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TRENDING:

After unemployment aid lapses, Trump signs massive pandemic relief bill

President Trump has signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown.
Highlights of COVID-19, government funding law

Here?s how some New England politicians greeted Trump?s decision to sign the stimulus bill

Some local leaders praised Trump?s decision to sign the relief bill, while others criticized the president for delaying his acceptance of the bill.

Holyoke, state in tussle over giving relief cash to struggling families
School has been remote since March, and the goal of the program was to help families cover additional costs, from higher utility bills to increased child care needs. But the state rejected the proposal.

The T may get millions from Congress. Will service still be cut?

The MBTA will likely receive more than $250 million as part of the federal relief bill, but has for weeks said it may not use that to stave off service cuts on low-ridership routes.

Authorities identify Nashville bomber, say his remains were found in wreckage

Anthony Quinn Warner was responsible for the Christmas morning explosion that rocked downtown Nashville, officials said Sunday, and he died in the blast.

The burning question Monday night: Will Cam Newton start at quarterback for Patriots?
All signs point to Newton getting the nod against the Bills.

PACERS 108, CELTICS 107
In a familiar scene, Jayson Tatum can?t rescue Celtics as they lose to Pacers to drop second straight
He scored 25 points but missed what could have been a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Over so soon? Some people are dreading the return to a post-pandemic world
With Dr. Anthony Fauci predicting a potential return to somewhat normal-ish life sometime in 2021, some people who used to be worried this period would never end are now worried that it will.

?They just sort of showed up?: The Amish find a home in Vermont?s Northeast Kingdom
The Brownington Amish ? Vermont?s sole Amish church district or settlement ? have become a colorful fixture, their revived farms giving a boost to the region?s flagging agriculture even as their energies and skills give sharp competition to local building contractors.

Opinion

Words of the year

Every year, new words enter the public lexicon, and 2020 was no exception.
EDITORIAL

Cleaning up government can start on Capitol Hill
EDITORIAL

Massachusetts sheriffs shouldn?t be enforcing federal immigration laws
IDEAS | LEAH C. STOKES

Sowing seeds of climate action in the garden
IDEAS | COLIN WOODARD

Maine can finally get out of Massachusetts? shadow
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

Wealthy voters are ?mythical middle? in Georgia Senate races
?I think the attitude is I don't like Trump, but just give me a Republican I can vote for,? said J. Miles Coleman of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, who has studied Republican defections in Georgia.

Georgia Senate races near finish with Trump a central player
The two Georgia runoffs that will decide control of the US Senate begin their final stretch, with President Trump again putting himself in the middle of the campaign.

Beyoncé to give $500,000 to those facing evictions, foreclosures
Beyoncé is offering funds to people who could lose their homes due to the financial strain of the pandemic.

Lauren Corduck, who founded Oneinforty to raise cancer risk awareness, dies at 49
"What we?re trying to do is turn our legacy burden into our legacy," Lauren Corduck said of her efforts to raise awareness about cancer risks through the nonprofit she founded.

Pandemic helps push audience for textbook publishers into the digital age
From Cengage CEO Michael Hansen?s perspective, the textbook industry is having a Spotify moment.

One dead, five injured in Lynn shooting

A person opened fire Saturday on a group of people who were filming a music video, sending them running to safety.

Boston to end 2020 on a cool, quiet front, forecasters say

A chance of light rain showers north of Boston is possible Monday afternoon, and parts of western Massachusetts could see snow, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Norton said.
Tech Lab

From Oculus, the best VR headset yet

The new Oculus Quest 2 headset has its flaws, but overall it?s the most satisfying device of its kind. And the price is right at $300.

Recommended Reads

Spotlight Team Follow-Up

Hospital staff revived a man?s stopped heart ? and he sued

A successful ?wrongful prolongation of life? lawsuit in Montana, among other things, reflects the extent to which many ordinary Americans will go to gain ? and enforce ? their rights to control their final days.
A three-part Globe Spotlight Team series exposes the inequities that follow people in Massachusetts to their very last breaths

Shirley Leung
The Massachusetts Miracle is alive and well. ?There are a lot of potential Modernas?
The spotlight may be on Moderna ? the Cambridge biotechnology company that is harnessing messenger RNA to inoculate millions ? but it is far from the only local company that will likely become famous fighting the pandemic.

Long the House?s consummate insider, Ronald Mariano poised to finally lead it
With Speaker Robert A. DeLeo preparing to leave Beacon Hill for a job at Northeastern University, Representative Ronald Mariano's supporters say the Quincy Democrat has more than enough votes to succeed him.

metro

Lauren Corduck, who founded Oneinforty to raise cancer risk awareness, dies at 49
"What we?re trying to do is turn our legacy burden into our legacy," Lauren Corduck said of her efforts to raise awareness about cancer risks through the nonprofit she founded.

In the North End, occupancy limit leaves cafes, eateries starved for customers
Adrian Walker

Under new leader, King Boston embraces a bolder vision

Sports

Rays send Blake Snell to San Diego for four prospects
The 2018 AL Cy Young winner is due to make $10.5 million in the third year of a five-year, $50 million deal.

In a familiar scene, Jayson Tatum can?t rescue Celtics as they lose to Pacers to drop second straight
NBA

Gordon Hayward and the Hornets hand Kyrie Irving and the Nets their first loss of season

business

Pandemic helps push audience for textbook publishers into the digital age
From Cengage CEO Michael Hansen?s perspective, the textbook industry is having a Spotify moment.

Tech Lab

From Oculus, the best VR headset yet

Trump?s legacy may be one of ?chaos and misery,? Republican senator says

politics

Georgia Senate races near finish with Trump a central player
The two Georgia runoffs that will decide control of the US Senate begin their final stretch, with President Trump again putting himself in the middle of the campaign.

After unemployment aid lapses, Trump signs massive pandemic relief bill

Highlights of COVID-19, government funding law taking effect

lifestyle

She left me for the chiropractor
Help a reader whose ex has moved on ... with her chiropractor.

COMFORT ZONE

Mallard to go? Excavated Pompeii fast-food court reveals tastes of the lost city
COMFORT ZONE

Stanley Tucci hosts cocktail tutorial with in-laws, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt

arts

COMFORT ZONE
Even when she contracted COVID-19, this art teacher thought of her students. Now, they can craft along with her over Zoom.
Alex Adamo developed two ongoing virtual programs: Crafternoons and SAVI, or Social Art Virtual Immersion. Crafternoons occur every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Each class features a different craft, led by Adamo, utilizing household items. SAVI classes are hosted via Zoom weekly on Tuesdays or Thursdays and organized by month.

TELEVISION

Ratings juggernaut ?60 Minutes? rolls on

Wampanoag voices on Harvard?s Peabody Museum collection

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

EDITORIAL

Business needs a break on unemployment taxes
Jimmy Tingle

The other pandemic
Joan Wickersham

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

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

Diagnosed with leukemia at age 8, he?d need two bone marrow transplants. Help came from unexpected places.
Perspective

My COVID anxiety has evolved into a persistent funk. Now what?
Miss Conduct

Miss Conduct: What the pandemic taught me
Cooking

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

sports

The burning question Monday night: Will Cam Newton start at quarterback for Patriots?

Lionel Messi floats future US move, immediate Barcelona plans unclear

With his off-court workshops, Rick Gorman offers basketball players and coaches a blueprint to on-court success

metro

Here?s how some New England politicians greeted Trump?s decision to sign the stimulus bill

Lauren Corduck, who founded Oneinforty to raise cancer risk awareness, dies at 49

In the North End, occupancy limit leaves cafes, eateries starved for customers

Nation

The latest COVID-19 numbers from Massachusetts

Mass. reports 2,973 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 100 new deaths

Authorities identify Nashville bomber, say his remains were found in wreckage

World

EU?s mass vaccination campaign starts, with nursing homes as focus

Battered Turkish economy puts a powerful Erdogan to the test

Several countries find cases of the new coronavirus variant

politics

After unemployment aid lapses, Trump signs massive pandemic relief bill

Highlights of COVID-19, government funding law taking effect

Unemployment aid set to lapse Saturday as Trump?s plans for relief bill remain unclear

business

Pandemic helps push audience for textbook publishers into the digital age

From Oculus, the best VR headset yet

Trump?s legacy may be one of ?chaos and misery,? Republican senator says

lifestyle

She left me for the chiropractor

Mallard to go? Excavated Pompeii fast-food court reveals tastes of the lost city

Stanley Tucci hosts cocktail tutorial with in-laws, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt

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

Cleaning up government can start on Capitol Hill

Words of the year

?Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? reconsidered, deconstructed

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

Tranquil trails for winter hiking

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

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

Ratings juggernaut ?60 Minutes? rolls on

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

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

Lauren Corduck, who founded Oneinforty to raise cancer risk awareness, dies at 49

Nancy Harrington, who achieved a trio of firsts as Salem State?s president, dies at 81

Hank Adams, prolific Native American rights advocate, dies