US academia split over boycott targeting Israel

The decision by a US organization of scholars to boycott Israeli academic institutions has ignited debate on college campuses.

Mayor Menino talked gifts with Steven Dorosareo, 7, of Dorchester. Rhianna Dagraca, 2, of Medford is in the foreground.

Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff

Menino’s annual Christmas Eve stroll emotional

In his final days in office, Mayor Menino kept up his ritual of walking down the streets of the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood.

Mass. SJC bars no-parole life terms for youths

The court said scientific research shows that lifelong imprisonment for youths is cruel and unusual because their brains are “not fully developed.”

Antonio Fernandez is serving a life sentence at MCI-Norfolk for a Brookline murder in 2002.

Over 60 offenders could have sentences altered

Sixty-three people in Mass. were convicted as juveniles of first-degree murder and are now serving mandatory life sentences without parole.

The nonprofit Music & Youth Initiative offers training and mentoring.

ESSDRAS M SUAREZ/GLOBE STAFF

Young musicians get lessons in the law

Members of the Music & Youth Initiative, a nonprofit music training and mentoring program, are learning how to protect their work.

The breach of customer data at Target stores has made it clear that credit and debit cards and the systems designed to process them are more vulnerable than ever.

Data theft at Target reveals plastic’s liabilities

Retailers in the United States have been slow to adopt newer security technologies designed to reduce fraud.

Dozens of diners, staff, and race watchers were injured at the Forum restaurant because of the Marathon attack. The restaurant didn’t reopen until August.

Top stories in business news for the year 2013

We asked readers to vote on the year’s top local business stories. Here’s what they chose.

Globe Santa visited the Patrick Lyndon School in West Roxbury last week and accepted a donation for the Globe Santa Fund, which helps bring toys to kids from needy families.

Globe Santa

Globe Santa helps deliver gifts to over 45,000 kids

Thanks to the generosity of thousands of Globe Santa friends, 45,633 kids in 25,927 needy families have presents to open on Christmas morning.

Opinion

Larry Tye

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/12/25/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/1225oped_tye-868.jpg Bridging the care gap

Things have improved dramatically — but not enough — in rooting out hospital miscues and keeping patients from being readmitted.