Monday, December 20, 2021 View web version
Today's Headlines
Page one

Business

‘Anxiety is high.’ As employers keep delaying return to office, will we ever go back?

Heading into the new year, as COVID-19 cases surge, office employers are yet again wrestling with return-to-work plans. Continue reading →

THE GREAT DIVIDE

What happens when students remove masks? These Mass. schools are finding out.

At least five schools in Massachusetts have allowed vaccinated students to unmask. Most of the schools have not seen increases in COVID cases among students or staff, state data show. Continue reading →

Politics

Lawmakers reach deal to set new standards for egg industry in Mass., seeking to avert supply shortage next year

State legislative leaders on Sunday reached an 11th-hour deal that would set new standards for the egg industry in Massachusetts, potentially averting what industry experts warn will be a catastrophic supply shortage come Jan. 1. Continue reading →

Politics

Manchin’s ‘no’ on $2t social spending bill leaves White House, liberals fuming

The White House and progressives blasted Senator Joe Manchin's switch as a betrayal. Continue reading →

Health

COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising, but some cases are milder than before

Amid surging COVID-19 infections, overflowing hospitals, and exhausted healthcare workers, Massachusetts hospital leaders are hanging on a glimmer of hope: some treatments, vaccines, and hard-won knowledge from the earlier outbreaks have meant fewer severely ill COVID patients. Continue reading →

The Nation

Nation

In fight against violence, Asian and Black activists struggle to agree

This spring, Black political leaders and civil rights activists delivered a message to Asian Americans: We stand with you. Asian American activists and political leaders responded in kind, publicly acknowledging the daily reality of racism faced by Black people. Continue reading →

Nation

Lawmakers, business leaders begin to raise alarms about dwindling federal aid

The swift arrival of a new coronavirus variant has rekindled economic anxieties in Washington, as congressional lawmakers, business leaders, and consumer advocates begin to worry whether there is enough federal aid to shield Americans from another round of financial despair. Continue reading →

Politics

Biden agenda sinks under its own ambitions

President Biden’s plan to stuff nearly every long-held Democratic priority into his signature domestic policy bill has buckled under the weight of its ambitions, with the final senator needed to push it over the finish line balking at its scope, its cost, and its clever financing. Continue reading →

The World

World

Hong Kong voters stay away from ‘patriots-only’ election in rejection of Beijing’s control

An hour before polls closed, the turnout was just shy of 30 percent, less than half the percentage that voted in the 2019 local elections. Continue reading →

World

Islamic world pitches ways to aid desperately poor Afghans

ISLAMABAD — Islamic countries scrambled on Sunday to find ways to help Afghanistan avert an imminent economic collapse they say would have a “horrendous” global impact. Continue reading →

World

Leftist millennial wins election as Chile’s next president

With almost 99 percent of polling stations reporting, Gabriel Boric won 56 percent of the votes, compared to 44 percent for his opponent, lawmaker José Antonio Kast. Continue reading →

Editorial & Opinion

EDITORIAL

A home for the holidays

The humanitarian crisis at Mass. and Cass points the need for short and long term solutions for the complexities of homelessness. Continue reading →

OPINION

Another harm from guns: lead exposure

Over half a million children in the US have elevated levels of lead in their bodies, despite decades of prevention efforts. Largely overlooked, guns play a role. Continue reading →

OPINION

Make the Charlestown Innovation and Inclusive High School proposal the proving ground for students

Our vision is about demonstrating that it is possible to support every student. It is about setting aside the false choice between success in an exam school and failure in an open-enrollment school. Continue reading →

Metro

Weather

Nothing gold can stay

Fall’s beauty is fragile. The chill deepens and the light fades. Winter is coming, with the solstice arriving Tuesday, bringing the longest night of the year. Continue reading →

Massachusetts

‘Tuesday is too late’: Health experts urge Biden to move faster amid Omicron threat

Amid fears that the Omicron variant will lead to soaring numbers of new cases and overwhelmed hospitals in hard-hit areas, local health officials Sunday called on President Biden to take stronger measures to get more people tested, vaccinated, and protected against the coronavirus threat. Continue reading →

Massachusetts

In Franklin, community mourns loss of woman killed in horrific attack, allegedly by ex-husband

Shirley Owen was a “daughter, a mother, a sister, an aunt, and a friend to everyone that had the blessing to know her,” her friend, Bethany Manning, said. “She was the light in every room, and she was a hot ticket. She got things done. And boy, boy, did she advocate and do everything for her amazing children.” Continue reading →

Sports

Celtics

Celtics’ next two opponents have games postponed as COVID-19 outbreaks continue

The 76ers and Cavaliers both couldn't field enough players on Sunday, putting their matchups with the Celtics this week in jeopardy. Continue reading →

Patriots

Upcoming Bills game the key to Patriots’ postseason plans

If the Patriots beat the Bills, they will clinch a postseason berth and be hard to beat for the AFC East crown. Continue reading →

Ben Volin | On Football

With an extra week to get ready, why were the Patriots so unprepared against the Colts?

Bill Belichick and the Patriots had 12 days to prepare for Saturday, but that didn't show in Indianapolis. Continue reading →

Business

Business

‘Anxiety is high.’ As employers keep delaying return to office, will we ever go back?

Heading into the new year, as COVID-19 cases surge, office employers are yet again wrestling with return-to-work plans. Continue reading →

Retail

From oysters to Cheetos: EBO & Co. Grocery has something for everyone

The long-running East Boston Oysters event series has been reimagined into a physical retail store — a visually arresting riot of color and condiments, with oysters, of course. Continue reading →

Business

Boston hotels rush to adopt new assessment, bringing in millions for tourism promotion

The 1.5 percent surcharge will increase local tourism funding five-fold to help the industry at a crucial time. Continue reading →

Obituaries

Obituaries

Shirley McBay, who created a template for addressing racial inequities in education, dies at 86

Dr. McBay was the first Black student and first woman to graduate with a doctorate from the University of Georgia. Continue reading →

Arts & Lifestyle

Names

Berklee College of Music professor George Howard is named in Newsweek’s ‘Greatest Disruptors’ issue

Professor George Howard at Berklee College of Music is featured as one of "America's Greatest Disruptors" in Newsweek magazine. Continue reading →

Music

Indie-folk duo High Tea emerge from lockdown with an adventurous new set of songs

The band performs at the Middle East in Cambridge Monday with songs from their new EP, "Old Cowboy." Continue reading →

Television

Netflix’s ‘Maid’ shines a light on struggles of low-wage workers

What makes the 10-episode “Maid” such a powerful miniseries is that it details precisely what happened to Alex that pushed her to the economic margins — and drives home the point that it can happen to anyone. Continue reading →