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Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died of stroke one day after Jan. 6 attack, D.C. chief medical examiner rules

The determination of a natural cause of death means the medical examiner found that a medical condition alone caused Sicknick's death — it was not brought on by an injury.

Johan Lopez talked with his sister, Sophia, while having coffee outside the Thinking Cup on Newbury Street in Boston last month.
Could outdoor mask mandates get dropped in the coming weeks? One expert thinks so
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, says that states may soon drop their outdoor mask-wearing mandates — and it makes sense.

1,236 confirmed cases, 18 deaths, and 50,856 vaccinations: See today’s new COVID-19 data from Mass.

The state said 34,675 people were estimated to have active cases of the potentially deadly virus, and 705 confirmed coronavirus patients were in the hospital.
Here are tips to get a vaccination appointment in Mass.

US in ‘complicated stage’ of COVID-19 pandemic with cases and deaths increasing while vaccinations ramp up, Walensky says

The United States is averaging about 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per day. At the same time, the seven-day average of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have increased.

Murder case against Derek Chauvin in George Floyd’s death goes to the jury

Twelve jurors are beginning deliberations in a city on edge against another round of unrest.
Nancy Fields and her daughter Kylee. A year ago, Fields was so sick she could barely move. Now she's healthy and having a baby.
Jeneé Osterheldt

A year ago she had COVID. Now she’s having a baby

Coronavirus taught Nancy Fields not to take life for granted.
If elected, Alex Gray would presumably become the first blind member of the Boston City Council.
Kevin Cullen

A City Council candidate who can see what others can’t

If elected, Alex Gray would presumably become the first blind member of the Boston City Council.
Tom and Kristin Cressotti, joined by their daughter, Ella, 5, encourage their son, Cade, 2 months, to smile for a photo outside their home.

As the gender reveal party death toll mounts, people ask ‘Why???’

Wildfires, malfunctioning explosive devices, a plane crash. Are gender reveal parties cursed?
Mass. coronavirus at a glance |
Vaccinations
Daily doses:
Weekly doses:
1+ dose received:
Fully vaccinated:
% of doses used:
7-day trend/avg.:
Cases and deaths
Cases
.
Deaths
.
Other resources:
SOURCE: Mass. Dept. of Public Health

Emily and Greg wave to their virtual guests moments after getting married in their family's backyard.
Forget the conga line and bring a mask. Large weddings planned for 2021 will look different
Local vendors say their schedules are almost booked for the rest of the year, with their first triple-digit guest-list weddings since the pandemic scheduled for as soon as this summer.

Tom Brady (center) caught Inter Miami FC's matchup against the Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
Tom Brady says he’ll be ready for Bucs minicamp after undergoing knee surgery
If Tampa Bay holds a minicamp — some teams' players are opting out of the offseason program — Brady expects to be in attendance.

TOM FARRAGHER
Sydney Holloman-Pressley with her students at the Willard School, where they conducted research that led to Concord's decision to honor George Washington Dugan, the town's sole Black Civil War soldier.
For this Concord class, history unfolds right in the middle of their town
After fifth graders at Willard Elementary School learned about George Washington Dugan, the town’s sole Black Civil War soldier, they were determined to right a wrong.

John Mandelman, vice president and chief scientist of the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, with Alissa Peterson, SeaAhead cofounder, at the aquarium pier.
New England Aquarium partners with SeaAhead to launch ocean-centric startups
The ocean is a massive ecosystem, so why shouldn’t it have a startup ecosystem all its own? That’s the thinking behind the new BlueSwell Incubator Program hosted by the New England Aquarium and SeaAhead, a local “bluetech” business group that works with maritime-focused startups.

An artist's rendering of the Fenway Center project, being built with air rights above the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Approaching Boston from the west will never be the same: Long-planned Fenway Center is about to rise
The Fenway Center project will put a two-acre deck, followed by a 350-foot tower, above the Massachusetts Turnpike between Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street.

RI POLITICS
Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera stands on Broad Street, across from City Hall.
In Central Falls, Maria Rivera is a hands-on mayor
Just 100 days into her tenure, staffers and residents agree: this mayor is fully engaged with her community.

Opinion

In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin listens as his attorney, Eric Nelson, gives his closing defense argument Monday at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd.
Joan Vennochi

Believe what you saw. Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd.

Watching that video is a gut punch, one that should lead a reasonable person to conclude that the force Chauvin used was unreasonable, excessive, and disproportionate to the situation.
Steven Prescod as Tereek (left) and Robert Tarango as Artie, in a scene from "Feeling Through."
Dave Power

What TikTok users who doubt Helen Keller can learn this Oscar season
People are checked for a Florida ID as they enter a mass site to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on March 9 in Miami.
Harald Schmidt and Rebecca Weintraub

An ID shouldn’t be a requirement for the COVID vaccine
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Isreal (center) attends a Memorial Day ceremony honoring Israel's fallen soldiers, in Jerusalem, April 14.
EDITORIAL

Biden must be blunt with Israel about the Iran deal
An Amtrak Acela train sits at Union Station in Washington, D.C. January 2019.
EDITORIAL

New Amtrak funding should be directed to the places that use train travel the most

Recommended reads

Shirley Leung
At a “Fight Anti-Asian Hate” rally in Quincy early this month, Doris Zui, 7, displayed a sign.
Elderly Asian Americans are living in fear as assaults, confrontations soar. A retiree worries: ‘If people beat me, I can die right away’
If white seniors had been the victims, this country would have declared a national emergency by now.

Needham officials hope to block Amazon facility from prominent Route 128 site

“That’s really the gateway to Needham,” said Greg Reibman, president of the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber. “You want something aspirational to appear in that spot, not a big warehouse with trucks coming in at all hours of the day.”
THE GREAT DIVIDE

Mass. education commissioner recommends vocational school admissions changes to boost fairness

Massachusetts’ education commissioner, Jeff Riley, has proposed changes to vocational-technical school admissions aimed at giving disadvantaged students a better shot at attending the coveted schools.

‘One person at a time’: A Baptist pastor tries to vaccinate his deeply conservative N.C. hometown

Vaccine skepticism runs highest among white evangelicals and conservatives, according to polls. So, Nathan Murray, a Baptist pastor as well as a paramedic, is waging an exhausting battle to convince his neighbors to get inoculated.
THE FINE PRINT

Is an extended car warranty worth it?

Ads for CarShield are ubiquitous on cable television, making the case that it makes economic sense to buy an extended warranty to cover the cost of expensive car repairs. But does it really?

metro

Firefighters responded to a fire on Meacham Road in Cambridge on Monday.

Three-alarm fire reported at North Cambridge home

Firefighters were battling a three-alarm blaze at a home here on Monday afternoon, officials said.

The fight to stop imprisoning women in Massachusetts

Boston City Council to mull moving Sept. 21 preliminary election up a week

Sports

After Garnet Hathaway slammed Jarred Tinordi from behind into the boards, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy (above) argued for a stiff penalty against Hathaway.
Bruins notebook

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy is OK with game’s physical nature — to a point

Cassidy had no problem with Tom Wilson's hit on Sean Kuraly, but Garnet Hathaway's boarding of Jarred Tinordi was a different matter.
patriots

Some Patriots players report for first day of voluntary offseason program

Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen announces death of his son, Antron

business

John Mandelman, vice president and chief scientist of the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, with Alissa Peterson, SeaAhead cofounder, at the aquarium pier.

New England Aquarium partners with SeaAhead to launch ocean-centric startups

Winners of $20m contest make concrete to trap carbon dioxide

Union says Amazon illegally interfered with vote, wants results thrown out

politics

Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush arrive in the Crypt of the US Capitol for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 in Washington.

In an interview, former president George W. Bush talks of ‘compassionate conservatives,’ his belief in unification

Half of US adults now have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot

One America News Network stays true to Trump

Living Arts

Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page in a scene from Netflix's "Bridgerton," among the many streaming series engineered for binge-watching.
COMFORT ZONE

Some shows are meant to be binged, not savored
COMFORT ZONE

This musical journey around the globe comes once a month in a box

Viola Davis is named 2021 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year

education

Northeastern University is one of at least 20 colleges or universities that have announced students are required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus before returning to campus in the fall.

Colleges are starting to require student vaccinations

Massachusetts, other states need to increase spending for preschools, report says
THE GREAT DIVIDE

Mass. education commissioner recommends vocational school admissions changes to boost fairness

rhode island

Misquamicut State Beach in Rhode Island
RI NEWS

Parking fees could go up at R.I.’s Misquamicut State Beach and Lot G in the Port of Galilee in 2021
RI POLITICS

In Central Falls, Maria Rivera is a hands-on mayor
CORONAVIRUS

Everything you need to know about getting a coronavirus vaccine in Rhode Island

Newton

video

Comfort Zone

COMFORT ZONE
Safiya Leslie
This musical journey around the globe comes once a month in a box
Berklee grad Safiya Leslie — a singer/songwriter and entrepreneur — is giving world music fans a chance to explore the sounds of a different country each month through her Safiya’s World Music Tour Playlist subscription boxes.

COMFORT ZONE
People in Boston and beyond can grab a free BlueBike to reach their vaccination site starting April 19.
Take a free Bluebike to your COVID-19 vaccine appointment
The complimentary trips will be available in Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Newton, Revere, Somerville, and Watertown.

COMFORT ZONE
Volunteer Coordinator Carol Carlson will read “Carl and the Meaning of Life” by Deborah Freedman and “Trees Make Perfect Pets” by Paul Czajak and Cathy Gendron at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Eight Earth Day events for the whole family
From your backyard to your favorite trail, enjoy these virtual (or socially distanced) events that make you proud to be an earthling.

COMFORT ZONE
Some of Carol Resende's propagating plants.
How houseplant propagation kept some Bostonians well-rooted through the pandemic
Enthusiasts regularly trade clippings and solicit gardening advice on Facebook groups like Boston Plant Swap. Instagram accounts devoted to succulent propagation have picked up thousands of followers, and “plantfluencers” are finding fertile ground on TikTok for doling out gardening advice.

Families can immediately purchase timed tickets for Saturdays and Sundays next month, with extended hours arriving in June.
Boston Children’s Museum brings back play with reopening in May
Families can immediately purchase timed tickets for Saturdays and Sundays next month, with extended hours arriving in June.

Special Projects

Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt.
See the full project Follow @abeautifulresistance on Instagram

On the Street

A man repacked the food he got from a food pantry on Broadway in Chelsea. Chelsea has been one of the places in Greater Boston hardest hit by the pandemic.

In tackling the pandemic, Chelsea finds new strength
A mural on the side of the Mayor Bill Carpenter Garage in Brockton.

Brockton offers a gateway to a new generation
Evening light sets upon stores and restaurants on Hancock Street in Quincy Center.

This time, Quincy Center’s revival looks legit

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

More

PROJECT TAKEOUT | DEVRA FIRST
The Globe launches Project Takeout, an effort to help restaurants make it to the other side of this pandemic.
Get takeout. It’s your civic duty.
Ordering dinner will help small local businesses survive the pandemic. But that’s just the start.

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.

Boston Globe Spotlight Report
Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level
Hospital chiefs and trustees defend this as boosting public-private partnerships, but critics say these board positions — some paying millions of dollars — raise troubling issues of conflict of interest and hospital priorities.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

L. Rafael Reif

The ‘super wicked problem’ of climate change is our Earthshot
Pump jacks and wind turbines are visible inside of a cotton field near Lamesa, Texas, in 2015.
Frances Moore Lappé

It’s not too late to make a difference on the climate crisis
Smoke billows from a Marathon Petroleum refinery near a neighborhood in southwest Detroit.
Alex Papali and Rebecca Herst

Infrastructure investments move us toward an equitable climate resilient future
Reverend Erika Wilson, from the Awakening Spiritual Community of San Antonio, speaks at the Whole Women's Health clinic in 2019.
Mary Ann Sorrentino

The chipping away of a woman’s right to choose
Law enforcement officers cleared an area of demonstrators outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department during a protest on April 14 over the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop.
Dean A. Strang and Nancy Gertner

Supreme Court rulings on traffic stops reinforce structural racism in policing
ideas

The Future of Work

STAT

Road ahead illo
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.

Ahoskie Mayor Weyling White, left, and Hertford County Magistrate Deborah Morrison, right, pose for a portrait on railroad tracks that divide the predominantly White and predominantly Black parts of town in Ahoskie, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (Photo © Landon Bost 2020)
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.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 12: People walk through the snow and sleet in Manhattan on February 12, 2019 in New York City. New York City, in a winter that has been light on snow this season, is expected to receive two inches of snow before the storm moves later this evening. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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.

Boston, MA -- 06/04/2020 -- Yoldana Desir displays a photograph of her late sister, Marie Deus, who died of Covid-19, after contracting it as a food service worker at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Kayana Szymczak for STAT)
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
Drawing of a young girl with a net trying to capture butterflies or something.
School Vacation

15 last-minute ideas for things to do with kids on school vacation
MassArt student Bobbi Colburn wearing a face mask she created.
College & COVID

‘There’s so much beautiful work that’s come out of this’: College art students in the COVID era
MISS CONDUCT

Advice: How do you handle shower invitations for pandemic-style weddings?
Authors Live in Your Living Room features Adrian Miller, author of "Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue," on April 15.
Your Week Ahead

Five things to do, April 12-25

sports

The Red Sox kept the traditional morning start for their Patriots Day game, even though there was no Boston Marathon being run.

Monday was a shot in the arm for Red Sox in more ways than one

Tom Brady says he’ll be ready for Bucs minicamp after undergoing knee surgery

April has been anything but cruel for the Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox

metro

Misquamicut State Beach in Rhode Island

Parking fees could go up at R.I.’s Misquamicut State Beach and Lot G in the Port of Galilee in 2021

A City Council candidate who can see what others can’t

‘We couldn’t be happier’: MIT grad says after Mars helicopter completes first flight

Nation

Defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, accompanied by defendant, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, spoke to the judge before prosecutor Jerry Blackwell gives a rebuttal in closing arguments in the trial of Chauvin.

Murder case against Derek Chauvin in George Floyd’s death goes to the jury

Federal turf wars over coronavirus rescues created ‘health and safety risks,’ watchdog concludes

Authorities did not try to use ‘red flag’ law for Indianapolis gunman

World

Raúl Castro greets delegates after Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel was elected First Secretary of the Communist Party during the 8th Cuban Communist Party's closing session at Convention Palace in Havana, Cuba, on Monday.

A Cuba without a Castro? A country steps into the unknown

Navalny is transferred to hospital for vitamin treatment

Image of queen grieving alone prompts calls for Britain to revise COVID funeral restrictions

politics

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis greeted then-Vice President Mike Pence upon his arrival at Tampa International Airport on Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Tampa.

GOP White House hopefuls move forward as Trump considers run

‘One person at a time’: A Baptist pastor tries to vaccinate his deeply conservative N.C. hometown

Fundraising surged for Republicans who sought to overturn the election

business

A Peloton Interactive Inc. Tread exercise machine.

Peloton shares slump after federal agency warns about treadmill risks

Two US agencies send teams to probe Tesla crash with no driver

Forget the conga line and bring a mask. Large weddings planned for 2021 will look different

lifestyle

Police say a stalker who claims Swift (above) is communicating with him on social media was arrested on a trespassing charge after trying to break into the singer’s Manhattan apartment. A police spokesperson says 52-year-old Hanks Johnson was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Saturday after a 911 caller reported he was inside Swift’s Tribeca building without permission.

Police: Stalker arrested at Taylor Swift’s New York building

Memorabilia from Springsteen to ‘Phantom’ set for auction

Eight Earth Day events for the whole family

marijuana

Jennifer Flanagan speaks during a meeting of the commission in Worcester in February 2020.

Cannabis Commissioner Jennifer Flanagan to resign from state marijuana board

Mass. cannabis commission launching online catalog of marijuana products

Marijuana store sues Haverhill, saying steep ‘impact’ fees are not justified

opinion

In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin listens as his attorney, Eric Nelson, gives his closing defense argument Monday at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd.

Believe what you saw. Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd.

An ID shouldn’t be a requirement for the COVID vaccine

What TikTok users who doubt Helen Keller can learn this Oscar season

food & dining

A beer from Night Shift Brewing.

Crave comes to Allston, breweries launch beer gardens, and the South End welcomes a brasserie

Baseball packages, New England rail travel, and a food lover’s road trip

Cicada Coffee Bar: a restaurant, a cafe, a community

travel

People wait in line at National rental agency in the Miami International Airport Car Rental Center on April 12, in Miami. Customers are finding that car rental agencies have limited or no supply of vehicles as people begin traveling again after being locked down during the pandemic.

Why your next rental car might cost more than a plane ticket

All is not lost at The Lost Kitchen, as chef Erin French adjusts and reinvents, yet again

Chris Wallace on ear plugs, his Globe years, and that time he went to Russia right after a tough Putin interview

Books

Brave women fighting Nazis in ‘The Light of Days’

For Ruth Ware, it was the year reading ‘got squeezed into odd corners’

This thing called life in Elizabeth McCracken’s ‘The Souvenir Museum’

Movies

When the Oscars broadcast begins April 25 on ABC, there won’t be an audience. For the producers, the challenges of COVID are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars.

The pandemic has upended the Oscars. Good, producers say

When Orson Welles doesn’t make the cut

Doc Talk: bearing witness, creating Oz, watching whales

Television

Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page in a scene from Netflix's "Bridgerton," among the many streaming series engineered for binge-watching.

Some shows are meant to be binged, not savored

This week’s TV: The Oscars at long last, Earth Day shows, and a new Ed Helms comedy

‘Call My Agent’ gets a fifth season — and more

music

Safiya Leslie

This musical journey around the globe comes once a month in a box

On two new releases, fans can hear Mark Sandman’s ‘secret band’ in full

Amplifying the Black composers who brought spirituals to classical music

Theater/Dance

Screen shot of Seth Rudetsky in "The Seth Concert Series."

Theater without theater

Huntington Theatre announces a full 2021-22 season of indoor productions

ART’s Diane Borger is stepping down

globe local

Caitlin Harding was arraigned via Zoom Friday in Middlesex Superior Court.

Former Hudson middle school teacher charged with raping student

To cut paper waste, Belmont entrepreneurs sell reusable cloth gift wrap

Lexington confronts history of slavery in liberty’s birthplace

Obituaries

Mr. Junkins, on the deck of the family home on Swan's Island, Maine. Permission: His son Dan Junkins provided verbal permission for free use of the family photo.

Donald Junkins, poet who led UMass Amherst creative writing program, dies at 89

Alma Wahlberg, mother of Mark, Donnie Wahlberg, dies at 78

Penelope Laingen, who united nation with yellow ribbons during Iran hostage crisis, dies at 89