Boston’s public schools are in for a shakeup. Superintendent Carol Johnson has laid out a five-year timetable for bringing the whole district up to par with 14 schools listed for restructuring.

After last year’s Celtics championship on June 18, Boston Police arrested a young man on a charge of public drinking. David Woodman became sick during the arrest and later died in the hospital.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino made history last night. The 66-year-old won an unprecedented fifth term in office. This was his hardest re-election and some were surprised how close challenger City Councilor Michael Flaherty got to unseating him.

Voters in 52 cities and towns across Massachusetts will go to the polls Tuesday for various municipal elections.

The embattled city councilor faces federal corruption charges, but still enjoys wide support among voters.

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Tom Menino and City Councilor Michael Flaherty faced off in their final debate Tuesday night before voters cast ballots in next week’s mayoral election. The crowd and the questions seemed to favor Flaherty, but Menino remained unphased.

BOSTON — Mayor Thomas Menino has spent the last 16 years running the city of Boston, and polls show he’s likely to win an unprecedented fifth term. So why is a man who has such high approval ratings still called thin-skinned?

BOSTON — Michael Flaherty has spent the last 10 years on the Boston City Council. Now that he’s running for mayor, some of his colleagues are surprised by who he has become: a candidate who calls himself inclusive, a progressive and different from Thomas Menino.

BOSTON — Nearly one in every four Bostonians is black, according to the most recent census estimates. Mayor Thomas Menino and challenger Michael Flaherty are courting black voters, but some wonder if black Boston is losing its political power.

BOSTON — Boston’s mayoral race has suddenly gotten a lot more interesting. Candidate Michael Flaherty on Tuesday teamed up with former rival Sam Yoon to take on four-time incumbent Thomas Menino.

BOSTON — A Suffolk County Superior Court judge is considering whether to grant a request from the state Republican Party to block the temporary appointment of Democrat Paul Kirk to the U.S. Senate.

BOSTON — Incumbent Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and City Council President Michael Flaherty appear headed for a showdown in the November election.

BOSTON — Thousands of Boston residents are expected to take to the polls for preliminary elections for the city’s mayor and city council seats on Tuesday.

BOSTON — Boston residents will vote Tuesday in the first of two elections to choose their next mayor. Incumbent Thomas Menino has taken a lot of hits during this campaign, on everything from development to deleted e-mails to schools. But on the issue of schools, it’s not clear whether Menino’s challengers have better solutions.

BOSTON — With just days before the preliminary election in Boston’s mayoral race, Mayor Thomas Menino is fighting off what some are calling the biggest controversy in his career. But it may not make a difference on election day.

BOSTON — The recession has sent more people back to school, and Massachusetts is no different. At Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, enrollment is up 23 percent since last year. The college is taking extraordinary steps to address the lack of space and the needs of working students — midnight classes.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — The U.S. census bureau is validating addresses across Massachusetts, gearing up for the 2010 census. State officials are making a special effort this year to count immigrants, but some local activists are urging immigrants not to participate unless national leaders pass immigration reform.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Sen. John Kerry made his first appearance before Massachusetts residents since Sen. Edward M. Kennedy died, pledging that he would carry on Kennedy’s fight for health care.

BOSTON — When Boston’s mayoral candidates hold their first debate Wednesday night, they are expected to talk about schools, development and public safety. Incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino will likely tout the latest crime statistics, which show that violent crime is down about 7 percent since last year. But violent crime is still a top concern for many residents.

BOSTON — Legal immigrants won’t receive dental or hospice care benefits and will likely pay higher premiums or co-pays. The state budgeted $40 million for 31,000 legal immigrants using the state health plan, down from $130 million the year before.