The Port neighborhood, home to Washington Elms and Newtowne Court, two of the oldest public housing developments in the country, has long existed in the shadow of its thriving high-tech neighbors in Kendall Square. The gulf between the two communities has perhaps never been wider than at the start of 2021 when the quest to defeat COVID-19 with vaccines went into high gear.

Drug regulators cleared Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use Saturday, paving the way for the rollout of the third coronavirus vaccine in the US as highly infectious virus variants threaten to undermine progress against the pandemic.

Just five weeks ago, Los Angeles County was conducting more than 350,000 weekly coronavirus tests, including at a massive drive-through site at Dodger Stadium, as health workers raced to contain the worst COVID-19 hotspot in the United States.

Americans who go into the military understand the loss of personal liberty. Many of their daily activities are prescribed, as are their hairstyles, attire and personal conduct. So when it comes to taking a coronavirus vaccine, many troops see a rare opportunity to exercise free will. A broad swath of members of the military — a largely young, healthy set of Americans from every corner of the nation — are declining to get the shot, which for now is optional among personnel.

In case you missed it: You can now get tested for the coronavirus in the comfort of your own home.

No Republicans voted for the measure in the House, and the road ahead in the Senate is far bumpier.

Ahead of the vote on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, lawmakers have offered an array of misleading claims to promote their position on the bill. Here’s a fact check of some common talking points.

The inmates have challenged their convictions in state court following the high court’s ruling last year, dubbed the McGirt decision, that determined a large swath of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation. The decision means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal charges in cases in which the defendants, or the victims, are tribal citizens.

Captured on a neighbor’s security camera, the video of the attack was watched with horror around the world. Among Asian Americans, many of whom have endured racist taunts and worse during the pandemic, the killing of a defenseless older man became a rallying cry.

A Louisiana State Police trooper has been suspended without pay for kicking and dragging a handcuffed Black man whose in-custody death remains unexplained and the subject of a federal civil rights investigation.

Federal investigators probing the death of a US Capitol Police officer killed in the Jan. 6 riot have zeroed in on a suspect seen on video appearing to spray a chemical substance on the officer before he later collapsed and died, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

When an unusually heavy winter storm blanketed much of Texas with snow, knocking out electricity to millions of homes and leaving many struggling to find clean water, one sector of the population was particularly vulnerable: inmates at the state’s largest county jail.

A conference dedicated to the future of the conservative movement turned into an ode to Donald Trump as speakers declared their fealty to the former president and attendees posed for selfies with a golden statue of his likeness.

Led by loyalists who embrace former president Donald Trump’s baseless claims of a stolen election, Republicans in state legislatures nationwide are mounting extraordinary efforts to change the rules of voting and representation — and enhance their own political clout.

Kosovo already has a Bill Clinton Boulevard and a statue of the former Democratic president as well as a Hillary Boutique and a highway named after President Biden’s late son, Beau. So honoring former president Donald Trump, it would have been reasonable to assume, would not ruffle too many feathers. But a suggested name change for an artificial lake proved a bridge too far.

The ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, ended his speech with a three-finger salute, a gesture from the “Hunger Games” films that has become a symbol of pro-democratic defiance for protesters in Myanmar and, before that, in neighboring Thailand.

What began as a protest over the prosecution of controversial rapper Pablo Hasél has become a collective outcry by a generation that sees not just a lost future for itself, but also a present that has been robbed, years and experiences it will never get back, even when the pandemic is gone.

A potential US withdrawal from Afghanistan, coupled with a weak Afghan security force, mean the Taliban will likely continue to capture, condemn, and torture thousands.

Australia, normally a secondary market for big-brand shows developed in New York and London, has become an unexpected pandemic pioneer: a model and a test case for the global theater industry.

Officials at the Pompeii archaeological site in Italy announced Saturday the discovery of an intact ceremonial chariot, one of several important discoveries made in the same area outside the park near Naples following an investigation into an illegal dig.

"Anyone who would accuse a 6-year-old of sexual assault has something seriously wrong with them."

"The rock-solid commitment to Taiwan by successive US administrations, as outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, has contributed to Taiwan’s continued security and prosperity."

"Technology will disrupt warfare in all domains: on land, on water, underwater, in the air, and in space."

The United States must step back into its traditional role defending the free press in the hemisphere.

Nothing makes a sports fan feel older than watching beloved athletes move from dominance to decline. That’s why we can’t let go.

Statewide more than 1,500 students have been enrolled in a high school cosmetology program each of the past three school years, making it one of the most popular vocational tracks across Massachusetts.

The lawsuit filed Friday by the nonprofit Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence alleges that the Boston Public Schools’ admissions policy for acceptance to the three exam schools violates students’ constitutional rights and will “artificially favor Latino and African American students to the detriment of Asian and White students.”

Governor Charlie Baker’s public safety secretary got vaccinated against COVID-19 in the early wave of the rollout thanks to being designated as a “first-line responder,” raising questions about who should be prioritized amid tight supply.

It seems like yesterday. It also seems like decades ago.

The concession stand began its 70th season on Saturday.

A man died after he was found stabbed near Boston Medical Center early Saturday morning, Boston police said.

The expanded vaccination facility, along with eased public health restrictions expected to begin Monday for much of the state, come amid recent declines in new daily cases and deaths in Massachusetts due to the virus.

The hawks aren’t looking for birdseed. They’re hunting other birds.

Someone playing Xbox accidentally calls police, a man at a laundromat accuses a woman of stealing his towels, and other odd tales from local police blotters.

The Stoneham Fire Department is teaming up with students from Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School to renovate and update the 105-year-old fire station.

For those spending too much time indoors during a pandemic winter, Marshfield nature writer Kezia Bacon proposes a radical notion: take a real “lunch break.”

The three-part art installation combines a lighting display, cairns created with granite stones, and a memorial quilt.

Today is Sunday, Feb. 28, the 59th day of 2021. There are 306 days left in the year.

The time away from the game in the middle of a pandemic created space for reflection, on the scandal and to confront past managerial challenges.

MLB seems destined to go to a universal DH, but there are reasons to keep letting the pitchers hit.

The goal won’t be to pick the best team for the first week of the season but to have the widest base of talent for 162 games.

Recovery from an accident that nearly takes your life is filled with potential potholes, ones that must be navigated with care and compassion.

About half the league is in the mix for a quarterback in one shape or form.

The Bruins have carried a lead into the third period in only two of the last 11 games.

In addition to the previously confirmed returns of veterans Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung, and Marcus Cannon, the team will welcome back Brandon Bolden, Danny Vitale, Matt LaCosse, Marqise Lee, and Najee Toran.

Next season, when they reconvene, the Bruins and their Atlantic Division mates could be the most interesting and powerful collection of teams in the game.

Tatum has tried to focus on leading the team back to prosperity while also enjoying the benefits of his success.

He has been called upon in critical junctures, and that is not lost on him.

DeMarr Langford (17 points, 6 rebounds) made made a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left to ice a 94-90 victory for the Eagles.

ESPN got some social-media grief for not immediately switching its coverage to Woods when the news broke at 2:25.

Morikawa shot a 5-under 67 at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., making birdies on seven of his first eight holes.

In an Internet world, no one has much use anymore for baseball's hefty ink-and-paper bible, but it was fun while it lasted.

Barnes is now in his final year before hitting the free agent market.

Trout’s only appearance in the postseason came in 2014 when his Angels were bounced out of a Division Series in three games by the Kansas City Royals.

Led by junior Kayana Armbrister (18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks), the Panthers overcame a tough challenge by O'Bryant in the final quarter to add to the program's legacy.

Experts say double masking is a double-edged sword.

Democrats may not pull off a national abortion-rights law. But there are other ways to shore up the right to choose.

They’re a pandemic-era facsimile of hanging out, offering the warmth of a phone call without the imposition.

A new book from Paul Bové tries to shake our culture out of the sense that humanity is ‘rushing toward a cliff.’

For too long, the negative ramifications of technology didn't get the attention they deserved.

Going to college doesn’t turn students into Marxists. If anything, it tends to make them more skeptical of redistributing wealth.

As a Black pre-med student, I feel a responsibility to help our hardest-hit communities.

President Biden should honor what looks like the best deal we’re ever going to get in that country.

For many BSO fans, the composer's music conjures happy memories. But it can also carry our grief.

The Great Barrington-born thinker created a set of gorgeous graphics for the 1900 Paris Exposition.

Golden Globes? Gone! Reboots and spinoffs? See ya! More streaming services? Enough already!

Cloud & Spirits opens soon, but in the meantime, this temporary shop sells delightful Japanese sandwiches from Katie Cheung.

Pelle Cass constructed his “Crowded Fields” images from single shots taken at college sports events.

Restaurant news you can use.

To anyone who had dismissed this trailblazer as a poster child for nepotism, “Start Walkin’ 1965-1976” will set the record straight.

Composer, bandleader, and entrepreneur prepares for a residency at New England Conservatory.

Trailers for the opioid epidemic thriller were already in the can when allegations of abuse surfaced online.

"Coming 2 America" comes from a long line of long-in-the-making part twos.

Elizabeth Lo’s documentary takes a streetwise, dog’s-eye view of Istanbul's canine population.

French students film themselves; rock music and rebellion in Armenia; a marine mammal custody fight.

In his new book, “Craft: An American History” Adamson chronicles how “makers” and “making,” long before they became buzz words, contributed to the story of our country, from Jamestown until today.

Gregory Brown’s graceful and compassionate debut novel ponders right and wrong in a Maine mill town.

Depending on how you slice acclaimed author Russell Banks’s 13th novel, you might find a book about a temperamental, privileged, cishet white male artist, a book about capturing art, a book about dying, a book about personal truth, or even a book about how the spotlight lies to us.

The child of an immigrant often bears witness to startling moments of intercedence, where their parent’s long-buried past suddenly ruptures the present. Alexander Wolff knows these occurrences; he writes of them in “Endpapers: A Family Story of Books, War, Escape and Home.”

In "Fans," Olmstead details how rooting for the home team can affect the human psyche.

Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the New England Independent Booksellers Association and IndieBound.

All the local news of a bookish bent.

All events take place online; visit the venue website for more information.

The vacation rental market is heating up. If you’re planning to stay in someone else’s house, here are 10 tips from the experts on how to do it the right way.

Some cruise companies are now mandating that passengers be vaccinated. Could airlines and countries be next?

Meet the couple creating "skoolies," tiny homes with miles of style that are getting scooped up quickly once they hit the market.

Travel news you can use.

We caught up with the Lowell native, who is starring in the new CBS drama “Coyote,” to talk about all things travel.

Stephen Wilkes asked his travel agent for a BritRail pass refund. But six months later, there was no sign of the money.

Here is the first in a five-part series of occasional stories highlighting quick trips — 100 miles or so — out of Boston.

As a tribal judge, she practiced a judicial model known as restorative justice, which aims to heal and rehabilitate offenders and their victims as an alternative to punishment.

Ms. Washington became the catalyst behind the creation of the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center and then won something few thought possible — not only posthumous pardons for the defendants but also full exonerations for the history books.

The photographs that made his global reputation — a pictorial record of the iconoclastic New Wave cinema from 1959 to 1968 — were taken in his capacity as a low-paid set photographer.

Bruce Meyers was hanging out at Pismo Beach on California’s Central Coast one afternoon in 1963 when he saw something that both blew his mind and changed his life: a handful of old, stripped-down cars bouncing across the sand.

The vacation rental market is heating up. If you’re planning to stay in someone else’s house, here are 10 tips from the experts on how to do it the right way.

Some cruise companies are now mandating that passengers be vaccinated. Could airlines and countries be next?

Meet the couple creating "skoolies," tiny homes with miles of style that are getting scooped up quickly once they hit the market.

Travel news you can use.

We caught up with the Lowell native, who is starring in the new CBS drama “Coyote,” to talk about all things travel.

Stephen Wilkes asked his travel agent for a BritRail pass refund. But six months later, there was no sign of the money.

Here is the first in a five-part series of occasional stories highlighting quick trips — 100 miles or so — out of Boston.

Readers share some thoughts on reconciliation in the United States, deck dancing, and more.

My kids saw my painful experience in real time. They also saw me buoyed by support.

An online discussion with “The Queen’s Gambit” co-creator, reflections on Crispus Attucks, and more.

Why hide it? Visible framing lends rustic warmth and historic authenticity to these homes.

Fresh and flavorful Thai dishes that remind us of warm summer days to come.

I’d asked for space after the breakup. How do I re-clarify my position without being rude?

During hard times, where does one draw the line about doing something pro bono?

Amid the widespread darkness and deprivation, there also have been moments of great illumination and growth.

I basically have zero expectations when it comes to grades and standardized tests. It’s a time of leveling up life skills and identifying self-directed passions.

As they cautiously plan to reopen, day and overnight camps are putting a host of new protocols into place.

Here’s some practical advice parents have learned about coping and caring for their kids.

These interactions can go on for hours, and they’ve been a godsend, keeping Faith entertained between online classes.