0:23
  Intro: One place to stay informed.
• 0:26
  Intro: Now, here's this week in Westchester.
• 0:29
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Good afternoon.
• 0:30
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: I'm Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins.
• 0:32
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Today is July, um July, August 3rd.
• 0:36
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Wow, we flipped over to August, August 3rd, 2026.
• 0:39
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And this is this week in Westchester, the briefing.
• 0:43
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um we are gonna start today when we first want to make sure that everyone's gotten through the weather um challenges all right.
• 0:50
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: I mean, we I know we've had some um torrential rains that have happened, certainly flooding in different areas.
• 0:55
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: That's the normal things that happen when we get that much water that quickly, and I know that we are already through the majority of this by the time we're doing this today, um, the majority of the weather for us locally.
• 1:06
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um so again, make sure that you're taking care of business and continuing to make sure to look out for yourselves and your families as we go through this um particular time.
• 1:14
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, we're gonna start today um with with talking about uh mental health.
• 1:19
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: One of those challenges that we continue to face is making sure that people experienced in um experiencing mental health challenges get the help they need before they end up cycling deeper into the criminal justice system.
• 1:32
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Too often, individuals with serious mental health illnesses um get become caught-between systems instead of being connected to the care and support that can change the course of their lives.
• 1:43
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: That's why Westchester County is proud to launch our new court-based mental health navigator program made possible through funding through the New York State Office for Mental Health.
• 1:54
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And this initiative places trained professionals directly in our local courts to connect justice-involved individuals with mental health treatment, case management, and community resources at the earliest possible stage.
• 2:08
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Today we're going to be joined by um Deputy Commissioner Joe Glazer, who will briefly explain the program and why it's so important.
• 2:14
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: He'll then introduce program director Michelle Hart, who will talk about how the program works on the ground, and introduce the two newest members of the team, um, Daniel Seagrin, a peer specialist, and Josephine uh Jocelyn, Jocelyn, Jocelyn, Valverde, our clinical case manager, who will be serving residents every day through this innovative program.
• 2:36
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So, with that, let's ask Joe Glazer to come up, Deputy Commissioner, um, and all the team that's coming up to speak with us this afternoon.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_05: Good afternoon.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_05: I just want to begin first and foremost by thanking the county executives leadership team who have really been so instrumental in helping us develop the work that we are doing.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_05: The funding for this program, and I'll get into the details in a minute, the funding for this program comes from the New York State Office of Mental Health and the New York State budget.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_05: And part of the reason we have this program and some of the other new programs we have is because, and I've been doing this a very long time, for the first time in nearly 30 years, we have a substantial commitment from a unified government.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_05: Not since Mario Cuomo signed the Community Mental Health Reinvestment Act in the early 1990s, has there been this kind of commitment to people living with mental health and addiction disabilities?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_05: So we are, in our, from our perspective, a time of development, a time of building, a time of the ability to reach more people than we've been able to reach in the past.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_05: And that's what this program is clearly about.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_05: The funding that came in for our court navigators is really funding for us to connect with individuals with mental health and co-occurring needs who are getting caught in the criminal justice system, and as the county executive mentioned, cycling through the system.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_05: Our goal is very simple: identify those individuals as early as possible to connect them with services so that ultimately not only can their disposition be better, but their recovery outcomes will be better as well.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_05: This model is really intended, as we're building it out, to better serve the communities in the river towns from Peekskill all the way down to Greenberg.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm going to introduce Michelle Hart, who is our program director, and as the county executive said, our two staff members, uh, Jocelyn Valverde and Dan Siegrin.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_05: But first, uh Michelle is going to tell you a little bit more about what this program is going to do.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_08: Good afternoon.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_08: Thank you to the County Exec Commissioner Michael Orth and Deputy Commissioner Joe Glazer Joe Glazer.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_08: I would also like to acknowledge at this time retired program director Mark Giuliano, who was instrumental in writing the original proposal for the Court Navigator Program.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_08: Through our ongoing collaborations with the 9th Judicial District as well as the Office of Court Administration, DCMH will continue to strengthen our services for justice-impacted individuals who live with serious mental illness and a recurring substance use disorder by, first of all, hopefully having our court navigators on an ongoing basis within the court during the initial times of arraignment to start the integration of services as the earliest point of possible within their criminal justice case while it's unraveling through the courts.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_08: We hope that they will get the needed treatment supports and other longer-term community resources needed to help them enrich their lives and as well as hopefully decreasing any further incarcerations or arrest.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_08: With that being said, our staff that we have are will be sharing their lived experiences as well.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_08: And I will be introducing them.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_08: They're both Jocelyn Valverde, who is our program specialist, and our peer specialist, Daniel Seagrin.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_04: Hi, I'm Dan Siegren.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_04: I'm a peer specialist.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_04: Um I have lived experience with uh serious mental illness.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um very excited to be part of this new program and looking forward to supporting the people of Westchester County.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_03: Hi everyone, good afternoon.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh my name is Jocelyn Valverde, and I am very happy to be here today.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you know, join you guys today in this new uh program.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_03: And I have a a lot of you know, 15 years of experience working with the department uh with people with mental illness, and I'm really looking forward to help uh the community.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 7:07
  unknown: Okay.
• 7:08
  unknown: Thank you.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_05: I just wanted to thank you all and just mention that for the for the judges, the attorneys, we do have a referral form.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_05: It's a very simple document.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_05: If you have a matter that's pending in court and you would like to reach out and get the assistance of this team, please send us the referral form and we will connect with you.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_05: You can also connect with us um on the days of your first court appearance because the the goal is to be there for arraignment.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you all, and we're very appreciative.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 7:44
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: All right, we want to say thank you to our team on this brand new program that we're working through.
• 7:50
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um and again, that was awesome for for Michelle to make sure that um that she shouted out our Michelle Hart, our program director, to shout out Mark Dulana, who was um instrumental in helping to get there.
• 8:01
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: We know this things happen so um it takes the time and energy and effort, and the entire team is what's gonna make that difference.
• 8:08
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And having um people that have been doing this work, Jocelyn and Dan, they've been continuing to do this work, this is what makes it a a lot of difference.
• 8:16
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And um, Commissioner Oath and and certainly Deputy Commissioner Glazer have been um dogmatic about trying to figure out creative ways to do this and be able to work through so that we can stop cycles from happening and put people and give people the proper resources and be able to um help them to navigate through these times.
• 8:34
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So, again, it's a very exciting program, and we're looking forward um to seeing the great work that we know is going to come through.
• 8:40
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um so again, um it's gonna be a great, great opportunity.
• 8:44
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: We're gonna switch gears because um it is that time of year um where we have people going back to school, and what back to school means is back to school vaccines.
• 8:54
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And usually people don't find out or they they know that they need vaccinations to get into um to their schools, um, to their their um elementary and secondary high schools, especially in the public school system, but also in our parochial school system as well.
• 9:09
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, and they usually find that out when they walk in the school and they say you can't bring your child back until you get vaccinated.
• 9:15
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, certainly Dr.
• 9:16
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Shalita Amla and the Department of Health is booking appointments now um for the Brack to School Clinics.
• 9:21
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And with that, we're gonna ask Dr.
• 9:22
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Shalita Amler to come up and give us some more information.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_07: Thank you.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_07: Thank you so much.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_07: So thank you, County Executive.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_07: Believe it or not, school starts in about a month.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_07: And that means that right now is the time for you to schedule your children for their checkups to be sure that they have all the vaccines they need to stay in school.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_07: Here in New York, a standard schedule of vaccines is required of all students, kindergarten through high school, to enroll and to stay in school.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_07: These vaccines are highly safe, they're highly effective, they safeguard against several significant childhood diseases like polio, tetanus, and measles, among many others.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_07: Fortunately, the vaccine for children's program ensures that every child, regardless of their immigration status or their ability for their family to pay, has access to free vaccines through the age of 18.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_07: So if your child has no health insurance, or if you're not sure if your health insurance covers vaccines, you can call the Westchester County Department of Health Clinics at 914-995-5800.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_07: We have vaccine appointments available throughout the months of August and September for families whose insurance does not cover vaccines, for those who have no insurance and those with Medicaid.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_07: So please call us to schedule an appointment and check on your child's eligibility.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_07: We can find a time that will work for you.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_07: We provide vaccines on Monday in White Plains in our White Plains clinic, and we are available for vaccines on Wednesdays in our Yonkers clinic.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_07: But first, call for an first when you call for an appointment, we want to check that your child's records are up to date and in advance of your appointment.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_07: So that way when you arrive, we will already know what vaccines your child needs to be up to date and be ready when school starts.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_07: So again, that number is 914-995-5800 to schedule your child's appointment.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_07: Or if you have private insurance, you can call your child's medical provider to schedule a visit to be sure that they have the vaccines required to both stay in school and stay healthy.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_07: Thank you.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_07: Thanks, Dr.
• 12:09
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: That was all Westchester County Health Commissioner, Dr.
• 12:12
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Shalita Amler, and certainly Dr.
• 12:14
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: A was reminding everyone that we are back to school and in certain communities they're already going back to school in the next couple of weeks.
• 12:23
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: For us, it's about a month away, um, especially since Labor Day is a little bit later than normal.
• 12:28
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So it is going to be that time.
• 12:30
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: But don't wait till then.
• 12:31
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: We want to make sure that we have all of your children prepared to go into school and to be able to have the maximum protection against anything that may be out there.
• 12:39
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And so the vaccinations are critically important to do that.
• 12:42
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And again, um it does it make a difference on um immigration status or it does not make a difference as far as your ability to pay.
• 12:49
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So make sure that you take advantage of doing that.
• 12:51
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: If you don't have a pediatrician and a physician for your for your child and your family, um, certainly make sure to take care of care and quote those numbers that Dr.
• 13:00
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Amler gave for the Department of Health and schedule those appointments up in White Plains or in Yonkers and you know, in the Yonkers Clinic.
• 13:07
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And we got some news from the Yonkers Clinic, hopefully by the end of August.
• 13:11
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So again, we're still gonna have things happening in the city of Yonkers in our health clinic.
• 13:16
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So make sure to take advantage of that.
• 13:18
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um so thanks so much, Dr.
• 13:19
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: A.
• 13:21
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, switching gears we we have in this time of year, especially after we've had all the storms that we've had, um, we can have the mosquitoes be a major summertime nuisance, especially after we have rains like we had that was so heavy so quickly, you can have standing water develop where you don't normally see it.
• 13:40
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So um I know that there's always that frisbee in the backyard or around the house somewhere that ends up getting turned over, and that is a petri dish for mosquitoes.
• 13:50
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: They're just hanging out ready for for that.
• 13:52
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Not the kind of the standing water, you won't see the kind of things that you may see in the video that we're gonna show you in just a minute.
• 13:59
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, mosquitoes are not just a summertime nuisance, they can carry other diseases around with them, and that's why our Department of Health, the commission under Commissioner Shalita Amler, um operates a comprehensive mosquito control program focused on surveillance, prevention, and education to help protect our residents from mosquito-borne illnesses.
• 14:20
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um today we're gonna show you an exciting video that takes you behind the scenes of that work.
• 14:25
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: You'll say, Who knew we had that?
• 14:28
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: You'll see how our team members monitor mosquito activity throughout the county, and just as importantly, learn the simple steps that everyone can take to eliminate the breeding sites around their homes.
• 14:41
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, public health through the partnership in preventing mosquitoes starts in our own backyard.
• 14:48
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So let's take a look.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Mosquitoes breed in standing water.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: Our sanitarians at the health department investigate mosquito complaints all the time.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Most of them are abandoned swimming pools and similar types of what we would call containerized water.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: The one that you might not think of is the gutters around your house, around your roof.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Especially if they're clogged with leaves, that can create a situation where you have standing water in your gutters.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: The county has maintained a mosquito surveillance program for a few decades, and we have trap sites throughout the county where we basically collect a representative sample of mosquitoes, which we sort by species and condition, then ship to the New York State Waterworth Lab for testing several diseases, including West Mile virus.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: If we have a human positive Westmile case in the county, we will conduct an investigation and inspect the adjacent properties in the neighborhood to see if we can find any point sources of mosquitoes.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: We have had cases in the past where we have a human positive and we find, for example, an abandoned swimming pool, or one time we found an abandoned boat with a large volume of stagnant water, and you can have a situation where you find a massive amount of mosquito production.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: And in those cases, we will use pesticides to neutralize that environment.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: When we're doing mosquito trapping, if I'm working in an area where there's a lot of mosquitoes, I'll sometimes spray a decontaining bug spray on my shoes and the bottom of my pants.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Eliminate standing water on your property.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: If you're gonna be in a place where you expect a lot of mosquito activity, you may want to use bug spray.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: I like to spray it on my pants and on the back of my shoes.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're gonna be sitting down outside in a stationary position, use a fan.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: That will discourage the mosquitoes from landing on you.
• 16:43
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Well, that was very important information.
• 16:46
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And again, the Department of Health has run that mosquito surveillance program and doing all of that testing to be able to um even look at different species of mosquitoes, etc.
• 16:56
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, you you might have looked through the air and said, ooh, when he was going around collecting um different samples and seeing the mosquitoes around his arm.
• 17:05
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: What he was explaining when he was doing the video uh with our folks for the comms team that went out there and bravely went through all of the woods with them, um, was that if you spray a mosquito repellent on, then they don't find the mosquitoes.
• 17:18
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So it kind of makes sense that you you do that.
• 17:20
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: But again, he was pointing out again, spraying on um the pants leg, etc.
• 17:25
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Pants leg and the your shoes, um, which some people don't even think about going down there for that, because that's where the mosquitoes live in the the grassy and grassy kind of areas and where they can hang out and hide.
• 17:36
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: All right, mosquitoes don't fly very far.
• 17:39
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: People think that they fly miles away, they fall about a thousand feet, um maybe, and again, with the fan, just a simple fan around, um, can keep those mosquitoes away.
• 17:50
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So you don't have to burn centronella, you don't have to do that.
• 17:53
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: I mean, I don't go really crazy with it.
• 17:55
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: You can just have a simple fan out, and that will help you help you out.
• 17:59
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So, again, um take those time to make sure that you take care of the standing water, especially after the events that we have just had, um, because again, that standing water could be in so many different things.
• 18:09
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Flower pots um that don't have drainage in them, that's another up-point place of source.
• 18:14
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: When you walk around, if you walk around your house, your farming, your things, and you'll see those things outside, and you'll say, Oh, right, you'll see little water getting collected in it, and that's a breeding grab.
• 18:26
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So please take care and make sure you have that, um, those things happen, and we'll have those things moving forward.
• 18:31
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Again, the Department of Health does constantly monitor that around the county, and so do so do many local municipalities when they do uh their larvacide and all those kind of things to prevent those things from happening.
• 18:42
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: So, again, um take a look at that video and make sure you pass that information around.
• 18:47
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: The Westchester County Department of Health joins the world um health organizations around the world in recognizing World Breastfeeding Week, which is started on August 1st and goes through this Friday, August 7th.
• 19:00
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: That means throughout the month of August, recognized as National Breastfeeding Month.
• 19:05
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: The health department is highlighting the many health benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and babies while encouraging families to access the support and resources available to help them meet their breastfeeding goals.
• 19:17
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Breastfeeding provides ideal nutrition for infants, supports healthy development, and can reduce the risk of its infections, asthma, obesity, and certain chronic diseases.
• 19:28
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: It also benefits mothers by reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
• 19:35
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Through its supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, commonly known as WIC, the health department supports mothers who breastfeed by providing them with pumps, additional nourishing food, and the help of certified lactation counselors and peer counselors.
• 19:53
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And of course, more information on breastfeeding is available online at WestchesterCountyny.gov.
• 20:01
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And now we're going to turn over to Deputy County Executive Joe McDonald.
• 20:05
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Joe.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you, County Executive Jenkins.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_06: I'm here to talk about our public hearing coming up on student fare adjustments.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_06: Westchester County is proposing expanding the value of student OmniCards to four trips a day, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and extending the card's validity for 12 months from September 1 of this year through August 31st, 2027.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_06: Today's students don't just go to school and come home.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_06: They work, they participate in sports and activities, they volunteer, and they have responsibilities throughout the community.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_06: By expanding the omni student benefits to four trips per day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including the summer, we are giving students the flexibility and independence they need to travel throughout Westchester County and get where they need to go safely and affordably.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_06: The county is also proposing discounting the student omni card, having the cost be 50% off based on a four-week month.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_06: The price will go from$58 to$70.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_06: The county will be holding a public hearing on this topic, the Beeline Student Fair Public Hearing on Thursday, August 13th, from 5 30 to 7 p.m.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_06: at night at 148 Martine Avenue, fifth floor, conference room 527 here in White Plains, New York.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_06: Additional information, including virtual registration details, is available at https transportation.westchester County NY dot gov backslash B line backslash B dot dash line dash home.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_06: It's a lot of dashes.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_06: The last adjustment to B line Student fares was made in 2015.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_06: Student omnics are distributed by Westchester County DPWT to those school districts which opt in.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_06: Students purchase the student omni cards directly from their school district.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_06: Each district can then choose to further subsidize the cost of the card.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_06: It is a great benefit to all of these students.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_06: Turning now to our parks events coming up.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_06: On this Friday, August 7th, from 6 p.m.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_06: to 7:30 p.m., the West Point Band will have a summer celebration at Kensigo Dam Plaza in Valhalla.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_06: The West Point Band is comprised of graduates from America's finest music schools.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_06: The West Point Concert Band is a versatile ensemble that continues to entertain and inspire audiences through world-class performances in concert and ceremonial settings.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_06: This concert will feature pop tunes and patriotic favors, favorites, excuse me.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_06: Everything you need for the perfect celebration of summer.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_06: There is no charge.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_06: Again, it is at Kensico Dam Plaza.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_06: On Saturday, August 8th, from 8 a.m.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_06: until 2 p.m., Westchester County Parks will be hosting the Farm Cafe at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_06: It's a pop-up shop.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_06: Visit the Farm Cafe Pop-Up at Kensigo Dam Plaza.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_06: Visit the park for a nice walk, enjoy the playground with your family, or just sit and relax while enjoying coffee, tea, or delicious sweet treats.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_06: Come say hi and bring a friend.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_06: Also on Saturday, August 8th, from 10 a.m.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_06: to 11:30 a.m., family cooking class with Fiddleheads Cooking Studio at Hilltop Farm and Environmental Center in Yorktown.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_06: Ages 3 to 18 can learn how to cook a dish from start to finish.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_06: Younger kids will work on simple tasks, while older kids and teens will work independently and acquire some advanced kitchen skills.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_06: It is$45 per participant.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_06: Lastly, on Saturday, August 8th, at 5 p.m., White Plains Hospital screening under the scars, Zootopia 2 at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_06: Brave Rabbit Cop, Judy Hopps, and her fox friend Nick Wilde team up again to crack the most perilous and intricate case of their career.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_06: Pre-movie entertainment begins at 5 p.m.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_06: and the movies start at sundown.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_06: Bring blankets, folding chairs, and a picnic.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_06: Refreshments are also available for sale.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_06: Rain or shine.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_06: Enjoy.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_06: County executive?
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_06: Thanks, Joe.
• 24:49
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: That was our deputy county executive.
• 24:51
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Well, um, great information about the Beeline Public School Student Fair public hearing that's coming up and all the great things that are happening, or many of the great things happening in our nationally accredited and award-winning park system.
• 25:05
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um make sure you download the parks app on your either your Google Play Store or your iOS App Store.
• 25:11
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, that's the official one with the nice parks logo, um, then be able to deal with with that, and you'll see so many of the information.
• 25:18
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And you heard that many of the events um are free.
• 25:21
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Every once in a while they have some cost to them, but um there's almost a free event every day.
• 25:25
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: They tell us there's 364 free events that we do in our park system out of the 54 facilities and the 18,000 different acres that we have.
• 25:34
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, but every once in a while there's a charge for some of them.
• 25:37
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um, but again, that's almost a free event every day in your park system.
• 25:41
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Please take um advantage of it.
• 25:44
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And that's this week in Westchester.
• 25:47
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Um Westchester County continues to invest in the health and well-being of our residents with new and innovative programs and services that expand access to care, support families, and improve transportation for students.
• 26:01
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: This week, the county launched its brand new court-based mental health navigator program, an initiative funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health that connects justice-involved individuals with mental health treatment, case management, and community resources before they get further involved in the criminal justice system.
• 26:20
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: The Department of Health is also reminding families that free back-to-school vaccine clinics are now accepting appointments to help students meet the New York State school immunization requirements before the start of the school year.
• 26:33
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Don't wait till the very end.
• 26:35
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: As part of World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month, the Department of Health is also highlighting the many benefits of breastfeeding while encouraging families to take advantage of the support, lactation counseling, and other resources available through the county's WIC program.
• 26:50
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: The county is also seen seeking public input on a proposal to expand the student omni program, increasing benefits to four days, four rides a day, seven days a week, and throughout the year to better support today's students.
• 27:04
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: The public hearing on this proposal is going to be held on two Thursday, August 13th.
• 27:09
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: That's next week on Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
• 27:13
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: in White Plains with virtual participation available.
• 27:17
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: And that's this week in Westchester.
• 27:19
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: I'm Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins.
• 27:21
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Thank you so much for watching.
• 27:23
  Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: Have a wonderful day, and we'll be back to you with more information when it becomes necessary.