The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Boston celebrates July 4th with dazzling display of fireworks

Even amid a muggy forecast, the Independence Day spirit couldn’t be dampened in Boston on Thursday.

Andrea Dacosta danced with her son, Jeremias, 4, during the 2024 Boston Pops Fireworks spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell.

Thousands celebrate Fourth of July in Boston with pageantry, parades, parties

Noel Staples Freeman dances with Uprising Dance Theatre during “A Day of Unity” event, part of Boston’s 248th Independence Day celebration at Downtown Crossing in Boston, on July 4. During the event, participants read “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” a speech by scholar and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

‘If you feel like moving, move!’ Crowds enjoy reading of Frederick Douglass’s ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’

Eric Wilsey, 13, left, and his brother Landon Wilsey, 8, from Indiana, wore patriotic cowboy hats while waiting for the 2024 Boston Pops Fireworks spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell along the Charles river esplanade.

See photos of Fourth of July celebrations around Greater Boston

Empty for nearly two decades, this building in the heart of Downtown Crossing is back on the market
The 76,000-square-foot retail and office building at 399 Washington St. is up for sale for the first time since 2017.

‘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.

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.

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.

Healey reportedly questions Biden’s ability to win after debate debacle

Coming from a staunch supporter, Healey’s reported remarks are among the most notable of dour outlooks from prominent Democrats.

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.

Major Democratic donors devise plans to pressure Biden to step aside

Biden had a medical checkup in days following shaky debate performance

Five arrested in Medford after police chase ends in crash, officials say
Medford police arrested five people who were accused of shoplifting Thursday after police chased a stolen vehicle that ultimatelycrashed into a fence, officials said.

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 in the ongoing investigation.

16-year-old boy arrested for spray-painting graffiti on Dorchester school, police say

A 16-year-old boy was arrested for spray-painting graffiti on the walls of a Dorchester elementary school on Thursday afternoon, police said.

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.

UK Labour Party sweeps to power in historic election win. But impatient voters mean big challenges.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro indicted for alleged money laundering for undeclared diamonds from Saudi Arabia

Woman charged with arson in Charlestown fire, police say

A sign alerting drivers about Sumner Tunnel closures in August 2023.

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.

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.

Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta didn't allow a hit until there were two outs in the seventh inning.

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.

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

People cheered for The Mavericks while waiting for the 2024 Boston Pops Fireworks spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell.

Revelers celebrate the Fourth of July from the Esplanade to Castle Island. Follow along with live updates.

Andrea Dacosta danced with her son, Jeremias, 4, during the 2024 Boston Pops Fireworks spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell.

Thousands celebrate Fourth of July in Boston with pageantry, parades, parties

Noel Staples Freeman dances with Uprising Dance Theatre during “A Day of Unity” event, part of Boston’s 248th Independence Day celebration at Downtown Crossing in Boston, on July 4. During the event, participants read “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” a speech by scholar and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

‘If you feel like moving, move!’ Crowds enjoy reading of Frederick Douglass’s ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’

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

More recent News

Hurricane Beryl takes aim at the Mexican resort of Tulum as a Category 3 storm
Hurricane Beryl has strengthened back into a Category 3 storm and is headed for what could be a direct hit on Mexico’s Caribbean coast resort of Tulum, where authorities are urging tourists to leave white sand beaches.

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

Two women in Chicago and Cleveland police officer are among those killed in July Fourth shootings
Two women in a home in Chicago, a police officer serving a warrant in Cleveland and an armed person making threats in Yellowstone National Park were among those killed in shootings on the Fourth of July, historically one of the nation’s deadliest days of the year.

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.

Bertoletti, Sudo win top dog honors at Nathan’s Famous power-eating contest, absent longtime champ
Bertoletti gobbled down 58 hot dogs to beat Geoffrey Esper of Oxford, who took second with 53 at the annual contest at Coney Island.

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.

‘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.

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.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

product by Studio/B. What is this?This content was produced by Boston Globe Media's Studio/B in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of the Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

product by BG BRANDLAB. What is this?This content was produced by Boston Globe Media's Studio/B in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of the Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

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

Revelers celebrate the Fourth of July 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.

Thousands celebrate Fourth of July in Boston with pageantry, parades, parties

Revelers waved American flags during the day and later gazed upward as fireworks illuminated the night sky — a show of unalloyed patriotism and unanimity set against a backdrop of uncertainty about the nation’s future amid a contentious presidential election year.

Boston celebrates July 4th with dazzling display of fireworks

Even amid a muggy forecast, the Independence Day spirit couldn’t be dampened in Boston on Thursday.

Healey reportedly questions Biden’s ability to win after debate debacle

Coming from a staunch supporter, Healey’s reported remarks are among the most notable of dour outlooks from prominent Democrats.

Sports

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gets a hand on the penalty by Ecuador forward Alan Minda as the World Cup champions advanced to the Copa America semifinals with the shootout victory in Houston, Texas.

COPA AMERICA: Argentina 1, Ecuador 1 (Argentina wins, 4-2 on PKs)

Argentina beats Ecuador on penalties to reach Copa America semifinals

Lionel Messi put Argentina’s first penalty kick off the crossbar, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved Ecuador’s first two attempts in the shootout to spur the World Cup champions to victory.

Sun center Brionna Jones is forced to fend off Minnesota Lynx counterpart Alanna Smith (rear) during the first half of Connecticut's comeback victory Thursday in Minneapolis.

WNBA: Sun 78, Lynx 73

DeWanna Bonner scores 24 as Sun rally past Lynx in Minnesota

Alyssa Thomas added a triple-double, and DiJonai Carrington made some big plays late as visiting Connecticut erased a 10-point third-quarter deficit to win its second straight.

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.

Bertoletti, Sudo win top dog honors at Nathan’s Famous power-eating contest, absent longtime champ

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

Yankees rookie Ben Rice hits first big league homer after being moved into leadoff spot

Novak Djokovic grinds out victory over wild card at Wimbledon

red sox notebook

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

Business

Britain’s Labour Party has won enough seats to have a majority in the UK Parliament

Britain’s Labour Party headed for a landslide victory Friday in a parliamentary election, an exit poll and partial returns indicated, as voters punished the governing Conservatives after 14 years of economic and political upheaval.

US jobs report for June is likely to point to slower but still-solid hiring

The American job market likely cooled last month while still remaining fundamentally healthy, which would be welcome news for the Federal Reserve in its drive to fully tame inflation.

Empty for nearly two decades, this building in the heart of Downtown Crossing is back on the market

Britain’s Labour on track for landslide victory, exit poll suggests, amid anger with Conservatives

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

Noel Staples Freeman dances with Uprising Dance Theatre during “A Day of Unity” event, part of Boston’s 248th Independence Day celebration at Downtown Crossing in Boston, on July 4. During the event, participants read “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” a speech by scholar and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

‘If you feel like moving, move!’ Crowds enjoy reading of Frederick Douglass’s ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’

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

Unintentional loophole in N.H. election law upheld on final appeal

sports

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

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

business

A woman exits a polling station set up at St George's Cathedral in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years.

Exit poll suggests Labour wins huge majority in British election

‘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.

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

Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer gives a thumbs up to his supporters after he was elected for the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, in London, on July 5.

UK Labour Party sweeps to power in historic election win. But impatient voters mean big challenges.

Hurricane Beryl takes aim at the Mexican resort of Tulum as a Category 3 storm

Brazil’s Bolsonaro indicted for alleged money laundering for undeclared diamonds from Saudi Arabia

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