Community Picks: Tampa Bay Rays 0% vs New York Yankees 0%

In 2013, a self-styled crusader set out to raise the alarm over a lack of transparency in New York government. "The City is inviting waste and corruption by blocking information that belongs to the public," the crusader said, angered that officials were ignoring the mandates of New York's Freedom of Information Law, and doing so with few consequences and no meaningful oversight. "We have to start holding government accountable when it refuses to turn over public records to citizens and taxpayers." The crusader in question was Bill de Blasio, who, almost exactly four years ago, as Public Advocate, issued a scathing report condemning government agencies across the city for their records on FOIL. Continue to Article

April 11, 2017 11:30:am EST

As Michael Pineda threw strike after strike and got out after out, the excitement of the home opener crowd at Yankee Stadium increased and its noise-level rose. ''You're thinking is it's going to be another special day here at the Stadium,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Pineda retired his first 20 batters, striking out half of them with a darting fastball, a diving slider and a moving changeup. Continue to Article

April 10, 2017 9:03:pm EST

Jordan Montgomery has earned the fifth starter's job in the New York Yankees' rotation and is scheduled to make his major league debut on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. A 24-year-old left-hander selected in the fourth round of the 2014 amateur draft, Montgomery had a 3.20 ERA in two starts and four relief appearances during spring training, striking out 17 and walking three in 19 2/3 innings. Montgomery beat out more established pitchers in a group that included Luis Cessa, Chad Green and Bryan Mitchell. Continue to Article

April 10, 2017 6:36:pm EST

Governor Andrew Cuomo's plan to waive tuition fees for some New Yorkers at any two or four-year state college, first covered in the Voice in February, has survived the state budget brawl — but it comes with some unexpected and alarming caveats. The plan, called the Excelsior Scholarship, will be phased in over the next three years beginning this fall but has some noticeable differences from the $163 million program Governor Cuomo first conceived of. The most glaring addition: a requirement that students live and work in New York state following graduation for as many years as they received aid, lest their scholarship be converted into a loan they'll have to pay back. Officials from the governor's office told Chalkbeat that the loan conversion was justified: if New York is going to pay for kids to go to school, then its economy ought to benefit from that investment. Continue to Article

April 10, 2017 6:22:pm EST

New York Yankees starter Michael Pineda looked on Monday afternoon like the best version of Michael Pineda. On this day, however, facing the Tampa Bay Rays, Pineda was carving. Apparently, that includes Martha Stewart, who was at Yankee Stadium and felt the need to bless the Internet with a “Hey-everybody-perfect-game-over-here” tweet. Continue to Article

April 10, 2017 5:10:pm EST