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13,935 confirmed cases and 102 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.

Mass. reports 86,450 breakthrough COVID-19 cases, raising total to 6.8 percent of fully vaccinated people

The department also reported 170 more COVID-19 deaths among fully vaccinated people, bringing the total to 1,224 deaths among those fully vaccinated.

FBI: Brian Laundrie admitted killing Gabby Petito in notebook
The boyfriend of slain cross-country traveler Gabby Petito admitted killing her in a notebook discovered near his body in a Florida swamp, the FBI announced Friday.

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Booster shots improve protection against Omicron; COVID-19 cases have peaked in Massachusetts

Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen master and political reformer, dies at 95
A Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh was one of the world’s most influential Zen masters, spreading messages of mindfulness, compassion and nonviolence.

Stabbing reported at Dorchester school

A stabbing was reported Friday afternoon in Dorchester, authorities said, at a listed address for a Dorchester pilot school serving children in grades 6 through 12.

For some, ‘mild’ illness from Omicron feels like anything but

An unlucky group of COVID-positive people have found that the variant's “mild” categorization is something of an understatement.
Having trouble ordering free COVID-19 rapid tests? Here’s what to do.

Here’s why you should take COVID-19 precautions even as Omicron declines

"People just need to continue to be careful and protect themselves, their family, their community, and just bear with it a little longer," said Dr. Robert Klugman, medical director of employee health and occupational medicine at UMass Memorial Health.

As waters warm and the lobster population booms off Canada, tensions rise between Indigenous and commercial fishermen
The increasing lobster catch in St. Mary's Bay has raised the stakes for local fishermen, including the Mi’kmaw. As a result, long-simmering tensions between the Mi’kmaw and commercial fishermen, who have lobbied the government to shut down what they consider an illegal fishery, have boiled.

The lobster trap: The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine
Winter Arts Guide

10 TV shows to watch while we’re waiting out winter
Uma Thurman, Tiffany Haddish, Samuel L. Jackson, and Julia Garner are among the stars of new series and miniseries premiering in the weeks ahead.

The drama ‘Bel Air’ offers a fresh take on the Fresh Prince For the War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel, a return to a place he once called home See more in our full winter arts guide

Sidle up to the ‘Wee Irish Pub’ — a miniature barroom-on-wheels that can be delivered straight to your door

Two brothers from Reading built a 7-foot-by-17-foot traveling pub that comes complete with a bar, taps, benches, and Irish décor.
Globe Magazine

The 30 best comfort foods you’ll find at Boston area restaurants

When temperatures drop and New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside, we all need something to warm our souls. Here are 30 great comfort foods and where to find them. (You'll be glad you did!)
For small restaurants, Guy Fieri and ‘Triple D’ are ‘the gift that keeps on giving’
ADRIAN WALKER

Can Maura Healey’s opponents make a race out of this?

Healey enters the race as the clear front-runner — indeed, she’s been the Democrats’ best hope of regaining the governor’s office for at least four years.
Opinion
MARCELA GARCÍA

Follow the money: Sheriffs’ campaign donations get a much-needed look

A report from government watchdog organizations finds that an important share of contributions to sheriffs’ campaigns, including in Mass., are 'ethically conflicted.'
IDEAS | H. LOUISE MESSINGER

I celebrate my transgender son, yet I grieve for his ‘dead name’

IDEAS | MILES HOWARD

Set the underground rivers free

Gang Chen

I was arrested under the DOJ’s China Initiative. Congress must investigate the program.

Alex Beam

The virtues of not selling out

Mass. coronavirus at a glance | on
Total
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Doses Administered
Boosters Administered
 
Fully Vaccinated:
Percent of population:
Cases and deaths
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Total cases:
Total deaths:
Other resources:
NOTE: Mass DPH releases data Monday-Friday. Fully vaccinated means Mass. residents with 2 doses of Moderna/Pfizer vaccine or a dose of J&J. Boosters include Pfizer or Moderna. Mass. population of 6,892,503 is used to calculate vaccination percentages. SOURCE: Mass. Dept. of Public Health
DEVRA FIRST | PROJECT TAKEOUT

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

We’re bringing back Project Takeout. Call it Project Take Two.
Browse a map of reader-recommended takeout spots Tell us: Where is your favorite place to order from? 3 places we supported this week Explore the full project

More recent stories

Nick Alahverdian being held in Scotland ahead of a pre-extradition hearing
He is next due in court on Feb. 10 for a pre-extradition hearing, officials at the Edinburg Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court said.

Dan Shaughnessy
Is there anything to the cryptic criticism from Bill James on the 2011 Red Sox, and other thoughts
The former Red Sox analytics guru recently made some strong comments about the role of team chemistry regarding the ‘11 Sox.

TELEVISION
Louie Anderson brought poignancy, and memories of his mother, to ‘Baskets’
The comic and actor, who died on Friday, delivered one of the best TV performances of the past 20 years on the oddly sweet FX series.

University of Rhode Island revokes honorary degrees for Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani
“Revoking these honorary degrees reinforces our values and allows us to lead with truth and integrity,” URI President Marc Parlange said.

The Beijing Olympics are complicated and controversial, and that’s before they even begin
China's president has promised a “fantastic, extraordinary, and excellent Games," but not everyone is so sure about that.

Dinner with Cupid
Blind date: ‘My mom has tried to set me up on blind dates. That has not quite worked out.’
Will this chess master find his queen?

Introducing our new climate initiative

To report on the most pressing issue of our time, the Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage.
Explore the new section, 'Into the Red'

Recommended reads

Larry Edelman

State needs to slow down on clawing back unemployment overpayments

The situation is a mess. The number of open overpayments is huge. Hitting the pause button to sort everything out seems like the right thing to do.

Sotomayor blasts Supreme Court over handling of Texas abortion case
Calling it a “disaster for the rule of law,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a blistering dissent on Thursday after the high court rejected the latest request from Texas abortion providers to intervene.

KEVIN CULLEN
The guilty, the innocent, and government secrecy
Hiding behind privacy laws, at this point, is more than pointless; it endangers the next kid who needs government intervention to save them from their own flesh and blood.

PARENTING UNFILTERED
No more sad sandwiches: Where to find kid-friendly takeout
Dial down mealtime stress with roti or Korean corndogs.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS

A powerful story collection on life as a young man of color; authors receive creative writing grants

Boston Calling announces 2022 lineup with headliners Foo Fighters, the Strokes, Metallica

PARENTING UNFILTERED

No more sad sandwiches: Where to find kid-friendly takeout

THE TICKET

Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

Special Projects

Under the wheel

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

EDITORIAL

Body cameras not just for cops any more

Amanda Nguyen

Legislature must fully protect survivors of sexual assault

Kimberly Atkins Stohr

A high court loss for Boston could come at a high price — unless it acts fast

IDEAS | Beth Humberd, Carlo Dallapiccola, Scott Latham, and Adrian Staub

College COVID restrictions have become overkill

RENÉE GRAHAM

André Leon Talley’s inspiring belief in belonging

IDEAS | MILES HOWARD

Set the underground rivers free

Metro

ADRIAN WALKER

Can Maura Healey’s opponents make a race out of this?

Healey enters the race as the clear front-runner — indeed, she’s been the Democrats’ best hope of regaining the governor’s office for at least four years.
Coronavirus Live Updates

Booster shots improve protection against Omicron; COVID-19 cases have peaked in Massachusetts

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

Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen master and political reformer, dies at 95

A Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh was one of the world’s most influential Zen masters, spreading messages of mindfulness, compassion and nonviolence.

Mass. reports 86,450 breakthrough COVID-19 cases, raising total to 6.8 percent of fully vaccinated people

The department also reported 170 more COVID-19 deaths among fully vaccinated people, bringing the total to 1,224 deaths among those fully vaccinated.

Sports

women's college basketball notebook

Denise Solis holding down front line for UMass Lowell on the basketball court and in the nursing program

On the court, Denise Solis perhaps the River Hawks’ most valuable player while off the court she is deep into clinical rotations as part of her nursing major.
NFL notebook

Giants name Joe Schoen of Bills as their new GM

Schoen helped rebuild the Bills, who have made the playoffs four of five seasons.
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING NOTEBOOK

Longtime St. John’s Prep wrestling coach Manny Costa is No. 1 to reach 800 career victories

Hired in 1990 and originally expecting to last only a couple of seasons, the veteran mentor continues to thrive in his 32nd season at the helm of one of the top MIAA programs.
Bruins

Bruins need to find replacements for all the roles the injured Brad Marchand plays

NFC Divisional game: 49ers at Packers, Saturday, 8:15 p.m., Fox

Aaron Rodgers’s latest playoff drive starts as Packers host 49ers

AFC Divisional game: Bengals at Titans, Saturday, 4:30 p.m., CBS

Rested, healthy Titans eager to begin playoff run with big horse Derrick Henry back

Business

RI HEALTH

McKee allows nursing homes to bypass minimum staffing requirements

The Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act was signed into law by McKee in May 2021. Now, the governor says, critical staff shortages justify a moratorium on enforcement of the law and its financial penalties.
Larry Edelman | The 2-minute drill

Mass. employers added 222,000 jobs last year

The local labor market ended the year on an upbeat note, data released Friday show, but a sharp decline in the jobless rate was skewed by statistical revisions.

Tell us: Share your memories of the Floating Hospital for Children, now known as Tufts Children’s Hospital

IBM sells some Watson Health assets for more than $1 billion

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
Globe Magazine

The 30 best comfort foods you’ll find at Boston area restaurants

Globe Magazine

For small restaurants, Guy Fieri and ‘Triple D’ are ‘the gift that keeps on giving’

PERSPECTIVE

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

MISS CONDUCT

My husband gave me a present and I gave it away

metro

As waters warm and the lobster population booms off Canada, tensions rise between Indigenous and commercial fishermen

Sidle up to the ‘Wee Irish Pub’ — a miniature barroom-on-wheels that can be delivered straight to your door

13,935 confirmed cases and 102 deaths. See today’s COVID-19 data from Mass.

sports

Linebacker Harvey Langi staying with Patriots on one-year deal

The Beijing Olympics are complicated and controversial, and that’s before they even begin

Providence College athletic director Bob Driscoll to retire

business

For some, ‘mild’ illness from Omicron feels like anything but

A professor said her students think average Americans make six figures. That’s a long way off.

Peloton considers layoffs but denies report it will pause production

politics

US judge blocks Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal workers, months after most were vaccinated

Biden vowed to do more for Black Americans. For some, it’s too little too late.

Sotomayor blasts Supreme Court over handling of Texas abortion case

Nation

Mitch McConnell responds to uproar over comments about African American voters

Texas hostages escaped synagogue as FBI SWAT team rushed in

Booster shots improve protection against Omicron; COVID-19 cases have peaked in Massachusetts

World

Kurdish-led forces repel Islamic State prison assault; dozens dead

Stakes rise over Ukraine, US will reply to Russian demands

4 dead and 7 missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia coast

opinion

College COVID restrictions have become overkill

André Leon Talley’s inspiring belief in belonging

A high court loss for Boston could come at a high price — unless it acts fast

lifestyle

My husband wants an apology from my mom

No joke: Comics Colin Jost, Pete Davidson buy Staten Island Ferry boat

Home design: Turning a bland Mission Hill bedroom into a refuge

food & dining

For small restaurants, Guy Fieri and ‘Triple D’ are ‘the gift that keeps on giving’

The 30 best comfort foods you’ll find at Boston area restaurants

Eleven Madison Park and Per Se alums will open Twelve in Portland over Memorial Day weekend

travel

This Vermont town was named among the best places to travel in February

Help! My Expedia tour credit is about to expire

A romantic weekend in Portsmouth

Arts

10 museum must-sees that will banish the winter blahs

‘Vernacular Glamour’ excavates the material world

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

Books

New novel ‘Devil House’ looks at our true crime obsessions

Jabari Asim: an ‘eclectic, voracious’ reader

Science, fiction, and fantasy blend in ‘A Snake Falls to Earth’

Movies

Doc Talk: An incurable optimist, a fleeing fugitive, and an undaunted soul

Death becomes him

The Danish documentary ‘Flee’ is the latest reminder that animation doesn’t have to be just for children

Television

Louie Anderson brought poignancy, and memories of his mother, to ‘Baskets’

First look at Elle Fanning as Michelle Carter in Hulu’s ‘The Girl from Plainville’

10 TV shows to watch while we’re waiting out winter

music

Conductor Elim Chan, pianist Igor Levit offer familiar comforts and new delights at the BSO

Boston Calling announces 2022 lineup with headliners Foo Fighters, the Strokes, Metallica

For the War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel, a return to a place he once called home

Theater/Dance

In ‘The Bluest Eye’ at the Huntington, the challenge of capturing Toni Morrison’s unerring vision

Dramas, musicals, and a trio of blue men: 10 shows for theatergoers this winter

See dancers from all over New England during a weekend of Boston performances

globe local

What to do in this bleak midwinter: How about visiting a museum?

Should Massachusetts guarantee anyone serving a life sentence the chance for parole?

Wouldn’t it be nice? Fifty-four years after we married, it still is.

Obituaries

Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen master and political reformer, dies at 95

Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning comedian, has died

Meat Loaf, ‘Bat Out of Hell’ rock superstar, dies at 74