The Boston Globe

Bostonian of the Year | Globe magazine

The enduring promise of Bill Russell

He was a legend who was centered and steadfast in his mission to make us better.

FILE - Bill Russell grins at announcement that he had been named coach of the Boston Celtics basketball team, April 18, 1966. The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. His family said on social media that Russell died on Sunday, July 31, 2022. Russell anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 titles in 13 years. (AP Photo, File)

‘To me, he was always just Daddy’: Karen Kenyatta Russell on her father’s lessons
It was easy to listen to him, because he practiced what he preached. He never forgot how even the simplest gestures can have the most indelible impacts.

Bill Russell: The best there ever was, on the court and off

Bostonian of the Year

Feeling the brunt of staggering racism, Bill Russell always stood tall

Bostonian of the Year

Bill Russell’s legacy of lonely courage in the fight against hate

Bostonian of the Year

‘He was a great teammate — outstanding teammate’: Hall of Famer Satch Sanders on Bill Russell

Bostonian of the year: Honorable mentions

Martha's Vineyard mobilizers

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Kate Dineen

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Rob and Karen Hale

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Devin McCourty

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Starbucks organizers

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Middle-school sleuths

Charlie Baker joined members of the University of Massachusetts men's hockey team after the Minutemen won the NCAA title in 2021.

Charlie Baker’s next job as NCAA president includes a minefield of issues

Baker is an unorthodox choice — most NCAA leaders come from campuses, where they've served as president or athletic director.

How Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy helped Charlie Baker become the next NCAA president Mitt Romney on Charlie Baker’s move to the NCAA: ‘Into the fire’

Charlie Baker says being named NCAA president is an “amazing opportunity” and this being “a bit of a pivotal period” for college sports.

Dan Shaughnessy

Good luck, Charlie Baker, you’ve got your work cut out at the NCAA, and other thoughts

Big-time college sports is a cesspool. The NCAA makes the MBTA look like a well-oiled machine.

Forecast | Dave Epstein

Storm will bring heavy snow for some in New England, heavy rain for others
The most remarkable thing about this storm will be the heavy snow across the higher elevations of central and northern New England, as well as the windswept rain here in Southern New England.

These maps show where the most snow will fall

In town for a Red Sox signing, agent Scott Boras happy to talk about how Xander Bogaerts got away
“You choose to pursue players,” said Boras.

Wu set to require developers to build more affordable housing in new projects

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also promised to streamline the city’s review of new developments to more quickly approve projects that prioritize climate resilience, affordability, and equity.

Former Harvard fencing coach’s wife testifies $500,000 payments were loans from friend, not bribes to get sons into college

Jacqueline Phillips told jurors that Zhao, a wealthy Maryland businessman, had become close friends with her husband and wanted to help them on their “next chapter together as empty nesters,” as they were looking to sell their Needham home and move to Cambridge.

The place Boston’s Olympic stadium was supposed to go could soon be a railyard
The MBTA board OK'd the purchase of a 24-acre site south of downtown that has long been eyed for development.

Baker said he sought pardons in Fells Acres case because convicted siblings ‘should have gotten a new trial’

“I thought they should have gotten a new trial. They didn’t. My decision was based primarily on that,” Governor Charlie Baker said Thursday of why he recommended pardons for Gerald Amirault and his sister, Cheryl Amirault LeFave.

Twitter suspends journalists who wrote about owner Elon Musk

Twitter on Thursday suspended the accounts of journalists who cover the social media platform and its new owner Elon Musk, among them reporters working for The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America, and other publications.

Russia launches another major missile attack on Ukraine

Racist graffiti, threat to principal found in Quincy High School restroom

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in "Top Gun: Maverick" from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. (Paramount Pictures)

10 great movie performances to mark 2022

Val Kilmer, Bowen Yang, and Danielle Deadwyler are just a few of the actors who made it a memorable year.

The top 10 most-read Globe Magazine features of 2022

Sarah Philipps, with Max, her Dachshund, at their home in Newton. After Sarah died in the downing of Pan Am 103 in 1988, Max would escape from the house, and stand outside, waiting for her. He is buried with her in Scotland.

For the family of a young woman killed by terrorists, there is no such thing as closure

Here is a place where compassion and solace from others eclipses any notion of revenge — or closure.

Claudine Gay reacted at a reception after she was announced as Harvard University’s next president.

Claudine Gay named 30th president of Harvard University, and will be first Black leader

Claudine Gay, a current Harvard University dean, has been elected the next president of the university and will begin in the post on July 1, replacing Lawrence Bacow.

Holiday gift-giving

Fromage Fort (French Cheese Spread).

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

A dozen gift-worthy books for the holidays

This image provided by Tiziana Fox shows a handmade Hanukkah card. Handmade holiday cards can be gifts in themselves for both maker and receiver.

Handmade holiday cards are gifts in themselves; some tips

New England-based makers did not disappoint this year.

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

Opinion

In 2004, The Amirault family (left to right) Gerrilyn, Patti, Gerald, and Patrick speak during a press conference after Gerald Amirault was released from jail.

The Fells Acres saga continues

The criminal trials in which Cheryl Amirault LeFave and Gerald Amirault were convicted of raping children would not pass muster in a courtroom today.

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

Shira Doron, Elissa Perkins, and Westyn Branch-Elliman

Unintended consequence of COVID control measures — kids without immunity

IDEAS | JASON M. OPAL

Colonial-era prejudices and the root of American antisemitism

IDEAS | CATESBY HOLMES

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

Test-taking students in Michigan City, Indiana, Oct. 19, 2020.

The Emancipator

It’s time to end catch-up culture in American schools

The COVID-19 pandemic gave us an opportunity to reimagine learning. The late bell hooks, author of “Teaching to Transgress,” laid the groundwork for an education system that fully supports student growth and teacher well-being.

High Med. Low

Select a county:

Special reports

Members of the 2001 Patriots team that won the franchise’s first title.

Darkness on the edge of the Patriots dynasty

The 2022 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

Two Weeks in America

Two Weeks in America

More recent News

Free, mail-order COVID tests are back. Here’s how to get them and when to use them.
With waste water numbers climbing again, experts urge families to test before gathering for the holidays.

Refreshed City Hall Plaza to host its first major event: a hockey fan festival
The plaza, which reopened last month following a renovation that cost two years and the $95 million, will draw hordes of hockey fans to the NHL Winter Classic Plaza festival, which runs Dec. 30 from 2 to 8 p.m. and Dec. 31 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Man who stopped to ‘help’ woman in Roxbury and allegedly stabbed her is arrested
At first, he seemed to be a kind man making a neighborly gesture, helping a woman unload her SUV last week. But when she turned her back to him, the man attacked her, police say.

As Mass. adopts AAA’s stoned driving curriculum, some experts question auto group’s approach

Some experts have doubts about AAA’s approach, saying the group’s past lesson plans contain misleading statistics and have an anti-pot bent that could undermine efforts to effectively educate teens about the real risks of driving stoned.

State’s largest insurer to start paying providers to address health care disparities
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has found vast disparities along racial lines in cancer screenings, maternal outcomes, rates of adolescent well visits, and other measures.

‘Harry & Meghan’: These are the biggest revelations from the second part of the Netflix doc
Prince Harry said his final years in the royal family were like living in a soap opera. The series makes sure we're all paying attention.

Globe Santa

A special place in the heart
Parents of children with special needs, need Globe Santa

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

Recommended reads

Missiles that struck Kyiv and surrounding areas on Nov. 23 contained electronic components recently manufactured in the United States, according to an investigation by Conflict Armament Research.

What the N.H. smuggling arrest says about the Russian war machine

Microchips are to modern-day warfare what the Kalashnikov rifles were to the Cold War.

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. The answers may change how hospitals prepare for viral seasons in the future.

Tara Sullivan

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones’s recent outbursts are nothing new. Are they a problem?
His teammates and coaches say they love it, detractors disagree; but either way, it shouldn't be a surprise.

Baker withdraws controversial pardon requests in Fells Acres child abuse case
In withdrawing the pardon requests, Governor Charlie Baker cited an apparent lack of support on the state panel that must approve them.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Karen Connell with artwork she makes from recycled materials, including coffee cups, Amazon boxes, and toilet paper rolls.

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

This image released by the Library of Congress shows Meg Ryan, left, and Billy Crystal in a scene from "When Harry Met Sally."

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

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

Voices of Black Persuasion sing "Go Tell It on the Mountain" in "Black Nativity."

A cherished tradition is renewed in ‘Black Nativity’

Special Projects

Photo illustration

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.

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.

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Workers construct an affordable housing development on Nantucket on June 30. This development is one of multiple projects aimed at alleviating the cost of living for year long residents.

Rachel Heller and Christopher Norris

How to ensure affordable housing in Massachusetts

The British Museum has pledged not to dismantle its collection following a report that the institution’s chairman has held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister over the return of the Elgin Marbles.

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.

Masshole Firearms hangs a banner outside the Littleton Mill in September. There are 80 licensed firearms dealers in one location in the small town of Littleton.

Taking aim at gun sales: enforcement matters

King Charles III and Prince William before the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II at St George's Chapel on Sept. 19.

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

Snarled traffic in front of the Globe’s old Morrissey Boulevard building in the early 1960s.

IDEAS | CATESBY HOLMES

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

Metro

After six decades performing, Marie Osmond brings the Christmas spirit to Providence

The Grammy nominee, author, and philanthropist talks about her holiday show and whether she and brother Donny will sing together again.

RIHODE ISLAND VOICES | KAREN GIRÓN

For riders who rely on public transit, service disruptions during RIPTA driver shortage are taking a toll

A college student in Providence who takes the bus 5 days a week urges RIPTA to increase its driver corps and restore service.

Carlisle brightens the night in memory of one child while helping others

William Wolfgang Shaw’s family and friends found a way to remember him and work with children to teach them about loss and resilience.

Keeping the miracle of Hanukkah glowing despite hate

Hanukkah brings Jewish people together to share the light of the menorah candles in remembrance of a miracle more than 1,800 years ago.

Sports

Charlie Baker says being named NCAA president is an “amazing opportunity” and this being “a bit of a pivotal period” for college sports.

Dan Shaughnessy

Good luck, Charlie Baker, you’ve got your work cut out at the NCAA, and other thoughts

Big-time college sports is a cesspool. The NCAA makes the MBTA look like a well-oiled machine.

Hampus Lindholm ended up playing Thursday night against Los Angeles.

Bruins notebook

Though Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm didn’t feel well in the morning, at game time he was in the starting lineup

Lindholm kept his 2022-23 ironman streak alive; he has played in every game.

Brock Purdy made his second career start Thursday night and was 17-for-26 passing for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns in another 49ers win.

49ERS 21, SEAHAWKS 13

Brock Purdy Era in San Francisco off to 2-0 start after the 49ers beat the Seahawks to clinch division

Purdy threw a pair of touchdown passes to George Kittle, one in each half, and the defense was on its game again in Seattle.

Warriors brace for ‘rocky ride’ with Stephen Curry out multiple weeks

Yankees further deepen their rotation, lock up Carlos Rodón with six-year deal

Kings 3, Bruins 2 (SO)

Bruins squander two-goal lead at home, lose to Kings in a shootout

Business

Twitter suspends journalists who wrote about owner Elon Musk

Twitter on Thursday suspended the accounts of journalists who cover the social media platform and its new owner Elon Musk, among them reporters working for The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America, and other publications.

Starbucks workers plan 3-day walkout at 100 US stores

Starbucks workers around the US are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain’s stores.

Oregon city drops fight to keep Google water use private

Peru judge orders Castillo to remain in custody for 18 months

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

The Argument: Should the state allow local rules giving tenants the right to purchase their buildings?

Out of the sleigh and onto the streets, Traveling Santa hits the road in Belmont

Dog is rescued from a hot vehicle ... in November

sports

Surrounded by family and friends, Thayer Academy offensive lineman Samson Okunlola, seated behind a plate of green and orange pancakes, signals his intention to play for the University of Miami football next next fall by putting up a 'U' hand sign during his announcement Thursday in Braintree.

Thayer’s Samson Okunlola makes his verbal commitment to the Miami Hurricanes

Charlie Baker’s next job as NCAA president includes a minefield of issues

Boys’ hockey notes: Arlington Catholic’s Curt Colarullo, Burlington’s Bob Conceison Jr. lead a changing of the guard behind their alma maters’ bench

business

Widett Circle, south of downtown, has been seen in recent years as a major potential development site. On Thursday the MBTA board authorized buying 24 acres in the area for a railyard.

The place Boston’s Olympic stadium was supposed to go could soon be a railyard

Wu set to require developers to build more affordable housing in new projects

Stocks tumble amid disappointing retail sales, inflation fears

politics

A woman waved the flag of Puerto Rico during a news conference on Puerto Rican statehood on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 2, 2021. The US House passed a bill on Thursday Dec. 15, 2022, that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence.

House approves referendum to ‘decolonize’ Puerto Rico

Biden restarts program of free COVID tests via mail

Rep. Cicilline introduces bill to bar Trump from holding federal office

Nation

A migrant from Haiti waits with others at a clinic for migrants in Tijuana, on May 23.

US judge blocks Biden bid to end ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy

Death penalty researchers call 2022 ‘year of the botched execution’

Nevada elections department subpoenaed in Trump probe

World

Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work in a building of the Mas-Du-Taureau quarter where a fire caused many victims, including children, on Dec. 16 in Vaulx-en-Velin, France.

10 dead, including 5 children, in France apartment fire

Landslide at Malaysia campground kills 18, leaves 15 missing

Russia launches another major missile attack on Ukraine

opinion

Neo-Nazi demonstrators at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12, 2017.

Colonial-era prejudices and the root of American antisemitism

Unintended consequence of COVID control measures — kids without immunity

The call for erasure comes for Dapper O’Neil

lifestyle

Taylor Tomlinson in her Netflix special "Quarter Life Crisis."

Taylor Tomlinson adds record-breaking fourth show in Boston

Live from Duxbury, it’s Mickey White and the Washington Street Carolers

From yard work to sexting

food & dining

Omar Masood (left) and chef Clifton Gill. Omar’s Bistro offers food, while Omar’s World of Comics and Hobbies offers comic books, and Pixel Paradise offers video and VR gaming, all under one roof.

At Omar’s Bistro, the ultimate comfort food

Birds of Paradise takes flight in Brighton; Puritan Oyster Bar plans to open in Inman Square

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

travel

Grace Kelly in Taos.

Jazz saxophonist Grace Kelly on Taos, AirPods, and all forms of ice cream

The best and worst airlines for customer experience, revealed

In Minneapolis, Prince still reigns supreme. Here’s how to experience his city.

Arts

Sean Sullivan, "We Can't Unmix the Colors."

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

Shoebert, once the star attraction at Beverly's Shoe Pond in September, is now the subject of a children's book.

Of snails, Shoebert the seal, and histories of New England

Local bestsellers for the week ended Dec. 11

Author readings around Boston Dec. 18-24

Movies

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in "Top Gun: Maverick" from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. (Paramount Pictures)

10 great movie performances to mark 2022

A freewheeling guide to who’s who in ‘Babylon’

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

Television

Taylor Sheridan attended the Las Vegas premiere screening of "1923" earlier this month.

With multiple series, Taylor Sheridan is leaving his stamp

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’

music

The Kings of Joy played their first show at the Parlor Room in Northampton.

For Kings of Joy, getting reacquainted has been a treat

Lemonheads’ ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’ turns 30 with a pair of shows at the Paradise

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

Theater/Dance

From left: Adi Dixit and puppeteers Rowan Magee, Celia Mei Rubin, and Nikki Calonge in "Life of Pi" at the American Repertory Theater.

In ART’s ‘Life of Pi,’ a tiger burns brightest

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

A cherished tradition is renewed in ‘Black Nativity’

globe local

The Shaw family, Susie, her husband Nick, and their children Bodhi, 2, and Kai, 10, with their luminaria in memory of their son and brother William.

Carlisle brightens the night in memory of one child while helping others

Keeping the miracle of Hanukkah glowing despite hate

The Argument: Should the state allow local rules giving tenants the right to purchase their buildings?

Obituaries

Inductees of the 1999 Basketball Hall of Fame posed together following a news conference in Springfield, Friday, Oct. 1, 1999. Billie Moore is at center, flanked by Kevin McHale and John Thompson.

Billie Moore, coach of champions in women’s basketball, dies at 79

Edward Avedisian, clarinetist who donated $100 million to BU’s medical school, dies at 85

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