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Some Massachusetts school districts have enough bus drivers, others still short as school year starts

Districts that are fully staffed attribute the encouraging trend to nearly three years of relentless recruiting and attracting drivers in a fiercely competitive market by raising hourly pay and providing better benefit packages.

Boston School Committee gives passing grades to Superintendent Mary Skipper on first year with district

Former sheriff’s deputy federally charged with threatening to burn down Massachusetts courthouse

A former Middlesex County sheriff’s deputy who was angry about an upcoming court appearance made an array of threats, including burning down a Plymouth courthouse, and asked other police officers to attack with him, according to federal charges filed Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Idalia descends on North Carolina after pounding Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina
Tropical Storm Idalia is barreling through the Carolinas on its way to the Atlantic Ocean after leaving a trail of flooding and devastation throughout the Southeast.

See photos and videos of the devastation in Florida

A building fire in Johannesburg kills at least 73 people, many of them homeless, authorities say

A nighttime fire ripped through a rundown five-story building in Johannesburg that was occupied by homeless people, killing at least 73 people early Thursday, emergency services in South Africa’s biggest city said.

Mitch McConnell appears to freeze during Kentucky press conference in second such incident this summer

Wednesday’s episode comes about a month after the Senate Republican leader briefly left a press conference at the Capitol after he trailed off and didn’t immediately continue speaking.

In Needham, Elizabeth Warren emphasizes accomplishments, 2024 agenda as she runs for third term

David Ortiz says he’s a ‘victim of extortion’ after apparent phone hacking

Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver (far left) spoke to officials including Governor Maura Healey (front center) during a tour of the Sumner Tunnel in advance of its reopening.

With first long closure nearly complete, officials tout Sumner Tunnel progress

While state highway officials celebrated an on-time reopening of the tunnel, they cautioned that additional closures were still planned for the coming months and next summer.

The Sumner Tunnel is reopening Friday. Here’s what you need to know. The state is closing the Union Square T stop during a big festival. Somerville is not so happy.

YVONNE ABRAHAM

Where intolerance is an article of faith
The new policy forbids students in the 21 schools in Bishop Robert McManus’s diocese from dressing or conducting themselves in any way except in a manner consistent with their biological sex.

alex speier

Robo-umpiring has arrived in the minor leagues. Here’s how it’s been working.
The massive experiment has significant implications for how the game is played, how players develop, and how players are evaluated.

Abraham: 10-game stretch against Astros and Dodgers was telling. Red Sox went 3-7, and should focus on next year.

The Old State House surrounded by buildings on State Street in Boston.

Boston charts the future of downtown development in new plan

A new plan from the BPDA aims to streamline a mishmash of building height restrictions, highlight areas best suited for new development, update design and architecture guidelines, and suggest ways to re-energize public spaces.

A woman watches from the upper deck of a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates as the moon rises in the distance, Aug. 30, in Kansas City, Mo. The moon was a rare blue supermoon, named so because it was the second full moon in August, thus the blue label, and it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon.

See photos of the rare ‘blue supermoon’ that dazzled stargazers around the globe

It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon.

Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton also began last season on injured reserve.

Patriots place Tyquan Thornton on injured reserve, name 15 to practice squad, including Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham

Thornton, who has not played since landing hard on his shoulder during a joint practice in Green Bay, will miss at least four regular-season games.

Alex Andrew Bohm was an associate professor of developmental, molecular, and chemical biology at Tufts University School of Medicine.

‘He has left an incredible legacy’: Tufts School of Medicine professor killed in Newton bike crash remembered as scientist, mentor

Alex Andrew Bohm was an accomplished scientist whose discoveries made headlines, but his life was marked as much by his mentorship, those who knew him said.

The exterior of Boston Latin School.

Here are the top Massachusetts high schools, according to 2023 rankings from US News & World Report

The top high school in Massachusetts is Boston Latin School, according to US News & World Report’s latest rankings of the best high schools in the country.

Opinion

E.M. Forster's 1909 novella “The Machine Stops” envisions a future in which humanity has become comfortably ensconced underground and connected by holographic instant messaging systems.

IDEAS | TOM JOUDREY

Nearly 115 years ago, E.M. Forster foresaw the real threat from AI

Long before Hollywood made killer robots seem all too plausible, the British author worried that technology would undermine humanity by making life too easy.

Council allegations highlight need for anti-bullying rules

Carlo Ratti and Michael Baick

What do Barbie Land and Los Alamos have in common?

A troubling reality for the GOP: No middle ground on abortion

Ann Walsh promises a fresh start in District 3

News you can use

From ‘Storrowing’ to Allston Christmas: What to know before move-in day in Boston
These aren’t just buzzwords. They’re the difference between a regular moving day and a nightmare.

The Sumner Tunnel is reopening Friday. Here’s what you need to know.
The Sumner Tunnel is scheduled to reopen Friday after a two-month closure that shut down a main route from Logan International Airport for critical repairs to the nearly 90-year-old tunnel.

Fun things to do Labor Day weekend in and around Boston
Classic suggestions for soaking up the last bits of summer in style.

More recent News

As social media grows ‘more toxic,’ Boston Mayor Michelle Wu launches free Substack newsletter
The platform offers Mayor Michelle Wu another opportunity to directly reach her constituents without the time and space limitations — or additional questions and context — of traditional news media.

RHODE MAP

New study finds more than 1,000 tons of microplastics in Narragansett Bay
Buildup from the last 10 to 20 years is stored in sediment from the Bay, impacting marine life and potentially human health, too.

FOOD & DINING NEWSLETTER

‘Our love letter to Mexico’: New restaurant on Providence’s Federal Hill pays homage to traditional cuisine
Amilkar and Pamela Gonell are opening Terra Negra Cantina in DePasquale Square.

Manhole fires cause evacuations in Harvard Square in Cambridge
As of early Wednesday evening, Cambridge fire officials had cleared the scene near Brattle Street, but Eversource utility crews were still on scene working on an underground cable fault, officials said.

Judge rules defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick is not competent to stand trial; sexual assault case dismissed

The defrocked cleric appeared remotely via Zoom during the hearing, and a judge heard testimony from a medical expert who indicated that McCarrick suffers from dementia.

She spent nearly $4,000 on a matchmaker. Then she got a date without one.

After a Globe story about her fight for a refund from a matchmaking service was published, a Reading woman heard from four men wanting to go out with her.

Recommended reads

Bill and Rose Russell hold two of their children, Jacob (left) and Karen, in an undated photo.

The world knew him as Bill Russell. They knew him as dad.

From chasing storms to boxing lessons with Muhammad Ali, the Celtics legend's children share what it was like growing up Russell.

Diners are eating out earlier in the evening. (Afternoon, practically.) And Boston is here for it.
Around the region, chefs are reporting that their places start hopping as early as 3 p.m., peaking around 5:30 or 6, post-COVID. And that’s been good for just about everyone involved.

Workforce, capacity constraints slow ramp-up of new Alzheimer’s drug
Thousands of patients are stuck on waiting lists across the state and nationally as hospitals struggle to ramp up infusion centers and monitoring processes for the drug.

‘Mad Men’ meets MIT: The story behind a long-forgotten mannequin now at Draper Lab
An unusual statue now on display at Cambridge’s Draper Labs shows that the MIT scientists who helped put men on the moon sure knew how to party.

Culture & Lifestyle

Fandango vocalist Fred Bajie Griffeth sings to the crowd at Toad in Cambridge during a 20th anniversary celebration of the club in 2013.

Toad in Porter Square sold to new owner, but it will remain a music venue

Mimi Roman

One more rodeo for the ’50s singer known as the Brooklyn Cowgirl

On the Rumba Y Timbal studio floor in Central Square, Cambridge, a dancer wrapped her arms around Anthony Olivier, 28, also known as DJ AO, as part of the Conexao kizomba social on Oct. 16, 2021.

‘You and your partner are one person’: embracing closeness at the annual Boston Kizomba Festival

Claude Mann and Jeanne Moreau in "Bay of Angels."

For this year’s Harvard Film Archive all-night movie marathon, gambling’s on the table

Special Projects

Photo Illustration

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.

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

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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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Flags of participating nations at this summer's MicroCon, the fifth such gathering of micronations. The Latin slogan on the podium is "mulgere hircum" — which literally translates as "to milk a male goat," which is to say, to attempt the impossible.

IDEAS | ROBERT MOTUM

Westarctica, Sancratosia, Slowjamastan, and other fake nations may have some things to teach real ones

An encampment of tents and shelters lines the Mass. and Cass area.

Rachelle G. Cohen

Wu’s Mass. and Cass tent ordinance is little more than a feel-good distraction

Taliban fighters patrolled the streets during a celebration marking the second anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Kandahar, on Aug. 15.

Two years on, the US pullout from Afghanistan looks worse than ever

A helicopter waterbomber dropped water onto the Cameron Bluffs wildfire near Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, on June 6.

Readers respond on climate change: We need action now

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy talked to members of the media on Wednesday after the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee.

Why Vivek Ramaswamy is catching on in New Hampshire and beyond

"This city is special," the author writes, "and Boston, so restrained in emotion, deserves to hear this more often."

IDEAS | OMER AZIZ

My farewell love letter to Boston

Metro

US Embassy in Haiti tells Americans to leave ‘as soon as possible’

The US Embassy in Haiti said Americans there should leave the country "as soon as possible" amid the ongoing unrest and political turmoil.

Germany-born pandas celebrate their 4th birthday ahead of expected trip to China

The first giant pandas born in Germany are celebrating their fourth birthday as the Berlin Zoo prepares to send them to China.

New Providence sculpture will honor renowned Black artist Edward Mitchell Bannister

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, artist Gage Prentiss and R.I. PBS Weekly co-host Pamela Watts talk about the sculpture that will be unveiled Sept. 10 in front of the Rhode Island School of Design.

COMMENTARY | DAN McKEE AND STEFAN PRYOR

Rhode Island must invest in solutions that will make housing more attainable for all

Our housing challenges have been building for years and will not be easily remedied. But, by advancing key initiatives with the General Assembly, municipalities, and housing practitioners, we are getting started.

Sports

At Polar Park in Worcester, a message is displayed on the large video screen when a challenge has been requested by the batter, catcher, or pitcher.

Robo-umpiring has arrived in the minor leagues. Here’s how it’s been working.

The massive experiment has significant implications for how the game is played, how players develop, and how players are evaluated.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers stand on the court during introductions before the game against the Omaha Mavericks at Memorial Stadium.

College volleyball

Nebraska volleyball stadium event draws 92,003 to set women’s world attendance record

The university took aim at the record last spring when it announced a daylong celebration of a sport that enjoys immense popularity in this state.

Lionel Messi was held off the score sheet for the first time during his Inter Miami tenure.

For the first time with Lionel Messi, Inter Miami held scoreless in a draw

Messi failed to convert two free kick attempts in his first Major League Soccer match at home.

revolution 1, red bulls o

Giacomo Vrioni’s first-half goal holds up, Revolution stay hot at home against Red Bulls

Peter Abraham | On baseball

This 10-game stretch against Astros and Dodgers was certainly telling. The Red Sox went 3-7, and now should focus on next year

RED SOX NOTEBOOK

Ceddanne Rafaela gets first start of hopefully long major-league stay, but at short

Business

Travelers hoping to enjoy one last summer fling over Labor Day weekend should expect lots of company

If you’re squeezing in one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend, expects lots of company.

PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNG

Why cash is still king

Could guaranteed income programs that offer direct payments to poor people also help humans when AI-driven automation takes their jobs?

Door Dash toughens its rules as college students return

Labor Department proposes vast expansion of overtime eligibility

magazine

‘You don’t need to be everywhere’ is some of the best advice I ever got

Try your hand at Monopoly and a variety of other board games at WBUR's new meetup event, Field Trip: Game Night.

Your Week Ahead

Five things to do around Boston, Aug. 28-Sept. 10

Pot prices have tanked. Dispensaries are closing. Is a great crash coming?

Ysabel Garcia at her happy place, The Artist Cafe in Springfield.

Ysabel Garcia knows the danger of a mental health crisis. She has a lifesaving message.

metro

Victoria Fulfer, the co-author of the study and a doctoral candidate at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography.

New study finds more than 1,000 tons of microplastics in Narragansett Bay

How can art help families dealing with substance use disorder?

Some Massachusetts school districts have enough bus drivers, others still short as school year starts

sports

Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton also began last season on injured reserve.

Patriots place Tyquan Thornton on injured reserve, name 15 to practice squad, including Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham

Red Sox swept by hot-hitting Astros at Fenway, dealing a critical blow to Boston’s playoff hopes

EMass girls’ soccer: Hingham’s Claire Murray, a University of Illinois commit, headlines the preseason list of Players to Watch

business

The Old State House surrounded by buildings on State Street in Boston.

Boston charts the future of downtown development in new plan

US economic growth for last quarter is revised down to a 2.1 percent annual rate

Here’s why Gina Fiandaca leaving her post as transportation secretary might not spell disaster

politics

Marijuana plants are seen at a growing facility in Washington County, NY, on May 12.

Marijuana recommendation from Health Dept. hailed by senators as first step to easing restrictions

McConnell appears to freeze again at Kentucky event

Trump could clinch the nomination before the GOP knows if he’s a felon

Nation

Jewell Baggett stands beside a Christmas decoration she recovered from the wreckage of her mother's home, as she searches for anything salvageable from the mobile home her father had acquired in 1973 and built multiple additions on to over the decades, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, on Aug. 30.

Tropical Storm Idalia descends on North Carolina after pounding Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina

Hurricane Idalia brings surge of seawater, but less damage than feared

See photos and videos of the devastation in Florida caused by Hurricane Idalia

World

A man holds a Haitian flag as a tire burns during a demonstration against insecurity in Carrefour-Feuilles, a district of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on August 14, 2023.

US Embassy in Haiti tells Americans to leave ‘as soon as possible’

A building fire in Johannesburg kills at least 73 people, many of them homeless, authorities say

A train slams into group of workers on the tracks at an Italian station, killing 5 of them

opinion

President Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022.

Liberals need a clearer foreign policy

Ann Walsh promises a fresh start in District 3

Westarctica, Sancratosia, Slowjamastan, and other fake nations may have some things to teach real ones

lifestyle

The 39th annual Gloucester Schooner Festival runs through Sunday.

Fun things to do Labor Day weekend in and around Boston

CBS honoring late game show host Bob Barker with prime-time special

They just want to be friends

food & dining

Tacos from Terra Negra Cantina, a new Mexican restaurant in Providence's historic Federal Hill neighborhood where chefs Amilkar and Pamela Gonell are honoring the country's traditional cooking techniques.

‘Our love letter to Mexico’: New restaurant on Providence’s Federal Hill pays homage to traditional cuisine

Diners are eating out earlier in the evening. (Afternoon, practically.) And Boston is here for it.

These tomato sauces are made from too-big or too-small tomatoes. But they’re perfectly tasty.

travel

Iris Zinck of the New England Meow Outfit and her cat Folie a Deux Hijo Ni Kokana dressed as "The Princess and the Frog" at the New England Meow Outfit's 10th annual cat show in Natick.

A dream come true: I was a judge at a feline fashion show

Rain + inflation = less tourism on N.H.’s seacoast

A Newport celebrity gets a multimillion-dollar makeover

Arts

Alexis Rockman, "Oceanus," 2022. Oil and cold wax on Dibond on aluminum substrate.

At Mystic Seaport Museum, Alexis Rockman’s massive ‘Oceanus’ is a monument to the sea

Cartoonist Barbara Shermund makes a comeback

At Peabody Essex Museum, Gio Swaby’s virtuosic portraits of Black women in thread and fabric

Books

Jill Lepore, professor at Harvard University and author of "The Deadline," a new collection of essays.

Jill Lepore has seen the inside of time

Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’: Not Safe for Teens?

‘Satisfaction for women is everywhere,’ says E. Jean Carroll, who’s collaborating on a romance novel with Mary Trump

Movies

Ayo Edebiri stars as Josie and Rachel Sennott as PJ in "Bottoms."

Sadistic, satirical ‘Bottoms’ makes ‘Fight Club’ look tame

Nicholas Hitchon, 65, who aged 7 years at a time in the ‘Up’ documentaries

For this year’s Harvard Film Archive all-night movie marathon, gambling’s on the table

Television

Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning in "The Great."

Did Hulu pick a good time to cancel ‘The Great’?

CBS honoring late game show host Bob Barker with prime-time special

Late-night hosts’ podcast will assist striking staff members

music

Kris Davis and her bandmates at the Village Vanguard in 2022. From left: Davis, Trevor Dunn, Terri Lyne Carrington, Val Jeanty, and Julian Lage.

Pianist Kris Davis’s explorations can lead just about anywhere

Zach Bryan is coming to Gillette Stadium in June 2024

At Passim, 25 years ’round the Campfire

Theater/Dance

France's Compagnie Käfig performs "Pixel" at Jacob's Pillow in Becket

Dance and digital effects merge in Compagnie Käfig’s imaginative ‘Pixel’ at Jacob’s Pillow

‘The Ding Dongs’: When that doorbell rings, watch out

Old and new at the Pillow

Health

Research nurse Sarah French checks on Rodolfo Almeida of Providence at The Miriam Hospital's new Stephen and Diana Lewinstein Center for Innovative Cancer Research, a clinical area where patients receive investigational cancer treatments.

Changing the landscape of cancer care in R.I.: Lifespan, Brown to seek NCI designation

To better understand alcohol addiction, new research is turning to fruit flies

Stanford president to resign after investigation finds he failed to ‘decisively and forthrightly’ correct research

Obituaries

Tina Howe photographed in New York on March 23, 2009.

Tina Howe, playwright best known for ‘Coastal Disturbances,’ dies at 85

Nicholas Hitchon, 65, who aged 7 years at a time in the ‘Up’ documentaries

Joe the Plumber, who questioned Obama’s tax policies during the 2008 campaign, has died at 49