Big House

NARRAGANSETT BAY, R.I. - “Do you know what we do with tour boats?’’ asks Henry Wood, as yet another tour boat passes by. “We moon them.’’ Which the 80-year-old proceeds to do, to the delighted shrieks of the passengers. If you’d spent a lot of time in a big house on a small rock in Narragansett Bay, you too might get tired of tour boats - along with curious kayakers, enormous freighters, kamikaze jet-skiers, and an occasional appearance by the gigantic Queen Mary II, which makes even Clingstone appear Lilliputian.

Court documents released yesterday provide a first-hand account of how the parents of Amy Bishop defended their daughter during testimony in a closed-door inquest two years ago, insisting it was an accident when the murder suspect fatally shot her brother in the family's Braintree home in 1986. Bishop, then 21, had been traumatized the year before by a burglary in the house, her father testified, and he maintained that her fear contributed to events that day. Samuel Bishop testified in April 2010 that his daughter "was sitting in that Victorian house, that big house by herself...

University of Michigan officials say they’ve sold 105,585 tickets for an outdoor hockey game at Michigan Stadium between the Wolverines and rival Michigan State. Michigan announced sales yesterday that would set the world record for attendance at an ice hockey game. “The Big Chill at the Big House’’ takes place Dec. 11. Outdoor hockey has become more common in recent years. The NHL annually holds a Winter Classic, which featured the Bruins and Flyers at Fenway Park on Jan. 1 of this year and will take place at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field this season, when the Penguins host the Washington Capitals.

DETROIT — Next year's Winter Classic could set an attendance record. The Detroit Red Wings will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium, a matchup of two Original Six teams at the iconic college football facility that drew more than 104,000 fans for a college hockey game in 2010. The NHL formally announced the details Thursday at Comerica Park. The home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers will be part of the festival, hosting games involving minor league and college teams as well as the Red Wings-Maple Leafs alumni game.

Former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi's fall from grace is complete after his sentencing yesterday to eight years in federal prison for public corruption and extortion. DiMasi eluded a sentence that could have been three times longer, according to federal sentencing guidelines. Eight years isn't especially soft. But DiMasi's position at the pinnacle of political power in Massachusetts and his reluctance to accept full responsibility for his actions argued for a sentence in excess of 10 years.

Mother abandons husband, son, and daughter. Brokenhearted Dad relocates with children to big house in rural South Carolina. Then adolescent girl finds ancient burial mound out back. Comes home covered in mud, clutching straw dolls, begins sleepwalking. Cue unexplained phenomena: howls, dead housecat, creatures sighted in the trees. Those markings on her back: acne, or something else? Yep, “The New Daughter’’ does tread with clunky boots upon well-worn horror movie territory.

Court documents released yesterday provide a first-hand account of how the parents of Amy Bishop defended their daughter during testimony in a closed-door inquest two years ago, insisting it was an accident when the murder suspect fatally shot her brother in the family's Braintree home in 1986. Bishop, then 21, had been traumatized the year before by a burglary in the house, her father testified, and he maintained that her fear contributed to events that day. Samuel Bishop testified in April 2010 that his daughter "was sitting in that Victorian house, that big house by herself...

SAN FRANCISCO — The desire to own your own home, long a bedrock of the American Dream, is fast becoming a casualty of the worst housing downturn since the Great Depression. Even as the economy began to fitfully recover in the last year, the percentage of homeowners dropped sharply to 66.4 percent from a peak of 69.2 percent in 2004. The ownership rate is now back to the level of 1998, and some housing specialists say it could decline to the level of the 1980s or even earlier.

. ½ L’AMOUR FOU Directed by: Pierre Thoretton Written by: Thoretton and Eve Guillou At: Kendall Square Running time: 100 minutes In French, with English subtitles Unrated When he died, in 2008, the 71-year-old fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent left behind the big house full of valuable art that was his clothing company and several actual houses full of equally valuable art. He also left behind one man...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- It's a miracle that the Mary Todd Lincoln House survives as one of Kentucky's most important historic sites. What if it had not been saved? What if the 20th century owner had succeeded in selling it in the name of progress? Without the link to President Lincoln, his wife's elegant childhood home would have been lost forever. Fortunately, the state and preservationists fought and won a legal battle in the late 1960s to stop the wrecking ball from destroying the landmark.

The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will began 2013 by renewing their rivalry at one of North America's most iconic stadiums. The two Original Six foes will play in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium, part of an outdoor showcase that will also include minor league and college hockey games at Detroit's Comerica Park. Toronto will become the first Canadian team to play in the Winter Classic when the Maple Leafs and Red Wings face off in Ann Arbor, about 45 miles west of Detroit.

Former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi's fall from grace is complete after his sentencing yesterday to eight years in federal prison for public corruption and extortion. DiMasi eluded a sentence that could have been three times longer, according to federal sentencing guidelines. Eight years isn't especially soft. But DiMasi's position at the pinnacle of political power in Massachusetts and his reluctance to accept full responsibility for his actions argued for a sentence in excess of 10 years.

Michigan is trying to make the first prime-time game at the Big House a spectacle. The school plans to distribute 100,000 maize pompoms, pay tribute to graduates who lost their lives on Sept. 11 a decade ago and honor Desmond Howard, their standout receiver who won the Heisman Trophy back in 1991. Then, there will actually be a game. And it should be a good one. Notre Dame is coming to town, smarting from an ugly 23-20 loss at home that got Brian Kelly's second season in charge off to a sour start.

SAN FRANCISCO — The desire to own your own home, long a bedrock of the American Dream, is fast becoming a casualty of the worst housing downturn since the Great Depression. Even as the economy began to fitfully recover in the last year, the percentage of homeowners dropped sharply to 66.4 percent from a peak of 69.2 percent in 2004. The ownership rate is now back to the level of 1998, and some housing specialists say it could decline to the level of the 1980s or even earlier.

. ½ L’AMOUR FOU Directed by: Pierre Thoretton Written by: Thoretton and Eve Guillou At: Kendall Square Running time: 100 minutes In French, with English subtitles Unrated When he died, in 2008, the 71-year-old fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent left behind the big house full of valuable art that was his clothing company and several actual houses full of equally valuable art. He also left behind one man...

University of Michigan officials say they’ve sold 105,585 tickets for an outdoor hockey game at Michigan Stadium between the Wolverines and rival Michigan State. Michigan announced sales yesterday that would set the world record for attendance at an ice hockey game. “The Big Chill at the Big House’’ takes place Dec. 11. Outdoor hockey has become more common in recent years. The NHL annually holds a Winter Classic, which featured the Bruins and Flyers at Fenway Park on Jan. 1 of this year and will take place at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field this season, when the Penguins...

Tonight the son will be running up and down the parquet floor, the Red Auerbach court, trying to guard Paul Pierce and create some easy baskets for Kobe Bryant. The son will be trying to win a championship for the Los Angeles Lakers at the expense of the Boston Celtics. In the New Boston Garden. The father will be 3,000 miles away, watching from his home in San Diego, feeling his heartstrings tugged in opposite directions. Bill Walton the ESPN analyst has predicted the Celtics will win the NBA championship.

Two weeks after its season seemed lost, Michigan has new life. Mike Hart ran for 153 yards on a career-high 44 carries and scored early in the fourth quarter, leading the Wolverines to a 14-9 win over No. 10 Penn State yesterday in Ann Arbor, Mich., for its ninth straight victory in the series. The Wolverines (2-2, 1-0 Big Ten) have climbed back to .500 after starting the season with two of the worst losses in school history, to Appalachian State and Oregon, both at the Big House.

Mother abandons husband, son, and daughter. Brokenhearted Dad relocates with children to big house in rural South Carolina. Then adolescent girl finds ancient burial mound out back. Comes home covered in mud, clutching straw dolls, begins sleepwalking. Cue unexplained phenomena: howls, dead housecat, creatures sighted in the trees. Those markings on her back: acne, or something else? Yep, “The New Daughter’’ does tread with clunky boots upon well-worn horror movie territory.

NARRAGANSETT BAY, R.I. - “Do you know what we do with tour boats?’’ asks Henry Wood, as yet another tour boat passes by. “We moon them.’’ Which the 80-year-old proceeds to do, to the delighted shrieks of the passengers. If you’d spent a lot of time in a big house on a small rock in Narragansett Bay, you too might get tired of tour boats - along with curious kayakers, enormous freighters, kamikaze jet-skiers, and an occasional appearance by the gigantic Queen Mary II, which makes even Clingstone appear Lilliputian.