The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe

Painkillers without addiction? Vertex hopes its experimental pill can be first in a new class of drugs.
Vertex wants to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain, and because its non-opioid drug would bypass the central nervous system, it would provide pain relief without the risk of addiction.

2.7 magnitude earthquake shakes southern New Hampshire

The earthquake hit around 11:15 p.m., jolting the Concord area, with the epicenter located just southeast of the Steeplegate Mall, according to coordinates from the United States Geological Survey.

‘God is under the rubble in Gaza’: Bethlehem’s subdued Christmas

There will be no musical festivities. No tree-lighting ceremony. No extravagant decorations that normally bedeck the West Bank city of Bethlehem at Christmas. With the war in the Gaza Strip raging, this is a city in mourning.

A weekend of combat in Gaza kills more than a dozen Israeli soldiers, a sign of Hamas’ entrenchment Without a truce, UN resolution may do little for Gaza, aid groups say

Gary Washburn | CELTICS 145, CLIPPERS 108

Center Neemias Queta’s value to Celtics increases with every performance
It’s reached a point where Queta should be the Celtics’ backup center. He scored 14 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, added 3 assists along with improved defense in the victory against the Clippers.

Adam Himmelsbach: Jayson Tatum returns to score 30 points as Celtics rout Clippers

Trump asks appeals court to toss election case on immunity grounds

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump asked an appeals court in Washington on Saturday night to toss a federal indictment accusing him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, arguing that he was immune to the charges because they arose from actions he had taken while he was in the White House.

The Supreme Court helped Trump’s delay strategy. By how much remains to be seen.

Putin quietly signals he is open to a cease-fire in Ukraine

Ukraine accuses senior defense official of embezzling $40 million

Police investigate fatal shooting in Fall River

Trooper injured when alleged drunk driver crashes into cruiser on Route 24 in West Bridgewater

As Katie Day, assistant director at Family Promise North Shore Boston, sorted through documents for her, Tami Mitchell (right) and volunteer Joyce Mosher (center) worked on an application for subsidized housing at the hotel in Danvers where Mitchell and her family live.

These advocates see the pain of homeless families up close every day. It takes a toll.

“Given the whole state of housing in Massachusetts, this job is the opposite of hopeful.”

Yvonne Abraham: Blaming homeless families Yvonne Abraham: When rock bottom isn’t low enough

Santa Claus is coming to town. And he’s making bank.
New England impersonators say playing St. Nick can be a sophisticated and lucrative affair, particularly when Santas are in short supply.

The Edaville road to a magical Christmas landscape

The Boston area is in the midst of frigid weather, but that didn't keep Dunkin from enjoying the snow and cold weather in Christopher Columbus Park with his owner Kenny Chan from Boston. The dog is a bernedoodle; a mix of Bernese mountain dog and poodle.

When did Boston last wake up to a white Christmas?

It's a white Christmas when there's an inch of snow or more on the ground by around 7 a.m. on Dec. 25, according to the National Weather Service.

Cold Case File

Mystery surrounds murder of Andover couple found slain in their home in 2011
On the evening of Dec. 13, 2011, a black Lexus SUV belonging to John and Geraldine Magee was found on fire on Prince Street in Boston’s North End.

The arts won’t save the world, but they might save you

Inner survival in times of darkness is a human art. It is, in fact, art — and music. And movies, TV. Books.

12 hilarious and heartwarming classic Christmas episodes to stream this week
Break out your ugly sweaters, snuggle up on the couch, and get ready to enjoy these holiday episodes.

Holidays got you down, Charlie Brown? Take our quiz on classic Christmas specials for a hit of holiday cheer.

Stuart share podcast

Listen to the podcast

Presented in association with HBO, 'Murder in Boston: The untold story of the Charles and Carol Stuart shooting' is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Read chapter one of ‘Nightmare in Mission Hill’ Read the full series

After six years with the Angels, Shohei Ohtani chose to move 31 miles away to play for the Dodgers.

Peter Abraham | Sunday baseball notes

The Angels, now without Shohei Ohtani, have an even bigger climb ahead

Arte Moreno was offered to bid on the same heavily deferred contract Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, but the Angels owner declined.

Defenseman Ian Mitchell (right) and the Bruins were second best to the puck during most of Saturday's game against Connor Dewar (26) and the Wild.

WILD 3, BRUINS 2

Ragged-looking Bruins get overrun by Wild in last two periods, drop fourth straight

Playing its third game in four days, Boston could not make a 1-0 lead in the first period courtesy of David Pastrnak hold up.

Sunday hockey notes: Bruins players from the Lunch Pail A.C. era recall NHL’s rough-and-tumble days

On their own, Damian Lillard (0) and Giannis Antetokounmpo are not enough to bring the Bucks another title.

Gary Washburn | Sunday basketball notes

Even the best teams need an upgrade: What eight NBA contenders need to improve

The Celtics, Bucks, and 76ers, among others, would benefit from some smaller roster changes.

Beyond the Gilded Gate

The $600,000 problem. Why does it cost so much to build housing in Boston, and what can we do about it?

Many forces drive the housing crisis here, and the sky-high cost of construction is one of the most powerful.

Calculator: How costs affect construction of an apartment building

Explore the project

Opinion

"It's a Wonderful Life," released in movie theaters in 1946, got a second life on TV.

The wonderful life of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

In Frank Capra’s beloved film, numerous characters, and even a house, get a second chance.

Massachusetts should ban PFAS in consumer products

At this year’s holiday table, heated debates will be on the menu

BETH WOLFENSBERGER SINGER

The trust trick I learned from a very Christmassy man

In Israel-Hamas war, how much is enough is a two-sided question

More recent News

Critics see ‘double standard’ in Harvard’s handling of plagiarism allegations
The collision of partisan politics with a question of academic integrity has left some Harvard faculty members conflicted.

Harvard student’s speech blasting Moms for Liberty cofounder at school board meeting goes viral

The MBTA’s new Green Line extension has a long history of trouble. It’s still not fixed.
“There’s a lot of hiding at the T, of keeping secrets, of not passing along bad news,” said Thomas P. Glynn, the chair of the T's oversight board. “It’s part of the culture.”

One person killed, another injured in shooting at Florida shopping mall
One person died and another was shot in the leg in a shooting at a shopping mall in central Florida.

Paramedics were convicted in Elijah McClain’s death. That could make other first responders pause
The outcome could set a precedent for how emergency personnel respond to situations with people in police custody, said University of Miami criminologist Alex Piquero.

Woman, 27, killed in crash on I-293 in Bedford, N.H.
Kayla Ramirez of Manchester, N.H. was killed in Thursday's crash that also injured a 19-year-old woman from Pittsfield, officials said Saturday.

Ben Volin | Sunday football notes

Matt Patricia is back on defense, and the Eagles need him to save their season
The former Patriots assistant is calling defensive plays for the defending NFC champs, who have lost three straight.

Globe Santa

In their own words . . .
On this Christmas Eve, please help us provide a joyful holiday for children in need.

Donate to Globe Santa

Globe Santa is a program of the Boston Globe Foundation and exists solely to deliver joy to children.

Recommended reads

John Robinson coached his son Colin while practicing at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine. Colin and his mother, Jen, were at Just-In-Time Recreation the night of the state’s deadliest mass shooting, which claimed 18 lives at the bowling alley and Schemengees Bar & Grille.

Fitfully, a community finds its way past the grief from so much death in aftermath of Lewiston shootings

Their love of bowling brought them together, until violence tore them open the night of the shootings in Lewiston, Maine. Now, can it bring them healing?

Maine law enforcement knew shooter posed a threat but were concerned about confronting him, video shows

‘Bernard was the very best of Cambridge’: The bond between the Palestinian family behind Brookline Lunch and their Jewish lawyer
A pivotal meeting in Central Square was the start of a lasting friendship, one that would unite two families — one Palestinian and one Jewish — in affection and now in grief.

Larry Edelman | Trendlines

The tough challenges ahead for the Massachusetts economy
Unemployment is low, inflation is falling, and the Federal Reserve is poised to cut interest rates. But the state faces some forbidding headwinds.

‘Winning requires hard work’: Wayfair CEO sends employees a gloomy pre-holiday email following layoff-filled year
“Working long hours, being responsive, blending work and life, is not anything to shy away from,” Niraj Shah wrote in the email obtained by the Globe. “There is not a lot of history of laziness being rewarded with success.”

Culture & Lifestyle

From left: Krystina Alabado, Reneé Rapp, Kate Rockwell, and Erika Henningsen in the Broadway production of "Mean Girls," an adaptation that transformed Tina Fey's screen comedy into a musical. Now a film version of the musical is set for release on Jan. 12.

From screen to stage and back to screen, this time trying to carry a tune

Michael O'Donnell, a BC Law School grad, has written a novel about a father and son hiking and hiding in New Hampshire.

In Michael O’Donnell’s debut novel, a father and son hide from danger in the White Mountains

Rapper Clark D performs during the 2023 Boston Music Awards at Big Night Live Wednesday night. He won album/EP of the year for “Propaganda.”

Boston Music Awards show dazzles with diverse, dynamic, and defiant performances

Left to right (from top): “Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos,” various artists; “The Songs of Bacharach & Costello,” Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello; “History Kinda Pales When It and You Are Aligned: The Days of Wine and Roses 40th Anniversary Edition,” The Dream Syndicate; “In Utero: 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe,” Nirvana; “The Journey, Parts 1 and 2,″ The Kinks; John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, “Evenings at the Village Gate”; Drive-By Truckers, “The Complete Dirty South”; Wes Montgomery/Wynton Kelly Trio, “Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings”; The Velvet Underground, “Loaded: Fully Re-Loaded Edition.”

The Velvet Underground, Nirvana, Stax soul, and more: 9 great album reissues of 2023

Special Projects

Photo Illustration

Boston thrives off the dreams of young people. But can they make it here?

Baby boomers and Gen Xers benefited from economic conditions that do not exist for millennials. And by many measures, the path ahead for Gen Z is even more fraught.

Boston, MA—12/14/2022 - Commuters wait for the T to arrive at Ruggles Station. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)

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

With the MBTA engulfed by issues, everyday riders are feeling the pain.

Brittany Tee, Soomaiiah Quraiishi, and Reina Morales Rojas are among thousands of people thought to be missing from Massachusetts.

How the missing become the uncounted

Inside the government’s flawed approach to finding missing persons.

Two Weeks in America

Two Weeks in America

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

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Opinion, ideas, and commentary

"On the spot . . . my life and its aims did a 180 degree turn, flopped over, said a new start was in order."

IDEAS | TOM SHEEHAN

I found my muse as a writer at Boston College 70 years ago

Downplaying the horrors of slavery will never erase its stain or America’s shame

Harvard University president Claudine Gay attended a campus menorah lighting ceremony at Harvard University on Dec. 13.

How Harvard’s Claudine Gay can help mend the wounds left by Oct. 7

Holiday vibes in Hong Kong

Vibe check on 2023

Worst Santa ever!

Worst Santa ever!

When accidents happen: True stories from an ICU

Ernesto Barbieri and Jess Ruliffson

When accidents happen: True stories from an ICU nurse

Metro

These advocates see the pain of homeless families up close every day. It takes a toll.

“Given the whole state of housing in Massachusetts, this job is the opposite of hopeful.”

Ryan Minor, Orioles 3B who replaced Cal Ripken at the end of his record-setting streak, dies at 49

Ryan Minor became part of baseball history when he replaced Cal Ripken at the end of his record-setting consecutive games streak in 1998.

In their own words . . .

On this Christmas Eve, please help us provide a joyful holiday for children in need.

When did Boston last wake up to a white Christmas?

It's a white Christmas when there's an inch of snow or more on the ground by around 7 a.m. on Dec. 25, according to the National Weather Service.

Sports

Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns against the Chargers, giving the quarterback six rushing TDs in the Bills' last four games.

BILLS 24, CHARGERS 22

Josh Allen’s three touchdowns and Tyler Bass’s late field goal allow Bills to escape Chargers

Allen threw for a score and ran for two others. Buffalo turned the ball over three times to keep Los Angeles close in its first game under interim coach Giff Smith.

Tristen Newton scored 15 points for the Huskies, who bounced back from a 15-point loss to Seton Hall.

UCONN 69, ST. JOHN'S 65

UConn wins Big East home opener, but loses star center for a month

The Huskies will be without the 7-foot-2-inch Donovan Clingan for about a month due to a foot injury.

Marvin Bagley III (left) and Ausar Thompson (right) can't find a way to stop Detroit's losing ways.

Pistons match NBA record with 26th straight loss in one season

If the Pistons lose to the Nets again on Tuesday, they'll visit the Celtics on Thursday night toting a 28-game losing streak.

HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

With a move up in weight class, Milton’s Mason Pellegri takes down competition at Bossi Holiday tournament

WILD 3, BRUINS 2

Ragged-looking Bruins get overrun by Wild in last two periods, drop fourth straight

Gary Washburn | On basketball

Center Neemias Queta’s value to Celtics increases with every performance

Business

Painkillers without addiction? Vertex hopes its experimental pill can be first in a new class of drugs.

Vertex wants to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain, and because its non-opioid drug would bypass the central nervous system, it would provide pain relief without the risk of addiction.

Billerica tech firm scores major deal to supply Chinese automaker

It's the first time ClearMotion's electronic shock absorbers, which counteract some of the jostling that happens when a car hits a pothole, will be built into mass-produced vehicles.

US wields risky bank sanctions in new bid to deny Putin cash

Trump repeats and defends his use of language that echos Nazi ideology

magazine

The 29 best photos of 2023 taken by Boston Globe photographers

Comedian Lenny Clarke remembers being a kid getting presents from Globe Santa.

Actor Lenny Clarke’s best ever childhood Christmas came unexpectedly

Fran and Tom on their Dinner With Cupid blind date.

Dinner with Cupid

Blind date: ‘We shared our food, which was a big plus for both of us’

My relative wants to compare what we all got for gifts. Help!

metro

A makeshift memorial in the parking lot of Sparetime Recreation(rear), one of two locations in Lewiston’s mass shooting.

Maine law enforcement knew shooter posed a threat but were concerned about confronting him, video shows

The Edaville road to a magical Christmas landscape

Authorities knew Maine shooter was a threat but felt confronting him was unsafe, video shows

sports

Rebecca Welch made EPL history Saturday.

Rebecca Welch becomes first female to referee an English Premier League game

Mason Rudolph guides much-improved offense as Steelers slay Bengals

Mom gives Celtics’ bench player Drew Peterson a big assist

business

A sign on the Mass Pike westbound in August 2023 shows the available services at the Charlton rest stop. It doesn’t mention that there are Tesla charging stations.

Coming soon to highway service signs near you: EV charging

Massachusetts hiring rebounded in November

The tough challenges ahead for the Massachusetts economy

politics

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas’s clerks: an ‘extended family’ with reach and power

Trump asks appeals court to toss election case on immunity grounds

The Supreme Court helped Trump’s delay strategy. By how much remains to be seen.

Nation

In this screengrab from video provided by WKMG/ClickOrlando, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken speaks during a news conference following a fatal shooting in a common area at Paddock Mall in Ocala, Fla., located about 80 miles northwest of Orlando, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023.

One person killed, another injured in shooting at Florida shopping mall

Bob Pardo, pilot who saved wingmen with daring ‘Pardo’s Push,’ dies at 89

Explaining the South on Instagram, one custom at a time

World

Palestinians clean up after their home was hit in an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Dec. 24.

A weekend of combat in Gaza kills more than a dozen Israeli soldiers, a sign of Hamas’ entrenchment

‘God is under the rubble in Gaza’: Bethlehem’s subdued Christmas

Israel strikes 2 homes, killing more than 90 Palestinians. Biden says he didn’t request a cease-fire

opinion

A picture taken from Rafah shows flares lighting the skies over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli strikes, on December 14, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Why are teachers’ unions getting involved in the Israel-Gaza conflict?

Underdiagnosed and undertreated, young Black males with ADHD get left behind

Bah, humbug! ‘A Christmas Carol’ is cringeworthy.

lifestyle

Somerville indie band Hush Club promised pizza in return for helping their TikTok video go viral. Now, after 48,000 views, they're planning to make a whole lot of pies.

Hush Club’s TikTok strategy went viral — it’s anything but cheesy

Dating during perimenopause

One in six people experiences infertility. But in a season focused on kids, you can feel like you’re the only one.

food & dining

Ashley Taveras, an assistant event stylist at Easy Entertaining, sorts dishes.

‘I feel abandoned’: Restaurants remain burdened by Washington Bridge closure in Rhode Island

Scared of the T? Hop aboard Mothership instead

A new Turkish restaurant near Watertown Square is already popular

travel

Passengers waited in line at Dulles International Airport on Dec. 21, 2023, in Dulles, Virginia.

Busiest holiday travel season in years is off to a smooth start with few airport delays

We took a girlfriend getaway to Savannah. Plenty of other women had the same idea.

This Booking.com reservation is fake! Will the company pay up?

Arts

A person removed a piece of art work by Banksy, which showed what looks like three drones on a stop sign, at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham, London.

Banksy stop sign taken from London street soon after it appears

Forgotten women of the American landscape

A model subject gets his close-up in ‘Chuck: Photographs by George Platt Lynes’

Books

Justin Torres, author of “Blackouts."

For Justin Torres, reading is about finding the sweet spot between poetry and prose

Local bestsellers for the week ended Dec. 17

In Michael O’Donnell’s debut novel, a father and son hide from danger in the White Mountains

Movies

(L-R Clockwise) Film stills from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,” and “The Year Without Santa Claus."

Holidays got you down, Charlie Brown? Take our quiz on classic Christmas specials for a hit of holiday cheer.

Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari’ fails to rev up

Oscars shortlists revealed: Here are the films one step closer to a nomination

Television

A makeshift memorial was set up in New York City in October following the death of actor Matthew Perry.

Minnie Driver remembers Matthew Perry’s ‘wealth of soul’

How Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck’s family situation inspired a new NBC sitcom

12 hilarious and heartwarming classic Christmas episodes to stream this week

music

The Felice Brothers

Before coming to Cambridge, the Felice Brothers hatch a surprise for their fans

Boston Music Awards show dazzles with diverse, dynamic, and defiant performances

The Velvet Underground, Nirvana, Stax soul, and more: 9 great album reissues of 2023

Theater/Dance

Darrel Bailey stars in the solo show "Yippee Ki Yay," a "Die Hard" spoof that also tells a parallel story about an exhausted husband and father.

A ‘Die Hard’ diehard creates ‘Yippee Ki Yay,’ and the Huntington gets in on the action

There’s life after COVID for Jamaica Plain’s 147-year-old Footlight Club theater

Midwinter Revels serves up a frolicsome ‘Feast of Fools’

Health

A CVS pharmacy in Miami.

CVS to launch new pharmacy reimbursement model aimed at simplifying drug pricing

Many Americans ration insulin to save money. One nonprofit is trying to make the life-saving drug more affordable.

In R.I., there’s a lack of dentists caring for patients with special needs. This program is trying to change that.

Obituaries

Baltimore Orioles' third baseman Ryan Minor dove at a ball hit by Detroit Tigers' catcher Brad Ausmus during the fourth inning of a baseball game Aug. 8, 1999, at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Ryan Minor, Orioles 3B who replaced Cal Ripken at the end of his record-setting streak, dies at 49

Influential people we lost in 2023

Robert M. Solow, celebrated economist and Nobel laureate, dies at 99