Unaligned N.H. vote a test for Mitt Romney

Two weeks before the New Hampshire primary, the GOP front-runner holds a relatively narrow lead among independents, a critical voting bloc that remains largely undecided.

Antonio Fernandez is serving life without parole for a slaying he committed when he was a teenager. Six  other Massachusetts youths have received the maximum penalty for slayings they committed before they turned 17.

Bill Greene/Globe Staff

For teens guilty of murder, penalties can vary widely

A review has found no pattern in the prison terms of young killers since the passage of a 1996 Mass. law that requires juvenile ‘‘super predators’’ to be tried in adult court.

Somerville Police Sergeant Joe McCain Jr. called his wife after the shootout, asking her to “Go downstairs and tell my mother it wasn’t me” who got shot.

G cover

Two cops, two shootouts, one family

When Police Sergeant Joe McCain Jr. had a wild gunfight on the job, it was eerily reminiscent of one his father survived in 1988.

As much as 30 percent of the customers at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut come from Massachusetts.

Mary Beth Meehan for The Boston Globe

Conn. casinos brace for new rivals in Mass.

The once invincible gambling tandem of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun — even before the threat of losing customers to Mass. — has struggled with declining revenues and big debts.

Foxborough prepares for heated casino debate

Selectmen say they are prepared for a “robust’’ meeting tonight when they discuss whether the town should entertain a proposal to build a casino across from Gillette Stadium.

Wegman’s, the Rochester, N.Y., supermarket chain, opened its first store in Massachusetts in what town?

Interactive

Biz Quiz 2011

Do you know where Wegman’s opened its first supermarket in Massachusetts? Test your knowledge of the big business stories from the past year.

Jim O’Brien finds calling at Emerson

Coach O’Brien has landed in the cozy confines of Division 3 Emerson College basketball, a huge difference from BC and Ohio State, which is just what O’Brien needed.

“I don’t think we do justice by sentencing someone 16 and under to life without parole, no matter what the circumstances.”

Isaac Borenstein,  a retired Superior Court judge

Metro

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Woburn honors slain police officer

About 100 family members, friends, and colleagues gathered last night to honor Officer John “Jack’’ Maguire, who was killed one year ago by a career criminal.

Business

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Banks see no big threat in Europe’s woes

Major financial institutions in Mass. are monitoring the spreading debt crisis in Europe and reassuring shareholders that they are well positioned to weather a financial meltdown.

Nation & World

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Sports

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On Football

Patriots adjusted to Dolphins’ blitz

In the second half, the Patriots ran 18 plays with no running backs, and 20 empty sets, spreading the Dolphins out and allowing Tom Brady to get rid of the ball quicker.

Arts

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BOOK REVIEW

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with husband Mark Kelly and Vice President Joe Biden (left) in Washington, D.C., in October.

‘A Safeway in Arizona’ by Tom Zoellner

Zoellner’s genre-defying project, which was completed in less than a year, expands the blame in the Arizona shooting spree where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot.

Lifestyle

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Bella English

When our college-age kids head home for the holidays, our hearts fill up while our cupboards empty out.

Home for the holidays

When the college kids flock back to the nest during Christmas break, it’s a big adjustment — for parents.