Wednesday, December 9, 2020 View web version
Today's Headlines
Page one

Coronavirus

Baker rolls back Mass. reopening, aiming to ‘build ourselves a bridge to the vaccine’

Governor Charlie Baker announced new restrictions on a range of businesses including restaurants, gyms, and retail stores, as part of a series of incremental steps to curb the surge of COVID-19 infections. Continue reading →

CORONAVIRUS

Rhode Island leads the country in rate of new COVID-19 cases, and officials fear things could get worse

The virus has spared no community in Rhode Island, but Latinos living in the cities have been hit the hardest. Population density, the change in weather, and some residents dropping their guard appear to be among the driving factors in the recent spike. Continue reading →

Education

How much COVID transmission is in Mass. schools?

In the pitched debate over how to get students back to school, nuance is often lost. Teachers’ unions seem to suggest aging school buildings are danger zones unless proven otherwise. Politicians and some public health specialists promote schools as if they are safety zones from a pandemic. Continue reading →

Health

Stark inequities persist in COVID-19 testing

Today across Massachusetts, there are at least 350 public testing sites, but they have a dizzying array of rules about price, hours, and whether an appointment is required. Continue reading →

Rhode Island

Former student sues Portsmouth Abbey, claiming she was abused by a teacher and duped by the school

The new lawsuits suggest that — even after a recent reckoning over sexual abuse in New England private schools — the challenges for students to report remain high. Continue reading →

The Nation

Coronavirus

Baker rolls back Mass. reopening, aiming to ‘build ourselves a bridge to the vaccine’

Governor Charlie Baker announced new restrictions on a range of businesses including restaurants, gyms, and retail stores, as part of a series of incremental steps to curb the surge of COVID-19 infections. Continue reading →

Nation

Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio is said to be President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of housing and urban development.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has selected Representative Marcia L. Fudge, Democrat of Ohio, to serve as the secretary of housing and urban development in his administration, sources familiar with the transition said. Continue reading →

Nation

White House offers $916 billion stimulus proposal as talks intensify

Jump-starting negotiations with days to spare, the White House on Tuesday offered Democrats a $916 billion pandemic stimulus proposal that would meet their demand to provide some relief to state and local governments and include liability protections for businesses that have been a top priority of Republicans. Continue reading →

The World

World

Cruise cut short as passenger tests positive for COVID-19

A passenger on board a Royal Caribbean “cruise to nowhere” has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, prompting the vessel to return early to Singapore on Wednesday. Continue reading →

World

Nepal and China give Mount Everest, and their relations, a boost

On Tuesday, Mount Everest grew by more than 2 feet. So agreed China and Nepal, two countries that share a treacherously mountainous border and increasingly warm relations. They announced that they had determined the exact height of the world’s tallest mountain, a subject to which the Nepalese government has attached increasing symbolic importance over the years. Continue reading →

World

India says it may approve vaccine in weeks, outlines plan

The country’s health ministry announced Tuesday that some COVID-19 vaccines are likely to receive licenses in the next few weeks and outlined an initial plan to immunize 300 million people. Continue reading →

Editorial & Opinion

EDITORIAL

Indoor dining isn’t worth it

With COVID-19 cases surging, the state should be shutting it down. And residents should be ordering takeout. Continue reading →

OPINION

The GOP doth protest too little

Something is rotten in the party’s mental state. Continue reading →

OPINION

Biden promised not to pardon Trump. Maybe he should do so anyway

A continuation of ‘lock ‘em up’ politics will only make America’s poisoned public culture more dysfunctional. Continue reading →

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Metro

Metro

COVID vaccines could reach senior care sites this month, but daunting logistical challenges lie ahead

Nursing home residents and staff could start getting COVID-19 shots as soon as Christmas week, and already administrators — haunted by the virus’s deadly toll and intent on doing all they can to protect their people — are wrestling with daunting logistical challenges. Continue reading →

CORONAVIRUS

Rhode Island leads the country in rate of new COVID-19 cases, and officials fear things could get worse

The virus has spared no community in Rhode Island, but Latinos living in the cities have been hit the hardest. Population density, the change in weather, and some residents dropping their guard appear to be among the driving factors in the recent spike. Continue reading →

Education

How much COVID transmission is in Mass. schools?

In the pitched debate over how to get students back to school, nuance is often lost. Teachers’ unions seem to suggest aging school buildings are danger zones unless proven otherwise. Politicians and some public health specialists promote schools as if they are safety zones from a pandemic. Continue reading →

Sports

Gary Washburn | On Basketball

Celtics hoping for a big leap by Robert Williams in his third season

After a good showing in the bubble last season, Brad Stevens hopes the big man is ready to become a regular contributor. Continue reading →

bruins

A progress report on Bruins prospects in the pipeline

With teams looking at a compressed preseason, it will be a trickier road to the NHL this season for younger players. Continue reading →

Alex Speier

There’s a case to be made — a strong one — for the Red Sox to bring back Jackie Bradley Jr.

The Sox know what they'd get - above-average defense, streaky hitting - and the alternatives for 2021 all have question marks as well. Continue reading →

Business

Business

Britain starts virus campaign with a shot watched round the world

LONDON — A nurse rolled up 90-year-old Margaret Keenan’s sleeve and administered a shot watched round the world -– the first jab in the U.K.’s COVID-19 vaccination program kicking off an unprecedented global effort to try to end a pandemic that has killed 1.5 million people. Continue reading →

THE FINE PRINT

‘Can you help me get my $20,000 back?’

A tangled title leaves new homeowners in limbo Continue reading →

Business

Credit rating agencies predict Boston’s economy will bounce back quickly once the pandemic ends

The city has again earned the highest possible debt grade, as it prepares to sell $270 million worth of bonds Wednesday. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Obituaries

Chuck Yeager, 97, pilot, dies; his prowess broke the sound barrier, opened the skies

General Yeager’s 14-minute sprint over the Mojave Desert on Oct. 14, 1947, is considered the most important airplane flight since Orville Wright swept over the sands of Kitty Hawk for 40 yards on Dec. 17, 1903. Continue reading →

Arts & Lifestyle

MUSIC

The perfect song for Christmas 2020? It’s 76 years old

Judy Garland sang a song that fits Coronavirus Christmas in every way. Continue reading →

HOLIDAYS

A festival of art and lights for all who need it

Jewish Arts Collaborative takes its Hanukkah event public with eight neighborhood “Brighter Connected” installations. Continue reading →

ACTS OF KINDNESS

Peabody Essex gives a boost to its local food pantry

The museum will raise awareness and recruit volunteers while also collecting food and financial contributions for the Salem Pantry. Continue reading →