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TRENDING:

What?s behind the dip in coronavirus cases? We ask specialists

It is unclear precisely why cases are dropping, though more cautious behavior and state-imposed restrictions on restaurants and other gathering spaces could be playing a role.
There are now 5 cases of COVID variants in Massachusetts

Exactly one year after first coronavirus case was announced, Mass. now has more than a half-million

Massachusetts has surpassed 500,000 total COVID-19 cases with 2,270 new cases and 30 new deaths reported Monday.
The latest COVID-19 numbers from Mass.

First day of Phase 2 vaccinations running smoothly as major snowstorm approaches
Throngs of residents 75 and older flocked to Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and other sites Monday to find a system running relatively smoothly as staffers rushed to get people inoculated ahead of the oncoming snow.

Vaccine distributor says extra doses aren?t available at Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium Here?s who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine under Phase 2 Are you 75 and older and getting a COVID-19 vaccine this week? Let us know how it goes
Live Updates

Seniors line up at vaccination sites across Massachusetts

Coronavirus at a glance |
Massachusetts
Cases
Today
14-day trend
Deaths
Today
14-day trend
Mass. vaccinations
1st doses administered:
2nd doses administered:
United States
Cases
Deaths
Other resources:
SOURCES: Mass. Dept. of Public Health, CDC, Johns Hopkins University

Two Mass. woman arrested in $100 million home health care fraud scam, federal prosecutors say

Two Massachusetts women were arrested Sunday on federal charges alleging their involvement in a $100 million home healthcare fraud scheme, prosecutors said Monday.

super bowl notebook
Tom Brady says he is grateful to have had Bill Belichick as his coach
At a quiet opener for Super Bowl week, Brady took the high road on questions about his previous Super Bowls.

Brady says he ?would definitely consider playing? longer than age 45

Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White sworn into office; vows to reform department he now leads
Dennis White, the new man in charge of the Boston Police, vowed to reform the nation?s oldest police force as he was sworn in by Mayor Walsh as the city?s 43rd police commissioner Monday.

Federal grand jury investigating potential fraud by top Methuen officials in approving exorbitant police salaries

Federal investigators have demanded all records related to a 2017 union contract which would have paid some Methuen police captains more than $400,000 and indirectly boosted the pay of controversial Chief Joseph Solomon.

Opinion

MARCELA GARCÍA

A new day, or an old story, for the undocumented?

President Biden has a chance to succeed where other administrations have failed with progressive immigration reform. He should not let the opportunity pass.
EDITORIAL

It?s time for the GOP to take out the trash
Joan Vennochi

Marty Walsh softened the picture from tough union brother to peacemaker who gets to yes
Marcella Bombardieri

Community colleges have a big local impact ? they deserve local funding
IDEAS | DAVID H. ROSMARIN

The psychologist will see everyone now

Project Takeout: Get takeout. Save restaurants you love.
Ordering dinner will help small local businesses survive the pandemic. But that?s just the start.

3 restaurants we supported this week How to help local spots without spending money Learn more about Project Takeout

beth teitell
?Explain it like I?m 5 years old?: A desperate nation tries to understand the GameStop saga
Here?s a thought: Maybe you don?t need to understand GameStop. Thanks to social distancing, it?s not like you?re not going to have to bluff your way through a cocktail party.

TY BURR
Sundance from the sofa: First impressions from a virtual film fest
Ahmir ?Questlove? Thompson's ?Summer of Soul" is an early standout.

?Saved by the Bell? star Dustin Diamond dies of cancer at 44
Dustin Diamond, best known for playing Screech on the hit ?90s sitcom, was hospitalized last month in Florida and his team disclosed later that he had cancer.

Firefighters rescue two people after ATV plunges through ice in Hudson
Hudson firefighters rescued two people after their all terrain vehicle plunged through the ice covering the Fort Meadow Reservoir while they were taking a ride, fire officials said.

COMFORT ZONE
Michaela Watkins and Rob Corddry of ?The Unicorn? talk TV marriages, Boston humor, and beer runs
The two sitcom costars share local roots and an off-screen friendship.

City announces events celebrating Black History Month
The city of Boston plans to hold a series of virtual events to commemorate Black History Month, ranging from a virtual panel on ?America and the Reckoning? to a showcase for local Black artists.

Marshfield woman ordered held without bail in slaying of husband

A Marshfield woman accused of murdering her husband was ordered held without bail Monday during a brief court proceeding that was abruptly cancelled last week when she collapsed and was rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

Mayoral candidate Wu eyes city-owned broadband network
Boston mayoral candidate Michelle Wu said that if elected, she?d consider creating a city-owned broadband network. The proposal is part of a digital equity plan released by the Wu campaign on Monday. If such a network were established in Boston, it would be by far the largest of its kind in the US.

Recommended Reads

Frustrated with the government?s virus response, citizens are building their own testing programs. And it?s working

Frustrated by the lack of an overarching state or federal strategy for COVID-19 testing, an increasing number of local organizations are rolling up their sleeves and figuring out how to create their own testing programs.

Adrian Walker
BMC?s Dr. Thea James is working to persuade communities of color to get the vaccine
As the COVID vaccine gets rolled out, Dr. Thea James is one of the most prominent voices reaching out to those in communities being battered medically and economically by the pandemic.

DEVRA FIRST
Boston-area restaurants are offering subscriptions to keep their kitchens busy during the pandemic
It?s like a CSA share, but for restaurants. And it?s working.

metro

Nor?easter brings snow, rain to Massachusetts
The storm is expected to bring up to a foot of snow to some inland areas in Massachusetts. Boston may see 2 to 6 inches.

These Mass. school districts have already canceled school on Tuesday or switched to remote learning

Maps: Here?s how much snow your area could see during the storm

Sports

Theo Epstein, in step toward team ownership, joins up with private equity firm
Arctos Sports Partners announced on Monday that Epstein has joined them as an Executive-in-Residence, the firm among those buying minority stakes in teams and leagues. In Arctos's case, that includes Fenway Sports Group.

super bowl notebook

Tom Brady says he is grateful to have had Bill Belichick as his coach

Tom Brady says he ?would definitely consider playing? longer than age 45

business

Online traders power up silver as GameStop retreats
Silver enthusiasts are asserting that the metal is undervalued and that heightened demand will drive up prices. Critics described the spike as a distraction and a financial trap.

Mayoral candidate Wu eyes city-owned broadband network

Economy improving faster, budget office says, adding a twist to stimulus talks

politics

Biden, Harris meet with Republicans proposing $618 billion virus aid
President Biden met late Monday with a group of Republican senators who have proposed a slimmed down $618 billion coronavirus aid package ? a fraction of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking.

Biden threatens sanctions on Myanmar after military coup

Trump names two lawyers to impeachment defense team

lifestyle

FOOD
HBO orders more episodes of ?Julia?
The drama stars Sarah Lancashire as Julia Child and hopes to explore 'the emergence of public television as a new social institution, feminism and the women?s movement, the nature of celebrity and America?s cultural growth.'

Author Ben Mezrich is turning the GameStop saga into a book, movie

Preparing for the inevitable breakup

arts

COMFORT ZONE
Michaela Watkins and Rob Corddry of ?The Unicorn? talk TV marriages, Boston humor, and beer runs
The two sitcom costars share local roots and an off-screen friendship.

TY BURR

Sundance from the sofa: First impressions from a virtual film fest
MATTHEW GILBERT

12 binge-worthy TV shows to get you through a snow day

rhode island

Lifespan taps ex-Tufts executive to lead R.I. Hospital and Hasbro Children?s Hospital
Dr. Saul N. Weingart is the former chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children?s Hospital.

RHODE MAP

Snow was Raimondo?s first big test as R.I.?s governor. Now it might be her last

INNOVATORS Q&A

Amid pandemic, new JWU dean Jason Evans is focusing on innovation in the food industry

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

Boston Globe launches ?Fresh Start? initiative: People can apply to have past coverage about them reviewed
Similar to ?right to forget? programs that have cropped up across the country, the undertaking is meant to address the lasting impact that stories about past embarrassments, mistakes, or minor crimes, forever online, can have on a person?s life.

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

Want to get kids outside this winter? Try selling them on animal tracking

Youngsters can get started with these tips from an expert.

?This work must be in an institution.? Amanda Gorman portrait gifted to Harvard

Ghanaian artist Raphael Adjetey Adjei Mayne painted the piece in just five days.
IN THE FAMILY WAY

Pandemic socializing means pods, smaller groups, and sometimes exclusion. Here?s how to help your child (and maybe even yourself)

Dealing with a pandemic is bad enough; questioning your social worth doesn?t make it any better. How to cope? We talked to three experts for ideas.

?Moved to Act? at the Multicultural Arts Center gathers images of protest

Protests of all types are the subject of a photography show in Cambridge.

19 mysteries and thrillers to lose yourself in this winter

Nothing takes the mind away from the twists and turns of reality like the twists and turns of a good mystery novel.
COMFORT ZONE

Three walks with poets through their favorite landscapes

They are worth visiting now, and worth revisiting later to watch the change of seasons.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Marcella Bombardieri

Community colleges have a big local impact ? they deserve local funding
EDITORIAL

US reengages with the world
EDITORIAL

Walsh?s departure leaves beleaguered schools still in the lurch
Valerie Roberson

Clearing the path to higher education for those in need
IDEAS | DAVID VELASQUEZ

One day, two worlds
IDEAS | DAVID H. ROSMARIN

The psychologist will see everyone now

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
The Pandemic

Helping health care workers: The Emotional PPE Project covers what masks don't

On the Cover

Music's first responder: How Yo-Yo Ma consoled a reeling nation
Perspective

Is reconciliation in a divided America possible? Look to Northern Ireland to see what could happen.

Cooking

Recipes: Italian flatbread, focaccia, and pizza dough

sports

In embracing the challenge of being a three-sport athlete, Winthrop?s Maura Dorr has emerged an undeniable triple-threat scorer

EMass girls? basketball: St. Mary?s Maiya Bergdorf headlines Players of the Week

Two guys who know him well have the highest praise for Dustin Pedroia

metro

What?s behind the dip in coronavirus cases? We ask specialists

Chicago schools reopening uncertain as union talks stall

Former Transit Police officer indicted by grand jury in assault on homeless man

Nation

Biden, Harris meet with Republicans proposing $618 billion virus aid

CDC says it is stepping up efforts to find virus variants

Exactly one year after first coronavirus case was announced, Mass. now has more than a half-million

World

Military takes control of Myanmar; Suu Kyi reported detained

Militants storm hotel in Somali capital and blasts rock area

US watchdog: Taliban attacks increased in Afghan capital

politics

As Biden plans global democracy summit, skeptics say: Heal thyself first

Ten Republican senators offer stimulus compromise, ask for Biden meeting

GOP Representative Kinzinger starts PAC to resist party?s Trump embrace

business

Democrats probe Tyson, Smithfield, OSHA over COVID outbreaks

Where virtual offices are the real deal

Rapid7 acquires an Israeli cybersecurity firm for $50m

lifestyle

JetBlue is introducing all private seats in business class for forthcoming Boston flights to London

Social media-famous Beth Israel doctor releases cover album on heart health

How TikTok made one Bostonian a ?not-so starving artist?

marijuana

Northampton drops controversial fees on marijuana companies

Marijuana trade group drops lawsuit against state after backlash

2 years after legalizing cannabis, has Canada kept its promises?

opinion

Extremism has waltzed right into the halls of government

It?s time for the GOP to take out the trash

Marty Walsh softened the picture from tough union brother to peacemaker who gets to yes

food & dining

Boston-area restaurants are offering subscriptions to keep their kitchens busy during the pandemic

Japanese sandwiches come to Central Square; Bianchi?s stages a comeback in Revere

Filling a hole in the banh mi-verse

travel

JetBlue is introducing all private seats in business class for forthcoming Boston flights to London

When travel resumes, politics is ?absolutely? likely to affect where people want to go and where they?ll feel welcome

On Chinese food around the world, a love of snacks, and the wonder of planes

Books

19 mysteries and thrillers to lose yourself in this winter

Finding oneself in ?Surviving the White Gaze?

Every book is arguably a journey, but as the pandemic grinds on, those that are explicitly about journeys hold special appeal

Movies

Sundance from the sofa: First impressions from a virtual film fest

A dozen or so great moments in screen overacting

Doc Talk: Escher aesthetics, extremist extrication, homelessness in Hungary

Television

Michaela Watkins and Rob Corddry of ?The Unicorn? talk TV marriages, Boston humor, and beer runs

12 binge-worthy TV shows to get you through a snow day

Time to get ready for Super Punday

music

Tony Bennett?s family reveals singer?s battle with Alzheimer?s disease

Online concerts replace the BSO season that might have been

Louie Phipps is about to release his debut album, with help from some first-class musicians. He?s 9.

Theater/Dance

Actor Denis O?Hare on ?King Lear,? Trump, and the one role he never wants to play again

Boston Ballet revisits Yakobson gems and previews new work for spring

We, the jury: How courtroom dramas have primed us for Trump?s impeachment trial

globe local

Maps: Here?s how much snow your area could see during the storm

High pressure will keep things dry and cold through Sunday afternoon, then snow on Monday

How this Gloucester restaurant transformed into a haven for homeless people

Obituaries

Louis W. Cabot, former president and chairman of Cabot Corp., dies at 99

Ezra Vogel, a Harvard scholar of Japan and China, dies at 90

Sekou Smith, award-winning NBA reporter and analyst, dies at 48