Editor's Notebook: Week in Review

This week, Rye Patch was focused mostly on coverage of the two coyote attacks in Rye involving two young girls, a 6-year-old who was attacked in the front yard of her Lasalle Avenue home and a 3-year-old who was attacked while playing with a neighbor in the backyard of her North Street home.

We've gotten so much information during the last week from police and local officials and we've tried our best to keep residents informed. Police Commissioner William Connors said authorities are now treating all coyotes as "dangerous animals that can harm our children." He advised that parents not let their children outside and that people act aggressively when they see a coyote.

State officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation have also offered several tips, such as throwing a rock or stick at a coyote if it approaches you; standing up and waving your arms in the air and using an air horn to scare the coyote since they are very sensitive to noise. Westchester County has also issued a coyote fact sheet with more tips.

We also finally heard from one of the coyote victim's parents. Steven Hodulik, whose 6-year-old daughter Emily was attacked last Friday, spoke at Thursday's public forum in Rye. He thanked the community for its support and said that Emily was recovering well. To see our full coverage of the coyote issue in Rye, please click here.

We covered other government stories this week, such as Paul Shew, Rye's former city manager, adding a defamation claim to his lawsuit against the city. Shew argues that the city's statements about his alleged poor job performance have caused irreparable harm to his career, prohibiting him from finding work. He wants the city to pay his full salary--which is in the six-figure range--until he turns 70. Shew is 63. If Shew wins his case, the city could pay him more than $1 million.

We also did a story about property assessment challenges in Rye City and Rye Town. June 15 was the deadline for owners to file claims challenging their assessments, which has become increasingly common in the midst of the economic downturn. However, the trend may be a bit surprising in Rye considering the average home price is about $1 million. On the other hand, the financial sector was hard hit in the downturn. Many of Rye's residents work on Wall Street and are also feeling the pinch, so it makes sense that they would try to find savings on the most costly item they own. Rye City Assessor Noreen Whitty told Patch that assessment challenges have increased 40 percent, with 408 claims filed by the June 15 deadline. In Rye Town, however, challenges decreased by 27 percent. 

We've covered lots more this weekend, so feel free to search the site for other engaging stories from the past week. Rye Patch will be your source for everything that is happening in the Rye area---from local government and school board meetings to sports and arts and entertainment.

We'll be doing a "Week in Review" every Sunday, so if you missed anything during the week, we've got you covered.