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...

Cutline: Data: CDC; Chart: Axios VisualsAbout a third of births in Massachusetts last year were cesarean deliveries, just above the national average.Why it matters: Massachusetts, which is home to world-class hospitals, also has C-section rates far above the 10-15% rate the WHO considers "ideal."While C-sections are medically necessary for some parents, they can have short- and long-term health risks.By the numbers: The 2023 C-section rate was 33.5% in Massachusetts, according to provisional CDC data.Zoom out: The national C-section delivery rate has increased since 2020, following a general decline between 2009 and 2019, per the CDC.The national C-section delivery rate increased...

This week's headliners include pianist and singer Norah Jones, indie icons the Decemberists, country star Dustin Lynch and throwback acts like Sum 41, Teenage Fanclub, Saxon and Uriah Heep.Tuesday'90s Scottish alt rock group Teenage Fanclub is at the Paradise.Pop punks Sum 41 play at MGM Music Hall.ThursdayTennessee country star Dustin Lynch plays at Leader Bank Pavilion.Portland indie royalty The Decemberists come to Roadrunner.FridaySarah Jarosz plays at the Sinclair.Colombian singer-songwriter Andrés Cepeda will be at the Shubert Theater.SaturdayLocal alt-rockers Slothrust play at the Sinclair.SundayJuliet Ivy performs at Brighton Music Hall.Early heavy metal icons Saxon and Uriah Heep team up at the House of Blues.MondayPianist Norah Jones comes to MGM Music Hall.

College and police responses to pro-Palestinian encampments on campuses have sparked debates over what consequences student protesters should face, if any.Why it matters: Graduation is around the corner, and some students could have their degrees withheld for participating in protests against Israel's ground offensive in Gaza.State of play: Ken Henderson, Northeastern University chancellor, wrote in a letter that students who were arrested will face disciplinary proceedings over their role in the encampment, which he called "an unauthorized occupation of university space."Henderson said he warned protesters multiple times the encampment would have to be dismantled and that the demonstration drew a...

Monday👀 A group of transit activists have a simple goal for their Monday afternoon rally at Park Street Station: convince the MBTA to glue googly eyes to the front of trains to give them a little personality, 12pm.Tuesday📚 East End Books in the Seaport hosts a discussion with Melissa Giberson, author of "Late Bloomer," and Amy Ferris, author of "Mighty Gorgeous," 6pm-7pm.Includes a guest appearance by pop and jazz singer Suede.Wednesday📖 Author Brad Balukjian presents his new book "The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Wrestlemania," a nonfiction work about the author exploring the world of professional wrestling by tracking down the friends and foes of wrestler the Iron Sheik.🎞 The Boston Independent Film Festival opens for eight days of exploratory cinema at the Brattle, Davis Square Theater, Coolidge Corner Theater and other cinemas.Thursday🖼 The Fenway Cultural District holds its first art crawl, "JoyWalk," 12pm-8pm.The crawl offers drinks, snacks and free admission to nine spots, including the Gardner Museum, the MFA and Trustman Art Gallery.🎭 The Fresh Ink Theater presents a pay-what-you-can performance of "Orpheus in the Overworld," which opened last week at the BCA Plaza Theaters and runs through May 5.

Friday📚 Read My Lips, a woman- and disability-owned pop-up bookstore, heads to Lamplighter Brewing Co. in Cambridge, 6pm-9pm.🍻 The Envoy Hotel in the Seaport hosts a rooftop social for locals in their 20s and 30s, 7:30pm-11:30pm.Saturday🐐 JetBlue will host a goat petting zoo on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in honor of the soccer GOAT, Lionel Messi, 10am-1:30pm.Bad pun aside, the airline and Revs sponsor is offering prizes to visitors, including a pair of tickets to Saturday night's match against Inter Miami.🥫 Challenge your taste buds and your sanity at Harpoon Brewery's Sauce Party. It'll be two days of hot sauce madness with a wing eating contest, spicy pizza eating contest, and more for just $10.No word if reigning Brookline hot wing-eating champion Conan O'Brien plans to enter.📚 Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, when shops like the Harvard Bookstore, Brookline Booksmith, Porter Square Books and Trident Books run special promotions.🇯🇵 The Japan Festival returns to Boston Common with a tea ceremony, origami making and cosplay-posing primer, 11am-5pm.The festival also runs Sunday, 11am-5pmSunday🌈 The Big Queer Food Fest, hosted by acclaimed chef Tiffani Faison, is bringing LGBTQ+ chefs and breweries to High Street Place for tastings and discussions, 5pm-8pm.Price: $50.

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi's Inter Miami play the New England Revolution Saturday night at 7:30pm in Foxborough at Gillette Stadium.Why it matters: New England fans might get their first chance to see soccer's top player in action.Messi's appearance could also set an attendance record for the Revs.Over 60,000 tickets have already been sold for the 65,000-seat stadium.Tickets are still available for nearly $300.The MBTA is running a special round-trip train to Foxborough for the event.The intrigue: Fans won't know if Messi is even playing until about an hour before the game starts.Gillette's astroturf field poses greater injury risk for players, and sometimes top talent sits out games on turf.You can watch from home with the MLS season pass from Apple TV+.

Throngs of undergrads continued to erect encampments to protest the Gaza war after over 100 people were arrested at Emerson College early Thursday morning.Why it matters: University administrators are juggling students' free speech rights with concerns from Jewish students and alumni that some demonstrations against Israel's war policies have crossed the line into antisemitism.State of play: Four Boston police officers reported being hurt in the Emerson clash while clearing protestors camped out by Boston Common.The encampment had been up since Sunday night.Classes were canceled Thursday at Emerson.Across the river in Harvard Yard, demonstrators set up a camp Wednesday to protest...

Mayor Michelle Wu wants to temporarily shift some of the city's tax burden away from residential property owners if commercial property values take a nosedive.Why it matters: Wu wants to head off a situation in which decreasing commercial property values in the coming years force the city to rely even more on residential owners.If commercial property values tank, she wants building owners to temporarily pay 200% of the residential tax rate in the short term to take pressure off residential taxpayers in the long term.Business-minded city councilors aren't happy with Wu's one-size-fits-all approach and fear a greater tax burden on...

For the first time in three decades, the Patriots have a top-3 pick in the NFL Draft, positioning them to make a franchise-altering decision tonight.Why it matters: The Patriots have been searching for a new face of the franchise since Tom Brady left in 2020. In a strong draft for quarterback prospects, they could use their No. 3 pick to select one — or trade the pick for a haul of assets.Here are some names you might soon see on jerseys all over town:Likely unattainable: Caleb Williams, the former Oklahoma and University of Southern California phenom QB, is expected to be...

A new analysis illustrates how metro areas like Boston can rank so highly in education while significant childhood opportunity gaps remain within the region. Why it matters: Childhood opportunity has significant influence throughout a person's life, factoring into educational and career progress, life expectancy and more. How it works: The...

A Life Time athletic club will replace the now-shuttered Barnes and Noble at the Prudential Center late next year.Zoom in: The space will be Life Time's seventh Boston-area location, per the company.The club will include a training floor, casual cafe, work lounge and a co-ed wet spa, the Boston Globe first reported.The wet spa will feature a steam room, sauna, whirlpool and cold plunge.Flashback: Harvard Book Store had planned to open a second location in the old Barnes and Noble space, but the expansion fell through earlier this year.

For five years, I have traversed the Boston area in search of pizzerias that replicate the magic of a New York slice.Who am I to question our institutions? Well, I'm a fatty from New Jersey with nearly three decades of pizza-eating under my belt.I've identified a collection of pizzerias I would defend — at least as the best in the region.What I did: Ate dozens of slices of pepperoni and the occasional Sicilian to compare the sauces and textures. I wrote it all down to tell you how they stack up. Don't let the glob of mozzarella fool you. The...

Encampments have gone up at multiple Boston-area colleges in solidarity with Columbia University students who have been protesting Israel's war in Gaza.The big picture: The encampments are protesters' latest effort to bring attention to the deaths of Palestinian civilians since Israel began its ground invasion in Gaza, following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.Catch up fast: More than 100 Columbia students were arrested last week after forming an encampment.Those protesters are calling for Columbia to divest from companies they say "profit from Israeli apartheid."Yale police arrested dozens of protesters calling on Yale to divest from military weapons manufacturers, per the...

Massachusetts lawmakers haven't reached a deal on a supplemental spending bill that could prevent the emergency family shelter system from running out of money in weeks. Why it matters: The fates of more than 7,000 unhoused families — migrants and locals — are in the hands of a state legislature that is infamous for leaving critical legislation to the 11th hour.

Heavy metal legends Judas Priest and some other top acts are coming to Boston this week, including Belle & Sebastian, The Black Crowes, 10,000 Maniacs, Fastball and Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. Tuesday. Late 90s alt rock hitmaker Fastball comes to the Middle East. Wednesday. The world's greatest punk...

Fifteen months into her term, Gov. Maura Healey has the approval of nearly 60% of Massachusetts voters, according to a new Morning Consult poll.Why it matters: Healey is one of the more popular governors in the country, but she has some catching up to do to reach the sky-high levels of her predecessor and lock in reelection in 2026.What they found: The poll shows Healey's approval rating at 59%.13% of respondents had no opinion on her and 28% held a negative view.Between the lines: Conservatives are never going to like her, but Healey may have lost support among moderates as the budget tightens and unprecedented numbers of migrants strain the state's emergency shelter system.Flashback: Former Gov. Charlie Baker had a 72% approval rating in May 2016, making him the most popular chief executive of any state at the time.Baker cruised to reelection in 2018.Yes, but: Healey is doing much better than the previous Democrat to hold the office at nearly the same point in the term.Former Gov. Deval Patrick's approval was just 41% positive in April 2008, 16 months into his first term.Patrick went on to beat a then-untested Baker by 6.4% in the 2010 election.

The federal government will cover some of the cost of temporarily housing migrants in Massachusetts' emergency family shelters.Why it matters: Massachusetts has spent more than $584 million on sheltering migrant families and other unhoused people in fiscal 2024 alone.State of play: The Center for Medical and Medicaid Services approved the state's request to amend its Medicaid waiver, according to a letter Deputy Administrator Daniel Tsai sent state officials Friday.The feds approved $190 million in 2024 for families and pregnant people eligible for Medicaid in state shelter, amounting to housing assistance for up to six months for those eligible.The temporary shelter...

It began with a chance meeting at Coppa, where chef Tiffani Faison introduced restaurateur Kathy Sidell to Lambrusco, the Italian sparkling red wine.As their friendship grew, Sidell introduced Faison to the joys of catering to the masses, instead of to chefs.Why it matters: The 15-year friendship between Sidell and Faison helped them thrive in an industry where women rarely call the shots.Zoom in: Sidell has built an empire out of Saltie Girl, the seafood restaurant known for its lobster rolls and tinned fish cans.Today, Faison is known for her elevated, funky takes on comfort foods: barbecue at Sweet Cheeks, "adult...

Boston has all sorts of cannabis dispensaries and delivery services now, but it's not yet a top weed destination.Why it matters: Boston is missing out on cannabis tourism revenue as travelers head to more affordable destinations, according to a new study by Upgraded Points.State of play: Boston ranked 35th in the study with roughly 10 cannabis-friendly stays per 100,000 people at an average nightly price of $281.44.Upgraded Points calculated the stays and nightly average prices on the number of cannabis-friendly rentals and hotels per 100,000 people in the city.Zoom out: Burlington, Vermont and Portland, Maine, topped the ranking, along with three Colorado cities — Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs.All those cities had more cannabis-friendly stays and more affordable stays than Boston, which the study based on the number of cannabis-friendly rentals and hotels per 100,000 people.Worcester (30) and Hartford, Connecticut (31) also ranked above Boston.💭 Steph's thought bubble: You know it's bad when we get beat by Worcester and Hartford.