This briefing draws from reporting at Talk of the Sound, analysis and commentary published in Words in Edgewise, and selected regional coverage for the week ending April 19, 2026 A Note from the Publisher A solicitor in Dublin sent a “private and confidential” cease-and-desist letter on behalf of Rob Rubicco
DUBLIN, IRELAND (April 18, 2026) — For weeks now, I have been sounding the alarm about National Today, the so-called “news” site operated by TOP Agency and its CEO, Benjamin “Ben” Kaplan. I caught them stealing my original journalism — twice in quick succession — repackaging it with zero credit, zero new reporting,
WHITE PLAINS, NY (April 14, 2026) — Westchester County employees taking maternity or bonding leave receive paid time off only to the extent they have personally accumulated annual leave, personal leave, supplemental time, holiday leave and sick leave, with no guaranteed block of dedicated paid parental leave and no participation in
This briefing draws from reporting at Talk of the Sound, analysis and commentary published in Words in Edgewise, and selected regional coverage for the week ending April 12, 2026 A Note from the Publisher I did not have breaking news out of Latin America, from my home in Europe, about
DUBLIN, IRELAND (April 9, 2026) — On April 8, 2026 at 6:09 pm, Talk of the Sound published an article titled “New Rochelle High Rise Murder Case Heads Toward Trial as Indictment Details Clarify Evidence, Prior Conviction.” I was the only media outlet in the world that reported on this
This briefing draws from reporting at Talk of the Sound, analysis and commentary published in Words in Edgewise, and selected regional coverage for the week ending April 5, 2026 A Note from the Publisher I deliberately hid an involved analysis of Westchester Power, the CCA program operated by Sustainable Westchester.
DUBLIN, IRELAND (April 5, 2026) — As many will recall from those old TV commercials for men’s suits, Sy Syms used to say: “An educated consumer is our best customer.” The same is true when it comes to news—especially in an environment where not everything that looks like reporting
Something feels different. Not in the data — in the headlines. So let’s ask it plainly: Are you imagining things, or has New Rochelle suddenly gotten more violent? Start with what just happened. A man bleeding on a downtown sidewalk after an altercation inside an apartment. A woman taken into
DUBLIN, Ireland (March 30, 2026) — I am an Amazon Prime subscriber living in Ireland. My wife and I live at the same address and, like many couples, we each have our own Amazon accounts. So I did what Amazon encourages: I set up an “Amazon Household.” In the United States
This briefing draws from reporting at Talk of the Sound, analysis and commentary published in Words in Edgewise, and selected regional coverage for the week ending March 29, 2026 A Note from the Publisher I have been down the rabbit hole of making technical improvements to my publishing platforms. One
This briefing draws from reporting at Talk of the Sound, analysis and commentary published in Words in Edgewise, and selected regional coverage for the week ending March 22, 2026 A Note from the Publisher While fact-checking a statement by a Sustainable Westchester executive, I contacted the New York Public Service
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 22, 2026) — I watch a lot of movies. What I don’t do is watch the Academy Awards. The show runs late here in Dublin, it goes on for hours, and I’m not even entirely sure how reliably it airs without resorting to a VPN. So