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TRENDING:

Baker announces stay-at-home advisory, early closure order will end on Monday

Governor Charlie Baker is giving some breathing room to pandemic-pressed businesses lifting an early closure order and a related overnight stay-at-home advisory as the number of new COVID cases and hospitalizations trends downward steadily. Other restrictions will remain in place through Feb. 8.
Here’s what a lifted stay-at-home advisory and early business closure order means in Massachusetts

Shirley Leung
Restaurant reservations are off 78 percent, business foot traffic is down 50 percent. Should Boston loosen COVID-19 restrictions?
Striking a balance between letting the economy open up and keeping the virus at bay has been a constant dilemma since last March. Let businesses flourish untethered, and all that activity might increase the spread of the virus, which would be even worse for business long term. Sensible people say follow the data, but the numbers are not always so clear cut.

These 222 Massachusetts communities are at high risk for COVID-19

Six communities have been added to the high-risk category since last week’s report and 13 were removed from it.
Mass. reports 544 new coronavirus cases among public school students, 390 among school staff members Charts: How many vaccine doses has Massachusetts received, and who has been vaccinated? Mass. reports 4,821 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 75 new deaths

Lawyers want Giuliani investigated, license suspended

A lawyers’ group filed an ethics complaint against Rudy Giuliani with New York’s courts, calling for him to be investigated and his law license suspended over his work promoting former President Trump’s false allegations over the 2020 election.
Senate Democrats call for ethics investigation into Cruz, Hawley

Bruins cap late rally with shootout win over Flyers in home opener
Jake DeBrusk scored in the shootout, and the Bruins potted four goals in the third period in an exciting 5-4 victory before an empty TD Garden.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk banged up again, does not play in overtime of Bruins’ win over Flyers
Coronavirus at a glance |
Massachusetts
Cases
Today
14-day trend
Deaths
Today
14-day trend
United States
Cases
Deaths
World
Cases
Deaths
Other resources:
SOURCES: Mass. Dept. of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

The Globe's Fresh Start initiative

Boston Globe launches ‘Fresh Start’ initiative: People can apply to have archive stories 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.

↘ Submit

Going forward, the Globe will allow all people to appeal their presence in older stories published on our websites. If you’re looking for a Fresh Start, please fill out this form.

↘ FAQ

This is a new initiative for us and we expect it to evolve with regular assessments and tweaks along the way. Read some frequently asked questions about the Globe’s Fresh Start initiative.

Get takeout. Save restaurants you love.

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

More about Project Takeout

The Globe is asking readers, if they can, to get takeout and help our local restaurants get through this dark winter.

5 restaurants we supported this week

Want to order from local, independent restaurants? Here are some suggestions from Globe staff.

Opinion

Alex Beam

The ‘New Sobriety’ movement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

Not drinking is not all it’s cracked up to be. Need proof? Donald Trump is a teetotaler, and a very poor advertisement for life six steps back from the bar.
Renée Graham

From years of rage to tears of joy

Scot Lehigh

America re-embraces normality

EDITORIAL

Biden takes on a long-deferred overhaul of immigration

IDEAS | STEPHEN KINZER

Biden’s same old foreign policy

THE GREAT DIVIDE
Boston’s exam schools adopt stricter camera mandates, frustrating some students
Schools across the country weighed the risks and benefits of camera mandates this fall, for kindergarten story time as well as college midterms. Some students fear the new policy puts a heavier burden on low-income students, who are more likely to live in small, crowded homes with unreliable Internet service.

For prosecutors, Trump’s clemency decisions were a ‘kick in the teeth’
Just days after being granted clemency by former President Trump and released after serving four years of his 20-year sentence, Philip Esformes, a former nursing home executive who orchestrated one of the biggest Medicare frauds in US history, was under a disco ball celebrating his daughter’s wedding.

COVID-19 vaccine doses spoiled at Jamaica Plain VA facility

Nearly 2,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 were spoiled earlier this week when a cleaning contractor accidentally loosened an electric plug on a freezer at the Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center, officials said Thursday.

Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19; shows canceled
Dave Chappelle tested positive for the coronavirus just before his comedy show scheduled for Thursday, forcing his upcoming appearances to be canceled, a spokeswoman said.

Barbara Erickson, CEO of Trustees of Reservations since 2012, dies from rare form of cancer
Erickson, who was 42, had led the Trustees since 2012, and was only the fourth person — and first woman — to hold the job since the organization was founded in 1891.

‘Straight Pride’ organizer jailed for alleged role in US Capitol attack freed but banned from protests, travel
A federal magistrate agreed to release Mark G. Sahady from jail Thursday but banned out-of-state travel.

Boston defense lawyer Gary Zerola held without bail on new rape charges

The lawyer is accused of breaking into a woman’s home in the predawn hours of Jan. 12 and sexually assaulted her.

Man allegedly shouted racial slur at victim of fatal road rage incident in Belmont, DA says

A man allegedly used racial slurs during a suspected road rage incident in Belmont Tuesday, a confrontation that lead to the death of a 35-year-old Black Boston man, authorities said Wednesday.
Vigil remembers man killed in road rage incident in Belmont

Recommended Reads

Young voters helped put Biden in the White House. Now they want action

As President Biden begins his term, young activists are optimistic that their strength at the polls will translate into influence on issues such as police reform, reducing fossil fuel emissions, protections for undocumented young people, an assault weapons ban, and economic policies that help low- and middle-income families.

Jeneé Osterheldt
On Inauguration Day, the hill we climb and the dreams we can no longer defer
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman read “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of President Biden. A poem for us.

Inauguration Fashion
Inaugural fashion nods to political unity and American design
Before she strode across the Capitol dais on Wednesday to take her oath of office, Vice President Harris had already made a statement: one in brilliant purple. Several other guests at the inauguration also chose the hue, a rich blend of partisan red and blue.

metro

Boston Globe launches ‘Fresh Start’ initiative: People can apply to have archive stories 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.

The Globe’s Fresh Start initiative: Frequently Asked Questions

The Globe’s Fresh Start initiative: Submit your appeal

Sports

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk banged up again, does not play in overtime of Bruins’ win over Flyers
Coach Bruce Cassidy said Grzelcyk would not have been able to cover the ice in the 3-on-3 overtime.

Bruins cap late rally with shootout win over Flyers in home opener

Amid cancellation talk, Tokyo Olympics ‘focused on hosting’

business

Barbara Erickson, CEO of Trustees of Reservations since 2012, dies from rare form of cancer
Erickson, who was 42, had led the Trustees since 2012, and was only the fourth person — and first woman — to hold the job since the organization was founded in 1891.

Opponents continue push against Maine power project

Shirley Leung

Restaurant reservations are off 78 percent, business foot traffic is down 50 percent. Should Boston loosen COVID-19 restrictions?

politics

Senate Democrats call for ethics investigation into Cruz, Hawley
A group of Senate Democrats filed a complaint to the Senate Ethics Committee seeking an investigation of GOP Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, saying they helped spread baseless claims of election fraud that contributed to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by an angry mob.

McConnell seeks to push impeachment trial to February

Fauci speaks on pandemic response

lifestyle

QUICK BITE
Geppetto carves out a niche in an evolving corner of Cambridge
Chef Will Gilson brings Italian food to Cambridge Crossing (and also delivers it within 5 miles).

Baker lifted his 9:30 p.m. curfew, but will it help restaurants?

Newly single, seeking life partner

arts

Bringing ‘Moneyball’-style’ data to the high-end art market
Artnome founder Jason Bailey originally set out to curb forgeries. Now he seeks to serve collectors with information and insights.

What’s happening in the arts world

TELEVISION

Imagine that: Some reboots and revivals TV hasn’t thought of yet

rhode island

RI NEWS
More than 100 Rhode Island employees made more than $200,000 last year
Top 10 earners include correctional officers, state hospital doctors, and the URI men’s basketball coach.

CORONAVIRUS

R.I.’s COVID-19 rates trending down, but officials ask for patience on vaccines

RHODE MAP

Providence strikes deal with police union for pay raises and larger pension contributions

Newton

Special Projects

A beautiful resistance | JENEÉ OSTERHELDT

With every sip, a labor of love

In Vermont, a winemaker is cultivating a legacy that pays homage to the Black folk who built this country and is celebrating life and the future of farming.
See more from 'A Beautiful Resistance'Follow on Instagram

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

Revere was going through a revival before COVID-19. Can it stay on track?

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

More

2020 Bostonians of the Year: The Front Line
They stood up to fight the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice. Meet the people leading us through a harrowing year.

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.

I knew getting prostate cancer at 48 would change me. I had no idea how much
For the past year, Mark Shanahan has been working on Mr. 80 Percent, a six-episode podcast miniseries about his experience with prostate cancer. It’s a deeply personal, sometimes harrowing, often funny story about a disease that affects millions of men. The heroes are his doctors and family, who put up with some appalling behavior. You’ll hear from both.

Comfort Zone

Inauguration Fashion

Inaugural fashion nods to political unity and American design

Before she strode across the Capitol dais on Wednesday to take her oath of office, Vice President Harris had already made a statement: one in brilliant purple. Several other guests at the inauguration also chose the hue, a rich blend of partisan red and blue.

Bernie Sanders and his bulky Vermont-made mittens won the Internet on Inauguration Day

Vermont senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders stole the show at Wednesday's inauguration when he sported oven mittens created by a teacher in his home state.

The BPL has posted 8,000 photos from its collection to Wikimedia Commons

The upload from the library's collection is in honor of Wikipedia’s 20th anniversary.
HISTORY

Inauguration Day trivia! From historic firsts to feats

All the stats you need on taking the presidential oath.

How to fall in love with winter running

How (and where) to keep moving amid Boston's chill, snow, and ice.
COMFORT ZONE

Five presidents and their musical moments

One hosted Elvis at the White House. Another channeled Al Green. And guess who had the best stereo in town?

Opinion, ideas, and commentary

EDITORIAL

Biden takes on a long-deferred overhaul of immigration

Scot Lehigh

America re-embraces normality

IDEAS | STEPHEN KINZER

Biden’s same old foreign policy

Michael A. Cohen

Biden’s speech is what America needed to hear

EDITORIAL

Can a salve for a wounded nation become the glue that binds it?

IDEAS | MAGGIE JACKSON

The gift of being unsure of what to do

STAT

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?

magazine
On the Cover

For schoolchildren struggling to read, COVID-19 has been a wrecking ball

Perspective

Three reasons why I know we have a great couple years ahead

Globe Magazine

Jujubee’s guide to making 2021 just a little brighter

Style Watch

Home design ideas: Making room for a study space and storage

sports

Notre Dame football placed on NCAA probation

Brimming with young talent, Cathedral boys’ basketball building for the future

Revolution add forward Edward Kizza, defender Francois Dulysse in MLS SuperDraft

metro

Stream a concert right into your ‘parlor’

‘Straight Pride’ organizer jailed for alleged role in US Capitol attack freed but banned from protests, travel

Baker announces stay-at-home advisory, early closure order will end on Monday

Nation

Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19; shows canceled

For prosecutors, Trump’s clemency decisions were a ‘kick in the teeth’

Lawyers want Giuliani investigated, license suspended

World

Biden administration to seek five-year extension on key nuclear arms treaty in first foray with Russia

China fires parting sanctions at Trump officials; seeks ‘better angels’ in Biden team

Twin suicide bombings rock central Baghdad, at least 28 dead

politics

Six under-the-radar changes from the Trump administration to Biden’s

House votes waiver for Austin to serve as Biden’s Pentagon chief

Biden signs several COVID-19 orders

business

Developer eyes another million square feet of labs, offices, and apartments for Harvard project

Student loan companies return to court to collect on private education debt

Trump reveals extent of pandemic damage to business empire

lifestyle

Is anyone more meme-able than Bernie? Debatable

Perillas expands to Brighton; Manoa resumes regular weekend service

6 farms offering fun things to do this winter

marijuana

Healey appoints new commissioner to Mass. marijuana agency

Study: smoking pot raises level of harmful chemicals in body but smoking tobacco is more harmful

Q&A with outgoing cannabis commissioner Shaleen Title

opinion

From years of rage to tears of joy

What does Joe Biden’s inauguration mean to you?

To emulate FDR, Biden needs to combine decency with a steely edge

food & dining

Geppetto carves out a niche in an evolving corner of Cambridge

Baker lifted his 9:30 p.m. curfew, but will it help restaurants?

Perillas expands to Brighton; Manoa resumes regular weekend service

travel

How to unlock an Airbnb account restricted because of COVID-19

Food and love are a great match in Portland, Maine. But does it make sense to go in winter?

That Trump sendoff song is really about gay sexual freedom

Books

Heal thyself in ‘The Doctors Blackwell’

A fan of Wonder Woman and librarians

Life after loss in ‘Sanctuary’

Movies

Doc Talk: Taking trains, dancing through age, visiting Earth (maybe), fighting for justice

Why the short shrift for movie shorts?

Mr. van Rijn? Why, meet Mr. Lurie.

Television

Imagine that: Some reboots and revivals TV hasn’t thought of yet

Podcasts are hot, hot, hot as TV adaptations

No inaugural balls on this night: just Tom Hanks, music, fireworks, and feel-good affirmations

music

Five presidents and their musical moments

What it takes to build a ‘modular’ opera

Passim sends grants totaling $40,000 to 24 project-minded musicians

Theater/Dance

Boston Ballet revisits Yakobson gems and previews new work for spring

We, the jury: How courtroom dramas have primed us for Trump’s impeachment trial

The wide boundaries of ‘Our Town’

globe local

Stream a concert right into your ‘parlor’

To many in Newton, Kamala Harris’s vice presidency is a ‘universal inspiration’

Their friendship began 95 years ago, and it’s still going strong

Obituaries

Frank Limoncelli, former manager of Globe classified advertising, dies at 87

Don Sutton, Hall of Fame pitcher for Dodgers, dies at 75

Winifred Mayes, first woman in the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s string section, dies at 101