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0business

Santa Claus impersonators enjoy high Christmas demand

It was well worth it: The 54-year-old Saugus resident worked 99 gigs last year as a highly coveted “real-bearded” St. Nick, and is primed to hit 100 this season. Now Marvel expects to make upwards of $20,000 between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The former Uber driver and wine consultant spent that amount two years ago on red suits, leather belts, bells, and oversized metal keys to the North Pole, plus the smaller expenses oft forgotten: liability insurance, background checks, gas mileage, and fees to launch his Santa website. For Brian Marvel, becoming Santa was an investment — a $13,000 one, to be exact. Advertisement “I was initially surprised at the cost of everything,” he said. “But like I said to my wife early on, I should’ve done this years ago. It is far and away the most joyful way to work for yourself, and the community needs you.” Indeed, it does. Professional Santas are in short supply as demand for impersonators skyrocketed in the past few years, said Dan Greenleaf, cofounder of the New England Santa Society. Though Santas have long been holiday staples at malls and some chain stores, Greenleaf says now more families want the white-bearded men to grace their holiday gatherings, and more mom-and-pop shops and restaurants have realized that St. Nick can be a “big draw” for customers. 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 But the number of Santas has remained steady, or perhaps even declined after an exodus of older impersonators during the pandemic. Once, clients could book a professional Santa a few weeks before Christmas. Now, many sought-after Santas must turn people away by October. Marvel posed for a selfie with Elizabeth Pehota while greeting runners during a fund-raiser kickoff for The Greg Hill Foundation. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff “The real issue now is not that there are too few Santas necessarily,” said Greenleaf, a 16-year impersonator himself. “But it’s become such a crisis because everyone and anyone wants a Santa in December.” Plus in the past, he added, Santas could squeeze in multiple short gigs in a day. Many customers today want their Santas for four to six hours. Advertisement The dearth of Santas can be a letdown for clients, but it’s a boon for local impersonators. Most function as independent contractors who spend a few thousand dollars of their own money annually on grooming and logistics. Background checks, which are generally required for bookings, and performers’ insurance alone — “an absolute necessity,” one Santa said, to guard against potential complaints or injuries stemming from performances — can run up to $40 and $225 a year, respectively. Many also attend Santa boot camps and conferences to perfect their voices and mannerisms, and learn to answer skeptical children’s questions about elves and reindeer. But even those command hundreds in tuition, plus the cost of travel. So the uptick in inquiries only makes it easier for the pros to earn back those startup costs and reap the benefits of a frantic season. Marvel, for example, had two events booked one recent Friday night. Before heading to a car dealership, he parked himself on the steps outside a nonprofit fund-raiser, well-wishing charity runners picking up their bibs. “Good luck tomorrow,” Marvel shouted to one guy. “Good luck on the 25th,” the man replied. Though many Santa impersonators are retired from their day jobs, a few see the job as a side hustle alongside full-time work. Take John Monette, for example. The Framingham-based impersonator attends holiday events every December weekend, balancing the gigs with his full-time job as an electrician. Like many New England Santas, he uses booking platforms like Gig Salad to handle his scheduling for the season. But his wife is the real manager (and Mrs. Claus stand-in). Advertisement Marvel's "Believe" belt buckle is an essential part of his season Santa get-up. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff For every gig John takes, Susan is behind the wheel — literally. She drives him, so he can relax. She fixes wardrobe malfunctions. And she coaxes hesitant grandparents into family photos with Santa. “When people hear that Mrs. Claus is coming, it’s a big relief for them too,” she said. The couple puts their life into Santa. Susan spends a few hours daily penciling appointments into the calendar, and they wake up at 5 a.m. to get ready before commuting dozens of miles for events. Monette needs at least an hour to dab his cheeks with blush, gel his beard, and don one of his seven suits, which each cost between $500 and $2,000. Altogether, the Monettes throw $1,000 into the business annually. After 25 or so events at up to $250 an hour, they come out of the season with between $8,000 and $10,000 in revenue. “The truth is, if you’re cutting corners and pinching pennies, I don’t think it’s worth it to even be doing this,” John said. Santa Jack, a New Hampshire-based impersonator who requested the Globe not share his full name, agreed that the job comes with surprising expenses that can be tough to stomach. A retired salesman, he pays $600 each December to bleach his red beard into a snow-like shade of white. That’s on top of the costs of off-the-rack suits ($200-$600) and leather boots (at $100 or so.) Advertisement In eight years, Jack has never failed to recoup that money in profits. But if he ever does come up short, it would be paid back in good will. Some kids who may be struggling in life truly need an infusion of joy from a Santa visit around Christmas, he said. “It’s not a job,” he said. “It’s not a hobby. It’s a calling.” The calculus of the Santa business looks different for impersonators of color. Black and brown St. Nicks have always been difficult to come by, leading a few local residents to capitalize on the scarcity. Edward Campbell, dressed as Santa Claus, shares a laugh with Justice Edwards, 3, and her mother, Shaleea, during the Black Santa Boston Brunch at Park 54 Restaurant & Lounge in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston on Dec. 9. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff The North Shore Juneteenth Association hosted its second annual Inclusive Santa event last weekend featuring several Black and brown St. Nicks. Edwin Cabrera, a 33-year-old Latino Santa, said the benefit of hiring St. Nicks that look like the North Shore’s many diverse children cannot be underestimated. “These kids want to believe I am Santa, even when there’s seven other Santas there,” Cabrera said. The most important part of preparing for the role, Cabrera said, was nailing his “Ho, ho, ho.” “It’s essential,” he said. “If you can’t do it well, it’s not believable.” In Easton, an upstart program called Black Santa Boston also exploded after its launch last December. Jazzy Manley, director of Five Star Athletics Cheer, started the program offhandedly as a pop-up after she struggled to find a Black Santa. The program initially allowed families to visit the gym for a photoshoot and meet-and-greet with St. Nick — complete with hot cocoa and letter writing. And more than 200 came. Advertisement Marvel passes though a parking garage after a job in the Seaport District. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Now, Manley is running Black Santa Boston as a booming side business. Word spread after last year’s successful launch. Demand was so high this season that she had to start waitlists for people wanting photoshoot appointments and private events. Manley sees that as a worthwhile payoff. She and her mother, the founder of Five Star, invested $1,200 in sprucing up the space for Santa visits with two photo backdrops, festive lighting, and “a cart of Santa’s treasures,” she said. That does not count the price of Manley’s time — somewhere between four and six hours daily as the booking director, planner, and troubleshooter. Black Santa Boston charges $45 for photo sessions and $450 for private events. But that is not keeping people away, she added. “I decided where there was a lack, I would create,” Manley said. “And the need ended up being just ridiculous. We are looking for more Santas and more days now. We thought it would die down.” Her Santas-for-hire are ecstatic that the program proved popular. Walter Frye, a grandfather of four and second-year St. Nick, said he is already looking into purchasing a custom suit of his own for future Black Santa gigs and assumes he will see a return in profits. “If I put all that money up, long-term, it’s something that’ll pay off,” he said. Manley’s grandfather, Edward Campbell, 75, is actively enlisting his friends in Brockton to join him in being Santa. He recently texted her pictures of some jolly candidates. “They’re great-looking guys,” Manley recalled him saying. “Can they qualify?” Edward Campbell waves to street traffic as he arrives at Park 54 Restaurant & Lounge. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com.Follow her @ditikohli_.

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1crime

Quincy man, 85, hit and killed by car in front of senior apartment complex

An 85-year-old man died Wednesday after he was hit by a car in front of a senior living apartment complex in Quincy, according to police. Quincy police officers and firefighters responded to the 1000 Southern Artery Senior Center around 9:25 a.m. for a report that a pedestrian had been hit by a car, police said in a press release. The victim, a Quincy resident, was taken to South Shore Hospital with life-threatening injuries and declared dead about three hours later. The driver, a 63-year-old Quincy man, was the 911 caller who reported the crash, police said. He stayed at the scene. Quincy and state police are investigating the crash, but no charges have been announced. The victim’s name has not been released, and it is unclear if he lived at the 1000 Southern Artery complex.

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2culture

Ninety-one is a lot (Bostons version)

Beth Wolfensberger Singer is a Boston-based artist. You can see more of her work at Bethwolfensbergersinger.com.

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4politics

Feyla McNamara uplifts Indigenous voices in the fight for reproductive rights

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. Feyla McNamara is the co-executive director at Tides for Reproductive Freedom. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)Leon Nguyen Feyla McNamara Age: 37 Community: Holyoke Her story: Feyla McNamara’s mission as a Mohawk/Mi’kmaw Indigenous advocate and activist for the right to reproductive choice led her to become Co-Executive Director of the first abortion fund in Massachusetts founded and led by people who have had abortions along with queer, Black and Indigenous people called Tides for Reproductive Freedom. “The right to bodily autonomy and the pursuit of pregnancy, or not, is intrinsic to my people’s beliefs, aligning with the beliefs of many of the other Indigenous Nations across the Americas,” McNamara said. “This work is important to our community because our people had, and still have, our own beliefs and practices around abortion prior to colonization,” she said of Tides for Reproductive Freedom’s activism. McNamara, a former high school history teacher, explained her organization financially aids Indigenous communities by paying for abortions with donated funds and provides rides to and from appointments. She said this gives people the right to “get the healthcare they choose” as abortions can cost thousands of dollars and be a financial strain. In addition, Tides helps uplift Indigenous voices in the conversation around reproductive rights, McNamara added. She said her community’s healthcare systems, such as the federally-funded Indian Health Services, are “complicated.” Legislation called the Hyde Amendment stops federal funds for being used for abortions, McNamara said, but Tides’ financial assistance works around the federal law. “Abortion is just one prong of Reproductive Justice, which states that it is our right to have a child, our right to not have a child, and our right to parent a child or children in safe and healthy environments,” she said. “To me, abortion is sacred. The right to bodily autonomy is ingrained in I how view the world,” she explained. From advocating for sex education beyond abstinence in middle school, to driving friends to Planned Parenthood for birth control, to holding loved ones after their abortions and affirming loved ones in choosing pregnancy, McNamara said she was “literally born into this work” as a birthing person and it’s a part of who she is. In her words: “Do not just remember us in November and forget about us the other 11 months of the year... Seriously, please reach out to local Native communities if there’s work you want to partner with us on or ways you can help us get some land back. That’s also serious; we need powwow grounds for the Odenong Powwow in the Five College area or a little beyond — grounds accessible by bus, flat-ish for dancing, and maybe big enough that we could do a medicine garden on it too.” 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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6sports

Man finds unopened pack of baseball cards from 1952 in Cape Cod house

A man found an unopened 72-year-old pack of baseball cards — potentially worth more than a million dollars — on Cape Cod. Jason West still can't quite believe the discovery he made during a home demolition in Chatham, Massachusetts. "Kind of in a pile of garbage, I saw this, what looked to me like a baseball bat," West said. He says the 1952 Bowman pack had fallen through a crack in the floor, behind the stairs to the second floor. The pack was unreachable until recently, when the stairs and the home were demolished, leading to West's amazing find. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. "This kid in Chatham went to the corner store to buy this pack and was running up the stairs and dropped it in the crack and it disappeared," West said. Like fine wines have their years, 1952 was quite the year for baseball cards. Both baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were rookies that year, and their rookie cards are very valuable. "I couldn't believe it," said Ryan Blake of Card Vault in Patriot's Place. "You never find something like this, this is like the grail pack of cards. If you can find one, that is the one you want to find." The rare discovery is all the buzz in the sports collectible world. "This is one of the more incredible finds I have ever seen," said Eric Whiteback, known on social media as "The Collectibles Guru." Whiteback covers the collectibles market and says the unopened pack of cards could be worth upwards of $15,000. Here is where it gets tricky, though: If a Mantle or Mays card is inside, those cards are worth a lot more. If not, the pack isn't as valuable, but no one will know until it is opened. "If you happen to pull one of those key Mays or Mantle cards in really great condition, there is a seven-figure ceiling on this," Whiteback said. West says he is still undecided, but he's excited after his home run of a find. "To a point, yeah, I do want to open it," West said. "But I don't want to kill the value of it, either, depending on what is in it."

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0business

New York City Sues Bus Companies That Brought 30,000 Migrants From Texas

Mayor Eric Adams of New York on Thursday ratcheted up his feud with Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, filing suit against 17 transportation companies that he said had carried out a plan by Mr. Abbott to send more than 30,000 migrants to New York City and make the city pay for their care. New York is seeking more than $700 million in damages from those companies, an amount the lawsuit describes as the cost of caring for and sheltering the migrants. The lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, argues that purposely transporting the migrants with the “evil intention” of shifting the costs of their care to New York violates state law. “This lawsuit is baseless and deserves to be sanctioned,” Mr. Abbott said in a statement. “It’s clear that Mayor Adams knows nothing about the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, or about the constitutional right to travel that has been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

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2culture

Will Audiobooks Survive Spotify? - The New York Times

Spotify may have made it easier than ever for us to listen to an enormous trove of music, but it extracted so much money in doing so that it impoverished musicians. Now the company is turning its attention to books with a new offering. It will do the same thing to writers, whose audiobooks Spotify has begun streaming in a new and more damaging way. We’ve read this story before. Tech platforms and their algorithms have a tendency to reward high-performing creators — the more users they get, the more likely they are to attract more. In Spotify’s case, that meant that in 2020, 90 percent of the royalties it paid out went to the top 0.8 percent of artists, according to an analysis by Rolling Stone. That leaves a vast majority — including many within even that small group — struggling to earn a living. The promise of the business strategy laid out in the book “The Long Tail” was that a slew of niche content creators would prosper on the internet. That has proved illusory for most of them. It’s a winner-takes-all game; too often the tech platforms aggregating the content and the blockbusters win it all, starving a large majority of creators. The result is a gradual deterioration of our culture, our understanding of ourselves and our collective memories. This is why regulation is so crucial. Before writing books, I worked at Google, leading three large sales and operations teams, and before that I was a senior policy adviser at the Federal Communications Commission. What I learned is that today’s tech platforms are different from the kind of monopolies of an earlier era that inspired our regulatory framework. Their networks can have powerful positive or negative impacts. We don’t want to regulate away the value they can create, but the damage they can cause is devastating. We need a regulatory framework that can distinguish between them.

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1crime

Suspect in Davis Stabbings Can Now Stand Trial, Judge Rules

A former college student accused of stabbing two people to death and injuring a third near the campus of the University of California, Davis, is now competent to stand trial after being treated in a psychiatric hospital, a judge in Northern California ruled on Friday. Acting on a recommendation from the Department of State Hospitals, Judge Samuel T. McAdam of Yolo County Superior Court concluded that the former student, Carlos Reales Dominguez, 21, now met California’s legal requirement that criminal defendants understand the legal proceedings against them and are able to assist their lawyers in their defense. Mr. Reales Dominguez was arrested shortly after the attacks, and pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder. But his mental condition, a concern from the start of the case, soon disrupted preparations for his trial. At a hearing in August, Judge McAdam found him to be incompetent, and he was sent shortly thereafter to a state mental hospital in Atascadero, Calif., a spokeswoman for the Yolo County district attorney said.

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2culture

Julius W. Becton Jr., Pathbreaking Army General, Dies at 97

“‘As long as I am the commander here, there will be no change,’” he recalled the base commander saying. “I didn’t believe what I heard,” he added in an interview with The Washington Post in 2018. “This was the commander in chief saying this is what it’s going to be. But here was a commander saying nothing would change.” Despite the discouragement, General Becton left college and returned to active duty. “I really had enjoyed being in the military,” he later said. Actual integration did not occur until the Korean War. There General Becton was in charge of an all-Black platoon in the 9th Infantry Regiment and at one point was ordered to lead a breakout from a defensive line known as the Pusan Perimeter. While assaulting an incline named Hill 201, he came under heavy fire. He was wounded, earning a Purple Heart as well as a Silver Star for valor. As the war ground on and troop casualties rose, replacements were assigned to units regardless of race. General Becton’s platoon was sent a Mexican American soldier from Texas. “I told my platoon sergeant, ‘Don’t let anything happen to that guy, he’s our first one non-Black, we’re not going to hurt him at all,’” he later recalled. “And with that, we became integrated.” After the war, General Becton continued his education, earning a B.S. in mathematics in 1960 from Prairie View A&M University in Texas, graduating from the National War College in 1961 and earning an M.A. in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1967.

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4politics

Opinion | Theres a Bomb Under the Table

Alfred Hitchcock explained the nature of cinematic terror with a story about the bomb under the table. People are sitting around a table having a mundane conversation about baseball when — boom! — a bomb goes off, instantly killing everyone. You’ve momentarily surprised the audience. But what if, Hitchcock asked, we are shown beforehand that the bomb is there? “In these conditions this same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the secret,” Hitchcock explained to his fellow director François Truffaut. While everyone is just sitting around chatting, the viewer wants to shout: “Don’t sit there talking about baseball! There’s a bomb!” “The conclusion,” Hitchcock said, “is that whenever possible the public must be informed.” I bring this up because we know there’s a bomb under the table — the threat of a second Donald Trump presidency. And we have a fairly good idea of the crippling destruction that will ensue. Yet here we are, still talking about baseball. “A shadow looms over the world,” The Economist noted in a recent editorial about the year ahead. “That a Trump victory next November is a coin-toss probably is beginning to sink in.”

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1crime

Mass. synagogues among those targeted in similar bomb threats nationwide

Multiple bomb threats were made to Jewish synagogues and affiliated facilities over the weekend, according to state police spokesperson David Procopio. No explosives or hazards were located at any site on Sunday, Procopio said.

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0business

Senior housing to be built at site of former Foxborough State Hospital

A 16-acre property once home to the long-shuttered Foxborough State Hospital will soon provide housing for 141 low-income senior households. Walnut Street, an affordable housing project being developed by the Affordable Housing Services Collaborative and Onyx, will turn land that has been vacant for decades into much-needed affordable housing. “Housing is empowering. No matter our age, it is a comfort not to worry about whether we can afford a place,” Onyx CEO Chanda Smart said at a press conference Thursday. “Senior housing for the town of Foxborough means that seniors who worked and raised their families here in Foxborough still have the opportunity to remain here.” Foxborough State Hospital opened in 1889 as the Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates for treatment of alcoholism, according to the National Park Service, and was later converted to a standard psychiatric hospital. It closed in 1975, and parts of the property have already been redeveloped over the years. The Foxborough Housing Authority first began working on the project back in 2011. The land was transferred to the agency from the state in 2017 to be used for affordable housing. Acting Town Manager Paige Duncan told MassLive that the town held a number of community meetings to decide what to build on the property. “It was controversial, but what came out was a clear support for senior housing,” she said. “We really tried to address the needs of the community and we came up with a project that was sensitive to the area. We didn’t want a big block of buildings that towered over the neighborhood.” After that, she said, there was overwhelming support for the project. The permits were filed in February and approved by April, an almost unheard-of timeline. The finished project will provide 141 new apartments for residents age 55 and over. Of those, 35 will be reserved for people making 30% or less of the area median income, and 85 will be for those making 60% AMI. Foxborough residents will be given preference for 70% of the units. A second phase of the project once this one is complete will add approximately 60 more units. Greg Spiers, chairman of the Housing Authority, said the new senior housing was badly needed, noting there are about 5,500 elderly and disabled people on public housing waiting lists in Massachusetts. “With 195 of those on that list Foxborough residents, that 70% local preference for first-time rentals is one of our goals,” he said. “The need is so great for affordable housing in our area and the entire state.” Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus praised the town for its dedication to creating more affordable housing, even though more than 10% of its total housing units qualify as affordable. The 10% threshold is the state requirement to stop projects being filed under Chapter 40B, a law which allows affordable housing developments to bypass certain local permitting requirements. “You know that that is just an arbitrary number, but the real needs are significantly more than that,” Augustus said. “We need more communities to take note of what Foxborough is doing.” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said the project is a good example of the use of surplus state land for housing. Gov. Maura Healey’s housing bond bill filed in October included a proposed $30 million that would support similar projects to use underutilized state property for housing. Healey also issued an executive order requesting state agencies to conduct an audit of their property to find land any surplus land suitable for this purpose. “Converting state-owned land to another entity can be a little bit of a torturous pathway. We know that building all the resources you need takes time,” Driscoll said Thursday. “How do we leverage the cost of land, which is one of the reasons housing is so expensive, to build the type of housing we need, but do it in a shorter timetable? That’s what this (project) is all about.” The project has received more than $25 million in state and federal funding, including through American Rescue Plan Act rental funds and state and federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Work on the site has not yet started.

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6sports

Charlie McAvoy misses Bruins practice, not ruled out for Saturday

A day after leaving the Bruins’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres with an injury early in the third period on Thursday, Charlie McAvoy was not on the ice at practice Friday before Saturday’s game against Arizona. Jim Montgomery said McAvoy is day-to-day with an upper-body (not head) injury. He has not been ruled out for Saturday. McAvoy, the Bruins leader in minutes played and an alternate captain landed awkwardly after a hit by JJ Peterka in front of the Boston bench less than two minutes into the third period of Boston’s 3-1 loss on Friday. 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. He got up gingerly and went to the Bruins locker room and did not return for the remainder of game. McAvoy played 15:53 before the injury. Montgomery didn’t have an update on his status after the game. The injury came just hours after the Bruins put Derek Forbort on long-term injured reserve leaving Boston down two veteran defensemen. Ian Mitchell replaced McAvoy in practice on Friday. “He’s our rock back there. He’s such a dominant player. He does so much of the breakout, offensively with his physical presence,” Brad Marchand said. “You lose a guy like him, you can’t replace him. Hopefully, he’ll be back (at practice) tomorrow. feeling better. I don’t know how that will play out. It definitely hurts our team when he’s not in the lineup.”

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1crime

Ohio Woman Who Miscarried Faces Charge That She Abused Corpse

A grand jury in Ohio is considering whether to indict a woman who miscarried a nonviable fetus at home and has been charged with abuse of a corpse in what experts say is an extremely rare interpretation of a state law. The woman, Brittany Watts, 34, of Warren, Ohio, was arrested in October after passing a fetus in her bathroom and trying to flush the remains down the toilet. The case has been before a Trumbull County grand jury since November. If convicted, Ms. Watts could face up to a year in prison. She has pleaded not guilty. The grand jury was expected to give its report on Wednesday, but Guy M. Vogrin, a spokesman for the Trumbull County prosecutor, said the case had been continued until the next session in a couple weeks. The reason for the postponement was unclear as grand jury proceedings are secret. Although records show that Ms. Watts spontaneously miscarried, a finding that the state has not challenged, the case has come under scrutiny by lawyers and reproductive health advocates who say that prosecuting her is baseless and may deter other women who miscarry from obtaining medical attention they need.

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4politics

Israel-Hamas War Israeli Government Says It Will Uphold Cease-Fire if Hostages Are Freed

The Newton Teachers Association announced Thursday night that educators won’t be in school on Friday — the union’s members voted to go on strike. The union announced the vote’s outcome on Facebook in a live stream showing a planned rally, where it was announced that 98% percent of membership voted in favor of going on strike. The Newton Teachers Association said it believes Newton has “more than enough money” to increase pay and hire more support staff and social workers, to address the “student mental health crisis,” and to establish a “humane paid family leave for all educators,” according to a Thursday press release.

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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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1crime

Fiery crash shut down part of I-93 as several hundred rounds of ammunition in car started exploding

As anyone who drives around Boston knows, there always seems to be a lot of traffic and a lot of construction. Increasingly, these sites don't have a police detail, even though it is required by city law. "From a safety perspective, you want someone at the site directing traffic, right? It is purely a safety issue," said Stacy Thompson, executive director of LiveableStreets Alliance. City officials say there are simply not enough Boston police officers available for the overtime work. They estimate just 40% of detail requests are filled across the city. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. "Simply did not have the staffing available when it was just Boston police officers to man major construction sites, or, when there needs to be a roadway detour, emergency water main break, these are really important safety sites, these are also really important," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. The Boston City Council voted this week to approve a new police contract. Included in the new contract are major changes to the Boston Police Department's detail program. Soon, retired Boston police officers, police from other towns and cities, university and college police, and civilians will be eligible for these detail shifts. "Open up this opportunity to a much wider workforce, including civilians, and so this is a massive change that will take some time to operationalize, and get the technology platforms but it will be transformational in how we will keep people safe but also keep traffic moving," Wu said. According to city officials, the program will also create a new tier system for detail work. Boston police officers will continue to work details at events over 5,000 people and major intersections. They'll be paid $68 an hour for this work. The new tier, which will encompass all other detail work, will be open to everyone else and pay $60 an hour. "We are happy to open up those jobs to other law enforcement groups, and if there are jobs that are still available, then a professional trained organization that can get out there and provide public safety," said Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association. "It only makes Boston a safer place to live and to visit." Boston's current detail system is done on paper, and city officials say they plan to modernize it, creating a web- or app-based system that should be up and running in the coming months. Civilians will also be trained before being sent out on details — a training that city officials say will include basic first aid. "It is a good job, it does not require police training to do it well, and people do get hurt at these sites," said Thompson. "I think this is a win-win. We are not trying to force police officers into details we don't want, and we are creating job opportunities for civilians and making the public safer."

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6sports

Monument Mountain boys, girls skiing pick up wins in Berkshire County Alpine Race No. 1

The Monument Mountain boys and girls skiing teams each placed first at Berkshire County Alpine Race No. 1 on Monday. The girls placed first overall as a team with 168.03 points, followed by Pittsfield with 170.47. The boys took first with 148.62 points and were followed by Lenox with 157.04. Eliza Mullen won the girls race in a time of 33.10. Wahconah’s Mitchell Scalise won the boys race in 34.07. Monument Mountain’s girls team was powered by its depth. The Spartans didn’t have anyone finish in the top four, but the program took the fifth through eighth spots to pick up points and earn a victory. Loghan Strzepa was the highest finisher for the Spartans, placing fifth in 40.45 On the boys side, Kitson Stover was the highest Monument Mountain finisher, placing third in a time of 35.23. Boys Team Results Monument Mountain, 148.62 Lenox, 157.04 PHS, 177.69 Wahconah, 180.16 Taconic, 1112.57 Boys Individual Results (Top 5) Mitchell Scalise, Wahconah (34.07) Keeghan Scott, Taconic (34.75) Kitson Stover, Monument Mountain (35.23) Michael Piretti, Lenox (35.93) Declan Logan, Monument Mountain (36.20) Girls Team Results Monument Mountain, 168.03 PHS, 170.47 Lenox, 171.09 Taconic, 226.93 Wahconah, 3019.01 Girls Individual Results (Top 5)

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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.

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4politics

A Missile, a Rocket or a Satellite? Chinese Flyover Sows Confusion in Taiwan.

Taiwan’s defense ministry issued an urgent alert Tuesday about a Chinese satellite launched on a rocket flying over the island, an alarming message that interrupted the final days of campaigning before a major election and spurred accusations of a political ploy. The alert was sent to mobile phones across the island of 23 million people, where presidential and legislative assembly elections will be held Saturday. In English, the initial alert cautioned there was a missile flyover — an error quickly corrected by Taiwanese officials. “It was a satellite, not a missile,” President Tsai Ing-wen said during a campaign stop in the southern city of Kaohsiung. “Don’t worry.” Taiwan’s defense ministry issued a statement about an hour later, apologizing for the mistake. But by then, the warning had created an awkward scene for the governing Democratic Progressive Party or D.P.P.

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0business

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.

088cbc2b889625053ef3adeaeb46fb98

0business

Gas Prices Are Falling Fast, Helping Tame Inflation

In the fight to bring down inflation, the falling price of gasoline stands out as a victory, even if Federal Reserve policy has little to do with it. The national average for unleaded gas was $3.14 a gallon on Dec. 12, according to AAA. That’s 23 cents less than it was a month ago and the lowest it has been in nearly a year. Higher prices in California, where gas is $4.70 a gallon, may be masking a more broad-based decline: About 60 percent of gas stations are selling below $3 a gallon, AAA says, and a quarter are below $2.75. The fall in gas prices has been crucial to an overall slowdown in inflation. On Tuesday, the government reported that the Consumer Price Index rose 3.1 percent in November, from a year earlier. Gas prices fell 5.8 percent month over month in November, the index showed, following a 4.9 percent drop in October. The biggest driver behind cheaper gas is falling oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, had plunged to $69 a barrel by midday Tuesday, after approaching $100 a barrel in late September.

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4politics

MBTA cancels morning ferry service Boston ahead of oncoming storm

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says Monday's morning ferry service is canceled with high wind gusts in the forecast.StormTeam 5 says a storm will produce heavy rain and powerful winds in southern New England from late Sunday night through Monday morning. Wind gusts between 40-50 mph are expected in coastal communities in the Greater Boston area.The MBTA said inbound and outbound trips on the Boston-Hingham Ferry Line are expected to resume at 11 a.m. on Monday.Trips on the Boston-Charlestown Ferry Line, meanwhile, are expected to resume at noon Monday, while trips on the Boston-Logan-Hull-Hingham Ferry Line are expected to resume at 2 p.m. Monday, according to the MBTA.The transit agency said all other MBTA modes of service are expected to operate as scheduled on Monday.MBTA riders are encouraged to sign up for and check T-Alerts for the latest service information. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says Monday's morning ferry service is canceled with high wind gusts in the forecast. StormTeam 5 says a storm will produce heavy rain and powerful winds in southern New England from late Sunday night through Monday morning. Wind gusts between 40-50 mph are expected in coastal communities in the Greater Boston area. Advertisement The MBTA said inbound and outbound trips on the Boston-Hingham Ferry Line are expected to resume at 11 a.m. on Monday. Trips on the Boston-Charlestown Ferry Line, meanwhile, are expected to resume at noon Monday, while trips on the Boston-Logan-Hull-Hingham Ferry Line are expected to resume at 2 p.m. Monday, according to the MBTA. The transit agency said all other MBTA modes of service are expected to operate as scheduled on Monday. MBTA riders are encouraged to sign up for and check T-Alerts for the latest service information.

902f523cd81b3b1a22f447ffef4a71f4

6sports

PWHL Boston opener gives players and coaches pinch-me moments

LOWELL– The pinch-me moment for PWHL Boston came in many different forms. For Boston head coach Courtney Kessel, it was the puck drop of the inaugural game between New York and Toronto on New Year’s day. For some players, it was skating out on the ice for warmups. Or seeing young girls with signs like “PWHL 2035 Draft class.” Or coming in for their first shift. Or scoring their first goal. Theresa Schafzahl scored that first goal, and the puck is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame. When asked to describe it, she said she blacked out. “It was special today,” Schafzahl said. “I know it’s a historic moment, it’s the first game we’re ever playing, and it just felt unreal honestly.” Boston fell behind 2-0 early and lost its first-ever game to Minnesota 3-2 Wednesday night, but you would have never known if you were listening to the crowd when they scored. The entire Tsongas Center crowd gave a standing ovation after Boston’s first-ever goal. Both times Boston put the puck in the back of the net, the “Let’s go Boston” chant drowned out the public address announcement of the goal scorer. “Personally, that’s something I’ve never experienced,” Schafzahl said. “It’s just incredible to feel all the support – you could actually feel the energy in the crowd and they were chanting every time we scored. It was just amazing, something I’ve never been a part of.” A crowd of 4,012 – with hundreds of young girls in attendance – gave a rousing ovation when the lineups were announced before the game and when Patrice Bergeron dropped the puck. Four months after the announcement that Boston would receive an original six franchise, the moment was finally here. Hilary Knight, the captain now on her third professional women’s hockey team in Boston, was announced last, to the loudest cheer of all. Hilary Knight's introduction. "It makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck," Knight said. pic.twitter.com/r9K88DPMSd — Connor Pignatello (@c_pignatello) January 4, 2024 “It makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck,” Knight said. “Gives you chills, it’s a really surreal moment to actually have hometown fans, to get us out of our countries. You play anywhere in the U.S., you play in the U.S. team, that’s your home. But to be a part of the Boston legacy and to build something substantial here is an incredible opportunity and one none of us take lightly.” Kessel admitted some of her players did have some butterflies when they went in the game for the first time. For Schafzahl, it was hard not to notice the people in the stands when she skated out for her first shift. “It was nerve wracking honestly,” Schafzahl said. “So just getting the jitters out of the way and then also taking a moment and looking up and seeing all those people, it’s hard to not ignore or block out. You’re just playing hockey but I think it’s important to realize, wow, this is actually happening now and being grateful for it and making the most of it.” When the Boston and Minnesota players were kids, playing professionally wasn’t an option. For even the very best players in the world, making a living solely on hockey is still difficult and no one knows what the future of the PWHL holds. But the gravity of the moment on Wednesday night, when players actually did step on the ice for the first time, was not lost on Knight. “It feels magical, surreal at the same time,” Knight said. “Understanding how important visibility is, just the growth of the game and the speed and how it’s evolved. It’s a fantastic time to have a professional league, and to be a part of the first few shifts, you can’t really put it into words.”

1cfa160b6b6afccbb106901c193cdad2

1crime

Two men arrested in Lynn after State Police found drugs and guns on them

LYNN, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Two men were arrested after State Police found guns on them. On Saturday night, a State Trooper noticed a man using his cell phone while driving and pulled the car over. When the officer approached the car, he smelled marijuana and noticed the handle of a pistol in the pocket of one of the passengers. The passenger, 20-year-old Dimitry Phillipe of Malden, is not licensed to carry. The State Trooper called for backup and when the other two officers arrived, they removed the other passengers and found a gun in the waistband of 23-year-old Eddie Rojas of Lynn who is also not licensed to carry. During a search of the car, officers located six ounces of suspected marijuana. Both men were placed under arrest and taken into custody. The operator of the vehicle was released from the scene with a citation. Rojas and Phillipe were scheduled for arraignment at Lynn District Court. Copyright 2023. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.

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0business

Boston developer to make largest investment in Lynns history

LYNN — For decades, the South Harbor site has sat vacant. A key piece of waterfront real estate in the city, developers tried over the years to woo city officials with plans for the parcel, but nothing clicked. Now, officials say the right proposal has come forward at the right time, providing Lynn a true gateway to the rest of the city, and an opportunity to reclaim the waterfront. That proposal — an 850-unit, mixed-income apartment complex with a first-floor commercial space — was hammered out over the course of four years between Boston-based developer Samuels & Associates and city leadership. Next-door neighbor Revere had already seen a glut of apartment buildings spring up along the MBTA’s Blue Line and Revere Beach. Lynn, just up the road from Wonderland and home to a Commuter Rail station, was the logical next place to turn, Samuels President Joel Sklar said. Perhaps because of what took place in Revere, the city had been preparing for a developer like Samuels to come along — revamping its zoning to embrace, not shun, new developments. It’s no surprise then that the company and the city were able to come to an agreement on the massive, $450 million proposal for the long-vacant site — fittingly just across the bridge from Revere. For Lynn, turning an empty property into a gateway to the rest of the city, complete with an 8-acre public park, 26,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and affordable units, delivered the “wow” it long sought for the waterfront. For Samuels, the project arrived at the right time in the right place. “We love Lynn because of its proximity to the city, connectivity to the MBTA… and we just think it’s an evolving area that is a great growth opportunity,” Sklar said in an interview. “We like investing in markets that are on the rise… and we like investing and becoming part of a community.” Well before it set its sights on Lynn, Samuels had a track record of developing projects akin to what it is now undertaking at the South Harbor. In Boston, the company can be credited with a large portion of the redevelopment of the Fenway — with a variety of mixed-use projects in the area, combining both retail and residential, as it will do in Lynn, and office and lab space with retail. Sklar also pointed to the Hingham Shipyard project, which closely resembles the plans for South Harbor on the commercial and open-space fronts. “We’re taking elements of work we’ve done before and combining them into this more integrated project,” he said. For Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn) Director Jim Cowdell, Samuels’ experience in undertaking projects similar in size and scope to South Harbor made it the obvious choice when selecting a developer for the site. “When you look at their reputation, every project has improved the neighborhood they’ve done projects in,” Cowdell said in an interview. “There’s not a city in the state that wouldn’t want Samuels in their community.” Mayor Jared Nicholson also praised the company’s “really impressive track record,” particularly on the sorts of mixed-use projects eyed for the South Harbor. “If you’ve seen Fenway over the last 20 years, it’s totally transformed and Samuels was a big part of that,” he said. The South Harbor site itself was a draw for Samuels, and Sklar echoed comments made by both Cowdell and Nicholson in calling it a gateway to the rest of the city. Other developments along the Lynnway had created what Sklar called a “thriving community” there, leaving Samuels with the opportunity to tap into a growing area of the city. Even beyond the South Harbor project, the city has poured resources into transforming the Lynnway, between the revival of the ferry connecting Boston and Lynn, and the extension of Blossom Street. That investment has stretched into the city’s downtown, which is increasingly becoming a vibrant destination, a fact Sklar pointed to in explaining Samuels’ interest in Lynn. Though the Lynnway is not walkable in the same way as Boston’s Boylston Street, where many of Samuels’ Fenway projects are located, Sklar said the company seeks to create a community in and of itself at South Harbor, with a commercial corridor and events at the park — an effort it has had success with in the Fenway. “We’ve always been retail developers, and retail placemaking is something that we really focus on,” he said. “We have a team… who all work together… to create a vibrant district that will attract the community.” Cowdell lauded Samuels for its ability to garner community support for projects. Though Samuels’ track record would indicate that it will have no trouble drawing residents to South Harbor once the project is completed — construction is slated to stretch into the next decade — Sklar acknowledged the challenge before the company. “It has to be an intentional effort to curate and merchandise a mix of uses that will draw people down there,” he said. “This is not something that we do because it’s a big moneymaker, this is something that really needs to be subsidized by the rest of the project.” The project has already received site-plan approval from the city, and a City Council vote on the proposed tax incentive for Samuels is expected this month. Most councilors appeared supportive of the project when Cowdell and Nicholson first presented it last month. Cowdell, himself a former councilor, acknowledged the difficulty of voting for a tax incentive but noted that a third-party economic consultant hired by the city verified an incentive was warranted. Sklar noted that any project of this size, particularly on the waterfront, has a steep economic cost. But, he said the company and the city were able to establish a productive public-private partnership from the beginning. “We’ve been working together with the city on an open-book basis to understand the economics of the project, the economic impacts and costs, and the amenities that we’re creating, and structured ways to share those burdens and benefits for the best outcome for the community in a way that still allows the project to go forward,” he said. “We can all have great ideas about what we’d love to create for the community, but they have to be economically viable.” “It’s been a two-way street and a great partnership,” Sklar continued. It’s that partnership that produced what Cowdell called the single largest private investment in the city’s history. “We deserve this,” he said.

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7weather

100,000 Without Power In MA With Strong Winds, Flooding Ahead

The Tennessee Titans will host the Carolina Panthers as they try to snap a three-game losing streak in a week 12 matchup on Sunday, November 26. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on FOX. 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. 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). The Titans host the one-win Carolina Panthers, who also are trying to end a three-game losing streak. This wraps up the Titans’ tour of the NFC South with Tennessee trying to split by winning both games in Music City. The game features rookie QBs who never played against each other in the Southeastern Conference. Bryce Young has been the Panthers’ starter since they traded for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Will Levis will make his fifth straight start since replacing Ryan Tannehill. Who: Tennessee Titans vs. Carolina Panthers When: Sunday, November 26 at 1 p.m. EST Where: Nissan 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: CAROLINA (1-9) at TENNESSEE (3-7) Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox. OPENING LINE: Titans by 4, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. AGAINST THE SPREAD: Carolina 1-7-2; Tennessee 4-6. SERIES RECORD: Tied 3-3. LAST MEETING: Panthers won 30-20 on Nov. 3, 2019, in Charlotte, North Carolina. LAST WEEK: Panthers lost 33-10 to Cowboys; Titans lost 34-14 to Jaguars. PANTHERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (29), PASS (28), SCORING (29) PANTHERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (24), PASS (6), SCORING (31) TITANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (19), PASS (27), SCORING (26T) TITANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (17), PASS (20), SCORING (17) TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Panthers minus-6; Titans minus-5. PANTHERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Adam Thielen. The 33-year-old wide receiver has been the best player this season for the struggling Panthers. Thielen has 76 catches for 726 yards despite playing for an offense that ranks near the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category. Thielen has shown a knack for making big plays. His 18 third-down receptions resulting in a first down are second in the league behind only Keenan Allen (19). He also had two chain-moving fourth-down catches last week against Dallas. TITANS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Derrick Henry. The two-time NFL rushing champ needs just 2 yards Sunday to become the 38th player in NFL history with 9,000 yards rushing in his career. But he would be just the eighth to reach that mark along with 80 rushing TDs before turning 30, joining Adrian Peterson and six now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk. KEY MATCHUP: Titans’ pass rush vs. Panthers’ offensive line: The Panthers’ O-line has struggled all season to protect the quarterback, allowing 39 sacks this season — fourth most in the league. Rookie QB Bryce Young has been sacked 36 times in nine starts, including seven times last week by Dallas. Even when Young isn’t being sacked, he’s almost always under pressure. The Titans aren’t exactly a pass rush juggernaut with 25 sacks, but that may not matter. Surely their coaches will find a way to attack this offensive line. KEY INJURIES: The Panthers had hoped starting CB Jaycee Horn would return for the first time since hurting a hamstring Week 1, but he’s doubtful. CB CJ Henderson (concussion) also is doubtful. TE Hayden Hurst will miss a second straight game in the concussion protocol. OG Austin Corbett is out for the season with a knee issue. S Jeremy Chinn (quadriceps) and OLB Yetur Gross-Matos is out after hurting a hamstring at practice this week. ... Titans WR Treylon Burks will miss his third straight game because he’s still in the concussion protocol. RT Chris Hubbard (biceps) is out and will be replaced by Dillon Radunz. Rookie Jaelyn Duncan will start at LT even with Andre Dillard clearing concussion protocol. CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (right thumb) is back after missing two games. SERIES NOTES: The Panthers have won two straight between the teams. The Titans haven’t beaten Carolina in Nashville since the 2007 season with a 20-7 win. STATS AND STUFF: These are two of the NFL’s three teams still winless away from home. The Titans are 0-6 while the Panthers are 0-5. ... With nine losses, the Panthers are assured their sixth straight losing season since David Tepper purchased the team in 2019. ... The Panthers have scored only three offensive touchdowns in the last four games. ... Young is 1-8 as the team’s starter and has nearly as many interceptions (eight) as touchdown passes (nine). The Panthers have scored more than 21 points in only one game with the No. 1 pick under center. ... Young has thrown three pick-6s in the last three games, including two against the Indianapolis Colts. ... RB Miles Sanders saw an increased role in the running game last week against Dallas after Frank Reich resumed play-calling duties. Sanders, who has been virtually nonexistent this season, had 11 carries to Chuba Hubbard’s 10. ... Behind Thielen, DJ Chark has been the team’s second-most productive receiver, with 17 catches for 229 yards and three TDs. ... The Titans are 62-39 at home against NFC teams since moving into their current stadium for the 1999 season. ... Titans QB Will Levis will become the fifth rookie in franchise history to start at least five games, joining Dan Pastorini (1971), Vince Young (2006), Zach Mettenberger (2014) and Marcus Mariota (2015). ... WR DeAndre Hopkins needs 52 yards receiving to become the 29th player in NFL history with 12,000 for his career. He also needs five receptions to become the 25th with 900 career catches. Reaching both marks along with the 75 TD receptions Hopkins already has would make him only the fifth NFL player with that trio of stats within his first 11 seasons, joining Marvin Harrison, Jerry Rice, Brandon Marshall and Larry Fitzgerald. ... Titans WR Chris Moore is set to play his 100th career NFL game. ... DL Denico Autry needs two sacks to become the franchise’s first player since Jevon Kearse between 1999 and 2001 with eight or more sacks in three consecutive seasons. ... K Nick Folk has made an NFL-record 74 straight field goals from less than 40 yards. FANTASY TIP: Henry is averaging 116.7 yards from scrimmage in three games at home this season. He also has run for at least 100 yards in each of the last two home games. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL The Associated Press contributed to this article

7bf95442c6b9db2103ab3699a0f94d99

2culture

100 Easy Dinners for Right Now

Daily life, you are madness. You are alarm clocks and train times and reps at the gym. You are calendars cross-referenced, plans arranged, nut-free lunches assembled. You are laundry dropped into the machine and dry cleaning fetched. Figuring out dinner is often a chore, but in the middle of a hectic day, it can be a trial. I write a New York Times Cooking newsletter called Five Weeknight Dishes, with five recipes for busy people who still want something good to eat. (Sign up for it here.) And so, I’ve picked 100 dinner recipes that I think you should try this year, ideas that make it easy to eat deliciously. All 100 recipes are straightforward, and many need only 30 minutes to make. None take more than an hour, and if they do take that long, most of the time is hands-off. I kept kids in mind when I picked these recipes, but the truth is that no matter where you are in life, it’s best not to have to fuss over dinner. I hope you find dishes here to love, and that you put them on repeat all year long.

3d6c5ddfaa3c74eb085e1107c8d9ec9f

6sports

It would mean a lot to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to play against Masataka Yoshida

“Horn in the U.S.A.,” Holyoke Civic Symphony’s holiday offering on Dec. 10, at Holyoke Community College, features the ensemble with Maestro David Kidwell, horn soloists Jean Jeffires and Josh Michal, performing Gina Gillie’s “The Great Migration.” The program also includes: “Hark ! The Herald Angels Sing,” composed by Charles Wesley in 1739, that will be played by the Holyoke Strings in an arrangement by Kidwell; George Bizet’s “L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1″; and works by Brian Balmages, Jonathan Allentoff, Bob Krogstad and John Finnegan. For details: www.holyokecivicsymphony.org. The Berkies, the Berkshires Area Theatre Critics Awards for excellence in theater in our region, were presented Nov. 13. This was the seventh edition of the awards. Barrington Stage’s production of “Cabaret” was the big winner of the evening, taking home eight awards. Nominees represented theaters in Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New York state. A total of 27 awards were presented in 22 categories. Several categories saw ties this year, including the top honors for outstanding musical production, as Barrington Stage Company’s production of “Cabaret” and the Sharon Playhouse production of “Something Rotten” shared the award. Shakespeare & Company’s production of August Wilson’s “Fences” shared the top play production honors with Bridge Street Theatre’s “East of Berlin” and “Dream,” at the Rep in Albany. The Larry Murray Award for Community Outreach and Support through Theater went to Jean-Remy Monnay, founder and artistic director of the Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York. Actors Richard Kline (currently in TheaterWorks’ “Christmas on the Rocks”) and Barrington Stage’s Mark H. Dold took home some major acting awards.

770d1a5207584f519880863d4aea2e4d

2culture

Wu announces free museum admission for BPS students and families

Twice a month, Boston Public School students and their families will be able to visit multiple museums and attractions without paying a dime. “Starting in February, on the first and second Sundays of each month, BPS students and their families will get free admission at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Science, The Boston Children's Museum, the New England Aquarium, and the Franklin Park Zoo,” said Mayor Michelle Wu in her State of the City address on Tuesday. The announcement follows a trend of increased accessibility at Boston-area institutions. Last year the Harvard Art Museums announced free admission for all visitors year-round, joining other museums with free admission such as Fuller Craft Museum, the McMullen Museum at Boston College and the Mass Art Art Museum. Currently general admission costs a family of four (two adults and two teenagers) $74 at the Museum of Fine Arts, $63 at the Franklin Park Zoo and $136 at the New England Aquarium. Vikki N. Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, is proud to partner in this program that she says will help inspire more young people. She wrote to WBUR in an email following the announcement, “We applaud Mayor Wu and her team for creating a program that prioritizes increased accessibility and inclusivity for students and families throughout Boston." "We are thrilled to partner with the city and our colleagues to bring free cultural experiences to BPS students and their families,” wrote Museum of Science president Tim Ritchie in an email. “One of our highest priorities as an institution is creating a learning space that is inclusive, equitable, and accessible for all. The beauty of scientific discovery should not be a privilege, but rather a birthright for every child in the city. We cannot wait to welcome even more BPS families through our doors and to help spark their lifelong love of science.” In her speech, Mayor Wu recounted the role that free museum admission played in her own life. Wu’s immigrant mother often didn’t have enough money to spend on things like museum admission. “But on this day, none of that matters, because itʼs a Tuesday—and on Tuesdays, the big art museum downtown has free admission,” she said in her speech. “So sheʼs there with her little girl, in a little pink stroller, staring up at a painting of a cliff full of wildflowers. And, in this moment, this mom with no money and no words in this language feels like the best mom on earth because she has given her daughter the world for a day.” Mayor Wu has continued to demonstrate a strong tie to the arts. She’s continued to play piano in adulthood and last year she joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra for a performance at Symphony Hall.

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4politics

Shop Southwick Dine Southwick will offer chance at prizes for local shoppers

America’s Democratic governors brag about booming local economies, preside over ribbon-cuttings of projects paid for with new federal legislation and have successfully framed themselves as defenders of abortion rights and democracy. Almost all of them are far more popular in their home states than the Democratic president they hope to re-elect next year. While President Biden is mired in the political doldrums of low approval ratings and a national economy that voters are sour on, Democratic governors are riding high, having won re-election in red-state Kentucky last month and holding office in five of the seven most important presidential battleground states. The governors, like nearly all prominent Democrats, are publicly projecting confidence: In interviews and conversations with eight governors at their annual winter gathering at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix over the weekend, they expressed on-the-record optimism that Mr. Biden would win re-election.

2b9940d51a5e1e0ccbe3ce1a94953baa

0business

Single-family residence in Mashpee sells for $1.8 million

A spacious house located at 18 Starboard Lane in Mashpee has a new owner. The 2,002-square-foot property, built in 1983, was sold on Oct. 30, 2023. The $1,800,000 purchase price works out to $899 per square foot. This two-story house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The home's outer structure has a gable roof frame, composed of asphalt. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. Additionally, the home comes with an underground/basement one-car garage, ensuring secure parking and storage. Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include: A 938-square-foot home at 17 Overlook Knoll Road in Mashpee sold in January 2022, for $1,290,000, a price per square foot of $1,375. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom. In September 2022, a 1,558-square-foot home on Bluff Avenue in Mashpee sold for $1,175,000, a price per square foot of $754. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. On Bluff Avenue, Mashpee, in October 2022, a 992-square-foot home was sold for $1,950,000, a price per square foot of $1,966. The home has 3 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

d52dbb6e5ee052984d68af8b1c6bbbab

4politics

Pritzker Is Among Democrats Making Case for Biden in Iowa

All the political action in Iowa may be among Republicans, but President Biden’s campaign sought on Monday to get a piece of the action, sending three top surrogates to Des Moines to promote his agenda and trash his potential opponents. Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota and Jeffrey Katzenberg, a Hollywood megadonor and a campaign co-chairman, all made their case for re-electing Mr. Biden before a dozen TV cameras and a gaggle of journalists in a conference room at the Iowa Events Center. Mr. Pritzker said there was no difference between former President Donald J. Trump and his G.O.P. rivals, Ms. Smith warned that Republicans would ban abortion nationwide if they won back the White House and Mr. Katzenberg did a victory lap on the campaign’s latest fund-raising announcement. “Tonight’s contest is simply a contest of whether you like MAGA in its original packaging or in high heels or with lifts in their boots,” Mr. Pritzker said, jabbing at Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who quipped during a debate about wearing heels, and at Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has been suspected of wearing lifts in his shoes.

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0business

See all homes sold in Hampshire County, Nov. 26 to Dec. 2

The following is a listing of all home transfers in Hampshire County reported from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2. There were 19 transactions posted during this time. During this period, the median sale for the area was a 960-square-foot home on Ryan Road in Florence that sold for $340,000. Amherst 27 The Hollow, Amherst, $408,000, 1,932 square feet, $211 per square-foot, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Belchertown 19 Dana Hill, Belchertown, $280,000, 1,176 square feet, $238 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 16 Pheasant Run, Belchertown, $725,000, 3,312 square feet, $219 per square-foot, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Cummington 149 Porter Hill Road, Cummington, $220,000, 972 square feet, $226 per square-foot, two bedrooms and one bathroom. Easthampton 393 Main Street, Easthampton, $300,000, 1,679 square feet, $179 per square-foot, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. 10 Duda Drive, Easthampton, $415,000, 1,170 square feet, $355 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Florence 389 Bridge Road, Florence, $237,500, 1,252 square feet, $190 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 418 Ryan Road, Florence, $340,000, 960 square feet, $354 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 701 Westhampton Road, Florence, $550,000, 1,148 square feet, $479 per square-foot, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. 735 Westhampton Road, Florence, $585,000, 3,175 square feet, $184 per square-foot, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. 661 Park Hill Road, Florence, $739,000, 1,898 square feet, $389 per square-foot, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Granby 122 Carver Street, Granby, $400,000, 1,320 square feet, $303 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Northampton 63 Laurel Park, Northampton, $235,000, 2,222 square feet, $106 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 36 Warburton Way, Northampton, $299,200, 1,380 square feet, $217 per square-foot, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Pelham 59 Meetinghouse Road, Pelham, $135,000, 2,562 square feet, $53 per square-foot, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. South Hadley 36 Ludlow Road, South Hadley, $310,000, 1,884 square feet, $165 per square-foot, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. 123 Granby Road, South Hadley, $335,000, 1,320 square feet, $254 per square-foot, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. 39 Old County Road, South Hadley, $510,000, 1,512 square feet, $337 per square-foot, two bedrooms and one bathroom. Southampton 125 Glendale Road, Southampton, $600,000, 2,028 square feet, $296 per square-foot, four bedrooms and two 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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1crime

21 Injured in Explosion at Fort Worth Hotel

At least 21 people were injured in an explosion that was most likely caused by a gas leak and substantially damaged a hotel in downtown Fort Worth on Monday afternoon, the authorities said. One person was in critical condition and four were seriously injured, the police said in an evening update. Fourteen people were transported to a hospital, and one person went to a hospital on their own, the police said. Earlier, the authorities had said that one person was missing, but they noted later that the person had been found.

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3entertainment

HBOs The White Lotus announces new cast members for season 3

The widely anticipated third season of the HBO anthology series “The White Lotus” now has a few more famous faces tied to the upcoming project — set to begin filming shortly. In a release on Friday, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that actors Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong are confirmed cast members for the third installment of the Emmy-winning comedy-drama about the adventures and misadventures of guests and staff at luxury “White Lotus” resorts around the world. The six additions join returning cast member Natasha Rothwell — who played masseuse “Belinda” in the series’ first season set in Hawaii — as the show embarks on a new resort located in Thailand, according Warner Bros. Discovery. Filming will begin in the Southeast Asian nation in February, with production taking place in and around such notable destinations as Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok, Warner Bros. Discovery added, noting that HBO has partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to support filming and promotion of the new season. “The White Lotus” debuted in July 2021 and received 20 total Emmy nominations across 13 categories with 10 wins for its first season. It has been nominated for an additional 23 Emmy’s for its second season, which took place in Sicily, Warner Bros. Discovery said. The show was created and has been written, directed and executive produced by Mike White.

3d809091dd076989a0469a3d9582aaaa

0business

With a Deadline Looming, the United Methodist Church Breaks Up

With 17,000 members, White’s Chapel Methodist Church in Southlake, Texas, offers multiple worship services each weekend along with the kind of attractions that only the largest houses of worship can boast: a coffee shop, an indoor playground, a Christmas festival with pony rides and fireworks, and near-daily opportunities for volunteering and socializing. On Sunday mornings, a small white bulldog named Wesley, after the founder of Methodism, roams the campus with a handler, greeting admirers. “They call this place the biggest small church,” said Linda Rutan, who was sitting with her husband near a sprawling holiday train set on a recent Sunday morning. The Rutans have attended White’s Chapel since they moved to Texas from California in 2022. “It’s so friendly,” she said, “you don’t feel like it’s a huge church.” Until July, White’s Chapel was the second-largest United Methodist congregation in the country. The conservative-leaning church lost its status this year not because it shrank — it is growing, leaders say — but because it left the denomination. America’s second-largest Protestant denomination is in the final stages of a slow-motion rupture that has so far seen the departure of a quarter of the nation’s roughly 30,000 United Methodist churches, according to the denomination’s news agency.

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6sports

Thunder loom as surprise wildcard in Celtics title push

The Celtics have a tall mountain to climb to even get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2022. Getting past the Bucks, 76ers and even a longtime nemesis like the Heat will be no easy task despite Boston’s big-name additions this offseason. While the level of urgency can’t get much higher for this group given the way the 2023 postseason ended, the Celtics’ loss to the Thunder Tuesday night also provided a bit of an eye-opener for a squad just emerging on the national scene. Boston had their full starting five available for this matchup and they were torched by the Thunder’s offense in a 127-123 loss, dropping that unit to 14-2 on the year when they play together. Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis scored 34 points each in the loss but it wasn’t enough against a Thunder squad with an MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an imposing supporting cast with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey among others. “That’s a talented young team,” Porzingis told reporters in Oklahoma City, “and I don’t believe this was some fluke game for them.” Oklahoma City improved to 23-9 with the win over the Celtics, giving them five straight victories overall and putting them just one game behind the Wolves for the Western Conference lead in the standings. While there is plenty of formidable competition in the West this year between the defending champions in Denver, the conference looks a little more wide open than expected with some unproven (Minnesota) and constantly unhealthy (LA Clippers) at the top of the standings beside them. 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 Thunder not only look like the real deal through 32 games but they are in a position of power. Nearly every other contender in the West has depleted their asset pool of draft picks and young talent. Sam Presti has done the exact opposite in Oklahoma City. He has a boatload of future first-round picks he has been assembling for the past several years and a bench loaded with young talent. The Thunder have the assets to take a swing on a big name in the trade market in the next month and that could push them towards a top-tier contender alongside Boston. Performances like we saw against the Celtics Tuesday night show this group that can go toe to toe with the NBA’s best. Whether or not Presti is willing to take a bigger swing this early remains to be seen. This group is still incredibly young so there is a case for letting the young guys like Holmgren and Williams develop with the way this group is currently composed. However, holding onto future draft picks too tightly can come back to bite at times with an overachieving young team (ask Danny Ainge). If Presti sees a window of opportunity now with some of his young guys on cheap rookie deals, a strong case can be made to push his chips in before he has to pay everyone bigger deals in short order. The Celtics should be rooting for him to take the patient approach in the meantime since this team is a matchup nightmare for Boston. They may even be good enough as is for a deep run in the West Playoffs but they are guaranteed to be a handful in the years to come. As tough budget decisions come in a couple years for Boston that may force key players out the door, the Thunder has the weapons to continue to add talent to this already impressive core. That reality should only increase the urgency for the Celtics in the present to take advantage of this unique window with this group. The Thunder may wait to make a push towards becoming a top-tier contender but their entry into that group could be coming much sooner than expected.

aaf48a74cec23df7c4e6298891c52aa2

2culture

Cardinal asks for peace and reflection in Christmas mass in Boston

Cardinal Sean O'Malley is sending a message calling for forgiveness and peace around the world amidst wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Parishioners said it was a beautiful Christmas mass full of love and a time for reflection at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End. "We celebrate Christmas when we make it a feast of love, of friendship, of reconciliation and of peace" the cardinal said during mass. "Peace on earth seems like a shattered dream in today's world with these terrible wars in the Ukraine and the holy land with the contentious political climate in our country and even polarization in the church" "In a world where there is still no room in the inn, we must commit ourselves to a compassionate response for the poor, the sick, the refugee, the prisoner, the stranger, the homeless" he added asking church members to be compassionate to those who are struggling. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. It was a message that made many parishioners reflect. "The meaning of Christmas and love itself and how we should all work together and get along" said Joe Haden, who visited from Kentucky. Towards the end of his homily, Cardinal O'Malley asked parishioners to forgive those who have wronged us and to ask pardon of someone we have wronged, reminding people that Christmas is always an invitation to start again.

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2culture

The Nicest New Years Resolution I Ever Made - The New York Times

Between those reminders and the writing itself, I can feel myself slowing down. This is not the kind of writing I can blast through at a messy speed, correcting later. This kind of writing requires a deliberation that little else in my life requires: one thought, one word, one sentence at a time. In that sense, the letters are as much for me as for their recipients: a thin, scrawled thread connecting us across the miles, linking their grief with my grief, their joy with my joy, their generosity with my thanks. Sometimes this practice reminds me to act on my own generosity, a way to tell people I love or admire that I’m thinking of them. I like to imagine how surprised they will be to find a handwritten letter tucked among the bills and the ads they never glance at for products they will never need. Not that making time is easy. It may have been a mistake to have hit on such an ambitious project during a pandemic that keeps making nearly everything harder. But I don’t regret it. Despite one setback after another — the death of my beloved father-in-law, health issues in the family, major surgery — this project is self-rewarding, so I keep finding my way back to it, and to my grandmother’s secretary. Finding time for anything that matters will always be a challenge, but the notes themselves aren’t hard. All that dread, for years, always putting off and putting off the obligation of a thank-you note or the duty of a condolence letter — why did I waste so much time on dread? With every renewed effort, I marvel again at how easy it is. How it takes almost nothing to write just a few lines, nothing to fix a stamp in the corner, to walk the letter out to the mailbox and lift the little metal flag to tell the mail carrier to stop at this house. I wish I had known long ago how much pleasure I would take in lifting that little red flag. I wish I’d remembered how much I love the smell of paper and ink and the memory of my grandmother, sitting at this very secretary, the way she said, “You’re the writer in the family” and made it real. This is the 326th day of the year, and it is clear now that I will not come remotely close to making my goal of 365 handwritten notes. At best, I will hit 200. Still, I’ve spent this hard year being reminded, again and again, of the magic I recognized as a child at my grandmother’s elbow. As Thanksgiving approaches, I am filled with gratitude for the people I want to greet, the people I hope to console, the people I need to thank. And they’re all only a mailbox away. Margaret Renkl, a contributing Opinion writer, is the author of the books “Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South” and “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss.” The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

fde5efb595ddbc4872bfa19bcfe6714e

4politics

How Trump, DeSantis and Haleys Teams Are Thinking About Turnout in Iowa

Follow for live updates on the Iowa caucuses. Nikki Haley’s team predicts Iowans will brave brutal weather to caucus for her. Aides to Ron DeSantis say the subzero temperatures give their candidate an edge because he has the biggest team knocking on doors. And the Trump team says they don’t worry about the cold — former President Donald J. Trump’s supporters will “walk through glass” to caucus for him. The truth: No one really knows what to expect on Monday night when Iowans become the first to weigh in on the 2024 presidential election. An already unpredictable and quirky process is even more so this year, thanks to dangerously cold weather and an unusually uncompetitive contest. Until recently, both the Trump and DeSantis teams had been privately preparing for an enormous turnout of more than 200,000 caucusgoers, a figure that would eclipse the party’s previous record of 187,000 in 2016. But as the winter storm blew in last week, nobody from any of the leading campaigns wanted to attach their names to a firm prediction. The National Weather Service forecast subzero temperatures in Des Moines, with wind chills dropping to as low as minus 30 degrees on Monday.

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6sports

Patriots claim CB from Cardinals (report)

With two weeks left in the 2023 season, the Patriots have added to their cornerback depth. New England claimed Marco Wilson off the Arizona Cardinals, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday. Wilson was waived by Arizona on Tuesday. In 43 NFL games, Wilson has amassed 158 tackles and three interceptions. The Patriots are thin at cornerback after waiving Jack Jones and placing J.C. Jackson on the reserve/non-football illness list. 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. Wilson, a 2021 fourth-round pick out of Florida by the Cardinals, is in his third year of his four-year rookie contract. After starting the season strong, the 24-year-old didn’t play a defensive snap in Arizona’s last four games. But he couldn’t quite keep the momentum going that made him successful the last few seasons. Wilson will get a fresh start with the Patriots where he’ll look to get back into a groove in the final two weeks of the regular season. New England has already been eliminated from the playoffs and are essentially playing for a high pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The defense has been a bright spot for the Patriots this season despite facing injuries to key players, but now Wilson has a chance to add to the success of the defense and try to carve out a role with the team going forward.

a8bab64002c6a974c23aa00a46320a0b

5science

Why Are Frogs and Other Amphibian Species Disappearing Worldwide? - The New York Times

We met the ecologist Karen Lips in Washington, D.C. One morning, she picked us up from a Metro station and took us to Shenandoah National Park, keen to show us a species of salamander. Dr. Lips describes herself as an amphibian forensic scientist. For decades, she has been researching the disappearance of amphibian species, and what she told us that day was shocking. As filmmakers, we’ve covered the extinction of species and other ecological issues in our work for years. Mammals, reptiles, insects, fish — much of the planet’s wild fauna is threatened with extinction. But no other vertebrate class is as threatened as amphibians. Herpetologists like Dr. Lips don’t just fear for individual species; they fear for the class Amphibia as a whole. No one else we had met and interviewed on this subject seemed to be as affected by it as Dr. Lips. To put it simply: Frogs, salamanders and all amphibians are her life. For her, their increasing disappearance from our planet is a personal drama.

13440ca4df66bc924025a51c2013555d

3entertainment

Live Wire: Some last-minute NYE ideas

Maybe holiday shopping, family get-togethers and other seasonal celebrations caused you to forget about the changing of the calendar. But now you are looking for some last-minute New Year’s Eve plans. We’ve got you covered. Below are a few parties up and down the Pioneer Valley that you might want to consider: The Deck in Northampton will provide an early start for those who aren’t night owls. The venue opens at 2 p.m., with live music by Wyld Stallyns from 4 to 7 p.m. The Deck’s elevated area is also a great place to watch the city fireworks at 6:30 p.m. While the venue will close at 8 p.m., those wishing to continue the party can simply slide into the adjoining Tunnel Bar, or the complex’s new restaurant, The Notch 8 Grille. The Platform is at 125 Pleasant St. Over in Amherst, longtime rockers NRBQ will ring in the New Year at The Drake. While the band needs little introduction to many area folks, their songs have been covered by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Dave Edmunds, Widespread Panic and Yo La Tengo, among others. Local favorites LuxDeluxe opens the show with their very danceable rock/pop. The Drake is at 44 North Pleasant St. Looking for more of a formal dinner with music sort of affair? Maybe The Delaney House in Holyoke fits the bill. The event runs from 6:30-9:30, with music by Made Men. Visit the restaurant’s website for reservations. If you’re looking for some pre-party festivities, O’Connell’s Irish Pub in Chicopee will feature the music of Livio Gravini starting at 6 p.m. In Ludlow, the Polish-American Citizen Club will feature The Skid Marks starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The music starts at 8 p.m. and a champagne toast and pastries are included in the price of admission. The venue is at 355 East St. Whatever your plans, please have a happy and safe celebration.

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3entertainment

Cool kicks for a powerful cause at the Embrace Boston Sneaker Gala

The Embrace Boston Sneaker Gala was held Sunday night in the city, celebrating those who embody the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Racial equity was top of mind as attendees came dressed to the nines from head to toe, wearing cool kicks for a powerful cause at the second annual MLK Embrace Honors at Big Night Live. “My sneakers have Dr. King on one side, really pensive and thinking, and then the other side has Tommie Smith and John Carlos from the 1968 Olympics when they threw their fists in the air," explained Michael Curry, the president and CEO of Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. NOW: The Embrace Boston Sneaker Gala is officially kicking off at Big Night Live! 👟 People wearing their finest attire and coolest kicks… honoring 3 couples with the MLK and Coretta Scott King Awards @NBC10Boston @NECN pic.twitter.com/vzzpgkGSoT — Kirsten Glavin (@kirstenglavin) January 14, 2024 Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. "We wanted to have an article of clothing that unites all of us," said the president and CEO of Embrace Boston, Imari Paris Jeffries. NBC10 Boston's own Latoyia Edwards was one of the revered emcees at the event. Wondering who’s going to bring the energy and excitement to the Embrace Honors: Friends & Family Sneaker Affair? Introducing you to our emcees of the night, @NBC10Boston's @LatoyNBCBoston and @celtics In-Arena Host and professional dancer Melisa Valdez!#EMBRACEHONORS pic.twitter.com/bMRhNbGTfp — Embrace Boston (@EmbraceBOS) January 12, 2024 Three couples were honored for their work in the community with the MLK and Coretta Scott King awards at the event that raises money for Embrace Boston, whose mission is to dismantle structural racism through the intersection of arts, culture, community, research and policy. The vision is a radically inclusive and equitable Boston. “It’s truly humbling and never expected it," said Dr. Kia Martin, an educator and equity advocate. "Excited about being here tonight, it’s an incredible honor.” The Martins, two of the recipients, have spent their lives promoting inclusivity and building equitable communities. “We know what it’s like not to have meaningful healthcare, we know what it's like not to have schools properly stocked with the right books,” said Demond Martin, CEO of WellWithAll. It was a night of music, dancing and joy -- with a commitment to continue the cause. “There is not any other event that celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King with love, joy, dancing and communities,” Paris Jeffries said. This is part of a series of five events put on by Embrace Boston. The next one will be held during Black History Month. Embrace Boston, the organization behind the monument honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, seeks to make Boston a more equitable city.

e040626d4d9b33a0c05c7fed4379b3e5

6sports

5 things to watch when Patriots play Buffalo Bills

FOXBOROUGH – The situations couldn’t be more different. The Buffalo Bills head into this weekend having won three-straight games. They’re winners of four of their last five and they’ve beaten some of the best teams in the NFL in Kansas City and Dallas. At 9-6, the Bills are in second place in the AFC East and currently hold the sixth seed in the AFC playoff race. These final two games are vital for the Bills and their playoff hopes. Meanwhile, the Patriots head into this game with four wins total. They were the second team to be eliminated from the NFL playoffs this season and are coming off an upset win over the Denver Broncos. The stakes for the Patriots and the Bills are much different. The Patriots and Bill Belichick are playing for pride with each win hurting their draft stock. Buffalo is playing for a chance to get into the playoffs and show everyone they’re still one of the top teams in the AFC. The Bills are also hoping to avoid a repeat of Week 7 when the Patriots delivered a shocking upset in what would be Mac Jones’ last positive memory of this season in New England. Here’s five things to watch when the Patriots take on the Bills this weekend: 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. Bailey Zappe It’s one thing to play well against the Denver Broncos, it’s another to do it against the Bills at Buffalo. Zappe’s coming off the first fourth quarter comeback of his NFL career. It was an impressive performance inside Mile High Stadium. That being said, the Broncos have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Denver ranks 30th in yards allowed, 31st in rushing defense and 24th in passing defense. That won’t be the case this weekend. The Bills head into this matchup ranked tenth in yards allowed, 16th in rushing defense and ninth overall in passing defense. If Zappe can put up good numbers in Buffalo, it’ll create a different conversation when it comes to the quarterback’s future. DeMario Douglas Last weekend, DeMario Douglas caught his 45th pass. That moved him ahead of Deion Branch for the most receptions by a rookie receiver in the Belichick era. This weekend, Douglas has a chance to become the best rookie receiver in New England under Belichick. He’s currently three yards away from passing Aaron Dobson’s mark of 517 receiving yards as a rookie receiver. The Patriots have struggled to develop rookie receivers, but it looks like they found a keeper in Douglas. The sixth round pick out of Liberty currently leads the Patriots in receiving and is second on the team in receptions. We’ll see if he can expand on that come Sunday. Patriots offensive line The Patriots offense needs good offensive line play. That’s been a common theme this season. Last time the Patriots played the Bills, the pass protection stood out in Mac Jones’ fourth quarter comeback win. The quarterback was only sacked once that day. This time, however, the Bills will have Ed Oliver. The pass rushing defensive tackle missed the Bills loss to the Patriots. This season, the 26-year-old has a career-high 8.5 sacks. That’s second on the Bills behind Leonard Floyd (10.5 sacks). The Patriots will attempt to slow down Oliver with two rookie guards - Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi. Their performances will go a long way to how the Patriots offense looks on Sunday. Stefon Diggs/Gabriel Davis The Patriots are hurting at the cornerback position. Last week, they started Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade. The Patriots also played Alex Austin at the position as well as elevated Breon Borders from the practice squad. The Patriots are down a handful of cornerbacks due to various reasons. They lost Christian Gonzalez due to injury, cut Jack Jones and placed J.C. Jackson on the non-football illness list. That brings us to this weekend. The Patriots secondary will be tested by Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his receivers, Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Diggs is in the midst of his sixth 1,000-yard season. He currently leads Buffalo with 96 receptions, 1,070 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Davis currently has 43 receptions for 725 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s coming off the best game of his season with a four-catch, 130-yard performance against the Chargers. Draft watch At this point, we need to take stock of the Patriots position in the 2024 NFL Draft. Last week, the Patriots went into Christmas Eve with the projected No. 2 pick next spring. After beating the Denver Broncos, however, they dropped to the No. 4 spot in the draft. That’s significant considering the top three prizes of the draft are quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. The 4-11 Patriots are tied with Washington, but the Commanders have the No. 3 pick due to the edge in strength of schedule. The Patriots are also ‘behind’ Carolina (2-13) and Arizona (3-12). The Patriots also have three times one game behind them - Giants (5-10), Titans (5-10) and Chargers (5-10). Keep an eye on a win from any of the teams listed above. Prediction: Bills 24, Patriots 20

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3entertainment

Fantasia Barrino-Taylor on the Pain (and Joy) of The Color Purple

In the film, Celie’s self-awareness and confidence builds steadily in the presence of Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), the free-spirited, local celebrity and, later, Celie’s lover and friend. While still suffering at home, Celie comes into her own much sooner than in the original film. She’s comfortable wearing sequins and lipstick, and her bond with Shug is more pronounced. Bazawule’s intention was to oscillate between joy and pain, a very human approach, he said. “We never wallow in just pain. Certainly, a people who have birthed such beautiful manifestations to this world, there’s no way that Black people just deal with pain. It’s impossible,” he said. “When you hear gospel, when you hear jazz, when you hear all these things, that’s turning pain into power.” He explained that the pain-joy approach “gave us a much fuller picture of her struggles. It was also the back and forth between her reality and her fantasies, and that is also a very important place, a refuge, in a way, for someone like her who was dealing with an external abuser. She could create a world in which she was more powerful than her abuser.” Celie experiences bliss in part through dance. However, Barrino-Taylor, known for gospel and R&B ballads, wasn’t used to up-tempo movement. “When they first said I had to learn how to tap dance, I thought everybody was crazy,” she said, giggling. “I literally laughed, I cried, I laughed, I cried. I was terrified. I didn’t even think my feet were going to move.” The process was challenging, but Barrino-Taylor stuck with it. After a full day of shooting on location in Georgia, she dragged herself into her garage, armed with a pair of tap shoes and got to work. “We wouldn’t get home until, like, 6, 7 o’clock in the morning. But I would go in there, put my tights on, and I would practice. Because I knew on the day when we filmed, I needed to allow Celie to take over, not be thinking 1-2-3-4, ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba,” she rhythmed.

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6sports

Second-half comeback routes Chicopee Comp girls basketball over South Hadley (photos)

SOUTH HADLEY — Stay calm was the message Chicopee Comp girls basketball head coach Tony Couture sent to his team throughout their 59-55 win over South Hadley on Thursday.

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0business

Single family residence in Wellesley Hills sells for $1.5 million

A spacious house located at 15 Cedar Street in Wellesley Hills has new owners. The 2,916-square-foot property, built in 1986, was sold on Nov. 22, 2023, for $1,500,000, or $514 per square foot. This two-story home offers a spacious layout with four bedrooms and three baths. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. The property is equipped with forced air heating and a cooling system. Additionally, the home includes a two-car garage. Additional houses have recently changed hands nearby: On River Ridge, Wellesley Hills, in October 2023, a 2,309-square-foot home was sold for $1,185,000, a price per square foot of $513. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. In June 2023, a 1,380-square-foot home on Walnut Place in Wellesley Hills sold for $900,000, a price per square foot of $652. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom. A 2,354-square-foot home at 3 Bobolink Road in Wellesley Hills sold in August 2023, for $1,160,000, a price per square foot of $493. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 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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1crime

Man With Developmental Disabilities Settles Wrongful Conviction Suit for $11.7 Million

A man with developmental disabilities who spent more than 16 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murder has reached a settlement of $11,725,000 with the city of Elkhart, Ind., his lawyers said on Friday. The man, Andrew Royer, said that when he first learned of the settlement he “went numb.” “I’m a brand-new person,” Mr. Royer, 48, said in an interview on Saturday. “I’m ecstatic.” A jury convicted Mr. Royer in the 2002 killing of a 94-year-old woman, Helen Sailor, who had been found strangled in a high-rise apartment in downtown Elkhart. Mr. Royer was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Law enforcement officials said it was a burglary that had turned violent, but there were issues with the prosecution’s case from the beginning.

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1crime

Police responding to reports of active shooter, multiple victims at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Authorities on Wednesday were responding to reports of multiple victims in a shooting at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, police say. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Las Vegas police said they were responding to "preliminary reports of an active shooter on the campus." "There appears to be multiple victims at this time," police said. "Please avoid the area and we will have more information soon." This is a developing story

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6sports

Amherst native scores in Team USAs rout of Switzerland at World Juniors

Amherst native Ryan Leonard had a hand in Team USA’s dominant win over Switzerland at the World Juniors in a preliminary game Thursday in Sweden. Leonard, who plays at Boston College and was drafted No. 8 overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, scored Team USA’s seventh goal in the 11-3 victory. With USA on the power play and already up 6-1 midway through the second period, Gavin Brindley fed the puck to Leonard, who was waiting at the bottom of the left circle before finding the back of the net to put Team USA up by six. This was his first goal of the tournament. In USA’s first game against Norway — a 4-1 win — Leonard had an assist and racked up a game-high eight shots on net. 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. Several draft experts had high praise for the Capitals selecting Leonard — who’s toted as “a versatile winger with a lot of elements to his game that an NHL coach will covet” and someone who “works hard every shift and has the hands to contribute offensively.” The 18-year-old shined at Pope Francis before joining the USA National Team Development Program after two seasons. Leonard was one of nine players in the program to put up 50 goals in a season after scoring 51 to go along with 43 assists in 57 games in the 2022-23 season. He also scored the game-winner in overtime during the Gold medal game against Sweden at the U18 World Championship in April. Team USA’s next game is Friday against Czechia, who’s 1-1 in the tournament and will look to snap USA’s unbeaten streak.

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1crime

Attleboro man sentenced for 2020 drunken crash that killed 36-year-old woman

An Attleboro man whose drunk driving caused the death of 36-year-old woman in Norton in June 2020 was sentenced to five to seven years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said Tuesday. Russell Stone, 63, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and operating under the influence of alcohol with serious bodily injury in Fall River Superior Court. The charges stemmed from the fatal crash that happened on Oak Street in Norton around 3:51 p.m. on June 7, 2020, Quinn said. Read More: Milan Lucic pleads not guilty to assault and battery charge Witnesses said a woman sitting in the front seat of Stone’s car got out of the vehicle and started screaming at him to slow down. The woman also told investigators that Stone was screaming that he wanted to die before crashing his car into a tree, according to Quinn. When first responders arrived at the crash, they found Thersea McNutt, 36, of Attleboro, unconscious in the back seat. She had severe head trauma and was pronounced dead, Quinn said. In addition, the woman sitting in the front seat suffered a fractured spine and three fractures in her left arm. Investigators later found several empty mini alcohol bottles in the vehicle, according to the district attorney. The bottles had Stone’s DNA on them. After he was brought to the hospital following the crash, a blood test showed that Stone’s blood alcohol level was at .184, more than twice the legal limit. Further investigation revealed Stone was driving 51 mph in a 30 mph zone, Quinn said. Read More: Franklin police charge 3 people believed to have helped hide missing teen “The defendant should not have been behind the wheel because of his intoxicated state. His reckless driving caused the death of an innocent person,” Quinn said. “The sentence is appropriate to hold the defendant accountable.”

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1crime

Linda Gauthier of New Hampshire killed in head-on crash with fire vehicle

A woman died and two people were injured in a head-on collision Sunday morning in Pinkham’s Grant, New Hampshire, State Police said. Linda Gauthier, 54, of Gorham, New Hampshire was killed when the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado truck she’d been riding in collided head-on with an Errol, N.H., fire vehicle — a 2017 Silverado on Route 16, police said. It was around 11:37 a.m. when the 2011 truck driving southbound and the Errol, N.H., fire vehicle heading northbound crashed, police said.

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7weather

Storm brings more rain, with power outages, high coastal water, and possible flooding

DEDHAM, Mass. — Some schools have announced closings and delays for Tuesday due to a powerful wind-driven rainstorm that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Massachusetts on Monday. As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, there were more than 130,000 power outages across the state, according to MEMA’s tracker. Some towns on the South Shore could be without power for days. The storm toppled trees and downed powerlines in many communities as it blew through. Click here to view a full list of closings and delays. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST WEATHER FORECAST RELATED CONTENT 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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0business

Former Eastfield Mall sign to remain put as new shopping plaza rises in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — Developers creating the new Springfield Crossing out of the rubble of the former Eastfield Mall plan to keep the mall’s entrance sign in place. Onyx Partners Limited purchased the 56-year-old mall for $4.5 million last March to develop the $65 million to $85 million Springfield Crossing and began demolition on the 45-acre site in August, starting at the former Cinemark movie theater. While one giant sign on Boston Road that used to announce Eastfield Mall happenings has been replaced with a giant banner announcing leasing at Springfield Crossing, the entrance sign in front of the former building itself will remain. Other than a bit of touch-up, Onyx will leave the sign in its current form and size, said Brian Kaplan, vice president of development for Onyx Partners. “We have no plans of taking it down or destroying it,” Kaplan said. “It’s been a staple in the community for years, and so we want to make use of it in the new project.” He added, “We don’t have any definitive plans for exactly what we’re going to do to the sign, we just know that we’re going to leave it in its current location and size. I can imagine that (Springfield Crossing’s) name will be on it.” The demolition is on schedule, according to Kaplan, who expects it to be complete within a few weeks. Site work will follow to meet a project deadline to finish construction in summer 2025. The new 360,000-square-foot retail complex, under the direction of leasing agent Atlantic Retail, intends to house Hobby Lobby, PetSmart, Old Navy, Burlington Coat Store, Ulta, Five Below, and Sketchers, several of which have locations nearby. The new site’s largest retailer remains a mystery. The unidentified “Proposed Anchor Tenant” is speculated to be a Target, though neither the developers nor the store will confirm. In a previous report, Anton Melchionda, founder of Onyx Partners Limited, said that the company has reached out to all national tenants, a pool of 300 potential businesses.

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4politics

When Will New York Solve Its Housing Crisis? Probably Not This Year.

It seemed like 2023 would be the year New York did something big to help solve its housing crisis. As skyrocketing rents punished residents, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party rallied around new safeguards for tenants. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a centrist Democrat, vowed to build more homes in the suburbs. The real estate industry seemed open to revamping a coveted tax break for developers in ways that would make new apartments more affordable to rent. Instead, lawmakers went home without doing much at all. Now, state leaders will get another try. The 2024 legislative session, set to begin on Wednesday, will again test New York State’s willingness to tackle one of its most debilitating problems. The context this year is in some ways worse than it was in 2023. A surge of migrants arriving in New York City has overwhelmed its homeless shelter system. High interest rates and the expiration of the tax break, known as 421a, have slowed apartment construction to a trickle, threatening to deepen the city’s housing shortage. Rents and home prices remain among the highest in the nation, straining everyday life for the lowest-income New Yorkers and driving the middle class away in droves. Yet interviews with state and city officials, housing experts and advocates suggest the chances of a major deal in Albany are mixed at best.

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6sports

New England wearing red Pat Patriot throwbacks vs. Chargers

The latest -- and not-so-greatest, according to some reviews -- installment of the “Indiana Jones” series is finally available to stream. Those who want to check it out can head over to Disney+ and scoop up a Disney+/Hulu subscription for as little as $9.99 a month. Folks who want to watch ad-free can boost that plan up to $19.99/month. Sports fans can add ESPN+ to the mix for another $5 tacked onto either plan. Most reviews appreciate the action but not necessarily the plot. Lindsey Bahr describes it as: “The cumbersome plot (script is credited to Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and Mangold) strains to justify and give meaning to the search for the Antikythera: The FBI is on the hunt for it, as is Nazi scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) for whom the war hasn’t ended, and the daughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) of Indy’s late partner Basil (Toby Jones) who was driven mad by the gadget. It’s a bit much, as are many of the overly elaborate and strangely murky-looking action sequences from the train in 1944 to a deep-sea diving sequence with killer eels. The movie hits its action high notes when it sticks to the tactile classics, like a brilliantly executed rickshaw chase in Tangier.” The move dropped onto Disney+ on Friday, Dec. 1. Related Content: What’s streaming this weekend: Indiana Jones, Paris Hilton, Super Mario and ‘Ladies of the 80s’ By The Associated Press Super Mario, an Elvis Christmas special and Paris Hilton enjoying motherhood are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Peter Gabriel’s long awaited album, a Robin Hood game with robots and Harrison Ford’s last hurrah as Indiana Jones swings onto Disney+. NEW MOVIES TO STREAM — The biggest box-office hit of the year not named “Barbie” is coming to Netflix. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” hits the streaming service Sunday, Dec. 3, after its previous run on Peacock. The film, which grossed nearly $1.4 billion in theaters, has fared slightly better than the infamous 1993 “Super Mario Bros.” In my review, I praised the primary-color visuals but wrote that “as nice as it is to look at ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ it’s not anywhere near as fun as it would be to play it.” — Todd Haynes’ “May December” is a deliciously disquieting drama loosely based on a stranger-than-fiction true story. Haynes’ film, which debuts Friday on Netflix, is inspired by Mary Kay Letourneau, the teacher who went to jail in 1997 for a sexual relationship with a student, only to later marry him. In “May December,” Julianne Moore and Charles Melton play a couple years past a similar scandal, while Natalie Portman portrays an actress who’s come to research them for an upcoming film. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “an audaciously self-aware, mischievously funny and emotionally complex drama that defies simple categorization.” — Harrison Ford’s last hurrah as Indiana Jones swings onto Disney+ on Friday. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” had a mixed reception when it launched over the summer. Ford was feted in Cannes. Reviews were mixed. Box office was lackluster. But “Dial of Destiny,” directed by James Mangold (taking over for Steven Spielberg), co-starring Phoebe Waller Bridges and featuring a poignant scene with Karen Allen, has a lot going for itself. In her review, Bahr acknowledged it’s no “Raiders” or “Last Crusade,” “but it’s solid, swashbuckling summer fare and a dignified sendoff to one of cinema’s most flawless castings.” — Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony” captures a whirlwind year for Jon Batiste. The film covers the pianist winning the 2022 Grammy for album of the year, winning an Oscar for co-creating the score to “Soul” and a triumphant concert at Carnegie Hall — all while his wife, Suleika Jaouad, battled leukemia. “American Symphony” is now streaming on Netflix. — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle NEW MUSIC TO STREAM — A starry special this week honors Elvis. “Christmas at Graceland,” featuring Post Malone, Alanis Morissette, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson, Lana Del Rey and The War and Treaty. It aired live on Wednesday on NBC and streams on Peacock. “Christmas at Graceland” — airing right after NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” — is the first televised concert from the estate and Presley’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, will make special appearances. — Peter Gabriel’s sonic teasing is almost over. After releasing 10 singles during 2023 — coinciding with each month’s full moon — the singer-songwriter finally will drop the album they all come from on Friday, “i/o.” The album is available in two distinct mixes: The Bright-Side Mix by Mark “Spike” Stent and the Dark-Side Mix by Tchad Blake. “Tchad is very much a sculptor building a journey with sound and drama, Spike loves sound and assembling these pictures, so he’s more of a painter,” says Gabriel. “i/o” includes contributions from Brian Eno, regular collaborators Richard Chappell, Oli Jacobs, Katie May and Richard Evans. — If all you know about Violent Femmes is “Blister in the Sun,” it’s time you went deeper. The 40th anniversary deluxe edition of the band’s self-titled debut is out Friday with over a dozen demos, B-sides and live performances — including alternate versions of iconic songs “Please Do Not Go,” “Gone Daddy Gone” and “Add It Up.” Pop culture fans will know that Ethan Hawke serenaded Winona Ryder with an embittered rendition of “Add It Up” in 1994′s “Reality Bites,” while a 1995 episode of “My So-Called Life” opened on Claire Danes joyfully lip-synching “Blister in the Sun.” — Singer-actor Dove Cameron drops her debut album “Alchemical: Volume 1,” which contains six new songs and two previous hits, “Boyfriend” and “Breakfast.” One of the new songs is “Lethal Woman,” a club banger about a woman “sharp as a knife under the table” that includes sounds of banging on a door, a gun being cocked and heavy production elements. The lyrics include the playful rhyme: “Game recognizes game/By the way, what’s your name?” Cameron has had a heady few years, winning new artist of the year honors at the 2022 American Music Awards and being named Best New Artist at the 2022 VMAs. She also was scene-stealer in season two of “Schmigadoon!” — AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy NEW SERIES TO STREAM — In recent years, Paris Hilton has been determined to (somewhat) drop the cutesy facade and show her layers. The second season of “Paris in Love,” out now on Peacock, leans into that effort. First, it introduces Hilton as a new mom. Hilton and husband Carter Reum welcomed son Phoenix via surrogate earlier this year and just revealed a daughter, London. She managed to keep both births a secret, even from her family, until Hilton was ready to announce the news. “It’s been really important for me to keep this a secret. It’s just the first time that something is just mine,” Hilton says in the trailer. New motherhood is never easy though and Hilton must adjust to the needs of her growing family conflicting with her busy schedule. — Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Nicollette Sheridan star in the new Lifetime movie “Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas,” premiering at 8 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. The quintet portray former soap opera co-stars who begrudgingly reunite for a live holiday special and end up repairing relationships and playing matchmakers. Executive producer Larry Thompson made sure each of the five actors had their own diva moment in the film. “The ladies loved it,” he tells the AP. “They got to get together, go over old times and and laugh... We want to do a whole franchise with more movies or maybe a series.” (For more holiday TV options, check out AP’s guide.) — The creators of “Cobra Kai” are behind a new Netflix series called “Obliterated.” The action comedy stars Nick Zano and Shelley Hennig (“Teen Wolf”) as members of a special task force assigned to prevent a planned terror attack in Las Vegas. Once the mission is completed, the temptations of Sin City sway them to spend the night partying. A call interrupts the fun to inform the group that they didn’t finish the job and need to get back to work, sober or not, to find and deactivate a bomb. “Obliterated” debuted Thursday. — It seems there’s no longer bad (tiger?) blood between Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen. Lorre has tapped Sheen as a recurring guest star in his new Max series “Bookie.” Stand-up Sebastian Maniscalco plays Danny, as a longtime LA bookie struggling to keep business afloat despite the looming legalization of sports betting. Omar J. Dorsey plays a former pro football player and his best friend, Ray, who is by his side for many of his, er, adventures both on and off the clock. The first two episodes dropped Thursday. — A documentary short called “Eddy’s World” follows Eddy Goldfarb, a now 102-year-old toy maker, who has created more than 800 toys (including the Yakity-Yak chattering teeth) and holds more than 250 patents. His story is a lesson that work isn’t work if you love what you do. “Eddy’s World” will be Broadcast on PBS Stations available on PBS.org and the PBS App beginning Saturday. — Alicia Rancilio NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY — Robin Hood has been stealing from the rich and giving to the poor for centuries, but I don’t think he’s had to battle giant robots before. Gangs of Sherwood, from French publisher Nacon, brings the Merry Men (and a Woman) into a steampunk version of England that the Sheriff of Nottingham oversees from a flying castle. As Robin you have an arsenal of high-tech arrows, and you can invite three friends to the fray: metal-fisted brawler Little John, speedy assassin Maid Marian and mace-wielding healer Friar Tuck. This isn’t Disney’s Robin Hood (or Kevin Costner’s, for that matter). The rebellion began Thursday on Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC. — The soldiers in Last Train Home aren’t out to save the world; they just want to get out of Russia after the end of World War I. Unfortunately, there’s a brutal civil war going on, and the troops won’t make it home to the newly independent Czechoslovakia without a fight. Czech studio Ashborne Games is aiming for a more complex take than your typical military shooter, and there’s more than combat in this strategy/management mashup. You also need to train medics, cooks and other support personnel, find food and fuel and keep the locomotive from derailing. Get on board on your PC. — Lou Kesten ___ Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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0business

Inflation rises 0.1% in November, slightly more than expected

The Labor Department said Tuesday that the consumer price index, a broad measure of the price of everyday goods including gasoline, groceries and rent, rose 0.1% in November from the previous month, slightly more than expected. Prices climbed 3.1% from the same time last year, which is in line with estimates by Refinitiv economists. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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3entertainment

ESPN BET promo: Code MASS unlocks $250 bonus for NFL games

Sports Betting Dime provides exclusive sports betting content to MassLive.com, including real-time odds, picks, analysis and sportsbook offers to help sports fans get in on the action. Please wager responsibly. Sign up with our ESPN BET promo on Christmas Even to gain $250 in bonus bets for NFL games. Click here and register with our code MASS to claim the largest welcome bonus available, which exceeds the offer on the app by $50. Then, you will have access to other special promotions for NFL and NBA games on Christmas Day. Place a $10 wager on any NFL game after using our ESPN BET promo MASS. Regardless of the outcome, you will receive $250 in bonus bets. 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. Week 16 began on Thursday, and we had another two games on Saturday. There are ten games on Christmas Eve, many of which are important for the playoff standings. Try placing your first wager on one of the early games to unlock the bonus bets as soon as possible. This bet can be on the Colts vs. Falcons, Seahawks vs. Titans, Lions vs. Vikings or Browns vs. Texans. Click here to use our ESPN BET promo on Sunday. Create an account with our code MASS and start with a $10 bet on any NFL game. Win or lose, this will result in a $250 bonus. Use our ESPN BET promo for NFL Week 16 ESPN BET promo Enter code MASS Welcome offer Bet $10 to get $250 bonus Date confirmed December 24, 2023 Verified by Alex Payton, Sports Betting Dime The Lions haven’t won a game in Minnesota in six years, but they have a chance to clinch the NFC North title with a win on Sunday. They are three-point favorites on the road. With the Vikings struggling after losing Kirk Cousins, I don’t see them contending with the Lions on Sunday. This is a great option for your first $10 wager. I also see the Colts winning their game over the Falcons. Shane Steichen, along with Dan Campbell of the Lions, is on the short-list to win NFL Coach of the Year. If you place your first wager on one of these games, you’ll get a bonus in time for the Cowboys vs. Dolphins in the late-afternoon slate. ESPN BET promo: How to use code MASS for a $250 bonus It doesn’t take long to sign up with our ESPN BET promo. Take these steps to claim your guaranteed bonus on Christmas Eve. Click here to create an account with our code MASS. Download the ESPN BET app on your mobile phone and enable geolocation services. Deposit $10+ with any accepted payment method. Place a $10 wager on an NFL game. The outcome doesn’t matter, so you will automatically get five $50 bonus bets. Try using one of these bonus bets for the Patriots game on Sunday night. Find more bonuses for NFL & NBA on Christmas There are additional boosts and bonuses available on Christmas Day. ESPN BET Massachusetts will have special offers for NBA action on Monday, which includes a Celtics game. There are also three NFL games, ending with the Ravens vs. 49ers. Brock Purdy is the favorite to win the MVP award on ESPN BET, followed by Lamar Jackson. Click here to sign up with our ESPN BET promo MASS. Place a $10 bet on any NFL game to receive a $250 bonus on Christmas Eve. 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. Get the latest sports betting news, advice and promos sent straight to your inbox. Enter your email here: Think you know Patriots football? Play the MassLive.com Prop Bet Showdown for a chance to win prizes! If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org to speak with a trained specialist to receive support. Specialists are available 24/7. Services are available in multiple languages and are free and confidential. 21+ and present in participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.

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1crime

Flight attendant filmed girls in American Airlines bathrooms, U.S. Attorney says

An American Airlines flight attendant was arrested and changed with secretly attempting to record a girl using an airplane bathroom during a Boston-bound flight, according to U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office. Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, of Charlotte, N.C., was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. Levy’s office added that Thompson is alleged to have had recordings of four other girls using bathrooms on a plane he had previously worked on. Read more: Third man convicted in 2021 fatal stabbing of Boston man protecting girlfriend “What Mr. Thompson is accused of doing is disgraceful, and we believe, calculated, given that this alleged conduct occurred on at least five flights,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “This case should make it crystal clear that the FBI takes crimes aboard aircraft and the sexual exploitation of children seriously. If you’ve been the victim of a crime aboard an aircraft or have witnessed one take place, we ask you to report it to both your flight crew and the FBI.” The incident took place on a flight from Charlotte to Boston on Sept. 2, 2023, according to Levy’s office. Thompson approached a 14-year-old girl as she waited for the bathroom, telling her that the first-class bathroom was unoccupied and taking her there, according to Levy’s office. Thompson then told her he needed to wash his hands before she used the bathroom, and that the bathroom’s toilet seat was broken. When the teen entered the bathroom, she saw red stickers on the bottom of the toilet seat lid in the open position that were securing an iPhone to the seat lid that was recording video, Levy’s office said. The girl used her own phone to take a picture of the phone. Thompson re-entered the bathroom immediately after the girl left, Levy’s office said. In this photo provided by the law firm Lewis & Llewellyn LLP, an iPhone is taped to the back of a toilet seat on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Boston, Sept. 2, 2023. (Lewis & Llewellyn LLP via AP, File)AP The girl told her parents what she had seen, who told other airline crew, who in turn notified police. Police at Boston Logan Airport found that Thompson’s phone was restored to factory settings , but in a search of his suitcase, 11 similar stickers to the ones securing the iPhone to the seat were discovered, Levy’s office said. A search of Thompson’s iCloud account revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which he recorded a minor using an airplane bathroom, Levy’s office said. Their ages were 7, 9, 11 and 14, according to Levy’s office. There were also 50 images of a 9-year-old unaccompanied minor including close-up photos of her face while she was sleeping, Levy’s office said. The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of children carries a sentence of between 15 and 30 years in prison, while the charge of possession of child pornography carries a sentence of between 5 and 20 years. Both charges also can have up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Thompson is being held in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he was arrested. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

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7weather

List of school closings and delays in Mass. after strong storm knocks out power

“When it’s cold like this, cars aren’t functioning well, chargers aren’t functioning well, and people don’t function so well either,” said Javed Spencer, an Uber driver who said he had done little else in the last three days besides charge his rented Chevy Bolt and worry about being stranded with a dead battery — again. Mr. Spencer, 27, said he set out on Sunday for a charging station with 30 miles left on his battery. Within minutes, the battery was dead. He had to have the car towed to the station.

769e1f889ca73903ae16adfe2a967ee9

0business

Americas Truckers Face a Chronic Headache: Finding Parking

In the wee hours one night in July, a Greyhound bus heading to St. Louis turned onto an exit ramp leading to a rest area in Southern Illinois and hit three parked tractor-trailers, smashing its front, crumpling its roof and ripping off part of its side. Three passengers were killed. The tractor-trailers were parked along the ramp’s shoulder, a common sight on the nation’s highways. “It’s scary because it can happen in the blink of an eye,” said Carmen Anderson, 64, a South Dakota-based truck driver for America’s Service Line, who recently had to park on an off-ramp in North Carolina after not being able to find parking at rest areas or truck stops. The accident in Illinois highlighted a widespread complaint among the nation’s truckers: Parking spots for commercial trucks are hard to come by.

87d2eb9bf77791d4b1917f88d387ac15

5science

Jets release 4-time Pro Bowler after dud season

The Dalvin Cook experiment is over with the New York Jets -- and it was a heck of a dud. A four-time Pro Bowler, the 28-year-old Cook established himself as one of the NFL’s best running backs during his six-year run with the Minnesota Vikings. However, things went south this summer when he was cut by the Vikings before signing with the Jets on a one-year deal. 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. Cook appeared in 15 games this season, starting one, and posted career worsts in rushing yards (214), yards per attempt (3.2), and touchdowns (zero). After the Jets announced the move Wednesday, coach Robert Saleh said the decisions was “just good business for everybody, I guess.” Saleh went on to praise Cook as a teammate, but admitted that the results weren’t there on the field. “Dalvin’s been an unbelievable teammate since the day he walked in here,” Saleh said. “Obviously, it hasn’t gone the way any of us have wanted. ... Whatever opportunity he gets, I know he’s gonna be great.” Cook served as the No. 2 running back in the Jets offense this season, working behind Breece Hall in the team’s rotation. Hall finished the year with 186 carries for 816 yards (4.4 per attempt) along with 4 rushing touchdowns. Hall was also second on the team in receptions (74), going for 579 yards through the air. Cook heads into the 2024 season with an uncertain future. He was cut by Minnesota amid a contract dispute last year and now heads into the offseason with his value at an all-time low. With the shelf life for running backs in the NFL being famously short, it projects to be an uphill battle for him to regain his peak form from his Pro Bowl days in Minnesota.

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1crime

We Cant Stop Writing Paper Checks. Thieves Love That.

What was once a routine way to pay your bills — handwriting paper checks at the kitchen table, dropping envelopes into a blue metal box on the street — has become a high-risk endeavor: It provides the raw materials for low-level fraud artists and sophisticated crime rings, costing financial institutions billions. It has put banks on high alert, though their efforts to catch the fraud also routinely entangle innocent customers, causing institutions to suddenly freeze or shut down customer accounts in the process. Many of the bad guys manage to disappear without any consequences. “Fraudsters go where the money is easiest,” said Chad Hetherington, a vice president at NICE Actimize, a financial crimes company specializing in fraud prevention. Even as check use has rapidly declined over the past couple of decades, check fraud has risen sharply, particularly since the pandemic. The cons may start with stealing pieces of paper, but they leverage technology and social media to commit fraud on a grander scale, banking insiders and fraud experts said. In the past, criminals needed a special internet browser that would grant entry into the dark web marketplace of stolen checks, maybe even someone to vouch for them. Now all they need is an account from Telegram, a messaging app. “You can buy checks on the internet for $45, with a perfectly good signature,” said John Ravita, director of business development at SQN Banking Systems, which provides check fraud detection software. “There is one website that offers a money-back guarantee. It’s like Nordstrom.” A recent surge in mail theft caused the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network — an arm of the Treasury Department known as FinCEN that is charged with safeguarding the financial system — to sound alarm bells this year. Thieves have attacked mail carriers, or stolen and sold carriers’ arrow keys, which unlock mailboxes within a certain area. The checks are stolen from the mail, and then criminals carry out a classic fraud: “washing” the checks using something as basic as nail polish remover, leaving the signature untouched. Others “cook” new checks by scanning and altering the old ones.

efecfac713e4998fc4b9ee99282701fb

6sports

Eagles Fall in Three to Seminoles

Next Match: at Miami 10/22/2023 | 1 p.m. Next Match Full Schedule Oct. 22 (Sun) / 1 p.m. at Miami TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Eagles battled point for point with the Seminoles in the opening set, taking an early 4-1 lead before ultimately falling. FSU had a late 7-0 run to close the set, 17-25. Halle Schroder taking a 8-2 lead. The Seminoles responded tying it up at 11. The two teams went back-and-forth tying it up seven times, until FSU took a 6-1 run to take the set, 19-25 Boston College opened the second set fast going on a 6-0 run led by back-to-back kills bytaking a 8-2 lead. The Seminoles responded tying it up at 11. The two teams went back-and-forth tying it up seven times, until FSU took a 6-1 run to take the set, 19-25 FSU closed out the match in the third, taking an early 7-2 lead to secure the victory. The Eagles trailed by three- 15-18- before the Seminoles rallied to score four of the next six points; The Eagles could not dig out of that hole and dropped the frame, 18-25. Katrina Jensen led the Eagles with nine kills. Anna Murphy led the defense with 13 digs and tacking on one ace. Setter Sophia Lambros tallied 21 assists on the night. While Julia Haggerty led the Eagle with three blocks. Schroder andled the Eagles with nine kills.led the defense with 13 digs and tacking on one ace. Settertallied 21 assists on the night. Whileled the Eagle with three blocks. Boston College battled Florida State University on the road Friday night, before falling in three sets. Scores of the sets were 17-25, 19-25, and 18-25.The Eagles return to action Sunday afternoon in Coral Gables, Fla. against UMiami at 1:00 p.m.

92a9a126a9839a6571af45540b161fe0

3entertainment

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus': It wasn't really banned in Boston

But a Christmas or two ago, I stumbled on a brand new (to me) holiday tale. According to many sources, including Wikipedia, the 1952 hit “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” was banned in Boston — or at least denounced by the Catholic Church. After 50 Christmases in Boston, I thought I knew the local holiday scene pretty well. Where to go for “Messiah” performances and carols; when a child (or grandchild) is the right age for “The Nutcracker”; why the city’s Christmas tree is a gift from the province of Nova Scotia. “Within a week of its release, the Archdiocese of Boston condemned ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ as immoral,” writes Ace Collins in his 2010 book “The Greatest Hits of Christmas.” Advertisement Versions of this story are all over the web. John Mellencamp, who covered the song in 1987, refers to the Boston ban on his website. On Dolly Parton’s Facebook page (she recorded the song in 2020), a fan mentions the ban. Even a Catholic news site recounts the tale. Get The Primary Source Globe Opinion's weekly take on politics, delivered every Wednesday. Enter Email Sign Up In the most dramatic telling, the benighted bishops don’t even realize that the Santa in the song is Daddy in costume — they think he’s an adulterous old elf on a booty call. According to Collins, the 13-year-old singer, Jimmy Boyd, was flown to Boston to enlighten the critics. “Cameras were on hand as the child explained to the church leader the song’s real punch line. This was not an affair — it was a father making the season magic for his children.” (How he’s “making magic” for a child who’s supposed to be “tucked up in my bedroom fast asleep” is not explained. In fact, this is really the dodgy bit of the song: Why is Daddy cosplaying Santa for an audience of one? Does Mommy have a thing for fake beards and jelly bellies?) Advertisement At any rate, it was probably the claim about the churchmen’s misunderstanding that tipped my curiosity into skepticism. Objecting to the song for “mixing sex with Christmas,” as one report put it, is plausible. A council of clergymen not getting the joke? Not so much. I decided to check it out, and the first place to check was obviously with the Boston Archdiocese itself. I was in luck there. The archivist at the time of my queries, Christina Stankewicz, was as curious as I was, and she combed both the church’s records and other online sources. She found no mentions of the alleged local flap at all, in the archdiocese files or elsewhere. If “cameras were on hand” for Jimmy Boyd’s visit, the photos were never printed. “The whole story seems fishy,” she emailed. “There would have been some sort of fanfare around a 13/14-year-old boy talking to church leaders” about his hit song. The Globe did run a couple of tiny news items about radio stations in other cities refusing to play the song. And at least one ban was authentic, if brief: UPI reported on Dec. 15, 1952, that WSAZ, a TV and radio outlet based in Huntington, West Virginia, had banned the tune. The stations’ vice president, L.H. Rogers, said the song breached a broadcasting code of the time: “It violates a provision against songs in which children describe parents’ misconduct, and implies an insult to Santa and the sacred occasion.” The audience did not agree, and the ban was lifted nine days later. Advertisement But in Boston, as far as we can tell, the reaction was . . . nothing. So why does our fair city get the blame when the (few) complaints came from elsewhere? Well, we don’t have to go back to our Puritan founders — so pure they made Christmas celebrations illegal — to figure it out. Boston worked hard at maintaining its reputation for prudery well into the 20th century. In December 1952, when “I Saw Mommy” was hitting the Billboard charts, the Harvard Crimson published a long report on the state of local censorship. At the time, the Massachusetts Advisory Committee on Juvenile Reading, a group of worthies from civic groups and churches, was empowered to rule on “dirty books.” As the Crimson reported, a member of the committee could say a word to the police, who would pass it on to the bookseller, “man to man,” and presto, the offending title would disappear. “It is censorship by ‘polite’ warning, and ‘helpful’ advice,” the article concluded. “It is highly effective.” This is the history that made “Banned in Boston” a phrase with its own Wikipedia page. And so, just as Mark Twain gets credit for witticisms of others, Boston is the logical target when someone decides to point fingers at bluenoses. It’s possible that someone who dimly remembered the West Virginia broadcast ban reframed the story as a Boston scandal. Exactly when that made it into print is still a mystery, but it appears as an aside (“even though the disc was banned in Boston”) in the San Bernardino Sun as early as 1979 — a clue that it was spreading before the internet’s rumor amplifier gave it a boost. Advertisement But it wasn’t until 2009, when Jimmy Boyd died, that the rumor made the big time. Obituaries in both The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times put the claim in print: “The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston condemned [the song] as mixing sex with Christmas,” wrote the New York Times reporter. The LA Times account was more cautious: “The Catholic Church condemned the song for implying even a tenuous link between sex and the religious holiday.” Those citations give the myth legitimacy: Now Wikipedia and Ace Collins have two respectable sources to cite, and the legend becomes “fact.” Do I think correcting the record will have any effect? No more than the Grinch (or the Puritans) could stop Christmas from coming; no amount of fact-checking can shut down a story people want to believe. But at least we can defend our town from this Christmas calumny: Whatever you think of the song, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” was never banned in Boston. This article was updated on Dec. 20 to add that the Globe printed brief stories about opposition to the song elsewhere. Jan Freeman, a former language columnist for Ideas, is a writer in Newton.

8568792f49607daff080c7af6bbb509d

6sports

Alex Verdugo calls out Alex Cora, Red Sox in first post-trade comments

Alex Verdugo, in his first interview since being traded by the Red Sox to the New York Yankees earlier this month, acknowledged that he was initially angered by news of the deal which took place on Dec. 5. “The genuine reaction was, you know, mad. I was hot,” said Verdugo in a Zoom call with New York reporters. “I was like, ‘Man, they really sent me to the rivals, the Yankees,’ this, that. Then after about a day, I started sitting back, thinking, just reminiscing about how this year went with the Red Sox, kind of everything that was going on. “Then I started thinking (about) having guys reach out: (Aaron) Judge, (Giancarlo) Stanton, Gerrit (Cole), then (Anthony) Rizzo. These guys all started reaching out and just welcoming me to the team. It just got me excited. I shaved right away, just so I could feel like I’m in it. I work out every day with a Yankee hat, to see how it looks on me, how it feels. Like I said before, fresh start and it feels good. “I just want to go to the organization. I just want to work hard and I want to prove, maybe, a lot of ‘he said, she said’ things wrong. I want to just show them, we’re all people, man, we’re all human. Yeah, we make mistakes. But how do we learn from them and bounce back from them and how much stronger do we get from that. I’m excited for this new fresh start. I want to win the World Series, but obviously, we’ve got to take it day-by-day.” Verdugo added that he’s excited to play for Yankee manager Aaron Boone, and in so doing, seemed to take a bit of a shot at former manager Alex Cora. “I’m very excited to work with Aaron,’' Verdugo said. “I’ve seen the way he has his players’ backs. The one that really (sticks) out to me is (the famous video of Boone arguing the strike zone in defense of his players) ‘These guys are savages!’ He’s yelling at the umpire. That’s something I want to see out of my head coach (sic), man. I want to see some fire, some fight for the guys. Instead of airing people out, have their backs. “I’m really excited for this fresh start and to kind of get with the guys and really just change the narrative, man — go out there work hard, play hard and just have fun. And that’s the biggest thing.” Cora and Verdugo, of course, had their moments during Verdugo’s career in Boston. Cora removed him from one game and benched him for the next one in Cleveland last spring because he felt Verdugo wasn’t running the bases hard. In August, Cora again benched Verdugo for reporting late for an afternoon game at Fenway, calling the experience “probably one of my worst days here in the organization.” Following four seasons in Boston, Verdugo will find himself on the other side of the rivalry that exists between the teams. “You feed into it,” he said. “As I was with the Red Sox, you really take it to heart. I feel like it’s a little bit of a switch-up, but I’m very excited to bring that same energy toward the Red Sox now. The mindset in New York — how people talk, they’re a little more aggressive and straight to the point. I like that, man. I enjoy it. And I think when they see me play every day and they see me bust my butt and work hard, I think they’ll like what they see.” While a visiting player with the Red Sox, Verdugo often engaged with the fans at Yankee Stadium and enjoyed the give-and-take. Now, Yankee Stadium will be his home and he looks forward to the experience. 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. (2 kB) https://saturdaytradition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GameSense-Icon-2.png espnbet.app.linkespnbet.app.link ESPN BET Explore our action packed sportsbook, loaded with exclusive odds boosts, custom offers and a suite of cutting-edge features. Fast load times, secure transactions and seamless navigation – ESPN BET serves up the ultimate online sports wagering experience. (20 kB) “I really don’t care about the tough crowd, the people talking smack like that,” he said. “I feed off of it. I like when people talk. At the end of the day, you want your fan base to have your back. You want them to support you. That means a lot and I do appreciate it. So far, from being with the Dodgers and being with the Red Sox, the fan bases have really been behind my back and made it super fun. “I know it’s going to be a little weird for some people, but hopefully some of the highlights can happen with the Yankees and you kind of start winning over the crowd.”

09d1e4206dcdb0b86e5856eb9e0634ae

3entertainment

How to watch MTVs Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta new episode for free Jan. 9

The 11th season of MTV’s “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” continues with a new episode this Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on the network. Those without cable can watch the new episode for free through Philo, DirecTV Stream or FuboTV, each of which offer a free trial to new users. “The cast includes Mimi Faust, the ex-girlfriend of Grammy-winning producer Stevie J; Trinidadian R&B singer Karlie Redd; ‘raptress’ Jessica Dime; and Atlanta rapper/entrepreneur Rasheeda,” FuboTV said in a description of the series. In the new episode, “after a tough year, things are taking a turn for the better for the Atlanta crew; Spice and Renni begin their journey to heal; Scrappy is single and ready to mingle; Karlie levels up to making hits; Sierra struggles with the end of her marriage.” How can I watch MTV’s “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” for free without cable? Those without cable can watch the new episode for free through either Philo, DirecTV Stream or FuboTV, each of which offer a free trial to new users. What is Philo? Philo is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers 60+ entertainment and lifestyle channels, like AMC, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and more, for the budget-friendly price of $25/month. What is DirecTV Stream? 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. What is FuboTV? FuboTV is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels, like sports, news, entertainment and local channels. It offers DVR storage space, and is designed for people who want to cut the cord, but don’t want to miss out on their favorite live TV and sports.

162cf34778907d58dda600767d95d24b

6sports

Pope Francis boys hockey coach Brian Foley handed one-year suspension for rules violation

The state’s high school athletic association has suspended Brian Foley, the longtime coach of the Pope Francis boys hockey team, for one year due to a rule violation. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association received a formal allegation against a member of the Pope Francis boys’ hockey program on Nov. 27.

ec11e5dd08df94c41979ea218db89c18

6sports

Celtics earn franchise-first offensive milestone in Lakers win

LOS ANGELES — The Celtics continue to pour it on offensively as they’ll come home to Boston after a 3-1 West Coast road trip. Jrue Holiday said they played pretty well, though he wishes they could’ve come away with four wins instead. Still, it was an impressive road trip as the Celtics dispatched multiple West playoff teams. After the Celtics beat the Lakers 126-115 on Christmas Day, they set a franchise-first with their fourth straight game of scoring 125-plus points, per the Celtics’ Taylor Snow. The C’s put up 126 points against the Warriors, 144 vs. the Kings then 145 in the Clippers victory before the 126 against the Lakers. 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. “Lately we’ve been starting to run a bit more, get out in transition a bit more,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “That makes a difference for us for sure. Even the games we have not been as quick to get out, we’re still effective in the halfcourt.” While the Celtics offense continues to impress, an impressive part of their game has been how they’ve still defended. There are still some lapses, but the Celtics’ overall effort has led to their NBA-best 23-6 record. Part of the Celtics’ equation, too, comes from their versatility on the offensive end. They have multiple former All-Stars as part of their top-6 rotation, and they’ve fit in well together. The final result has been an offense that can create mismatches seemingly at will. The C’s now get to return home briefly as they continue tacking onto their record. “It’s a triple win,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “One, we got the win. Two, we got to we get to work for the Celtics, one of the best organizations in any sport in the world and we get to play the Lakers on this day. And I think it’s a huge honor and we’ve got to be grateful for it. I thought the best way to do that is to compete at a high level. And so very grateful and honored to work in and represent the Celtics.”

53b623cfce159428d0afa77191e8bc51

4politics

Wu calls critics of 'electeds of color' party 'fearmongers'

Politics At MLK breakfast, Wu calls critics of ‘electeds of color’ party ‘fearmongers’ In follow-up comments on Tuesday, Wu took issue with the idea that talking about racial disparities in any context is inherently divisive. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu spoke during the 54th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast. Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe Speaking at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial breakfast at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on Monday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called out those who expressed outrage over her hosting a holiday party for elected officials of color. The party, which took place last month, generated national headlines after a member of Wu’s office accidentally sent an email invitation to all members of the Boston City Council. The staffer quickly apologized for the confusion, but a chain reaction had already started. The party is an annual tradition organized by an affinity group that represents elected officials of color across all levels of government in Boston, Wu said a few days later. She said that there was misinformation spread about that party and that there was a “political motive” behind the email mistake being leaked to the media. Advertisement: “I am tired of those fearmongers and mob baiters who fan the flames and call for unity,” she said at the MLK breakfast. “Viral outrage ricocheted internationally, as those who had never before cared about representation railed against this as exclusionary.” On Tuesday, Wu was asked about those comments during an appearance on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” “This is broader than government and politics. It’s connected to what we see happening in universities and academia, but it’s connected to lots of examples all across the business sector and in peoples’ daily lives, where there is a push to say ‘the way to not be divisive is in fact to never talk about race, to never bring up programs that should be specifically trying to address disparities, and essentially to pretend that any mention of racial inequities is dividing people further,’” Wu said on GBH. She said that politicians like her are often asked to “unite” people, but requests for them to do so are often simply calls to ignore efforts to proactively address diversity. “When they say ‘don’t divide us,’ it really means ‘don’t defy us,’” Wu said. Advertisement: There is a concerted push both locally and around the country by people who want to uphold the status quo, she said. This is manifested in calls to ban books, wrap curricula, and portray historical moments in a “distorted” way. Thinking about the legacy of Martin Luther King requires a commitment not just to peace and justice in a “warm and fuzzy way,” Wu said, but to concrete action. “That still requires a lot of work,” she said.

bdedf312084e24b215d404bd6f0ffe58

6sports

Celtics rookie describes unforgettable NBA debut

BOSTON — When Jordan Walsh checked into Wednesday’s win over the Spurs, the TD Garden fans knew the magnitude of the situation. While the game was a blowout and hundreds of fans were already gone, those who stuck around made sure to cheer loudly for Walsh’s NBA debut. It wasn’t just that first moment. Every time Walsh touched the ball — even for a split-second — C’s fans made some noise for the 19-year-old rookie. And when Walsh put up the 3-pointer with 47 seconds left, the crowd was ready to explode. It didn’t quite go in, but Walsh still reflected on the experience. “I definitely could,” Walsh said of feeling the crowd. “Soon as I was open, the ball started heading towards me and everyone started screaming. I may have been a little nervous. But it’s all part of the game. But I was definitely excited.” 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. Walsh finally got some NBA action after spending the majority of the season in Maine suiting up for the G-League version of the C’s. There, he’s averaged 16.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in eight games — notably, he’s also shooting 40.8% on 6.1 3-pointers a game. The rookie was selected 38th overall in last year’s draft, so he’s the lone rookie on the Celtics. At this point, minutes are going to be hard to come by with the C’s boasting such a loaded roster. So that’s why Walsh is getting meaningful reps at the G-League level. He doesn’t turn 20 until March, so there’s plenty of development in his future as a pro. “There’s definitely been improvements, I feel like,” Walsh said. “If you go that long without getting any better, you’re not really going very hard. I definitely feel like I’ve improved a little bit. The guys around me have made it so easy for me. The coaches have made it easy for me. Even when I’m in Maine, they’re up in Boston still, texting me, coming to games, stuff like that.” Walsh has had a few stints being around with the NBA club even if he didn’t play, like during Christmas where his family also got to come hang out with him. Otherwise, the improvements have come from behind the scenes as he looks to transform into a contributor down the line. So Wednesday was the first step in what the Celtics and Walsh hope will be a long, fruitful NBA career. Walsh finished with four rebounds in his three minutes Wednesday. While there weren’t any points or fireworks, Walsh was plenty of appreciative of playing in front of the Garden crowd. “For me personally, it’s been easy knowing that I’m in the best team, the best organization there is in the NBA right now,” Walsh said. “So, keeping that in my mind, knowing that the time is coming, it’s a process for everybody. I’m just at this point in my process, and hopefully by the end of this process, I’ll be where I want to be. And that’s kind of like how I approach every day, just wanting to get to that final end goal.”

7e5f2b2834fce480aa168611f192b5f9

5science

2 Masterpieces Reveal the Big Bang Moment of Our Art Universe

One room in Contarini’s home displayed the lovely “St. Francis” he’d bought: 50 years on, it still ranked as one of the great portrayals of the holy man. But for all the spiritual heft of that picture, Contarini doesn’t seem to have used it for any prayerful purpose, the way its first owner must have. The collector added it to walls hung with other paintings that could hardly have had less to do with the sacred: Neighboring the “St. Francis” was a Giorgione that illustrated the classical tale of Paris, the Trojan prince, being abandoned in the wilderness as a babe. (We now know that work through copies.) It seems likely that Contarini paired the two paintings because they were about the same size and because both could be admired for their wild landscapes, and for the rivalry they set up between mentor and mentee. In a room nearby, Contarini placed another Bellini, of Christ carrying the cross, and again the collector paired sacred with secular: That Christ hung near two portraits of contemporary women that Contarini almost certainly bought for their art appeal, not because he cared much about their sitters, as earlier owners of portraits would have done. Even more surprising, Bellini’s Christ kept company with three of Venice’s famous courtesans, portrayed in another recent painting. Contarini used this room to compare the latest in people-pictures — even if one of these people was the son of God. And then there was a final space in Contarini’s collection that had a more miscellaneous grouping: a painting of horses, another Trojan scene, and finally “The Three Philosophers” that has settled this fall at the Frick. At first glance, that canvas might have come across as yet another sacred picture. Giorgione’s “Philosophers” has hallmarks of earlier Nativity scenes: Three “wise” men, dressed in what was considered exotic “Eastern” clothing and holding astronomers’ tools and diagrams, stand near the kind of cave that had played manger in some earlier pictures of Christ’s birth. But Mary and the Christ Child are nowhere in sight, and in their absence no one has been able to pin down who the painting’s three figures are supposed to be — wise art historians have suggested possibilities ranging from the prophet Abraham to Pythagoras, by way of a Turkish sultan and Giorgione himself. But the puzzle itself may be a crucial clue to what’s going on. Even an art-loving contemporary of Giorgione’s couldn’t hit on the painting’s subject when he took some notes on Contarini’s collection in 1525. Leading us to our current title, he described the scene as “three philosophers out in nature, two of them standing and one, seated, who is considering the sun’s rays.” (A setting or maybe rising sun glows gorgeous on the horizon.) And it could be that not fully revealing his subject was the painter’s goal — that he was aiming for precisely the puzzlement and pondering that are hallmarks of the way fine art went on to work in Western culture. That note taker was a minor Venetian nobleman named Marcantonio Michiel, and he lets us know that “The Three Philosophers” was only begun by Giorgione — he died of the plague in 1510, in his 30s — to then be finished by his follower Sebastiano del Piombo. As the art historian Charles Hope has pointed out, it’s possible to spot Sebastiano’s stylings on the surface we see today. And sure enough, X-rays hint that the painting started out with more legible, explicitly wise-man-ish gear on its figures, only to see that detail toned down to yield the puzzling ambiguity we’re left with now. It’s as though, in finishing the painting, the younger man was bringing it even more fully in line with that new thing we call “art” that was just then coming to be.

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6sports

Former Celtics big man responds to Boston reunion trade rumors

The odds of the Celtics landing Kelly Olynyk in a trade over the next month would seem to be very long. The big man is earning just over $11 million in salary this season, making a potential salary match in a trade extremely challenging. However, that has not stopped Boston from keeping tabs on the big man according to a report from Marc Stein on Substack. Olynyk was back in Boston for a Jazz matchup with the Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden and responded to rumors of Boston’s interest leading up to the trade deadline. “I’ve heard it. It’s kind of like, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’” Olynyk told reporters Friday morning at Utah’s shootaround. “If you’re in Utah or Boston, you put your best foot forward and try to help that organization succeed and accomplish their goals. If it happens in Utah, that’s where my focus is. If it happens somewhere else, that’s where my focus will shift to.” 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. Olynyk is in the midst of an expiring deal making him a likely sell candidate for Danny Ainge and Utah. However, Utah’s turnaround of late may impact just how much Utah is willing to sell at least from a timing standpoint. The team had won seven of their last ten games entering Friday night, putting them just one game behind the Lakers for the final spot in the Western Conference Play-in tournament. Figuring out what Utah’s motives are with Olynyk and their other players on expiring contracts will be intriguing in the coming weeks but don’t look for the Celtics to be able to make a run at Olynyk. That type of trade would require Boston to include Payton Pritchard and at least three other bench players to even match salaries for the deal. That type of shakeup to the bench unit seems unlikely for a Boston squad that has started the year with a 26-7 record. “I think every year around this time you’re looking at, OK, how do we improve to give ourselves our best chance?” Brad Stevens said Thursday. “And I think there are different ways to do it. Obviously you can improve from within and we can get better at what we do on both ends of the court and hopefully make strides individually in how we fit together. And then you can improve from free agency or trades or whatever. I do think that the key to us is going to be improvement from within.”

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0business

Sale closed in North Chatham: $1.3 million for a three-bedroom home

A 2,083-square-foot house built in 1985 has changed hands. The spacious property located at 193 Northgate Road in North Chatham was sold on Nov. 9, 2023, for $1,285,000, or $617 per square foot. The layout of this two-story home includes three bedrooms and three baths. The home's outer design showcases a a gable roof frame, with roofing materials crafted from asphalt. The property is equipped with hot water heating and a cooling system. Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include: A 1,236-square-foot home at 134 Northgate Road in North Chatham sold in April 2022, for $900,000, a price per square foot of $728. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. In September 2023, a 3,275-square-foot home on North Skyline Drive in Chatham sold for $1,640,000, a price per square foot of $501. The home has 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. On North Skyline Drive, Chatham, in March 2022, a 2,699-square-foot home was sold for $1,650,000, a price per square foot of $611. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 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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3entertainment

Hulu closes in on Amanda Knox series produced by Monica Lewinsky, Warren Littlefield

Hulu is moving in on its next limited series. According to Deadline, author and activist Amanda Knox — who was wrongfully convicted for the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher — is telling her story in an unnamed limited series about her conviction and its aftermath. Knox is also set to executive produce the series alongside Emmy-winning producer Warren Littlefield and Monica Lewinsky, the outlet said. Cast members, like who will play Knox, has not been announced yet. Read more: Singer Mary Lambert treads the national and local stage It also will be written and executive produced by write KJ Steinberg. The series had been on Hulu’s radar for some time when Lewinsky teased it in an October appearance on “Today” about a PSA campaign on self-bullying. “I wish it were announced already, but I’m executive producing a limited series that’s on another young woman who found her life decimated and ripped apart on the world stage, but she somehow managed to survive,” she said. “I think it’s going to be really powerful and hopefully they’ll announce it soon.” While a release date has not been announced, viewers can watch the show on Hulu when it premieres. Viewers can do so with a Hulu subscription. A Hulu subscription with ads starts at just $7.99 a month and offers a 30-day free trial for new users. A subscription with no ads is $14.99 a month, also with a free trial.

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2culture

Opinion | Is South Korea Disappearing?

For some time now, South Korea has been a striking case study in the depopulation problem that hangs over the developed world. Almost all rich countries have seen their birthrates settle below replacement level, but usually that means somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 children per woman. For instance, in 2021 the United States stood at 1.7, France at 1.8, Italy at 1.3 and Canada at 1.4. But South Korea is distinctive in that it slipped into below-replacement territory in the 1980s but lately has been falling even more — dropping below one child per woman in 2018 to 0.8 after the pandemic and now, in provisional data for the second and third quarters of 2023, to just 0.7 births per woman. It’s worth unpacking what that means. A country that sustained a birthrate at that level would have, for every 200 people in one generation, 70 people in the next one, a depopulation exceeding what the Black Death delivered to Europe in the 14th century. Run the experiment through a second generational turnover, and your original 200-person population falls below 25. Run it again, and you’re nearing the kind of population crash caused by the fictional superflu in Stephen King’s “The Stand.” By the standards of newspaper columnists, I am a low-birthrate alarmist, but in some ways I consider myself an optimist. Just as the overpopulation panic of the 1960s and 1970s mistakenly assumed that trends would simply continue upward without adaptation, I suspect a deep pessimism about the downward trajectory of birthrates — the kind that imagines a 22nd-century America dominated by the Amish, say — underrates human adaptability, the extent to which populations that flourish amid population decline will model a higher-fertility future and attract converts over time.

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7weather

High Wind Warning For Weekend Storm Across MA

Weather High Wind Warning For Weekend Storm Across MA A gale warning has already been issued for coastal areas of Massachusetts, which could see gusts up to 60 miles per hour or even higher. "A strong frontal system has the potential to bring a period of heavy rain, strong southerly winds and coastal flooding along the south coast late Sunday into Monday." - National Weather Service (Shutterstock) MASSACHUSETTS — Holiday revelers will have to hold onto their hats Sunday afternoon into Monday with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour or higher possible for Cape Ann, Cape Cod and the Southcoast during a period of heavy rain. "There is the potential for some of the stronger winds to mix down during convective showers," the National Weather Service said on Friday morning. A gale warning has been issued for coastal areas of Massachusetts. A nice Friday and warm and mostly quiet Saturday with temperatures in the 50s will give way to a stormy Sunday with showers developing in the afternoon and the winds whipping up from the south at night. "A strong frontal system has the potential to bring a period of heavy rain, strong southerly winds and coastal flooding along the south coast late Sunday into Monday," the National Weather Service said in its latest forecast "A few snow showers across northwest Massachusetts are possible Monday afternoon and evening as the system departs." The Monday morning commute could be a messy one with high winds and rain persisting through the morning before a colder shot of air may bring some snow showers closer to Boston. Next week is looking seasonable with temperatures in the 40s — normal for this time of year in southern and central New England — and little chance of rain or snow. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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7weather

Dense Fog Over Boston Looks Straight Out Of Horror Flick As Skyscrapers Vanish In Mist

Eastern as well as Central and Western Mass continued to receive warnings about the dense fog shortly after 3 p.m. The National Weather Service said in a special weather statement: “Visibilities are expected to drop into the one-half to 2 mile range in many locations, although some areas may experience visibilities of one-quarter mile or less. A Dense Fog Advisory may be issued if visibilities drop to one-quarter mile or less across a large portion of the area.Be prepared for sudden changes in visibility in foggy areas. Use low beam headlights and keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you.” The week between Christmas and New Year’s is looking to be pretty wet, with scattered showers through Wednesday morning, Dec. 27, and rainfall going into the afternoon and evening. Thursday, Dec. 28, and Friday, Dec. 29, will see a 50 percent chance of rain in the evening with mostly cloudy skies, according to the NWS. Social media users couldn’t get enough of the dense fog in Boston. The fog also caused some delays at Boston’s Logan Airport. Click here to follow Daily Voice Suffolk and receive free news updates.

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6sports

Red Sox rival made significant offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto (report)

With Shohei Ohtani off the free agent market, many have turned their attention to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Japanese pitcher has been linked to several teams, including the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, the latter of which reportedly made their pitch in hopes to bring Yamamoto to the Bronx. The Yankees “made a significant bid on Yamamoto,” the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported Thursday, noting the team hasn’t been informed of a decision one way or another. It’s unclear when the 25-year-old will decide on a team, but another report suggested teams are being told they’re no longer in the running for Yamamoto. 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. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area confirmed the San Francisco Giants are no longer in the running, and were told as much Thursday. Pavlovic added he was told the “expectation” is he will end up in either New York or Los Angeles. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Yamamoto has “at least” one offer of at least $300 million. Yamamoto would certainly add a boost to any team’s pitching corps. The Red Sox would be wise to add in that department, especially after finishing the 2023 MLB season 22nd among teams in starter ERA with a 4.68. The right-hander went 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA and 0.86 WHIP across 171 innings for the Orix Buffaloes last season. Teams have until 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 4 to sign Yamamoto to a deal.

f20a42a4974c9b42933961562b73983a

6sports

Celtics vs. Knicks: Free live stream, TV, how to watch

BOSTON — When the Celtics were down 19 points going into halftime, there was some grumbling coming from the TD Garden faithful. The C’s played arguably their worst half of the season, so the complaints weren’t exactly surprising. But as the Celtics put together their comeback effort in the second half, the Garden crowd exploded. While the C’s had to put together a huge effort to beat the Pistons in overtime, that’s what happens in the NBA. And Kristaps Porzingis credited the Celtics fans who showed up Thursday. “The crowd tonight was unbelievable,” Porzingis said. “I love the contrast, especially the atmosphere from the first to second half. And I think the best part about it is it’s not as much maybe about us making the shots, but us playing hard. That’s what the fans appreciate and that was really cool to see.” 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 Celtics were far from perfect against a desperate Pistons squad that had lost 27 straight games. Detroit built up a 21-point lead in the first half, which is why the Celtics fans grew restless and nervous. But the C’s regrouped in the second half quickly as coach Joe Mazzulla said they were given an opportunity to show off some mental toughness. While everyone expected a blowout Celtics victory, Thursday was another data point that unexpected results happen at times in the league. One-game sample sizes tend to have that happen as the Pistons made shots in the first half, and they also crashed the offensive glass often. Cade Cunningham impressed early as he led the charge against the Celtics. But, importantly, the Celtics showed off their meddle facing the pesky Pistons. They won’t always be able to out-talent their opponents, which was the case Thursday. So the Celtics upped their intensity and play as the comeback started from their effort level. In turn, Celtics fans were more than happy to cheer on their squad. “I think we all just kind of looked at each other and Joe came in and we knew without words being said,” Porzingis said of halftime. “We knew we would have to come out with a different kind of mindset, different kind of energy in the second and have each other’s back and trust each other. And I think Joe said the right words for us and that was it. Came out looking like a different team.”

6bf523ce4e54409e39b7856da10883c5

6sports

Eagles vs. Seahawks: Watch Monday NIght Football for free

Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks enter their Monday night contest with the same goal in mind - stop the bleeding. The Eagles are coming off rare back-to-back losses, which has allowed the Dallas Cowboys to join them atop the NFC East. But even at 10-3, and a playoff berth all but insured, the Eagles still want to right the ship. Counting Seattle, the Eagles won’t play a team with a winning record in any of their final four games. Basically, they are still in the driver’s seat when it comes to winning the division and earning the No. 1 seed in the conference. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, however, missed practice late in the week with an illness and is listed as “questionable.” Marcus Mariota would get the start if Hurts is unable to play. As for the Seahawks, they’ve lost four straight and are in danger of missing the playoffs. At 6-7, they can certainly help their chances with a win over the Eagles. Drew Lock started last week, but Geno Smith, who is dealing with a groin injury, could return. 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. 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: Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks When: Monday night, 8 p.m. ET Where: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington 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: The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles became the first game to be flexed from a Sunday to Monday as the matchup has major playoff implications for both teams. The Eagles have lost two straight and with that lost their lead in the NFC East after last week’s blowout loss at Dallas. But Philadelphia can clinch a playoff berth with a victory. The Seahawks are scuffling through the first four-game losing streak of Pete Carroll’s tenure after last week’s loss at San Francisco. The Seahawks haven’t lost five straight since the 2008 season, but are hopeful of having QB Geno Smith back after missing last week’s game. EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: Keep an eye on QB Jalen Hurts. Hurts has lost consecutive starts for the first time since 2021. Against Dallas, he had his first game of the season without a touchdown. He went just 18 of 27 passing for 197 yards and 30 rushing yards. The Eagles have lost consecutive games by 20-plus points for the first time since 2015 when Chip Kelly was coach. Hurts has played through a bruised left knee and needed a concussion check in a blowout loss to the Niners. Hurts may have lost confidence in some of his receivers. He only targeted A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert in his 27 passing attempts. SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR DK Metcalf has enjoyed his two previous games against the Eagles. In the 2019 playoffs, Metcalf had seven catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. The following season, he had 10 catches for 177 yards in a regular-season victory. Metcalf was in the spotlight last week for his retaliation on San Francisco’s Fred Warner that led to a minor scuffle and ejection late in the loss to the 49ers. He had only two catches against the Niners and Seattle could use another big game from him against the Eagles. KEY MATCHUP: Can the Eagles offense get back on track against Seattle’s porous defense? Philadelphia’s offense has not looked right the past two weeks against San Francisco and Dallas. The Eagles’ only touchdown in the loss to the Cowboys was a defensive score. But Seattle could be the get-right game for Philly. The Seahawks gave up 527 yards and 9.94 yards per play last week to San Francisco. Only Miami in its 70-point outburst against Denver averaged more yards per play in a single game this season. KEY INJURIES: Philadelphia is mostly healthy going into the game, although S Reed Blankenship left last week’s game with a concussion. Seattle QB Geno Smith was expected to return to practice after missing last week’s game with a groin injury. Rookie CB Devon Witherspoon (hip) won’t have his status determined until closer to game day. SERIES NOTES: The Seahawks have won seven straight and nine of the past 10 in the series going back to 2005. Only two of the nine wins during that span have been by six points or fewer. The past three wins have all come in Philadelphia, including the 2019 wild-card playoff victory. STATS AND STUFF: Matchup became the first NFL game flexed from a Sunday to Monday under the league’s new broadcast agreements. The Patriots and Chiefs was the originally scheduled Monday night game … The Eagles have not lost three straight since the first month with Nick Sirianni in charge back during the 2021 season. … The Eagles can clinch a playoff spot with a win. A win would guarantee the Eagles at least the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, and keep the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in play. The Eagles would win the division with victories in their final four games. … QB Jalen Hurts can become the third QB in league history with nine games in a single season with a passing TD and rushing TD in the same game. The others are Josh Allen (2023) and Kyler Murray (2020). … D’Andre Swift is fourth in the league with 822 yards rushing, which is already a career high. … WR DeVonta Smith has caught at least five passes in four straight games. … LB Haason Reddick had two sacks last week and has 11 on the season. Reddick has had at least 11 sacks in four straight seasons. … Rookie DT Jalen Carter accounted for the Eagles only touchdown in the loss to Dallas with a fumble returned for a score. … The Seahawks on a four-game losing streak for the first time in Pete Carroll’s tenure and the first time since losing the last four games of the 2009 season. Seattle’s last five-game losing streak was 2008 when the Seahawks lost six straight and finished 4-12. … The Seahawks are hopeful QB Geno Smith (groin) will be able to start after missing last week’s game. Smith needs 82 yards passing to reach 3,000 in a season for the third time in his career. … QB Drew Lock made his first start since being acquired by the Seahawks before the 2022 season against the Niners. Lock was 22 of 31 for 269 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. … WR DK Metcalf has four touchdown catches in the past two games. Metcalf needs 36 yards receiving to become the third player with 900 yards and five or more TDs in each of their first five seasons. … WR Tyler Lockett needs two catches to become the second player in franchise history with 600 receptions. … Recently acquired DT Leonard Williams has had a sack in two straight games. He has not had a sack in three straight games since the middle of the 2021 season. … LB Bobby Wagner leads the NFC with 132 tackles. … SS Jamal Adams has not had a sack since Week 15 of the 2020 season. FANTASY TIP: The Seahawks secondary has been picked apart recently, twice by San Francisco and once by Dallas. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith could both be in for big games against the 25th ranked team at stopping the pass. The Associated Press contributed to this article

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3entertainment

Golden Globes red carpet photos: See Margot Robbie, Taylor Swift

Here are a few pop-up restaurants worth checking out in Rhode Island this month. PROVIDENCE — January is supposed to be the quietest month for the dining world, yet pop-up restaurants are not slowing down. Chefs are popping up with experimental tasting menus and their food trucks at local breweries, inside existing taverns and dive bars, and in other spots across Rhode Island. BURMESE FOODS AND TRIVIA Nanu, a food truck and restaurant, serves traditional Burmese food like coconut milk noodle soup, bento boxes and more, at various trivia nights throughout the state. What they’ll be serving: Dishes such as mohinga, chicken aloo curry rice boxes, and bento boxes. The menu rotates regularly, so check their Facebook page or Instagram for the latest weekly specials. Advertisement Specifics: Starting Jan. 3, and for every Wednesday in January, Nanu will be popping up at Long Live Beer Works at 40R Sprague St. in Providence, R.I., from 4 to 8 p.m. (trivia starts at 7 p.m.). Cheesesteak Sandwich. Tom McCorkle/For The Washington Post PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS, BUT IN NARRAGANSETT Philadelphia transplant Julie Couchey is launching pop-up Jawn’s in Narragansett, where she and her husband Dean will be serving Philly cheesesteaks each week this month starting Jan. 6. What they’ll be serving: Classic Philly cheesesteaks for $14 to $16 with various kinds of fries (classic, cheese fries, and cheesesteak fries). They’ll have chicken, beef, and both vegan and vegetarian options. Specifics: From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6, at The Tavern at 140 Point Judith Road in Narragansett, R.I. After that, the Coucheys will be cooking Philly cheesesteaks every weekend in January, starting on Thursdays and ending on Sundays, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Watch for updates on Jawn’s Instagram. A Rhode Island-style clam chowder from Dune Brothers. Dune Brothers CHOWDER, LOBSTER ROLLS, WINTER BREWS Seafood shack Dune Brothers closed for the season shortly after Thanksgiving, and won’t reopen their Dyer Street location until sometime in March. Yet, you won’t have to wait that long to taste their fresh catches. From Jan. 11 to Jan. 14, Dune Brothers will have a mini “residency” at Narragansett Brewery in Providence. Advertisement What they’ll be serving: Classic New England seafood dishes including lobster rolls, chowder, little necks, mussels, and whole scup. Specifics: From 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11; 2 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12 and Saturday, Jan. 13; and from 1 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14 at Narragansett Brewery at 271 Tockwotton St. in Providence, R.I. Bonus: Dune Brothers is also collaborating with the Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative at Fresh Harvest Kitchen where they’ll be cooking rock crab on Jan. 24 from 3 to 6 p.m. at 9 East Ave. in Westerly, R.I. Crispy chicken sandwiches from Nimki, a pop-up restaurant based in Providence, R.I. Nikhil Naiker NIMKI AT COURTLAND CLUB Nikhil Naiker, who previously cooked at the now-shuttered Fortnight Wine Bar, has been popping up around the state under the name Nimki. In 2023, he hosted a popular crispy chicken sandwich pop-up at The Royal Bobcat bar in Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood, an evening series at Bolt Coffee, and he collaborated with chefs like Luke Mersfelder of Bywater in Warren, R.I. Naiker is known to use New England seafood to showcase Fijian Indian flavors, serving delicious crudos, whole roasted mackerel, and pickling methods like achaar to bring out the flavors of local produce. To kick off his pop-ups this year, Naiker will head to Courtland Club on Jan. 11. Advertisement What they’ll be serving: Naiker will be hosting the second iteration of “Crispy Cream” where he’ll be serving fried chicken and other crispy items, while Big Feeling, an ice cream and sorbet pop-up, will be serving creamy desserts. Stay tuned on his Instagram for a menu drop. Specifics: Thursday, Jan. 11, at 5 p.m. at Courtland Club at 51 Courtland St. in Providence. Marcelino’s grits and gravy. Lane Turner/Globe Staff BRUNCH, BITES, AND BEERS Adena “Bean” Marcelino, the owner of Black Beans, has long been planning her restaurant opening at the Southside Community Land Trust’s new Healthy Food Hub on Broad Street in Providence — which could open in the beginning of March. In the meantime, Marcelino will be hosting one of her tasting menus alongside a beer pairing with Long Live Beerworks. What they’ll be serving: Each ticket includes five courses of brunch-inspired bites like spent grain parfait, sweet and sour glazed pork with creamy eggs, chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits. Alongside these plates, Long Live Beerworks will be pouring five four-ounce beer pairings. Both Marcelino and someone from Long Live Beer Works will be guiding the tasting. Specifics: Sunday, Jan. 14, starting at noon at Long Live Beerworks at 40R Sprague St. in Providence, R.I. Tickets are $45 each. Rhode Island Spirits, the company that owns the brand "Rhodium," in bottles seen here on shelves at the distillery. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff CHEESE AND COCKTAIL PAIRINGS Fromage pros Casey and Adrienne D’Arconte, who own the Cranston’s Edgewood Cheese Shop, are collaborating with the distillers at Rhode Island Spirits (which owns the Rhodium brand) for a tasting event of cheese and liquor. Advertisement What they’ll be serving: Tickets include three miniature cocktails from Rhode Island Spirits and three cheeses from Edgewood. Additional cocktails will be available for an added cost. Specifics: Wednesday, Jan. 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rhode Island Spirits Distillery at 40 Bayley St. in Pawtucket, R.I. Tickets are $40 each. Chef Calvin Eng prepares Food Network's New York City Wine & Food Festival in October 2023. Chance Yeh/Getty Images for NYCWFF BROOKLYN’S BONNIES... BUT AT GIFT HORSE Gift Horse opened with a splash in 2023, and is already planning some exciting collaborations and guest chef event series in 2024. On Jan. 29, Gift Horse will welcome award-winning chef Calvin Eng of Bonnie’s, a Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn. The restaurant made The New York Times’ Restaurant List in 2022, was named one of the best new restaurants to open that year by Bon Appétit, and Eng was named one of the best new chefs of the year by Food & Wine. What they’ll be serving: Eng will help take over Gift Horse’s kitchen. Expect some fun dishes where he allows his Cantonese roots to shine. Specifics: Monday, Jan. 29, at 5 p.m. at Gift Horse at 272 Westminster St. in Providence, R.I. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations should be booked for large parties. Utility is a new kitchen goods store in Middletown, R.I. where function meets aesthetics. Utility A SIP AND SHOP Utility, a kitchen goods store that opened in late 2023 by the same team behind Thames Street Kitchen and Mission Group, is hosting a “Sip and Shop” event on Monday, Jan. 29. Those who attend will receive a 10 percent discount on any goods they purchase at Utility. Advertisement What they’ll be serving: Tiny Bar will be serving cocktails with a zero proof mocktail option, Little Bird Wellbeing will be offering donation-based 10-minute massages, and Black Leaf will be selling and sampling tea blends. There will be hors d’oeuvres, but those will be announced at a later date. Specifics: Monday, Jan. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Utility at 58 Aquidneck Ave. in Middletown R.I. Know of another great pop-up taking place in January or February in Rhode Island? Email the details to alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.

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4politics

Husband of Israeli-American woman with CT ties who was released by Hamas was killed in October attack: official

A day after a woman who has family in Connecticut was released by Hamas in an exchange of prisoners, officials said her husband was killed during the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. Liat Beinin was released on Wednesday after being kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz in October. She is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen with family in Waterford, Connecticut, according to the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut. On Thursday, Congressman Joe Courtney released a statement saying that Beinin’s husband, Aviv Atzili, was killed in the attack. “Today’s news that Liat Beinin’s husband, Aviv Atzili, was killed by Hamas attackers at the Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 is heartbreaking and infuriating. The willful inability of Hamas to account for its despicable assault left Aviv’s family totally in the dark about his whereabouts over the last seven weeks. The relief Liat and her family in Israel and Connecticut experienced upon her release is now buried in grief. As Liat’s father powerfully stated, ‘Revenge, anger – certainly not religious fanaticism—are not parts of a viable agenda to end this nonsense in the Middle East. This can’t go on like this,’” Courtney said in a statement. Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters. Courtney said Beinin's family members are active in the eastern Connecticut Jewish community. The Associated Press reports that Liat is an Israeli-American teacher who volunteered to give tours at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance center, certain that she could reach visitors with her positive attitude and flawless English. Aviv was an artist and mechanic who kept the farm machinery at Kibbutz Nir Oz in tip-top shape and used old equipment as a canvas for his paintings, the AP reports. Liat and Aviv, both 49, met as youth counselors. After completing their military service, they traveled for three years, visiting India and Australia, where they married. Returning to Israel, they settled at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where they raised three children.

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1crime

Lawyer for Springfield cop accused of stun-gunning pregnant woman argues boyfriend lied for her

SPRINGFIELD — Newly filed records in U.S. District Court say a man lied about his girlfriend being pregnant at her behest after she was tased in 2020 by a Springfield cop. Stephen Blanchard is doing a turnabout and seeking his own attorney to protect his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

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0business

Six-bedroom home sells for $3.2 million in Westwood

A spacious house built in 2002 located at 142 Gay Street in Westwood has new owners. The 6,136-square-foot property was sold on Dec. 8, 2023 for $3,150,000, or $513 per square foot. The property features six bedrooms, six baths, an underground garage, and three parking spaces. It sits on a 2.0-acre lot. These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:

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3entertainment

Live Wire: Tom Rush makes Northampton stop

Tom Rush will play the BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity in Northampton on Dec. 3 Rush helped shape the folk revival in the 1960s by introducing the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor before they were well known. His own musical career began in the early ‘60s playing the Boston-area clubs while going to Harvard. Taylor once said to Rolling Stone magazine that “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences,” which is a view that was echoed by country music star Garth Brooks. The show, which will also feature acclaimed pianist Matt Nakoa, starts at 7 p.m.

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4politics

North Korea launches suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile that can reach distant U.S. bases

World News North Korea launches suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile that can reach distant U.S. bases The Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launch a provocation that poses a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula. A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, in its first missile launch this year, as the North is expected to further raise regional animosities in an election year for its rivals South Korea and the United States. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) SEOUL, South Korea (A.P.) — North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, South Korea’s military said, two months after the North claimed to have tested engines for a new harder-to-detect missile capable of striking distant U.S. targets in the region. The launch was the North’s first this year. Experts say North Korea could ramp up its provocative missile tests as a way to influence the results of South Korea’s parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected the launch of a ballistic missile of an intermediate-range class from the North’s capital region on Sunday afternoon. It said the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Advertisement: The Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launch a provocation that poses a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula. It said South Korea’s military will maintain its readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations by North Korea. The South Korean assessment suggests North Korea could have launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, whose solid-fuel engine it said it had tested in mid-November. The missile is mainly designed to hit U.S. military bases in the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, which is about 3,400 kilometers (2,110 miles) from Pyongyang, the North’s capital. With a range adjustment, the missile can also be used to attack closer targets — the U.S. military installations in Japan’s Okinawa island, according to Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy in Seoul. Built-in solid propellants make missile launches harder to detect than liquid-fueled missiles, which must be fueled before launch and cannot last long. North Korea has a growing arsenal of solid-fuel short-range missiles targeting South Korea, but its existing Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile is powered by liquid-fuel engines. Japan’s Defense Ministry said its analysis showed the missile traveled at least 500 kilometers (300 miles) at the maximum altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles), data that suggests North Korea may have fired a short-range and not an intermediate-range missile. Advertisement: Japan and South Korea said they closely exchanged information about the launch with the United States, but they didn’t immediately explain the discrepancy in data. The last time North Korea performed a missile launch that was publicly announced was Dec. 18, when it test-fired its Hwasong-18 solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, the North’s most advanced weapon. The Hwasong-18 is the country’s only known solid-fuel ICBM and it’s designed to strike the mainland U.S. On Jan. 5, North Korea fired a barrage of artillery shells near the disputed western sea boundary with South Korea, prompting South Korea to conduct similar firing exercises in the same area. South Korea accused North Korea of continuing similar artillery barrage in the area for the next two days. The site is where the navies of the two Koreas have fought three bloody sea battles since 1999, and attacks blamed on North Korea killed 50 South Koreans in 2010. In recent days, North Korea has also been escalating its warlike, inflammatory rhetoric against its foes ahead of an election year in South Korea, and the U.S. Leader Kim Jong Un, during visits last week to munitions factories, called South Korea “our principal enemy” and threatened to annihilate it if provoked. Advertisement: Experts say Kim likely wants to see South Korean liberals win the election and pursue rapprochement with North Korea, and for former U.S. President Donald Trump to be elected again. They say Kim may believe he could win U.S. concessions like sanctions relief if Trump returns to the White House. Negotiations over North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal have been dormant since the Kim-Trump diplomacy broke down in 2019. Kim has since focused on enlarging his nuclear and missile arsenals in what foreign analysts think is an effort to boost his leverage. In recent months, North Korea has also been expanding its military and other cooperation with Russia. The U.S. government said it has evidence that missiles provided by North Korea to Russia had been used in the war in Ukraine. In a joint statement last week, the U.S., South Korea and their partners said the missile transfer supports Russia’s war of aggression and provides North Korea with valuable technical and military insights. North Korea and Russia announced Sunday that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday at the invitation of her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. “Pyongyang’s show of force should be of concern beyond Seoul, as its military cooperation with Moscow adds to the violence in Ukraine, and because it may be more willing to challenge the U.S. and its allies while global attention is fixed on the Middle East,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Advertisement: Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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7weather

Massachusetts weather: Possible flooding, heavy rains and wind expected Sunday

Massachusetts is in for some hectic weather in the next several days. Following this weekend’s snowstorm, which is expected to pummel much of the state with close to 10 inches of snow, the commonwealth will be hit with another powerful storm Tuesday, forecasters said. The multi-faceted storm system is slated to impact southern New England late Tuesday into Wednesday. Massachusetts is expected to experience damaging winds, heavy rainfall and coastal and river flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Before Tuesday, Massachusetts residents will see significant snowfall throughout the state Saturday and Sunday. A winter storm warning is expected to remain in effect from 4 p.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Monday, with forecasters warning of snow accumulations of as much as 8 to 12 inches, wind gusts as high as 35 mph and a potential flash freeze that could complicate people’s travel plans, the weather service said. Western, central and northeastern parts of the state — such as Springfield, Worcester and Lawrence — should receive 8 to 12 inches of snowfall. In western Berkshire County, eastern sections of the Pioneer Valley, Boston and northern Bristol and Plymouth counties, 6 to 8 inches are likely, and closer to the Cape and Islands, lesser amounts of 6 to zero inches are expected, according to the weather service. The weekend snowstorm should start in Western Massachusetts around 9 to 10 p.m. Saturday before moving east and departing the state by about 6 to 7 a.m. Sunday. The snow should fall as fast as 1 to 2 inches per hour at times, the weather service noted. “Travel could be very difficult,” the weather service said in its winter storm warning. “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.” Signals are pointing to another impactful weather event Tuesday to Wednesday following the snowstorm this weekend. Along with strong winds, significant precipitation and minor to moderate flooding, forecasters are also warning of possible snowfall from the second storm that could accumulate across higher-terrain areas of the state before changing over to all rainfall. The weather service said it will likely need to issue high wind watches for parts of Massachusetts, which would mean high, potentially hazardous wind speeds could develop. The federal forecasting agency added it wouldn’t be surprised if hurricane force wind watches were issued as well, which would mean there could be a risk of sustained surface winds of 74 mph or greater. In terms of the precipitation from next week’s storm, forecasting models anticipate widespread rainfall of 1 or more inches. There is a slight risk the region could receive excessive rainfall, according to the weather service. The combination of the precipitation from Tuesday’s storm and the rapidly melting snow from the weekend’s snowstorm could lead to river flooding for the commonwealth as well. Several locations in Massachusetts have a chance of being hit with more than just minor or moderate flooding, the weather service said. There may also be some flooding concerns along the southern coast of the state from next week’s storm. A preliminary forecasting model indicates the tide could surge by 3 to 4 feet Tuesday night, according to the weather service. The forecast is subject to significant change more than 72 hours out.

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1crime

Three Killed After Landslide Strikes Alaska Town

Three people, including a girl, were killed and three others were missing after a landslide struck homes in southeast Alaska this week, the authorities said. The landslide took place at about 9 p.m. Monday local time in Wrangell, Alaska, where “the slide covered and effectively closed Zimovia Highway” at its 11th milepost, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said on Tuesday. The slide was estimated to be 450 feet wide when it crossed the roadway and smashed into three single-family homes. It remained active through Monday evening and caused road closures, the authorities said. Wrangell is a coastal community of 2,000 residents in southeast Alaska. Rescue crews found the body of a girl in the initial search and a drone operator found the bodies of two adults on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

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5science

Families of Hostages in Gaza Are Desperate for Proof of Life

“We share the frustration. We understand the pain,” said Jason Straziuso, a spokesman for the Red Cross. “We’re not bulletproof, and it’s not possible for us to walk into a conflict zone in hostile territory without permission — to walk up to a group of people, most certainly holding guns that they will use, and demand that they let us inside. It’s not possible.” The Red Cross has about 130 employees in Gaza, he said, giving it some ability to deliver humanitarian aid and to visit the scenes of destruction from the war. But even with that access, meeting with the hostages requires an agreement with Hamas. Mr. Straziuso said Red Cross officials were talking to Hamas, Israel, the United States and other nations about the condition of the hostages. But those talks have been shrouded in secrecy. In a statement on Monday, the Red Cross said the group is “insisting that our teams be allowed to visit the hostages to check on their welfare,” but added that “the I.C.R.C. does not take part in negotiations leading to the release of hostages. As a neutral humanitarian intermediary, we remain ready to facilitate any future release that the parties to the conflict agree to.” Separate discussions about a possible release of some hostages are being conducted through intermediaries, with Israel and the United States communicating with Hamas only by way of messages passed back and forth by negotiators in Egypt and Qatar. A leader of Hamas said in October that not all of the Israeli hostages who were taken to Gaza were being held by the group, a claim that most likely complicates negotiations for their release. Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas’s political bureau in Lebanon, said other groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a separate organization that is an ally of Hamas, were also holding some of the hostages. In late October, Israeli forces rescued one hostage, and four others were released by Hamas about a week earlier. But there have been no further breakthroughs. Warring nations have blocked the Red Cross from visiting hostages or prisoners of war in previous conflicts. In 2022, eight months into the war between Ukraine and Russia, the Red Cross still had little access to prisoners held by either side. In a statement at the time, the group wrote that “blaming the I.C.R.C. for being denied full and immediate access does not help prisoners of war or their families.” But the fact that there is no definitive playbook in the case of hostages during wartime, no exact timing for reporting about whether they are dead or alive leaves the family members with little to hold on to as the days slowly pass. Liz Hirsh Naftali, the great-aunt of Abigail Idan, recounted on NBC News how the 3-year-old Abigail watched on Oct. 7 as Hamas fighters shot and killed her mother and ran with her father and two siblings. “Abigail was in her father’s arms,” Ms. Naftali said on “NBC Nightly News” with Lester Holt. “And as they ran, a terrorist shot him and killed him, and he fell onto Abigail.” She added, “We learned that Abigail actually had crawled out from under her father’s body and, full of his blood, went to a neighbor, and they took her in.” Hamas later seized the neighbor, her three children and Abigail, Ms. Naftali said. Rachel Goldberg, who is married to Mr. Polin, and other family members have said they have no idea when — or whether — they will discover anything definitive about their loved ones. Ms. Goldberg detailed the grief of a mother who has no idea if her son is alive “or if you died yesterday, or if you died five minutes ago.” (In 2004, before moving to Israel, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg’s son, Hersh, attended the same preschool as my children in Richmond, Va.) Inside Israel, where the faces of the hostages are plastered everywhere on posters that proclaim them “KIDNAPPED,” activists have mounted an aggressive campaign to demand swifter action from the Red Cross.

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4politics

Russia Launched a Large and Complex Air Attack on Ukraine

Russian forces fired more than 150 missiles and drones into cities across Ukraine today, hitting factories, hospitals and schools in what Ukrainian officials said was the largest air assault since they began tracking them last year. At least 30 people were killed, more than 160 were wounded and critical infrastructure was damaged, the authorities said. The barrage included hypersonic and cruise missiles that were designed to overwhelm and confuse Ukrainian air defenses, which have successfully shot down a vast majority of attacks in recent months. Today, however, more than 40 missiles and drones hit their marks. One Russian rocket also traveled through a Polish border area near Ukraine for three minutes, briefly violating NATO airspace, Poland’s military said. But unlike the Russian drones that crashed in September in Romania, the rocket did not hit anything on the ground in Poland.

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3entertainment

These are the best Christmas movies of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes

It’s that time of year again where we can slide on over to the couch and curl up with a cup of hot chocolate while watching our favorite Christmas movies. In celebration of the holiday season, Rotten Tomatoes made a list — and checked it twice — of The 100 Best Christmas Movies of all Time. The list aims to check everything off everyone’s Christmas list from such nostalgic classics as “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “Holiday Inn” to contemporary hits like “Elf” and “Home Alone.” The movie review-aggregation website even packed some comedy and horror films in its merry and bright bag like “Black Christmas” and “Gremlins.” For those feeling super this holiday season, consider watching “Batman Returns,” which also made the final cut. So without further ado, here are the best Christmas movies guaranteed to help you sleigh this holiday season. Meet Me in St. Louis (100% rating) The Shop Around the Corner (99% rating) The Holdovers (96% rating) Tangerine (96% rating) Miracle on 34th Street (96% rating) The Nightmare Before Christmas (95% rating) Little Women, 2019 (95% rating) Klaus (95% rating) Carol (94% rating) It’s a Wonderful Life (94% rating) Click here to check out the full list.

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1crime

11-year-old struck by police cruiser in Manchester, NH

An investigation is underway after an 11-year-old was struck by a police cruiser in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Saturday. The crash occurred on Maple Street, according to Manchester police, and involved one of their department's cruisers. The child was taken to an area hospital and is being evaluated. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, according to police. "Our thoughts & prayers are w/the child & their family," the department said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters. *Accident on Maple St involving MPD cruiser & 11 yr old* The juvenile was taken to the hospital & is being evaluated w/non-life threatening injuries. Our thoughts & prayers are w/the child & their family. To avoid conflicts of interest we requested NHSP handle the investigation pic.twitter.com/9VZ4dM7iaK — Manchester NH Police (@mht_nh_police) September 9, 2023 To avoid conflicts of interest, Manchester police said they have asked New Hampshire State Police to handle the investigation. No further details were released.

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3entertainment

Golden Globes 2024 Nominations: Barbie and Oppenheimer in Front

Hollywood’s biggest stars are back on the red carpet as the 81st Golden Globe Awards return to the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills Sunday night. The annual celebration of movies and television, which has been mired in controversies in recent years, marks the first major awards show this season since the strikes by actors and writers ended. Hosted by comedian Jo Koy, the 2024 Golden Globes air at 8 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+. Take a look at the nominees, notable names, and fashionable outfits hitting the red carpet at this year’s ceremony.

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7weather

Cold again tonight, then temps climb - Boston News, Weather, Sports

It was cold out there today! It’ll be cold tonight, before we begin a day-to-day temperature climb. Highs reach the 50s this weekend. Although it comes with a strong front that will bring heavy rain and gusty wind late Sunday into Monday morning. Temperatures started off in the teens and 20s. There were a lot of clouds that helped cap high temperatures in the upper 20s/low 30s. Our average high this time of year is 45° in Boston, so today was certainly a taste of winter! Overnight, temperatures fall into the low/mid 20s. Tomorrow might feel better for you with highs near 40°/low 40s. A warm front lifts through late Friday into Saturday. This will usher in more mild air. Highs will be near 50° for the first half of the weekend. It’ll be nice for the Army – Navy game. You might not need the thick coat! High temperatures Sunday reach the upper 50s late in the day. This comes ahead of a strong front that brings heavy rain and gusty wind. Rain will arrive later Sunday and continue through Monday morning. Rainfall totals are expected to be 3/4″ – 2″. Wind will be strongest early Monday morning with gusts 40-55 mph, stronger for Cape Cod. Behind this storm, temperatures will fall into the 40s, and it’ll stay cool for the rest of our 7-day forecast. -Meteorologist Melanie Black

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4politics

The U.S. and Israel: An Embrace Shows Signs of Strain After Oct. 7

For all the disagreement, there is no serious discussion within the Biden administration about cutting Israel off or putting conditions on security aid. On Friday, three days after the Dermer meeting, the State Department agreed to send $147.5 million in 155-millimeter artillery shells and related equipment, invoking emergency rules to bypass congressional review a second time and again angering Democratic lawmakers. To the extent that Mr. Netanyahu’s resistance to American entreaties is performative politics for a domestic audience, it also has a time limit, according to Martin S. Indyk, a former two-time American ambassador to Israel. “It’s a case of steady insistence that Bibi come around,” he said, referring to Mr. Netanyahu by his nickname. “That’s what we’re witnessing. I’m quite confident in predicting that Bibi will do so in the new year. He just has to figure out a way of explaining to his coalition partners that while it might look like he’s giving into Biden, he’s not really doing so. There will be a lot of winking going on.” Michael B. Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington, noted that despite the tension, Mr. Biden has not used the two most obvious tools available to him to force Israel’s hand, namely the flow of U.S. arms to Israel and the U.S. veto at the U.N. Security Council that protects Israel from international sanctions — at least not yet. Given that, Mr. Oren said, Israel appreciates Mr. Biden’s support and does not want to alienate him. The Oct. 7 attack undercut Israel’s longstanding mantra that it would defend itself by itself. “That meant whether we liked it or not, we were dependent on the United States,” he said. “And that meant they have a say in things.”

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1crime

Fla.-to-Boston plane diverts after disturbance between passengers, JetBlue says

A Boston-bound JetBlue flight was diverted after takeoff in Florida on Thursday because of a disturbance between two passengers, the airline said. Video from on board the plane, Flight 170, showed a person being escorted from the back by police — a JetBlue representative told NBC10 Boston that the two passengers involved were taken off the flight. The plane took off from Fort Lauderdale but had to divert to Orlando. It reached Boston without delay, the JetBlue representative said. JetBlue didn't share any information on the nature of the disturbance that caused the flight to divert.

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4politics

Opinion | Hamas Bears the Blame for Every Death in This War

On Friday the Israeli government gave civilians in the northern Gaza Strip 24 hours to evacuate to the southern part of the territory, in anticipation of a major military offensive. Hamas, for its part, “told Gaza residents to stay put, despite Israel’s deadline,” Reuters reported the same day. Reasonable people can criticize Israel for not allowing enough time for civilians to get out of harm’s way: There are, especially, elderly, disabled and sick Gazans — and those who help them — who may be effectively homebound. Reasonable people can also oppose other measures that Israelis have taken in response to the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It seems neither right nor smart for Israel to cut off water and electricity to Gaza until Hamas’s hostages are returned — not because Israel shouldn’t do whatever it takes to obtain their release but because the people who suffer most from the action are the ones who have the least say over the fate of the hostages. Hamas’s leaders, I’m sure, have amply supplied themselves and their forces with fuel, generators, potable water and other essentials. But what reasonable people cannot debate is the cynicism with which Hamas is conducting its side of the war. It’s a cynicism the wider world should not reward with our credulity, lest we once again turn ourselves into Hamas’s useful idiots.