Coronavirus

Boston, Brockton, Lynn, Newton, and Somerville mayors agree to roll back reopening in wake of rising COVID-19 rates

Mayors in some of the region’s biggest cities have agreed to roll back their economies as COVID-19 infection rates rise rapidly in Massachusetts. In Boston, the move will close indoor gyms, museums, and movie theaters, among other changes. Continue reading →

Politics

With more attention than usual, the Electoral College affirms Joe Biden as victor of the 2020 election

The vote marks the official victory of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the 2020 election after all 50 states and the District of Columbia had certified their results. Continue reading →

Coronavirus

Medford COVID-19 outbreak — with over 700 recent new cases — traced back to two Thanksgiving gatherings

The outbreak stemming from Raso’s Bar & Grille, along with a second cluster traced to a large holiday gathering at a private home, have contributed to Medford’s largest surge in infections since the spring, with more than 700 new cases since Thanksgiving. Continue reading →

World

UK to ease rules on blood donations by gay and bisexual men

Britain announced Monday that it would loosen restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men beginning next year, a shift in policy called “landmark” by the government and hailed by activists who have long fought rules they described as discriminatory. Continue reading →

World

In Canada, the first vaccines leave health workers in tears of relief

The start of Canada’s vaccine campaign was an emotional one, with the first precious doses going to people from nursing homes: health care workers in Toronto, and residents in both Montreal and Quebec City. Continue reading →

World

New Zealand says it’s ready if virus returns in summer vacation

New Zealand’s government said it has plans in place to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak if one occurs over the summer vacation. Continue reading →

OPINION

‘It was reminiscent of cross burnings’

Another chapter of this nation’s racist history is written in fire at a pro-Trump, anti-democracy march. Continue reading →

OPINION

Power, privilege, and the COVID-19 vaccine

With the vaccine comes the opportunity for even deeper divisions between the haves and have-nots? Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

State AGs unfriend Facebook

Antitrust suits filed by the FTC and 48 attorneys general take an important step in curbing corporate abuse by the social media giant. Continue reading →

CORONAVIRUS

A Latino doctor was the first person in Rhode Island to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Now he wants to be an example for his community

Dr. Christian Arbelaez, who moved to the US from Colombia when he was 10, was the first person in Rhode Island to get vaccinated. Continue reading →

Education

Boston Teachers Union votes no confidence in superintendent

The Boston Teachers Union overwhelmingly approved a vote of no confidence Sunday night in Superintendent Brenda Cassellius over her handling of reopening schools during the pandemic, marking the first time in decades that the city’s largest labor group has resorted to such an action. Continue reading →

Transportation

MBTA service will be cut significantly in early 2021

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will curtail service next year after the agency’s oversight board finalized a plan Monday to reduce subway frequencies and eliminate weekend commuter rail trains on several lines in response to low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading →

Peter Abraham | On baseball

In rebranding its MLB team, Cleveland reflected on its barrier-breaking past

Cleveland broke the American League’s color line with Larry Doby in 1947 and hired baseball’s first Black manager in Frank Robinson in 1975. Continue reading →

Golf

South Korea’s A Lim Kim wins US Women’s Open with record-tying comeback

Kim, in her US Women's Open debut, came from five shots back in the rain-delayed final round with birdies on the final three holes. Continue reading →

On Football

NFL Week 14: The Steelers were a mirage and Ben Roethlisberger looks old

Though the AFC North and a home playoff game appear in hand, Pittsburgh's problems stretching the field are exposing that it's offensively vulnerable. Continue reading →

Business

US agencies, companies secure networks after huge hack

US government agencies and private companies rushed Monday to secure their computer networks following the disclosure of a sophisticated and long-running cyber-espionage intrusion that specialists said almost certainly was carried out by a foreign state. Continue reading →

Business

New law will require about 6,000 businesses to speed up when they submit sales taxes to the state

The head of the state’s retail trade group is fuming over a change in state law that will cause thousands of Massachusetts businesses to speed up when they deliver sales taxes to the state. Continue reading →

Business

Robert Coughlin, head of MassBio trade group, stepping down after 13 years

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council is looking for a new chief executive after Robert Coughlin announced he plans to step down in early 2021. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Othella Dallas, bearer of Katherine Dunham’s torch, dies at 95

Othella Dallas, who was one of the last surviving early members of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the nation’s first self-supporting Black modern dance troupe, and taught the Afro-Caribbean-influenced Dunham technique in Europe well into her 90s, died Nov. 28 at a nursing home in Binningen, Switzerland. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Sara Leland, Boston-trained dancer for the New York City Ballet, dies at 79

Born in Melrose, Sara Leland trained with Boston Ballet founder E. Virginia Williams before going to New York City. Continue reading →

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Movies

The Boston Society of Film Critics names its winners for 2020

Even in a year marked by shuttered movie theaters and the convulsions of the streaming revolution, the voting members of the BSFC cast a wide net in honoring movies and moviemakers for the group’s 41st annual awards. Continue reading →

Lifestyle

An evolving New England, captured in 45 paintings at Milton’s Eustis Estate

The exhibition of artwork sourced from historic properties all over New England runs through October 2021. Continue reading →

TV CRITIC'S CORNER

Caught up on the year’s best TV? Check these out

After this week, but before the start of 2021, TV will feature a few releases. Continue reading →