TWIW 24: June 8, 2026

In this episode:

• Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins discussed the House’s decision to advance cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
• Jenkins highlighted the first home game of the NBA Finals for the New York Knicks. 
• Deputy County Executive Joan McDonald, senior member of the New York/New Jersey FIFA World Cup Host Committee Advisory Board, and Director of Tourism and Film Natasha Caputo, spoke about the tremendous tourism opportunities the tournament presents for Westchester County, including the wide range of accommodations, restaurants, attractions and gathering places where visitors and residents alike can enjoy the excitement of the games. 
• Westchester County Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor discussed proactive security measures being taken by law enforcement to increase safety measures during the tournament. 
• LifeWay Network Executive Director Alison Boak, Co-Founder of the Westchester County Anti-Trafficking Task Force, discussed concerns surrounding human trafficking related to upcoming FIFA events in Westchester County, such as warning signs to look for, how victims can seek help, and what community members should do if they suspect someone may be a victim of trafficking. 
• Update on Westchester County Parks events and activities. 

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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. Um, today is June 8th, 2026. This is This Week in Westchester, the briefing. You know, today we have lots of fun topics that we're gonna talk about. There's some game going on tonight. I don't know which one it is. Um but we are gonna start with something serious today. Um we want to talk about the WIC program. Um the WIC program, healthy food is not a luxury, it's a lifeline. The House's decision in Congress to advance cuts to the supplemental um the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, commonly known as WIC, threatens one of the most successful and effective public health programs in our nation's history. These proposed cuts to eligible families on waiting lists for the first time in decades and makes it harder for millions of Americans to access healthy, nutritious food. These cuts could also roll back years of progress in improving maternal and child health. Nationwide, the WIC program serves nearly 6.7 million people each month and reaches approximately 41% of all the infants born in the United States. At a time when families are already struggling with the high quote of groceries, now is not the time to turn our backs on mothers and children. As county executive, I stand firmly with families, healthcare professionals, and anti-hunger advocates in urging Congress not and to reject these harmful cuts and fully fund the WIC program. It is a moral responsibility. Um, for all of the folks that are watching here, you should reach out to your congressperson, um whether that's Congressman George Latimer in CD 16 or Congressman Mike Lola in CD 17 to make your voice heard. Switching gears. I want to remind everyone, not that anyone in New York needs a reminder today, that today is the tonight is the first home game of the NBA finals for our New York Knicks. Um needless to say, the excitement is running high across New York, and we encouraged county employees and really everyone throughout Westchester to break out their orange and blue and wear their Knicks gear today. So I'm here at the County Office Building and all around Westchester County. The employees were given the ability to wear anything that they wanted, including sneakers, by the way. Joe McDonald, our deputy county executive, pointed that out from our chairman Vidat Gashi, who is uh swagged out beyond belief. Um but it's not every year, or every generation for that matter, that we get to cheer on the Knicks in the finals. It's 27 years since they were in the finals, and 53 years since the Knicks were um in the champion won a championship, and that would be Willis Reed and all those kind of folks that we'd have to go. Dave DeBushook, more clive Fraser, um Bill Bradley, and Earl the Pearl Monroe. I just scared half of the room with our interns here for the summer. They're like, who are any of those names? But speaking of these exciting moments, the Westchester County Center, the proud home of the Westchester Knicks, will once again bring fans together for an NBA watch party for games three and four. So that's tonight and on Wednesday, June 10th. Fans will be able to experience the excitement of the finals on the big screen in the county center's main hall, complete with a live DJ, food and beverages for purchase, and that incredible atmosphere that comes for rooting with the Knicks with alongside of fellow fans. Tickets are on sale right now, $10 per person, plus ticket master fees. Will be well, the fees will also be available at the door. Tickets will be available at the door each night based on availability. Again, those watch parties are gonna include a DJ food and drink for purchase and the viewing on that big screen. And the doors are gonna open at 7 p.m. The game begins at 8.30. Parking, should you choose to park, you should take public transportation if you can, but parking is um $10 per car. As I've said before, the excitement across New York is at an all-time high as the Knicks make their first final appearance since 1999. And I'm thrilled that we're able to bring fans together at the Westchester County Center, the home of the Westchester Knicks, to share in the excitement and cheer them on during this historic championship run. For those of you that heard and were watching the video in the background, um Joe McDonald reminded people after Chairman Vidak Gashi asked, could you wear a Westchester Knicks shirt? Would that count? And that absolutely counts. So if you have Westchester Knicks, gear, swag, hats, etc., or just regular NBA kind of things, that's awesome. Make sure you get the official stuff, get those stickers on it, right? And we're gonna keep saying the same thing as we continue through this progress. Let's go, Knicks. All right. We're gonna rick at this time we're gonna ask Joe McDonnell, our deputy county executive, um, to come up and tell us some things that are also exciting. We have so much exciting um sports things happening here in the great state of New York and here in Westchester. Jump.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Thank you, county executive, and I am here to talk about another great sporting event that is kicking off this week, which is the FIFA soccer champion around the world. And we have a little phrase: you don't have to be in a stadium to feel the energy. There are many events which Natasha Caputo, our director of tourism and film, is going to talk about. But I'm going to talk a little bit about the games. The first games kick off on Thursday, this Thursday, June 11th, and the City of White Plains is hosting Soccer Fest 2026. And that will kick off this Thursday with a parade and an opening ceremony. The CE will be there, and they will also have live match watch parties on Sunday, June 14th, Saturday, June 27th, and Saturday, July 11th. All of these games will culminate on Sunday, July 19th, which is the final. And we will have a watch party up at Kensico Dam, which is one of our great national uh accredited parks. And we will have more details to follow. But it's going to be a great day. Natasha's going to talk a little bit about some of the other events that are also ongoing with some of our partners around the county. Natasha?

SPEAKER_04 7:11

Great.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Well, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 7:13

Um exactly. You don't have to be in a stadium to feel this and um be part of it because here in Westchester County, we are global, we're diverse, and we have a lot of energy. Um, so I'm gonna first start by saying go to visit Westchesterny.com forward slash FIFA. That will have a big calendar of events and things to do. Um, but when we talk about what shapes the county, it's our communities, it's our culture, it's our cuisines. So we are not short of our different offerings and a cross range of styles and price points. The county executive was talking about gear, and today we have special colors on, but shop local in Terrytown, Bronxville, and in Scarsdale, there's very good specialty shops. Get that favorite jersey of your team, and we have the perfect outfits here in Westchester to go and enjoy. How about starting with an elevated experience at um with World Cup beefsteak viewing parties at Canopi events? And that uh starts June 14th, goes throughout July. We have a lot of soccer stay and play packages at our hotels, all listed on our website. It's a great opportunity to invite your friends and family here to Westchester County. I also think I just want to highlight, we talk about our global uh diversity, it's our flavors and our cuisine. So from Brazilian, Brazilian steakhouses to Moroccan kitchens to Caribbean cuisines and Latin American favorites. You have it all throughout the four corners of Westchester. You can go to Mount Kisco to an authentic British pub for Amblesai Pub. Every single match will be shown there. That's important to know and get those calendars going. So you're never far away from a game. And it really is all a great opportunity to enjoy our backdrop and our backyard here in Westchester County. So visit Westchesterny.com forward slash FIFA. Um, but I also want to say there's ticket giveaways. So the Barley House has um quite a bit of activities throughout their locations in Rye and Thornwood and Terry Tam. And the last thing I want to ask is that our it's our chance as a small business and local communities to create events, and that could easily be promoted on our site. You can submit your event to join our calendar of events and also on Westchester County Tourism social media. So um we're here to promote and highlight, but also be an inclusive community and really enjoy the games. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Thank you, Natasha. And as we discussed, uh, everybody can cheer for their favorite team, their favorite country. The games start this Thursday and culminate July 19th at Kensico, where there will be a huge watch party with more details to follow on how to attend. We also have to, though, focus on the safety issues that are tied to events such as this. We are joined today by Westchester County Public Safety Commissioner Terrence Raynor, who will discuss the proactive measures being taken by law enforcement and public safety agency to ensure the safety and security of all of our residents and visitors throughout the FIFA World Cup. Commissioner Raynor, take it away.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Thank you, Deputy County Executive. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As we prepare to welcome thousands of visitors, fans, families to our community for FIFA matches, public safety remains the highest priority. Major events such as this require a coordinated, proactive public safety strategy. The Westchester County Department of Public Safety, along with our law enforcement uh partners throughout this region, our partners at the Department of Emergency Services and Private Sector stakeholders, have been spending time planning in order for this, for us to ensure that any of the events being held here in Westchester are safe, secure, and enjoyable for all attending. One of the areas of particular focus for prevention and uh and detection is the human trafficking aspect. Large-scale events sometimes create opportunities for traffickers to exploit vulnerable individuals. To be clear, human trafficking is not caused by sporting events. However, the increased volume of visitors and commercial activity can create environments where criminal actors look to operate. So we will actively monitor for indicators of trafficking. We'll work closely with our federal, state, and local partners, as well as community organizations, to identify and intervene when necessary. I also want to encourage the public to report suspicious activity. Remember that public awareness plays a critical role in protecting Westchester. Another key component of our strategy is the use of our real-time crime center. Throughout the tournaments, our analysts and other public safety professionals will be monitoring conditions across the region in real time. The center serves as a force multiplier, giving us the ability to integrate information from various public safety systems, coordinate resources, track emergency emergent incidents, and maintain situational awareness. This capability helps us deploy personnel effectively, respond quickly to incidents, and ensure seamless communication among law enforcement and other emergency partners. In addition, we continue to focus on general public safety associated with large gatherings such as these that are coming here to Westchester. Our efforts include traffic management, pedestrian safety, crowd control, the ability for emergency medical response, and the overall protection of our county's critical infrastructure. Parking for the World Cup watch party will be off-site. Public safety will maintain a visible presence not only in and around the venue, but at transportation hubs and other high traffic locations as well. Our goal is not only to respond to incidents, but to prevent them whenever possible through planning, intelligence sharing, and proactive engagement. Once again, I encourage attendees to remain aware of their surroundings, follow venue security procedures, report suspicious behavior, plan ahead for transportation and travel. And finally, I just want to recognize the extraordinary partnerships among law enforcement, state, federal agencies, emergency management, as well as parks and recreation team, and our private sector partners in this whole entire venture. Together we remain committed to creating a safe environment where visitors to this county can focus on enjoying the festivities and celebrating the spirit of the game. Our voice tip line, 1-800-898-8477, and we will accept electronic tips at tips at wccops.com. Thank you very much and have a wonderful summer and enjoy all the festivities. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

Thank you, Commissioner Rayner. We are also joined today by Alison Boek, Ali Boek, Executive Director of Lifeway Network and co-founder of the Westchester County Anti-Trafficking Task Force. Ali's going to speak to us in a little bit more detail about the human trafficking issue. So, Ali, please come up. Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_03 16:25

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you, County Executive, for bringing me here today to talk about this very important crime. Human trafficking is a crime that exploits vulnerable individuals through commercial sex or labor. They use they exploit through force, fraud, or coercion. And large-scale events like the commissioner mentioned can cause conditions ripe where people can be exploited more than typically. So it's really important that we're highlighting this message to you, the public, because you're the eyes and ears out in our community, and we need to educate you about that human trafficking is happening right here in Westchester County. Many people think the crime of human trafficking is something that happens in faraway countries and other places, but it's happening right here in Westchester County, both for labor and for commercial sex. So thank you for tuning into this. I'm representing Lifeway Network. We provide safe housing and education on the issue of human trafficking. We're based in Terrytown, right here in Westchester County. We are part of the Westchester County Anti-Trafficking Task Force, as was previously mentioned. This task force was started in 2009. It's a leading multidisciplinary collaborative funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, and it brings together local, state, and federal law enforcement. It's chaired by the Westchester County DA's office and the International Organization for Adolescents. And we do have a hotline that will be active. If you have any tips that you would like the task force to work on specifically related to human trafficking, you can call 914-995-8477. So what should you be looking for? What does human trafficking look like? It's not always apparent right in the moment when someone is being trafficked, but here are some signs that you could take a look for. And if you are suspicious, either call 911 if it's an urgent situation right in the moment, or if you think there might be something going on that should be investigated, you could call the number that I just mentioned, which is 914-995-8477. So what to look for? Usually when human trafficking occurs, the trafficking survivor is under someone else's control. So that means they usually don't have documents on them. They may not have their passports or their IDs. Someone working and living in the same place. Often uh traffickers use physical abuse to control their victims. So it may be someone who may appear as being beaten up or injured. Um you may also look for minors, especially when it comes to commercial sex. If a person looks like they're engaged in commercial sex and they look like they're a minor, they probably are. So you should call 911 immediately to report if a child is being forced into any kind of commercial sex. This could include stripping, it could include sex work, it could include lap dancing, any kind of commercial sexual industry, which unfortunately follows this kind of activity. Large-scale events, there's often more commercial sex happening in our communities, unfortunately. As we said, public awareness is one of our strongest tour uh tools, so it's really important that you know what human trafficking looks like. So you can find out more about human trafficking by visiting Lifeway Network's website. That's lifewaynetwork.org. And there we have a lot of information about how to identify human trafficking and what it might look like. But the most important thing is if you think there might be something going on, please do something. That may be the only opportunity that that person has to escape. And so it's really critical that you do call someone and that somebody looks into it. Thank you very much, and thanks again, County Executive Ken Jenkins, for highlighting this very important, relevant issue. And I hope everyone enjoys the games safely. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

Thank you, Allie. Before I turn it back over to the county executive, I'm going to go through the parks schedule. Starting Wednesday, June 10th, from 10 a.m. to 3, Westchester County Veterans Museum will have an exhibit, Evolution 250 Years of Military Gear at Lasden Public Gardens and Veterans Memorial in Kotona. This exhibit will explore the development of military equipment and technology across two and a half centuries of American history. It will feature authentic artifacts including boots, headgear, uniforms, camouflage, dog tags, communications equipment, medical supplies, haversacks and field rations. The exhibit offers visitors an in depth look at the changing realities of military service. There will be interactive touchscreen components to provide an engaging educational experience, and that will be Wednesdays through Sundays. Sundays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for free at the Lasden Public Gardens and Veterans Memorial in Kotona. On Saturday, June 13th from 10 a.m. to 7, and on Sunday, June 14th from 10 a.m. until 5 o'clock, the Undiscovered Realm Comic Con will be at the Westchester County Center. That's if it can recover from the Knicks watch party. So this event will feature celebrity guests, autographs, photo ops panels, display contests and collectibles, and much more. Saturday, June 13th, our beaches continue to be open. We're hoping this weekend is going to be a little bit warmer than the past couple of weekends. Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, Croton Point Park in Croton Hudson, and Playland Park in Rye. The free beaches are open weekends and holidays through Sunday, June 21st. After that, Croton Point Beach will be open on weekends and holidays starting Saturday, June 27th through Monday, September 7th. Glen Island and Playland Beaches will be open daily beginning Friday, June 26th through Monday, September 7th, weather permitting. There's no admittance at these beaches after 6 o'clock. Parking and beach admission fees apply. And Westchester County residency is required for Glen Island Beach. And of course, our bicycle Sundays continue this Sunday, June 14th, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the Bronx River Parkway from the county center up to the Kensico Dam. So everybody enjoy, or no, other direction, sorry, from the Westchester County south to Scarsdale Road in Yonkers. Close to cars, open to walkers, jog joggers, and non-motorized bicycles. Enjoy the bicycle Sundays.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 23:54

Thank you, Joe. All right, thanks, Joan. There was there were so many things that happened on the uh throughout this particular briefing on this week in Westchester. Um we first want to make sure that come to add a couple of people from our um our partners that have been doing or will do FIFA World Cup events. Um we also have the Westchester Soccer Club that's going to do some um pop-up clinics around, so you'll see those around. And we love the Westchester Soccer Club. They do that work out of the stadium at Memorial Field, um, and they continue to do a great um group of work there. They're also on June 13th. In addition to all those things that are happening in the nationally accredited and award-winning park system that Joan um mentioned is also going to do a um workshop or clinic in the city of New Rochelle. So, again, all those things on the um the tourism website, right? So, again, um make sure that you take a look at that. It'll show all the activities that are happening around um around the World Cup as well as um the parks um the parks website, which will be able to show you the things that are happening actually in the parks themselves. But there's a lot of great partners that are working, and it was good to hear um from Ali Boek, who's just been a great friend for so long, um, who I met when we were doing this work with Pete Harcom of all places up in Mount Kisko and doing the work in identifying human trafficking going on at that time with um Chief Ryan when he was on the job, and now he continues to lead that effort that works with our Office for Women, and we have our acting director that's here with us, um, Captain Borger, and we have our two legislators um that are here as well. Legislators Erica Lang Pierce and Nancy Barr. Um, and we have a bunch of interns, some in Knicks gear. Um, the ones you know we're gonna work on the eight-floor ones. I mean, about we can just go from the Board of Legislators, we'll be able to just go into the dot's office. He probably has enough for everybody. Uh, because he is just so out of, you know, he's just so crazy about this whole thing with uh with the with the Knicks and his fandom and doing the work that's going on. So we definitely had um started off today talking about the WIC program and the things that we all need to do to continue to make sure that people are not being negatively impacted. Um, the women's infants and children's program is critically important with over 6.7 million people every month that are having and being impacted by that service. So again, that is really important for us to be able to reach out to our congressional representatives to say no, that's not the right thing to do. We shouldn't be able to make those levels of investments. Um, if we can spend a billion dollars a day in a war, then we can make sure that we can feed the poor. I don't know whose line that is. All right. Um the the other thing is, again, talking about um the Westchester Knicks and and the county center and the New York Knicks for finals, um, we'll wrap up with that in a minute. But for the FIFA World Cup is going on this week. We have so many things that are happening in the park system. We have Food and Wine Week that's coming up and starting this week as well. There's just so many things that are happening that there's no way for people to say there's not something to do. But the World Cup, as was pointed out both by Ali Umbog and by Commissioner Terrence Raynor, um, is an opportunity that people utilize because of the mass and the great number of people that are there, then you don't necessarily pay attention to things when they are in front of you. And that was why it's so important and critically important to say that um there's the the 800 national um hotline for um people that are being uh potentially trafficked, as well as the the 914 number that came from um that's working out of the district attorney's office as well. But the the 800 number is pretty displayed everywhere, it's the same number everywhere around the country to be able to, if you see something, to say something. And again, Ali, thank you so much for being here with us um uh to today. Um Natasha and we're talking and Joan were talking about the overall thing because it's an exciting time. I mean, it's an exciting time when you have the countries competing against each other um in the World Cup and whoever your favorite team is, you know. Um I'm not gonna say I have a favorite one um because I'm still trying to understand what extended time is all about, right? So one day somebody expand that to me. I'm like, isn't the game over? And no, no, it's extended time. Okay, all right, all right. Uh we'll we'll we'll get through that. Um, and again, the whole excitement that we have around the NBA finals with the New York Knicks, certainly the Westchester home of the Westchester Knicks to County Center, we're going to host watch parties again today, on Monday, and again on Wednesday, the 10th, um, to be able to have those really, really opportunity teams when people are together yelling and screaming and enjoying and watching their team, living with the ups and the downs as the team goes through the various things are going on. Um I was talking to our group of interns earlier today that are here with us, interns in the house is really good. Um, and some I I said to them, I said, yes, you see the number eight, and is that OG Ananopi, or is that Latrell Sprewell? Right? All right, so it depends on on your age. And for me, it's actually both. This one is for um for OG. So again, let's let's have a really wonderful time. We have so many great things happening um from a sports perspective, entertainment perspective, and being able to enjoy those, but enjoy them safe and responsibly. So we always want to continue to say that. Um, and I'm Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. That's this week in Westchester, and let's go next.