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TRENDING:

US death toll from COVID-19 tops 500,000

Pandemic surpasses a grim mark that seemed unimaginable a year ago.

Count by Johns Hopkins puts toll above half-million

Health officials and scientists warn that over 100,000 more deaths are likely in the next few months, despite a massive vaccination campaign.

Charts: Signs suggest the pandemic is weakening, but experts still urge caution

Coronavirus case and death numbers in Massachusetts and across the nation are on the decline. But experts, worried about the arrival of new variants stoking another surge, are urging people to continue to take precautions — and get vaccinated.
See more vaccine news, resources, and guidance

Mass. reports 29,959 new COVID-19 vaccinations, 26 deaths, 1,150 cases

The total shots administered include 1,044,210 first shots and 399,638 second shots. Those who have gotten their second shot of the currently approved two-dose vaccines are considered fully vaccinated.
The latest COVID-19 numbers from Mass. Mass vaccination site opens at the Natick Mall and distribution gets off to a smooth start

Governor Baker still enormously popular among Massachusetts residents amid sluggish vaccine rollout, poll finds
A survey by MassINC Polling Group released Monday found 74 percent of respondents approved of the job Baker is doing as governor, with 20 percent saying they disapprove.

Leaders are frustrated with Baker's decision to stop sending vaccinations to local sites

Analysis
Biden’s political best friend might just be Donald Trump
Every single time that Trump is in the news, it both divides Republicans on whether the party should continue to embrace him, and it frames Biden’s presidency in terms of who he isn't.

AG nominee Merrick Garland says first focus would be on Capitol insurrection
Mass. coronavirus at a glance |
Vaccinations
Daily doses:
Weekly doses:
1st dose received:
Fully vaccinated:
% of doses used:
7-day trend/avg.:
Cases and deaths
Cases
Today
Deaths
Today
Other resources:
SOURCE: Mass. Dept. of Public Health
peter abraham

We finally got to see the new-look Red Sox take the field; here’s what we saw

Monday was the first full-squad workout at JetBlue Park, and the scene was a lot quieter than it normally would be.
Red Sox put Franchy Cordero on the COVID-19 injured list

As Toast IPO rumor swirls, restaurant owners express support for the tech firm
The Boston-based restaurant tech company is said to be mulling an initial public offering that could value the firm at $20 billion.

Supreme Court won’t halt Trump tax record turnover

In a significant defeat for former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court is declining to step in to halt the turnover of his tax records to a New York state prosecutor.

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Restaurants don’t need indoor dining. They need a bailout.

Democrats’ proposal to include $25 billion in restaurant grants in the next major COVID relief package could save restaurants — and lives.
Marcela García

The Biden administration is deporting hundreds of Haitians to a country mired in political chaos
Joan Vennochi

For Charlie Baker, ‘sorry’ is the hardest word
Kevin P. Hill

COVID-19 makes it harder to stay sober
UMass School of Medicine Specialists

Remove the waiver requirement for buprenorphine prescribing

Project takeout: Get takeout. Save restaurants you love.
Ordering dinner will help small local businesses survive the pandemic. But that’s just the start.

3 restaurants we supported this week Learn more about Project Takeout

The Black history I carry with me

A Beautiful Resistance — a special project from the Globe's culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt — is celebrating Black History Month by amplifying local stories of change-makers and the people inspired by them.

Mamaleh’s uses new funding model, NuMarket, to help open second location in Brookline
The company announced Monday that it has launched a $180,000 fundraising effort to help with the opening of a new cafe in Brookline’s Washington Square.

Is it COVID… or a bad slice of meatloaf?
With new variants surging and cases high, it’s easy to jump to the worst-case scenario.

Family of 11-year-old boy who died in unheated Texas mobile home sues power companies for over $100m
On Tuesday, Maria Elisa Pineda found her 11-year-old son, Cristian Pavon, dead under a pile of blankets on his own bed — a death authorities suspect was a result of hypothermia.

58 people died in last week’s frigid weather

THE GREAT DIVIDE
Eight years after Walsh’s promises, Boston prekindergarten still not universal
The prekindergarten program in Boston Public Schools is well-regarded, but without universal capacity, the spots tend to go to savvier families who know about the early application deadline.

Pegasystems added hundreds of jobs in Mass. last year, with more to come
Revenue at the Cambridge company grew 12 percent last year, enabling it to clear the $1 billion threshold for the first time.

Man who set in motion gunfire that cost Dawnn Jaffier her life has murder conviction thrown out
The state’s highest court Monday threw out the first degree murder conviction of a Boston man who set in motion the gunfire that claimed the life of Dawnn Jaffier hours before she was to participate in the 2014 Caribbean Festival in Boston.

stan grossfeld
Cancer survivor Dana Giordano may be a long shot, but she has her heart set on the Olympics
The 27-year-old BAA runner hasn't let ovarian cancer stop her, and she has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 5,000 meters.

Cam Newton opened up about his season with the Patriots on a podcast. Here’s what we learned
On the ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast hosted by ex-NFL players Brandon Marshall, Fred Taylor, and Chad Johnson, Newton went deep on his one season in New England.

Recommended reads

Thousands of Mass. hospital workers have been sickened with COVID since the start of the pandemic

They’ve been on the front lines of the pandemic for almost a year. They’ve battled under grueling conditions. They’ve saved lives and watched people die. And a staggering number of health care workers statewide — more than 14,000 — have become sick themselves.

A Beautiful Resistance | Jeneé Osterheldt
The Black history I carry with me: Kaasim Abdal-Khallaq Davis
Kaasim Abdal-Khallaq Davis is a singer, model, and actor. He continues his family tradition with a clothing brand: Nubian is a Lifestyle.

WAKANDA II seeks to back sole Black candidate for mayor
Black leaders have been holding virtual planning sessions, fine-tuning a candidate questionnaire on key issues, and spearheading a determined effort to coalesce behind a single Black candidate since President Biden tapped Mayor Martin J. Walsh to be his labor secretary.

metro

RI ARTS
Newport Music Festival plans a summer of genre-defying concerts
Executive Director Gillian Friedman Fox says she’s aiming to “celebrate the diversity of artistic expression within classical music.”

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Eight years after Walsh’s promises, Boston prekindergarten still not universal
CORONAVIRUS

At risk and overlooked: Homebound seniors left out of R.I.’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Sports

MLB NOTEBOOK
Mariners CEO Kevin Mather, lambasted after Rotary Club speech, resigns
“There is no excuse for what was said, and I won’t try to make one,” Seattle chairman John Stanton said in a statement. “I offer my sincere apology on behalf of the club and my partners to our players and fans. We must be, and do, better.”

Patriots

Cam Newton opened up about his season with the Patriots on a podcast. Here’s what we learned
tara sullivan

Celtics’ inability to close out games is something Brad Stevens must address quickly

business

Mamaleh’s uses new funding model, NuMarket, to help open second location in Brookline
The company announced Monday that it has launched a $180,000 fundraising effort to help with the opening of a new cafe in Brookline’s Washington Square.

Pegasystems added hundreds of jobs in Mass. last year, with more to come

Jeff Immelt is ready to help GE, but Larry Culp isn’t calling

politics

Wife of drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’ arrested on US drug charges
Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, who is a dual citizen of the US and Mexico, was arrested at Dulles International Airport and is expected to appear in federal court in Washington on Tuesday.

Did Washington just have an actual weekend?
Analysis

Biden’s political best friend might just be Donald Trump

lifestyle

Names
What will ‘Mahty’ Walsh be like as labor secretary? Comedian Julia Claire demonstrates
The comedian, who grew up Medfield, gets the accent right, in imagining Walsh's first day on the new job.

Names

Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen launch ‘Renegades’ podcast on Spotify

‘Eastern Standard will forever be the standard in our eyes’: Readers recall scenes from life moments, big and small

arts

ASK MATTHEW
If you enjoyed ‘Your Honor,’ who am I to judge?
As a critic, I don’t pretend my opinions are the correct ones, or even the best ones; they’re just mine.

COMFORT ZONE

Tatiana de Rosnay on ‘Sarah’s Key,’ Boston memories, and her scary new novel
COMFORT ZONE

Stars to come out (remotely) for a new Boston clinic for homeless women

rhode island

RI ARTS
Newport Music Festival plans a summer of genre-defying concerts
Executive Director Gillian Friedman Fox says she’s aiming to “celebrate the diversity of artistic expression within classical music.”

CORONAVIRUS

At risk and overlooked: Homebound seniors left out of R.I.’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout
POLITICS

Raimondo: Unclear when I’ll be confirmed as Commerce secretary

Newton

Special Projects

A Beautiful Resistance celebrates Black History Month

A Beautiful Resistance, in a special collaboration with Reebok, celebrate Black History Month. Black Joy. Black Wellness. Black Futures.
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

Boston Globe launches ‘Fresh Start’ initiative: People can apply to have past coverage about them reviewed
Similar to “right to forget” programs that have cropped up across the country, the undertaking is meant to address the lasting impact that stories about past embarrassments, mistakes, or minor crimes, forever online, can have on a person’s life.

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

The only typewriter shop in town has its hands full

A device that was once an office essential has been reborn as a creative tool embraced by young folks — which means Cambridge Typewriter owner Tom Furrier has been plenty busy.
ASK MATTHEW

10 reader-approved TV shows for parents and tweens

We asked for suggestions, and from "Sherlock" to "Green Acres," readers responded.
COMFORT ZONE

Henry Louis Gates Jr. on his new documentary and the role of the Black church in social justice

Henry Louis Gates Jr. on his newest work for PBS, "The Black Church," premiering Feb. 16.
COMFORT ZONE

Join a sea shanty sing-along with Gloucester’s David Coffin

The Revels artist-in-residence will lead the event on Facebook Live.

Local puzzle swapping groups offer an unexpected remedy to the pandemic blues

In the midst of a pandemic, and winter weather, puzzles are a great way for people to entertain themselves inside. Puzzling also helps people feel less alone.

Lynn native Amanda Mena brings her hope for ‘better days’ to ‘American Idol’

She hopes her audition song, Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Golden Slumbers,” will strike a chord for listeners “waiting for better days.”

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

EDITORIAL

Restaurants don’t need indoor dining. They need a bailout.
UMass School of Medicine Specialists

Remove the waiver requirement for buprenorphine prescribing
EDITORIAL

It’s time to fix the Affordable Care Act
Brandon D.L. Marshall and Ashish K. Jha

Overdose prevention sites save lives
IDEAS | JIM KRANE

Can Saudi Arabia use ‘clean oil’ to buy time in the fight against climate change?
IDEAS | FRANK PASQUALE

Now that science fiction is reality, it’s time for new laws of robotics

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
My Boston History

We loved ‘The Nutcracker.’ We rejoiced at ‘Black Nativity’
My Boston History

Why New Edition’s breakout success meant so much to kids like me growing up in Roxbury

Perspective

Small businesses need help. And it’s time for insurance companies to pay up
Cooking

Egg recipes for when you’re scrambling for dinner

sports

Red Sox put Franchy Cordero on the COVID-19 injured list

EMass girls’ basketball: Boston Latin’s Emelia O’Gilvie headlines Players of the Week

UMass men’s basketball could come out on top of the Atlantic 10

metro

Mass. reports 29,959 new COVID-19 vaccinations, 26 deaths, 1,150 cases

Harvard grad students say Cornel West’s departure would be ‘devastating blow’ to scholars of color

Governor Baker still enormously popular among Massachusetts residents amid sluggish vaccine rollout, poll finds

Nation

Watch: NASA releases Mars landing video: ‘Stuff of our dreams’

Wife of drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’ arrested on US drug charges

Lonely, isolated COVID-19 patients get lifeline: Doctor creates pilot program for vaccinated hospital workers to sit with them

World

Prince William says hospitalized grandfather Prince Philip is ‘OK’

In Israeli election, a chance for Arabs to gain influence — or lose it

Pressuring France to bring them home, women who joined ISIS stage hunger strike

politics

AG nominee Merrick Garland says first focus would be on Capitol insurrection

Key senators oppose Biden budget pick, putting confirmation at risk

Supreme Court won’t halt Trump tax record turnover

business

Biden tweaks PPP rules in attempt to reach smallest companies

As Toast IPO rumor swirls, restaurant owners express support for the tech firm

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot to be used in controversial paintball art project

lifestyle

He broke up with me by text and joined the Navy

TikTok users are posting videos promoting restaurants and stores during the pandemic. And it’s helping

Sycamore’s Lydia Reichert prepares to open Jinny’s Pizzeria, an homage to her vivacious grandmother

marijuana

New Jersey governor signs laws to set up marijuana market

Newton marijuana store seeks end to appointment-only rule, as nearby competition grows

Should psychedelic drugs be decriminalized in Mass.? Advocates see opening

opinion

Postcards from the pandemic

For Charlie Baker, ‘sorry’ is the hardest word

The Biden administration is deporting hundreds of Haitians to a country mired in political chaos

food & dining

‘Eastern Standard will forever be the standard in our eyes’: Readers recall scenes from life moments, big and small

TikTok users are posting videos promoting restaurants and stores during the pandemic. And it’s helping

Sycamore’s Lydia Reichert prepares to open Jinny’s Pizzeria, an homage to her vivacious grandmother

travel

Ted Cruz: Poster child for bad travel decisions

Here’s why you should dust off those cross-country skis this winter

There is so much Black history in Providence, and still so much to learn

Books

Tatiana de Rosnay on ‘Sarah’s Key,’ Boston memories, and her scary new novel

Four Takes: On Hollywood

Small town, many stories in ‘American Delirium’

Movies

Netflix documentary to examine the man at the center of the college admissions scandal

Turning 40: 1981 at the movies

A justice speaks; justice is elusive; justice is sought

Television

If you enjoyed ‘Your Honor,’ who am I to judge?

This week’s TV: Take-it-or-leave-it binges, ‘Mr. Soul!,’ and a bicoastal Golden Globes

‘Last Week Tonight’: John Oliver takes a closer look at the deadly storm in Texas and castigates Cruz for his Cancún getaway

music

Boston Calling canceled again amid the coronavirus pandemic

BSO picks Gail Samuel, longtime LA Philharmonic executive, as its first woman president and CEO

At NEC, a concert to pay tribute to Coretta Scott King, and to many, many others

Theater/Dance

Stars to come out (remotely) for a new Boston clinic for homeless women

Amid the biotechs in Kendall Square, a place for dance

A Strindberg adaptation unfolds before an all-seeing camera in ‘Julia’

globe local

Colorado woman injured after crashing snowmobile into N.H. river

Coating of snow, rain coming to Mass. on Monday

Can this DPW yard help save the planet?

Obituaries

Irvienne Goldson, health care ‘spirit warrior’ for women of color, dies at 60

Milford Graves, singular drummer and polymath, dies at 79

Arturo Di Modica, sculptor of Wall Street bull, dies at 80