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The year began with the announcement Entergy will be closing Indian Point Energy Center in 2020 and 2021. The closure was part of an agreement with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Riverkeeper with the state dropping all legal challenges against the plant.
Entergy said it was no longer economically viable to keep the plant open. Indian Point closing will impact 2,000 jobs. The Village of Buchanan receives 46 percent of its revenue from the power plant while the Hendrick Hudson School District gets 33 percent of its budget funded from the power plant. County Executive Rob Astorino filed a lawsuit over the plant's closure, which was later dropped.
In November, Sen. George Latimer (D-Rye) defeated Astorino (R-Mount Pleasant) to become Westchester County Executive, 57 percent to 43 percent. Astorino was running for a third term.
The race was nasty on both sides, with Astorino highlighting unpaid taxes on a home owned by Latimer's wife, and Latimer calling for Astorino to resign over allegations of corruption. Latimer will vacate his senate seat, with four Democrats and one Republican already declaring their candidacy.
The blue wave was felt all over Westchester. In Yorktown, Pound Ridge, Rye city, and Peekskill, Democrats swept municipal elections, knocking off incumbent Republican mayors and supervisors. Three Republican county legislators were also defeated, giving the Democrats a supermajority.
A new Tappan Zee Bridge opened in August, though not without controversy as the 62-year old bridge was replaced. Many politicians and residents were upset with the bridge's official name change from the Malcolm Wilson Bridge to the Mario Cuomo Bridge. A petition started by a Port Chester lawyer generated 100,000 signatures and Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R-Yorktown) has proposed legislation to change the name back to the Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mario's son, called the outcry against the naming of the bridge “vindictive,” “hurtful,” and "mean."
In October, the world was captivated by Pound Ridge native Austin Tyler Rogers, who won 12 games in a row on "Jeopardy!". Rogers, a graduate of Fox Lane High School, became a national sensation for his outfits, antics, and hatred of the band, Eagles. He later appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and competed in the "Jeopardy!" Tournament of Champions.
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