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Some lawmakers may be looking to curtail the governor’s added powers that they gave him in the early days of the pandemic last year. In March, at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the legislature gave the governor executive powers that allowed him to slash budgets when necessary and implement executive orders to combat the virus. Rockland state senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick told “The Morning Show” yesterday he and his colleagues will likely revisit that arrangement…

Published reports say state senators on both sides of the political aisle have pointed to the governor’s nursing homes policies as evidence the executive’s power needs to be held in check.

The village of Pomona held two separate government meetings earlier this week as the mayor there is looking to keep a trustee off the board. The Journal News reports Mayor Ian Banks wants former Mayor Brett Yagel to replace Trustee Mendy Lasker, who Banks first appointed to the board two years ago and won a trustee seat in September. But whether he has the authority to do that or whether Lasker rightfully should be seated as a trustee may be up to the courts to decide. This could all be moot by March 16th anyway. That’s when the next election is scheduled to be held.

Area officials are looking to the state to provide internet access at state-operated group homes. At a press conference outside the state’s Office for People With Developmental Disabilities’ Albany headquarters, North Rockland and Orange County state senator James Skoufis said it would only cost $900,000 for the state to provide free WiFi at group homes…

Phil and Maryann Smith of Highland Mills have a daughter, Michelle, who lives in a group home. While home with them during COVID, she communicates with her friends and doctors via Zoom, but when she returns to her group home, the Smiths say, without WiFi, she won’t be able to do that…

Skoufis says he and other colleagues will be introducing a bill requiring all of the state’s group homes offer free WiFi.