Stories
Leslie Cutitta said yes, twice, when clinicians from Massachusetts General Hospital called asking if she wanted them to take — and then continue — extreme measures to keep her husband Frank Cutitta alive. The first conversation about whether to let Frank go or try some experimental drugs and treatments was in late March. The second…
Read MoreOne of the most difficult decisions facing local and state officials in Maine is whether — and how — to reopen schools this fall. The state Department of Education has released its initial guidelines for reopening, with districts around the state likely to release their local plans over the next month. Reopening is also a…
Read MoreThey Were Asked To Stay Home. But Some Thru-Hikers Insisted On Finishing The Appalachian Trail
Every year, several thousand adventurous souls set out to hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, thru-hikers have been advised to put their dreams on hold. Some have refused. That refusal has created tension between those who want to push personal boundaries and those who say…
Read MoreChelsea City Manager Tom Ambrosino scanned the chart he uses to track the daily coronavirus case updates for this small, densely populated community. The chart peaked on April 13, when160 residents received positive test results. In the past week, the city recorded between zero and four new cases a day. Ambrosino liked what he saw.…
Read MoreHospitals Can’t Get Enough COVID-19 Tests
Matt Rabus stood at the laboratory hood at Holyoke Medical Center and got ready to run a COVID-19 test. He prepared a sample from a nasal swab and then squirted it into a specialized test cartridge that contains a liquid reagent made up of enzymes and other things that will help determine if the RNA…
Read MoreSince early May, health worker Lisa Vasquez has spent most of her Thursday afternoons in the parking lot of St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Church in Nashua — which, at 3 p.m. on those days, transforms into a COVID-19 testing site. Like other public testing sites for coronavirus in Nashua and elsewhere, this one has Vasquez…
Read MoreThe YouTube video shows Brian Danza chronicling his victory trip to Boston in April, as he pilots a single-engine aircraft to Logan Airport. He flew in to see the arrival of nearly 1 million medical masks he helped procure for the state from China, delivered on a now-famous flight of the New England Patriots’ jet.…
Read MoreIn a minivan packed past the point of seeing out the rear window, Dottie and Bob Engler waited in Woods Hole to drive onto a ferry destined for Martha’s Vineyard. “We’re hoping, because it’s full of fresh air and openness, that it’ll be a great respite for us this summer,” Dottie said. On Memorial Day…
Read MoreThe Agency of Education has released its final guidelines for how to hold a graduation ceremony during a pandemic. High school seniors are now getting a clearer picture of how their schools will mark this once-in-a-lifetime achievement during a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic first interrupted Owen Hansen’s senior year about a week…
Read MoreTrans Clippers Project Gives People A Chance To Reclaim Their Gender Expression During The Pandemic
At a time when clippers are scarce, there’s an effort underway to get them in the hands of transgender people to help them maintain their gender identity. The Trans Clippers Project just made its first set of deliveries around Boston thanks to community fundraising and local volunteers. Grace Walker, who’s the Massachusetts coordinator for the project,…
Read More