The Boston Globe

Obama and congressional leaders try to avoid fiscal cliff

Senate leaders will spend the weekend trying to patch together a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. Obama said if a compromise isn’t reached, he will push for a vote.

Mass. could lose 50,000 jobs if federal dollars dry up

The state is one of the most vulnerable to the deep budget cuts because it receives a disproportionate share of federal defense, research, and development money.

Leaders in party support Markey

Top state Democrats threw their weight behind Representative Edward Markey in what appeared to be an effort to avoid a divisive primary.

Flu outbreak hitting Massachusetts early and hard

The number of people with the flu, or flulike symptoms, has drastically increased, and the level of illness has already surpassed the peaks of the last two flu seasons, officials said.

The Tennant family has participated in study using DNA sequencing in a bid to understand preterm birth.

Jay Premack for The Boston Globe

A tangled debate centers on newborns’ DNA

DNA sequencing yields useful information about traits and predisposition to disease, but is creating an ethical dilemma for doctors and parents.

Oscar Epstein, Mass.’s oldest employee, keeps on working

Epstein, 89, joined the Department of Transportation’s Highway Division in 1949. His salary was around $3,000. He now makes $80,000.

On Plum Island, another punishing storm

Crews were dismantling decks from four beachfront homes heavily damaged in this week’s storm and preparing to erect a large sandbag barrier.

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Photo Gallery | From the Archives

Bill Russell’s career

The Celtics legend defended personal dignity in the face of institutionalized racism in society as aggressively as he defended the basket on the court.