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TRENDING:

Biden to send 500 million free tests, dispatch military to overwhelmed hospitals

President Biden will announce new measures to try to curb the virus on Tuesday, the day after the CDC said the Omicron variant first identified in southern Africa now accounts for most new US cases.
COVID-19: THE LATEST

NHL is first US sport to halt schedule amid COVID surge

Shirley Leung
Lun Fat Produce owner Rich Chen stood beside a makeshift home being constructed on the sidewalk next to his business as he points to an area along the side of his loading dock where he and his workers routinely found feces and used needles from those living in the encampment.
With tents sprouting in Newmarket Square, food businesses face a flood of filth
The encampments began to appear as the city cracked down on tents near Mass and Cass. Now, employees and customers no longer feel safe in the area.

GARY WASHBURN | SIXERS 108, CELTICS 103
Marcus Smart drew a late technical foul in what turned into another head-scratching loss for the Celtics.
Once again, Celtics were finished by poor play in the closing minutes
They proved good enough to beat a quality team for 44 minutes, but couldn't make shots and had no answers late for 76ers star Joel Embiid in another frustrating loss.

Joel Embiid in charge as undermanned Sixers take down undermanned Celtics
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
Danvers community members held a vigil in November in response to the discovery of antisemitic graffiti at a local middle school in the wake of a Globe report that detailed how school officials fought to hide a report about misconduct on the high school boys' hockey team.

After the discovery of more offensive graffiti, Danvers says it will stop informing public of hate speech

The North Shore community has become a focus of state officials amid a wave of graffiti incidents. On Monday, town officials reported yet another case of offensive graffiti, then said they will no longer inform the public about the discriminatory practices.
Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka.

Mass. Senate president suffered ‘mild stroke’ last month, will seek reelection

Karen E. Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, said in a television interview Monday that she’s now “feeling great” and, in a separate statement, that she intends to seek reelection to her seat in 2022 and to the Senate president’s post in the next two-year session.
Santa, a.k.a. Dan Greenleaf, paid a visit to the Wagon Wheel Farm Stand in Lexington where he greeted children and sat for photos as they told him their Christmas wishes.
TOM FARRAGHER

Santa Claus (fully vaccinated) is coming to town

When this guy walks into the room, wide-eyed little kids shout, ‘That’s really Santa!’
Opinion
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu holds a press conference in City Hal to discuss the city’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on Dec. 21.
EDITORIAL

City’s vaccine mandate a path back to normal

If it takes the incentive of a movie or a burger and a beer for the unvaccinated to comply, then bring it on.
Laura Levis died outside CHA Somerville Hospital in 2016.
Peter DeMarco

For Laura’s Law to succeed, DPH must heed our advice
Norieliz De Jesus, Kelly García, Melinda Vega Maldonado, and Tanairi García
MARCELA GARCÍA

A new generation of Latinas takes political power in Chelsea
Marine One, with President Joe Biden aboard, departs the White House in Washington, on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021.
Joan Vennochi

Besides Manchin, who killed Build Back Better? Biden and the Democrats
Fabienne Eliacin

Make the Charlestown Innovation and Inclusive High School proposal the proving ground for students
Choreographer Ebony Williams has created moves for Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Alicia Keys, "In The Heights," and more.
A Beautiful Resistance | Jeneé Osterheldt

Finding freedom in the rhythm of dance

Black choreographers and dancers use movement to move us forward. They use dance to tell stories, evoke memories, and unite us.
Follow @abeautifulresistance on Instagram Explore more from A Beautiful Resistance

More recent stories

Shaun Jenkins, left, and his attorney, Lisa M. Kavanaugh, during a Zoom hearing on Dec. 9.
Judge grants new trial for man freed from prison after 18 years, citing police and prosecutor misconduct
Recently uncovered files show a Boston police detective paid a key witness and prosecutors withheld evidence that could have pointed to another suspect in the 2001 murder of Stephen Jenkins in Dorchester.

President Biden listens as he meets virtually with Chinese President Xi Jinping from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Nov. 15, 2021.
China imposes sanctions on US officials over Xinjiang
The tit-for-tat sanctions add to spiraling tension over Xinjiang. Washington has banned imports from the region that might be made with forced labor, while activists are calling for a boycott of February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing

On Sept. 26, an ascending escalator full of people at Back Bay Station hurtled downward for around 10 seconds, throwing people to the ground and causing at least a dozen to pile on top of each other at the bottom, a video of the incident obtained by the Globe through a public records request shows.
This video shows people tumbling down a malfunctioning MBTA escalator. It wasn’t the first time that happened.
After the September incident at Back Bay Station, a Globe review of court documents and news archives found three nearly identical incidents since the mid-1990s, and a fourth alleged in a lawsuit, in which ascending MBTA escalators have suddenly stopped and accelerated backward, injuring dozens of people.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s fate in hands of jury as deliberations begin

A federal jury in Manhattan began deliberations late Monday in the sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former socialite charged with conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein over a decade to recruit, groom and sexually abuse teenage girls.

Billy Conway, celebrated Boston drummer of Treat Her Right and Morphine, dies at 65

Conway died at home Sunday following a years-long bout with cancer.

‘Stay vigilant.’ Stoughton police warn residents after man attempts to lure representative from her car

Similar incidents have been reported in nearby towns in recent weeks, Stoughton police said, each involving a man in his 50s or 60s driving a white Jeep Patriot.

Best of the holidays

People under the holiday lights on Boston Common.

9 places around Boston where you can get into the holiday spirit (for free)

Every holiday season comes with a gamut of things to do and gifts to buy, and it can take a toll on the old wallet. That got us thinking about some activities in and around the city where you can revel in the holiday spirit for free.
Boston is dressed in its wintery best. Here’s where to see Christmas trees, menorahs, and other decorations 20 family-friendly events to put you in the holiday spirit
Globe Santa

In a year when many died, Globe Santa can ease the pain at holiday time

Many people asking Globe Santa for help have experienced a recent death in the family that makes coping in these challenging times even more of a challenge.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GLOBE SANTA

 Read the latest stories Make a donation. Make a difference.

Recommended reads

Students gathered in a study hall at Hopkinton High's library, some with and without masks.
THE GREAT DIVIDE

What happens when students remove masks? These Mass. schools are finding out

At least five schools in Massachusetts have allowed vaccinated students to unmask. Most of the schools have not seen increases in COVID cases among students or staff, state data show.
‘Tuesday is too late’: Health experts urge Biden to move faster amid Omicron threat

Russian national charged in hacking and insider trading plot that made ‘tens of millions of dollars,’ scamming investors, prosecutors say
A Russian national with alleged ties to Russian President Putin’s office was charged by federal prosecutors Monday with participating in a global scam that netted “tens of millions of dollars” using insider information collected by hacking into two US companies with confidential information on publicly traded firms.

‘Anxiety is high.’ As employers keep delaying return to office, will we ever go back?
Heading into the new year, as COVID-19 cases surge, office employers are yet again wrestling with return-to-work plans.

Respiratory Therapist Angelika MacClellan spoke with a nurse through a patients door in the Special Pathogens Unit ICU at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on April 27, 2020.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising, but some cases are milder than before
Amid surging COVID-19 infections, overflowing hospitals, and exhausted healthcare workers, Mass. hospital leaders are hanging on a glimmer of hope: fewer severely ill COVID patients.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Eric Jackson, shown in the WGBH studios in Boston.

On Christmas Eve, Eric Jackson plans a cool Yule while Oedipus unwraps some radio rarities
Photo cards with a dash of honesty, from Minted.
PARENTING UNFILTERED

You’re not a performative striver if you actually love creating holiday cards
Isabella DeHerdt and Isaac Eliot of High Tea.

Indie-folk duo High Tea emerge from lockdown with an adventurous new set of songs
Genesis performed at TD Garden Wednesday.
MUSIC REVIEW

At TD Garden, Genesis answers their own question

Special Projects

An older lobsterman passed by Tanner Lazaro as he hauled up his traps in his boat, Used N Abused, on Aug. 24. During the summer Tanner hauled his own traps on whatever days his mentor Frankie Thompson or another lobsterman didn't need his help.

The lobster trap

The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine. A way of life is on the line, but lobstermen can't, or won't, imagine another.

The 2021 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

Is your employer among the 150 companies to make the list?
Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

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.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Co-hosts Jill Shah and Ross Wilson at a recent taping of the "Last Night at School Committee" podcast.
MARCELA GARCÍA

Dissecting Boston School Committee meetings, one podcast episode at a time
IDEAS | ABDALLAH FAYYAD

Editing the Constitution
A male Bruce spanworm, another cold-weather moth similar to the fall cankerworm, flies in Vermont and elsewhere in northern New England, mostly in November.
IDEAS | BRYAN PFEIFFER

Copulating in the cold on the shortest day of the year
An unlikely source has offered a helping hand to local newspapers and sites: Congress.
Renée Loth

Saving democracy’s front lines — local newspapers
OnPoint in Harlem, the newly formed nonprofit running two safe injection sites in New York.
EDITORIAL

New York is home to the first supervised injection sites in America. Let Boston be next.
Tourists observe the lava flow from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain's La Palma island.
IDEAS | Boštjan Videmšek and Matjaž Krivic

Here come the catastrophe tourists

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

NHL is first US sport to halt schedule amid COVID surge

The latest news and guidance on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in New England and beyond.
RI VOICES

What refugees taught me about living during uncertain times

A journalist who writes about immigration and social justice issues reflects on what she’s learned while covering the plight of refugees.
RI BUSINESS

Money pit: The 5 most expensive homes that sold in Rhode Island in 2021

Eight of the top 10 most expensive home sales in Rhode Island this past year took place in Newport, with three being on the seaside city’s iconic Bellevue Avenue.

Mayor Wu announces new vaccine requirements for some indoor businesses, city workers

In an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Monday announced new vaccine requirements for some indoor spaces in the city, as well as a stronger vaccine mandate for the city’s 18,000-strong workforce.

Sports

Kirk Cousins helped lead the Vikings past the Bears Monday night.
NFL | Vikings 17, Bears 9

Penalties, mistakes hurt Bears in 17-9 loss to Vikings

Teez Tabor and Trevis Gipson were whistled for 15-yard penalties on a key Minnesota scoring drive in the third quarter, part of a flag-filled Monday night for the Bears in a 17-9 loss to the Vikings.
Marcus Smart drew a late technical foul in what turned into another head-scratching loss for the Celtics.
GARY WASHBURN | SIXERS 108, CELTICS 103

Once again, Celtics were finished by poor play in the closing minutes

They proved good enough to beat a quality team for 44 minutes, but couldn't make shots and had no answers late for 76ers star Joel Embiid in another frustrating loss.
The NHL will shut down for four days this week.
NHL

NHL will shut down between Dec. 22 and Dec. 25

Team facilities will re-open Dec. 26.

NHL is first US sport to halt schedule amid coronavirus surge, with stoppage starting Wednesday
MONDAY'S SCHOOLS BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Franklin girls’ basketball has a little extra, holds off Oliver Ames in overtime for 39th straight win
SIXERS 108, CELTICS 103

Joel Embiid in charge as undermanned Sixers take down undermanned Celtics

Business

RI BUSINESS

Money pit: The 5 most expensive homes that sold in Rhode Island in 2021

Eight of the top 10 most expensive home sales in Rhode Island this past year took place in Newport, with three being on the seaside city’s iconic Bellevue Avenue.

Biden to send 500 million free tests, dispatch military to overwhelmed hospitals

President Biden will announce new measures to try to curb the virus on Tuesday, the day after the CDC said the Omicron variant first identified in southern Africa now accounts for most new US cases.

China imposes sanctions on US officials over Xinjiang

Jury in Holmes’ fraud trial has begun deliberations

STAT

Dr. Monica McLemore, Associate Professor in the Family Health Care Nursing Department at UCSF, stands for a portrait at the Frank H. Ogawa Plaza on Friday, September 10th, 2021 in Oakland, Calif.
‘Health equity tourists’: How white scholars are colonizing research on health disparities
A STAT investigation shows that researchers with little or no background or training in health equity research are rushing in to scoop up grants and publish papers.

Covid winter illustration
Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms
STAT spoke with infectious disease experts and others about what to expect from Covid-19 as the seasons change.

Funeral goers sing during a service for Daisy Pace at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in January 2021.
DISTANCED: Pandemic stories of Black life in the rural South
Photographer Bethany Mollenkof spent six months documenting the impact of Covid-19 on residents of rural Black communities in the South.

Boston, MA -- 05/12/21 -- Dr. Matthew Carty examines patient Jerry Majethic at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital on May 12, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Kayana Szymczak for STAT)
Groundbreaking arm amputation surgery makes a ‘phantom’ hand seem real
The procedure aims to restore proprioception, the ability to sense where our limbs are in space and how fast and forcefully they’re moving.

magazine
Immunlologist Kizzmekia Corbett and Boston's new mayor, Michelle Wu, on the cover of the Globe Magazine's 2021 Bostonians of the Year issue.
2021

Meet this year's Bostonians of the Year
Devin McCourty and Ruben DaSilva.
PERSPECTIVE

Devin McCourty and Tito SantosSilva on ending gang violence now

MISS CONDUCT

I'm heading to QAnon country for Christmas. How do I stay cool?

Salted Peanut and Caramel Tart.
Cooking

3 holiday tarts made with dough that doesn't need to be rolled

metro

"Seaward" overlooks Prices Neck Cove and the Atlantic Ocean. The 8,000 square foot Newport mansion was formerly known as the “Avalon” estate when it was owned by the Van Alens, the family that founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

"Seaward" in Newport overlooks Prices Neck Cove and the Atlantic Ocean

“Ocean View” is located on the south end of Bellevue Avenue and sold for $16 million this year

Miramar is often considered Bellevue Avenue’s “finest Gilded Age” mansion

sports

Baker Mayfield will miss Monday's game.

COVID-19 sports updates: NHL will pause season on Wednesday

Daniel Carlson’s 48-yard FG gives Raiders a strong finishing kick in win over Browns

Mark Kotsay replacing Bob Melvin as A’s manager

business

Bina Venkataraman says she wants to turn her focus to long-term projects.

Bina Venkataraman to step down as Boston Globe editorial page editor

At 81, luxury hotel developer Dick Friedman shows no signs of slowing down, with projects opening in New Orleans and Reykjavik

K&L Gates signs on as a tenant at One Congress tower under construction

politics

President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 variant named Omicron during a visit to the National Institutes of Health on Dec. 2, 2021, in Bethesda, Md. Biden plans to stress in a Dec. 21 speech the importance of getting vaccinated to protect from a wave of COVID-19 infections tied to the new omicron variant as Christmas approaches.

Biden to urge Americans to get vaccinated as Christmas nears

Biden was in close contact with aide who later tested positive for COVID-19, White House says

Schumer will try to change Senate rules if GOP stalls voting bill

Nation

French border police check the Covid health passes of travelers on the Thalys arrivals platform at Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France, on Monday, Dec. 20. 2021.

NHL is first US sport to halt schedule amid COVID surge

French police uncover 182,000 fake covid health passes

Biden to send 500 million free tests, dispatch military to overwhelmed hospitals

World

French border police check the Covid health passes of travelers on the Thalys arrivals platform at Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France, on Monday, Dec. 20. 2021.

French police uncover 182,000 fake covid health passes

UN: Over 160 migrants drown in shipwrecks off Libya

China imposes sanctions on US officials over Xinjiang

opinion

An aerial view of the Seaport District in November 2019.

Blowing up the Boston Planning & Development Agency

Advising patients on course of care is key role of a doctor

The MFA is showing looted African art. Here’s how to deal with it.

lifestyle

Settle in for a marathon of sitcom Christmas specials and episodes to get you in the festive spirit — including one from "The Office" (pictured).

10 hilarious and heartwarming classic Christmas episodes to stream this week

You’re not a performative striver if you actually love creating holiday cards

Longtime mixologist started her own bar-on-the-go, slinging craft cocktails out of two retro trailers

food & dining

Rhode Island Cruisin' Cocktails offered mixed drinks at The Providence Flea's "Sip n' Shop" in Providence, Rhode Island, on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.

Longtime mixologist started her own bar-on-the-go, slinging craft cocktails out of two retro trailers

Restaurants are closing again as staff test positive for coronavirus amid Omicron surge

A former Providence speakeasy returns to its roots

travel

People pause to look at Norwegian Cruise Line's ship, Norwegian Breakaway, on the Hudson River, in New York, on May 8, 2013.

On cruise ships, Omicron puts safety protocols to the test

Uber charged me for a ride I never took. Can I get a refund?

Our stealth reviews of Boston’s new and newly-renovated hotels finds some hits — and a miss

Arts

A nighttime view of the "Ledelle Moe: When" at Mass MoCA.

7 museum moments that stick

At Mass MoCA, ceramic art proves its power

Jorge R. Pombo’s ‘Variations on Sargent’s Daughters’ is a dark and dizzying portrait of the times

Books

Louise Penny's "The Madness of Crowds"

Escapist reads for long winter nights

Barack Obama shares his favorite books of 2021

Reconsidering opera in ‘The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera’

Movies

Harris Dickinson (left) and Ralph Fiennes in "The King's Man."

Before there was a ‘Kingsman,’ there was ‘The King’s Man’

Globe writers share their favorite movies of 2021

Barack Obama shares his favorite movies of 2021, including ‘West Side Story,’ ‘The Last Duel,’ and ‘Summer of Soul’

Television

Sam Waterston in 2014.

Sam Waterston to reprise his role as Jack McCoy in revival of ‘Law & Order’

Netflix’s ‘Maid’ shines a light on struggles of low-wage workers

16 titles to stream if you’re stuck inside on Saturday

music

Composer Yaz Lancaster, whose piece "our streets" received its world premiere from A Far Cry on Saturday.

A Far Cry makes space for complex grief with ‘Flames to Ashes’

On Christmas Eve, Eric Jackson plans a cool Yule while Oedipus unwraps some radio rarities

Billy Conway, celebrated Boston drummer of Treat Her Right and Morphine, dies at 65

Theater/Dance

The Urban Nutcracker at Boch Center Shubert Theatre.

Tony Williams’s ‘Urban Nutcracker’ is still fresh, still fun

An awe-inspiring ‘Nutcracker’ offers surprise after surprise

The ‘Christmas Revels’ celebrates a new direction

globe local

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

Departing Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s farewell address switched to online

Santa delivers gifts at Boston police stations during Shop with a Cop events

Teen’s cancer survival story wins $50k grant for Sweet Paws Rescue of Groveland

Obituaries

Shirley McBay was the first Black dean for student affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Shirley McBay, who created a template for addressing racial inequities in education, dies at 86

Dr. bell hooks, groundbreaking feminist thinker, dies at 69

Juliet Relis Bernstein, activist who set up a GoFundMe so she could die in her home, passes away at 108