Special education policies in Mass. reviewed

Contrary to popular belief, low-income school districts are most likely to place students in special-education programs for sometimes questionable disabilities, according to a new study.

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

Deluge temporarily brings relief to a parched Mass.

The gush of rain expected to fall through Monday ends the months-long dearth of precipitation that has left the state’s rivers at record lows and spurred more than 200 brushfires.

Obesity rates dropping among Mass. infants, toddlers

After a three-decade tripling in childhood obesity rates, the trend has leveled off and, for the first time, appears to be on a decline among infants and preschoolers, according to a study.

Menino challenges Boston: Shed 1 million pounds

Mayor Menino will launch a citywide effort encouraging residents to lose a collective 1 million pounds over the next year.

Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff

Bicycle deliveries are on the rise in Boston

Bike couriers are reporting double-digit revenue increases as cargo options expand, and many other types of businesses are biking their goods around the city, too.

Brain surgery that’s not invasive

An experimental procedure pioneered in Boston, called MRI-guided focused ultrasound, uses 1,000 otherwise-harmless ultrasound beams to zap tumors.

Berklee College of Music becomes a YouTube star

On Monday, Google named Berklee as one of nine “YouTube ambassadors,’’ organizations that have been particularly effective at using the site to reach new customers.

The Lanzettas with the family’s newest member, Irene, last September at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where Irene’s siblings witnessed her birth.

G Cover

Kids in the delivery room?

A growing number of hospitals say they are fielding requests from families to have children present during delivery and relaxing policies to accommodate them.

New Hampshire shaken by violence

Granite State residents are on edge after 10 days of bloodshed have set New Hampshire on course to exceed the number of murders in 2011.

Boston Globe ePaper

ePaper

What is an ePaper?

The complete print edition, in its exact layout. Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.

Globe Insiders

Globe Event, Friday, April 27, 8 p.m.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/04/19/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/90_ailey.gif Boston Globe night at Alvin Ailey

Globe Insiders are invited to attend the must-see performance and enjoy a Q&A after with the artistic director and several of the dancers.

Inside The Boston Globe

Meredith Hansen and Neal Ferreira (above), and Jake Gardner (below, standing), pictured in rehearsal for Boston Lyric Opera’s “The Inspector.’’

Opera Review

BLO raises the curtain on John Musto’s ‘Inspector’

G Force

A voice that inspires
Ben Gibbard and Death Cab for Cutie played with Magik*Magik Orchestra Saturday night.

Music Review

Death Cab plus Magik* a questionable sum

In Practice

A doctor without borders
There has been speculation that the Jets will be running two distinct offenses: a traditional scheme led by Mark Sanchez and a spread option with Tim Tebow.

Sunday football notes

Selective information on the division rivals

globe magazine

Casino czar Steve Crosby’s impossible mission

Independent Film Festival Boston celebrates 10 years
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was made famous by the 1964 film “Mary Poppins.”

Ideas | The Word

America’s longest word is a contentious subject
Jiro Ono and Yoshikazu Ono appear in “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,’’ a film about the traditional Japanese craft.

Connoisseurs find sushi in Boston often lacking
‘‘Sometimes veteran teams just take longer to get going,’’ said Orioles general manager Dan Duquette (right). ‘‘We were fortunate to get off to a good start, but there are a lot of good teams in this division.”

Sunday baseball notes

Slow start by AL East keeps Red Sox in picture

Terry Francona adjusting to life in the booth

Book review

‘The Cause’ by Eric Alterman and Kevin Mattson

Metro

Tags in this section:

Harvard Yard transformed by colorful chairs

What was once a place people simply passed through has become a gathering spot for both students and the community, thanks to a collection of lollipop-colored chairs.

Business

Tags in this section:

Tech Lab Plus

Nimble robot overcomes pet hair

The Roomba 780 robotic vacuum cleaner by iRobot Corp. was up to the challenge of sweeping up a cat and a dog owner’s pad.

Columnists

juliette kayyem

The military’s persistent gender divide

Adrian Walker

No room at Senator Brown’s office

innovation economy

Mass. game industry’s energy lures a veteran

Yvonne Abraham

Reducing weighty obstacles
Isolated long stem red rose bud. Focus = front of rosebud. 12MP camera.

joanna weiss

‘Bachelor’ lawsuit shows reality TV is behind the times

Jeff Jacoby

Obama a unifying force? Hardly

Dan Shaughnessy

So far, nothing but bad times for Red Sox

Joan Vennochi

Vatican targets nuns, not enablers of clergy sexual abuse scandal

INNOVATION ECONOMY

‘Accelerator’ programs help start-ups take off
Outside Fenway Park on its first Opening Day in 1912.

Bob Ryan

For longtime foes, nothing rivals in comparison

lawrence harmon

All is not fair in Boston hotels

Love Letters

Is he stringing her along?

Politics

Political Notebook

Rubio doesn’t rule out possible spot on GOP ticket

In a TV interview aired Sunday, Senator Marco Rubio did not repeat his position last week that he does not want to be vice president.

Nation & World

Tags in this section:

Despite wide search, no sign of missing Tucson girl

Police kept a whole neighborhood block where a missing 6-year-old lives cordoned off for a second day, and scoured a wide area of the city for clues to her possible kidnapping.

Sports

Tags in this section:

Bruins 4, Capitals 3 (OT)

Bruins force Game 7 with OT win

At 3:17 of overtime, Tyler Seguin snapped a shot passed Capitals goalie Braden Holtby to give the Bruins a 4-3 win and set up Game 7 Wednesday at TD Garden.

Health and wellness

Daily Dose

Are you leading a heart-healthy lifestyle?

Can positive emotions like optimism, life satisfaction, and a sense of well-being actually lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke?

Arts

Tags in this section:

Music Review

Sandrine Piau made her Celebrity Series debut at Jordan Hall.

French soprano shares sense of ‘Wonder’

At Jordan Hall, Sandrine Piau proved a compelling performer, but one who offset a uniform sound with an interpretive toolbox.

“It very much improves the quality of our service in that food arrives much quicker. There’s little traffic jams if you’re on a bike.”

Martin Kelleher,  chief operating officer for DiningIn

Magazine

The cover for the April 22 2012 issue

144 free things to do around Boston
The cover for the April 15 2012 issue

In an artist’s garden
The cover for the April 8 2012 issue

Are fat baseball players a problem?
The cover for the April 1 2012 issue

45 best breakfast joints around Boston

Opinion

“The combat exclusion rules create a ranking system in the military that is not based on skill, experience, or physical aptitude.”

Juliette Kayyem  

Ideas

“John Singleton Copley’s life, his works, and his words defined him as a subject of the British empire, not a citizen of the American republic.”

Jane Kamensky,  on the great American painter who wasn’t American