The Boston Globe

A cutaway rendering of SPARC, a compact, high-field, DT burning tokamak, currently under design by a team from MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Its mission is to create and confine a plasma that produces net fusion energy.

After years of doubts, hopes grow that nuclear fusion is finally for real and could help address climate change

After breakthroughs this year at MIT and elsewhere, scientists — and a growing number of deep-pocketed investors — insist that fusion is for real and could start sending power to electricity grids in about a decade.

On college campuses, Omicron is fueling more stress for students as it causes another round of closures

The highly contagious Omicron variant is compounding pressure on college students and administrators, prompting some to announce at least a temporary return to remote learning in January.

YVONNE ABRAHAM

Even at a dark time, there’s plenty to give us hope

I reached out to some of my favorite thinkers, some of them inveterate optimists, to ask what gives them hope. They offered plenty of good cheer, some finding it in the unlikeliest of places.

‘We have the tools to turn the tide’: While COVID cases soar in Massachusetts, new Omicron data offers promise

Doctors in the state say the current surge has pushed hospitals and health systems to a “crisis point.”

Leaders of 9 Massachusetts hospitals ask the public to do 5 things to help control COVID-19 surge In radio appearance, Wu discloses racist pushback to vaccination mandate, COVID-19 policy

These charts show where COVID-19 cases are surging in the US

The fast-spreading Omicron variant is sweeping across the country, causing COVID-19 cases to surge once again in what officials say is another winter wave of infections that’s only expected to worsen.

COVID-19: THE LATEST

Supreme Court will hold special session on Biden vaccine requirements

5:51 a.m.
European stocks gain as concerns about Omicron’s severity ease
4:57 a.m.
Germany sees Omicron dominant soon, pushes on vaccination
3:55 a.m.
French kids line up to get vaccine shots as Omicron spreads
2:58 a.m.
AstraZeneca COVID booster increases antibodies against Omicron

A Beautiful Resistance | Jeneé Osterheldt

From bell hooks to Virgil Abloh to your local creatives, the arts contribute to radical change

Activism requires organizers, policy, and protest. But first, there is imagination.

The Questions, featuring Derecka Purnell Follow @abeautifulresistance on Instagram See more from A Beautiful Resistance

Big Lux's Beautiful Resistance: A Veteran's Violin Sings Black Lives Matter

Created and produced by Jeneé Osterheldt/Globe Staff, Directed and edited by Daymian Mejia, Supervising Producer Caitlin Healy/Globe Staff, Illustrations by Paula Champagne, Photo by Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Opinion

Kerry Higdon gives her son Kol, 10, a math lesson in their home in Edinburg, Va., in September.

IDEAS | AMY CRAWFORD

Do-it-yourself education is on the rise

The number of homeschooled children is growing. Will that inspire innovations in traditional schools — or undermine their communal purpose?

EDITORIAL

Health care for formerly incarcerated people helps everyone

Joan Vennochi

A gift that touches the heart

"I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know how I’d pull it off." The author runs along a dilapidated street in Maracaibo.

IDEAS | ANTONIO MATHEUS

The lunacy of the long distance runner

Bottles of abortion pills at a clinic in Des Moines, Iowa. Earlier this month the Food and Drug Administration loosened some restrictions on the pill mifepristone.

IDEAS | RACHEL REBOUCHÉ, GREER DONLEY, AND DAVID S. COHEN

Progress in the bid to make abortion pills more widely available

Getting fresh air is one way to stay sane during quarantine.

Found yourself in quarantine? We asked public health experts for suggestions on how to spend the time

Whether you’ve tested positive, or are choosing to isolate ahead of the holidays just to be safe, here’s a look at some things you can do during quarantine to help pass the time.

Shaun Jenkins (center) with the legal team that worked on his case, on the day he was released from court on Sept. 24, 2021. Also pictured: Rob Selevitch, the Innocence Program investigator (back row), Nicole Collins, IP legal fellow (left) and Lisa M. Kavanaugh, Director, Innocence Program (right).

DA Rollins dismisses murder case against man recently freed from prison following revelations of misconduct by police, prosecutors

Shaun Jenkins was released in September after recently uncovered files showed a Boston police detective paid a key witness $100 and prosecutors withheld evidence that could have pointed to another suspect in the murder of his cousin in 2001.

John Adams Courthouse. It is home to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

Supreme Judicial Court broadens police power to use pat frisks in sharply divided opinion

A sharply divided Supreme Judicial Court Wednesday expanded the legal standard police must use to justify frisking a person suspected of being armed, but they did so by endorsing a concept three dissenting justices say will harm communities of color.

Celtics 111, Cavaliers 101

Jaylen Brown helps shorthanded Celtics overpower the Cavaliers

Brown led the way for the Celtics with 34 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range, in a 111-101 victory over the Cavaliers.

In Patriots-Bills rematch, you can throw previous game’s plans out the window

The Bills expect the Patriots to throw a lot more Sunday, given the weather forecast.

Patriots J.C. Jackson, Matthew Judon, and Matthew Slater all land Pro Bowl spots

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★½

Ben Affleck gives a Cadillac of a performance in ‘The Tender Bar’

George Clooney directed this adaptation of J.R. Moehringer’s best-selling memoir, costarring Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd.

Boyfriend of woman found dead in Saugus arrested on charges of larceny, obstruction, tampering with evidence

Bruce Maiben, 44, of Lynn, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Lynn District Court, the district attorney’s office said in a statement late Wednesday night.

Biden says he will run for reelection in 2024 if he’s ‘in good health’

President Biden said Wednesday he would run for reelection in 2024 if he’s “in good health,” adding he was eager to possibly face Donald Trump.

As 3G dies, old phones aren’t the only victims

Home security systems, medical devices, and Internet-connected cars could be impacted by wireless carriers shutting off 3G data networks in 2022.

Globe Santa

Remembering a little gray cat with a Globe Santa donation

If you read the Globe Santa donor listings, you know them as “Santa’s friends.” They are the donors to the Globe Santa campaign and their names are listed in the newspaper in the weeks leading up to Christmas. For many of the generous benefactors, giving to Globe Santa has become a holiday tradition.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GLOBE SANTA

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

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

Michael Mina can’t stop talking about the need for rapid COVID tests. The country may finally be listening. But is it too late?

“I feel we’ve learned so little despite so much pain,” said the former Brigham and Women’s epidemiologist.

Experts share how the recent COVID surge has changed their holiday plans

We asked infectious disease experts what precautions they’re taking this season, whether the rise of Omicron has changed their plans, and what advice they have for holiday gatherings.

Tell us: Are you traveling to see grandchildren or resuming other potentially risky activities this holiday season?

We want to hear from older readers who may be resuming activities like traveling to see their grandchildren or gathering with friends and family because they’re willing to take on the risk and live their life.

PCR or rapid antigen? Here’s how to use COVID tests to gather safely for the holidays

PCR tests detect the genetic material from the virus, while rapid antigen tests detect specific proteins from the coronavirus. Here is the best time to use each, and how to use them to gather safely with friends and family.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Boston Ballet dancer Chyrstyn Fentroy (center) performs in the company's "Bach Cello Suites," at Jacob's Pillow in Becket in 2019.

‘Crying happy tears’: Chyrstyn Fentroy promoted to principal dancer at Boston Ballet

Pages from "Woody Guthrie: Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom," a new book curated by his daughter, Nora Guthrie

In a new book about Woody Guthrie, his daughter tells his story through what he left behind

Billy Conway died at age 65 after battling cancer for several years.

APPRECIATION

It didn’t take a lot for drummer Billy Conway to make a big impression

"The Virgin and Child with a Flower on a grassy Bench."

A drawing sold for $30 at a Concord estate sale. It is believed to be an original Dürer worth $50 million

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.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

product by Studio/B. What is this?This content was produced by Boston Globe Media's Studio/B in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of the Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Joe Manchin updates reporters at the Capitol, in Washington, on Sept. 30, 2021.

EDITORIAL

Debunking Manchin’s anti-Build Back Better myths

California Governor Gavin Newsom has broached a gun-control initiative that borrows strategy from Texas' recent controversial abortion ban.

Laurence H. Tribe, Jonathan M. Metzl, and David Hogg

Democrats should apply Supreme Court’s abortion decision to firearms

A voter submits their ballot on the first day of early voting in the New York City primary election on June 12, 2021.

JEFF JACOBY

Voting is for citizens

Crowds fill Copley Square during the First Night celebration in Boston, Dec. 31, 2016.

RENÉE GRAHAM

COVID-19 is surging. Cancel First Night Boston.

Honduras's president-elect, Xiomara Castro.

IDEAS | STEPHEN KINZER

The politics of immigration makes the US sing a new tune in Central America

IDEAS | ABDALLAH FAYYAD

Editing the Constitution

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

Supreme Court will hold special session on Biden vaccine requirements

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

DA Rollins dismisses murder case against man recently freed from prison following revelations of misconduct by police, prosecutors

‘We have the tools to turn the tide’: While COVID cases soar in Massachusetts, new Omicron data offers promise

Doctors in the state say the current surge has pushed hospitals and health systems to a “crisis point.”

On college campuses, Omicron is fueling more stress for students as it causes another round of closures

The highly contagious Omicron variant is compounding pressure on college students and administrators, prompting some to announce at least a temporary return to remote learning in January.

Sports

In addition to finishing as the Celtics scoring leader with 34 points, Jaylen Brown also had a hand in Boston's defensive effort against the Cavaliers, blocking Ricky Rubio's layup attempt in the first quarter of Wednesday night's game.

Celtics 111, Cavaliers 101

Jaylen Brown helps shorthanded Celtics overpower the Cavaliers

Brown led the way for the Celtics with 34 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range, in a 111-101 victory over the Cavaliers.

Patriots

Patriots J.C. Jackson, Matthew Judon, and Matthew Slater all land Pro Bowl spots

It was the first nod for Jackson, the third for Judon, and the 10th for Slater.

Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe (34) reaches for a rebound against the Western Kentucky Hilltopper sat Rupp Arena on Wednesday night in Lexington, Kentucky.

SPORTS LOG

Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe pulls 28 rebounds for Rupp Arena-record during Wildcats’ rout of Western Kentucky

Oscar Tshiebwe flirted with 30 before being pulled with 2:06 remaining as the Wildcats owned the glass 50-27.

Patriots

In Patriots-Bills rematch, you can throw previous game’s plans out the window

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK

After tackling new challenge, Meg Olbrys has become a star on the basketball court for Norwood

live updates

COVID-19 sports updates: Robert Saleh tests positive, 14 Jets players on COVID-IR

Business

European stocks gain as concerns about Omicron’s severity ease

European equities climbed for a third day as the latest coronavirus studies fueled optimism that economic growth can withstand Omicron risks.

AstraZeneca COVID booster increases antibodies against Omicron

A third dose of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine significantly boosted neutralizing antibody levels against omicron, according to lab studies at the University of Oxford.

Omicron brings new risks to mostly unvaccinated pregnant women

Lab project near Somerville’s Union Square lines up financing

STAT

Listen to our "First Opinion" podcast

Listen to our "Readout LOUD" podcast

Subscribe to STAT Plus

‘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.

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.

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.

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

2021

Meet this year's Bostonians of the Year

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?

Cooking

After years of doubts, hopes grow that nuclear fusion is finally for real and could help address climate change

On college campuses, Omicron is fueling more stress for students as it causes another round of closures The highly contagious Omicron variant is compounding pressure on college students and administrators, prompting some to announce at least a temporary return to remote learning in January.

YVONNE ABRAHAM Even at a dark time, there’s plenty to give us hope I reached out to some of my favorite thinkers, some of them inveterate optimists, to ask what gives them hope. They offered plenty of good cheer, some finding it in the unlikeliest of places.

‘We have the tools to turn the tide’: While COVID cases soar in Massachusetts, new Omicron data offers promise

These charts show where COVID-19 cases are surging in the US The fast-spreading Omicron variant is sweeping across the country, causing COVID-19 cases to surge once again in what officials say is another winter wave of infections that’s only expected to worsen.

Mass. coronavirus at a glance

Vaccinations

Cases and deaths

Other resources:

From bell hooks to Virgil Abloh to your local creatives, the arts contribute to radical change

Do-it-yourself education is on the rise

Health care for formerly incarcerated people helps everyone

A gift that touches the heart

The lunacy of the long distance runner

Progress in the bid to make abortion pills more widely available

Found yourself in quarantine? We asked public health experts for suggestions on how to spend the time

DA Rollins dismisses murder case against man recently freed from prison following revelations of misconduct by police, prosecutors

Supreme Judicial Court broadens police power to use pat frisks in sharply divided opinion

More recent stories

Celtics 111, Cavaliers 101 Jaylen Brown helps shorthanded Celtics overpower the Cavaliers Brown led the way for the Celtics with 34 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range, in a 111-101 victory over the Cavaliers.

In Patriots-Bills rematch, you can throw previous game’s plans out the window The Bills expect the Patriots to throw a lot more Sunday, given the weather forecast.

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★½ Ben Affleck gives a Cadillac of a performance in ‘The Tender Bar’ George Clooney directed this adaptation of J.R. Moehringer’s best-selling memoir, costarring Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd.

Boyfriend of woman found dead in Saugus arrested on charges of larceny, obstruction, tampering with evidence Bruce Maiben, 44, of Lynn, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Lynn District Court, the district attorney’s office said in a statement late Wednesday night.

Biden says he will run for reelection in 2024 if he’s ‘in good health’

As 3G dies, old phones aren’t the only victims

Remembering a little gray cat with a Globe Santa donation

LEARN MORE ABOUT GLOBE SANTA

Best of the holidays

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

Recommended reads

Michael Mina can’t stop talking about the need for rapid COVID tests. The country may finally be listening. But is it too late?

Experts share how the recent COVID surge has changed their holiday plans We asked infectious disease experts what precautions they’re taking this season, whether the rise of Omicron has changed their plans, and what advice they have for holiday gatherings.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

‘Crying happy tears’: Chyrstyn Fentroy promoted to principal dancer at Boston Ballet

In a new book about Woody Guthrie, his daughter tells his story through what he left behind

It didn’t take a lot for drummer Billy Conway to make a big impression

A drawing sold for $30 at a Concord estate sale. It is believed to be an original Dürer worth $50 million

Special Projects

The lobster trap

The 2021 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

A Beautiful Resistance

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

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Debunking Manchin’s anti-Build Back Better myths

Democrats should apply Supreme Court’s abortion decision to firearms

Voting is for citizens

COVID-19 is surging. Cancel First Night Boston.

The politics of immigration makes the US sing a new tune in Central America

Editing the Constitution

Metro

Supreme Court will hold special session on Biden vaccine requirements

DA Rollins dismisses murder case against man recently freed from prison following revelations of misconduct by police, prosecutors

‘We have the tools to turn the tide’: While COVID cases soar in Massachusetts, new Omicron data offers promise

On college campuses, Omicron is fueling more stress for students as it causes another round of closures

Sports

Jaylen Brown helps shorthanded Celtics overpower the Cavaliers

Patriots J.C. Jackson, Matthew Judon, and Matthew Slater all land Pro Bowl spots

Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe pulls 28 rebounds for Rupp Arena-record during Wildcats’ rout of Western Kentucky

In Patriots-Bills rematch, you can throw previous game’s plans out the window

After tackling new challenge, Meg Olbrys has become a star on the basketball court for Norwood

COVID-19 sports updates: Robert Saleh tests positive, 14 Jets players on COVID-IR

Business

European stocks gain as concerns about Omicron’s severity ease

AstraZeneca COVID booster increases antibodies against Omicron

Omicron brings new risks to mostly unvaccinated pregnant women

Lab project near Somerville’s Union Square lines up financing

STAT

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

Meet this year's Bostonians of the Year

Devin McCourty and Tito SantosSilva on ending gang violence now

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

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

metro

Leaders of 9 Massachusetts hospitals ask the public to do 5 things to help control COVID-19 surge

Even at a dark time, there’s plenty to give us hope

On college campuses, Omicron is fueling more stress for students as it causes another round of closures

The highly contagious Omicron variant is compounding pressure on college students and administrators, prompting some to announce at least a temporary return to remote learning in January.

YVONNE ABRAHAM

Even at a dark time, there’s plenty to give us hope

I reached out to some of my favorite thinkers, some of them inveterate optimists, to ask what gives them hope. They offered plenty of good cheer, some finding it in the unlikeliest of places.

These charts show where COVID-19 cases are surging in the US

The fast-spreading Omicron variant is sweeping across the country, causing COVID-19 cases to surge once again in what officials say is another winter wave of infections that’s only expected to worsen.

Celtics 111, Cavaliers 101

Jaylen Brown helps shorthanded Celtics overpower the Cavaliers

Brown led the way for the Celtics with 34 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range, in a 111-101 victory over the Cavaliers.

In Patriots-Bills rematch, you can throw previous game’s plans out the window

The Bills expect the Patriots to throw a lot more Sunday, given the weather forecast.

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★½

Ben Affleck gives a Cadillac of a performance in ‘The Tender Bar’

George Clooney directed this adaptation of J.R. Moehringer’s best-selling memoir, costarring Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd.

Boyfriend of woman found dead in Saugus arrested on charges of larceny, obstruction, tampering with evidence

Bruce Maiben, 44, of Lynn, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Lynn District Court, the district attorney’s office said in a statement late Wednesday night.

Experts share how the recent COVID surge has changed their holiday plans

We asked infectious disease experts what precautions they’re taking this season, whether the rise of Omicron has changed their plans, and what advice they have for holiday gatherings.

‘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.

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.

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.

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.