Many schools in state lagging on MCAS

Nearly two-thirds of Massachusetts public schools are falling short of performance targets under the state’s new evaluation system.

Romney’s words hinder his campaign

Mitt Romney’s campaign problems cannot be fixed with staff changes, since it is the candidate’s own words that are being used against him.

Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren stand to gain much in the debate.

Brown, Warren face unique challenges in first debate

Senator Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren face delicate challenges: She must engage him on issues without seeming aggressive; he must fend her off without hurting his likable image.

Partisan movies like “2016: Obama’s America’’ that attract highly motivated audiences are important to movie houses that want to fill seats.

Critic’s Notebook

Partisan messages now easier than ever to spread with film, video

It is easier than ever to get a message, innocuous or incendiary, in front of the world’s eyeballs, whether through movie theaters or by taking one’s case to YouTube.

Some 600 mourners gathered in Winchester on Wednesday for the funeral of Glen Doherty, the former Navy SEAL killed in last week’s assault on a US consulate. His mother, Barbara Doherty, is at center with daughter Kate Quigley and grandson Cam.

BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF

Winchester bids farewell to Libya attack victim

Some 600 mourners gathered in Winchester on Wednesday for the funeral of Glen Doherty, the former Navy SEAL killed in last week’s assault on a US consulate.

Want to be generous? Act quickly, study suggests

Most people’s gut reaction is to give, according to a study published by Harvard scientists. Only upon reflection do they become greedy.

Christopher L. Gasper

Wes Welker’s playing time becoming a distraction for Patriots

Why is Welker being used in moderation? Contract issues, the Super Bowl drop, a repositioning of the offense, or a decline in play?

Tech Lab

In the app era, radio has gone Wi-Fi and 3G

Apps can pull in ­music, news, and sports from around the world, but there are also plenty that tune into traditional radio­ broadcasts, offering features you won’t find on that bedside clock radio.

Many in Mass. unprepared for college, report finds

A wide-ranging report shows a system in which droves of students enroll in college, but many ultimately find themselves underprepared for college-level work and drop out.

Sports

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Rays 13, Red Sox 3

Daisuke Matsuzaka was wretched again for the Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Red Sox clinch a losing season

Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed five runs and couldn’t get out of the fourth inning as the Red Sox lost to the Rays, 13-3, and fell to 68-82.

Business

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Bayer chairman Marijn Dekkers (right) was speaker at a luncheon where he discussed the economic downturn and research. Before his speech, he chatted with John Fernandez.

Executives say global push to contain health costs threatens innovation

The push to contain spiraling health costs around the world could hamper drug makers’ ability to bring new medicines to market, two biopharmaceutical executives warned Wednesday.

Politics

Political Notebook

Aung San Suu Kyi received the Congressional Gold Medal from House Speaker John Boehner, with Laura Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Mitch McConnell.

Lawmakers unite in effusive praise of Aung San Suu Kyi

Suu Kyi was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal she had been awarded in 2008 while under house arrest for her struggle against military rule in Myanmar.

Nation & World

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