Good Tuesday morning in New York City, where MTA board members aren't really using their free MetroCards. Here's what else is happening:

  • New York City ranks as America's most congested city, according to the TomTom Traffic index, with drivers moving at an average speed of just 12 mph during peak hours.
  • Lawmakers in Albany are trying to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state budget to partially bail out NYCHA tenants, who owe a collective $466 million in back rent but weren't able to access the federal pandemic rental assistance afforded to some private-sector renters.
  • Nelson Counne, the serial dating scammer made famous in his New Yorker profile, "The Worst Boyfriend on the Upper East Side," has finally been charged by the Manhattan D.A. for allegedly swindling $1.8 million from several different women he dated.
  • Legendary New York Yankees first baseman and man about town Joe Pepitone has died at the age of 82.
  • Union County, New Jersey lawmakers are trying to scrap the county seal depicting a British soldier shooting local Revolutionary War icon Hannah Caldwell on the grounds that it's both gruesome and slightly inaccurate — but some historians are pushing back, arguing that the seal does at least celebrate a feminist hero and prompt residents to learn about their state's history.
  • The New York Times tagged along with Bed-Stuy City Councilmember Chi Ossé on his hunt for an apartment in his now incredibly expensive district.
  • David Blaine dislocated his shoulder during a stunt involving an 80-foot drop onto some cardboard boxes as part of his live show in Vegas, and they actually had to call for doctors in the audience to come up on stage and pop his arm back into place.
  • A giant blob of rotting, stinking seaweed is floating towards Florida's gulf coast and is expected to arrive just in time for summer.
  • Pauly Shore deserves a comeback.
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  • And finally, flurries!: