Rice pulls out; talk turns to Kerry

By Bryan Bender

A contentious confirmation process for the next secretary of state, which UN ambassador Susan Rice said she sought to avoid, would be unlikely for John Kerry.

In farewell speech, Snowe pleads for less polarization

By David Sharp

US Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine pleaded to her colleagues to work together to reach consensus on the ‘‘fiscal cliff.’’

Obama, Boehner meet, no progress reported

By Jonathan Weisman and Jackie Calmes

President Obama called Speaker John Boehner tried to move talks forward as pessimism mounted.

By Ellen Barry

Representatives asserted that Bashar Assad was losing control of the country after a nearly two-year conflict.

By Sylvia Hui

Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian agent-turned-Kremlin critic, was a British agent when he was poisoned in 2006.

By Jan M. Olsen

Retired historian Esben Brage said he found the text while searching in the National Archives.

Joan Wickersham

The homeless beat

By Joan Wickersham

Homelessness isn’t magically fixable. But patiently getting to know the people on the street seems to help disastrous circumstances from becoming an even bigger disaster.

Scot Lehigh

Points of clarity through the fiscal cliff fog

By Scot Lehigh

A few simple truths should serve as a guidepost for the nation’s fiscal future.

Scott Brown

By Scott Brown

To all the people of Massachusetts, I count myself in your debt, for the confidence you placed in me, and for allowing me to represent you.

UMass program connects med students with patients

By Katheleen Conti

Medical student Meg Preissler, who had a kidney transplant, is the buddy of 8-year-old Jameson Laliberte, who is awaiting one.

Brian McGrory

Coakley, Cahill need to save face after mistrial

By Brian McGrory

Attorney General Martha Coakley and the former state treasurer Tim Cahill need to make this semi-absurd public corruption case go away.

By Peter Schworm and John R. Ellement

The state’s highest court upheld the dismissal of a murder indictment against a Lynn teenager, reflecting a growing consensus that defendants’ youth makes them less culpable of their crimes.

By Jay Fitzgerald and Casey Ross

Amazon.com Inc. will open a large engineering center near other major tech players that have established beachheads in Massachusetts.

Cape Cod train set to roll by summer

By Sarah Shemkus

Starting next May, visitors will be able to avoid short tempers and long lines of brake lights by taking a new weekend-only train between South Station and Hyannis.

Boston Capital

A sobering assessment of the job market

By Steven Syre

After a year of can-do campaign promises, the Federal Reserve delivered a tough reminder about jobs.

Peter Dews; studied effects of medicine on behavior, 90

By Kathleen McKenna

In the 1950s, Dr. Dews helped lay the groundwork for the emerging field of behavioral pharmacology with his series of articles “Studies on Behavior.”

N. Joseph Woodland, 91; helped invent the bar code

By Margalit Fox

Six decades ago, Mr. Woodland drew a set of lines in the sand and in the process conceived the modern bar code.

Spain Rodriguez, seminal underground cartoonist, 72

By Bruce Weber

Mr. Rodriguez was a cartoonist whose radical politics and hyperbolic macho imagery, presented with sly humor, were influential elements in the rise of underground comics.

Red Sox add Ryan Dempster to rotation

By Nick Cafardo

The Red Sox desperately needed another, and Dempster has been a workhorse his entire career. But is he suited for the American League?

Hunting incident has ex-Bruin Stan Jonathan facing jail

By Kevin Paul Dupont

Once a member of the 1970s “lunch pail” Bruins, Jonathan now faces a prison stint in Ontario after allegedly shooting a fellow hunter to death.

Dan Shaughnessy

Tom Brady is now underrated

By Dan Shaughnessy

Brady is having another MVP-caliber season, and even if he isn’t the favorite to win that award he is poised to win the Super Bowl that eluded him last year.

At Yale, it all adds up to a new frame for art

By Geoff Edgers

The Yale University Art Gallery has completed a 14-year, $135 million renovation and expansion project.

Stage REview

Performances drive ‘Memphis’ at reopened Colonial Theatre

By Terry Byrne

The high-caliber performers in this touring production give more than 100 percent.

‘Central Park Five’ a lesson in injustice

By Wesley Morris

This singeing documentary reconstructs the notorious events that occurred in 1989 after a young white investment banker was beaten and raped in Central Park.