Exclusive Sunday Preview

A sampling of stories from this Sunday's Globe.

 

theater

With equine puppets, telling the ‘War Horse’ story of WWI

Brinkhoff/Mögenburg

Michael Morpurgo is refreshingly frank about his initial reaction to having puppets — granted, gargantuan, galloping puppets — play the horses in the stage version of his novel.

Hayden Panettiere (left) and Connie Britton star in the ABC drama.

television

‘Nashville’ keeps it real

The Globe’s Sarah Rodman sat down with the stars and creators of the sprawling new ABC drama.

opinion | JOANNA WEISS

Hitting the saturation point for bad-mom celebrations

There is now officially no escape from the reach of sarcastic mommycentrism.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta attended a ceremony Saturday in Lima, Peru.

Syria-Turkey clash could worsen, Panetta says

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the US is using its diplomatic channels to relay worries about the fighting in the hopes that it will not broaden.

Menino touts success of properties task force

The group, consisting of city officials from different departments, was formed in July 2011 with the task of identifying and remedying badly neglected properties in the city.

Obama, Democrats raise $181m in September

President Obama’s fund-raising news comes after a week that featured the first presidential debate and a jobs report that Mitt Romney said shows that an employment crunch endures.

Madoff fraud’s last days recounted in NYC document

An indictment brings into sharper focus the final few years of a fraud the government says dated to at least the early 1970s, two decades before Bernard Madoff said it began.

Terry Francona has worked for ESPN since leaving the Red Sox a year ago.

Terry Francona to manage Indians

Sources confirmed to the Globe that the Cleveland Indians will name Terry Francona as their manager on Monday.

Sports

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tigers 3, athletics 1

Justin Verlander allowed three hits in seven innings and matched his career postseason high with 11 strikeouts.

Tigers hold off A’s in series opener

Justin Verlander shut down Oakland after giving up a home run to the game’s first batter, as the Tigers won the opener of their of their best-of-five American League playoff.

Business

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The Ping4Alerts! app will send messages to users about safety hazards.

Mass. adds smartphone app for emergency alerts

Officials will now be sending out warnings about hurricanes, floods, blizzards, and other potential dangers, even terrorist threats, via a mobile app developed by a Nashua start-up.

Politics

political notebook

Michael Bloomberg is one of the major backers behind an ad campaign for Angus King.

Bloomberg backs Maine independent Angus King

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is throwing his financial support behind the Senate candidate, who is battling a stronger-than-expected challenge from a Republican contender.

Arts

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Classical Notes

New executive director Miguel Rodriguez cites the annual First Day Concert at Sanders Theatre (above) as a good example of how Boston Baroque can engage with the community. He suggests even projecting the show outdoors to a larger audience.

New leader hopes to boost Boston Baroque’s visibility

Trained as a tenor, new executive director Miguel A. Rodriguez has worked with Opera Boston, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, and Boston Musica Viva.