Councilors insist their far-flung trips benefit the city

Tito Jackson posted a photo on Facebook from Masada National Park in Israel.

Facebook

Boston councilors gave many reasons for embarking on privately funded excursions, including trips to Korea, Japan, and Israel.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/23/BostonGlobe.com/National/Images/04991824.jpg For Clinton, a week when it all went right

?The only thing that can stop her from winning the nomination now is the FBI,? one political strategist said.

Doctors Vikas Saini (left) and Aaron Stupple wrote down the health care stories that they heard from passersby.

photos by Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff

Doctors take to the streets to learn from patients

A series of ?listening booths? sponsored by the Lown Institute sought impromptu input from those who know it best: patients.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/24/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/brian150-9046.jpg City to pay lawyer in Teamsters? case $625 an hour

The defense attorney was hired by Mayor Walsh in a federal investigation of the union?s alleged extortion scheme.

Thomas Stemberg, the founder of Staples, outside the Staples.com offices in 2000.

Pam Berry/Globe staff

Staples founder Thomas Stemberg dies at 66

Stemberg was credited with revolutionizing retailing, creating a chain with $22.5 billion in annual revenue and more than 2,000 stores.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/24/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/shirleyleung_150-5167.png The office king and health care reform

Best known as the founder of Staples, Tom Stemberg?s greatest legacy may be his role in bringing universal health care to Mass.

City employee awarded $10.9m in discrimination case

A woman with African-American and Haitian ancestry claimed she received fewer benefits and lower pay than white co-workers.

Trees bent in the wind during Hurricane Patricia in Manzanillo, Mexico Friday evening.

Jonathan Levinson/AFP/Getty Images

Historically strong hurricane slams Mexico

Hurricane Patricia is bringing lashing rains, surging seas, and cyclonic winds with a potential to cause ??catastrophic?? damage.

A ghost of a visitor walks through Boston?s historic Granary Burying Ground on a Halloween past.

Where to enjoy the season?s scares in Boston

Specters are believed to mingle in Boston?s historic burying grounds, and a handful of taverns and hotels serve a mix of spirits and ghost stories.

?I just said, ?You?ve got to be kidding me. This couldn?t possibly be the bill,?? said Adam Glasgow.

THOMAS FARRAGHER

Big hospitals? prices remain a big concern, checkup reveals

When big hospitals charge more than $1,500 for a 20-minute exam, we all see red.

Crux

Vatican Radio praises movie on Globe coverage of abuse scandals

The Vatican?s official radio outlet described ?Spotlight,? which will be released next month, as ?honest? and ?compelling.?

John Thompson checked a sprinkler during the golf course?s restoration in 2014.

Debee Tlumacki for the Boston Globe/File

Nation?s oldest public golf course reopens in Canton

The state-owned Ponkapoag Golf Course reopened 12 years after it was struck by severe floods that required extensive restoration.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said he received support from thousands, including some Yankees fans.

In remission, relieved Farrell eager to manage Red Sox again

The Stage 1 non-Hodgkin?s Burkitt lymphoma is in remission and John Farrell is preparing for the 2016 season without restrictions.

Friday?s high school football scores

Check out the final scores from Friday?s high school football games in and around Greater Boston.

The historic Sarah and Peter Clayes house was sold at auction.

Bank takes over Framingham ?witch house? with plans to donate

Goldman Sachs, which bid nearly $818,000 for the deteriorating Sarah and Peter Clayes House, plans to give it away.

oftware engineers Laxman Kandlakunta (left) and Sharna Bahrani (both cq) discuss work at the Wayfair Lab. Wayfair, an online furnishings retailer, runs Wayfair Labs, a sort of on the job training initiative for recent college grads who have potential as programmers.

Scott Kirsner | BetaBoston

War for tech talent in Boston escalates

You don?t know quite what it means to be wanted, desired ? practically stalked ? if you are not a techie in Boston right now.

Opinion & Ideas

SCOT LEHIGH

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/23/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/Scot_Lehigh_150px-1426.jpg The Benghazi circus keeps rolling

Even by the standards of today?s hyperpartisan politics, Thursday?s hearing was stunning.

Ground Game

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/23/BostonGlobe.com/Politics/Images/492531472-5180[1]--90x90.jpg O?Malley?s one last shot to make big impression

If Martin O?Malley wants to stay in the Democratic race, he?ll need to give the speech of his life Saturday in Iowa.

The Big Picture

Pale light hangs in a pine forest during a rainy autumn morning on Oct. 15, near Fuerstenwalde, eastern Germany.

Patrick Pleul/AFP/Getty Images

Autumnal hues around the world

Before bleak scenes and colder temperatures arrive, foliage and glowing sunsets enliven landscapes across the globe.

BetaBoston

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/21/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/maeda_20phonebooths-downpage_biz1.jpg The phone booth makes a comeback

Superman?s go-to changing room is making a comeback in open offices, providing needed privacy in workspaces designed for collaboration.

Crux

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/21/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/2015-10-21T120859Z_966186651_GF20000026188_RTRMADP_3_POPE-VATICAN[1]-982--90x90.jpg Vatican denies report that Pope Francis has brain tumor

The Vatican said the pope is in good health and that his head is ??absolutely perfect.??