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THE GREAT DIVIDE

Boston Public Schools denies it wrongfully withheld text messages in exam school admission case, saying there was no coverup

The motion filed by school officials in federal court represents the first time they have publicly addressed allegations levied by a group of white and Asian parents who contend that the district intentionally concealed the text messages to hide racial bias among School Committee members.

Scattered thunderstorms, hail cause downed trees and outages across Massachusetts

More rain moved into Massachusetts overnight from the New York area as Tropical Storm Elsa made its way up the East Coast. A tropical storm warning was in effect early Thursday from the Merrimack River, including Boston, to Cape Cod and the Islands.
High winds, lightning spark fires in Hopkinton Tropical storm kills 1 in Florida, hurts 10 at Georgia base

Weather | Dave Epstein
A bicyclist held an umbrella on Beacon Street in the rain.
In Boston, first week of July has been wettest in over 100 years
The front which brought showers and thunderstorms to the area late Wednesday will stall to the south and act to enhance Tropical Storm Elsa, or what is left of Elsa, Thursday night and Friday.

Few in Massachusetts taking advantage of new federal Internet subsidy

Massachusetts ranked 44th in signs ups by eligible residents for the new federal Internet subsidy program.
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos got the first spin around the ice with the Stanley Cup.
Lightning 1, Canadiens 0

Lightning blank Canadiens to win second straight Stanley Cup title

The Lightning are the first team to win consecutive Cups since the Penguins (2016-17).
Fania Alvarez moved from Haiti six years ago, with her daughter, Najima

Local Haitians express shock, frustration as nation is again plunged into turmoil following slaying of president

News of the assassination of Haiti’s president swept through Boston’s Haitian diaspora Wednesday, prompting shock and worry over a nation already beset by natural disasters and political turmoil in recent years.
Haiti’s future uncertain after brazen slaying of president
Michelle Blouin of Medford swam in a designated area at Walden Pond on Friday.

Walden Pond open-water swimming will be allowed again, after public outcry

The state closed portions of Walden Pond to open-water swimming after a spate of drownings in Massachusetts, but a public outcry prompted officials to reverse course.
Mass. coronavirus at a glance
Vaccinations
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Trend:
1+ dose received:
Fully vaccinated:
Cases and deaths
Total cases:
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Total deaths:
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Other resources:
Last updated: . NOTE: Mass DPH releases data Monday-Friday starting July 2021. Mass. population of 6,892,503 is used to calculate vaccination percentages. SOURCE: Mass. Dept. of Public Health

Court decision allows Canton school to continue using electric shocks on residents with intellectual disabilities

The 2-1 decision issued Tuesday allows the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center to continue using the controversial devices on residents. The center is now the sole facility in the country that uses electric shocks to modify behavior in patients with disabilities, according to court records.

Needham police officers, town sued over alleging racial profiling during January 2020 arrest

A Black man who works in Needham on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the town, its police chief, and four police officers, alleging the police department violated his civil rights and racially profiled him during a January 2020 arrest.

Pope temporarily had fever 3 days after intestinal surgery

Pope Francis temporarily ran a temperature three days after intestinal surgery, but routine tests proved negative, the Vatican said Thursday.

Rudy Giuliani.
Giuliani’s DC law license suspended until NY case resolved
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals suspended Rudy Giuliani’s D.C. law license Wednesday pending the disposition of his New York suspension.

Red Sox notebook
Alex Verdugo has just two home runs since the beginning of June.
Here’s why Alex Verdugo could use some time off at the All-Star break
Verdugo has yet to log more than 377 plate appearances in a season. He’s now at 342.

International Olympic Committee president arrives in Tokyo; greeted by state of emergency

IOC President Thomas Bach arrived in Tokyo on Thursday just as a ban on spectators at the Tokyo Olympics is likely after Japan Prime Minister Yoshihde Suga announced a state of emergency because of rising coronavirus infections in the capital.

Opinion

To beat Governor Charlie Baker, a challenger must inspire a massive voter defection away from a governor who has stayed popular no matter what happened on his watch.
Joan Vennochi

If Baker runs for a third term, he’ll win. Unless...

If Governor Charlie Baker doesn’t run, he’s a lame duck. If he does, he’s governor again.
Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson (second from left) accompanies volunteers and staffers during a door-knocking outreach effort to inform residents about an upcoming COVID-19 vaccination event, on June 30, in Birmingham, Ala.
Shan Soe-Lin and Robert Hecht

Respect the Delta variant, but don’t fear it — unless you’re not vaccinated
Ashish K. Jha

Masking indoors in the age of the Delta variant
Walden Pond swimmer Peter Halpert from Lincoln was upset about the state's ban on open-water swimming. "This is holy water. It's a spiritual and religious event to swim in this pond," Halpert said. The state announced on Wednesday that it was lifting the ban.
EDITORIAL

Give people safe access to public waters

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at a House Financial Services Subcommittee hearing about the court's budget in Washington on March 23, 2015.
LETTERS

As court’s term ends, inquiring minds turn to Justice Breyer’s retiring mind

THE GREAT DIVIDE ⟶

See the latest from our education team focused on race, class, and opportunity in schools.

RHODE ISLAND ⟶

See the latest from Globe Rhode Island.

NEWTON ⟶

See the Globe’s expanded Newton coverage in partnership with Boston University.

Recommended reads

Because Lashaya Cuff and her sister are under 17, their mother is eligible for $500 per month. She didn’t know she qualified.

The money could transform their lives. But thousands of eligible kids may not get the new child tax credit

Both the IRS and local community groups are warning that a significant number of families who most need the relief risk falling through the cracks because they are not known to the IRS.

THE GREAT DIVIDE
Outgoing Sharon Public Schools Superintendent Victoria Greer's contract was not renewed by the Sharon School Committee last year in the middle of a national reckoning on race. She's spent the past several months looking for a new job.
‘I have never seen a Black superintendent retire ... There’s a systemic problem’
There's a lack of racial diversity among the state’s educators, particularly superintendents of color whose numbers and tenure are low. Especially at a time of national racial awareness, education advocates are pushing to cut down on that disparity, saying it is critical for Black, Latino, and Asian students to see themselves reflected in their teachers and school leaders.

Aly Raisman's dog Mylo has been missing since the weekend.
‘Really scary’: Aly Raisman speaks out about search for missing dog
Two-time Olympian Aly Raisman emphasized that the situation has been a “nightmare” and how grateful she is for the support of the Boston community.

Back to the gym: Fitness classes, gym memberships rebound after pandemic-era hiatus

Since the lifting of most pandemic restrictions a few weeks ago, local studio owners say fitness classes are filling up with clients, a sign that a once-thriving industry in Boston is making a resurgence.

video

Special Projects

EDITORIAL

Editorial: Future-proofing the presidency

Donald Trump brought our democracy to the brink and exposed its weak spots. Here’s how to thwart the next American tyrant.
Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance: Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt

Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt.

‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting

Blind Spot

An 11-month Globe investigation found that people nationwide are dying in crashes caused by drivers who should have had their licenses suspended. One in 10 US drivers has at least one offense — from speeding to vehicular homicide — that isn’t reflected on their driving record.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

ESPN sports broadcaster Rachel Nichols at American Airlines Center on February 6 in Dallas, Texas.
RENÉE GRAHAM

The truth about workplace ‘diversity’
A crew of inmate firefighters work to contain the Springs Fire as it burns along a hillside in the Angeles National Forest in Valyermo, California, April 5.
ABDALLAH FAYYAD

The United States has yet to fully abolish slavery
The container ship Ever Lively, registered in Singapore, ties up at the Paul W. Conley Container Terminal in South Boston in July 2020.
Scott A. Hodge and Daniel Bunn

Biden’s infrastructure plan could unfairly tax Northeast businesses

A person gets vaccinated at a drive-thru coronavirus vaccination site in Columbus, Ohio, on May 13, four days before before the Ohio vaccination lottery campaign was announced.
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Patricia Hong, and Matthew Guido

Out of luck — COVID-19 vaccination lotteries don’t work
Joan Wickersham

The bricks of New Ireland
NASA and some of the world’s leading engineers and space scientists are at work on a plan to avoid the destruction of Earth by an errant asteroid.
IDEAS | DAVID SHRIBMAN

The following asteroid collision is only a test

Metro

High winds, lightning spark fires in Hopkinton

High winds toppled a tree near North Main Street, and it crashed into a power line, sparking a fire Wednesday evening. Lightning struck a shed on Pleasant Street, causing another fire, according to the fire department.
Weather | Dave Epstein

In Boston, first week of July has been wettest in over 100 years

The front which brought showers and thunderstorms to the area late Wednesday will stall to the south and act to enhance Tropical Storm Elsa, or what is left of Elsa, Thursday night and Friday.

40 people evacuated from charter fishing boat off Gloucester after coolant line bursts creating steam

First responders rescued 40 people from a charter fishing boat in Gloucester Harbor Wednesday morning after crew members mistook steam coming from a burst coolant line for smoke, fearing there was a fire, the harbormaster said.

Rhode Island militia group arose from growing, national sovereign citizen movement, experts say

Despite roots in white supremacism, today’s self-identifying sovereign citizens are multiracial and seem to bask in contradictions.

Sports

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach arrived in Tokyo as Japan Prime Minister Yoshihde Suga was set to declare a state of emergency that is likely to result in a ban on fans from the Tokyo Olympics as coronavirus infections spread across the capital.

International Olympic Committee president arrives in Tokyo; greeted by state of emergency

IOC President Thomas Bach arrived in Tokyo on Thursday just as a ban on spectators at the Tokyo Olympics is likely after Japan Prime Minister Yoshihde Suga announced a state of emergency because of rising coronavirus infections in the capital.
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos got the first spin around the ice with the Stanley Cup.
Lightning 1, Canadiens 0

Lightning blank Canadiens to win second straight Stanley Cup title

The Lightning are the first team to win consecutive Cups since the Penguins (2016-17).
The Revolution's Matt Polster (left) stripped the ball from Toronto FC's Alejandro Pozuelo in the first half.

Revolution have one of their worst collapses of the Bruce Arena era and other observations in loss to lowly Toronto FC

The Revolution had their seven-game home winning streak (over two seasons) snapped.
Red Sox notebook

Here’s why Alex Verdugo could use some time off at the All-Star break

Red Sox starters have been reliable, but who would you trust to start Game 2 of a playoff series?
Sports Log

England beats Denmark to reach Euro 2020 final

Business

Air travel way up during July Fourth weekend

It was the latest sign that travel — at least within the United States — is continuing to rebound from pandemic lows of 2020.

US worker aid becomes casualty as Biden trade power ends

President Biden’s pledge to refrain from pursuing new trade deals is leaving a key training and assistance program for worker without a clear path for renewal.

Fed officials discussed potential reduction in stimulus

COVID-19 pushed 22 million out of job market in major economies

Comfort Zone

What can we learn from wedding announcements? Cate Doty answers with "Mergers and Acquisitions: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages"

What we can learn from wedding announcements
Conductor Keith Lockhart was photographed Friday at Symphony Hall. The 2021 Boston Pops July Fourth Spectacular will mark the conductor's reunion with live audiences.
MUSIC

Keith Lockhart on July 4: ‘The theme of this concert, in my mind, is about rebirth’
Carolina Aragón's "FutureSHORELINE" represents climate threats as well as solutions proposed by scientists.
ART

In Fort Point, public art helps visualize rising sea levels
From left: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, and Rainn Wilson in "The Office."
ASK MATTHEW

Why we’re still in a relationship with some classic sitcoms

STAT

Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Transmission electron micrograph of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle (UK B.1.1.7 variant), isolated from a patient sample and cultivated in cell culture. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID
We know a lot about Covid-19. Experts have many more questions
More than two dozen virologists, epidemiologists, and others responded to STAT's question about what they still most wanted to know.

Boston, MA -- 03/16/21 -- The cover of the summary report of the review hearing for Jospeh Messere, is seen on March 16, 2021, provided by his attorney David Apfel.(Kayana Szymczak for STAT)
Cement Head’s last fight: He was denied parole six times — until he was about to become a Covid-19 statistic
In lawyers' view, the Department of Correction was trying to make it seem like it had fewer Covid-19 deaths on its hands than it really did.

JAMA illo
Troubling podcast puts JAMA, the ‘voice of medicine,’ under fire for its mishandling of race
Critics say editors have asked authors to scrub the term racism from their articles even as they publish others that include racist notions.

SCT illo
Despite resistance, researchers investigate the possibility of a new mental health disorder
Many researchers say the study of sluggish cognitive tempo, which is still in its early stages, can’t yet support a formal diagnosis.

magazine
Perspective | Magazine

Talking to strangers, it turns out, is very good for us
Vietnamese Grilled Lemon Grass Pork (Thit Nuong).
Cooking

Grilled pork and eggplant shine in these flavorful Vietnamese dishes
Among the top stories for the magazine so far in 2021 have been a piece about the origins of William Shakespeare's work (left), a story on Black joy (top right), and the annual Top Spots to Live story (bottom right).
Recommended reading

Ten of the best Globe Magazine stories from 2021 (so far)
Summer Entertainment Guide

25 outdoor events to help fill your summer weekends with fun

metro

Supporters of the armed militia members arrested by police walked past troopers outside Malden District Court. The Rise of the Moors group claims to adhere to a “Moorish sovereign ideology."

Rhode Island militia group arose from growing, national sovereign citizen movement, experts say

Advocates decry new Mass. House rules, saying they fall short on transparency

Boston Public Schools denies it wrongfully withheld text messages in exam school admission case, saying there was no coverup

sports

Alex Verdugo has just two home runs since the beginning of June.

Here’s why Alex Verdugo could use some time off at the All-Star break

Red Sox starters have been reliable, but who would you trust to start Game 2 of a playoff series?

England beats Denmark to reach Euro 2020 final

business

Mathias Cormann, OECD secretary general, shown at work on a train in Italy, said "We need to get into the situation where the economy is able to adjust, where we are able to identify those businesses that have a genuinely viable and growing future."

COVID-19 pushed 22 million out of job market in major economies

Suez Canal releases hulking vessel after settlement deal

Few in Massachusetts taking advantage of new federal Internet subsidy

politics

Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani’s DC law license suspended until NY case resolved

Why NYC’s Democratic primary for mayor is the most important election in 2021

Biden seeks support for families plan, vaccines in Midwest

Nation

Rescue workers with the Miami Dade Fire Rescue embraced after a moment of silence near the memorial site for victims of the collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building.

Tears, prayers mark end to two-week search for Miami condo survivors

Tropical storm kills 1 in Florida, hurts 10 at Georgia base

Giuliani’s DC law license suspended until NY case resolved

World

A view of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome where Pope Francis was hospitalized Sunday.

Pope Francis ran temperature after intestinal surgery

Haiti’s future uncertain after brazen slaying of president

Haiti’s president assassinated in nighttime raid, shaking a fragile nation

opinion

The container ship Ever Lively, registered in Singapore, ties up at the Paul W. Conley Container Terminal in South Boston in July 2020.

Biden’s infrastructure plan could unfairly tax Northeast businesses

Don’t call inquiry into veterans’ deaths an independent investigation

Out of luck — COVID-19 vaccination lotteries don’t work

lifestyle

Celebrate healthy living and outdoor recreation at the White Mountains Outdoor Fest in North Conway, N.H.

An outdoor fest in N.H., a Cape Cod redo, and Road Scholar hits the road once again

Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell begin filming the Christmas movie ‘Spirited’ in Boston

Exploring the Elizabeth Islands (and swimming with cows)

food & dining

Shrubbly, a low calorie soda from Vermont made with a shrub and sparkling water.

Shrubbly from Vermont is a new summer thirst-quencher

New owners keep Portuguese Bakery traditions going in Provincetown

Quality teas that are steeped in equality

travel

In this June 7, 2021, photo, people board an American Airlines flight at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Masks are mandated on all flights, and everyone who buys a ticket has agreed to comply.

Unmasking the truth: The saga of American Airlines Flight 893

An outdoor fest in N.H., a Cape Cod redo, and Road Scholar hits the road once again

Exploring the Elizabeth Islands (and swimming with cows)

Arts

The interior of Jonathan James-Perry’s “Bear Witness,” the heart of “Another Crossing: Artists Revisit the Mayflower Voyage” at Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton.

What artists see in wake of the Mayflower

Moving fast, thinking deeply at the ICA’s Virgil Abloh show

Art that crystallizes the past

Books

Mary Gauthier

Mary Gauthier’s memoir describes how making music in Boston healed her life

Christina Baker Kline celebrates ‘Exiles’ paperback with all-star author event

Battling the patriarchy’s censor in ‘The Man Who Hated Women’

Movies

Scarlett Johansson, left, and Florence Pugh in "Black Widow."

In ‘Black Widow,’ it’s all in the family

‘Summer of 85’: Can darkness be sun splashed?

In ‘The Tomorrow War,’ on Amazon, the future is now

Television

Savannah Lee Smith (left) and Jordan Alexander in the new "Gossip Girl."

‘Gossip Girl’ revival doesn’t have a lot to say

With movie sequel, there’s no stopping the ‘Downton Abbey’ brand

Discovery’s Shark Week returns Sunday

music

Garth Brooks will take the Gillette Stadium stage in October.

Gillette Stadium announces return to live music with Garth Brooks concert in October

Buskers to blanket Great Barrington all summer

Once an artist, now an administrator, Connie C. Chin prepares to lead Global Arts Live into a new era

Theater/Dance

BOSTON, MA - 07/04/2019 Confetti falls on the audience attending the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. Despite the heat, a large crowd came out to celebrate one of the countryÕs largest and oldest public Fourth-of-July events that took place on the Esplanade.Erin Clark for the Boston Globe

How to watch the July Fourth Pops celebration and fireworks from home

For ArtsEmerson, a less busy but ambitious season

Christopher Lloyd’s journey, from kooks to King Lear

globe local

Newton City Hall.

Newton secures new state grant for road improvements

Big shoes to fill: Film tells how a Haverhill union activist became America’s first socialist mayor

Should the state phase out Mass Save rebates for new oil-fired systems for heat and hot water?

Obituaries

Gerald W. Blakeley Jr. and his wife, Dr. Tenley Albright.

Gerald W. Blakeley Jr., visionary developer of Boston’s ‘high-tech highway,’ dies at 100

Richard Donner, director of ‘Superman’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’ films, dies at 91

Theresa Parks, Mission Hill housing advocate who stood up to Harvard, dies at 84