The Boston Globe

Pittsburgh, PA 12-16-18: An unhappy Patriots quarterback Tom Brady heads for the locker room after congratulating Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (backround right) following Pittsburgh's 17-10 victory. The New England Patriots visited the Pittsburgh Steelers in a regular season NFL football game at Heinz Field. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff) — JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

STEELERS 17, PATRIOTS 10 | DAN SHAUGHNESSY

Is this the end for Patriots dynasty?

Have we reached the expiration date on this fantastic run?

BEN VOLIN I PATRIOTS INSTANT ANALYSIS

Reality is, the Patriots are simply not a great team

This loss to the Steelers could be season-killing.

Chad Finn | 17 thoughts

Let?s face it, it doesn?t appear to be the Patriots? year

Self-destructive mistakes usually happen to the other guys, especially in December, but not this season.

Matt Damon made a bunch of Boston references while hosting ?SNL?

In his second stint hosting the show, the Cambridge native bragged about how wonderful the holiday season can be in his hometown.

dave epstein

Rain could be heavy at times in Boston; some areas may see a little snow

A storm will bring potentially heavy rain, with some places, especially to the north and west, seeing some snow.

Christmas in the City brings joy to children in need

Children and parents who are homeless or in transitional housing celebrated for the 30th straight year.

For sale in Framingham: Restored home of a Salem witch trials refugee

The home, known as the Peter and Sarah Clayes House, hit the market Thursday with an asking price of $975,000.

Lin Wang visited Charles Barkely on the set. — Courtesy of Shirley Wang

She laughed off her dad?s stories about Charles Barkley. Then he showed up at her dad?s funeral

A Tufts graduate had always brushed off her father?s tales of hanging out with Charles Barkley ? until the basketball legend arrived at her father?s funeral to deliver a heartfelt eulogy.

Travel

For food lovers, Vermont needs to be a getaway go-to

Four favorite spots near popular resorts for a date night that requires nothing fancier than clogs with warm socks.

STEM toys promise to turn kids into tech geniuses. Grown-up coders are skeptical

There?s a growing market for so-called STEM toys, which promise to teach science, technology, engineering, and math skills. Do they work?

IDEAS | THOMAS LEVENSON

?Reasonable doubt? on climate change is killing the planet

Honest climate scientists acknowledge the limits of their work. But like defense lawyers in a TV drama, President Trump uses any flicker of doubt to let climate change go scot-free.

BAIE COMEAU, QUEBEC, CANADA - 1/20/2018: Hydro-Quebec... One of the larger dams, the Manicouagan -2 dam with the Manicouagan Reservoir. (David L Ryan/Globe Staff ) SECTION: METRO TOPIC 28quebecpic

Editorials

In Quebec, clean energy goes to waste

An employee poses for photographs in front of Peter Doig's 'Red Boat' during a photo call at auction house Christie's in London, Friday, June 24, 2011. The painting is expected to fetch 1,400,000-1,800,000 pounds (2,200,000-2,700,000 dollars, 1,600,000-2,000,000 euros) when it goes on sale as part of Post War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction on June 28. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori)

Ideas

You can buy a painting, but it?s not really yours

The World War I memorial cross in Bladensburg, Md.

Opinion

Is the First Amendment hostile to the cross?

Ideas

Big Data: the broiler chicken is the most numerous bird on the planet

After suicides in Acton and Boxborough, a communion of sorrow

Shannon Goyette (left) and Cynthia Pierce became friends when their children were in kindergarten. Both mothers lost a son to suicide. — Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

The unthinkable has been an all-too-common companion in two small neighboring towns, where six young people took their lives in the short span of 30 months. The questions keep coming: What is happening? Why? When will it stop?

Adrian Walker

A year after our series on race in Boston, has anything changed?

We?ve taken on the topic with a candor not seen before. But has the city really begun to address inequality?

Spotlight Follow

Private citizens can file criminal charges in Massachusetts ?secret? courts

Massachusetts is one of a small number of states that allow private citizens to go before clerk magistrates to lodge serious criminal complaints that are vetted, and sometimes settled, in secretive hearings.

The next threat to the New Hampshire primary? California

Because of early voting, ballots could be cast on the West Coast even before Iowans head to their caucuses.

Early voting proposed for Mass. presidential primary

According to Secretary of State William Galvin, the point of the proposal is simply to make voting more convenient.

Suspect hospitalized after police-involved shooting in Easton

A police-involved shooting led to a suspect being shot and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after officers say he brandished what appeared to be a gun.

Report on Russian disinformation shows operation?s breadth

The report is the first to study the millions of posts provided by major technology firms to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Giuliani says Mueller will interview Trump ?over my dead body?

Rudy Giuliani, President Trump?s attorney, is ruling out a presidential interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Travel sites like Needham-based TripAdvisor often rely on third-party booking sites to arrange your trip. TripAdvisor said it recently suspended its use of HotelQuickly after many of its reservations were canceled. — Steven Senne/Associated Press/File

Sean P. Murphy | The Fine Print

Beware of those big travel sites offering great deals

Jon Harrington found out the hard way that sometimes the sites rely on smaller, less reliable agencies to do the booking.

Cofounder of HQ Trivia app found dead in New York

Police said Colin Kroll died of an apparent drug overdose.

Podcasts

The Help Desk

You don?t have to be chained to your phone.

You don?t have to carry a smartphone: Here?s how to switch back to a dumb one

Experts say that when it comes to extracurricular activities, it?s important to follow your child?s lead. Do they really want to be participating, or are they doing it because they think they have to?

HELP DESK

When it comes to your child?s extracurriculars, experts say focus on ?building a life and not a resume?

Special reports

Globe Magazine

Help was a few feet away. Why didn?t they save her?

My wife, Laura Levis, did everything she could to save herself when the asthma attack began. She went to Somerville Hospital and called 911, too. How could she have been left to die just outside the emergency room?

Newsletters

It?s All Downhill

A weekly skiing e-mail with news and reviews from the slopes of New England and beyond. Sign up here.

The Big Picture

The Big Picture

Globe staff photos of the month: November 2018

Here?s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: a colorful sunrise, Christmas tree lightings, and high school sports.