The Boston Globe

The week that changed everything

One year ago, in a matter of days, the coronavirus went from a medical matter we eyed warily to a full-blown pandemic. Here's a look back. ( Anush Elbakyan/Globe Staff )

The week that changed our world

It was the week that changed everything. One year ago, in a matter of days, the coronavirus went from a medical matter we eyed warily to a full-blown pandemic that shut our workplaces, closed our schools, and forced us apart. Here’s a look back at the first, chaotic week that transformed Boston.

On one year anniversary of WHO declaration on health crisis, CDC boss says ‘pandemic will end’

All 40,000 new Mass. vaccine appointments filled in hours; educators, staff added to pool Thursday

Officials made available made about 40,000 new appointments available at the state’s seven mass vaccination sites on Thursday, the same day Massachusetts teachers and other educators became eligible to be vaccinated, and all the new slots were gone in a matter of hours.

CVS adds 34 more COVID-19 vaccine sites in Mass. and 4 more in R.I.

Forecast | Dave Epstein

Near-record warmth is on the way, followed by another chilly, windy weekend

Spring is often a two-steps-forward-one-step-back affair, and temperatures in Greater Boston will take a big stride Thursday and Friday, creeping into the upper 60s, before receding for a few more cold, blustery days.

Massachusetts COVID-19 vaccine rollout ‘squanders’ millions of dollars, local leaders say

More than half of the state’s local public health leaders are sending letters of protest alleging Massachusetts has wasted millions in federal money as part of the state’s application for new emergency planning aid from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These businesses violated Massachusetts COVID-19 rules. Then the state gave them $1.4 million

Maskless lap dances, over-capacity weddings, crowded bars — these are some of the COVID violations at businesses that also got big grants from the state.

Baker faces growing pressure on COVID-19 vaccine priorities, strategy

State officials have been buffeted by fast-changing developments and squeezed from all sides — forcing them to continually reshape vaccine distribution priorities and strategies.

What to know about the state’s preregistration system See COVID-19 vaccine news, resources, and guidance

This year’s Southie St. Patrick’s Day breakfast — an annual political pageant — will be virtual

South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, a decades-old local political tradition known for gratuitous glad-handing and bad jokes from Massachusetts lawmakers, will be conducted virtually this year.

Here’s where you can find the best slices in New England, according to all those ‘best pizza’ lists

In honor of National Pi Day, here’s a look at some of the best pizza around.

How have you found peace in the pandemic?

In a time of isolation, many turned outward to hiking, fishing, and longer walks. Have you found solace during the pandemic?

Am I letting people down when I decline socially distant get togethers?

I want to support loved ones, but I’m Zoomed out and need space.

After a year of COVID delays, the Langham Boston will return in grand style this summer

Goodbye, heavy drapes and striped wallpaper. Hello, light-filled restaurants and a fresh new "residential" look.

Duke pulls out of ACC tournament after positive COVID test, putting 24-year NCAA streak in jeopardy

The Blue Devils have made 24 straight NCAA Tournaments, but might not have done enough to earn an at-large bid this season.

Prince William defends UK royal family against racism claims

Prince William Thursday defended Britain’s royal family against accusations of racism made by his brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan, saying the royals are “very much not a racist family.”

Opinion

IDEAS | ANDY ROSEN

The next pandemic challenge: Reacquainting ourselves with everyday risks

Some people are ready to loosen up and socialize again, while others are unnerved by the thought. Can each group accept that the other is having a normal reaction?

Jim Stergios and Christopher Anderson

A wealth tax, a SCOTUS case, and a likely Mass. exodus

Raise the curtain, light the lights — and keep ’em lit

Boston’s in a strange place these days — limbo

Sharon E. Burke

Biden’s America first policy

For artist Monika Bravo, commission for East Boston police station was ‘fate’

The artist will hold three public workshops this week, inviting feedback from Bostonians on her new work.

Globe Magazine

Quilters are weaving personal histories of the Black experience: ‘We’re a people with a lot of stories to tell’

The Sisters in Stitches Joined By The Cloth and other guilds imbue history, culture, and social justice into their art.

Judge OKs adding third-degree murder charge for Derek Chauvin in George Floyd death

A judge on Thursday granted prosecutors’ request to add a third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death.

New Netflix series next month to look at 1990 Gardner art heist

It is the world’s most infamous art theft, an unsolved mystery that over the past three decades has inspired articles, newscasts, books, documentaries, podcasts, even art projects.

They met at Fenway in 1967, got engaged there in 1971, and returned to the ballpark to get the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021

Fenway Park has always been a special place for Donna and Thomas Wall.

Teen dead, another hurt in East Boston crash

A teenager was killed and another was injured after a car slammed into a telephone police in East Boston Wednesday night, police said.

State trooper suspended without pay after service weapon stolen in Rhode Island

A Massachusetts State Police trooper whose service weapon was stolen in Rhode Island has been suspended without pay over the matter since September, and disciplinary proceedings remain pending, his agency confirmed Thursday.

Where’s the beef? Runaway steer still roaming Rhode Island

More than a month after escaping while being unloaded at a slaughterhouse, a 1,600-pound steer is somehow still on the loose.

Recommended reads

HIAWATHA BRAY | TECH LAB

Been vaccinated? You may have to prove it

While such vaccination passports could help businesses quickly and safely reopen and jump-start tourism and travel worldwide, a proliferation of them could itself become a problem.

One year later: The last photos you took on your phone before COVID changed everything

This week, a Globe reporter asked people on Twitter to share the last photograph they had taken in the days before the state of emergency — the parting snapshots of a life that has long felt out of reach.

Analysis

The senator who is breaking the Internet (and liberal hearts) has a wild backstory

As many Americans noticed, on Friday as the Senate voted on whether raise the federal minimum wage, one senator decided to make a little spectacle out of her vote.

metro

This year’s Southie St. Patrick’s Day breakfast — an annual political pageant — will be virtual

South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, a decades-old local political tradition known for gratuitous glad-handing and bad jokes from Massachusetts lawmakers, will be conducted virtually this year.

RHODE MAP

Here’s how much each R.I. city and town is getting from the federal stimulus package

Daily service to resume on 12 long-distance Amtrak routes

Sports

NBA fines Meyers Leonard $50,000 and suspends him one week for anti-Semitic slur

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the sanctions Thursday, two days after the video of Leonard using the slur began circulating on social media.

The Eastern Mass. ‘Fall II’ high school football season starts Friday. Here’s a league-by-league preview

Rangers at Bruins | 7 p.m. (NESN)

Bruins looking for more offense with Rangers in town

business

US jobless claims fall to 712,000 as pace of layoffs eases

Though the job market has been slowly strengthening, many businesses remain under pressure, and 9.6 million jobs remain lost to the pandemic that flattened the economy 12 months ago.

Pfizer CEO projects hope on pandemic anniversary, but cautions ‘we are not out of the woods’

As online gaming booms, Roblox wins big with its initial public listing

politics

Cuomo impeachment talk grows in New York Legislature

A vocal group of mostly progressive Democrats has called for Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign or be impeached amid twin scandals over his treatment of women and COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Representative Jared Golden of Maine is lone Democrat to vote down COVID-19 bill

Senate confirms Merrick Garland as attorney general

lifestyle

FAMILY

Irish, officially

Citizenship through Foreign Births Registration is open to those with at least one grandparent born in Ireland. Here’s how I used my pandemic downtime to honor my roots.

TRAVEL

After a year of COVID delays, the Langham Boston will return in grand style this summer

ART

For artist Monika Bravo, commission for East Boston police station was ‘fate’

arts

GALLERIES

Painter Rosie Ranauro is alive to the body’s grief and joy

Her art revolves around the experience of her body, with concurrent shows at LaMontagne Gallery and Brookline Arts Center.

New Netflix series next month to look at 1990 Gardner art heist

THEATER

ART’s ‘The Conjurors’ Club’ brings magic and illusion into your home, ‘secret package’ and all

rhode island

RHODE MAP

Here’s how much each R.I. city and town is getting from the federal stimulus package

Rhode Island is expected to receive $1.78 billion from the American Rescue Plan.

CORONAVIRUS

Lifespan to vaccinate immunosuppressed R.I. residents age 16 and older

RI EDUCATION

Federal court dismisses R.I. students’ claims seeking tuition refunds from four universities

Newton

Special Projects

PROJECT TAKEOUT | DEVRA FIRST

Project takeout: Get takeout. Save restaurants you love.

Ordering dinner will help small local businesses survive the pandemic. But that’s just the start.

See the full project

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

See more from our business series ‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

More

Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

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

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.

Globe Spotlight Investigation

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.

Comfort Zone

Are you doing too much? Let the Dutch introduce you to the art of ‘niksen’

Nothing is good. These books about "niksen" – the art of doing nothing – help you get there.

A JP resident and her punk rock aerobics star in Green Day’s new music video

The band's "Here Comes the Shock" is set to Hilken Mancini's homemade video of moves like the "Iggy punch" and "whack jacks."

Aoife O’Donovan can’t wait for ‘the sweat of performance’

The singer/songwriter will appear Friday with Chris Thile in a Celebrity Series of Boston streaming concert.

In Gloucester, a place to remember lost lives and ‘a year from hell’

The Cape Ann Museum COVID-19 Memorial opens Wednesday with an online ceremony. The public can visit in person through Sunday.

‘Against all odds,’ Peabody Essex show leads to discovery of second Jacob Lawrence painting

The piece was hanging all these years in a nurse's apartment on the Upper West Side.

Passim’s Matt Smith brings his love of local music to the airwaves

The new host of WMVY's "Local Music Café" is excited to showcase New England artists.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Jim Stergios and Christopher Anderson

A wealth tax, a SCOTUS case, and a likely Mass. exodus

Biden, like Trump, embraces the ‘Buy American’ folly

Why Americans should hope Britain ditches its monarchy

Marcela García

A proxy culture war in Newton

Police reform: The long, hard slog ahead

IDEAS | JONATHAN BERK

Streets that put people first, not cars

STAT

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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

Chaplains and the rise of on-demand spiritual support

Eight great places for bird-watching in New England

‘A shortcut to mindfulness’: Finding a way back to the great outdoors

A plant lover's guide to 16 gorgeous gardens and arboretums

sports

Duke pulls out of ACC tournament after positive COVID test, putting 24-year NCAA streak in jeopardy

Fall II football: 10 storylines to watch as the season opens Friday

Two Patriots players among professional athletes threatened by sports gambler, per officials

metro

Lifespan to vaccinate immunosuppressed R.I. residents age 16 and older

Cape Ann Museum holds online opening for COVID-19 memorial

Colleges are planning for a more normal fall

Nation

What to know about the state’s new preregistration system for COVID-19 vaccine appointments

Denmark pauses AstraZeneca vaccine jabs to probe blood clots

Judge OKs adding third-degree murder charge for Derek Chauvin in George Floyd death

World

Prince William defends UK royal family against racism claims

Mexico set to legalize marijuana, becoming world’s largest market

Russia says it is slowing access to Twitter

politics

House passes $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill in win for Biden and Democrats

Fauci says COVID-19 restrictions could be lifted before US reaches herd immunity

Senate confirms Marcia Fudge as housing secretary

business

Facebook asks court to dismiss antitrust lawsuits

GE’s $30b aircraft-leasing deal enables company to focus on industrial businesses

Aveo finally wins FDA approval for its kidney cancer drug

lifestyle

Crowds gather in South End to watch George Clooney film ‘The Tender Bar’

Photos: George Clooney film ‘The Tender Bar’ takes over the South End

These new (and newly remodeled) Boston hotels offer a safe escape from the same four walls

marijuana

A guide to the Rhode Island Senate’s plan to legalize cannabis

Buying legal marijuana is more convenient than ever. Good luck finding somewhere to legally use it

Mass. marijuana has to be ultra-sterile. Just one problem: It’s a plant

opinion

Biden’s America first policy

The next pandemic challenge: Reacquainting ourselves with everyday risks

Elephant poachers become the animals’ protectors

food & dining

Here’s where you can find the best slices in New England, according to all those ‘best pizza’ lists

They’re back: Boston-area restaurants are reopening

Your pet — as a sculpture made from kitchen utensils

travel

After a year of COVID delays, the Langham Boston will return in grand style this summer

These new (and newly remodeled) Boston hotels offer a safe escape from the same four walls

Take a DIY cider tour of Vermont

Books

How ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ saved me

‘Phantom Tollbooth’ author Norton Juster dies at 91

How Dr. Seuss became the second highest-paid dead celebrity

Movies

New Netflix series next month to look at 1990 Gardner art heist

‘The Father’: Anthony Hopkins confronts the dying of the light

When Black Power meets the French New Wave in (where else) Philadelphia

Television

Standout originals give Apple TV+ its strength

Celebrating the epic and influential ‘Game of Thrones’

‘Generation’ is the newest show for today’s teens

music

Esther Nelson announces her finale as Boston Lyric Opera director

Aoife O’Donovan can’t wait for ‘the sweat of performance’

Lake Street Dive’s grown-up pop waxes and wanes on ‘Obviously’

Theater/Dance

ART’s ‘The Conjurors’ Club’ brings magic and illusion into your home, ‘secret package’ and all

Nonprofit will operate and program planned 300-seat theater in Kendall Square

Boston Ballet celebrates Jorma Elo in a rich program of new work and past highlights

globe local

Newton to decide two City Council races in Tuesday special election

Record-breaking warmth possible in the upcoming week

A lost year, chronicled through art

Obituaries

Allan McDonald dies at 83; Tried to stop the Challenger launch

Carl J. Shapiro, expansive philanthropist who supported hospitals and universities, dies at 108

Roger Mudd, longtime network TV newsman, dies at 93