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TRENDING:

Mass. reports 3,720 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 55 new deaths

The state also said 72,587 people were estimated to have active cases of the potentially deadly virus, and 1,834 confirmed coronavirus patients were in the hospital.
The latest COVID-19 numbers from Mass Traces of coronavirus in Mass. wastewater tick down by one measure, up by another

Baker implores residents to celebrate holidays with household members only; details timeline for vaccine rollout
Governor Charlie Baker and his health and human services chief on Tuesday beseeched state residents to celebrate the coming holidays in-person with their households only and also detailed the timeline for the continued rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

These cities and towns in Massachusetts are rolling back their reopenings

Winter storm warning in effect for most of Massachusetts ahead of ?significant? Wednesday storm

A winter storm warning is in effect for most of Massachusetts ahead of a storm that is expected to bring heavy snow to the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Public safety crews prepare for heavy snowfall, power outages from approaching storm
Dave Epstein | Weather

Heavy snow is on the way, with more than a foot possible in some areas

We're sitting in a cold lull until the snow arrives. By the time the storm ends, some areas will end up with more than a foot on the ground.

Priest who gave Sen. Ted Kennedy?s funeral homily charged in sex assault case

A Catholic priest who delivered the funeral homily for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy in 2009 was indicted Friday on charges of rape and indecent assault of a child under 14, according to legal filings.
Tufts healthcare workers received the COVID-19 vaccine
Tufts healthcare workers including Gabriela Andujar Vazquez, MD, Associate Hospital Epidemiologist received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. ( Shelby Lum/Globe Staff )

Tufts staffer gets first COVID-19 vaccine shot at a Boston hospital as vaccine shipments arrive at 17 hospitals across state

A Tufts Medical Center scientist received an injection of the new COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, in what is believed to be the first vaccination of a health care staffer at a Boston hospital.
Even if you get the vaccine, you should still wear a mask, experts say UMass model sees cases continuing to climb into early January

Over-the-counter home test for COVID-19 gets US green light

The first home test for COVID-19 that doesn?t require a prescription will soon be on US store shelves.
THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Fauci says he feels ?very strongly? Biden and Harris should be vaccinated soon

analysis
42 days after the election, Trump is finally out of options to challenge his 2020 loss
If President Trump wants a second term, he will have to run again in 2024.

McConnell acknowledges Biden is president-elect, says Electoral College ?has spoken?

Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell acknowledges Biden is president-elect, says Electoral College "has spoken."
Biden is expected to pick Pete Buttigieg for transportation secretary

Supreme Judicial Court rules law banning panhandling violates First Amendment rights of homeless people
The First Amendment rights of homeless people were violated by a state law that made it a crime to step onto public streets and flag down passing motorists to ask for some cash, the state?s highest court unanimously ruled Tuesday.

Developers share first look at plans for tower on James Hook Lobster site
The 285-foot-tall waterfront building would be home to a "high-profile, landmark hotel," they say.

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Abortion-rights bill deserves passage ? again

The Legislature should reject Governor Baker?s restrictive amendments.
Scot Lehigh

If only we had an inoculation against ridiculousness
Andrew Bacevich

The endless war to preserve American primacy
Renée Graham

?It was reminiscent of cross burnings?
Joan Vennochi

Power, privilege, and the COVID-19 vaccine

Bristol sheriff violated immigration detainees? civil rights during May melee, attorney general says
The office illegally unleashed dogs on inmates, used excessive force, and violated the civil rights of 25 federal immigration detainees in a jailhouse melee in May, according to a newly released investigation.

Massachusetts House speaker knocks Baker?s abortion proposal, says reps will ?overturn? it
The leader of the Massachusetts House said Tuesday that the chamber will reject changes Governor Charlie Baker proposed for a measure expanding abortion access, describing them as an attempt to ?erode? the provision lawmakers had passed.

Fashion mogul Peter Nygard arrested in Canada
The designer is facing a class action lawsuit in the US alleging the sexual assault of dozens of women, including some who say they were 14 or 15 years old when Nygard gave them alcohol or drugs and then raped them.

Firefighters reunite with rescued South End family
A mother and her two daughters, rescued from the fire escape of their South End apartment during a blaze two weeks ago, reunited with their rescuers Tuesday morning.

Apartment complex fire in Back Bay leaves 7 residents displaced, causes $250,000 in damage

Already hurting, Massachusetts casinos take a big hit from early closing time
Gambling revenue dropped by 35 percent overall in November.

Christmas light display in Wilmington wins ABC?s ?The Great Christmas Light Fight,? draws massive crowds
A festive light display in Wilmington is drawing droves of visitors in the holiday spirit after it won the top prize in a national award competition last week.

A Beautiful Resistance
Jeneé Osterheldt

Black queer lives are Black lives that matter, too

Adding any other marginalized identity to Blackness is another layer of oppression to fight. Black queer people living their truths is a beautiful resistance.
The Questions, featuring Jazzul Escada See more from ?A Beautiful Resistance? Follow on Instagram
Holiday gift guides

12 gifts made in New England

8 thoughtful gifts to help comfort and heal

10 gift ideas for people who developed pandemic passions

A local shopping guide for families

Recommended Reads

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Free meal or attend class? School schedules force some low-income families to choose

Many low-income families across Massachusetts have struggled to receive their promised free school breakfasts and lunches during the pandemic because of school schedules. It?s another way the pandemic is widening existing racial and socioeconomic inequities in education.
Following parents? complaints of too much independent study, state pushes expanded instructional requirements Are school snow days officially over? We?ll find out this week

Mass., other states near historic agreement to curb transportation emissions
Massachusetts and other states on the East Coast are poised to sign a landmark agreement that would constitute one of the nation?s most ambitious efforts to fight climate change.

Medford COVID-19 outbreak ? with over 700 recent new cases ? traced back to two Thanksgiving gatherings
The outbreak stemming from Raso?s Bar & Grille, along with a second cluster traced to a large holiday gathering at a private home, have contributed to Medford?s largest surge in infections since the spring, with more than 700 new cases since Thanksgiving.

metro

Winter storm warning in effect for most of Massachusetts ahead of ?significant? Wednesday storm
A winter storm warning is in effect for most of Massachusetts ahead of a storm that is expected to bring heavy snow to the region, according to the National Weather Service.

Christmas light display in Wilmington wins ABC?s ?The Great Christmas Light Fight,? draws massive crowds

Supreme Judicial Court rules law banning panhandling violates First Amendment rights of homeless people

Sports

Red Sox
Scott Boras serves up a tasty case for Jackie Bradley Jr.
"JBJ is kind of the PBJ of the major leagues. He?s sweet, smooth, and spreads it all over and covers it well,? Scott Boras said.

Baseball

Report: Owners? desire for players to be vaccinated before MLB season starts could result in delays

Settlement restoring two varsity women?s sports at Brown approved

business

Fannie, Freddie slump after Mnuchin rules out freeing companies
The Treasury secretary's decision prevents a major policy change in the last days of the Trump administration that risked disrupting the $10 trillion mortgage market.

USPS ?gridlocked? as historic crush of holiday packages sparks delays

New boss takes over at Dunkin? as Canton company changes hands

politics

42 days after the election, Trump is finally out of options to challenge his 2020 loss
If President Trump wants a second term, he will have to run again in 2024.

A running list of President-elect Joe Biden?s administration picks

Biden expected to pick Pete Buttigieg for transportation secretary

lifestyle

FOOD
5 savory thank-yous for all the cooks tied to the kitchen this year
It?s wonderful to give sweets, but folks you know making daily breakfast, lunch, and supper deserve real food in their stocking.

FOOD

Recipe: Homemade grainy, nutty digestive biscuits, similar to Graham crackers, make a fine gift

FOOD

Nothing is more comforting than steamy hot soup, especially this traditional Moroccan bowl

arts

An artist in control, another artist embracing the unknown at Galatea Fine Art
Works by printmaker Patrick Casey and painter James C. Varnum make for a thought-provoking contrast.

Art world insider meets ?pent-up need? with new Coolidge Corner gallery

Jay-Z?s Roc Nation forms book publisher with Random House

rhode island

RI ARTS
?A Christmas Carol? tradition continues at Providence?s Trinity Rep -- with a 2020 twist
This year, the iconic production will be available online for free from Dec. 17 through Jan. 10, 2021.

RHODE MAP

Are school snow days officially over? We?ll find out this week
CORONAVIRUS

A Latino doctor was the first person in Rhode Island to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Now he wants to be an example for his community

Newton

Special Projects

A beautiful resistance | JENEÉ OSTERHELDT

Black queer lives are Black lives that matter, too

Adding any other marginalized identity to Blackness is another layer of oppression to fight. Black queer people living their truths is a beautiful resistance.
See more from 'A Beautiful Resistance' Follow on Instagram

On the Street

In tackling the pandemic, Chelsea finds new strength

Brockton offers a gateway to a new generation

This time, Quincy Center?s revival looks legit

Revere was going through a revival before COVID-19. Can it stay on track?

See more from our business series ?On the Street?: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

More

2020 Bostonians of the Year: The Front Line
They stood up to fight the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice. Meet the people leading us through a harrowing year.

Last Words: Is death the great equalizer?
Quite the contrary, a Spotlight investigation shows. Death exposes in high relief the layers of inequities, in race and income, care and opportunity, that shape life down to its final hours. It is a truth the pandemic has only underscored ? one hard to see, because it is so much easier to look away.

I knew getting prostate cancer at 48 would change me. I had no idea how much
For the past year, Mark Shanahan has been working on Mr. 80 Percent, a six-episode podcast miniseries about his experience with prostate cancer. It?s a deeply personal, sometimes harrowing, often funny story about a disease that affects millions of men. The heroes are his doctors and family, who put up with some appalling behavior. You?ll hear from both.

Comfort Zone

COMFORT ZONE

8 thoughtful gifts to help comfort and heal

These candles, blankets, and gift sets meet the stressful realities of 2020.

For this artist, the local supermarket is stocked with dating metaphors

Brooke Stewart found inspiration at the Market Basket deli counter.
CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

The ghosts of Bradlees, Spag?s, and Whalom Park have returned from the great beyond, in T-shirt form

A local company is reviving defunct department store and amusement park logos on stylish tees.

Party like it?s 1773 at this virtual Boston Tea Party event

An online celebration features a costumed dramatization of the historic event.

Painting her heroes is a ?no-brainer? for folk icon Joan Baez

John Lewis, Anthony Fauci, and Stacey Abrams are just a few of her subjects.
IN THE FAMILY WAY

A local shopping guide for families

Boston is fortunate to have so much creative talent. It?s on us to support them this season.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Joan Vennochi

Power, privilege, and the COVID-19 vaccine
EDITORIAL

State AGs unfriend Facebook
H.D.S. Greenway

John le Carré, a consummate storyteller and friend
Abdallah Fayyad

Make public transit free
Jon Santiago

Protect essential workers by protecting MBTA service
IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Massachusetts? public schools are highly segregated. It?s time we treated that like the crisis it is

STAT

The Road Ahead: Charting the pandemic over the next 12 months ? and beyond
In this project, STAT describes 30 key moments, possible turning points that could steer the pandemic onto a different course or barometers for how the virus is reshaping our lives.

From a small N.C. town to big-city hospitals, how software infuses racism into U.S. health care
The racial bias can produce huge differences in assessing patients? need for special care to manage conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or depression, a STAT investigation found.

Covid-19?s wintry mix: Dry indoor air helps the virus spread
The worry is not just that people might mingle more closely inside, but that the air they breathe will make the virus more dangerous.

In the Covid-19 death of a hospital food worker, a microcosm of the pandemic
The hospital's first employee to die of Covid-19 was a kitchen worker named Marie Deus ? and her illness sparked a question. Why weren't bedside clinicians getting sick at the highest rates?

magazine
Cover Story

2020 Bostonians of the Year: The Front Line
Bostonians of the Year

The Celtics? Jaylen Brown is a leader in the NBA and outside it
Connections

The pandemic has a school nurse missing her 'frequent fliers'

Miss Conduct

I've gained weight and don't want to be on camera for holiday Zoom calls

sports

After just 79 days, the Celtics are back, and now this is Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown?s team

Four things to know about Hunter Renfroe, the newest Red Sox outfielder

Taking a look at the AFC playoff picture entering Week 15

metro

Newton extends COVID-19 emergency housing relief program

Winter storm warning in effect for most of Massachusetts ahead of ?significant? Wednesday storm

Christmas light display in Wilmington wins ABC?s ?The Great Christmas Light Fight,? draws massive crowds

Nation

Fauci says vaccinate Biden, Harris, Trump, Pence

42 days after the election, Trump is finally out of options to challenge his 2020 loss

UMass model sees cases continuing to climb into early January

World

Russian officers were near Navalny when he was poisoned, report says

UK to ease rules on blood donations by gay and bisexual men

Scientists focus on bats for clues to prevent next pandemic

politics

A running list of President-elect Joe Biden?s administration picks

Biden expected to pick Pete Buttigieg for transportation secretary

McConnell acknowledges Biden is president-elect, says Electoral College ?has spoken?

business

Fannie, Freddie slump after Mnuchin rules out freeing companies

USPS ?gridlocked? as historic crush of holiday packages sparks delays

New boss takes over at Dunkin? as Canton company changes hands

lifestyle

5 savory thank-yous for all the cooks tied to the kitchen this year

Recipe: Homemade grainy, nutty digestive biscuits, similar to Graham crackers, make a fine gift

Nothing is more comforting than steamy hot soup, especially this traditional Moroccan bowl

marijuana

Two new commissioners tapped for Massachusetts marijuana agency

Chief of staff to ex-mayor of Fall River pleads guilty to extortion, bribery charges

Marijuana found concealed in shampoo bottle at Logan Airport Friday

opinion

?We?re gonna [lose] so much you may get tired of [losing]?

Abortion-rights bill deserves passage ? again

If only we had an inoculation against ridiculousness

food & dining

Recipe: Homemade grainy, nutty digestive biscuits, similar to Graham crackers, make a fine gift

Nothing is more comforting than steamy hot soup, especially this traditional Moroccan bowl

So much goodness in a bowl

travel

Shayna Seymour on Martha?s Vineyard, margaritas, and needing more Italy in her life

The Caribbean is open. Well, almost

Off the beaten track, Caribbean-style: Here?s where to social distance in paradise

Books

Heather Clark charts Sylvia Plath?s trajectory to become one of the most brilliant writers of her generation

Rian Hughes?s illustrated novel ?XX? reinvents a classic science fiction trope in a massive work of dizzying originality

Reading between basketball games, looking for tenderness and beauty

Movies

The Boston Society of Film Critics names its winners for 2020

Giving voice to August Wilson

Spoiling for a fight

Television

Caught up on the year?s best TV? Here are more to check out

This week?s TV: Last gasps of 2020, another Stephen King series, and the dogs of the year

Timothée Chalamet plays a coronavirus, impersonates Harry Styles in ?SNL? debut

music

Prince, Petty, Monk, Joni, and more: The best box sets and reissues of the year

What are Bob Dylan?s three best songs? Fans have plenty to say.

When Boston?s music scene was built on Beethoven

Theater/Dance

In ?Fosse/Verdon,? a welcome spotlight on a Broadway legend

The North Shore is missing its Scrooge. But he intends to be back next year.

Who?s Zoomin? who? Playwrights adapt by incorporating digital platforms into their scripts

globe local

Newton extends COVID-19 emergency housing relief program

What to my wondering eyes should appear, but a cherry-red helicopter with no need for reindeer

Fort Hood soldier was still alive days after he disappeared, raising possibility that suicide could have been prevented, reports show

Obituaries

Sara Leland, Boston-trained dancer for the New York City Ballet, dies at 79

Gerard Houllier, former Liverpool coach, dies at 73

John le Carré, who lifted the spy novel to literature, dies at 89