The Boston Globe

Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, giving Joe Biden the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency, AP sources say

Breyer, 83, has been a pragmatic force on a court that has grown increasingly conservative in recent years, trying to forge majorities with more moderate justices right and left of center.

David Mugar, philanthropist who added fireworks to Boston’s July Fourth celebration, dies at 82

As chairman and CEO of Mugar Enterprises Inc., Mr. Mugar oversaw a sprawling, privately held empire comprising real estate holdings, retail businesses, performance venues, and other investment- and arts-oriented enterprises.

Backlash grows after Tufts announces closure of children’s hospital

The decision to close Tufts Children’s Hospital has triggered a backlash from doctors, nurses, and families mourning the impending loss of a beloved institution and worried that some sick children could lose access to critical care.

Boston’s rental market has reached an all-time high

Rents here have bounced back since early in the pandemic, rebounding faster than West Coast cities that have typically been even pricier.

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

Over 10 billion COVID vaccine doses administered across globe; Beijing sees uptick in COVID cases ahead of Olympics

12:31 p.m.
Virus count tops 70,000 new cases in Japan
11:31 a.m.
German soccer coaches banned for using fake vaccine passes

Roslindale, MA--1/12/2022-- Beth Nolan (C) argued with anti-vaccine protesters who had shown up to protest the vaccine mandate outside of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s home. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)

Jeneé Osterheldt

Democracy is in danger and so are the people fighting for it, because white comfort leads to American violence

From Michelle Wu to Rachael Rollins, women of color in politics have always had to deal with debate and dissent. But it shouldn’t mean death threats and violence.

Dave Epstein | Forecast

Here’s the latest on a possible Southern New England snowstorm this weekend

While this weekend's major winter storm will likely bring plenty of snow, it's not going to be an unprecedented weather event.

Chad Finn

After giving so much to Red Sox fans, no one deserves the Hall call more than David Ortiz

From breaking the curse in 2004, to his cathartic and profane speech after the Boston Marathon bombings, Big Papi always rose to the occasion.

Alex Speier: With David Ortiz in, who will be the next to sport a Red Sox hat on his Hall of Fame plaque? Read more about Ortiz’s election to the Hall of Fame

Joggers ran by the empty State Capital in Concord, N.H. on Jan. 17, 2021.

‘This is crazy’: New Hampshire separatists call for state to secede from union

A long-shot proposal by a group of separatists to make New Hampshire its own independent nation was likely killed in committee at the end of last week, following a packed public hearing that consisted of approximately three hours of testimony.

Rosemary Jemo posed for a photo at the Health & Wellness Center at Hazleton in Hazleton, Pa.

There’s a new frontier in detecting cancer: blood tests

Often called liquid biopsies, the gene-based tests from several US startups hone in on worrisome biomarkers that can signal cancer.

An image from EndeavorRx, a video game released by Boston-based Akili Interactive.

Boston startup with video game treatment for ADHD plans to go public

Akili Interactive, maker of an FDA-approved game for 8-to-12-year-olds, is merging with a special purpose acquisition company.

Opinion

Baker deserves credit for running an administration rooted in civility and bipartisan compromise. But neither Democrats nor voters, generally, held him accountable for a series of sometimes catastrophic bureaucratic failures.

Teflon Charlie Baker rides off into the sunset

He’s tall, white, and male. Does that explain how nothing sticks? Or is something else at work?

Scaring cats, forgetting words and authors: A bout of ‘mild’ COVID-19 strikes Globe columnist

ABDALLAH FAYYAD

A key hire shows Wu really meant her campaign promises

Ron DeSantis — white supremacy’s helicopter parent

There’s a phrase for senators like Kyrsten Sinema

Takeout from Blue Mango.

Project Takeout

3 places we supported this week

Want to order from local, independent restaurants? Here are some suggestions from Globe staff.

Browse a map of reader-recommended takeout spots Explore the full project

More recent stories

You get a tax break. And you get a tax break: Baker to detail proposals to ease burden on several groups.

Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican in his final year as chief executive, is pitching the tax breaks at a time of flush state revenues.

Tractor trailer crashes on Interstate 495 in Andover, spilling gravel and snarling traffic

The statement said the “ramp from I-93 southbound to I-495 southbound may need to be closed temporarily” once cleanup operations start.

It’s skating season on lakes, ponds. Here’s how to stay safe.

The New England tradition comes with risks.

Endangered turtle rescued in Brewster now recovering from surgery

A critically endangered turtle is now in recovery following surgery on Dec. 8, 2021, that removed a balloon ribbon from its intestine.

Biden taps Jane Young for US attorney post in New Hampshire

In a statement, the White House said President Biden has nominated Jane E. Young, a longtime state prosecutor in New Hampshire, to serve as the Granite State’s top federal prosecutor, while Vanessa R. Avery has been selected for the Connecticut post.

DEVRA FIRST

A new generation of chefs is embracing — and updating — the classic American Chinese restaurant

Is American Chinese food true to the rich regional cuisines of China itself? No. It has evolved into a delicious cuisine in its own right, in the same way that, say, American Italian food has.

Recommended reads

Will Good maneuvered his wheelchair down a South Boston street while going to get lunch with his partner, Vita Brown. Good was paralyzed when he was a passenger in an Uber that crashed.

Uber passenger paralyzed in crash sues company for $63 million

Will Good’s lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court, demands a jury trial and seeks $63 million in damages, including severe physical, mental, and emotional injuries, extraordinary pain and suffering, and permanent disability.

TOM FARRAGHER

A Berkshire forest blossoms into a new kind of graveyard

Florida, Mass., is home to a new-fangled cemetery on stunning, tree-studded land.

The rise of rapid tests has made diagnosis easier. But it could make Omicron data ‘dodgy in the extreme.’

Even with thousands of COVID-19 infections being officially reported every day in Massachusetts, that data likely underestimates the prevalence of the virus, as countless positive tests go unreported.

Shirley Leung & Larry Edelman

Charlie Baker won’t call it a clawback. But the state still wants unemployment money returned.

After incorrectly issuing billions in jobless benefits during the pandemic, the state is telling people they need to repay the money.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Get your groove on in DJ simulator Fuser, where you can mix tunes from Boston natives like Donna Summer (shown in 2009) and Bell Biv DeVoe.

Warm up, game on, and rock out: 10 video games featuring Boston-bred bands and artists

Persian Eggs With Spiced Beef and Tomatoes

COOKING | MAGAZINE

Recipes: 4 international egg dishes great for breakfast or dinner

Artist Agnieszka Pilat with Spot and one of her paintings of the Boston Dynamics robot.

How the Boston Dynamics robot Spot became one artist’s muse — then, her assistant

Thrity Umrigar (”Honor”) is in conversation with Ellen Barry at 7 p.m. Thursday at Belmont Books.

Author readings around Boston Jan. 23-29

Special Projects

Into the Red illustration.

Into the Red: How the Globe will cover climate change

To report on the most pressing issue of our time, the Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage.

Under the wheel

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

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

Anti-Trump protestors drive through Guilford, Maine.

IDEAS | BARBARA WALLRAFF

May I have a word: Another way to say ‘trump’

A door riddled with bullet holes in an abandoned home in Michoacan state, Mexico.

IDEAS | STEPHEN KINZER

The looming challenge of Mexico

Participants in the Pass the Work and Family Mobility Act Rally hold signs on the steps of the Massachusetts State House on July 29, 2020.

MARCELA GARCÍA

A simple card that drives conservatives crazy

Volunteers prepare ballots and voting materials at Pittsfield City Hall on Oct. 9, 2020.

Massachusetts Democrats support democracy, right? Right?

Firefighters protest Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's vaccine mandate at Florian Hall on Jan. 21.

Labor’s power play against Wu’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate

The Muddy River as it emerges beneath Perkins Street from its source in Jamaica Pond.

IDEAS | MILES HOWARD

Set the underground rivers free

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

Study finds shorter hospital stays during Omicron wave, but infections and death toll mount

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

Jeneé Osterheldt

Democracy is in danger and so are the people fighting for it, because white comfort leads to American violence

From Michelle Wu to Rachael Rollins, women of color in politics have always had to deal with debate and dissent. But it shouldn’t mean death threats and violence.

Caffeine-fueled road rage?

A wanted man accidentally calls 911 and gets arrested, a driver gets coffee thrown on his vehicle, and other add tales from local police blotters.

Local animal shelter calls for foster volunteers in memory of Betty White

Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton has created an initiative in honor of the late actor Betty White to encourage people to join their community of foster volunteers.

Sports

Terry Francona and Jon Lester both did great things in Boston — but enough to get them in the Hall of Fame?

With David Ortiz in, who will be the next to sport a Red Sox hat on his Hall of Fame plaque?

Roger Clemens still has a shot in committee. Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia will merit consideration. Or it could be a manager (Terry Francona).

See more Olympics coverage

See more Olympics coverage

Sign up for the Globe’s Olympics newsletter

Each day during the Beijing Games, we'll send a daily digest featuring New England athletes, event schedules, and analysis you can't find anywhere else.

German soccer coaches banned for using fake vaccine passes

After giving so much to Red Sox fans, no one deserves the Hall call more than David Ortiz

Celtics 128, Kings 75

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown nearly outscore Kings on their own as Celtics cruise

Business

Boston’s rental market has reached an all-time high

Rents here have bounced back since early in the pandemic, rebounding faster than West Coast cities that have typically been even pricier.

Boston startup with video game treatment for ADHD plans to go public

Akili Interactive, maker of an FDA-approved game for 8-to-12-year-olds, is merging with a special purpose acquisition company.

Over 10 billion COVID vaccine doses administered across globe

US stocks climb as investors wait on Fed decision

STAT

Listen to our "First Opinion" podcast

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Listen to our "Readout LOUD" podcast

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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 30 best comfort foods you’ll find at Boston area restaurants

For small restaurants, Guy Fieri and ‘Triple D’ are ‘the gift that keeps on giving’

Learn about January’s wolf moon on a 30-minute naturalist-guided Lunar New Year Wild Walk.

YOUR WEEK AHEAD

Five things to do in and around Boston, Jan. 24-30

Before it was redesigned, this primary bedroom in a historic Mission Hill brownstone had too much brown furniture and too little ambiance.

Home design: Turning a bland Mission Hill bedroom into a refuge

metro

Historian Gary Hylander speaks on the post-Civil War Reconstruction period at Walpole Public Library on Wednesday, Feb. 2 2022.

Retired professor still loves talking history

This February vacation, explore the outdoors with Trustees of Reservations

Biden taps Jane Young for US attorney post in New Hampshire

sports

Beverly's Ryder Frost goes up for a breakaway dunk as Peabody's Anthony Forte can only watch.

Beverly boys’ basketball finds second wind, shuts down Peabody to remain perfect

Antonio Brown rips Bruce Arians, says Buccaneers offered him $200,000 to ‘go to the crazy house’

With an all-around effort, Yirsy Queliz points St. Mary’s girls’ basketball to victory over Bishop Feehan

business

Rosemary Jemo posed for a photo at the Health & Wellness Center at Hazleton in Hazleton, Pa.

There’s a new frontier in detecting cancer: blood tests

Sweden extends COVID curbs to February to tackle rampant spread

Denmark seeks to loosen restrictions as hospitalizations decline with Omicron

politics

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, giving Joe Biden the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency, AP sources say

‘This is crazy’: New Hampshire separatists call for state to secede from union

US approves major arms sale to Egypt despite rights concerns

Nation

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, giving Joe Biden the first Supreme Court pick of his presidency, AP sources say

Study finds shorter hospital stays during Omicron wave, but infections and death toll mount

Coast Guard searches vast sea for 39 people lost off Florida

World

A nurse displayed a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old at a vaccination center in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022.

Over 10 billion COVID vaccine doses administered across globe

Sweden extends COVID curbs to February to tackle rampant spread

Denmark seeks to loosen restrictions as hospitalizations decline with Omicron

opinion

Anti-Trump protestors drive through Guilford, Maine.

May I have a word: Another way to say ‘trump’

The looming challenge of Mexico

Labor’s power play against Wu’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate

lifestyle

Takeout from Blue Mango.

3 places we supported this week

A new generation of chefs is embracing — and updating — the classic American Chinese restaurant

We divorced decades ago. Now we’re getting back together — slowly.

food & dining

Takeout from Blue Mango.

3 places we supported this week

A new generation of chefs is embracing — and updating — the classic American Chinese restaurant

Get Tasting Counter’s preserves, sauces, and vinegars to use at home

travel

Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard.

‘We’re off to a very robust start’: On opening day, thousands book Martha’s Vineyard ferry reservations for summer 2022

This Vermont town was named among the best places to travel in February

Help! My Expedia tour credit is about to expire

Arts

Richard Avedon, "Audrey Hepburn and Art Buchwald, with Simone D'Aillencourt, Frederick Eberstadt, Barbara Mullen, and Dr. Reginald Kernan, evening dresses by Balmain, Dior, and Patou, Maxim's, Paris, August 1959."

Judy Glickman Lauder gifts 600-plus photographs to Portland Museum of Art

How the Boston Dynamics robot Spot became one artist’s muse — then, her assistant

10 museum must-sees

Books

New novel ‘Devil House’ looks at our true crime obsessions

Jabari Asim: an ‘eclectic, voracious’ reader

Science, fiction, and fantasy blend in ‘A Snake Falls to Earth’

Movies

Clifton Collins Jr. in "Jockey."

The burden of being human in ‘Jockey’

21 film performances from 2021 worthy of an Oscar nomination

Tom Cruise’s next ‘Mission: Impossible’ films are delayed over COVID

Television

Sofia Black-D'Elia, left, as Sam, and Lily Mae Harrington as Felicia in "Single Drunk Female."

A path to sobriety worth following in ‘Single Drunk Female’

Amy Schneider beats Matt Amodio’s streak on ‘Jeopardy!’

This season, viewers who complain ‘SNL’ isn’t what it used to be might have a point

music

Kofi Boakye, 22, is preparing for his second shot at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night.

An enterprising Berklee pianist’s next gig: Live at the Apollo

Bad Bunny to play Fenway Park Aug. 18

Conductor Elim Chan, pianist Igor Levit offer familiar comforts and new delights at the BSO

Theater/Dance

Director Awoye Timpo (left) leads a rehearsal of the Huntington Theatre Company's "The Bluest Eye" at the Calderwood Pavilion, with actors Hadar Busia-Singleton (center) and Alexandria King.

In ‘The Bluest Eye’ at the Huntington, the challenge of capturing Toni Morrison’s unerring vision

Dramas, musicals, and a trio of blue men: 10 shows for theatergoers this winter

See dancers from all over New England during a weekend of Boston performances

globe local

Caffeine-fueled road rage?

Local animal shelter calls for foster volunteers in memory of Betty White

Retired professor still loves talking history

Obituaries

Mr. Mugar transformed the Fourth of July celebration on the Esplanade into a nationally viewed spectacle that included fireworks.

David Mugar, philanthropist who added fireworks to Boston’s July Fourth celebration, dies at 82

Steve Schapiro, a witness, with camera, to seminal moments and people in the American tapestry, dies

Bill Owens, first Black state senator in Massachusetts, dies at 84