The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe

On the morning of Lynda Bluestein's death, Paul Bluestein grazed his forehead against his wife's, telling her how much he loved her as they waited for the rest of the family to arrive so that she could say goodbye and take the medication that would end her life.

Around New England with Kevin Cullen

Dying on Lynda’s terms

Lynda Bluestein wasn’t allowed to die on her own terms in her own home in Connecticut, so she went to Vermont and did it her way.

Read the note from the Globe’s executive editor about the story

Steward’s medical devices were repossessed. Weeks later, a new mother died.
Some patients of the nine-hospital system say they have struggled to access care, with doctors blaming Steward's financial problems as the cause.

At the only active hospital left in Brockton, patients fear Steward financial crisis could spell more trouble

dan shaughnessy

A Dear John (Henry) letter to the Red Sox owner, and other thoughts
Loyal fans certainly don't want to break up with the ball club, but they are getting some mixed messages this offseason.

After his team absobred a 143-110 drubbing against the Celtics, it wasn't difficult for Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to figure out what went wrong. “What went wrong is we faced a very potent offensive team that’s been doing this for several months now,” he said.

Gary Washburn | CELTICS 143, HEAT 110

‘They put us in our place’: The Celtics showed Erik Spoelstra and the Heat who’s the hottest team in the NBA

“They put us in our place and you do have to respect the body of work they’ve done so far in this season,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra of the Celtics.

For today, it will be in the lower 40s this afternoon as the rain comes to an end.

Forecast | Dave Epstein

Rain to linger into afternoon as New England faces another storm starting Sunday

In total, the storm Sunday into Monday has the potential to bring an inch or more of precipitation, starting with rain then changing to snow.

Teachers increasingly willing to put up with costs of strikes to gain better pay

Over the last two years, Massachusetts has experienced the biggest uptick in teachers strikes in decades. Now, Newton is the latest district to grapple with a strike, which began Jan. 19.

Newton Public Schools closed Friday for sixth straight day due to teachers strike

This is the sixth day that schools have been closed due to ongoing negotiations between the teachers’ union and the Newton School Committee regarding an updated contract for teachers.

Newton teachers remain on strike. How do students make up the missed school days?

Elizabeth Warren raises over $850,000 for reelection campaign, while fund-raising for Senate colleagues

The Massachusetts senator is still running unopposed in her effort to win a third term, aside from a Socialist candidate representing The Workers Party of Massachusetts.

Can Healey’s budget proposal ease the health and social services staffing crisis in Mass.?

Mental health services also got a boost, but a home care program is facing cuts that worry advocates for the disabled.

Governor Healey drops degree requirements from most state job listings

Historic church collapses in New London, Conn.; no injuries reported, officials say
An historic Connecticut church’s soaring steeple and roof collapsed on Thursday, leaving a gaping hole in the top of the building and the front reduced to a heap of rubble.

Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts US at front of death penalty debate

Lauren Boebert mounts defense to criticisms of ‘carpetbagging’ in packed first Republican debate

Chinese national convicted of cyberstalking fellow Berklee College of Music student who advocated for democracy in China

Walkers from Season 5 of "The Walking Dead" remind us that at least it wasn't that kind of pandemic.

Worried about mass extinction? Take our quiz on plague-inspired books and movies.

A short tour of disease outbreaks from Edgar Allan Poe to "The Last of Us."

MATTHEW GILBERT

From ‘The Sopranos’ to ‘Succession’: Ranking the 10 best HBO drama series

For more than a quarter-century, the cable channel has set a standard of excellence for longform storytelling. These are the 10 shows that rise to the very top.

Raheem Morris was the defensive coordinator for the Rams, a position he had held been since the start of the 2021 season.

Falcons hire Raheem Morris as coach — so where does that leave Bill Belichick?

Belichick had two interviews with the Falcons, but they will go with the Rams defensive coordinator.

Opinion

Migrants lined up in the cold outside an assistance center at St. Brigid Elementary School in New York City on Dec. 5.

IDEAS | CARINE HAJJAR

Biden has been giving millions of migrants false hope

Desperate people are allowed into the country while they apply for the right to stay, but such permission is very difficult to obtain.

Allow the use of campaign funds for childcare

H.D.S. Greenway

Why Netanyahu doesn’t want to scale back war with Hamas

Joan Wickersham

A book for our times

Can Donald Trump control his inner caveman?

More recent News

PC Friars hype team talks about amping up fans and players for Saturday’s game — and yes, Taylor Swift
Former PC coach Ed Cooley, now head coach at Georgetown, returns to Providence with his team Saturday.

Gaza’s Health Ministry blames Israeli troops for deadly shooting as crowd waited for aid
Gaza’s Health Ministry and witnesses say Israeli troops opened fire as a crowd of Palestinians gathered for humanitarian aid in Gaza City, killing at least 20 and wounding dozens.

A day after Trump testifies, lawyers have final say in E. Jean Carroll defamation trial

Closing arguments are set to begin in the defamation case against Donald Trump a day after the former president left a Manhattan courtroom fuming after his 3-minute testimony gave him little time to refute a writer’s sexual abuse claims.

Donald Trump testifies for less than 3 minutes in defamation trial and is rebuked by judge

‘Turtleboy’ blogger seeking evidence of accuser’s possible impairment in domestic assault case, court filing says

Aidan Kearney, who’s charged with domestic assault and battery of a former girlfriend, wants discovery evidence in the case and details on anything investigators may have offered in exchange for her cooperation, legal filings show.

State panel calls for further review of proposed Dana-Farber, Beth Israel partnership
By a unanimous voice vote, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission elected to proceed with a cost and market impact review for the planned partnership, keeping the affiliation and a proposed 300-bed hospital on ice for now.

Teacher at Saugus Middle High School arrested after ‘suspicious substance’ found in bathroom, police say
A 52-year-old teacher was arrested Thursday and charged with drug possession after police received a 911 call reporting a “suspicious substance” inside a faculty restroom at the school, officials said.

Recommended reads

Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-9 basketball player from Maine, turned 17 in December and will not play his first minute of college basketball for months. But he's already captured attention from the basketball world, including NBA stars Jayson Tatum and LeBron James.

The NBA’s hottest prospect is a 17-year-old from Maine. Meet Cooper Flagg.

Flagg’s rise has been accompanied by two recurring questions: How good is he really? And how did this happen?

Naomi Biden, daughter of Hunter Biden, calls out Fox News host for ‘ugly’ remarks about family
The president’s granddaughter, Naomi Biden, called out Fox News host Jesse Watters late Wednesday for “ugly” remarks he made about her family during a segment on border security. “This crosses the line,” she wrote on social media.

County sheriff’s office defends response to warnings about Lewiston shooter
The independent commission charged with investigating Maine’s deadliest shooting heard from the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, which has been criticized for its handling of explicit warnings about the shooter.

Graphic images of the Vietnam War helped shape public opinion. Is social media doing the same for Gaza?
Some see social media as an uncensored alternative to traditional news outlets, offering seemingly raw firsthand accounts and footage straight from the front lines.

Culture & Lifestyle

Jeffrey Wright arrived at the 29th Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The actor recently took to social media to reminisce about his days at Amherst College.

Amherst is ‘where it all began’ for Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright

Simone Zimmerman holds up American and Israeli flags she made when she was a child at a Jewish day school in Los Angeles.

‘Students do not like being censored’: ‘Israelism,’ a new doc with New England roots, is film flashpoint

28NORMANJEWISON

Scenes from a career: Remembering Norman Jewison

Callum Turner (left) and Austin Butler in "Masters of the Air." The nine-part Apple TV+ series, a companion to "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific," premieres Friday.

A mission (mostly) accomplished in ‘Masters of the Air’

Special Projects

Ashfield, MA 06/13//2023, At Sanderson Academy, books in a fourth-grade classroom.

Suzanne Kreiter\Globe staff

Lost in a World of Words

Learning to read is the greatest gift a school can give a child. And yet, in Massachusetts, outmoded teaching methods leave thousands of students struggling to gain this critical skill.

Beyond the Gilded Gate

People in and around Boston are being challenged, in ways never before, to address the region's unprecedented housing crisis.

stuart landing page illustration

Nightmare in Mission Hill

The story of how a murder in Mission Hill — the Carol Stuart shooting — terrorized and wounded a community of innocent people.

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.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Icicles hung from an electric vehicle parked at a charging station in Oregon on Jan. 17.

IDEAS | MICHELINE MAYNARD

Broken chargers, frozen cars: The EV market is getting crushed

A sales associate used a pair of chopsticks to hold a bud of Lemon Skunk, the highest potency strain of marijuana available at a dispensary in Denver in 2014.

High-potency marijuana carries health risks

At left, an image reposted by Donald Trump on social media shows six fingers on his hand, a telltale sign of an AI-generated image. At right, fake fighter jets were added to footage of a campaign event in a Ron DeSantis ad.

KIMBERLY ATKINS STOHR

Deepfake political messaging is light-years ahead of the law. It’s past time to change that.

Georgetown University Law School students covered their mouths with tape when former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke on the topic of free speech on college campuses in 2017.

IDEAS | HOWARD AXELROD

College students’ fastest-vanishing freedom? Curiosity.

A woman held up a flag during a Donald Trump campaign rally at the Rochester Opera House on Jan. 21, in Rochester, N.H. In an independent survey, 70 percent of "elites" surveyed expressed confidence that government officials will do the right thing most of the time, while less than 25 percent of the general public has that kind of trust.

America’s elites live in a world of their own

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

Rain to linger into afternoon as New England faces another storm starting Sunday

In total, the storm Sunday into Monday has the potential to bring an inch or more of precipitation, starting with rain then changing to snow.

Elizabeth Warren raises over $850,000 for reelection campaign, while fund-raising for Senate colleagues

The Massachusetts senator is still running unopposed in her effort to win a third term, aside from a Socialist candidate representing The Workers Party of Massachusetts.

Around New England with Kevin Cullen

Dying on Lynda’s terms

Lynda Bluestein wasn’t allowed to die on her own terms in her own home in Connecticut, so she went to Vermont and did it her way.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

PC Friars hype team talks about amping up fans and players for Saturday’s game — and yes, Taylor Swift

Former PC coach Ed Cooley, now head coach at Georgetown, returns to Providence with his team Saturday.

Sports

Providence College Friars men’s basketball hype men Mason “DJ Finesse” Santos and Josh Flanagan are charged with riling up the crowd during home games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in downtown Providence. Former PC coach Ed Cooley, now head coach at Georgetown, will be returning with his team Saturday to take on the Friars.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

PC Friars hype team talks about amping up fans and players for Saturday’s game — and yes, Taylor Swift

Former PC coach Ed Cooley, now head coach at Georgetown, returns to Providence with his team Saturday.

John Henry's Red Sox have four championships this century but have put together back-to-back last-place finishes.

dan shaughnessy

A Dear John (Henry) letter to the Red Sox owner, and other thoughts

Loyal fans certainly don't want to break up with the ball club, but they are getting some mixed messages this offseason.

Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 11th Australian and 25th major title overall will have to wait.

Jannik Sinner ends 10-time champion Novak Djokovic’s unbeaten streak in Australian Open semifinals

The 22-year-old Italian broke Djokovic’s serve twice in each of the first two sets but missed a match point in the third set of a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory Friday that earned him a place in a Grand Slam final for the first time.

Paris Olympic medals headed in big numbers to United States and China in one forecast

Gary Washburn | On basketball

‘They put us in our place’: The Celtics showed Erik Spoelstra and the Heat who’s the hottest team in the NBA

celtics 143, heat 110

Balanced, relentless Celtics pour it on the Heat in Miami

Business

Biden delays consideration of new natural gas export terminals. Democrat cites risk to climate.

The Biden administration is delaying consideration of new natural gas export terminals in the United States, even as gas shipments to Europe and Asia have soared in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

UN: Global trade is being disrupted by Red Sea attacks, war in Ukraine, and low water in Panama Canal

The UN trade body sounded an alarm Thursday that global trade is being disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea, the war in Ukraine, and low water levels in the Panama Canal.

In surprise vote, board rejects controversial Johnston solar farm proposal

At the only active hospital left in Brockton, patients fear Steward financial crisis could spell more trouble

magazine

Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-9 basketball player from Maine, turned 17 in December and will not play his first minute of college basketball for months. But he's already captured attention from the basketball world, including NBA stars Jayson Tatum and LeBron James.

The NBA’s hottest prospect is a 17-year-old from Maine. Meet Cooper Flagg.

‘Death doulas’ and the audacious act of dying well in America

My friend’s driving terrifies me. Get me out of the passenger seat!

If Minnesota can redesign a problematic state seal in 3 months, why can’t Massachusetts?

metro

Students exit through a stairwell during dismissal at Raices Dual Language Academy, a public school in Central Falls, R.I., Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. Rhode Island will lift its mask or proof-of-vaccination requirement for indoor businesses Friday, and plans on ending the statewide school mask mandate early next month, Gov. Dan McKee said Wednesday. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In Rhode Island, school attendance is a foundation for a vibrant economy and competitive workforce

Trinity Rep’s ‘La Broa’ delivers a love letter to the founding families of Providence

Historic church collapses in New London, Conn.; no injuries reported, officials say

sports

Bruins captain Brad Marchand was checked into Senators goalie Joonas Korpisalo in the first period.

Bruins squander 2-0 lead, spend too much time in penalty box, yet still beat Senators in overtime in Ottawa

Seniors Lauren Wilson and Linda Jallow combine to rally Lynn Classical girls’ basketball in a Greater Boston League victory over Lynn English

Kristaps Porzingis downplays left ankle sprain after leaving win vs. Heat

business

The sign outside Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission on Thursday called for additional review of a planned partnership between Dana-Farber and Beth Israel Lahey Health.

State panel calls for further review of proposed Dana-Farber, Beth Israel partnership

US economy grew at a surprisingly strong 3.3% pace last quarter, pointing to continued resilience

Governor Healey drops degree requirements from most state job listings

politics

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren now has a campaign war chest of nearly $4 million, a far cry from her campaign coffers at this point in her bid to win a second term in 2018.

Elizabeth Warren raises over $850,000 for reelection campaign, while fund-raising for Senate colleagues

Trump strengthens grip on Capitol Hill as he presses toward nomination

Senate deal on border and Ukraine at risk of collapse as Trump signals opposition

Nation

Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert.

Lauren Boebert mounts defense to criticisms of ‘carpetbagging’ in packed first Republican debate

Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts US at front of death penalty debate

A day after Trump testifies, lawyers have final say in E. Jean Carroll defamation trial

World

Britain's King Charles III.

King Charles III is admitted to a hospital for a scheduled prostate operation

The top UN court is set to issue a preliminary ruling in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel

Pre-trial detention for WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich accused of spying in Russia extended through March

opinion

A sales associate used a pair of chopsticks to hold a bud of Lemon Skunk, the highest potency strain of marijuana available at a dispensary in Denver in 2014.

High-potency marijuana carries health risks

College students’ fastest-vanishing freedom? Curiosity.

Deepfake political messaging is light-years ahead of the law. It’s past time to change that.

lifestyle

The first faux option is to go electric.

How to fake a fireplace

I feel angry, sad, embarrassed, betrayed …

Dorchester’s ‘Renovation Husbands’ are in a home design ‘Battle on the Mountain’ on HGTV

food & dining

Blue Ribbon Brasserie, which has opened in the former Eastern Standard space.

At Blue Ribbon Brasserie, a New York name makes a play for Kenmore Square

Old Wives Tale will bring oceanic drinks to the Encore; get Botox with your brunch in the Back Bay

The James Beard 2024 restaurant and chef award semifinalists list is out. Here are the region’s nominees.

travel

The Four Seasons Hotel Boston has launched its new Winter Enchantment Suite package and Very Important Kids (VIK) experience for young visitors. Children receive a golden “kids-only” key (pictured here) that opens a toy closet tucked behind a secret door. The stay also includes a hotel-wide scavenger hunt.

A Very Important Kid experience, an epic cruise around Africa, and an alpaca travel blanket

Jeffrey T. Kelly on playing the villain, loving ‘Ted Lasso,’ and the joy of a smooth-wheeled suitcase

Help, my bed & breakfast doesn’t have a bathroom!

Arts

From left: William Matthew Prior, "Nancy Lawson, Boston," 1843. Shelburne Museum, Vermont, museum purchase, acquired from Maxim Karolik; William Matthew Prior, "William Lawson, Boston," 1843. Shelburne Museum, Vermont, museum purchase, acquired from Maxim Karolik.

An underappreciated American art form conjures history from the void

At MoMA, An-My Lê's photos show the presence, and continuing power, of the past

Carl Andre, austerely minimalist sculptor, is dead at 88

Books

Walkers from Season 5 of "The Walking Dead" remind us that at least it wasn't that kind of pandemic.

Worried about mass extinction? Take our quiz on plague-inspired books and movies.

For those depressed by current politics, Allen Guelzo’s ‘Our Ancient Faith’ provides hope based in history

My tenants tormented me. I found relief in a story about a woman tormented by her tenants

Movies

Walkers from Season 5 of "The Walking Dead" remind us that at least it wasn't that kind of pandemic.

Worried about mass extinction? Take our quiz on plague-inspired books and movies.

Herbert Coward, known for ‘Toothless Man’ role in ‘Deliverance,’ dies in North Carolina highway crash

Ava DuVernay and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor are equal allies in ‘Origin’ vision

Television

From ‘The Sopranos’ to ‘Succession’: Ranking the 10 best HBO drama series

‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ adaptation arrives in May on Peacock

A mission (mostly) accomplished in ‘Masters of the Air’

music

Music teacher Michael Coelho conducts the orchestra during a rehearsal at Ipswich High School in Ipswich Thursday.

Ipswich ‘instructor in life’ and music scores Grammy nomination for second time

BSO president Chad Smith and music director Andris Nelsons give glimpse into new era for the orchestra

How ‘Saltburn’ — and Barry Keoghan’s nude dance — resurrected a 23-year-old song and turned it into an American hit

Theater/Dance

Jim Ortlieb is the maestro of "Stand Up If You're Here Tonight" at the Huntington's Maso Studio.

‘Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight’ defies definition, and that’s a very good thing

Playwright Samuel D. Hunter ponders ‘The Existence of God,’ and the existence of hope

At Central Square, a play that explores a tricky father-son-robot relationship

Health

Rhode Island Hospital, the state's largest hospital, in Providence.

After years of deferring investments, R.I.’s largest hospital owner is planning $3.5b in new improvements

Dana-Farber cancer researchers moving to retract one paper, correct others in broad investigation of manipulated data

Top 6 health care stories to watch in Rhode Island in 2024

Obituaries

Mr. Fried, shown in his office at Harvard in 1995, joined the law school faculty in 1961.

Charles Fried, former judge and US solicitor general who changed course on abortion, dies at 88

Bill Hayes, longtime star of ‘Days of Our Lives,’ dies at 98

Herbert Coward, known for ‘Toothless Man’ role in ‘Deliverance,’ dies in North Carolina highway crash