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Small signs of trouble preceded Russian smuggling arrest in tight-knit N.H. town

“Talk of the neighborhood?” said Shannon Dunican, who lives next door to the home raided weeks ago by federal agents. “It’s the talk of the town.”
An alleged Russian smuggling ring found in N.H. town

Forecast | Dave Epstein
Snow and rain on the way to New England via major national storm
The large storm system swirling around the center of the country is affecting millions of people across the United States and at the end of the week, Southern New England will eventually come into the mix.

Baker withdraws controversial pardon requests in Fells Acres child abuse case

Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday he is withdrawing his pardon requests for Gerald Amirault and his sister, who were convicted nearly 40 years ago in the notorious Fells Acres child sexual abuse case, citing an apparent lack of support on the state panel that must approve them.

Fed raises key interest rate by half-point and signals more to come

The Fed made clear Wednesday, in a statement and a news conference by Chair Jerome Powell, that it thinks sharply higher rates are still needed to fully tame the worst inflation bout to strike the economy in four decades.

Tom Brady pushed crypto to his fans. This lawyer wants him to pay up.

Céline Gounder, wife of soccer journalist Grant Wahl, pens heartfelt post about ‘kind, generous’ husband

Long COVID has played role in more than 3,500 deaths in US, CDC says

Berklee College of Music student from China arrested on federal stalking charge

Buildings reopen on Tufts campus following report of bomb threat
Odie Henderson Review | ★★1/2

With ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ James Cameron opens a Pandora’s box of sequels

Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña reprise their roles in this underwater spectacle, also starring Kate Winslet and Sigourney Weaver.
A Q&A with director James Cameron

‘In a shocking turn of events,’ AI program writes stories about Boston that are eerily good

In what feels like an instant, ChatGPT will answer the questions or spit out renditions of human-produced content, like legal analysis that some lawyers have said rivals that of actual practitioners.
Innovation economy

In both Silicon Valley and Boston, concerns about layoffs, relocation, and cost of living

"There’s obviously two big poles in the country," said Sean Randolph, who oversees the Bay Area Economic Institute.

Holiday gift-giving

Recipe: Pack the French cheese spread Fromage Fort into little jars to give as gifts

A dozen gift-worthy books for the holidays

Handmade holiday cards are gifts in themselves; some tips

These are some of the best made-in-New England gifts
Opinion
JOAN VENNOCHI

Charlie Baker’s process on the Amirault pardons ‘stinks’

What was he thinking?
EDITORIAL

The Fells Acres saga continues
Rachel Heller and Christopher Norris

How to ensure affordable housing in Massachusetts
H.D.S. Greenway

The UK may be losing its Marbles
Merit McIntyre and Jim Stergios

How to avoid the Massachusetts estate tax? Try not to die.
The Emancipator

Justice Dictionary 2022

To tackle pressing social problems, we first need the language to describe them. Here are concepts and takeaways amplified this year by contributors to The Emancipator.
Mass. coronavirus at a glance
High Med. Low
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Select a county:
COVID 19 community level from CDC:
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Case Rate per 100,000 population:
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New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000:
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Cases and deaths
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Total cases:
Total deaths:
Other resources:
NOTE: Data updated once per week. SOURCES: CDC, Mass. Dept. of Public Health

Special reports

Darkness on the edge of the Patriots dynasty

The 2022 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

Two Weeks in America

More recent News

‘We’re not out of the woods’: Opioid-related deaths declined this year, but just slightly

An estimated 1,696 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred from January through September.

Drought in Northeast, Cape Cod regions of Mass. worsen; state officials encourage residents to save water

On Monday, Mass. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card declared the drought statuses of the Northeast and Cape Cod regions in the state to be a “Significant Drought,” after November’s previous declaration of a “Mild Drought."

‘Reasonable, measured’: Judge clears way for R.I. law banning large-capacity gun magazines to take effect

In denying a restraining order sought by gun owners, Chief US District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr. said they had not proven the state’s new ban on large-capacity magazines is unconstitutional. The law is set to take effect Dec. 18.
sports media

WEEI will not renew contract of host Mike Mutnansky

The move is part of a lineup shakeup at the station that will include reassigning Christian Fauria and Rich Keefe, and moving on from Lou Merloni.

Mayor Wu reappoints two school committee members

The terms for the pair were due to expire next month.
MISS CONDUCT

How do I keep half-hearted holiday gifts from hurting my feelings?

It makes me feel like I’m not an important member of the group when I get gifts at the holiday that seem like an afterthought.
Globe Santa

There is still good in the world
Survivors of domestic violence find their voices in writing to Globe Santa

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

Recommended reads

COVID-19 cases are rising in the US, prompting New York City, Los Angeles to encourage masking

New England has — so far — been spared the CDC’s “high” community level designation.

Veterans reach out about their needs, one town at a time
Vets Town Hall, an annual forum created by the author Sebastian Junger, allows veterans to tell their communities whatever is on their minds. Now, Junger and Representative Seth Moulton are pushing to take the concept nationwide.

Scientific journal investigating UMass hydrogen study after revelations of gas industry influence
The study, by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, endorsed the use of so-called green hydrogen for heating buildings in Massachusetts and recommended the state consider adopting hydrogen as a clean fuel.

What does one serve to royalty? This Hyde Park-baked coffee cake.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu served coffee cake from My Grandma’s of New England when she hosted the Prince William and Kate at City Hall last month, Wu said Tuesday during a monthly appearance on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.”

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Southborough native turns discarded Dunkin’ cups into ‘trash art’

‘When Harry Met Sally,’ ‘Iron Man’ added to film registry

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is James Cameron’s ‘waking dream of the ocean’

A cherished tradition is renewed in ‘Black Nativity’

Special Projects

A celebrated surgeon, a trail of secrets and death

Dr. Yvon Baribeau set a record for malpractice settlements, and many colleagues tried desperately to stop him. But hospital executives let him go on and on.
Globe Magazine

Top Spots to Live in Greater Boston in 2022

A guide to 36 Greater Boston communities where demand — and prices — are surging.
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.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Rachel Heller and Christopher Norris

How to ensure affordable housing in Massachusetts
H.D.S. Greenway

The UK may be losing its Marbles
Merit McIntyre and Jim Stergios

How to avoid the Massachusetts estate tax? Try not to die.
EDITORIAL

Taking aim at gun sales: enforcement matters
RENÉE GRAHAM

Racism and the ‘very much not a racist’ royal family
IDEAS | CATESBY HOLMES

To curb greenhouse emissions by 2030, make traffic jams a thing of the past

Metro

Flu and RSV arrived earlier and hit harder this year. Could COVID be to blame?

Scientists are evaluating why the RSV season came so early this year and brought with it so much severity of disease, flooding pediatric hospitals and wards and straining capacity. The answers may change how hospitals prepare for viral seasons in the future, but also might give an early clue of how COVID might have changed our resilience to a broader set of viruses.

A special place in the heart

Parents of children with special needs, need Globe Santa

Small signs of trouble preceded Russian smuggling arrest in tight-knit N.H. town

“Talk of the neighborhood?” said Shannon Dunican, who lives next door to the home raided weeks ago by federal agents. “It’s the talk of the town.”

The most stylish people of 2022? Ayanna Pressley made the NYT’s list. So did ... Ben Affleck.

This year's list is a cheeky compendium of head-turning cultural figures, TV characters, and one invasive insect (the Spotted lanternfly).

Sports

PATRIOTS

The Patriots could be hosting a game in Germany next season

The NFL is attempting to hold two games in Germany next year, since there won’t be a game in Mexico City.
nfl notebook

Fresh off out-dueling Tom Brady, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is questionable for Thursday Night vs. Seattle

Purdy is not in danger of making the rib and oblique injury worse by playing. While dealing with some pain, Purdy said it wasn’t “excruciating.”
GIRLS' BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK

Girls’ basketball notebook: Medfield’s Kate Olenik embraces her starring role, added pressure of being her team’s No. 1 option

The 5-foot-7-inch senior guard, who is headed for Colby College, has firmly established herself as one of the state’s most versatile and explosive players.
World Cup Notebook

Worker dies after fall at World Cup stadium in Qatar
NFL

Zach Wilson, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, elevated to No. 2 on the Jets’ quarterback depth chart

Revere fans remain proud after Morocco’s historic World Cup run comes to an end after loss to France

Business

Federal Reserve sees rates rising higher than its previous forecast

Central bank officials boosted their benchmark rate by a half point on Wednesday after four-straight increases of three-quarters of a point.

Manchin spurs US reversal on carbon capture funding in win for Big Oil

The Biden administration has reversed course on a carbon capture funding program to allow oil production following an intervention by senators including Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, handing a win to the fossil fuel industry.
TALKING POINTS

Plan would convert NYC office space into residences

Biotech based in Boston and Vancouver raises $75 million for cancer radiotherapies

magazine
Top Places to Work

Half of workers tie a company's climate action to job satisfaction
Top Places to Work

A secret great leaders know: Employee trust matters more than anything

Top Places to Work

10 Boston-area employees share what they love about their jobs
Top Places to Work

The 2022 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

metro

Buildings reopen on Tufts campus following report of bomb threat

‘Reasonable, measured’: Judge clears way for R.I. law banning large-capacity gun magazines to take effect

Drought in Northeast, Cape Cod regions of Mass. worsen; state officials encourage residents to save water

sports

The World Cup final is set: France is looking for back-to-back titles, but it will have to get past Lionel Messi and Argentina

Argentina and France have advanced to the World Cup Final. This is how we got here.

Hilary Witt knows scoring is down in women’s college hockey, and her UNH squad is focused on improving in that department

business

US ‘Battery Belt’ widens with $3.5 billion Redwood materials plant

Fed raises key interest rate by half-point and signals more to come

Twitter suspends account that tracked owner Elon Musk’s jet

politics

Federal Reserve sees rates rising higher than its previous forecast

The most stylish people of 2022? Ayanna Pressley made the NYT’s list. So did ... Ben Affleck.

Despite Trump’s lobbying, McCarthy’s speaker bid remains imperiled on the right

Nation

Long COVID can be deadly, CDC study finds

Long COVID has played role in more than 3,500 deaths in US, CDC says

Police officer testifies that he witnessed attack on Paul Pelosi

World

Russian strikes thwarted, wreckage hits buildings in Ukrainian capital, authorities say

Violence spreads through Peru in days after president’s ouster

In Libya, mystery shrouds handover of Lockerbie suspect to US

opinion

Justice Dictionary 2022

How to avoid the Massachusetts estate tax? Try not to die.

Racism and the ‘very much not a racist’ royal family

lifestyle

The most stylish people of 2022? Ayanna Pressley made the NYT’s list. So did ... Ben Affleck.

Podcast: Heart & Solo

Zac Brown Band to play at Fenway’s summer concert series

food & dining

Cape Cod restaurant gets shoutout from ‘Glass Onion’ director after film ‘messed up’ Google results

The year’s best cookbooks showcase culture, connection — and even convenience

What does one serve to royalty? This Hyde Park-baked coffee cake.

travel

Raising the curtain on the new Museum of Broadway in Times Square

These are some of the best made-in-New England gifts

Meet the Gloucester native who shattered the cruise industry’s glass ceiling

Arts

In ‘Winter Solstice’ at the Griffin, it’s most everything under the sun

Museum of Science launches ‘Mission: Mars’ on Roblox

Art museums didn’t go back to ‘normal’ in 2022 — and that’s a good thing

Books

The year’s best cookbooks showcase culture, connection — and even convenience

Jessica Grose’s ‘Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood’ is a history of women’s power and a call to arms for a wide audience

In ‘How to Stand Up to a Dictator,’ Maria Ressa lays bare the threat to democracy from tech and social media in a bracing autobiography

Movies

The most stylish people of 2022? Ayanna Pressley made the NYT’s list. So did ... Ben Affleck.

With ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ James Cameron opens a Pandora’s box of sequels

‘When Harry Met Sally,’ ‘Iron Man’ added to film registry

Television

The most stylish people of 2022? Ayanna Pressley made the NYT’s list. So did ... Ben Affleck.

Royal family under the microscope in ‘The Crown,’ ‘Harry & Meghan’

Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, ‘Ellen’ show’s dancing DJ, has died

music

Zac Brown Band to play at Fenway’s summer concert series

At Jingle Ball, the hits just keep on coming

At Jordan Hall, a rising generation of musicians on display

Theater/Dance

In ‘Torch Song,’ a lovelorn drag queen, his heartbreaks, and his Ma

A cherished tradition is renewed in ‘Black Nativity’

A family bends but doesn’t break in Front Porch’s ‘Chicken & Biscuits’

globe local

Newton school officials advocate for proposed override

Mayor: Newton’s Park and Recreation Commission to discuss proposed Gath Pool project Dec. 19

Newton Highlands Green Line station project set to start next spring

Obituaries

Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, ‘Ellen’ show’s dancing DJ, has died

Stuart Margolin, Emmy winner actor for ‘The Rockford Files,’ dies at 82

Curt Simmons, last of the Phillies’ Whiz Kids, dies at 93