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A funeral home copes with the surge during the coronavirus pandemic

During normal times, Joe Ruggiero Jr. might hold 25 funerals a month; this April there have been 71. Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, his family’s funeral home in East Boston is so overrun that the tribute lounge and cafe normally used to display portraits of the departed has been turned into a makeshift storage space. A thin white sheet of plastic held together with binder clips is all that separates the hallway from the caskets. The white board in the office downstairs is overflowing with funerals. Three on Wednesday. Four on Thursday. Five on Friday. Joe Jr., his son, Joe III, and his daughter, Catie, work tirelessly to make sure that everything is as perfect as it can be in order to bring some comfort to families in grief. They solve an endless string of coronavirus riddles, like what do you bury someone in when their family can’t go back into a nursing home to retrieve their clothing? Or how do you explain to families that they can’t have more than 10 people inside at a time? The biggest one of course, is how do you console someone when you can’t place a comforting hand on their shoulder? Families filter into Ruggiero Family Memorial Home all faced with the prospect of saying goodbye to a loved one without the comfort of an embrace. I photographed six funerals over three days, each death caused by COVID-19. A woman told me that her 100-year-old mother would have kept going if not for the virus. Her wake and funeral had six people in attendance. You could hear a pin drop in the chapel as they sat silently in rows of chairs spaced 6 feet apart. At the next funeral, there were a line of people in masks and gloves waiting outside to pay their respects to a 57-year-old father who was taken by COVID-19. Many used their cellphones to stream the funeral for those who couldn’t be there. One family member just wanted people to see how serious this was so that they would stay indoors.--By Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff (26 photos total)

Boston Globe staff photographer Erin Clark named Feature Photography Pulitzer finalist for 2020

Patrick Lupien and Mariah LeMieux-Lupien knew they were going to be evicted from their apartment in Biddeford, Maine. The lapse was a matter of basic math: As Mariah put it, when you don’t have it, you don’t have it. Despite Patrick’s $40,000 a year salary, the Lupien family became part of an often invisible group known as the “working homeless.” Their story illustrates the growing housing inequality that is prevalent in America today. The family’s hard road over the next six months - from eviction, to living in a campground, to homeless shelters, and then finally finding a home - offers a window into the insecurity and panic that comes with raising children on the brink of financial insolvency.--By Erin Clark (20 photos total)

Photos: One day on the front lines of COVID-19

Jessica Rinaldi documented a Cataldo ambulance crew as they worked their 24-hour shift. (27 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, March 2020

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month before the coronavirus grabbed the region’s attention: the end of Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign, L Street ice swimmers practicing at Dorchester Bay, soap box derby racing, the Boston Flower & Garden Show, and the MIAA high school winter sports playoffs. Click here to see images from COVID-19 coverage. (22 photos total)

Life during the coronavirus pandemic

Globe staff photographers document the Boston area and beyond during this unprecented time. The gallery is updated weekly throughout the crisis. (127 photos total)

Polar plungers: Photos of Ice Swimming in New England

In waters cold enough to kill, 93 competitors, who had to prove they could handle ultra-cold water to qualify, race in distances ranging from 25 to 200 meters during the Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival, held annually in Newport, Vt. “You can’t imagine anything being this cold,” said Laurie Craigen, a first-time competitor. She was part of a large crew that comes up each year from the L Street Bathhouse in South Boston, which is famed for its year-round ocean swimmers. There are documented dangers. One woman from San Francisco lost feeling in her fingertips for nine months after last year’s event. For Karen Nazor, a 57-year-old from Maynard, “It is about the reset.” She says that she can be having a bad week and one dip in frigid water will cleanse her brain. “And the aftereffect is euphoria. It’s like nothing else.” Photographs by Jessica Rinaldi (21 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, February 2020

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: the New Hamphire primary, Ash Wednesday, living with progeria, the Beanpot Tournament, and Red Sox spring training. (51 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, January 2020

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: the run-up to the Iowa Democratic caucus, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Boston’s State of the City address, celebrations of the new year, and the end of the Patriots’ season. (42 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, December 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: holiday seasonal events, the death of Pete Frates, Boston city council results, winter weather, and high school football championships. (44 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, November 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: Thanksgiving holiday, the loss of a firefighter, Women Veterans Appreciation Day, and high school sports playoffs. (42 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, October 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: fall colors, the king tide in Boston Harbor, Halloween celebrations, the Head of the Charles Regatta, high school sports, and the start to the Celtics’ regular season. (45 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, September 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: the aftermath of hurricane Dorian’s landfall in the Bahamas, students head back to school, confrontations at the Straight Pride Parade in Boston, the end of the Red Sox season and the Patriots off to a 4-0 start. (44 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, August 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: the annual Caribbean Parade in Dorchester and Roxbury, President Trump’s “Keep America Great” reelection campaign rally in Manchester, funeral services for Saoirse Roisin Kennedy, a new Orange Line train on its first day of service, the Newport Jazz Festival, and the Patriots in pre-season action. (42 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, July 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: public art in Lynn, the Sand Sculpting Festival in Revere, beating the summer heat, a traveling youth circus, July 4 celebrations, a 100 year-old baseball park in Pittsfield, and the start of the Patriots training camp. (46 photos total)

Photos of the country’s only traveling youth circus

Talented kids. Professional coaches. Life on the road. Adoring 5-year-olds, sitting around the ring just feet from the stars of Circus Smirkus, where big kids have been the stars of the show of this Vermont-based company for 32 years now. (17 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, June 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: opening of the Encore casino, greasy pole competition in Gloucester, refugees from Congo in Portland, Me., John Farrell working his lobster boat, debating a abortion rights bill in Rhode Island, and the Bruins loss in the NHL finals. (53 photos total)

Recent photos of the ongoing migrant struggle

The drowning deaths of a migrant father and young daughter at the US southern border showed the tragic peril of those trying to seek asylum. Here is a selection of images from this month focused on the continuing immigration issue. (19 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, May 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: a rededication of the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial, shutdown of the Pilgrim nuclear plant, the closing of the last synagogue in Revere, graduation season in full swing, “Marty” the robot on duty at a grocery store, and the Bruins in the NHL playoffs. (53 photos total)

Some of the best sports photos in Boston history

The image of Bobby Orr flying through the air after scoring the game-winning goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals at Boston Garden is indelibly imprinted into the minds of Boston sports fans. It has taken on renewed significance as the Bruins will face off once more against the St. Louis Blues on Monday for Lord Stanley’s Cup, for the first time since this historic frame was made. Here’s a look at some of the other best sports photos in Boston history. (18 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, April 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: 2019 Boston Marathon, two 500-foot concrete cooling towers at the former Brayton Point Power Station imploded, Palm Sunday Mass, commencement at Wentworth Institute of Technology, playoff runs for the Bruins and Celtics, and Opening Day at Fenway Park. (39 photos total)

Spring blossoms

In celebration of Earth Day, a look at photographs depicting the beautiful transformation of spring landscapes all over the globe. (26 photos total)

2019 Boston Marathon

An estimated 30,000 runners compete in the 123rd Boston Marathon. (35 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, March 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: a fire in the Fens, the beginning of spring, Ice Castles in New Hampshire, the annual citywide youth Spelling Bee, high school state hockey and basketball championships, and the start of the Red Sox season. (44 photos total)

Students stage global protest to speak out on climate change inaction

Students in cities worldwide skipped classes Friday to protest their governments’ failure to act against global warming as part of the “Fridays for Future” movement. The event was inspired by youth activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year. (33 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, February 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: winter weather, presidential candidates on the stump, a Chinese New Year celebration, Red Sox spring training, and the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII victory parade. (38 photos total)

Smartphone society

In a world where the smartphone is now ubiquitous, photographers capture daily life in which the personal device is part of the moment. Whether it is used for communication, navigation, a flashlight, a wallet, or to take photos, it’s an essential part of life for many. (42 photos total)

Highlights from the Patriots Super Bowl parade

Hundreds of thousands of Patriots fans filled the streets of Boston to celebrate the team’s sixth Super Bowl win. (31 photos total)

Super Bowl LIII: Patriots vs. Rams

The New England Patriots face the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. It is New England’s 11th Super Bowl appearance, and fourth in the last five years. (31 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, January 2019

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: of winter storms, the partial federal government shutdown, a comfort dog in the class room, the Women’s March in Boston, and the Patriots’ road to Super Bowl LIII. (40 photos total)

100 years ago, Boston’s North End was hit by a deadly wave of molasses

The best Boston Globe staff photos of 2018

Globe photographers share the stories behind what went into making the year’s best photos, as selected by the editors of the Globe Magazine and photo department. To hear some of the photographers speak about their images, click here. (24 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, December 2018

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: celebrating the holidays, honoring a fallen firefighter, the death of President George H.W. Bush, remembering Pearl Harbor, and high school football championships. (45 photos total)

A double diagnosis — cancer while poor

Something was very wrong. Marie Cajuste couldn’t ignore it any more. She had noticed a hard lump in her left breast about a year before but kept the discovery to herself. She literally could not afford to be sick. (13 photos total)

The year 2018 in pictures: Part II

Photographs from July to December on a range of topics from around the world. See images from Part I (38 photos total)

The year 2018 in pictures: Part I

Photographs from January to June on a range of topics from around the world. See images from Part II (34 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, November 2018

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: a colorful sunrise, the start of recreational marijuana sales, Christmas tree lightings, Alex Cora visits Puerto Rico, and high school sports. (43 photos total)

Keeping tradition of the hunt alive

Through the New England countryside, riders take part in an adventure at once ancient and modern: A formal fox hunt, no fox necessary. (Photographs by Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff) (18 photos total)

Chaos at the US border in Mexico

A peaceful march devolved into unrest when US agents fired tear gas to stop hundreds of migrants attempting to storm a border fence separating Mexico from the United States. Over 5,000 Central American migrants have been camping out at a sports complex in Tijuana. (30 photos total)

The deadly Camp Fire in California

At least 63 people have lost their lives in California’s deadliest wildfire. Over 10,000 structures were destroyed. The search for hundreds of people still missing continues. (50 photos total)

100th anniversary of the end of WWI

Sunday Nov. 11, 2018 marks the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the Armistice to end World War One. This was the Great War, called “the European War” or “the World War” by contemporaries. Ten million combatants would die before it ended with Germany’s defeat on Nov. 11, 1918. Its bloody battlegrounds, the Somme, Verdun, the Marne, and others, still epitomize apparently pointless human sacrifice. Those who survived the trenches of the Western Front believed civilization could never again sink so low.--By Associated Press (29 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, October 2018

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: fall colors, Halloween, the Milken Educator Award winner, Harvard University lawsuit, and a World Series victory. (40 photos total)

Red Sox 2018 World Series victory parade

The Red Sox once again for the fourth time this century rolled through the city in triumph after winning the 2018 World Series. (33 photos total)

Red Sox win the 2018 World Series

The Boston Red Sox took on the Los Angeles Dodgers in California for the 2018 World Series. The Red Sox defeated the Dodgers 5-1, to capture their ninth World Series title. (46 photos total)

World Series: Game 4, Red Sox vs. Dodgers

The Boston Red Sox take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in California during the 2018 World Series. The Sox won Game 4, 9-6. (41 photos total)

World Series: Game 3, Red Sox vs. Dodgers

The Boston Red Sox take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in California during the 2018 World Series. The Red Sox fell to the Dodgers, 3-2, in Game 3, a 7-hour-20-minute game, the longest in postseason history. The Red Sox hold a 2-1 series lead. (44 photos total)

World Series: Game 2, Red Sox vs. Dodgers

The Boston Red Sox take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park in the 2018 World Series. Red Sox win 4-2 and lead series 2-0. (30 photos total)

World Series: Game 1, Red Sox vs. Dodgers

The Boston Red Sox take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park in the 2018 World Series. The Sox won Game 1, 8-4. (29 photos total)

Globe staff photos of the month, September 2018

Here’s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month: gas explosions in Lawrence, 9/11 remembrance ceremonies, primary elections, somber pets, the New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Topsfield Fair, and the beginning of the Patriots regular season.. (39 photos total)

Scenes from the aftermath of Indonesia’s earthquake, tsunami

Days after an earthquake and tsunami severely damaged parts of an Indonesian island, the confirmed death toll has exceeded 1,200 dead with hundreds severely injured and still more trapped in debris. (22 photos total)

The world, the stage, the way ahead

Deb was still new to this high school in Peabody. She had arrived a year ago, a stranger dropped into the junior class, knowing no one and lacking all their shared history. She had found her way to the vaunted theater program, establishing a foothold in a realm that felt magical. This show was headed to a high-stakes statewide competition. Did she really think she belonged on that stage? She had resolved to find out. (28 photos total)