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April 15, 2021

A health care worker prepared a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine early this month.

Federal panel recommends continued ‘pause’ on J&J vaccine. Doctors hope to reconvene in a week to 10 days

After a four-hour emergency meeting, the panel of independent experts who advise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they needed more time to assess the potential risks of the shot, including whether it posed a danger to men and older people.

Ethan Simmons and Caroline Thompson are co-workers at Zoominfo, but only met when they realized they both live in the Fenway. Now they take walks together regularly, with her dog, Winston.
‘I’m excited to see how tall people are’: For those hired remotely, it’s the little things they miss most
Many people hired remotely over the past year have never been to the office or met any fellow employees in person, missing out on the many benefits of in-office culture.

Tito Jackson and Rachel E. Twymon embraced in her kitchen in New Bedford after reliving the struggle they had to find each other.
Tito Jackson found his birth mother. Their family’s journey is a tale of Boston history
After yearning for decades, Jackson and his biological mother Rachel Twymon finally reunited, and are ready to share their story — one that is intertwined with Boston history.

Students with parents arrived at the Quincy Elementary School in Chinatown. Asian American parents are reluctant to send their children back to school full time.
THE GREAT DIVIDE

Asian American families overwhelmingly reject full-time return to BPS classrooms this month

As Boston prepares to reopen elementary and middle schools full time, Asian American families are choosing to keep their children learning from home at rates higher than any other racial group, amid fears about both the pandemic and a growing tide of racism targeting their community.

National Guard Specialist Kyle Canzano (right) prepared to take the Army's rifle record fire qualification range, a test that is an annual requirement for Guard members, on the existing firing range for machine guns at Camp Edwards.
The National Guard wants to clear 170 acres of woods on Cape Cod for a new machine gun range
Military officials have proposed clearing 170 acres of dense forest to build a new range on a 15,000-acre base on the Upper Cape, one of only a few in the state where soldiers can drill with their weapons. But the controversial proposal — likely to receive a key approval in the coming days — has been vehemently opposed by local lawmakers and environmental groups.

DAN MCGOWAN
Worcester Red Sox players held a scrimmage at their new Polar Park stadium on April 8, 2021. A player warmed up in the dugout runway before the game.
Is this heaven? No, it’s Worcester
Polar Park is gorgeous, and the former PawSox who play there are looking good. Imagine what Rhode Island could have had if its leaders showed even a tiny sense of vision.

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The Nation

Dr. David Fowler, a retired forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland.

Derek Chauvin defense expert blames heart disease and drug use for George Floyd’s death

David Fowler, a former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland, said he would not have categorized Floyd's death a homicide, saying there were too many conflicting factors to accurately determine the manner of death.
This booking photo released by the Hennepin County, Minn., Sheriff shows Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer who is charged on Wednesday, with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.

Former Minnesota police officer charged in shooting of Black motorist

A prosecutor said Wednesday that he charged a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.
President Joe Biden.

US will slowly lose tabs on Afghan groups, and China is pushing authoritarianism, intelligence officials tell senators

The nation’s top intelligence and law enforcement officials testified before the Senate on Wednesday morning about a range of threats facing the United States, from a rising China to the origins of the virus that caused the coronavirus pandemic.
US President Joe Biden.

Biden begins to undo Trump-era ban on abortion referrals

The proposed rule on abortion referrals from the Department of Health and Human Services follows through on President Biden’s campaign promise to reverse his predecessor’s family planning policy, which was branded a “gag rule” by women’s groups and decried by medical associations as violating the doctor-patient relationship.
Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon. Wyden and Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, put forward new legislation to overhaul the country's unemployment insurance system.

Senate Democrats propose sweeping overhaul of unemployment programs that were rocked by pandemic fallout

The new draft legislation put forward by Senators Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, and Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, seeks to address the financial hardships that many families experienced over the past year, as the coronavirus left a record number of people out of work and struggling to obtain aid amid the worst economic crisis in a generation.
People stormed the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6.

Capitol Police officer cleared of wrongdoing in fatal shooting during insurrection

Authorities determined there was insufficient evidence to prove Babbitt’s civil rights were violated, and that it was reasonable for the officer to believe he was firing in self-defense or in defense of members of Congress and aides who were fleeing the House chamber. Prosecutors did not identify the officer.
People rallied on Boston Common last weekend to speak out about attacks on Asian Americans.

Senate advances bill to deter attacks on Asian Americans

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said the bill would address “an awful rising tide” of attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Editorial & Opinion

Patrick Rose covers his face during his arraignment in August 2020.
EDITORIAL

Ending the code of silence for Boston police

The case of Patrick Rose should be a never-again moment for BPD. Officers of the law must be held accountable for breaking it.
A police officer from Prince George's County, Maryland, awaits a procession for Capitol Police Officer William Evans on April 13 in Washington, D.C. A ceremony honoring Evans was held in the rotunda of the US Capitol after he was killed in the line of duty when a car drove into security barriers on April 2.
Joan Vennochi

‘Your dad was a hero’ — the clashing views about American police

More than relying on one jury to change the world of policing, it might be better to change how we think about police.
Licensed vocational nurse Denise Saldan prepares the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in Los Angeles, California on March 25.
Kimberly Atkins

I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The pause makes me believe in it more.

The worst thing that could happen now is for the recommendation by the FDA and CDC to pause the vaccine’s administration to spur a new wave of vaccine hesitancy.
Security personnel stands guard as Independent Election Commission workers unload ballot boxes from a truck to be taken to a counting center the day after Afghanistan held presidential elections, in September, 2019.
H.D.S. Greenway

Afghanistan and Vietnam: How did the US lose two wars?

In the end, our clients could never shake the impression that they were puppets fighting for foreigners.
Protesters hold portraits of George Floyd as hundreds of people gather on March 29 for a rally at the end of the first day of the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin outside of the court building in Minneapolis.
LETTERS

Whatever the outcome in Chauvin trial, justice will have been served

I cannot fathom an acquittal. Still, that is not my choice to make.
LETTERS

Clemency is an issue of social justice and economics

These mechanisms exist to help people who have paid their dues move forward and create a better life for themselves.
Air Force veteran Robert Aucoin, 78, receives a COVID-19 vaccine dose at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke on Dec. 29, 2020.
LETTERS

In pushing old-style approach for a new soldiers’ home, Mass. abandons key blueprint for care

Instead of building a monument to our past failed efforts at institutionalization, the Commonwealth should develop and operate supportive living options and related services.
Governor Charlie Baker speaks during a COVID-19 vaccination update Wednesday at the Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston.
LETTERS

N.Y. is right, Governor Baker — bring on the vaccine passport

Baker’s reluctance to use that information to facilitate safe expansion of the state’s economy seems shortsighted.

Metro

Governor Baker.

Baker expects ‘minimal disruptions’ to vaccine appointments despite pause in Johnson & Johnson shots

This week, Governor Baker said Johnson & Johnson vaccines accounted for just 3 percent of the total vaccine doses allocated to the state from the federal government.
YVONNE ABRAHAM

The courage of a 12-year-old

Imagine being the first one to raise the alarm, to do the thing that should have stopped him, only to watch him pass two more decades with impunity, because nobody who could have intervened had the courage of a 12-year-old.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey has proposed a a year-over-year increase of 3.9 percent in the city budget.

Janey says proposed $3.75b city budget is ‘built around an equitable recovery, reopening, and renewal’

Acting Mayor Kim Janey introduced a proposed $3.75 billion budget for next fiscal year, which starts July 1, saying it includes a “slate of investments that will help us create a more resilient city.”
The Mass. State House in Boston.

Mass. House leaders unveil $47.7b spending plan that forgoes broad-based tax hikes

The budget proposal instead would allow the state to pluck up to $1.9 billion from the state’s emergency savings, a nod to the relatively careful forecasting lawmakers say the state will need amid its still-uncertain path through the COVID-19 pandemic.

After rash of break-ins, Newton police asking residents with cameras to sign up for virtual community watch program

Newton police are asking residents with security cameras to participate in a virtual neighborhood watch while they investigate a rash of home break-ins that have occurred in recent weeks.
Leominster Mayor Dean J. Mozzarella iheld the sword outside of his City Hall office.

The mystery of the stolen sword

Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said the sword was sent to his office this week.

Today in History

Today is Thursday, April 15, the 105th day of 2021. There are 260 days left in the year.
Iraq war veteran Raymond Garcia from Boston paused at the Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial during "One Boston Day" in 2020.

City to observe One Boston Day in honor of Marathon bombing victims

Acting Mayor Kim Janey is urging residents to spread kindness Thursday as the city marks its annual One Boston Day observances to honor those killed in the Boston Marathon bombings, as well as the resilience the Hub demonstrated in the aftermath of the tragedy that consumed the city on April 15, 2013.
The Boston Public Library.

Boston Public Library set to eliminate late fines and the equity imbalance they create, Janey says

The decision to ax the fines, effective July 1, comes in part as a result of funding set aside for “revenue relief” in Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s proposed 2021 budget for the city.

Business

The stitching area in Alden Shoe Co.'s factory, which was built in Middleborough in 1970.

Former Alden Shoe Co. CFO charged in $30 million embezzlement scheme

Richard Hajjar, 64, of Duxbury, agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud, unlawful monetary transactions, and filing a false tax return.
Bernie Madoff died early Wednesday in a federal prison.
Larry Edelman

Madoff was an evil master of financial illusion

Bernie Madoff was a genius and a fraud, a stock market innovator who ended up squandering his considerable talents on propping up the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
Jim and Janet Baker, cofounders of the speech recognition pioneer Dragon Systems, whose technology later became part of Nuance Communications.
Innovation Economy

After the Nuance deal, what’s next for voice recognition tech?

The Burlington company was a pioneer in a field that still has plenty of room for innovation.
Nine Zero hotel workers gathered outside of the Downtown Boston hotel in March to demand their jobs back.

Nine Zero hotel to reinstate terminated workers, union says

The hotel also agreed to extend laid-off employees’ right to be recalled with full seniority for up to 30 months, according to the union representing the workers.
Airlines say they believe the numbers are heading up, with more people booking flights for spring and summer.

Many are placing bets on summer travel

As vaccines raise hopes for the pandemic's end, airline ticket prices are shooting up.
“We all want an economy where everyone has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from prosperity,” Fed chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday.

Powell defends Federal Reserve’s attention to inequality

“We all want an economy where everyone has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from prosperity,” the Fed leader said.
Gary Gensler, outspoken Wall Street critic. The Senate has approved President Biden’s choice of Gensler to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, signaling an emphasis on investor protection for the Wall Street watchdog agency after a deregulatory stretch during the Trump administration.

Gary Gensler, outspoken Wall Street critic, confirmed to lead the SEC

The Senate confirmed Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday, voting 53-45 to install the Wall Street critic and aggressive regulator as the financial sector’s top cop in Washington.
Walmart said plans to have two-thirds of its US store hourly jobs be full time with more consistent work schedules by Jan. 31.

To retain workers, Walmart moves more of them full time

The company said Wednesday it plans to have two-thirds of its US store hourly jobs be full time with more consistent work schedules by Jan. 31. That’s up from 53 percent five years ago, Walmart said.
Kenneth Chenault, former the CEO of American Express, speaks at a conference in New York in 2017. Amazon, BlackRock, Google, Warren Buffett and hundreds of other companies and executives signed on to a new statement released on Wednesday opposing "any discriminatory legislation" that would make it harder for people to vote.

Hundreds of companies unite to oppose voting limits, but others abstain

Amazon, BlackRock, Google, Warren Buffett, and hundreds of other companies and executives signed on to a new statement opposing “any discriminatory legislation” that would make it harder for people to vote.
Waltham-based Constant Contact has named Frank Vella as its new CEO.

Constant Contact has a new CEO

Stories you may have missed from the world of business.

Coinbase going public could signal new era for cryptocurrency

The San Francisco-based exchange’s direct listing on the Nasdaq is being viewed as a test run with the potential to add a new layer of legitimacy to digital currency.
Brigham and Women's Hospital was one of the institutions aided by philanthropists Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro, who invested with Bernie Madoff.

Bernie Madoff’s death recalls a devastating period in Boston philanthropic circles

Madoff’s Boston-area victims were some of the most prominent names in the city’s business and philanthropic circles, including the Goldberg family, founders of the Stop & Shop chain.

Sports

Alex Cora is introduced as Red Sox manager on Opening Day at Fenway Park.
dan shaughnessy

It’s clear that rehiring Alex Cora was the right move by the Red Sox

Cora has the Sox playing with intensity and enjoying the game — in stark contrast to last year — so his sins are forgiven.
Franchy Cordero, Kiké Hernández, and Alex Verdugo celebrate after sweeping the Twins.
peter abraham | on baseball

Could this early-season series vs. the Twins be the start of something big for Red Sox?

Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep extended Boston's winning streak to nine and came against a playoff-quality team that had a formidable duo on the mound.
Patriots players take the field for OTAs in 2019, the last year the voluntary workouts were held.

Patriots players say many will opt out of next week’s voluntary workouts as NFL outlines offseason schedule

The NFLPA issued a statement on behalf of Patriots players saying many will stay away because of COVID concerns.
Alex Verdugo rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in Game 2 of the Red Sox doubleheader sweep over the Twins.
Game 1: red sox 3, twins 2 | Game 2: red sox 7, twins 1

At the plate and in the field, Alex Verdugo keeps proving he’s a versatile and impactful player as Red Sox extend win streak

The outfielder went 5 for 8 with a home run on Wednesday, and also made a game-ending diving catch in Game 1, to help the Red Sox sweep a doubleheader.
Over the last seven games Jayson Tatum is shooting 51.1 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line, and 91.3 percent from the foul line, all of which are well above his season averages.
Celtics

The Celtics are on a hot streak. Here are six reasons why

After wobbling through the first few months of this condensed season, the Celtics have done just enough over the last two weeks to give their fan base renewed hope.
Tuukka Rask has played parts of just three games since March 3 as he’s dealt with an upper-body injury.
Bruins notebook

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask appears ready to return

In Rask's absence, the Bruins have leaned mostly on rookies Dan Vladar and Jeremy Swayman.
Some scouts question whether Ian Book, at 6 feet, is tall enough to thrive in the NFL, but he is unfazed by those doubters.
nfl draft

NFL Draft: Notre Dame QB Ian Book believes he excels in the stat that matters — winning

Book finished his career as the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history, posting a 30-4 record as a starter.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown wanted to discuss the recent events in Minneapolis following the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of police on April 11.

Jaylen Brown denounces fatal shooting of Daunte Wright: ‘We know what this system is’

Brown addressed anyone who may feel threatened, anxious, or uncertain about their welfare after the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.
Texas forward Charli Collier (35), blocking the shot of Baylor guard Te'a Cooper (4), will likely be a target of the Dallas Wings, who have the top two picks in the 2021 WNBA Draft.
WNBA Draft

Dallas Wings control WNBA draft with top two picks

It's the first time in league history that a team will choose both No. 1 and 2.
Mata has a career 3.40 ERA in the minors, along with 307 strikeouts in 315 innings.
RED sox noteebook

Bryan Mata, Red Sox’ top pitching prospect, undergoes Tommy John surgery

The 21-year-old righthander, who suffered a UCL tear in March, will miss all of this season and likely a chunk of 2022.
Second baseman Jose Altuve was one of five Astros placed on the COVID-19 protocol injured list.

Five Astros on injured list because of COVID-19 protocols

GM James Click couldn’t say if a player had tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone who had.
Jadeveon Clowney will get a new start with the Cleveland Browns.

Jadeveon Clowney signs with Browns

The Browns hope pairing Clowney with All-Pro Myles Garrett will get them deeper in the playoffs.
The Woburn High football team marched through the snow to their first practice of the Fall II season on Feb. 22. On Saturday, the Tanners will take on Winchester for the 119th meeting of their Thanksgiving rivalry.
High school football

While some Thanksgiving traditions have been altered, these rivalry games will go on

Winchester coach Wally Dembowski: “Unfortunately for these seniors, their Thanksgiving is going to be on Saturday, April 17, instead of the last Thursday in November. But they’ll still remember it."
High school wrestling will get the green light as a "Level 3" competition, such as the MIAA all-state tournament (above) last Feb. 29, clearing the way for the sport to stage a spring season in Massachusetts beginning April 26 through July 3.
High school wrestling

MIAA wrestling gets green light for the spring season

Executive Office of Environmental and Energy Affairs confirmed wrestling will be moved to “Level 3″ competition, clearing the way for the MIAA to formulate COVID-19 modifications.