Coronavirus

State’s most vulnerable residents and their caretakers begin receiving COVID-19 vaccines

A vaccination campaign began Monday for residents of Massachusetts’ long-term care facilities, a group that has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading →

Nation

Bomber to neighbor: The world is ‘never going to forget me’

The Nashville bombing suspect told a neighbor that “Nashville and the world is never going to forget me,” the neighbor recalled. Continue reading →

Nation

Trump 2024? Only one president has returned to power after losing reelection

President Trump may never concede to Joe Biden as he continues to contest an election he lost. But he’s already channeling Grover Cleveland, America’s 22nd and 24th president — the only commander in chief ever elected to two nonconsecutive terms. Continue reading →

World

Saudi activist who fought for women’s right to drive sentenced to prison

One of Saudi Arabia’s best-known prisoners, women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, was sentenced Monday to five years and eight months in prison, capping a 2 1/2-year legal ordeal that rights groups and her supporters called punishment for her political advocacy. Continue reading →

World

UK warns of bumpy post-Brexit transition, despite deal

Companies are scrambling to digest the details and implications of the 1,240-page deal sealed by the EU and the UK on Christmas Eve, just a week before the year-end deadline. Continue reading →

World

China sentences lawyer who reported on outbreak to 4 years

A Chinese court on Monday sentenced Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer who reported on the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak, to four years in prison on charges of “picking fights and provoking trouble,” one of her lawyers said. Continue reading →

OPINION

Encourage skeptical Black Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Health care professionals should understand Blacks people’s hesitation to take the COVID-19 vaccine goes way beyond the horrid US government experiment in Tuskegee, Alabama. Continue reading →

OPINION

With Speaker Mariano, progressives get what they deserve

Progressive activists helped defeat at least one progressive who could have challenged Mariano. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Virtual medical appointments are here to stay, but so is surprise billing

Compromise health care legislation gives consumers a kind of pandemic bonus, but leaves one tough issue for next year. Continue reading →

Crime & Courts

The dying wish of a decorated Marine convicted of murder: a commutation and a final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery

Joe Labriola died in July at 75. But his posthumous bid for clemency, and the honor of being buried in the country's most revered military cemetery, is now before Massachusetts’ parole board, who will weigh his military service and his 1973 conviction for murder. Continue reading →

Politics

Quincy representative Ronald Mariano in line to become Massachusetts Speaker of the House by mid-week

Lawmakers are poised to elect Ronald Mariano of Quincy as the next speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Wednesday, just two days after the longest-serving speaker in state history, Robert A. DeLeo, announced his resignation. Continue reading →

CORONAVIRUS

COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered to Central Falls Housing Authority later this week

COVID-19 rate drops in Central Falls, Rhode Island’s coronavirus hot spot, offering residents a year-end glimmer of hope. Continue reading →

Dan Shaughnessy

Bill Belichick is living a worst-case scenario after moribund Patriots get crushed by Bills

In Bill Belichick's three Patriots seasons without Tom Brady, he is 22-25 with no playoff appearances. Continue reading →

Bills 38, Patriots 9

Bills do a number on Patriots to complete sweep, first AFC East rival to do that since 2000

Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs made it look easy as Buffalo put an exclamation point on its first division title since 1995. Continue reading →

INSTANT ANALYSIS

After loss to Bills, no one’s scared of Bill Belichick and the Patriots anymore

Buffalo ripped the Patriots' defense apart, but the team as a whole is barely a representative NFL squad with one game left to play in a lost year. Continue reading →

Business

Stimulus checks, jobless benefits, and other things to know about the federal relief bill

The $900 billion pandemic relief package from the federal government has implications for Massachusetts residents and business owners. Here’s a brief overview. Continue reading →

Business

How two nontraditional newsrooms in Vermont are winning readers

With dramatic cutbacks at two major papers in Vermont, the nonprofit VTDigger and alternative weekly Seven Days have stepped up. Continue reading →

Business

Stimulus checks, jobless benefits, and other things to know about the federal relief bill

The $900 billion pandemic relief package from the federal government has implications for Massachusetts residents and business owners. Here’s a brief overview. Continue reading →

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MUSIC

The music that got these Bostonians through 2020

Some songs and artists captured anguish and anxiety; others reflected hope, humor, and connection. All of them hit the spot. Continue reading →

GETAWAYS

Hikes and hot chocolate: Winter walks and warm-up stops on Cape Cod

This is the perfect time of year for a hike along the beach, followed by a hot beverage, a warm-from-the-oven pastry, or a melty slice of brick-oven pizza. Continue reading →

TV CRITIC'S CORNER

Fosse’s handiwork evident in ‘Pippin’ video

A version available on Amazon Prime Video was filmed for television four decades ago, and the video quality is pretty poor, but you can still see why the arresting image of glowing hands that Fosse created for the opening scene is so famous. Continue reading →