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Judge rejects public safety unions’ bid to block enforcement of Mayor Wu’s Jan. 15 vaccine mandate

A Suffolk Superior Court on Wednesday rejected a request from three public safety unions to block enforcement of Mayor Michelle Wu’s COVID vaccine mandate when it takes effect Jan. 15.

22,184 confirmed cases and 75 deaths. See today’s COVID-19 data from Mass.

Here’s a look at the latest coronavirus numbers in Massachusetts, including case numbers, deaths, demographics, and more.

Models show Omicron cases may peak in Mass. within two weeks, while hospitalizations could continue to surge

Massachusetts should gird for about two more weeks of skyrocketing COVID-19 case increases fueled by the Omicron variant before a steep decline toward the end of this month, according to experts and pandemic models.

Coronavirus levels in Boston-area waste water are falling, raising hopes of case declines

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Chicago teachers accept COVID deal, keeping kids in school; Boston will roll out a vaccine certificate app on Jan. 15

McConnell slams Biden’s voting rights speech, calling it ‘beneath his office’

“I have known, liked, and personally respected Joe Biden for many years,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday during a speech on the Senate floor. “I did not recognize the man at that podium yesterday.”

In South Hero, Vt., a pizza place goes pay-what-you-can. Customers’ good will followed.

The family-owned Pan’s Pizza came up with an easy way for customers to pay what they could afford during the pandemic.
peter abraham | on baseball

Jon Lester gave his teams everything he had, something today’s starters aren’t asked to do

Lester, who announced his retirement Wednesday, started 241 games for the Red Sox from 2006-14 and went at least six innings 178 times.
Former Red Sox ace Jon Lester retires after 16 seasons

Ronnie Spector, ‘60s icon who sang ‘Be My Baby,’ dies at 78

The Ronettes’ sexy look and powerful voices — plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector — turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with the Rolling Stones.
Zoom Webinar | Thursday, Jan. 13, at 11 a.m.

COVID-19: Answering your questions about Omicron and more

Join us for a conversation about the state of the pandemic with Globe medical & biotech editor Anna Kuchment and Dr. Jacob Lemieux of MGH.
Register here for the free virtual event
Opinion
IDEAS | ERIKA COHEN

I chair my local school board, and I’m afraid

Police presence. Threats of violence. Open hostility. What happens to our schools if rancor overtakes our capacity to peaceably disagree?
Haley Sullivan and Leah Pierson

With students remote, universities should put COVID-19 testing capacity to good use

JEFF JACOBY

Does free speech fly at City Hall Plaza?

Joan Vennochi

Governor Baker, we have a COVID-19 data problem

Laurence H. Tribe and Dennis Aftergut

Clock is ticking on what Garland needs to do about Trump’s bid to overturn 2020 election

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

More recent stories

No, Lyndell’s Bakery in Somerville isn’t closing. In fact, it could get bigger.
“Please disregard any comments that are on social media. These people simply don’t know the facts,” said Bill Galatis, who has owned the popular bakery for 22 years.

TELEVISION REVIEW
‘Somebody Somewhere’ is really something
Bridget Everett’s new HBO series takes its place next to shows like "Better Things" and "One Mississippi," low-concept but luminous character portraits.

With her new HBO series, Bridget Everett shows you can go home again

Baker approves commutation requests for two convicted of murder
The decision to grant the clemency petitions of Thomas Koonce and William Allen could clear the way for both men to be released after nearly three decades apiece in prison.

Jeneé Osterheldt
Maya Angelou on money is a poem only America could write
Putting the poet on a quarter and Harriet Tubman on the $20 does not honor them properly.

Jan. 6 committee request interview, records from McCarthy
The House panel investigating the US Capitol insurrection requested an interview and records from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday.

Trump abruptly ends NPR interview after he is pressed on baseless election fraud claims
Former president Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NPR on Tuesday after he was pressed on his baseless claims of election fraud and repeated contention that the 2020 election was "rigged" against him.

Special Project

UNDER THE WHEEL

This is the story of Anthony Pledger and his mother, of Anthony’s lives and deaths, of Anthony and me.

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

Can you get infected with Omicron if you previously had COVID? All signs point to yes

Omicron has swept through the United States with stunning speed, bringing with it a slew of fears from those worried they’ll contract it. But for those who have already weathered a case of COVID-19, there’s also big question: Can I get it again?

baseball hall of fame 2022
How Boston Globe writers voted for the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame
It’s the first year for David Ortiz on the Hall of Fame ballot — and the last for Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. Who should get in?

In effort to prevent dropouts, community colleges are focusing on a sense of belonging and connection for their students
As students have returned to some in-person learning, it is a sense of connection that many have lost.

It was the fourth-warmest year on record in the US, and that’s just one of several climate records set in 2021
The country was also struck by 20 separate billion-dollar disasters last year.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Comedian Demetri Martin has something he’d like to say, but he’ll keep it short

This driveway dancing duo is helping to lighten neighbors’ spirits

Seven photographers on four legs: At the Griffin, celebrating the horse in all its glory

Elmo has zero patience for a pet rock, and the Internet can relate

Special Projects

Spotlight team report

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.
high schools

Meet the Globe’s Fall 2021 All-Scholastics

The Globe salutes the region's best high school athletes and coaches in the seven fall sports.
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

Joan Vennochi

Governor Baker, we have a COVID-19 data problem

JEFF JACOBY

Does free speech fly at City Hall Plaza?

Laurence H. Tribe and Dennis Aftergut

Clock is ticking on what Garland needs to do about Trump’s bid to overturn 2020 election

RENÉE GRAHAM

To save ‘America’s soul,’ Biden must fight harder for voting rights

EDITORIAL

Qualified progress on qualified immunity

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Can Mayor Wu really make the T free?

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

Chicago teachers accept COVID deal, keeping kids in school; Boston will roll out a vaccine certificate app on Jan. 15

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

I’m running.

This absolutely spectacular job, a springboard to nowhere, is everything I have been working toward all these years.

Baker approves commutation requests for two convicted of murder

The decision to grant the clemency petitions of Thomas Koonce and William Allen could clear the way for both men to be released after nearly three decades apiece in prison.

Ronnie Spector, ‘60s icon who sang ‘Be My Baby,’ dies at 78

The Ronettes’ sexy look and powerful voices — plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector — turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with the Rolling Stones.

Sports

Sports Log

Rays say bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez dies unexpectedly at 28

Tampa Ray didn’t release details of the death, which it said occurred Monday.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK

North Quincy girls’ basketball standout Orlagh Gormley proving to be one tough player to stop

With a background rooted in Gaelic football, and a drive to succeed on the court, the sophomore is averaging 27.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 5.8 steals for the 6-0 Raiders.
peter abraham | on baseball

Jon Lester gave his teams everything he had, something today’s starters aren’t asked to do

Lester, who announced his retirement Wednesday, started 241 games for the Red Sox from 2006-14 and went at least six innings 178 times.
revolution

Central defense will be an area of focus for Bruce Arena as Revolution open camp

HIGH SCHOOLS

Boston Public Schools student-athletes plea for return to practices and competition

GIRLS' BASKETBALL | PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

EMass girls’ basketball: Burlington’s Alyvia Pena headlines Players of the Week

Business

Biden to hold wind power auction off N.Y., N.J. coast

The Biden administration is offering nearly 500,000 acres off the coast of New York and New Jersey for wind energy projects that could produce enough electricity to power nearly 2 million homes.

IRS will start the tax season with a major backlog

The IRS will kick off the approaching tax season with a backlog of at least 10 million unprocessed returns from last year, according to a new report by the National Taxpayer Advocate.

Consumer prices popped again in December, casting a shadow over the economy

Startups raked in $621b in 2021, shattering funding records

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.

magazine
Television

In 1972, the kids took over TV on the first "Zoom" to enter our homes

Local history

The roller-skating heroes who fought racism in Boston

Love Letters

My fiance thinks my dress is too short for our courthouse wedding

Cooking

Recipes: Keep that resolution to eat better with 3 quinoa dishes

metro

22,184 confirmed cases and 75 deaths. See today’s COVID-19 data from Mass.

A Massachusetts mom offered to help her daughter in her search for love. It led to a billboard in Times Square.

Ice disk makes a comeback in Maine town

sports

Golden Gloves boxing tournament makes triumphant return to Lowell

Checking in on the top women’s college hockey freshman performers

Eric Weddle to come out of retirement to bolster Rams’ beleaguered secondary

business

Analysts say Medicare decision could spell the demise of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug

This Boston startup wants to fix hybrid workplaces with software

Brown University’s $90k report on the Lifespan-Care New England merger offers a positive outlook but unclear data

politics

Colleagues remember Reid at Capitol ceremony

McConnell slams Biden’s voting rights speech, calling it ‘beneath his office’

Jan. 6 committee request interview, records from McCarthy

Nation

Chicago teachers accept COVID deal, keeping kids in school; Boston will roll out a vaccine certificate app on Jan. 15

Chicago teachers accept COVID deal, keeping kids in school

Biden says separated migrant families deserve compensation. But in court, Justice Department says they’re not entitled to it.

World

Buenos Aires hits 106 degrees amid severe South American heat wave

Amid Djokovic backlash, Australia grapples with Omicron wave

Kazakhstan detains nearly 1,700 more after violent unrest

opinion

Already-strained child-care field struggles to cope with COVID challenges

Gift cards were a great idea — until Big Business thought it up

OK, so we eat more beef, pork, and poultry than lamb. Sheep everywhere ask, ‘And that’s a problem why?’

lifestyle

In South Hero, Vt., a pizza place goes pay-what-you-can. Customers’ good will followed.

Tom Brady’s new clothing line, Brady Brand, launches Wednesday

Where’s a less-meat-eating diner in need of quality takeout to go? One easy answer: PlantPub

food & dining

In South Hero, Vt., a pizza place goes pay-what-you-can. Customers’ good will followed.

Where’s a less-meat-eating diner in need of quality takeout to go? One easy answer: PlantPub

In honor of National Quinoa Day, we’re demystifying whole grains

travel

Seth Sikes on beach massages, Judy and Liza, and his upcoming show at Club Café

Orbitz switched her Aruba vacation — but not her hotel in Tahiti

AutoCamp lands in Joshua Tree, Skyspace debuts in South America, and a new lodge opens in Stowe

Arts

Drawing discovered in Concord, and believed to be an original Dürer, to be exhibited during Master Drawings New York

Glitch art gone wild: Ben K. Foley and Allison Tanenhaus embrace error at Boston Cyberarts Gallery

Seven photographers on four legs: At the Griffin, celebrating the horse in all its glory

Books

Q&A with Barbara F. Walter, author of ‘How Civil Wars Start,’ on the prospect of open civil conflict breaking out in the US

Kathryn Schulz’s memoir ‘Lost & Found’ traces life’s gifts and sorrows

Martín Espada: stacks of books, from poetry to photography

Movies

In ‘Parallel Mothers,’ the past is very much present

The power of Sidney Poitier’s stardom

A list of 20 movies, TV shows, and documentaries to stream during the snowstorm

Television

Even after finale, Dexter might not be gone for good

‘Somebody Somewhere’ is really something

With her new HBO series, Bridget Everett shows you can go home again

music

Ronnie Spector, ‘60s icon who sang ‘Be My Baby,’ dies at 78

Václav Luks’s bold Handel and Haydn debut at Symphony Hall

With Omicron surging, Passim’s annual Boston Celtic Music Festival goes virtual

Theater/Dance

This driveway dancing duo is helping to lighten neighbors’ spirits

Comedian Demetri Martin has something he’d like to say, but he’ll keep it short

A ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ with swagger, but imbued with sorrow

globe local

Newton to hold 54th Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration Jan. 17

Newton limits NewMo rideshare trips to two passengers due to COVID-19 surge

Arbitrator rejects contract that would have required Methuen to pay some police captains $500,000 a year

Obituaries

Ronnie Spector, ‘60s icon who sang ‘Be My Baby,’ dies at 78

European Parliament President David Sassoli dies at age 65

Hall of Fame receiver Don Maynard dead at age 86