University Closing Controversial Educational Program | Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's Wednesday, March 17, and here's what you should know this afternoon:

• The MBTA is pulling all its new cars off the tracks after a new Orange Line car carrying some 100 passengers went off the tracks Tuesday.
• Conductor James Levine, who led the Boston Symphony Orchestra for seven years before health problems stemming from a fall forced him to step down in 2011, died on March 9.
• Fire officials say three fires that broke out in Brockton early Wednesday morning are "suspicious."

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

Tufts will close its Confucius Institute after six years, the university announced Wednesday. The university's contract with the controversial educational program expires in September and will not be renewed.

The Confucius Institute is a nonprofit educational collaboration between Tufts and Beijing Normal University (BNU) that promotes Chinese language and cultural programming, and facilitates "educational and cultural exchange and cooperation," according to the Tufts University website.

Such Institutes were active on 75 college campuses as of September, but they have fallen under increased scrutiny by critics who have referred to them as "extensions of the Chinese government." Organizers of a rally last fall protesting the Confucius Institute at Tufts University said the programs restrict academic freedom by "silencing debate on human rights and other sensitive issues" and sanitize the Chinese government's human rights record.

"The Chinese Communist Party spends millions annually to fund Confucius Institutes," said U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, an outspoken critic of the program. "China's government does this because it wants a foothold on American college campuses which it uses to bully students, stifle critical thinking, and influence public perception."

Read more here.

Exclusively On Patch

MA lawmaker says working poor problem is "indecent": In the second part of our series on working Massachusetts residents who still qualify for government food assistance, Rep. Jim McGovern calls for government intervention to address the problem. McGovern points to how some of the biggest companies avoid paying millions and federal taxes and calls for a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour. McGovern says "there's something fundamentally wrong and indecent" about large corporations employing thousands enrolled in SNAP.

Read the full story.

Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Say it isn't snow: Winter appears poised to make a final stand as we head into the weekend, with the National Weather Service in Boston predicting snow for most parts of Massachusetts Thursday night and into Friday morning. The storm will start as rain but turn to snow as cold air moves into the region. While most of southern New England will see 1-3 inches of accumulation, the weather service said it "can't rule out" snow totals of 4-5 inches in some parts of the Massachusetts. The storm will also bring strong winds, with gusts between 40 and 50 mph along the coast.

Orange line woes: The MBTA is pulling all its new cars off the tracks after a new Orange Line car carrying some 100 passengers went off the tracks. Tuesday's derailment of an Orange Line train at Wellington Station damaged a switch so badly that shuttle buses will replace train service from Oak Grove to Sullivan Square for the next three weeks.

Former BSO conductor dies: James Levine, who led the Boston Symphony Orchestra for seven years before health problems stemming from a fall forced him to step down in 2011, died on March 9. Levine led the Metropolitan Opera for more than four decades before being eased aside when his health declined and then was fired for sexual improprieties.

Suspicious fires in Brockton: Firefighters responded to a blaze at the Old State House Building at Brockton Fair Grounds at approximately 1 a.m. Around the same time, fires broke out at D.W. Field Park and behind West Middle School. The fires were extinguished and no injuries have been reported, but officials say the Old State House Building is at risk of collapsing and has been surrounded by a fence as a precautionary measure.

Former MA high school student pleads guilty in NH: The former North Andover High School student accused in 2019 of multiple rapes in New Hampshire pleaded guilty to several charges Tuesday. Eliezer Tuttle, now 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two charges of aggravated felonious sexual assault and one charge of 2nd degree assault; strangulation, according to court records. Tuttle was sentenced to three and a half to seven years in prison and is required to register as a sex offender.

Fundraiser follows farm fire: A fundraiser for the Natick Community Organic Farm is seeking to raise $400,000 after a fire early Wednesday morning destroyed a barn and killed several animals. A farm dog, Eddy, alerted caretakers to the blaze. At least three pigs died in the fire, and the farm's 1815 barn was destroyed.

By The Numbers

1.6 million: The number of Massachusetts residents who have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday morning. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday that all residents over the age of 16 will be able to sign up for vaccination appointments beginning April 19.

They Said It

"We've got our fingers crossed that we will be at a point where we will be able to go forward with the Barnstable County Fair, following all proper COVID-19 guidelines at the time. While it is not 100 percent certain that we will be able to host the 2021 Fair, we are hoping for the best."

• Barnstable Fair officials in a statement announcing the fair is on for 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the event in 2020.