Boston Globe Today | August 3, 2023

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Service on the RIDE is getting worse

WATCH: Correspondent Daniel Kool reports on the T’s service for people with disabilities and how the RIDE has been plagued with long delays and missed rides. Watch →

A bill to end religious exemption for vaccine requirements

WATCH: Reporter Jason Laughlin brings news of a bill that would ban religious exemptions for mandatory childhood vaccines. Watch →

Nation

Risk of smell loss from COVID has plummeted since 2020

A new study has revealed that the chance of smell loss from the latest Omicron variants is as low as 6 to 7 percent of what it was in the early days of the pandemic. Continue reading →

Nation

Judge sentences Pittsburgh synagogue gunman to death

Survivors of the massacre and relatives of the 11 worshippers who were killed on Oct. 27, 2018, in a Pittsburgh synagogue confronted the gunman in court Thursday with stories of grief, anger, and perseverance. Continue reading →

Nation

Trump’s Jury Pool for Jan. 6 Trial: A City That Remembers the Attack

To many of the district’s residents, the mob attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was more than a national political crisis: It was also a horrific act of local violence that felt deeply personal. Continue reading →

World

US military may put armed troops on commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz

The US military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard-of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, American officials told the Associated Press on Thursday. Continue reading →

World

Conflict erupts among Russia’s pro-war bloggers

Russia’s famously outspoken prowar bloggers have begun turning on one another. Continue reading →

World

Greenpeace protesters scale UK prime minister’s roof with ease

Greenpeace activists, angered by Britain’s decision to issue new licenses for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, took their opposition to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday — or at least to the rooftop of one of his homes. Continue reading →

OPINION

Greg Torres, the practical idealist

Massachusetts has lost an invaluable policy strategist, mentor, and mensch. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

The state tax foreclosure law is unconstitutional. So why is it being enforced?

A legislative fix to the problem of home equity theft can’t come soon enough. Continue reading →

OPINION

The Legislature isn’t special. It should get audited like others do.

That our audit is being met with resistance from Beacon Hill is not an example of how expansionist my vision is — it’s just demonstrative of how opaque the Legislature has become. Continue reading →

K-12

How did education fare in this year’s state budget? Here’s what you need to know.

The proposed budget increases public school funding by more than $600 million compared to the previous fiscal year and doubles the minimum state aid per student from $30 to $60. Continue reading →

Social Justice

‘The elephant in the room’: Former police officer running for Haverhill mayor, school board faces allegations of racism, misconduct against women

At issue: a 2013 background check performed by the city's police department. Continue reading →

Social Justice

Lacrosse clinic in Roxbury invites Black and brown youth to learn a predominantly white sport

The workshop, hosted by Harlem Lacrosse in partnership with State Representative Christopher Worrell, saw more than 100 children and teens. Continue reading →

on soccer

US women’s team has lacked an identity in this World Cup, making the road tougher

What we’ve seen so far is a back line that’s loose in the center, a midfield that can’t create and can’t hold, and a forward trio that can’t click. Continue reading →

red sox

What happens in years when the Red Sox sit still at the trade deadline? Let’s take a look back.

This marked the seventh time in the last 19 seasons that the Sox remained largely unchanged after the midsummer swap meet. Continue reading →

patriots

Leading observation from Patriots training camp? Mac Jones has become the leader of a fun bunch on offense

Through eight practices, the players are not only clicking but seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, with celebrations, dances, and trash talk. Continue reading →

Business

As much of downtown struggles, Chinatown is emerging strong from COVID days

The tight-knit neighborhood has had a high turnover of businesses, but also persistent demand from customers. Continue reading →

Business

Massport CEO Lisa Wieland is leaving for job at National Grid

Airport director Ed Freni will take over on an interim basis. Continue reading →

Energy

As storms become more damaging, a debate grows over who should pay to get the lights back on

An environmental group is pushing back on National Grid’s request to raise rates to pay for cleanup from a costly 2021 storm. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Roger Sprung, banjo virtuoso of NYC folk scene, dies at 92

Roger Sprung was a banjo virtuoso and key figure in New York’s midcentury folk music revival, whose innovative picking and genre-mashing audacity earned him the unofficial title of the godfather of progressive bluegrass. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Martin Walser, eminent German writer, dies at 96

Martin Walser's trenchant novels about contemporary Germany elevated him to the country's pantheon of writers who emerged after World War II, even as he stoked controversy by challenging the ongoing societal atonement for Nazi crimes. Continue reading →

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Music

Press Play: With Tanglewood’s Film Night coming up, it’s a good time to look at (and listen to) movie music

From "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" to "Eyes Wide Shut," these scores open eyes as well as ears. Continue reading →

★★★ | MOVIE REVIEW

‘Shortcomings’ spends a long time with a real jerk

Randall Park’s directorial debut brings Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel to the screen as a feature for Justin H. Min and Sherry Cola. Continue reading →

TELEVISION REVIEW

In ‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’ starring Sigourney Weaver, the tangled weeds of trauma

Sigourney Weaver stars as a woman who brings her orphaned granddaughter home to the Australian flower farm she has turned into a haven for survivors of domestic abuse. Continue reading →