Area lawmakers are calling for everything from independent investigations to resignation for the governor, who stands accused now by two women claiming he sexually harassed them. Rockland state senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick says the accusations against governor Andrew Cuomo are “deeply troubling” and is calling for an independent investigation, as is North Rockland and Orange County State Senator James Skoufis, both Democrats. Rockland Assemblyman Mike Lawler, a Republican, has called on the governor to “resign immediately,” and so has his GOP colleague, Stony Point and Orange County assemblyman Colin Schmitt, citing the “credible allegations” and “the ongoing COVID-19 nursing home death coverup crisis.” The Governor’s Office has asked the state attorney general to appoint a Special Independent Deputy Attorney General to conduct a thorough review and issue a public report. In a statement last night, Cuomo said he sometimes thinks he is “being playful” and joking around but now understands his “interactions may have been insensitive or too personal” in ways he never intended.

With controversy continuing to swirl around Rockland’s animal care center, the president of Hi-Tor called into “The Morning Show” for a half-hour interview Friday. The chatter began when Orangetown recently decided to go with the Hudson Valley Humane Society for animal care services for this year instead of Hi-Tor. Though she could not speak about personnel issues, litigation or potential investigations, Hi-Tor president Debbie DiBernardo did address the conditions and the future multi-million dollar center the county is looking to build in Pomona…

Rockland County Executive Ed Day says pet owners are a passionate group, but the yelling is too loud and has gotten to the point where the different sides don’t hear each other…

The other four Rockland town supervisors say they aren’t ready to leave Hi-Tor just yet.

Ramapo’s Refuah Health Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, and the County have partnered to vaccinate 280 seniors from the Office the Aging’s Senior COVID-19 Vaccine Waitlist. 80 seniors were vaccinated Friday, and 200 more get their shots today at the Rockland County Fire Training Center.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we lost one more to COVID, the total is 887. We’ve got 33 hospitalized confirmed with coronavirus, and 1,432 active cases. Our total case count is 38,265, that’s 127 more than Friday.

The former President of the Nyack Branch of the NAACP was awarded the Key to the County on Friday. Rockland County Executive Ed Day presented Dr. Frances Pratt with the award, given to those who engage in selfless acts of service for the community. In accepting the award, Dr. Pratt paraphrased an old Frank Sinatra-Thomas Dorsey tune, “Let’s Get Away From It All”…

Dr. Pratt retired from the NAACP in December after 40 years. She earned her nursing degree at RCC and became the first African-American Head Nurse in the Emergency Room at Nyack Hospital. Others who have received the Key to the County include Suffern’s Grace VanderWaal and North Rockland runner Katelyn Tuohy.

The House of Representatives Saturday approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill on a near party-line 219-212 vote. WRCR’s Market Analyst Ken Mahoney of Mahoney Asset Management in Chestnut Ridge says assuming the Senate follows suit, checks for qualifying Americans could go out late March or early April…

The AP says the overall relief bill would provide $1,400 payments to individuals, extend emergency unemployment benefits through August and increase tax credits for children and federal subsidies for health insurance. The House COVID-19 bill includes a federal minimum wage increase to $15 an hour, so the real battle over its fate will occur when the Senate debates its version over the next two weeks.

Though the town of Orangetown has decided to not use Hi-Tor services for this year, other towns are taking a wait-and-see approach to the situation. Though he acknowledges the pet services organization has had its share of problems, Stony Point supervisor Jim Monaghan says he’s not yet ready to bail…

Haverstraw supervisor Howard Phillips says while the efforts of all the volunteers is appreciated, Hi-Tor has grown so much over the years that they need professionals in there running the show…

Ramapo supervisor Michael Specht says it comes down to animal safety and fiscal issues…

Clarkstown is weighing all options before deciding on whether to follow Orangetown’s lead. The county has committed to moving ahead with building a new multi-million dollar facility for Hi-Tor.

The East Ramapo School District could be staring at a $30 million budget shortfall that the board did not prepare for. That’s according to The Journal News, which reports this school year’s budget was underfunded, and could result in borrowing or major layoffs and cuts. They also need to account for the multi-million-dollar civil rights lawsuit the district lost, leading to a change in the method of voting for the school board. State fiscal monitors say the district didn’t account for a more than $22 million cut in state aid or the federal COVID-relief funding, most of which reportedly went to private schools in the district. The monitors are urging state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to step in and review the district’s finances. The district had no comment.

Last summer’s request for information on nursing homes here in New York from the Department of Justice was handled perfectly appropriately and provided appropriately as requested. That’s according to Steve Cohen, the chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation, who assisted the Cuomo administration on reopening the economy, and became co-chair of New York Forward at the beginning of the pandemic. Cohen said yesterday in a conference call that the nursing home situation is more complicated than it seems because it became a political tool…

Cohen emphasized there was no cover-up and there was no obstruction of justice.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we lost two more to COVID, the total is 886. We’ve got 34 hospitalized confirmed with coronavirus, and 1,236 active cases. Our total case count is 38,138, that’s 190 more than Thursday.