The Boston Globe

Batterymarch Street in downtown Boston was virtually empty last week.

Another COVID surge, another desolate winter in downtown Boston

This year was supposed to mark a triumphant return for the heart of the city. But office workers have yet to return, theaters are canceling performances, and a lull has swept through the neighborhood — again.

Boston's proof-of-vaccination mandate went into effect today. Here's what to know.

COVID-19 vaccine mandate begins in Boston amid demonstrations by opponents

In less vaccinated Western Mass., overwhelmed hospitals, but progress on vaccinations

Patriots at Bills | Wild-card game | 8:15 p.m. on CBS

Countdown to kickoff: Patriots set for wild-card showdown vs. Bills in frigid Buffalo

Can the Patriots chill the Bills' dreams of postseason glory?

Chad Finn: Patriots need their best game in Round 3, but the trends do not favor them See Saturday's NFL scoreboards

When the Patriots and Bills played at Buffalo Dec. 6, the winds reached 50 miles per hour.

When weather and football collide, it represents the core of what we love about the game

From the Ice Bowl to the Tuck Rule, the weather can be a welcome foe.

Here’s the latest forecast for tonight's Patriots-Bills game

For new Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, it’s trial by fire

Wu has already made Boston history as the first woman, person of color, millennial, and mother elected mayor. Now, with the fate of her early initiatives, she’ll show whether she can transform the city’s future.

Wu describes toll of protests at her home

At the mayor’s house, a measure of how low people can go

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Expect more worrisome variants after Omicron, scientists say

Man apparently takes hostages at Texas synagogue, authorities say

The Colleyville Police Department tweeted Saturday afternoon that it was conducting SWAT operations at the address of Congregation Beth Israel.

Extreme cold hits Massachusetts Saturday ahead of heavy rain, snow Sunday night

Strong winds blowing across Massachusetts Saturday made most of the state feel below zero ahead of a storm that could leave 6-8 inches of snow in some parts of the state overnight Sunday.

How to safely use a space heater

President Biden

Biden is ending his first year in office with arguably the worst week of his presidency

Next week, President Biden will celebrate his first year in office. But the past week was so bad for Biden on multiple fronts that it might be hard to claim victory on much.

With voting bills dead, Democrats face costly fight to overcome Republican restrictions

In this Aug. 29, 1957, photo, Senator Strom Thurmond, a Republican from South Carolina, waved as he left the Senate chamber at the end of his 24-hour, 18-minute filibuster against the Civil Rights Act.

‘Jim Crow relic’: A short history of the filibuster

Dating to the 1800s, the filibuster has been used by lawmakers to both advance and thwart Black racial progress — but it is in the thwarting of that progress that it has been used with greatest frequency and success.

Craig Smith got the Bruins on the scoreboard early with a goal against his former team.

Bruins 4, Predators 3 (OT)

Bruins defeat Western Conference-leading Predators in overtime

The Bruins and Predators, two of the NHL’s hottest teams, put on a show on one of the coldest days of the year. Taylor Hall scored at 1:41 of the extra period to end it.

Bruins defenseman Urho Vaakanainen shows he belongs in the NHL

Opinion

Medical workers put new PPE on for each visit to a COVID-19 patients room in the COVID-19 ward at the US Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare system campus and medical center in West Roxbury on Tuesday.

Workers who braved darkest days of COVID-19 deserve extra pay

The federal government gave states money for hazard pay; now Governor Charlie Baker and the Legislature owe the public a plan for spending Massachusetts’ share.

Research indicates you're substantially more likely to eat this kale salad if you're told it tastes good than if you're told it's healthy.

IDEAS | Ayelet Fishbach and Bradley Turnwald

Feeding two birds with one scone

Flags fly above Boston City Hall on Nov. 11, 2021. The city allows private groups to fly a flag on the pole on the right.

Rachel Laser and Brian Kaylor

Boston was right to refuse to fly Christian flag

Sunset over the Salar de Uyuni salt flats.

IDEAS | Boštjan Videmšek with photos by Matjaž Krivic

In search of Bolivia’s white gold

Senator Ed Markey, seen here at press conference outside the US Capitol on Oct. 7, has suggested that Joe Manchin, President Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi sit in a room and determine what they can agree upon in regard to Build Back Better.

Democrats need to get real on Build Back Better

More recent stories

Tsunami advisory is in effect for Hawaii and US West Coast after volcano erupts in Pacific

An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending large waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground. Tsunami waves of more than two feet hit Hawaii.

Five Lynn officers resign, another fired, following investigation into ‘racially offensive’ texts, drug use

Five Lynn police officers have resigned, one was fired, and two have been suspended following a monthslong investigation into a text exchange that included “racially offensive language” and evidence of drug use by officers, the city’s police department said in a statement.

Teenage girl shot, killed in Worcester grocery store parking lot early Saturday morning

A 17-year-old girl was killed early Saturday after being shot in the parking lot of a Worcester grocery store, police said.

Amtrak conductor dies after falling from train in Westerly, R.I.

The woman’s body was found on the tracks north of the Westerly station, police said Saturday.

Driver injured in fiery rollover crash in Waltham

A 70-year-old man crashed at the 42.8 mile marker on Interstate 95 before his vehicle rolled over and caught on fire at about 5 a.m. Saturday, officials said.

Woman dies after being pushed onto subway tracks in Times Square

An Asian woman was killed Saturday morning after she was pushed in front of an oncoming subway train at the Times Square station, the police said.

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

Shelves that held meat products were partially empty at a grocery in Fairfax Va., on Thursday.

Why so many empty shelves at your local supermarket? It’s complicated.

Grocery stores across the United States are seeing empty shelves that once held products ranging from bread to produce to meat, as a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant adds another layer of complication to a system already strained by supply chain issues and worker shortages.

‘Mission impossible’: With Boston’s proof-of-vaccination mandate set to begin, businesses worry

With the rules set to take effect Saturday, some retailers say the mandate is starting to feel like yet another COVID-related burden on the backs of businesses the pandemic has hurt the most.

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.

KEVIN CULLEN

The driest of dry Januarys

There are all these stories about COVID fatigue. I have COVID fatigue fatigue.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Sketch for Ed Emberley's "Drawing Book of Animals."

NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS

A poet’s inviting new collection, drawing lessons, and speaking for the silenced

Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in “The Tragedy of Macbeth."

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★★½

Denzel Washington is magnificent in Joel Coen’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’

Alvin Ailey (pictured in the 1950s with Misaye Kawasaki, Larry Maldonado, and Lelia Goldoni of the Lester Horton Dance Group) in a scene from the documentary "Ailey."

Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

Mackenzie Davis as Kirsten in "Station Eleven," with the titular graphic novel.

MATTHEW GILBERT

In ‘Station Eleven,’ the arts outlast an apocalypse

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

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

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

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

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

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

Expect more worrisome variants after Omicron, scientists say

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

Five Lynn officers resign, another fired, following investigation into ‘racially offensive’ texts, drug use

Five Lynn police officers have resigned, one was fired, and two have been suspended following a monthslong investigation into a text exchange that included “racially offensive language” and evidence of drug use by officers, the city’s police department said in a statement.

COVID-19 vaccine mandate begins in Boston amid demonstrations by opponents

The mandate that took effect Saturday requires all city workers and people seeking to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston show proof that they’ve had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In less vaccinated Western Mass., overwhelmed hospitals, but progress on vaccinations

As the highly contagious Omicron variant storms across the state, Hampden — home to Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke — remains the least vaccinated county in Massachusetts.

Sports

How will Mac Jones fare in his first playoff start Saturday against the Bills?

Countdown to kickoff: Patriots set for wild-card showdown vs. Bills in frigid Buffalo

Can the Patriots chill the Bills' dreams of postseason glory?

Urho Vaakanainen assisted on the overtime goal Saturday afternoon against the Predators.

Bruins notebook

Bruins defenseman Urho Vaakanainen showing he belongs in NHL

Vaakanainen has four assists in five games since being recalled from Providence.

About four and a half hours before kickoff, fans were already outside of Highmark Stadium waiting for the gates to the parking lots to open.

Patriots at Bills

Here’s the latest weather forecast for Saturday’s Patriots-Bills game

While snow isn’t expected, it will be frigid.

Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is back in detention as he continues to fight deportation in last day before start of Australian Open

When weather and football collide, it represents the core of what we love about the game

Bruins 4, Predators 3 (OT)

Bruins defeat Western Conference-leading Predators in overtime

Business

Another COVID surge, another desolate winter in downtown Boston

This year was supposed to mark a triumphant return for the heart of the city. But office workers have yet to return, theaters are canceling performances, and a lull has swept through the neighborhood — again.

A digital divide haunts schools adapting to virus hurdles

As more families pivot back to remote learning amid quarantines and school closures, reliable, consistent access to devices and home internet remains elusive for many students who need them to keep up with their schoolwork.

Medical professionals urge Spotify to crack down on COVID misinformation

Fewer groceries, more debt: Families brace for first month without child tax payments

STAT

Listen to our "First Opinion" 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

I'm a woman of color often overlooked at work - until people realize I outrank them

The unexpected guest, “Mr. Cluck,” at the writer’s home in the Back Bay.

How rescuing a runaway chicken taught me about accepting others

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

metro

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu read through scripts before recording video messages for MLK day events that had to pivot from in person to online because of the rise in positive COVID cases on Jan 10.

For new Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, it’s trial by fire

Extreme cold hits Massachusetts Saturday ahead of heavy rain, snow Sunday night

At the mayor’s house, a measure of how low people can go

sports

Assistant GM Eddie Romero and the Red Sox opened the international amateur signing period on Saturday.

As MLB international signing period opens, Red Sox expect to add a number of young, athletic prospects

Brothers Elliot and Theodore Morse team up to take down records at Duxbury

Why did US Figure Skating deny 17-year-old rising star Ilia Malinin a spot on the Olympic team?

business

Gelesis’s commercial manufacturing facility is now producing the company's weight-loss capsules at large scale. (Photo: Business Wire)

In public debut, weight-loss firm Gelesis gets less backing than planned

What to know about Boston’s proof-of-vaccination mandate, which goes into effect Saturday

Federal rapid testing website launches next week, and will allow four tests per home

politics

In this Aug. 29, 1957, photo, Senator Strom Thurmond, a Republican from South Carolina, waved as he left the Senate chamber at the end of his 24-hour, 18-minute filibuster against the Civil Rights Act.

‘Jim Crow relic’: A short history of the filibuster

Census memo cites ‘unprecedented’ meddling by Trump administration

Biden backers ‘not seeing the results’ a year into his term

Nation

Colleyville police secure the area around Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022 in Colleyville, Texas.

Man apparently takes hostages at Texas synagogue, authorities say

Expect more worrisome variants after Omicron, scientists say

After walloping central US, winter storm sweeps toward East Coast

World

This satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite, and released by the agency, shows an undersea volcano eruption at the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022.

Tsunami advisory is in effect for Hawaii and US West Coast after volcano erupts in Pacific

Marine Le Pen, kicking off her campaign, tries to embody credibility

Tokyo COVID cases top 4,000 again as Omicron spreads over Japan

opinion

Timothy Galligan, an outreach worker with the Newmarket Business Association, talks with a woman in need of help at Newmarket Square in Boston on Jan. 11, a day that saw bitter-cold temperatures.

Reentry services must be part of plan to address Mass. and Cass crisis

Biden tries to deflate economic anxiety

Democrats need to get real on Build Back Better

lifestyle

Alaina Urquhart (left) and Ashleigh "Ash" Kelley are the hosts of "Morbid," a true crime and horror podcast.

‘Morbid’ hosts talk ‘Cinema Macabre,’ true crime, and Massachusetts’ ‘spooky horror’ history

He doesn’t want me to go back to work

Got inner critics? Bill Belichick can help.

food & dining

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addresses members of the media gathered at a press conference at City Hall on Jan. 10, 2022.

Mayor Wu: vaccine mandates for city workers, businesses, not meant to ‘punish’ people

Omicron lowers sales and threatens bankruptcy for US restaurants

100 years later, Providence Brewery Company makes its return

travel

Church motifs, like stained glass in the gospel gallery, reveal the attention to detail at the National Museum of African American Music.

Sing some gospel, bust a move, and feel the love at Nashville’s African American music museum

Best things to do in RI this week: Jan. 14-21

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

Arts

Rendering of “The Embrace,” the memorial monument and plaza dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King on Boston Common. The completed project, created by Hank Willis Thomas and Mass Design Group, will be installed early next year.

‘The Embrace,’ Boston’s long-awaited tribute to the Kings, will be unveiled on MLK Day 2023

At the MFA, a sleeping giant awakens

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

Books

A history of addiction in ‘The Urge’

‘The Hard Sell’ is a vivid tale of opioid firm showcased at Boston trial

Lisa Gardner: She reads for story, not genre

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’: Talking with Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, director of ‘Drive My Car’

Two films to observe Martin Luther King Day

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

Television

A scene from "A Reckoning in Boston."

A film, and a filmmaker, transformed in ‘A Reckoning in Boston’

In ‘Station Eleven,’ the arts outlast an apocalypse

Steve Carell provides therapy under duress in ‘The Patient’

music

Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performed Liszt's Second Piano Concerto with the BSO led by music director Andris Nelsons on Jan.13, 2022.

Glimpsing what a new era at the BSO might bring

After some of the darkest days of Gregory Porter’s life, music lights the way

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

Theater/Dance

Adam Pascal (in gray suit) and Olivia Valli in the production of "Pretty Woman: The Musical."

How ‘Pretty Woman’ became a head-turner

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

globe local

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, center, after she voted at the VNA Assisted Living Facility on Alewife Brook Parkway on Election Day in November.

Seven new mayors across Greater Boston offer hope, visions for the future

Should Massachusetts require public projects to give priority to American-made steel?

Clean, quiet lawn care is within our power

Obituaries

Mr. Bellecourt worked for a half century to improve Indigenous rights.

Clyde Bellecourt, a founder of the American Indian Movement, dies at 85

Longtime high school hockey coach Bill Belisle dies

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