The Boston Globe

Many of us are eager for a return to fun in the sun — could it be possible this summer?

Across New England, as COVID cases continue to drop and vaccinations rise, there’s an unfamiliar feeling in the air: optimism.

Coronavirus vaccine news, resources, and guidance

Shirley Leung
City of Boston has a shot at developing Fort Point Channel neighborhood into a waterfront for all. Can it?
Boston has a chance to turn the Fort Point Channel neighborhood into the waterfront the Seaport District has failed to become. Can the city deliver, or will we see, yet again, more broken promises?

Adult supervisor for BPS student group accused at news conference of psychological abuse
A group of students who recently resigned from leadership roles at the Boston Public Schools accused an adult supervisor of psychological abuse during a news conference on Saturday, describing regular sessions during which teenagers were encouraged to share deeply personal information and cry.

Boston student School Committee member resigns, saying district tried to silence his voice

As Massachusetts prepares for final phase of reopening, businesses warn recovery ‘is not going to be flicking a switch’

Instead of the rapid rebound projected by economists, many local employers expect a more gradual recovery marked by fits and starts. So they’re ramping up slowly and delaying hiring decisions until the picture is clearer.

Here’s what you need to know about the stimulus bill

The Senate passed its version of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on Saturday. The pandemic relief bill now goes back to the House of Representatives, which must approve the Senate’s changes before it can go to President Biden’s desk. Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions.

Senate approves $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, including checks for many Americans

Biden to mark ‘Bloody Sunday’ by signing voting-rights order

President Biden plans to sign an executive order directing federal agencies to take a series of steps to promote voting access, a move that comes as congressional Democrats press for a sweeping voting and elections bill to counter efforts to restrict voting access.

Bloody Sunday memorial to honor civil rights giants

Quiet and low profile, Mike Donilon is Biden’s White House ‘wise man’
Mike Donilon is not well known outside of Washington and his hometown of Providence. But he shepherds and fortifies Joe Biden’s message to the outside world while keeping the White House internally focused on what matters most to the president.

Fauci warns US could be headed for another coronavirus spike
States have continued lifting restrictions, despite warnings from top health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci that new coronavirus cases have plateaued at a very high level and that the country urgently needs to contain the spread of more transmissible variants.

A Mexican restaurant in Texas kept its mask rule. People threatened to call ICE on the staff
Texas Governor Greg Abbott's decision to lift the mask mandate will make Texas the largest state to not require masks, which has not come easily for many businesses that are navigating the enforcement of mask rules to protect employees and customers while facing backlash.

Bruins notebook

Capitals’ Tom Wilson suspended seven games by NHL for head shot on ‘defenseless’ Brandon Carlo

The heavy-hitting winger, suspended four times in 2017-18, met with the league Department of Player Safety on Saturday night prior to the announcement.

NFL quarterback carousel is starting to make us dizzy

After what Tom Brady did in Tampa Bay, winning a Super Bowl as a first-year free agent, doing it alongside weapons he helped bring to Florida, there is a whole new level of envy gripping the league.

Gary Washburn | On basketball

Commissioner Adam Silver hopeful fans can attend NBA games in near future

As vaccinations rise around the country, Silver said, “Maybe for the first time in the past year, I’m fairly optimistic right now” about the return of fans to NBA arenas.

Opinion

IDEAS | JONATHAN BERK

Streets that put people first, not cars

Other cities have reconfigured their urban grids to improve public health and local economies. Boston can do it too.

Biden must boost global vaccine supply

Race-based admissions are wrong, and it’s time the Supreme Court said so

IDEAS | ROBERT ZARETSKY

I fear my students will decide they prefer online classes

Tax fixes critical to keeping Mass. jobs

More than you need to know about Harry, Meghan, and Oprah
On Sunday, CBS will broadcast a two-hour interview between the majestic ceremonial figurehead of the United States, Oprah Winfrey, and two nonworking members of the British royal family. Here’s what you don’t need to know, but might care to find out anyway.

Harry, Meghan to delve into tough royal split with Oprah

Third ex-Cuomo aide recounts inappropriate behavior, report says
A former aide of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo became the third woman to accuse him of inappropriate behavior as she recounted unwanted advances at the workplace, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Cuomo’s behavior created ‘hostile, toxic’ workplace culture for decades, former aides say

yvonne abraham
Lessons that a 7-year-old girl can teach today’s Republicans
For today’s GOP, a compassionate, competent federal government is an existential threat.

Amanda Gorman says security guard confronted her, saying she looked ‘suspicious’
Amanda Gorman, who became a national sensation when she delivered a stirring poem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January, said Friday that a security guard had followed her home and told her she looked suspicious.

Boston rally calls for conviction in George Floyd case
The rally in Boston was one of more than a dozen across the country calling for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the case, according to organizers.

CHESTO MEANS BUSINESS
Egg industry warns of shortage in Mass. without legislative action
If eggs disappear from stores or skyrocket in price next January, as predicted by major egg producers, you can chalk it up to a quirk in Massachusetts law.

144 cities could lose status as metro areas
Some New England cities that are included in the proposal include Pittsfield, Massachusetts, along with Lewiston-Auburn and Bangor, Maine.

Trump sends cease-and-desist letter to GOP organizations to stop fundraising off his name
Former president Donald Trump has sent a cease-and-desist letter to at least three Republican organizations demanding they stop using his name and likeness to fundraise, two Trump advisers confirmed Saturday.

Recommended reads

Widett Circle offers Boston a chance to think big. There is still time to keep thinking

The pandemic has exacerbated entrenched inequities between rich and poor, Black, Latino, Asian and white. A lot of things must happen to change that. Putting a massive Amazon warehouse on what could be prime real estate isn’t one of them.

Massachusetts spent 20 years refining its own mass vaccination plan. Then it looked elsewhere
Days after federal drug regulators authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine, the state abandoned its blueprint and entrusted a handful of private companies with running its mass vaccination sites.

Walsh administration refuses to release internal affairs files of embattled police commissioner
Mayor Marty Walsh’s administration won't disclose decades-old internal affairs records about embattled Police Commissioner Dennis White — who was suspended after the Globe unearthed domestic violence allegations against him — at least until the city completes its own administrative probe.

metro

Adult supervisor for BPS student group accused at news conference of psychological abuse
A group of students who recently resigned from leadership roles at the Boston Public Schools accused an adult supervisor of psychological abuse during a news conference on Saturday, describing regular sessions during which teenagers were encouraged to share deeply personal information and cry.

Multi-family home destroyed in Stoneham fire

Mass. surpasses 16,000 deaths due to COVID-19

Sports

Northeastern women take charge against Providence to capture fourth straight Hockey East title
Aerin Frankel made 29 saves to turn aside the Friars.

BU men lose to Colgate in Patriot League basketball tournament

Gary Washburn | On basketball

Commissioner Adam Silver hopeful fans can attend NBA games in near future

business

Here’s what you need to know about the stimulus bill
The Senate passed its version of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on Saturday. The pandemic relief bill now goes back to the House of Representatives, which must approve the Senate’s changes before it can go to President Biden’s desk. Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions.

Third ex-Cuomo aide recounts inappropriate behavior, report says

Thousands of Microsoft customers may have been victims of hack tied to China

politics

Biden to mark ‘Bloody Sunday’ by signing voting-rights order
President Biden plans to sign an executive order directing federal agencies to take a series of steps to promote voting access, a move that comes as congressional Democrats press for a sweeping voting and elections bill to counter efforts to restrict voting access.

Senate approves $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, including checks for many Americans

Biden getting first shot at making mark on federal judiciary

lifestyle

More than you need to know about Harry, Meghan, and Oprah
On Sunday, CBS will broadcast a two-hour interview between the majestic ceremonial figurehead of the United States, Oprah Winfrey, and two nonworking members of the British royal family. Here’s what you don’t need to know, but might care to find out anyway.

‘Coming 2 America’ flag flies at Boston Harbor Hotel as Eddie Murphy sequel premieres

Gillian Anderson on Alec Baldwin’s accent snark, and Prince Harry’s view of ‘The Crown’

arts

Commentary
How Dr. Seuss became the second highest-paid dead celebrity
Earning $33 million in 2020, the children's book author is second only to Michael Jackson among deceased celebrities. Where does the money come from?

TV CRITIC'S CORNER

Season 3 of ‘Shtisel’ premieres this month on Netflix

In ‘Moxie,’ on Netflix, trying to make school cool — or at least less toxic

rhode island

CORONAVIRUS
Walgreens allows R.I. teachers to sign up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments
However, the state itself has not yet prioritized teachers and related staff in their vaccine distribution plans.

Central Falls lawmakers introduce bills aimed at closing Wyatt by 2028

Making a push for a Rhode Island state coral

Newton

Special Projects

PROJECT TAKEOUT | DEVRA FIRST

Project takeout: Get takeout. Save restaurants you love.

Ordering dinner will help small local businesses survive the pandemic. But that’s just the start.

See the full project

On the Street

In tackling the pandemic, Chelsea finds new strength

Brockton offers a gateway to a new generation

This time, Quincy Center’s revival looks legit

See more from our business series ‘On the Street’: The changing face of Greater Boston neighborhoods

More

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

Boston Globe launches ‘Fresh Start’ initiative: People can apply to have past coverage about them reviewed
Similar to “right to forget” programs that have cropped up across the country, the undertaking is meant to address the lasting impact that stories about past embarrassments, mistakes, or minor crimes, forever online, can have on a person’s life.

Globe Spotlight Investigation
Last Words: Is death the great equalizer?
Quite the contrary, a Spotlight investigation shows. Death exposes in high relief the layers of inequities, in race and income, care and opportunity, that shape life down to its final hours. It is a truth the pandemic has only underscored — one hard to see, because it is so much easier to look away.

Comfort Zone

Are you doing too much? Let the Dutch introduce you to the art of ‘niksen’

Nothing is good. These books about "niksen" – the art of doing nothing – help you get there.

A JP resident and her punk rock aerobics star in Green Day’s new music video

The band's "Here Comes the Shock" is set to Hilken Mancini's homemade video of moves like the "Iggy punch" and "whack jacks."

Boston poet laureate Porsha Olayiwola is at HOME on the open mic

The theme interested the Chicago transplant long before the pandemic.

GBH’s ‘Masterpiece’ reflects on 50 Years with a new podcast

The three-part series is "a superhero origin story," according to host Jace Lacob.

‘Against all odds,’ Peabody Essex show leads to discovery of second Jacob Lawrence painting

The piece was hanging all these years in a nurse's apartment on the Upper West Side.

Passim’s Matt Smith brings his love of local music to the airwaves

The new host of WMVY's "Local Music Café" is excited to showcase New England artists.

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

Derek Chauvin is the murder defendant. Don’t put George Floyd on trial.

Marcela García

At Boston’s public exam schools, it’s equity vs. privilege

George Q. Daley, David E. Golan, Arlene H. Sharpe, and Bruce D. Walker

Collaboration is the cure for COVID-19

All hail the bus as the answer to vaccine inequities

Flavia C. Peréa

Dear Mayor Joe Curtatone, what happened to my son embodies the school-to-prison pipeline

IDEAS | Rachel Rebouché and Mary Ziegler

Could Roe v. Wade really become ‘the law of the land’?

STAT

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Subscribe to STAT Plus

The Road Ahead: Charting the pandemic over the next 12 months — and beyond
In this project, STAT describes 30 key moments, possible turning points that could steer the pandemic onto a different course or barometers for how the virus is reshaping our lives.

From a small N.C. town to big-city hospitals, how software infuses racism into U.S. health care
The racial bias can produce huge differences in assessing patients’ need for special care to manage conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or depression, a STAT investigation found.

Covid-19’s wintry mix: Dry indoor air helps the virus spread
The worry is not just that people might mingle more closely inside, but that the air they breathe will make the virus more dangerous.

In the Covid-19 death of a hospital food worker, a microcosm of the pandemic
The hospital's first employee to die of Covid-19 was a kitchen worker named Marie Deus — and her illness sparked a question. Why weren't bedside clinicians getting sick at the highest rates?

A plant lover's guide to 16 gorgeous gardens and arboretums

30,000 steps on Cape Cod: A three-day walking tour

The pandemic revealed our food system is broken. We can fix it.

Forget winter with these 4 tropical desserts

sports

Ageless wonder Lee Westwood charges up leaderboard, takes over Bay Hill lead

Late tip-in helps Providence beat another seeded foe, this time No. 10 Villanova

Connor Withers leads UMass Lowell men past top-seeded UMBC, into America East championship

metro

Boston rally calls for conviction in George Floyd case

Robert R. Glauber, Harvard professor who led Black Monday presidential commission, dies at 81

Priscilla Read Chenoweth, who won freedom for a stranger, dies at 90

Nation

Bloody Sunday memorial to honor late civil rights giants

Biden to mark ‘Bloody Sunday’ by signing voting-rights order

Harry, Meghan to delve into tough royal split with Oprah

World

US gives hope to previously denied asylum seekers in camp

Protests, tear gas in Myanmar after UN envoy urges action

As COVID deaths soar in Brazil, Bolsonaro hails an untested nasal spray

politics

Senate works through the night with COVID-19 bill on path to passage

FBI finds contact between proud boys member and Trump associate before riot

Highlights: What’s changed in the Senate’s virus relief bill

business

City of Boston has a shot at developing Fort Point Channel neighborhood into a waterfront for all. Can it?

As Massachusetts prepares for final phase of reopening, businesses warn recovery ‘is not going to be flicking a switch’

Egg industry warns of shortage in Mass. without legislative action

lifestyle

Get lost inside a masterpiece with ‘Imagine Van Gogh’

Ben Affleck (and his Dunkin’ iced coffee) arrives in Back Bay Friday to shoot ‘The Tender Bar’

A Medford couple is bringing diverse children’s books to families every month

marijuana

Mass. marijuana has to be ultra-sterile. Just one problem: It’s a plant

Marijuana company sues Boston zoning board over rejection

New Jersey governor signs laws to set up marijuana market

opinion

Biden must boost global vaccine supply

Streets that put people first, not cars

Race-based admissions are wrong, and it’s time the Supreme Court said so

food & dining

Rutchada Thai Cuisine was ‘meant to be’

A tavern comes to Brookline; a beer hall opens in Belmont; and Del’s Lemonade plans a Massachusetts flagship

At The Federal, a miracle to go: perfectly cooked steak

travel

Drew Bledsoe loves the beach but would also happily tackle a visit to Siberia

Advice for planning that family reunion you just can’t wait to have

My eyes have been opened to the very real threat of avalanches, even in New England

Books

How Dr. Seuss became the second highest-paid dead celebrity

Human nature and ‘Beloved Beasts’

Anne Lamott ponders life’s third act in ‘Dusk, Night, Dawn’

Movies

In ‘Moxie,’ on Netflix, trying to make school cool — or at least less toxic

Eddie Murphy is back, and back up to speed, in ‘Coming 2 America’

Yale banners and signs pop up near Harvard Square for George Clooney film ‘The Tender Bar’

Television

Season 3 of ‘Shtisel’ premieres this month on Netflix

Turning on the TV doesn’t mean turning off your brain

Next up on the series revival list: ‘Party Down’

music

For NEC students, it’s been a year of improvising

With another album in the works, singer Lizzy McAlpine has left Berklee behind

Passim’s Matt Smith brings his love of local music to the airwaves

Theater/Dance

Boston Ballet celebrates Jorma Elo in a rich program of new work and past highlights

On your screen but outside the box: Theater companies rise to a creative challenge

Stars to come out (remotely) for a new Boston clinic for homeless women

globe local

A lost year, chronicled through art

Should the federal minimum wage be increased to $15?

Beverly Beckham: The love he gave keeps his grieving family going

Obituaries

Robert R. Glauber, Harvard professor who led Black Monday presidential commission, dies at 81

Priscilla Read Chenoweth, who won freedom for a stranger, dies at 90

Rosalyn Koo, 94, dies; fund-raising powerhouse for Chinese communities