Abrupt closing of Long Island Bridge was slow to arrive

The two-lane bridge, which is two-thirds of a mile long, has connected Boston?s Long Island with Quincy?s Moon Island since 1951. The bridge is owned by the City of Boston.
Barriers were in place to block access to the Long Island Bridge on the day after the closure order.
At the time of the steel-truss span?s construction in 1951, bridges were typically built to last about 50 years, according to experts.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff

For years, the structural hazards of the bridge grew increasingly obvious, and the city did little beyond patchwork fixes.

Spending bill puts off immigration battle

The measure sets the stage for a fight over President Obama?s immigration policy within a few months.

Bette Burke-Nash, 78, took her first flight at the age of 16.

Defying gravity ? and time

Bette Burke-Nash has been a flight attendant for 57 years ? which she believes makes her the nation?s longest-serving.

Mohegan Sun has reduced the number of slot machines as part of a shift in business tactics.

A season of limits for Conn. casinos

Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are undergoing changes in leadership while bracing for a new wave of competition in Mass.

Demonstrators held a sit-in in downtown Boston on Saturday.

State Police arrest 23 protesters in Boston

The protests over recent cases involving police killings drew about 1,000 demonstrators to downtown Boston, authorities said.

Oversold prenatal tests spur some to choose abortions

Some pregnancies are needlessly aborted by mothers who are misinformed about the accuracy of the tests.

Miami?s Cameron Wake is one of the most disruptive and underrated forces in the league.

Patriots vs. Dolphins | Sunday, 1 p.m., (CBS)

Patriots? keys to a victory over Dolphins

Miami?s Cameron Wake is one of the most disruptive and underrated forces in the league.

Andre Tippett and his wife, Rhonda (right) of Sharon light a menorah with son Coby, 16, and Rhonda?s parents, Chuck and Myrna Kenney.

Patriots? Hall of Famer Andre Tippett lights the menorah

Tippett is a towering man with a gentle voice. When he starts to speak about the meaning of Hanukkah, his voice grows even softer.

Chris Morris paid $2,800 for her pellet stove.

address

Pellet stoves, hunks of burnin? love

One homeowner was spending crazy amounts of money to heat her old N.H. farmhouse, and then she got a pellet stove.

Yvonne Abraham

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/14/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/abrahamy-7744.jpg Sandy Hook promises unkept

Two years after the massacre of 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook, everything is pretty much the same.

Emily Loprete, Allie Doggett, Rachel Campbell, and the Watertown field hockey program has won 138 consecutive games.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

Fall 2014 All-Scholastics: Honoring the area?s best

The Boston Globe celebrates the top performers from this fall?s competition.

ideas

Historians: Go big or go home!

Two New England professors make waves by calling on colleagues to get more ambitious.

Innovation Economy

Mobile pay not yet ready for prime time

We?ve got smartphone apps and accompanying devices that work at one retail chain or a bunch ? but nothing yet that?s universal.

Opinion

Dan Ward

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/10/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/1214oped_saffronGetty.jpg Afghanistan?s future lies with small farmers

A new company looks to connect saffron farmers with American markets while cultivating peace.

The Big Picture

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Protesters rally in downtown Boston

About 1,000 people demonstrated Saturday in Boston to protest over the recent deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.