Roberta said goodnight to Connor after his 13th birthday party. Earlier, he had a conversation with an imaginary friend of sorts about why he couldn?t move back home. ?You?ve been too unsafe,?? he said. ?You could really hurt Mom.?? But later, in bed, Connor told his mother he really wanted to come home. It?s a familiar conversation. ?I tell him that it?s not safe for anyone right now, including him, but when it is, he can come home,? she said.

The Big Picture

Photos: Connor Biscan is learning to rise

He is a boy easy to love, and also a heart-testing puzzle to those who love him.

Red Sox 5, Rangers 1

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/05/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/954767386.jpg Red Sox overpower Bartolo Colon and the Rangers

The Red Sox hit four solo home runs ? including two by 21-year-old Rafael Devers off of 44-year-old Bartolo Colon.

lightning 4, Bruins 3

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/05/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/tlumacki_bruinsvslightning_sports1022.jpg Dan Girardi lifts Lightning over Bruins in overtime

The Lightning take a 3-1 lead in the second-round series.

Senator Karen Spilka said, ?When people go through tough times, it presents opportunities.?

Beleaguered by scandal, state Senate tries to get its groove back

It?s been a rough few months for the Massachusetts Senate.

Wes Buckley shared a laugh with Mary Kravec while warming up for a hootenanny at the former home of Alice Brock in Great Barrington. The onetime church was bought by Arlo Guthrie in 1991 and now houses the Guthrie Foundation, a not-for-profit educational foundation named for his parents, Woody and Marjorie Guthrie.

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

THOMAS FARRAGHER

What?s changed since ?Alice?s Restaurant?? Everything, and nothing at all

Alice Brock is best known ? sometimes to her displeasure ? as the Alice from Arlo Guthrie?s venerable antiwar anthem ?Alice?s Restaurant Massacree.?

Senator John McCain has been unable to return to the Senate after cancer treatment and surgery for an intestinal infection last month.

In Ariz., John McCain gets visits from Biden, Graham after surgery

A frail Senator John McCain has been receiving a stream of good wishes at his Arizona ranch as he confronts the aftermath of brain cancer treatment and surgery.

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, HI - MAY 3: In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, ash sprews from the Puu Oo crater on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on May 3, 2018 in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The governor of Hawaii has declared a local state of emergency near the Mount Kilauea volcano after it erupted following a 5.0-magnitude earthquake, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,700 residents. (Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images)

In Hawaii, Kilauea Volcano erupts, spewing lava and gases near homes

Fresh volcanic eruptions on the southern end of the island of Hawaii on Friday left residents displaced and frightened following days of small earthquakes, as the authorities were working to keep people out of evacuation areas.

Partners HealthCare (above) and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care have been talking for several months.

Partners, Harvard Pilgrim discussing possible merger

If Partners and Harvard Pilgrim do move forward with a deal, they are likely to face scrutiny in a state where policymakers and consumer groups are focused on controlling medical costs.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/wiggs_Court_02a.jpg State Police name former attorney general to head probe into handling of drugged driver case

Lynn DeWolfe allegedly caused a fatal crash while driving drugged, minutes after a trooper let her go following an earlier crash.

Kerry quietly seeking to salvage Iran deal he helped craft

The former secretary of state has been on an aggressive yet stealthy mission to try to apply pressure on the Trump administration from the outside.

FILE-- President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he heads back to Washington following a trip to West Virginia, on Thursday, April 5, 2018. Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen, his longtime personal lawyer, for a $130,000 payment that Cohen has said he made to keep a pornographic film actress from going public before the 2016 election with her story about an affair with Trump, according to Rudolph Giuliani, one of the president?s lawyers. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Trump reportedly knew of payments to Stormy Daniels before he made denial

Three people close to the matter said that President Trump knew that Michael Cohen had succeeded in keeping the allegations from becoming public at the time the president denied it.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/03/20/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/Clipboard-14293.jpg Amherst College student found dead in Mexico was murdered, family says

The family of an Amherst College senior who was found dead in March in Mexico City said Friday that he was murdered, their first public comments on a case that has been kept largely under wraps.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/05/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/IMG_3041.JPG Two men dead in Jamaica Plain shootings

The shootings mark the 17th and 18th homicides this year in Boston.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/04/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/901095140d9c43fd884f3d5998b06e69-901095140d9c43fd884f3d5998b06e69-0.jpg Conn. high court overturns Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel?s murder conviction

The court issued a 4-3 ruling Friday that Skakel?s trial attorney, Michael Sherman, failed to present evidence of an alibi in the bludgeoning death of Martha Moxley.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Local shops outlast Toys ?R? Us, with mixed feelings

Specialty toy shops are rethinking their strategy as the behemoth chain prepares to sell or close its stores.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/04/08/BostonGlobe.com/Regional/Images/29weyoga_05.jpg Competition yoga? No, it?s not an oxymoron

Children as young as 7 are perfecting their poses for the increasingly popular sport.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/04/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/NanoreSpagnolo_05giltwedding_03_met.jpg This couple avoided the angst of wedding planning with a $36,000 click

If you could put a price on avoiding all that stress, what would you pay? For David Bower and Nezha Mediouni, it was a cool $36,000.

Felix D. Arroyo talked with the media outside the governor?s office at the State House in Boston in April 2017.

Felix D. Arroyo, Suffolk County register of probate, hospitalized

A statement released by Felix Arroyo?s spokesman did not disclose the type of medical emergency, and the spokesman did not respond to further questions.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/05/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/AFP_1473TZ.jpg Trade group forms to represent marijuana industry

The Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association, or MCBA, is set to launch with a May 15 kickoff meeting.

Love Letters: The Podcast

Love Letters Podcast

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/17283_LL_Podcast_HP_Episode_7_Tease.png Can you really get back together?

It?s tempting to think you can undo a breakup. And maybe you can, but odds are you?ll need time, distance, and lots of life in between.

Listen:   Apple Podcasts   |   Stitcher   |   RadioPublic

 

Opinion & Ideas

EDITORIAL

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2018/05/04/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Advance/Images/PlusHodgson.jpg A lawsuit aims to end the prison telephone racket

No one doubts this practice is usurious and imposes a monopolistic expense on prisoners.

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How do I update the maps on my car?s built-in GPS?

I contacted the GPS software company, and they told me there is no upgrade for it. Is this true? Q. I have a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz with on-board GPS, and the maps need to be updated. How can I update it myself? I did it once about five years ago without any issues, but I [?]