Here's what's going on around Boston this weekend. Friday, 3/8💥 The NorthEast ComicCon & Collectibles Extravaganza kicks off at 3pm in the Boxboro Regency Hotel.It features collectibles, vinyl records, autographs from creators and more.Price: $10-$45.📚 Gore Place in Waltham is hosting a "gently used" book sale, 4pm-8pm.Get paperbacks for $2 and most hardcovers for $5.The sale also runs Saturday, 10am-3pm at the Carriage House at Gore Place.🎹 Grammy award-winning pianist Taylor Eigsti plays at the Charles Hotel's Regattabar, 7pm-8:15pm.Price: $30.Saturday, 3/9🎨 The Guild of Boston Artists on Newbury Street hosts a free children's art discovery class, 10:30am-12pm.For children ages 5 to 12.Registration required.🔎 Watson Museum hosts a murder mystery scavenger hunt for adults, 2pm-4:30pm.Price: $39. Includes museum admission.🍻 "Beer School" is in session at the Lamplighter Brewing Co.'s original Cambridge location two Saturdays every month, 4pm-5pm.Includes guided tasting and a "Beer School" diploma.Price: $25.Sunday, 3/10🛍 The Boston Women's Market celebrates Women's Month at Time Out Market, 12pm-5pm.🎞 Trident Booksellers & Cafe hosts an Oscar Watch Party, 6:30-11:30pm.Includes voting sessions, wine tastings and photo ops.Free, but RSVP required.🎞 Goethe-Institut Boston is also hosting an Oscars watch party, 6pm-11:30pm.Free, but RSVP encouraged.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

Massachusetts' top officials have had it with Steward Health Care, the hospital chain whose financial free fall they claim has threatened public health across the eastern part of the state.Why it matters: Gov. Maura Healey and House Speaker Ron Mariano laid into Steward earlier this week, calling for the company to reveal its finances, sell its hospitals and leave Massachusetts entirely.The chain manages nine hospitals that thousands of Boston-area patients rely on for emergency, outpatient and primary care, mostly in lower-income areas.Health care providers have to disclose some financial information to regulators and inform them of impending closures under state...

A rainstorm is expected to bring potentially damaging wind gusts and frigid temperatures tonight.Why it matters: At worst, the storm could cause power outages driven by fierce winds.At best, the storm will wash away any memory of the spring weather earlier this week.State of play: Forecasters expect spotty showers throughout the day, especially in southeastern Massachusetts.The storm is expected to bring potentially damaging winds and a drop in temperature tonight into Thursday, per the National Weather Service.Central Massachusetts could get a sprinkling of snow overnight.Wind gusts could reach close to 50 miles per hour in eastern Massachusetts and close to 60 miles per hour in the Berkshires.The latest: National Grid prepared extra crews to respond to power outages and other problems tomorrow.The utility also staged crews on Nantucket to support island resources, the company said yesterday.What's next: Temperatures are expected to drop to the 30s Thursday before rising again Friday. More rain will follow Sunday.Steph's thought bubble: These temperature swings are sometimes a way of life in New England, but I can't help but feel like the weather gods are punishing me for enjoying the early spring weather.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

Embrace Boston, the nonprofit behind the statue of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King in Boston Common, is building on the momentum of the unveiling in new digs.Why it matters: The nonprofit is one of several organizations pushing for reparations, the preservation of Black historic sites and the visibility of Black people's contributions in one of the nation's oldest cities.State of play: The Embrace staff left the Boston Foundation's building in early February and moved into the CIC's downtown space, says Imari Paris Jeffries, the organization's executive director.Embrace, which has a staff of 12, is working on raising millions of...

Here's what's going on around Boston the week of March 4.Monday, 3/4🎞 The Roslindale Film Society is hosting a screening of "The Holdovers" in honor of Oscar season, 7pm.The film is nominated for five Academy Awards.Price: $10 in advance, $12 at the door.🥘 Got a cast iron skillet but unsure how to use it? The Cambridge Center for Adult Education is holding a class on the best cast iron pans to buy, the proper seasoning techniques and optimal temperatures to cook various proteins and vegetables.Class runs 6pm-9pm.Price: $95. Includes all food materials and fees.💕 Club Cafe tries to make dating...

Massachusetts collected nearly twice as much in taxes during its first year of sports betting as lawmakers projected.Why it matters: Online sportsbooks have kept the money flowing into the state's coffers in their first year despite concerns about Massachusetts wading into an oversaturated market.Driving the news: Sportsbooks reported more than $542 million in taxable revenue between February 2023, when retail sportsbooks launched, and last month, per regulatory data. Massachusetts collected more than $108 million in sports betting taxes in that time frame.More than 98% of the revenue and taxes come from online sportsbooks, which launched a month later in March...

The Boston Public Library launched a chef-in-residence program to help locals learn how to make nutritious, simple meals without straying from their cultural traditions.Why it matters: Glorya Fernandez, the chef-in-residence, isn't an award-winning chef from an elite culinary school, but a master in making cooking accessible for Bostonians.Driving the news: Fernandez started her one-year residency this month in the BPL's Nutrition Lab.She'll be leading community listening sessions on March 2 and April 8 to hear what locals want to learn from the program.Zoom in: Fernandez has held cooking classes for years, most recently through her company gogobytes.She held a class on cooking with ancient grains at the Nutrition Lab in 2022.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

Rapper Burna Boy, country star Scotty McCreery, indie rocker Grant-Lee Phillips and metal speedsters Mutoid Man are all in town this week.Check out our rundown of local concerts:TuesdayNorthern Irish indie pop band Two Door Cinema Club plays at Roadrunner.Canadian rapper Night Lovell comes to the Paradise Rock Club.WednesdaySpanish singer-songwriter Pablo Alborán is at the Orpheum Theatre.Indie rock veterans Cold War Kids play at House of Blues.R&B/dream pop singer Ryan Beatty will be at Big Night Live.FridayCountry star Scotty McCreery is coming to MGM Music Hall at Fenway.SaturdayNigerian Afrobeats and reggae star Burna Boy hits Boston with a show at the TD Garden.The Subtronics Tesseract Tour 2024 features Wooli, Hedex, Saka, Jon Casey and Skellytn at MGM Music Hall at Fenway.Heavy metal face-melters Mutoid Man are at The Sinclair.Local hardcore from Negative FX will be on display at the Middle East.SundayMexican cumbia group Los Angeles Azules plays at Orpheum Theatre.Indie rock feature, and "Gilmore Girls" troubadour, Grant-Lee Phillips plays at City Winery.Protex, Crimps and Mystery Girl are on the bill at Deep Cuts.MondayTrap rapper Babytron comes to Big Night Live.Flyana Boss, the hip-hop duo turned TikTok sensation, performs at The Sinclair.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

A great example of New England civility went viral over the weekend.Catch up quick: A New Yorker posted to X that he canceled a reservation at Jen Royle's TABLE in the North End because he had to go to the hospital and used his travel insurance to get back the $250 the eatery charges for late cancellations.Royle reportedly DMed the would-be-customer and sarcastically thanked him "for screwing over my restaurant and my staff," and called him "pathetic."The intrigue: The Internet went nutty for the story and TABLE got review-bombed on Yelp and other sites. Royle deleted her accounts. Both parties report getting death threats after the post blew up.Flashback: Celebrity chef Royle is well-known for speaking her mind and letting customers know exactly what she thinks of them.The bottom line: Royle says the restaurant is still open and doing well regardless of the online hate.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

The typical home value of Boston-area homes with Black owners is 18.1% less than homes with white owners, per data Zillow shared with Axios.The big picture: The Boston statistic is on par with the national average, where the typical value of U.S. homes with Black owners ($291,000) is 18% less than the typical value of homes with white owners ($354,000), per Zillow data.Why it matters: Homeownership remains the biggest driver of the wealth gap, per the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.What they're saying: Black owners seeing their homes appraising for less than those of their white counterparts isn't new. "It's no longer a myth or legend that this happens," HUD chief of staff Julienne Joseph tells Axios.The appraiser workforce is majority white, and it's often difficult to report appraisal discrimination, though new policies are aimed at addressing both of those hurdles.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

The typical home value of Boston-area homes with Black owners is 18.1% less than homes with white owners, per data Zillow shared with Axios.The big picture: The Boston statistic is on par with the national average, where the typical value of U.S. homes with Black owners ($291,000) is 18% less than the typical value of homes with white owners ($354,000), per Zillow data.Why it matters: Homeownership remains the biggest driver of the wealth gap, per the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.What they're saying: Black owners seeing their homes appraising for less than those of their white counterparts isn't new. "It's no longer a myth or legend that this happens," HUD chief of staff Julienne Joseph tells Axios.The appraiser workforce is majority white, and it's often difficult to report appraisal discrimination, though new policies are aimed at addressing both of those hurdles.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

The typical home value of Boston-area homes with Black owners is 18.1% less than homes with white owners, per data Zillow shared with Axios.The big picture: The Boston statistic is on par with the national average, where the typical value of U.S. homes with Black owners ($291,000) is 18% less than the typical value of homes with white owners ($354,000), per Zillow data.Why it matters: Homeownership remains the biggest driver of the wealth gap, per the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.What they're saying: Black owners seeing their homes appraising for less than those of their white counterparts isn't new. "It's no longer a myth or legend that this happens," HUD chief of staff Julienne Joseph tells Axios.The appraiser workforce is majority white, and it's often difficult to report appraisal discrimination, though new policies are aimed at addressing both of those hurdles.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

It's nearly March and the sun has been peeking out most of the week — so it's time to fully reject winter, embrace summertime vibes and drink some tiki cocktails.Why it matters: Boston has a trio of tiki bars with classic Polynesian-inspired decor and menus dedicated to icy rum drinks.Tiki bars are mostly an American invention developed after World War II veterans returned home from the South Pacific with a taste for rum and island decor.Tiki Rock — 2 Broad St., BostonThe oldest of the bunch, Tiki Rock opened in early 2018 near the top of Broad Street downtown in...

Gov. Maura Healey's pick for a seat on the state's top court met with a parade of praise from legal colleagues and the governor herself yesterday, with few acknowledging the elephant in the room.The elephant: Supreme Judicial Court nominee Gabrielle Wolohojian was formerly in a long-term relationship with Healey, a potential conflict of interest that raised questions about the nomination process.What's new: Wolohojian yesterday faced the eight-member Governor's Council, which vets judicial nominees, to defend her record and answer inquiries on her stances on abortion, policing, child custody and legal precedent.She said the nomination process under previous governors was the...

Dunkin' is releasing two energy drinks at restaurants nationwide today, which the brand says contain a "kick of caffeine."Why it matters: The launch of SPARKD' Energy by Dunkin' comes as Panera Bread faces three lawsuits that claim the high levels of caffeine in its Charged Lemonade led to two customer deaths and irreversible health complications.Dunkin' did not immediately respond to Axios' questions about how much caffeine is in the new drinks, which come in two flavors: berry burst and peach.Zoom in: The Food and Drug Administration says "for healthy individuals" a safe quantity of caffeine is 400 milligrams per day, which is around four to five cups of coffee.A large, 30-ounce Charged Lemonade contains up to 236 mg of caffeine, per Panera's website.The FDA said it estimates "toxic effects, like seizures, can be observed with rapid consumption of around 1,200 milligrams of caffeine."💭 Deehan's thought bubble: Most hearty New Englanders, who are already quite addicted to all of Dunkin's existing caffeine-addled products, should be fine with another couple hundred milligrams of caffeine.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

Harvard University's interim president is calling an image posted by some of the school's pro-Palestine student groups "vile" and "flagrantly antisemitic."Why it matters: Alan Garber took over as interim president of the prestigious Ivy League school after former President Claudine Gay was forced out, in part, over the university's handling of student speech regarding the Israel-Hamas war.What's happening: The image posted over the weekend by Harvard's Palestine Solidarity Committee and the African and African American Resistance Organization shows a hand marked with a dollar sign and a Star of David holding ropes around the necks of a Black man and an Arab man.The groups apologized for the image, which dates from the 1960s, saying it was posted to show the "historical roots of solidarity" between Black American and Palestinian liberation.The latest: The faculty director for the Palestine Solidarity Committee resigned Tuesday, according to the Crimson.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.

The Biden administration pledged to invest $100 million for women's health research, First Lady Jill Biden announced Wednesday.Why it matters: The investment is part of federal efforts to close gender gaps in research, which supporters say have led to insufficient funding for endometriosis, MS and other conditions that disproportionately affect women.Startups focused on women's health get far less funding than other health startups, Axios' Erin Brodwin reports.Driving the news: The first lady announced the commitment during an ARPA-H forum on women's health in Cambridge.ARPA-H will oversee the women's health research as part of its "Sprint for Women's Health."What they're saying:...

Nearly one-quarter of occupied homes in Massachusetts are part of a homeowner association, per the Foundation for Community Association Research.Why it matters: HOA dues can cost hundreds or, in some cases, thousands more on top of monthly mortgage payments — creating another barrier for prospective homebuyers in a state with some of the highest home prices.What's happening: Massachusetts has the seventh-highest number of HOAs in the nation with more than 11,000 associations, based on data from Dec. 31, 2021.HOA fees cover maintenance and amenities like pools and gyms, among other things keeping the community running, writes Axios' Sami Sparber. By...

First lady Jill Biden will speak at an event in Cambridge today as part of the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research.Why it matters: If successful, the initiative could help address gender-related research gaps in health care, which affect half of the country's population.Catch up fast: The first lady attended a political fundraiser for the Biden Victory Fund yesterday in Connecticut before heading to Boston, according to the White House.Of note: The president's re-election campaign has a whopping $130 million.The latest: Biden is expected to speak at 11:30am.Flashback: The president announced the new initiative in November to tackle historically...

First lady Jill Biden will speak at an event in Cambridge today as part of the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research.Why it matters: If successful, the initiative could help address gender-related research gaps in health care, which affect half of the country's population.Catch up fast: The first lady attended a political fundraiser for the Biden Victory Fund yesterday in Connecticut before heading to Boston, according to the White House.Of note: The president's re-election campaign has a whopping $130 million.The latest: Biden is expected to speak at 11:30am.Flashback: The president announced the new initiative in November to tackle historically...