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Paul Rodgers and his daughters, Makenna, 9, Madison, 17, Morgan, 11, and Mya, 15, listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Old State House during the Boston’s 248th Independence Day Celebration in downtown Boston on July 4. The family is visiting from Miami, FL.

On a sunny July 4th, revelers celebrate from the Esplanade to Castle Island. Follow along with live updates.

Around Boston, red, white and blue-clad residents and vistors celebrated Independence Day with speeches, music, and other festivities Thursday.

USS Constitution’s new commander will lead July 4 festivities as ‘Old Ironsides’ cruises harbor What’s open and closed on July 4th in Mass.

Spectators watched the 2023 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell along the Charles River Esplanade in Boston.

Pops goes the Fourth! Your guide to Fourth of July fun in Boston

Anthony Nguyen, owner of Arlington Flag & Banner, with the shop's Flags of the World display on June 27.

Want to take the pulse of public opinion? Ask the flag store.

A member of the all-volunteer 1812 Marine Guard fires a musket while on board the USS Constitution during the ship’s annual turn-around cruise in Boston Harbor on July 4, 2024.

See photos of Fourth of July celebrations around Greater Boston

Some in the organization hope minority owner Steve Pagliuca buys the controlling share of the franchise.

CELTICS BEAT WRITER'S NOTEBOOK

What we’re hearing about the Celtics’ looming sale, staff changes, and other offseason matters

Providence College fans will recognize the lineage of one of the Celtics' new assistant coaches.

‘I am extremely angry.’ Southie factory closes, leaving longtime workers in the cold
East West Manufacturing officially shuttered its South Boston facility two weeks ago, laying off about 50 workers, many of whom are nearing retirement age.

Progress won't come easy for Jerod Mayo in his first season as Patriots coach.

The Patriots are the worst team in the NFL? Not buying it.

The very good defense should be even better, largely because it won’t have to constantly compensate for an almost unfathomably inept offense.

Sherlie Elisse held her baby Elisonn Saint Juste while resting on her blanket at Logan Airport on Tuesday.

‘We don’t have anywhere to go’: Migrants worry about Logan Airport deadline

Homeless and migrant families will no longer be allowed to sleep at Logan as of July 9, but some of the scores of migrants staying there said they had no idea where they'd wind up.

Amid buckling shelter system, Healey rolls up the migrant welcome mat Free tickets out of Massachusetts: the Healey administration hopes more migrant families take up the offer

Marblehead fire officials investigating after barge goes up in flames, canceling annual fireworks celebration
The cause of the blaze has not been determined and officials are asking the public to send photos or video footage of the fire to aid the ongoing investigation.

The Sumner Tunnel closes for a month starting Friday. Here’s what to know (and how to avoid gridlock).
The Sumner Tunnel has been closing on weekends to allow for repairs, and it will be closed for a month straight starting July 5.

Biden tells governors he needs more sleep and less work at night

President Biden told a gathering of Democratic governors that he needs to get more sleep and work fewer hours, including curtailing events after 8 p.m., according to two people who participated in the meeting and several others briefed on his comments.

Biden wins Democratic governors’ backing after crisis meeting

Biden had a medical checkup in days following shaky debate performance

Major Democratic donors devise plans to pressure Biden to step aside

A list of top Democrats who have publicly spoken about Biden’s debate performance

Michael Proctor, relieved of duty by State Police after testimony at Karen Read trial, is reassigned

Because Proctor remains a State Police employee, his name must appear somewhere on the agency’s roster, said State Police spokesperson Tim McGuirk.

Your most pressing questions about a retrial in the Karen Read case, answered

Britain’s Labour on track for huge majority, exit poll suggests, amid frustration with Conservatives

An American swims in Paris’ Seine River before the Olympics despite contamination concerns
A 75-year-old American swimmer took a dip in the Seine River on Thursday, braving the murky waters in central Paris to celebrate the Fourth of July and highlight the French government’s efforts to clean up the river for the Olympic Games.

Brazil police indict ex-President Bolsonaro for money laundering, criminal association, sources say

Salem Academy Charter School teacher arrested in underage sex sting

Patrick Bertoletti, center, reacts after winning the men's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Bertoletti ate 58 hot dogs.

Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago wins his first men’s title at annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest

Bertoletti gobbled down 58 hot dogs to beat Geoffrey Esper of Oxford, who took second with 53 at the annual contest at Coney Island.

A North Atlantic right whale visiting the waters off New England on May 25.

A proposed rule would slow down ships to protect right whales. That includes the Nantucket fast ferry.

Opponents say the proposed speed restrictions would threaten ferry businesses and upend island life for residents, visitors, and workers.

The justices' bench in the Supreme Court chamber in Washington.

The royal scam and the Supreme Court

With its disastrous immunity ruling and exquisite timing, the conservative Supreme Court majority has given us a Fourth to remember.

Opinion

Liquor bottles were placed on a back bar at the Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood, Calif., on June 27, as a presidential debate between President Biden and Donald Trump was broadcast.

How much did Democrats and the press know about Biden’s decline before the debate?

Instead of country-first thinking, it looks like the first instinct of Democrats was to protect Biden's and the party’s chances of winning in November.

Why Biden should step aside

IDEAS | OMER AZIZ

The ‘pursuit of happiness’ may sound good. But what if that’s the wrong approach?

John Evangelakos, Jason H.P. Kravitt, and William Schmalzl

To restore Harvard’s reputation, faculty should speak up

IDEAS | DARYLN BREWER HOFFSTOT

Digging a grave for our beloved, departed goldendoodle was hard. We wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Independence Day

Paul Rodgers and his daughters, Makenna, 9, Madison, 17, Morgan, 11, and Mya, 15, listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Old State House during the Boston’s 248th Independence Day Celebration in downtown Boston on July 4. The family is visiting from Miami, FL.

On a sunny July 4th, revelers celebrate from the Esplanade to Castle Island. Follow along with live updates.

Captain Timothy Haraden of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company as he read the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House during the Boston’s 247th Independence Day Celebration on July 4, 2023.

Your guide to celebrating July 4th in Boston: living history, fireworks, and outdoor fun

Passers-by make their way along a street in Boston's historic North End neighborhood, on July 3.

Americans to celebrate Fourth of July with parades, cookouts — and lots of fireworks

Anthony Nguyen, owner of Arlington Flag & Banner, with the shop's Flags of the World display on June 27.

Want to take the pulse of public opinion? Ask the flag store.

More recent News

Hurricane Beryl churns toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
What had been the earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic weakened to a Category 2 by the afternoon.

Netanyahu will dispatch negotiators to resume Gaza cease-fire talks, an Israeli official says
An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will dispatch negotiators to resume Gaza cease-fire talks.

Hezbollah fires over 200 rockets into Israel after killing of senior commander

Red Sox 6, Marlins 5 (12 inn.)

Nick Pivetta pitches seven one-hit innings, bullpen blows lead, but Red Sox still complete sweep of Marlins with win in 12 innings
The Sox open a three-game series against the Yankees Friday night in New York.

Tanner Houck taking things in stride for Red Sox, even with start against Yankees and possible All-Star spot looming

Mass. reforms to wheelchair repair industry are stalling as legislative session nears end
A legislative committee must act soon to address wheelchair users' long waits for basic repairs.

Advice for encouraging kids to spend time outdoors
We connected with Taylor Quimby, executive producer of New Hampshire Public Radio’s environmental podcast "Outside/In," to get some of his tips for getting kids away from their screens and out the door.

Sweden’s Loke Johannson heads from Bruins development camp to Canada and the QMJHL
The defenseman signed with Moncton on Wednesday. It's a step in the right direction for a young player lacking North American hockey experience.

Recommended reads

Landscaper Alfonso Guardado from Thayer Nursery raked the grass near a massive hedge of flowering blue hydrangeas at the Robert L. Jubinville Law Offices on Adams Street in East Milton Square. It’s been an excellent year for hydrangeas, which are showing off their beautiful flowers in the region.

‘Some of it looks like a storybook’: Why it’s been a remarkable year for hydrangeas in New England

By all accounts, this season has brought one of the most stunning displays of hydrangeas in many years, particularly for the macrophylla variety.

Plans to redevelop pier on East Boston’s waterfront park scratched for now
The Trustees of Reservations is considering alternative sites for a green space in the neighborhood.

At Boston restaurants, dollar oyster deals defy inflation. Here’s why.
The sticker price of $1 oysters has scarcely ever covered the cost of acquiring and serving them, but those pressures are only amplified now.

Eating oysters along the Duxbury shores

‘Profound concern’: Unsent email drafts show Emerson officials acknowledging injuries, condemning protest arrests
Emerson sent the draft letter to the office of Mayor Michelle Wu for approval before cutting references to student injuries.

Culture & Lifestyle

Levitate Music and Arts Festival runs July 5-7.

Five must-see artists at this weekend’s Levitate Music and Arts Festival

Boston native and former Colby College hockey player Tracey Roberts was tapped by Pixar to serve as an unofficial consultant on "Inside Out 2."

How a Boston native and former Colby College hockey player became an unofficial consultant on ‘Inside Out 2′

Netflix's "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley.

In ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,’ the heat is off

Boston emcee Rayel will battle on behalf of Boston's hip-hop scene at "Poetry vs. Hip-Hop" next Wednesday at City Winery.

Who wins: poetry or hip-hop?

Special Projects

Seventh-graders at the Curley School on the first day of school in 1975. (Ulrike Welsch/Globe staff)

Broken Promises, Unfulfilled Hope

The Boston Globe explores the legacy of Boston’s busing era.

Illustration of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White along with other NBA greats for the 2024 Finals preview.

Where do the 2023-24 Celtics stand among the greatest teams in NBA history?

If Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals and carry the team to Banner No. 18, their legacies would be cemented. But all of this year’s success means nothing without a ring.

Lauren Friel (left) owner of Rebel Rebel, chatted with customers while working at her wine bar in Bow Market in Somerville. The restrictive Boston liquor license system has pushed throngs of innovative chefs to neighborhood towns with laxer laws, including Brookline, Somerville, and Cambridge.

Priced out: How Boston’s broken liquor license system drives chefs from the city

A stubbornly high price tag for serving alcohol hurts thousands of hospitality workers, aspiring restaurateurs, and the city itself.

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.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

President Biden arrived to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on March 19.

Why Biden should step aside

President Biden, 81, is hardly the only high political official who cannot admit that his time has passed.

The solution to America’s gerontocracy

President Biden during a campaign event at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on Friday.

Biden needs to come clean about his health

The Trumpkin believed in authority. In being a dictator on day one.

The Great Trumpkin confronts the most terrible time of the year

IDEAS | LILY GAGE

Misinformation and political polarization aren’t the only things keeping people from getting COVID vaccines

Heather Hopp-Bruce/Globe staff; Adobe

Blueprints for a new downtown Boston

Metro

On a sunny July 4th, revelers celebrate from the Esplanade to Castle Island. Follow along with live updates.

Around Boston, red, white and blue-clad residents and vistors celebrated Independence Day with speeches, music, and other festivities Thursday.

Marblehead fire officials investigating after barge goes up in flames, canceling annual fireworks celebration

The cause of the blaze has not been determined and officials are asking the public to send photos or video footage of the fire to aid the ongoing investigation.

Rob Stone, master marketer of hip-hop, is dead at 55

Mr. Stone, who offered early exposure to rappers such as Kanye West and Drake, helped artists obtain lucrative endorsements from a corporate America that was still resistant to hip-hop.

See photos of Fourth of July celebrations around Greater Boston

From the Boston Pops to the reading of the Declaration of Independence, see how the area marked the holiday.

Sports

Tanner Houck, who is 7-6 with a 2.67 ERA through 17 starts, could be headed to his first All-Star Game.

red sox notebook

Tanner Houck taking things in stride for Red Sox, even with start against Yankees and possible All-Star nod looming

The righthander is facing the Yankees in the Bronx on Friday in front of what is expected to be a sellout crowd. Then he could learn on Sunday that he has been selected to the All-Star team for the first time.

Yankees rookie Ben Rice is all smiles when he is congratulated in the dugout after his first career home run during the fifth inning of Thursday's loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Yankee Stadium.

REDS 8, YANKEES 4

Frankie Montas makes triumphant return to New York as Reds beat Yankees to complete 3-game sweep

Cohasset's Ben Rice blasted his first career home run for the hosts, but New York still fell to 4-13 in their last 17 games.

Hayden Springer poses with his first-round scorecard, showing off his 59 at the John Deere Classic Thursday in Silvis, Illinois.

Hayden Springer posts 14th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history with his eagle-birdie finish for a 59

Springer holed out for eagle from 55 yards on the 17th hole at the John Deere Classic, and finished with a 12-foot birdie for the second 59 on the PGA Tour in three weeks.

Red Sox 6, Marlins 5 (12 inn.)

Nick Pivetta pitches seven one-hit innings, bullpen blows lead, but Red Sox still complete sweep of Marlins with win in 12 innings

An American swims in Paris’ Seine River before the Olympics despite contamination concerns

Sweden’s Loke Johannson heads from Bruins development camp to Canada and the QMJHL

Business

Britain’s Labour on track for huge majority, exit poll suggests, amid frustration with Conservatives

Britain’s Labour Party was headed for a huge majority in Britain’s election on Thursday, an exit poll suggested, against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions, and a fraying social fabric.

Exit poll suggests Labour wins huge majority in British election

An exit poll suggests the Labour Party is headed for a huge majority in Britain’s election, riding a wave of frustration with 14 years of Conservative rule.

‘I am extremely angry.’ Southie factory closes, leaving longtime workers in the cold

Want to take the pulse of public opinion? Ask the flag store.

magazine

Left: Shelby Hewitt in her 2023 booking photo. Right: Rebecca Bernat.

A new twist in the saga of Shelby Hewitt, high school imposter

On the International Space Station in 2011, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman participates in the ambulatory monitoring part of the Integrated Cardiovascular assessment research experiment in the Kibo laboratory.

My astronaut journey to six months in space. And what I took back home to Western Mass.

The writer, as a child, throws a pitch in his family’s backyard.

In Little League, I shrank. In summer camp Wiffle Ball, I swung for glory.

This week's daters: Patrick and Andrew.

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘I felt a spark when we pulled the [pinball] lever together and our hands touched’

metro

the long Fourth of July weekend will provide mostly sunny, typical summer weather with warmer temperatures and moderate-to-high humidity.

It’ll be a mostly sunny but muggy Fourth of July. Check out the forecast details.

A proposed rule would slow down ships to protect right whales. That includes the Nantucket fast ferry.

Pops goes the Fourth! Your guide to Fourth of July fun in Boston

sports

Patrick Bertoletti, center, reacts after winning the men's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Bertoletti ate 58 hot dogs.

Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago wins his first men’s title at annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest

Novak Djokovic grinds out victory over wild card at Wimbledon

Dutch rider Dylan Groenewegen wins sixth stage of Tour de France in photo finish

business

Chet Hanks, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Truman Hanks attended the premiere of Apple TV+'s "Masters Of The Air" in Los Angeles on Jan. 10.

How Tom Hanks’ son spawned a hateful meme online

Ozempic linked to rare cases of vision loss in Harvard study

Paramount and Skydance near merger deal

politics

The justices bench in the Supreme Court chamber in Washington on May 8.

Mission accomplished for conservatives: strong presidency and weak agencies

Biden had a medical checkup in days following shaky debate performance

Biden wins Democratic governors’ backing after crisis meeting

Nation

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington on Monday, July 1, 2024.

Major Democratic donors devise plans to pressure Biden to step aside

How Biden’s struggles are factoring into Trump’s VP selection

Two women in Chicago and Cleveland police officer are among those killed in July Fourth shootings

World

An Israeli military jeep parked near a checkpoint as smoke rose from fires caused by rockets launched from southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel Thursday.

Israel will join renewed Gaza cease-fire talks, amid new Hezbollah attacks

Brazil police indict ex-President Bolsonaro for money laundering, criminal association, sources say

Iranians’ demand for their leaders: Fix the economy

opinion

President Biden arrived to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on March 19.

Why Biden should step aside

The solution to America’s gerontocracy

As soon as it began, the US almost fell apart

lifestyle

Members of Love Leo Rescue, an animal rescue service, took pictures before riding a vintage car with their dogs at the Santa Monica 4th of July parade in Santa Monica, Calif., Thursday.

Americans shrug off searing heat to celebrate Fourth of July with parades, cookouts, and fireworks

Your guide to celebrating July 4th in Boston: living history, fireworks, and outdoor fun

‘One million checkboxes’ is a website that tells us something about today’s Internet, and human nature

food & dining

Ricardo Almeida, a manager at Fajitas and 'Ritas, pours drinks on a Friday night in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pour one out for Fajitas & ‘Ritas, the downtown Tex-Mex staple, slated to close next week

Oyster orgies along the shores of Duxbury

At Boston restaurants, dollar oyster deals defy inflation. Here’s why.

travel

Children throw a ball around while cooling off in Walden Pond during a recent June day.

Advice for encouraging kids to spend time outdoors

Summer sculpture trails, direct flights to Vienna, and a secure travel belt

I tried to cancel my ticket to Argentina. Can you find my refund?

Arts

Paul Adams, "Fire Hydrant & Tourist, Monument Valley," 2023.

At the Griffin Museum, the jury is in; distressed photographs; fun with photo books

MFA’s first exhibition of Salvador Dali unveils his hidden depths

In New York, Devlin puts on a show; acquired tastes; dictionaries verbal and visual

Books

The personal is political in Jennifer Martelli's new poetry collection.

Poems of rage and protest, touring literary Gloucester, a Berkshire bookstore in need

With her new novel ‘Jackie,’ Westport’s Dawn Tripp aims to peel back the Kennedy myth

Kevin Barry on doomed romances and how Butte, Mont., inspired his latest novel

Movies

Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder in "Blazing Saddles."

The common clay of the new West: Blazing Saddles at 50

How a Boston native and former Colby College hockey player became an unofficial consultant on ‘Inside Out 2′

New Mexico denies film incentive application on ‘Rust’ movie after fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

Television

Rashida Jones in Apple TV+'s "Sunny," premiering July 10.

New shows to watch before the Olympics arrive

Fireworks, frankfurters, and fabulous performers for the Fourth

A lovely détente born of intensity and trauma on ‘The Bear’

music

Rob Stone bridged the worlds of hip-hop and the Fortune 500 with his marketing agency.

Rob Stone, master marketer of hip-hop, is dead at 55

Five must-see artists at this weekend’s Levitate Music and Arts Festival

Who wins: poetry or hip-hop?

Theater/Dance

Rachel Bloom in her one-woman musical comedy, "Death, Let Me Do My Show."

A solo musical for an exploding world

A nine-play cycle chronicling three generations of a Nigerian-American family is on the way

‘MJ the Musical’ is startin’ somethin’ astonishing at Citizens Opera House

Health

The emergency department at Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, one of two hospitals Prospect Medical Holdings owns in Rhode Island.

Prospect Medical Holdings, the owner of 2 Rhode Island hospitals, was under investigation by DOJ

R.I. attorney general approves sale of 2 safety-net hospitals with strict ‘non-negotiable’ conditions

Lifespan, R.I.’s largest health care system, to become Brown University Health. The deal includes millions in investments.

Obituaries

Rob Stone bridged the worlds of hip-hop and the Fortune 500 with his marketing agency.

Rob Stone, master marketer of hip-hop, is dead at 55

Robert Towne, Oscar-winning writer of ‘Chinatown,’ dies at 89

June Leaf, artist who explored the female form, dies at 94