Medicaid and other public assistance enrollment requirements will change starting this January, and organizations are already bracing for potential disruptions.

Some of the new rules include re-enrolling in Medicaid twice a year instead of once, as well as more stringent work requirements.

Westchester Disabled on the Move, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities, the elderly, and low-income families live independent lives by providing access to healthcare, housing and other assistance through social programs, is leading efforts to guide people through these new processes.

The organization's Executive Director Maria Samuels said they're trying to simplify the process for people.

"We've worked with our disability community for over 42 years now and the Medicaid recertification process, the SNAP recertification process tends to fill people with fear, Samuels said. "A good part of the problem is going to be sending out the right information [and] preparing people for the changes."

Longtime influential Hudson Valley civil rights leader Wilbur Aldridge died Sunday, Aug. 9. He was 80 years old.

Aldridge spent decades fighting for equality in the Hudson Valley and in Westchester County.

The Haverstraw resident served as the Mid-Hudson/Westchester NAACP Regional Director for 27 years before stepping down at the end of 2025.

He joined Power & Politics in December of that year.

"I desire that people remember that I tried to instill hope through example," he said last year. "Helping people to gain hope and move forward."

Aldridge was widely known throughout the region for his commitment to civil rights, social justice and public service.

Nicole Hines, who stepped into the Mid-Hudson/Westchester NAACP Regional Director role, said Aldridge's legacy is still at the core of the organization's mission moving forward.

"His passing is a tremendous loss for Rockland County, the Mid-Hudson and the Westchester region as a whole," Hines said. "He cared deeply, he was very passionate, persistent, unapologetic and very, very deeply committed to justice."

State Sen. Shelley Mayer is taking on a powerful new role in New York politics. The Westchester lawmaker was appointed to lead the Senate's Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or DSCC, putting her in charge of the party's effort to defend its majority and flip more seats across New York state.

Dutchess County lawmakers unanimously voted to ban unregulated kratom sold mostly in gas stations. The synthetic high-potency 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products and kratom derivative drugs are sold at convenience stores, gas stations or smoke shops. Health officials say it can cause addiction and serious health problems. The ban still needs County Executive Sue Serino's signature.

Westchester County has reduced its projected budget deficit by about $7 million, according to a new second-quarter budget report.

The report shows the county's deficit now stands at just over $9 million.

County officials say the improved outlook is being driven by higher-than-expected sales tax revenue and additional state funding.

Despite those gains, leaders say rising expenses continue to put pressure on the budget.