DCF?s 2-tier system endangers children, Pioneer study says

The state agency places too much emphasis on holding together troubled families at the expense of keeping children safe, a new report says.

WATERLOO, IA - OCTOBER 14: John Deere tractors are transported by rail across the Cedar River, on October 14, 2015, in Waterloo, Iowa. (Matthew Holst for the Boston Globe)

Matthew Holst for the Boston Globe

divided nation

Immigrants aid economic rebound in Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa, has made a remarkable recovery in recent years, in part due to the contributions of immigrant workers.

Yvonne Abraham

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/05/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/abrahamy.jpg Living in a vortex of fear

Celestine Walker was last seen alive on May 11.

stat

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/05/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/LinneaOlson_MatthewOrr_Garden-5268--90x90.jpg Targeted therapies can lead to a cycle of wonder and worry

For some patients, targeted therapies have led to emotional exhaustion from facing death over and over again.

4 dead in shooting in central Maine, officials say

Authorities say four people are dead including the gunman who opened fire at an Oakland home Wendesday night.

Military service men lead the New England Patriots onto the field before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013, in Foxborough, Mass., to honor veterans and active duty military members as part of the NFL's Salute to Service. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Associated Press

Boston sports teams were paid by Pentagon for patriotic displays

The Patriots were the second-largest recipients among professional sports franchises in the amount of Pentagon payments cited in a report.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/02/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/campbell%20yancey%20composite.jpg Yancey?s loss to challenger Campbell exposes generational divide

The chasm between them was not just their age or experience, but also their vastly different campaign styles and politicking.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/04/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/Amy_Reed.jpg Judge faults Brigham for searches in clash with doctor

An episode involving security and a court order is the latest twist in the battle between Dr. Hooman Noorchashm and Brigham leaders.

STAT

Startups hail video games as medical therapies

The developers say their games will offer genuine relief for patients when prescribed either as standalone treatments or alongside traditional drugs.

The woman?s body was found along the MBTA railroad tracks near the intersection of Oak and Crapo streets.

Burned remains of woman found in Bridgewater

The death of the woman, who also had her hands and feet bound together, is being investigated as a homicide.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/04/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/blanding110415southend3met.jpg One person dies after being struck in South End

The driver who hit two women as they were crossing a street was said to have complained of solar glare.

Luis Rodriguez, 43, of Lawrence, said he served roughly 11 years of a 13-year sentence for distributing crack cocaine before being placed in a halfway house earlier this year.

After a federal shift, ex-inmates get help in staying outside

About 20 federal inmates from Massachusetts were released early during the last week as a result of a change in sentencing guidelines for drug crimes.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/10/27/BostonGlobe.com/National/Images/493987186[1]-1633.jpg Elizabeth Warren seeks to aid elders

Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to provide 70 million seniors with one-time bumps to their Social Security checks next year.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/04/BostonGlobe.com/National/Images/2015-11-04T191818Z_921050239_GF20000045577_RTRMADP_3_USA-ELECTION-BUSH.jpg In N.H., Bush and Rubio barely mention each other

One week after Jeb Bush pointedly attacked his onetime protégé in front of a nationally televised audience, the two campaigned on the same turf.

Eric Elbot (center) filed for the primary as the N.H. secretary of state, William Gardner, looked on over his right shoulder.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

Candidates officially file for N.H. primary

A candidate cannot appear on the February ballot without checking off this administrative box.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/04/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/chin110415PatriotsPractice_spt4-8214--90x90.jpg Sebastian Vollmer is holding the line at left tackle

Injuries forced the Patriots to move Vollmer from right to left, where he is protecting Tom Brady?s blind side.

FLUTO SHINZAWA | ON HOCKEY

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/04/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/1e98366c21cc44bca277459283e43852-1e98366c21cc44bca277459283e43852-0-8192--90x90.jpg Bruins are really shorthanded without Chris Kelly

The Bruins need to fix their PK quickly ? at 70 percent, it?s the worst in the NHL.

ideas

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/05/BostonGlobe.com/Ideas/Images/homework200-670.jpg What we don?t get about homework

An organization based out of Stanford University works with school districts to focus on quality, not quantity, of assignments.

Hiawatha Bray | Tech Lab

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/05/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/bray-5262.jpg Apple TV is slick, but still can?t solve streaming chaos

Apple TV is certainly the best fit for households full Apple products, but it?s not decisively better than rival boxes from Roku, Google, or Amazon.

The Big Picture

Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters

The World Indigenous Games

Brazil recently hosted the new international event in which 2,000 athletes competed from 30 countries.

BetaBoston

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/03/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/2015-08-18T011459Z_246389897_GF10000175207_RTRMADP_3_USA-BUSINESS.jpg Haverhill woman sues Google over contractor distinction

A client represented by a Boston lawyer is accusing Google Express of misclassifying workers as independent contractors.

Crux

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/03/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/vatican150-1048.jpg Amid leaks scandal, new Vatican book exposes greed and waste

?Merchants in the Temple? paints a picture of a bureaucracy entrenched in a culture of mismanagement, waste, and secrecy.