The Boston Globe

N.H. governor questions Mass. court’s handling of Harmony Montgomery case

Governor Chris Sununu blasted the actions of the Massachusetts court system for placing Harmony Montgomery in the custody of her father in 2019. Authorities in New Hampshire are currently searching for 7-year-old Harmony, who was last seen two years ago.

THE BIG IDEA | KARA MILLER

‘This is a different phase.’ It may be time for a reset on kids, school, and COVID

Some medical experts insist: Not only do we need to keep schools open, but our entire approach to kids and testing has to change.

Mass. relaxes contact tracing in schools that offer rapid tests to students and staff

Experts say the world needs to be vaccinated to end pandemic

THE LATEST COVID-19 NEWS

COVID program delivers 1 billion doses to poorer countries; Some colleges loosen rules for a virus that won’t go away

R.I. Congressman James Langevin won’t seek reelection

Mass. seeks to claw back at least $2.7 billion in jobless benefits it says were incorrectly paid

Artist renderings of a proposed office tower at the intersection of Washington and Bromfield Streets in Downtown Crossing.

Building an office tower in downtown Boston right now? Maybe not as crazy as it sounds.

A New York-based developer is pushing ahead with a $350 million, 22-story office tower in Downtown Crossing, albeit one that will differ from typical high-rises in a few key ways.

Massachusetts Legislature moving $55 million COVID bill
The chambers are poised to soon vote on a measure to move this year’s primary election date to Sept. 6 and allocate tens of millions of dollars for COVID-19 spending needs, as the state battles a surge of cases driven by the Omicron variant.

White House soft-launches COVID test request website Have you been to the hospital lately? Tell us what your experience was like.

christopher l. gasper
Breaking down the breakdown in the Patriots defense
The defense turned out to be closer to the offense than we thought: It required a certain set of favorable conditions to operate at peak effectiveness.

Maura Murray went missing in New Hampshire 18 years ago.

N.H. State Police add case of UMass student Maura Murray to FBI national database

Murray, a Hanson, Mass., native, was 21 years old when she was last seen after her car got stuck on the side of Wild Ammonoosuc Road in Woodsville, a village in Haverhill, N.H., on Feb. 9, 2004.

A Lyft light sat on the dashboard of a vehicle in this file photo from New York.

Lyft makes largest one-time political donation in Massachusetts history, fueling gig worker ballot fight

The rideshare giant Lyft gave a whopping $14.4 million to a committee supporting the ballot effort, most of which came in a single $13 million donation on Dec. 30, newly released records show.

A blue 1968 Cadillac DeVille was Ben Affleck's car in "The Tender Bar."

Somerset man’s 1968 Cadillac featured in Ben Affleck movie ‘The Tender Bar’

In “The Tender Bar,” Ben Affleck’s car is Todd Arnone’s blue Cadillac. Here’s the tale of how the vehicle parked itself at the center of the film.

Movie review: A Cadillac of a performance in ‘The Tender Bar’

In this Nov. 8, 2006 photo, American Nobel laureate and "Beloved" author Toni Morrison smiles during a press conference at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Democracy’s other threat: Book bans and purges

Limiting access to literature, especially by authors of color, is yet another authoritarian tool polluting political discourse.

Governor Charlie Baker’s impending departure has left Attorney General Maura Healey, a well-known and well-liked statewide figure, the strong frontrunner.

Maura Healey will soon be in the governor’s race

Michael Milburn and William DeJong

Bill to combat marijuana-related impaired driving should be rejected

Mourners lay flowers on the casket during burial services for Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardy at St. Michael's Catholic Parish in Hudson in 2016.

Kevin P. Hill and John F. Carmichael Jr.

Clardy Law would keep roads safe

The Mass General Brigham offices in Somerville.

After China, Mass General Brigham is hungry to grow back home

More recent stories

Gary Lee Sampson died before execution; appeals court considering vacating his murder convictions

A federal appeals court has decided to consider whether to vacate the murder convictions of Gary Lee Sampson, who was appealing his execution when he died in prison last month.

Boston Police fire bean bag round at knife-wielding suspect, officials say

Boston police fired a “less than lethal” bean bag round at a knife-wielding suspect on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Department of Children and Families investigating after child cuts foot on Revere elevator
The child was treated on scene by first responders, Revere police said.

AT&T will delay 5G service at some airports after airlines warn of flight chaos
It's an attempt to address concerns that the company’s equipment would interfere with airplane equipment when the service started Wednesday.

After a notable year, SPACS may be going bust in Boston and beyond
Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, saw a boom last year. But they’re under fire from regulators, analysts, and investors after many deals dropped in price once they started trading publicly.

New Cambridge police commissioner is first woman to lead department
Cambridge officials said Monday that city police Commissioner Christine Elow has been named permanent leader of the department, serving as the first female head of the agency since its inception in 1859.

Special Project

UNDER THE WHEEL

This is the story of Anthony Pledger and his mother, of Anthony’s lives and deaths, of Anthony and me.

THE GREAT DIVIDE ⟶

See the latest from our education team focused on race, class, and opportunity in schools.

RHODE ISLAND ⟶

See the latest from Globe Rhode Island.

NEWTON ⟶

See the Globe’s expanded Newton coverage in partnership with Boston University.

Recommended reads

Leighton Harris, 4, in pink, and her classmates learned about shapes in the prekindergarten class at the James Rushton Early Learning Center in Birmingham, Ala. The Alabama program is free and meets more quality benchmarks than Massachusetts' pre-K system, according to national experts.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Families in Alabama have free, full-day prekindergarten while many Mass. families can only dream of it

Thanks to Alabama’s growing investments in early education, the state’s pre-K system is among the best in the nation in quality — and it’s free for most. Programs like Alabama’s are the envy of families in Massachusetts.

In Brookline, questions abound for the future of its police department
Last week brought more upheaval, with acting chief Mark Morgan going on medical leave and a new acting chief, its fourth top cop in as many years, appointed by the Select Board.

For new Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, it’s trial by fire
Wu has already made Boston history as the first woman, person of color, millennial, and mother elected mayor. Now, with the fate of her early initiatives, she’ll show whether she can transform the city’s future.

‘Jim Crow relic’: A short history of the filibuster
Dating to the 1800s, the filibuster has been used by lawmakers to both advance and thwart Black racial progress — but it is in the thwarting of that progress that it has been used with greatest frequency and success.

video

Culture & Lifestyle

Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Recipes: Four ways to use ginger with fish, beef, pork, and chicken

Maurice Emmanuel Parent in "Mr. Parent" at Lyric Stage Company.

Lasting lessons in Lyric Stage’s ‘Mr. Parent’

Two lanes are available for iceless curling in the Seaport, and lessons can be booked as well.

Iceless curling is just a stone’s throw away in the Seaport

Sketch for Ed Emberley's "Drawing Book of Animals."

NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS

A poet’s inviting new collection, drawing lessons, and speaking for the silenced

Special Projects

Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, then president of Brigham Health, brought a Boston delegation in April 2018 to celebrate the opening of the Boao Evergrande International Hospital in China, constructed in a new medical tourism hub.

Spotlight team report

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.

Hanson-11/20/2021- Hingham vs Natick in the MIAA Division1 title game.
The Natick girls soccer team celebrate their Division 1 MIAA win over Hingham at Whitman - Hanson High school. Photo by Debee Tlumacki for the Boston Globe (sports)

Meet the Globe’s Fall 2021 All-Scholastics

The Globe salutes the region's best high school athletes and coaches in the seven fall sports.

Jeneé Osterheldt

A Beautiful Resistance

Black joy, Black lives, as celebrated by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt.

‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

product by Studio/B. What is this?This content was produced by Boston Globe Media's Studio/B in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of the Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

product by BG BRANDLAB. What is this?This content was produced by Boston Globe Media's Studio/B in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of the Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Search for a ‘clean slate’ remains elusive

In this March 7, 1965, file photo, state troopers swinging billy clubs to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala.

MLK’s legacy, today’s voting rights challenge

A student listens to a teacher as he calls off names for each new classroom in the 7th and 8th grade community meeting on the first day of school at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park on Aug. 30, 2021.

Roger Lowenstein

Boston Public Schools should go into receivership

Laura Coates, author of "Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness."

A former federal prosecutor interrogates the inequities of the criminal justice system

Second-grade teacher Rachelle Milord helps Schemaeja Paillant learn to tell time at Mozart Elementary School in Boston, June 15, 2021. Principal Michael Baulier says hiring and retaining great teachers of color is one of his top priorities in running the Boston Public School.

With the necessary resources, urban leaders and parents of color can lift up Boston’s schools

Kareem Farah, who founded the Modern Classrooms Project, in his classroom in Washington, D.C., in 2017.

IDEAS | THOMAS ARNETT

A better way to do online learning

Metro

Coronavirus Live Updates

COVID program delivers 1 billion doses to poorer countries; Some colleges loosen rules for a virus that won’t go away

The latest news and guidance on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in New England and beyond.

Lyft makes largest one-time political donation in Massachusetts history, fueling gig worker ballot fight

The rideshare giant Lyft gave a whopping $14.4 million to a committee supporting the ballot effort, most of which came in a single $13 million donation on Dec. 30, newly released records show.

N.H. governor questions Mass. court’s handling of Harmony Montgomery case

Governor Chris Sununu blasted the actions of the Massachusetts court system for placing Harmony Montgomery in the custody of her father in 2019. Authorities in New Hampshire are currently searching for 7-year-old Harmony, who was last seen two years ago.

Paul Carter Harrison, whose ideas shaped Black theater, dies at 85

A playwright and scholar who in books, essays and award-winning plays provided a theoretical structure for the Black performing arts, Mr. Harrison was 85.

Sports

Bills tight end Dawson Knox (right) beat Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson for a big gainer in the wild-card game.

christopher l. gasper

Breaking down the breakdown in the Patriots defense

The defense turned out to be closer to the offense than we thought: It required a certain set of favorable conditions to operate at peak effectiveness.

Matt Grzelcyk has a plus-5 rating in 33 games this season.

bruins notebook

Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton are both cleared to rejoin Bruins

The two defensemen have missed time in COVID protocol but were OK'd for Tuesday's game vs. Carolina.

A merchandise store is putting the final touches on its shelving ahead of next month's Games.

Human rights activists say Olympic athletes could be prosecuted if they criticize China

The IOC has not yet publicly committed to how athletes who speak out would be protected.

Revolution sign 16-year-old Noel Buck of Arlington to Homegrown Player contract

Red Sox 2022 single-game tickets go on sale this week

men's college basketball notebook

The struggles of Boston University men’s basketball are truly perplexing

Business

Lyft makes largest one-time political donation in Massachusetts history, fueling gig worker ballot fight

The rideshare giant Lyft gave a whopping $14.4 million to a committee supporting the ballot effort, most of which came in a single $13 million donation on Dec. 30, newly released records show.

THE BIG IDEA | KARA MILLER

‘This is a different phase.’ It may be time for a reset on kids, school, and COVID

Some medical experts insist: Not only do we need to keep schools open, but our entire approach to kids and testing has to change.

Building an office tower in downtown Boston right now? Maybe not as crazy as it sounds.

INNOVATION BEAT

Portland payments company is a rare winner in 2022

STAT

Listen to our "First Opinion" podcast

|

Listen to our "Readout LOUD" podcast

|

Subscribe to STAT Plus

‘Health equity tourists’: How white scholars are colonizing research on health disparities
A STAT investigation shows that researchers with little or no background or training in health equity research are rushing in to scoop up grants and publish papers.

Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms
STAT spoke with infectious disease experts and others about what to expect from Covid-19 as the seasons change.

DISTANCED: Pandemic stories of Black life in the rural South
Photographer Bethany Mollenkof spent six months documenting the impact of Covid-19 on residents of rural Black communities in the South.

Groundbreaking arm amputation surgery makes a ‘phantom’ hand seem real
The procedure aims to restore proprioception, the ability to sense where our limbs are in space and how fast and forcefully they’re moving.

The power of having a great role model, whether you’re 9 or 99

Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Recipes: Four ways to use ginger with fish, beef, pork, and chicken

It's been 50 years since the groundbreaking kids' show "Zoom" debuted on WGBH.

In 1972, the kids took over TV on the first "Zoom" to enter our homes

The roller-skating heroes who fought racism in Boston

metro

Maura Murray went missing in New Hampshire 18 years ago.

N.H. State Police add case of UMass student Maura Murray to FBI national database

Boston Police fire bean bag round at knife-wielding suspect, officials say

Reward grows in Harmony Montgomery missing child case to $137,000

sports

"My mind-set has allowed me to unlock this ability to work really hard and have fun doing it," says Julie Letai.

A winning attitude propels Medfield speedskater Julie Letai to the Beijing Olympics

64 years after breaking a barrier, Willie O’Ree to have number retired by Bruins

A few postmortem thoughts on a Patriots season that ended decisively in Buffalo

business

Attendees stand next to signage for Activision Blizzard Inc. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 video game during the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.

Microsoft agrees to buy Activision Blizzard, the video game maker behind Call of Duty and Candy Crush

After a notable year, SPACS may be going bust in Boston and beyond

AT&T will delay 5G service at some airports after airlines warn of flight chaos

politics

Gary Chambers.

Louisiana senate hopeful smokes pot in campaign ad, slams race disparities in arrests

White House soft-launches COVID-19 test request website

‘No one would drop a single tear’: Warren, Colbert talk voting rights, the filibuster, and abolishing the Senate

Nation

Vaccines ready to be administered

Experts say the world needs to be vaccinated to end pandemic

Louisiana senate hopeful smokes pot in campaign ad, slams race disparities in arrests

COVID program delivers 1 billion doses to poorer countries; Some colleges loosen rules for a virus that won’t go away

World

The town of Blackburn, in northwestern England, is where Malik Faisal Akram, identified by the FBI as the man who took hostages at a Texas synagogue, was raised.

Texas hostage taker was known to British intelligence

Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions

Maltese legislator elected European Parliament president

opinion

A student listens to a teacher as he calls off names for each new classroom in the 7th and 8th grade community meeting on the first day of school at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park on Aug. 30, 2021.

Boston Public Schools should go into receivership

Mass., New England seen as a kind of ground zero in climate fight

In Charlestown, the seed for a new kind of school — in a city failing too many of its kids

lifestyle

Stashers Reusable Storage Bags can be cleaned in a dishwasher.

How to clean reusable food storage bags

He’s fighting food insecurity with wood and creativity

So much buzz around hot honey

food & dining

Stashers Reusable Storage Bags can be cleaned in a dishwasher.

How to clean reusable food storage bags

He’s fighting food insecurity with wood and creativity

So much buzz around hot honey

travel

Church motifs, like stained glass in the gospel gallery, reveal the attention to detail at the National Museum of African American Music.

Sing some gospel, bust a move, and feel the love at Nashville’s African American music museum

Best things to do in RI this week: Jan. 14-21

Adam Pascal on TSA PreCheck, his crossword app, and ancient megalithic cultures

Arts

Maria Yolanda Liebana’s mixed-media collage “Victorious.”

‘Vernacular Glamour’ excavates the material world

‘The Embrace,’ Boston’s long-awaited tribute to the Kings, will be unveiled on MLK Day 2023

At the MFA, a sleeping giant awakens

Books

A history of addiction in ‘The Urge’

‘The Hard Sell’ is a vivid tale of opioid firm showcased at Boston trial

Lisa Gardner: She reads for story, not genre

Movies

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi poses with the best screenplay award for "Drive My Car" last July at the Cannes Film Festival.

‘I think acting is an impossibly difficult thing’: Talking with Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, director of ‘Drive My Car’

Two films to observe Martin Luther King Day

Doc Talk: garden-fresh ideas; portraits from the artist; prison diary

Television

The Oscars haven't yet named a host for this year's March 27 show. Steve Martin (left) and Martin Short could handle the task with aplomb, but so could many others.

This week’s TV: ‘Ozark’ is back, ‘How I Met Your Father’ arrives, and who should host the Oscars?

SNL is back from winter break and Ariana DeBose used her Broadway talents as host

A film, and a filmmaker, transformed in ‘A Reckoning in Boston’

music

Augustus Muller (left) and Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher.

Boy Harsher’s new music sounded like a soundtrack to something. So they made a horror film.

Glimpsing what a new era at the BSO might bring

After some of the darkest days of Gregory Porter’s life, music lights the way

Theater/Dance

Maurice Emmanuel Parent in "Mr. Parent" at Lyric Stage Company.

Lasting lessons in Lyric Stage’s ‘Mr. Parent’

How ‘Pretty Woman’ became a head-turner

This driveway dancing duo is helping to lighten neighbors’ spirits

globe local

Dave Winn's employment discrimination case was ready and set for trial in March 2020 but Covid-19 stymied that trial date. It would take 17 months and five trial dates before the case would make it before a jury in Middlesex Superior Court.

‘It’s a systemic breakdown’: With jury trials suspended, an unprecedented backlog snowballs

Massachusetts remembers MLK, reflects on how his legacy can shape the future

Storm brings strong winds and coastal flooding — and snow to Western Mass.

Obituaries

In a photo provided by the Harrison family, Mr. Harrison sat under the poster for one of his plays.

Paul Carter Harrison, whose ideas shaped Black theater, dies at 85

Famed Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102

Charles Willie, an architect of Boston’s ‘controlled-choice’ school desegregation plan, dies at 94