I'm impressed by the amount of construction work being done in Port Chester. I keep asking myself what's happening underground: Are new pipes and a new sewer system being installed? And then, of course, how will traffic change? Anyway, this weekend I asked a friend who works in construction how bad the situation is. I'm happy to report that he said, “It's all being taken care of. Everything is going to be fine.” But will it?

Let's get into it.

⭣

THIS WEEK

Westchester's Scanners Failed, So Rye Waited a Day for Its Count

Ballot scanners failed across Westchester on Tuesday, so police escorted paper ballots to the Board of Elections in Ardsley. Most weren't counted until Wednesday. Rye's Emily Baldwin won her unopposed City Council race. Shelley Mayer (72%) and George Latimer (79%) led their districts easily as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Why it matters: Your ballot still counted, just a day late. 🙃

THE NUMBER

$4.15

That was the national average for a gallon of regular on Tuesday. AAA says gas has never cost more on a congressional Election Day. The old record: $3.80, in 2022.

GREENWICH

Greenwich Swings Toward Democrats in the Midterms

Democrats led three of Greenwich's four state legislative races in unofficial results Tuesday night, a shift the Greenwich Free Press called "seismic."

  • 150th District: Steve Meskers (D) took about 62% to Jonathan Goldstein's 37%. Meskers called it "a repudiation of what's going on in Washington."

  • 151st District: Hector Arzeno (D) led Mike Mason (R) by 1,394 votes.

  • 36th Senate District: Jill Oberlander (D) led Joe Kelly (R) by 3,263, with District 8 held out after a tabulator problem. "We're close, but we're not yet there," she said.

  • 149th District: Republican Tina Courpas led Amiel Goldberg by 475.

At the top of the ticket, Fazio conceded to Lamont.

Why it matters: These are the people who vote in Hartford on Greenwich's school aid and state taxes.

RYE

A Rye Country Day Sixth-Grader Lands the Title Role in "Annie"

Valentina Miller, 11, will play Annie in Yorktown Stage's production, which runs Nov. 14–29 in Yorktown Heights. Hundreds of kids auditioned. She played Cosette in Rye Country Day's "Les Miserables," which earned her a Metro Award nomination. Valentina lives in Harrison.

"I was not expecting that at all," she said. "Annie has always been my ultimate dream role since forever."

Why it matters: Neighbors have three weekends to catch a local kid in the lead.

RYE

Rye Now Knows Where It Floods First, and Playland Parkway Tops the List

New York State has committed $21 million to replace the Oakland Beach Avenue and Playland Parkway bridges, though no date is set. Westchester County, which owns Playland, will engineer the Playland Parkway bridge.

The fall storms showed where water hits first: the marsh below Playland Parkway, Midland Avenue near Peck Avenue, and Milton Avenue near the marina. On Sept. 13, first responders rescued three people from the roof of a car stuck in standing water on Playland Parkway.

The city has spent $1.4 million on catch basins, pipes and tide check valves, and replaced 250 feet of collapsed pipe on Martin Road.

Why it matters: In heavy rain, those three roads go under first. City Manager Brian Shea's advice: "Turn around, don't drown."

UP IN WHITE PLAINS

Downtown White Plains Garages Get Repairs, Starting This Month

Ramp repairs at the Library Garage start in November and will take about six months, the city announced Oct. 30. The garage stays open, and "Drivers will continue to enter the garage via Martine Avenue." The City Center Garage is next. An electrical upgrade "will begin soon," with a temporary generator and an overnight switchover that "may result in some limited service."

The Chester-Maple Garage waits until spring 2027. Its scope of work goes to the Common Council in December. If you drive downtown to shop or eat, expect ramp work at the Library Garage into spring and a possible short overnight gap at City Center.

★ A NOTE TO LOCAL BUSINESSES ★

Your Window to a Select Audience

More than 1,000 people across Port Chester, Harrison, Rye, Rye Brook, and Greenwich get the Sound Shore Dispatch each week. They're local business owners, decision-makers, and engaged residents: the exact people you want walking through your door. And right now, they don't know about you yet.

We run one sponsor per issue — so when it's your week, you have the whole neighborhood's attention to yourself.

Ready to introduce yourself? Email [email protected] and I'll send everything you need to get started.

SOUND BITES

Both Rye soccer teams are still unbeaten. The boys (20-0-1) beat Our Lady of Lourdes, ranked second in the state, 1-0 Tuesday on Felix Wismer's goal and play Locust Valley Saturday; the girls (20-0-2) kept their section title with a 2-0 win over Somers, then shut out Mount Academy 3-0 Wednesday.

Harrison girls soccer lost the Section 1 Class AA final 2-1 in overtime to John Jay-Cross River. Sophya Papa scored the winner for John Jay on Nov. 1.

Port Chester's Senior Center is closed on Saturdays for the rest of 2026 because of an unexpected staff absence. Saturday meals will go home with seniors on Fridays or be delivered.

Rye football's title defense ended with a 27-18 loss at Lakeland. The 2025 state champs led 18-14 at the half but turned it over four times and finished 5-4.

Greenwich Public Schools' preschool lottery is open through Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. It's for children who turn 3 before Sept. 1, 2027; tuition is $10,924 now, with about a 4% increase expected.

White Plains: Democrats Valerie Simmons and Thomas J. Caruso Jr. won Common Council seats with about 80% of the vote each, unofficial counts show. Simmons won a one-year term and Caruso a three-year term.

TABLE TALK

At Terrain in Westport, the Bread Comes in a Flowerpot

And it's delicious…

If you've driven Post Road East in Westport, you've passed the Terrain garden store. The café is inside, in a greenhouse built so you can't quite tell where the room ends and the garden starts.

Start with the bread. It arrives baked in a terra-cotta pot, with compound butter on the side.

The menu changes with the season, with brunch every day and dinner every night. Recent diners mention the rigatoni, the bar pours seasonal cocktails, and there's a kids' menu. The patio has heat lamps, so eating outside in late October is still comfortable.

It's outside our five towns, I know, but it's a straight shot up I-95 from Greenwich, and brunch runs until 4 p.m. daily.

Worth knowing: 561 Post Road East, Westport. Brunch from 10 a.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. Friday to Sunday; dinner until 8 p.m. (9 p.m. Friday and Saturday). Reservations on OpenTable, or call 203-226-2732.

LOCAL EVENTS

"Sense and Sensibility," HHS Playhouse fall play.
Harrison High School, 255 Union Ave., Harrison.
Fri, Nov. 6 and Sat, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.; Sun, Nov. 8, 2 p.m.
hhs.harrisoncsd.org

Veterans Thank You Breakfast.
Knights of Columbus Hall, 327 Westchester Ave., Port Chester.
Sat, Nov. 7, 10 a.m.-noon. RSVP to Chet Edwards, 914-937-4443.
portchesterny.gov

Chicago.
Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester.
Tue, Nov. 10, 8 p.m.
thecapitoltheatre.com

47 for 47 Acres Fall Festival.
Rye Nature Center, 873 Boston Post Rd., Rye.
Wed, Nov. 11, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
ryenaturecenter.org

Mia Hamm in conversation, Pasculano Signature Series.
Greenwich Library, Berkley Theater, 101 West Putnam Ave., Greenwich.
Thu, Nov. 19, 7-8:30 p.m. Registration opens Nov. 5 at 10 a.m.
greenwichlibrary.libcal.com

8th Annual Festival of Tabletop Trees.
Greenwich Historical Society, 47 Strickland Rd., Cos Cob.
Nov. 20-22.
greenwichhistory.org

White Plains High School Athletics Hall of Fame induction.
Media Center, White Plains High School, White Plains.
Mon, Nov. 9, reception 6 p.m., ceremony 6:30 p.m. Free.
whiteplainspublicschools.org

NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT

Three Reindeer Are Moving Into Sam Bridge Nursery for the Holidays

The 18th Greenwich Reindeer Festival opens Friday, Nov. 27, at Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses, 437 North Street, and runs through Christmas Eve. Santa's three live reindeer, including one named Iris, arrive that afternoon and stay until Dec. 23. Santa pulls up in a Mercedes-Benz at noon on opening day, followed by a ribbon-cutting.

Seeing the reindeer and parking are free. Photos with Santa cost extra, and leashed dogs can be in the picture. The workshop is open noon to 6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and closed Sundays.

Kids can suggest a name for the baby reindeer, write a letter to Santa, or enter a coloring contest with a suggested $5 donation. Santa draws the naming winner on Christmas Eve.

Part of every Santa photo order goes to Kids In Crisis, the Greenwich nonprofit, for the 18th year in a row.

THE POLL

The average 30-year mortgage rate is 7.24%. A year ago it was 6.17%. What would get you to move right now?

🏠 Rates under 6%
💰 Prices coming down
📦 A bigger family or an empty nest
🚫 Nothing. I'm staying put.

Last edition's poll results: Have you voted in the midterms?
• Yes — 94%
• No — 6%

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See you next Thursday!

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