The Boston Globe

As Omicron wanes, hopes rise to travel and socialize again

Hints of optimism are seen in record advance bookings at some New England inns, a stream of tourists to Boston and beyond, and restaurants and clubs where tables are hard to reserve.

Beijing Winter Olympics

Of course there’s a Boston connection to Team USA’s first medal, and other thoughts on Saturday’s Olympics

Julia Marino introduced herself to Boston sports fans six years ago, and has now made her biggest mark yet on the international stage.

In team figure skating, the only thing left to decide is who stands where on the podium Julia Marino goes from Fenway Big Air to silver medal in women’s slopestyle at Beijing Games How to watch: Day-by-day TV schedule and results See all of our ongoing Olympic coverage

30 minutes in Roslindale: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s block has taken center stage in one of the city’s ugliest political dramas

The acrimonious dispute over Wu’s vaccine requirement for city employees has come to define her early tenure in City Hall. Lately, it’s been disrupting her early-morning life at home, too.

Protests on Michelle Wu’s doorstep over vaccine mandate are the latest example of political demonstrations hitting close to home For new Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, it’s trial by fire

For years, the mother of Harmony Montgomery rang the alarm about her missing daughter. Few listened.

“I just can’t ... sit by the phone and hope,” says Crystal Sorey, whose daughter has been missing since 2019. “Not as a mother.”

‘An amazing legacy’: Justice Breyer’s replacement could be a former clerk he considers family

Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would become the first Black woman on the court, spent a formative year clerking for the retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer more than two decades ago.

COVID-19: THE LATEST

CDC plans to let people with weakened immune systems get a booster earlier

There’s no Korean Disney princess. So a Harvard student created her own.

Julia Riew has spent the past year and a half writing and composing a full-length musical as part of her senior thesis project — complete with script, screenplay, and more than 15 original songs. Now Hollywood is taking notice.

‘I still refuse to call a milkshake a frappe.’ ... Newcomers clear the icy air about the stuff that baffles them about Boston.

From the housing stock to the weather to our roads, accents, and obsessions, we annoy, frustrate, and frighten.

Too often on Celtics road broadcasts Mike Gorman (right) and Brian Scalabrine are left trying to decipher what an official has called.

Chad Finn | Sports Media

Local broadcast teams should return to the road, and other topics

Calling away games from a studio was necessary during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that's no longer the case.

The statehouse in Concord, N.H.

Who gets to live free in N.H.? Not the state’s teachers, if a law demanding their loyalty comes to pass.

Amid a GOP crusade to ban books and control how teachers talk about history and race, legislators in New Hampshire want to mandate teachers’ allegiance to the lawmakers’ version of American history.

Opinion

The antiquated Electoral Count Act gave Donald Trump a pretext for asking Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election results and for inciting an attack on the Capitol. The law is in desperate need of revision.

After violence of Jan. 6, Congress must fix the antiquated way presidential votes are counted

While much has been made about the attack on the US Capitol during the vote-counting process, Congress has yet to actually take on the law that ostensibly paved the way for Donald Trump to incite the insurrection.

I hate myself and want to buy

IDEAS | TOM JOUDREY

‘Cabaret’ and the shadow of fascism

IDEAS | BINA VENKATARAMAN

How did Iceland become a model of gender equality?

Skepticism of US intelligence? After Iraq fiasco, it’s a must.

Takeout from Leena's Kitchen in Plymouth.

Project Takeout

3 places we supported this week

Want to order from local, independent restaurants? Here are some suggestions from Globe staff.

Browse a map of reader-recommended takeout spots Explore the full project

More recent stories

Joe Rogan apologizes for ‘shameful’ past use of racial slur

As pressure has intensified on Spotify and its star podcaster Joe Rogan, listeners reported that the company had quietly removed dozens of episodes of his show, while Rogan apologized early Saturday for his use of a racial slur in past episodes.

A decision made behind closed doors may set clean energy back by two years

New England should be racing to bring as much clean energy online as possible to green its electricity supply. But on Thursday, ISO-New England, a regional stakeholder group, threw up a major hurdle to achieving those goals, advocates say.

US warns of grim toll if Putin pursues full invasion of Ukraine

Senior Biden administration officials told lawmakers this past week that they believed the Russian military had assembled 70 percent of the forces it would need to mount a full invasion of Ukraine, painting the most ominous picture yet of the options that Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has created for himself in recent weeks.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Melnea Cass, ‘First Lady of Roxbury,’ gave Boston her all

The name of Melnea Agnes Cass, known as the “First Lady of Roxbury,” is emblazoned on public amenities across the neighborhood she called home, a testament to her legacy as a civil rights activist and community organizer.

Mass. home prices have skyrocketed since 2019. Here’s how much.

The median prices for condos and single-family homes broke records in December.

Cape Cod Hospital removes doctor who brought unloaded rifle to work

The physician, whose name was not released, will not be permitted to “return to work or otherwise,” a hospital spokesman said Saturday.

Recommended reads

A scene from the Netflix miniseries "Unorthodox."

MATTHEW GILBERT

Miniseries have been thriving on streaming services. Here are the 10 best.

These originals from the likes of Netflix and Hulu embraced the shorter format for stories that made a big impression.

‘Should I start returning to normal?’ Experts still advise caution for those recovering from Omicron.

Scientists say that vaccinated people who have also recently recovered from a natural infection have among the highest degrees of protection. But it’s not clear how long that protection will last.

Vote in round three of our bracket: Which sugary cereal is best?

We’ve put together the ultimate breakfast cereal bracket. Help us decide once and for all which childhood favorite should be crowned champion.

INNOVATION BEAT

We took a ‘self-driving’ Tesla for a spin in Boston. Here’s how it did.

Amid ongoing safety and regulatory issues, our intrepid tech reporter tries out the automaker's new "full self-driving" feature.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

A cold that bites in Sarah Manguso’s ‘Very Cold People’

From left: Brittany-Laurelle, Hadar Busia-Singleton, and Alexandria King in "The Bluest Eye" at the Huntington Theatre Company.

Coming of age in a hostile world in ‘The Bluest Eye’

Which sugar cereal is superior?

Vote in round three of our bracket: Which sugary cereal is best?

Oludara Adeeyo's new book is "Self-Care for Black Women"

‘Self-Care for Black Women’ offers strategies for nurturing mind, body, and soul

Special Projects

Into the Red illustration.

Into the Red: How the Globe will cover climate change

To report on the most pressing issue of our time, the Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage.

Under the wheel

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

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

In Newton, leaf blowers are a subject of controversy. Now Boston is considering banning them.

MARCELA GARCÍA

Should Boston limit the use of gas-powered lawn tools?

Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores walks off the field in October. Flores has sued the NFL and three teams over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers.

America’s national pastimes — football and racism

Whoopi Goldberg, a host of the daytime talk series "The View." Goldberg was suspended for two weeks following comments she made about the Holocaust and Jews.

It’s not just the Holocaust that Whoopi Goldberg got wrong

Police members are seen on Jan. 9 in the backyard of 77 Gilford Street in Manchester, which has been part of the investigation into the disappearance of 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery. The home is the last known residence of the child.

Jay D. Blitzman, Stephen M. Limon, Tony DeMarco, Leslie Harris, Sydney Hanlon, Deborah Ramirez, John Greaney, and Leslie Donahue

In search of answers in the Harmony Montgomery case

The corporate offices of Massachusetts General Brigham hospitals in Assembly Square in Somerville.

Timothy J. Garvin, Katie Murphy, and Robin Smith

Mass General Brigham’s expansion plan must be rejected

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Republicans are making it harder to vote. How much will it matter?

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

CDC plans to let people with weakened immune systems get a booster earlier

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

2-alarm fires in Dorchester, South Boston displace 13 residents

There were no injuries in either fire, which broke out hours apart in Dorchester and South Boston Saturday night, according to the fire department.

Bruins fan says he suffered homophobic assault outside Denver arena

A Boston Bruins fan says he was assaulted for being gay following the team’s Jan. 26 game against the Denver Avalanche at a bar near the Avalanche arena, and Denver police are now investigating the incident.

Green Line trolley taken out of service following small fire

No one was injured in the incident that occurred around 5:45 p.m. Saturday on the Boylston Street Station, an MBTA spokesman said.

Sports

Supporters of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai wore slogan-bearing T-shirts at last month's Australian Open as her safety remains in question.

An Olympic question that won’t go away: Where is Peng Shuai?

The former top-ranked tennis doubles player has rarely been seen publicly since making sexual assault allegations against former vice premier Zhang Gaoli.

Connecticut's Julia Marino won silver in the women's snowboard slopestyle.

2022 WINTER OLYMPICS

2022 Beijing Olympics: Day-by-day TV schedule and results

View the official 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games event schedule. Find out how to watch your favorite Olympic winter sports.

Jesse Compher scored twice as the Americans romped in their penultimate group game.

United States 8, Switzerland 0

US women’s hockey tunes up for Canada with 8-0 rout of Switzerland

The Americans top Group A, outscoring opponents 18-2, with their fiercest rivals waiting in the final preliminary game.

John Powers | On Olympics

In team figure skating, the only thing left to decide is who stands where on the podium

Of course there’s a Boston connection to Team USA’s first medal, and other thoughts on Saturday’s Olympics

China reports 10 COVID-19 cases among people involved with Olympics

Business

Hong Kong set to report 342 local COVID-19 Infections, SCMP says

Hong Kong officials expect to report 342 local Covid cases on Sunday, the South China Morning Post reported, citing an unidentified source.

Delta asks DOJ to put unruly passengers on no-fly list

Delta Air Lines has requested that the US Department of Justice put any person convicted of a disruption on board a flight to the national “no fly” list.

Despite Omicron surge, businesses desperate to find and keep workers

Stocks climb as investors weigh surprising jobs report, Amazon earnings

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

Those COVID tracking charts start here, with Biobot sewage analysis that knows we’re sick before we do

Mitchell (front) and astronomy students in front of the Vassar College Observatory, 1878.

She was a self-taught astronomer with a radical idea: The stars belong to all

Advice: How do I get people off the phone when I’m not up for talking?

Black Bean Tostadas

Recipes: Two secrets to quick and easy Mexican black bean dishes

metro

Demonstrators gathered Saturday outside Tufts Children’s Hospital to protest plans to close the facility later this year.

Parents, staff gather to protest plans to close Tufts Children’s Hospital

As Omicron wanes, hopes rise to travel and socialize again

There’s no Korean Disney princess. So a Harvard student created her own.

sports

The finish area of the men's downhill ski race course at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre in Yanqing, China.

Men’s downhill at Beijing Olympics postponed because of high winds

No. 2 Andover boys’ basketball puts the clamps on No. 8 Newton North in Andrew James Lawson Foundation Invitational

Olympic favorite Kamila Valieva gives Russia short program lead in team figure skating

business

The Sheraton Boston has been the scene of many major events over the years, including the 2004 South Africa Partners Benefit Gala, which featured the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Boston’s largest hotel just sold. Changes could be in store.

Santander says it will stop writing new mortgages

Bill in Congress echoes Mass. automotive right-to-repair plan

politics

The Big Board on H Street received two $1,000 citations as well as written and verbal warnings for alleged unmasked employees and not checking customers' vaccine status.

D.C. bar shut down after defying vaccination requirements has new life as conservative rallying point

Art Cooley, co-founder of Environmental Defense Fund, dies

‘An amazing legacy’: Justice Breyer’s replacement could be a former clerk he considers family

Nation

Workers wore protective equipment at a COVID-19 testing site on Jan. 26, 2022, in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles.

CDC plans to let people with weakened immune systems get a booster earlier

Lata Mangeshkar, singing voice for generations of Bollywood actresses, dies at 92

After weathering Omicron crush, CVS and Walgreens removed their limits on buying at-home tests

World

Guinea's Junta President Col. Mamady Doumbouya.

West Africa grapples with new wave of military coups

Schools in Nepal demand reopening as virus cases decline

US warns of grim toll if Putin pursues full invasion of Ukraine

opinion

Police members are seen on Jan. 9 in the backyard of 77 Gilford Street in Manchester, which has been part of the investigation into the disappearance of 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery. The home is the last known residence of the child.

In search of answers in the Harmony Montgomery case

America’s national pastimes — football and racism

China wants to muzzle Olympians. The IOC can’t allow that.

lifestyle

Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year Jennifer Garner sits between Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals performers Lyndsey Mugford (left) and Nick Amador as they parade down Massachusetts Avenue Saturday.

Warmest welcome for Jennifer Garner, Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year, on frigid parade day

There’s no Korean Disney princess. So a Harvard student created her own.

TikTok hair icon Brad Mondo is plotting his world domination

food & dining

Dorchester Vietnamese restaurant Anh Hong isn't going away after all.

A seasoned chef opens South Boston’s Lenox Sophia; Dorchester’s Anh Hong gets a second chance

3 places we supported this week

These are the best — and worst — sugar cereals

travel

Maine celebrates winter, Newport enjoys the spotlight, and Arches slows the flow of tourists

Italy is a cut above for this hairstylist to the stars

Welcome to Judy Blume’s Key West

Arts

"Malum Geminos" (2019) by Courtney Mattison, now on view at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. (This photo is from its presentation at the Florence Griswold Museum in 2019.)

Sculptor Courtney Mattison conjures the sea and its discontents at New Bedford Whaling Museum

In Jamaica Plain, a cannabis dispensary and museum pre-rolled into one

Textile paintings at Nearby Gallery invite viewers to probe, peer inside

Books

A cold that bites in Sarah Manguso’s ‘Very Cold People’

Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk’s new novel, ‘The Books of Jacob,’ awes in size and scope

Chuck Klosterman: reading a little bit of everything, all of nothing

Movies

Shimcheong

There’s no Korean Disney princess. So a Harvard student created her own.

A host of reasons to follow the Oscars

Mark Wahlberg thinks Tom Brady’s story could make a great movie. And he wants to play Bill Belichick.

Television

Tracee Ellis Ross (pictured in November) will cohost the announcement of the Academy Award nominations this coming Tuesday.

A host of reasons to follow the Oscars

Miniseries have been thriving on streaming services. Here are the 10 best.

Mark Wahlberg thinks Tom Brady’s story could make a great movie. And he wants to play Bill Belichick.

music

Jakub Hrůša led Czech pianist Lukáš Vondráček and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall, Thursday.

At BSO, a Czech conductor’s bold return

Courtney Barnett is giving optimism a shot

A force in jazz, Cécile McLorin Salvant isn’t stopping there

Theater/Dance

Shimcheong

There’s no Korean Disney princess. So a Harvard student created her own.

Feet make music, too, in Subject:Matter’s ‘Songbook’ at the Somerville Theatre

Coming of age in a hostile world in ‘The Bluest Eye’

globe local

As Omicron wanes, hopes rise to travel and socialize again

Melnea Cass, ‘First Lady of Roxbury,’ gave Boston her all

Salem State University campus police officers equipped with body cameras

Obituaries

Yale Kamisar in an undated photo from the University of Michigan Law School.

Yale Kamisar, known as the ‘father’ of the Miranda rule, dies at 92

Art Cooley, co-founder of Environmental Defense Fund, dies

Avram Goldberg, former Stop & Shop chairman who forged a unique approach, dies at 92