Mitt Romney scrambles to nail down Michigan

A loss for Romney in the GOP primary in his native state would be a crippling blow, with only a week to recover before Super Tuesday’s 11-state blitz on March 6.

Deadline near, state gaming panel seats unfilled

A number of potential candidates have bowed out of contention for a position on the new gambling commission, leaving four of the five spots still open.

DA won’t investigate motive in Beverly officer’s shooting

Due to the suicide of the Hamilton police sergeant who shot a Beverly officer, there won’t be any criminal charges in the shooting.

Boston’s would-be chicken farmers lay out case

A movement to allow city residents to build chicken coops and harvest eggs has found an audience with Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Boston, MA - 09/03/11 - Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona (47) enjoys a relaxed moment in the dugout just before the start of today's game against the Texas Rangers. The Boston Red Sox took on the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of a 3 game series at Fenway Park. - (Globe Staff Photo / Barry Chin), section: Sports, reporter: Peter Abraham, slug: 04redsox.

Terry Francona calls beer ban a ‘PR move’

Appearing on ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” show, the former Red Sox manager said “if a guy wants a beer, he can probably get one.”

ILLUSTRATION/CHRISTOPH HITZ

G Cover

Constant distractions can take a toll

Distracted driving is dangerous, sure, but distractions at work, home, or anywhere can have disastrous effects.

“The Artist’’ won five Academy Awards on Sunday, including best picture.

84TH ACADEMY AWARDS

‘The Artist’ triumphs at the Oscars

The movie won five Academy Awards, including best picture, becoming the first silent film to claim the top prize since the original ceremony 83 years ago.

Host Billy Crystal sings at the beginning of the Academy Awards broadcast last night.

84th Academy Awards | The show

A Crystal ball on a night of nostalgia

After the Great Youth Experiment of ’11 failed, you could almost sense the relief in the star-studded audience when Billy Crystal returned ‘‘home’’ as the host.

This Alexander McQueen gown had a very high potential for looking like something worn by a maiden at a renaissance fair.

84TH ACADEMY AWARDS | The Fashion

A red carpet of many colors

At last night's Academy Awards, there was no dominant theme, no color of the night, and definitely no shape that appeared over and over.

“Most chicken owners consider their birds as family pets and would be devastated to lose them.”

Dakota Butterfield,  58, of Jamaica Plain

Globe Insiders

Globe Insider Event | March 5, 5:30 p.m.

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/02/17/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/508746086[1]--90x90.jpg ‘The Real Romney’

Globe editorial page editor Peter S. Canellos moderates a discussion with Globe writers Scott Helman, Scot Lehigh, and Frank Phillips on the Republican presidential candidate.

Inside The Boston Globe

A crew member walks down pit road as officials hope to start the rain-postponed NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup series auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla., Monday, Feb. 27, 2012. NASCAR president Mike Helton says the Daytona 500 will start Monday night at 7 p.m. Heavy rain soaked Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, forcing NASCAR to postpone the event for the first time in its 54-year history.(AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Daytona 500 to start Monday night
Amanda Seyfried stars in ‘‘Gone,’’ reinforcing her talent for playing unstable characters in a way that creeps up on viewers.

MOVIE REVIEW

Seyfried keeps ‘Gone’ going only so far

Medical sensors could phone for help

IN PRACTICE

‘The Hateful Patient’ revisited
The Death Star, from “Star Wars.”

Brainiac

The Death Star? That’ll run you at least $8.52 quadrillion

Living longer, living better

Can surgery help you stay in the game?

Your Taxes

Romneys’ 1040s offer tips for filing

Product Reviews

Doing your mortgage homework

Coupling

Proposing on February 29

video

Bobby Valentine: No more beer

Perspective

High school and its discontents

24 hours in Kendall Square

Metro

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Luzmila Garcia, mother of missing Boston College evening student Franco Garcia, held a poster in front Mary Ann's Bar on Beacon Street yesterday.

Police search reservoir for missing BC student

State Police are searching the Chestnut Hill Reservoir today as they continue to search for Franco Garcia, 21, who has been missing since Wednesday.

Business

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TV gets social, thanks to Web

In the Internet era, viewers chat with fellow fans as they watch, giving new life to an old medium.

Columnists

INNOVATION ECONOMY

Start-up adds ease to making meals at home

Dan Shaughnessy

Red Sox ban on alcohol is a lot to drink in

Juliette Kayyem

Smart nuclear reduction

Adrian Walker

Scott Brown’s presumption

Yvonne Abraham

Making Magic at North Bennet Street School
Participants happily get on the move with multi-sport activities in Somerville.

DERRICK Z. JACKSON | Generation fitness

In Arlington, a model for nation
Rihanna and Chris Brown perform in NewYork in 2008, the year before he attacked her.

Joan Vennochi

Domestic abuse, without the fame and glamour
Red Sox owner John Henry didn’t address the full team yesterday, but he and Kevin Youkilis shared a moment.

Dan Shaughnessy

Chatter from Sox owner John Henry was minimal

LOVE LETTERS

He’s a workaholic

Christopher L. Gasper

Widely known that they need a receiver

Lawrence Harmon

The weak-kneed BU Law School

Boston Capital

Clean Harbors Inc. cleans up financially

Politics

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK

Mitt Romney was asked on ‘‘Fox News Sunday’’ whether he understands why voters see him as out of touch.

Mitt Romney defends ability to relate to voters

Romney was forced again yesterday to defend his wealth — and his ability to relate to average Americans.

Nation & World

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An Ohio State Highway patrol helicopter leaves Chardon High School Monday, Feb. 27, 2012, in Chardon, Ohio. A gunman opened fire inside the high school’s cafeteria at the start of the school day Monday, wounding five students, according to officials and local hospitals. A suspect is in custody. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

5 students wounded at Ohio school shooting

The shooting was reported around 7:30 a.m. at an Ohio high school located 30 miles east of Cleveland, officials confirmed. A suspect is in custody.

Sports

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Red Sox Notebook

For a lefthander, Red Sox starter Jon Lester is far too easy to run on.

Jon Lester wants to improve throwing to first

The Red Sox starter is one of the best in the game at throwing the ball to the plate. But when he throws to first base, it can be an adventure.

Health and wellness

G Force

Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff

Targeting toxic stress in children

Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard, has launched a national campaign against ‘‘toxic stress’’ in childhood.

Arts

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BOOK REVIEW

“The End of Money” by David Wolman

‘The End of Money’ by David Wolman

Wolman examines the current state of the physical cash system worldwide, why we might be better off without it, and what the future might hold.

Living Longer, Living Better

Special Section

Guide to health, wealth, and happiness

Advice on how to get the most out of your retirement.

Magazine

The cover for the February 26 2012 issue

24 hours in Kendall Square
The cover for the February 19 2012 issue

Renovated Newport firehouse is calm, cool, and collected
The cover for the February 12 2012 issue

Boston wedding venue guide
The cover for the February 5 2012 issue

What if the lights go out?

Opinion

“We still love the Bomb. We need the Bomb. We just don’t need so many of them.”

Juliette Kayyem 

Ideas

“As criminal justice became a clash of mandates and bureaucratic rules, it became untethered from what was once its basic function: separating the guilty from the innocent and delivering fair punishment.”

Leon Neyfakh, on “The Collapse of American Criminal Justice”