Elders fear losing their cherished shared meal

A $1.5 million cut would be a major blow to the Elderly Nutrition Program, which has been lauded for providing nutritional and psychological benefits.

Obama bends on birth control mandate

President Obama said religious-affiliated institutions would not be forced to provide birth control coverage, but that insurers must offer free contraceptive coverage to the employees of such institutions.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 10: Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Marriott Wardman Park February 10, 2012 in Washington, DC. Thousands of conservative activists are attending the annual gathering in the nation's capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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MITT ROMNEY: ‘‘We conservatives aren’t just proud to cling to our guns and to our religion. We are also proud to cling to our Constitution.’’

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 10: Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (C) greets supporters after delivering remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Marriott Wardman Park February 10, 2012 in Washington, DC. Thousands of conservative activists are attending the annual gathering in the nation's capital. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES

MITT ROMNEY: “I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism.”

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, accompanied by his family, acknowledges applause during his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. He is joined by his wife Karen at right. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

RICK SANTORUM: ‘‘As conservatives and Tea Party folks, we are not just a wing of the Republican Party — we are the Republican Party.’’

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA) (R) is applauded by members of his family during remarks to the American Conservative Union's annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS

RICK SANTORUM: ‘‘Conservatism did not fail our country. Conservatives failed conservatism.”

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEWT GINGRICH: “We need to teach the Republican establishment a lesson. We are determined to rebuild America, not manage its decay.’’

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Newt Gingrich (R-GA) greets attendees after speaking at the American Conservative Union's annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

jonathan ernst/reuters

NEWT GINGRICH: ‘‘In all the years that I have worked in this party and in this movement, this is the year to reset this country in a decisive, bold way.’’

Romney says he’s true man of right

While Mitt Romney repeated his opposition to abortion and gay marriage, Rick Santorum took veiled digs at Romney’s conservative credentials.

Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Smaller Mass. cities seek non-profit to bolster schools

At a time when many nonprofits tend to prefer working in Boston and other major cities, superintendents of smaller districts are seeking their support in overhauling schools.

Loving to hate Valentine’s Day is in

With Valentine's Day looming, the hostility in some quarters is running so high it’s as if a jilted billionaire were funding an anti-Cupid super PAC.

Tom Keane

Mass. moderate?

By almost every important factual measure — economic, educational, and socioeconomic — Massachusetts is vastly better off than the nation’s most right-wing states.

Christopher L. Gasper

With Brady, there's no time to waste

We’ve reached the point where maximizing Tom Brady’s remaining prime years trumps any business model, value system, or organizational ethos.

“If these elders don’t get the proper nutrition, their health is going to suffer, and their medical care is going to cost much more than these meals.”

Deborah Banda,  AARP Massachusetts state director, on cuts to the Elderly Nutrition Program

Globe Insiders

Globe Talks | Feb. 15, 6 p.m.

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/02/01/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/greenhouse_movies2_business[1].jpg Talk movies with Ty and Wesley

Join the Boston Globe’s movie critics, Ty Burr and Wesley Morris, for a conversation about this year’s Academy Awards.

Inside The Boston Globe

Sunday Preview | Globe Magazine

In defense of getting married
During a year of record snow fall, the roofs of buildings had to be cleared of snow. Snow removal crews got rid of the snow from roof of the Shaw’s supermarket in Dorchester one bucket at a time.

Photos

Boston Press Photographers Pictures of the Year 2011

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Star-crossing our favorite characters
Arlington, MA., 01/30/12, Seventy-three-year-old Anne DeFeo is blind. Her guide dog, Viv, is a 5-year-old yellow labrador. Anne and Viv will be attending the Feb. 14 ceremony at the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library in Watertown celebrating the release of the US Postal Service's

Photo gallery

Photos of the week
02-04-12: Indianapolis, IN: Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis (bottom left) with one of Tom Brady's sisters (bottom right) as Brady and his parents pose for a photograph on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium the day before the Super Bowl. section: Living topic:unknown(Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis)

Names

Tom Brady’s sister engaged to Kevin Youkilis

A Libyan fighter leaves Mass. for home
Rob Gronkowski was courtside at the Lakers-Celtics game last night.

Rob Gronkowski has ankle surgery
Dave Maynard in an undated handout photo from WBZ.

Boston broadcaster Dave Maynard dies at 82
Greenbean Recycle, a Cambridge start-up that operates high tech recycling machines, brings its users together on a Facebook page.

The social network, smaller
FOXBORO: December 17, 2008: During a VIP reception before the screening of

Sports Media

It was OK for Steve DeOssie to root for Giants

Blueprint expands Esplanade access, amenities

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Romance is alive and well in pop music

Columnists

LAWRENCE HARMON

A visit to the ‘friends and favors’ office

Adrian Walker

Rethink the Esplanade

SCOT LEHIGH

Money, machine, but no message

Bob Ryan

Lakers’ win nothing to get nostalgic about
Josh Bekcett and the Red Sox will begin spring training next week.

Tony Massarotti

Josh Beckett must take responsibility

Edward L. Glaeser

Gaffe gives Romney chance to redesign safety net

Opinion | Brian McGrory

I’ll take Tom, and hold the Mayo

Joan Wickersham

A valentine to Ella

ALEX BEAM

Poe — we hardly knew ye

Boston Capital

Shrinking the foreclosed real estate glut
Mattapan, MA 020412 Jennifer Smith (cq), of Mattapan picks up her son Sammy Aaron, (cq), 6, his Mather School in Dorchester elementary school every day. She doen't let him ride the school bus since he was dropped off at the wrong stop on January 4, 2012.(Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/MET

Yvonne Abraham

Wrong bus stop, wrong response

Brian McGrory

Joey’s long legacy

Metro

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Warren faces test in Democratic caucuses

Elizabeth Warren faces her first serious challenge in her bid for a US Senate seat: rallying enough state convention delegates to clear the primary field.

Business

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Moe’s has 444 locations in 32 states, as well as locations in Russia and Turkey. The majority of its restaurants are in Southern states, such as Georgia, where the privately held chain was founded in 2000.

A hearty welcome

Moe’s Southwest Grill plans to open more than 30 new restaurants in Mass. over the next three to four years.

Nation & World

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Panetta orders new inquiry into Marine snipers’ photo

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the Marine Corps to reinvestigate and take appropriate action against snipers who posed with a logo resembling a notorious Nazi symbol.

Politics

Political Notebook

Uzbek man pleads guilty in plot to kill Obama

Authorities said Ulugbek Kodirov had discussed trying to kill the president as he campaigned for re-election because he would be out in public more often.

Sports

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Faulk contemplates if it’s time to retire

Despite a difficult season mentally and physically, running back Kevin Faulk isn’t quite ready to call it quits.

Arts

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dance Review

Boston Ballet’s ‘Simply Sublime’ inspires awe

The dances may leapfrog decades, moving from 1909 to 1972 to 2001, but they are contemporaries under the skin.

Magazine

The cover for the February 5 2012 issue

What if the lights go out?
The cover for the January 29 2012 issue

Reversing a restaurant curse
The cover for the January 22 2012 issue

Mother worries about her Occupy Wall Street protester son
The cover for the January 15 2012 issue

Mass. voting maps reflect State House evolution

Opinion

“When you hire someone, you make nine enemies and one ingrate.’’

John Moffitt, chief secretary for former Mass. governor William Weld

Ideas

“For American enthusiasts of the Kagame regime, the Ingabire case points to a dilemma: Rwanda’s remarkable reconciliation and success have gone hand in hand with severely curtailed freedom of speech.”

Peter Canellos,  on free expression in Rwanda