Two weeks in America

We sent a dozen journalists on the road across this complex country. They found it's better than you think.

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Voices

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A mother’s loss after the Oklahoma City bombing is seared in a photo we can’t forget

The picture from the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 resurfaces from time to time — and I always think about the baby’s parents. What effect has it had on them? Now I know.

Her marriage was in trouble. Something drew her to the OZ Museum.

Laura Fredrickson needed time to think. So the 34-year-old from St. Paul set out on a road trip. Somewhere on the way, while Googling roadside attractions, she turned up one that made her heart leap — the OZ Museum in Wamego, Kan.

Los Angeles Team

For a newcomer to America, an unexpected welcome from a 9-ton metal dinosaur

Some people have the Washington Monument or the Golden Gate Bridge or Mount Rushmore to associate with their first memories of a trip to the United States. I have Cimmy the 9-ton metal dinosaur.

Nearly every business in this Iowa town has closed. They won’t give up on the opera house.

Decades ago, thousands lived in the former coal town of What Cheer. Now, the population has dwindled to about 700. The old opera house is among the last surviving businesses.

Elon Musk completes $44 billion deal to own Twitter

The closing of the deal, which followed months of drama and legal challenges as Elon Musk changed his mind about buying the company, sets Twitter on an uncertain course.

MGH launches work of huge expansion along Cambridge Street
Mass General Hospital launches $2B expansion of its main campus on Cambridge Street.

One-third of Americans agree with elements of racist ‘replacement’ theory, new UMass poll says

One-third of Americans and nearly two-thirds of Republicans agree with some elements of a racist conspiracy theory that claims the US is in danger of losing its “culture and identity” because of immigration, according to a new UMass Amherst poll.

Montserrat College of Art president to leave for COO job at Peabody Essex Museum

Kurt T. Steinberg became president of the private art and design college in July 2018 and led it through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, while helping diversify its board of trustees, tripling its endowment, and hiring innovative faculty members, according to a statement from Montserrat.

Bruins 5, Red Wings 1

Brad Marchand jumps right back in with two goals, assist as the Bruins drub the Red Wings
Left wing returns from double hip surgery in a big way, but center David Krejci departs in the second period after a late hit.

Franklin Park, with distinct pockets of personality nestled within, serves many different purposes for many different people.

What does the future hold for Franklin Park?

To talk about the park — its strengths, benefits, and, yes, shortcomings — is to talk about Boston, in all its complexities.

Ben Volin | Instant Analysis

If this were anyone other than Tom Brady, we’d say he looks finished
We have learned never to count out Brady, but resurrecting the Bucs has to begin with his commitment to the team.

Lamar Jackson outshines Tom Brady as Ravens down struggling Bucs

Jurors urged to weigh whether payments to former State Police union boss were kickbacks
Attorneys for Dana Pullman, 61, who retired from the force after his indictment three years ago, and for Anne M. Lynch, 71, argued during closing remarks in US District Court in Boston that they did not commit any crimes and accused the government of relying on speculation when characterizing legitimate payments as bribes or kickbacks.

More than a hundred people attending a candlelight vigil for Colleen Weaver, 16, who was last seen at her home between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Oct. 18. at the First Congregational Church of Raynham Thursday night.

Vigil held at Raynham church for missing 16-year-old Colleen Weaver

More than 100 people stood huddled in the chill autumn air Thursday evening on the lawn of First Congregational Church as dusk fell, their solemn faces lit by the pale glow of tiny flames.

Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper (center) addressed the council, flanked by Jodie Elgee (left), Senior Director of Succeed Boston at the Counseling and Intervention Center, and by Neva Coakley-Grice, Chief of Safety Services for BPS. The Boston City Council hears from BPS officials regarding response procedures for reports of bullying and sexual violence.

City Council questions uptick in bullying, sexual misconduct in Boston schools

During a public hearing Thursday, the city reviewed data showing an increased in the number of reports in bullying and sexual misconduct or assaults since 2018 and called on district leaders to give a detailed assessment of the situation.

The Red Sox dismissed Dave Dombrowski in September 2019, less than 11 months after the team's most recent world championship.

‘I don’t think I was treated right’: Dave Dombrowski laments blindside 2019 firing by Red Sox

“We aren’t here without him,” Phillies owner John Middleton told USA Today Sports. “I still don’t have any idea why John Henry fired him . . . But I’m grateful he did.”

50 years of TV

Vote in Round 3 of our Best TV Shows bracket

Readers had to choose between “Game of Thrones” and “The West Wing" in Round 2. Both are flawed, but highly ambitious shows, TV critic Matthew Gilbert writes. How did you vote?

7 surprises from Round 2 of our Best TV Show bracket Ready to vote? Make your picks here.

Opinion

According to the most recent inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of Halloween candy is up over 13 percent compared to last year.

A WIN-win tool worth trying again to curb inflation

It didn’t work for Jerry Ford, but given the alternatives, it still might be worth revisiting.

IDEAS | REGINA M. HANSEN

No wonder you’re afraid, pumpkin

Hubie Jones and James Jennings

Breaking down silos to help Boston’s children of color

Thank you, Ash Carter

David B. Oppenheimer and James N. Bierman

Harvard president Abbott Lowell is laughing at us again

President George W. Bush, admitted to Yale University as a legacy student, is presented a ceremonial doctorate at the University of Louisiana on May 21, 2004 in Baton Rouge.

The Emancipator

The party attacking affirmative action just made the case for it

The anti-Asian bias in Harvard's admissions only helps White applicants, as do legacy, athlete, and Dean's List admissions. We need more affirmative action, not an end to it, and the plaintiff’s own data make that clear.

High Med. Low

Select a county:

Special reports

A celebrated surgeon, a trail of secrets and death

Dr. Yvon Baribeau set a record for malpractice settlements, and many colleagues tried desperately to stop him. But hospital executives let him go on and on.

Photo illustration

Part 2: A crisis of conscience, with lives on the line Timeline: What the public didn't know about Dr. Yvon Baribeau

America’s election workers are leaving in droves

Experts worry the loss of top county election officials drains the system of experience and institutional knowledge at the moment election deniers are looking to seize on mistakes to erode the public’s faith in elections.

America’s election workers are leaving their jobs in droves

Under Siege: Democracy’s front lines in crisis. See the full project.

Celebrating 150 years of The Boston Globe

We’re marking the Globe’s 150th year with a look back through 15 decades of coverage. Explore 150 of the most significant front pages, revisit classic sports moments, try a crossword from 1917, and more.

globe 150 magazine cover

Play this Boston Globe crossword puzzle from 1917 150 years, 150 front pages

More recent stories

Man who dragged officer into mob of rioters during Jan. 6 attack gets over 7 years in prison
A Tennessee man who dragged a police officer into a mob of rioters, initiating one of the most harrowing acts of violence during the US Capitol attack, was sentenced on Thursday to more than seven years in prison.

Diehl takes a shot at Baker, Healey over immigration crisis

Geoff Diehl criticized the Baker administration’s handling of the migrants, blamed President Biden’s “open border policies,” and laid some of the responsibility at the feet of local politicians, including his Democratic opponent Maura Healey, for supporting “sanctuary policies.”

Baker fires back at Wu over approach to Mass. and Cass crisis

The Baker administration pushed back Wednesday on Mayor Michelle Wu’s recent comments that the state must “step up as a partner” to help Boston resolve the crises of homelessness and opiate addiction playing out daily at in the Mass. and Cass.

Boston man, 33, arrested on charge of sex trafficking 17-year-old girl after allegedly luring her to city

Jimall Dawn Brown made his initial appearance in US District Court in Boston Thursday afternoon. He was ordered held on a charge of sex trafficking of a minor, pending a hearing scheduled for Nov. 3, the US attorney's office said.

KEVIN CULLEN

The invisible girl
In life, Harmony Montgomery was missing for two years before anyone noticed. In death, she remains a little girl lost.

Alnylam decides to ‘pause’ drug trial, citing new federal pricing law
The Cambridge biotech is concerned about the impact on what it could charge for a medicine to treat a rare eye disease.

Recommended reads

Joe Mazzulla was hired by the Celtics as an assistant to Brad Stevens in 2019, and was retained on Ime Udoka's staff. When Udoka was suspended for a year, Mazzulla took over the title of interim coach.

Why did the Celtics choose Joe Mazzulla to lead them out of crisis? It starts with his journey.

When he trained with other pro hopefuls at West Virginia, Mazzulla relished helping them more than working on his own game. He almost passed up an NBA opportunity because he loved what he was doing at his Division 2 program. But his family knew he was ready — and the Celtics believe he is, too.

In the tight Pennsylvania Senate race, John Fetterman tries to turn his shaky debate performance into a plus
There are less than two weeks until Election Day, and control of the Senate could well turn on the unorthodox race playing out in this perennial swing state.

Former Bush, Obama staffers get in on-air confrontation: ‘Do you have a single friend?’
A roundtable discussion over the influence of Latino voters heading into the midterms devolved into an on-air tiff.

As Massachusetts scrambles to place families in emergency shelters, local officials bristle
Officials from Plymouth and Kingston are charging that the Baker administration failed to give them advanced warning about the arrival of migrants and homeless people to their cities.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Andrew Levitt (foreground left) and Niki Metcalf (foreground right) star in "Hairspray," which runs through Oct. 30 at Citizens Bank Opera House.

Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

The Crayton Singers' 1966 single “Master on High” is part of new 15-track compilation, out Friday, called “The Skippy White Story: Boston Soul 1961-1967.”

Soul searching yields ‘The Skippy White Story,’ rare nuggets from Black Boston artists of the ‘60s

Bill Irwin in his one-man show, "On Beckett."

Untangling the riddle of Samuel Beckett

From left: Will Sharpe, Aubrey Plaza, Meghann Fahy, and Theo James in the new season of "The White Lotus," which has been transported from Hawaii to Sicily.

In a new ‘White Lotus,’ no one’s getting away from it all

Special Projects

Back to Boston

Welcome Back to Boston

Consider this our love letter to the city, a celebration of all it has to offer visitors and locals alike.

Top Spots to Live in Greater Boston in 2022

A guide to 36 Greater Boston communities where demand — and prices — are surging.

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

Children play at the Cooper Community Center in Roxbury in 2021.

Hubie Jones and James Jennings

Breaking down silos to help Boston’s children of color

I had naively joined ROTC without realizing I was not eligible to commission as an Army officer because I was female and nonbinary. Everything changed when Ash Carter took over the Department of Defense.

Thank you, Ash Carter

Harvard president Abbott Lowell met with US president Theodore Roosevelt, left, on July 22, 1910. Lowell was a notorious racist.

David B. Oppenheimer and James N. Bierman

Harvard president Abbott Lowell is laughing at us again

Pomona College students participated in a TreePeople event caring for trees in Los Angeles.

G. Gabrielle Starr

Widen the college pipeline so that talent everywhere can succeed anywhere

A student walked past the Widener Library steps at Harvard on July 7. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments this fall about race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

Richard D. Kahlenberg

A new affirmative action should be based on class

IDEAS | JON ROBERTS AND MATT BIVENS

Who will care for our sickest children? Pediatric hospitals are turning some of them away.

Metro

Montserrat College of Art president to leave for COO job at Peabody Essex Museum

Kurt T. Steinberg became president of the private art and design college in July 2018 and led it through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, while helping diversify its board of trustees, tripling its endowment, and hiring innovative faculty members, according to a statement from Montserrat.

Vermont driver arrested for multiple drug trafficking offenses after speeding through Greenfield

Brendon Lee, 39, of Milton, Vt., was arraigned in Greenfield District Court on charges of trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in fentanyl, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and speeding, State Police said in a statement.

Residents stunned after man found slain inside Dorchester barbershop

According to Boston police, officers responded to the barber shop around 7:17 p.m. where they 43-year-old Herman Maxwell Hylton suffering from gunshot wounds in the area of 145 Washington St.

Vigil held at Raynham church for missing 16-year-old Colleen Weaver

More than 100 people stood huddled in the chill autumn air Thursday evening on the lawn of First Congregational Church as dusk fell, their solemn faces lit by the pale glow of tiny flames.

Sports

Tom Brady’s body language was sullen throughout the second half of the Bucs' third straight loss.

Ben Volin | Instant Analysis

If this were anyone other than Tom Brady, we’d say he looks finished

We have learned never to count out Brady, but resurrecting the Bucs has to begin with his commitment to the team.

Lamar Jackson beat Tom Brady for the second time in as many career meetings as the Bucs fell to 3-5.

Ravens 27, Buccaneers 22

Lamar Jackson outshines Tom Brady as Ravens down struggling Bucs

Brady is mired in a three-game losing streak for the first time since 2002 — his first season as a full-time starter with the Patriots.

Shawsheen's defense was unrelenting in a 41-16 victory over Whittier as senior Mavrick Bourdeau (1), senior Kevin Ackerley (7), and sophomore Sidney Tildsley (12) tackle Whittier's Daniel Knowlton on Thursday night in Billerica.

Thursday's HS football roundup

Sparked by a solid defensive effort, Shawsheen routs Whittier to remain unbeaten

The Rams' defense, which boasted of eight wrestlers among their starting 11, forced five turnovers (including four interceptions) in a 41-16 Commonwealth triumph that helped Shawsheen post its first unbeaten regular season since 2017.

Bruins 5, Red Wings 1

Brad Marchand jumps right back in with two goals, assist as the Bruins drub the Red Wings

With his development stalled, Bruins trade Jack Studnicka to Vancouver for pair of prospects

Chiefs acquire receiver Kadarius Toney from Giants for two draft picks

Business

Elon Musk completes $44 billion deal to own Twitter

The closing of the deal, which followed months of drama and legal challenges as Elon Musk changed his mind about buying the company, sets Twitter on an uncertain course.

Mass. economy trails US GDP

Stories you may have missed from the world of business.

MGH launches work of huge expansion along Cambridge Street

Alnylam decides to ‘pause’ drug trial, citing new federal pricing law

magazine

We often host my child’s friend at our house, but that family never reciprocates

Nine key skills all effective leaders tend to showcase

Globe Magazine.

Can they try again after her desire for a baby ended their relationship?

Malaysian-Style Noodles With Pork and Mushrooms

Recipes: Build bold flavors in 3 pork dishes

metro

Stephen Thorne as Walter, right, with Jack Dwyer as Eric, in Trinity Repertory Company's "The Inheritance."

‘The Inheritance’ explores three generations of the LGBTQ+ community

Baker recommends second batch of pardons

City Council questions uptick in bullying, sexual misconduct in Boston schools

sports

Despite a long and distinguished career, Justin Verlander is 0-6 with a 5.68 earned run average in seven World Series starts.

Astros Game 1 starter Justin Verlander credits Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski for helping him develop as a major leaguer

The Red Sox chose not to keep Kyle Schwarber, and now he’s in the World Series with the Phillies

With four-year starters Lincoln Beal and Scotty Brown at the point, unbeaten Andover has a read (option) on unparalleled success

business

Nexamp is unveiling the first major solar installation on the roof of the IBEW Local 103 headquarters in Dorchester, already well known for its wind turbine.

Electrical workers union unveils solar project on its roof

Samsung heir elevated to chairman after jail stint

With MassWorks up in the air, Baker hands out last round of state infrastructure grants

politics

Security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan.

GOP senator’s report on COVID origins suggests lab leak, but offers little new evidence

Man who dragged officer into mob of rioters during Jan. 6 attack gets over 7 years in prison

GOP chairwoman mocks Fetterman, Biden over speaking abilities

Nation

Broken Arrow, Okla., police and fire department investigate the scene of a fire with multiple fatalities at the corner South Hickory Ave. and West Galveston St. on Oct. 27.

8 found dead after house fire in Tulsa area; homicide feared

Arizona agrees not to enforce total abortion ban until 2023

Twitter CEO among top executives departing as Musk takes over

World

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea fires ballistic missile toward sea, Seoul says

Nicaragua’s Ortega says US sanctions will make more migrants

Same-sex marriage is now legal in all of Mexico’s states

opinion

Harvard president Abbott Lowell met with US president Theodore Roosevelt, left, on July 22, 1910. Lowell was a notorious racist.

Harvard president Abbott Lowell is laughing at us again

A gut check from fired NYU professor on the state of higher ed

The woman who came to the rally and left

lifestyle

After moving in, should I move back out?

Boston Book Festival broadens horizons as it returns to Copley Square

Award-winning poet and essayist Ross Gay celebrates the unexpected possibilities of joy

food & dining

The BLT Pizza at Dragon Pizza in Davis Square.

Yellow Door Taqueria plans to open in Mission Hill; Dragon Pizza expands in Somerville

Cambridge’s popular Giulia now has a sibling seafood restaurant down the street

Five stars for Ostra, the elevated fish house

travel

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. office in San Francisco.

Hertz demands $658 one year after rear-end crash with rental

Fireplace suites, crafts in Vermont, and guest rooms you can swim up to

Tom Paxton on keeping your cool, the Arizona desert, and all the guilty pleasures

Arts

Yael Bartana, "Mary Koszmary," 2007. One channel video and sound installation 16mm film transferred to DVD color/sound.

At Tufts, dark visions cloud ‘The Sun Rises in the West and Sets in the East’

At the MFA, ‘Frank Bowling’s Americas’ is a pivotal show for an artist who’s impossible to peg

At UMass Dartmouth, the clitoris gets its close-up

Books

Two men locked in a long battle In ‘The Last Campaign’

Siddhartha Mukherjee on reading essays to relax, novels to escape

Three new books look at the roots of today’s conservatism — and its future

Movies

Wendell, left, voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, and Wild, voiced by Jordan Peele, in a scene from "Wendell & Wild."

Lovers of gross stuff, rejoice — ‘Wendell & Wild’ is plum nasty

‘Aftersun’ is a father-daughter memory play that will stay with you

‘Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues’ celebrates the Sun King of American music

Television

Emma D'Arcy in "House of the Dragon."

‘House of the Dragon’ took its time until its fiery finale

‘City on a Hill’ finale has come and gone

Jennifer Coolidge is making this up as she goes

music

The Crayton Singers' 1966 single “Master on High” is part of new 15-track compilation, out Friday, called “The Skippy White Story: Boston Soul 1961-1967.”

Soul searching yields ‘The Skippy White Story,’ rare nuggets from Black Boston artists of the ‘60s

The wiseguy wisdom of Too Much Joy

Now that he’s able to play again, jazz guitarist John Stein can exhale

Theater/Dance

Lia Cirio and Boston Ballet in rehearsal with William Forsythe

Boston Ballet gears up for ‘As Anticipated,’ an all Forsythe program, next week

Untangling the riddle of Samuel Beckett

A splendid one-man show in spooky ‘Sleepy Hollow’

globe local

Larry and Morgan Rugg are led by Erik Rodenhiser (right) through the dark rooms of The Lost Museum in Salem.

Some Salem residents haunted by Halloween

The Argument: Should Massachusetts divest its pension fund from fossil fuel companies?

Catalytic converter theft on the rise in Newton

Obituaries

FILE - New York literary agent Lucianne Goldberg addresses a large assembly of media outside her apartment Saturday, Jan. 24, 1998, in New York. Goldberg, a key figure in the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton over his affair with Monica Lewinsky, has died, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 at the age of 87. (AP Photo/Emile Wamsteker, File)

Lucianne Goldberg, key figure in Clinton impeachement, dies

French iconic painter of black Pierre Soulages dead at 102

Mike Birch, inaugural winner of Route du Rhum, dies at 90