In case you missed it: saving Monica, healthcare law working, hunting woodpeckers

Monica Sprague (left, with daughter Sophia and fiance, Tony Jorge) had just given birth and was full of joy. Then a deadly bacteria began ravaging her body, triggering a frantic race to keep her alive. But at what cost?

Don't be fooled by the national press coverage suggesting the Massachusetts health plan is in trouble, a Globe editorial says. The plan is suffering from a bit too much success, but the state has the resources to pay for it this year and next.

Away down in the swampy bottomlands of Dixie, the most intensive search ever for a bird is gearing up for a make-or-break season. Big reputations are riding on the controversial quest for the ivory-billed woodpecker, the most magnificent and most elusive of America's tree-knockers.