As the season's first major snow storm approached the region, health officials on Wednesday prepared for the first weather-related challenge to the state?s COVID-19 testing system, which largely relies on a web of tented outdoor sites that will likely be shut down in high winds and heavy snowfall.

Baker urges residents to stay home and off the roads during storm; Walsh declares snow emergency in Boston

Snow-related school closings: Which schools are closed or teaching remotely because of the storm?

Bristol sheriff fires back at AG, says investigation into alleged civil rights violations is political

?It?s about halfway down the sewer pipe. That?s about how much value I put into the attorney general?s recommendations,? Bristol Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson told reporters.

Bristol sheriff violated immigration detainees? civil rights during May melee, attorney general says

Staring down deadline, Congress nears $900 billion stimulus deal

After months of stalemate, congressional leaders were on the verge Wednesday of cementing a roughly $900 billion stimulus deal to deliver emergency aid to individuals and companies devastated by the toll of the worsening pandemic, racing to finish the details and stave off a government shutdown Friday.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo rumored to be stepping down, ending 12-year reign

Virtually everyone on Beacon Hill sprang into a frenzy over speculation that House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo was preparing to leave his post to accept a teaching job at his alma mater, Northeastern University ? except, that is, for DeLeo himself, whose office offered a carefully worded denial, and he while he dodged questions as he left the State House.

COVID-19 vaccine arrives at Beth Israel

The COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, bringing with it hope for the end of the pandemic. ( Shelby Lum/Globe Staff )

Vaccinations boost spirits at hospitals throughout Mass.

The massive task of obtaining, storing, and administering the vaccine could not have come at a more difficult time, just as a second surge of COVID-19 is accelerating and straining hospitals. But for the very same reason, it could not have come at a better time, providing a figurative shot in the arm along with the real one.

Here?s what has to close as Boston and other cities plan to roll back reopening

Harvard professor: New at-home coronavirus test is a ?major boon? ? but more need to be approved

Dr. Michael Mina believes widespread use of cheaper, at-home paper strip tests could quickly reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Mass. reports 5,450 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 71 new deaths The latest COVID-19 numbers in Mass.

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California judge extends strip-club exemption from lockdown

Mysterious message in a bottle found 126 years later hidden inside wall of Back Bay building

A Boston resident found a handwritten note from 1894 tucked inside an old whiskey bottle. Now everyone is trying to figure out what it means.

A BEAUTIFUL RESISTANCE

Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt

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.

The Questions, featuring Justin Levy See more from ?A Beautiful Resistance? ? Follow on Instagram ?

Episode 5: To Be Black, Bostonian, and Proud 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 Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff, Commentary & concept by Jeneé Osterheldt/Globe Staff )

Opinion

Boston Celtics Players

Governor Baker, regulating facial recognition technology is a racial justice issue

Baker?s rejection of this section of the police reform bill is deeply troubling because this technology supercharges racial profiling by police and has resulted in the wrongful arrests of innocent people.

Joan Vennochi

What?s more sexist than the coverage of Melania Trump?

Scott Harshbarger, Lauren Stiller Rikleen, and Dennis Aftergut

Trump?s election lawyers must be investigated

Scot Lehigh

If only we had an inoculation against ridiculousness

Renée Graham

?It was reminiscent of cross burnings?

Here are the local organizations that benefited from MacKenzie Scott?s $4.1 billion giving spree

United Way and YMCA are among the New England organizations on the philanthropist's list.

Galvin?s office says popular investing app Robinhood violates state securities rules

A complaint alleges that the online brokerage values trade volume over what?s best for customers. The company disputes the allegations.

Read Galvin's complaint

Boston city council passes three police reform initiatives

Responding to a broad push for substantive police reform, the Boston City Council on Wednesday passed a trio of proposals that could change local law enforcement.

Delivery delays try the patience of consumers used to near-instant gratification

As the holiday shopping season escalates, COVID-19 slows the process of getting goods from factories to warehouses to doorsteps.

The start-up of the controversial Weymouth gas compressor station delayed at least until January

The new start date now depends on the resolution of a full safety review that is not expected until January.

Cape Cod?s annual sea turtle rescue sets new records

Both the number of cold-stunned turtles recovered on Cape beaches and the volume of turtles now receiving life-saving medical treatment are at an unprecedented high, the aquarium said.

Holiday gift guides

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

The best new cookbooks for holiday giving

A Boston-centric gift guide for music lovers

28 gift ideas from New England stores and makers

Meet Gina McCarthy, a Mass. native who is set to serve as White House climate coordinator

McCarthy, who grew up in Canton and was the health agent for her hometown early in her career, has earned the reputation of a stalwart leader in the fight against climate change over the years.

Eventually, getting the COVID-19 vaccine could be required for many

Private businesses, schools, and perhaps even states and localities could possibly require the shots for those who don?t qualify for religious or medical exemptions. Legal precedent ? including a landmark Massachusetts case ? suggests those mandates would be on solid ground in court.

Christmas light display in Wilmington wins ABC?s ?The Great Christmas Light Fight,? draws massive crowds

A festive light display in Wilmington is drawing droves of visitors in the holiday spirit after it won the top prize in a national award competition last week.

metro

These maps show how much snow to expect from tonight?s major winter storm

The snow is expected to continue into Thursday, and some places in Massachusetts could get a foot of snow or more.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo rumored to be stepping down, ending 12-year reign

COVID-19 vaccine arrives at Beth Israel

Sports

Tua Tagovailoa trying to become first rookie quarterback to beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots since 2013

Tagovailoa said even though this week will be his first game against the Patriots, he?s ?pretty familiar? with the challenge that lies ahead.

Spring baseball training still on schedule

Patriots notebook

Patriots safety Adrian Phillips warm to the task of tackling his first New England snow storm

business

Facebook reverses postelection algorithm changes that boosted news from authoritative sources

Facebook confirmed that it has in the past few days rolled back a change that lifted news from authoritative outlets over hyperpartisan sources after November?s election, signaling a return to normalcy for the social network.

Extra doses in Pfizer vaccine vials can be used, FDA says

O?Toole named to board of public safety company

politics

Interior chief latest official to test positive for virus

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has tested positive for the coronavirus, an agency spokesman said.

President-elect Joe Biden to receive COVID-19 vaccine in public as soon as next week

Rules eased for water from showerheads, a Trump pet peeve

lifestyle

COMFORT ZONE

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

And many benefit local businesses, to boot.

It?ll still be a (matzo) ball

TRAVEL

In the race to lure back travelers, vacations in nature are winning

arts

COVID-era innovations the classical music world should keep

Lessons were learned on the form's elemental powers, plus potentials of the digital stage.

TELEVISION

Shondaland?s Netflix series, ?Bridgerton,? offers romance and escapism, delivered on Christmas

Here, the rich theatrical tradition of Jamaica is all the talk

rhode island

RI POLITICS

Did the Rhode Island attorney general overreach in the Britt money laundering case?

The defense lawyer for political operative Jeffrey T. Britt says the case was ?overcharged? but the attorney general says, ?The principle is worth fighting for.?

RI POLITICS

R.I. political operative Jeff Britt cleared of charges in money laundering trial

It?s decision day in the money laundering trial of political operative Jeff Britt

Newton

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Special Projects

A beautiful resistance | JENEÉ OSTERHELDT

Black queer lives are Black lives that matter, too

Adding any other marginalized identity to Blackness is another layer of oppression to fight. Black queer people living their truths is a beautiful resistance.

See more from 'A Beautiful Resistance' Follow on Instagram

On the Street

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.

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

These maps show how much snow to expect from tonight?s major winter storm

Health officials prepare for a new challenge ? snow

Snow-related school closings: Which schools are closed or teaching remotely because of the storm?

Bristol sheriff fires back at AG, says investigation into alleged civil rights violations is political ?It?s about halfway down the sewer pipe. That?s about how much value I put into the attorney general?s recommendations,? Bristol Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson told reporters.

Staring down deadline, Congress nears $900 billion stimulus deal

House Speaker Robert DeLeo rumored to be stepping down, ending 12-year reign

Vaccinations boost spirits at hospitals throughout Mass.

Harvard professor: New at-home coronavirus test is a ?major boon? ? but more need to be approved

Mysterious message in a bottle found 126 years later hidden inside wall of Back Bay building A Boston resident found a handwritten note from 1894 tucked inside an old whiskey bottle. Now everyone is trying to figure out what it means.

A BEAUTIFUL RESISTANCE

Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt

To be Black, Bostonian, and proud

Opinion

Governor Baker, regulating facial recognition technology is a racial justice issue

What?s more sexist than the coverage of Melania Trump?

Trump?s election lawyers must be investigated

If only we had an inoculation against ridiculousness

?It was reminiscent of cross burnings?

Here are the local organizations that benefited from MacKenzie Scott?s $4.1 billion giving spree United Way and YMCA are among the New England organizations on the philanthropist's list.

Galvin?s office says popular investing app Robinhood violates state securities rules A complaint alleges that the online brokerage values trade volume over what?s best for customers. The company disputes the allegations.

Boston city council passes three police reform initiatives

Delivery delays try the patience of consumers used to near-instant gratification As the holiday shopping season escalates, COVID-19 slows the process of getting goods from factories to warehouses to doorsteps.

The start-up of the controversial Weymouth gas compressor station delayed at least until January The new start date now depends on the resolution of a full safety review that is not expected until January.

Cape Cod?s annual sea turtle rescue sets new records Both the number of cold-stunned turtles recovered on Cape beaches and the volume of turtles now receiving life-saving medical treatment are at an unprecedented high, the aquarium said.

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

The best new cookbooks for holiday giving

A Boston-centric gift guide for music lovers

28 gift ideas from New England stores and makers

Recommended Reads

Meet Gina McCarthy, a Mass. native who is set to serve as White House climate coordinator

Christmas light display in Wilmington wins ABC?s ?The Great Christmas Light Fight,? draws massive crowds A festive light display in Wilmington is drawing droves of visitors in the holiday spirit after it won the top prize in a national award competition last week.

metro

These maps show how much snow to expect from tonight?s major winter storm The snow is expected to continue into Thursday, and some places in Massachusetts could get a foot of snow or more.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo rumored to be stepping down, ending 12-year reign

COVID-19 vaccine arrives at Beth Israel

Sports

Tua Tagovailoa trying to become first rookie quarterback to beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots since 2013 Tagovailoa said even though this week will be his first game against the Patriots, he?s ?pretty familiar? with the challenge that lies ahead.

Spring baseball training still on schedule

Patriots safety Adrian Phillips warm to the task of tackling his first New England snow storm

business

Extra doses in Pfizer vaccine vials can be used, FDA says

O?Toole named to board of public safety company

politics

Interior chief latest official to test positive for virus Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has tested positive for the coronavirus, an agency spokesman said.

President-elect Joe Biden to receive COVID-19 vaccine in public as soon as next week

Rules eased for water from showerheads, a Trump pet peeve

lifestyle

COMFORT ZONE These thoughtful, last-minute gifts arrive in an instant, no mailing required And many benefit local businesses, to boot.

It?ll still be a (matzo) ball

In the race to lure back travelers, vacations in nature are winning

arts

COVID-era innovations the classical music world should keep Lessons were learned on the form's elemental powers, plus potentials of the digital stage.

Shondaland?s Netflix series, ?Bridgerton,? offers romance and escapism, delivered on Christmas

Here, the rich theatrical tradition of Jamaica is all the talk

rhode island

RI POLITICS Did the Rhode Island attorney general overreach in the Britt money laundering case? The defense lawyer for political operative Jeffrey T. Britt says the case was ?overcharged? but the attorney general says, ?The principle is worth fighting for.?

R.I. political operative Jeff Britt cleared of charges in money laundering trial

It?s decision day in the money laundering trial of political operative Jeff Britt

Newton

FROM OUR PARTNERS

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Black queer lives are Black lives that matter, too

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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?

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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.

Comfort Zone

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

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This time, Ken Burns is the subject of a documentary

For this artist, the local supermarket is stocked with dating metaphors

8 thoughtful gifts to help comfort and heal

The ghosts of Bradlees, Spag?s, and Whalom Park have returned from the great beyond, in T-shirt form

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Trump?s election lawyers must be investigated

If only we had an inoculation against ridiculousness

Bristol sheriff fires back at AG, says investigation into alleged civil rights violations is political

?It?s about halfway down the sewer pipe. That?s about how much value I put into the attorney general?s recommendations,? Bristol Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson told reporters.

Mysterious message in a bottle found 126 years later hidden inside wall of Back Bay building

A Boston resident found a handwritten note from 1894 tucked inside an old whiskey bottle. Now everyone is trying to figure out what it means.

Here are the local organizations that benefited from MacKenzie Scott?s $4.1 billion giving spree

United Way and YMCA are among the New England organizations on the philanthropist's list.

Galvin?s office says popular investing app Robinhood violates state securities rules

A complaint alleges that the online brokerage values trade volume over what?s best for customers. The company disputes the allegations.

Delivery delays try the patience of consumers used to near-instant gratification

As the holiday shopping season escalates, COVID-19 slows the process of getting goods from factories to warehouses to doorsteps.

The start-up of the controversial Weymouth gas compressor station delayed at least until January

The new start date now depends on the resolution of a full safety review that is not expected until January.

Cape Cod?s annual sea turtle rescue sets new records

Both the number of cold-stunned turtles recovered on Cape beaches and the volume of turtles now receiving life-saving medical treatment are at an unprecedented high, the aquarium said.

Christmas light display in Wilmington wins ABC?s ?The Great Christmas Light Fight,? draws massive crowds

A festive light display in Wilmington is drawing droves of visitors in the holiday spirit after it won the top prize in a national award competition last week.

These maps show how much snow to expect from tonight?s major winter storm

The snow is expected to continue into Thursday, and some places in Massachusetts could get a foot of snow or more.

Tua Tagovailoa trying to become first rookie quarterback to beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots since 2013

Tagovailoa said even though this week will be his first game against the Patriots, he?s ?pretty familiar? with the challenge that lies ahead.

Interior chief latest official to test positive for virus

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has tested positive for the coronavirus, an agency spokesman said.

COMFORT ZONE

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

And many benefit local businesses, to boot.

COVID-era innovations the classical music world should keep

Lessons were learned on the form's elemental powers, plus potentials of the digital stage.

RI POLITICS

Did the Rhode Island attorney general overreach in the Britt money laundering case?

The defense lawyer for political operative Jeffrey T. Britt says the case was ?overcharged? but the attorney general says, ?The principle is worth fighting for.?

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.

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?