TommieMedia

Generations of Boston residents have watched the story play out of former Democratic Senate President William “Billy” Bulger and his older brother, reputed gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. At the heart of the story, at least for the younger Bulger, was a fierce loyalty to family and the shared experience of growing up in the working class Irish-American enclave of South Boston, where the line between brawling and bare-knuckled politics was easily blurred.

The twister that laid waste to much of Joplin, Mo., last month hit the school system especially hard: It killed seven students and one teacher, and destroyed three school buildings, including the only public high school. Seven other buildings were badly damaged. In the aftermath, the resurrection of Joplin High and other public schools has become a rallying point for the whole community.

Frustrated by what he called a “slow motion train wreck” for U.S. schools, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he will give schools relief from federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind law if Congress drags its feet on the law’s long-awaited overhaul and reauthorization.

Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s deputy, warned Wednesday that America faces not individual terrorists or groups but an international community of Muslims that seek to destroy it and its allies. He was delivering a 28-minute videotaped eulogy to slain al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Megan Wegge twice donated her long, blond hair to “Locks of Love” and started her own business to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Now diagnosed with a rare form of cancer herself, she and her mom are temporary residents of Bloomington, Ind., preparing for a form of radiation treatment available in nine places in the country.

Pope Benedict XVI strongly backed Croatia’s bid to join the European Union as he arrived in the Balkan nation Saturday, but said he could understand fears among euroskeptics of the EU’s “overly strong” centralized bureaucracy.

One thing that Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney have in common is that they are distancing themselves from their past positions on global warming, driven by their party’s loud doubters who question the science and disdain government solutions. All four have stepped back from previous stances on the issue.

The University of Minnesota is seeking volunteers for outreach teams following Sunday’s tornado that ripped through north Minneapolis.