The Boston Globe

US downs suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off Carolina coast
The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast on orders from President Joe Biden after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America, becoming the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

How the missing become the uncounted: Inside the government’s flawed approach to finding missing persons.

It isn’t that missing person cases fall through cracks in the system; it’s that there’s no system at all. The pursuit of these cases hinges almost entirely on the discretion — and commitment level — of local police departments.

See the names and photos of known Massachusetts missing persons cases

Renowned lawyer defending Duxbury mother Lindsay Clancy has a history of tackling crimes driven by severe mental illness

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington has won several high-profile cases in his lengthy career, and is prepared to demonstrate Lindsay Clancy acted out of mental instability when she killed her three children.

Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer said she was on 13 different drugs for mood disorders, anxiety, and psychosis

A pill for postpartum depression is on the horizon

A car hangs off the top level of the Alewife station parking garage after knocking down a concrete barrier which fell on to the glass covered atrium below.

Vehicle crashes into barrier at Alewife station parking garage and left hanging from top deck

DNC votes to move first-in-the-nation primary from N.H. to S.C.

Woburn wants teachers union to pay $250,000 in costs to end strike

Home fitness companies like Peloton saw sales take off when gyms closed, but hit the wall when people decided they had enough $2,500 rowing machines.

Companies boomed selling exercise bikes and desk chairs. Now they’re laying people off.

As the pandemic kicked consumer spending into high gear, some companies came out as clear winners. But for many, that winning streak couldn’t last, and now they’re cutting their losses.

Record low temperatures across the state, thousands without power
“If you have to be outside, don’t be outside for too long,” said Rob Megnia, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Norton. “When it’s this cold, it doesn’t take long for frostbite to settle in.”

How did your heat pump fare in the cold? We want to hear from you. 15 shows to binge while you’re chilling out during this deep freeze

Yes, I went skiing in this cold. Here’s how it went.
For some of us New Englanders, part of the fun is braving the elements. And Friday was a double black diamond challenge.

Photos and videos: Scenes from the historically cold weather in New England
The extreme conditions created seldom seen phenomena.

Hundreds brave the cold to cheer Jennifer Coolidge as Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year
Record low temperatures did not dampen the spirits of parade participants — or deter die-hard Coolidge fans.

Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge (right), shown here during their time together with the Celtics, could be having more conversations ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

NBA trade deadline: Five players Brad Stevens and the Celtics could target to help push for a title

The list of potential trade targets includes former Celtics, including one currently with Danny Ainge's team, and others with ties to Jayson Tatum.

Gary Washburn: The Celtics arrogantly overlooked the Suns and were humbled

Kyrie Irving is looking to grab on to a better opportunity.

Gary Washburn | Sunday basketball notes

Which NBA teams would want Kyrie Irving and all the the baggage he brings?

His four years in Brooklyn have been disastrous at best, with this latest episode of the soap opera making the rest of the league laugh.

Chad Finn: Russell documentary worth your attention, though it isn't revelatory

(Left to right) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signed autographs for his fans in 2002; Brady and Gisele Bündchen attended The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in 2018; Brady attends Los Angeles premiere of the new film "80 For Brady" on Jan. 31.

A brief history of Tom Brady

Even after winning his third Super Bowl in 2005, Brady insisted he was just a regular Joe. Ordinariness did not suit him for long.

Ben Volin: Brady's retirement will have ripple effect on NFL quarterback market

Black History Month

Carter G. Woodson.

The visionary thinking behind Black History Month

Finding a way to pay tribute to Black history in February, with a book written almost a century ago.

16 conversation-starting and joyful ways to celebrate Black History Month in Greater Boston

Opinion

At his trial in 2013, Sheldon Mattis looked over his shoulder after the guilty verdict was read.

He killed at age 18. Does he deserve a second chance?

State’s highest court tackles issue of life without parole for 18- to 20-year-olds.

Wu’s rent control bid has been floated. Will it rise or sink?

IDEAS | JOE BERKOWITZ

Socializing myself at the dog park

MARCELA GARCÍA

Where is Reina Carolina Morales Rojas?

Boston University’s Jenga building creeps me out

The Emancipator

Go South, young (wo)man: A Black woman’s quest to manifest her own destiny

The author of ‘Black Girl in Maine’ blog reveals the struggles of being a ‘Professional Black Person’ in New England and looks South for her next chapter.

High Med. Low

Select a county:

Special reports

photo illustration of David Sabatini. photo by Jonathan Wiggs /Globe Staff

Spotlight Report: Fate and the fallen star

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

More recent News

YVONNE ABRAHAM

A Sheffield family is among those trying to hold Boeing accountable for the 737 Max crash that killed their daughter
Samya Stumo’s parents now devote their lives to making sure other families don’t have to suffer like theirs. And that means telling anyone who will listen about Samya — and Boeing’s lies.

Mass. man dies in crash on Saco River bridge in Maine

Nathan Kennedy, 21, of Halifax, was ejected from his 2004 Ford pickup truck after he hit a median guardrail, rolled over and stopped in the breakdown lane of the bridge on Friday afternoon, officials said.

Man dead, two juveniles injured in East Brookfield crash

A 33-year-old Brookfield man died in the crash that also injured two of his juvenile passengers Friday evening on Podunk Road, officials said.

High schools

With athletic trainers in short supply, Mass General program comes to the aid of high schools
The program supplies approximately 50 high schools with nearly 100 athletic trainers, helping meet the high demand and secure qualified professionals.

Christopher L. Gasper

The Chiefs are looking a lot like the dynasty Patriots. Having the best quarterback certainly helps.
Kansas City has been to five straight AFC Championship games, coinciding with Patrick Mahomes’s ascension to starting quarterback in 2018.

Attacks on electrical substations raise alarm
Over the past three months, at least nine substations have been attacked in North Carolina, Washington state and Oregon, cutting power to tens of thousands of people. After those attacks, federal regulators ordered a review of security standards for the electrical system.

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.

Recommended reads

A hiring sign was displayed at a Chipotle restaurant in Schaumburg, Ill., on Monday.

The US added a stunning 517,000 jobs in January, but that number may not be as good as it seems

The job growth almost doubled December’s gains, but some economists said lingering pandemic distortions likely led to a vast overstatement of the labor market's strength.

ADRIAN WALKER

Tyler Lawrence’s family did everything in their power to keep him safe. Yet it wasn’t enough.
The murder is unsolved, and its motive is unknown. But his family would like to make it clear that Tyler Lawrence was not mixed up in anything.

As new housing law takes effect, most towns fall in line, for now
Just seven out of 175 communities that had to submit preliminary plans for the new MBTA zoning law failed to do so by deadline this week.

Dozens of ATF inspectors descend on gun vendors at Littleton mill following dealer’s arrest
The 83 vendors in the building all face inspection in coming days.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

I had no time to read for myself when my kids were babies. Now that’s changed, and bedtime will never be the same.

When TV commercials are on repeat, ad nauseam

Patty Griffin plays The Wilbur Feb. 3.

Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

Abelardo Morell’s "Sunflower Field on Ground with Broken Tiles, Near Arles, France," 2022. The color photograph will be displayed at the exhibit "Abelardo Morell: In the Footsteps of van Gogh" at Krakow Witkin Gallery through Feb. 25.

Abelardo Morell travels ‘In the Footsteps of van Gogh’ at Krakow Witkin Gallery

Special Projects

Two Weeks in America

Two Weeks in America

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

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

Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the United Nations, with then-president Donald Trump in the Oval Office in 2018.

Nikki Haley for president? No thanks.

Election officials sort absentee and early-voting ballots for counting inside Boston City Hall in Boston on Nov. 2, 2020.

In 22 states, voters can register and cast a ballot on the same day. Not here.

I remember making fun of artificial speech pioneer Ray Kurzweil more than a decade ago, when he started ingesting hundreds of supplement pills a day and nattering on about “re-programming” his “version 1.0 body.”

Living the forever life

A lightning bolt strikes during a thunderstorm in Gaza City, on Jan. 31. When Hamas organizes gaudy street revels to celebrate a terrorist attack — like the fireworks and sweets it arranged after a gunman murdered seven Israelis outside a Jerusalem synagogue Friday night — it can be a challenge to remember that there are many Palestinians who don’t rejoice at the murder of innocent Jews.

Listen to Gaza’s quiet dissenters

Representative George Santos of New York, who embellished his life story to get elected and then offered an example of how not to apologize.

IDEAS | Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow

How to apologize

Andrea Campbell during her run for mayor.

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

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

Metro

Hundreds brave the cold to cheer Jennifer Coolidge as Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year

Record low temperatures did not dampen the spirits of parade participants — or deter die-hard Coolidge fans.

Vehicle crashes into barrier at Alewife station parking garage and left hanging from top deck

A man slammed his vehicle into the barrier around 1:30 p.m. causing concrete debris to fall and shatter glass panels at in the station’s lobby and mezzanine, according to an MBTA spokesperson.

How the missing become the uncounted: Inside the government’s flawed approach to finding missing persons.

It isn’t that missing person cases fall through cracks in the system; it’s that there’s no system at all. The pursuit of these cases hinges almost entirely on the discretion — and commitment level — of local police departments.

Record low temperatures across the state, thousands without power

“If you have to be outside, don’t be outside for too long,” said Rob Megnia, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Norton. “When it’s this cold, it doesn’t take long for frostbite to settle in.”

Sports

Brian Schottenheimer has 22 years of coaching experience in the NFL.

Cowboys name veteran coach Brian Schottenheimer offensive coordinator

The move comes three days after owner Jerry Jones said coach Mike McCarthy will call plays in 2023 after the club parted ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

National quarterback Jake Haener, of Fresno State, completed 12 of 19 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Fresno State’s Jake Haener crowned MVP of Senior Bowl after leading National team to victory

Haener, named the game's MVP, delivered a 44-yard touchdown pass to Stanford receiver Michael Wilson in the fourth quarter.

Austin Krajicek (left) and Rajeev Ram of the United States secured a doubles win against Uzbekistan.

United States advances to Davis Cup group stage with sweep of Uzbekistan

Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek won at doubles Saturday after Tommy Paul and Mackenzie McDonald won singles matches Friday in Tashkent.

NBA trade deadline: Five players Brad Stevens and the Celtics could target to help push for a title

Men's college basketball

UConn men need late 8-1 run to beat last-place Georgetown

Yes, I went skiing in this cold. Here’s how it went.

Business

US downs suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off Carolina coast

The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast on orders from President Joe Biden after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America, becoming the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

A pill for postpartum depression is on the horizon

A new medicine developed by Cambridge-based Sage Therapeutics could win approval from regulators this year for postpartum depression.

Companies boomed selling exercise bikes and desk chairs. Now they’re laying people off.

Advisory firm sues Elon Musk’s Twitter, saying it hasn’t been paid

magazine

The Parenting Issue

The irresistible competition to be the favorite grandparent

The Parenting Issue

We’re too tired to be helicopter parents. Our kids will be happier for it.

Now that it’s ending, I can admit it: I loved carpooling my kids

This week's daters: Jon and Abby.

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘We discovered that we both went to UMass Amherst’

metro

Joe Biden, then a candidate for president, campaigned in Concord, N.H., on Feb. 4, 2020. The Democratic National Committee voted Saturday to make South Carolina the party’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary for the 2024 cycle, instead of New Hampshire.

DNC votes to move first-in-the-nation primary from N.H. to S.C.

Photos and videos: Scenes from the historically cold weather in New England

A Sheffield family is among those trying to hold Boeing accountable for the 737 Max crash that killed their daughter

sports

Athletic trainer Jonathan Raskow (left) examines the status of a recent injury suffered by Tri-County student Emmaline Lafleur.

With athletic trainers in short supply, Mass General program comes to the aid of high schools

The two-part documentary ‘Bill Russell: Legend’ isn’t revelatory, but it’s worth your full attention nonetheless

With stick-to-itiveness, Dracut senior Brock Desmarais is determined to pin down a state title

business

Elon Musk leaves a federal courthouse in San Francisco, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

Jury clears Elon Musk of wrongdoing related to 2018 Tesla tweets

Harvard winding down misinformation expert Joan Donovan’s research over school policy

The US added a stunning 517,000 jobs in January, but that number may not be as good as it seems

politics

President Biden arrived at Hagerstown Regional Airport in Hagerstown, Md., on Saturday. He congratulated fighter pilots for taking down a Chinese spy balloon off the East Coast.

US downs Chinese balloon, a flashpoint in US-China tensions

Democratic Party approves reordering 2024 presidential primary, with South Carolina in the leadoff spot

DNC votes to move first-in-the-nation primary from N.H. to S.C.

Nation

A lane was closed for patching of storm damage on Highway 1 in Big Sur, Calif., on Jan. 31.

In Big Sur, living with nature’s beauty but trapped by its fury

Attacks on electrical substations raise alarm

Tribes, researchers debate final fate of P-22, famed Los Angeles puma

World

Last July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended a meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Balloon incident highlights fragile state of US-China relationship

Russia pushes to take Ukrainian town near a vital supply line

What’s the correct color of bees? In Austria, it’s a toxic topic.

opinion

Kevin West, a trained crisis responder with Cambridge HEART, reacted as Cambridge police explained their actions during a special Cambridge City Council meeting about the police killing of Sayed Faisal in the Sullivan Chamber at Cambridge City Hall on Jan. 18.

Cambridge officials not standing in way of process on body cameras

Nikki Haley for president? No thanks.

The steam engine changed the world. Artificial intelligence could destroy it.

lifestyle

(Left to right) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signed autographs for his fans in 2002; Brady and Gisele Bündchen attended The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in 2018; Brady attends Los Angeles premiere of the new film "80 For Brady" on Jan. 31.

A brief history of Tom Brady

Activities around Boston to celebrate Valentine’s Day

My husband wants to play video games with her

food & dining

Vegetable Bean Soup.

Soup recipes to help keep you warm this weekend

Empanadas pop up at Hub Hall; Colleen’s will stop scooping, but not for long

Summer camp, where to stay and play in Raleigh, and a charging station that can do it all

travel

Beach goers watch the sun set on Jan. 25, 2023, in Fort Myers Beach.

If you go . . . Fort Myers

These are the most budget-friendly amusement parks

The multiple personalities of the Florida Keys

Arts

Artist Wu Junyong stood inside a hallway where his work is exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, on Feb. 2, 2023. Behind him is the painting "Lion and Tiger Struggle for Supremacy," 2018.

Wu Junyong’s exhibit at the MFA explores different cultural traditions

Abelardo Morell travels ‘In the Footsteps of van Gogh’ at Krakow Witkin Gallery

William Agee, leading art curator and teacher, dies at 86

Books

Salman Rushdie’s ‘Victory City’ is a grand epic about a magical city — and a triumph over censorship

Leila Philip on flash fiction and beavers

Thomas Mallon’s ‘Up With the Sun’ is a fictional biography of real-life actor Dick Kallman, replete with murder and celebrities

Movies

Betty Pensavalle, 94, and Elaine St. Martin, 95, founding members of the Over 80 for Brady Fan Club, in an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning.”

Calling Tom Brady: This real-life ‘80 for Brady’ lady wants a photo with her favorite QB

Bob Odenkirk honored as Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year

Tell us: Do you plan to watch the new Dungeons & Dragons movie?

Television

Bella Ramsey (left) and Anna Torv in "The Last of Us."

A different kind of reboot: ‘The Last of Us’ gives 1970 Linda Ronstadt song a new audience

Bob Odenkirk honored as Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year

15 shows to binge while you’re chilling out during this deep freeze

music

Andris Nelsons leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra Thursday night in a concert performance of Act III from Wagner's "Tannhäuser," with vocal soloists, from left, Marina Prudenskaya, Amber Wagner (seated), Klaus Florian Vogt, and Christian Gerhaher.

BSO returns to Wagner in concert

Who’ll win at the Grammys, and who should

All of your Grammy questions answered, from A to Ye

Theater/Dance

BalletX from Philadelphia performs Saturday at the Majestic, for the finale of Global Arts Live's Winter Dance Fest.

BalletX is out to prove that ballet is not an elitist artform

As StageSource prepares to shut down, theater artists lose a partner

Mandy Patinkin - now a TikTok star - brings his one-man concert to New Bedford

globe local

Workers install the banner on the Cape Ann Museum facade in Gloucester.

Strokes of genius

A smart idea goes awry, but has a brilliant ending

Beat the winter blues at annual orchid exhibition

Obituaries

In this undated photo, Mr. Edwards, who wrote the "Nashville Sound" column and posed with friend, actor and singer Dolly Parton at an awards reception.

Longtime AP country music chronicler Joe Edwards dies at 75

Lauded fashion designer Paco Rabanne dies at age 88

Mira Lehr, artist who explored nature’s distress, dies at 88