In twist, evangelicals now backing Mitt Romney

By Michael Kranish

Long wary of his Mormon faith, the religious right is now rallying to the GOP candidate’s cause in critical swing states.

By Matt Viser

President Obama and Mitt Romney on Saturday turned their attention to preparing for the next big moment on the political calendar: a debate Tuesday in New York.

By Charles Duhigg

Strategists affiliated with the campaigns of Obama and Romney say they have access to information about the personal lives of voters at a scale never before imagined.

Car bomb kills 17 people in Pakistan

By Riaz Khan

A car bomb tore through a crowded bazaar outside an office for anti-Taliban tribal elders in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 17 people, officials said.

By Ali Akbar Dareini

Iran is ready to show flexibility at nuclear talks to ease Western concerns over its contentious nuclear program, its foreign ministry spokesman said Saturday.

Libyan militias hold strong in country

By David D. Kirkpatrick

A month after the killing of the US ambassador ignited a public outcry for civilian control of Libya’s militias, that hope has been all but lost.

JEFF JACOBY

Communism, in life and death

By Jeff Jacoby

While Vietnamese dissident Nguyen Chi Thien sacrificed his freedom defying communism, British historian Eric Hobsbawm defended and excused its crimes.

JOAN VENNOCHI

By Joan Vennochi

Lately, Governor Deval Patrick seems more interested in reelecting President Obama than answering for troubling developments on his watch.

tom keane | opinion

The problem with bicycling in Boston

By Tom Keane

Anything that discourages people from riding increases the risk to the rest who are — but that’s precisely the effect of fear-mongering and plans to toughen the rules on cyclists.

Barely supervised, some housing chiefs stray badly

By Sean P. Murphy and Scott Allen

A Globe review found that Mass. housing directors face little accountability in a system vulnerable to incompetence, indolence, and worse.

A young couple caught up in the middle

By Sarah Schweitzer

Randy and Jessica Wood just wanted the old equation of hard work and opportunity to work for them as it had for generations. But, as for so many, the good life remains just out of reach.

At Harvard, Elizabeth Warren has warm reputation

By Eric Moskowitz

The Senate candidate is widely admired by students and faculty at Harvard Law School, where she was known for being tough but fair.

Consumers are flocking to shorter loan terms

By Jenifer B. McKim

More homeowners in Mass. and across the US are refinancing home loans to shorter terms, paying off their debts faster and saving thousands of dollars.

Boston Scientific venturing into new territory

By Robert Weisman

The Natick company, which has struggled in recent years, is repositioning itself and its products in a shifting health care landscape.

INNOVATION ECONOMY

Michelle Dipp, 36, reflects biotech’s next generation

By Scott Kirsner

If Cambridge biotech company OvaScience lands on the Nasdaq stock exchange next year, Dipp would be among the youngest CEOs of a public company in Mass.

Sunday baseball notes

A few ideas to shore up the Red Sox

By Nick Cafardo

The Red Sox have needs at several positions, but they also have options and opportunities.

Dan Shaughnessy

Seattle will be a racket for the Patriots

By Dan Shaughnessy

CenturyLink Field, the home of the Seahawks, is renowned for its raucous fans, who can disrupt enemy offenses by limiting communication.

What They Were Thinking: The Human Fuse

By Stan Grossfeld

Brian Miser, who is launched from a self-made crossbow at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, explains what it’s like flying through the flame.

Ideas

The Carter Doctrine: A Middle East strategy past its prime

By Thanassis Cambanis

Our creaky, 30-year-old vision of America’s role is ripe for an overhaul from the next president.

Ideas

The surprisingly old art of photo fakery

By Dushko Petrovich

A new exhibit and book remind us that photo fakery is nothing new — in fact, manipulation of photographic images goes back to the dawn of photography.

Q&A

When the classroom rang with poetry

By Ruth Graham

Catherine Robson traces what we lost — and gained — when kids stopped reciting out loud.

book review

‘The Oath’ by Jeffrey Toobin and ‘America’s Unwritten Constitution’ by Akhil Reed Amar

By Mickey Edwards

Two books look at the Constitution and the different ways that scholars, lawyers, and courts interpret it.

Writer and Native American activist

Sherman Alexie: Writer and Native American activist

By Amy Sutherland

In his newest collection of stories, “Blasphemy,” Sherman Alexie continues his exploration of what it’s like to be a Native American now.

book review

‘Just Plain Dick’ by Kevin Mattson

By Jordan Michael Smith

In “Just Plain Dick,” the historian Kevin Mattson analyzes Richard Nixon’s famous 1952 “Checkers speech” and the presidential campaign of that year.

Gary Collins, 74, actor; hosted Miss America pageant

Gary ­Collins, an actor, television show host, and former master of ceremonies for the Miss America pageant, died Saturday.

Larry Reynolds, 80; ‘virtuoso’ of Irish fiddling

By Kathleen McKenna

When he emigrated in 1953 from County Galway in Western Ireland, Mr. Reynolds brought along his fiddle and a passion for the music of his homeland.

Ulrich Franzen, architect; used fortress mentality in designs

By Paul Vitello

A German-born architect whose fortresslike buildings seemed to buttress the psychological landscape of New York City during the shaky 1970s, Mr. Franzen died Oct. 6 at age 91.

Are nonprofit theaters too closely tied to commercial producers?

By Laura Collins-Hughes

A new report raises questions about the collaboration between regional theaters and commercial producers.

book review

‘The Oath’ by Jeffrey Toobin and ‘America’s Unwritten Constitution’ by Akhil Reed Amar

By Mickey Edwards

Two books look at the Constitution and the different ways that scholars, lawyers, and courts interpret it.

Writer and Native American activist

Sherman Alexie: Writer and Native American activist

By Amy Sutherland

In his newest collection of stories, “Blasphemy,” Sherman Alexie continues his exploration of what it’s like to be a Native American now.

travel

Serendipity and surrender: 48 hours in New York City

By Naomi Kooker

Friends, finds, sleep, eat, drink, drama — then depart. On this trip we relinquish whatever we know of the city for tips from strangers and acquaintances.

If you go to New York.

The Out NYC: a hip hideout in Hell’s Kitchen

By Kathleen Pierce

This sleek “urban resort,” located in Hell’s Kitchen, is filled with so many inducements, it’s hard to leave.

home of the week

Stucco home in Rockport has touches of old mountain inn

By Jenifer B. McKim

Known as Pineledge, this stately stucco home was built in 1907 and seems like it is frozen in time.

Magazine

How grocery shopping got personal

By Francis Storrs

We hop from store to store, searching for the best deal and the best quality. How the business of selling groceries is changing—and improving—to suit us.

globe magazine

The hunt for Uncle Arthur, king of Boston bookies

By Jon Marcus

When Jon Marcus learned of a mysterious uncle of his whom the FBI had chased for 20 years because of his illegal gambling racket, he went on a hunt of his own to piece to together an amazing, untold chapter in Boston lore.

magazine

Brian McGrory on life with a dog and a rooster

By Brian McGrory

In his forthcoming memoir, the Globe columnist writes about a dog and a rooster who taught him lessons about life.

New Hampshire student opposes high school dress code

By Brenda J. Buote

Elizabeth Skerry launched an online campaign to amend her high school’s new dress code, which prohibits sleeveless tops.

Dress code dust-up inspires introspection

By Brenda J. Buote

As the media blitz staged by a 17-year-old Plaistow, N.H., student armed with a Twitter account and a Facebook campaign thrusts Timberlane Regional High School in the spotlight for banning sleeveless tops, local Bay State school districts are reflecting on their own policies.

Under the policy “all students both males and females will be required to wear tops (shirts/blouses/dresses) that have sleeves, a modest neckline, i.e. no cleavage, and that are long enough to cover beyond their waist. The length of shorts, skirts, or dresses may be no shorter than mid-thigh, i.e., half way between the inseam and the knee cap.”

Biologist keeps tabs on Massachusetts’ rarest salamander

By Don Lyman

The conservation scientist has been crisscrossing the state since late August in search of the Commonwealth’s rarest salamander before it returns underground.

House foes have deep roots in area

By Robert Preer

Democrat Josh Cutler and Republican Karen Barry compete in one of the most closely watched House races in Massachusetts.

Milton

By Jennette Barnes

Milton parents are rallying ahead of meetings that could decide how many students can enroll in the popular French immersion program in the elementary schools.

Black cats on display in Hudson

By Taryn Plumb

Barbara Bonazzoli has spent decades collecting likenesses of black cats, and several of her antique figurines are on display at the Hudson Historical Society Museum.

Haunted happenings thrill visitors

By Laura E. Franzini

From haunted hayrides to spooky storytelling, there’s something for every thrill-seeker this Halloween season at local farms, historic houses, and community centers.

Halloween Happenings

Plenty of spooky events west of Boston this Halloween season

By Laura E. Franzini

From haunted hayrides to spooky storytelling, there’s something for every thrill-seeker this Halloween season. Local farms, historic houses, and community centers have transformed into ghoulish haunts — with an occasional candy reward for the bravest visitors.