Boston Globe Today | December 27, 2023

WATCH: The full episode from Wednesday. Stories include: The one where ‘Central Perk’ opens in Boston, 'BoZton' video series tells Gen Z stories. Watch →

You could be a Bostonian of the Year

WATCH: MBTA riders are tired, fed up — and essential. Business enterprise reporter Janelle Nanos has the story behind the honor. Watch →

ChatGPT turns one. What have we learned?

WATCH: How long until we understand artificial intelligence's impact, risks and capacity for error? Technology reporter Hiawatha Bray reflects. Watch →

Nation

Michigan Supreme Court decides Trump can stay on ballot

The Michigan decision followed a bombshell ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court on Dec. 19, which determined in a 4-3 opinion that Trump should be removed from the state’s 2024 Republican primary ballot for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. Continue reading →

Elections

Americans sour on the primary election process and major political parties, an AP-NORC poll says

Republicans continue to be broadly doubtful about votes being counted accurately — in the early contests or beyond them. Continue reading →

Nation

As the Endangered Species Act turns 50, those who first enforced it reflect on its mixed legacy

The powerful new law charged the federal government with saving every endangered plant and animal in America and enjoyed nearly unanimous bipartisan support. Continue reading →

World

Indian envoy meets with Putin, bypassing Western pressure

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met with the Indian foreign minister at the Kremlin, highlighting Russia’s attempts to break through its isolation from the West by pivoting to an increasingly powerful Asian nation. Continue reading →

World

A Russian drone and artillery attack kills 6 in Ukraine and knocks out power in a major city

Russia fired almost 50 Shahed drones at targets in Ukraine and shelled a train station where more than 100 civilians were gathered to catch a train to Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. The barrages killed at least five people and knocked out power in most of the southern city of Kherson. Continue reading →

World

US delegation is meeting with Mexico’s government for talks on the surge of migrants at the border

A top US delegation met with Mexico’s president Wednesday in what many saw as an attempt to have Mexico do more to limit a surge of migrants reaching the US southwestern border. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Massachusetts needs to play catch up on paid time off to vote

With a presidential primary looming on Super Tuesday, the moment is ripe for action. Continue reading →

OPINION

The old yellow Jeep and the mechanic who kept us running

Its steering wheel was worn thin by years of hands not my own. The interior smelled like my dad’s Bronco from my childhood: sagebrush and live bait and granite dust. It felt like home. I didn’t even negotiate the price. I drove it straight to Sterns’s shop. Continue reading →

LETTERS

Poignant portraits of the survivors of Maine shootings

Ten-year-old Toni Asselin is demonstrating for other children and for adults alike how not only to survive but to thrive. Continue reading →

Massachusetts

Once again, snowplow drivers are in high demand, short supply this winter

Officials say snow plow drivers tend to be older. When they retire, fewer young people have been willing to take their place, contributing to the shortage. Continue reading →

Crime & Courts

State’s first Black probation commissioner wants to help probationers exit the justice system for good

More flexible probation requirements and expanded transportation, mental health, and job support are all part of Commissioner Pamerson Ifill’s blueprint for the organization. Continue reading →

Massachusetts

Retired Boston firefighter reunited with man he saved from house blaze as 3-year-old in 1978

On Wednesday, the little boy — now a 48-year-old man — and his mother met the firefighter for the first time at Dorchester’s Florian Hall to express 45 years of gratitude. Continue reading →

bruins notebook

Jim Montgomery barely tweaks the lineup before Bruins end four-game funk

The coach added 31-year-old center Patrick Brown and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to the lineup vs. the Sabres. Continue reading →

christopher l. gasper

In a backward Patriots season, even when they win, they still lose

With draft position seemingly the prize to play for now, it's difficult for Patriots fans to know which way to root. Continue reading →

BRUINS 4, SABRES 1

Bruins return to action, snap losing streak with win over Sabres

Charlie Coyle scored a pair of power-play goals for the Bruins. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves and carried a shutout into the third period. Continue reading →

Biotech

Economic development secretary says ‘Life Sciences 3.0’ bill will have a new focus

The Healey administration's plan for fueling life sciences growth hinges on building a blue-collar workforce, boosting biomanufacturing, and solving big health care problems. Continue reading →

Retail

This Westwood pickle company is up against the Wahl

The amended complaint, filed against former partner Patriot Pickle, as well as Walhburgers and distributor ARKK Food Co., claims that Wahlburgers pickles contain a higher sodium content than advertised on the nutrition label. Continue reading →

Energy

Salem could soon have an offshore wind staging facility after state’s $30 million port deal

The quasi-public MassCEC is expected to acquire a site for the state’s second wind farm terminal in a deal that will help make the city of Salem a pivotal player in the nascent offshore wind industry. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Steve Coyle, development chief who brought out ‘the best in Boston’, dies at 78

Mr. Coyle “had a passion for getting things done that other people thought weren’t possible,” said Ron Homer, former chief executive of Boston Bank of Commerce. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Wolfgang Schäuble, German elder statesman and finance minister during euro debt crisis, dies at 81

After negotiating German reunification in 1990 and serving as Angela Merkel's finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble finished his career by becoming the German parliament’s speaker. He died as the country’s longest-serving lawmaker. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Tom Smothers, half of comedic duo the Smothers Brothers, dies at 86

The older of the two Smothers Brothers, Tom Smothers was the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium. Continue reading →

New Year's Eve

More than a dozen ways to ring in the New Year in Boston and beyond

From pizza and bowling with the kiddos to brewery bashes and black tie affairs, here’s a taste of what’s happening Dec. 31. Continue reading →

ASK AMY

Cheating might be disguised as a sex addiction

Advice from Amy Dickinson. Continue reading →

TV CRITIC'S CORNER

Tom Smothers, a rebel with a cause

Opponents of the Vietnam War, proponents of civil rights, and all-around foes of the establishment, the Smothers Brothers were locked in constant battle with CBS censors virtually from their show’s 1967 premiere on. Continue reading →