Nation

Last Words: Homey, coveted, costly — and crushed by the pandemic

Families, especially those with means, sought to place their frail elders in Belmont Manor, a five-star nursing home. It was a safe refuge for the twilight years, until suddenly it became something else entirely: a case study in the coronavirus's indiscriminate power. Continue reading →

Coronavirus

As rate of positive coronavirus tests increases in Massachusetts, some experts urge caution

One week into fall, epidemiologists see signs that the coronavirus is once again on the rise in Massachusetts. Continue reading →

Politics

A long line of debates leads Joe Biden to his biggest one yet

None of Biden’s previously uneven performances in debates can prepare him to take on President Trump, but Democrats are hoping he'd score points as he did in the 2012 vice presidential debate against Paul Ryan. Continue reading →

World

Worldwide death toll from coronavirus eclipses 1 million

The number of people who have died in the global coronavirus pandemic rose above 1 million on Tuesday, nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy, tested world leaders’ resolve, pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work. Continue reading →

World

Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan risks drawing in bigger powers

A long-simmering territorial dispute in the Caucasus region that reignited in recent days, with tanks, artillery helicopters and infantry engaged in combat, suggests that the two sides — Azerbaijan and Armenia — are girding for an extended conflict rather than the border skirmishes that they have engaged in over the years. Continue reading →

World

As Europe’s coronavirus cases rise, so do voices crying hoax

Alongside a strip of candy-colored houses on London’s Portobello Road, a freshly scrawled message blared out from the older graffiti on a garage door: “Take off your mask!” Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

An existential crisis for Roe v. Wade

No one should be fooled if Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, dodges Senators’ questions of how she’d decide cases related to abortion rights. Continue reading →

LETTERS

Saving Melnea Cass Boulevard — and a neighborhood

The city’s plan for redesigning Melnea Cass Boulevard must take Boston in the direction of building a more just society. Continue reading →

OPINION

Massachusetts must extend eviction moratorium to protect voting rights

A major obstacle lies ahead for many voters to be able to mail in their ballot for the general election: the state’s eviction moratorium is slated to end on October 17 — just weeks before Election Day. Continue reading →

Politics

Lawmakers should seek SJC opinion on ranked-choice voting’s legality, review urges

Ranked-choice voting, as proposed in Question 2, would usher in a “dramatic shift” to Massachusetts elections, though many of its long-term ramifications remain largely unknown Continue reading →

KEVIN CULLEN

The sad, hard, sweet, and ultimately peaceful life of Gerry McCarthy

Somehow Gerry McCarthy survived three tours of duty in Vietnam, but the Gerry McCarthy who came back to Dorchester after the war was a different guy. Continue reading →

Metro

Hiker dies after falling from waterfall in New Hampshire; third fatality in six days

A hiker died after falling from Arethusa Falls in the White Mountains of New Hampshire on Saturday, authorities said. Continue reading →

BC football

BC’s secondary withstood several hits in win vs. Texas State

Eagles will have to shore up a void in the secondary after backup safety Deon Jones was injured vs. Texas State. Continue reading →

Patriots

The Patriots' 2019 draft class is looking better and better, and other thoughts following a win over the Raiders

The Patriots' 2019 cast of rookies was a source of frustration. This year things have started to change. Continue reading →

Sports

Eagles coach Doug Pederson says he should have gone for the win rather than punting in OT

Pederson acknowledged it wasn't the kind of aggressiveness his players were accustomed to from the coach behind the Philly Special. Continue reading →

Business

Contractors are booked as homeowners decide to renovate

Still, many contractors say the smaller jobs aren't enough to make up for the business they lost during the initial coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading →

Business

Contractors are booked as homeowners decide to renovate

Still, many contractors say the smaller jobs aren't enough to make up for the business they lost during the initial coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading →

Business

US household wealth rose before the pandemic, but inequality persisted

Families were making gains in income and net worth in the three years leading up to the pandemic, according to Federal Reserve data released on Monday, but wealth inequality remained stubbornly high. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Arthur Ashkin, 98; Nobel laureate invented a ‘tractor beam’

Calling his invention optical tweezers, Dr. Ashkin and other scientists were able to use them to trap tiny particles for more intense study. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Ang Rita, who conquered Everest again and again, dies at 72

The Nepalese mountain guide earned global fame by climbing the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, 10 times without the use of supplemental oxygen, died on Monday at his daughter’s house in Kathmandu. Continue reading →

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LOVE LETTERS

He drifts in and out

The problem is that whenever he drifts back in, I find myself wanting him to stick around, but often he does not. Continue reading →

MUSIC

Caspian’s pre-pandemic homecoming show at the Cabot will be streamed in all its glory

Though the band had to cancel its 2020 tour, the concert it filmed last November in its adopted hometown of Beverly will be available online for a limited time. Continue reading →

ASK MATTHEW

Watch ‘Fargo’ and skip the homework

Missed the earlier seasons? No problem. Continue reading →