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The Boston Globe

Bills 27, Patriots 21

Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas came close, but he could not haul in this pass against Bills cornerback Taron Johnson.

Ben Volin | Instant Analysis

In loss to Bills, Patriots prove they’re still fighting for Bill Belichick

They easily could pack it in and get ready for the offseason, but they won road games at Pittsburgh and Denver and gave Buffalo all it could handle.

What are your questions about the Patriots? They may be answered in our next mailbag. ‘You can’t do that:’ What Patriots center David Andrews had to say after loss to Bills

Dan Shaughnessy

What will Patriots owner Bob Kraft do regarding the future of Bill Belichick?

‘Trust me, I’ll get better:’ What Patriots QB Bailey Zappe said after throwing three picks in loss to Bills

Globe Magazine

Dave Barry’s 2023 year in review
What can we say about the year that was? Not even AI could have made it up.

Monica Savage, 8, and her mom Michaela Cooper, of Boston, made a dragon in the Arts & Crafts section, hosted by the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association. First Night Boston 2024 is celebrated on City Hall Plaza and inside Boston City Hall.

With hours left in 2023, First Night kicks off at City Hall

A crowd of more than a hundred — adorned with wool hats and red noses — filled City Hall Plaza, growing steadily as the day went on.

All you need to know about Boston's First Night

A Harvard student sleuth cracks the code on the hidden lives of Louisa May Alcott and other notable women
Louisa May Alcott's unpublished version of Jules Verne’s “Michael Strogoff” has been all but forgotten in the nearly 150 years since she composed it. But a few years ago, a Harvard doctoral candidate stumbled across the play at the Houghton Library.

As the calendar turns, some eastern Mass. cities begin new eras of leadership under new mayors

Ambitious goals for school construction projects and road repairs, housing growth and climate protection are among the top concerns for mayors settling into the corner office for the first time.

Two months close on the Maine shootings, many questions are still left unanswered
As the calendar flips into the new year, there are still many unanswered questions about how the events transpired that October night — the night of the state’s deadliest mass shooting.

Maine law enforcement knew shooter posed a threat but were concerned about confronting him, video shows

Boston fire commissioner praises response to Mattapan shooter situation

Burke said in a statement that he is “grateful that the fire and active shooter incident yesterday did not result in any injury to our firefighters, police officers or residents.”

Suspect in custody after standoff at Mattapan apartment building

Barriers keeping homeless families from shelter are not acts of nature — but choices we make

Withholding emergency shelter from homeless families because they’re not quite poor enough or virtuous enough or expert enough to qualify won’t cut it.

A state program is billed as a salve for the shelter crisis. For some, it’s impossible to access.

Israeli strikes in central Gaza kill at least 35 as Netanyahu says war will continue for months

The new bombardment Sunday comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will continue for “many more months," resisting international calls for a cease-fire.

Forecast | Dave Epstein

Expect cold and dry conditions on New Year’s Eve in Boston, and seasonable weather to begin 2024

What’s open and closed on New Year’s Day

Stuart share podcast

Listen to ‘Murder in Boston’

Presented in association with HBO, “Murder in Boston: The untold story of the Charles and Carol Stuart shooting,” is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Read chapter one of ‘Nightmare in Mission Hill’ Read the full series

The Red Sox ate some money so that oft-injured Chris Sale will head to spring training as a member of the Atlanta Braves.

dan shaughnessy

End of Chris Sale Experience reason for Red Sox fans to pop cheap champagne

You just know that Sale will somehow find the old magic in Atlanta and Bob Lobel will be saying, “Why can’t we get pitchers like that?”

Ryan Seacrest returns to cohost "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC.

New Year’s Eve 2024: Your guide to all the countdown TV specials

Televised parties include Ryan Seacrest, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, and loads of musical acts from Cardi B to the Jonas Brothers and Morgan Wallen.

She hung my ornament

Does it mean she wants me back?

Opinion

Something changed in Lexington this year, and it wasn't just the leaves. The suburb was among several others that voted to allow denser housing, a major shift away from their traditional hostility to multifamily housing.

In the battle to build more housing, Massachusetts is making gains

But more, much more, still needs to be done to tame our high housing costs.

IDEAS | ANDREW BRIEDIS

Ringing in the new millennium without Mom

Best of 2023: A year in review from Globe Opinion

A manufactured solution to a manufactured problem

Heather Hopp-Bruce

The old yellow Jeep and the mechanic who kept us running

Beyond the Gilded Gate

The $600,000 problem. Why does it cost so much to build housing in Boston, and what can we do about it?

Many forces drive the housing crisis here, and the sky-high cost of construction is one of the most powerful.

Calculator: How costs affect construction of an apartment building

Explore the project

More recent News

What we know about the Kamal family, found slain in Dover
Officials identified the three deceased individuals as Rakesh Kamal, 57, his wife Teena Kamal, 54, and their daughter Arianna Kamal, 18. Here’s what we know about them.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough, a 3-time Cup champion in the 1970s, dies at 84
Cale Yarborough, considered one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers and the first to win three consecutive Cup titles, died Sunday. He was 84.

Doris Yaffe, who gave Boston fashion an activist edge, dies at 94
“Fashion is fine and wonderful,” Mrs. Yaffe once said, but “what is most important is the community and volunteerism.”

Russia launches fresh drone strikes in Ukraine after promising retaliation for Belgorod attack
Russia launched a fresh drone assault on Ukraine after promising that strikes on the Russian border city of Belgorod that killed 24 people Saturday “would not go unpunished.”

World population up 75 million this year, topping 8 billion by Jan. 1
The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year’s Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people, according to figures released by the US Census Bureau on Thursday.

bruins notebook

Bruins’ David Pastrnak still firing on all cylinders despite change in supporting cast
There’s no award for leading the NHL in shots on goal. If there was, Pastrnak would be in contention for the second year in a row.

Globe Santa

Half a century of remembering Globe Santa
Joseph A. Milano, president of Boston’s Union Oyster House, has many titles and many interests, but an initiative that’s particularly close to his heart is Globe Santa.

Donate to Globe Santa

Globe Santa is a program of the Boston Globe Foundation and exists solely to deliver joy to children.

Recommended reads

Kati Dunne, 22 (left) chatted with her mother, Tere Ramos, in her kitchen on a weekend in December. Dunne has autism and lives in a temporary group home where her mother has been dissatisfied with the care.

Spotlight follow-up

Thousands of Mass. children diagnosed with autism are becoming adults. Many families find the state unprepared to help.

A record number of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities turn 22 years old this year and qualify for adult services with the Department of Developmental Services.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

For Ukrainian refugee family in Cambridge, multiple school transfers compound trauma
In emails shared with the Globe, the Belmont superintendent told the family she could not make an exception to the policy, and the School Committee does not weigh in on individual student cases.

Credit card skimmers keep popping up in stores in Mass. and N.H. Here’s how to protect yourself.
None of the recent local incidents have led to reports of financial information being stolen, but in other cases, criminals using skimmers have been prosecuted for stealing millions of dollars from unwitting consumers.

IDEAS | MILES HOWARD

How to make Boston winters much less depressing
From sledding to nightclubbing, other cities do more to get people out and about in the bleakest months.

Culture & Lifestyle

10 artists we can’t wait to hear in 2024

Madonna opened the North American leg of her tour at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 13. After postponing Boston dates last summer due to an illness, she'll be at TD Garden Jan. 8-9.

Mark your calendars, music fans: It’s going to be a packed year of concerts, films, and festivals

Steve McQueen's "Lynching Tree," a lightbox-mounted photograph at the Gardner Museum. The piece will be installed in its Fenway Gallery Jan. 20.

At the Gardner, Steve McQueen calls forth a living reminder of slavery with ‘Lynching Tree’

Ryan Seacrest returns to cohost "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC.

New Year’s Eve 2024: Your guide to all the countdown TV specials

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.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

The Rev. Maksym Padlewski led the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Kherson, Ukraine.

Americans must pressure Congress to approve support for Ukraine

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Kirya military base, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in Tel Aviv on Dec. 24, 2023.

Netanyahu should resign

Commander, US President Biden's dog, sitting on the Truman Balcony at the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 30.

MARCELA GARCÍA

The most important dog stories of 2023

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu after Sununu's endorsement of Haley during a town hall event at McIntyre Ski Area on Dec. 12, in Manchester, N.H.

Nikki Haley, a she-wolf in moderate’s clothing. But Trump is worse.

A home under construction in Loudonville, N.Y.

IDEAS | SAMUEL SANDERS

What if NIMBYs got paid to become YIMBYs?

When accidents happen: True stories from an ICU

Ernesto Barbieri and Jess Ruliffson

When accidents happen: True stories from an ICU nurse

Metro

Forecast | Dave Epstein

Expect cold and dry conditions on New Year’s Eve in Boston, and seasonable weather to begin 2024

Low temperatures will be in the 20s in many locations in Massachusetts on Sunday night with little chance of precipitation.

Two months close on the Maine shootings, many questions are still left unanswered

As the calendar flips into the new year, there are still many unanswered questions about how the events transpired that October night — the night of the state’s deadliest mass shooting.

Doris Yaffe, who gave Boston fashion an activist edge, dies at 94

“Fashion is fine and wonderful,” Mrs. Yaffe once said, but “what is most important is the community and volunteerism.”

Boston fire commissioner praises response to Mattapan shooter situation

Burke said in a statement that he is “grateful that the fire and active shooter incident yesterday did not result in any injury to our firefighters, police officers or residents.”

Sports

Hingham's Jack Rakauskas goes into the corner for a loose puck as Marshfield's Matt Garland closes in during Sunday's showdown at The Bog in Kingston.

BOYS' HOCKEY: HINGHAM 3, MARSHFIELD 1

Hingham boys’ hockey handles Marshfield, trending in right direction as new year dawns

A smothering defensive effort and two goals from Paul Dzavik lifted the Harbormen over the Rams in a New Year's Eve matinee that raised money for Hockey Fights Cancer.

Eleven years ago, Steve Sarkisian was representing Washington as its head coach. On Monday, he will be leading Texas in the Sugar Bowl against the Huskies.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Sugar Bowl coaches have taken different journeys to College Football Playoff semifinals

Texas's Steve Sarkisian has had experience in the NFL and with some big-time college programs, while Washington's Kalen DeBoer started in the NAIA and had a stop in FCS.

David Pastrnak's game has soared to new heights for the Bruins.

bruins notebook

Bruins’ David Pastrnak still firing on all cylinders despite change in supporting cast

There’s no award for leading the NHL in shots on goal. If there was, Pastrnak would be in contention for the second year in a row.

Brock Purdy’s 49ers bounce back to beat Commanders, will enter playoffs as NFC’s No. 1

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Jim Harbaugh seeks College Football Playoff breakthrough for Michigan in Rose Bowl against Alabama

how it happened

Bills 27, Patriots 21: Bailey Zappe throws 3 INTs as New England falls to 4-12

Business

Northeastern scientists build AI that can predict a person’s life (and death)

According to a peer-reviewed paper published last week, “Life2vec” can accurately assess whether a person is extroverted, whether they are likely to emigrate, and even approximately how long they will live.

Houthis show no sign of ending ‘reckless’ Red Sea attacks as trade traffic picks up, commander says

Since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have traveled through the Red Sea region, and none has been hit by drone or missile strikes, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview.

California is expanding health care coverage for low-income immigrants in the new year

Google settles $5 billion privacy lawsuit over tracking people using ‘incognito mode’

magazine

Dave Barry’s 2023 year in review

WBZ TV's news team of the 1980s and '90s.

The 1980s dream team that made WBZ news must-see TV in New England

Miss Conduct’s four tips for a happier new year in 2024

The writer’s neighbor Mona Kluz (front left) celebrates a birthday at one of the dance parties.

New Year’s Eve will be our street’s 1,386th dance party. Here’s why we celebrate.

metro

Monica Savage, 8, and her mom Michaela Cooper, of Boston, made a dragon in the Arts & Crafts section, hosted by the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association. First Night Boston 2024 is celebrated on City Hall Plaza and inside Boston City Hall.

With hours left in 2023, First Night kicks off at City Hall

Globe New Hampshire’s year in review: 2023

Chance, 14, is bright, talkative, and outgoing

sports

After a tough loss to the Bills, Bill Belichick is on to the Jets.

Facing the toughest decision of his stewardship, what will Patriots owner Bob Kraft do regarding the future of Bill Belichick?

‘Trust me, I’ll get better:’ What Patriots QB Bailey Zappe said after throwing three picks in loss to Bills

Cardinals rally from 15 points down to deliver playoff-bound Eagles a fourth December loss

business

Rhode Island District Court in Providence, R.I.

Tenants threatened with eviction after they spoke to R.I. housing rights group, lawsuit claims

Stocks end 2023 up 24 percent for the year as resilient economy energizes investors

Alexandria drops South Boston lab project and sells property at deep discount amid biotech’s funk

politics

Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., listens during a confirmation hearing of Jared Bernstein to be the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Senator Fetterman says he thought news about his depression treatment would end his political career

Retirements could tip control of the House majority. It’s Republicans who have the early edge.

Court showdown likely on Trump’s eligibility

Nation

A dose of Narcan, the nasal spray version of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, at a nightclub in Brooklyn, Dec. 12. Security guards have confiscated naloxone from bar and nightclub goers, even though city officials encourage people to carry the drug to save lives.

An overdose antidote becomes a tricky issue at some nightclubs

Four years on, long COVID still confounds us. Here’s what we now know.

New Zealand’s Auckland is the first major city to ring in 2024 as war shadows celebrations elsewhere

World

Moscow said it had struck Kharkiv — including the famous Kharkiv Palace Hotel — with missiles in retaliation for what it said was a deadly Ukrainian air assault on the Russian city of Belgorod. Debris strewed the lobby of the hotel after the assault.

Russia pounds Ukrainian city ahead of new year, as Putin tries to project normalcy

Israeli strikes in central Gaza kill at least 35 as Netanyahu says war will continue for months

Russia launches fresh drone strikes in Ukraine after promising retaliation for Belgorod attack

opinion

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Kirya military base, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in Tel Aviv on Dec. 24, 2023.

Netanyahu should resign

What does, and doesn’t, help when treating holiday depression

Making art political is one way to make it bad

lifestyle

She hung my ornament

The most-read Love Letters of 2023

In praise of old friends

food & dining

A plated dinner on the deck of Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

This Rhode Island restaurant serves up one of the best dishes in the country, according to NYT

Stoughton pizza shop to close its doors after 68 years

Tree House Brewing owners deny allegations of wrongdoing in ongoing lawsuit

travel

Take the kids? Children love to be outdoors learning to cross country ski.

Where to go cross-country skiing in New England with kids

The untold stories behind some of our travel writer’s favorite moments of 2023

Alligators and crabs in paradise

Arts

Sarah Goodridge, “Rose Prentice” (1771-1852), circa 1837-38. Watercolor on ivory. Yale University Art Gallery, Partial gift of Caroline A. Phillips and purchased with the John Hill Morgan, b.a. 1893, ll.b. 1896, hon. 1929, Fund.

With antique portraits of Black Americans, Mickalene Thomas assembles a powerful chorus

At the Gardner, Steve McQueen calls forth a living reminder of slavery with ‘Lynching Tree’

No, the revolution wasn’t televised, but it was photographed

Books

Former president Barack Obama spoke at a rally on Nov. 2, 2020, at Turner Field in Atlanta. Obama recently released his annual list of favorite movies and books.

Barack Obama’s 2023 list of favorite films includes two made in Mass.

Author readings around Boston through Jan. 6

Life at a 254-mile remove gives astronauts, and readers, a rare perspective of the planet in ‘Orbital’

Movies

Former president Barack Obama spoke at a rally on Nov. 2, 2020, at Turner Field in Atlanta. Obama recently released his annual list of favorite movies and books.

Barack Obama’s 2023 list of favorite films includes two made in Mass.

The unparalleled reign of Latifah, hip-hop’s one and only Queen

Finding a different sort of narrative for narrative filmmakers

Television

Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki as Charles and Diana in "The Crown."

Dominic West of ‘The Crown’ speaks of falling-out between him and Prince Harry

Mayim Bialik’s abrupt ‘Jeopardy!’ exit caught Ken Jennings by surprise

The unparalleled reign of Latifah, hip-hop’s one and only Queen

music

Madonna opened the North American leg of her tour at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 13. After postponing Boston dates last summer due to an illness, she'll be at TD Garden Jan. 8-9.

Mark your calendars, music fans: It’s going to be a packed year of concerts, films, and festivals

10 artists we can’t wait to hear in 2024

Winter warmth awaits, courtesy of a cornucopia of upcoming classical concerts

Theater/Dance

Lenny Clarke (right) and Tony V. will share a New Year's Eve bill at Giggles Comedy Club in Saugus.

12 New Year’s Eve comedy shows for a last laugh at 2023

Though the pandemic subsided, ImprovBoston never recovered

A ‘Die Hard’ diehard creates ‘Yippee Ki Yay,’ and the Huntington gets in on the action

Health

A CVS pharmacy in Miami.

CVS to launch new pharmacy reimbursement model aimed at simplifying drug pricing

Many Americans ration insulin to save money. One nonprofit is trying to make the life-saving drug more affordable.

In R.I., there’s a lack of dentists caring for patients with special needs. This program is trying to change that.

Obituaries

About 150 guests attended the 80th birthday party for social activist Doris Yaffe, held at the Achilles-Project/Persephone in Boston in 2009.

Doris Yaffe, who gave Boston fashion an activist edge, dies at 94

NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough, a 3-time Cup champion in the 1970s, dies at 84

British actor Tom Wilkinson, known for ‘The Full Monty’ and ‘Michael Clayton’, has died