The Boston Globe

Newton Superintendent David Fleishman (left) and Mayor Ruthanne Fuller handed out COVID-19 home tests to teachers Melissa Kelliher (right) and Deanna Mustachio at Newton City Hall Sunday. Fuller said they distributed more than 1,000 kits to teachers.

Schools, businesses brace for chaotic return from winter break amid Omicron spike

The pandemic’s unrelenting waves haunt working parents who don’t have anyone to look after their kids if school is closed, small businesses who depend on in-person purchases, teachers and other workers who do not have the option to do their jobs from home, and health care workers who burned out long ago.

Fauci says CDC may add a negative COVID test to its guidance for asymptomatic people

Patriots 50, Jaguars 10

Dan Shaughnessy

Mac Jones is breaking down walls every step of the way; it’s as if he was invented by Bill Belichick

Barring injury, Jones will become the first QB-not-named-Brady to start a playoff game for the Patriots since 1999.

Instant Analysis: Jaguars were just what Patriots needed, an easy win to help clinch a playoff berth Receiver Kristian Wilkerson went from the practice squad to the A team Chad Finn: Mac Jones landed in a perfect spot with Bill Belichick, but Trevor Lawrence hit rock bottom with the Jaguars

Antonio Brown wiped his face as he leaves the field after throwing his equipment into the stands while his team was on offense in the third quarter.

Antonio Brown’s bizarre walkoff — during the game — signals his end in Tampa Bay, but is anyone actually surprised?

If there are issues of mental health, here’s hoping Brown gets professional and reliable help.

Celtics 116, Magic 111 (OT)

After a soaring win over the Suns, Jaylen Brown torched the Magic with a career-high 50 in in the Celtics’ overtime triumph

Brown scored a career-high 50 points for the Celtics in a 116-111 overtime win over the Magic Sunday at TD Garden.

As Omicron surges, so, too, do fear and frustration for immunocompromised people

The pandemic has sent immunocompromised folks on an especially jagged roller-coaster ride – hope for a vaccine, soon dashed by the discovery that vaccines don’t adequately protect them; then hope for preventive treatment, dashed by the news that the treatment is in short supply.

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Schools adapt for return from break as COVID-19 cases surge; Pentagon chief says he has tested positive for COVID

6:23 a.m.
Gold slips as investors weigh Omicron fallout, await payrolls
6:05 a.m.
Saudi Arabia cases rise
5:59 a.m.
Denmark sees January to peak for Omicron

Legal and scientific experts sharply question proposed crackdown on drugged driving

A number of the Baker administration’s highest-ranking public safety officials urged lawmakers to advance the bill, but prominent experts are stepping forward to warn the plan is fundamentally flawed.

1-3 inches of snow expected on Cape and Islands on Monday, flurries in Boston

A winter storm watch was issued for the Cape and Islands on Sunday and will remain in effect through Monday evening.

Still no improved Mattapan trolleys nearly five years after $7.9m MBTA investment announced

Biden to meet with farmers as he seeks to cut meat prices

Opinion

US Capitol Police with guns drawn stand near a barricaded door as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.

The coup is still underway

Make no mistake — an aspiring dictator, egged on by his allies in Congress, failed to hold on to power this time. But those very same people haven’t given up.

Xiomara Castro (left) and Gabriel Boric.

MARCELA GARCÍA

Hopeful political signs from Central and South America

The John Adams Courthouse is home to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which recently ruled in favor of police officers who frisked a Black man under questionable circumstances.

The state’s high court backed police who frisked a Black man under questionable circumstances. Don’t take the decision too far.

Demonstrators gather for the "Justice for J6" rally in Washington, D.C., on September 18, 2021, in support of the pro-Trump rioters who ransacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Jan. 6 proved that what happens online doesn’t stay online

Amethyst Carey, center, greets friends during the Trans Resistance MA March + Vigil for Black Trans Lives in Boston on June 12.

‘What happens when the world isn’t ready for you to be who you are?’

Special Project

UNDER THE WHEEL

This is the story of Anthony Pledger and his mother, of Anthony’s lives and deaths, of Anthony and me.

Jason Mayden, president of Fear of God Athletics, shares his beautiful resistance.

A Beautiful Resistance | Jeneé Osterheldt

The Questions featuring Jason Mayden

The president of Fear of God Athletics shares his beautiful resistance.

See more from A Beautiful Resistance Follow @abeautifulresistance on Instagram

Christopher McNair, center left, and Maxine McNair, right, parents of Denise McNair, one of four African American girls who died in a church bombing in Birmingham, Ala.

Last parent of a child killed in 1963 church bombing dies

Maxine McNair, the last living parent of any of the four Black girls killed in a 1963 Alabama church bombing, died Sunday. She was 93.

Clockwise from top left: Senator Michael Barrett, Elizabeth Turnbull Henry, Samantha Montaño., and Gaurab Basu.

Massachusetts’ biggest climate wins and losses of 2021

Four climate experts weigh in on what the state accomplished this year, and what to look forward to in 2022.

Representative Liz Cheney spoke during a meeting of the House committee that is investigating the attack on the US Capitol.

Trump ‘went to war with rule of law’ in Jan. 6 riot, Cheney Says

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans on House panel that is investigating the attack on the US Capitol, described former president Trump’s “dereliction of duty” as he watched from the White House while events unfolded.

More recent stories

Man and woman face charges in connection with Saugus killing

A murder warrant was issued for Jorge Delgardo Medina in connection with the killing of 26-year-old Michael Norton, who was found dead in his home at 44 Collins Ave. by his family on Dec. 11, Saugus police said in a statement Friday. Kiara Rosario, of Chelsea, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to unarmed robbery in connection with the killing, police said.

Biden vows US to act decisively if Russia invades Ukraine

President Biden conferred on Sunday with Ukraine’s leader over the Russian troop buildup near its border with Ukraine, promising that the US and allies will act “decisively” if Russia further invades Ukraine.

Twitter permanently suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene’s account

Twitter on Sunday permanently suspended the personal account of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after the company said she had violated its COVID-19 misinformation policies.

Two 15-year-old boys from Boston arrested in Dedham carjacking, third suspect at large

Two 15-year old boys will face “multiple” charges and a third suspect is on the loose after the three were involved in an armed carjacking in Dedham on Sunday evening, according to officials.

Bruins 5, Red Wings 1

Bruins sweep away Red Wings with dominant third period

The Bruins struck three times in the final stanza to put away the Red Wings.

love letters

I have a bad habit of being silent

“This particular time was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”

THE GREAT DIVIDE ⟶

See the latest from our education team focused on race, class, and opportunity in schools.

RHODE ISLAND ⟶

See the latest from Globe Rhode Island.

NEWTON ⟶

See the Globe’s expanded Newton coverage in partnership with Boston University.

Recommended reads

From left to right, top to bottom, Massachusetts General Hospital employees Cassandra Batchelder, a respiratory therapist; Carolyn La Vita, director of respiratory therapy, Dr. Benjamin Medoff, MD in the pulmonary and critical care department; and Liz Mover, an RN on a COVID ICU floor.

‘It’s just relentless’: Exhausted hospital workers battle another COVID surge

Despite the widespread availability of vaccines, hospitalizations have approached last winter’s levels. And for many health care workers on the front lines still fighting COVID, hope has evaporated.

In NH and elsewhere, Republicans struggle to recruit A-list Senate candidates. They may not need them.

The only thing missing in a race that could tip the balance of power in the Senate Republicans' way? A top-notch Republican candidate.

What sectors of the economy will the Omicron wave overwhelm next?

Vital public services and industries are bracing for impact from an Omicron wave that is expected to significantly slow the nation’s economy over the coming weeks.

Globe Magazine

The 24 best photos of the year by Boston Globe photographers

Staff photographers share how and why they captured some of the most memorable images of 2021.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

These are some of our favorite music discoveries of the year.

Artists past and present, podcasts, rarities, and songs that hit the spot: Our favorite music discoveries of the year

Getting fresh air is one way to stay sane during quarantine.

Found yourself in quarantine? We asked public health experts for suggestions on how to spend the time

A room with a fireplace? Yes, please. The Rose Room at Castle Hill Inn, shown here, is one option.

The snuggle is real: These are the five coziest inns for a winter getaway

What will travel look like this year?

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

What experts say about planning your 2022 vacation as Omicron surges

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

James Donovan and Skyler Brooks light their candles during a candlelight vigil for transgender activist and advocate for abuse survivors Jahaira DeAlto on May 8, 2021 in Pittsfield. DeAlto, along with Fatima Yasin, were stabbed and killed, allegedly by Yasin’s husband, on May 2.

In memoriam of victims of domestic violence

IDEAS | WENDY SYFRET

Try upbeat nihilism in 2022

A station in Los Angeles was selling gas for more than $6 a gallon on Dec. 10. Many economic experts failed to predict 2021's sharp increases in the prices of gasoline and other consumer products.

Nobody knows anything

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Michael Burlingame

Refusal to abide by the results of elections threatens the stability of the US more than at any time since 1860

Governor Charlie Baker (left) and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu
Pat Greenhouse and David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

New Year’s Resolutions for the new mayor and the outgoing governor

"I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know how I’d pull it off." The author runs along a dilapidated street in Maracaibo.

IDEAS | ANTONIO MATHEUS

The lunacy of the long distance runner

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

Schools adapt for return from break as COVID-19 cases surge; Pentagon chief says he has tested positive for COVID

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

1-3 inches of snow expected on Cape and Islands on Monday, flurries in Boston

A winter storm watch was issued for the Cape and Islands on Sunday and will remain in effect through Monday evening.

Schools, businesses brace for chaotic return from winter break amid Omicron spike

The pandemic’s unrelenting waves haunt working parents who don’t have anyone to look after their kids if school is closed, small businesses who depend on in-person purchases, teachers and other workers who do not have the option to do their jobs from home, and health care workers who burned out long ago.

Mary Richardson, pioneering female anchor and ‘Chronicle’ cohost, dies at 76

With a fearless approach to reporting, Ms. Richardson cohosted "Chronicle" for more than a quarter century.

Sports

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka talks with Marcus Smart and forward Grant Williams (12) during the second half against the Orlando Magic on Sunday in Boston.

Gary Washburn | On Basketball

Celtics escape Magic with win, but inconsistencies remain troubling

The Celtics made this game so much more difficult with their carelessness and then nearly let it slip away against shorthanded Orlando.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (right), shooting a three-point shot over Orlando's Gary Harris (left), scored a career-high 50 points in Sunday's overtime win at TD Garden.

Celtics 116, Magic 111 (OT)

After a soaring win over the Suns, Jaylen Brown torched the Magic with a career-high 50 in in the Celtics’ overtime triumph

Brown scored a career-high 50 points for the Celtics in a 116-111 overtime win over the Magic Sunday at TD Garden.

Patriots safety Adrian Phillips reportedly agreed to a three-year contract extension.

Adrian Phillips shares why he wanted to stay with Patriots, plus postgame comments from players

The veteran safety reportedly agreed to a three-year extension to stay with New England.

Patriots notebook

Mac Jones sets Patriots’ record for touchdowns by a rookie quarterback

No. 10 Michigan State men’s basketball rallies to avoid upset against Northwestern

Chad Finn | Unconventional Review

Mac Jones landed in a perfect spot with Bill Belichick, but Trevor Lawrence hit rock bottom with the Jaguars

Business

Gold slips as investors weigh Omicron fallout, await payrolls

Gold nudged lower as investors assessed potential risks from the Omicron COVID-19 variant on the global recovery while awaiting key US jobs data due later in the week.

Biden to meet with farmers as he seeks to cut meat prices

President Joe Biden will meet virtually with independent farmers and ranchers to discuss initiatives to reduce food prices by increasing competition within the meat industry, part of a broader effort to show the administration is trying to combat inflation.

Weekly COVID-19 cases pass 10 million, doubling previous record

More than 2,500 US flights canceled on Sunday due to snow storms, pandemic

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

The best photos of 2021 from Boston Globe photographers.

The 24 best photos of the year by Globe photographers

2021 was so weird, that big UFO news totally went over our heads

The top 12 most popular Globe Magazine stories of 2021

Dave Barry looks back at the newsmakers of 2021.

Dave Barry’s 2021 Year in Review: A variant of 2020, so to speak

metro

John Nucci, a kidney transplant recipient with a suppressed immune system, has taken layers of protection against a possible infection.

As Omicron surges, so, too, do fear and frustration for immunocompromised people

Still no improved Mattapan trolleys nearly five years after $7.9m MBTA investment announced

Ashlynn loves music and drawing

sports

Antonio Brown wiped his face as he leaves the field after throwing his equipment into the stands while his team was on offense in the third quarter.

Antonio Brown’s bizarre walkoff — during the game — signals his end in Tampa Bay, but is anyone actually surprised?

Bruins sweep away Red Wings with dominant third period

What Bill Belichick said after the Patriots crushed the Jaguars following an ‘unusual’ week of practice

business

Displays of missiles stood at the Raytheon chalet at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, UK.

‘They have massive influence.’ How Raytheon turned a potentially hard year into a good one.

UK makes Omicron contingency plans for hospitals, schools

Trump ‘went to war with rule of law’ in Jan. 6 riot, Cheney Says

politics

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pauses while speaking during a media briefing at the Pentagon on Nov. 17, 2021, in Washington.

Pentagon chief Austin says he has tested positive for COVID

Biden vows US to act decisively if Russia invades Ukraine

Capitol rioters’ tears and remorse don’t spare them from jail

Nation

Students leave McKeesport Area Senior High School.

Schools adapt for return from break as COVID-19 cases surge; Pentagon chief says he has tested positive for COVID

Last parent of a child killed in 1963 church bombing dies

Police struggle to deter rising catalytic converter thefts

World

Passengers disembark from the cruise ship 'MSC Preziosa'', in the Port Area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Brazil health agency confirms COVID-19 cases in cruise ship

Sudan’s prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, resigns

Israel to offer 4th COVID shot to people 60 and over

opinion

Protestors showed up at Boston City Hall in force on Dec. 20 for a press conference where Mayor Michelle Wu discussed the city’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Wu is right to stay the course amid anti-vax misinformation

Policing the police finally gets underway

In memoriam of victims of domestic violence

lifestyle

A photograph from a rehearsal of "Romeo and Juliet" at UMass Boston, in which Angie Jepson served as intimacy director.

In film and theater, intimacy coordinators and directors redefine how to practice safe sets

I have a bad habit of being silent

This app is preventing food waste by connecting consumers to surplus food at local restaurants in Providence and Boston

food & dining

This app is preventing food waste by connecting consumers to surplus food at local restaurants in Providence and Boston

Despite a few bumps, Wusong Road is on the fast track to becoming a local favorite

Cafe Sushi plans a Japanese deli; Toscanini’s original location returns

travel

Jessica Brown in Greece.

TV news anchor Jessica Brown on Greece, going for the gold in London, and eating her way through Boston

What experts say about planning your 2022 vacation as Omicron surges

This Legoland deal included tickets. Where are they?

Arts

Documentary photographer Henry Horenstein has two exhibitions opening Jan. 7.

Photographer Henry Horenstein elevates the overlooked with shows in Portsmouth and Boston

In Helina Metaferia’s show at the MFA, an ‘army of women’ wear history on their heads

In SoWa Art + Design District, video gallery brings art to the sidewalk 24/7

Books

Thrity Umrigar on ‘Honor’ and dishonor

Jason Mott: reading Greek myths and comic books

A puzzling child in ‘This Boy We Made’

Movies

A photograph from a rehearsal of "Romeo and Juliet" at UMass Boston, in which Angie Jepson served as intimacy director.

In film and theater, intimacy coordinators and directors redefine how to practice safe sets

True crime; doubtful solutions

‘Green’ technology of a different sort

Television

A photograph from a rehearsal of "Romeo and Juliet" at UMass Boston, in which Angie Jepson served as intimacy director.

In film and theater, intimacy coordinators and directors redefine how to practice safe sets

‘Our national treasure’: Tributes pour in for Emmy-winning actress and cultural icon Betty White

When all the critics have their say, ‘Succession’ is No. 1

music

Top row (from left): Phil Chan, Kathleen Fay, Iman Habibi. Bottom row (from left): Lucia Lin, Keith Lockhart, Miki Sawada.

6 standouts in classical music on the changes they hope to see, and make, in the new year

Artists past and present, podcasts, rarities, and songs that hit the spot: Our favorite music discoveries of the year

Hey, what’s that sound?

Theater/Dance

A photograph from a rehearsal of "Romeo and Juliet" at UMass Boston, in which Angie Jepson served as intimacy director.

In film and theater, intimacy coordinators and directors redefine how to practice safe sets

Lord knows lyricist Tim Rice didn’t foresee ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ becoming such a huge hit

‘Teenage Dick’ closes early at the Huntington due to COVID cases

globe local

Aria Grace was born at 12:05 a.m. at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Boston’s First baby of 2022 born at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

L Street Brownies mark the start of 2022 with their annual polar plunge

Cambridge-based nonprofit focused on bridging opportunity gaps to open second location in Boston

Obituaries

Peter Mehegan and Mary Richardson in the WCVB Channel 5-TV studio in Needham.

Mary Richardson, pioneering female anchor and ‘Chronicle’ cohost, dies at 76

Former NFL head coach Dan Reeves dies at 77

To those who departed in 2021: A look back at the notable figures who died