The Boston Globe

Matthew J. Lee/globe staff

Fireworks over Boston were a loud and colorful way to say goodbye to 2018.

Pat GREENHOUSE/Globe staff

The a cappella group Vocal Revolution performed at Copley Square.

Matthew J. Lee/globe staff

Danielle, Jason, Rose and Lily Price found a spot to take in the sights at the Public Garden.

Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

The Prudential welcomes the new year.

Pat GREENHOUSE/Globe STaff

The People?s Procession was part of First Night Boston.

Julia Nordahl , 7, of Worcester in her 2019 glasses

Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

Julia Nordahl , 7, of Worcester wore her 2019 glasses.

Pat Greenhouse/Globe STaff

The procession included a colonial-era marching band.

Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

OPENAIR Circus members in Copley Square.

At dusk the Boston Common was filling up with First Night celebrators, and four year old Veronika Cerna and her family came down from New Hampshire.

Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff

Four-year-old Veronika Cerna and her family were in Boston from New Hampshire.

Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

A crowd watched Boston street performer Cjaiilon "Snap Boogie" Andrade.

Beau Bodnar, 3, of Boston rang in the New Year a little early as his parents pushed him down Boylston Street to take in the ice sculptures at the First Night celebration in Boston. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Beau Bodnar, 3, rang in the New Year early with his parents on Boylston Street.

Dancers with the Melody Dance Troupe performed during the Chu Ling Dance Academy showcase inside the Copley Mall as part of First Night Boston 2019 in Boston. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Dancers with the Melody Dance Troupe performed inside the Copley Mall.

Abby Lin, 18, of Lexington performed during the Chu Ling Dance Academy showcase inside the Copley Mall as part of First Night Boston 2019 in Boston. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Abby Lin, 18, of Lexington was part of the Chu Ling Dance Academy showcase.

AJ Castilla, of Boston, took a photo as Sweet Harmony performed on the Copley Square Main Stage as part of First Night celebrations in Boston. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

AJ Castilla, of Boston, was there as Sweet Harmony performed in Copley Square.

Boston rings in 2019 with a rainy ? but happy ? First Night celebration

Droves of jovial revelers gathered across the city Monday evening to celebrate the closing of 2018.

New Year?s Eve Chinese food options in Greater Boston

Ring in the New Year with Chinese food favorites at these spots around Greater Boston.

Where to eat brunch on New Year?s Day

Start off 2019 with a ?recovery brunch? ? or maybe a brunch you?ll need to recover from.

DAN SHAUGHNESSY

No reason the Patriots won?t march straight to another Super Bowl

If form holds ? and it always does when it comes to the Patriots ? they won?t have to worry.

CHAD FINN

Some Boston sports predictions for 2019

The Red Sox will become the first team since the 1999-2000 Yankees to win back-to-back World Series.

Spurs 120, Celtics 111

Celtics get buried in the third quarter by Spurs? 46-point eruption

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 30 points off the bench, but the Celtics were doomed by the San Antonio?s 76 percent shooting in the third .

Ty Burr

Louis C.K.: This is funny?

A recent routine, heard on a YouTube audio, is often painfully clueless.

Love Letters

The most popular Love Letters of 2018 were about nude pictures, group texts, and lack of marital sex

By far the most popular letter of the 2018 inspired readers to give practical, empathic advice ? and lots of it.

Opinion | Marcella Bombardieri

Congress should banish college savings

There is a blueprint for jettisoning college savings.

Michael A. Cohen

To combat climate change, Massachusetts needs to break these habits ? and soon

For a state that calls climate change a priority, Massachusetts sometimes makes strange decisions.

18 of the biggest Greater Boston stories of 2018

Tragedy and triumph, fresh faces, notable departures, and new challenges. As 2018 draws to a close, here is a look at some of the top local news stories from the year.

Should drug users be treated like dealers? A fatal overdose raises that question

Jesse Carrillo?s lawyer argues that his client ? an addict ? should not be treated the same as drug dealers selling heroin for profit.

Warren sticks to her talking points as she steps forward

Elizabeth Warren met with reporters outside her Cambridge home after announcing that she had taken the expected step of forming an exploratory committee.

In major 2020 step, Warren launches exploratory committee

Elizabeth Warren formally announced that she is exploring a run for the presidency in 2020, as expected.

JOAN VENNOCHI

Elizabeth Warren persists, but rough tackling lies ahead

?Pocahontas? is just the start of it for Elizabeth Warren, as she forms an exploratory presidential committee

Judge denies Kevin Spacey?s request to skip Nantucket arraignment

Actor Kevin Spacey plans to plead not guilty to a felony charge he faces for allegedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man at a Nantucket bar in 2016, according to newly released court filings.

Violent crime was down in Boston in 2018; homicide rate held steady

The numbers from the Boston Police Department show there were 56 murders in 2018, down from 57 in 2017 but more than the five-year average of 48.

Autopsy conducted on Cohasset man who died after being tasered by police

Erich Stelzer died Thursday night after he was tasered while allegedly attacking a woman he met on the dating app Tinder.

2018 farm bill: Boom or bust for Mass. hemp?

A bill signed last month removed hemp ? the nonpsychoactive variety of cannabis ? from the federal list of controlled substances.

House Democrats unveil plan to open government

Democrats in the US House are unveiling legislation to re-open the government without the money for President Donald Trump?s border wall.

Nathan Carman tossed alleged murder weapon in the ocean after grandpa slain, insurer says

The document, filed Friday in federal court in Rhode Island, was submitted by the National Liability & Fire Insurance Company and Boat Owners Association of the United States.

HELP DESK

How to tackle your food issues

Here are some (rational, actionable) tips from experts on how to eat well all year long, no matter what your dining persona.

A double diagnosis ? cancer when poor

Marie Cajuste couldn?t ignore it any more. She had noticed a hard lump in her left breast about a year before, but kept the discovery to herself. She literally could not afford to be sick.

After suicides in Acton and Boxborough, a communion of sorrow

The unthinkable has been an all-too-common companion in two small neighboring towns, where six young people took their lives in the short span of 30 months. The questions keep coming: What is happening? Why? When will it stop?

Podcasts

Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.

The story of a profoundly troubled young man and the ugly underside of America?s most popular sport.

The Help Desk

HELP DESK

Yes, you can argue online without going crazy. Here?s how.

Those bunny slippers are dangerously close to the space heater. They should be at least 3 feet away.

HELP DESK

How to safely use a space heater

Newsletters

Court Sense

Follow the Celtics? quest for a title and other NBA news both on and off the court. Sign up here.

Globe must-reads

After her cancer diagnoses, Marie Cajuste?s life unraveled. She was unable to work during the most intense part of her treatment.

Unhealthy Divide

Battling a double diagnosis ? cancer and poverty

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in the Golden Globe-nominated film ?A Star Is Born.?

MATTHEW GILBERT | YOUR TV GPS

Oscar season, ?Twilight Zone,? and New Year?s Eve bashes

Peter DeMarco

Turning tragedy, slowly, into a force for change

As part of a major renovation of Nantucket Cottage Hospital, 83 units of housing are being built to recruit ? and keep ? critical workers.

Hospital hopes new housing can ease ?the Nantucket Shuffle?

A protest by locked-out National Grid workers in Woburn this fall.

Baker signs bill for National Grid workers

An Airbnb ?super host? crashed through a guesthouse window as MDs Chiedozie Uwandu and Jaleesa Jackson slept; the company coughed up an apology and a sizable settlement only after readers blasted it.

Sean P. Murphy

Want corporations to listen? Speak up

Washington Santos and two other plaintiffs were denied Welcome Home Bonus money because they received ?other than honorable? discharges.

Mass. may be forced to give out veterans? bonuses it withheld

Sarah Rapaport made the decision to euthanize PJ, a daschund, this month before heading to LA for Christmas on Dec. 19, for fear he would otherwise need to be put down while the family was away.

?Get ready for an influx of sadness?

Dr. Rafael Campo, creator of eight books of poetry, is editor of the Poetry and Medicine section of the medical journal JAMA.

A son of immigrants, Harvard doctor connects to his heritage through poetry

11/29/2018 Leicester Ma- Leicester Police Chief James Hurley (cq) is retiring after a long career in law enforcement. Jonathan Wiggs /Globe Staff Reporter:Topic:

Leicester police chief leaves legacy for pot industry

Milburn Gomes, who awaited deportation for several months and is now living with his mother in Mumbai, is shown with his son, Ethan. The two speak every day by phone.

Attorneys: ICE struggling to carry out deportations

Mr. Culver spoke at the memorial service for Senator Edward Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.

Obituary

John Culver, Ted Kennedy confidant and Harvard football star, dies

Sports

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

BEN VOLIN I ON FOOTBALL

Putting a bow on a memorable (and record-breaking) NFL regular season

This season was all about offense: The 5.36 touchdowns per game were the most since the 1970 merger.

Metro

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Ipswich, MA - Oct. 25, 2018: Olivier, 16 months, is carried by his mom at the annual Halloween party in the office in Ipswich, Mass., on Oct. 25, 2018. His dad works at NEB. For almost 30 years, New England Biolabs has provided on-site child care. (Michelle Jay) Topic: 111818TPTWMoms

Parents searching for safety info on Mass. child care confront a black hole

Massachusetts recently received a one-year federal extension to post child care safety records online.

Politics

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Outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in September.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urges employees to stay focused

Mattis quoted from a letter Abraham Lincoln wrote in 1865 to Ulysses S. Grant reading ?let nothing which is transpiring, change, hinder, or delay your military movements, or plans.?