The Boston Globe

Nine-year-old Stephen Weaver, a third-grader at Cabot Elementary School in Newton, ate lunch with his mother, Dr. Cheri Weaver, in the back of their car during the school day. Weaver said she doesn't feel the school is adequately addressing lunchtime risks.

Tensions rise as Mass. changes school COVID measures for ‘current state of pandemic’

The push to move schools back toward pre-pandemic operations is escalating tensions between two impassioned groups: those who say that schools have done too much, for too long, to stop the virus, and those who maintain that not enough is being done.

Mass. relaxes contact tracing in schools that offer rapid tests to students and staff

A student made his way to his classroom at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park.

THE BIG IDEA | KARA MILLER

‘This is a different phase.’ It may be time for a reset on kids, school, and COVID.

Some medical experts insist: Not only do we need to keep schools open, but our entire approach to kids and testing also has to change.

All around Massachusetts, cities and towns want to go fossil fuel free. Here’s why they can’t.

All around Massachusetts, cities and towns want to go fossil fuel free. Here’s why they can’t.

ADRIAN WALKER

Brookline’s policing blues

Alarmed by many aspects of modern policing, residents of this progressive community of 63,000 have been pushing for substantial reform in how policing there gets carried out. Meanwhile, some police officers, and their allies, have been pushing back.

In Brookline, questions abound for the future of its police department

Biden to give away 400 million N95 masks starting next week

The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week, now that federal officials are emphasizing their better protection against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings.

Website for free virus tests is here. Here’s how it works

New York attorney general outlines pattern of possible fraud at Trump business

The New York state attorney general, Letitia James, accused Donald Trump’s family business late Tuesday of repeatedly misrepresenting the value of its assets to bolster its bottom line, saying in court papers that the company had engaged in “fraudulent or misleading” practices.

In mostly salary shredding move, Celtics acquire Bol Bol, P.J. Dozier in three-way deal

Boston will part with Juancho Hernangomez for the players, both of whom are injured.

Mass. woman and N.H. woman are arrested in connection with Jan. 6 attack on US Capitol

Stefanie Chiguer of Dracut and Kirstyn Niemela of Hudson, N.H., both face charges in connection with the Jan. 6 attack.

Prosecutors are said to have asked about Trump’s role in Jan. 6 insurrection Rudy Giuliani among Trump allies subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Boosters roll out in Mass. unevenly, as worker shortages hamper outreach; Experts say the world needs to be vaccinated to end pandemic

6:21 a.m.
WHO counts 18 million virus cases last week as omicron slows
5:51 a.m.
Slovakia imposes COVID restrictions to get ready for Omicron
5:36 a.m.
Biden to give away 400 million N95 masks starting next week

Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., spoke during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 30, 2021.

‘American democracy is under attack’: Warren urges support for voting rights legislation, rails against filibuster

In a speech that lasted over an hour, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren unleashed a fiery defense of voting rights legislation that Democrats have labeled as being crucial to protecting democracy late Tuesday.

Charlesgate Park trees illuminated green.

Boston’s Emerald Necklace parks shine green through winter season

The 1,100-acre chain linked by parkways and waterways from Boston to Brookline will be illuminated with emerald green lights from Feb. 1 through March 20.

A view of a Steamship Authority ferry in the Hyannis Cruise Terminal.

‘You are 2155th in line’: Steamship Authority opens Nantucket ferry reservations for summer 2022

Lots of people had their sights set on Nantucket early Tuesday morning as the Steamship Authority — the transit operator that links the islands to mainland Massachusetts — opened its online ferry reservations for summer 2022.

Opinion

General Electric workers protested out of concern for their safety due to COVID-19 on March 30, 2020, on Necco Street in Boston. Two years later, GE became the first major corporation to announce it was halting its implementation of the vaccine or test mandate.

Biden shouldn’t give up on vaccine mandates

Smaller victories are the key to an end run around the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Hardly had the fine words of President Biden's inaugural address receded in the rearview mirror than his commitment to healing and peacemaking faded.

Biden is failing because he abandoned his mandate

In this Nov. 8, 2006 photo, American Nobel laureate and "Beloved" author Toni Morrison smiles during a press conference at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Democracy’s other threat: Book bans and purges

Governor Charlie Baker’s impending departure has left Attorney General Maura Healey, a well-known and well-liked statewide figure, the strong frontrunner.

Maura Healey will soon be in the governor’s race

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rides the Senate subway following a weekly Republican policy luncheon on Jan. 11 in Washington.

McConnell’s take on all things un-presidential seems a mite un-senatorial

More recent stories

Making riders tap their CharlieCard to leave could reduce expected fare evasion surge, new analysis finds

The nearly $1 billion Automated Fare Collection 2.0 system will allow riders to board buses and trolleys using all doors. But, that convenience meant to speed up service will allow more riders to skip paying the fare altogether, the MBTA has acknowledged.

Kevin Paul Dupont I On hockey

‘I am overwhelmed and thrilled to be a part of the Bruins forever’. Willie O’Ree’s No. 22 retired, raised to TD Garden rafters

O’Ree, now 86, formally took his bow — albeit virtually, from his home in San Diego — as the first Black man to play in the NHL.

Bruins blown out by visiting Hurricanes

Justice Gorsuch reportedly refused to wear mask during Supreme Court arguments

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch reportedly refused to wear a mask when the group gathered to hear arguments earlier this month for the first time since the Omicron surge swept across the United States over the holidays.

Woman allegedly throws sauce packets at Burger King in Milford, damages drive-thru

Milford police are trying to locate the woman who apparently was so unhappy with her meal that she also allegedly scratched the employee as she tried to climb through the window to get her money back during her visit to the restaurant on Friday, police said.

N.H. governor questions Mass. court’s handling of Harmony Montgomery case

Governor Chris Sununu blasted the actions of the Massachusetts court system for placing Harmony Montgomery in the custody of her father in 2019.

Bridgewater man dies from car crash on Interstate 95 in Westwood

A 40-year-old Bridgewater man died after the Jeep he was driving rolled over on Interstate 95 south Tuesday, State 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

Rosalin Acosta leads the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workplace Development, which oversees the state's unemployment division.

Mass. seeks to claw back at least $2.7 billion in jobless benefits it says were incorrectly paid

The Department of Unemployment Assistance made overpayments on about 719,000 claims in 2020-2021. It’s going after recipients even if they weren’t at fault.

After a boom year, SPACs may be going bust in startup land

Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, are under fire from regulators, analysts, and investors after many deals dropped in price once they started trading publicly.

In Brookline, questions abound for the future of its police department

Last week brought more upheaval, with acting chief Mark Morgan going on medical leave and a new acting chief, its fourth top cop in as many years, appointed by the Select Board.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Families in Alabama have free, full-day prekindergarten while many Mass. families can only dream of it

Thanks to Alabama’s growing investments in early education, the state’s pre-K system is among the best in the nation in quality — and it’s free for most. Programs like Alabama’s are the envy of families in Massachusetts.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Recipes: Four ways to use ginger with fish, beef, pork, and chicken

Maurice Emmanuel Parent in "Mr. Parent" at Lyric Stage Company.

Lasting lessons in Lyric Stage’s ‘Mr. Parent’

Two lanes are available for iceless curling in the Seaport, and lessons can be booked as well.

Iceless curling is just a stone’s throw away in the Seaport

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

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

Michael Milburn and William DeJong

Bill to combat marijuana-related impaired driving should be rejected

Mourners lay flowers on the casket during burial services for Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardy at St. Michael's Catholic Parish in Hudson in 2016.

Kevin P. Hill and John F. Carmichael Jr.

Clardy Law would keep roads safe

The Mass General Brigham offices in Somerville.

After China, Mass General Brigham is hungry to grow back home

Search for a ‘clean slate’ remains elusive

In this March 7, 1965, file photo, state troopers swinging billy clubs to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala.

MLK’s legacy, today’s voting rights challenge

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

COLUMN | DAN McGOWAN

Congressman Langevin’s next move: Why not president of Rhode Island College?

Langevin says he’s still in good health, and that he wants to continue to contribute to the state for as long as he can. Leading his alma mater could be the right next step.

Coronavirus Live Updates

Boosters roll out in Mass. unevenly, as worker shortages hamper outreach; Experts say the world needs to be vaccinated to end pandemic

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

Making riders tap their CharlieCard to leave could reduce expected fare evasion surge, new analysis finds

The nearly $1 billion Automated Fare Collection 2.0 system will allow riders to board buses and trolleys using all doors. But, that convenience meant to speed up service will allow more riders to skip paying the fare altogether, the MBTA has acknowledged.

Here’s how a boutique distillery in Rhode Island is making the country’s first oyster-distilled vodka

Ostreida boasts a palate of “savory salinity, crisp sea brine, and the unmistakable salty New England oyster perfume intwined on the buttery back bone” of ISCO’s organic corn distillate.

Sports

Staff members rehearse a victory ceremony at the Beijing Medals Plaza in Beijing, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

Beijing residents disappointed Olympics will be closed event

With just over two weeks before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, residents of the Chinese capital say they’re disappointed at not being able to attend events because of coronavirus restrictions that have seen parts of the city placed under lockdown.

P.J. Dozier tore his ACL in November and will miss the rest of this season.

In mostly salary shredding move, Celtics acquire Bol Bol, P.J. Dozier in three-way deal

Boston will part with Juancho Hernangomez for the players, both of whom are injured.

Bishop Fenwick's Cecilia Kay tries to keep the ball away from Bishop Feehan’s Lydia Mordarski.

TUESDAY'S GIRLS' BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Behind Erica Lendall’s hot shooting, Bishop Fenwick closes out tough win over Bishop Feehan

The 5-foot-2-inch junior guard scored 15 points on five 3-pointers, allowing the No. 17 Crusaders to prevail down the stretch against the No.. 7 Shamrocks.

TUESDAY'S BOYS' BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Noah Beaudet, unbeaten Norwood boys’ basketball right on point in victory over Dover-Sherborn

Seahawks fire two coordinators after rough season

Hurricanes 7, Bruins 1

Bruins blown out by visiting Hurricanes

Business

Top editor files discrimination suit against The New York Post

A former high-level editor at The New York Post claimed in a discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday that she had endured “several years of sex-based harassment” during her more than two decades at the tabloid, saying its longtime editor-in-chief retaliated against her after she reported to company officers that he had sexually harassed her.

ILO report says Afghan crisis causing massive job losses

More than a half million people in Afghanistan have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover in mid-August, the International Labor Organization said in a report released Wednesday.

More Mass. taxpayers could be impacted by so-called ‘millionaires tax’

AT&T and Verizon will change their 5G plans after airlines warn of flight chaos

STAT

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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

The power of having a great role model, whether you’re 9 or 99

Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Recipes: Four ways to use ginger with fish, beef, pork, and chicken

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

Randy Michaud arrived Monday at the Salisbury Council on Aging to drop off hats knitted by the Sisters of Notre Dame to donate to residents who were displaced by a massive, 9-alarm fire that destroyed a seaside motel and four residential buildings on Salisbury Beach. The town on Tuesday said that enough garments have been donated and that people consider donating gift cards or send money to a relief fund set up to help residents.

Salisbury collects donations for displaced residents after massive fire

Influential fashion journalist André Leon Talley dies at 73

Massachusetts remembers MLK, reflects on how his legacy can shape the future

sports

Mary Parker (right) and the Boston Pride won the Isobel Cup last season.

Premier Hockey Federation announces $25 million investment with aims to boost salaries and the sport

‘I am overwhelmed and thrilled to be a part of the Bruins forever’. Willie O’Ree’s No. 22 retired, raised to TD Garden rafters

Celtics’ Brad Stevens has a valuable resource for trade-deadline info in Ime Udoka

business

The misuse of Autopilot, which can control steering, speed, and braking, has occurred on numerous occasions and is the subject of investigations by two federal agencies.

Felony charges are 1st in a fatal crash involving Autopilot

After a boom year, SPACs may be going bust in startup land

Exxon sets a 2050 goal for net zero greenhouse gas emissions

politics

N95 masks.

Biden to give away 400 million N95 masks starting next week

Blinken in Ukraine as tensions with Russia soar

‘American democracy is under attack’: Warren urges support for voting rights legislation, rails against filibuster

Nation

Kai Jackson, 21, gets his Moderna COVID-19 Vaccination booster from RN Sue Vue at the Whittier Street Health Center.

Boosters roll out in Mass. unevenly, as worker shortages hamper outreach; Experts say the world needs to be vaccinated to end pandemic

Biden to give away 400 million N95 masks starting next week

Blinken in Ukraine as tensions with Russia soar

World

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a general view of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022 after a huge undersea volcanic eruption. Three of Tonga's smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the damage caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation.

Three of Tonga’s smaller islands badly damaged by tsunami

Blinken in Ukraine as tensions with Russia soar

Japan widens COVID curbs, including in Tokyo, as cases surge

opinion

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is met by police officers as she leaves her home in Roslindale, where several protesters had gathered outside to demonstrate against the city's vaccine mandate.

The protesters are outside the house

Ex-prosecutor’s comments raise questions about pursuit of justice

MLK’s legacy, today’s voting rights challenge

lifestyle

A bottle of Ostreida vodka with oysters from Matunuck Oyster Farm in Rhode Island.

Here’s how a boutique distillery in Rhode Island is making the country’s first oyster-distilled vodka

We thought we’d be past this by now. We were wrong. Support your local restaurants.

‘You are 2155th in line’: Steamship Authority opens Nantucket ferry reservations for summer 2022

food & dining

A bottle of Ostreida vodka with oysters from Matunuck Oyster Farm in Rhode Island.

Here’s how a boutique distillery in Rhode Island is making the country’s first oyster-distilled vodka

We thought we’d be past this by now. We were wrong. Support your local restaurants.

A list of readers’ favorite takeout spots

travel

A view of a Steamship Authority ferry in the Hyannis Cruise Terminal.

‘You are 2155th in line’: Steamship Authority opens Nantucket ferry reservations for summer 2022

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

Arts

Maria Yolanda Liebana’s mixed-media collage “Victorious.”

‘Vernacular Glamour’ excavates the material world

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

At the MFA, a sleeping giant awakens

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

Jeremy Irons, center, as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, and George MacKay, far right, in "Munich — The Edge of War."

In ‘Munich — The Edge of War,’ peace is hard to come by

‘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

Television

Hilary Duff (pictured in November) stars in "How I Met Your Father."

Attempts at hangout comedy fall short in ‘How I Met Your Father’

This week’s TV: ‘Ozark’ is back, ‘How I Met Your Father’ arrives, and who should host the Oscars?

SNL is back from winter break and Ariana DeBose used her Broadway talents as host

music

Augustus Muller (left) and Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher.

Boy Harsher’s new music sounded like a soundtrack to something. So they made a horror film.

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

Theater/Dance

Maurice Emmanuel Parent in "Mr. Parent" at Lyric Stage Company.

Lasting lessons in Lyric Stage’s ‘Mr. Parent’

How ‘Pretty Woman’ became a head-turner

This driveway dancing duo is helping to lighten neighbors’ spirits

globe local

Massachusetts remembers MLK, reflects on how his legacy can shape the future

‘It’s a systemic breakdown’: With jury trials suspended, an unprecedented backlog snowballs

Storm brings strong winds and coastal flooding — and snow to Western Mass.

Obituaries

André Leon Talley.

Influential fashion journalist André Leon Talley dies at 73

Paul Carter Harrison, whose ideas shaped Black theater, dies at 85

Famed Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102