Thursday, August 26, 2021 View web version
Today's Headlines
Page one

K-12

Are masks effective for kids? Here’s what to know before school starts

Some parent groups have pushed back against masks in schools, arguing face coverings can harm kids. But medical experts say masks are necessary to protect children who don’t have an available vaccine, and the benefits outweigh any potential drawbacks. Continue reading →

Politics

Seth Moulton defends surprise Afghan trip: ‘The scoldings mean nothing when we’re saving a few lives’

Representative Moulton initially cast the trip as a necessary act of congressional oversight, and added that it was also about saving lives of Afghans who worked for or aided the US during its long occupation of Afghanistan. Continue reading →

Coronavirus

‘I didn’t want to burn a year of fertility’: The pandemic postponed their weddings. But not their babies

Thanks to the pandemic, here come a bunch of babies who were conceived after the deposits were put down, but before the first hors d’oeuvre was passed. Continue reading →

Business

An experiment on the edge of the Seaport: City launches climate defense fund

Protecting Boston from rising seas could cost billions of dollars over the coming decades. But there’s a big question no one has yet figured out: Who’s going to pay for it? Continue reading →

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Superintendent Brenda Cassellius isn’t the only Boston school administrator working without a proper license

More than 15 Boston Public Schools administrators, including key lieutenants of Cassellius, have been working without the proper state licenses, some of them for years, a Globe review has found. Now, they’re scrambling to get licensed. Continue reading →

The Nation

Nation

Pentagon: US troops must get their COVID-19 vaccines ASAP

Military troops must immediately begin to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo Wednesday, ordering service leaders to “impose ambitious timelines for implementation.” Continue reading →

Nation

About 89% of rental assistance funds have not been distributed, figures show

The $46.5 billion rental aid program created to pay rent accrued during the pandemic continues to disburse money at a slow pace, as the White House braces for a Supreme Court order that could strike down a new national moratorium on evictions. Continue reading →

Political notebook

House panel demands records tied to Jan. 6 attack

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection issued its first sweeping requests Wednesday for records from federal agencies pertaining to the attack on the Capitol. Continue reading →

The World

World

WHO virus origins team says window closing for probe

An embattled group of scientists charged by the World Health Organization with studying the origins of the coronavirus pandemic is pleading for support of its work, saying a new approach that includes a focus on the lab-leak hypothesis would take too long to gather fading evidence. Continue reading →

World

Rejecting COVID inquiry, China peddles conspiracy theories blaming the US

When a conspiracy theory started circulating in China suggesting that the coronavirus escaped from a US military lab, it had largely stayed on the fringe. Now, the ruling Communist Party has propelled the idea firmly into the mainstream. Continue reading →

World

ISIS branch poses biggest immediate terror threat to evacuation in Kabul

The United States has been battling the Taliban and their militant partners in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda and the Haqqani network, for 20 years. But the biggest immediate threat to both the Americans and the Taliban as the United States escalates its evacuation at the Kabul airport before an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline is a common rival that is lesser known: Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, the terrorist group’s affiliate in Afghanistan. Continue reading →

Editorial & Opinion

OPINION

The Massachusetts estate tax is in need of an overhaul

Our tax starts too low — and then reaches even lower. Continue reading →

OPINION

The next mayor of Boston must match the scope of change the city is experiencing

From the coronavirus pandemic to population growth, shifting demographics, and climate change, the city is undergoing a profound transformation. Continue reading →

OPINION

The most interesting person in the room

The living room of her modest apartment had a row of closets with folding doors, which Louise had covered with photographs from her past. But she lived in the present. Continue reading →

Metro

K-12

Mass. public school students and staff are now required to wear masks indoors until at least Oct. 1

Education Commissioner Jeff Riley issued a mandate Wednesday that most Massachusetts public school students and staff members will be required to wear a mask until at least Oct. 1. Continue reading →

Boston Mayoral Race

Mayoral candidates featured in Boston Uncornered exhibit

The candidates competing to be the next mayor of Boston are telling their stories in the Boston Uncornered Photo Project, an exhibit that aims to shift the public mindset by displaying larger-than-life portraits of successful public figures alongside those of former gang members. The photos will be displayed at Sea Green Park in the Boston Seaport District through Sept. 15. Continue reading →

SHORE ACCESS

An argument over beach access in R.I. leads to a libel and trespassing lawsuit

Cooler heads are not prevailing after one particular confrontation in Charlestown earlier this summer Continue reading →

Sports

TWINS 9, RED SOX 6 (10 INNINGS)

Winnable game implodes on Hansel Robles, Red Sox in 10th

Despite multiple opportunities in the late innings, and Kyle Schwarber's first Red Sox home run tying things in the ninth, Boston couldn't beat the worst team in the AL Central. Continue reading →

Alex Speier | On Baseball

The Red Sox have a late-inning bullpen problem -- how do they fix it?

With Matt Barnes continuing to falter in the ninth and the Sox looking open to a change, where does Alex Cora go from here? Continue reading →

RED SOX NOTEBOOK

Defense has made Bobby Dalbec double trouble for Red Sox

In addition to a low batting average, the solid third baseman in the minors hasn't adapted well to shifting across the diamond. Continue reading →

Business

Business

An experiment on the edge of the Seaport: City launches climate defense fund

Protecting Boston from rising seas could cost billions of dollars over the coming decades. But there’s a big question no one has yet figured out: Who’s going to pay for it? Continue reading →

Business

In pandemic times, a startup surge in Massachusetts. Will it continue?

Aspiring entrepreneurs filed paperwork to start 74,662 businesses in the state over the last year, according to the Census Bureau, a 33 percent increase from the year before. Continue reading →

Business

Do the rich always get richer?

New research from the Boston Fed argues that the racial wealth gap may be smaller and more stable than thought. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Obituaries

Hiro, fashion photographer who captured the surreal, dies at 90

Yasuhiro Wakabayashi's fashion and still-life images captured a relentlessly inventive vision of American life. Continue reading →

Arts & Lifestyle

TV CRITIC'S CORNER

‘The Golden Girls’ reach the big screen

Participating theaters are in local locations including Boston, Dedham, Dorchester, Foxborough, Kingston, Lowell, Somerville, Watertown, and Salem. Continue reading →

ASK AMY

Elder parents’ political views cause concern

Advice from Amy Dickinson. Continue reading →

MUSIC REVIEW

Sleater-Kinney, Wilco bring the heat

The two legendary bands shared a bill Tuesday night at Leader Bank Pavilion. Continue reading →