The Boston Globe

A student makes his way to his classroom at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park.

THE BIG IDEA | KARA MILLER

‘This is a different phase.’ It may be time for a reset on kids, school, and COVID

Some medical experts insist: Not only do we need to keep schools open, but our entire approach to kids and testing has to change.

Governor Charlie Baker (center) announced a plan to provide schools with rapid at-home COVID-19 antigen tests to staffers and students on a weekly basis while Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley looked on at a press conference on Tuesday.

State to provide schools with rapid COVID-19 at-home tests on a weekly basis, Baker says

Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday announced a plan to provide schools with rapid at-home COVID-19 antigen tests to staffers and students on a weekly basis, signaling a shift away from the state’s Test and Stay program in favor of more at-home screening.

Mayor Wu says 1,000 more city employees vaccinated as mandate went into effect

Kai Jackson, 21, gets his Moderna booster from nurse Sue Vue Jan. 5 at the Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury.

Boosters roll out unevenly, as worker shortages hamper outreach

As the Omicron surge demonstrates the urgent need for booster shots, third doses are rolling out unevenly across the state — and the uptake has been slowest in hard-hit communities.

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Fourth Pfizer dose is insufficient to ward off Omicron, Israeli trial suggests

Building an office tower in downtown Boston right now? Maybe not as crazy as it sounds.

A New York-based developer is pushing ahead with a $350 million, 22-story office tower in Downtown Crossing, albeit one that will differ from typical high-rises in a few key ways.

Gary Lee Sampson died before execution; appeals court is considering vacating his murder convictions

A federal appeals court has decided to consider whether to vacate the murder convictions of Gary Lee Sampson, who was appealing his execution when he died in prison last month.

Gary Lee Sampson is escorted into Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua on June, 1 2004.

Somerset man’s 1968 Cadillac featured in Ben Affleck movie ‘The Tender Bar’

In 'The Tender Bar', Ben Affleck’s car is Todd Arnone’s blue Cadillac. Here's the tale of how the car found its way into the film.

‘No one would drop a single tear’: Warren, Colbert talk voting rights, the filibuster, and abolishing the Senate

Senator Warren appeared on the show as the nation marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Democrats were in the midst of a push to pass voting rights bills.

In Brookline, questions abound for the future of its police department

Last week brought more upheaval, with acting chief Mark Morgan going on medical leave and a new acting chief, its fourth top cop in as many years, appointed by the Select Board.

chad finn

A few postmortem thoughts on a Patriots season that ended decisively in Buffalo

James White and Jonathan Jones were truly missed, Matthew Judon faded down the stretch, but Mac Jones exceeded expectations overall.

Dan Shaughnessy: This loss has to be extra awkward for Bill Belichick with his sons as defensive coaches

"My mind-set has allowed me to unlock this ability to work really hard and have fun doing it," says Julie Letai.

2022 winter olympics

A winning attitude propels Medfield speedskater Julie Letai to the Beijing Olympics

Letai, 21, will represent Team USA in the 3,000-meter short-track relay next month.

Helmeted players shot foam-tipped arrows at each other in a caged arena at Archery Games Boston in Chelsea.

Dodgeball, but with a bow and arrow: This Chelsea spot offers a unique way to blow off steam

As deer season closed again without a freezer full of venison, I signed us up to play something called combat archery, which Archery Games Boston’s website described as “dodgeball, but with bows and soft, foam-tipped arrows.”

Jason and Hannah Vuong, who own a Gong Cha franchise in Worcester and, soon, Boston.

Her bubble won’t burst: Worcester’s Hannah Vuong on opening Gong Cha bubble tea shop during the pandemic

She and her husband, Jason, will expand to Newbury Street this spring.

Opinion

Governor Charlie Baker’s impending departure has left Attorney General Maura Healey, a well-known and well-liked statewide figure, the strong frontrunner.

Maura Healey will soon be in the governor’s race

Meanwhile, Republicans may have a race between a Trump toady and a successful businessman.

Search for a ‘clean slate’ remains elusive

Michael Milburn and William DeJong

Bill to combat marijuana-related impaired driving should be rejected

Mourners lay flowers on the casket during burial services for Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardy at St. Michael's Catholic Parish in Hudson in 2016.

Kevin P. Hill and John F. Carmichael Jr.

Clardy Law would keep roads safe

The Mass General Brigham offices in Somerville.

After China, Mass General Brigham is hungry to grow back home

More recent stories

Larry Edelman

Mass. seeks to claw back at least $2.7 billion in jobless benefits it says were incorrectly paid

The Department of Unemployment Assistance made overpayments on about 719,000 claims in 2020-2021. It’s going after recipients even if they weren’t at fault.

Firefighters battle 2-alarm blaze at newly renovated home in Wellesley

Firefighters were called to 17 Paine St. at around 4:40 a.m. and battled heavy smoke on arrival, said Wellesley Deputy Chief Charles DiGiandomenico.

Local NAACP president running for Mass. secretary of state

Tanisha Sullivan launched her campaign for the Democratic nomination with a call to expand voting rights in Massachusetts and around the country. The longtime incumbent, William F. Galvin, hasn't said whether he's running for another term.

After a notable year, SPACS may be going bust in Boston and beyond

Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, saw a boom last year. But they’re under fire from regulators, analysts, and investors after many deals dropped in price once they started trading publicly.

Microsoft agrees to buy Activision Blizzard, the video game maker behind Call of Duty and Candy Crush

The $68.7 billion deal plants Microsoft’s flag in the emerging battle for dominance in the so-called metaverse, the next-generation internet that melds the traditional online world with virtual and augmented reality.

Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions

Ukrainian officials have warned that neighboring Russia could launch an attack from various directions, including from the territory of Belarus.

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.

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

Leighton Harris, 4, in pink, and her classmates learned about shapes in the prekindergarten class at the James Rushton Early Learning Center in Birmingham, Ala. The Alabama program is free and meets more quality benchmarks than Massachusetts' pre-K system, according to national experts.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Families in Alabama have free, full-day prekindergarten while many Mass. families can only dream of it

Thanks to Alabama’s growing investments in early education, the state’s pre-K system is among the best in the nation in quality — and it’s free for most. Programs like Alabama’s are the envy of families in Massachusetts.

In less vaccinated Western Mass., overwhelmed hospitals, but progress on vaccinations

As the highly contagious Omicron variant storms across the state, Hampden — home to Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke — remains the least vaccinated county in Massachusetts.

For new Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, it’s trial by fire

Wu has already made Boston history as the first woman, person of color, millennial, and mother elected mayor. Now, with the fate of her early initiatives, she’ll show whether she can transform the city’s future.

‘Jim Crow relic’: A short history of the filibuster

Dating to the 1800s, the filibuster has been used by lawmakers to both advance and thwart Black racial progress — but it is in the thwarting of that progress that it has been used with greatest frequency and success.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Recipes: Four ways to use ginger with fish, beef, pork, and chicken

Maurice Emmanuel Parent in "Mr. Parent" at Lyric Stage Company.

Lasting lessons in Lyric Stage’s ‘Mr. Parent’

Two lanes are available for iceless curling in the Seaport, and lessons can be booked as well.

Iceless curling is just a stone’s throw away in the Seaport

Sketch for Ed Emberley's "Drawing Book of Animals."

NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS

A poet’s inviting new collection, drawing lessons, and speaking for the silenced

Special Projects

Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, then president of Brigham Health, brought a Boston delegation in April 2018 to celebrate the opening of the Boao Evergrande International Hospital in China, constructed in a new medical tourism hub.

Spotlight team report

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.

Hanson-11/20/2021- Hingham vs Natick in the MIAA Division1 title game.
The Natick girls soccer team celebrate their Division 1 MIAA win over Hingham at Whitman - Hanson High school. Photo by Debee Tlumacki for the Boston Globe (sports)

Meet the Globe’s Fall 2021 All-Scholastics

The Globe salutes the region's best high school athletes and coaches in the seven fall sports.

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.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

product by Studio/B. What is this?This content was produced by Boston Globe Media's Studio/B in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of the Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

product by BG BRANDLAB. What is this?This content was produced by Boston Globe Media's Studio/B in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of the Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

In this March 7, 1965, file photo, state troopers swinging billy clubs to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala.

MLK’s legacy, today’s voting rights challenge

A student listens to a teacher as he calls off names for each new classroom in the 7th and 8th grade community meeting on the first day of school at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park on Aug. 30, 2021.

Roger Lowenstein

Boston Public Schools should go into receivership

Laura Coates, author of "Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness."

A former federal prosecutor interrogates the inequities of the criminal justice system

Second-grade teacher Rachelle Milord helps Schemaeja Paillant learn to tell time at Mozart Elementary School in Boston, June 15, 2021. Principal Michael Baulier says hiring and retaining great teachers of color is one of his top priorities in running the Boston Public School.

With the necessary resources, urban leaders and parents of color can lift up Boston’s schools

The Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.

In Charlestown, the seed for a new kind of school — in a city failing too many of its kids

Kareem Farah, who founded the Modern Classrooms Project, in his classroom in Washington, D.C., in 2017.

IDEAS | THOMAS ARNETT

A better way to do online learning

Metro

Gary Lee Sampson died before execution; appeals court is considering vacating his murder convictions

A federal appeals court has decided to consider whether to vacate the murder convictions of Gary Lee Sampson, who was appealing his execution when he died in prison last month.

Somerset man’s 1968 Cadillac featured in Ben Affleck movie ‘The Tender Bar’

Todd Arnone's blue 1968 Cadillac was featured in the movie "The Tender Bar" starring Ben Affleck.

Firefighters battle 2-alarm blaze at newly renovated home in Wellesley

Firefighters were called to 17 Paine St. at around 4:40 a.m. and battled heavy smoke on arrival, said Wellesley Deputy Chief Charles DiGiandomenico.

Coronavirus Live Updates

Fourth Pfizer dose is insufficient to ward off Omicron, Israeli trial suggests

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

Sports

"We’re not playing with enough effort for 40 minutes," says BU coach Joe Jones. "That’s the biggest issue we’re having."

men's college basketball notebook

The struggles of Boston University men’s basketball are truly perplexing

This is pretty much the same team that won the Patriot League two seasons ago, but they aren't playing anywhere close to that level.

"My mind-set has allowed me to unlock this ability to work really hard and have fun doing it," says Julie Letai.

2022 winter olympics

A winning attitude propels Medfield speedskater Julie Letai to the Beijing Olympics

Letai, 21, will represent Team USA in the 3,000-meter short-track relay next month.

Willie O'Ree will tune into the ceremony virtually.

64 years after breaking a barrier, Willie O’Ree to have number retired by Bruins

O'Ree became the first Black player in the NHL on Jan. 18, 1958. He'll be honored before Tuesday's Bruins-Hurricanes game. Here's how you can watch.

A few postmortem thoughts on a Patriots season that ended decisively in Buffalo

Premier Hockey Federation announces $25 million investment with aims to boost salaries and the sport

Cardinals safety Budda Baker taken off on a stretcher, evaluated for concussion following collision

Business

Building an office tower in downtown Boston right now? Maybe not as crazy as it sounds.

A New York-based developer is pushing ahead with a $350 million, 22-story office tower in Downtown Crossing, albeit one that will differ from typical high-rises in a few key ways.

INNOVATION BEAT

Portland payments company is a rare winner in 2022

Unlike most tech companies, Maine-based WEX's stock is up 12 percent in January and 25 percent since hitting bottom in late December.

THE BIG IDEA | KARA MILLER

‘This is a different phase.’ It may be time for a reset on kids, school, and COVID

Microsoft agrees to buy Activision Blizzard, the video game maker behind Call of Duty and Candy Crush

STAT

Listen to our "First Opinion" podcast

|

Listen to our "Readout LOUD" podcast

|

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 power of having a great role model, whether you’re 9 or 99

Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Recipes: Four ways to use ginger with fish, beef, pork, and chicken

It's been 50 years since the groundbreaking kids' show "Zoom" debuted on WGBH.

In 1972, the kids took over TV on the first "Zoom" to enter our homes

The roller-skating heroes who fought racism in Boston

metro

Mayor Michelle Wu was set to open the first of three new high-capacity testing sites in Boston.

Mayor Wu says 1,000 more city employees vaccinated within a week as vaccine mandate went into effect

Local NAACP president running for Mass. secretary of state

Maura Healey will soon be in the governor’s race

sports

Matthew Stafford passed for 202 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score.

Matthew Stafford wins first playoff game, propels Rams past Cardinals in playoff rout

Mike Loughnane proves unstoppable for No. 1 BC High boys in win over No. 5 Mansfield

Red Sox minor leaguer Tyler Miller embracing the grind, and the possibilities

business

Ginkgo Bioworks cofounder and CEO Jason Kelly.

After a notable year, SPACS may be going bust in Boston and beyond

Airlines warn of chaos if 5G mobile service is deployed this week

China media say foreign parcels suspected in new infections

politics

Senator Elizabeth Warren.

‘No one would drop a single tear’: Warren, Colbert talk voting rights, the filibuster, and abolishing the Senate

Sinema, Manchin slammed as Senate begins voting bill debate

After Biden’s first year, the virus and disunity rage on

Nation

Residents of a private nursing home in the Israeli central coastal city of Netanya, celebrate before receiving a fourth Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus, from a Magen David Adom National Emergency Services volunteer on January 5, 2022.

Fourth Pfizer dose is insufficient to ward off Omicron, Israeli trial suggests

Mayor Wu says 1,000 more city employees vaccinated within a week as vaccine mandate went into effect

Boosters roll out unevenly, as worker shortages hamper outreach

World

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions

Maltese legislator elected European Parliament president

China media say foreign parcels suspected in new infections

opinion

A pier in East Boston on the Chelsea Creek on Nov. 29, 2021, shows watermarks from high tide that could signal future flooding into the neighborhood.

Mass., New England seen as a kind of ground zero in climate fight

In Charlestown, the seed for a new kind of school — in a city failing too many of its kids

A former federal prosecutor interrogates the inequities of the criminal justice system

lifestyle

T Lawrence-Simon, a Somerville resident, was a contestant on the first season of the cooking show "Great Chocolate Showdown," which will premiere on The CW on Jan. 29.

In the big top and the kitchen, T Lawrence-Simon takes leaps of faith

Her bubble won’t burst: Worcester’s Hannah Vuong on opening Gong Cha bubble tea shop during the pandemic

The old college try

food & dining

T Lawrence-Simon, a Somerville resident, was a contestant on the first season of the cooking show "Great Chocolate Showdown," which will premiere on The CW on Jan. 29.

In the big top and the kitchen, T Lawrence-Simon takes leaps of faith

Her bubble won’t burst: Worcester’s Hannah Vuong on opening Gong Cha bubble tea shop during the pandemic

Recipes: Four ways to use ginger with fish, beef, pork, and chicken

travel

Church motifs, like stained glass in the gospel gallery, reveal the attention to detail at the National Museum of African American Music.

Sing some gospel, bust a move, and feel the love at Nashville’s African American music museum

Best things to do in RI this week: Jan. 14-21

Adam Pascal on TSA PreCheck, his crossword app, and ancient megalithic cultures

Arts

Rendering of “The Embrace,” the memorial monument and plaza dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King on Boston Common. The completed project, created by Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group, will be installed early next year.

‘The Embrace,’ Boston’s long-awaited tribute to the Kings, will be unveiled on MLK Day 2023

At the MFA, a sleeping giant awakens

Humanity hangs in the balance in Sally B. Moore’s ‘Teetering’

Books

A history of addiction in ‘The Urge’

‘The Hard Sell’ is a vivid tale of opioid firm showcased at Boston trial

Lisa Gardner: She reads for story, not genre

Movies

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi poses with the best screenplay award for "Drive My Car" last July at the Cannes Film Festival.

‘I think acting is an impossibly difficult thing’: Talking with Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, director of ‘Drive My Car’

Two films to observe Martin Luther King Day

Doc Talk: garden-fresh ideas; portraits from the artist; prison diary

Television

The Oscars haven't yet named a host for this year's March 27 show. Steve Martin (left) and Martin Short could handle the task with aplomb, but so could many others.

This week’s TV: ‘Ozark’ is back, ‘How I Met Your Father’ arrives, and who should host the Oscars?

SNL is back from winter break and Ariana DeBose used her Broadway talents as host

A film, and a filmmaker, transformed in ‘A Reckoning in Boston’

music

Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performed Liszt's Second Piano Concerto with the BSO led by music director Andris Nelsons on Jan.13, 2022.

Glimpsing what a new era at the BSO might bring

After some of the darkest days of Gregory Porter’s life, music lights the way

From Berlin to the BSO: Pianist Igor Levit returns to Boston

Theater/Dance

Maurice Emmanuel Parent in "Mr. Parent" at Lyric Stage Company.

Lasting lessons in Lyric Stage’s ‘Mr. Parent’

How ‘Pretty Woman’ became a head-turner

This driveway dancing duo is helping to lighten neighbors’ spirits

globe local

Dave Winn's employment discrimination case was ready and set for trial in March 2020 but Covid-19 stymied that trial date. It would take 17 months and five trial dates before the case would make it before a jury in Middlesex Superior Court.

‘It’s a systemic breakdown’: With jury trials suspended, an unprecedented backlog snowballs

Massachusetts remembers MLK, reflects on how his legacy can shape the future

Storm brings strong winds and coastal flooding — and snow to Western Mass.

Obituaries

Charles McGee was awarded an honorary rank of general in 2019.

Famed Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102

Charles Willie, an architect of Boston’s ‘controlled-choice’ school desegregation plan, dies at 94

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Malian president deposed in coup, dies at 76