Rice pulls out; talk turns to Kerry

A contentious confirmation process, which UN ambassador Susan Rice said she sought to avoid, would be unlikely for Sen. John Kerry.

SJC adds protection for young defendants

The state’s highest court upheld the dismissal of a murder indictment against a Lynn teenager, reflecting a growing consensus that defendants’ youth makes them less culpable of their crimes.

Stan Jonathan’s bruising style made him a fan favorite, and he epitomized the hard-hat style of the “Lunch Pail’’ Bruins of the ’70s.

Ex-Bruin Stan Jonathan faces four years in jail

Jonathan shot a fellow hunter to death while deer hunting, and faces a prison sentence in Ontario.

Dan Shaughnessy

Brady, Patriots set up superbly

Tom Brady is at the top of his game and knows he has the team that can win the Super Bowl.

UMass program connects med students with patients

Medical student Meg Preissler, who had a kidney transplant, is the buddy of 8-year-old Jameson Laliberte, who is awaiting one.

Video

UMass medical students help young patients

The Sidekicks program pairs UMass medical students wih young patients to help them get through treatment.

Church services for those bereft of holiday joy

“Blue Christmas” services have been proliferating at churches in the Boston area in recent years, offering a respite for those who are grieving, struggling, or just feeling low.

Tim Cahill left Suffolk Superior Court with his with Tina after a mistrial was declared in his corruption case.

Cahill ready to live outside the public eye

Now that his corruption trial has ended in a deadlocked jury, former state treasurer Timothy P. Cahill is hoping to resume a quiet life in Quincy.

Brian McGrory

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/12/14/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/Brian_McGrory_150px-3007--90x90.jpg Coakley, Cahill need to save face after mistrial

Attorney General Martha Coakley and the former state treasurer Tim Cahill need to make this semi-absurd public corruption case go away.

Boston Globe ePaper

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Globe Insiders

Insider Offer | Dec. 20, 5 p.m.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/12/12/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/062112_Bash_121.jpg Experience the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum After Hours

Boston Globe Insiders are invited to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum for after hours, and select participants will get to attend a concert.

Globe exclusives

Trista Reynolds and her son Raymond, who played with many of Ayla’s toys.

Maine mother still waits for answers to disappearance

Sports Media

With Damon Amendolara departing, who’s next at Sports Hub?

Scot Lehigh

Points of clarity through the fiscal cliff fog

How to donate to Globe Santa

Opinion | The Podium

Making Boston a safe place for bicyclists
Tom Brady (12) showed his experience Monday night, Matt Schaub his lack of it.

on football | Midweek Report

Tom Brady again proves why Patriots thrive
The Google Nexus 7 is among the year’s best tablets.

Tech Lab

In time for the holidays, the year’s best gadgets
Attorney General Martha Coakley defended her decision for bring the charges as “neither frivolous nor arbitrary.”

Cahill outcome’s effect uncertain for Coakley
Brent Anderson is operations manager at a Wanxiang solar facility in Illinois.

A123 buyer quietly built presence
Fougasse (olive bread).

Food

Christmas desserts in the Provencal tradition
“Debbie’s Barbies” are photographs of Debbie Klein’s childhood dolls dressed in stylish outfits that her mother, Mabel Wilcox, made for them.

Barbie as fashionista
Ambreen Butt’s “I Am My Lost Diamond” installation at Carroll and Sons.

Galleries

Cultural divides, blurred and explosive

Sports

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Ryan Dempster, who split last year with the Cubs and Rangers, is an innings eater.

Ryan Dempster, Red Sox agree on 2-year deal

The Sox reached an agreement Thursday with the veteran, who turns 36 in May, on a $26.5 million deal.

Metro

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In another reversal, Holyoke mayor drops pursuit of casino

Mayor Alex Morse ruled out casino developments in Holyoke, reversing a stance of a month ago and returning to the position he struck during his campaign.

Columnists

Joan Wickersham

The homeless beat

Boston Capital

A sobering assessment of the job market

Brian McGrory

Coakley, Cahill need to save face after mistrial

Dan Shaughnessy

Brady, Patriots set up superbly

Scot Lehigh

Points of clarity through the fiscal cliff fog
Governor Bill Weld before addressing the Legislature in 1994.

Joan Vennochi

Weld is not the GOP’s best bet

EDWARD L. GLAESER

A better lure for cities
It’s look out below as Celtics forward Jeff Green throws down an alley-oop dunk from Rajon Rondo during the fourth quarter.

Christopher L. Gasper

Celtics building for the playoffs

Yvonne Abraham

Justice, but no end
The Google Nexus 7 is among the year’s best tablets.

Tech Lab

In time for the holidays, the year’s best gadgets

Juliette Kayyem

As it grows, Al Jazeera risks losing touch

joshua green

The GOP’s weak hand on entitlements

Nation & World

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A Palestinian supporter of Hamas participated in a rally in Nablus on Thursday. About 5,000 people were at the event.

Hamas stages first West Bank march since 2007

The public demonstration illustrated the militant group’s improving ties with the rival Fatah movement after a five-year rift.

Politics

House Speaker John A. Boehner accused President Obama of not being serious about cutting spending on Thursday.

Obama, Boehner meet, no progress reported

President Obama called Speaker John Boehner tried to move talks forward as pessimism mounted.

Business

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Riders await the arrival of the train to Cape Cod at the Bridgewater depot. June 29, 1984

Cape Cod train set to roll by summer

Starting next May, visitors will be able to avoid short tempers and long lines of brake lights by taking a new weekend-only train between South Station and Hyannis.

Arts

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ART REVIEW

View of the 19th-century American paintings and sculpture galleries, “a stately extravagance” of quality pictures, writes art critic Sebastian Smee.

Yale University Art Gallery is a masterpiece

For breadth, depth, and a sense of delectation and surprise, there can’t be many museum-going experiences anywhere in the country to rival it.

Movies

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MOVIE REVIEW

Bill Murray portrays the 32d president in “Hyde Park on Hudson.”

In ‘Hyde Park on Hudson,’ contradictions sink

A work of historical embroidery about Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s possible affair with his sixth cousin.

Magazine

The cover for the December 9 2012 issue

The drug lab scandal: Who’s cleaning it up?
The cover for the December 2 2012 issue

5 inspired rooms
The cover for the November 25 2012 issue

Cambridge’s Bluefin Labs decodes social media chatter
The cover for the November 18 2012 issue

7 holiday styles that shine

Opinion

“It isn’t hard to understand the appeal of right-to-work laws: Employees would rather choose for themselves whether to join a union.”

Jeff Jacoby 

Ideas

“Gift-giving has long been a topic of fascination for experts on human behavior...Their work has produced insights that cast an analytical--and helpful--light on the trials of our yearly quest to delight family and friends.”

Leon Neyfakh on the analyzed gift 

“The first two years of medical school are a little overwhelming at times because you’re really taking in so much information. Getting a chance to hang out with Jameson puts it in perspective why you’re putting yourself though those two years.”

Meg Preissler,  on a UMass program that pairs ill children with med students