fb-pixel Skip to main content
The Boston Globe
TRENDING:

Boston crosses a grim threshold: 1,000 COVID-19 deaths

Massachusetts has suffered some of the highest death rates in the country from the coronavirus, partly because a wave of infections tore through nursing homes across the state early in the pandemic. City residents share the pain of losing a loved one to COVID-19.
UMass model sees possibility of declining cases ahead in Mass.

UK government says regulator has authorized COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University
Britain has authorized use of a second COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first country to greenlight an easy-to-handle shot that its developers hope will become the ?vaccine for the world.?

LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Doctors say COVID-19 variant, now in US, no more deadly than main strain

Louisiana congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19 at 41
Luke Letlow, Louisiana?s incoming Republican member of the US House, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19 only days before he would have been sworn into office. He was 41.

Biden, public health critics slam slower-than-promised pace of US COVID-19 vaccination rollout
With the pace of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout lagging the timetable US and Massachusetts officials laid out only weeks ago, some prominent public health leaders are criticizing what they say is poor planning and a lack of urgency by government leaders.

Boycott Boston Pride, say activists who bolted for social justice
The schism, years in the making, tore open in the 50th anniversary year of Boston Pride, which celebrates LGBTQ identities and has become the largest annual public parade in New England.

Nashville suspect?s girlfriend told police he was making bombs, report says

A girlfriend of the man who the authorities say set off a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas had called police officers to his home last year, claiming that he had been making bombs in the RV parked there, according to a police incident report.

Senate GOP blocks swift vote on Trump?s $2,000 checks

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked Democrats? push to immediately bring President Trump?s demand for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks up for a vote, saying the chamber would ?begin a process? to address the issue.

How far a $600 stimulus check might go in Boston

Boston has among the highest living costs of US metro regions, and for most people in need, the $600 will cover only a portion of a just one major expense.

NY prosecutor hires forensic accounting firm as probe of Trump escalates

FTI Consulting is looking for anomalies among a variety of property deals, and will advise the district attorney on whether the president?s company manipulated the value of certain assets to obtain favorable interest rates and tax breaks.

Gary Washburn | Celtics 116, Pacers 111
Struggling Celtics earn best letter grade possible: W
The Celtics prevailed Tuesday because the five players on the floor finally played as a collective unit for longer than a few minutes.

Facing a 1-3 start to season, Celtics roar back to earn split with Pacers in Indianapolis

?They?re like piranhas?: These goats will eat your Christmas tree when you?re done with it
Goats go nuts for Christmas trees. But there are a few rules you must abide by before you?re allowed the privilege of letting them devour your tree at a handful of farms around Massachusetts.

Ronald Mariano vows to increase diversity in Massachusetts House leadership after he becomes speaker Wednesday
The day before he is expected to be elected speaker of the House, Ronald Mariano on Tuesday pledged to make his leadership team more diverse than the current all-white group.

Opinion

Editorial

Pass the economic development bill

Beacon Hill needs to get its act together to help Massachusetts residents and businesses through this crisis.
Bill Golden

On the 50th anniversary of the EPA, hope, inspiration, and a path forward for America
Jeff Jacoby

What was great about 2020
Joan Vennochi

With Speaker Mariano, progressives get what they deserve
EDITORIAL

Virtual medical appointments are here to stay, but so is surprise billing
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

Controversial monument depicting Lincoln standing over a freed slave removed from the Back Bay
A controversial statue depicting Abraham Lincoln standing over a half-dressed, formerly enslaved man has been removed from its longtime location in Boston?s Back Bay, months after the city?s Art Commission voted to take it down amid a nationwide reckoning on racial justice.

Villa Victoria Center for the Arts building, longtime South End landmark, is being demolished
The building at 85 West Newton St. was originally built as a Lutheran church around the turn of the last century, and for decades the nonprofit organization Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción has used it as a community center that featured a preschool and Latino arts and cultural programs.

Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case
The Justice Department says it will not bring federal criminal charges against two Cleveland police officers in the 2014 killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, saying video of the shooting was of too poor a quality for prosecutors to conclusively establish what had happened.

At least one more Louisville officer tied to Breonna Taylor raid will be fired
The Louisville Metro Police Department has sent a letter of termination to at least one additional officer involved in a deadly raid in which officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor, a Black emergency room technician whose death set off a wave of protests in American streets and helped fuel a reckoning over racism.

Watch: These Boston Dynamics robots are dancing machines
In a choreographed dance, robots ?Atlas,? ?Pick,? and ?Handle? break it down to the classic hit ?Do You Love Me? by The Contours. Most impressive of all ? these bots are extremely talented.

Argentina legalizes abortion, a milestone in a conservative region

Argentina on Wednesday became the largest nation in Latin America to legalize abortion, a landmark vote in a conservative region and a victory for a grassroots movement that turned years of rallies into political power.
Abortion access policies become law in Massachusetts despite Governor Baker?s veto

US diet guidelines sidestep scientific advice to cut sugar and alcohol

Rejecting the advice of its scientific advisers, the federal government has released new dietary recommendations that sound a familiar nutritional refrain, advising Americans to ?make every bite count? while dismissing expert recommendations to sharply reduce consumption of sugar and alcoholic beverages.

Police investigating fatal shooting of man in Malden
At approximately 7:03 p.m. Tuesday night, police responded to a report of a shooting that had occurred on Bowdoin Street. Upon arrival, officers located an 18-year-old male suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a statement from Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Recommended Reads

DEVRA FIRST

From pancake cereal to hot chocolate bombs, the year in TikTok food

In 2020, the app offered a different kind of culinary platform.

The Globe?s 10 most-read stories of 2020
2020 was a year unlike any other in recent memory. Here?s a look at our top 10 most-read stories.

The dying wish of a decorated Marine convicted of murder: a commutation and a final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery
Joe Labriola died in July at 75. But his posthumous bid for clemency, and the honor of being buried in the country's most revered military cemetery, is now before Massachusetts? parole board, who will weigh his military service and his 1973 conviction for murder.

metro

Watch: These Boston Dynamics robots are dancing machines
In a choreographed dance, robots ?Atlas,? ?Pick,? and ?Handle? break it down to the classic hit ?Do You Love Me? by The Contours. Most impressive of all ? these bots are extremely talented.

Louisiana congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19 at 41

Biden, public health critics slam slower-than-promised pace of US COVID-19 vaccination rollout

Sports

World Junior Hockey
Spencer Knight throws shutout as US men blank Czech Republic in World Junior Hockey
The win clinched a spot in the quarterfinals for the Americans, who will close out preliminary-round play against Sweden on Thursday at 9:30 p.m.

Gary Washburn | On basketball

Struggling Celtics earn best letter grade possible: W
Celtics 116, Pacers 111

Facing a 1-3 start to season, Celtics roar back to earn split with Pacers in Indianapolis, and other observations

business

Home prices rise by most in six years
Strong demand and limited supply pushed home prices up 7.9 percent in October compared with 12 months ago.

Major rail safety technology installed before deadline

What 2020 was like for people in the retail industry

politics

Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case
The Justice Department says it will not bring federal criminal charges against two Cleveland police officers in the 2014 killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, saying video of the shooting was of too poor a quality for prosecutors to conclusively establish what had happened.

Georgia Senators Perdue and Loeffler find alliance with Democrats they attack

Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case

lifestyle

10 fun ways to celebrate New Year?s Eve, safely at home
Homebodies and party people alike, here are some suggestions for making your own fun as the clock counts us out of a very bad year.

COMFORT ZONE

A new mural brings beauty and diversity to a ?boring? corner of Kendall Square
HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE

Ski lessons for adults, a socially distant wine festival, and an ice hotel in Sweden

arts

COMFORT ZONE
Celebrate New Year?s Eve with HipStory and its vision for Boston?s hip-hop future
The Boston-based media production company and artistic incubator is ringing in 2021 with a new digital concert platform.

TELEVISION

The most disappointing newcomers of 2020

Drawing your best for the Emerald Necklace

rhode island

CORONAVIRUS
R.I. officials detail who will receive COVID-19 vaccine in the next two months
The first phase will include vaccinating people in Central Falls, beginning Wednesday.

CORONAVIRUS

COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered to Central Falls Housing Authority later this week

RI CRIME

R.I. Supreme Court denies emergency petition to end cash bail and release nonviolent defendants

Newton

Special Projects

A beautiful resistance | 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.
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

COMFORT ZONE

A new mural brings beauty and diversity to a ?boring? corner of Kendall Square

Cedric "Vise1" Douglas and Julia Roth brought the faces of two women to a Cambridge vent shaft.
COMFORT ZONE

Celebrate New Year?s Eve with HipStory and its vision for Boston?s hip-hop future

The Boston-based media production company and artistic incubator is ringing in 2021 with a new digital concert platform.
COMFORT ZONE

Hikes and hot chocolate: Winter walks and warm-up stops on Cape Cod

This is the perfect time of year for a hike along the beach, followed by a hot beverage, a warm-from-the-oven pastry, or a melty slice of brick-oven pizza.
COMFORT ZONE

The music that got these Bostonians through 2020

Some songs and artists captured anguish and anxiety; others reflected hope, humor, and connection. All of them hit the spot.
Cooking | Magazine

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

A few key ingredients pack outsized flavor into these dishes.
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.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Nancy Gertner and Dean A. Strang

What Trump?s pardons say about criminal justice
Ed Gaskin and Liz Walker

Encourage skeptical Black Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine
EDITORIAL

Cleaning up government can start on Capitol Hill
Jimmy Tingle

The other pandemic
EDITORIAL

The system worked ? this time
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 cancer at age 8, Mateo Goldman needed something like a miracle. He got two.
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

EMass boys? hockey teams to watch in 2020-21

Alabama?s DeVonta Smith is first wide receiver named AP college football player of the year

Steelers will sit Ben Roethlisberger in regular-season finale

metro

Principal Joe Clark who inspired film ?Lean on Me? has died

Watch: These Boston Dynamics robots are dancing machines

Louisiana congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19 at 41

Nation

At least one more Louisville officer tied to Breonna Taylor raid will be fired

McConnell blocks Democrats? attempt to quickly approve $2,000 checks amid pressure on GOP to act

NY prosecutor hires forensic accounting firm as probe of Trump escalates

World

New data triples Russia?s COVID-19 death toll

Russian investigators open new fraud probe involving Navalny

WHO says the coronavirus pandemic might not be the ??big one?? that experts have long feared

politics

Georgia Senators Perdue and Loeffler find alliance with Democrats they attack

Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case

On Senate floor, Markey makes impassioned demand for $2,000 COVID relief checks

business

Home prices rise by most in six years

Major rail safety technology installed before deadline

What 2020 was like for people in the retail industry

lifestyle

10 fun ways to celebrate New Year?s Eve, safely at home

A new mural brings beauty and diversity to a ?boring? corner of Kendall Square

Ski lessons for adults, a socially distant wine festival, and an ice hotel in Sweden

marijuana

Q&A with outgoing cannabis commissioner Shaleen Title

Medical marijuana?s future in R.I.? It may turn on more than a high-stakes lottery

COVID can?t cancel canna-Christmas

opinion

Pass the economic development bill

On the 50th anniversary of the EPA, hope, inspiration, and a path forward for America

What was great about 2020

food & dining

Recipe: Your New Year?s menu will finish with a flourish with sticky bun bread pudding

Bootblack Brand syrups put a twist on classic cocktails

They packed up their lives in New York to bring Sunnys natural wines to Amesbury

travel

Ski lessons for adults, a socially distant wine festival, and an ice hotel in Sweden

Hikes and hot chocolate: Winter walks and warm-up stops on Cape Cod

Tranquil trails for winter hiking

Books

The 55 best books of 2020

Overcoming ?Trump fatigue? with a fictional take on the president

A new poetry collection about a Cambridge women unjustly hanged as a witch, and new National Endowment for the Humanities grants for local writers

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

The most disappointing newcomers of 2020

Fosse?s handiwork evident in ?Pippin? video

Ratings juggernaut ?60 Minutes? rolls on

music

Celebrate New Year?s Eve with HipStory and its vision for Boston?s hip-hop future

The music that got these Bostonians through 2020

Top 10 jazz 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

First Night Boston cancels New Year?s Eve Fireworks

Newton special election for vacant City Council seats set for March 16

Wellesley candidates for local offices may pull nomination papers until Jan. 8

Obituaries

Principal Joe Clark who inspired film ?Lean on Me? has died

Louisiana congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19 at 41

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