The MBTA is planning to double the amount of shuttle bus service in the next five years at a cost of tens of millions of dollars, with the possibility of another complete rail line shutdown in the works — and a transit advocate thinks the Red Line could be next to be taken offline.

South American-born soccer players Tab Ramos, Claudio Reyna, Marcelo Balboa and Fernando Clavijo played key roles for the United States in the 1990s and early 2000s World Cups. A wave of German-born players — Thomas Dooley, Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, John Brooks — progeny of American military fathers and German moms, also opted to play for Uncle Sam.

Boston City Council is set to weigh legislation that, if approved, would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections for mayor, City Council and city-specific ballot questions.

Cirque du Soleil gets into the festive spirit this year with “’Twas the Night Before… ,” the company’s first-ever holiday show, playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre through Dec. 11.