The Desperate and the Dead

The hidden cost when mental illness meets homelessness

At the Suffolk County Jail, we met with David, an inmate with mental illness. — SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF

Everyone knows David, and wants to help, as he bounces between shelters, hospitals, jail. He is among the many homeless people with mental illness who find no care system to address their desperation.

A woman was seriously injured after a commuter rail train on the Fitchburg line struck a car in Belmont Friday. — Karl Redgate

Woman seriously injured after Fitchburg train hits car on tracks in Belmont

A 58-year-old woman was struggling to pull a boy from her car, which was stuck on the tracks, when it was hit by a commuter rail train.

Report details massive Russian doping scheme at Sochi Olympics

More than 1,000 Russian athletes were involved in or benefited from an organized conspiracy over a four-year period.

Telltale tail shows dinosaur feathers in ?exquisite detail?

This was not the first time that paleontologists examined feathers trapped in Cretaceous amber.

Animals allegedly abused at Westport farm find greener pastures

It has taken several months and $1.4 million, but some of the woebegone animals of a fetid tenant farm in Westport have begun to find salvation.

13 displaced in fire at Dorchester triple-decker

The fire broke out just before 8 a.m. in the basement before spreading to the first floor.

Man suspected of preparing a terrorist crime detained in the Netherlands

A Kalashnikov rifle, two full ammunition clips, and a painting featuring a flag used by the Islamic State group were found at the suspect?s home.

John Glenn was ?remarkable? even in sleep

As he prepared for his historic return to space at age 77, Glenn surprised researchers who analyzed recordings of the iconic astronaut?s body at rest.

Dorchester?s ?Keeper of the Clock? makes sure time never stands still

Nearly 20 years ago, Jeffrey Gonyeau fell in love with a public clock in Peabody Square. He winds it every Sunday to make sure it keeps good time.

Behind the story: The Power of Will

Globe reporter Billy Baker on how ?The Power of Will? came to be.

Globe Santa

Two families facing tough times ask Santa for help

This is a story of two families who are looking to Globe Santa to make this Christmas morning a bright moment for their children at the end of a year of tough times.

The transition to Trump

Paul Ryan says he had ?a great meeting? with Donald Trump

The House speaker had been critical of his party?s nominee in the election but issued a call for unity after the vote.

Snail-mail season?s greetings find new life

Card shops are making a comeback as millennials discover the joys of paper, pen, and postage stamps.

ADDRESS

Festiveness is just a phone call and credit card away

Did you know you could pay someone to decorate your house for the holidays?

Globe Magazine

Can the TSA fix itself after so much dysfunction?

With a history of dysfunction and new calls to privatize, can the agency?s big plans to make airport security less miserable get off the ground?

THINGS TO DO

The Weekender: Seeing stars, Cirque Dreams, and finely tuned machines

Top picks for the best ways to spend your weekend.

NAMES

Is Mark Wahlberg overpaid?

Mark Wahlberg ranks seventh on Forbes.com?s most overpaid actors list this year.

Austria?s word of the year is 52 letters long and a bit of a tongue twister

?Bundespraesidentenstichwahlwiederholungsverschiebung? emerged from the record time it took to elect the country?s president.

Special reports

special report

Every doctor told the Lacey family their son would die ? except one

Pat and Dina Lacey had been parents for only a few months when doctors discovered a tumor in their new baby?s chest. Told to take their son home to die, they put their faith in a young doctor who wouldn?t accept death as the answer.