Boy Scouts files reveal legacy of abuse

Documents paint a devastating picture of thousands of episodes of abuse, dozens in Mass., from about 1965 to 1985.

Presidential predictors puzzled by tossup states

Out of 538 Electoral College votes, prognosticators say, from 36 to 131 votes — up to 11 states — are too close to call.

Blue Cross speeds up its customer service for one week

Tasks that normally take 10 to 30 days were addressed the same day because the Boston-based insurer knew people who called its lines would be surveyed.

Bankruptcy expected for firm linked to meningitis

New England Compounding Center will probably file for bankruptcy protection to try to stem the growing number of lawsuits against the firm, attorneys said.

Latest news

 

Lebanese prime minister links car bomb to Syria

Lebanon’s prime minister linked the massive car bomb that tore through Beirut to the civil war in Syria, the latest signal that the crisis is enflaming an already tense region.

Warm temperatures greet first day of regatta

Rowers took to the water — and spectators to the river banks and bridges — as the Head of the Charles races got underway amid temperatures that are approaching a balmy 70 degrees.

Senior Master Eights men’s crews were in action on the Charles River on Saturday morning.

John c. Tlumacki/globe staff

Senior Master Eights men’s crews were in action on the Charles River on Saturday morning.

Senior Master Eights on the women’s side were also on the water Saturday morning.

John c. Tlumacki/globe staff

Senior Master Eights on the women’s side were also on the water Saturday morning.

Women from Marin Rowing were on a dock Friday.

Jonathan Wiggs/globe staff

Women from Marin Rowing were on a dock Friday.

A crew leaned into their oars.

Jonathan Wiggs/globe staff

A crew leaned into their oars.

A women’s Eight practiced on the river Friday.

Jonathan Wiggs/globe staff

A women’s Eight practiced on the river Friday.

John  Streur from Chicago waited at a dock to lower his double into the river.

jonathan wiggs/globe staff

John Streur from Chicago waited at a dock to lower his double into the river.

editorial

EPA’s New Bedford settlement a lesson on industrial waste

If people could once again fish or set lobster traps in New Bedford Harbor, they would provide hope for the remaining 30 or so Superfund sites in Massachusetts.

Little Joe Cook sang “Peanuts,” his 1957 hit single, in the basement studio of his Framingham home.

Little Joe Cook recalls high notes of doo-wop fame

Admirers will salute the singer, known for his pioneering falsetto and his 1957 hit “Peanuts,” with a 90th birthday celebration Saturday.

Quinn Marcus conducted one of the impromptu street interviews that just might make her a widely known comedic celebrity.

Emerson student’s street interviews turn into a gig with MTV

“Quinnterviews” is what Quinn Marcus has coined her series of comedic shorts, which air on mtvU, a 24-hour branch of MTV.

Globe Insiders

From the archives | Photo Gallery

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/10/16/BostonGlobe.com/Enterprise/Advance/Images/peace006-767.jpg The 1969 peace rally

The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam on Oct. 15, 1969 was a huge gathering of antiwar protesters across the United States, with an estimated 100,000 people assembled at the Boston Common.

Politics

political notebook

Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama will hold their final debate on Monday night.

Candidates sidestep abortion; outside ads don’t

Though President Obama and Mitt Romney rarely tackle the topic of abortion head-on on the stump, the void is being filled by rival advocacy groups targeting swing states.

Nation & World

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A rescue worker carried an injured boy at the scene of an explosion in the Beirut Christian neighborhood of Achrafiyeh.

Beirut bomb kills top official

A large bomb exploded in the heart of Beirut’s Christian section, killing a top security official and at least seven others.

Arts

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Classical Notes

 The Pacifica String Quartet will premiere “Return,” a new work by Keeril Makan (above), on Wednesday.

Keeril Makan’s ‘Return’ to premier Wednesday

The Pacifical String Quartet will perform composer Keeril Makan’s “Return,” a piece inspired by Makan’s feelings of dislocation.