The Boston Globe

A map shows Omicron has been detected in the vast majority of states.

These 5 charts show how fast Omicron is spreading

While much remains unknown about the variant, it’s clear that it’s incredibly transmissible, becoming the dominant strain in the country in just a few weeks since it was first identified.

Shoppers on the hunt for at-home tests find empty shelves and no stock online

A protective face mask lies on the ground amid autumn leaves in November, 2021.

It’s time to upgrade your mask, public health experts say

Quality face coverings — namely surgical and KN95 masks — are essential to keep another crushing wave of COVID-19 at bay, according to four physicians and infectious disease specialists.

Will Boston’s proof-of-vaccination order work without a verification system?

In Mayor Michelle Wu’s next move to get more Bostonians vaccinated, she’s calling on local servers, bartenders, gym owners, and concert venue staff to prohibit the unvaccinated from entering their establishments.

Mass. reports 5,531 coronavirus cases and 58 deaths

COVID-19: THE LATEST

Fauci says CDC is considering reducing the recommended COVID isolation period for fully vaccinated

Finding COVID Tests. Scheduling booster appointments. Swabbing noses. Stressed moms have yet another job: medical practice manager

In one study, mothers told researchers they were not only monitoring their children’s COVID-safe behaviors, but their husbands’ too.

Harvard professor found guilty of lying about financial ties to Chinese university

Charles Lieber showed no emotion as the jury announced its verdict after deliberating for 2 hours and 45 minutes following five days of testimony in federal court in Boston.

EMT's arrived on Atkinson Street near the intersection known as Mass. and Cass in Boston in September.

Crime reports paint a picture of violence radiating through Mass. and Cass

Mass. and Cass has been the scene of a disturbing level of violence, with six killings, more than a dozen rapes and attempted rapes, numerous assaults and stabbings, and two dozen unattended deaths in the past year.

Baker deploys National Guard to help stressed hospitals and advises residents to wear masks indoors

Democrats renewed their criticism of the governor for not instituting a mask mandate.

Biden to send millions of free COVID-19 tests, dispatch military to hospitals ‘The Commonwealth can and must do more’: Pressley urges Baker to take stronger measures to combat Omicron wave

Body found in Saugus marsh is that of missing Woburn woman, officials say

Sherell Pringle, 40, was reported missing hours after she was last seen with her boyfriend, authorities said. Her cellphone was found in a sewer drain in Lynn Monday.

Chuck Hunt and his wife Jane Swift in 2001.

Library Tag 08172001 Metro

Chuck Hunt, state’s first ‘first husband,’ dies at 67

Chuck Hunt, who made history as the state’s first “first husband” when his wife, Jane Swift, became acting governor, died Tuesday in hospice care in his Williamstown home, on land that had been in his family for more than a century.

Shaun Jenkins is seen with his attorney Lisa M. Kavanaugh, director of the Innocence Project.

Shaun Jenkins won a new trial on his murder conviction. That trial shouldn’t happen

Shaun Jenkins was released from prison last fall after serving 19 years for a murder he maintains he did not commit, the killing of his cousin, Stephen Jenkins.

A rare Steller’s sea eagle was spotted along the Taunton River. It's the first documented sighting of the species — which is native to Asia — in Massachusetts.

‘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 birders to try to catch a glimpse of the large eagle, which is thousands of miles from home.

Opinion

Meryl Streep in "Don't Look Up."

Michael E. Mann

Global destruction isn’t funny, but when it comes to the climate crisis, it might have to be

Science isn’t finished until it’s successfully communicated. ‘Don’t Look Up’ succeeds not because it’s funny and entertaining, but because it’s serious sociopolitical commentary posing as comedy.

Crowds fill Copley Square during the First Night celebration in Boston, Dec. 31, 2016.

COVID-19 is surging. Cancel First Night Boston.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has broached a gun-control initiative that borrows strategy from Texas' recent controversial abortion ban.

Laurence H. Tribe, Jonathan M. Metzl, and David Hogg

Democrats should apply Supreme Court’s abortion decision to firearms

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

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

Traveling for the holidays? Here’s a guide to restrictions and recommendations amid COVID-19

For anyone with holiday travel plans, here’s a primer on domestic and international travel guidelines, and a few recommendations from public health experts on how to keep yourself and your family members safe.

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.

Wu launches push to expand affordable housing, study rent control rules

MBTA Transit Union employees donate $2,000 worth of toys to children in need

Boston Carmen’s Local 589 donated $2,000 worth of toys to the Annual DiDomenico Foundation Toy Drive, the union said in a press release Tuesday.

Newton city councilors offer support to school principals who received racist messages

Newton’s city councilors are offering their support to two school principals who were the focus of “racist and confrontational” messages for their work helping students discuss last month’s verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case.

‘WILD,’ ‘Slutcracker’ canceled as COVID outbreak takes hold

The cancellations at American Repertory Theater and Somerville Theatre raise concerns that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus could wreak further havoc with the winter theater season in the Boston area.

sports media

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.

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

When bad becomes worse, Globe Santa is there to help

Globe Santa will deliver gifts to more than 17,000 others across Greater Boston, just as he’s done since 1956.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GLOBE SANTA

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

Recommended reads

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.

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.

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.

Shirley Leung

A new crop of tents in Newmarket Square brings safety and sanitary issues

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.

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

Meryl Streep in "Don't Look Up."

Michael E. Mann

Global destruction isn’t funny, but when it comes to the climate crisis, it might have to be

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

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

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

IDEAS | ABDALLAH FAYYAD

Editing the Constitution

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

Fauci says CDC is considering reducing the recommended COVID isolation period for fully vaccinated

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

Santa, Mrs. Claus visit Shriners Hospital for Children — from atop a Boston fire truck ladder

The little hands and faces began pressing against the glass windows on the sixth-floor burn unit at the first sound of the firetruck on Tuesday afternoon.

Framingham mayor-elect names new city finance, operating officers

Framingham Mayor-elect Charlie Sisitsky has announced appointments for the city’s chief financial and operating officers in his incoming administration.

MBTA Transit Union employees donate $2,000 worth of toys to children in need

Boston Carmen’s Local 589 donated $2,000 worth of toys to the Annual DiDomenico Foundation Toy Drive, the union said in a press release Tuesday.

Sports

Shim Suk-hee.

South Korean Olympic champion suspended over text messages

Two-time Olympic short-track champion Shim Suk-hee has been suspended for two months over her text messages that authorities say “marred the dignity of athletes,” a decision that could bar her from attending the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Patriots signed Garrett Gilbert to the practice squad after training camp.

Last week, he was on the Patriots’ practice squad. Tuesday night, he started for Washington

“I think it’s next, next, next man up,” Gilbert said Friday, hours after he was signed.

Jalen Hurts (right) scored two TDs to set the season franchise record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 10.

NFL: Eagles 27, Washington 17

Jalen Hurts has three TDs, Eagles come back to beat Washington

In his first game back from an ankle injury, Hurts scored on a pair of 1-yard QB sneaks.

TUESDAY'S BOYS' BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

No. 4 Andover boys’ basketball rises to occasion, knocks off No. 3 Central Catholic

NFL: Rams 20, Seahawks 10

Cooper Kupp’s two TD catches carry Rams past Seahawks

NBA has ‘no plans’ to pause season, commissioner Adam Silver says

Business

Custodians at Harvard agree to 15.25% pay raise

Stories you may have missed from the world of business.

Will Boston’s proof-of-vaccination order work without a verification system?

In Mayor Michelle Wu’s next move to get more Bostonians vaccinated, she’s calling on local servers, bartenders, gym owners, and concert venue staff to prohibit the unvaccinated from entering their establishments.

Lawmakers urge tech companies to ‘mitigate harm’ of suicide website

Hospitals pushed to financial ruin as nurses quit en masse

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

Harvard scientist Charles Lieber left court earlier in his trial. On Tuesday, he was found guilty.

Harvard professor found guilty of lying about financial ties to Chinese university

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

Baker deploys National Guard to help stressed hospitals and advises residents to wear masks indoors

sports

DeMarr Langford, seen shooting against Notre Dame in early December, is averaging 12.1 points per game to lead Boston College in scoring.

Wednesday’s Boston College men’s basketball game at Wake Forest canceled with Eagles in virus protocols

Bills place vaccine critic Cole Beasley on reserve/COVID-19 list; Chiefs add Tyreek Hill, others to growing coronavirus problem

COVID-19 sports updates: Bills’ Cole Beasley lands on COVID-IR ahead of Patriots game

business

Rupert Murdoch’s $200 million purchase of a 340,000-acre ranch in Montana is atop a list of the year's most expensive residential property purchases.

Super-luxury home sales surge across America

Biden vows he, Manchin will ‘get something done’ on $2 trillion bill

Norfolk DA probing signature fraud on business-backed ballot measures including Uber/Lyft referendum

politics

Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke during an event at the US Department of Justice in Washington on Dec. 15, 2021.

DOJ says inmates on home confinement can stay out of prison

Representative Scott Perry denies Jan. 6 panel’s request for interview

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

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.

Fauci says CDC is considering reducing the recommended COVID isolation period for fully vaccinated

As COVID fueled the drug crisis, Native Americans hit worst

DOJ says inmates on home confinement can stay out of prison

World

Shim Suk-hee.

South Korean Olympic champion suspended over text messages

Rights court hits Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador governments

Hong Kong’s Lam in Beijing to report on ‘patriots only’ poll

opinion

Emma Hayes, the coach of Chelsea, looks on during a UEFA Women's Champions League match in England. Research indicates that female coaches in that league tend to take more risks.

Social Studies: Partisan mistrust; taking chances in soccer; the legacy of malaria in America

Another harm from guns: lead exposure

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

lifestyle

Salt + Shimmer Artistry serving boards crafted with designs made with resin that evoke a ripple of waves washing ashore.

Serving boards with touches of shimmer and the sea

Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce that’s as healthy as it is delicious

Cheese spreads for the season . . . and beyond

food & dining

Salt + Shimmer Artistry serving boards crafted with designs made with resin that evoke a ripple of waves washing ashore.

Serving boards with touches of shimmer and the sea

Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce that’s as healthy as it is delicious

Cheese spreads for the season . . . and beyond

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?

Our stealth reviews of Boston’s new and newly-renovated hotels finds some hits — and a miss

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

Nicole Kidman (left) and Samara Weaving in a scene from Hulu's "Nine Perfect Strangers."

‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ was imperfect but entertaining

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

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.

‘WILD,’ ‘Slutcracker’ canceled as COVID outbreak takes hold

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

An awe-inspiring ‘Nutcracker’ offers surprise after surprise

globe local

Framingham Mayor-elect Charlie Sisitsky.

Framingham mayor-elect names new city finance, operating officers

Harvard professor found guilty of lying about financial ties to Chinese university

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

Obituaries

Chuck Hunt and his wife Jane Swift in 2001.

Library Tag 08172001 Metro

Chuck Hunt, state’s first ‘first husband,’ dies at 67

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

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