Five Laid Off In D.C.

Five long-tenured employees have been laid off from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., as a result of what the museum’s director says are serious budget concerns. The firings came out of the blue, and the decision to go ahead with a staff reorganization was apparently that of the director alone, who says that belts have been tightening all over the Smithsonian. The museum has 32 remaining employees.