BOSTON

There are fewer Massachusetts communities at the highest risk of coronavirus transmission this week than last week, state health data released Thursday shows. The town-by-town coronavirus risk data — which classifies communities’ risk level on a scale from red, the highest, to grey — puts 222 cities and towns in the red zone, from 229 last week. (See the full…

Massachusetts is making coronavirus vaccinations available to more health care workers as of Thursday.

A Massachusetts lawyer who has previously been charged with rape is wanted in Boston on a new rape charge as well as for allegedly breaking and entering at night, police said.

A second person tested positive Tuesday in Massachusetts with the more contagious variant of COVID-19 first detected in the United Kingdom, Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said. Bharel said the case of the B.1.1.7 variant was discovered by the Massachusetts Public Health Laboratory, but she did not offer further details. The first case of the new strain of the coronavirus…

Coronavirus vaccines are being rolled out at pharmacies across Massachusetts, a happy day for people who got their first dose.

Fenway Park will be Massachusetts’ second mass vaccination site, joining Gillette Stadium when it opens Feb. 1, Gov. Charlie Baker’s office announced Tuesday. The Baker administration also announced a new partnership with CVS and Walgreens pharmacies that will begin to vaccinate qualified residents. Also announced Tuesday were the expansion of UMass Amherst’s vaccination site and the “Hospital Depot Initiative,”...

Fenway Park will be a mass vaccination site, and pharmacies in Massachusetts will begin to vaccinate qualified residents.

The home of the Red Sox will be Boston’s first location for mass vaccinations against COVID-19.

More than a dozen sites are being illuminated in Boston Tuesday evening in solidarity with cities across the nation memorializing the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced that it would host the COVID-19 Memorial in honor of those who have died from the coronavirus the day before President-elect Joe Biden is…

Boston has been crowned as the state capital with the highest quality of life in the United States, according to a study by WalletHub. The study compared each of the 50 state capitals using various metrics measuring four aspects of living: affordability, economic well-being, quality of education and health and quality of life. In addition to having the highest quality…

The iconic South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been canceled for a second straight year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said Tuesday. The South Boston Allied Veterans Council said in a tweet the event had been canceled for 2021 due to ongoing restrictions on public gatherings put in place by Gov. Charlie Baker. It marks the second…

The Massachusetts, National Guard is staging behind the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, access to the State House is restricted after being nearly closed off entirely on Sunday. The signs that Boston is on alert ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as the nation’s 46th president were increasingly visible on Monday. “We don’t ever want to get caught...

There are notable signs of increased security outside the Massachusetts State House, from the troopers standing guard to metal fencing. While precautions are in place, state and local police say there is no credible threat right now here.

A downed utility pole with a transformer was knocked over Monday night in South Boston, spilling around 50 gallons of mineral oil and blocking one of the city’s streets, the Boston Fire Department said. The incident at 56 Ellery Street, which is near Andrew Station on the MBTA’s Red Line, happened around 8 p.m. and prompted a Level 2 Hazmat…

A downed utility pole with a transformer was knocked over Monday night in South Boston, spilling around 50 gallons of mineral oil and blocking one of the city’s streets, the Boston Fire Department said.

This is the third year King Boston has collaborated with Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts for the museum’s annual MLK celebration. But it’s the first time that event has gone entirely virtual because of the pandemic....
King Boston is the privately funded nonprofit that works with the Boston Foundation and the city to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr....

Boston held a celebration to honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, where Mayor Marty Walsh said the city’s “special attention” to the holiday in King’s name stems from his relationship with Boston and the city’s commitment to ending inequality. Walsh and Boston University presented “A Day of Celebration in Honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther...

Mayor Marty Walsh participated in the addiction treatment nonprofit Shatterproof’s “End Addiction Stigma- Pledge to Help Those Struggling In Your Community” event as part of the National Day of Service.

Two rallies aimed at forging racial justice were held in Boston on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, one held by Mass Action Against Police Brutality, another by groups including Boston Black Lives Matter. The Boston MLK Rally for Justice, held by Mass Action Against Police Brutality, began around 1 p.m. in Boston’s Grove Hall neighborhood, where several dozen...

Massachusetts National Guard trucks are staged in Boston to respond in case there are any new security threats, part of an increased security presence in the city ahead of the inauguration.