Dan Shaughnessy

Patriots-Texans was a laugher from start to finish
Shane Vereen hauled in a 33-yard pass and beat Barrett Ruud into the end zone for the Patriots’ final touchdown.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

The Patriots took care of the Texans, 41-28, in the first de facto preseason playoff game in NFL history to move on to the AFC Championship game.

Shane Vereen opened up a 17-3 lead for the Patriots after scoring on an 8-yard reception. Vereen, who had four TDs in the regular season, had three against Houston Sunday.

Patriots 41, Texans 28

Patriots beat Texans, face Ravens in AFC title game

The Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship game for the 7th time of the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era after dispatching the Texans, 41-28.

Wes Welker, who finished with eight catches for 131 yards, hauls in a 47-yarder from Tom Brady in the second quarter.

Christopher L. Gasper

Real playoffs start next week for Patriots

The Patriots will need a better effort than they had against the Texans to beat a Ravens team that is Super Bowl contender varsity.

Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich dropped into coverage and picked off Matt Schaub’s throw intended for James Casey in the third quarter.

on football

Rob Ninkovich’s clutch INT slowed down the Texans

With his third-quarter interception against Houston, the defensive end kept the Patriots in control of the game.

Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino in Uncasville, Conn. Owners will apply to build a resort in Palmer, Mass.

Mohegan Sun set to submit Mass. casino bid

The Conn. casino’s owners have found a new financial backer and will apply to the state’s gambling commission to build a gambling resort in Palmer.

Victor Gomes got the flu vaccine in Dorchester last week.

Boston’s lower-income areas bear brunt of flu

The illness appears to be exacting an especially heavy toll on three neighborhoods — Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan.

Boston-area colleges bracing for students’ return

As thousands of students return for the spring semester, university officials are taking preventive measures to avoid further outbreaks of influenza.

Aaron Swartz was to go on trial in April.

MIT will investigate its role in Aaron Swartz case

MIT will launch a “thorough analysis” of the school’s involvement in the federal hacking case against Swartz, who committed suicide Friday.

Ben Affleck took the best director trophy at last night’s Golden Globe Awards for “Argo.”

Golden Globe Awards

‘Argo,’ ‘Les Miz’ big winners at the Golden Globes

Ben Affleck’s “Argo” took best drama and best director and “Les Misérables” scored big with three awards, while the TV winners were largely an echo of last year’s Emmys.

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Globe Insiders

Photo Gallery | From the Archives

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/01/09/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/Molasses.jpg The Great Molasses Flood of 1919

A giant tank in the North End collapsed and sent a wave of molasses through the streets of Boston, killing 21 people.

Globe exclusives

AnnaSophia Robb (with Austin Butler) plays Carrie Bradshaw in the CW’s “Sex and the City” prequel, “The Carrie Diaries.”

Television Review

‘The Carrie Diaries’: ‘Sex’ gets in the way
Madeline Uretsky is still recovering from a concussion she suffered in October 2011. For months, she and her mother stayed in their darkened house and talked, played word games, and cooked. Over a year later, she’s still not the A-student she used to be.

G Cover

Kids may need more time to heal from concussions
Abbie MacQuarrie and Robert McOwen of Highland Dance Boston perform at the Boston Celtic Music Festival finale.

Music Review

Celtic Music Fest ends in fine form

MD MAMA

What’s the biggest risk factor for underage drinking?
Matthew O’Neill waited for a taxi after being treated for a broken arm at Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

States take aim at Mass. Medicare windfall
Employees at Bootstrap Compost, including Igor Kharitonenkov, make their own promotional materials out of recycled cardboard.

Your Next Job

Multimedia resumes stand out
For his new series, “Edge of America,’’ Geoff Edgers jumps into the action to experience the things people around the country do for entertainment.

From reporter to reality TV
Bobby Valentine does believe that “time will heal all wounds. These guys have received a slap on the wrist, but I think eventually those who should be there will be there.”

Sunday Baseball Notes

Valentine backs Piazza for Hall
Mayor Thomas Menino has all the comforts of home at the Parkman House, including his favorite chair.

Mayor Menino at home away from home
Because of his eye injury last October, Stephen Durant jokes, he now looks like a Bond villian.

Horrific injury an eye-opener for rugby player
To opponents, Kevin Garnett is a despised, unrelenting nuisance, using his full arsenal of mental tactics against even the most vulnerable of subjects.

Sunday Basketball Notes

Old mentor comes to defense of Kevin Garnett

Opinion | TOM KEANE

Pay more to go faster? Horrors!

Sports

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PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK

Rob Gronkowski grimaces as he uses his left arm to brace his fall after a first-quarter catch that was ruled out of bounds.

Rob Gronkowski done after reinjuring forearm

The Patriots tight end reinjured the left forearm he broke Nov. 18, and will need additional surgery.

Metro

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Three-year-old Xavier Blocker stood with the Rev. Miniard Culpepper at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Dorchester Sunday.

Boy shot in Roxbury recovering after surgery

Gabriel Clarke, the 13-year-old boy who was shot as he was walking to church, will probably spend the next 10 days in the hospital.

Columnists

Adrian Walker

Test time for Boston schools panel

JULIETTE KAYYEM

Chuck Hagel will too set policy
Wes Welker, who finished with eight catches for 131 yards, hauls in a 47-yarder from Tom Brady in the second quarter.

Christopher L. Gasper

Real playoffs start next week for Patriots

JAMES CARROLL

Vietnam haunts nominations
Shane Vereen hauled in a 33-yard pass and beat Barrett Ruud into the end zone for the Patriots’ final touchdown.

Dan Shaughnessy

Patriots-Texans was a laugher from start to finish

Tech Lab Plus

Window cleaning robot was a hit at CES
Paris Wallace (center) founded Ovuline.

Innovation Economy

Making a baby? There’s an app for that, too

Yvonne Abraham

As Mass. open seats loom, political fever infects all

JOANNA WEISS

Talk about gun safety, not control
Manohar Lal Sharma is the lawyer for one of the accused in the gang rape trial in India.

JEFF JACOBY

A right to defend, but not an obligation
US District Judge Richard G. Stearns was an assistant US attorney in the period Whitey Bulger is said to have committed crimes.

Joan Vennochi

A fair trial for Bulger?

Innovation Economy

For Boston’s most wanted workers, offers roll in

Nation & World

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Bundled up against the elements, a boy played on a nearly deserted beach at Santa Monica, Calif., on Thursday.

Calif. crops surviving in midst of frigid temperatures

Most orange and lemon crops probably avoided significant damage despite temperatures in the high 20s.

Politics

Political Notebook

Colin Powell’s praise of Chuck Hagel contrasts with continued GOP criticism of the defense secretary nominee.

Colin Powell goes to bat for Chuck Hagel

Powell’s praise of Hagel contrasts with continued GOP criticism of the defense secretary nominee.

Business

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Stephen Stetelman, a real estate agent and iPhone user, has his loyalties divided between Apple and Google.

Google apps helping rival Apple prosper

Google has become one of the most prolific and popular developers of apps for the iPhone.

Arts

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Music Review

A Far Cry played John McDonald, Britten, Webern, and Weill.

Far Cry sounds poignant, precise, and subtle

At Friday’s Jordan Hall concert, A Far Cry played John McDonald, Britten, Webern, and Weill.

Health and wellness

Daily Dose

Best diet list includes plant-based plans

US News & World Report has released its annual diet rankings, which for the first time include the best plant-based diets.

Magazine

The cover for the January 13 2013 issue

Alfresco fabulous
The cover for the January 6 2013 issue

Best Boston Globe photos of the year, 2012
The cover for the December 23 2012 issue

Bostonians of the Year: Raisman and Harrison

The cover for the December 16 2012 issue

Best of the New: Diversions

Opinion

“Hagel should be defense secretary because of, and not despite, the fact that he sets policy.”

Juliette Kayyem 

Ideas

“In places like Boston, boardinghouses were a key part of how 19th-century cities grew…and as Americans flock back into cities, they may offer some insights into where we’re going.”

Ruth Graham on the heyday of boardinghouses 

“The students are here to learn. If they get the flu they can be out of commission for one to three weeks and that can really affect their semester.”

Michelle Bowdler,  the senior director of health and wellness services at Tufts