Friday, October 8, 2021 View web version
Today's Headlines
Page one

Business

One reason for supply shortages: No one to drive the trucks

It’s not a new problem, industry experts say, but like so much else, the global pandemic has made it worse, and Massachusetts is feeling the impact. Continue reading →

Politics

This district’s population center is Latino-majority Lawrence. But white Andover residents have long held the state Senate seat

The neighboring municipalities are currently housed in the same Massachusetts Senate district, an arrangement that advocates say deprives Lawrence of its political voice. The lines that bind them show how the state’s political maps can stifle or amplify a community’s power. Continue reading →

Politics

From Puerto Rico to Hawaii, out-of-state donors flock to Wu’s mayoral campaign

The infusion of out-of-state dollars to Michelle Wu is reminiscent of the last open mayoral election in 2013, after incumbent Thomas M. Menino stepped down. Continue reading →

Higher Education

Financial aid packages still burden students with debt, report finds

“The pathway to a degree in Massachusetts brings high cost and debt,” said Anika Van Eaton, the Massachusetts policy director for uAspire, which advises students about financial aid offers here and in New York and California. Continue reading →

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Boston’s new exam school policy should dramatically boost diversity — once fully implemented — but questions remain about next fall

The goal of the change is to address gaps in resources among the homes and schools of students that can result in some students getting more test prep and other academic advantages that can help them secure seats at Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the O’Bryant School of Math and Science. Continue reading →

The Nation

Nation

Senate report gives new details of Trump efforts to use Justice Dept. to overturn election

A Senate report on then-President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election offers new details about an Oval Office confrontation between Trump and the Justice Department, revealing the extent to which government lawyers threatened to resign en masse if the president removed his attorney general. Continue reading →

Politics

CIA reorganization to place new focus on China

At the heart of the effort will be a new China Mission Center meant to bring more resources to studying the country and better position officers around the world to collect information and analyze China’s activities. Continue reading →

Nation

Which climate threats are most worrisome? US agencies made a list.

Under orders from President Biden, top officials at every government agency have spent months considering the top climate threats their agencies face and how to cope with them. Continue reading →

The World

World

Tanzanian Abdulrazak Gurnah awarded Nobel literature prize

The Swedish Academy said the award was in recognition of Gurnah’s “uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee.” Continue reading →

World

Poland’s top court rules its constitution trumps some EU laws

Poland’s constitutional court on Thursday set up a head-on collision with the European Union by ruling that the country’s constitution trumps some laws set by the bloc, a decision that threatens to dissolve the glue that holds the union’s 27 members together. Continue reading →

World

Africans welcome new malaria vaccine. But is it a ‘game changer’?

The arsenal of weapons to use against malaria, which kills hundreds of thousands of people annually, just grew bigger. Continue reading →

Editorial & Opinion

EDITORIAL

A sensible solution for the Allston Interchange

The state made the right decision in moving forward with a plan that rebuilds the elevated part of the Massachusetts Turnpike at ground level. Continue reading →

OPINION

Richard Neal: We will get the social agenda done

The House’s chief budgeteer says Democrats will pass a goodly part of President Biden’s agenda. Continue reading →

LETTERS

Squeaky wheels, squishy mask rules for Mass. schools

The science is clear on the effectiveness of face masks in diminishing the transmission of COVID-19. Continue reading →

Metro

Metro

The education of Zach Hafer

He arrived at the US attorney’s office in Boston as a baby-faced prosecutor. He leaves a wizened lawyer. Continue reading →

Metro

A Maine city’s series of strange events gives off some serious Stephen King vibes

The latest fascination came this week, when a 19th century gravestone was found in the middle of a winding, rural road, with little indication how. It’s enough to make even a skeptic wonder: Is Westbrook somehow a magnet for peculiar phenomena? Continue reading →

Transportation

Baker appoints 5 to new MBTA board of directors after delay

The new panel will take the helm of T oversight after its last governing body, the Fiscal and Management Control Board, disbanded over the summer. Continue reading →

Sports

PATRIOTS

J.C. Jackson embracing the challenge as Patriots’ No. 1 cornerback

With Stephon Gilmore traded to Carolina, the fourth-year pro will continue to be entrusted with matching up against some of the NFL's top receivers. Continue reading →

Alex Speier | On Baseball

Rays’ Randy Arozarena produced one of the most dazzling games in postseason history

Arozarena had a home run, a steal of home, and scored three runs in Game 1. Continue reading →

Red Sox notebook

All-Star reliever Matt Barnes left off Red Sox roster for Division Series against Rays

J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale returned to the roster after being left off for the Wild Card Game. Continue reading →

Business

Business

One reason for supply shortages: No one to drive the trucks

It’s not a new problem, industry experts say, but like so much else, the global pandemic has made it worse, and Massachusetts is feeling the impact. Continue reading →

tech newsletter

Boston tech wonders what’s next for Facebook

Without a doubt, Facebook has had a bad week, following a bad month, in what has seemingly been a bad half-decade. It amounts to some of the heaviest scrutiny yet for a company that swelled from a Harvard dorm room creation into a social media colossus. Continue reading →

Business

‘It was incredibly stressful’: How the WhatsApp outage hurt immigrants and international students

Emerson College student Isa Gonzalez was trying to contact her parents through WhatsApp Monday when the popular messaging service crashed. They were traveling back to the family’s Venezuelan hometown from Bogotá, Colombia — a trip they made to renew her father’s US visa. The four-hour journey was to take them through dangerous territory with an unknown driver. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Obituaries

William Wasserman, newspaper publisher who advocated for civil rights and women in leadership, dies at 94

His newspapers’ focus was relentlessly local; his personal focus was often on expanding the voices in a community. Continue reading →

Arts & Lifestyle

Television

Everything you need to know about ‘Squid Game,’ the new Netflix phenomenon

Perhaps your social media feeds have been taken over by talk of Netflix’s “Squid Game.” Here’s what you need to know about the dystopian series and its meteoric rise. Continue reading →

Food & Dining

‘What’s the beer version of Gatorade?’ Night Shift and Tracksmith brew up a Boston Marathon beer

Runners getting ready to cross the finish line on Monday at the 125th Boston Marathon may already be mulling over their post-26.2 reward. Night Shift Brewing and Tracksmith brewed up a limited-edition ale they’re hoping will hit the spot. Continue reading →

Music

The Crystal Ballroom is Somerville’s shiny new music venue

A restored concert space at Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, with room for up to 500 audience members, opens this weekend. Continue reading →