All of the headlines from today's paper.
Saturday, January 3, 2026
Today's Headlines
Page one

Health

Tensions at Mass. and Cass spark debate over how to help people struggling with substance abuse

Aid workers say stronger enforcement undermines efforts to help people on the streets, but the city says its approach is working. Continue reading →

Crime & Courts

SJC will decide if state should test dead man’s DNA to possibly clear his name in 1988 murder

Mary Harris was strangled on April 28, 1988, in the hotel room where she’d been living. Police turned to Shawn Tanner, a part-time bouncer at the King’s Inn, an exotic dancer club. Continue reading →

Lifestyle

As anxiety rises, more people turn to beta blockers for everyday stress

In a world gone mad with anxiety, a growing number of people, many of them women, are taking a low dose of it for situational anxiety. Continue reading →

Transportation

Years ago, Boston put bus lanes in the middle of this busy street. Has it worked?

As Boston and other localities prepare to carve out more bus-exclusive street space, what lessons does Columbus offer? Continue reading →

The Nation

Nation

How new protest laws are impacting political demonstrations

More than a dozen states have cracked down on protests in recent years, passing laws that often equate political demonstrations with riots in ways that First Amendment experts say could be illegal. Continue reading →

Nation

Israeli government accuses Mamdani of antisemitism over canceled orders

Mamdani did not directly address the Israeli government’s accusation at a news conference Friday. But he said “protecting Jewish New Yorkers is going to be a focus of my administration” and that his action on executive orders had given it “a clean slate to get to work on delivering a new era for New Yorkers.” Continue reading →

Nation

Quest for a drug that lowers an artery-clogging particle nears finish line

Lipoprotein(a), a fatty particle, can clog arteries just as surely as cholesterol but often goes undetected, striking seemingly healthy people unaware of the danger. Continue reading →

The World

World

Trump and top Iranian officials exchange threats over protests roiling Iran

President Trump initially wrote on his Truth Social platform, warning Iran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.” Continue reading →

World

In the Arctic, drones help identify deadly virus in whales

Scientists have found that cetacean morbillivirus, a highly infectious and deadly virus, is circulating in northern ecosystems. Continue reading →

World

Sparklers probably caused New Year’s fire at bar, Swiss authorities say

Several witnesses described hearing an explosion at the bar during the fire, which experts said was likely caused by a phenomenon known as a flashover: the ignition of hot gases that rise to the ceiling. Continue reading →

Editorial & Opinion

OpEds

The freedom of being judged only as fun or not fun

My encounter with 3-year-old Frankie is a meditation on age, attention, and the rare relief of being met without expectations. Continue reading →

OpEds

The robber barons are back. Here’s what we should do about it.

Like their 19th-century counterparts, today’s tech titans provide us with innovations that make life both unimaginably better and unthinkably worse. Continue reading →

Letters

Two views of Warren Buffett

A portrait of the billionaire investor elicited contrasting responses from two readers, each with a personal tie to Buffett's life and work. Continue reading →

Metro

Maine

Here’s how the Maine agency that negotiated the opioid settlements is spending its money.

The attorney general’s office has no formal distribution process and says it can respond “quickly and creatively” to urgent funding requests. Continue reading →

Massachusetts

Newton, Gloucester, Framingham, and Somerville inaugurating mayors New Year’s week

Three cities held mayoral inaugurations on New Year’s Day, and Somerville’s new mayor Jake Wilson will be sworn in on Saturday evening. Continue reading →

Immigration

Nearly 200 immigrants sue Trump administration for halting immigration applications, including residency and citizenship

Immigrants on the cusp of residency and citizenship are now in limbo since sweeping policy changes paused their applications indefinitely. Continue reading →

Sports

Patriots

Patriots Stefon Diggs, Christian Barmore refuse to get into specifics regarding off-field allegations

“It’s definitely an open case, so I can’t even say anything about it,” said Diggs. Continue reading →

Bruins

For Bruins named to Olympic teams, representing their countries is ‘huge honor’

David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha (Czechia), Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman (United States), Elias Lindholm (Sweden), and Henri Jokiharju (Finland) were officially named to their men's Olympic hockey teams. Continue reading →

Olympics

Olympic hockey roster breakdown: US women the clear favorite to win gold in Milan

Team USA's roster comprises 13 forwards, 7 defenders, and 3 goaltenders, and features some of the top talent in the PWHL and NCAA. Continue reading →

Business

Healthcare

US awards Massachusetts $162 million for rural health

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the funding will support states as they expand access to care in rural communities, strengthen the rural health care workforce, modernize facilities and technology, and support “innovative” health care models. Continue reading →

Energy

Mass. offshore wind contracts get filing extension again

The deadline has been pushed off to next summer for contracts to finance the SouthCoast Wind and New England Wind 1 projects. Continue reading →

Business

Tesla loses title as world’s biggest electric vehicle maker as sales fall for second year in a row

Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Obituaries

Janet Fish, painter of luminous still lifes, dies at 87

The Vermont painter transformed jars of pickles, bottles of vodka, and bowls of fruit into vessels of dazzling light and unassuming beauty. Continue reading →

Arts & Lifestyle

Pop Culture

Tom Brady and Alix Earle make waves on New Year’s Eve in St. Barts

The year is barely a day old and there’s already speculation about who Brady is seeing in 2026. Continue reading →

Music

Dolly Parton turned down Elvis, and other tidbits from a new biography of the singer

In “Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton,” Martha Ackmann dives deep into Parton’s life, from her humble beginnings in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains to the present. Continue reading →

Love Letters

Planning a wedding has killed my sex drive

A Love Letters classic. Continue reading →