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4politics

Place beyond words: Herald views footage of merciless Oct.7 Hamas killings

“Why am I still alive?” A young boy helplessly cried that out after his father had just been killed in a kibbutz by marauding Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Death, at that point, was the only escape. It’s one of a series of heart-wrenching clips compiled by the Israel Defense Forces viewed by the Herald Monday in a downtown Boston office along with other journalists. In about 43 minutes of footage, you see “138 murders,” said Ambassador Meron Reuben, consulate general of Israel to New England. It’s not the social media snippets making the rounds. It’s graphic, unsettling, and turn-away carnage that shines a light on just how unforgiving the terrorists were. Many tried to hide, but they died. The Hamas killers were armed with what appeared to be newer assault rifles and plenty of hand grenades. Yes, babies were killed and burned. Women were tortured. A group of about a dozen teenage girls were cornered. A man had his head chopped off by a Hamas terrorist using a heavy-duty hoe. The terrorists were gleeful — with one using an Israeli woman’s cellphone to call home to Gaza to proclaim: “Your son is a hero!” His shocked father and crying mother on the other end of the line didn’t seem to grasp what was happening. The Israelis were trapped. They were shown no mercy and had no chance of escaping from the gunmen who showed no remorse. The IDF estimates that 1,400 civilians and troops were killed that day in the surprise attack — most were civilians. Another 240 were kidnapped, and roughly 6,900 were injured, according to the IDF. College presidents and deans confronting pro-Palestinian protests on campus from Harvard to UMass could soon be invited to watch the video, Reuben said when asked by the Herald what he would say to protesting students. “This is the first time I’ve seen it,” he said of the video. “Those who are doubting what happened should think again and understand this time it’s different.” That’s what comes across in the video. From the tranquil kibbutz scenes to a rave packed with young revelers, the victims had no idea what awaited them. Music was softly playing in homes and a friendly black Labrador Retriever, tail wagging, greeted the first terrorists only to be gunned down on the spot. The estimated 3,000 Hamas killers and others who joined in the border ambush that day were hellbent on inflicting as much pain as one man could do to another. The footage of this attack illustrates one overriding reality: fight or die. “This is the first time the state of Israel has shown pictures so the world understands what we are facing,” Reuben said, adding too many have become “desensitized” by violence in movies. “This is not a movie set.” He stressed he “would like” protesting college students to see what happened to their contemporaries to add balance to their thinking. The rave where so many young adults were killed and captured was a killing field. The Israeli soldiers rushing to that scene could be heard in the audio from their body-camera video praying, pleading for someone, anyone, to still be alive among all the dead bodies behind Coca-Cola pop-up stands. “Anyone alive?” a soldier says. “Anyone, please!” another added. The video was less than 10% of the killing that day. The Herald was asked to be careful not to describe any particular killing too closely — hostages are still alive — but with Hamas pledging to invade again this video is a chilling warning. The footage taken from dash cams, body cameras, closed circuit TV, cellphones and social media is disturbing in its brutality. A driver coming upon the invading Hamas fighters guns his engine in reverse only to be mowed down in a hail of bullets; terrorists pull into neighborhoods in pick-up trucks filled with fighters. An ambulance had its tires shot out, one more cruel calculation … box cutters were used to rip open screendoors … a kindergarten is targeted … a burned body of someone who couldn’t crawl away fast enough … and rivers of blood in every frame. “College students should see this,” Reuben repeated. “Israel is fighting for its very existence. There’s no question about it,” said Grand Rabbi Y.A. Korff, chaplain for the City of Boston. The Herald called seeking insight after seeing such a dark video. “There’s a place beyond words,” author Jerzy Kosinski wrote in his Holocaust tale “The Painted Bird.” That should be the title of this video.

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1crime

Arrest Violated County Officials Free Speech Rights, Judge Rules

Heated disagreements were not unusual at Board of Commissioners meetings in Trumbull County, Ohio, after Niki Frenchko took office in January 2021, becoming the only Republican on the three-member board. But the tensions erupted in July 2022, ending in Ms. Frenchko’s arrest after she continued to speak her mind during a public meeting. A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the arrest violated the constitutional rights of Ms. Frenchko, who had been criticizing the sheriff and ignored another commissioner’s order to apologize before she was arrested. “Here in America, we do not arrest our political opponents,” Judge J. Philip Calabrese of the Northern District of Ohio wrote in the ruling on Tuesday. Trumbull County, about 60 miles southeast of Cleveland, has a population of about 200,000 people. The commissioners are the administrative body for the county government.

5edeed46750c19cffdc1ea9cfb0e90fc

3entertainment

The Best Historical Fiction of 2023

THIS OTHER EDEN, by Paul Harding (Norton, 221 pp., $28). Malaga Island was first settled in the late 18th century by a formerly enslaved Black man and his white wife, and over the years it became a refuge for outcasts of different races and conditions. In 1912, its people were forcibly evicted by the state of Maine, and their homes destroyed. Some were sent to the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded, while the rest were dumped on the mainland and told never to return to the island. From this tragic event, Harding (a previous winner of the Pulitzer Prize) has created a devastatingly lyrical fictional portrait of a tight-knit community dismissed as degenerate by those who would “save” it. With heartbreaking empathy, he evokes their daily rhythms, their fears and fascinations and, above all, their improvised harmony with both the sea and one another.

323958ce8207d5367c2bbf48752fa2be

1crime

Tacoma Officers Cleared in Black Mans Death Will Get $500,000 Each to Resign

Three Tacoma police officers who were acquitted in the death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died in police custody in 2020 after pleading that he could not breathe, will each receive $500,000 for resigning from the Tacoma Police Department, according to documents released by the city on Tuesday. Two of the officers, Christopher Burbank, 38 and Matthew Collins, 40, both white, were acquitted last month on charges of second-degree murder. The third officer, Timothy Rankine, 35, who is Asian, was acquitted of first-degree manslaughter. Prosecutors had accused the men of punching, squeezing and placing a hood over Mr. Ellis, 33, known as Manny, who was unarmed on the night of his arrest and, according to audio recordings, told the police that he could not breathe. On Tuesday, Chief Avery L. Moore of the Tacoma Police Department said in a statement that the three officers had “voluntarily agreed” to resign from their positions. Though Mr. Collins violated the department’s 2020 policy on courtesy, all three men had otherwise been cleared of departmental violations based on policies at the time, Chief Moore said. A spokeswoman for the city said Tuesday that the men had already resigned. The “Use of Force” policy in place at the time of Mr. Ellis’s arrest “failed to serve the best interests of the police department or the community,” Chief Moore added, and has since been revised as part of an overhaul of more than two dozen police policies. “I acknowledge the detrimental impact of policing on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, extending both a personal and collective apology,” he said.

9c90f1bd2d37231cdd895ecdb978bdb2

7weather

Massachusetts weather: What is the forecast for New Years Eve?

The weather for New Year’s in Massachusetts is shaping up to be drier and colder than the anticipated wet and foggy end to 2023, according to the National Weather Service. Inconsistent rain and fog is expected to plague Massachusetts from Wednesday until Saturday before things dry out for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. AccuWeather expects the weather to be nearly as good as it can get for outdoor New Year’s Eve celebrations across the United States, with no major storms or Arctic cold in the forecast. However if you have plans to spend New Year’s Eve outside in Massachusetts, you may still want to bundle up. The forecast for Sunday, Dec. 31, calls for mostly sunny skies with highs between 40-42 degrees statewide. Sunday night temperatures could drop to the high 20s, according to the National Weather Service. Monday, Jan. 1 will also be partly sunny with highs between 39-42 degrees across the state. Monday night could see temperature drops into the low-to-mid 20s, making for a rather chilly start to 2024.

2de46119dff5bd5e6214ec2c8c8cfefa

1crime

3 men of Palestinian descent shot near University of Vermont

INFORMATION THIS MORNING. BRIANNA DOUG ANTOINETTE THE SUSPECT HERE IS 48 YEAR OLD JASON EATON. BURLINGTON POLICE ARRESTED HIM NEAR THE SCENE OF THE SHOOTING AND NOW HE FACES THREE AGGRAVATED ASSAULT CHARGES. HE’LL BE ARRAIGNED IN COURT TODAY. AUTHORITIES SAY A SEARCH OF HIS APARTMENT GAVE THEM ENOUGH PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST HIM. POLICE SAY THE SHOOTER SAID NOTHING BEFORE FIRING AT THE THREE VICTIMS ON SATURDAY. THE MEN ARE ALL IN COLLEGE HERE IN THE US, INCLUDING ONE WHO ATTENDS BROWN UNIVERSITY IN PROVIDENCE. INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY WERE VISITING VERMONT FOR THANKSGIVING AND ON A WALK WHEN THEY WERE SHOT. THEY SAY TWO VICTIMS WERE WEARING TRADITIONAL PALESTINIAN SCARVES KNOWN AS KEFFIYEHS. THE SUSPECT WALKED UP TO THEM AND SHOT THEM. THEY WEREN’T ROBBED. THEY WEREN’T MUGGED. IT WAS A TARGETED A TARGETED SHOOTING AND A TARGETED, TARGETED CRIME. SUPER CONCERNED. JUST EXTENDING OUR LOVE, EXTENDING OUR SUPPORT TO THOSE THREE YOUNG MEN AND TO OUR OUR NEIGHBORS. AS THE SHOOTING HAS RATTLED THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY THERE, PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER FOR A DEMONSTRATION LAST NIGHT IN DOWNTOWN BURLINGTON. THAT EVENT WAS ORGANIZED BY VERMONTERS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE, LYNN, AND THEY SAY THEY’RE ASKING POLICE TO INVESTIGATE THIS AS A HATE CRIME. LATE LAST NIGHT, THE FBI INDICATED IT IS INVESTIGATE DATING THE SHOOTING. POLICE SAID TWO OF THE THREE VICTIMS ARE US CITIZENS AND THE THIRD IS A LEGAL RESIDENT. Advertisement Police arrest suspect in the shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent near the University of Vermont Share Copy Link Copy Police have arrested a suspect in the shooting of three young men of Palestinian descent who were attending a Thanksgiving holiday gathering near the University of Vermont campus Saturday evening.Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Jason J. Eaton, 48, while conducting a search of the shooting area in Burlington at 3:38 p.m. Sunday, the Burlington Police Department said in a statement.Authorities collected evidence during a search of Eaton’s apartment in a building in front of the shooting location. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, police said.The attack that injured the three men around 6:25 p.m. Saturday may have been a hate crime, authorities previously said.Two of the men were in stable condition and the other suffered “much more serious injuries,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement Sunday. The three, all age 20, were walking during a visit to the home of one of the victim's relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun, police said.“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Murad said. “All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities.”The victims are all of Palestinian descent. Two are U.S. citizens and the third is a legal resident. Two of the men were wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, Murad said.Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger is expected to join Murad at a press conference Monday to discuss the investigation.Murad, who expressed sympathies for the victims and their families, said there is no additional information to suggest a motive.“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven,” he said.“The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now,” Murad added. "But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement Sunday saying that the victims were Palestinian American college students and that there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”A man shouted and harassed the victims, who were conversing in Arabic, then proceeded to shoot them, the committee's statement said.The FBI in Albany, New York, posted a statement late Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, saying the bureau is actively investigating the shooting with the Burlington Police Department, the ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and would continue to receive law enforcement updates.The Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or people responsible for the shootings.The Institute for Middle East Understanding posted a statement on X that the institute said was from the victims' families.“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice."Ramallah Friends School posted a statement on Facebook saying the three young men were graduates of the private school in the West Bank.“While we are relieved to know that they are alive, we remain uncertain about their condition and hold them in the light,” the school said. “We stand united in hope and support for their well-being during this challenging time.”In response to the shooting, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged people to “unequivocally denounce the startling rise of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia in America.”“No one should ever be targeted for their ethnicity or religious affiliation in our country," the New York Democrat said in the statement posted on X. "We will not let hatred win.”Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, also denounced the shooting.“It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation," Sanders said in a statement.Gov. Phil Scott called the shooting a tragedy, calling on the state's residents to unite and “not let this incident incite more hate or divisiveness.”The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has urged an end to the Israel-Hamas war, released a statement saying it was “appalled by the shooting.”“We are in solidarity with the students, their families and all those affected by this clear act of hate,” the organization said Sunday. “We are in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont — and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all.”The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy organization for Jewish people worldwide, also said via X it was “horrified” by the attack and urged “law enforcement to investigate this act as a possible hate crime.”Last month, an Illinois landlord was charged with a hate crime after being accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously wounding his mother in Chicago. Police and relatives said he singled out the victims because of their faith.Demonstrations have been widespread and tensions in the U.S. have escalated as the death toll rises in the Israel-Hamas war. A fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed more hostages and Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners. It was the third exchange under a four-day truce deal.Related stories:

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5science

Here are WBURs top local health stories of 2023

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's weekly health newsletter, CommonHealth. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here. 2023 is nearly over, and for many of us, this is a time to reflect on all that’s happened in our lives and in the world over the past year. There were plenty of big health stories: We witnessed the advent of revolutionary new obesity drugs, the burgeoning use of AI in medicine, the approval of the first treatment using CRISPR gene-editing technology, the complicated aftermath of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, the devastating humanitarian crisis still unfolding in Gaza and more. Here are some of WBUR’s top local health stories of 2023. They drew lots of readers and listeners like you, and their implications are sure to last into the new year, and likely beyond. PFAS are everywhere Scientists are still learning a lot about PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” But we know they can be in everything from dental floss to food containers to drinking water. They can be absorbed into the body and are linked to some serious medical concerns. My colleague, Gabrielle Emanuel, told us the story of a woman whose well water was contaminated with PFAS and helped us understand how to mitigate our own PFAS risk. Wendy Thomas' house in the woods, near Wildcat Falls in Merrimack, New Hampshire. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) Boston Marathon bombings, 10 years later This year marked a decade since the shocking attack near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. At that time, medical workers and hospitals responded rapidly to save lives. And they developed special bonds doing so. But as I reported, the medical system would be more challenged in responding to a disaster today, because hospitals are already so crowded and short-staffed. A volunteer offers a high-five to a runner during the 126th Boston Marathon. (Mary Schwalm/AP) COVID entered a new phase The state and federal COVID public health emergency declarations expired in May — and along with them, several major government policies designed to protect people from the virus came to an end, too. That includes universal masking inside hospitals. COVID is far from gone, as most of us know from personal experience, but experts say it is not hitting most people as hard as it used to, mainly because of built-up immunity and treatments that help prevent severe illness. A UMass surgical medical student prepares doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Boston's life expectancy gap Here are a couple numbers to help us think about health inequities: two and 23. In Boston, there’s a 23-year difference in life expectancy between Back Bay and Roxbury, neighborhoods that sit just two miles apart. My colleague Martha Bebinger reported this disparity stems from several interconnected problems, including racism, chronic stress and substandard housing conditions. It was one of WBUR's most-read online stories of the year. The corners of Dudley, Mt. Pleasant and Dearborn Streets in Roxbury. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Crime scene at the Harvard morgue This has to be the creepiest health-related story of the year, and devastating for the families affected. A manager of Harvard Medical School’s morgue was accused of stealing and selling body parts that had been donated for medical research, as my colleague Ally Jarmanning reported. A review found there was little oversight of the morgue's day-to-day workings. Harvard Medical School, Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) An influx of migrants land at Logan Airport Thousands of migrants have entered the state's family shelter system, according to official estimates. The situation became so dire over the summer that workers at Logan Airport started setting up cots for the new arrivals. For the first time in the family shelter program's history, there is a waitlist. More than 300 families are on it, and many of them have medical needs.

3e66002f12b43fcae87f0225a66ea7b4

6sports

Five Quick Thoughts on the trading of Chris Sale

On Saturday, the Red Sox made their second big move in as many days, dealing Chris Sale and cash to the Atlanta Braves for infield prospect Vaughn Grissom. Here are five quick thoughts on the deal: 1) It came out of nowhere. When a new head of baseball operations takes over, surprises are bound to follow. The new executive doesn’t have the same ties or emotional history with a player and is less likely to think of anyone as off-limits when it comes to trades. But even allowing for that, this one came out of the blue. So much of this offseason has been focused on the Red Sox adding pitching that no one expected to see them subtracting, which is what they’ve done here. In the final week of the season, Alex Cora essentially named Sale as his Opening Day starter for 2024; three months later, he’s sent packing. 2) Follow the money. The fact that the Red Sox included a sizable amount ($17 million) of money to make the deal work for the Braves indicates that the Red Sox were actively looking to move Sale. Had the deal been only for a prospect or two, you could surmise that the were overwhelmed by the return. This isn’t that. If the Red Sox had sent $20 million or more, it’s a clear indication that they had a goal of unloading Sale somewhere. And because they’re taking back most of Sale’s 2024 salary ($27.5 million), it can’t be argued that the Red Sox made this deal with an eye toward allocating his money for another pitching acquisition. It’s entirely possible that they could go sign another free agent, or take on a big salary as part of a trade. But it won’t be with the money “saved” on Sale for 2024, which equates to $8.6 million for CBT purposes. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. 3) Approval a key. In the first half of 2021, Sale gained 10-5 status — that is, 10 years in the big leagues, with the last five with the same team — giving him the right to refuse any trade. The fact that this deal was done with his approval is telling on a coupe of fronts. It indicates that Sale, understandably, didn’t feel good about his chances to win another championship with the Red Sox in 2024, and potentially, for 2025. (The Braves now hold an option for that year, which vests if Sale finishes in the Top 10 in Cy Young Award voting and he finishes the 2024 season on the active roster. He has a much, much better chance of winning a second ring with the Braves than he did with the Red Sox. Geography likely played a role for Sale, too. Sale loved the fact that he could go home every night during spring training, living in Naples, Fla., a 30-minute drive from the Sox’s spring training home in Fort Myers. The Braves train in North Port, about a 75-minute drive from Naples. It’s not perfect, but other than pitching for the Red Sox or their Fort Myers neighbors, the Minnesota Twins, the Braves’ spring home is the next closest to Sale’s. 4) An element of risk is removed from the rotation. When Sale was healthy, he could still be a top major league starter. But he hasn’t been fully healthy in a season since 2017. Watching Sale pitch the last few years was like constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. He could go seven scoreless innings and fan a dozen, and fans still watched his next start through their fingers, afraid to see what might happen next. Last year, it seemed the non-stop wave of injuries had nearly defeated Sale. By the time he needed two months off in the middle of the season, he looked beaten down psychologically. Obviously, the Red Sox don’t have anyone with Sale’s resumé. But they no longer have to hold their breath, wondering if the next pitch being thrown by the starter will be his last — for that season, or for his career. After patching together the rotation the last few years and hoping against hope for some durability, the Red Sox now need certainty, and Sale offered almost none. 5) The Red Sox still won the initial trade; it was the extension that they lost. The original deal — Michael Kopech and Yoan Moncada for Sale in December of 2016 — was a veritable steal for the Red Sox. With Sale, the Red Sox won two straight division titles and a World Series, neither of which would have been realized without Sale (29-12, 2.56 ERA, 59 starts). Meanwhile, both Kopech and Moncada failed to make good on their considerable promise, with Kopech further hampered by injuries. The Red Sox would make that trade 100 times over without a second thought. The problem came when Dave Dombrowski signed Sale to a big extension at the end of spring training in 2019. Since then, Sale’s production has been, to put it charitably, spotty, largely due to injuries. Since the extension, Sale is 17-18 with a 4.16 ERA over 56 starts. Think about that: he made three fewer starts over his last five seasons combined than he did in his first two years in Boston. If you want to know why John Henry is again skittish about handing out nine-figure deals to veteran starting pitchers, look no further than the extension given to Sale.

664276056405d2893718fc0159e94c09

6sports

Patriots cut veteran RB to make room for new LB

With the Patriots claiming Eagles linebacker Christian Elliss off waivers, Ty Montgomery is the odd man out. New England needed to make a corresponding move to free up a spot on the 53-man roster, and they cut the veteran running back on Friday afternoon. Montgomery had played mostly special teams this season, returning kicks and covering them, too. Montgomery was at the center of a breakdown that led to a blocked punt in Thursday night’s win over the Steelers, and Kyle Dugger replaced him on the punt team after that. Despite very little depth behind Zeke Elliott at running back, Montgomery played just six offensive snaps in Pittsburgh. The Patriots could still re-sign the veteran to the practice squad though, as they reportedly opened a spot there by releasing kicker Matthew Wright. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. On a Friday morning conference call, Bill Belichick broke down what went right for Bailey Zappe and company in the 21-18 win. “Offense is a team performance,” Belichick began. “You’ve got to block [T.J.] Watt, you’ve got to block [Cameron] Hayward, you’ve got to block [Alex] Highsmith or [Nick] Herbig and Elandon Roberts and all those guys. [Minkah] Fitzpatrick and so, the skill guys had obviously the production, but the other guys had to block, get open, catch the ball, throw the ball, so forth. So, it was a good team performance. We tried to keep Watt, number one at bay, that was a priority in the game. At least he didn’t ruin the game. “Bailey made some good throws. We scored in the red area, which was huge. Those were seven point-plays instead of field goals. For the most part, our ball security offensively was good. We had a tip pass that they made a good play on and intercepted, and obviously the blocked punt. But offensively, ball security was good. The ball wasn’t on the ground a lot, the ball was in our hands safely. Those are all the fundamental things that need to be good for you to be successful.” $200 INSTANT BONUS DRAFTKINGS MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET FANDUEL MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $50, GET $250 BONUS CAESARS MASS CLAIM OFFER $1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS BETMGM MASS CLAIM OFFER MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. As for the newly-claimed Elliss, the Patriots are getting another core special teamer who worked his way into the Eagles defensive lineup before the team signed Shaq Leonard. This season he registered 21 total tackles and a pair of tackles for a loss.

3c5ce0cf7dc00c5a661d0ae7750a21e6

0business

Judge Blocks JetBlue From Acquiring Spirit Airlines

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked JetBlue Airways’ proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines, a victory for the Department of Justice, which argued that the deal would harm travelers. In his 109-page ruling, Judge William G. Young of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts sided with the Justice Department in determining that the merger would reduce competition in the airline business. The proposed merger would have created the nation’s fifth-largest airline. The Justice Department argued that smaller, low-cost airlines like Spirit helped reduce fares and that allowing the company to be acquired by JetBlue, which tends to charge higher prices than Spirit, would have hurt consumers. The four largest U.S. airlines — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines — control about two-thirds of the market. The merger would have given JetBlue a market share of 10 percent, still shy of United, the fourth-largest U.S. airline, which has 16 percent.

cbac7a61de9e813ac54ce069ad70e136

3entertainment

How to watch the new episode of Southern Charm, stream for free

The newest episode of “Southern Charm” will premiere on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET. on Bravo. Viewers without cable looking to stream the new episode can watch it online using DirecTV Stream, Sling, and fuboTV. DirecTV and fuboTV both offer free trials. “Southern Charm” reveals a world of exclusivity, money and scandal dating back through generations of families in Charleston, S.C. The docuseries follows several Charleston singles as they pursue their personal and professional lives while trying to preserve their family names, because just one social faux pas can taint a family’s name for generations,” fuboTV wrote. “Members of the notoriously closed society unlock the gates of their centuries-old homes for a real-life look at how modern-day Southern aristocracy lives. Viewers get a peek at a social scene which is bound by tradition and ostentation unlike any other culture in America, through a group of the city’s most charismatic gentlemen and their Southern-belle equals.” In the new episode of season 9, “the Charmers first day in paradise is overshadowed by a salacious article that causes Olivia and Austen’s progress to backslide; Madison enjoys her last hurrah before trying for baby #2.” How can I watch the newest episode of ‘Southern Charm’? Viewers looking to stream can do so by using FuboTV, Sling or DirecTV Stream. Both FuboTV and DirecTV offer free trials when you sign up and Sling offers 50% off your first month. What is FuboTV? FuboTV is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels, such as sports, news, entertainment and local channels. What is DirecTV? The streaming platform offers a plethora of content including streaming the best of live and On Demand, starting with more than 75 live TV channels. DirecTV also offers a free trial for any package you sign up.

5d220f2c682c51d5c33a2eb0313463cb

3entertainment

Toucher and Hardy' in the mornings: Rob 'Hardy' Poole named co-host of 98.5 morning show with Fred Toucher

The widely considered top candidate to be the new co-host of the 98.5 The Sports Hub morning show is getting the gig. Rob “Hardy” Poole, who has been a staple on the 98.5 midday show, has been named the co-host of the morning show with longtime host Fred Toucher — who made the announcement on Tuesday. There has been an opening on “Toucher and Rich” since last month when Rich Shertenlieb left the most popular sports talk radio morning show in the region. Toucher, who recently signed a multiyear contract to stay with 98.5, announced Hardy’s move during the show on Tuesday. “Starting on January 4th, there will be a new member of this show, and that person’s name is Rob ‘Hardy’ Poole,” Toucher said on air. “He has signed a contract, and it is official.” Beasley Media Group announced that the morning show will be named “Toucher & Hardy.” Hardy joining the morning show is “not much of a surprise,” Toucher noted. “The cat is finally out of the bag,” Hardy said after the announcement, saying he was humbled and grateful to get the highly coveted position. As soon as Toucher found out that Shertenlieb may be leaving the show, Toucher said he had one name in mind to replace him: Hardy. “Because I’ve known him for almost as long as I’ve known Rich,” Toucher said. “I consider him a good friend. He’s someone that I talk to, who makes me laugh in my personal life. He’s extremely talented with production.” Speculation has been swirling about Hardy moving to the morning show for weeks. Hardy has been a strong third chair on “Zolak and Bertrand,” playing a key role with production. For the open morning show role, the station was seeking someone who has experience with audio production and editing. Jim Murray, the third chair on “Felger and Mazz,” from the beginning said he was “100% not interested” in moving to the mornings. Another name that was being floated for the co-host role was Kendra Middleton, who has been making regular appearances on “Toucher and Rich.” She confirmed that she interviewed for the position. With Hardy moving to mornings, that opens up the third chair on the midday show. A Michigan State University graduate, Hardy worked as a rock DJ for 15 years before making the switch from WBCN to 98.5 The Sports Hub in 2009. Hardy has also lent his voice and creative talents to various platforms across the station, including the creation of the wildly popular “Fuppets” videos for Felger & Mazz. In addition, he has been the long-time host of the “Sports Hub Golf Club” show and can also be heard on Beasley’s Rock 92.9. “As a lifelong radio guy, I’m thrilled for this opportunity,” Hardy said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with Fred and the rest of the morning show crew on what I believe will be a great show.”

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4politics

Pressure Builds on Pentagon to Explain Timeline of Austins Hospitalization

“Several questions remain unanswered,” they added, “including what the medical procedure and resulting complications were, what the secretary’s current health status is, how and when the delegation of the secretary’s responsibilities were made and the reason for the delay in notification to the president and Congress.” Senator James Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma, told “Fox News Sunday” that the lack of disclosure was “shocking.” Mr. Austin has yet to disclose why he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., for the past week. He was still there on Sunday but was making calls, receiving operational updates and “recovering well and in good spirits,” Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement. In response to questions from The New York Times, General Ryder said that Mr. Austin underwent an elective medical procedure at Walter Reed on Dec. 22, two days after returning from a five-day trip to the Middle East, and returned home on Dec. 23. After experiencing “severe pain” on Jan. 1, Mr. Austin was taken to Walter Reed and put in the hospital’s intensive care unit, General Ryder said. Pentagon officials were scrambling over the weekend to put together an explanation about who knew what when. A senior military official said that Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the country’s most senior officer, was informed by his own staff on Tuesday of Mr. Austin’s hospitalization.

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1crime

Freed From Never-Ending Detention, They Ended Up in Another Limbo

When Gus Kuster finished a one-year prison sentence in Australia, he anticipated rebuilding his life there, in the only country he has ever known. Instead, as a noncitizen and stateless person, he spent the following five years being shuttled between grim immigration detention centers, with seemingly no release date in sight. Dozens of other people, none of them Australian citizens, have been subjected to the same experience. Some, like Mr. Kuster, had served time for minor crimes, others had been found guilty of serious crimes like murder, and a handful had no criminal background at all. Australia has been criticized for years internationally for its harsh treatment toward asylum seekers, many of whom were housed in the country’s infamous offshore detention centers, where a few dozen people still remain. But hundreds more are still held indefinitely in similar institutions onshore. Until very recently, that included people who were once given a shot at life in Australia, then had that opportunity snatched away after they committed crimes. Last month, many of these indefinite detentions came to an abrupt end. A detainee successfully challenged the two-decade precedent in Australia’s highest court, and in the ensuing weeks, more than 150 people have been freed. Just as many cases are under review.

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4politics

A Natural Gas Project Is Bidens Next Big Climate Test

On a marshy stretch of the Louisiana coastline, a little-known company wants to build a $10 billion facility that would allow the United States to export vast stores of liquefied natural gas. Supporters of the project, known as CP2, say the export terminal would be a boon for the United States economy and help Europe decrease its reliance on gas imported from Russia. They also claim that because burning natural gas produces fewer planet-warming emissions than burning coal, the project is a good thing for the climate. But a nationwide movement is working to stop the export terminal from ever being built. Opponents, including major environmental groups, scientists and activists, say that CP2 would lock in decades of additional greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. They add that the project would be harmful to the people who live in the area, as well as the fragile ecosystem that supports aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico. It will be up to the Biden administration to decide whether or not the project moves forward. In the coming months, the Energy Department is expected to rule on whether the export terminal is in the “public interest,” a subjective determination that could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s natural gas industry.

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4politics

Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis Battle for Iowa - The New York Times

Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be the guest picker when ESPN’s “College GameDay” makes it way to Foxborough this Saturday for the Army-Navy game at Gillette Stadium. He’ll join Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso on the weekly show to select who they think will win major college football games that day. Army-Navy is the only FBS game on Saturday, so Belichick’s pick load will be light. The 24th-year head coach grew up in Annapolis, Md., where the Naval Academy is located. He was four years old when his father, Steve, started as a scout for Navy’s football team, and the elder Belichick spent 33 years on Navy’s staff.

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4politics

Morrissey Boulevard Will Finally Be FixedWe think

It’s been promised, at least…. It’s a tale as old as time. If it’s raining, or a high tide, or a coastal storm, you avoid Morrissey Boulevard. Why, you ask. Because, most likely, it’s flooded. This “situation” is part of our reality living in the neighborhood just as much as Kosciuszko Circle – another “situation” that impacts getting around the city. The Boston Globe is reporting that help could be on the way. After decades of promising to fix it, a meeting took place on Tuesday to do exactly that. On Tuesday, the first meeting of a new Morrissey Boulevard Commission kicked off the process of drafting a plan to renovate the decades-old roadway. Included in this plan is raising Morrisey Blvd’s elevation to avoid future floods and modifying its layout to improve traffic flow for cars, public transit, bikes, and pedestrians. The deadline for the plan is June 1st, 2024. The commission is made up of James Arthur Jemison, chief of planning at the Boston Planning and Development Agency; DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo; David Mullen, who represents the University of Massachusetts Building Authority; State Representatives Daniel Hunt and David Biele, Democrats of Dorchester and South Boston; Senator Collins; Boston City Councilor Frank Baker; and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. So can it be done? Fingers crossed. A few years ago, a traffic study was launched. The study area includes 3.5 miles of Morrissey between Preble Street in South Boston to Neponset Circle in Dorchester, including Kosciuszko Circle — aka the circle of hell. The commission will meet twice before present its plan to the legislature. You can get all the details about this project here.

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0business

Gran Cocina, Holyoke business incubator, gets $45K state coworking grant

HOLYOKE — Taking a food idea — or a family recipe — and turning it into a business often requires a commercial kitchen few can afford. That’s where Wellspring Cooperative Corp. and its new project Gran Cocina comes in, renting professional kitchen space for as little as $25 an hour and also providing food safety training. “There is a lot of interest,” said Fred Rose, co-director of Wellspring Co-Operative. The name Gran Cocina transales to “big kitchen.” Wellspring also founded and runs worker-owned enterprises such as Wellspring Harvest greenhouse in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield and Wellspring Upholstery Cooperative, a furniture repair business in Springfield. On Wednesday, the state and MassDevelopment, the state’s economic development agency and land bank, announced a $45,000 grant for Gran Cocina, which is on High Street in Holyoke’s downtown. The money — one of 16 grants totaling $950,000 for the Collaborative Workspace Program — will pay for an energy-efficient mini-split heating and cooling system; repairs; renovating an unfinished room into additional space; and adding a walk-in cooler. Rose said to expect a publicity push in the new year, looking to add businesses to the facility. Wellspring also will add a cafe, where customers can try out food produced within. Other local projects included in Wednesday’s announcement include: Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce received $50,000 to build out a collaborative workspace at a building it owns. Last year, MassDevelopment awarded the organization a $5,000 seed grant to study market and design feasibility for the project. The Sphere, Northampton received $100,000 to build out a vacant and gutted storefront to increase space and visibility of The Sphere Innovation Lab. The lab will be a woman- and nonbinary-oriented entrepreneur coworking space based on inclusivity, collaboration and uplifting entrepreneurs. The storefront is 82 Maple St. in the Florence section of Northampton.

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3entertainment

Matt Damon, Casey Affleck film scenes in Mass. for upcoming movie

Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were back in their home state of Massachusetts on Tuesday to film scenes for their upcoming movie "The Instigators."Damon and Affleck, both Cambridge natives, were spotted together at a shoot near the Squantum Yacht Club at Wollaston Beach in Quincy."The Instigators" is an Apple Original Films project that is set to be released sometime in 2024. The movie is set in Boston and is about two thieves who wind up on the run with help from one of their therapists after a robbery goes wrong, but not much else is known about the plot.The film is being directed by Doug Liman, who worked with Damon on the "Bourne Identity." Damon and Ben Affleck, Casey's older brother, are among the movie's producers, along with Jeff Robinov, John Graham and Kevin Walsh.According to Deadline, the movie's cast also includes Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman, Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser and Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow, who starred in the remake of "White Men Can't Jump" that was released this year.Previous filming for "The Instigators" was done during the spring in the North End of Boston, Boston's Back Bay, the Charles River Esplanade, Memorial Drive in Cambridge and in Quincy.Previous coverage: Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were back in their home state of Massachusetts on Tuesday to film scenes for their upcoming movie "The Instigators." Damon and Affleck, both Cambridge natives, were spotted together at a shoot near the Squantum Yacht Club at Wollaston Beach in Quincy. Advertisement "The Instigators" is an Apple Original Films project that is set to be released sometime in 2024. The movie is set in Boston and is about two thieves who wind up on the run with help from one of their therapists after a robbery goes wrong, but not much else is known about the plot. The film is being directed by Doug Liman, who worked with Damon on the "Bourne Identity." Damon and Ben Affleck, Casey's older brother, are among the movie's producers, along with Jeff Robinov, John Graham and Kevin Walsh. According to Deadline, the movie's cast also includes Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman, Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser and Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow, who starred in the remake of "White Men Can't Jump" that was released this year. Previous filming for "The Instigators" was done during the spring in the North End of Boston, Boston's Back Bay, the Charles River Esplanade, Memorial Drive in Cambridge and in Quincy. Previous coverage:

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0business

What to Know About Boeings 737 Max 9 and the Alaska Airlines Grounding

Reporting by The New York Times and others eventually revealed competitive pressure, flawed design and problematic oversight had all played a role in the troubling history of the plane, Boeing’s best selling jet ever, and one with hundreds of billions of dollars in advance orders from airlines around the world when it was grounded. What was the fallout? Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion in a settlement with the Justice Department in 2021 to resolve a criminal charge that it had conspired to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates the company and evaluates its planes. In 2022, Boeing paid $200 million more in a deal with U.S. securities regulators over accusations that the company had misled investors by suggesting that human error was to blame for the two deadly crashes, and omitting the company’s concerns about the plane. By the time the planes were recertified 20 months after the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, Boeing estimated the crisis had cost the company $20.7 billion. Which airlines use the 737 Max 9? Part of Boeing’s single-aisle 737 Max series, the Max 9 can carry as many as 220 passengers, depending on its seating configuration. United Airlines has 79 Max 9s in service, the most of any airline, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. All told, there are 215 Max 9 aircraft in service around the world, Cirium said. United and Alaska Airlines have about two-thirds of them.

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0business

Boston Scientific SVP Brown Sells 15,750 Shares for $795,756

Boston Scientific Corporation specializes in the design, manufacturing and marketing of medical equipment and materials. Net sales break down by area of application as follows: - cardiovascular (60.9%): products used in cardiology surgeries (41.9% of net sales), cardiac rhythm management (27.9%), peripheral surgeries (25.1%), and other (5.1%); - endodontic surgery (31.4%): equipment used in endoscopy (57.5% of net sales) and urology (42.5%); - neuromodulation (7.6%). The remaining sales (0.1%) concern specialty pharmaceuticals manufacturing activity. The United States account for 58.1% of net sales.

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1crime

Body of 45-year-old Avon man missing for 2 months found Saturday night

The body of an Avon man who had not been seen for more than two months was found in a well Saturday night, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Keith McKechnie, 45, was last seen leaving his home at 34 East High St. on Sept. 7, according to the district attorney’s office. McKechnie was reported missing by Avon police on Nov. 22. On Nov. 25, Avon police and firefighters, along with Massachusetts State Police, were searching a “heavily wooded area on the property of the home” where McKechnie often walked, authorities said in a statement. The search was mainly focused on an old well on the property that had been searched before, according to authorities. A body, later identified as McKechnie, was found in the well, the district attorney’s office said. McKechnie’s body was brought to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston for an autopsy that will be completed in the coming days to determine the cause of death. There were no obvious signs of trauma, the office added. “Our thoughts are very much with the McKechnie family tonight,” District Attorney Morrissey said Saturday evening. “This is a very sad result.”

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4politics

Opinion | The Best Sentences of 2023

Over recent days, I took on a daunting task — but a delightful one. I reviewed all the passages of prose featured in the For the Love of Sentences section of my Times Opinion newsletter in 2023 and tried to determine the best of the best. And there’s no doing that, at least not objectively, not when the harvest is so bountiful. What follows is a sample of the sentences that, upon fresh examination, made me smile the widest or nod the hardest or wish the most ardently and enviously that I’d written them. I hope they give you as much pleasure as they gave me when I reread them. I also hope that those of you who routinely contribute to For the Love of Sentences, bringing gems like the ones below to my attention, know how grateful to you I am. This is a crowdsourced enterprise. You are the wise and deeply appreciated crowd. Finally, I hope 2024 brings all of us many great things, including many great sentences. Let’s start with The Times. Dwight Garner noted how a certain conservative cable network presses on with its distortions, despite being called out on them and successfully sued: “Fox News, at this point, resembles a car whose windshield is thickly encrusted with traffic citations. Yet this car (surely a Hummer) manages to barrel out anew each day, plowing over six more mailboxes, five more crossing guards, four elderly scientists, three communal enterprises, two trans kids and a solar panel.”

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4politics

First of nearly two dozen MBTA Green Line closures begin Monday

BOSTON — A portion of the MBTA’s oldest line will be shutting down Monday for more than a week. The temporary Green Line closure, which includes all of its downtown Boston rails, is the first of nearly two dozen planned closures through 2024. It’s part of the MBTA’s promise to eliminate all “slow zones” as reduced train speeds have plagued riders with frustrating travel for months. Workers will replace rails, fix or replace deteriorated ties, install new ballast, and improve signals and switches. “The Green Line is awful. I’m not gonna lie,” said commuter Justin Hodo. “It’s ridiculous. It sucks, but we’re still riding it.” The MBTA released the following information about the closure that impacts riders in the heart of Boston: Green Line Downtown: No trains between North Station and Kenmore, November 27 – December 5 Green Line B: No trains between Kenmore and Babcock Street, November 27 – December 5 Shuttles are available between Copley and Babcock Street The 57 bus is free to ride between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner Green Line E: No trains between Copley and Heath Street, November 27 – December 5 The 39 bus is free to ride between Copley and Heath Street and runs parallel to the E Line Green Line D and E: No trains between North Station and Lechmere, December 4 – 5 Shuttles are available between Lechmere and North Station Green Line E: No trains between North Station and Medford/Tufts, November 27 – December 10, from 8:45 PM through the end of service each day Shuttles are available between North Station and Medford/Tufts Green Line D: No trains between North Station and Union Square, November 27 – December 10, from 8:45 PM through the end of service each day Shuttles are available between Lechmere and North Station The 86, 91, and CT2 buses run between Union Square and East Somerville. These bus routes also travel to Sullivan Square on the Orange Line. The 87 bus runs between Union Square and Lechmere. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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1crime

Lawyer for Waltham crash victims family calls suspect a habitual offender

BOSTON — Police on Sunday appealed to the public to help find the killer of 16-year-old Devonte Franklin, who was fatally stabbed while riding an MBTA bus in Dorchester on New Year’s Eve in 2008. “15 years ago today 16y/o Devonte Franklin was murdered on an #MBTA bus in Dorchester,” MBTA Transit Police said in a social media post. The suspect remains at large, police said. “We know someone could help the TPD identify his killer,” police said. “PLEASE do the right thing for Devonte. Contact us w/any info 617-222-1050.” 15 years ago today 16y/o Devonte Franklin was murdered on an #MBTA bus in Dorchester. The SP responsible remains at large. We know someone could help the TPD identify his killer. PLEASE do the right thing for Devonte. Contact us w/any info 617-222-1050. U can remain anonymous. TY pic.twitter.com/EOfKhdQFD2 — MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) December 31, 2023 On Dec. 31, 2008, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Devonte was stabbed multiple times while riding on an MBTA Route 28 bus in the vicinity of Blue Hill Avenue and Harvard Street in Dorchester, according to Transit Police. “Tragically Devonte did not survive this horrendous and senseless attack,” Transit Police said in an earlier statement. “It’s an understatement to say Devonte’s murder was devastating to his family, friends and all those who knew him.” Anyone with information is urged to call Boston Police or the MBTA Transit Police at 617-222-1050. Police said people who come forward with information may remain anonymous. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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6sports

Ex-Celtics forward: Winning title was not main agenda for 2018-19 team

Red Sox Red Sox lose out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who reportedly agrees with Dodgers on $325 million deal The Red Sox were one of the handful of teams who met with the Japanese phenom. FILE - Japan's Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers a pitch during the fifth inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Mexico on March 20, 2023, in Miami. Yamamoto, the most prized pitcher on the free-agent market, has agreed to a $325 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to multiple reports. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) AP LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prized free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a $325 million, 12-year contract, according to multiple reports. Yamamoto is set to join Japanese countryman Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers, who signed the two-way superstar to a record $700 million, 10-year deal last week. The Dodgers did not confirm the agreement with Yamamoto on Thursday night. MLB.com and ESPN were among the outlets citing anonymous sources in reporting the deal. The New York Yankees and New York Mets were among the many clubs that pursued Yamamoto. It’s the third major pitching coup for the NL West champion Dodgers this offseason. In addition to Ohtani, the team signed right-hander Tyler Glasnow to a $136.5 million, five-year contract after he was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to Los Angeles. Advertisement: Ohtani made a video pitch to Glasnow to join him in Hollywood. “It was important to Shohei that this wasn’t the one move we were going to make,” Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said at Ohtani’s introductory news conference last week. Yamamoto was 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA this season, striking out 169 and walking 28 in 164 innings. He is 70-29 with a 1.82 ERA in seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes. Yamamoto struck out a Japan Series-record 14 in a Game 6 win over Hanshin on Nov. 5, throwing a 138-pitch complete game. Orix went on to lose Game 7. Orix posted the 25-year-old right-hander on Nov. 20 and Major League Baseball teams had until Jan. 4 to sign him. Yamamoto’s deal with the Dodgers would be the largest and longest ever guaranteed to a big league pitcher. Ohtani was a two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels before becoming a free agent this offseason and moving to the Dodgers. Yamamoto pitched his second career no-hitter, the 100th in Japanese big league history, on Sept. 9 for the Buffaloes against the Lotte Marines. The game, watched by MLB executives, extended his scoreless streak to 42 innings. A two-time Pacific League MVP, Yamamoto also threw a no-hitter against the Seibu Lions on June 18 last year. His fastball averaged 95 mph and topped out at 96.6 mph in Japan’s semifinal win over Mexico at the World Baseball Classic in March. He threw 20 fastballs, 19 splitters, six curveballs, six cutters and one slider in a 3 1/3-inning relief outing. Batters swung at 11 of his splitters and missed four. Advertisement: Following hard-throwing 21-year-old sensation Roki Sasaki, Yamamoto gave up two runs and three hits in 3 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks, allowing Alex Verdugo’s RBI double. Yamamoto was charged with a second run when Isaac Paredes hit an RBI single off Atsuki Yuasa. Under the MLB-NPB agreement, the posting fee will be 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any amount over $50 million. There would be a supplemental fee of 15% of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.

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4politics

McCarthy announces he won't run for re-election after being ousted as speaker

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election after being ousted as House Speaker. McCarthy made the announcement in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal. "No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing. That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country. It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started," McCarthy wrote. "I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office. The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders." This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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6sports

Jerod Mayo named head coach of New England Patriots

New England was one of 13 NFL teams to never have had a Black non-interim head coach. The 37-year-old Mayo will be the 15th head coach in franchise history and the youngest active coach in the NFL. The swift transition was facilitated by language in Mayo’s current contract that allowed the Patriots to bypass the National Football League’s rule that teams must have at least two external coaching candidates who are people of color and/or women. One day after parting with football legend Bill Belichick, the Patriots on Friday named Jerod Mayo as his successor, making the linebackers coach and former player the first Black leader in team history. Advertisement The team plans to hold an introductory news conference with Mayo at noon Wednesday. “Head coach Jerod Mayo!!! Love the sound of that!! Congratulations big bro,” former Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower wrote on Instagram. The Patriots have been eyeing Mayo as Belichick’s successor since January 2023, when they released a statement saying the team had begun negotiating a contract extension that would keep him in New England “long term.” Get Breaking Sports Alerts Be the first to know the latest sports news as it happens, and get the Globe's most interesting reporting right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up At the time, according to a league source, the plan was for Mayo to become head coach in 2025. However, New England’s dreadful 2023 season that ended with a 4-13 record expedited the timeline. When the Patriots decided to part ways with Belichick, the assumption was their coaching search would have to comply with the league’s Rooney Rule. In an effort to foster equitable hiring practices, the NFL has mandated that all clubs with head-coaching vacancies conduct an in-person interview with at least two external candidates who are people of color and/or women. It turns out, however, the Patriots were able to bypass this process because of the pre-existing language in Mayo’s contract. When a team has established, in writing, a succession plan involving an internal coach, it is not required to conduct a subsequent coaching search as long as the plan is in place prior to the season in which the vacancy occurs. Advertisement Jerod Mayo (top) was a fearsome linebacker who played his entire career with the Patriots. Matthew J. Lee The Patriots laid out such a plan in Mayo’s contract and informed the league office at the time of its signing, according to a source. As a result, they could promote Mayo to head coach at any time and not have to conduct a single additional interview. In 2009, two teams implemented a contractual succession plan at head coach: Jim Mora Jr. succeeded Mike Holmgren in Seattle and Jim Caldwell succeeded Tony Dungy in Indianapolis. Baltimore also did so at general manager in 2019 when it promoted Eric DeCosta. Several current and former Patriots players applauded the move to promote Mayo on social media, including linebacker Mack Wilson, who made an early pitch for a roster spot. “The start of a New Era that I’d love to be apart of,” Wilson wrote in a series of posts. “So happy for this dude. Well deserved BIG COACH! ❤️” “The ultimate Patriot. The next best thing in the new era of football. Glad to have played with you. Showed me the game in different views. Happy for ya big dawg,” former linebacker Jamie Collins wrote. Jerod Mayo was a Patriots linebacker from 2008 to 2015. Barry Chin/Globe Staff After joining Belichick’s staff in 2019, Mayo quickly ascended as a popular head coaching candidate across the league. Denver, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas all interviewed him for open head-coaching gigs. Carolina also requested an interview for its opening last offseason, but Mayo turned it down once the Patriots made their intentions clear. Advertisement During the owners’ meetings last March, Patriots owner Robert Kraft shared with reporters why he felt it was important to retain Mayo. “Jerod is an individual that, I think, has no ceiling for his ability to grow and how competent he is,” Kraft said. “We had the privilege of having him as a player, and I saw how intense he was and his leadership skills that he had. Then, I saw him leave us and go into the private industry and learn the X’s and O’s of business. And then come back to be a coach and do that with us. “Good coaches get hired away, so I was happy we were able to sit with him and try to keep him long term. I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.” Mayo, who spent the entirety of his eight-season career with the Patriots, served as a captain both in college at Tennessee and in New England. His playing experience is a major plus, according to current Patriots defensive players. Players also highlighted Mayo’s ability to form relationships, in addition to his football knowledge. Although Mayo has only four years of coaching experience at any level — with no official coordinator experience — players expressed confidence that he is more than ready to become a head coach. “I think people tend to overlook the actual qualities in the people,” linebacker Matthew Judon said. “When you start saying, ‘Well, this guy was a head coach,’ or ‘This guy was a coordinator,’ like, does he know football? Can he rally a group of individuals into a team? I think Mayo can.” Advertisement Asked Thursday about what qualities he’s looking for in his next head coach, Kraft did not make mention of Mayo and kept his answer straightforward: someone who can win and return the team to postseason contention. “I am very upset when we don’t win games. It carries the whole week,” Kraft said. “I promise you, I’ll be focused on doing the best I can do to make sure we’re putting ourselves in the best long-term position to win for many years.” It behooves the Patriots to proceed quickly with Mayo’s transition, as this offseason is expected to be busy. Up first for Mayo will be finalizing his coaching staff. Some of those decisions will likely be contingent upon Belichick’s next move. The Patriots also need to replace Belichick’s role in the personnel department. For now, though, the Patriots have already addressed a major offseason question mark by identifying their top choice to take over in the post-Belichick era. Read more about the Patriots’ coaching change: The Patriots and Bill Belichick part ways. Is it the right move? Share WATCH: And, why now? Deputy sports editor Scott Thurston has covered the legendary coach since his tenure began in 2000, and shares his thoughts. Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang.

04f599cff86545b1946c52e70b564f00

0business

Planning Board approves canopy, tarping shed for Lowes warehouse in Westfield

WESTFIELD — The Planning Board approved a site plan and special permit revision for plans to expand the Lowe’s Flatbed Distribution Center at a Dec. 5 meeting. In a letter sent to the board, Brady Berry, associate director of engineering firm Atwell LLC, wrote that Lowe’s would like to install a canopy and tarping shed at the 180 Servistar Industrial Way facility. The canopy will be 100 by 390 feet and will be installed on the east side of the original building.

74b609e67a323d8090e7b41f2a2dd128

4politics

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu endorses Enrique Pepn for City Council, rejecting Ricardo Arroyo

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu endorsed her former employee Enrique Pepén for the District 5 seat on the City Council, scorning the embattled incumbent Ricardo Arroyo, a longtime ally she’s supported in prior elections. In a Monday statement, Wu described Pepén as “exactly the kind of leader we need in government,” saying that he “not only knows City Hall inside out, but has lived the challenges of our community through growing up in Boston and now raising his two young kids here.” “He’ll be a fantastic partner on the Council with the shared progressive values, determination, and heart for service to make Boston a city for everyone,” Wu said. The endorsement, first reported by Politico, is the mayor’s latest effort to back her former employees in the Boston City Council race, ahead of the Sept. 12 preliminary. Pepén worked as the executive director of the Boston Office of Neighborhood Services under Wu. Wu has also backed Henry Santana, her former director of civic organizing, for councilor-at-large, and Sharon Durkan, a political fundraiser who worked for the mayor when she was a city councilor, for the District 8 seat. Pepén previously worked for former City Councilor Tito Jackson, former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III and former Mayor Marty Walsh. The son of Dominican immigrant parents, he was born and raised in Boston and lives in Roslindale with his wife and two children, according to his campaign website. “I am profoundly humbled and honored to receive the support of my mentor and friend Michelle Wu,” Pepén said in a Monday statement. “I share Mayor Wu’s dedication to serve our community and meet people where they are.” The two other challengers vying to unseat the progressive incumbent are Jose Ruiz, an officer with the Boston Police Department, and Jean-Claude Sanon, a small business owner. While the endorsement may be seen as the mayor’s latest attempt to reshape a City Council prone to infighting and scandals over the past two years, it may also be interpreted as a direct indictment on Arroyo, the current District 5 councilor. Wu’s statement did not mention Arroyo by name, but she did yank her support for him ahead of last year’s preliminary election for Suffolk County district attorney, when old sexual misconduct allegations came to light. In a Monday statement, Arroyo said he was “proud to be the only candidate in this race with a proven independent and progressive record.” “Like the residents of District 5, I am focused on the issues that impact their daily lives and will continue to be a champion for racial, environmental, economic and social justice,” Arroyo said. The mayor had initially stuck by Arroyo after the 2005 and 2007 misconduct allegations surfaced, but eventually joined big-name progressive politicians U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey in pulling their support, after a Boston Globe report revealed one of the women was a minor at the time. Still, Wu said on a prior GBH Boston Public Radio appearance that she had voted for Arroyo in the Suffolk DA primary. She also backed him during his initial bid for City Council in 2019. Arroyo has denied the allegations and charges were never filed. It was later revealed in two federal reports that former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins colluded with Arroyo to tip the outcome of the election for Suffolk District Attorney, by leaking information that led to damaging pre-primary stories about his opponent that were published by the Globe. The Herald chose not to publish the leaked information until after the primary. Arroyo has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he had no knowledge Rollins was leaking sensitive information on his behalf, and denied pressuring the state’s top prosecutor to investigate his primary opponent, now-DA Kevin Hayden. Rollins resigned when the two reports were made public in May. In late June, Arroyo admitted to a state ethics violation, and agreed to pay a $3,000 fine for continuing to represent his brother, Felix G. Arroyo, in a 2018 civil lawsuit involving the city after he became a city councilor. The lawsuit involves sexual assault allegations made against his brother by a former city employee. Arroyo was also one of three city councilors named in a bullying and harassment complaint made by a City Council attorney in April, the Herald reported last week. He dismissed the complaint as “baseless.”

62b2cc45c467258d9d80e6a27ae9f7df

4politics

White House staff 'relocated' after pro-Palestinian rioters damage anti-scale fencing, hurl objects at cops

Read this article for free! Plus get unlimited access to thousands of articles, videos and more with your free account! Please enter a valid email address. By entering your email, you are agreeing to Fox News Terms of Service and Privacy Policy , which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive . To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided. Anti-Israel protesters and rioters gathered outside the White House on Saturday night, with some demonstrators damaging security fencing and hurling objects at police. The demonstrators were heard chanting "Ceasefire Now" and "Free, Free Palestine," with many waving Palestinian flags. "Yemen, Yemen make us proud / Turn another ship around," was also recited at the demonstration, hours after strikes were launched against the Houthis in Yemen. The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News Digital that some fences were damaged outside the White House, and that staff members and journalists were "relocated" as a result. "During the demonstration near the White House complex Jan. 13, a portion of the anti-scale fencing that was erected for the event sustained temporary damage," the statement read. "The issues were promptly repaired on site by U.S. Secret Service support teams." PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS SHOUT ‘ALLAHU AKBAR’ OUTSIDE WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE "As a precaution, some members of the media and staff in proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue were temporarily relocated while the issue was being addressed," the statement continued. "The Secret Service made no arrests associated with the march and there was no property damage to the White House or adjacent buildings." Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith blasted illegal behavior from protesters in a press release on Saturday night. "The right to peacefully protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and the Metropolitan Police Department has long supported those who visit our city to demonstrate safely," Smith's statement read. "However, violence, destructive behavior, and criminal activities are not tolerated." PRO-PALESTINIAN CARAVAN SNARLS NEW YORK TRAFFIC AROUND JFK, LAGUARDIA AIRPORT The police chief added that some officers were assaulted by the demonstrators in Lafayette Park. "While a majority of today’s demonstration remained peaceful, there were instances of illegal and destructive behavior in Lafayette Park, including items being thrown at our officers," Smith explained. "We are supporting our partners at the United States Park Police as they investigate and hold those found responsible accountable for their actions." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

c3ff499367f81619451bb6507ba5a3e6

6sports

Former Patriots draft pick now kicking ass with new team

A month after he was cut loose by the New England Patriots, Jack Jones is thriving with his new team. The second-year cornerback recorded his first interception of the season in a wild highlight-reel play where he crashed down to the line of scrimmage, picked off a screen pass and ran it back for an easy score. You can watch the play, which play-by-play man Al Michaels called “unbelievable,” here. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. The highlight-reel play capped off a dominant 63-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. “We’re just kickin’ ass,” Jones said after the game. Jones credited much of success in Vegas to Antonio Pierce, who took over as the Raiders’ interim head coach following the firing of Josh McDaniels. “He means everything to me, “Jones said. “He’s dam near like a father figure, just from high school all the way up until now, just mentoring me through the ups and downs, you know? He’s a big piece of my life.” So, does Jones feel like he needs to prove his coach right after giving him another opportunity? “Definitely,” Jones said. “I mean, without him who knows where I’d be at?” It’s the latest development in what’s been a wild year for Jones. The 25-year-old cornerback was coming off a promising season last year with the Patriots. However, things started going sideways when he was arrested over the summer after authorities said they found two loaded firearms in his carry-on baggage. The charges were later dropped. Jones then suffered a hamstring injury that kept him from being a consistent contributor until late October. Later, Jones’ playing time began to dwindle as he was spotted looking disengaged for stretches. The Patriots cut Jones shortly after returning from their trip to Frankfurt, Germany to play the Indianapolis Colts. Jones played just 10 snaps in that game.

12763b4a412403accd4d195a53798212

7weather

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Eastern Philippines but Tsunami Fears Abate

The spacious, recently built property located at 62 Black Rock Road in Cohasset was sold on Nov. 15, 2023. The $2,900,000 purchase price works out to $885 per square foot. The house, built in 2020, has an interior space of 3,278 square feet. This two-story house boasts a generous living space with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The home’s outer design showcases a a gambrel roof frame, with roofing materials crafted from asphalt. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. The property is equipped with forced air heating and a cooling system. In addition, the home provides an attached garage. Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:

30b6ce86a8520a74423d57f1c63f723b

2culture

Seal pup lost on Nantucket road returned to beach by local rescuers

It’s baby seal season on the Cape and the Islands, and though some year-round residents might get the chance to see one swimming or lounging on the rocks at a distance, any up-close encounters with the public are strictly prohibited and therefore extremely rare. That is, unless you were the lucky man who happened upon one on Polpis Road in Nantucket on Wednesday morning.

bf74c496f630769c0318946f4a5129fa

6sports

Memphis vs. Iowa State: How to watch the Liberty Bowl for free

FOXBOROUGH – Bill Belichick is appreciative of his time in New England, but the Patriots coach isn’t ready to get sentimental quite yet. With rumors swirling about his future, this weekend’s game could be the final for Belichick as the head coach of the Patriots. After 24 years, six Super Bowl championships, and plenty of good memories, Belichick said his sole focus right now is on beating the New York Jets. “Well, I’ve always appreciated the opportunity,” Belichick said when asked what it meant for him to be the Patriots head coach. “Just looking forward to Sunday’s game against the Jets and try to put our best game out there this year. That’s what we’re working towards. I’m sure there will be a time, another time to talk about other things, but right now, just trying to focus on the Jets.” BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. This season hasn’t been easy for Belichick and the Patriots. They’re currently 4-12 and will finish in last place in the AFC East for the first time since 2000, which was Belichick’s first season in New England. The Patriots were the second team this year to be eliminated from the playoffs after Carolina, who will finish with the worst record in the NFL. On offense, the Patriots have been horrific. The unit heads into this matchup ranked last in the NFL in points and 28th in yards. The Patriots have also dealt with a laundry list of injuries to important players – Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez, Kendrick Bourne, Marcus Jones, Rhamondre Stevenson, and others. The multiple issues lead the Patriots in their regular-season finale on Sunday. Next week, everyone could find out what owner Robert Kraft plans on doing with his head coach position. When asked how much he appreciates what he’s built in Foxborough, Belichick replied, “I think I’ve covered that multiple times over the years. For right now, we’ll keep it on the Jets and go forward with that.” Belichick and his players have been all business this week – even though many understand that sweeping changes could come next week inside Gillette Stadium. “This week is about preparing for the Jets,” Belichick said. “And then, there are a few things that happen after this game that we have to take care of.”

706d610bafab0d4cdf1e109bab710ef6

3entertainment

All Aboard! This Mass. Christmas train ride is a cant-miss for holiday cheer, according to Yankee

If you’ve already read or watched the Christmas classic “The Polar Express” with your kids, and you’re looking for a real-life holiday train ride, Yankee magazine has you covered. The travel and lifestyle magazine recently published its list of the 14 best Christmas train rides across the New England region. And, course, one from the Bay State made the cut. “Picture this: you’re gazing out the window of a train as it chugs along snow-dusted tracks. Fresh, white flakes are falling from the sky and you hold a steaming cup of hot cocoa in your hands,” Yankee’s Katherine Keenan wrote. “The sound of jingling bells fills the air. Sounds pretty perfect, huh? After all, nothing says “Merry Christmas” quite like a ride through one of New England’s many winter wonderlands on an old-fashioned steam locomotive — and with many different active, running trains to choose from, there’s festive fun all throughout the region. Here in the Bay State, the train rides at the Edaville Family Theme Park at the Christmas Festival of Lights will punch your ticket this season, according to Yankee. The park offers a variety of rides, including its Narrow Gauge Railroad and Mountain Fire Brigade rides, according to its website. “There are many rides for you to enjoy. Some are outdoors, some indoors, and of course our famous classic steam and diesel trains,” the park asserts on its website. And if you’re looking to go back in time, be sure to check out the model Edaville Railroad located inside the second floor of the park’s brick building. There you can “watch these wonderful little engines glide through wonderfully decorated landscapes, each more fanciful and fun than the next,” according to the park’s website. The Edaville Family Theme Park is located at 5 Pine St, Carver, Mass., 02330. Its holiday celebration kicked off on Nov. 9 and runs until Dec. 31. Tickets for the Christmas Festival of Lights start at $12.95 and you can purchase them here.

e2733a59078a6eb3c2cd8b41741fd4cf

6sports

How to watch Buccaneers vs Panthers in Week 18 for free; Bucs can claim division title

This gives a new meaning to “win and you’re in.” The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can claim the NFC South Division title with a win Sunday. A loss means they’re out of the playoffs all together. A win at Carolina not only would give the Bucs their third straight division title, but ensure a home playoff game the following week. Fans looking to watch this NFL game can do so for free by using FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both offer a free trial and RedZone. SlingTV has promotional offers available, and NFL+ airs all local market games. Who: Bucs vs. Panthers When: Sunday, Jan. 7, 1 p.m. ET Where: Bank of America Stadium Stream: fuboTV (free trial + $20 off your first 2 months); or Sling; DirecTV Stream or NFL+ Tickets: StubHub and *VividSeats *New customers who purchase tickets through VividSeats can get $20 off a $200+ ticket order by using the promo code MassLive20 at checkout.* Gear: Shop around for jerseys, shirts, hats, hoodies and more at Fanatics.com Sports Betting Promos: NFL fans can wager online on Massachusetts sports betting with enticing promo codes from top online sportsbooks. Use the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive new user bonuses. RELATED CONTENT: Bucs down to one more chance to clinch 3rd straight NFC South title, 4th consecutive playoff berth By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — There’s no more room for error in Tampa Bay’s bid for a fourth straight playoff appearance. Win Sunday’s regular-season finale at last-place Carolina, and the Buccaneers are in as NFC South champions. Lose and they’re out. “By any means necessary, we have to show up,” coach Todd Bowles said. “All we need is a chance to get in,” quarterback Baker Mayfield reiterated, “and we’re still sitting where we need to be.” While beating the Panthers to earn what would be a franchise-record third consecutive division title may not appear to be a daunting challenge, the Bucs (8-8) have not performed consistently enough this season to draw any conclusions about how they might play this week. At 2-14, Carolina has the worst record in the NFL and is coming off a 26-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the Bucs are looking to rebound from a stinker of their own after wasting an opportunity to clinch the division title in a listless 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints. “Very disappointing. It was like we didn’t know what’s at stake,” linebacker Lavonte David said. “We came out very flat on both sides of the ball.” Mayfield threw a pair of interceptions and the Bucs also fumbled twice to lose the turnover battle 4-0. Offensively, they were held scoreless into the fourth quarter. Defensively, they struggled to stop the Saints in critical situations while falling behind 20-0. New Orleans (8-8) climbed into a tie with Tampa Bay for the division lead. If the Bucs lose to the Panthers, then the winner of Sunday’s Saints-Atlanta Falcons finale will win the NFC South and host a playoff game the following weekend. “Our thing is we can’t beat ourselves. We don’t care if they were 14-2. In the NFL anybody can beat anybody any given week, and division games are always tough,” Bowles said. “We have to play our game, make less mistakes, and then we’ll worry about the opponent on Sunday,” the coach added. “If we can do that, we will have a chance to win.” WHAT’S WORKING Coming off the clunker they played against the Saints, it’s hard to identify anything that’s working. The offense was shut out until the middle of the fourth quarter. The defense contributed to a 17-point halftime deficit by allowing New Orleans to convert six of nine third downs through the first two quarters. Even usually superb punter Jake Camarda struggled with a couple of bad kicks. WHAT NEEDS HELP The pass rush remains inconsistent. The Bucs had one sack against the Saints, and that came on a play in which Derek Carr scrambled out of bounds. The defense finished with no quarterback hits. STOCK UP With teams doing everything they can to try to slow down Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, rookie WR Trey Palmer is developing into a reliable option for Mayfield. He had four receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans, hiking his season totals to 37 catches for 375 yards and three TDs. STOCK DOWN On a play that typified how poorly things went against the Saints, a wide-open Palmer caught a deep pass before stumbling — and not only falling, but fumbling — on a 54-yard gain to the New Orleans 21. Saints CB Isaac Yiadom recovered. INJURIES Mayfield took a hard hit to the ribs after releasing a pass on a 2-point conversion try with 1:37 remaining against the Saints. Bowles said while the quarterback is sore, he should be fine to play against the Panthers. LB Shaquil Barrett (groin) and CB Carlton Davis (concussion) were inactive against New Orleans. Their status will be determined later in the week. “They’re trending in the right direction,” Bowles said of Barrett and Davis. “Once I see them Wednesday, I’ll have a better feel.” KEY NUMBER 3,907. In throwing for 309 yards and two TDs vs. the Saints, Mayfield established new career single-season bests for passing yards (3,907) and touchdown passes (28). NEXT STEPS A win at Carolina not only would give the Bucs their third straight division title, but ensure a home playoff game the following week. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl The Associated Press contributed to this article

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6sports

Danny Ainge always asked for Stephen Curry trade to Celtics

While there are a handful of untouchable players around the league in trade talks, opposing executives still sometimes shoot their shot when it comes to superstars. There’s not really a conceivable timeline where a guy like, say, Stephen Curry is ever traded from the Warriors considering what he means to the franchise and his value on the court. But that didn’t stop then-Celtics president Danny Ainge from inquiring about Curry over and over again. Former Warriors general manager Bob Myers went on The Woj Pod recently, where he revealed Ainge was one of those decision-makers who asked if Curry was available. BetMGM BET $5, GET $158! BONUS BETS CLAIM OFFER Promo code: MASS158 STATES: MA, KY, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org. “I never was upset at anybody asking (about Curry),” Myers said. “The GM’s job is to mine for trades. That’s a GM’s job. But Ainge was the one that was always asking. ... We laughed. Like I said, we have a really good relationship. But you know, you got to ask. I mean, everybody knew that wasn’t happening, so it was kind of a good laugh.” Of course, Curry was always going to be an impossible get — especially once he reached superstardom. There was likely a chance the right package could land Curry before he exploded into a two-time MVP. But there were inherent risks with landing Curry as he had constant ankle issues. Part of the Warriors’ greatness comes from them choosing Curry to lead their franchise, and he’s delivered over the years. Myers had a lengthy tenure with the Warriors, spending 2012-23 as their general manager. He gets a lot of credit for putting together the Golden State dynasty that has won four championships with their core of Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. He recently stepped down from the position as he’s now an ESPN NBA analyst. Ainge was the Celtics president of basketball operations from 2003-21, stepping down after the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. Brad Stevens has since been Ainge’s successor and as the architect of the present-day Celtics. While Stevens has done an impressive job with the roster, Ainge should get a lot of credit for landing the talented core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Ainge is now with the Jazz as an executive as he’s looking to put together another rebuild.

b8566c9659f08d5d07bb00d0e5d54adf

6sports

Patriots lose 27-17 to the Chiefs, fall to 3-11 on season

Quarterback Bailey Zappe and the New England Patriots were unable to keep the momentum going for a second straight win, instead falling 27-17 at home to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It was again a tale of two halves for Zappe, who got his fifth career start. He threw for one touchdown and one interception. The Patriots are now 3-11 on the season, with their only victories coming against the Jets back in Week 3, the Bills in Week 7, and the Steelers last week. The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who came in struggling after losing back-to-back games for the first time since September 2021, avoided losing a third straight game, improving to 9-5 on the season. Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters. The highlight for many at Gillette Stadium on Sunday was seeing Taylor Swift on the videoboard, as the pop superstar returned to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Next up for New England is traveling to Denver to take on the Broncos at 8:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve. This game story will be updated. Check back

c538db078c1cc68d34a837a88f832b83

7weather

Flooding shuts down Milford Street in Medway after overnight storm

Update: At 2:30 p.m., Medway police posted on X that the street was reopened and “advised that the westbound lane still has some standing water that will most likely be there for the next few days. Please drive with caution through this area.” Milford Street was closed to traffic on Wednesday after overnight rain hit melting snow and caused the equivalent of 5 inches of rainfall to flood parts of the area, according to Medway Town Manager Tom Boynton. In a video shared by Medway police on X, formerly known as Twitter, Boynton was seen standing in the middle of Milford Street, “which under normal circumstances would not be very healthy, but given the fact that flooding behind me is occurring, we have closed the road at this point.” The waters on the northern side of the Charles River have risen, overflowing as water moves beyond trenches, police said. “This is our No. 1 problem spot right now,” Boynton said on the road, pointing to water flowing into one trench along the street. “We made it through the storm very well, if we want to put it that way. We do have some flooding concerns. If you have water in your basement, you’re not agreeing with me at that moment that we made it through well.” Boynton said Medway received 3 and a half to almost 4 inches of water since midnight. Rainfall combined with melted snow elevated that accumulation to the equivalent of 5 inches of rain, he said, with water levels in nearby tributaries continuing to rise. “We have probably another 30 hours, 36 hours — we’re watching on that,” he said in the video. “There are homes that are affected by that, especially on Village Street... eventually all of this (water) will make its way down into the river.” The plan is to reopen the street before schools let students out, Boynton said. He added that winds did not negatively impact the town, with rain being the primary concern through the night. “We’ll take it as what we have right now and we’ll get it cleaned up and get this road open as soon as possible,” he said at the end of the video.

8d5c70433ad2d9a368c5b4ee0f4d3f88

1crime

Man Who Attacked Las Vegas Judge Gets Up to 4 Years in Prison

A judge who was attacked by a defendant in a Las Vegas courtroom last week sentenced the man on Monday to 19 to 48 months in prison on a previous battery charge, emphasizing that his actions last week did not affect her sentencing decision. The man, Deobra Redden, 30, drew national attention on Wednesday when courtroom video showed him leaping over the bench onto the judge, Mary Kay Holthus of Clark County District Court, causing the flags behind the bench to fall. Judge Holthus, 62, was injured in the attack, as was a court marshal and the judge’s law clerk, officials said. On Monday, Mr. Redden returned to Judge Holthus’s courtroom to complete the sentencing hearing that his violent outburst had interrupted.

b2bec1da7163483b3c83a25c7dac06ed

7weather

Another Soggy Sunday - Boston News, Weather, Sports

With more rain expected from Ophelia, a dying tropical system over Virginia, Sunday’s forecast looks to be soggy. Although there may be a brief break in the action early Sunday morning, showers will persist on and off throughout the day with periods of mist in between. Winds will also pick up slightly from what we dealt with today, with gusts up to 30 mph along the coastline. Inland gusts will be less frequent throughout the day and may exceed 20mph. The storm finally exits Monday afternoon, with a prolonged dry stretch setting up into early October.

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3entertainment

Munich Came Out 18 Years Ago but Is the Best Movie About Israel Right Now - The New York Times

Watching movies is what I do — for decades as a film critic and for even longer than that, before and since, as a regular human. As a critic, I’m trained to study and coolly interpret the language of filmmakers. Off the clock, I watch to be diverted or to be dazzled, to be comforted or to escape, to be challenged or to try to better understand the world, filtered through someone else’s art. Sometimes this habit has helped me feel well equipped to deal with what’s going on in the world, sometimes less so. Since Oct. 7, I have felt underequipped. That date has become shorthand for a monstrosity perpetrated against Israelis — and in the months that have followed, Israel has retaliated by killing Palestinians, including countless children, in numbers more awful than the heart can hold. In these past months, despair has hung on my doorpost alongside my mezuza, and moviegoing has felt like thin solace. Still, I look. There have been a number of memorable movies this year that speak to historical atrocities and tragedies. “Oppenheimer,” for one, does a pretty stunning job of conveying our human capacity to blow up the planet. “The Zone of Interest,” about the life of a concentration camp commandant and his wife living next door to Auschwitz makes the sickness that Hannah Arendt identified as the banality of evil impossible to ignore. But as I’ve been looking to better comprehend the current moment in the Middle East, the best film I have found is one that came out on Dec. 23, 2005. I’m talking about “Munich,” one of Steven Spielberg’s bleakest, most adult dramas, which — despite five Oscar nominations — was largely considered a misfire when it was released. Today, though, “Munich” reverberates with deep meaning and gravitas. Rewatching the film in this moment reminds us that art can sometimes prick the conscience where hours of political commentary only deaden and that historically based movies are never only about the period in which the story is set or even when the work was made. Movies morph and shift constantly, offering new insights and solaces in relation to the time in which we watch them.

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4politics

Mayor Wu to announce update on Welcome Home Boston

Mayor Wu to announce update on Welcome Home Boston Share Copy Link Copy UNVEIL TODAY. TODD KATIE ANTOINETTE. GOOD MORNING. TODAY WE WILL BE GETTING AN UPDATE ON A PROGRAM CALLED WELCOME HOME BOSTON. AND THIS PARCEL HERE IN DORCHESTER IS ONE THAT THE MAYOR WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING AS SHE UNVEILS THE FIRST ROUND OF DEVELOPMENT TEAMS CHOSEN TO BUILD ON VACANT CITY OWNED LAND. AND THE CITY HAS ALLOCATED $58 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO FAST TRACK THE PRODUCTION OF NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING. MAYOR WU ANNOUNCED THIS PROGRAM BACK IN JANUARY DURING HER STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS, MAKING THIS PITCH TO DEVELOPERS, LOCAL BUILDERS WILL WORK WITH US TO DESIGN HIGH QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOMES THAT ENHANCE THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD AND WILL GIVE YOU THE LAND FOR FREE. I THINK DEVELOPERS WILL TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR PITCH TO THEM. WE HOPE SO. IT’S A GREAT DEAL. AND THESE ARE IT’S A WIN WIN. AGAIN, THAT WAS BACK IN JANUARY AND WE NOW KNOW THE ANSWER IS YES. MAYOR WU SAYS THIS INITIATIVE WILL CREATE NOT JUST NEW, AFFORDABLE HOMES ON VACANT CITY OWNED LAND, BUT ALSO CREATE GENERATIONAL WEALTH. AND THERE WILL BE QUITE A BIT OF DEVELOPMENT RESULTING FROM THIS PROGRAM DURING HER STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS IN JANUARY, THE MAYOR SAID THAT THE CITY HAS 150 VACANT LOTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS READY TO BE DEVELOPED. REPORTIN GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Your Email Address Submit Privacy Notice

c204c2274c2c96f32bc8767f3dbfff31

4politics

Speaker fight: Next GOP leader has a couple paths to success

But such thinking allows McCarthy to wriggle out of any blame for his fate — and suggests the next House speaker is automatically set up to fail. That’s not the case. For the record, 210 Republicans — or 96 percent of the Republican conference — voted to keep McCarthy as speaker. So the fact that eight Republicans could paralyze one of the country’s main legislative bodies was a clear sign that politics is broken. The moment after Kevin McCarthy became the first House speaker voted out of the role came the hand-wringing analysis that at such a fractious moment in the Republican party, no one could possibly do the job. Advertisement McCarthy didn’t create the mess that is the House Republicans, many of whom are more interested in trolling than governing. Indeed, McCarthy’s ouster on Tuesday was just the most extreme action of a movement that’s been going on for a dozen years dating back to the Tea Party era. Get Today in Politics A digest of the top political stories from the Globe, sent to your inbox Monday-Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Since then almost every Republican House speaker has been held captive by that wing of the party. “Almost” is the keyword there because one of them wasn’t. More on him later. To understand how the next speaker can succeed we need to recognize why McCarthy went down. First, he single-handedly welcomed Donald Trump back into the fold as de facto Republican Party leader after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. That move empowered the MAGA wing of the party — the very people who would humiliate McCarthy from the moment the first ballot for speaker was cast. Second, he gave up a lot of his power just to land the job. Third, McCarthy had a deep belief, as he said Tuesday in his candid press conference, that House Republicans should only negotiate with House Republicans. That is what truly ended his speakership. Advertisement So let’s talk about the next House speaker and how they might not just stay in office but govern effectively, including avoiding a government shutdown in November. None of those initially exploring a run for speaker — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, or Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern — would have the power to suggest the party dump Trump immediately. Even if Trump is sitting in a courtroom, he remains one of the most dominant non-incumbent presidential candidates in history. No new Republican speaker can change that nor would they likely even try. Here are two other paths for the next speaker: Be Paul Ryan, not Kevin McCarthy Paul Ryan, who was speaker from 2015-2019, had a very unconventional path to the job. While he chaired the powerful budget committee, he was not a majority leader or even a whip on the leadership team. He was, however, a former vice presidential nominee suddenly back in the House. Ryan became speaker much in the same way that the next speaker will take over. Then-House Speaker John Boehner faced a similar motion to vacate brought by a single member. Boehner quit in October 2015 instead of sticking around to see if he would win. Instead of quickly announcing he would run for speaker, Ryan had people draft him to run. He said he would do it, and unite the warring factions, as long his Republican colleagues agreed to certain things that would let him do his job instead of always fighting internal battles. They agreed. Ryan then held the job until Republicans lost the House in 2018, a natural moment when many speakers retire. Advertisement In this case, anyone running for speaker should have their own set of demands before taking the chair. It’s not hard to imagine what one demand might be: raising the number of people needed to request a motion to vacate. They might suggest it could be, say, more than eight, the number who ousted McCarthy. Once elected speaker, pivot to be a dealmaker For all the talk about a broken political system and MAGA extremism, few utter the simple fact that McCarthy would still be speaker if just four Democrats had voted for him. Sure, Democrats as a full block could have saved McCarthy, but he only needed four he could offer something to: a plum committee assignment, a vote on a bill, funding for a certain project back home. Indeed, there are five Democrats representing districts Trump won, giving some members, like Maine’s Jared Golden, another opportunity to appear bipartisan back home. The next speaker, if they want to keep the job, can either say and promise anything to become the speaker and immediately figure out a way to work with either all Democrats or just enough Democrats to stay in power. This doesn’t mean becoming centrist. After all, McCarthy did have a majority of Republicans and Democrats vote for the debt ceiling and the resolution last weekend to keep the government open. If the next speaker can create a governing coalition, that person might be able to stay in office and business can actually get done. Advertisement James Pindell can be reached at james.pindell@globe.com. Follow him @jamespindell and on Instagram @jameswpindell.

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1crime

State Police Arrest Men Wanted for Separate Assaults on Troopers

Today, July 11, 2023, the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS) arrested HERNAN AYBAR ROMERO, 24, of Lawrence who was wanted for a violent assault on an MSP Trooper on I-495 in Tewksbury late last week. A Trooper stopped AYBAR ROMERO on the night of Friday July 7, 2023, for motor vehicle violations, and subsequently determined that AYBAR ROMERO had four outstanding warrants for his arrest, including for charges of trafficking in heroin/morphine/opium/ fentanyl (100 grams or more). After exiting his vehicle, AYBAR ROMERO became violent and assaulted the Trooper as he was being put into handcuffs. The suspect was able to re-enter his vehicle and sped away. The Trooper was later treated and released from Lowell General Hospital. An exhaustive investigation by VFAS, the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Essex District Attorney’s Office, the State Police Critical Incident Technical Investigations Unit, Commonwealth Watch Center, and State Police Troop A tracked AYBAR ROMERO to an apartment in the Town of Lawrence. AYBAR ROMERO is currently being held pending arraignment on the following additional charges: 1. Assault and battery on a police officer; 2. Assault with a dangerous weapon; 3. Resisting arrest; 4. Malicious destruction of property over $1,200; 5. Refusing to identify himself to police; 6. Unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle; 7. Attaching plates; 8. Operating with a suspended/revoked registration; 9. Operating an uninsured motor vehicle; and 10. No inspection sticker. That violent attack came on the heels of a vehicular assault of a Trooper last Wednesday, July 5, 2023, on the I-95 Exit 57 off ramp in Wakefield, whereby the operator of a motorcycle attempted to run over a Trooper who had approached him on foot. The Trooper approached the motorcyclist after observing him operating erratically on I-95 and repeatedly ordered him to turn off the bike’s engine and dismount. The operator repeatedly refused to comply – at one point turning the bike’s ignition on again after it had been shut off – and then drove forward with the Trooper in front of the handlebars and front wheel. The Trooper was able to disengage from the motorcycle as it continued forward, allowing him to narrowly avoid being hit by a pickup truck passing through the intersection. Video of the incident is posted below. On Friday, July 7, 2023, Troop A and members of the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office arrested COLIN JAMES WEBB, 19, of Reading for the assault. WEBB was charged with the following: 1. Assault and battery on a police officer; 2. Assault with a dangerous weapon; 3. Refusing to identify himself to police; 4. Negligent operation of a motor vehicle; 5. Number plate violation; 6. Speeding; 7. Failure to stop/yield at traffic signals; 8. Marked lanes violation; 9. Failure to yield at an intersection; 10. Breakdown lane violation; 11. Missing number plate; and 12. Failure to stop for police. “These incidents were brazen, and deliberately violent assaults perpetrated by motivated offenders on public servants who were engaged in their duties to protect our roads, our communities, our citizens, and our visitors,” said Colonel John Mawn Jr., Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. “We work very hard to ensure that violence directed against any victim – police officer or civilian – is answered with a swift and thorough response, and that was exactly what was done in these two investigations.”

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3entertainment

Matt Damon meets Mayor Wu, films in Boston with Casey Affleck

Hollywood was in the Hub Tuesday, as actors Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were spotted in Boston for their new movie “The Instigators.” The Cambridge natives, who star in the upcoming film by director Doug Liman, were dressed as firefighters while the production filmed outside Boston’s City Hall. Damon also met with mayor Michelle Wu, who shared an image from their encounter on her Instagram account. “Welcoming our newest BFD recruit to City Hall,” Wu wrote in the post, accompanied by an image of the mayor greeting Damon, who was still dressed in his firefighter costume.

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6sports

Florida State vs. Georgia: Live stream, how to watch Orange Bowl

After getting left out of the College Football Playoff despite an undefeated season, the Seminoles will try to end their season on a high note when they take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl on Saturday night. Georgia also didn’t make the College Football Playoff even though it won the last two national titles, so both teams will certainly be hungry for a win. The game will air on ESPN for those who have cable. Fans looking to watch this college football bowl game can do so for free on fuboTV, which offers a free trial (as well as RedZone, for you NFL fans) or on DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV has promotional offers available, as well. Through the end of 2023, fuboTV is also offering $20 off the first two months of subscription (in addition to the 7-day free trial). Who: Florida State Seminoles vs. Georgia Bulldogs When: Saturday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. EST Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida Stream: fuboTV (free trial); or Sling; or DirecTV Stream Tickets: StubHub and *VividSeats Gear: Shop around for jerseys, shirts, hats, hoodies and more at Fanatics.com Sports Betting Promos: Football fans can wager online on Massachusetts sports betting with enticing promo codes from top online sportsbooks. Use the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive new user bonuses. RELATED CONTENT: The question seemed like a valid one moments after unbeaten ACC champion Florida State was left out of the College Football Playoff. Could the fourth-ranked Seminoles, with a victory against defending national champion and No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl, be voted No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll? “As a matter of principle, I’d consider ranking Florida State No. 1 regardless of whether they are in the CFP field,” said ESPN’s Rece Davis, a longtime AP Top 25 voter. “Much like the selection process itself, the exercise is who, in my judgment, is the best team.” In reality, though, the current state of college football’s postseason all but renders the conversation moot. Between players transferring or opting out to concentrate on NFL draft preparations and coaching staffs turned upside down by hirings and firings, the better question these days is how much consideration should poll voters give to postseason games outside the CFP at all? “This is my 14th time as an AP voter, and I definitely think I will be less likely to vote teams considerably up or down after the bowls than I did in the past,” said Scott Rabalais of The Advocate of Baton Rouge (Louisiana). On Saturday at the Orange Bowl, Florida State will be a shell of the team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. Quarterback Jordan Travis is still recovering from a broken leg, an injury that essentially kept the Seminoles out of the playoff. Many of FSU’s best players, including defensive end Jared Verse, running back Tre Benson and receiver Keon Coleman, have opted out as they look toward the NFL draft. Earlier this week, No. 2 quarterback Tate Rodemaker chose to transfer and skip the game. Some of the Seminoles who will play weren’t shy about saying they should be No. 1 if they finish as the only unbeaten Power Five team. “It’s only right,” linebacker Kalen DeLoach told reporters at the Orange Bowl. “Nothing else needs to be said if we’re the only undefeated team.” The Seminoles will face a Georgia team in much better shape. Nineteen Bulldogs hit the transfer portal after the season, though most were backup players. It does look as if All-America tight end Brock Bowers and highly regarded tackle Amarius Mims will miss the game after seasons interrupted by injuries. “If Florida State handles Georgia easily and the three CFP games are duds, then I’d gladly vote the Seminoles No. 1, but it’s not going to happen,” said AP Top 25 voter Robert Cessna of the Bryan-College Station (Texas) Eagle. No. 1 Michigan (13-0) faces fourth-seeded Alabama (12-1) in the Rose Bowl semifinal and No. 2 Washington (13-0) plays No. 3 Texas (12-1) in Sugar Bowl semifinal on Monday. The final AP Top 25 is released a few hours after the Jan. 8 national championship game. Rabalais covers No. 13 LSU, which will play Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa on Monday without Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, who has opted out. “The lack of a player of Daniels’ caliber has to be taken into consideration were LSU to lose and I was deciding where to put them on my final ballot,” he said. In some cases, the teams playing in the bowls barely resemble the ones that earned those postseason trips and rankings. Take the Sun Bowl, with No. 15 Notre Dame (9-3) facing No. 21 Oregon State (8-4) in El Paso, Texas, on Friday. Neither team will have its starting quarterback after Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman (NFL draft) and Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei (transfer) opted out. The Irish are missing most of their starting offense, including All-America offensive tackle Joe Alt and running back Audric Estime, a second-team All-American. Offensive coordinator Gerad Parker recently took the head coaching job at Troy. Beavers coach Jonathan Smith leave for Michigan State after the regular-season finale. Now they are down to a third-string quarterback, though one with starting experience in Ben Gulbranson, and have had several key players transfer out. Leading rusher Damien Martinez is serving a suspension. “The stats count. It counts in the win-loss column. When people look at Notre Dame and Oregon State’s record in the future it’s going to include the results of this game. In that regard, well, I’ll factor it in,” Matt Brown from the The Athletic said on the AP Top 25 College Football Podcast. “On the other hand, if Notre Dame and Oregon State had these rosters for most of the year? The teams that take the field will really not be top-20 teams.” The Peach Bowl with No. 10 Penn State facing No. 11 Mississippi is shaping up to have fairly good representation from each team, though Nittany Lions All-American offensive lineman Olu Fashanu has said only that he will be with the team, not that he will play. Teammate and standout defensive end Chop Robinson isn’t going to play. “It’s almost like we’re going back in time to how bowl games are perceived,” Brown said. For a big chunk of the 20th century, bowl games were few and not taken into account in the final AP poll. Not until 1968 did the AP begin releasing a final poll after bowls were played. As late as 1973, Alabama and Notre Dame shared the national title because the coaches’ poll didn’t take into account bowl games. The Fighting Irish beat the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl and finished No. 1 in the AP poll, but the coaches had already declared Alabama No. 1. The last time there was a split national title was 2003, when Southern California was voted No. 1 by AP after being left of the BCS title game, won by LSU over Oklahoma. The four-team playoff has all but ensured it will never happen again. The Florida State snub provide at least a chance to consider the possibility, but with a 12-team playoff coming next season, shared national championships will — like the wishbone and tear-away jerseys — be part of college football’s past. The Associated Press contributed to this article

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4politics

Adamss Approval Rating Sinks to Lowest for Any N.Y.C. Mayor Since 1996

Mayor Eric Adams, who faces a federal investigation into his campaign fund-raising and rampant criticism over his handling of the migrant crisis, has seen his approval rating plunge to 28 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday. The approval rating — the lowest for any New York City mayor in a Quinnipiac poll since it began surveying the city in 1996 — reveals the extent of the political damage Mr. Adams has suffered in recent weeks, after the F.B.I. seized his cellphones, a woman filed a legal claim accusing him of sexual assault in 1993 and he made unpopular budget cuts to the police, schools and libraries. Roughly 58 percent of New Yorkers disapproved of Mr. Adams’s job as mayor, and the dissatisfaction was nearly across the board. A majority of those polled said that the mayor did not have strong leadership qualities, did not understand their problems and was not honest or trustworthy. He also received some of his lowest ratings over his handling of homelessness and the city budget, with only 22 percent of voters supporting him on those issues.

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2culture

What Happens When the Happy Holiday Memories Fade - The New York Times

My happiest Christmas memories take the form of snapshots, or the briefest of video clips, though in most cases no actual photographic documentation exists. Even when I study on them, even when I work in earnest to call them up again in some fuller form, they remain only flashes. Such memories exist entirely as fragments, freeze-frame likenesses of ephemeral joy: The held breath just before my husband pulls down the creaky attic ladder in the hallway outside our sons’ bedrooms. That midnight pause, year after year, as he listens for any stirring behind their closed doors. The Christmas tree we installed outside the front window the year our middle boy, barely toddling, wouldn’t stop eating the ornaments, and the Christmas tree we encircled with chicken wire the year our first puppy wouldn’t stop eating the ornaments. The giggling from our oldest son’s room long before first light because his brothers always climbed in bed with him as soon as they woke up. Our children dressed in bathrobes and towels in the Christmas pageant. This snapshot comes with a soundtrack: “There. You look just like a shepherd,” my husband is saying. “I look like a guy with a towel on his head,” our youngest son is saying back.

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1crime

Discovery of fetus remains in South Boston linked to unrelated homicide, court records show

Since the remains of two boys and two girls were found in unit No. 3 at 838 East Broadway on Nov. 17 and 18 last year, investigators have sought to exhume a body, obtain a DNA swab, and evaluate the competency of a potential suspect, according to records filed in Suffolk Superior Court. As part of the investigation, officials unwittingly discovered information related to an unrelated homicide, records show. Court records related to the discovery of the remains of four infants in a freezer in a South Boston condominium a year ago reveal that a death investigation is complex and ongoing, a potential suspect has been identified, and the remains have led to evidence in an “unrelated homicide” that has already gone to trial. Advertisement Authorities so far have not publicly disclosed any information about the identities of the infants or their families, and no arrests have been reported as part of the death investigation. In court documents seeking to impound records related to a search warrant conducted at the red brick, nine-unit building at the corner of N Street, prosecutors wrote they are hopeful the death investigation will be completed by March 14. “The investigation has led to post-trial discovery in an unrelated homicide trial,” Suffolk Assistant District Attorney John C. Verner wrote in a court motion seeking to extend an impoundment order from Nov. 18 to March 18. No other details or mention of the unrelated homicide or potential suspect were included in the documents. A spokesperson for Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office said Tuesday evening that he could not comment on the case. The investigation also has included “a lengthy medical analysis into the cause of death” and an evaluation of the competence of “a potential suspect,” Verner wrote. Investigators have also sought two search warrants, one for an exhumation and another for a DNA swab that has been contested, records show. Advertisement It was necessary to impound Boston police Detective David Chaves’s affidavit in support of a search warrant because the document contained “sensitive and detailed information” and could jeopardize the ongoing investigation, Verner wrote. Judge John Wall on Nov. 14 ordered the documents remain impounded until further order of the court. Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.

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4politics

A Russian Village Buries a Soldier, and Tries to Make Sense of the War

If you weren’t in Dorchester at Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters claiming a big prize on Tuesday, then where were you? Probably waiting out the snowstorm at home, like many Bay Staters — except for three lottery winners, who claimed one $4 million and two $1 million lottery prizes on Jan. 16. The $4 million prize was from the “100X Cash” scratch ticket game, which costs $10 to play. It was sold in Peabody from a shop called Summit Variety. As of Jan. 17, there’s just one $4 million grand prize remaining to be claimed. One of the $1 million prizes claimed was from the lottery’s new “Gold Mine 50X” scratch ticket, which was released last Tuesday and was the first grand prize to be claimed. The winning ticket was sold in Leominster from Russell’s Package Store. The other $1 million lottery prize was from the “$4,000,000 Bonus Loot” scratch ticket game, and the winning ticket had been sold in Dracut from a shop called Dracut Convenience. Overall, there were at least 628 lottery prizes worth $600 or more won or claimed in Massachusetts on Tuesday, including 18 in Springfield and 32 in Worcester. The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of all the winning tickets each day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.

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4politics

In the battle to build more housing, Massachusetts is making gains

The law was controversial because it diluted home rule, something legislators have treated as sacrosanct despite a century’s worth of evidence that towns have used that authority to limit growth, promote segregation, and harm the state’s overall economic well-being . This year began with a lot of anxiety about housing — and, in particular, whether Boston’s suburbs would comply with a controversial new state law that requires them to allow more of the kind of apartment and condo buildings that many of them have a well-earned reputation for resisting. A few local politicians made noise about resisting the law. But so far, municipalities have largely complied, often with an enthusiasm that belies their histories as hotbeds of NIMBYism. Advertisement In one suburb after another, towns adopted new zoning that in some cases went even beyond the law’s requirements. In town meetings, the vote was often lopsided in favor of change: Lexington, 107 to 63; Arlington, 189 to 35; Brookline, 207 to 33. Those actions will make building new construction easier and more predictable, hopefully leading to more of it. Get The Primary Source Globe Opinion's weekly take on politics, delivered every Wednesday. Enter Email Sign Up A view of construction underway in Everett. A new state law has prompted communities to loosen their zoning regulations for multifamily housing, which should lead to more of it over time. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff It hasn’t all been smooth sailing: Newton’s City Council ended up doing just about the bare minimum to comply. Milton’s Town Meeting approved its plan, but citizens appear to have gathered enough signatures to force a referendum seeking to overturn the vote. But the bottom line is that, so far, each of the 12 communities with a deadline this year has at least tried to meet it. To a certain extent, the local votes show just how bad the housing shortage and resulting price inflation in Massachusetts has become. When even voters in places like Lexington and Brookline are willing to allow the kind of multifamily housing that they and their ancestors fought so hard against, you know it’s gotten bad in the market. The price of housing rose more than 10 percent in Greater Boston in 2023, and the median single-family home went for $829,950, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors. Rents are similarly stratospheric. Suburban homeowners may like those rising property values, but they don’t like seeing their kids move far away because they can’t afford to live here. There is also far more public attention on the damaging environmental and social consequences of exclusionary zoning, which may be shifting public opinion in a more altruistic direction. Advertisement Still, there’s no reason to imagine so many large suburbs would have rezoned in a single year without prompting. Which is why legislators should view the law’s early success as vindication for state intervention — and proof that a stronger state hand in housing is not only the right thing to do but also might even be welcome. Indeed, the strong margins in town meetings are enough to make you wonder if the hostility to housing in the suburbs was never more than just a bugaboo for the small minority that happened to show up at meetings. State pressure is necessary because Boston's suburbs have a well-earned reputation for resisting new housing. In 2004, a sign protested proposed construction of a proposed development in Bedford. By giving localities the legal tools to thwart housing, the state let them create the housing shortage Massachusetts finds itself in now. Pat Greenhouse Regardless, the next step should be for the state to build on this law and extend the state’s role. In her first year in office, Governor Maura Healey has taken several notable steps on housing, including appointing a housing czar and championing funds for market-rate housing. Her most important decision, though, may have been a provision in her proposed housing bond bill that requires communities to allow “in-law” apartments, which would build on the precedent of the MBTA law by again forcing communities’ hands. It is projected to add 8,000 new housing units statewide. Advertisement Defenders of home rule oppose that proposal. But the positive results of the MBTA law so far are a strong argument that the state can and should exert more power over housing — and not just over zoning but also over the whole gamut of financial, logistical, and environmental policies that determine how much is built, where, and for whom. The Globe editorial page has made the case this year for some of the ways the state could step up. It could, for instance, put more teeth in the Community Preservation Act, to force towns that accept state funds for the program to spend more of it on housing. It could standardize applications for income-restricted housing. It could change the way it awards tax credits to pressure developers to build subsidized housing for families, not just senior citizens. People waited in line for an income-restricted housing lottery in Boston in 2017. Housing set aside for low-income people is hard to find and hard to apply for. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff For the Healey administration, it should mean continuing to hold towns to account if they violate either the letter or the spirit of the law. In 2024, scores more municipalities will be required to zone areas for denser housing. Healey’s housing czar, Edward Augustus, sent a good message when he implicitly threatened that the administration would yank funding for a commuter rail station in Newton if the city didn’t include its vicinity in the rezoning plan. The city ended up including it, and other communities hopefully got the message that the state really means business. Advertisement Sustained pressure and leadership from the state is essential, because the truth is that the state’s housing deficit will take years to overcome. Massachusetts needs up to 200,000 new housing units by 2030, which would require it to produce housing at a much faster rate. The state only approved 18,940 private housing units in 2022, according to the St. Louis Fed, and the numbers for 2023 are shaping up to be even worse. The zoning changes approved in towns this year are only a first step at fixing the imbalance; now developers have to actually take advantage of those loosened regulations. A view of a condo development in Danvers. Massachusetts is still not building nearly enough new housing to meet its needs. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Until those numbers rise, house hunters will continue to suffer from rising housing prices. Businesses will find it harder to attract employees. Renters will crowd into unsafe living conditions. Homelessness will linger. For a place that proudly insists on calling itself a commonwealth instead of merely a state, Massachusetts has tiptoed around the sacred cow of local control for far too long. That is finally starting to change. If there’s one important takeaway from 2023, it’s that the state’s role in housing can’t be merely to ask politely for more. It’s time to use all the powers at the state’s disposal to insist on it. Advertisement Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.

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6sports

Travis Kelce shouts out Patriots for showing Taylor Swift on video board

Taylor Swift made her way to Gillette Stadium over the weekend to cheer on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, as the Chiefs took on the New England Patriots. The 12-time Grammy Award winner has been frequenting Kansas City’s games while she’s not performing her “Eras Tour.” At one point during Sunday’s game, Swift was shown on Gillette’s massive video board. She acknowledged the crowd and was met with mostly cheers. There were also some boos that echoed from the stands. Swift opened up to TIME Magazine about being shown during broadcasts, telling the outlet she can’t control when she’s on the television. “I’m just there to support Travis,” TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year said. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.” BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. During the most recent episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Kelce was asked by his brother, Jason Kelce, how he felt about Swift being on the board and hearing that she was booed. “They showed Taylor at the game and you don’t see an entire home team fanbase go insane for somebody wearing the opposite team’s colors,” Kelce said. “Just shows you how amazing that girl is. “They went absolutely insane when they showed Taylor on the screen. There might have been a few Brads and Chads that were booing, but for the most part, everybody was (expletive) screaming their tail off for her,” he added. “I was trying to keep it cool. I was like, ‘Don’t show your cards, don’t show your cards.’ It was fun.” Swift has been open about how much she enjoys playing at Gillette Stadium during her tours. She did three shows in May during her first leg of the “Eras Tour.” And even though she was cheering for the away team, Kelce was appreciative of the Patriots for showing his girlfriend “some love.” “Shoutout to the Patriots and New England,” Kelce said. “Taylor’s on record saying that stadium is one of the funnest she’s played at, so for them to show her is, I guess, showing her some love, so shoutout to the Patriots for doing that.”

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3entertainment

The Nutcracker arrives in Hartford with a few twists and turns

This version of “The Nutcracker” follows the beloved story of a young girl, Clara, who goes on an adventure with her magical nutcracker doll after the rest of the family has gone to sleep for the evening. But Ballet Theatre Company Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas’s version includes a few unique twists and turns. Fan favorites include the breakdancing Mice Battalion as part of the epic Battle Scene, Dattellas’ rendition of “Waltz of the Flowers” that features a swirl of dancers in a landscape of flower garlands and the dancing dolls echoing West Hartford’s own Noah Webster and the Blue Back Speller Book. Having the breakdancers on stage with the ballet dancers is “awesome,” said Emily A. Silva, rehearsal director for the Ballet Theatre Company, who is also performing the leading role of the Snow Queen seen in Act I of The Nutcracker. “It’s cool to appreciate other forms of dance” together on stage. The addition of the Webster connection is “a cool nod to West Hartford,” she added, noting that the younger dancers who create a landscape of petals for the corps de ballet to dance through is “a fun scene to be part of and looks really cool.” Another twist to this particular production of “The Nutcracker” is a female Drosselmeyer. To have a godmother figure rather than godfather “brings a new layer” to the interaction of that character with Clara, Silva said. “She is a powerful woman who inspires and encourages Clara to take on challenges thrown at her during the course of the ballet.” Mayara Pineiro and Ashton Roxander, principal dancers of Philadelphia Ballet, perform as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier, respectively. “We are so thrilled and lucky at Ballet Theatre Company to bring in guest artists. We couldn’t be more excited to bring in Mayara and Ashton,” Silva said. She said such professional dancers “inspire our company,” and it “adds another level to the production to bring in such beautiful and experienced dancers.” Trained as a child at the Boston Ballet School, Silva — from Sandown, New Hampshire — remembers attending performances of “The Nutcracker” each year with family members and was in her first “Nutcracker” production when she was about 9 years old, portraying a Party Girl. She participated in a traineeship at the Pittsburg Ballet Theatre and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance performance and ballet pedagogy from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford in 2018. Silva performed for one year with Ballet Hartford and has been dancing with Ballet Theatre Company since 2017. She enjoys being on stage, feeling alive and at home there. “I consider myself one of those lucky people who has a job they love and dreamed of doing since they were a child,” she said in a telephone interview from her home in Tolland, Connecticut. It’s “magical” and “exciting” for her to walk out onto the stage, but she also likes the behind the scenes work — “the constant drive to fine tune everything” and the “attention to detail, always having more to work on.” Ballet Theatre Company will present “The Nutcracker” at The Bushnell on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 2 at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. for four standard performance offerings. On Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. there will be a special presentation, “The Nutcracker: A Sensory-Friendly Ballet.” To purchase tickets for the public performances (including “A Sensory-Friendly Ballet”), visit The Bushnell’s website. For more information, email boxoffice@dancebtc.org or call 860-570-0440.

2e4ddcd3faf2541cccb6f8e171260180

1crime

Metaverse predator caught in first-ever virtual sexual assault case. Heres how rape culture is spilling into VR.

Investigation into Dedham stabbing that ended with 1 dead continues Share Copy Link Copy PEOPLE INVOLVED ARE ALL CONNECTED. MATT. WELL, DOUG, THE NORFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY GAVE AN UPDATE LATE LAST NIGHT SAYING THOSE TWO FEMALES ARE RECOVERING IN BOSTON AREA HOSPITALS WHILE INVESTIGATORS TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THIS ALL HAPPENED. NOW, POLICE SAY THEY RECEIVED A911 PHONE CALL AROUND 6:00 LAST NIGHT ABOUT A STABBING AT A HOME ON JACKSON POND ROAD. ANOTHER CALLER TOLD OFFICERS THERE WAS A MAN IN SERIOUS DISTRESS AROUND THE CORNER ON COUNTRY CLUB ROAD. OFFICERS SAY THEY HAD TO TASE AND PEPPER SPRAY. THAT MAN TO SUBDUE HIM AND THAT WHEN HE STARTED TO SHOW EVEN MORE SIGNS OF PHYSICAL DISTRESS. LIFE SAVING MEASURES WERE TAKEN. AND THE DA SAYS THE MAN DIED AT THE HOSPITAL. IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS TO ANYBODY WHO SAW HIM THAT HE HE WAS HAVING SOME ISSUES. HE NEEDED HELP OF SOME KIND AND HE NEEDED ASSISTANCE. AND THEY TRIED TO OBVIOUSLY DO THAT. AND TRIED TO TALK WITH THEM. AND THAT OBVIOUSLY BECAME A CHALLENGE. NOW, THE DA SAYS THE MAN AND THE TWO FEMALES STABBED ARE RELATED, BUT DIDN’T SAY HOW THEIR IDENTITIES AND AGES HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED. THE DEDHAM POLICE CHIEF SAYS HE IS CONFIDENT THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AND THERE IS NO ONGOING THREAT TO THE PUBLIC REPOR GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Your Email Address Submit Privacy Notice

761acdbc6468d5ce0b6902239b1722e2

0business

Amid hiring slump, Massachusetts police departments look to leave civil service

In the past decade, 37 departments have left the civil service system, which is the state process government agencies use for entry-level hiring, promotions, and discipline. Meanwhile, several more have filed petitions with the legislature to remove themselves from the hiring process, and Boston, the largest municipal department in the system, says it’s considering leaving, too. Dozens of police departments across Massachusetts have left or are seeking to leave the state’s civil service process, saying the system that was created nearly 140 years ago to increase fairness and decrease political patronage in government jobs is now a roadblock to hiring the officers they want. Advertisement “Is it too much of an impediment for us to be able to bring on good people?” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox asked in a recent interview, noting that the city had “exhausted” its list of Bostonians who had recently taken the civil service exam before new results came in this month. Of leaving civil service, he said, “We are definitely evaluating that.” There’s no timeline for making a decision, he said, but it’s “on the table.” The department, Cox added, has to analyze “some benefits, some unwanted consequences that we want to make sure that we are prepared for if we do do something like that.” The focus on civil service, which includes standardized hiring and promotional and disciplinary protections for workers to whom it applies, is driven by ongoing hiring woes for police departments. Over the years, the number of people seeking to become officers has declined, which has departments trying to remove impediments amid fears that fewer prospective officers means fewer quality choices. Currently, 130 departments use the civil service process for hiring and promotion, including State Police and the MBTA Transit Police. The main issue critics have with the process is its one-off standardized test. From the test scores, the state builds a ranked list of candidates from which departments need to hire in order of highest scores, with other considerations such as military veterans and residency. Chiefs critical of the process say it just rewards people who are good at taking tests, and it doesn’t allow departments to pick a diverse array of officers who are the best fits. Advertisement The Civil Service Division declined to make someone available for an interview, but a spokesperson said, “municipalities that participate in civil service are provided a fair, merit-based, cost-effective method for evaluating potential candidates.” Northbridge Police Chief Timothy LaBrie said when he took the reins in 2021, it was his “first mission” to get out of the civil service process. He did so last year, after getting Town Meeting voters to pass the law change for Northbridge. “Civil service served its purpose for many years. It just got antiquated,” said LaBrie, who has worked in the department his entire career. “It hinders hiring, big time.” He’s only hired for one position since: a dispatcher who had been trying to become a sworn officer but had not tested well. He had a strong interview, and LaBrie hired him. “Now he’s a total all-star” officer, LaBrie said. Now, both the department’s hiring and promotions will be done by a set of new policies, including a test the department will pay a consultant to create. But hiring will lean heavily on the chief’s interview, which isn’t part of the civil service process. Advertisement Tewksbury Chief Ryan Columbus said his town has tried to take a hybrid approach by removing hiring from the civil service process, but not promotions. But there has been resistance to such petitions on Beacon Hill, he said. If state legislators won’t accede, he said, the town will just take the issue to Town Meeting voters and pull out all together, the way Northbridge did. “We have to have the ability and the freedom to select the most qualified candidates,” Columbus said, adding that it took nearly a year to hire for 13 spots the last time the department brought officers on. “Just because you took a test and showed up high on a list doesn’t make you the best candidate.” Attleboro also has a home-rule petition seeking to remove its hiring process from civil service. Chief Kyle Heagney said the city is in the middle of a “hiring nightmare” because people are going to higher-paying departments, are leaving law enforcement entirely, and the civil service process is becoming an impediment. “Police departments just have different needs now,” said Heagney, who said about a quarter of his department’s 100-officer force have been hired within the last two years. Also making hiring difficult is fewer people are taking the exam. The tests give prospective officers two years of eligibility. Right now, just under 9,600 people are on the lists, according to the most recent numbers from the state. In previous years, the numbers were significantly higher — more than 16,800 in 2013, 12,230 in 2015 and 13,866 in 2017, when the test was administered every two years rather than annually like it has been for the past three. Advertisement Police chiefs blame the lack of applicants on the anti-police sentiment in recent years, and the calls to defund the police that followed high-profile police brutality cases around the country. The round-the-clock nature of the business, where rookie officers often have overnight shifts, and the inability to work from home like other career paths now offer, also chase people away from applying, multiple chiefs said. “At the very time we needed the best and the brightest, some of them are thinking, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this anymore,’” said retired Northborough Police Chief Mark K. Leahy, head of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. Defenders of the civil service process acknowledge there need to be some changes. The state can’t, as it did a year ago, err so badly in administering a test that it has to throw out a crop of scores. It also needs updating, as most of the tests haven’t been redone in years, which was one element of a successful lawsuit that led a judge to rule that the police promotional exams disadvantaged people of color. Senator Michael Brady and Representative Kenneth Gordon, chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Service, said in interviews that the state is reactivating a study committee created in the 2020 police reform bill to analyze civil service. They expect to have more concrete proposals in the near future, and they’ll use the committee, which produced a report last year that said it needed more time to examine the issue, to hold more hearings. Advertisement In the meantime, they said that while changes need to come, it’s still important for public perception that there be a standardized process for becoming a police officer. “Civil service is worth saving,” Gordon, the Bedford Democrat, said. “It’s to create that framework of objectivity. It’s an issue of perception.” The process does have support among police unions, who say it provides another layer of appeal against firing. “People seemed to have forgotten Civil Service was created to even the playing field while addressing and correcting longstanding issues related to cronyism, nepotism and, what was once referred to as the ole boys’ network,” Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association president Larry Calderone said. “Undoubtedly, Civil Service is a much needed commission that all municipalities and towns should belong to.” Still, some changes already have come, including an annual police test as opposed to biennial, a cheaper entrance fee for test takers, and a restructured exam for promotions. Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Governor Healey, said the administration “believes there are opportunities for change in the civil service system to make it more effective and equitable. We will work closely with our Legislative partners and municipalities to evaluate additional areas for improvement.” Brady, a Brockton Democrat, acknowledged that he’s been hearing from police departments that they’re having a hard time hiring. “Everybody agrees that the civil service law that was written a while back needs to be updated,” he said. But, “you need some type of measuring stick we all agree on.” Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com.Follow him on Twitter @cotterreporter.

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6sports

Bruins lose stalwart defenseman to injury

The Bruins’ four-game road trip got off to a rough start as they lost one of their most important players in the second period of their game against the Avalanche, on Monday at Ball Arena. Brandon Carlo, who is in the midst of his best season, left Monday’s game with injury in the second period. The Bruins later announced it was an upper-body injury and that Carlo wouldn’t return. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. It wasn’t immediately clear when Carlo suffered the injury. The Bruins are already missing Derek Forbort. If Carlo joins him on the shelf, Boston will be missing two of their best penalty killers and defensive-minded blueliners. Rookie Mason Lohrei also missed his second straight game after being hit in the mouth with a puck. Carlo had played 1:50 before the injury and had an assist. He has two goals and seven assists and averaged 20:29 on the ice.

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4politics

Bus stop shelter removal prompts push to study homelessness in Holyoke

HOLYOKE — After Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the city of Holyoke removed a bus stop shelter, City Councilor Israel Rivera said he wants the city to further study the reasons behind the removal. Rivera, who chairs the city’s public safety committee, said a bus shelter on the corner of Cabot and High streets was removed over the summer to mitigate “vagrancy on High Street.” The onus is on the public safety committee and the community to ensure that the bus stops are safe, Rivera said, and he wants to create a focus group to investigate what other mechanisms are in place to address homelessness on High Street and how many other bus stop shelters in the city will be removed. Rivera said the bus shelter removal was prompted by several situations where people slept with blankets on the shelter’s bench while a family with children waited for the bus in the elements. It was a situation that Rivera said he had witnessed. “There was one incident within the last two years where a fight broke out at another bus stop,” Rivera said. During a public safety meeting on Nov. 29, Rivera brought the matter forward in an order on the agenda to discuss with Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia and Holyoke Police Chief David Pratt. Rivera’s order was brought forth as a package and was overshadowed by Garcia’s presentation on his public safety plan known as Ezekiel’s Plan. Also known as Operation Safe Streets, Garcia announced the plan after an Oct. 4 shooting claimed the life of a newborn baby boy on Sargent and Maple streets. Ezekiel’s Plan would have included funding for a new community response division, five additional foot and bike patrol officers and increased funding for the city’s legal and health departments. Holyoke City Council, however, rejected the plan at its Dec. 5 meeting. Meanwhile, Rivera believes the safety concerns that led to the bus stop shelter’s removal are valid, especially because the bus stop sits near a school. He said he also worries about the unintended impact it has had on those who use the shelter for its intended purpose, he said. “It punishes the people who use it for its intended purpose, which is for winter protection from the elements,” Rivera told The Republican. Since the bus stop shelter’s removal, Rivera said he had seen unhoused people hanging out near that bus stop. “It doesn’t solve the problem; it just pushes it down the street,” he said. While there is a variety of different shelters in the area, Rivera doesn’t believe those are the people sleeping at the bus stops, he said. Rivera also said that many of the unhoused sleeping on the streets of Holyoke are not from the city but come to the area to access services or to seek out illegal drugs. “It’s not just a Holyoke issue, it’s a Western Massachusetts issue,” he said. “Holyoke like Springfield, are communities that take on the responsibility to be service providers, so a lot of unhoused people come to Holyoke and Springfield for services.” Rivera said he doesn’t think Holyoke needs more shelters or beds, but rather surrounding communities like South Hadley and Chicopee could help house some of the unsheltered. In the last 18 months, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority has added 15 shelters and removed three across the system for reasons that range from loss of ridership, vehicular damage or environmental conditions, said Brandy Pelletier, a spokesperson at PVTA. The shelter at High and Cabot streets was originally installed as part of ongoing efforts by the transit authority to improve amenities across its system, especially in economic justice neighborhoods, Pelletier wrote in an email. “Unfortunately, this shelter became problematic due to issues with vagrancy. Working in cooperation with Mayor Garcia’s office we attempted to address the issues, with increased police enforcement and outreach activity. Ultimately, after feedback from neighborhood residents, staff, and the community in general, the decision was made to remove the shelter at this time,” Pelletier wrote. “Our goal is always to improve and enhance amenities wherever conditions dictate,” Pelletier wrote. “We will continue to work with the community to assess and reevaluate conditions in this neighborhood.”

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5science

I.R.S. to Begin Trial of Its Own Free Tax-Filing System

All those free options remain available, the I.R.S. said, and its test version will just be another option. But with the new direct file service, the I.R.S. aims to further streamline the filing process. In one possible scenario included in the agency’s report to Congress, the I.R.S. could fill out tax returns with information it already has, like data from W-2 wage statements. For the pilot, however, participants will have to enter their own financial information, the I.R.S. said. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ordered the I.R.S. to study direct filing. In May, the agency submitted a report to Congress that found a majority of taxpayers would be interested in using a direct-file tool, and it began preparing for a pilot test. In the report, the I.R.S. estimated that the annual cost of a direct-file system could range from $64 million to $249 million, depending on the scope of the service. (A separate report from the Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax administration, however, said that the design of the surveys conducted in the earlier report might have “overstated” taxpayer interest and that the department couldn’t determine the “reasonableness” of the agency’s cost estimates.) The pilot system was built at the I.R.S. by a team of tax experts, product managers, software engineers, designers and data scientists, according to the agency. The I.R.S. said it was collaborating with special teams within the government that help agencies develop digital services. The I.R.S. says direct file will walk users through the steps of preparing a return, as commercial software does. The service will be “mobile friendly,” and available in English and Spanish. Users can get help from the agency via a live online chat function and will have the option to speak with a customer service representative on the phone if needed. In online summaries, the agency has said that to make sure the pilot works well, it will initially be opened to “a small group of taxpayers” during the 2024 filing season. As the season progresses, “more and more” eligible taxpayers will be able to use the service.

663ddbbc72cdbf1e2ca1f9863abd8b9f

0business

Theres momentum at last for East-West Rail, but Postal Service still stands in the way

Just look at what’s happened lately. MassDOT is seeking $108 million from the feds for rail improvements between Springfield and Worcester. Governor Maura Healey set aside $8.5 million in her first proposed state budget for track upgrades in Pittsfield and $4 million for a station study and design in Palmer. A new commission reconvenes on Tuesday to hash out the best governing structure for passenger rail operations in Western Massachusetts. Amtrak and CSX are finally all aboard. And Senate President Karen Spilka was just out touring Palmer, where she pledged that it’s a matter of “when, not if” improved train service between Pittsfield and Boston gets done. After years of being stuck on the siding, East-West Rail sure seems like it’s on the right track now. Advertisement But there’s one big obstacle no one seems to be talking about: the US Postal Service’s sprawling mail-sorting complex along the Fort Point Channel. State officials can do all the track and station work they want out west. With the massive USPS facility blocking a South Station expansion in Boston, East-West Rail could be going nowhere. Get Trendlines A business newsletter from Globe Columnist Larry Edelman covering the trends shaping business and the economy in Boston and beyond. Enter Email Sign Up This isn’t just an issue for adding to Amtrak’s meager one-train-a-day, east-west service. The upcoming commuter rail expansions to Fall River and New Bedford can’t reach their full potential without more South Station capacity. Dreams of running frequent, subway-like service on the Fairmount line through Dorchester can’t really come true, either. South Station is jam-packed, at capacity. That’s why MassDOT has spent years nudging forward a South Station expansion, one with space for up to 10 tracks to augment the 13 there today. However, to pull it off, the USPS needs to move. An Amtrak train pulls into South Station. Expanding the station could allow the rail line to add service in Boston, including a long-planned route across Massachusetts. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Representative Bill Straus, the longtime point person for transportation issues in the House, plans to raise the issue on Tuesday to the Western Massachusetts Passenger Rail Commission in Springfield. He wants to draw attention to the logjam while East-West Rail is in the spotlight. Advertisement Trying to dislodge the USPS from Fort Point has been a saga that has lasted for years, if not decades. Several previous state transportation secretaries told Straus they were optimistic a deal would get done. But it never has. And while the USPS no longer needs to be near rail lines, Straus notes there’s only one place South Station can expand: the property next door. About eight years ago, MassDOT seemed to be closing in on a deal that involved a land swap with the Massachusetts Port Authority. The USPS would have moved to Massport land in South Boston, off Pappas Way by the Reserved Channel, while Massport would have received some land that the USPS uses for parking near A Street, closer to downtown. Talks broke down as the value of the Postal Service’s land grew amid a development boom. MassDOT hasn’t given up. Spokeswoman Jacque Goddard said “high level discussions” were held last fall with the USPS about a relocation, and “the lines of communication remain open.” In other words, the ball is with the people who run the Postal Service. No word yet from them. Straus said he hopes Healey and her transportation secretary, Gina Fiandaca, will find a receptive audience with rail fans in the Biden administration, including possibly the president himself, and that the USPS can be convinced of the broader public good. (Trump-era appointee Louis DeJoy is still in charge, though.) The focus, Straus said, shouldn’t be on making a killing in the real estate market. Advertisement When asked about her East-West Rail efforts, Healey said she wants a fully functioning transportation system for the entire state. Translation: It’s not just about Greater Boston, and the beleaguered MBTA. To ensure that vision doesn’t get derailed, Healey is going to have to reckon with the South Station dilemma — and that means dealing with the post office. Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.

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2culture

New NH complaint against neo-Nazi group centers on drag queen story hour

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office has filed a civil complaint against New England-based neo-Nazi group NSC-131 over a June incident during which it tried to stop a drag queen story hour event in Concord. The complaint alleges that the group’s leader, Newburyport resident Christopher Hood, and 19 other John Does violated a New Hampshire anti-discrimination law by trying to “incite, compel, or coerce” the Teatotaller Café into canceling the June 18 event, the attorney general’s office announced Wednesday. In a press release, the attorney general’s office accused the group of attempting to “terrorize the café into refusing performers access to its venue for no other reason than the sex, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity of those performers.” Read more: NH Supreme Court to hear case of Neo-Nazi leader hanging racist banner over highway On June 18, Hood and the other members of NSC-131 stood outside the cafe, which is describes itself as a “queer hipster oasis,” shouting homophobic slurs and loudly chanting and saluting “in a fashion reminiscent of Nazi Germany” for over an hour, the attorney general’s office said. The complaint also alleges that they banged on the cafe’s windows and made intimidating gestures and comments directed at those inside the cafe. Video of the incident shared to social media shows the group dressed in dark, long-sleeved shirts, khakis and baseball caps with dark cloths covering most of their faces. They can be seen standing outside the cafe’s windows looking in and doing the salute described in the complaint before chanting “off our streets.” “Acts of hate designed to terrorize an individual or business into violating our state’s anti-discrimination laws are simply wrong and will not be tolerated,” Attorney General John Formella said in the release. “The Department of Justice will continue to enforce the state’s anti-discrimination laws to the greatest extent possible to ensure that people of all backgrounds can live free from discrimination, fear and intimidation because of who they are.” Read more: White supremacist flyers in plastic bags found in Easthampton, Westfield Part of the complaint’s legal argument is that NSC-131 is “an unincorporated association,” which is a prerequisite for being charged under New Hampshire’s Law Against Discrimination. If a group is found to have violated the law, they can be fined $10,000, and state courts can take action against them to prevent further violations. “We must and will send a clear message that New Hampshire is not and never will be a safe haven for hate groups that commit illegal acts that harm our citizens,” Formella said in the release. This is the second civil complaint to be filed against NSC-131 this month. Last week, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office filed a complaint accusing the group of committing civil rights violations by holding anti-migrant and anti-LGBTQ+ rallies. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes NSC-131, also known as the National Socialist Club-131, as a New-England-based neo-Nazi group with small, autonomous chapters. NSC-131 has been active and visible in the region the past few years, often dropping recruitment flyers in towns and cities across the region and spreading anti-semitic propaganda online. Last month, Formella asked the New Hampshire Supreme Court to allow a civil rights case against Hood to proceed after it was dismissed by a lower court earlier this year. The case stems from an incident last year during which he and his group held a banner that read “Keep New England White” over a highway in Portsmouth.

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4politics

Principles at Stake in Push to Disqualify Trump: Will of Voters and Rule of Law

Supreme Court justices have life tenure in the hope that their work will be independent of political influence, and, under the principle of the rule of law, it would be illegitimate for them to torque their interpretation of the Constitution with an eye toward political consequences. Under the rule of law, the Constitution and federal statutes apply equally to everybody, and no one’s power, wealth, political influence or other special status puts him or her above the law. But under the principle of democracy, the government’s legitimacy stems from the fact that voters decided whom to put in charge. The prospect of unelected judges denying voters the opportunity to make their own decision about Mr. Trump’s political future has given pause even to some of his critics who fervently hope Americans will reject him at the ballot box. Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said that even if one thinks that Mr. Trump’s actions rendered him unfit for office in line with the 14th Amendment, there are other — and less alarmingly novel — systems that could have addressed that problem before it reached the courts. These would have freed the Republican Party to have a starkly different primary contest, he said. “The problem is that we’re just not set up for this — we’ve run through the safety nets,” Mr. Vladeck said. “We’ve been spared from this problem in the few prior episodes where it could have arisen by different sets of constraints. And so now we’re in this position because those backstops have failed.” Had nine more Republican senators voted to convict Mr. Trump at his Jan. 6 impeachment trial, he would be ineligible to hold future office anyway, said Mr. Vladeck, who wrote a column about the complications of the Colorado court’s ruling titled “The Law and High Politics of Disqualifying President Trump.” And if more Republican voters were repelled by Mr. Trump’s attempt to secure an unelected second term, his political career would be over as a practical matter.

82c319bb42119dcc749881b8f18ff0c0

2culture

Excitement and joy: Bostons Latin Quarter celebrates Three Kings Day

Leeya Aman, 14, of Dorchester passed out gifts and candy to children as she played the role of King Melchior. The three kings marched around the room, getting others up to dance with them. Children made crowns and placed them on their heads, while others dressed up as kings in colorful robes. A centuries-old celebration came alive Saturday in Jamaica Plain’s Latin Quarter, with families gathering to celebrate Día de Los Reyes, or Three Kings Day. Dereck Medina (left), Leeya Aman (center), and Dayane Vieira don their Three Kings outfits before performing at the annual Three Kings celebration held in the Latin Quarter at the Hyde Square Task Force hall. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff “We went through the audience and gave out things to represent the gifts,” said Aman. “We’re supposed to represent these graceful, proud, bold kings,” But for Aman, the anticipation begins the day before. Advertisement “The night before there is so much excitement and happiness built up. Especially as a kid you are like ‘are the three kings coming?’ and we try to stay up and see them. You just feel all this excitement, like a rush every time,” said Aman. Also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, the celebration commemorates the biblical story in which three kings followed a star from the East to Bethlehem to find a newborn king, the baby Jesus. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the little king. The celebration is popular in Latin American communities, particularly in the Caribbean countries like Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, according to Celina Miranda, executive director of Hyde Square Task Force. As part of the celebration, many people make wishes or promises to the kings. “The day really is a celebration of children, the concept of making a wish or a promise really looks to the future to celebrate children,” said Sheilagh Carlisle, director of development & communications at HSTF. In Puerto Rico, children put boxes under their beds for the kings to leave them gifts, and in return leave fresh-cut grass for the camels. Advertisement “It’s about the continuation of the celebration of Christmas and holding onto something you were hoping would happen in the New Year,” said Miranda. Levar Espar, 2, grabs on to his crown during the annual Three Kings celebration. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff The afternoon event was festive with a reading of Sheila Colón-Bagley’s “La Noche Before Three Kings Day” narrated by José Massó. The recently published children’s book touches on the traditions of Three Kings Day, including feasts and the making of wishes. There was also a music performance by group Sharina y su Conjunto Guajiba. “[It’s] very joyous, wonderful music. We have a folkloric group here that is with us showing us through music what the celebration sounds like in various places where the Three Kings Celebration is recognized, particularly in Puerto Rico,” said Miranda. The annual Three Kings celebration was held Saturday afternoon at Hyde Park Task Force’s main office in Jamaica Plain, which is used for community gatherings and events and has classrooms and art studios. The celebration, organized by Hyde Square Task Force, has been going on for decades and with the aim of keeping traditions alive. The organization focuses on celebrating Afro-Latin culture and heritage to create a diverse, vibrant Latin Quarter. Maria Elena Little Endara can be reached at mariaelena.littleendara@globe.com.

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4politics

3 UMass Amherst student protesters barred from studying abroad

But weeks before he was set to leave, O’Neill learned UMass had revoked his eligibility to study abroad, along with that of two other students, leaving them on the hook for thousands of dollars in fees and travel expenses while scrambling to find housing and still-open courses in Amherst. At the crux of it was the students’ fateful decision to join an Oct. 25 campus protest in support of Palestinians , where they were arrested along with dozens of other students and placed on disciplinary probation. Aidan O’Neill was supposed to be in Spain right now. The University of Massachusetts Amherst junior was set to leave on Jan. 3 for his study abroad program in Barcelona, which he’d been planning since last spring. Advertisement “To lose my abroad eligibility at the last second, that was just heartbreaking,” said O’Neill, now staying in his hometown, Scituate, until the spring semester starts on Feb. 1. “I was practicing my right as a student to speak up against the university funding a genocide. It just seemed, honestly, crazy and absurd to me that the university was going that far to punish me.” Get Nightmare in Mission Hill A limited-series newsletter about the untold story of the Charles and Carol Stuart case. Enter Email Sign Up During a tumultuous time on college campuses across the country following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the incident is another example of a clash between university administrators and student protesters opposing Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. While UMass claims it was simply following policies outlined in agreements students signed, the three students whose study abroad eligibility was revoked say they are facing unusually harsh punishment because of their political views, with at least one threatening to sue. The saga has sparked concerns around First Amendment rights on campus and seen a flood of support from UMass students, faculty, and alumni calling on the university to drop disciplinary sanctions. O’Neill “was participating in a peaceful expression of his political convictions,” said Rachel Mordecai, an English department faculty member and O’Neill’s faculty adviser. “This denial of the opportunity to study abroad constitutes a disproportionate penalty for what Aidan participated in.” Advertisement Mordecai wrote a letter, obtained by the Globe, signed by 23 other English department faculty members, to UMass Amherst’s International Programs Office in support of O’Neill, whom they called “an exceptionally successful and talented student.” Jason Moralee, UMass Amherst associate dean of research and diversity, equity, and inclusion, also wrote to fellow administrators in support of O’Neill and the other two students, urging the International Programs Office to “clear these students for study abroad swiftly.” Moralee previously served as director of the UMass Oxford Summer Seminar in England for two years. In his experience, he wrote, students are “routinely” cleared to study abroad even if they have code of conduct violations or are on academic probation for drunk and disorderly arrests or academic dishonesty. “Surely, peaceful protest done by exemplary students whose records are otherwise clear ... is an offense that should not in itself prevent students from studying abroad,” he continued. UMass told the Globe its disciplinary measures have nothing to do with the content of the October protest, rather, administrators are just following policy for students who are placed on disciplinary probation for any reason. “To participate in a UMass Amherst study abroad program, students must be in good standing academically with the university and in compliance with the university’s Code of Student Conduct,” university spokesperson Ed Blaguszewski said in an email statement to the Globe. “Consistent with the university’s past practice and the Student Agreement of Participation signed by each student, IPO revoked eligibility for these students to study abroad for the upcoming winter/spring terms.” Advertisement Protesters used their phones to record as a member of the University of Massachusetts Police Department told them they will be arrested if they don’t leave within 10 minutes on Oct. 25. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff It all began Oct. 25 when about 500 students staged a sit-in at the Whitmore Administration Building, demanding UMass cut ties with defense contractor Raytheon Technologies, which produces missile components for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. After refusing to leave when the building closed at 6 p.m., 56 students, including O’Neill, and one staff member were arrested for trespassing, and later placed on disciplinary probation until the end of the spring semester. The IPO then revoked O’Neill’s study abroad eligibility, citing an agreement he had signed stipulating that students cannot participate if they have pending legal or disciplinary actions or are on academic probation. But O’Neill and the two other students, whose lawyers declined to identify them by name, say their disciplinary treatment isn’t consistent with past practice. In 2016, 19 UMass Amherst students were arrested for trespassing at a sit-in at the same building, demanding UMass divest from fossil fuel companies. However, the university did not pursue further disciplinary action, according to Mica Reel, who was a UMass sophomore that year and led the divestment campaign. In fact, Reel said, UMass leadership expressed support for the 2016 protesters and the university divested its endowment from fossil fuels one month later. Advertisement Rachel Weber, an attorney who represented the 57 protesters arrested in October in district court, said the university’s handling of the pro-Palestinian students constituted “differential treatment” compared to 2016 protest. “It certainly raises a specter that they are being punished for the content of their speech,” Weber said. Blaguszewski said the university couldn’t confirm whether students in 2016 faced further academic sanctions because student disciplinary records are not maintained after seven years. He added that in addition to the three arrested students, six other students had study abroad privileges revoked for the winter and spring semesters due to various conduct violations. He said this is routine, with several students facing revocations due to disciplinary sanctions each year. O’Neill said he and the other two students were left in “limbo” when they were told they couldn’t study abroad in an email from the program director around 4 p.m. on Dec. 15 — the last day of the semester. O’Neill said he did not have the opportunity to appeal the decision. The students had already made travel and accommodation plans through Education Abroad, the company that arranges overseas study for UMass, with some expenses nonrefundable. They hadn’t registered for spring classes at UMass Amherst. At least one did not have housing lined up. One student faces up to $20,000 in fees for the overseas program, according to the student’s attorney, Shahily “Shay” Negrón. “They have been extremely distraught,” Negrón said. “This entire ordeal has had a toll on my client emotionally [and] financially.” Advertisement Negrón said the student was unable to persuade UMass officials to reverse their decision at a hearing in early January, and is now considering suing. UMass is “harming my client because she exercised her right to free speech,” Negrón said. But experts say a First Amendment violation case could be tough to make, especially because the students had signed the study abroad agreement. The student would need to prove that disciplinary measures were based on the substance of their protest, or that the process was otherwise unfair, said Boston University law professor Robert Tsai. “These are not easy arguments to win,” Tsai said. “Just because someone’s been treated more leniently doesn’t mean that the university is doing so because they agree with the speech.” Moralee wants the university to investigate the disciplinary proceedings. “The process looks irregular, and the university owes it to everyone to conduct an independent investigation,” Moralee told the Globe. “Is the process fair? Can we be confident that bias and discrimination hasn’t played a role in suppressing free speech on campus?” O’Neill, meanwhile, is considering pursuing study abroad next year, after his probation ends. And for now, he is left to rue his lost time overseas. “If things had happened differently, I’d be in Barcelona right now, living with the host family and having the study abroad experience,” O’Neill said. “I feel really crushed by my university. I feel like they’ve just betrayed my trust for the last time.” Madeline Khaw can be reached at maddie.khaw@globe.com. Follow her @maddiekhaw.

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2culture

Valedictorian Project helps give disadvantaged Boston-area students a more level playing field

“I was on my co-op last year for, like, a straight year, so coming back to campus feels kind of nerve-wracking,” said Jasmine Rodriguez, 21. “But I feel more experienced than I did in my first year. I had a lot of anxiety in my first year, but now it’s been really chill.” As about a dozen Northeastern University students went around a conference table talking about their college experiences, voices were soft and answers halting, at least initially. Gradually, though, the students at this check-in meeting last fall began to open up and speak candidly about the challenges and adjustments of college life. Advertisement The students were Black, Latino, and Asian American and ranged from first-years to seniors, mostly from neighborhoods across Boston; the majority were the first generation of their family to attend college. Most were their high schools’ valedictorians — hardworking, smart students who excelled despite lacking the advantages of many peers. That’s where The Valedictorian Project came in. The Boston-based nonprofit was founded in 2020 in response to the Boston Globe’s award-winning 2019 investigative series, The Valedictorians Project, which found that the city’s best and brightest public school students often encounter major obstacles to their academic and professional goals. (The Globe is not involved with the organization.) The Valedictorian Project matches participating high school graduates with peer mentors close to their age and a senior mentor who is an experienced professional in their intended line of work. It also provides a $500 stipend for books and other necessities, and supplemental support through partnerships with other organizations to help students navigate their new lives on campus and choose career paths. “Many of our mentors are first-gen college students themselves,” cofounder and executive director Amy McDermott said in an interview. “Many navigated very similar personal backgrounds to our mentees. I hear often in our mentor interviews, they want to be that person that they wish they had in navigating college.” Advertisement This academic year marks a milestone for the organization, as its first cohort of college freshmen are now seniors. McDermott said the organization began by inviting Boston valedictorians to participate in its first year, then added students from Lawrence in year two, Brockton and Worcester in 2022, and Chelsea last spring. Jasmine Rodriguez took part in a roundtable discussion at Northeastern University for students participating in The Valedictorian Project. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff Mentor John Marley, 30, of Taunton, said the organization helps level the playing field for young people who don’t come from privileged backgrounds. “Students from wealthier families have always had these mentorship relationships, always had these connections, and those things are just unseen,” said Marley, an attorney whose family came to the United States from Jamaica when he was 5. “Unfairly or not ... it’s always advantaged a particular group and class of students over another. And I think they do a good job addressing that.” This academic year, The Valedictorian Project is supporting 140 students, of whom about three-quarters are first-generation college students and roughly 85 percent are people of color, according to McDermott. Besides Northeastern, students in the program attend Boston University, Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Brown, Yale, Stanford, and other colleges around the country, she said. As a student of color at an expensive private university, Rodriguez said, “You have to physically go out and try to find people that look like you. And I feel like for everyone else, it’s very easy. They find them in their classes. But it’s like, in my classes there’ll be like one other Black or Hispanic person.” Advertisement Rodriguez, a Dorchester native majoring in communications and sociology, recently spent a year as a social media co-op for an organization that supports domestic violence victims. She is drawn to work that will help others, she said, because she saw people in need in her neighborhood and her own family as she grew up. “I saw a lot of people that look like me struggle and go through a lot of things,” she said. “My mom is an immigrant. … We grew up on Section 8 [housing assistance]; we grew up on food stamps and stuff like that.” Ciana Omnis participated in a Northeastern University roundtable discussion for students participating in The Valedictorian Project. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff Ciana Omnis, 20, a third-year industrial engineering major who grew up in Florida, moved to Dorchester at age 14, and was the 2021 valedictorian at Brighton High School. She is the eldest of three children, so she can’t lean on older siblings for advice, she said. Her father, a truck driver who immigrated to the United States from Haiti, didn’t complete high school, she said, while her mother, a health care administrator, completed an associate’s degree but doesn’t yet have her bachelor’s. “I’ve met a lot of people in college who have parents who have done four-year degrees or whatnot, or even other kinds of higher education, so they’re able to get advice from their parents,” Omnis said. “For me, it’s been a bit harder, because I have to kind of figure out certain things on my own.” Advertisement Her mentors help fill that gap, she said, and the program helps her “meet other people who have the same background as me.” After they met through a Valedictorian Project event, John Le, who was the 2022 valedictorian at East Boston High School, became friends with Connor Lashley, the 2022 valedictorian at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester. “One of the issues is socializing, like making a friend group, because from my experience, from each class you kind of like meet people there, but if you’re not in the same major, you might not be able to maintain a relationship with them,” said Le, 20. The Valedictorian Project, he added, “has really been helpful to meet people at Northeastern and ... find people with similar interests.” Lashley, 19, said his mentors have helped him learn how to network with others in his field and steered him toward scholarship opportunities, and he can count on their support whenever he needs it. “They’re pretty much available the same day if stuff comes up,” he said. Connor Lashley (left) and John Le took part in a roundtable discussion at Northeastern University for students participating in The Valedictorian Project. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him @jeremycfox.

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1crime

Internal investigation cleared Springfield officers of wrongdoing in 2020 arrest; family alleges tasing linked to mans death

A German tourist was killed and several other people injured in central Paris late Saturday after a man attacked them with a knife and a hammer, the French authorities said. The case stirred fears of renewed Islamist terror attacks in a nation already on edge. A suspect was arrested nearby shortly after the assault. The authorities said he had serious psychiatric disorders and had told the police he was upset over the death of Muslims in the world, including in Gaza. France’s national antiterrorism prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation. Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said the suspect first attacked two German tourists shortly after 9 p.m. on the Quai de Grenelle, not far from the Eiffel Tower, killing one of them, a Filipino-born German man, with a knife. The other person, a woman, was not injured, Mr. Darmanin said. “This person was clearly ready to kill other people,” Mr. Darmanin told reporters in Paris. France was struck by large-scale Islamist terror attacks in 2015 and 2016, and then by a string of smaller but deadly shootings and stabbings in subsequent years. The country is still on its highest terrorism threat alert after the killing last month of a teacher in northern France.

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0business

How to Host a Proper English Pub Lunch

The chef Margot Henderson was 10 when she catered her first party, a birthday celebration for her younger brother Robin, then 5, in their hometown, Wellington, New Zealand. “Our mother was a complete health nut who would feed us apple cider vinegar and honey,” recalls Henderson. “I wasn’t going to let my brother suffer like I had! I made a whole spread of oranges and jellies and cooked snails from the garden with garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs.” Image Henderson outside the pub. Credit... Sandra Mickiewicz This innate talent for hospitality would become the foundation of Henderson’s four-decade career in restaurants, which started when she moved to England in 1984, soon working in some of London’s most acclaimed kitchens. In the early ’90s, she met her future husband, the chef Fergus Henderson, now 60, when he served her a dish of pigeon and peas at a pop-up restaurant where he was cooking. “It was perfect.” says Henderson, 59. “I fell for his food and for him. It also helped me identify how I wanted to cook, which is slowly and gently.” The couple, who have been married for over 30 years and have three children together, share a bold, elegant approach to cooking that emphasizes the quality of their ingredients, and their respective empires — Fergus runs the three meat-focused St. Johns restaurants in London; Henderson runs the restaurant Rochelle Canteen, also in London, as well as the catering company Arnold & Henderson with her business partner, Melanie Arnold — have helped define contemporary English cuisine.

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4politics

Inside the Border Talks That Could Decide the Fate of Ukraine Aid

Legal Back and Forth The case centers on Senate Bill 2, a state law that sets several restrictions on gun ownership, most notably a ban on firearms in a long list of public places. Since the ban was introduced, there has been a lot of back and forth over whether the law, which took effect on Jan. 1, could be enforced. After concealed-carry permit holders and other gun-rights organizations sued the state, arguing that the law was unconstitutional, Judge Cormac J. Carney of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California blocked enforcement of the law, on Dec. 20. Judge Carney said at the time that the ban would unconstitutionally “deprive” citizens of their right to bear arms. He granted a preliminary injunction on the law, saying it was “repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court.” Just last weekend, on Dec. 30, a panel of judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit put the injunction on hold, clearing the way for the law to take effect. But on Saturday, a different set of Ninth Circuit judges dissolved that ruling, reinstating the lower court’s injunction. Background on the Law Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrat of California, signed Senate Bill 2 into law shortly after it was introduced in September. Under the law, guns are banned in public places, which are divided into 26 categories with various locations, including playgrounds, public transportation, stadiums, amusement parks and museums. In addition, the law bars people from carrying firearms on the grounds of private businesses unless there is clear signage indicating that guns are allowed. It also sets the minimum age for obtaining a gun license at 21 and adds more requirements for gun safety training to receive a new license. Mr. Newsom had hailed the earlier appeals court ruling that let Senate Bill 2 take effect, saying it would “allow our common-sense gun laws to remain in place while we appeal the district court’s dangerous ruling.” The bill was part of a wave of legislation on gun control that took place after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen to strike down a New York law that had strictly limited the carrying of guns outside homes. The Supreme Court drastically shifted the standard for restrictions on firearms with that decision, handed down in 2022. Several states have since sought to restrict the carrying of firearms. New York, for instance, passed a law to prevent people from carrying guns in “sensitive locations” such as Times Square, sports venues and houses of worship as well as on public transit. The law has created confusion and generated numerous lawsuits. What’s Next Litigation over the constitutionality of California’s ban will continue, with arguments set for April. Proponents of the law argue that it is constitutional and that it will keep Californians safe. California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, a Democrat, has argued that “more guns in more sensitive places makes the public less safe.” But critics say the ban is too broad, applying to too many places in the state. “For decades, people with a license to carry in public have been able to carry in all of these places,” C.D. Michel, a general counsel for California Rifle & Pistol Association, said after the December appeals court ruling.

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2culture

Handels Messiah Teaches Us Something Surprising About Tradition - The New York Times

For these reasons, “Messiah” serves as a kind of test case for how we think about the nature and value of tradition. Does tradition mean attempting to preserve or recover a supposedly purer past? Or does it mean accepting our cultural inheritance as we find it, rough around the edges though it may be? In the case of “Messiah,” at least, the shabbier, less exalted vision of tradition rightly prevails. Many of the most popular recorded versions of “Messiah” emerged along with the rise of stereo in the 1950s. By that time performers and audiences alike accepted that the orchestration of the oratorio would be tinkered with and that the number of singers would be doubled or tripled or multiplied a hundredfold. The default idiom for Handel’s work was romantic, the proper mood regal rather than somber. For my money, the best example of this kind of “Messiah” is a recording made by the British conductor Leopold Stokowski in 1966 with the London Symphony Orchestra. Stokowski was an artist incapable of embarrassment, a textually heedless showman known for his contributions to Disney’s musical “Fantasia” and his wonderfully lush orchestral arrangements of piano works such as Debussy’s “Suite Bergamasque.” His “Messiah,” which features only 16 of the work’s movements, is not a sensitive interpretation. Listening to it with my head three feet away from my ancient Dahlquist speakers is the closest thing I can imagine to finding myself in the position of the shepherds in St. Luke’s Gospel, when “the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” But Stokowski’s unsubtle “Messiah” is hardly the most radical version, in terms of its departure from Handel’s score, or the most populist. In 1958 Leonard Bernstein dramatically rearranged the structure of “Messiah” and enlisted the Westminster Choir of Lawrenceville, N.J., for an epic faux-Wagnerian performance. In 1959, Eugene Ormandy recorded a version with the singer William Warfield (perhaps best known for his role in the MGM film version of the musical “Show Boat” in 1951) and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a best-selling LP now regarded by music snobs as an embarrassing novelty item. This list of lovable mistreatments of the oratorio could be multiplied infinitely (as my editor found out the hard way). Despite the marginal status of Baroque music among the midcentury classical music establishment, by the 1960s “Messiah” had become one of the most-recorded works in the repertoire.

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0business

Single family residence sells in Cohasset for $1.6 million

A 4,804-square-foot house built in 1998 has changed hands. The spacious property located at 20 Sanctuary Pond Road in Cohasset was sold on Nov. 14, 2023, for $1,625,000, or $338 per square foot. This is a two-story house. The home's external structure has a gable roof design, covered with asphalt roofing. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. The property is equipped with a gravity heating system and a cooling system. In addition, the house is equipped with an attached one-car garage, offering a dedicated parking spot and storage area. These nearby houses have also recently been sold: A 3,402-square-foot home at 89 Fairoaks Lane in Cohasset sold in August 2023, for $1,200,000, a price per square foot of $353. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. In September 2023, a 1,080-square-foot home on North Main Street in Cohasset sold for $662,000, a price per square foot of $613. The home has 1 bedroom and 2 bathrooms. On Fairoaks Lane, Cohasset, in June 2023, a 3,953-square-foot home was sold for $1,750,000, a price per square foot of $443. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data. See more Real Estate News

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0business

Five-bedroom home sells for $2.8 million in Wellesley Hills

A 3,809-square-foot house built in 1950 has changed hands. The spacious property located at 106 Bristol Road in Wellesley Hills was sold on Nov. 27, 2023. The $2,800,000 purchase price works out to $735 per square foot. This two-story house boasts a generous living space with five bedrooms and four baths. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. The property is equipped with hot water heating and a cooling system. Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby: On Bristol Road, Wellesley Hills, in June 2023, a 5,203-square-foot home was sold for $4,632,750, a price per square foot of $890. The home has 6 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. A 4,978-square-foot home at 146 Lowell Road in Wellesley Hills sold in October 2023, for $4,525,000, a price per square foot of $909. The home has 6 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. In August 2023, a 2,576-square-foot home on Lowell Road in Wellesley Hills sold for $1,315,000, a price per square foot of $510. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data. See more Real Estate News

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4politics

The Evening: A Success and a Setback for Ukraine

The opening night of a revival of Richard Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York was interrupted Thursday night by climate protesters shouting “No Opera” from the balconies on both sides of the opera house. Protesters with the group Extinction Rebellion NYC unfurled banners that read “No Opera On A Dead Planet,” according to Peter Gelb, the general manager at the Met. Met officials were then forced to bring down the curtain at around 9:30 p.m., halfway through the second act. About eight minutes passed before security officials ushered out the protesters perched on the balconies, Mr. Gelb said. The crowd jeered the demonstrators and burst into applause when the curtains again opened, but the elation was short-lived.

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5science

Dr. Jus Crea Giammarino works to connect health care to the environment

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month in November, MassLive asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the Indigenous community throughout the state, working to make a difference in their own area of interest, be it politics, education, business or the arts. MassLive will publish profiles of these leaders through November. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change. Dr. Jus Crea Giammarino is a Penobscot naturopathic physician in Springfield. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)Leon Nguyen Jus Crea Giammarino Age: 43 Community: Springfield Her story: Raised in Penobscot culture and spiritual practices, Dr. Jus Crea Giammarino understood at a young age the healing powers of nature. Her Penobscot mother and grandmothers taught her about food as medicine, traditional plant medicines and all that the land provides for us. She come from strong traditional healers and birth workers. Crea Giammarino began studying herbal medicine in high school with a local herbalist. She attended UMass Amherst as an undergraduate and received a bachelors of science in ethnobotany along with pre-med and Native American Studies. She then attended a four year naturopathic medical school. In 2005, she created a naturopathic medical practice in Springfield where she works with people of all ages and walks of life through holistic health care utilizing herbal and nutritional medicine. “Carrying on the tradition of my ancestors I work to connect our health care to our environment,” Crea Giammarino said. While working at the private practice, she also gives lectures and presentations on traditional Wabanaki healing modalities and naturopathic care including plant medicines, food as medicine and environmental medicine. She teaches plant medicine workshops including medicine making and ethnobotanical plant walks and is working towards reclaiming traditional birthing practices in prenatal, labor and postpartum care. She is a founding board member of Bomazeen Land Trust which is working for land justice and healing for Wabanaki peoples and their lands. She has also worked as a naturopathic primary care in Brattleboro, Vermont, for five years and has taught as an adjunct professor at Springfield Technical Community College and Springfield College. She does a lot of community organizing around reclaiming birth work and ceremonies. Raising her children with her culture, spiritual practices and healing modalities have been important and valuable to her. In her words: “Follow your passion but let your ancestors guide you. Our teachings and values are instilled in our culture. Our ancestors ways of knowing are just as powerful and valuable as any institution.” We’re always open to hear about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.

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0business

Crypto Funds Have Arrived. But Who Needs Them?

Exchange-traded funds come in many shapes and sizes. Some are plain vanilla, diversified index funds that let you invest in the entire stock and bond markets, and are excellent core holdings for the great majority of people. Then there are the quirky, narrowly focused E.T.F.s like the Inverse Cramer Tracker, which enables you to bet against the stock picks of the CNBC television host Jim Cramer. The fund is legal, approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission — and a money-loser since its inception last year. Betting against Jim Cramer just isn’t a great investing strategy. Neither is fear of missing out. Yet FOMO is the main reason for putting money into Bitcoin, which remains highly speculative, difficult to categorize and without an immediately identifiable economic function. The S.E.C. this month approved 11 new E.T.F.s that track the price of Bitcoin, and the decision has been heralded by promoters of Bitcoin — and of the new funds — as an important event, legitimizing Bitcoin as an asset class.

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4politics

Select Board yet to decide on using outside consultant in police chief search

SOUTHWICK – When Select Board member Jason Perron proposed using an “oral board” to help the board choose a candidate to replace retiring Police Chief Robert Landis during the board’s last meeting, his fellow board members wanted think about it before deciding. And while that didn’t change when the board broached the subject again Tuesday during its weekly meeting, Board member Diane Gale pressed Perron for his reasons for proposing an oral board for the candidates, which is essentially a Q&A conducted by current or retired police chiefs. “Jason, you want to start?” Gale asked Perron after Board member Doug Moglin started the discussion.

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3entertainment

Christmas concerts are taking center stage in the area this week

Jay N. Miller For The Patriot Ledger We're beginning to see a bit of a slowdown as the holidays approach, but there's still plenty of options for music fans. A tribute to Toni Lynn Washington Two things you can be sure of with Boston soul queen Toni Lynn Washington: she can sing anything and make it her own with a warmth and feeling that is remarkable, and she always has topnotch backing bands. Friday night Arlington's Regent Theatre hosts a night to salute Toni Lynn, with a long list of her present and former bandmates and admirers. The core band will include Bruce Bears, Sonya Rae Taylor, and Duke Robillard, while guest vocalists include Brian Templeton, Diane Blue, Michelle "Evil Gal" Willson, and Boston's Tony Wilson – aka "Young James Brown." The Regent is located at 7 Medford St. in Arlington, music starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $40-$50, via regenttheatre.com, or call 781-646-4849 for more information. Club Passim continues holiday tradition This is a Club Passim holiday season tradition, where many of the venue's regular performers come together to play their favorite music from other people. This event runs from Friday through Sunday night, and the long list of artists expected includes Mark Erelli and Jake Armerding, but really, you never know who might show up, and that's part of the fun. Check out clubpassim.org for details. Radio stations host holiday balls Saturday finds the Mix 104.1 Deck the Halls Ball at Agganis Arena in Boston, with headliners Jellyroll and Parmalee adding a bit of twang. Sunday night TD Garden in Boston is enveloped by the KISS-108 Jingle Ball, with acts including SZA, One Republic and FloRida. Bear in mind the acts do short sets so it's a chance to hear a dozen or more acts on one night at these events, but it is not generally the same as a typical concert where a headliner might play two hours. THURSDAY, Dec. 7: Johnny Bass and his band pay tribute to The Band Jonny Bass & Friends craft a tribute to The Band's "The Last Waltz" concert at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke. Tony Trischka's Holiday Show takes over Club Passim in Cambridge. TroyBoi hits the groove at Big Night Live in Boston. Singer/actress Leanna Firestone headlines The Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Wesley Stace – aka John Wesley Harding – sings at the Charles River Museum of Industry in Waltham. Model/Actriz is the hip (I guess?) name for the Brooklyn post-punk quartet described as dance-noise at Brighton Music Hall. FRIDAY, Dec. 8: Sharp Dressed Men play music of ZZ Top Divas with a Twist, that unique blend of holiday music and pop and pizzazz, has sold out their show at the Spire Center in Plymouth. The C-Note in Hull hosts a Hulliday Cabaret Spectacular, a variety show featuring music by The Pitfalls, comedy and surprises, and it's a benefit for Hull Pride and Toys for Tots. The folk-pop sounds of Darlingside at The Sinclair in Cambridge. Sharp Dressed Men – a ZZ Top tribute – arrives at The First District in Taunton. Roots of jazz and blues and popular music all run through the brilliant lens of Pokey LaFarge at the Narrows Center in Fall River. The Red NOT Chili Peppers tribute band is at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke. The prog-rock quartet known as Tauk headlines Brighton Music Hall. The Maine – an Arizona rock quintet – shakes up The House of Blues in Boston. Don't look for any music at Roadrunner in Brighton – the venue is part of the Brighton Bazaar holiday shopping fest. The Irish band Connacht performs at The Fallout Shelter in Norwood. SATURDAY, Dec. 9: Morgan James Celebrating Christmas in Plymouth You may have heard Morgan James singing with the estimable Postmodern Jukebox, or you might've caught her on Broadway, but she just released her fifth solo album, and her Soulful Christmas at the Spire Center in Plymouth promises to be a hot one. Country chartbuster Ashley McBryde is at Boston's Orpheum Theater. Denver electro-soul act Late Night Radio visits Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke for the first time. Mora brings the hottest reggaeton sounds to The House of Blues in Boston. The Jim Atkinson Band rocks out at The Next Page Cafe in Weymouth. The Brothers Project reprises some of the Allman Brothers Band's best at the C-Note in Hull. Rock and bluesman Albert Cummings is at the Narrows Center in Fall River. Meshuggah is a Swedish metal quintet headlining MGM Music Hall in Boston. The DJ known as Audien holds court at Big Night Live in Boston. The Connecticut power rock trio lespecial eschews capitalization but brings the heat at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Brighton Music Hall hosts a Broadway Rave, which we're assuming is a night of DJs. SUNDAY, Dec. 10: Sky Ferreira lands in Boston City Winery in Boston has a busy Sunday, with a noontime Beatles tribute, and at night Over the Rhine's Acoustic Christmas Show. Also Sunday, singer/actress Sky Ferreira at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston; Japanese Breakfast is actually British indie pop, at Roadrunner in Boston; Knuckle Puck's alt-rock at Big Night Live in Boston; and Fall of Troy – a prog-metal trio – thunders into Brighton Music Hall. Coming attractions MONDAY: Mariah Carey's Christmas concert at TD Garden in Boston; while the a cappella sounds of Rockapella delight fans at City Winery in Boston. TUESDAY: Alt-rockers Dogstar hit the Paradise Rock Club; while the Compaq Big Band brings Christmas music and jazz to City Winery in Boston; and pop star Patrick Watson sings at The Sinclair in Cambridge. WEDNESDAY: The rockin' ska and more of Bouncing Souls fills Royale in Boston; while Playing Dead jams at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke; and the new combo led by Eric Krasno (Lettuce) and Stanton Moore (Soulive) makes its debut at the Narrows Center in Fall River. DEC. 14:Say Darling, the indie folk duo of Celia Woodsmith and Chris Hersch, lights up The Spire Center in Plymouth; Marsha Ambrosius, from the duo Floetry, brings her solo show to City Winery in Boston. DEC. 15: It's a Celtic Christmas when the acclaimed Cherish the Ladies take over The Spire Center in Plymouth; The Irish Tenors sing at Memorial Hall in Plymouth (and the next night at Barnstable High's Performing Arts Center.) DEC. 16: For a completely different take on things, a John Waters Christmas at The Berklee Performance Center in Boston; and South Shore favorites The Fat City Band are back to raise heck at the C-Note in Hull.

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4politics

Judge Declines to Hold Prosecutors in Contempt in Trump Election Case

It was one of the odder tit-for-tat battles to have emerged so far in the federal case accusing former President Donald J. Trump of plotting to subvert the 2020 election. Even though the proceeding was put on hold by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan while Mr. Trump seeks to have the charges tossed out with broad claims of immunity, prosecutors, trying to nudge it forward, have continued filing motions and turning over evidence. The former president’s lawyers have angrily accused them of violating the judge’s order and were eventually annoyed enough to ask that the prosecutors be held in contempt. After simmering for a month, the dispute was resolved on Thursday when Judge Chutkan, who is handling the case in Federal District Court in Washington, issued an order saying she would not punish anyone with a finding of contempt. Still, in what felt like an attempt to soothe the tensions between the defense and prosecution, the judge told both sides that they should not file any more “substantive” motions without first asking for permission.

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0business

Popular restaurant chain bringing 4 locations to Massachusetts for 1st time

DEDHAM, Mass. — A popular restaurant chain that specializes in Korean food is opening four locations in Massachusetts for the first time. KPOT, known for all-you-can-eat Asian hot pot and Korean barbecue, is bringing restaurants to Dedham, Malden, Methuen, and West Springfield. The Dedham location is listed at 300 Providence Highway, which is the Dedham Mall. The Malden location is coming to 7 Highland Avenue, the former home of John Brewer’s Tavern. The Methuen restaurant is opening at The Loop Shopping Mall at 90 Pleasant Street. The West Springfield spot will welcome diners at 935 Riverdale Street. According to the eatery’s website, those four locations are “coming soon.” “KPOT is a unique, hands-on, all-you-can-eat experience that merges traditional Asian hot pot with Korean BBQ flavors,” a post on the chain’s website states. “KPOT is for both the food adventurers and the social eaters. It’s about tasting the global spices and seasonings all while feeling a sense of community.” KPOT currently operates dozens of locations across the United States. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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4politics

Kissinger Left the State Department a Half Century Ago. But He Never Left His Old Job.

When Henry Kissinger turned 100 this year, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken toasted him at one birthday celebration in New York, and the C.I.A. director, William J. Burns, did so at another in Washington. There was a reason: Kissinger managed to retain his role as adviser to Washington’s key policymakers a half century after he left office, oftentimes because what he did then was so relevant to the crises of today. Mr. Kissinger spoke with Mr. Blinken regularly, including as recently as last month, Mr. Blinken said. He had also consulted with previous secretaries of state, including Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton (who took heat for those conversations during her presidential campaign), John Kerry and Mike Pompeo. But he wasn’t some retired coach, reminiscing about the good old days. Instead, he remained the ultimate back-channeller, especially to leaders in China. In July, Mr. Kissinger secretly flew to China — by private jet, since it’s an arduous flight even if you are not 100 years old — at the specific invitation of Xi Jinping, who called him an “old friend” and, during a lengthy dinner, told him “China and the United States’ relations will forever be linked to the name ‘Kissinger.’” It was a calculated move. Mr. Xi was making clear that he wanted to move back toward the warmth that surrounded President Richard M. Nixon’s opening to China in the early 1970s, engineered by Mr. Kissinger in secret interchanges and a remarkable, also secret trip to China. And the July visit helped set up Mr. Xi’s summit meeting with President Biden, outside of San Francisco, this month. On that same trip, Mr. Kissinger was celebrated at the U.S. Embassy, where R. Nicholas Burns, the current U.S. ambassador, lives in a house that Mr. Kissinger helped get constructed when the United States had a representative to China, but full diplomatic recognition had not yet happened. Mr. Kissinger met with the embassy’s vast staff, talking about what the process of opening the relationship was like — in an era when it seemed inconceivable China would become the world’s second-largest economy. The Kissinger conversations with secretaries of state and presidents were not only about navigating the downward spiral in relations with Beijing. He was engaged in strategy discussions on Russia, with whom he negotiated SALT I, a major arms-control treaty. He weighed in on artificial intelligence, a passion of his in recent years and a subject he wrote about at length, often with Eric Schmidt, the former Google chief executive who grew close to the former secretary of state. To Mr. Kissinger’s many critics, this fervor for remaining involved, decades after he could have retired, showed a thirst for power or an effort to burnish his legacy, which he knew was tarnished by charges he forgave massacres, bombings and the deaths of thousands when doing so served his diplomatic purposes. But the reason his advice was sought out goes to the depth of his experience: When Mr. Kissinger died on Wednesday, Mr. Blinken was headed to Israel in an effort to win a longer pause in a bloody conflict. Mr. Kissinger had flown the same path, in November 1973, exactly 50 years ago, during his famous shuttle diplomacy.

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2culture

Opinion | No Better Time to Be a Catholic

These are general questions, not just Catholic ones, but they are distilled in specific ways in the clash between Francis’s liberalization project and the conservative and traditionalist resistance. And how the world’s largest hierarchical religious institution passes through this crisis, how these questions are fought over and resolved inside a billion-member church, will play a central role in deciding what kind of civilization takes shape in the future — beyond the present era of acceleration and reaction, utopianism and despair. Like Ashenden, I am a convert to the Catholic faith, and like Ashenden and many others, I sometimes imagined the church under its conservative popes as a bulwark against the crises of late liberalism, a bastion of tradition and (relative) certainty in a time of decadence and dissolution. When I look back at my writings and my feuds early in the Francis era, I can see in them my sense of betrayal that the papacy seemed to be abandoning this mission, that Francis was deliberately bringing a kind of messiness to the papal office instead of being, well, a rock. But I have come to terms with this change. Whatever papal authority means, the church’s history shows that it’s fully compatible with periods of deep internal Catholic turmoil. This is not exactly pleasant to live through, it raises all kinds of difficult questions for individual Catholics, but it does not somehow make Catholicism the wrong place for a religious believer, a would-be follower of Christ, to be planted. To the contrary: As I have become more doubtful of the church’s certain authority, I have become much more convinced of its importance, its decisive part in revealing God’s intentions and history’s ultimate direction. This is something that, in their own way, more liberal Catholics have always understood. At various times in the John Paul II era there would be complaints from conservative Catholics, asking: Why, if liberals believe so intensely in moral and doctrinal transformation, if they are so committed to having (for instance) married or female clergy, intercommunion with other Christian churches, acceptance of homosexuality and contraception and even perhaps abortion, don’t they join one of the numerous Christian bodies where those transformations have taken place? Why be a dissenting and disgruntled Roman Catholic when you can just be a faithful Episcopalian or Congregationalist? The answer, surely, is that the religious-liberal project believes itself to be God’s project, that its tireless advocates believe themselves to be doing the Holy Spirit’s work and that it proves very little about God’s ultimate intentions if a few modestly sized bodies in the firmament of mainline Protestantism embrace the sexual revolution. You will only know and prove that God wants liberalization when liberalization comes to the Church of Rome and its billion-odd Catholics. You can’t be fully vindicated, fully assured of Providence’s favor, unless you change that church.

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4politics

Opinion | Trump Dreams of Economic Disaster

Did Donald Trump just say that he’s hoping for an economic crash? Not exactly. But what he did say was arguably even worse, especially once you put it in context. And Trump’s evident panic over recent good economic news deepens what is, for me, the biggest conundrum of American politics: Why have so many people joined — and stayed in — a personality cult built around a man who poses an existential threat to our nation’s democracy and is also personally a complete blowhard? So what did Trump actually say on Monday? Strictly speaking, he didn’t call for a crash, he predicted one, positing that the economy is running on “fumes” — and that he hopes the inevitable crash will happen this year, “because I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover.” If you think about it, this isn’t at all what a man who believes himself to be a brilliant economic manager and supposedly cares about the nation’s welfare should say. What he should have said instead is something like this: My opponent’s policies have set us on the path to disaster, but I hope the disaster doesn’t come until I’m in office — because I don’t want the American people to suffer unnecessarily, and, because I’m a very stable genius, I alone can fix it.

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6sports

Police search for armed robbery suspect near Boston University

A male carrying a gun robbed a liquor store near Boston University on Thursday and was last seen on Beacon Street heading towards Kenmore Square, officials said. The robbery happened around 12:30 a.m. at 21 Massachusetts Ave., the address of Quality Mart, police said. “The suspect was wearing a black North face coat, blue jeans, timberland boots, a white basketball jersey and carrying a black north face backpack,” a Boston University alert said. “He was a light skin male.”

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4politics

U.S.-Led Strikes Spark Outrage in Middle East

Many in the Middle East, including some U.S. allies, condemned the American-led airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday and warned that they risked causing a broader conflict in the region. The strikes came after a series of Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis have said they are targeting Israeli ships and vessels headed to Israel in an effort to support Palestinians in Gaza, who have been under relentless Israeli bombardment for nearly 100 days, although some Houthi targets have had no clear connection to Israel. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7 has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. The Israeli war came in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the armed group that controls Gaza, that left some 1,200 people dead, according to Israeli officials. A Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam, said on social media that the group would remain by Gaza’s side. He said there was no justification for the strikes on Yemen because its actions do not threaten international shipping, and vowed that the group would continue to target Israeli ships and those heading to Israel. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mr. Abdul Salam signaled that Houthi forces would retaliate for the U.S. strikes, saying, “Now, the response no doubt is going to be wider.” Hamas and Hezbollah, which like the Houthis are backed by Iran, also condemned the strikes. Hamas called them an “act of terrorism,” a violation of Yemens sovereignty and “a threat to the security of the region.” Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, denounced the strikes as “a violation of international laws” and said they “will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region.” Even close U.S. ally Oman, which often mediates between the Houthis and international parties, expressed concern, a reflection of the fear that the American-led action would not deter the Houthis but would only inflame regional conflict. “It is impossible not to denounce that an allied country resorted to this military action, while meanwhile, Israel is continuing to exceed all bounds in its bombardment, brutal war and siege on Gaza without any consequence,” Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. In Bahrain, another U.S. ally, people took to the streets on Friday to protest their country’s involvement in the military coalition, according to Bahraini activists who shared pictures of the demonstrations. Amid popular anger over its participation in the coalition, the Bahraini government has not independently acknowledged its role, but was named in the joint statement announcing the strikes. Vivian Nereim and Leily Nikounazar contributed reporting.

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6sports

Patriots reward long-tenured veteran

Travis Scott is a Grammy-nominated rap star who travels the world playing sell-out concerts and festivals. But his dream is to move to Boston for four years. Why? Scott wants to go to Harvard so he can learn to be an architect, he revealed in November's issue of GQ magazine. "I'm going to Harvard for architecture school," he said in the profile — he's one of GQ's men of the year. Scott said he's visited the Cambridge school a couple of times, looking into admissions, and that he's been told he won't get any shortcuts. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. Alien tech, or ocean dust? A Harvard professor is hoping his research on a meteor that crashed into the Pacific Ocean may help us learn more about the universe. Pressed by the interviewer about the process, he said he would go after the tour for his new album, "Utopia," ends, and that he'd live in the area for about four years, while still making music. "I've always been into structural design and structural engineering and, you know, trying to just build all different type of things, right?" Scott explained. "When you start seeing how odd things can be shaped and then see how they can structurally work, it’s interesting." If he wants, Scott can apply for Harvard's architecture master's degree now — the deadline for Fall 2024 is Jan. 3. There are a series of pre-requisites, including a college degree and having taken courses in calculus, physics and the history of architecture. Harvard's master of architecture degree "provides a solid intellectual base of knowledge in history, theory, technology, the social environment, and professional practice," the school explains. "Particular emphasis is given to developing mastery of design through an intensive series of design studio courses. Committed to developing independent thinking and resolving design issues, students are required to prepare a design thesis that serves as a transition from graduate school to professional practice." Want to know what's up for your weekend? Click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around Boston. (You might even find a few freebies!) While Scott dropped out of the University of Texas at San Antonio as a sophomore, he described in the GQ interview spending years wanting to become a doctor specializing in kidneys: "Middle school, high school, that’s all I wanted to do—wanted to be a nephrologist." In the profile, Scott also opened up about the crowd surge that killed 10 people at his Astroworld festival in Houston in 2019. "I always think about it. Those fans were like my family. You know, I love my fans to the utmost," Scott said in the interview. A grand jury declined to indict Scott or others over the festival deaths. NBCLX Producer Carlos Hernandez attended the Astroworld Festival in Houston. The event was packed, but from where he was, attendees didn't know that eight people had died during a performance from rapper Travis Scott until after leaving the event.

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0business

Readers: Where is the best barbershop in Greater Boston?

Tell Us Readers: Where is the best barbershop in Greater Boston? Where do you go for the best cut? Latin Shears barbershop on Dudley Street. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff For many people in the Boston area, barbershops are a way of life. They are not only a place to get a haircut or a shave, but a place to socialize with friends and neighbors and a place where there is a sense of community. Barbershops also provide communities with a place of cultural unity — a place where you might find others who speak your language, see familiar faces, and receive services from a barber who knows your hair type and style. For many barbershop customers, building a close relationship with their barber is very important. This relationship helps ensure that the haircuts remain consistent and to their liking, and that the barber understands their hairstyle and remembers the haircut they like. Advertisement: As most people consider their hairstyle to be a central aspect of their image, getting a fresh new haircut can be a boost of positivity and self-esteem. Barbershops are found throughout every neighborhood in Boston and in many towns around the Boston area. Much of these barbershops are small businesses owned by locals, thus contributing to the culture of each community. Some of barbershops have become favorites among locals, such as Razors Barbershop in Somerville, which offers live music and an espresso bar; others are might be longtime businesses like John’s Barber Shop in Cambridge, which has a vintage vibe having served the community since 1910; or FineLinez Barbershop in Taunton, which was named the “best men’s haircut” by Boston magazine in 2023, and was frequented by Celtics star Al Horford and former Celtics Marcus Smart and Robert Williams. We want to know: Where is the barbershop in Greater Boston you visit for the best cut, and what makes it the best overall experience? Fill out the form or e-mail us at [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article. What is the best barbershop in Boston? What's the name of your favorite barbershop? (Required) Tell us why you go here, and what you love about the experience. Name Your name may be published. Neighborhood/Town Your neighborhood/town may be published. What are your preferred pronouns? He/Him She/Her They/Them Other Please select your preferred pronoun so we may correctly refer to your response in an article. Email or Phone Please enter an email address and/or phone number that we can easily contact you with. We may reach out for more information. It will NOT be published.

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4politics

Defense Secretary Kept White House in the Dark About His Hospitalization

It took the Pentagon three and a half days to inform the White House that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III had been hospitalized on New Year’s Day following complications from an elective procedure, two U.S. officials said Saturday. The extraordinary breach of protocol — Mr. Austin is in charge of the country’s 1.4 million active-duty military at a time when the wars in Gaza and Ukraine have dominated the American national security landscape — has baffled officials across the government, including at the Pentagon. Senior defense officials say Mr. Austin did not inform them until Thursday that he had been admitted to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The Pentagon then informed the White House. The Pentagon’s belated notification, first reported by Politico, confounded White House officials, one Biden administration official said. A spokeswoman for the National Security Council declined to comment on Saturday.

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0business

Sale closed in Chatham: $2.3 million for a three-bedroom home

A 2,840-square-foot house built in 1962 has changed hands. The spacious property located at 47 Geranium Drive in Chatham was sold on Nov. 17, 2023. The $2,250,000 purchase price works out to $792 per square foot. The layout of this two-story home consists of three bedrooms and three baths. On the exterior, the home features a gable roof design constructed with asphalt roofing. Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby: On Monomoit Lane, Chatham, in September 2022, a 1,638-square-foot home was sold for $925,000, a price per square foot of $565. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In January 2022, a 1,788-square-foot home on Monomoit Lane in Chatham sold for $1,000,000, a price per square foot of $559. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. A 1,116-square-foot home at 107 Seaquanset Road in Chatham sold in September 2022, for $600,000, a price per square foot of $538. The home has 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom. Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data. See more Real Estate News

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6sports

Ex-Patriots assistants shouldnt be ruled out to replace Bill Belichick (report)

With the end of the New England Patriots’ regular season on the horizon, questions about Bill Belichick’s future are only becoming more frequent. Whether Belichick will return to New England in 2024 remains unclear, but the latest report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero shed light on what could be coming in the weeks and months ahead. Including two interesting candidates to take over for Belichick should he not come back. “If Belichick does move on, speculation has centered on (Jerod) Mayo as his successor. That’s not a guarantee, though, and other options — particular coaches with Patriots ties, such as Josh McDaniels or Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores — shouldn’t be ruled out,” Rapoport and Pelissero wrote. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. McDaniels spent time as the Patriots offensive coordinator, but his head coaching success, or lack thereof, has been on full display with the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders — who fired him earlier this season. Flores, meanwhile, was with the Patriots in different roles for 10 seasons. He was the Miami Dolphins coach for three seasons before he was fired, which led to a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. Flores is in his first year as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. It’s also worth noting that Rapoport and Pelissero reported that Belichick “intends to coach in 2024″ and team owner Robert Kraft has “consulted numerous people about how to move forward.” There are a lot of questions surrounding the Patriots going into the offseason, but perhaps none more important than what comes next with Belichick, who’s helped lead the team to six Super Bowl championships.

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4politics

Chris Christie Goes Down Swinging at Trump and Pleading With His Party

Chris Christie closed out his second presidential campaign much as he began it, with a blistering and personal takedown of Donald J. Trump designed to prompt a reckoning in his party. Anticipation had been building all day for the remarks from Mr. Christie, a former governor of New Jersey, after news had spilled out hours earlier that he was telling close allies about his decision. With all three major cable news networks airing the speech live, Mr. Christie used the rare spotlight — something that had largely eluded his campaign — to make an urgent appeal to the better angels of his party. He framed his animosity toward Mr. Trump in sweeping, historical terms and cast himself as the experienced party elder warning of the possible dangers ahead. “Imagine just for a moment if 9/11 had happened with Donald Trump behind the desk,” Mr. Christie said. “The first thing he would have done was run to the bunker to protect himself. He would have put himself first before this country, and anyone who is unwilling to say that he is unfit to be president of the United States is unfit themselves to be president of the United States.”

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7weather

Coast to Coast, a Brutal Mix of Snow, Rain and Bitter Cold

Residents in Billings, Mont., woke up to a temperature of minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit. In Des Moines, homeowners were digging out snow and facing wind gusts of 45 miles per hour. Residents in Paterson, N.J., were evacuated from flooded homes. And communities near the Gulf Coast were preparing for a deep freeze. More than 40 million Americans were under winter weather advisories on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, from rain to high winds to heavy snow, and a large portion of the United States was expected to face the coldest conditions of winter so far in the coming days. Here is a look at some of what’s going on around the country.

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3entertainment

Mad for It: What Happened When Chanel Came to Manchester

Manchester is a city of glory and grit. Set among the damp northwest hills of England, it’s the rain-spattered home of Northern soul and legendary bands like Joy Division, New Order and Oasis; two world famous soccer clubs; the cradle of the industrial revolution; and one of the most vibrant nightlife scenes on the planet. Style and swagger? This proud city has them in spades. But most people would not consider it a capital of high fashion. That all changed this week when Chanel took over the town for its Métiers d’Art runway show, an annual presentation of the intricate craftsmanship of its specialist ateliers. Since 2002, the show has been held in Salzburg, Austria; Rome; and Dakar, Senegal, among other cities. On Thursday, 600 guests, braving icy winds and lashing rain, descended on the Northern Quarter neighborhood of Manchester for a runway show held on Thomas Street, lined with empty tattoo parlors, pubs, vintage clothing stores and record shops. (Their owners had been paid off handsomely to vacate them for the week.) As guests took their seats by candlelight on the street among A-listers like Kristen Stewart, Tilda Swinton and Hugh Grant — under a giant purpose-built Perspex roof — many sipped hot toddies to fortify themselves against the elements. The show may not have had the glamour and grandeur of those at past Chanel sites. (Some eyebrows were raised when the location was announced earlier this year.) But the beauty of Manchester is not to be found in its gloomy buildings, many of which housed a once thriving textile and cotton trade. Rather, it is in the electric spirit and creativity that pulsates through the narrow streets of the city. “We wanted this show to take place in England, but not in London, which felt too expected,” the Chanel president, Bruno Pavlovsky, said before the show. Twenty-four hours earlier, guests had been treated to a raucous night in the stands at Old Trafford as they watched Manchester United beat Chelsea or to a recital at a local working men’s club by the punk-rock-era poet John Cooper Clarke.

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1crime

Multiple Bomb Threats Made To Jewish Synagogues In MA Over The Weekend

A man has been arrested a day after a woman was found dead at a massage parlor in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Thanksgiving, as newly-released court documents reveal that the woman was shot in the head. Worcester police announced Friday that 31-year-old Marcel Santos-Padgett, of Leicester, was taken into custody on Friday at Columbia Park in Haverhill. The state police violent fugitive apprehension squad and the Haverhill Police Department assisted Worcester police with the arrest. Santos-Padgett was arrested on an outstanding warrant for armed assault to murder in connection to the investigation into a woman's suspicious death at Angie's Body Work Spa on Thursday, police said. Worcester Police responded to Angie’s Body Work Spa on Pleasant St. for a report of a woman experiencing a medical issue. Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters. Investigators have not revealed many details of the circumstances leading up to the shooting, but say they got a call about a woman experiencing a possible medical issue at the Pleasant Street business around 11:37 a.m. Thursday. When officers arrived at the spa, a man flagged them down and brought them to the woman who was unconscious. First responders were not able to revive her and she was pronounced dead on scene. Police initially called the woman's death suspicious but they now say this is a homicide. According to investigators, Santos-Padgett allegedly pulled a gun on the woman inside the massage parlor and shot her in the head. Police were able to identify him from license plate reader data that placed his vehicle in the area of the crime scene. Santos-Padgett lives in Leicester but was arrested at a home in Haverhill on Friday. Court records indicate that investigators have not yet been able to identify the victim. A tenant who rents a room inside the spa told NBC10 Boston he didn’t know much about the incident, and placed a sign on the door referring all questions to police. “When this place opened I said this is bad news for the neighborhood,” said David Balyan who lives on Pleasant Street. Santos-Padgett is expected to be arraigned on Monday. Attorney information was not immediately available.

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3entertainment

Doctor Who Welcomed Its 15th Doctor. Heres How He Stacks Up.

With most TV shows, a major casting change is a dreaded event. But for fans of the long-running British series “Doctor Who,” big casting changes are expected, even anticipated. With the show’s latest Christmas episode, which premiered Monday on Disney+, we got acquainted with the newest Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”) — the 15th Doctor and the first Black, openly queer one in series history. The arrival of a new Doctor, the show’s titular time-traveling, space-wandering alien, is always a buzzy occasion. But although the Doctor typically dies and is regenerated in the final minutes of some climactic episode, it is the one immediately following that truly establishes the new incarnation and what kind of flavor he or she will offer. These first full episodes with a new Doctor, including this year’s Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road,” can reveal a lot about how that Doctor’s tenure will go. Here’s a look back at the first post-regeneration episodes of every Doctor since the show’s 2005 revival.

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2culture

Opinion | Train Yourself to Always Show Up

A somewhat obscure text, about 2,000 years old, has been my unlikely teacher and guide for the past many years, and my north star these last several months, as so many of us have felt as if we’ve been drowning in an ocean of sorrow and helplessness. Buried deep within the Mishnah, a Jewish legal compendium from around the third century, is an ancient practice reflecting a deep understanding of the human psyche and spirit: When your heart is broken, when the specter of death visits your family, when you feel lost and alone and inclined to retreat, you show up. You entrust your pain to the community. The text, Middot 2:2, describes a pilgrimage ritual from the time of the Second Temple. Several times each year, hundreds of thousands of Jews would ascend to Jerusalem, the center of Jewish religious and political life. They would climb the steps of the Temple Mount and enter its enormous plaza, turning to the right en masse, circling counterclockwise. Meanwhile, the brokenhearted, the mourners (and here I would also include the lonely and the sick), would make this same ritual walk but they would turn to the left and circle in the opposite direction: every step against the current.

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1crime

Friend who warned officials of Maine shooter says I literally spelled it out

“I believe he’s going to snap and do a mass shooting,” he wrote on Sept. 15. LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Sean Hodgson watched and worried as his best friend of nearly two decades unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Army reservist’s anger and paranoia were mounting, he had access to guns, and he refused to get help. So Hodgson did the hardest thing of his life: He sent a text about Robert Card to their Army supervisor. Six weeks later, Card fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston before killing himself. His body was found in a trailer after a two-day search and regionwide lockdown. Advertisement “I wasn’t in his head. I don’t know exactly what went on,” Hodgson told The Associated Press last week in an exclusive interview, his first since the Oct. 25 shootings. “But I do know I was right.” The series of warning signs about Card have been well documented. In May, relatives warned police that Card had grown paranoid, and they expressed concern about his access to guns. In July, Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for two weeks after shoving a fellow reservist and locking himself in a motel room. In August, the Army barred him from handling weapons while on duty and declared him nondeployable. And in September, Hodgson raised the most glaring red flag, telling authorities to change the passcode to the gate at their Army Reserve training facility and arm themselves if Card showed up. “Please,” he wrote. “I believe he’s messed up in the head.” But authorities declined to confront Card — the clearest example of the missed opportunities to intervene and prevent the deadliest shooting in state history. That’s hard to swallow for Hodgson, who’s pushing back against an independent report for law enforcement that described him as “over the top” and “alarmist.” Advertisement “I did my job, and I went over and beyond it, and I literally spelled it out for them,” said Hodgson, 43, referred to by only his last name in documents related to the case. “I don’t know how clear I could have gotten.” Hodgson’s account, taken together with law enforcement documents, videos and other interviews, provides the most comprehensive picture to date of potential missteps leading up to the attack. In replying to AP's questions about the investigation and Hodgson's warning, the Army Reserve said in a statement this week that no one should jump to conclusions until its own investigation and an independent probe by the Army inspector general are finalized. “Any speculation at this point without having all the details could affect the outcome of the investigation. More details may become available once the investigation is complete,” Lt. Col. Addie Leonhardt, Army Reserve spokesperson, said in the statement. Officials wouldn't comment further. Sheriff Joel Merry — of Sagadahoc County, where Card lived — didn’t respond to AP’s questions about whether Hodgson’s warning was taken seriously enough but suggested a need for public policy changes. He previously said his office has been “fully transparent” and is cooperating with an independent commission appointed by the governor. Hodgson said he doesn't know where the failings occurred but believes more could have been done to help his friend and prevent tragedy. Advertisement “I understand he did a horrific thing. I don’t agree with it. But I loved him,” he said. “ I didn’t want any of this for anybody.” Law enforcement personnel are staged in a school parking lot during a manhunt for Robert Card in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 27, 2023. Matt Rourke/Associated Press For much of their friendship, Card was “the sensible one,” Hodgson said. They met in 2006 in the Army Reserve and became especially close when they both divorced around the same time. When Hodgson was evicted from his New Hampshire apartment in 2022, Card told him to move to Maine, and they lived together for about a month, he said. When Card was hospitalized in New York in July, Hodgson was the one who drove him back to Maine. By then, Hodgson said, Card had begun venting to him about his belief that those around him were accusing him of being a pedophile. Hodgson believed some of Card’s complaints were true — a case of mistaken identity stemming from the fact that another Robert Card is on the state’s sex offender registry — and described an incident at the bowling alley when a father snatched his daughter away from Card after he offered the toddler a hello. “I always believed him. I always stuck by him,” Hodgson said. “I am the closest one to Robert Card. Besides his mother, he pushed everybody away. “I was the last one he pushed away.” In September, after a night out at the Oxford Casino, Card began “flipping out,” Hodgson said — pounding the steering wheel and almost crashing multiple times. After Hodgson begged him to pull over, he said, Card punched him in the face. Advertisement “We were having a good night, and he just snapped,” he said. Hodgson told Card to drop him off at a gas station near his house. “I love you, and I’ll always be here for you no matter what,” he said he told his friend as he got out of the car. Hodgson sent his text two days later, telling his training supervisor he feared what Card might do. He didn’t speak to Card after that, he said, though they passed each other at work. “It took me a lot to report somebody I love,” he said. “But when the hair starts standing up on the back of your neck, you have to listen.” Watching the videos was gut-wrenching for Tammy Asselin, who became separated from her 10-year-old daughter during the chaos of the bowling alley shooting. Charles Krupa/Associated Press After his text, Hodgson said, military officials followed up, asking whether Card threatened specific people. He told them he hadn’t. But they didn’t ask for help in approaching Card, he said, even though they drove trucks for the same company and he knew his friend’s schedule and route. “I could’ve told them when he was at work, when he was at home, what hours he worked,” he said. Authorities briefly staked out the Army Reserve Center and visited Card’s home. They declined to confront him, fearing that would “throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas,” according to video released last month by the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office. In the videos, officials downplayed Hodgson’s warning, suggesting he might have been drunk when he texted at 2:04 a.m. Speaking to police at the training center, Army Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer describes Hodgson as “not the most credible of our soldiers” and later tells Sagadahoc Sheriff Sgt. Aaron Skolfield his message should be taken “with a grain of salt.” Advertisement Hodgson, who was unaware of those comments until contacted by AP, acknowledged in a series of interviews that he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol addiction but said he wasn't drinking that night and was awake because he works nights and was waiting for his boss to call. Hodgson also acknowledges that he faces two criminal charges, one alleging he assaulted a woman he was dating in 2022 and another alleging that he violated his bail conditions by possessing alcohol last month. He's also in hot water for wrecking a military vehicle last summer, he said. But he said authorities should have taken him more seriously given his relationship with Card, his past training on threat detection and mitigation, and his previous work as a security officer at a nuclear plant. “That was the most difficult thing I ever had to do, was report him to command, and I did that. And for them to discredit me?” he said. “It pisses me off because all they had to do is listen.” In a text message this week, Reamer declined to comment on questions from AP and referred them to Army Reserve public affairs officers. According to the independent review for the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, officers didn’t have sufficient grounds the day they staked out Card’s house to force the issue and take him into protective custody after he refused to answer the door. That step is necessary to trigger Maine’s “yellow flag” law. It allows a judge to temporarily remove someone’s guns during a psychiatric health crisis. But Stephanie Sherman, an attorney who’s represented several families of survivors of the 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, said police had more than enough information to take to a local judge. The videos show officers with a disturbingly casual approach to the threat Card posed, Sherman said. She also noted that Skolfield referred to the Cards as a “big family in this area” and said he didn’t want to publicize over police radio that officers were visiting the home. “It was sort of balancing the safety of the public versus this family’s reputation,” she said. “And that should not be a factor.” Watching the videos was gut-wrenching for Tammy Asselin, who became separated from her 10-year-old daughter during the chaos of the bowling alley shooting. She said it was the first time she knew for sure that steps could have been taken to prevent the massacre. “Listening to that interaction between the military and the sheriff, it hurt me to hear the giggle and the laughter in their voice,” Asselin said, a tear running down her cheek. “Because I don’t think they would be giggling and laughing had they been the ones in my shoes that day, not knowing where their daughter was.” Police tape cordons off the road to Schemengees Bar and Grille as law enforcement officers maintain their presence in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. Matt Rourke/Associated Press For weeks after sending the text about Card to their supervisor, Hodgson said he prayed that it wouldn't come true. But as soon as he heard about the shooting, he called his sergeant. “I don’t believe in coincidences,” he said he told him. “I know it’s Robert Card.” Hodgson was driving to Massachusetts for work that day. He fielded phone calls to and from multiple law enforcement agencies that didn't seem to be communicating with one another, he said. He said he told authorities right away that Card likely was headed to the Maine Recycling Corp. Card had worked there, and it wasn’t far from the boat launch where his car was found after the shootings. His body would eventually be found there, after initial unsuccessful searches that critics said were too cautious. More than two months later, Hodgson said, he hates that Card “took the easy way out" and isn’t around to answer questions or face the consequences of what he did. It’s not the Robert Card he knew and loved for 17 years, he said, and he struggles with that every day. Hodgson said he wants people to know he did everything he could to save lives. “I don’t know how to express to people how much I loved him, how much I cared about him,” he said. “And how much I hate what he did.”

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2culture

Massachusetts is home to one of the rudest cities in America, survey finds

BOSTON — Massachusetts’ largest city has one of the worst reputations for rudeness in all of the United States, a survey of Americans found. Business Insider and SurveyMonkey asked nearly 2,100 Americans to rank what they believed were the five rudest U.S. cities from a list of the country’s 50 largest cities. Those who were surveyed crowned New York City as the rudest in the nation. Boston didn’t finish far behind the Big Apple, checking in as the fifth rudest city. Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Chicago rounded out the top five rudest cities. The list of the top 50 rudest cities is as follows: 1. New York City 2. Los Angeles 3. Washington D.C. 4. Chicago 5. Boston 6. Detroit 7. Buffalo 8. Baltimore 9. Philadelphia 10. San Francisco 11. Birmingham 12. Atlanta 13. Las Vegas 14. Dallas 15. Miami 16. Austin 17. Jacksonville 18. Houston 19. Cleveland 20. Tampa 21. Sacramento 22. San Diego 23. Pittsburgh 24. Cincinnati 25. Charlotte 26. Hartford 27. Indianapolis 28. Seattle 29. San Jose 30. St. Louis 31. Columbus 32. Kansas City 33. Nashville 34. Portland 35. New Orleans 36. Memphis 37. Louisville 38. San Antonio 39. Oklahoma City 40. Orlando 41. Riverside 42. Virginia Beach 43. Phoenix 44. Denver 45. Richmond 46. Minneapolis 47. Salt Lake City 48. Providence 49. Milwaukee 50. Raleigh Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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3entertainment

City, advocates break ground at new memorial 81 years after deadly Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire claimed nearly 500 lives

Local News City, advocates break ground at new memorial 81 years after deadly Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire claimed nearly 500 lives “The impacts of Cocoanut Grove are already forever enshrined in the regulations, safety practices, the innovations and knowledge that have already saved countless lives,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. Cocoanut Grove Memorial Committee Community members gathered near Statler Park to honor the 81st anniversary of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire on Sunday, which claimed nearly 500 lives and forever changed fire safety practices. A new memorial, which survivors and victims’ families say is long overdue, is set to open next year. The Cocoanut Grove nightclub in downtown Boston was packed on Nov. 28, 1942 with about a thousand people crowding the popular spot, more than double the legal occupancy. When a paper decoration caught on fire, the blaze quickly spread, ultimately killing 492 people. The victims have since been honored with a plaque at the site of the club at 17 Piedmont Street near the Park Square theatre district, but at Sunday’s event, the Cocoanut Grove Memorial Committee broke ground on the new memorial with three 11-foot arches – a replica of the nightclub’s entrance. Advertisement: “Now, with this memorial, all the people who lost their lives and those who survived and all of their loved ones will have a place not to avoid, but rather a place to remember and reflect,” said Lesley Kaufman, whose mother is one of the two remaining survivors of the fire. The fire, still the deadliest nightclub fire in history, changed U.S. fire safety codes. The fatalities were so high in part because six of the club’s nine exit doors were locked and the revolving doors got stuck. The deadly blaze resulted in new regulations requiring revolving doors to be accompanied by standard, outward-opening doors in similar venues. At the time, the NFPA said Boston’s building laws were in a “chaotic condition.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was at Sunday’s event, along with Fire Commissioner Paul Burke, City Council President Ed Flynn, and former Mayor Ray Flynn. The memorial will also honor the first responders who responded to the blaze. “The impacts of Cocoanut Grove are already forever enshrined in the regulations, safety practices, the innovations and knowledge that have already saved countless lives,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. The memorial, which will include the name of each victim etched on granite, is set to officially open in September 2024.

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7weather

Winter Storm Blankets South and May End Snow Drought in Northeast

A winter storm was pushing east over large parts of the Southeast on Monday, bringing more snow and freezing temperatures to the region before reaching the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast on Tuesday, where forecasters said it could end a nearly two-year drought without snow. The Southeast was bracing for extremely cold temperatures on Monday, with several states under winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories. The governors of Mississippi and Alabama declared states of emergency as officials across the region opened warming centers and advised residents to prepare for freezing conditions.

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4politics

Bans Havent Lowered the National Abortion Rate. Pro-Lifers Must Find Another Way. - The New York Times

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