Evan Horowitz

Seven things you need to know if you want to fix the MBTA

Building a transit system that can stand up to once-in-a-century conditions like these would be massively expensive.

Dina Rudick/Globe Staff/File

After a month of limited service, shutdowns, and the occasional smoking train car, nearly everyone agrees the T can do better.

Yuta Tsuboi (above) in the Winter Swimming Champ-ionships in Lake Memphremagog (no wetsuits allowed).

Brave swimmers take icy dip at outdoor championships

A 25-meter, two-lane race course has been carved out of a frozen Vermont lake by chainsaws ? and there are no wetsuits allowed.

Critic?s Notebook

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/27/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/bill150-8092.jpg O?Reilly controversy spotlights partisan media?s growth

It?s nearly impossible to imagine Bill O?Reilly being ousted from Fox News, despite accusations that he exaggerated stories.

Families

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/26/BostonGlobe.com/Magazine/Images/reading2TestsIconpage-1545--90x90.jpg 7 things every kid should master

A noted Williams College psychologist argues standardized tests are useful, if they measure the abilities students really need.

What color is this dress, white and gold or black and blue?

A $77 dress sold by British clothing retailer Roman Originals Ltd. has divided the Internet.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/24/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/tlumacki_pizzeriauno_business378.jpg Once again, Uno puts its pizza first

The chain that switched years ago to a menu emphasizing pages of healthy food is returning to its cheesy roots.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/c470a845b42b4bfda551508ad9ebc4a4-c470a845b42b4bfda551508ad9ebc4a4-0.jpg Another Beacon Hill pay raise deal goes nowhere

On Beacon Hill, everything almost inevitably comes back to pay hikes. And, just as often, some hard feelings.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/27/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/snow-totals.jpg Two more snowstorms expected to hit Mass.

The weekend storm, which could dump up to 6 inches in some areas, will be followed by another storm early next week.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/27/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/kelley150-8105.jpg Quincy man charged in hatchet, wasp spray attack on lawyer

The man allegedly attacked the lawyer because he was representing the other party in a pending case, police said.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/27/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/200_obama_ortiz.jpg Some big names on Mass. unclaimed money list

President Obama, Bill Belichick, and David Ortiz are just some of the celebrities to top the semiannual update.

Coast Guard crew members spotted a coyote on the frozen water.

US Coast Guard

Coast Guard spots coyote on frozen Boston Harbor

Crews were breaking and chipping away at the ice when they saw a coyote dart across the frozen water.

Gunman found dead after allegedly killing 7 in Missouri

The victims? bodies were found in four different homes in Tyrone, in Texas County, about 40 miles from the Arkansas border.

Sen. Marco Rubio spoke at CPAC.

Presidential hopefuls make their pitch to activists

Republicans with 2016 in mind are speaking to conservative activists at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/02/27/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/henley150-8110.jpg Shoveling crew member allegedly ordered hit on fellow worker

Donte Henley, 24, was arraigned for the Feb. 11 murder of 21-year-old Kenny Lamour.

Live video: Aaron Hernandez murder trial

Testimony has resumed in the case against the former Patriots star.

The Big Picture

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Wintry woes for the MBTA

A look back at our recent public transit woes, due to an unusually harsh winter.