State of the Commonwealth

Baker urges action on opioids, charter schools

Governor Charlie Baker delivered his

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Governor Charlie Baker vowed to remain committed to the ?blocking and tackling of government? in his first State of the Commonwealth speech.

SCOT LEHIGH

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/22/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/Scot_Lehigh_150px-1571.jpg Baker?s two unstated, but obvious, messages

The first was to the public: You hired me as a bipartisan manager, and rest assured, you?re getting your money?s worth.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/160121_WALKER_22zika_641x.jpg Pregnant travelers urged to stay away from countries with Zika

The virus in Latin America and the Caribbean has been linked to a devastating birth defect.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/13/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/blanding011216brookline3met.jpg Brookline police chief publicly appeals to black officers

The two black officers said that racism is so entrenched in the department they fear for their safety.

Michael B. Jordan in ?Creed.?

Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP

Ty Burr

12 overlooked Oscar contenders

You say the acting Oscars are lily-white this year because there were no deserving performances by African-Americans? Here are 12 arguments that say otherwise.

BetaBoston

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/2016-01-21/vesiclesstill2028129-e1453399120234.jpg Scientists, coders to study how brains learn

Harvard neuroscientists are teaming up with coders on a massive project to understand and mimic how the human brain learns.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/Chihuahua[1].jpg 22 things TSA confiscated at checkpoints last year

Officials confiscated a host of strange objects at airport checkpoints this past year.

Primary memories

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/govromneyongaymarri(3)-780877-10095-kkFE--90x90@BostonGlobe.com.jpg A scripted Romney breaks into a sprint for a vote

A reporter recalls covering Mitt Romney in 2012, when he was the most predictable of candidates.

DAN SHAUGHNESSY

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/shaughnessy1-8873.jpg Healthy John Farrell can?t wait to manage the Red Sox again

He is stronger now. Most of his hair has come back, and John Farrell looks ready to manage again.

The Coast Guard has been pressuring the city to take action on the deteriorating Northern Avenue span, a historic swing bridge that moved horizontally to let marine traffic pass.

Globe files/1998

Shirley Leung

Historic Seaport bridge to come down

The city of Boston is planning to take down the deteriorating Northern Avenue Bridge starting in March, officials said Thursday.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/06/30/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/06102011_10nonprofit_photo2-7955503.jpg State senators approve hands-free cellphone bill

Mass. could soon join more than a dozen states that don?t allow drivers to speak on their phones without a hands-free device.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/08272007_met27plovers-6110097.jpg US may ease rules on plovers

Federal officials released a draft plan that would allow beach officials far more flexibility in managing the birds.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/10/08/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/03062010_06honorsro-7527141.jpg School district to investigate racial climate at Boston Latin School

Boston Public Schools will investigate claims that administrators have not disciplined students who harassed black classmates.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/17/BostonGlobe.com/ReceivedContent/Images/ChristopherOrlando_1.jpg Hingham Marine declared dead after Hawaii helicopter crash

A man from Hingham and 11 of his fellow US Marines have been declared deceased by military officials.

Brighton nursing home closure beat deadline for more scrutiny

By doing so, the company reduced by several weeks the amount of time residents have to find alternative housing.

A customer looked at the heavily depleted bread section of a grocery store, as shoppers prepare for an approaching snowstorm in Alexandria, Virginia on Wednesday.

EPA/Michael Reynolds

D.C. in bull?s-eye of potentially historic storm

The National Weather Service says more than two feet of snow could land on Washington.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/21/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/_MG_5323.jpg Court hears testimony about district fire chief?s alleged scam

Prosecutors allege Edward A. Scigliano IV devised two schemes to steal more than $46,000 from the city of Boston.

Note to subscribers

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Despite steady improvement, we recognize that many of you are still experiencing problems with your home delivery service.

As you may know, we have contracted with our previous distribution partner to handle delivery in selected areas. We are optimistic that this change will result in significant improvement for subscribers whose service has been most seriously disrupted.

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Ground Game

ground game

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/20/BostonGlobe.com/Politics/Images/comp2.jpg A year from today, ?ask what your country can do for you?

What should be clear at this point is what the next president, in this age of populist politics, will say.

Globe investigations

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/spotlight150x150-165.jpg Globe investigations and Spotlight reports

A look at high-impact investigations from The Boston Globe, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning report on abuse in the Catholic Church.

The Big Picture

Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP

Water crisis in Flint, Mich.

Thousands of residents in Michigan have been exposed to toxic amounts of lead, including about 9,000 children.

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.

BetaBoston

BetaBoston

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/20/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/2016-01-20/MSFT-Burlington.png Microsoft sending workers to Burlington

Microsoft is clearing out one of its two Kendall Square offices, sending 300 sales and marketing employees to Burlington.

Crux

John Allen Jr. | All Things Catholic

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/17/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/AFP_6Z1O5.jpg As pope visits synagogue, some issues still unsettled

These visits are always special, given that arguably no Jewish community has felt the sting of Catholic opprobrium more than the one in Rome.

Globe Insiders

Design New England

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2016/01/13/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/dne.png Home Sweets Home

Interior designer Holly Joe cooks up the love in her sophisticated yet cozy family house in Westwood.