Gulf spill is bad, but how bad remains much in doubt
WASHINGTON — The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is bad — no one would dispute it. But just how bad?
Deadly flooding forces evacuations in Nashville
NASHVILLE — Parts of downtown Nashville were evacuated Monday as the rising Cumberland River, swollen by two days of drenching thunderstorms, flowed into streets near the country music joints and honky-tonk bars that have made the city a tourist attraction.
Shorts (left)
The birth control pill, whose 50th anniversary is being celebrated this month, helped turn countless girls into women and boys into men. But a little-told part of the pill’s history is that it also helped bring about the adulthood of the Food and Drug Administration itself.
N.Y. governor’s policy may help immigrants facing deportation
ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson announced on Monday that the state would accelerate consideration and granting of pardons to legal immigrants for old or minor criminal convictions, in an effort to prevent them from being deported.
Shorts (right)
For the first time in 43,000 years, a woolly mammoth has breathed again on earth.
How to listen to warnings
The National Weather Service in Taunton has declared this week as severe weather preparedness week in southern New England, and will be issuing informational statements each day of this week on their website. On that note, it is important to be aware of severe weather in the Boston area, which does occur in the summer months. Commonly, lighting, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding are associated with severe weather. On days in which conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms or tornadoes, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK issues a watch.
Iran angrily defends nuclear program at conference
UNITED NATIONS — The United States and Iran used the U.N. General Assembly’s famous green marble podium Monday to trade punches over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program, adding sudden drama to the normally staid opening of the international conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
U.S. intensifies bid to control oil spill in Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS — The response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico intensified abruptly on Thursday, with the federal government intervening more aggressively as the rapidly growing slick drifted ever closer to the fragile coastline of Louisiana.
Vast wind farm off Cape Cod coast gains federal approval
BOSTON — After nine years of regulatory review, the federal government gave the green light on Wednesday to the nation’s first offshore wind farm, a fiercely contested project off the coast of Cape Cod.
Leslie Buck, who gave coffee its own Parthenon in New York City, dies at 87
It was for decades the most enduring piece of ephemera in New York City and is still among the most recognizable. Trim, blue and white, it fits neatly in the hand, sized so its contents can be downed in a New York minute. It is as vivid an emblem of the city as the Statue of Liberty, beloved of property masters who need to evoke Gotham at a glance in films and on television.
Breaking down a three-way Senate race in Florida
MIAMI — With Governor Charlie Crist’s announcement on Thursday that he will run independently for the U.S. Senate, Florida will once again become a gawk-worthy stage of American politics, where the country’s desires, fears and conflicts play out.
Admitted to college with aid, needing a fairy godmother
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The envelope arrives with good news. The college is pleased to announce that the student has been offered acceptance and, if he or she is fortunate, some scholarship money.
Shorts (left)
United Airlines and Continental Airlines are in advanced discussions on a merger after making progress on how to price the transaction, people briefed on the matter said Thursday.
Shorts (right)
WASHINGTON<i> — </i>The United States is the largest shareholder in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and has played a forceful, interventionist role in financial crises since the early 1990s, in countries like Mexico, South Korea, Russia and Argentina.
Shorts (right)
The Federal Trade Commission Monday accused the Hingham clothing retailer of making at least 3.4 million telemarketing calls in 2009 for its Talbots and J. Jill brands that violated federal law intended to protect consumers against intrusive telemarketing.
A republican mainstay for the White House? Maybe not
WASHINGTON – Sen. Lindsey Graham makes no pretense about it. He wants to be where the action is.
After polls, Iraqi court begins to disqualify candidates
BAGHDAD – Seven weeks after Iraqis went to the polls, a special elections court disqualified a winning parliamentary candidate, most likely reversing the narrow defeat of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition and possibly allowing him the first chance to form a new coalition government.
Shorts (left)
The Globe’s daily circulation fell 23.2 percent to 232,432 in the six-month period that ended in March, compared to the same period a year ago, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The Globe’s Sunday circulation dropped 18.8 percent to 378,949. Weekday circulation at the Herald fell 12 percent to 132,551, while Sunday declined 4.6 percent to 91,040.
Off Wall Street, companies worry about financial bill
WASHINGTON – Mars, the maker of M&M’s and Snickers, wants to make sure it can continue dabbling in the derivatives market to protect the price of sugar and chocolate for its candies.