The Boston Globe

Governor Charlie Baker.

Baker announces indoor mask advisory for Mass., activates National Guard to help hospitals with COVID-19 surge

Governor Charlie Baker’s administration announced Tuesday that residents are now advised to wear masks in indoor public spaces, the National Guard is being activated to help hospitals, and that hospitals must put off elective procedures that will result in admissions, as Massachusetts continues to grapple with a COVID-19 surge fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

‘The Commonwealth can and must do more’: Pressley urges Baker to take stronger measures to combat Omicron wave

Biden to send millions of free COVID-19 tests, dispatch military to hospitals as experts worry about the time already lost

President Biden will announce several new initiatives in the fight against the fast-spreading Omicron variant today, but some public health experts say the administration already has made numerous missteps in managing the pandemic.

Omicron becomes dominant variant in Mass., already ‘straining the system’

‘Overwhelmingly it’s been relief.’ Wu says business groups, residents back proof-of-vaccination policy in Boston

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said residents have voiced support for her newly announced requirement that restaurant, gym, and theater patrons show proof of vaccination.

‘It made my job a lot easier.’ Boston businesses react to Wu’s proof-of-vaccine program

COVID-19: THE LATEST

FDA expected to authorize Pfizer and Merck COVID pills this week

Police search for missing Woburn woman; cellphone found in sewer

Police are searching for a Woburn woman who has been missing since Saturday and whose cellphone was found in a sewer drain in Lynn Monday, authorities said.

We’re all feeling fine. We really are. Except we’re not.

Despite false optimism on social media, novelist Chris Bohjalian writes, many of us continue to struggle as the pandemic barrels toward its two-year anniversary. But being open with yourself and others can help.

Shirley Leung

With tents sprouting in Newmarket Square, food businesses face a flood of filth

The encampments began to appear as the city cracked down on tents near Mass and Cass. Now, employees and customers no longer feel safe in the area.

‘We’ve never had one here’: A rare Steller’s sea eagle, native to Asia, has been hanging out around the Taunton River

The baffling arrival of the eagle marked a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the birding community, as crowds of people flocked to the river’s edge for a chance to witness the unexpected visitor.

Dédé Wilson's recipe for Toll House chocolate-chip cookies.

Time for a delicious reminder that the chocolate chip cookie originated in Massachusetts

The recipe printed on all those iconic bags of Nestlé Toll House Morsels originated in Whitman — about 20 miles south of Boston. The year was 1930.

Devra First | What She's Having: Comfort food for the not-so-common cold

NESN will no longer be carried on DISH TV.

DISH TV drops NESN from programming roster after failed negotiations

"We have offered multiple solutions to keep NESN on DISH TV while providing the best value to all our customers,” the company said in a blunt statement.

Bill Belichick's Patriots threw the ball just three times and ran it 46 on their way to defeating the Bills, 14-10, Dec. 6 in Buffalo.

Bill Belichick had a plan in the first meeting against the Bills, and he’s sure to have another for Sunday’s showdown

For Super Bowl XXV against Buffalo, Belichick authored a defensive game plan so revolutionary and daring it ended up in the Hall of Fame.

Opinion

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu holds a press conference in City Hal to discuss the city’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on Dec. 21.

City’s vaccine mandate a path back to normal

If it takes the incentive of a movie or a burger and a beer for the unvaccinated to comply, then bring it on.

IDEAS | JOE BLAIR

All I want for Christmas, under a sunset sky

Laura Levis died outside CHA Somerville Hospital in 2016.

For Laura’s Law to succeed, DPH must heed our advice

Norieliz De Jesus, Kelly García, Melinda Vega Maldonado, and Tanairi García

MARCELA GARCÍA

A new generation of Latinas takes political power in Chelsea

Marine One, with President Joe Biden aboard, departs the White House in Washington, on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021.

Besides Manchin, who killed Build Back Better? Biden and the Democrats

Choreographer Ebony Williams has created moves for Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Alicia Keys, "In The Heights," and more.

A Beautiful Resistance | Jeneé Osterheldt

Finding freedom in the rhythm of dance

Black choreographers and dancers use movement to move us forward. They use dance to tell stories, evoke memories, and unite us.

Follow @abeautifulresistance on Instagram Explore more from A Beautiful Resistance

More recent stories

Boston-area home sales speed up ahead of expected rate hikes

Transactions set a record for November, with the median price rising to $750,000.

Compared with climate inaction, Build Back Better is downright cheap

Sen. Joe Manchin’s said he wouldn't support President Biden’s signature climate bill, citing cost as a reason. But failing to address climate change will be far more expensive than the legislation would be.

Unruly US passengers may lose TSA PreCheck privileges

Airline passengers who misbehave on US flights could lose their streamlined airport screening privileges from the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program under a new effort to curb a surge of incidents this year.

INNOVATION BEAT

Can this app help solve COVID burnout?

Waltham-based ConnectRN, which helps nurses pick up shifts and commiserate with other health care workers through its app, feels it can give nurses control of their lives again.

Sign up for the Innovation Beat newsletter

Chris Noth is dropped from ‘The Equalizer’ amid sexual assault allegations

Actor Chris Noth, 67, facing allegations that he sexually assaulted two women, has been dropped from “The Equalizer” and will no longer film any new episodes of the television series, Universal Television and CBS said in a joint statement Monday.

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★★1/2

Denzel Washington is magnificent in Joel Coen’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’

Joel Coen's striking and distinctive version of Shakespeare’s Scottish play opens in theaters Christmas Day and starts streaming on Apple TV+ Jan. 14.

Movie review: ‘Being the Ricardos’ brings love, marriage, and feminine mystique to the big screen

Best of the holidays

People under the holiday lights on Boston Common.

9 places around Boston where you can get into the holiday spirit (for free)

Every holiday season comes with a gamut of things to do and gifts to buy, and it can take a toll on the old wallet. That got us thinking about some activities in and around the city where you can revel in the holiday spirit for free.

Boston is dressed in its wintery best. Here’s where to see Christmas trees, menorahs, and other decorations 20 family-friendly events to put you in the holiday spirit

Globe Santa

In a year when many died, Globe Santa can ease the pain at holiday time

Many people asking Globe Santa for help have experienced a recent death in the family that makes coping in these challenging times even more of a challenge.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GLOBE SANTA

Read the latest stories Make a donation. Make a difference.

Recommended reads

On Sept. 26, an ascending escalator full of people at Back Bay Station hurtled downward for around 10 seconds, throwing people to the ground and causing at least a dozen to pile on top of each other at the bottom, a video of the incident obtained by the Globe through a public records request shows.

This video shows people tumbling down a malfunctioning MBTA escalator. It wasn’t the first time that happened.

After the September incident at Back Bay Station, a Globe review of court documents and news archives found three nearly identical incidents since the mid-1990s, and a fourth alleged in a lawsuit, in which ascending MBTA escalators have suddenly stopped and accelerated backward, injuring dozens of people.

KEVIN CULLEN

A family left in the dark for 45 years

Vincent Palmieri disappeared in 1972. It took 45 years before police finally notified his family, a family that continues to be left in the dark on the circumstances surrounding his murder.

Where (and how) to get a COVID-19 test in Mass.

With COVID-19 cases surging and holiday travel in full swing, it seems as if everyone is on the hunt for COVID tests. Here’s how to get one.

TOM FARRAGHER

Santa Claus (fully vaccinated) is coming to town

When this guy walks into the room, wide-eyed little kids shout, ‘That’s really Santa!’

video

Culture & Lifestyle

"The Virgin and Child with a Flower on a grassy Bench."

A drawing sold for $30 at a Concord estate sale. It is believed to be an original Dürer worth $50 million

Nicole Kidman, as Lucille Ball, and Javier Bardem, as Desi Arnaz, in "Being the Ricardos."

MOVIE REVIEW | ★★★

‘Being the Ricardos’ brings love, marriage, and feminine mystique to the big screen

Quiche With Mushrooms, Bacon, and Gruyère

Cooking | Magazine

Recipes: A make-ahead New Year’s brunch menu featuring quiche

Echo Kirke-Sofer dances the role of Clarice in one of the show's two casts this year.

Tony Williams’s ‘Urban Nutcracker’ is still fresh, still fun

Special Projects

An older lobsterman passed by Tanner Lazaro as he hauled up his traps in his boat, Used N Abused, on Aug. 24. During the summer Tanner hauled his own traps on whatever days his mentor Frankie Thompson or another lobsterman didn't need his help.

The lobster trap

The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine. A way of life is on the line, but lobstermen can't, or won't, imagine another.

The 2021 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

Is your employer among the 150 companies to make the list?

Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

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

‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Norieliz De Jesus, Kelly García, Melinda Vega Maldonado, and Tanairi García

MARCELA GARCÍA

A new generation of Latinas takes political power in Chelsea

Fabienne Eliacin

Make the Charlestown Innovation and Inclusive High School proposal the proving ground for students

‘I came as close as one can to dying in childbirth’

Co-hosts Jill Shah and Ross Wilson at a recent taping of the "Last Night at School Committee" podcast.

MARCELA GARCÍA

Dissecting Boston School Committee meetings, one podcast episode at a time

A man sits at a tent on Atkinson Street off Massachusetts Avenue, on Nov. 17.

A home for the holidays

IDEAS | ABDALLAH FAYYAD

Editing the Constitution

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

FDA expected to authorize Pfizer and Merck COVID pills this week

The latest news and guidance on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in New England and beyond.

‘Overwhelmingly it’s been relief.’ Wu says business groups, residents back proof-of-vaccination policy in Boston

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said residents have voiced support for her newly announced requirement that restaurant, gym, and theater patrons show proof of vaccination.

‘The Commonwealth can and must do more’: Pressley urges Baker to take stronger measures to combat Omicron wave

In a letter to Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley urged the state to take “immediate action to mitigate the ongoing spread of the coronavirus,” as Massachusetts has reached the grim milestone of more than 1 million cases and nearly 20,000 deaths, disproportionately impacting disenfranchised families and communities of color.

FDA expected to authorize Pfizer and Merck COVID pills this week

The US Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize a pair of pills from Pfizer and Merck to treat COVID-19 as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter -- a milestone in the fight against the pandemic that will soon expand therapies for the ill.

Sports

Kendrick Bourne landed on the COVID list on Monday.

COVID-19 sports updates: BC, Providence, Holy Cross men’s basketball games off

We’ll be tracking the latest news, including postponements, positive tests, and other adjustments.

Bill Belichick's Patriots threw the ball just three times and ran it 46 on their way to defeating the Bills, 14-10, Dec. 6 in Buffalo.

Bill Belichick had a plan in the first meeting against the Bills, and he’s sure to have another for Sunday’s showdown

For Super Bowl XXV against Buffalo, Belichick authored a defensive game plan so revolutionary and daring it ended up in the Hall of Fame.

NESN will no longer be carried on DISH TV.

DISH TV drops NESN from programming roster after failed negotiations

"We have offered multiple solutions to keep NESN on DISH TV while providing the best value to all our customers,” the company said in a blunt statement.

Bruins’ Brandon Carlo lands on COVID list, Jakub Zboril out for season with torn ACL

College football

At LSU, Mass. native Brian Kelly has reached the top of college football. The journey started as a softball coach at Assumption

NFL | Vikings 17, Bears 9

Penalties, mistakes hurt Bears in 17-9 loss to Vikings

Business

Boston-area home sales speed up ahead of expected rate hikes

Transactions set a record for November, with the median price rising to $750,000.

Unruly US passengers may lose TSA PreCheck privileges

Airline passengers who misbehave on US flights could lose their streamlined airport screening privileges from the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program under a new effort to curb a surge of incidents this year.

INNOVATION BEAT

Can this app help solve COVID burnout?

Biden to send 500 million free COVID-19 tests, dispatch military to overwhelmed hospitals

STAT

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Subscribe to STAT Plus

‘Health equity tourists’: How white scholars are colonizing research on health disparities

A STAT investigation shows that researchers with little or no background or training in health equity research are rushing in to scoop up grants and publish papers.

Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms

STAT spoke with infectious disease experts and others about what to expect from Covid-19 as the seasons change.

DISTANCED: Pandemic stories of Black life in the rural South

Photographer Bethany Mollenkof spent six months documenting the impact of Covid-19 on residents of rural Black communities in the South.

Groundbreaking arm amputation surgery makes a ‘phantom’ hand seem real

The procedure aims to restore proprioception, the ability to sense where our limbs are in space and how fast and forcefully they’re moving.

magazine

Immunlologist Kizzmekia Corbett and Boston's new mayor, Michelle Wu, on the cover of the Globe Magazine's 2021 Bostonians of the Year issue.

Meet this year's Bostonians of the Year

Devin McCourty and Ruben DaSilva.

Devin McCourty and Tito SantosSilva on ending gang violence now

I'm heading to QAnon country for Christmas. How do I stay cool?

Salted Peanut and Caramel Tart.

3 holiday tarts made with dough that doesn't need to be rolled

metro

Governor Charlie Baker.

Baker announces indoor mask advisory for Mass., activates National Guard to help hospitals with COVID-19 surge

R.I Dept. of Environmental Management wants more details about developing Lighthouse Inn property

Watch live: Mayor Wu to make a housing announcement

sports

Marcus Smart drew a late technical foul in what turned into another head-scratching loss for the Celtics.

The Celtics can beat a quality team for 44 minutes. But the final four minutes are the big issue

With 10 teams paused due to COVID-19 outbreaks, NHL to shut down from Wednesday through Saturday

NHL is first US sport to halt schedule amid coronavirus surge, with stoppage starting Wednesday

business

Tom O’Brien helped a customer purchase a large stuffed giraffe while working at Magic Beans, a toy store based in Cambridge. As the pandemic continues on, there has been a high demand for toys this holiday season and retailers have been doing their best to keep up.

This holiday season, demand for toys is ‘unbelievable’

Photos: The 5 most expensive homes that sold in Rhode Island in 2021

China imposes sanctions on US officials over Xinjiang

politics

Health workers distribute free rapid at-home Covid-19 test kits at a vaccine clinic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S, on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021.

Biden to send 500 million free COVID-19 tests, dispatch military to overwhelmed hospitals

Biden to send millions of free COVID-19 tests, dispatch military to hospitals as experts worry about the time already lost

US population growth at lowest rate in pandemic’s first year

Nation

French border police check the Covid health passes of travelers on the Thalys arrivals platform at Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France, on Monday, Dec. 20. 2021.

FDA expected to authorize Pfizer and Merck COVID pills this week

‘Overwhelmingly it’s been relief.’ Wu says business groups, residents back proof-of-vaccination policy in Boston

FDA expected to authorize Pfizer and Merck COVID pills this week

World

French border police check the Covid health passes of travelers on the Thalys arrivals platform at Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France, on Monday, Dec. 20. 2021.

French police uncover 182,000 fake covid health passes

UN: Over 160 migrants drown in shipwrecks off Libya

China imposes sanctions on US officials over Xinjiang

opinion

A man sits at a tent on Atkinson Street off Massachusetts Avenue, on Nov. 17.

A home for the holidays

Let’s not let LA’s halted effort stop us from pursuing free fares in Boston

Blowing up the Boston Planning & Development Agency

lifestyle

Duck Breasts a l’Orange.

Recipe: Duck Breasts a l’Orange, with the flavors of the classic, are impressive but easier

Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Tart will be a showstopper at any holiday gathering

Recipe: Pommes Dauphinoise should be so creamy and delicious that you swoon

food & dining

Duck Breasts a l’Orange.

Recipe: Duck Breasts a l’Orange, with the flavors of the classic, are impressive but easier

Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Tart will be a showstopper at any holiday gathering

Recipe: Pommes Dauphinoise should be so creamy and delicious that you swoon

travel

People pause to look at Norwegian Cruise Line's ship, Norwegian Breakaway, on the Hudson River, in New York, on May 8, 2013.

On cruise ships, Omicron puts safety protocols to the test

Uber charged me for a ride I never took. Can I get a refund?

The New England Carousel Museum was the ride I needed it to be

Arts

A nighttime view of the "Ledelle Moe: When" at Mass MoCA.

7 museum moments that stick

At Mass MoCA, ceramic art proves its power

Jorge R. Pombo’s ‘Variations on Sargent’s Daughters’ is a dark and dizzying portrait of the times

Books

Louise Penny's "The Madness of Crowds"

Escapist reads for long winter nights

Barack Obama shares his favorite books of 2021

Reconsidering opera in ‘The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera’

Movies

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in "The Matrix Resurrections."

‘The Matrix Resurrections’: Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss return for a fourth franchise go-around

Denzel Washington is magnificent in Joel Coen’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’

Before there was a ‘Kingsman,’ there was ‘The King’s Man’

Television

Sam Waterston in 2014.

Sam Waterston to reprise his role as Jack McCoy in revival of ‘Law & Order’

Netflix’s ‘Maid’ shines a light on struggles of low-wage workers

16 titles to stream if you’re stuck inside on Saturday

music

Composer Yaz Lancaster, whose piece "our streets" received its world premiere from A Far Cry on Saturday.

A Far Cry makes space for complex grief with ‘Flames to Ashes’

On Christmas Eve, Eric Jackson plans a cool Yule while Oedipus unwraps some radio rarities

Billy Conway, celebrated Boston drummer of Treat Her Right and Morphine, dies at 65

Theater/Dance

YDE (left) and Idina Menzel in "WILD: A Musical Becoming." The musical had been scheduled to run until Jan. 2, but a COVID outbreak among cast and crew forced American Repertory Theater to cancel its remaining shows.

COVID cases force the ART to cancel its remaining performances of ‘WILD’

Tony Williams’s ‘Urban Nutcracker’ is still fresh, still fun

An awe-inspiring ‘Nutcracker’ offers surprise after surprise

globe local

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

Departing Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s farewell address switched to online

Santa delivers gifts at Boston police stations during Shop with a Cop events

Teen’s cancer survival story wins $50k grant for Sweet Paws Rescue of Groveland

Obituaries

Shirley McBay was the first Black dean for student affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Shirley McBay, who created a template for addressing racial inequities in education, dies at 86

Dr. bell hooks, groundbreaking feminist thinker, dies at 69

Juliet Relis Bernstein, activist who set up a GoFundMe so she could die in her home, passes away at 108