Boston

Firefighters rescue construction workers

Two construction workers were rescued by Boston firefighters after they fell nearly two stories while working on a Harvard University building Wednesday afternoon, officials said. The workers were injured and taken to a hospital but are expected to survive, said Marc Sanders, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department. Firefighters responded to 140 Western Ave. at 2:17 p.m., Sanders said. The building is the future site of Harvard University’s Science and Engineering Complex, according to Harvard’s website. Crew members told firefighters that the men fell about 18 feet onto a landing of the fifth floor of the building, Sanders said. Firefighters used a ladder truck with a bucket to rescue the men and bring them back to ground-level, he said.

Amherst

UMass student injured vacationing in Cancun

A UMass senior from Revere was seriously injured while vacationing in Cancun, Mexico, during spring break, the university said. Lauren Hayes suffered a skull fracture during a boating mishap last week in Cancun. On Monday, she was flown from Mexico to Boston, where she will receive further medical treatment, UMass said in a statement. The Dean of Students Office is working with faculty in the Isenberg School of Management to keep Hayes on track to graduate in May, the statement said. A Go Fund Me page set up to help the Hayes family with medical expenses said Lauren was “showing signs of improvement since arriving in Boston.’’

Boston

Frank Avruch, aka ‘Bozo the Clown,’ dies

Frank Avruch, a longtime WCVB-TV personality and entertainer known for playing “Bozo the Clown,’’ died at his Boston home Tuesday, the station said. Avruch died at 89 “after a long battle with heart disease,’’ WCVB said in an article on its website, citing his family. “Our dad loved the children of all ages who remembered being on his show and was always grateful for their kind words,’’ his family told the station. “We will miss him greatly.’’ A Winthrop native, Avruch graduated from Boston University in 1949 and began a career in radio before stepping into television. He played “Bozo’’ from the late 1950s until 1970, and also hosted other locally produced shows such as “Sunday Open House,’’ “The Good Day Show,’’ and “Sunday Live!’’ Avruch toured the world performing as “Bozo’’ for UNICEF and was given a United Nations Award for his work with children. He also earned two Emmy Awards and a “Man of the Year’’ award for his “tireless work for charities of all kinds,’’ according to the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, which inducted him into its inaugural class in 2007. Avruch leaves “his wife, Betty, two sons, grandchildren, relatives and friends,’’ the station said.

Boston

Criminal Justice reform bill due out this week

A long-awaited bill, aimed at paring the number of people ensnared in the criminal justice system and modernizing how Massachusetts punishes lawbreakers, is poised to emerge from a closed-door legislative committee this week. It would come after months of Beacon Hill wrangling between the House of Representatives and more liberal Senate, which have each passed a different version of the legislation. “We’re in very good shape and I expect it to be finalized by the end of the week,’’ said state Senator William N. Brownsberger, a Belmont Democrat who was one of the top negotiators on the bill.