Walsh says schools, union agree to add learning time

The proposal would add 40 minutes of learning time to the school day at elementary and middle schools in Boston.

Ramos was a longstanding member of Christ Tabernacle Church in the Glendale section of Queens.

CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS

Mourners gather for wake of slain NYPD officer

The wake and memorial service drew mourners from all corners of the city ? friends and strangers alike.

Lowell, MA 071514 Balloons, post cards and notes across from the remains of a building in Lowell which caught fire las week killing several people. A block a way officials had a press conference a t the Branch Street Fire Station in Lowell on July 15, 2014 with updates about the investigation of a deadly fire which happened last week killing several people. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET

Deadly fires plagued Massachusetts in 2014

In total, 55 civilians and two firefighters lost their lives in 39 fires this year, preliminary data reveals.

Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk in a 2012 file photo

Baker names Gloucester mayor to economic development post

Carolyn Kirk, a Democrat who endorsed Baker, will serve as deputy secretary of housing and urban development.

FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2014 file photo, packages are sorted on a conveyer belt before being loaded onto trucks for delivery at a FedEx facility in Marietta, Ga. FedEx, UPS and e-commerce retailers are trying to avoid the problems that occurred last year when severe winter weather and a surge in late orders caused delivery delays. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Online shoppers spent early, often, setting new record

Retailers benefited from lower unemployment rates, higher consumer confidence, and a decline in oil prices.

Market Basket?s four percent discount ends Saturday

The long-running discount, in place since January, is ending as scheduled on Saturday.

?This Old House? renovated my childhood home

The venerable PBS program renovated Mindy Pollack-Fusi's childhood home in Lexington, and the stars of the show gave her sneak peeks.

Dennis Lavalle holds a ticket and a poster of the film ?The Interview? for the Christmas Day screening of the movie in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles, Calif.

?The Interview? makes $1 million theater debut

Despite on-demand availability, crowds still flocked to theaters to catch showings of ??The Interview,?? Thursday.

Michael Keaton as Riggan in a scene from

Ty Burr

Best movies of 2014 dealt with unpleasant people

The movies that seemed to matter most in 2014 concerned characters who are their own worst enemies.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton has been picked off 15 times (T-10 in the league).

Who will Patriots see in playoffs?

While the final qualifier and seeds for the AFC playoffs are not set, here?s a look at how the contenders shape up.

CHAD FINN | SPORTS MEDIA

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/26/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/jdell-6724.jpg CBS?s NFL sideline reporters have been off their game lately

In recent weeks, Jenny Dell and Otis Livingston have shown troubling lapses in attribution and transparency.

Cheap Eats

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/09/05/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/kreiter_mein7_g.jpg Top 12 delectable cheap dishes of the year

Cheap Eat critics roundup their favorite dishes of 2014.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/26/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/weird150-7602.jpg The weirdest New England stories of 2014

Here?s your guide to some of the region?s goofiest stories from the past 12 months.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/06/28/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/ryan_onenorth1_biz[1].jpg Want to rent in Boston? Get a $50-an-hour job

A single person in Boston needs to make $100,000 a year to afford the city?s median rent of $2,497, according to Zillow.

Opinion

JOANNA WEISS

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/24/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/Joanna_Weiss_150px-1144.png Can we talk about death?

We are stubbornly reluctant to confront our own mortality.

The Big Picture

Stefan Postles/Getty Images

Seasonal lights

Around the world, nights look brighter this time of year and illuminations of all kinds help celebrate holidays or festivities.