By Milton J. Valencia and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Law enforcement officials descended today on a Manchester, Conn., house, digging in the yard of Robert Gentile, an alleged mobster who officials suspect may have information about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft. In a telephone interview, a Frances Drive resident who declined to be named, said the street was choked with unmarked police vehicles, unmarked trucks and, more recently, television news crews and their vehicles.

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

Homeowners in the city of Boston will have an easier time getting permits for certain home improvement projects this summer, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement. “This is the year to get that deck built, or put in a swimming pool, or purchase that shed,” Menino said. “This summer, we are cutting the red tape on home improvement in the city of Boston. We want to help homeowners get a jump on their projects and get them done sooner rather than later.”