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Dozens arrested at UMass Amherst protest
Police shut down a student encampment at UMass Amherst Tuesday night, leading to dozens of arrests at Massachusetts' flagship public university.Why it matters: At least 135 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested after students built an encampment outside the Student Union.UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes met with students Tuesday and asked for the encampment — on a lawn known as "hippie beach" — to be removed.He later instructed campus police to dismantle the encampment.The big picture: The student- and educator-led protests over Gaza are part of a national movement of activists calling on the U.S. to cease involvement in the war and urging...
New Boston baby zebra just dropped
Franklin Park Zoo is celebrating some of its newest mothers this Mother's Day and showing off this year's newborn baby animals.Why it matters: The zoo is welcoming a baby Hartmann's mountain zebra and two chicks, a yellow-billed stork and a wattled crane.The 69-pound male zebra foal arrived on April 24 and is the first of the species to be born at the Franklin Park Zoo.It was up and walking with its mother, 5-year-old Khumalo, by the next morning.It is the first offspring for Khumalo and Khomas, 6.The newborn is interacting well with the other zebras in the Serengeti Crossing area of the zoo and spends time nursing and sprinting around the habitat.Zebras get zoomies, too. The zoo's new wattled crane family. Photo courtesy of Zoo New England.The first chick to hatch this year was the yellow-billed stork, a species that's new to the zoo's breeding program.Zoo New England staff see the birth as a significant achievement that contributes to conservation efforts for the vulnerable bird species.The wattled crane chick is the second successful hatching for the zoo's cranes.Both chicks are under the care of zoo staff and their watchful parents.Sign up for Axios Boston for free.
MFA relaunches Japanese collection
The Museum of Fine Arts is reopening its renovated Japanese art collection in new galleries starting Saturday.Why it matters: The MFA holds about 100,000 pieces of Japanese art that provide a look at the rich artistic heritage of the country.Arts of Japan takes visitors through seven centuries of Japanese art, from the 7th century to today.The exhibit includes paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and prints.A highlight of the exhibit is a six-panel folding screen by Ogata Kōrin that depicts islands and trees in golden waves.Also on display is an articulated iron model of a dragon with gilding and a Fukai-type Nō mask.The MFA features the largest collection of Japanese prints outside of Japan, with over 50,000 sheets from the 8th century to the present.What's next: The MFA's Japanese Buddhist Temple room is being rededicated Saturday at 1pm by a delegation of monks from Miidera, one of Japan's largest temples.The ritual will be simulcast to an auditorium in the museum.Three early founders of the MFA's Japanese collection studied Tendai Esoteric Buddhism at Miidera and two are buried there.Sign up for Axios Boston for free.
New Boston baby zebra just dropped
Franklin Park Zoo is celebrating some of its newest mothers this Mother's Day and showing off this year's newborn baby animals.Why it matters: The zoo is welcoming a baby Hartmann's mountain zebra and two chicks, a yellow-billed stork and a wattled crane.The 69-pound male zebra foal arrived on April 24 and is the first of the species to be born at the Franklin Park Zoo.It was up and walking with its mother, 5-year-old Khumalo, by the next morning.It is the first offspring for Khumalo and Khomas, 6.The newborn is interacting well with the other zebras in the Serengeti Crossing area of the zoo and spends time nursing and sprinting around the habitat.Zebras get zoomies, too. The zoo's new wattled crane family. Photo courtesy of Zoo New England.The first chick to hatch this year was the yellow-billed stork, a species that's new to the zoo's breeding program.Zoo New England staff see the birth as a significant achievement that contributes to conservation efforts for the vulnerable bird species.The wattled crane chick is the second successful hatching for the zoo's cranes.Both chicks are under the care of zoo staff and their watchful parents.Sign up for Axios Boston for free.
MFA relaunches Japanese collection
The Museum of Fine Arts is reopening its renovated Japanese art collection in new galleries starting Saturday.Why it matters: The MFA holds about 100,000 pieces of Japanese art that provide a look at the rich artistic heritage of the country.Arts of Japan takes visitors through seven centuries of Japanese art, from the 7th century to today.The exhibit includes paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and prints.A highlight of the exhibit is a six-panel folding screen by Ogata Kōrin that depicts islands and trees in golden waves.Also on display is an articulated iron model of a dragon with gilding and a Fukai-type Nō mask.The MFA features the largest collection of Japanese prints outside of Japan, with over 50,000 sheets from the 8th century to the present.What's next: The MFA's Japanese Buddhist Temple room is being rededicated Saturday at 1pm by a delegation of monks from Miidera, one of Japan's largest temples.The ritual will be simulcast to an auditorium in the museum.Three early founders of the MFA's Japanese collection studied Tendai Esoteric Buddhism at Miidera and two are buried there.Sign up for Axios Boston for free.
Protesters reclaim MIT encampment after college's order to clear
Student protesters who were ordered to clear an encampment on MIT's campus ultimately reclaimed the site hours after the college's deadline to disperse, tearing down fencing surrounding the tents.Why it matters: Even the longest-running encampments in Massachusetts may be nearing their end as tensions escalate ahead of graduation. MIT's encampment escaped demolition for now.Catch up quick: MIT President Sally Kornbluth gave protesters until 2:30pm Monday to leave the encampment on the green space known as Kresge Oval.Campus police set up a tent with machines to swipe protesters' student IDs as they cleared the encampment.Those who left and hadn't already faced...
What's next after Steward Health Care's bankruptcy filing
Steward Health Care's eight functioning hospitals in Massachusetts will remain open while the beleaguered company undergoes Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.Why it matters: The hospital system's move — one of the biggest hospital bankruptcies in decades — raised concerns about the fate of its 16,000 Massachusetts employees and the patients they serve, but state officials tried to dispel those fears yesterday.State of play: Dallas-based Steward, which filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday, said it will move to restructure its debt under court supervision while its hospitals remain open (with the exception of Norwood Hospital, a ninth Steward hospital that closed due...
Things to do, weekend of May 3
FridayIt's prom night at the ICA — the young at heart (and over 21, please) will gather for the museum's First Fridays event for a retro-glam good time.You might even get crowned "prom regent."🎶 High Street Place's Boston Calling Night gives you a taste of the jams you'll hear at the festival this year, 6pm-11pm.It starts with live sets of artists Bad Rabbits and ToriTori! followed by a DJ spinning tracks from this year's lineup.Tickets are free, but limited.🧘🏽 For something lowkey, try Friday Night Yoga at the Museum of Modern Renaissance in Somerville, 7pm-8:30pm.Price: $35.Saturday🕊️ Mass Audubon throws a...
Massachusetts audit says state could be leaving $266M on table with rideshares
If rideshare drivers were classified as employees, the companies behind them would have owed Massachusetts on average $266 million in state benefits from the past decade, per a state auditor's report.Why it matters: A Superior Court judge and a ballot measure later this year could determine whether drivers for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and similar companies should be classified as full-fledged employees, who are entitled to certain benefits, or as contractors.State of play: The report estimates how much rideshare and other companies could owe in payments for workers' compensation, unemployment insurance and paid family and medical leave.In the current scenario, rideshare...
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