Rick Santorum takes Alabama, Mississippi

Santorum notched striking victories in two Southern states and again reshaped the GOP nominating contest by challenging Mitt Romney’s front-runner status.

Rick Santorum addressed supporters in Lafayette, La.

REUTERS

Rick Santorum addressed supporters in Lafayette, La.

Rick Santorum supporters prayed as they waited for him to speak.

AP

Rick Santorum supporters prayed as they waited for him to speak.

Newt Gingrich spoke in Birmingham Ala.

REUTERS

Newt Gingrich spoke in Birmingham, Ala.

Newt Gingrich watched returns in a hotel room with wife Callista, right, in Birmingham, Ala.

AP

Newt Gingrich watched returns with wife Callista.

Mitt Romney made a campaign stop at William Jewell College Tuesday in Liberty, Mo.

AP

Mitt Romney made a campaign stop in Liberty, Mo.

A voter contemplated her choices in Madison, Miss.

AP

A voter contemplated her choices in Madison, Miss.

Danny Cooper waved to motorists outside a polling place in Vestavia Hills, Ala.

AP

Danny Cooper waved to motorists in Vestavia Hills, Ala.

NEWS ANALYSIS

Worst of outcomes for Mitt Romney

Romney’s third-place finishes in Mississippi and Alabama demonstrated that the Bible Belt is still unwilling to provide a spark for the Yankee from Massachusetts.

Bain said it has helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs over its 28-year history, backing some of Mitt Romney’s assertions on the campaign trail.

Bain letter defending deals backs Mitt Romney’s assertions

In a letter to investors, Bain Capital said it has helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs, backing some of what Romney, its founder, has said on the campaign trail.

YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF

Fire paralyzes the Back Bay

A fire that erupted in two Back Bay transformers Tuesday evening enveloped the area in black smoke, leaving more than 20,000 people without power and halting travel in the area.

Agreement gives Greig little leeway, legal observers say

With prosecutors offering Catherine Greig little in terms of a deal for pleading guilty, James “Whitey’’ Bulger’s girlfriend will now lay her fate before a US District Court judge.

Growing income gap threatens area, report says

The disparity will continue to grow unless the region’s educational system is improved and excessive costs, especially for health care, are reined in, according to a Boston Foundation report.

“If you’re the front-runner and you keep coming in third, you’re not much of a front-runner.”

Newt Gingrich,  on Mitt Romney

Globe Insiders

Video

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/01/29/BostonGlobe.com/Tools/Images/rudick_2--90x90.jpg Globe Insiders video: The Back Story

The Back Story is a new video series where Globe journalists tell the stories behind their stories. Exclusively on BostonGlobe.com, it is hosted by photographer and multimedia journalist Dina Rudick.

Inside The Boston Globe

Dining Out

Irish pub grub at its best
Richard Bosman’s “Barnett Newman's Studio” is on display at Carroll and Sons.

Galleries

What art has to say about artists
Cookbooks like

G Cover

The joy of looking

Cheap Eats

A healthy break from shopping at Forty Carrots

G Cover

Are parents more accepting of the five-second rule?

South End landscape getting a rapid makeover

G Force

The story behind ‘The Story’

Immigration divides rivals in Mass. Senate race

National Archives director battles to unlock US secrets

STAGE REVIEW

Trying to stay afloat in ‘Next to Normal’

FRAME BY FRAME

Avery made color carry secret meanings, too

App uses Wi-Fi to plot way for mall patrons

Metro

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James

Bulger may have written 2 memoirs, prosecutors say

James “Whitey’’ Bulger appears to have written one and possibly two memoirs, and now prosecutors hope to use his own words against him, according to court documents.

Business

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Worcester airport’s only airline cancels flights

Worcester Regional Airport was left without commercial flights for the third time in nine years as Direct Air abruptly canceled all its flights through May 15.

Columnists

Brian McGrory

We will pay for all this untimely weather

Juliette Kayyem

The links to violence

Jeff Jacoby

No equal justice in ‘hate crime’

Joanna Weiss

Cheesy marketing: The new taco from Taco Bell

Bob Ryan

Retracing Harvard’s 1946 NCAA odyssey

BOSTON CAPITAL

Warm winter, cool fuel bill

Kevin cullen

Bitter over Catherine Greig’s sweet deal
Patriots coach Bill Belichick will lead his team through the start of free agency this week.

Tony Massarotti

Time could be right for Patriots to spend big

James Carroll | WEATHERING CALLS FOR US-IRAN CONFLICT

United by ‘A Separation’

JULIETTE KAYYEM | WEATHERING CALLS FOR US-IRAN CONFLICT

Tough poses in a political theater
Dion Waiters (above) and Syracuse are the No. 1 seed in the East.

Bob Ryan

What to expect from NCAA Tournament

Adrian Walker

Off course in Cambridge

Nation & World

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Northern Arizona University freshman Tyler Dowden, 18, spoke during a news conference on Capitol Hill to announce the collection of over 130,000 letters to Congress to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling this July.

Students ask lawmakers to halt loan-interest hike

Millions of college students could be in for a shock this summer when the interest rate on a popular federally subsidized student loan doubles unless Congress acts.

Politics

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK

Obama warns China against skirting rules on trade

President Obama warned China on Tuesday that it would not be allowed to gain a competitive advantage in world trade by “skirting the rules.’’

Sports

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LIGHTNING 6, Bruins 1

The Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos worked the puck past the Bruins' Brian Rolston in the second period as the Lightning skated to a 6-1 win.

Bruins are struck by Lightning

The Bruins again fell into a big, early hole, this time giving up four goals in the first period against the Lightning in Tampa Bay.

Food & dining

G Force

Chris Schlesinger steps away from East Coast Grill

The owner of Cambridge’s popular East Coast Grill saw the timing was right after 27 years to take a little break.

Arts

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Patti LuPone starred as Lucia in the musical

Broadway performers pay tribute to Patti LuPone

“Patti’s Turn,’’ a touching and funny tribute to the musical-theater legend, was performed on Monday night in New York, and Lupone enjoyed every minute of it.

Spring Style Magazine

SPECIAL MAGAZINE

Spring Style

The season’s freshest fashion feels airy and easy — think fluttery shapes, pretty prints, and nothing too structured or serious.

Magazine

The cover for the March 11 2012 issue

Stoughton’s Lori McKenna is writing her heart out
The cover for the March 4 2012 issue

Putting college degrees to work
The cover for the February 26 2012 issue

24 hours in Kendall Square
The cover for the February 19 2012 issue

Renovated Newport firehouse is calm, cool, and collected

Opinion

“The soldiers, and the Afghans they are helping, deserve a system that will, to the best of its ability, learn from such tragedies.”

Juliette Kayyem 

Ideas

“The best-selling board game today is the board game that was the best-selling board game in 1936. That is Monopoly.”

Game publisher Eric Hautemont