The Boston Globe

A broken bond, a shaken citadel of science

Kristin Knouse and David Sabatini had a relationship that bridged boundaries and broke rules at the Whitehead Institute. After Knouse alleged harassment and other complaints emerged, an investigation rocked Whitehead, forced out Sabatini and damaged all involved. Did it have to end this way?

Tell us your thoughts and see reader feedback

Part one:

Read part one of the Globe's investigation into the fall of David Sabatini

Worcester is booming amid Boston’s housing affordability crisis. Now its home prices are soaring, too.
As new residents flow into Worcester, housing prices there are shooting up, pinching the city's large population of working-class residents and prompting city officials to look for solutions.

Ben Volin | On Football

The NFL’s ‘all-star’ officiating crews are ruining the playoffs
Using "all-star" crews — a demand of the Referees Association in the last CBA — leads to combinations of officials who haven't worked with each other. The result? Embarrassing mistakes like we saw Sunday.

Readers share their thoughts on recent NFL officiating What do you think about Sunday’s NFL playoff officiating decisions?

Cincinnati's Joseph Ossai took down Patrick Mahomes cleanly on this fourth-quarter play, but it is a later hit that will be remembered.

dan shaughnessy

The Bengals’ unfortunate Joseph Ossai pushed himself into a dubious spotlight

Folks in Cincinnati are pretty chill, and Ossai’s teammates rallied around him Sunday, but these things don’t go away easily.

Philadelphia Eagles fans held signs celebrating the Eagles win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday in Philadelphia.

Empire State Building lit up in the Eagles’ colors after NFC win. People got fired up about it.

“If you need help but can’t tweet, blink your lights twice,” one wag commented.

COVID-19 emergencies to end on May 11, Biden says

The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations would restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the corona virus as an endemic threat to public health that can be managed through agencies' normal authorities.

‘The Palestinian exception to free speech’: Students and scholars feel muzzled on college campuses over tense topic
Interviews with about 15 students and scholars reveal that people on either side of the Palestinian question feel their voices are being quieted.

As emergency shelters overflow, Healey’s push for funding comes up against a slow-moving Legislature

Governor Maura Healey is facing the challenge of managing a shelter system that cannot keep pace with a surge of immigration and a rise in homelessness, while legislators do not appear in a hurry to address the issue.

Sixth Memphis police officer is suspended in connection with beating of Tyre Nichols

Jeneé Osterheldt

Black cops killed Tyre Nichols. Systemic racism is the death of us all.

Forecast | Dave Epstein

Below zero temperatures expected later this week after fifth warmest January on record

Saturday will be one of those days where the frigid temperatures will have many planning to stay inside.

Troubled Massachusetts GOP to hold election for chair, with party’s future on the line

Contending with internal chaos, legal and financial challenges, and dwindling political influence, the Republican State Committee is set to convene in Marlborough on Tuesday to decide on its leadership.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu took part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference last November in Orlando, Fla.

Sununu says he’s considering a run for president

Ambulances sat in the bay of Melrose Wakefield Hospital on a recent Friday evening. Emergency medical services in Massachusetts are at a tipping point, with hospital emergency departments so backed up at times, ambulance crews can not leave patients with the hospital team and get back on the road.

There’s a new cause for Boston’s ambulance delays: Hospital overcrowding

As recently as 2021, callers could expect an ambulance to arrive within about 6 minutes. But, median response times in Boston for life-threatening emergencies have now grown from just over 7 minutes in January 2022 to 7.7 minutes in December, records show.

Brian McConnell, who traveled from New Jersey to watch the Bruins, celebrates Boston's winning goal late in the third period against the Maple Leafs Jan. 14.

stan grossfeld

Bruins and Celtics share an arena but not necessarily the same fan base

Fans of both first-place teams are passionate, but there also are some differences.

A help wanted sign is posted outside of a Dunkin' shop in Boston.

Larry Edelman | The 2-minute drill

These six charts show we’ve never seen a Mass. job market quite like this one

With much of 2022′s labor market data in the books, here’s the picture that emerges in Massachusetts.

Opinion

Kristin Knouse, far left, and David Sabatini, far right, at a whiskey tasting in May 2018.

Joan Vennochi

What makes David Sabatini think he deserves a second chance after his #MeToo downfall?

He still doesn’t get the impact on anyone’s life beyond his own. “My life was 100 percent destroyed,” he told the Globe.

Eric M. Garcia

Will shock treatment finally be banned?

EDITORIAL

Maura Healey wants to solve the state’s housing crisis. Here’s step one.

David Lat

Big Law’s cancel culture

JEFF JACOBY

As any economist can tell Mayor Wu, rent control never works

Thumbnail for Health Equity Tour video of Chicago's Little Village.

The Emancipator

Community Health Equity Tour

Family, heritage, and community all play a powerful role in maintaining the health and wellness of a city’s residents. Our health equity tour of Chicago’s Little Village shows a neighborhood emblematic of these ideas. Next up: Durham, North Carolina.

High Med. Low

Select a county:

Special reports

Boston, MA—12/14/2022 - Commuters wait for the T to arrive at Ruggles Station. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)

Boston doesn’t work if the T doesn’t work

Members of the 2001 Patriots team that won the franchise’s first title.

Darkness on the edge of the Patriots dynasty

The 2022 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

More recent News

Student at Northeastern’s Seattle campus killed after being struck by police cruiser

The death of Northeastern University student Jaahnavi Kandula, who was fatally injured when she was struck by a Seattle police cruiser while crossing the street, has become a flashpoint for critics of the city’s police force.

Duxbury father writes of deep love for family, forgives his wife in deaths of their three children

Patrick Clancy, the Duxbury father whose three children were allegedly killed by his wife at their home, on Saturday wrote about his achingly painful loss and the deep love and forgiveness he feels for his wife, Lindsay.

Manhattan prosecutors will reportedly begin presenting Trump case to grand jury

The Manhattan district attorney’s office Monday will begin presenting evidence to a grand jury about Donald Trump’s role in paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign, multiple outlets reported.

‘Miraculous’ 103-year old vessel salvaged from collapsed boathouse in Lake Winnipesaukee

“For a wooden boat to have survived this catastrophic of a structure failure above it was miraculous, and it was definitely a testament to the quality of its building 103 years ago,” Tim McDonald, co-owner of Marine Solutions, said in a phone interview.

New Kids on the Block announce BLOCKCON, a first-ever fan convention. But it’s in ... Chicago?

On Monday, New Kids on the Block announced it would be hosting a first-ever fan convention in Chicago May 26-28.

Hundreds run from Holyoke Mall after shots fired; nail salon worker slain by bullet intended for someone else, police say

Kenneth J. Rodriguez-Santana, 23, allegedly admitted he fired two shots, police said

Boston Globe Spotlight Team

Send The Boston Globe a confidential news tip
Do you have a tip about something that needs to be investigated? Do you have documents or data we should dig into? We want to hear from you.

‘A culture of complete fear’: Harvard women’s hockey coach Katey Stone under fire for alleged abusive behavior

Stone has turned the Crimson into a national powerhouse, but 16 former players fault Harvard for keeping her on the job despite numerous complaints about her alleged abusive coaching practices.

Two people in crisis shot dead by police, two years apart. Will Massachusetts rethink armed response to mental health emergencies?
The recent police killing of Sayed Faisal in Cambridge has reignited demands to rethink police response to mental health emergencies.

Logan Clegg waives arraignment, set for July trial in connection with murder of retired Concord, N.H. couple

The trial in the closely watched case is scheduled for July.

It’s hard to be a new mom. For some, a lonely struggle can spiral into mental illness.
Dramatic hormonal shifts combined with life changes and lack of support can lead to postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, and rarely psychosis.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

The Danish String Quartet performing Friday night in Jordan Hall.

Danish String Quartet brings the surprise

Valentine's Day is the perfect chance to enjoy a decadent meal with the person you love.

Where to celebrate love and food this Valentine’s Day

The Branford Marsalis Quartet performs at Berklee Performance Center Saturday night. From left: Joey Calderazzo, Eric Revis, Branford Marsalis, and Justin Faulkner.

Branford Marsalis Quartet’s excellence is a team effort

Jethro Tull, led by Ian Anderson, was the choice of several readers.

We asked, you answered: Here are the acts you’d put in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Special Projects

Two Weeks in America

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

Globe Magazine

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.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Maura Healey toured a portion of the former Marriner Mill in Lawrence, which is being developed into mixed-income rental housing, on Aug. 11.

EDITORIAL

Maura Healey wants to solve the state’s housing crisis. Here’s step one.

From left, Monica Mastel, John Dean, and Paul Clement were sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee during the final stage of the confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 7, 2018. Clement testified, "Judge Kavanaugh is enormously qualified to serve on the Nation’s highest court. I am confident he will serve with distinction."

David Lat

Big Law’s cancel culture

A building with an apartment for rent in Miami Beach, Fla.

JEFF JACOBY

As any economist can tell Mayor Wu, rent control never works

ChatGPT represents a leap forward in the capacity of machines to scour the vast volumes of text written by humans that exists on the Internet, and to infer relationships and knowledge to create original content — from pithy responses to your questions, to short stories in the style of Chekhov, to compelling undergraduate philosophy essays.

Bina Venkataraman

Are you for real? The most urgent question with artificial intelligence as a new interlocutor.

Demonstrators protested in Times Square on Saturday in response to the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police during a traffic stop.

Peniel E. Joseph

Tyre Nichols and America’s systemic failure

Andrea Campbell during her run for mayor.

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

Boston has never elected a Black mayor. A quiet experiment could change that.

Metro

RI POLITICS

Lima says Shekarchi is replacing her as deputy speaker of R.I. House

The Cranston Democrat said “some of the progressives” disliked her contrary viewpoints and criticism. “They want to shut you up and cancel you. That’s the new cancel culture.”

‘The Palestinian exception to free speech’: Students and scholars feel muzzled on college campuses over tense topic

Interviews with about 15 students and scholars reveal that people on either side of the Palestinian question feel their voices are being quieted.

Boston is for the birders. And for the first time, there’s a birding competition downtown.

Even in the dense core of the city, where drivers honk their horns and people pack onto trains, an abundance of bird species can be found, photographed, and documented.

Woburn schools shutter amid teachers strike

There will be no classes for the roughly 4,300 public school students in Woburn while the teachers strike.

Sports

Richard Bleier, 36 in April, appeared in 55 games for the Marlins last season with a 3.55 earned run average and a career-worst 1.44 WHIP.

Red Sox

Matt Barnes is gone, but the Red Sox salvage another reliever in a trade with the Marlins

Lefthander Richard Bleier is coming back in the deal, but Boston also had to designate pitching prospect Franklin German in the process.

Joe Gallo is building another contender at Merrimack.

Men's College Basketball Notebook

Behind Joe Gallo’s zonal chaos, Merrimack men’s basketball is on the rise again

Teams try to get tricky and think of new ways to attack the Warriors' defensive scheme, but there's little they haven’t encountered before.

By keeping his players focused on what they can control, Sean Ryan has built a yearly contender at Burke.

BOYS' BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK

Ahead of highly anticipated Boston City League matchup, Burke and Charlestown coaches use discipline and focus to build success

"Growing up in the inner city, a lot of our students have commonalities with struggles they share," said Charlestown coach Hugh Coleman, who has his team off to an 11-1 start.

bruins notebook

Weary Bruins return home with a (very) rare losing streak in tow

east-west shrine bowl notebook

Being a head coach for the Shrine Bowl is eye-opening for Patriots assistant Troy Brown

BOYS' BASKETBALL: PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

EMass boys’ basketball: With a career-high 35 points capping a 3-0 week, Hingham’s Liam McBride headlines Players of the Week

Business

BOLD TYPES

After a long wait, former city councilor Tito Jackson’s cannabis business opens in Boston

Bold Types is our weekly roundup of the movers and shakers of Boston's business scene.

Worcester is booming amid Boston’s housing affordability crisis. Now its home prices are soaring, too.

As new residents flow into Worcester, housing prices there are shooting up, pinching the city's large population of working-class residents and prompting city officials to look for solutions.

Smaller rate increase by Federal Reserve likely as inflation cools

Nissan and Renault rebalance power in race for electric cars

magazine

CONNECTIONS

My dad was in and out of my life, until I had a health scare

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘We talked about everything from Benedict Arnold to the asexual reproduction of mice’

Lace up for Community Skate @ Canal District Kendall on Sunday.

YOUR WEEK AHEAD

Five things to do for fun in and around Boston, Jan. 30-Feb. 5

Globe Magazine

Roomba vs. SharkNinja: Two Mass. companies are fighting to dominate the robot vacuum market

metro

Jim Lyons, chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Troubled Massachusetts GOP to hold election for chair, with party’s future on the line

Rhode Island political news: January 2023

Student at Northeastern’s Seattle campus killed after being struck by police cruiser

sports

John Grzelcyk was taken by surprise to learn that he would be inducted into the Beanpot Hall of Fame.

The Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk is headed to the Beanpot Hall of Fame, and in a surprise, so is his father

Framingham’s Sam Burgess makes a repeat run as the state’s Gatorade boys’ cross-country athlete of the year

Massachusetts Gaming Commission chair is pleased sports betting is launching on time, but there’s still work to do

business

Photovoltaic modules at a solar power plant near Golmud, Qinghai province, China.

Replacing US coal plants with solar and wind is cheaper than running them

ML Strategies boss Steve Tocco hands over the reins at lobbying shop

A R.I. startup diverts 1 ton of waste each month from landfills. They’re trying to get businesses to do the same.

politics

A hospital in Buffalo Grove, Ill., on Jan. 13.

COVID-19 emergencies to end on May 11, Biden says

Sununu says he’s considering a run for president

Biden visit to Baltimore highlights rail tunnel project

Nation

According to a new report, children experienced learning deficits during the COVID pandemic that amounted to about one-third of a school year’s worth of knowledge and skills. The learning delays and regressions were most severe for students in high-poverty and developing countries.

Students lost one-third of a school year to pandemic, study finds

Manhattan prosecutors will reportedly begin presenting Trump case to grand jury

School where 6-year-old boy shot teacher reopens with added security

World

Boris Johnson, then prime minister of the United Kingdom, attended the NATO summit in Madrid on June 29, 2022. Johnson has said that President Vladimir Putin of Russia made a veiled threat to fire a missile at him, a claim that the Kremlin dismissed as a lie.

Johnson says Putin threatened to kill him

Pakistan mosque suicide bomber kills at least 59 people, wounds over 150

‘Squid Game’ actor goes on sex-crime trial this week

opinion

Moderna, the pharmaceutical and biotech company based in Cambridge, has proposed quadrupling the price of its COVID vaccine — from the $26 per dose it charged the federal government in their latest contract to somewhere between $110 and $130 per dose on the commercial market.

Moderna is planning to dramatically raise the price of its COVID vaccine. Biden shouldn’t let it.

As any economist can tell Mayor Wu, rent control never works

As they lived and breathed: 1971 experiment in integration resonates

lifestyle

New Kids on the Block performed at the TD Garden.

New Kids on the Block announce BLOCKCON, a first-ever fan convention. But it’s in ... Chicago?

Minnesota teen has slept in his backyard for nearly 3 years just for fun

Am I ‘walking bad luck’ with love?

food & dining

Mrs. Robert, with her husband, Lucien, at Maison Robert in 1996.

Martha Ann Robert, 91, Maison Robert restaurateur, mentor, dies

Where to celebrate love and food this Valentine’s Day

In the depths of a New England winter, Birds of Paradise whisks drinkers to other lands

travel

Welcome to Stowe, home of well-stocked general stores and some of the best chocolate in New England — right in this building at Laughing Moon Chocolates.

Are you a lover, not a skier? Best bets for romance in Stowe

Is this Maine’s most romantic town?

A winter seaside love affair with Newport

Arts

What building could be uglier than Boston City Hall? These were deemed even worse.

Kin and kinship at the Griffin Museum of Photography

Shelburne Museum hires curator of Native American Art

Books

Aleksandar Hemon’s ‘The World and All That It Holds’ conscripts readers into the war torn life and love of a queer Jewish apothecary turned soldier and survivor

A broken bond, a shaken citadel of science

Read part one of the Globe's investigation into the fall of David Sabatini

Worcester is booming amid Boston’s housing affordability crisis. Now its home prices are soaring, too. As new residents flow into Worcester, housing prices there are shooting up, pinching the city's large population of working-class residents and prompting city officials to look for solutions.

The Bengals’ unfortunate Joseph Ossai pushed himself into a dubious spotlight

Empire State Building lit up in the Eagles’ colors after NFC win. People got fired up about it.

COVID-19 emergencies to end on May 11, Biden says

‘The Palestinian exception to free speech’: Students and scholars feel muzzled on college campuses over tense topic Interviews with about 15 students and scholars reveal that people on either side of the Palestinian question feel their voices are being quieted.

As emergency shelters overflow, Healey’s push for funding comes up against a slow-moving Legislature

Sixth Memphis police officer is suspended in connection with beating of Tyre Nichols

Black cops killed Tyre Nichols. Systemic racism is the death of us all.

Below zero temperatures expected later this week after fifth warmest January on record

Troubled Massachusetts GOP to hold election for chair, with party’s future on the line

Sununu says he’s considering a run for president

There’s a new cause for Boston’s ambulance delays: Hospital overcrowding

Bruins and Celtics share an arena but not necessarily the same fan base

These six charts show we’ve never seen a Mass. job market quite like this one

What makes David Sabatini think he deserves a second chance after his #MeToo downfall?

Will shock treatment finally be banned?

Maura Healey wants to solve the state’s housing crisis. Here’s step one.

Big Law’s cancel culture

As any economist can tell Mayor Wu, rent control never works

Community Health Equity Tour

Mass. coronavirus at a glance

Cases and deaths

Other resources:

Special reports

Boston doesn’t work if the T doesn’t work

Darkness on the edge of the Patriots dynasty

The 2022 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

More recent News

Student at Northeastern’s Seattle campus killed after being struck by police cruiser

Duxbury father writes of deep love for family, forgives his wife in deaths of their three children

Manhattan prosecutors will reportedly begin presenting Trump case to grand jury

‘Miraculous’ 103-year old vessel salvaged from collapsed boathouse in Lake Winnipesaukee

New Kids on the Block announce BLOCKCON, a first-ever fan convention. But it’s in ... Chicago?

Hundreds run from Holyoke Mall after shots fired; nail salon worker slain by bullet intended for someone else, police say

Send The Boston Globe a confidential news tip Do you have a tip about something that needs to be investigated? Do you have documents or data we should dig into? We want to hear from you.

Recommended reads

‘A culture of complete fear’: Harvard women’s hockey coach Katey Stone under fire for alleged abusive behavior

Two people in crisis shot dead by police, two years apart. Will Massachusetts rethink armed response to mental health emergencies? The recent police killing of Sayed Faisal in Cambridge has reignited demands to rethink police response to mental health emergencies.

Logan Clegg waives arraignment, set for July trial in connection with murder of retired Concord, N.H. couple

It’s hard to be a new mom. For some, a lonely struggle can spiral into mental illness. Dramatic hormonal shifts combined with life changes and lack of support can lead to postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, and rarely psychosis.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Danish String Quartet brings the surprise

Where to celebrate love and food this Valentine’s Day

Branford Marsalis Quartet’s excellence is a team effort

We asked, you answered: Here are the acts you’d put in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Special Projects

Two Weeks in America

Top Spots to Live in Greater Boston in 2022

A Beautiful Resistance

‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Maura Healey wants to solve the state’s housing crisis. Here’s step one.

Big Law’s cancel culture

As any economist can tell Mayor Wu, rent control never works

Are you for real? The most urgent question with artificial intelligence as a new interlocutor.

Tyre Nichols and America’s systemic failure

Boston has never elected a Black mayor. A quiet experiment could change that.

Metro

Lima says Shekarchi is replacing her as deputy speaker of R.I. House

‘The Palestinian exception to free speech’: Students and scholars feel muzzled on college campuses over tense topic

Boston is for the birders. And for the first time, there’s a birding competition downtown.

Woburn schools shutter amid teachers strike

Sports

Matt Barnes is gone, but the Red Sox salvage another reliever in a trade with the Marlins

Behind Joe Gallo’s zonal chaos, Merrimack men’s basketball is on the rise again

Ahead of highly anticipated Boston City League matchup, Burke and Charlestown coaches use discipline and focus to build success

Weary Bruins return home with a (very) rare losing streak in tow

Being a head coach for the Shrine Bowl is eye-opening for Patriots assistant Troy Brown

EMass boys’ basketball: With a career-high 35 points capping a 3-0 week, Hingham’s Liam McBride headlines Players of the Week

Business

After a long wait, former city councilor Tito Jackson’s cannabis business opens in Boston

Worcester is booming amid Boston’s housing affordability crisis. Now its home prices are soaring, too.

Smaller rate increase by Federal Reserve likely as inflation cools

Nissan and Renault rebalance power in race for electric cars

My dad was in and out of my life, until I had a health scare

Blind date: ‘We talked about everything from Benedict Arnold to the asexual reproduction of mice’

Worcester is booming amid Boston’s housing affordability crisis. Now its home prices are soaring, too.
As new residents flow into Worcester, housing prices there are shooting up, pinching the city's large population of working-class residents and prompting city officials to look for solutions.

‘The Palestinian exception to free speech’: Students and scholars feel muzzled on college campuses over tense topic
Interviews with about 15 students and scholars reveal that people on either side of the Palestinian question feel their voices are being quieted.

Send The Boston Globe a confidential news tip
Do you have a tip about something that needs to be investigated? Do you have documents or data we should dig into? We want to hear from you.

Two people in crisis shot dead by police, two years apart. Will Massachusetts rethink armed response to mental health emergencies?
The recent police killing of Sayed Faisal in Cambridge has reignited demands to rethink police response to mental health emergencies.

It’s hard to be a new mom. For some, a lonely struggle can spiral into mental illness.
Dramatic hormonal shifts combined with life changes and lack of support can lead to postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, and rarely psychosis.