The Boston Globe

Firefighters battled a raging fire at the historic First Congregational Church of Spencer on Friday afternoon.

Investigators determine lightning strike sparked fire that destroyed historic Spencer church Friday

Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons said that multiple witnesses reported the church was struck by lightning.

First Congregational Church had long history in Spencer

Healey said error was ‘avoidable’ after state wrongly used $2.5 billion in federal money to pay jobless claims

"Why it happened, I’m not sure, and we’ll try to get to the bottom of that,” Healey said in an interview Friday.

Ben Volin | Sunday football notes

Josh McDaniels and the Raiders are putting on a good face, but Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot injury is a disaster
The bottom line is if the Raiders don’t like what they see with Garoppolo’s foot during preseason, they can flunk his physical and release him with no penalty.

Plastic pollution: Key step toward landmark treaty to end plastic waste
Global negotiators have agreed to craft an initial draft treaty to end plastic pollution, a preliminary but crucial step toward tackling one of the most lasting sources of human waste.

‘I have a lot of regret,’ Charlestown bank robber says of 1990s carjacking, slaying of two security guards

Anthony Shea’s life sentence was slashed to 35 years.

New Bedford man allegedly kills 8-year-old son before taking his own life, authorities say

3 Israeli soldiers, Egyptian officer killed in gunbattle at the border

The Boston skyline at sunrise, viewed from Fan Pier Park in the Seaport District of Boston.

‘This is Boston’s big challenge’: A new plan to defend downtown against sea-level rise

A long-awaited resiliency plan for Boston’s Wharf District outlines $1.2 billion worth of upgrades to protect the waterfront from flooding.

How a Boston court case could help prevent another debt limit crisis
Debt limit opponents argue the limit, adopted by Congress more than a century ago, is unconstitutional because it conflicts with a provision in the 14th Amendment.

For some on a tight margin, debt ceiling deal could make things even tighter

Shalanda Young, White House budget director.

Biden’s debt deal strategy: Win in the fine print

In pursuit of a debt agreement, the White House was willing to give Republicans victory after victory on political talking points. But in the details of the text and the many side deals, Democrats wanted to win on substance.

‘It’s devastating’: Florida questioning Michael Mota after resort’s protected mangrove trees chopped down
A state investigation found nearly 17,800 square feet of mangroves were destroyed. Mota, who is listed as the “contractor/agent” in the state’s report, denies involvement.

Elite divers complete first rounds of Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Seaport

The divers, twelve men and twelve women, leaped from platforms off the Institute of Contemporary Art, performing intricate flips and turns for a panel of judges.

Watch elite divers compete in Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Seaport

From over five stories in the air, two dozen elite athletes dove into Boston Harbor to kick off the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. ( Olivia Yarvis/Globe Staff )

The Reds started 7-15 but went into the weekend three games behind the Brewers in the National League Central at 26-30 after taking two of three from the Red Sox.

Peter Abraham | Sunday baseball notes

The Cincinnati Reds have been irrelevant for years, but finally there’s hope

The resurgence has been fueled by several years of productive amateur drafts and a series of smart trades by general manager Nick Krall.

Ja Morant is facing punishment from the NBA following another media post with guns present.

Gary Washburn | Sunday basketball notes

NBA content to wait on latest punishment for Ja Morant

NBA executives and league observers are expecting at least a 20-game suspension for the Grizzlies’ two-time All-Star.

With AI correcting everything that's wrong with sports, Rodney Harrison would have batted the ball off of David Tyree’s helmet and the 2007 Patriots would have finished 19-0.

Kevin Paul Dupont | On Second Thought

Don’t worry, AI will fix everything that’s wrong with sports

Just think of the infinite laundry list of hurt AI might have spared us here in Boston had it come along long ago.

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Mass. owes feds $2.5 billion. Who’s going to pay?

The state wrongly used federal funds for jobless benefits during the pandemic, and now it needs to repay them.

LETTERS

Can MCAS be improved? Curbed? Learned from? All of the above?

IDEAS | ULBE BOSMA

The sugar baron of Boston

Heather Furnas

Trying to close the gender pay gap — 60 years after the Equal Pay Act

EDITORIAL

Massachusetts gets a chance to kick ‘equity theft’ to the curb

More recent News

India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in one of nation’s worst rail disasters
Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, officials said Saturday.

Tennessee drag ban is unconstitutional, federal judge rules
A federal judge has struck down a Tennessee law that banned drag shows in public or where children could watch them is unconstitutional, writing that the measure was passed “for the impermissible purpose of chilling constitutionally-protected speech.”

Sports Media

Fred Toucher returns to Sports Hub morning show, explains absence and concerning tweets
Toucher revealed that he had checked himself into an alcohol treatment facility after posting alarming, since-deleted comments on social media over Memorial Day weekend.

North End restaurateurs file motion to dismiss outdoor dining lawsuit against Wu

The four business owners had originally claimed that the mayor was applying restrictions to outdoor dining unfairly to the cohort of largely Italian-American businesses.

New records show the close calls on MBTA tracks that prompted federal safety demands

The T shared details about the dangerous episodes as it faces a Monday deadline to rewrite its plan for protecting workers from getting hurt on the job.

Protester opposed to book bans gets Bible pulled from some Utah schools

The Bible has been removed from libraries in a Utah school district after being challenged by a person making a jab at book bans.

Boston thrives off the dreams of young people. But can they make it here?

Baby boomers and Gen Xers benefited from economic conditions that do not exist for millennials. And by many measures, the path ahead for Gen Z is even more fraught.

Tell us: How have things changed in Boston since you were in your early 20s?

DEBT

SAVINGS

HOUSING

REALITY CHECK CALCULATOR

Love Letters

Send your relationship questions to Love Letters
Summer is a good time to take control of your romantic life – or lack thereof.

The best new books for summer 2023

Some of our favorite critics offer suggestions for the latest (and up-and-coming!) titles to transport you, whether you’re basking at the beach or hanging in the hammock.

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘The foundation for feelings is there’
Will these world travelers jet off together?

Why some street lights on I-93 — and around Boston — are bright purple
Defective LED street lights in Boston have started glowing purple, a phenomenon seen in cities across the country.

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

From campy to controversial: How drag queens became a target of conservative lawmakers
The growing movement against drag even has a name: “drag panic.” The animosity that Massachusetts queens are experiencing is mild compared with what the drag community faces in states such as Florida and Tennessee.

Culture & Lifestyle

From left: Dawn M. Simmons, cofounder and co-producing artistic director of the Front Porch Arts Collective; Loretta Greco, artistic director of the Huntington; and Megan Sandberg-Zakian, artistic director of Boston Playwrights' Theatre.

The stage is theirs: At a majority of Boston-area theaters, women leaders have taken charge

Bob Bittner ran WJIB from a studio next to his home in West Bath, Maine. He died May 26 at the age of 73.

WJIB’s Bob Bittner was always an easy listen

Shameik Moore is the voice of Spider-Man/Miles Morales in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’: Something’s gonna change his world

Head to Revere Hotel on June 9 for a rooftop silent disco.

15 ways to celebrate Pride Month in Boston and beyond

Special Projects

Their lives were rerouted after the Marathon bombing. Here’s where they are now.

Five lives were lost; many more, changed.

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

With the MBTA engulfed by issues, everyday riders are feeling the pain.

Brittany Tee, Soomaiiah Quraiishi, and Reina Morales Rojas are among thousands of people thought to be missing from Massachusetts.

How the missing become the uncounted

Inside the government’s flawed approach to finding missing persons.

Two Weeks in America

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

FROM OUR PARTNERS

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

President Joe Biden talked with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on May 31 before traveling to Colorado.

SCOT LEHIGH

Biden bests Republicans yet again with debt ceiling deal

"I was . . . advised to study the Black French poet Aimé Césaire rather than Lord Byron." Pictured: A marble statue of Byron in Rome's Villa Borghese park.

IDEAS | TYLER HARPER

I am the wrong kind of Black professor

Sian Beilock and Phil Hanlon

Speaking up on campus doesn’t mean shouting down others

When Joseph Curtatone took office in 2004, his city was still derided as “Slummerville” in the leafier precincts nearby. He set about fixing that.

RENÉE LOTH

Somerville shows how to be civically engaged

Bobby Gutierrez, the mayor of Bryan, Texas, adjusted the volume of his car radio, May 14.

JEFF JACOBY

AM radio in your car? Don’t let Congress decide.

IDEAS

Calling teen writers! Globe Ideas wants to give you a megaphone.

Metro

Investigators determine lightning strike sparked fire that destroyed historic Spencer church Friday

Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons said that multiple witnesses reported the church was struck by lightning.

Lightning strike likely sparked fire that destroyed historic Spencer church, official says

The fire broke out at the historic First Congregational Church on Main Street around 2:30 p.m. Friday, during a time when intense thunderstorms were rolling through the Central Massachusetts town.

First Congregational Church had long history in Spencer

“As is true in many New England communities, the Congregational Church was one of the first important buildings erected in the Town and served in both a religious and civic capacity,” said Mary Baker-Wood, chair of the Spencer Historical Commission.

After summer-like heat, temperatures are expected to fall into the 50s on Saturday in Massachusetts

After a two-day hot spell that ended with heavy showers and thunderstorms Friday night, temperatures began to drop as forecasters with the National Weather Service predict “unseasonably cool weather” this weekend.

Sports

Rob Refsnyder is staying in Boston for at least another season.

Red Sox

Red Sox, Rob Refsnyder agree to one-year contract extension

The deal ties Refsnyder to the team through 2024, with a club option for 2025.

Garrett Whitlock will make his second start since returning from injury on Saturday.

Rays AT RED SOX | 1:10 AND 6:10 P.M. (NESN)

Games 57 and 58: Red Sox announce multiple moves ahead of day-night doubleheader

The Sox are hosting a scheduled doubleheader for the first time in nearly a half-century.

Bob Halloran retired Wednesday after a 38-year career as a sports reporter and anchor, the last 20 spent at Channel 5.

Chad Finn | Sports Media

Bob Halloran ready to trade talking sports for teaching golf in retirement

Halloran said his perspective on life changed seven years ago this July, when he suffered a brain aneurysm a day before his 53rd birthday.

Kevin Paul Dupont | On Second Thought

Don’t worry, AI will fix everything that’s wrong with sports

Kevin Paul Dupont | Sunday hockey notes

The Golden Knights entered the Stanley Cup Final with just one player they drafted, so there are different ways to build a winner

Gary Washburn | Sunday basketball notes

NBA content to wait on latest punishment for Ja Morant

Business

Biden expected to sign budget deal to raise debt ceiling

President Biden is expected to sign legislation on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling, just two days before the US Treasury warned that the country would struggle to pay its bills.

RI STATE BUDGET

In R.I. House budget package, what to know about housing and development

For one, eminent domain powers are off the table, Speaker Shekarchi said. Also, there’s no funding to redevelop the Superman building, or the Cranston Street Armory.

Three ‘forever chemicals’ makers settle public water lawsuits

RI POLITICS

R.I. state budget won’t include funding to redevelop Cranston Street Armory

magazine

Globe Magazine

I went searching for a relative who escaped the Holocaust. I found a secret some want to forget.

Globe Magazine

What it’s like to dive in the New England Aquarium’s giant tank (watch out for Thomas the eel)

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘The foundation for feelings is there’

CONNECTIONS

On Cape Cod, I’ll always try to stay in my summer landlord’s good graces

metro

From left to right, Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, and Governor Daniel J. McKee take part in a joint news conference about the House Finance Committee budget.

14 things to know about the $14 billion House budget proposal

In R.I. House budget package, what to know about housing and development

New Bedford man allegedly kills 8-year-old son before taking his own life, authorities say

sports

The Cincinnati Reds have been irrelevant for years, but finally there’s hope

Josh McDaniels and the Raiders are putting on a good face, but Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot injury is a disaster

Elena Rybakina, reigning Wimbledon champion, pulls out of French Open because she is sick

business

‘This is Boston’s big challenge’: A new plan to defend downtown against sea-level rise

Wall Street leaps, nearly escapes its bear market after strong jobs report

North End restaurateurs file motion to dismiss outdoor dining lawsuit against Wu

politics

Biden’s debt deal strategy: Win in the fine print

Oath Keepers convicted in Jan. 6 Capitol riot get prison in latest extremist sentencings

Biden celebrates bipartisanship, ‘crisis averted’ in Oval Office address on debt ceiling deal

Nation

The Bible was read aloud at the Utah Capitol in 2013.

Protester opposed to book bans gets Bible pulled from some Utah schools

Tennessee drag ban is unconstitutional, federal judge rules

Hoskin seeks second term as leader of powerful Cherokee Nation

World

Israeli soldiers consoled one another outside the Mount Harif military base near the city of Mitzpe Ramon in Israel's southern Negev desert.

3 Israeli soldiers, Egyptian officer killed in gunbattle at the border

India train crash kills over 280, injures 900 in one of nation’s worst rail disasters

US defense secretary says Washington won’t stand for ‘coercion and bullying’ from China

opinion

Female pigs in the pens of a gestation barn at a farm in Strawn, Illinois, in 2012.

Pigs will be kept in larger crates but their suffering will persist

Biden bests Republicans yet again with debt ceiling deal

Welcome to Florida

lifestyle

This image provided by the Secretary of State's office shows the proposed new design for the Maine license plate. If a bill before the Legislature is approved, it would replace the chickadee plates that have been in use in Maine for almost 25 years. The new design features elements of the 1901 Maine state flag, with a navy blue star and dark green pine tree. (Maine Secretary of State’s Office via AP)

Mainers can’t get enough of retro flag, which will now appear on license plates

What am I missing with these breakups?

I’m stuck in my grief

food & dining

Garmi Mawolo at her fresh vegetable stand outside Urban Greens in Providence, R.I. She farms at Bami Farm in Johnston, which is run by the African Alliance of Rhode Island.

Support local farmers in R.I. and head to one of these summer markets

A pint with your pug? Dog-friendly dining and drinking starts in Boston

Here’s where you can get a free doughnut in Mass. for National Doughnut Day

travel

Boston drag queen Kori King performs at a "Little Mermaid"-themed drag night at the Barking Crab.

From campy to controversial: How drag queens became a target of conservative lawmakers

In Becket, the Dream Away Lodge is ‘somewhere between a living museum or a living work of art, and a church’

More travelers are taking the train — to save the planet

Arts

Paintings that are all about touch

The Peabody Essex Museum to hire a TikTok creator-in-residence

Artists For Humanity alum Wendy ‘MoMa’ Michel comes full circle

Books

The best new books for summer 2023

Kaija Langley, author of verse novel ‘The Order of Things,’ has built a writing career in the margins of a busy life

Children’s book contemplates animals and eternity; Boston Public Library presents special exhibit for Pride Month; program encourages students to write to their favorite authors

Investigators determine lightning strike sparked fire that destroyed historic Spencer church Friday

Healey said error was ‘avoidable’ after state wrongly used $2.5 billion in federal money to pay jobless claims

Plastic pollution: Key step toward landmark treaty to end plastic waste Global negotiators have agreed to craft an initial draft treaty to end plastic pollution, a preliminary but crucial step toward tackling one of the most lasting sources of human waste.

‘I have a lot of regret,’ Charlestown bank robber says of 1990s carjacking, slaying of two security guards

New Bedford man allegedly kills 8-year-old son before taking his own life, authorities say

3 Israeli soldiers, Egyptian officer killed in gunbattle at the border

‘This is Boston’s big challenge’: A new plan to defend downtown against sea-level rise

How a Boston court case could help prevent another debt limit crisis Debt limit opponents argue the limit, adopted by Congress more than a century ago, is unconstitutional because it conflicts with a provision in the 14th Amendment.

Biden’s debt deal strategy: Win in the fine print

‘It’s devastating’: Florida questioning Michael Mota after resort’s protected mangrove trees chopped down A state investigation found nearly 17,800 square feet of mangroves were destroyed. Mota, who is listed as the “contractor/agent” in the state’s report, denies involvement.

Elite divers complete first rounds of Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Seaport

The Cincinnati Reds have been irrelevant for years, but finally there’s hope

NBA content to wait on latest punishment for Ja Morant

Don’t worry, AI will fix everything that’s wrong with sports

Mass. owes feds $2.5 billion. Who’s going to pay?

Can MCAS be improved? Curbed? Learned from? All of the above?

The sugar baron of Boston

Trying to close the gender pay gap — 60 years after the Equal Pay Act

Massachusetts gets a chance to kick ‘equity theft’ to the curb

More recent News

Sports Media Fred Toucher returns to Sports Hub morning show, explains absence and concerning tweets Toucher revealed that he had checked himself into an alcohol treatment facility after posting alarming, since-deleted comments on social media over Memorial Day weekend.

North End restaurateurs file motion to dismiss outdoor dining lawsuit against Wu

New records show the close calls on MBTA tracks that prompted federal safety demands

Protester opposed to book bans gets Bible pulled from some Utah schools

Boston thrives off the dreams of young people. But can they make it here?

DEBT

SAVINGS

HOUSING

REALITY CHECK CALCULATOR

Send your relationship questions to Love Letters Summer is a good time to take control of your romantic life – or lack thereof.

Recommended reads

The best new books for summer 2023

Dinner with Cupid Blind date: ‘The foundation for feelings is there’ Will these world travelers jet off together?

Why some street lights on I-93 — and around Boston — are bright purple Defective LED street lights in Boston have started glowing purple, a phenomenon seen in cities across the country.

Culture & Lifestyle

The stage is theirs: At a majority of Boston-area theaters, women leaders have taken charge

WJIB’s Bob Bittner was always an easy listen

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’: Something’s gonna change his world

15 ways to celebrate Pride Month in Boston and beyond

Special Projects

Their lives were rerouted after the Marathon bombing. Here’s where they are now.

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

How the missing become the uncounted

Two Weeks in America

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Biden bests Republicans yet again with debt ceiling deal

I am the wrong kind of Black professor

Speaking up on campus doesn’t mean shouting down others

Somerville shows how to be civically engaged

AM radio in your car? Don’t let Congress decide.

Calling teen writers! Globe Ideas wants to give you a megaphone.

Metro

Investigators determine lightning strike sparked fire that destroyed historic Spencer church Friday

Lightning strike likely sparked fire that destroyed historic Spencer church, official says

First Congregational Church had long history in Spencer

After summer-like heat, temperatures are expected to fall into the 50s on Saturday in Massachusetts

Sports

Red Sox, Rob Refsnyder agree to one-year contract extension

Games 57 and 58: Red Sox announce multiple moves ahead of day-night doubleheader

Bob Halloran ready to trade talking sports for teaching golf in retirement

Don’t worry, AI will fix everything that’s wrong with sports

The Golden Knights entered the Stanley Cup Final with just one player they drafted, so there are different ways to build a winner

NBA content to wait on latest punishment for Ja Morant

Business

Biden expected to sign budget deal to raise debt ceiling

In R.I. House budget package, what to know about housing and development

Three ‘forever chemicals’ makers settle public water lawsuits

R.I. state budget won’t include funding to redevelop Cranston Street Armory

I went searching for a relative who escaped the Holocaust. I found a secret some want to forget.

What it’s like to dive in the New England Aquarium’s giant tank (watch out for Thomas the eel)

Blind date: ‘The foundation for feelings is there’

On Cape Cod, I’ll always try to stay in my summer landlord’s good graces

metro

14 things to know about the $14 billion House budget proposal

In R.I. House budget package, what to know about housing and development

New Bedford man allegedly kills 8-year-old son before taking his own life, authorities say

sports

The Cincinnati Reds have been irrelevant for years, but finally there’s hope

Josh McDaniels and the Raiders are putting on a good face, but Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot injury is a disaster

Plastic pollution: Key step toward landmark treaty to end plastic waste
Global negotiators have agreed to craft an initial draft treaty to end plastic pollution, a preliminary but crucial step toward tackling one of the most lasting sources of human waste.

How a Boston court case could help prevent another debt limit crisis
Debt limit opponents argue the limit, adopted by Congress more than a century ago, is unconstitutional because it conflicts with a provision in the 14th Amendment.

‘It’s devastating’: Florida questioning Michael Mota after resort’s protected mangrove trees chopped down
A state investigation found nearly 17,800 square feet of mangroves were destroyed. Mota, who is listed as the “contractor/agent” in the state’s report, denies involvement.

Sports Media

Fred Toucher returns to Sports Hub morning show, explains absence and concerning tweets
Toucher revealed that he had checked himself into an alcohol treatment facility after posting alarming, since-deleted comments on social media over Memorial Day weekend.

Send your relationship questions to Love Letters
Summer is a good time to take control of your romantic life – or lack thereof.

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘The foundation for feelings is there’
Will these world travelers jet off together?

Why some street lights on I-93 — and around Boston — are bright purple
Defective LED street lights in Boston have started glowing purple, a phenomenon seen in cities across the country.