LOCAL NEWS

For Patrick, a loss in Hub, a win in N.Y.

Gov. Deval Patrick was out of state when his casino gambling plan, a cornerstone of his economic program, went down to defeat. But the mystery of his whereabouts has been solved. More »

A call to business led to one of her own

It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and beneath the large windows in her home office, Jameel Webb-Davis is a blur. More »

Judge selected to be first Mass. child advocate

A veteran judge has been appointed the state's first child advocate. More »

Tax breaks for films cost Mass. millions in profits

Movie tax breaks embraced by Gov. Deval Patrick and star-struck lawmakers could end up costing Massachusetts $138 million in lost revenues even as they spark a filmmaking renaissance in the Bay State, according to a report by the state Department of Revenue. More »

Measure could curb use of police details at worksites

Civilians dressed in bright vests and armed with flags could soon be directing traffic around road construction projects under a proposal by Gov. Deval Patrick and top lawmakers designed to chip away at a long-held police perk. More »

Street bookseller and activist passes at 54

A crowd of more than 200 mourners gathered at Mattapan's Morning Star Baptist Church last Friday morning to pay their respects to Lloyd E. Hart Jr., an entrepreneur and activist who created community around his love of books. More »

NATIONAL NEWS

The Caged Bird still sings

At 80, Maya Angelou says life is still an adventure More »

Housing chief Jackson resigns amid criminal probe

WASHINGTON - HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, his tenure tarnished by allegations of political favoritism and a criminal investigation, announced his resignation Monday amid the wreckage of the national housing crisis. More »

Ex-Panther Abu-Jamal to get new sentencing hearing

PHILADELPHIA - Death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal must be given a new sentencing hearing because the jury was given flawed instructions during the penalty phase of his controversial trial, an appeals court ruled last Thursday. More »

HEALTH

The nose knows: Humans can literally smell trouble

WASHINGTON - Know how a whiff of certain odors can take you back in time, either to a great memory or bad one? More »

Congress examines military mental health policies

WASHINGTON - Chris Scheuerman believes the military he served for 20 years failed his son Jason by discounting the 20-year-old's mental health problems before Jason shot himself to death in his Iraq barracks almost three years ago. More »

NEWS NOTES

Civil rights advocates give Kerry 100 percent rating

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) recently gave Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., a 100 percent rating, its highest possible grade, citing his work on minimum wage and immigration reform legislation, and his opposition to judicial nominees whom the organization says "disregard basic civil rights." More »