The Boston Globe

A rendering of the two connected towers that Massachusetts General Hospital wants to build on Cambridge Street.

MGH pushes ahead with nearly $2 billion expansion

Two new buildings on Cambridge Street would have hundreds of private rooms for patients, and the project would improve a busy commuter corridor in downtown Boston while potentially serving as a key cog in the linking of the MBTA's Red and Blue lines.

Here’s a look at what MGH has planned for downtown

Iceland is now open to fully vaccinated Americans. Here’s what to expect if you go

Greece is also open, while Israel is slowly lifting restrictions.

Encouraging signs are beginning to emerge in Mass. coronavirus data

Experts say the data suggest that the state’s vaccination campaign, which has now fully protected more than 2.1 million people, is working — even as worrisome coronavirus variants spread through the state.

Rhode Island to lift business restrictions ahead of Memorial Day weekend Baker says Mass. has lowest COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in nation

1,431 confirmed cases, 17 deaths, and 94,047 vaccinations: See today’s new COVID-19 data from Mass.

The state said 31,215 people were estimated to have active cases of the potentially deadly virus, and 645 confirmed coronavirus patients were in the hospital.

UMass Amherst to require all students to be vaccinated for fall semester

After a year of WFH, many workers will soon face a new challenge: learning to be around colleagues again

Bill to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans passes Senate

The measure would expedite the review of hate crimes and provide support for local law enforcement in response to thousands of reported violent incidents in the past year.

Former Mass. commissioner of the deaf sues Baker, charging he was fired to give governor ‘political cover’

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against Governor Charlie Baker, Steven Florio charges that he was fired as the state's chief advocate for the deaf to give Baker “political cover” after controversy erupted around Florio's time in Kappa Gamma Fraternity.

In Boston’s mayoral race, BPD scandal becomes central theme

Two days after the city released 13 pages of a 105-page internal file on Patrick M. Rose Sr. covering allegations that he molested a 12-year-old child in 1995, the political fallout intensified.

Explosion in Kingston, N.H., linked to gender-reveal party, police say

The party was held in a quarry where officers discovered the source of the explosion was 80 pounds of Tannerite, an over-the-counter explosive target used for firearms practice and sold as a kit, police said in a statement.

As the gender reveal party death toll mounts, people ask ‘Why???’

Brand-new Polar Park is ready to go, but will it be a good deal for Worcester?

Development around the new Triple A ballpark will be key for the city, which ponied up 55 percent of the construction costs.

Rockland Trust inks billion-dollar deal to buy East Boston Savings Bank

The deal, announced after the markets closed on Thursday, is the latest among a scramble of regional bank mergers announced in recent months.

Pavillion level view of Fenway Park from the third base side.

Photos | Stan Grossfeld

Four games in 47 hours and three different uniforms, with infinite feel-good vibes at Fenway Park

The Globe's Stan Grossfeld captured images over three days spent roaming the home of the Red Sox.

Oscar statuettes lined up and ready to go — but to whom?

The Oscars: who should win, who will, who shouldn’t be here, who ought to be

This year’s awards, which will be broadcast live Sunday from both the Dolby Theatre and Union Station in Los Angeles, mask an industry in flux.

Workers prepared floor and table signage, hand sanitizing stations, and other measures in the dining area at Time Out Market in the Fenway last summer. The food hall is getting ready to reopen next month.

Benedetto closes, Time Out Market Boston readies for relaunch, and a 1920s cocktail lounge prepares to debut

Restaurant news you can use.

MATTHEW GILBERT

Remember when ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ used to be great?

The dystopian drama has exceeded the natural lifespan of its story, as it plows forward with nothing new to say.

Matthew Gilbert: Second time’s a charm for ‘How I Met Your Father’

Nicole Hynes, who said ‘I love you’ until the end, dies at 77

Through charitable work, Mrs. Hynes was a constant presence in arts, education, and health care circles.

Sharpton decries ‘stench of racism’ in Daunte Wright’s death

Hundreds of mourners packed into Shiloh Temple International Ministries to remember Wright, a 20-year-old father of one who was shot by a police officer on April 11 in the small city of Brooklyn Center, Minn.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy holds fast on successful forward lines

On defense, Steven Kampfer was swapped in for Jakub Zboril.

NFL Draft | Tight ends

2021 NFL Draft: The top tight end prospects to know

Boston College's Hunter Long, viewed as one of the most complete tight ends in the draft, is among the top prospects.

Pat Freiermuth, a Newburyport native, could be the second tight end taken in NFL draft

Tom Brady is not a fan of a new NFL rule

As the oldest quarterback in the NFL, it might not be a surprise that the ex-Patriot isn’t always a fan of rule changes.

Opinion

How to help friends avoid conspiracy theories

One expert sees opportunities to aid those at risk of sinking into the bog.

April 20, 2021: New Yorkers react after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts, including murder, for killing George Floyd.

IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG

We’re taking all the wrong lessons from the Chauvin verdict

A woman stands at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to the victims of mass killings by Ottoman Turks, in the Armenian capital Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 30, 2019.

Sarah Leah Whitson

Mr. President, recognize the Armenian genocide

Washington, D.C., police cadets, officers, and recruits on the front lines of demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd gather to meet with then-Police Chief Peter Newham and police leadership at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in 2020.

Who wants to be a police officer?

George W. Bush arrives at the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden in January.

The Republican establishment strikes back

Recommended reads

Globe Magazine

Top Spots to Live in Greater Boston in 2021

Even amid a pandemic, these 24 communities saw the biggest leaps in house prices north, south, and west of Boston, plus in the city itself.

JENEÉ OSTERHELDT

This isn’t justice — George Floyd is still dead

This country is many things. Just is not one of them. George Floyd should still be here, instead of being made a martyr for social change.

Can I take a pain reliever? Should I avoid alcohol? Here’s what experts say you can do right after you’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine

For those who have yet to get their injections: Is it okay to take over-the-counter medicine right after? What should you do if your arm is feeling sore? Here’s what the experts say.

It’s rare and expected, but some fully vaccinated people are catching COVID-19

Infections like Sarah Graham's are rare and entirely expected; the three vaccines cleared for emergency use provided robust protection in clinical trials, but they aren’t perfect.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

While most Boston schools remained closed, McKinley opened its doors. Yet almost no one came

The low attendance rates speak to the difficulty of compelling students who already disliked school to attend when it’s optional. Even before the pandemic, the neglected schools struggled to entice high school students to attend class.

metro

Mrs. Hynes "spoke up for what she believed in and was vocal about her opinions,” said her daughter, Vanessa.

Nicole Hynes, who said ‘I love you’ until the end, dies at 77

Through charitable work, Mrs. Hynes was a constant presence in arts, education, and health care circles.

RI EDUCATION

Two local Indigenous leaders to deliver RWU’s commencement address for the first time

Explosion in Kingston, N.H., linked to gender-reveal party, police say

Sports

Steven Kampfer (right) helping Jake DeBrusk celebrate a goal, will get a chance to start against the Sabres, replacing Jakub Zboril.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy holds fast on successful forward lines

On defense, Steven Kampfer was swapped in for Jakub Zboril.

NFL Draft | Tight ends

2021 NFL Draft: The top tight end prospects to know

nfl draft: tight ends

Pat Freiermuth, a Newburyport native, could be the second tight end taken in NFL draft

business

The Comcast "Lift Zone" program has already been rolled out in Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, and other cities.

Comcast deploys free Wi-Fi zones in Greater Boston to help after-school students

Rockland Trust inks billion-dollar deal to buy East Boston Savings Bank

Owners of Bay Windows, South End News put the papers up for sale

politics

House Speaker Nancy Pelos joined Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton, D-D.C., left, at a news conference ahead of the House vote on H.R. 51, the Washington, DC Admission Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

D.C. statehood approved by House as Senate fight looms

D.C. statehood faces a crossroads with congressional vote

House votes to restrict future travel bans, moving to undo Trump’s legacy

Living Arts

Elisabeth Moss in season four of "The Handmaid's Tale."

MATTHEW GILBERT

Remember when ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ used to be great?

BOOK REVIEW

‘Nuclear Folly’ recalls when we edged close to the brink

BOOK REVIEW

Learning from the tumultuous politics of another century in ‘The Age of Acrimony’

education

The requirement comes as part of the university’s fall reopening plan, with the school preparing “for a return to normal campus operations for the next academic year."

UMass Amherst to require all students to be vaccinated for fall semester

Free feminine hygiene products for Maine schools approved in legislative committee

THE GREAT DIVIDE

While most Boston schools remained closed, McKinley opened its doors. Yet almost no one came

rhode island

Sagamore William Guy, left, is the principal chief of the Pokanoket Nation. Lorén Spears, right, is the executive director of the Tomaquag Indigenous Museum.

Two local Indigenous leaders to deliver RWU’s commencement address for the first time

RI BUSINESS

Taxing unemployment and PPP loans would set Rhode Island apart from almost every other state

RI PNEWS

For Earth Day, Mayor Elorza asks Providence residents to take a pledge to reduce use of chemicals on lawns and gardens

Newton

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video

Comfort Zone

YA authors Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka on Harvard and high school love

The real life couple discuss their latest book, filled with hyper-competitive Ivy League longing.

After a lost summer, Jacob’s Pillow will return for a full season in 2021

The June 30-Aug. 29 season will also offer unprecedented online access to most festival programming.

COMFORT ZONE

This musical journey around the globe comes once a month in a box

Berklee grad Safiya Leslie — a singer/songwriter and entrepreneur — is giving world music fans a chance to explore the sounds of a different country each month through her Safiya’s World Music Tour Playlist subscription boxes.

COMFORT ZONE

Take a free Bluebike to your COVID-19 vaccine appointment

The complimentary trips will be available in Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Newton, Revere, Somerville, and Watertown.

COMFORT ZONE

Eight Earth Week events for the whole family

From your backyard to your favorite trail, enjoy these virtual (or socially distanced) events that make you proud to be an earthling.

Special Projects

Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

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

See the full project Follow @abeautifulresistance on Instagram

On the Street

A man repacked the food he got from a food pantry on Broadway in Chelsea. Chelsea has been one of the places in Greater Boston hardest hit by the pandemic.

In tackling the pandemic, Chelsea finds new strength

A mural on the side of the Mayor Bill Carpenter Garage in Brockton.

Brockton offers a gateway to a new generation

Evening light sets upon stores and restaurants on Hancock Street in Quincy Center.

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

PROJECT TAKEOUT | DEVRA FIRST

Get takeout. It’s your civic duty.

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

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.

Boston Globe Spotlight Report

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

Hospital chiefs and trustees defend this as boosting public-private partnerships, but critics say these board positions — some paying millions of dollars — raise troubling issues of conflict of interest and hospital priorities.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

A woman stands at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to the victims of mass killings by Ottoman Turks, in the Armenian capital Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 30, 2019.

Sarah Leah Whitson

Mr. President, recognize the Armenian genocide

Washington, D.C., police cadets, officers, and recruits on the front lines of demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd gather to meet with then-Police Chief Peter Newham and police leadership at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in 2020.

Who wants to be a police officer?

George W. Bush arrives at the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden in January.

The Republican establishment strikes back

President Joe Biden in the Treaty Room of the White House on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Biden announced his plan to bring all US forces home from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

IDEAS | STEPHEN KINZER

In Biden’s pledge to withdraw from Afghanistan, the prospect of turning an imperial tide

Air fresheners tied to a fence in front of the police station in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on April 15, hung by protesters after Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by an officer during a traffic stop. Wright's encounter with police was spurred, in part, by an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.

Kimberly Atkins

Chauvin verdict brings sense of justice, but doesn’t erase the fear

The Future of Work

STAT

Sign up for Boston, Briefly

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Listen to our "Readout LOUD" podcast

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Subscribe to STAT Plus

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

Illustration of a house, key, and outdoor activities to go with a story about how the pandemic has affected the real estate market, causing people to want more space and outdoor space in particular.

Top Spots to Live in Greater Boston in 2021

Person wearing a "Hello I am ... bored" sticker on their shirt.

Dear Grads: Don’t believe the myth that work has to be a slog

Caramelized pork with orange and sage.

Oranges shine in 4 savory recipes, including a beef stir-fry

Drawing of a young girl with a net trying to capture butterflies or something.

School Vacation

15 last-minute ideas for things to do with kids on school vacation

sports

Pavillion level view of Fenway Park from the third base side.

Four games in 47 hours and three different uniforms, with infinite feel-good vibes at Fenway Park

Red Sox’ Triston Casas, Jarren Duran to play for Team USA in Olympic qualifier

Brand-new Polar Park is ready to go, but will it be a good deal for Worcester?

metro

Air Force member Chester Fernandez administers the vaccine to Hector Monterrosa at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center COVID-19 vaccination site in Revere.

Revere wants 70 percent of city residents vaccinated by July 4

In Boston’s mayoral race, BPD scandal becomes central theme

Some areas are getting a little touch of snow

Nation

People gathered for a demonstration on Thursday in Elizabeth City, N.C., after a deputy shot to death Andrew Brown Jr., 42.

Sheriff’s deputy kills a Black man in N.C.; few details released about circumstances

Bill to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans passes Senate

Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts

World

Marriage leave was introduced in Taiwan as part of other employment benefits, such as public holidays and paid time off for illness and bereavement, when the island’s labor laws were established in 1984.

For extra days off, couple had 4 weddings and 3 divorces, officials say

Russian minister orders partial pullback from Ukraine border region

Fallen British Empire soldiers overlooked because of racism, inquiry finds

politics

President Biden spoke about COVID-19 vaccinations at the White House on Wednesday.

White House offers new tax credit to help spur COVID-19 vaccinations

Watch live: President Biden speaks about COVID-19 vaccines

Dems push $25b to electrify school buses, a Biden priority

business

Senator Elizabeth Warren is backing legislation by Senators Edward Markey and Bernie Sanders to dramatically expand the supply of housing.

Warren joins push for more housing help from DC, seeking nearly $500 billion for 3 million new homes

Here’s a look at what MGH has planned for downtown

MGH pushes ahead with nearly $2 billion expansion

lifestyle

The entrance to the Shou Sugi Ban House.

Feeling good vibrations at Shou Sugi Ban House

Iceland is now open to fully vaccinated Americans. Here’s what to expect if you go

This summer, Nantucket is getting a ‘sexy’ hotel

marijuana

Former Boston mayor Martin J. Walsh hands a pen to then-City Councilor Kim Janey after signing the new marijuana licensing ordinance she drafted at City Hall in 2019.

On 4/20, Boston’s acting mayor turns to marijuana industry for campaign cash

US House passes marijuana banking bill with bipartisan support

With marijuana legal in New York, and other states close behind, will Mass. dispensaries along state borders survive?

opinion

A woman stands at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to the victims of mass killings by Ottoman Turks, in the Armenian capital Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 30, 2019.

Mr. President, recognize the Armenian genocide

How to help friends avoid conspiracy theories

We’re taking all the wrong lessons from the Chauvin verdict

food & dining

Workers prepared floor and table signage, hand sanitizing stations, and other measures in the dining area at Time Out Market in the Fenway last summer. The food hall is getting ready to reopen next month.

Benedetto closes, Time Out Market Boston readies for relaunch, and a 1920s cocktail lounge prepares to debut

Wulf’s Fish can ship you a lavish brunch, caviar and all

Recipe: Spoon a medley of sauteed mushrooms on crunchy crostini with creamy whipped burrata

travel

Guests at the Mayflower Inn & Spa can walk the trails and take out this canoe.

A major refresh for a Conn. inn can mean a major refresh for its guests

Need some post-pandemic rejuvenation, stat? These spas have you covered

Feeling good vibrations at Shou Sugi Ban House

Books

Illustration for review of "Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis" by Sehii Plokhy. 25Nuclear; BOOKS; 4-25-21

‘Nuclear Folly’ recalls when we edged close to the brink

Learning from the tumultuous politics of another century in ‘The Age of Acrimony’

Bill Buford on reading and learning from cookbooks

Movies

Henry Markram.

Can a computer generate a simulation of the brain?

The Oscars: who should win, who will, who shouldn’t be here, who ought to be

More than a year after shutting down, the Coolidge will reopen on May 13

Television

Elisabeth Moss in season four of "The Handmaid's Tale."

Remember when ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ used to be great?

Second time’s a charm for ‘How I Met Your Father’

It took a heroic effort by Emerson professor Rae Shaw to create ‘Black Kung Fu Chick’

music

Conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops rehearse their Mother’s Day celebration, which will include a performance by Pops violinist Ala Jojatu and her 16-year-old daughter, Maria.

Boston Pops announces a virtual spring season with six concert streams

What’s new, Tom Jones? Plenty, it turns out

That faint sound you hear? It’s the eventual return of live music

Theater/Dance

The summer season at Jacob's Pillow will include a performance of “joyUS justUS" by CONTRA-TIEMPO.

After a lost summer, Jacob’s Pillow will return for a full season in 2021

Theater without theater

Huntington Theatre announces a full 2021-22 season of indoor productions

globe local

Developers will seek changes for a mixed-use residential, retail, and business project at the MBTA's Riverside station that was approved by Newton's City Council last year.

Riverside developers bring proposed life science buildings, other changes to Newton city councilors

Volunteers add flower-filled planters at restaurants throughout Newton as outdoor dining returns

Newton-based group showcases women playing jazz from around the world

Obituaries

Mrs. Hynes "spoke up for what she believed in and was vocal about her opinions,” said her daughter, Vanessa.

Nicole Hynes, who said ‘I love you’ until the end, dies at 77

Mao Ayuth, filmmaker who survived the Khmer Rouge, dies at 76

Jim Steinman, composer of hit records for Meat Loaf, dies at 73