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Globe North

Pitching in, sprucing up, working hard, doing good (Globe Staff / Joanne Rathe)

Pitching in, sprucing up, working hard, doing good

Electric Insurance Co., a local provider of home and auto insurance based in Beverly, recently extended a helping hand to a single mother of five, giving her a home makeover. Some 70 volunteers, employees of the firm, labored for two days late last month sprucing up Cherie Gouthro's modest three-bedroom home, a fixer-upper she had purchased in 2005 with a small sum she inherited from her father's estate. (By Brenda J. Buote, Boston Globe)

Malden city council candidate owes $425k in unpaid taxes

Brian F. O’Boyle, a candidate for councilor at large in Malden, owes about $425,000 in unpaid state and federal income taxes dating back to 2003, according to tax liens filed with the Middlesex County Registry of Deeds. (By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff)

Haverhill library restores some hours, jobs after state aid beats expectations

The Haverhill Public Library will be able to restore the jobs of three to four laid-off employees and reopen Saturdays during the summer following a last-minute $65,000 increase to its fiscal 2010 budget. (By John Laidler, Globe Correspondet)

Northern Mass. communities come to terms with cut in state aid

In Revere, the mayor has closed City Hall on Fridays. In Lowell, there are 16 fewer police officers on the street. In Somerville, four librarians have received pink slips. In Lynn City Hall, there are now 40 fewer employees. (By Steven Rosenberg, Globe Staff)

North Shore marinas going green to please clients and officials

Each new boating season, mariners ready their boats, sanding and painting, varnishing wood and polishing brass, or pressure washing hulls. Any one of these activities can have an impact on marine life and the environment. And with tens of thousands of boaters storming the waters in the summer, local marinas have been upgrading their equipment and tightening their rules. (By Jesse Nankin, Globe Correspondent)

Globe West

Aging in place (Gretchen Ertl for the Boston Globe)

Aging in place

There are a burgeoning number of organizations that aim to help people age in place. They envision a combination of paid and volunteer services to see to the practical, health, and social needs of their members in their own homes. Above, Bill Johnson, volunteer for a fix-it program in Sudbury, checks a smoke detector for Shekhar Mehta. (By Steve Maas, Boston Globe)

Laid off, but not laid out: Volunteering boosts workers’ spirits and skills

When Marya Wolfman was laid off in January from her job at Monster Worldwide, the parent company of the job search site Monster.com, she decided to use some of the time to work on writing her science fiction novel. But that alone didn’t fill the void she felt when she lost her job. (By Calvin Hennick, Globe Correspondent)

Funding change for Quinn bill beginning to hit communities, police officers

In some communities, police officers will take the hit. In others, taxpayers are left holding the bag. (By Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent)

Beavers’ range expands into suburbs west of Boston

Roadways flooded by blocked culverts. Backyards sopping with overflowing brooks. Septic systems filled to the bursting point. (By James O’Brien, Globe Correspondent)

Globe South

A growing trend (Globe Staff / Pat Greenhouse)

A growing trend

Given the hard times, high food prices, and a growing awareness of the peril of global warming, more people are strapping on gloves, taking up spades, and digging in on the home front. Above, Claire DeLoid checks on plants in her greenhouse in Carver. (By Robert Knox, Boston Globe)

Sale buys time for historic ‘Wolly’

Now that it has a new owner, the future of Quincy’s historic Wollaston Theater looks brighter to its fans than it did a few weeks ago. (By Emily Sweeney, Globe Staff)

Freetown’s long-planned Route 24 ramp project gets federal stimulus funds

Officials in Southeastern Massachusetts are calling the sudden acceleration of a $70 million plan for a new exit ramp off Route 24 a boon to the economically depressed region. (By Christine Legere, Globe Correspondent)

An impressive light show
from a galaxy far, far away

Joe Doyle is curator of the Bridgewater State College observatory, and oversees its public hours program, which is in the middle of its summer season. Three of the school's telescopes are available at the observatory for free public stargazing every clear Wednesday evening through July 29. (By Mark Arsenault, Boston Globe)

Quincy man scores job as coach of Scottish soccer team

Independence Day is an official kickoff to summer, and for many, a taste of relaxation. But for the first American to coach soccer abroad on a club level, these days are busier than ever. (By Rick Seto, Globe Correspondent)