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TRENDING:

K.C. Jones, a Celtics legend and 12-time NBA champion, dies at 88

A 1989 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Mr. Jones died on Friday, Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss confirmed to the Globe.
The Celtics and the basketball world react to the death of K.C. Jones

?Intentional? downtown Nashville explosion causes widespread communication outages
Police were responding to a report of shots fired Friday when they encountered an RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes, the city's police chief said. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad. The RV exploded shortly afterward.

See photos from the scene of the explosion in Nashville

?We turned no one away?: With protocols in mind, a Catholic church cautiously welcomes parishioners for Christmas celebration
As churches again began welcoming congregates back into their buildings, they've had to adapt to new protocols to try and keep services safe. At Immaculate Conception, a Catholic church in Stoughton, volunteers and staff describe what the changes have been like.

During a socially distant Christmas, shelters work to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness Brigham and Women?s doctors carry on with their caroling this year, albeit with some COVID-compliant adjustments

ICU capacity shrinks at hospitals as they scramble to find enough staff to manage COVID surge

Amid the troubling resurgence of COVID-19, the ability to deploy adequate staff, especially in ICUs, has become the top challenge for hospital leaders, a much bigger worry than the supply of face masks or breathing machines.
THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Trump golfs in Florida as COVID relief hangs in the balance

Anxiety, relief ? and confusion ? as vaccines head to Massachusetts? hard-hit senior care sites

Inoculating the tens of thousands of frail elders who live in long-term-care facilities and the small army of caregivers who look after them may be the single most challenging phase of the state?s ambitious vaccine program.

Charts: How many vaccine doses has Massachusetts received, and who has been vaccinated?

Mass. health officials announced earlier this month that health care workers who are at a heightened risk of exposure to the coronavirus and residents and staff members at long-term care facilities would be first in line for the vaccine.
More than 35,000 in Mass. have gotten first dose of vaccine

?Stay home, it?s not worth it.? Here?s what people who had COVID-19 say about the holidays

Many respondents to a Globe poll earlier this month who?ve had the coronavirus say they agree with Governor Charlie Baker: Massachusetts residents should hunker down over the holidays to stay healthy and stop the virus?s spread.

These Mass. communities are at high risk for COVID-19
Eleven communities have been added to the high-risk category since last week?s report and ten were removed from it.

Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts

US will require negative coronavirus test for all airline passengers from the United Kingdom

Gusty winds, abnormally warm temperatures across the state Christmas morning
Temperatures in Boston have hovered just below 60 degrees throughout the morning. Just under 5,300 customers were without power Friday morning, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The outages are scattered throughout the state, with the majority occurring on the South Shore.

See a map of power outages in Massachusetts

A tale of two transitions amid crisis: Bush smoothed the path for Obama, while Trump creates chaos for Biden
The handoff from George W. Bush to Barack Obama is viewed as the gold standard of presidential transitions. The current one is the polar opposite and makes dealing with the pandemic and economic downturn more difficult, experts say.

Pelosi sets up showdown on Trump?s $2,000 checks after Republicans balk
A surprise scuffle over pandemic relief is set to run up against a crucial federal funding deadline next week as Democrats side with President Trump in his demand for $2,000 payments to most Americans and Republicans take up his criticism of government spending.

Opinion

Joan Wickersham

Why ?War and Peace? is my book of the year

It?s a reminder that history is made up of unpredictable bits and pieces, and that real understanding can come only with time.
Alex Beam

The White House has a gift shop?
Abdallah Fayyad

DeLeo is poised to work at Northeastern. So far, he?s let students down

Diane Hessan

?Twas the night before Christmas, 2020

IDEAS | JULIA HOTZ

When money is running short, print your own
A BEAUTIFUL RESISTANCE | Jeneé Osterheldt

Claiming land and water on Martha?s Vineyard

If you?re willing to see, the walls have something to say

In protest, there is community and joy rising

Black queer lives are Black lives that matter, too

To be Black, Bostonian, and proud

With every sip, a labor of love

Globe Magazine
The Globe photographers? best photos of 2020
Discover the stories behind some of the most memorable images from a long year.

See more from our 2020 Year in Review

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER
5 destinations to satisfy your wanderlust post-pandemic
By late 2021, most of us will hopefully have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Here's where to go then.

6 mundane ?trips? to take before you?re vaccinated

Police investigating fatal stabbing in East Boston
Police are investigating after a man was stabbed and died in East Boston Thursday night.

He?s been forced to coach remotely, but Westwood High?s Steve St. Martin knows all about overcoming obstacles
A heart condition will keep St. Martin away from his boys' basketball team this season, but the former Catholic Memorial star continues to inspire.

Taunton police officer dies after battle with coronavirus
A Taunton police officer died Thursday after contracting COVID-19, the police department announced.

Twin brothers struggle to adjust to college in a time of pandemic
Janiel and Jael Rosario are at different schools, but the first semester has fallen far short of what they?d imagined. The twins? experiences are common among first-year students who have seen their college dreams stalled by COVID-19.

Comcast will charge more for house calls
The company said that ?rising programming costs ? most notably for broadcast TV and sports ? continue to be the biggest factors driving price increases.

Khloe Kardashian and daughter, True, photographed at Lookout Farm in Natick
Reality television star Kardashian was spotted Wednesday at the Lookout Farm in Natick with 2-year-old daughter, True.

Recommended Reads

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.

Advocates ask court to release inmates as COVID-19 sweeps through state prisons
One in six inmates and hundreds of correctional workers in the state prison system have tested positive for coronavirus in the last six weeks, new figures show.

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.

metro

Anxiety, relief ? and confusion ? as vaccines head to Massachusetts? hard-hit senior care sites
Inoculating the tens of thousands of frail elders who live in long-term-care facilities and the small army of caregivers who look after them may be the single most challenging phase of the state?s ambitious vaccine program.

During a socially distant Christmas, shelters work to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness

K.C. Jones, a Celtics legend and 12-time NBA champion, dies at 88

Sports

Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck hopes hard work earns him a roster spot
Houck is working this offseason with a renowned baseball trainer and surrounding himself with elite competition.

chad finn

After years of futility against the Patriots, the Bills seized their opportunity to take control of the AFC East

Read the Celtics? statement and other reactions to the passing of former player and coach K.C. Jones

business

Aid holdup threatens another blow for already shaky economy
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning a full floor vote Monday on pandemic aid that includes the $2,000 payments that President Trump says he wants, replacing the $600 in the original legislation.

Comcast will charge more for house calls

Michael Jackson?s Neverland Ranch sold to billionaire

politics

Answering Trump, Democrats try and fail to jam $2,000 payments through House
President Trump?s implicit threat on Tuesday to reject a relief compromise that overwhelmingly passed both chambers unless lawmakers agreed to raise the bill?s $600 direct payment checks to $2,000 has continued to roil Congress.

House Republicans block Democratic bid to pass Trump demand for $2,000 checks

A look at pardons, clemency in waning weeks of Trump tenure

lifestyle

California deaths spur pleas to stay home for Christmas
California?s deadly Christmas was marked by pleas to stay away from holiday gatherings outside the home and indoor church services in what could be a make-or-break effort to curb a coronavirus surge that already has filled some hospitals well beyond normal capacity.

?Sweet Caroline? global singalong is the video Red Sox fans (and Neil Diamond buffs) need now
CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

5 destinations to satisfy your wanderlust post-pandemic

arts

TELEVISION
Page one: Getting a head start on the books slated to be TV series in 2021
Colson Whitehead?s ?The Underground Railroad?' and Sarah Vaughn?s ?Anatomy of a Scandal?' are among literary adaptations in store.

What?s happening in the arts world
Jon Garelick

Top 10 jazz albums of 2020

rhode island

RI NEWS
Community rallies for family after 7-year-old girl dies in Providence fire
Thousands are raising money and offering support to the families displaced by the 3-alarm fire Tuesday.

RI BUSINESS

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

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

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

He?s been forced to coach remotely, but Westwood High?s Steve St. Martin knows all about overcoming obstacles

Players adjust to a pandemic-stricken hockey season, but the game on ice remains the same

US squad facing tough task at World Juniors hockey tournament

metro

Brigham and Women?s doctors carry on with their caroling this year, albeit with some COVID-compliant adjustments

Anxiety, relief ? and confusion ? as vaccines head to Massachusetts? hard-hit senior care sites

During a socially distant Christmas, shelters work to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness

Nation

Gurneys in the gift shop: Inside Southern California?s overwhelmed hospitals

For some Americans, COVID-19 vaccine rollout brings memories of another time and place

Pelosi sets up showdown on Trump?s $2,000 checks after Republicans balk

World

Pakistani court orders men released in Daniel Pearl case

Chinese vaccines are poised to fill gap, but will they work?

?Deal is done.? UK and EU reach post-Brexit trade agreement

politics

House Republicans block Democratic bid to pass Trump demand for $2,000 checks

A look at pardons, clemency in waning weeks of Trump tenure

?Move, Mitch, get out the way?: Democrats push McConnell to support $2,000 stimulus checks

business

Aid holdup threatens another blow for already shaky economy

Comcast will charge more for house calls

Michael Jackson?s Neverland Ranch sold to billionaire

lifestyle

California deaths spur pleas to stay home for Christmas

?Sweet Caroline? global singalong is the video Red Sox fans (and Neil Diamond buffs) need now

5 destinations to satisfy your wanderlust post-pandemic

marijuana

COVID can?t cancel canna-Christmas

Rockland gives green light to a fourth marijuana business

This high-end furniture is designed to secure your cannabis

opinion

People are lining up to revamp our voting system

Why ?War and Peace? is my book of the year

DeLeo is poised to work at Northeastern. So far, he?s let students down

food & dining

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

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

travel

5 destinations to satisfy your wanderlust post-pandemic

Seen the back of your junk drawer lately? 6 mundane ?trips? to take before you?re vaccinated

How to venture out into the backcountry safely

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

Page one: Getting a head start on the books slated to be TV series in 2021

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

music

Top 10 jazz albums of 2020

Top 12 best pop albums of 2020

Top 10 hip-hop albums of 2020

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

Day or night, a winter wonderland awaits

Should Massachusetts lift its ban on flavored tobacco products?

Beverly Beckham: What we will remember about a year we?d just as soon forget

Obituaries

K.C. Jones, a Celtics legend and 12-time NBA champion, dies at 88

Roger Berlind, who scored on Wall Street, Broadway, dies at 90

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