State to back NStar, Northeast Utilities merger

Massachusetts officials will back the merger, which still needs approval by Connecticut officials, in exchange for the company buying power from Cape Wind.

MBTA Advisory Board proposes 25 percent fare hike, alternatives to steep service cuts

The board’s proposal is in contrast to steeper fare hikes and deep service cuts put forward by the MBTA.

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/02/15/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/12kennedy_photo1--90x90.jpg Joseph P. Kennedy III to announce run tomorrow

Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, will formally declare his candidacy for the seat being vacated by Barney Frank.

Santorum leads Romney in Ohio, new poll shows

A Quinnipiac University poll out today shows a surging Rick Santorum with support from 36 percent of Republican primary voters, with Mitt Romney getting 29 percent.

exclusive thursday preview | BOOK REVIEW

‘Once Upon a Secret’ by Mimi Alford

The latest kiss-and-tell memoir comes nearly half a century after JFK’s death: “Once Upon a Secret’’ by Mimi Alford.

Fashion designer and Babson grad Michael Bastian. Handout photo 16bashian

exclusive thursday preview | NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Revisiting Boston’s preppy chic style

Designer and Babson grad Michael Bastian revisits 1980s preppy Boston with a new collection.

The Bruins' Patrice Bergeron, center, celebrated his goal against the Canadiens with teammates Tyler Seguin, left, and Milan Lucic in the second period in Montreal. The Bruins came from behind to win in overtime, 4-3.

bruins 4, canadiens 3 (ot)

Bruins squander lead but win in overtime

Tyler Seguin gave Boston the win in a shootout after the Canadiens erased a two-goal deficit in the third period.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was fouled by the Pistons’ Jason Maxiell as he drove to the basket in the second quarter at TD Garden. The Pistons won the game, 98-88.

pistons 98, celtics 88

Celtics can’t answer Pistons in the 4th

Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 35 points but that wasn’t enough for the Celtics, who couldn’t stop the Pistons in the fourth quarter.

“No one should be forced by government to do something that violates the teachings of their faith.”

US Senator Scott Brown 

Globe Insiders

Globe Insiders Event | Feb. 27, 7 p.m.

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/02/15/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/137921177-017--90x90.jpg Movie screening, Q&A with Emily Blunt

Join the Boston Globe’s movie editor Janice Page for a sneak screening of the movie and Q&A session with Emily Blunt, star of the new romantic comedy “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.”

Inside The Boston Globe

Drinks Special

The craft of mixing has made a unique Boston bar culture
Senator Scott Brown is co-sponsoring a bill that would allow employers to limit specific coverage, including contraception, based on religious objections.

Brown backs bill limiting health coverage

Home of the housing bust
BOSTON, MA. 05/ 19 /2011: BOW WAKE from a tour boat on the Charles River also had a stern wake. ( David L Ryan / Globe Staff Photo ) SECTION : METRO/FEATURE SLUG : REPORTER 02water

To Grammar’s House

Swept away by colorful writing
A counterfeit vial of the cancer drug Avastin is shown.

Counterfeit Avastin found in US

Experiencing Leonardo from cinema seating

Donors from afar buoying Warren

Boston’s coffee pioneer back in the cafe business

Caesars CEO dismisses concerns about casinos

Parents, leaders to study school assignment process

Galleries

At Victoria Munroe, final show spotlights six artists

dINING OUT

Boston is full of new chances to drink and snack

Columnists

Jeremy Lin, right, hit a game-winning shot for the Knicks last night and has become a sensation in the NBA.

Bob Ryan

Lin just latest Ivy Leaguer to shine in NBA

Brian McGrory

A model city councilor
David Ortiz

Christopher L. Gasper

A happy David Ortiz is great for Red Sox

Jeff Jacoby

On birth control, Obama imperiously overreaches
Claude Julien’s Bruins are headed out on a six-game road trip.

Tony Massarotti

Bruins not as good as they think they are

Scot Lehigh

Raise the high school drop out age

kevin cullen

A sweet dish of revenge

Joanna Weiss

A path blocked by Lego toys
Rajon Rondo led the Celtics to a win against the Bulls yesterday.

Dan Shaughnessy

Rajon Rondo proving naysayers wrong

adrian walker

Romney can’t outrun past

Innovation Economy

At top of tech sector, women lead by example

BOSTON CAPITAL | Steven Syre

Brightcove braces for tough IPO market

Metro

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Parents, leaders to study school assignment process

Parents, business leaders, and academics will comprise an advisory committee that will make recommendations on changing the way Boston assigns students to schools.

Business

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Robert Zoellick

World Bank president Zoellick to step down

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said he will leave the institution when his five-year term ends June 30.

Nation & World

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A bank of centrifuges are seen in what is described by Iranian state television as a facility in Natanz.

Iran touts nuclear advances, threatens to cut oil exports

The country claimed that it has achieved two major advances in its nuclear program, and is also taking steps to cut oil exports in retaliation for new EU sanctions.

Politics

Santorum surge forces Romney to shift focus

Rick Santorum’s rise in polls is prompting Mitt Romney to talk more explicitly about his conservative views, in an effort to blunt Santorum’s appeal to the GOP base.

Sports

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On baseball

Making Daniel Bard a starter not a difficult job

New Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure says converting Bard from reliever to starter is not brain surgery. In fact, it’s how most pitchers used to develop.

Food & dining

Drinks Special

FOR Food. Boston, MA 2/9/2012 A mocktail called the Unspirited Esteban. The Clio bar is photographed in the Eliot Hotel in Boston, MA on Thursday, February 9, 2012. This is for a story on cocktails. (Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff) Section: Food Slug: 15cocktails Reporter: Devra First LOID: 5.0.840952485

Family tree of cocktail creationists

A family tree of the bartenders who began the craft drink movement.

Arts

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STAGE REVIEW

In ‘Photograph 51,’ a picture of complexity

It’s said that history is written by the winners. But sometimes history is rewritten — or recaptured — by the dramatists.

Magazine

The cover for the February 12 2012 issue

Boston wedding venue guide
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

The man who crushed the Keystone XL pipeline

Opinion

“New Hampshire, which in 2007 upped its dropout age from 16 to 18 as part of a broader anti-dropout effort, has seen impressive results.”

Scot Lehigh 

Ideas

“In the 50 years since the competition, architects have declared Kallmann and McKinnell’s City Hall one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century. Yet its relationship with the people of Boston has remained uneasy, even hostile.”

Leon Neyfakh on Boston’s City Hall