ground game

It?s the beginning of the end of the presidential race

Today is the traditional start of the final sprint of the campaign: the debates will begin and TV advertising will become non-stop.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/09/06/BostonGlobe.com/Politics/Images/7a07cf47bd97402cb329d28e1f9d9497-b92a386b2d3244dfbe487a2634204e4d-0.jpg Maine governor Paul LePage says he?ll only speak to ?fair? talk radio

Paul LePage has ruled out talking to the media ? except ?respectful and fair? talk radio hosts.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/16/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/kreiter_citycouncilors7_met.jpg 7 Democrats seek obscure office?s $124,000 payday

Few people even know what the job entails, but that isn?t stopping these candidates.

ELECTION GUIDE

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/09/06/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/AP607482241698.jpg Everything you need to know about Thursday?s primary elections

Yes, you read that right, it?s Thursday ? voters statewide will go to the polls to cast ballots in a number of races. Here?s your guide.

Man broke into Martha?s Vineyard home, painted dog purple

A man is facing charges after police say he broke into a home on Martha?s Vineyard and painted the resident?s dog purple.

Man attempts to use rope to swing away from pursuing Boston police

The Medford man had 20 outstanding warrants when he confronted officers inside Brighton residence Sunday.

ITT Tech shutters campuses after federal aid sanctions

Two of the company?s campuses are in Massachusetts.

8/14/16 - Boston, MA - Alfond Spray Deck - Cedric Arthur, cq, 5, of Hopedale, MA enthusiastically leapt through fountains at the Alfond Spray Deck on the Esplanade in Boston on Sunday, August 14, 2016 after visiting the Museum of Science with his family. The heat index hit 100 degrees for Boston by mid-afternoon. Photo by Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

Dina Rudick/Globe Staff/File

Feel like the weather is more extreme? You?re right.

It?s not your imagination ? there has been a pattern of increasingly extreme weather in recent years.

Findings

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/09/01/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/shutterstock_309240392.jpg The ?achievement gap? appears to be narrowing

Low-income children are entering kindergarten with stronger reading and math skills than before.

Sponsored by Rockland Trust

The trick to a full showroom

What?s the secret to car dealerships constantly keeping their lots full? Floor plan lending. Find out how this financing solution keeps local car and boat businesses afloat.

This content was produced by Boston Globe Media in collaboration with the advertiser. The news and editorial departments of The Boston Globe had no role in its production or display.

Perhaps the most psychedelic bathroom on the market.

MATT CUDDY/Century 21 CUDDY

If you want to live in a ?70s time machine, here?s your chance

Someone in Framingham is committed to making sure the ?70s aesthetic is stayin? alive.

Boko Haram refugees return home, excited but fearful

Most refugees are children and women who don?t know whether their husbands and sons have been killed or kidnapped during their two-year exile.

Greta Van Susteren.

Greta Van Susteren out as Fox News host

Greta Van Susteren is out as a nighttime host on Fox News Channel, replaced temporarily by Brit Hume starting Tuesday.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/07/06/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/gretchen-carlson200-6192.jpg Gretchen Carlson settles sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes, Fox

Carlson, who claimed she was cut loose after she refused sexual advances, was paid $20 million, according to someone familiar with settlement.

RACHEL G. BOWERS

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/09/04/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/kleinr_Patriots_11.jpg What does your average Patriots player look like?

A closer look at the roster reveals some interesting numbers and facts about the 2016 team.

Chicken tagine, made in a slow cooker.

Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

How I learned to stop worrying and love the slow cooker

On busy school nights, even a food snob can?t deny the device?s appeal.

An employee laid out a display of manicured marijuana buds at the Pueblo West Starbuds dispensary.

In Colo., a county revolts against legalized marijuana

Pueblo County voters are considering terminating retail marijuana sales and operations.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/07/22/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/d766cc7da7684ddba897286cb9443cae-807b1c4faabc4ffea31d17bad59f7c30-0.jpg This pill prevents HIV. Why don?t more people take it?

Massachusetts health officials are working on ways to improve access to HIV prevention.

kevin cullen

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/09/06/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/cullen-11856.jpg It?s no time to give humor a rest

The summer?s over, and we?re back to the grind. What better time for a few laughs?

Globe investigations

The desperate and the dead

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/08/29/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/spotlight9090-11856.jpg The broken covenant

Behind the fragmented state of mental health care lies a political system failure that spans decades ? and continues.

The story behind 'Spotlight'

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/spotlight-9497.jpg Boston Globe coverage and the movie ?Spotlight?

?Spotlight? is based on the stories and the reporters behind the investigation of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

The Big Picture

Globe photos of the month, August 2016

A look at some of the best images by Boston Globe photographers last month.