learning curve

One teacher?s quest to connect with his students

Nathan Eckstrom (left) taught an English class in Les Cayes, Haiti.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

With Boston schools ever more diverse, many teachers journey to Haiti and other lands, hoping to learn more of students? roots, challenges, and dreams.

State finds license fraud by 13 nurses

The action sparked questions about the background checks state regulators rely on to issue licenses to thousands of nurses.

As Whitey Bulger, Johnny Depp (top right) joins a roster of actors playing real-life villains that includes Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty (?Bonnie and Clyde?), Brad Pitt (Jesse James) and Casey Affleck (Robert Ford), and Robert De Niro as Al Capone.

Warner Bros. Pictures/2015

Ty Burr | Critic?s notebook

?Black Mass? the latest example of our fascination with villains

This is how our culture explains a sociopathic thug. We build him up until he?s legendary, and then we get a movie star to play him.

Probation Department drops controversial test

The court came under pressure after 12 assistant chief probation officers failed the essay test and faced the prospect of demotion.

Conrad Hilton Boulevard in Cisco, named in honor of the hotel magnate who bought his first hotel in the town.

Joy Bonala for The Boston Globe

Divided Nation

In national politics, big money drowning out everyone else

The way democracy is practiced is being redefined. To some, it is a breakthrough for free speech; to others, a threat to fair elections.

Meggin and TJ Kelly (with Caroline, 2, and Corinne, 6 months) are  moving to Ashburnham and need to sell their home in North Andover.

More homes, more buyers expected in real estate market

Agents and analysts predict a sellers market, as buyers take advantage of more homes for sale and interest rates near historic lows.

FBI investigating cruise ship death off Cape Ann

A 59-year-old woman died when she fell overboard from a cruise ship Friday night.

David Ortiz watched his 500th career home run in the fifth inning.

Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports

David Ortiz asks into lineup, then hits No. 500

The original plan was for Ortiz to get some rest Saturday night. Instead, he made history.

Interactive

David Ortiz?s 500 home runs

An interactive database of the Red Sox slugger?s major hits, and how he compares to other players in the 500 club.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/09/10/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/370772-1852-1853-1854-1859--90x90.jpg How the Red Sox woke up a monster in David Ortiz

Stifled as a power hitter in Minnesota, Ortiz was able to break loose in Boston, thanks to Grady Little and a ground out.

John D. O'Bryant High School junior Lila Hernandez foam rolled her back as she and the track team worked out during the opening of the West Roxbury Education Complex Raiders Field on Saturday.

14 acres of dream fields for West Roxbury

A recently completed $18.2 million complex includes fields for football, soccer, and softball, as well as basketball and tennis courts.

The MBTA?s revenue from advertising, like that at the Charles/MGH Station, set a monthly record in September.

Starts & Stops

Ad revenue provides bright spot for T

This month, the T is collecting $3.16 million in advertising revenue, the most it has ever pulled in for a single month.

Rabbi Michelle Robinson (right) of Temple Emanuel shares challah bread after a service in Newton.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff

Temples look beyond holidays

As Rosh Hashana ? the Jewish New Year ? begins Sunday night, temples are strategizing more than ever about how to remain viable.

DAN SHAUGHNESSY

Apparently, Boston has a history of cheating

It did not start with Bill Belichick and the 2001 Patriots. No doubt you already knew that. This goes way back.

Charter Oak at Winvian Farm is a barn-and-silo-like cottage built around an oak tree, with a Jacuzzi and fireplace.

Camping with creature comforts

The reality of camping doesn?t always match the ideal of campfires and starlit skies. Luckily, glamping has arrived in New England.

Non-native turtle found on Wollaston beach

The Chinese soft-shell turtles found last week could pose a threat as an invasive species, officials said.

Clockwise from top: The master bedroom with its glass walls and ceiling; the home?s view of Farm Pond; the dining space in the open floor plan; the kitchen, which has cherry cabinetry and granite counters; and the exterior with its path of perennials.

home of the week

Sherborn home features walls and ceilings of glass

Sherborn home with walls and ceilings of glass offers unobstructed views of Farm Pond and forest.

Ground Game

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/09/11/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/97d29f535cbe4f999be2c5aac9659429-97d29f535cbe4f999be2c5aac9659429-0.jpg Some Democrats question debate schedule

Calls to add additional Democratic presidential debates have gained some traction in the past week.

Opinion & Ideas

Michael A. Cohen

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/09/11/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/cohen-1302.jpg Mitt Romney, your party needs you!

Compared to the current Republican field, Romney looks like a combination of Reagan, Kennedy, and Obama.

The Big Picture

A student peeks into her classroom as she waits for the first day of school at the Alexander Hamilton School in Glen Rock, N.J. on Sept. 2.

Mitsu Yasukawa/The Record of Bergen County via Associated Press

The Big Picture

Back to school

In a familiar fall ritual, children around the world returned to classes this week.

BetaBoston

BetaBoston

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/09/11/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/iOS9-iPhone6s-3Up-Wallet-PR-PRINT.jpg Apple takes on carriers with iPhone lease plan

Apple?s new program allows customers to keep paying by the month, and get a new iPhone once a year.

Crux

ON SPIRITUALITY

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/09/10/BostonGlobe.com/National/Images/43e99f9883d14f7dbcccf8d9f72d8f13-d562f35ee7534050a57f8b8f5f448a48-0.jpg Colbert: A cultural ? and Catholic ? superstar

Let?s face it. There are not many cultural superstars who are superstar Catholics, too. But Stephen Colbert is one of them.