Boston Globe Today | January 31, 2024

WATCH: Wednesday's episode. Stories include: Ben Volin's Super Bowl preview and the unsolved mystery of the woman found in Dorchester chimney. Watch →

Will the Newton teacher’s strike influence other districts to follow?

WATCH: As reporter Mandy McLaren explains, educators say they'd rather be in the classroom but working conditions make it difficult for them & their students. Watch →

For tweens, skincare has become the new diet culture

WATCH: Reporter Beth Teitell has why there’s big money to be made from a vulnerable population that is always being taught their appearance needs fixing. Watch →

Politics

House panel approves impeachment charges against Mayorkas

The House Homeland Security Committee approved two articles of impeachment early Wednesday against Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, over his handling of the southwestern border, as Republicans raced forward with a partisan indictment of President Biden’s immigration policies. Continue reading →

Nation

Meta’s Zuckerberg apologizes to child abuse victims in emotional Senate hearing

Senators battered the CEOs of five major tech companies with accusations that they failed to stem a rising tide of child sexual abuse on their platforms at a contentious hearing on Wednesday. Continue reading →

Nation

The origins of Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil

It’s part of a tradition rooted in European agricultural life, marking the midpoint between the shortest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Continue reading →

World

With fate of Ukraine’s top general in question, all eyes turn to Zelensky

He deftly defended his country in Europe’s largest ground war in decades, stalling Russia’s invasion and then pushing it back with everything at hand: natural barriers like rivers, aging weapons and lethal drones, trickery and elements of surprise. Continue reading →

World

With aid stalled, Ukraine scrambles to make ends meet

Short of cash as well as personnel and equipment for its war against Russia, Ukraine’s government says it has cobbled together financing to last several months without long-stalled aid from the United States and Europe. But further delays would trigger an all-but-certain economic crisis, officials and analysts say. Continue reading →

World

Traffic-blocking farmers now closing in on EU capital in a protest seeking better market conditions

The protests had an immediate impact on Wednesday — the European Commission announced plans to shield farmers from cheap exports from Ukraine during wartime and allow farmers to use some land that had been forced to lie fallow for environmental reasons. Continue reading →

OPINION

Healey and Wu feel the squeeze over the migrant crisis

States, including Massachusetts, need federal action. But Republicans won’t give it to them, or to President Biden. Continue reading →

OPINION

Letter from Ecuador: We flew into a national emergency

Is this a lesson — or preview? — in how a population can submit to authoritarian rule in the service of “order” so long as they’re not personally affected? Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Too many bullets, too many guns, and the buck stops on Beacon Hill

Senate introduces its entry into the anti-gun violence effort with support from police chiefs. Continue reading →

Higher Education

Colleges won’t get FAFSA data until March, delaying aid offers

Many schools rely on the FAFSA to help them determine how much of their institutional money to give out in the form of grants that students will not have to repay. Continue reading →

Money, Power, Inequality

Royal L. Bolling Jr., former state representative, on helping end race-biased banking, housing discrimination

Bolling, now 79, considers his contributions to have “sowed the seeds” for new generations. He’s glad to see so many people of color in office today, including US Representative Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Continue reading →

Health

Disturbing conditions at a Worcester nursing home prompt questions of state oversight

An investigation into a Worcester residential facility raised questions about the state’s oversight of the nursing home industry. Continue reading →

GOLF

Fenway Sports Group-backed consortium strikes $3 billion deal with PGA Tour

Strategic Sports Group, of which FSG principal owner John Henry is manager, is made up of a number of North American sports executives. Continue reading →

ON BASKETBALL

When coaching his Celtics, in (mostly) good times or bad, Joe Mazzulla’s intensity shines through

Mazzulla stays on his stars and stays on his younger players. The players play hard for Mazzulla and they embrace his coaching style. Continue reading →

chad finn

Jrue Holiday is the Celtics’ glue. His selfless play is worthy of a salute.

There aren’t a lot of decorated players who are willing to shape-shift based on what their team needs in a particular circumstance. Continue reading →

Business

‘The boat is leaking big time’: Here’s what Steward’s financial crisis looks like for patients and staff at its hospitals

The long-brewing financial problems have meant a sudden lack of access to certain services and supplies and employees doing everything provide high-quality care despite difficult conditions. Continue reading →

Biotech

Biogen plans to shut down its controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm

The controversial approval of the Alzheimer’s disease treatment in 2021 led to scrutiny and outrage. Continue reading →

innovation beat

Taylor Swift image controversy fuels push to ban ‘deepfakes’

X, formerly called Twitter, blocked searches for the pop star’s name after dozens of images accumulated millions of views. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Melinda Wilson, who helped Brian Wilson battle mental illness, dies at 77

She also worked as a producer on several films related to her husband’s music, including “Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road” (2021) and “Pet Sounds Live at Royce Hall” (2006). Continue reading →

Obituaries

Vera Klement, painter who saw both beauty and evil, dies at 93

The Holocaust survivor drew from her childhood experiences and escape to create paintings that combined elements of abstract expressionism and figurative art. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Jean Carnahan, first woman to represent Missouri in US Senate, dies at 90

In 2001, Jean Carnahan became the first woman to represent Missouri in the US Senate after being appointed to fill her husband’s seat following his posthumous election. Continue reading →

Music

Any way you slice it, indie band Hush Club’s pizza giveaway paid off

The band had offered free pizza to anyone who bought a ticket to their Jan. 25 show at Brighton Music Hall. Immediately afterward, the Somerville trio delivered on the promise. Continue reading →

Arts

15 ways to celebrate Black History Month around Boston

Options range from celebrating Black artists to diving deep into local history and culture. Continue reading →

Lifestyle

Gisele Bündchen shares heartfelt message after the death of her mother

"It hurts to know that I won’t be able to hug you anymore, but I know that you will always be watching over us," Bündchen wrote on Instagram. Continue reading →