NFL playoffs

Patriots? footballs were inspected, approved before AFC title game

Tom Brady warmed up before the AFC Championship game on Sunday.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

According to a source, game officials inspected and approved all 24 of the Patriots game balls before the AFC Championship.

Ben Volin | On football

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/22/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/Tlumacki_patriotspractice_sports332seqn}.jpg Why hasn?t NFL talked to Tom Brady about Deflategate?

The NFL hasn?t yet interviewed the person whom most everyone else in the league believes is the central figure in this mess.

Video

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/football150-7681.jpg Could you detect an underinflated football?

Globe reporter Billy Baker tries to get a grip on the Deflategate controversy involving the Patriots.

BetaBoston

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/baker150-3967.jpg Gillette wins big with Flexball hashtag and Deflategate

There is one real winner coming out of all the craziness that is the Deflategate scandal this week: Gillette.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/22/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/a444c3f912694aafbe5e545a01a42702-a444c3f912694aafbe5e545a01a42702-0.jpg Brady throws comedians a chance for low-rent laughs

The Patriots QB?s quotes from Thursday?s press conference about deflated footballs were repurposed with schoolboy glee.

Adrian Walker

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/10/07/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/walker_20131007.jpg Alleged shakedown of Keolis facing federal probe

The US attorney?s office is now investigating an incident involving two high-profile Boston ministers.

Paul Swydan | Statistically Thinking

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/davis_bostor6B_spts-6794--90x90.jpg How long can David Ortiz keep defying the odds?

As good as the Red Sox DH has been for as long as he?s been, there has been a touch of surprise to his seasons the last few years

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/15/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/15techdiversity04.jpg Tech women often feel like outsiders

Women who work in high-tech jobs often see an industry culture that?s more man cave than diversified workforce.

Weekend storm may dump up to 8 inches of snow

Central Massachusetts will see the greatest accumulation, but no part of the state will be spared, forecasters said.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/2015-01-21T211016Z_1635180538_GM1EB1M0EAZ01_RTRMADP_3_OLYMPICS-USA-BOSTON.jpg Wealthy executives courted for Olympic bid

With entry starting at $50,000, Boston 2024?s ?Founders 100? group is a microcosm of the city?s prosperous and powerful.

SCOT LEHIGH

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/22/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/Scot_Lehigh_150px-1206.jpg Let the public vote on the Olympics

Given the inevitable effects the Games would have on Boston, voters should have a say on whether to play host.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/death-7822.jpg Inquest into Bridgewater State Hospital death set

The review will examine a 2009 case where a patient died as prison guards forcibly strapped his wrists and ankles to a bed.

New Balance, private equity firm buying Rockport

The $280 million deal for the Canton-based shoe company is expected to close later this year.

Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle in ?American Sniper,? the film from director Clint Eastwood that set a box-office record for a January release.

ty burr

Many miss the point of ?American Sniper?

In the midst of a polarized cultural landscape, the movie?s message has been misunderstood on both sides of the divide.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/bus1.JPG Man hurt, dog killed in South End school bus accident

A man in his 50s was struck by a school bus Friday morning at Columbus Avenue and Dartmouth Street, police said.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/hernandez150-7673.jpg End of jury selection near in Aaron Hernandez case

The judge in the Odin Lloyd case plans to hold the final day of individual questioning Friday and have a jury seated on Monday.

Opinion

DANTE RAMOS

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/01/23/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/dante_ramos-1170.jpg Jack up the federal gas tax now

Doing so would encourage clean energy and generate funds for roads and transit.

The Big Picture

An abandoned tourist Boat shipwreck lying at the Dead Sea coastal resort near Ein Gedi, Israel.

Abir Sultan/EPA)

The Big Picture

Declining water levels in the Dead Sea

Originally one of the world?s first health resorts, the Dead Sea has a far from healthy future as its water levels decline.

The Globe Collection Promo