Special Section
Ashland - the pulse of N.H.
A series of occasional articles looking at the 2012 Republican presidential race through the eyes of residents of Ashland, N.H., a bellwether town in New Hampshire.
N.H. town basks in its moment
Dina Rudick/Globe Staff
New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary vote turns the national spotlight on small towns such as Peterborough, and many welcome the attention.
News Analysis
GOP fight reflects deeper war over party identity
Three major factions — social conservatives, the Tea Party movement, and the business and government establishment — are in competition to define what the party stands for.
In letter, Murray addresses ‘false rumors’ related to crash
Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray has written to political supporters telling them that he has been subjected to “wild speculation’’ since his November crash.
Change sought in gauging teachers
Teachers’ job security would be tied primarily to performance under a prospective state ballot initiative that is drawing criticism from unions and education leaders.
Fees surge as banks hunt for revenue
The region’s largest banks are charging consumers as much as $50 a month if they do not maintain minimum balances or meet other requirements for certain checking and savings accounts.
Spelling makes a comeback in schools
Spelling textbooks, ejected from classrooms some 20 years ago to make way for more creative methods of studying words, are becoming popular again.
Interactive quiz
Test your spelling knowledge
There are 12 questions in this interactive spelling bee. Listen to the audio for each question, type your answer in the field, and keep track of your score.
“If you work in a restaurant or something like that, you’ll need to know how to spell.”
Max May, 12, attending a spelling bee workshop at the Billerica library
Inside The Boston Globe
Columnists
Metro
Accidents common at Cambridge intersection
Traffic is heavy and risk to cyclists is high at Vassar Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, the intersection where a rider was killed in a crash last month.
Business
The sky’s the limit, it seems, with graphene
A number of Mass. institutions are betting that this lightweight and versatile material will spark a new technology boom.
Politics
CANDIDATE STRATEGY
Gingrich says he is in race for long run
Newt Gingrich predicted that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney would probably win the New Hampshire primary — and insisted it would not matter.
Nation & World
Giffords joins Tucson for day of remembrance
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords led a Tucson crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance as the city marked the one-year anniversary of the shooting spree that killed six and wounded Giffords and 12 others.
Sports
Patchwork secondary is part of the Patriots’ mystery
Many of the names are lesser known -- Sterling Moore, Antwaun Molden. And the Patriots are still, on the cusp of the playoff opener, seeking the right mix in the backfield.
Health and wellness
G Force
Doing right by your diet
Michael Pollan, a science journalist and author of ‘‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’’ and ‘‘Food Rules,’’ will be speaking later this month at the Boston Speakers Series.
Arts
Album Reviews
The Weeknd’s soundtrack for the broken spirit
“Echoes of Silence’’ completes a trilogy of albums released in less than a year by Abel Tesfaye, whose cloudy and distant sound is as compellingly hazy as the singer himself.
Opinion
“It may be dull to watch, but — in what may be the candidate’s ultimate appeal — it’s a style that’s getting the job done.”
John E. Sununu, on Mitt Romney’s campaign
Ideas
To critics, the very notion of a ‘culture-bound illness’ is an outdated relic from the days of European empires.
Latif Nasser on psychiatry’s struggle with “culture-bound syndromes”