The Boston Globe

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was in Newmarket Square as tents were broken down in the area Wednesday morning.

Mayor Wu says 154 people from Mass. and Cass have housing after Wednesday’s tent sweep; police investigating two dead bodies found earlier in the week

Wu said Wednesday’s effort was just one step in a long process of addressing homelessness and addiction in Boston.

‘For some, this is all they know’: Boston workers clear tents, offer housing options at Mass. and Cass.

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Omicron waves appear to slow in New York City, other major metropolitan areas

12:07 p.m.
Everything you need to know about masks: What kind to get, where to buy them, and how often you can reuse them
12:01 p.m.
Mayor Wu: No need for systemwide shutdown of Boston schools due to COVID-19

3M Co. 8210V N95 particulate respirators.

Everything you need to know about masks: What kind to get, where to buy them, and how often you can reuse them

Shifting guidance and shady online retailers marketing masks that turn out to be counterfeit have left many scratching their heads.

Juan Montes, a senior custodian, performed a daily task as he cleaned one of 150 classroom doorknobs at the Donald McKay K-8 school in East Boston.

Mayor Wu: No need for systemwide shutdown of Boston schools due to COVID-19

“So far we do not anticipate the need to have a district-wide remote situation because of staffing. We do have plans in place school by school,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at a news conference Thursday.

Biden to double number of free COVID-19 tests and add N95 masks to fight Omicron

Garrett Harker, of Eastern Standard fame, coming back to the Fenway with four new restaurants

Harker plans to return to Kenmore Square in a deal to launch in a new apartment building along Beacon Street, with new restaurants set to open next year.

Row 34 will open a fourth branch in Kendall Square this fall

RNC threatens to stop candidate participation in presidential debates

A discussion about the proposal is set to take place at the party's winter meeting.

Dave Epstein | Forecast

Temperatures will plunge again before a strong storm hits the region, but the forecast is still uncertain

Over the next few days, we’re going to be watching two weather events: one of them simply a cold blast and the other a strong storm.

Ex-homeless shelter head agrees to pay state $6 million to settle allegations he pocketed state housing funds

The attorney general charged that Manuel Duran rented properties he secretly owned to Casa Nueva Vida for use as homeless shelters at inflated rents. He used the leases to amass a real estate empire, diverting more than $2 million in state funds.

Opponents criticize McKee following abrupt resignation of Health Department director

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott's departure as state health department director "signals a lack of confidence in his leadership and handling of COVID-19," said Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, a candidate in the 2022 Democratic primary for governor.

R.I. health director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott stepping down

High-earners tax may bring in considerably less than supporters estimate, study says

New study by independent state policy center suggests "millionaires tax" will generate less new revenue than its backers have projected.

YVONNE ABRAHAM

I’m running to be the state’s next lieutenant governor. Why not?

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

A visitor to Hoyo Soplador (the Blow Hole) enjoys the water at sunset in San Andres.

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

This Caribbean island is worth the effort, if you’re willing to put in the work

Our travel writer thought he had encountered a Caribbean disaster in San Andrés, until he found a golf cart and attitude adjustment.

The Fleming home has lots of outdoor space, including a dining area overlooking a private beach.

Exploring James Bond’s Jamaica

People come to Jamaica for the beaches, the people, the food, and the vibe. We went for all of that — and to walk in the footsteps of Ian Fleming, the author of the infamous James Bond novels.

The Lovango Resort & Beach Club, located on a private island, is the first newly built resort in the USVI in more than 30 years.

New resort openings in the Caribbean

From the Bahamas to the US Virgin Islands, and from family-friendly resorts to luxe private-island retreats, here’s a roundup of new Caribbean properties to put on your radar.

Opinion

Kareem Farah, who founded the Modern Classrooms Project, in his classroom in Washington, D.C., in 2017.

IDEAS | THOMAS ARNETT

A better way to do online learning

Many schools struggling with the pandemic are shelving the very solutions that could save them.

At the Eliot K-8 Innovation School in Boston, 5-year-old Aria Marci gets support from school principal Traci Griffith as she prepares to receive her second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2021.

BPS needs a democratic vision for the future of open-enrollment schools

Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald talks to a reporter in 2019.

Plymouth County jail needs more oversight

Pro-mask and non-mask wearing demonstrators face off at the Cobb County School Board Headquarters in Marietta, Ga., last August.

IDEAS | ERIKA COHEN

I chair the school board in Derry, N.H., and I’m afraid

A Boston University staff member helps arrange returned COVID test swabs from students, staff, and others at the university's COVID testing collection kiosk on the campus on Aug. 26, 2021.

Haley Sullivan and Leah Pierson

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

More recent stories

In hot market for lab space, a biotech startup will replace the former CambridgeSide Sears

The redevelopment is the latest phase in the ongoing evolution of CambridgeSide, which in the years before the pandemic was among the most successful malls in Greater Boston.

INNOVATION BEAT

The ‘big shift’ of VCs into climate tech

Bijan Sabet of Spark Capital is among a wave of big-name venture capitalists moving into climate investments.

Sign up for the Innovation Beat newsletter

Prior to Harmony Montgomery’s disappearance, a series of police visits and a father’s history of violence

Was Adam Montgomery’s criminal history — which included pleading guilty to armed assault to murder and firearms offenses — scrutinized before he obtained custody of Harmony?

N.H. police say they’ve received 300 tips in case

Local researchers make groundbreaking discovery on how stars formed within 500 light years of earth

Ever peer up at the sky at night and wonder where all those stars came from? Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and Space Telescope Science Institute have discovered some fascinating answers on that front that should keep astronomers buzzing for light years to come.

Jason Momoa, Lisa Bonet split after 16 years together

A joint statement posted on the “Aquaman" star's Instagram page Wednesday that he and his wife were parting ways.

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★★½

‘Drive My Car’ has already won best picture awards from Boston to LA. Next up: Oscars?

Based on the short story by Haruki Murakami, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Japanese drama has already won critics’ best picture awards in cities across the country. Is it the finest movie of 2021?

Read more movie reviews

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

Sergeant Shana Cottone (center) shouted a question to Mayor Michelle Wu as she stood across the street from Wu's home.

Protests on Michelle Wu’s doorstep over vaccine mandate are the latest example of political demonstrations hitting close to home

Loud protests, some early in the morning, outside the home of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in Roslindale have frustrated neighbors and tested the boundaries of public expression and personal privacy.

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

“It’s so surreal,” said Molly Davis. “I’m next to Olivia Rodrigo.”

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.

What kind of prosecutors do Massachusetts voters want? DA races raise profound questions about a powerful position

Residents in at least three counties will elect new prosecutors this year. The contests — amidst the wave of calls for criminal justice reform — have the potential to push district attorney’s races long considered down-ballot afterthoughts to the political forefront.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Actor John Cena as Peacemaker in the upcoming HBO Max Original series of the same name.

John Cena on ‘Peacemaker,’ rocking to ’80s hair metal, and what it means to grow up in New England

Demetri Martin, shown in his Netflix special "The Overthinker."

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

Lynn Modell (left) and Ruth Benson Levin rehearse "Lighten Up"

This driveway dancing duo is helping to lighten neighbors’ spirits

Landry Major, "Winter's Horses"

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

Special Projects

Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, then president of Brigham Health, brought a Boston delegation in April 2018 to celebrate the opening of the Boao Evergrande International Hospital in China, constructed in a new medical tourism hub.

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.

Hanson-11/20/2021- Hingham vs Natick in the MIAA Division1 title game.
The Natick girls soccer team celebrate their Division 1 MIAA win over Hingham at Whitman - Hanson High school. Photo by Debee Tlumacki for the Boston Globe (sports)

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.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Governor Baker loves to dwell on numbers that make his case that Massachusetts is doing better than most everyone else. But it takes more than numbers to make people feel better.

Governor Baker, we have a COVID-19 data problem

Flags fly above Boston City Hall on Jan. 11, 2021.

Does free speech fly at City Hall Plaza?

Attorney General Merrick Garland has the opportunity to investigate those who headed all parts of the apparent conspiracy. He should seize the moment.

Laurence H. Tribe and Dennis Aftergut

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

Attendees wear protective masks while holding "Black Lives Matter" and "Vote" flags during a Get Out The Vote campaign event with US Democratic Senate candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Garden City, Ga., on Jan. 3, 2021.

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

Boston Police Department Academy Graduation Class 61-21 takes the oath of office during ceremonies at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Jan. 7, 2022.

Qualified progress on qualified immunity

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Can Mayor Wu really make the T free?

Metro

R.I. health director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott stepping down

An appointee of former-governor Gina Raimondo, Alexander-Scott said she’ll continue to serve for the next two weeks as the state looks for a replacement director for the state Department of Health

Mayor Wu says 154 people from Mass. and Cass have housing after Wednesday’s tent sweep; police investigating two dead bodies found earlier in the week

Wu said Wednesday’s effort was just one step in a long process of addressing homelessness and addiction in Boston.

Coronavirus Live Updates

Omicron waves appear to slow in New York City, other major metropolitan areas

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

Mayor Wu: No need for systemwide shutdown of Boston schools due to COVID-19

“So far we do not anticipate the need to have a district-wide remote situation because of staffing. We do have plans in place school by school,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at a news conference Thursday.

Sports

David Ortiz is in his first year on the ballot.

baseball hall of fame 2022

How do Globe writers decide their Baseball Hall of Fame votes? It’s more complicated than you think

The process of selecting a Hall of Famer is anything but simple. Our writers explain.

Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia ran a 2:01:41 in Berlin in 2019.

Boston Marathon

It’s a lightning-fast elite men’s field for the 2022 Boston Marathon

Ethopia's Kenenisa Bekele, who in 2019 recorded the second-fastest time in marathon history, will be joined by 2021 Boston winner Benson Kipruto of Kenya.

Tuukka Rask will man the Bruins’ bench door for Wednesday’s game against the Canadiens.

bruins notebook

It’s Tuukka time: Rask will start Thursday for Bruins in season debut following hip surgery

Rask won’t test his surgically repaired hip with a tuneup in the minors. “I expect to play a great game, whenever that is,” he said. “Whether that’s realistic or not, that’s what I expect.”

Tennis | Australian Open

Djokovic in Australian Open draw despite visa uncertainty

China faces Omicron test weeks ahead of Beijing Olympics

WEDNESDAY'S SCHOOLS ROUNDUP

Lauryn Hanafin stays zeroed in as Austin Prep girls’ hockey continues perfect start

Business

INNOVATION BEAT

The ‘big shift’ of VCs into climate tech

Bijan Sabet of Spark Capital is among a wave of big-name venture capitalists moving into climate investments.

In hot market for lab space, a biotech startup will replace the former CambridgeSide Sears

The redevelopment is the latest phase in the ongoing evolution of CambridgeSide, which in the years before the pandemic was among the most successful malls in Greater Boston.

Goldman Sachs delays its return to office in order to wait out the COVID surge

US initial jobless claims rose to highest since mid-November

STAT

Listen to our "First Opinion" podcast

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Listen to our "Readout LOUD" podcast

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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

It's been 50 years since the groundbreaking kids' show "Zoom" debuted on WGBH.

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

The roller-skating heroes who fought racism in Boston

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

Peruvian Quinoa and Corn Chowder (Chupe de Quinoa)

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

metro

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the state Department of Health, speaks at a COVID-19 press conference.

Opponents criticize McKee following abrupt resignation of Health Department director

Biden to double number of free COVID-19 tests and add N95 masks to fight Omicron

Local researchers make groundbreaking discovery on how stars formed within 500 light years of earth

sports

Brad Marchand beat Canadiens goalie Jake Allen twice in the first period, then completed his hat trick with a shorthanded tally in the second.

Brad Marchand can do no wrong these days as his hat trick helps Bruins dominate Canadiens

Australian open ticket limits imposed as COVID cases rise

When Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both score 30, ‘it makes everything a lot easier’ — including the win over the Pacers

business

Garrett Harker, pictured here in his former restaurant Eastern Standard a few months after it closed after COVID-19 hit in March 2020, is set to open new restaurants in the Bower building on Beacon Street, just outside Kenmore Square.

Garrett Harker, of Eastern Standard fame, coming back to the Fenway with four new restaurants

High-earners tax may bring in considerably less than supporters estimate, study says

China shuts hospitals after harsh pandemic rules led to deaths

politics

Officials from the Commission on Presidential Debates gather near the stage before the start of the second debate.

RNC threatens to stop candidate participation in presidential debates

Dems switch strategy on voting bill as Biden pushes action

McCarthy says he won’t cooperate with Jan. 6 committee’s request to interview him

Nation

Officials from the Commission on Presidential Debates gather near the stage before the start of the second debate.

RNC threatens to stop candidate participation in presidential debates

Omicron waves appear to slow in New York City, other major metropolitan areas

Mayor Wu: No need for systemwide shutdown of Boston schools due to COVID-19

World

Residents queue to undergo nucleic acid tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Xi'an in China's northern Shaanxi province on Jan. 12, 2022.

China shuts hospitals after harsh pandemic rules led to deaths

French teachers go on strike over handling of pandemic

China finds Omicron in another port city, further threatening supply chains

opinion

About 30 people stood outside the Whittier Street Health Center on Jan. 7 waiting to get a COVID-19 test.

From schools to mandates to testing, Mass. faces major COVID challenges

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

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

lifestyle

Love Letters

Once again, I am a dating hermit

She canceled her Iceland trip in time. Where’s her refund?

New resort openings in the Caribbean

food & dining

Garrett Harker, pictured here in his former restaurant Eastern Standard a few months after it closed after COVID-19 hit in March 2020, is set to open new restaurants in the Bower building on Beacon Street, just outside Kenmore Square.

Garrett Harker, of Eastern Standard fame, coming back to the Fenway with four new restaurants

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

travel

A view of Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland.

She canceled her Iceland trip in time. Where’s her refund?

New resort openings in the Caribbean

Adam Pascal on TSA PreCheck, his crossword app, and ancient megalithic cultures

Arts

Sally B. Moore's "Homo sapiens," 2020.

Humanity hangs in the balance in Sally B. Moore’s ‘Teetering’

At Peabody Essex Museum, Bernie Krause’s symphony of the wild sounds an alarm

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

Books

A violent mob loyal to Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

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

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi poses with the best screenplay award for "Drive My Car" last July at the Cannes Film Festival.

‘I think acting is an impossibly difficult thing’

Two films to observe Martin Luther King Day

Doc Talk: garden-fresh ideas; portraits from the artist; prison diary

Television

Michael C. Hall (left) as Dexter and Jack Alcott as Harrison in "Dexter: New Blood."

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

Pianist Igor Levit

From Berlin to the BSO: Pianist Igor Levit returns to Boston

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

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

Theater/Dance

Lynn Modell (left) and Ruth Benson Levin rehearse "Lighten Up"

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

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, addressed marchers during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963.

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

Ms. Spector in 2010, after performing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

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