The Globe's best photos from last month
Barry Chin likes to go where the action is.
Two weeks ago, Chin, a Globe photojournalist, posted up behind the basket at the Boston City League boys' championship game between English High and Holland Tech, two local high schools. Chin was able to snag the vantage point because high school games usually let photographers stake out their own spots to shoot from, as opposed to pro games, where spots are assigned.
The freedom to choose isn't without risk. 'The downside to shooting under the basket is that it can be dangerous,' Chin explains. 'Most high school gyms are small, and the area between you and an athlete running at full speed is short, with little room between you and a potentially serious collision.'
But at the English vs. Tech game, held at Madison Park High School, taking a chance paid off. Using a telephoto zoom lens, Chin captured the above image as English's Darvens Alcime, powered by upward momentum, flipped over Holland's Ian Piper. Piper's team
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Last month, this newsletter published a preview of the Globe's best photos from January, as chosen by our photo editors. Today, by popular demand, we're bringing you a few of the paper's other best images from February.
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
The cold and snow deepened across New England in February. Erin Clark
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Load muskets and fix bayonets! This year marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. The Globe's John Tlumacki photographed reenactors playing American Colonists and British redcoats as they
Hundreds gathered in the Strand Theatre in Dorchester for "
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David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Love and rain were in the air as the Globe's David Ryan photographed Valentine's Day flowers for sale in the misty windows of Brattle Square Florist. The century-old store, slated to close three years ago, has continued under new ownership just
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Craig Walker captured the world's top snowboarders as they caught air before thousands of spectators for Red Bull Heavy Metal, a one-day street snowboarding competition at Boston's City Hall Plaza. Before the event, sponsors inundated the plaza with
Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe
Warrior pose with a side of weed? At Diaspora, a private marijuana club in Cambridge photographed by Brett Phelps, Bhang Yoga class attendees puffed on joints after a warmup of downward dogs and deep breaths. The state will start letting lounges, cafes, and events apply to serve pot products later this year, which
Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
No, this isn't a rediscovered Monet newly arrived at the MFA. It's Upper Newbury Street, smudged into an impressionistic blur as freezing rain distorted
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
This photo, taken last year by Craig Walker and published last month in
You can see more Photos of the Month
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POINTS OF INTEREST
Representative James Comer greets Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as she arrives to testify.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty
Boston and Massachusetts
Unaccounted for:
A report showed that Josh Kraft
Bowing out:
David Snead, who led the Handel and Haydn Society for nearly a decade,
Sticker shock:
Brookline police arrested a man who allegedly
More on the immigration hearing
'Shame on him':
During the six-hour congressional hearing, Mayor Wu said that mass deportations would hurt Boston's economy and criticized Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, for "
Baby on board:
Wu had ashes on her forehead for Ash Wednesday and
Pressed:
Committee Democrats asked Mayor Eric Adams, who also testified, if he'd backed changes to New York's immigration policies so Trump officials would drop the federal charges against him. Adams denied it. (
Local reactions:
Immigrant advocacy groups
Trump administration
Backtracking:
Trump will exempt US automakers from tariffs for one month after speaking with the heads of General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. Administration officials say he's open to other exemptions. (
Withholding:
The administration has stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, threatening its ability to strike Russian targets. (
Ultimatum:
US officials are negotiating directly with Hamas to try to reach a new cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza. Trump threatened more Israeli strikes unless Hamas releases its remaining hostages. (
National Institutes of Health:
A judge temporarily blocked the administration from cutting funding for research. (
More cuts:
The administration plans to slash 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which expanded under President Joe Biden to cover veterans exposed to toxins overseas. (
Hill arrest:
Capitol Police arrested House Speaker Mike Johnson's chief of staff for drunk driving. He allegedly hit another vehicle after Trump's speech to Congress. (
The Nation and the World
In court:
An Afghan national faces charges in the US for participating in a bombing that killed 13 US soldiers and scores of Afghan civilians during the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan. (
Congressman dead:
Representative Sylvester Turner, a Texas Democrat, died at 70. He replaced Sheila Jackson Lee, who also died in office last year. (
Papal health update:
Francis was in stable condition and well enough to mark the start of Lent yesterday. He's still receiving oxygen and undergoing physical and respiratory therapy. (
BESIDE THE POINT
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Pahk your aht in Hahvahd Yahd:
Three shows explore the university's
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Turning back the clock:
In an age of streaming fatigue, Gen-Z is
🪩
Flirty thirty:
Providence has a new lounge/dance club geared toward people aged 30 and up. It's a bid to
📽️
Watch 'Parasite' instead:
Bong Joon Ho's 'Mickey 17' is an inferior pastiche of his past movies,
🎵
Local roots:
The singer Joan Baez lives in California now, but an upcoming exhibit
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Correction:
Yesterday's newsletter misstated who asked the judge in the Karen Read case to punish her defense attorneys. It was a local prosecutor, not the federal government. We regret the mistake, and thanks to an eagle-eyed newsletter reader for spotting it.
Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
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Newsweek
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Ferrari Team Boss Responds to Lewis Hamilton Frustration After Hungarian GP
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has responded to the comments made by Lewis Hamilton after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton started from P12 and finished the race in the same position. Newsweek Sports reported the seven-time world champion's statement after he was knocked out of Q2 in qualifying on Saturday. He appeared low while stating that Ferrari should look for another driver because he was "useless." The Grand Prix saw Hamilton struggle to recover positions in his SF-25 F1 car, failing to finish within the points, while his teammate Charles Leclerc finished in P4. After the race, when Hamilton was asked about his comments from the previous day, he said: "Not particularly, when you have a feeling, you have a feeling. There's a lot going on in the background that's not great, so..." Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) and Ferrari's French team principal Frederic Vasseur speak ahead of the first practice session for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix at the Imola autodrome in Imola,... Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) and Ferrari's French team principal Frederic Vasseur speak ahead of the first practice session for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix at the Imola autodrome in Imola, on May 16, 2025. More Marco BERTORELLO / AFP/Getty Images "I still love it. I still love racing." Given Hamilton's statement, Vasseur was asked if he was planning on motivating the Briton. He said: "I don't need to motivate him. Honestly, he's frustrated, but not demotivated. You know, it's a completely different story. I can perfectly understand the situation. Sometimes you are making comments on what the driver is saying in the car, but if you put the microphone on some other sportsmen in football and so, I'm not sure that it would be much better. "They are in the performance, and sometimes they are making comments, even when they jump out of the car. I can understand the frustration, but we are all frustrated. And sometimes if you ask me, I can't say this, I will go to the stewards [for swearing]! "But sometimes just after the race or just after the quali [qualifying], you are very disappointed and the first reaction is harsh. But we all know that we are pushing in the same direction." Vasseur understood the reason for Hamilton's frustration and admitted that he is a demanding driver, but emphasized that it is what pushes him to excel. He said: "Yeah, he's demanding. But I think it's also why he's a seven-time world champion, he's demanding with the team, with the car, with the engineers, with the mechanics, with myself also. But first of all, he's very demanding with himself. "It's always been a good motivation for him. The main reason of performance. For sure, when you are a seven-time world champion and your teammate is in pole position, and you are out in Q2, it's tough, it's a tough situation. "But we can also have a deep look, he was in front of Charles in Q1, on the first set, he was one-tenth off in Q2. We are not far away to have the two cars out in Q2. "And the outcome of this is Charles at the end is able to do the pole position, but it's not ... Honestly, the gap was not 1.2 seconds yesterday. But I can understand the frustration from Lewis. This is normal."
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
A brain-injured football player returns home, his life changed forever. His family seeks answers from Sharon officials.
In his largely immobile left hand, he grips a stuffed toy teddy bear — a gift from an ambulance crew that transported him as he lay near death after he suffered a catastrophic brain injury during Sharon's Thanksgiving football game last year. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up His parents, meanwhile, attend to him around the clock while they and others wait for the Sharon school district to accept its share of responsibility for Rohan's devastating plight. Advertisement Three months have passed School administrators have yet to directly address questions about deficiencies, detailed in the Globe report in May, that may have contributed to Rohan's trauma. After spending more than $10,000 on an external investigation, according to a document obtained by the Globe through a public records request, they have not shared any of the investigative report with Rohan's family and have refused to release it to the public. Advertisement Some of the district's purported failures are powerful reminders to schools across the country about the life-or-death consequences of preventing, preparing for, and responding to medical emergencies in sports. 'No other parent should have to worry that what happened to Rohan will happen again,' said his mother, Deepika Talukdar. The district said in a statement, 'Sharon Public Schools continues to keep Rohan and his family in our thoughts and prayers through his recovery. The district maintains its support for the Shukla family while recognizing that a situation of this nature warrants maintaining their privacy.' Rohan's parents said they appreciate the district helping with Rohan's recovery, including preparing for him to possibly return to school one day. But they continue to seek information in the investigative report and said they have been willing to sacrifice privacy in the interest of student safety. School officials said in response to the Globe's records request that they are withholding the investigative report in part because they consider legal action 'reasonably foreseeable.' Rohan's parents declined to comment on possible litigation. The stakes may be sizable given the severe impact on Rohan and his family. Rohan had never needed medical care for anything but annual physicals before Thanksgiving. Now he needs help to perform his most basic bodily functions. He exists, even at home, as a long-term patient as much as a son and sibling. Advertisement The district's most glaring flaw, as the Globe reported, was perhaps not employing a full-time trainer during the 2024 football season, relying instead on part-timers only on game days, despite complaints from numerous coaches, including the head football coach, about player safety. Amid the lack of coverage, Rohan was permitted to return to play without submitting a medical clearance form or receiving a mandatory cognitive evaluation after he suffered a football concussion four weeks before the Thanksgiving game. He then was involved in a helmet-to-helmet collision in the last practice before Thanksgiving — a potentially dangerous blow that went undetected by the coaches. Rohan Shukla is wheeled by his father, Abhishek, down a newly installed ramp in the backyard of the family home. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff The problems outlined by the Globe have prompted townspeople as prominent as the chair of the Sharon School Committee to assert the district bears some responsibility for Rohan's crisis. Rohan was a sophomore honors student before his education abruptly ended on Thanksgiving. 'I do not believe that what happened to Rohan Shukla wasn't preventable,' the committee chair, Avi Shemtov, said during a candidate forum in May. 'I don't think the blame lies really anywhere other than solely with the school district — that includes the school committee and the administration — for not having a full-time athletic trainer." The unreleased investigative report could possibly include flaws in Rohan's case beyond those previously identified by the Globe. School officials, for example, responded in June to the records request by stating they did not possess a written medical emergency response plan for the high school — an apparent violation of state law. By statute, every district must 'ensure that every school under its jurisdiction has a written emergency response plan that addresses both medical and behavioral health crises to reduce the incidence of life-threatening medical emergencies and behavioral health crises and to promote efficient and appropriate responses to such emergencies.' Advertisement The district, however, asserted Friday in its statement for this story that it does possess written medical emergency response plans for every school in the system. Shemtov, the school committee chair, said the board will seek clarity on the matter. 'After being provided the contradictory statements issued by district administration to the Globe, the school committee is aware of the discrepancy and will be looking into it,' he said. Notable among the additional factors the Globe cited in Rohan's case was the district's decision to replace Sharon High's full-time athletic director before the 2024 season with an administrator who served as both a vice principal and athletic director — a formidable challenge for a school of Sharon's size, with an enrollment of 1,161 and 50 boys' and girls' sports teams. What's more, Sharon officials pitted their low-rated football team against a lineup of punishing opponents. Fourteen Sharon players missed multiple games because of injuries as the team went winless in 11 contests, losing by an average of nearly 40 points. Rohan and five teammates suffered documented concussions. 'It was noncompetitive and unsafe,' head coach Ben Shuffain told the Globe in April. Rohan's parents believed he entered the Thanksgiving game with extra head protection by wearing a shell cover over his helmet that the school had recommended they buy. But the cover wasn't the most protective available, and when the back of Rohan's head crashed to the ground after he made a dazzling defensive play, the shell provided no padding at the point of contact, Shuffain said. Advertisement School officials said in their statement, 'Student health and safety remain the forefront of the district's academic, extracurricular, and athletic initiatives.' Deepika Talukdar exchanges planted kisses with her son, Rohan Shukla, in his makeshift bedroom in the family's dining room. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Rohan suffered an acute subdural hematoma, a massive brain bleed that with each passing minute reduced his chances of survival. He needed emergency surgery, but vital time was lost, first, because Sharon — unlike many other schools — did not post an ambulance at the Thanksgiving game. Rohan was clinging to life by the time a town ambulance delivered him to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, a lower-level trauma center ill-suited to treat him. He desperately needed an airlift to Massachusetts General Hospital. But MedFlight helicopters were grounded by stormy weather, and Rohan's brain continued bleeding during the wait for a specially equipped ground ambulance. In all, nearly three hours passed between his head hitting the ground and his arrival in an MGH operating room — too long to prevent critical brain damage. Three hours of neurosurgery by Dr. William Butler and his team saved Rohan's life. He then spent four weeks in a coma at MGH before receiving five months of specialized treatment at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, progressing enough that he regained much of his memory and personality. Doctors say it will take years of therapy before they can fully gauge the limits of Rohan's recovery. His mobility remains severely diminished, but his mind is sharp; his sense of humor, too. He returned home after his medical team and parents agreed that he might benefit from living with his family and receiving intensive outpatient therapy. He recently greeted a Globe reporter and photographer by composing a message on his whiteboard in French. Advertisement Why French? He remembers studying it in class. 'I am soon to be a French scholar,' he wrote to the amusement of his parents and guests. But the transition home has proved frightening at times. Rohan has twice experienced prolonged seizures, requiring ambulances to rush him to emergency rooms — first to Good Samaritan, the next time to MGH. When a nurse at Good Samaritan recognized him, she told his parents, 'I'm so happy to see him alive.' His mother winced, recalling their harrowing experience months earlier. Fear has haunted his parents since. One or the other constantly stays close to Rohan. One sleeps in his room, waking every three hours to turn him to prevent muscle soreness. He has a bell to ring for help, and they installed a camera to keep an eye on him. They also built an accessible bathroom and erected a wheelchair ramp to their door. Abhishek Shukla (left) and Deepika Talukdar place leg splints on their 16-year-old son, Rohan Shukla. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff His mother, who left her career as a software engineer to care for him, accompanies him four days a week as he travels for therapy in Waltham. His father, Abhishek Shukla, also a software engineer, commutes to Boston and helps when he can. Caring for Rohan demands so much attention that his parents regret the time they have lost with Naman, such as cheering for him as he travels as a pitcher for a club team, the East Coast Eagles. Yet Rohan has helped to nurture Naman. Even as Rohan yearns to reclaim his prior self — he hungers for a day when he can eat his favorite dish, his mother's chicken tacos — he finds ways to lift Naman. When Naman recently returned home dejected after a subpar pitching performance, he refused to speak to his parents about it. Rohan intervened. He snapped his fingers to grab his brother's attention and wrote on his whiteboard, 'Hey Naman don't beat yourself up.' Rohan Shukla returned home in late May, after his medical team and parents agreed that he might benefit from living with his family and receiving intensive outpatient therapy. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Rohan's parents said after the Globe's visit, 'Rohan's spirit keeps us optimistic and going. Deep inside, we believe he's eventually going to come out of this resilient and strong and will continue to remind people that nothing is impossible.' Playing football again, though? His mother was shaken by his vision. 'I couldn't stop my tears,' she said. She never wanted him to play in the first place, but he wore her down. He wanted to be a wide receiver, to shine on the gridiron. He remembers the jersey number (81) he wore two years ago on Sharon's freshman/sophomore team, but he had no memory of his varsity number (7) last year until his parents informed him. In fact, he remembers all but nothing of the season that ultimately cost him the life he once knew. His mother asked him if he gets sad sometimes. 'Yes,' he wrote, 'because I cannot get up.' But he loves the sport. And soon, with help from his brother and friends, he will take another step in his recovery by playing a different kind of football, a game free of physical pain. A game called fantasy. Bob Hohler can be reached at
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Tanner Houck preparing for the long rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery
Tanner Houck had an 8.04 earned run average in nine starts for the Red Sox this season. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Houck had non-surgical alternatives available, including platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell treatment, to try to fix his arm. But those would have merely been 'delaying the inevitable,' he said, so he opted for the operation. Advertisement 'This was the decision that I made, just for longevity of the career,' Houck, 29, said Sunday. 'I want to pitch for another 10 years, 10-plus years. Looking at it from a longevity standpoint, this is the road we decided to take. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'It's about trusting the day-to-day work. It's going to be long. It's going to be hard. But I'm ready for it. I've made peace with it myself. I had a lot of long conversations with my wife — early mornings, late nights talking about it.' Already, he has sought advice from his peers. 'They all said the same thing: You'll come back better from this,' he said. 'I'm ready to get it going.' Houck this week will go to the Dallas area, where Dr. Keith Meister will do the surgery. The rehab will be 12-14 months minimum, making Houck questionable to take the mound in 2026. Advertisement That marks the end of a lost year for Houck, who had an 8.04 ERA in nine starts. In mid-May, he landed on the injured list with a right flexor pronator strain in the forearm, which sometimes is a prelude to UCL issues. Houck sat out awhile, went on a rehab assignment, struggled, started to pitch better, and seemingly was on the brink of a return. But over the All-Star break, two months into his IL stint, he encountered more problems — in his hand and his tricep. The Sox sent him for another MRI, which showed significantly worse damage in his forearm/elbow — much worse than the inflammation from the previous test. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said it is hard to know whether the beginnings of the injury were what caused Houck problems when he pitched early in the season. 'A little bit surprised [with this outcome], just because it seemed like he was making progress through the rehab process,' Breslow said. 'It felt like we were turning the corner … It felt like we needed to make sure there was nothing we were missing. It turns out there was something pretty significant going on.' A year removed from being an All-Star, Houck is relegated to observer. He called it 'just a little time away.' 'It's unfortunate. It sucks,' he said. 'It's a fun team to watch, it's a fun team to be around. Just knowing I'm not going to be a part of it for the rest of the year is hard.' Advertisement Setback for Sandoval One instance of a Tommy John rehab not going so smoothly: Patrick Sandoval . Breslow said he does not expect Sandoval, who had surgery last summer, to pitch this season following a recent setback. Sandoval for now isn't throwing at all, though the Sox want him to fully ramp up and face batters before he goes into the offseason. 'Nothing out of the ordinary for a Tommy John rehab process, just a little bit of a delay as we've seen with a number of guys,' Breslow said. Similarly, manager Alex Cora said he is not confident Liam Hendriks (right hip injury) will make it back this season. Justin Slaten , working his way back from a nerve issue in his neck/right shoulder, was 'upbeat' Sunday after his first bullpen session Saturday, Cora said. 'Hard to put a timetable on it, just given the topsy-turvy nature of the recovery to date,' Breslow said. Down the depth chart In talking up the club's rotation depth, Breslow highlighted prospect David Sandlin — a righthander recently promoted to Triple A Worcester — as a candidate to pitch out of the major league bullpen down the stretch. 'Sandlin is a guy who comes to mind,' he said. 'It's really power stuff. Maybe with a simplified approach, he could come in and overwhelm hitters with the stuff. Those conversations are ongoing.' Sandlin's fastball averaged 95.3 miles per hour and maxed out at 98.1 with Worcester on Friday. Breslow on Bregman Breslow declined to comment on the state of Alex Bregman contract talks (if they exist). 'It's always great when somebody wants to be here,' he said. 'I think probably best to keep those conversations internal outside of being incredibly appreciative and excited about what he's brought here on the field and also off the field, what he's meant to some of the younger guys. When appropriate, we'll approach that' … Connor Wong , 0 for 2 with a sacrifice fly Sunday, will catch again Monday, per Cora. That will be his first time starting consecutive games since May 2-3. 'It's been a while, huh?' Wong said. Cora: 'It's important for his confidence and for his at-bats' … Kristian Campbell was out of Worcester's lineup after jamming his right thumb Saturday. Breslow said he is day-to-day … The Red Sox are 3-0 in games that start before noon. Advertisement Tim Healey can be reached at
