Today will be downcast, with thunderstorms likely (80 percent chance of rain) in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will be in the low 80s, however, throughout much of the day, before dropping to 72 degrees at night. Winds are moving south, south-southwest, and then west throughout the day, at 13 to 25 mph.
The sun will set at 8:01 p.m. and the moon is in the waxing crescent phase.Â
Six things to know today:
- Regents exams in New York State are set to get harder for incoming high school freshmen, say state education officials, who are facing criticism following the release of dramatically low Common Core test scores throughout the state. [WSJ]
- City Council Speaker Christine Quinn leads the pack of Democratic mayoral candidates in poll numbers according to the latest poll. She is followed by Bill Thompson, Bill de Blasio, Anthony Weiner, and Sal Albanese. [NYDN]
- Alex Rodriguez will play his first home game tonight with the New York Yankees since being slapped with a 211-game suspension for doping charges. The suspension is currently on hold pending the results of an appeal. [NY1]
- Dozens of Gowanus, Carroll Gardens and Park Slope residents protested the planned Lighthouse development on the Gowanus Canal. [NY1]
- The lawsuit against Starbucks for allegedly discriminating against deaf New Yorkers continues to gain steam. [NYTimes]
- TripAdvisor ranked New York pizza a mere 4th in the country, behind San Diego, Las Vegas, and Boston. [Slate]
Truck gets stuck in sinkhole 
Young artists score Easter contest awards