County politics, explained at street level.
This Week's Long Island News follows Long Island officials, reporters, and candidates through the practical machinery of local decision-making. The conversations stay close to county departments, district lines, emergency response, policing, and the everyday consequences of public policy.
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This Week's Long Island News is a local public-affairs interview show with its feet planted firmly in Nassau County. Bill McIntyre sits down with officials, candidates, reporters, and agency leaders whose work affects Long Island residents in practical ways. The show favors direct conversation over polish. Questions tend to start plainly, then open into the details of how a department, law, campaign, or village actually works. That makes the episodes useful for listeners who want more than headlines. A conversation with Nassau County's Chief Fire Marshal and County Fire Coordinator Michael F. Uttaro moves from fire protection inspections into investigations, lithium ion battery fires, hazardous materials response, tanker spills, water-table concerns, FireCom dispatching, and EMS training. The police commissioner episodes cover crime, retail theft, immigration enforcement cooperation, use-of-force tools, recruitment, exam preparation, residency rules, and trust with communities. Legislative interviews stay close to district-level government. Samantha A. Goetz talks about law enforcement safety, arrest-distance rules, county attorney work, outside counsel, liability, and the practical pressures of public office. Patrick Mullaney reflects on the shift from seeing government from the outside to working inside the Nassau County Legislature, while still trying to keep public feedback in view. Village government gets room too. Elena Villafane discusses Sea Cliff, part-time mayoral work, unpaid service, village identity, neighborhood parks, beaches, and the pull of community life. The political reporting stretches outward when the local stakes demand it. Yancey Roy brings Newsday's Albany lens to the New York governor's race, Bruce Blakeman's candidacy, Kathy Hochul's position, turnout patterns, crime politics, congressional seats, and the changing election calendar. A campaign conversation with Mike Lepetri puts the 3rd Congressional District into geographic and electoral terms, from Northeast Queens to Nassau communities and parts of Huntington. Across these episodes, the show keeps returning to who has authority, what they are trying to do, and how those choices show up in ordinary civic life. It is conversational, sometimes repetitive, and often useful because of that repetition. The value is in hearing local power explain itself at length.
Made for: For Long Island listeners who follow Nassau County government, public safety, local elections, and village affairs. It is especially suited to people who want practical detail from officials and reporters rather than quick partisan summaries.
What sets it apart: The show gets unusually close to the local machinery: dispatch systems, legislative districts, police recruitment, village service, campaign maps, and county liability. Its strength is letting decision-makers speak long enough for process, tradeoffs, and local consequences to surface.
Join the WHPC staff for a week’s look at the stories shaping the Long Island community. Hosted by Bill McIntyre. Listen as Newsday reporters and local leaders talk about the stories affecting Long Islanders like you.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Bill McIntyre turns focused interviews with Long Island officials and reporters into practical explanations of local decisions, public services, and civic consequences.
This Week's Long Island News builds its coverage around patient, one-on-one conversations with people close to a decision or public service. Bill McIntyre asks Nassau County officials how their systems work, then keeps the questions close to consequences: how fire investigations…
A Manhattan toll hits your E-ZPass; Bill McIntyre wants to know what happens next.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
What happens before, during, and after a fire call in Nassau County.
Nassau County's fire response starts well before a truck reaches a scene. Chief Fire Marshal and County Fire Coordinator Michael F. Utaro joins Bill McIntyre to explain fire protection checks, investigations into what caused a fire, hazardous materials response, and FireCom's…
A Long Island look at Blakeman's challenge to Hochul and its possible effect on congressional races.
Bruce Blakeman has won two terms in Nassau County. Can that record carry him across New York in a race against Governor Kathy Hochul? Bill McIntyre puts the question to Newsday's Yancey Roy, who looks back at Lee Zeldin's close loss to Hochul in 2022.
Ryder discusses Nassau police recruitment, from applicant tests and mentoring to local residency preferences.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder talks with Bill McIntyre about recruiting a department that reflects the communities it serves.
Patrick Ryder explains Nassau police practice on ICE detainers in a local radio interview.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder joins Bill McIntyre on Long Island News to discuss county crime and the department's work with federal agencies, including ICE.
As Mr. Beery's prepares to close, its owner talks about the regulars and bands who filled the Bethpage room.
After 41 years, Mr. Beery's is set to close in February 2027. Owner Steve Beery plans a celebration, but in his conversation with Bill McIntyre, he spends much of his time on the people who have filled the Bethpage bar and music hall.
Bill McIntyre and Alfonso Castillo discuss Manhattan's toll, delayed E-ZPass charges and plate enforcement.
For Long Island drivers, Manhattan's congestion toll may become most noticeable after the trip. Bill McIntyre asks Newsday transit reporter Alfonso Castillo about the roughly $9 charge for driving below 60th Street, which began January 5.
County government, translated into everyday Missoula life.
Nassau County Legislator Olena Nicks discusses her first six months in office and the unanimous approval of a $420 million public works plan.
Bill McIntyre interviews Newsday reporter John Asbury about local reactions to national immigration protests and other Long Island news.
Bill McIntyre interviews incoming Nassau County Legislator Viviana Russell about her background and public service journey.
Ryder says Nassau County joined the 287(g) program for a South American burglary task force, but New York's later law change limits transfers of civil immigration detainees to ICE.
Interview with Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael F.
Nassau County Legislator Samantha Goetz discusses her background as a mom, attorney, and public servant representing District 18 on Long Island.
Bill McIntyre interviews Mayor Elena Villafane of Sea Cliff about the village's unique character and the challenges of part-time, often unpaid, mayoral service on Long Island.
Bill McIntyre interviews newly elected Nassau County Legislator Patrick Mullaney about his first experiences in office and the importance of staying connected to the public.
Bill McIntyre interviews Republican candidate Mike LePetri about his 2026 congressional campaign in New York's 3rd District.
Newsday Albany Bureau Chief Yancey Roy analyzes the New York governor's race with host Bill McIntyre, detailing how Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive and Republican candidate, faces a 20-plus-point polling deficit against incumbent Kathy Hochul and a fundraising gap of roughly $20 million to $1 million.
Nassau County Commissioner of Police Patrick Ryder critiques New York's cashless bail system, arguing that a 45-day gap between arrest and court appearance enables a shoplifting revolving door in which the same offender can steal repeatedly before facing a judge.
["Bill McIntyre talks with Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder on WHPC about the county's crime numbers, including Ryder's claim that Nassau remained the safest county in America after major crime fell 10% in 2024 and 11% in 2025.", "Ryder credits County Executive Bruce Blakeman for restoring 600 police officers and for staying engaged through early-morning and late-night calls.", "The conversation turns to AI-enabled license plate readers, border cameras near the Five Towns and Great Neck, and Ryder's argument that accountability matters more than vague transparency.", "Ryder also explains Nassau's approach to ICE detainers, warrants, masks, protests, and de-escalation, including why the department says it does not do house-to-house ICE raids or enter schools, hospitals, or houses of worship."]
Steve Beery tells Bill McIntyre that Mr.
Bill McIntyre interviews Newsday's Yancey Roy about New York State government and the latest on the proposed casino at the Nassau Coliseum.
Bill McIntyre interviews Newsday transit reporter Alfonso Castillo about the MTA's congestion pricing and rate hikes, discussing early data and public reaction.