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‘An impossible dream’: Before flights to Martha’s Vineyard, migrants endured harrowing odyssey

Rafael’s story, told to the Globe in hours of interviews in Spanish, illustrates the hardship many migrants endure to reach the United States and the oftentimes desperate circumstances that compel them to leave their home countries.

They were freed after serving decades in prison. Now, it’s their prosecutors who are facing scrutiny.

A series of recently overturned cases shows how prosecutorial missteps can put the wrong person behind bars. But rarely, if ever, do prosecutors face repercussions for their bad behavior.

A ‘rapidly growing death spiral.’ How our $31.3 trillion national debt is getting even more expensive.
Like a consumer grappling with a massive credit card balance, the federal government is paying more just for the interest on the national debt. Government projections show those interest costs tripling from $399 billion this year to $1.19 trillion in 2032.

Corporate owners have hollowed out the once-formidable Providence Journal
The Journal used to have a dozen reporters in its Warwick bureau alone; now it has barely a dozen reporters total, and its top editor was dismissed in the latest round of layoffs.

18 die as monster storm brings rain, snow, and cold across US
The storm unleashed its full fury on Buffalo with hurricane-force winds causing whiteout conditions. Emergency response efforts were paralyzed and the city’s international airport was shut down.

‘You have no idea how bad it is’: Buffalo endures a historic blizzard

Power restored to most of Mass. after storm, but challenges remain

By Saturday evening, less than 4,000 customers were without power, down from as much as 70,000 at the height of the storm.

Man shot and killed in Dorchester, police say

Michael Collins Jr. 18, of Dorchester, was shot late Friday night in the area of Franklin Hill Avenue and Shandon Road, Boston police said.

Massachusetts’ ‘millionaires tax’ is impacting how agents negotiate with the Red Sox

This offseason, agents say they’ve been factoring the millionaire’s tax into the calculus when contemplating offers — putting Massachusetts into a class like New York and California.
Carlos Correa’s stunning about-face shows an agreement is a start, but a signed contract is the real deal Dan Shaughnessy: Don’t blame Chaim Bloom. It’s ownership that did this to the Red Sox
YVONNE ABRAHAM

What does Hanukkah mean in a season of rising antisemitism?

Among those gathering to light candles this week are many who would not be here were it not for their parents’ or grandparents’ miraculous escapes from the Holocaust.
GARY WASHBURN | ON BASKETBALL

Although both teams have fallen off of late, Celtics-Bucks on Christmas is still a big deal

The East's top two teams will be featured in the NBA's prized 5 p.m. slot in holiday play. "I never take that for granted and I’m looking forward to it,” said Jayson Tatum.
Opinion
JEFF JACOBY

The Ebenezer Scrooge nobody knows

Dickens’s famous character has become a synonym for a caustic miser. But his transformation is one of the most uplifting in English literature.
Richard Neal

IRS failed Americans with lack of presidential tax return audits
EDITORIAL

The DOJ’s criminal investigation of Jan. 6 should carefully scrutinize Trump’s rogue lawyers
Gene Weingarten

About that portal to Hell hovering over the White House
RENÉE GRAHAM

Living without compromise, dying in their truth

The Emancipator

What’s next for the White Lives Matter trademark?

Now that podcasters Ramses Ja and Q Ward own the White Lives Matter trademark, what do these long-time social justice supporters plan to do with the power that comes with ownership?
Mass. coronavirus at a glance
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NOTE: Data updated once per week. SOURCES: CDC, Mass. Dept. of Public Health

Special reports

Boston doesn’t work if the T doesn’t work

Darkness on the edge of the Patriots dynasty

The 2022 Top Places to Work in Massachusetts

More recent News

SNAP ‘skimming’ victims to get stolen benefits reimbursed
The omnibus spending bill passed by Congress this week includes $153 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefits program and would require states to replace stolen food-stamp funds to low-income households whose benefits were stolen.

One person dead, 4 taken to the hospital after Roxbury fire early on Christmas Eve
Firefighters responded to a residence on Warren Street early Saturday morning and found flames burning on the second and third stories. One person perished in the fire and two others were rescued, officials said.

‘I was just blown away’: State report shows climate change will take massive toll on Mass. without urgent action
Massachusetts summers could eventually feel like Georgia’s, rain could flood bus routes, and asthma could become far more common.

Spikes in COVID and influenza prompt a push for post-holiday masking in BPS
A letter sent to families said school and city health leaders were discussing a masking mandate for the first two weeks of school after the break.

Plymouth County prosecutor charged in case of alleged domestic assault
Assistant District Attorney Kathleen C. Flannery was arraigned Nov. 28 on charges of assault and battery on a household or family member and two counts of assault and battery on a police officer.

LOVE LETTERS
I was sending him monthly updates about my life
“Ultimately the days turned to months and I never heard back.”

Globe Santa

Globe Santa’s turn to say thank you
Thank you for making the holiday brighter for all

Read the latest stories Make a donation. Make a difference.
Best of the Arts 2022

The 50 best albums of the year

10 great movie performances to mark 2022

The 10 best TV shows of 2022

Recommended reads

Wellesley woman dies from flu complications: ‘A one-in-a-million case’

Price Meropol McMahon, 36, died Tuesday after her health rapidly declined. Her death certificate lists the shocking reason: complications from the flu. McMahon's brothers say she had no history of health issues.

When the union comes to a coffee shop near you
The closure of Darwin’s amid union activity highlights the often fraught relationship in independent cafes, when workers and owners stand side-by-side all day.

Track the earmarks: See where federal dollars are coming to Massachusetts
The state’s lawmakers got 172 projects into the package as revamped earmarks, with money to flow to nearly every corner of Massachusetts.

CONNECTIONS
How a surprise storm knocked out our power and sparked a friendship with neighbors
I knocked on their door. “Everything OK?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond

8 holiday classics to stream all weekend long

Readers offer their choices for the best books of 2022

The stand-up specials that were these nine comedians’ favorites in 2022

Special Projects

Two Weeks in America

We sent a dozen journalists on the road across this complex country. They found it’s better than you think.
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

SCOT LEHIGH

Should Joe Biden run again?
IDEAS | JENNIFER NASH

A flock of birds gripped my hand — and pulled me back into the fight against climate change
EDITORIAL

Christmas in Kyiv: Keeping hope alive
James McHugh and Dennis Aftergut

Does releasing Trump’s tax returns risk more harm than good?
RENÉE GRAHAM

Remembering trans lives taken in 2022
IDEAS | ADRIANA BARTON

The ‘Mozart effect’ is bunk. But your brain on music is still a wondrous thing.

Metro

‘An impossible dream’: Before flights to Martha’s Vineyard, migrants endured harrowing odyssey

Rafael’s story, told to the Globe in hours of interviews in Spanish, illustrates the hardship many migrants endure to reach the United States and the oftentimes desperate circumstances that compel them to leave their home countries.

One person dead, 4 taken to the hospital after Roxbury fire early on Christmas Eve

Firefighters responded to a residence on Warren Street early Saturday morning and found flames burning on the second and third stories. One person perished in the fire and two others were rescued, officials said.

Power restored to most of Mass. after storm, but challenges remain

By Saturday evening, less than 4,000 customers were without power, down from as much as 70,000 at the height of the storm.

Across Boston, Christmas Eve marks a tradition of giving, service

A number of events across the city Saturday were aimed at giving back to the community during a year where many families across the Commonwealth felt the squeeze of rising costs due to inflation.

Sports

SPORTS BUSINESS

The company that built Polar Park must pay $1.9 million for not giving enough work to women- and minority-owned businesses

When Gilbane/Hunt submitted its bid for the role of construction manager in 2019 it promised to give 20% of the work to women- and minority-owned businesses.
COWBOYS 40, EAGLES 34

Cowboys survive Eagles comeback attempt to keep NFC East title hopes alive

The NFL-leading Eagles (13-2) had their five game winning streak snapped and missed a chance to clinch the NFC’s top seed in a matchup of playoff-bound division rivals.
Jim McBride | Between the hash marks

Rhamondre Stevenson was ‘trying to make something happen’ when he fumbled away a shot at victory

"I probably should have just gone down," said Stevenson, who lost the ball late in the fourth quarter as the Patriots were trying to complete a comeback vs. Cincinnati.
Ben Volin | Instant Analysis

It was a nice comeback bid by the Patriots, but this was still an embarrassing performance
NFL

Ahead of playing the Vikings, Giants players were in Mall of America during fatal shooting
Christoper L. Gasper

With loss to Joe Burrow and the Bengals, the Patriots were left with visions of what a premium quarterback can provide

Business

SPORTS BUSINESS

The company that built Polar Park must pay $1.9 million for not giving enough work to women- and minority-owned businesses

When Gilbane/Hunt submitted its bid for the role of construction manager in 2019 it promised to give 20% of the work to women- and minority-owned businesses.

Caroline Ellison says she, Bankman-Fried agreed to mislead FTX lenders

“I knew that it was wrong,” said Ellison, a Newton native, according to the transcript of a Dec. 19 plea hearing in Manhattan federal court.

IRS delays $600 tax reporting rule for Venmo, Etsy sellers

Lab project on Muzi Ford site in Needham gets green light
magazine
Globe Magazine

A Harvard Law professor broke the rules to let in WWII vets. They made ‘the best class there ever was.’
PERSPECTIVE

We take foster kids from their parents. Then we wonder what’s wrong with them.
Bostonian of the Year: Honorable Mention

Patriot Devin McCourty’s on-field performance is matched only by his generosity

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘I have a gluten allergy, which I know can be annoying when going out to eat’

metro

SNAP ‘skimming’ victims to get stolen benefits reimbursed

‘You have no idea how bad it is’: Buffalo endures a historic blizzard

What does Hanukkah mean in a season of rising antisemitism?

sports

How it happened: New England scored 18 unanswered points, but couldn’t finish out the rally. See the reaction.

Although both teams have fallen off of late, Celtics-Bucks on Christmas is still a big deal

Where has Kendrick Bourne been? It’s a fair question after his performance against Bengals

business

Funding bill targets online sites amid retail theft concerns

TrillFit is shuttering its brick-and-mortar studio in Mission Hill

Applications for jobless claims up slightly last week

politics

A ‘rapidly growing death spiral.’ How our $31.3 trillion national debt is getting even more expensive.

After Jan. 6: Congress born of chaos ends in achievement

House passes $1.7 trillion spending bill with Ukraine aid, disaster relief

Nation

18 die as monster storm brings rain, snow, and cold across US

Winter storm batters US power, snarling Christmas travel

A humble sanctuary reborn in grandeur

World

At least 7 killed in Kherson shelling, fueling anger over Christmas strikes

Bethlehem rebounds from pandemic, lifting Christmas spirits

India opposition’s ‘unity march’ against hate enters capital

opinion

A flock of birds gripped my hand — and pulled me back into the fight against climate change

How to better care for our elderly and frail

A desperate need to reform health care

lifestyle

8 holiday classics to stream all weekend long

Decorating the White House, building a brand, and being themselves. Meet the Renovation Husbands.

I was sending him monthly updates about my life

food & dining

Some of the best places to get Chinese food around Boston

Customers, baristas poured one out for Darwin’s as Cambridge coffee shop chain closed for good

A bustling, all-day brasserie in the heart of Kendall Square

travel

Boarding denied on cruise because of positive COVID test

Go easy on your wallet in the Big Easy

A Newport update, festive party package, and portable back and neck care

Arts

Bodies of work at the deCordova’s ‘New Formations’

At the Clark, ‘On the Horizon’ and through the haze

Wendy Artin’s ‘Flesh and Stone’ breathes new life into sculptures

Books

Readers offer their choices for the best books of 2022

Douglas Brinkley’s ‘Silent Spring Revolution’ details the impact of activists and presidents from JFK to Nixon on environmental protection policy

National Book Award-winning poet John Keene intentionally seeks out challenges in his reading

Movies

‘Miracle on 34th Street’: A Christmas classic turns 75

Same script, different cast: ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody’

"Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody" filming at Gillette Stadium

Television

Patti LuPone joins cast of ‘WandaVision’ spinoff

Jeff Garlin to join cast of Mindy Kaling’s ‘Never Have I Ever’

In sibling dramas, everything is relative

music

20 years in, ‘Christmas Celtic Sojourn’ is beautiful and bittersweet

Elon Musk has been silent since his poll. But Snoop Dogg hasn’t.

Shirley Watts, widow of drummer Charlie Watts, dies at 84

Theater/Dance

Southie native David Lindsay-Abaire has fashioned a ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ that sings

A ‘Solstice Celebration’ for everyone

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

globe local

Northeast Metro Tech senior named a Heartsaver Hero for saving a woman’s life

Making spirits bright for the homeless

The Argument: Should Massachusetts lift its ban on Sunday hunting?

Obituaries

Sister Patricia Daly, 66, dies; took on corporate giants on social justice

Thom Bell, an architect of 1970s Philadelphia soul, dies

Charlene Mitchell, 92, dies; first Black woman to run for president