Officials wary of medical marijuana

Prosecutors and police are sounding alarms about an initiative in Mass. to legalize marijuana for medical use, saying it is ripe for exploitation.

Foliage enthusiast Jeff Folger snapped some fall color in Pomfret, Vt.

Caleb Kenna for the Boston Globe

Extreme foliage chaser leaving nothing to chance

Photographer Jeff Folger, also known as the “arboreal oracle” or “Jeff Foliage,” is a minor celebrity within the leaf-peeping world.

The fight for the women’s vote has escalated in the days after the first presidential debate.

Mitt Romney shifts tone to try to win over women

The GOP candidate has delivered a retooled and more moderate appeal that is designed to win over key slices of the women’s vote.

Kevin Cullen

The lion who loves the GOP

The Republicans have opened an office on Centre Street in liberal Jamaica Plain, and 70-year-old Cuban Liuva del Toro is one of its biggest supporters.

Donald and Stacey Dobbins sought financial help so they could keep their home in Brockton.

ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Write-downs give some homeowners a break

Pushed by government incentives and political pressure, mortgage lenders are forgiving millions in loans.

Ginna is living at a shelter on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston after being turned away more than once.

Yvonne Abraham

A safety net that is leaving more people out

While boosting resources for permanent housing, the state has begun turning away an alarming number of homeless families from its shelter system.

YOUR CAREER

Are you ready for an online course?

As colleges and universities offer more online courses, many educators say prospective students should consider carefully before enrolling in such programs.

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, the two preeminent passers of their generation, will face off again Sunday.

Christopher L. Gasper

Lucky to see Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning again

The quarterbacking icons, the two preeminent passers of their generation, resume one of sport’s greatest individual rivalries on Sunday.

“We need to be listened to, we need to be heard,” says Wendy Ernst (right) with sons Robert (left) and Paul in their home.

Lexington reeling over parent’s timeout op-ed

Residents’ confidence in the town’s schools is still shaken after a parent’s allegations about the treatment of his daughter in a special-ed class.

Books

book review

Alexander Dumas photographed by Gaspard Felix Tournachon in 1857.

‘The Black Count’ by Tom Reiss

The French novelist Alexandre Dumas had some African blood, for which he was sometimes vilified; despite his immense popularity in the mid-nineteenth century.

Travel

At Hualalai Spa, volcanic mud at the apothecary (pictured) and the outdoor pool.

In the Big Island’s spas, luxury for the less active

On the sun-drenched Kohala Coast, there’s a surprising concentration of spas offering Hawaiian treatments with indigenous ingredients, lomi lomi massage, and open-air huts.