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TRENDING:

What is the Bruins? national anthem singer up to? He?s become the Pavarotti of the pandemic

Todd Angilly has no arena to sing to. Instead, he's hitting the streets in Everett, his old neighborhood, to spread some Christmas cheer.

CELTICS 122, BUCKS 121
Jayson Tatum delivers, and more observations from a Celtics opening night victory
Boston recovered after squandering a 17-point lead, but needed Milwaukee MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to miss a last-second free throw to secure victory.

Gary Washburn: Jayson Tatum starts slowly but finishes strong Celtics honor Tommy Heinsohn in pregame ceremony

Dave Epstein | Weather
Blustery wind could bring power outages Christmas morning
Although Christmas in COVID times will be different, you still might have planned to cook a nice meal Christmas Day, even just for immediate family. Now, I recommend planning for what you would do if the power went out.

An upcoming storm could leave some Massachusetts homes without power on Christmas
THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Global virus rules for Christmas: Tough, mild or none at all

?Move, Mitch, get out the way?: McConnell under fire for obstructing $2,000 stimulus relief checks
Democrats Wednesday rallied behind a push for higher stimulus checks for Americans, drawing rare common ground with President Trump. But perhaps nobody articulated it quite like Ayanna Pressley.

COVID-19 relief bill morphs into a test of GOP loyalty to Trump

Trump pardons Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and father of Jared Kushner

In a new batch of 29 pardons and commutations, President Trump wiped away convictions and sentences as he aggressively employed his power to override courts, juries, and prosecutors to apply his own standard of justice for his allies.
A look at the 29 people Trump pardoned or gave commutations

After finding glitch, Massachusetts suspends use of controversial camera system that lets police track cars

The inaccuracies were found within a network of high-speed cameras installed by the Massachusetts State Police that automatically photograph the license plates of vehicles along roads across the state.

Methuen police chief placed on leave after inspector general finds he violated his duty by orchestrating exorbitant police contracts

The state inspector general released a scathing report concluding that Joseph Solomon and other officers violated their duty to the public by creating contracts that paid police leadership excessive salaries without explaining the costs.

Biden weighing Walsh for Labor secretary

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh appears to be one of three or four people under consideration to be the next Labor secretary in a potential nomination that could send yet another Massachusetts leader to Washington to serve in the Biden administration and upend next year?s mayoral election.

Baker unveils $668 million relief plan to help small businesses

As the most tumultuous holiday shopping season in memory comes to a close, Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday rolled out a relief program ? a lifeline that depends largely on a new federal stimulus bill that President Trump is threatening to veto.
What to know about Baker's relief plan
A Beautiful Resistance, by Jeneé Osterheldt

With every sip, a labor of love

In Vermont, a winemaker is cultivating a legacy that pays homage to the Black folk who built this country and is celebrating life and the future of farming.
A Beautiful Resistance | The Questions featuring Amanda Shea
Episode 6: Land is a beautiful resistance
A Beautiful Resistance: Black joy and Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt. Join us on Instagram @abeautifulresistance. ( Video by Caitlin Healy/Globe Staff, Photo by Caleb Kenna/Special to the Globe, Commentary & curation by Jeneé Osterheldt/Globe Staff )

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Want to give the best Christmas gift? Stay home

Though the isolation that has resulted from efforts to slow the spread of the virus has many of us craving the closeness of family more than ever, this is not the time.
Reneé Graham

?It?s not safe in the world . . . if you?re a trans person?
IDEAS | KEVIN LEWIS

Social Studies: The lingering violence of ?Birth of a Nation,? profiting from food donations
Joan Vennochi

A Christmas season of the missing
STEPHEN KINZER

Trump and Pompeo redraw the map of North Africa

Brigham doc gets the vaccine a day after he assailed members of Congress for getting injections before health care workers

A Brigham and Women?s emergency medicine physician got his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, after he?d strongly criticized members of Congress the day before who got vaccinated ahead of frontline healthcare workers.

Should residents of hard-hit cities and towns be vaccinated before other groups? Some epidemiologists think so

Rhode Island is finalizing plans to move hard-pressed Central Falls to the front of the vaccination line, giving priority to a densely packed city of immigrants and people of color who have contracted COVID-19 at staggering rates. Some scientists say Massachusetts should consider a similar strategy.

?FRA GEE LAY?: Marathon bombing survivor shares photo of prosthetic leg set up to look like lamp in ?A Christmas Story?

The image showed the glowing prosthetic leg, covered by a black lampshade, in the corner of her apartment window. Her creative holiday decoration delighted her online followers.

Here?s what we know about the Paycheck Protection Program in the federal stimulus bill
There are new limits on the size of loans and the size of the businesses that can receive them.

Girl, 7, dies after being rescued from Providence house fire; toddler sister in critical condition
The 3-alarm fire spread to two other homes, displacing families just before Christmas.

LOVE LETTERS
Any dating hope for this widower?
Give this letter writer a pep talk in the comments section, please.

More recent headlines

Boston man, 20, killed in crash on Route 24 in Randolph

Man killed, trooper injured in NH shooting

Another ice disk pops up in Maine, just in time for the end of 2020
Best of the Arts 2020
MUSEUMS

Here are the best art shows Boston missed in 2020
Theater

These theaters innovated amid a dramatic change of scene
Art

Map: A dozen murals that brightened life in 2020

Recommended Reads

This local YouTube star built a display of 3,000 dominoes that says ?2020? ? and soon you can watch her topple it

Lily Hevesh is bidding good riddance to this dismal year in dramatic fashion: by toppling a display of 3,000 dominoes that reads ?2020.?

APPRECIATION
Remembering Bruce Seals, who went from playing in the NBA/ABA to changing the lives of Boston?s kids
The former pro basketball player, who died Dec. 15 at age 67, "was committed to helping these kids go in the right direction and he had enormous success doing that."

ADRIAN WALKER
Robert Foxworth, whose murder conviction has long been questioned, may finally see justice
The motion ? pending before a single justice of the SJC ? is the latest move in a two-decade effort to clear Robert Foxworth?s name. Whether it happens today or a week from now, Suffolk DA Rachael Rollin's decision to drop the case will almost certainly lead to Foxworth?s release.

metro

An army of Boy Scout parents in Wayland clear tree from 101-year-old WWII veteran?s yard
More than a dozen Boy Scout parents in Wayland helped clear out a fallen 100-foot tree from the yard of a 101-year-old WWII veteran Claude Williamson.

Biden weighing Walsh for Labor secretary

A look back at A Beautiful Resistance, Season 1

Sports

Gary Washburn | On basketball
Take it to the bank: Jayson Tatum starts slowly but finishes strong in season-opening win vs. Bucks
Tatum's unintended 3-point bank shot with 0.4 seconds left proved to be the buffer the Celtics needed to secure a 122-121 season-opening win over the Bucks.

Celtics honor Tommy Heinsohn in pregame ceremony

Jayson Tatum delivers, and more observations from a Celtics opening night victory

business

Baker unveils $668 million relief plan to help small businesses
As the most tumultuous holiday shopping season in memory comes to a close, Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday rolled out a relief program ? a lifeline that depends largely on a new federal stimulus bill that President Trump is threatening to veto.

Global virus rules for Christmas: Tough, mild or none at all

Surprisingly, new home sales hit five-month low

politics

?Move, Mitch, get out the way?: McConnell under fire for obstructing $2,000 stimulus relief checks
Democrats Wednesday rallied behind a push for higher stimulus checks for Americans, drawing rare common ground with President Trump. But perhaps nobody articulated it quite like Ayanna Pressley.

A look at the 29 people Trump pardoned or gave commutations

Trump pardons Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and father of Jared Kushner

lifestyle

LOVE LETTERS
Any dating hope for this widower?
Give this letter writer a pep talk in the comments section, please.

TABLES

Legal Oysteria closes in Charlestown; Pammy?s offers Sunday supper; and more restaurants head into hibernation

Ethan Hawke urges people to ?support the Coolidge? in new fundraising video

arts

HomeFront: Albums and books of the year, Pixar with ?Soul?
The Globe?s picks for staying entertained any day of the week.

MOVIES

?Promising Young Woman? pushes buttons as it turns the tables

GBH?s Julia Child marathon will keep you entertained all day long on Dec. 26

rhode island

RI BUSINESS
Top R.I. lawmakers have concerns about possible Lifespan-Care New England merger
Incoming Rhode Island House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey said they want to make sure that Kent County Hospital won?t see cuts in services or jobs in a merger.

Girl, 7, dies after being rescued from Providence house fire; toddler sister in critical condition

RHODE MAP

The Providence schools takeover is about to get more scrutiny from state lawmakers

Newton

Special Projects

A beautiful resistance | JENEÉ OSTERHELDT

To be Black, Bostonian, and proud

Boston's Black history is often hidden, but a quarter of the city's population is Black. That's nearly double the percentage of the Black population of the US.
See more from 'A Beautiful Resistance' Follow on Instagram

On the Street

In tackling the pandemic, Chelsea finds new strength

Brockton offers a gateway to a new generation

This time, Quincy Center?s revival looks legit

Revere was going through a revival before COVID-19. Can it stay on track?

See more from our business series ?On the Street?: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

More

2020 Bostonians of the Year: The Front Line
They stood up to fight the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice. Meet the people leading us through a harrowing year.

Last Words: Is death the great equalizer?
Quite the contrary, a Spotlight investigation shows. Death exposes in high relief the layers of inequities, in race and income, care and opportunity, that shape life down to its final hours. It is a truth the pandemic has only underscored ? one hard to see, because it is so much easier to look away.

I knew getting prostate cancer at 48 would change me. I had no idea how much
For the past year, Mark Shanahan has been working on Mr. 80 Percent, a six-episode podcast miniseries about his experience with prostate cancer. It?s a deeply personal, sometimes harrowing, often funny story about a disease that affects millions of men. The heroes are his doctors and family, who put up with some appalling behavior. You?ll hear from both.

Comfort Zone

Cooking | Magazine

Recipes: Spanish-inspired pork, sauteed vegetables, and almond cake

A few key ingredients pack outsized flavor into these dishes.

Min Jin Lee on the ?deep moral conscience? of ?The Great Gatsby?

The "Pachinko" author has a new introduction to Fitzgerald's classic, which enters the public domain on Jan. 1.
HOLIDAYS

9 light displays for oohs and aahs by automobile

These festive drive-through destinations serve up holiday magic the safe way.

Catch these online classical concerts before year?s end

Highlights include multicultural takes on "Messiah" and creatively staged vocal concerts.
MUSIC REVIEW

With sleigh bells jingling, the Pops puts on a holiday show in your home instead of theirs

Though the virtual concert can?t compare to experiencing a Holiday Pops show live in Symphony Hall, its mere existence is something to applaud in a season when so many traditions have been disrupted.
COMFORT ZONE

These thoughtful, last-minute gifts arrive in an instant, no mailing required

And many benefit local businesses, to boot.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Jean Flemma, Miriam Goldstein, and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

The ocean?s heroic potential could be realized under Biden
EDITORIAL

New US attorney shouldn?t let up the pressure on State Police
Renée Loth

The problem with protest
EDITORIAL

Boston is setting an example on fair housing. Will other communities follow?
Kimberly Atkins

The year of fear and the fragility of the white, male myth
IDEAS | JOSH BERNOFF

Social media broke America. Here?s how to fix it

STAT

The Road Ahead: Charting the pandemic over the next 12 months ? and beyond
In this project, STAT describes 30 key moments, possible turning points that could steer the pandemic onto a different course or barometers for how the virus is reshaping our lives.

From a small N.C. town to big-city hospitals, how software infuses racism into U.S. health care
The racial bias can produce huge differences in assessing patients? need for special care to manage conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or depression, a STAT investigation found.

Covid-19?s wintry mix: Dry indoor air helps the virus spread
The worry is not just that people might mingle more closely inside, but that the air they breathe will make the virus more dangerous.

In the Covid-19 death of a hospital food worker, a microcosm of the pandemic
The hospital's first employee to die of Covid-19 was a kitchen worker named Marie Deus ? and her illness sparked a question. Why weren't bedside clinicians getting sick at the highest rates?

magazine
Cover Story

2020 Bostonians of the Year: The Front Line
Bostonians of the Year

Ashish Jha: Speaking out for science and for public health in the pandemic
Connections

The pandemic has a school nurse missing her 'frequent fliers'

Your Week Ahead

Things to do online and in person, Dec. 14-27

sports

Houston cancellation on night two makes clear challenges for NBA, Celtics

NBA fines James Harden $50,000 for protocol violation

With nothing to play for, no question Cam Newton will start for Patriots Monday night?

metro

Top R.I. lawmakers have concerns about possible Lifespan-Care New England merger

An army of Boy Scout parents in Wayland clear tree from 101-year-old WWII veteran?s yard

Biden weighing Walsh for Labor secretary

Nation

Mass. reports 4,509 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 81 new deaths

Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up possible override vote

COVID-19 relief bill morphs into a test of GOP loyalty to Trump

World

US considers granting immunity to Saudi Prince in suspected assassination attempt

Far from the capital, Iran struggles to bury virus victims

After months of calm, Thailand challenged by virus outbreak

politics

A look at the 29 people Trump pardoned or gave commutations

Trump pardons Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and father of Jared Kushner

Trump vetoes defense bill, setting up possible override vote

business

Baker unveils $668 million relief plan to help small businesses

Global virus rules for Christmas: Tough, mild or none at all

Surprisingly, new home sales hit five-month low

lifestyle

Any dating hope for this widower?

Legal Oysteria closes in Charlestown; Pammy?s offers Sunday supper; and more restaurants head into hibernation

Ethan Hawke urges people to ?support the Coolidge? in new fundraising video

marijuana

Rockland gives green light to a fourth marijuana business

This high-end furniture is designed to secure your cannabis

Two new commissioners tapped for Massachusetts marijuana agency

opinion

When money is running short, print your own

Want to give the best Christmas gift? Stay home

?It?s not safe in the world . . . if you?re a trans person?

food & dining

Recipe: This single-layer chocolate cake topped with chocolate cream is an elegant ending to a holiday dinner

This year I will dine with the many ghosts of Christmas Eves past

Recipe: A whole side of roast salmon with chimichurri sauce is a dazzling holiday dinner

travel

Hundreds of Massachusetts families will get refunds for canceled 2020 school trips

Stressed about your kids? screen time? Don?t be

Author and cult expert talks Fiji, diving, and future grand plans

Books

Min Jin Lee on the ?deep moral conscience? of ?The Great Gatsby?

The 55 best books of 2020

Caught between Boston and Quincy in ?The Last American Aristocrat?

Movies

?Promising Young Woman? pushes buttons as it turns the tables

Doc Talk: Accursed Mountain State, Belgium abandoned

Tom Hanks, Texas, 1870: ?News of the World? -- as usual, he?s the right man for the job

Television

GBH?s Julia Child marathon will keep you entertained all day long on Dec. 26

Reaction to John Mulaney underscores double standard for female and Black celebs who go into rehab

On NBC?s ?One Night Only,? a worthy goal but a narrow view of Broadway

music

Remember when the Celtics lured fans with concerts after the game?

In seven songs, these Boston artists gave voice to resistance, persistence, and Black joy

Catch these online classical concerts before year?s end

Theater/Dance

Boston record label Dead & Mellow marks a first year in which nothing went according to plan

Williamstown Theatre Festival re-creates its lost summer season on Audible

This virtual ?Christmas Revels? is a virtual triumph

globe local

Greenhouse School in Salem remembers ?Mr. Frank? the bus driver

Day or night, a winter wonderland awaits

Should Massachusetts lift its ban on flavored tobacco products?

Obituaries

Rebecca Luker, a Broadway star for three decades, dies at 59

Guido Goldman, a connector of nations and people, dies at 83

Hall of Fame linebacker, pass rush great Kevin Greene dies at 58