Officials have stopped calling swine flu "swine flu," switching instead to the disease's more official (but less catchy) moniker, H1N1, which better reflects its multipart human, avian, and porcine origins. Officials (at Northeastern, at least) have also issued a moratorium on handshakes in the interest of stopping spread of the disease. H1N1 may have spread to Boston and now there are six "probable" cases in Amherst as well as two in Brockton. When will it end?

WCVB is reporting a "probable case" of swine flu H1N1 virus at the Harvard Dental School. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will hold a news conference Thursday night to discuss the case.

Bostonist has received unconfirmed reports of explosions and building evacuations near Lesley University in Cambridge. Oxford Street is closed for a few blocks near Hammond. Has anyone witnessed anything in this area? Update: it looks to be due to a manhole fire caused by a failed cable.

Two Lowell siblings who traveled to Mexico have tested positive for swine flu, marking the disease's first confirmed case in Massachusetts. The boys, ages 8 and 10, have not been to school since returning from Mexico, so it is not likely the virus has spread from them to classmates. Deval Patrick will give a press conference on the matter later this morning.

The CDC reports that the first death resulting from swine flu has occurred in the US. The victim, a 23-month-old child, died in Houston, where he was taken for treatment from Brownsville, a border town. Update: The child is said to have been from Mexico and only visiting the States.

Governor Deval Patrick took the legislature's slogan, "Reform Before Revenue," and flipped it when he threatened to veto any legislation that incorporated Speaker Robert DeLeo's proposed 25% sales tax hike. The tax, which would provide $275 million additional revenue for transportation agencies, was proposed in response to Patrick's request for a 19% gas tax hike and significant reforms in transportation agencies. Patrick's tax would have provided twice as much revenue for the agencies. In his letter to the legislature, Patrick claimed that DeLeo's tax plan was unfocused and accused both the House and the Senate of neglecting to enact crucial ethics and pension reforms that Patrick thinks are the prerequisite for any tax increase. [Globe]

When you think MIT, you think alpine skiing, competitive pistol, golf, wrestling, ice hockey, and gymnastics. Right? Well, think again; the school has eliminated all these sports in the interest of saving money. The cuts bring the school's sports team tally down to 33, the average number offered in the Ivy League. The sports were axed due to student interest, coaching turnover, availability of appropriate competition, quality and proximity of practice facilities, as well as program costs, according to the college.

Jay Leno was hospitalized yesterday for unidentified reasons, canceling episodes of the Tonight show for the rest of the week. The host is expected to be back on the air Monday. He's scheduled to leave the Tonight show May 29 (Conan! Conan!), and launch his new show (which will be aired on WHDH after all) in the fall.

As we know, the Globe is in trouble, and has a May 1 deadline to save $20 million to save itself. Join the Massachusetts AFL-CIO today at Faneuil Hall for a rally to save the Globe. Will a real live gathering be more productive than a blog rally?

Please read The Philip Markoff story as told in Herald adjectives at Universal Hub right now.

The Boston Globe reports that police sources have revealed that police found the underwear of robbery victims during the search of accused Craigslist killer Phillip Markoff's home. The paper does not report on the methods police used to determine that the underwear came from crime victims. Markoff, a BU medical student, also allegedly stored a handgun in his copy of Grey's Anatomy. [Globe]

Phillip Markoff, a 22-year-old Quincy man, will be arraigned today at noon in connection with last Tuesday's murder of Julissa Brisman, a woman who had been offering massage services on Craigslist, and the earlier robbery of another sex worker. Both crimes happened near Copley Square. Markoff was a medical student at Boston University. BU has suspended Markoff because of his arrest. [Globe]

WBZ reports a water main break in Downtown Crossing flooded the area early this morning. Some water service in the area was interrupted, but has been restored. Crews are still working to repair the damage. Update: check the insane photos.

According to the Boston Business Journal, Berklee College of Music has purchased land on Mass Ave from the First Church of Christ, Scientist. The school got 13,300 square feet for $6.25 million, and will use the space (currently leased, in part, to McDonald's) to meet its master plan needs.

The Globe needs to cut $20 million; the Herald outlines how the rival paper proposes to cut $14 million by freezing pension contributions, eliminating 401k contributions, cutting vacation days, and more. Where will the other six million come from? Not clear yet.

WBZ and the Herald suggest that Red Sox principal owner John Henry may be interested in buying the beleaguered Boston Globe in addition to the New York Times' share of the Sox. How would this affect the paper's sports and other coverage? Will it become even more of a Sox machine? Henry also reportedly emailed the Herald that “Baseball fans rely heavily on newspapers." What, not the 'dux? C'mon.

Boston.com, channeling the Associated Press, reports that a man matching the description of the "person of interest" in Tuesday's murder of Craigslist masseuse Julissa Brisman tried to rob a woman in Warwick, Rhode Island who had also advertised erotic services on Craigslist. The assailant was chased away by the victim's husband. [Boston.com]

Danny Ainge, President and General Manager of the Celtics, has suffered a "mild" heart attack. WCVB reported Ainge was resting comfortably at Mass. General Hospital.

WBZTV reports that the Merck building on Louis Pasteur Avenue in the Longwood medical area has suffered a chemical explosion. Hazmat crews are on the scene. If you are a SMFA or MassArt student still struggling to find a topic for your year end show, now you have one.

General Growth Properties, whose "growth" we've criticized before, has filed for bankruptcy. The City of Boston owns the property; GGP was just leasing and operating it. The bankruptcy will require the city to take a larger role in managing Faneuil. This town just can't get by without all those touristy kiosks and Urban Outfitters, so we hope the city manages the marketplace well.

Then please contact John from Amnesia. John, try craigslist next time.

Two unfortunate—or lucky, depending on how you look at it—fellows rode an avalanche down Mount Washington this weekend. The climbers slid 800 feet in/on/around the snow over a cliff and into some trees, which caused their main injuries. They're lucky to be alive, and to have such a tale to tell.

Will the Fairey flap never end? Shep apparently faces more vandalism charges for allegedly posting his street art in Boston, at a time when his lawyer alleges Fairey was not even in town. He is apparently in town today to be arraigned on these new charges in Boston, then he'll face up to the old charges in Roxbury and Brighton. Busy man!

CNN is reporting that Richard Philips has been freed from his pirate captors, all but one of whom have been killed. Stay tuned for more updates.

Recovering from cancer, throwing out the first pitch... now Sen. Edward Kennedy can add another unique item to his already-long resume: getting a puppy for the White House. Teddy played a role in finding Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, for the Obamas. The official puppy announcement comes on Tuesday, but the news is leaking everywhere (WaPo requires a signin). FirstDogCharlie.com has an alleged interview with the pup himself. Timing aside, this seems like a pretty good Easter gift to us.

Massachusetts native Richard Phillips is not alone: Somali pirates have seized a tugboat with 16 passengers, owned by Italy and operating out of the UAE. The boat and passengers are being held by the pirates, who have over 200 additional hostages in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Some Somali elders want to negotiate a mediation that would involve the safe return of the Somali pirates, who have requested a $2 million ransom for Phillips. We hope the safe return of all hostages can be negotiated without ransoms that would fund further piracy, but that may be wishful thinking. In other pirate news, Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, has arrived in port in Kenya without him, and the USS Boxer, which contains hospital facilities, is expected to arrive soon on the scene of the standoff between Phillips' captors and US ships.

WBZ reports that the caffeination conundrum affects marathoners, too. Some folks load up on coffee before the race; others use (ew) decarbonated Coke. (Carbonation is often thought to decrease the amount of oxygen that can be carried in the blood—a bad idea when you're embarking on a 26.2-mile run.) Caffeine goes into effect about half an hour after you ingest it, and may let muscles use fat stores for energy sooner than they would otherwise. It also reduced perceived effort. Sounds like a feasible reason to caffeine up, but we'd probably still be drinking water before the race. If we were ambitious enough to run it.

You may have heard that the Zakim Bridge lights are being turned off so the struggling Turnpike Authority (which we thought they were going to get rid of?) can save some money. It seems that creating a beautiful, attractive bridge was so expensive that they can't afford to light it up anymore. It's a bummer, but maybe it'll keep the gas tax down and/or the T in service... nah, who are we kidding? At most it's a gesture to save a department that's being eliminated anyway. The Zakim has been the subject of so many of our Photos of the Day, and it's a shame to lose its aesthetic appeal at night. If the dimming of the bridge bothers you, there's a Facebook group you can join to show your desire to Keep the Zakim Bridge Lights On. There aren't many members yet, but maybe it'll soon grow to MBTA group proportions. Join up to show your support for the lights.

Transportation Secretary James Aloisi says remain calm and just ignore everything you've read about service cuts because nobody actually has any idea about how we are going to fix the MBTA's financial situation. Read the blog post and tell him what you think.

YouTube (slash Google) and Universal Music Group are teaming up to create a music video hub called Vevo for Universal artists. Vevo's main purpose, aside from having the most terrible name of all time, is to attract advertising revenue that YouTube has not been able to pull. Artist interviews will also be on the site, which may eventually offer viewers the chance to buy concert tickets and merchandise. Universal hopes the venture will help monetize its artists, while Google hopes to attract more advertisers to YouTube.

The Herald reports that the Boston's Globe's unions are not prepared to make the concessions that the evil overlords in New York City are demanding that they make. The unions, who reportedly have already made significant concessions, don't see the point in conceding more ground without a guarantee that more concessions will not be demanded in the future. Bostonist can't say that we blame them. The standoff continues, as Boston readies for May 1, when the Globe will die or it won't.

Remember all that MBTA budget brouhaha? It's going to be irrelevant if the state doesn't help the agency. Without assistance, the T will eliminate tons of services: cut service by half on bus and subway lines in the evening and on weekends, get rid of evening and weekend commuter rail entirely, scrap several bus routes, ditch six green line stops, and fire over 800 employees. Maybe we can do without those employees, but those green line stops? Come on! It's really the halving of night service that concerns us: not everybody works 9 to 5, and the cuts could have negative impact on many folks who really depend on the service to get to work. A solution needs to be negotiated, and soon.

We didn't know Caroline Kennedy was under consideration to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican. Maybe she didn't, either. Regardless of the situation, she ain't getting the job. The former ambassador, Raymond Flynn, criticizes Kennedy's pro-choice positions and says they'd prevent her from being a good fit with the ass-backwards, abstinence-promoting Church. Press in Italy had speculated about Kennedy's possible appointment, marking the second time Kennedy was poised for a job she didn't get.

Lesley University is running Kotobukiya’s Japanese market out of Porter Square to make room for a bookstore, the Cambridge Chronicle reports. Kotobukiya’s is the only full-service Japanese grocer in Cambridge, and it has been in business since 1989. Lesley University owns the Porter Square Exchange and reportedly refused to extend Kotobukiya's lease.

If selling eggs isn't the recession solution for you, perhaps you'd prefer to spend money to make money. Reuters reports that folks are getting plastic surgery to look better for job interviews. Research has shown that good-looking folks earn more and are also more likely to get gigs, so the drastic action makes sense&dmash;though it is still quite a gamble. We still think you might do better to focus on developing your actual skills: after all, no one can see how good you look on paper.

We all love pirates, except for the real ones. Two Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates were on board a cargo ship taken over by Somali pirates today. The AP reports that the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was attacked while bringing emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya.

Today, Mayor Menino will present Boston's proposed 2010 budget to the city council. The budget balancing magic derives from laying off more than 500 workers, including 212 teachers and classroom aides, 67 police officers, 44 police cadets, 39 community center employees, and 26 library workers. Even horses are being let go: some of the police officers are mounted patrol, meaning that 24 horses will have to find new adoptive homes. Those figures are somewhat prematurely alarmist, though: successful wage negotiations, particularly with unions, could mean reduction in hours or wages rather than layoffs, and resignations can cover some of the teacher cuts. Stimulus money from the federal government might also help out. All is not lost, but there is cause for concern.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. In an uncertain economy, people are turning to some of their most personal possessions for fundraising. No, not family heirlooms or precious collectibles; rather, folks are selling their sperm and eggs for profit. According to the Globe, both sperm and egg "donations" (legally, folks can't be paid for the reproductive materials themselves, but are compensated for their time and, er, efforts?) are up from 25 to as much as 100 percent over last year. Sanford Benardo of Northeast Assisted Fertility Group told the globe, "It's almost like an employment agency flooded with resumes but people aren't hiring so much." It makes some sense: these reproductive tools are present in excess, if not unlimited, supply, and can command good money (up to $10,000 for each egg donated; only $85 to $100 for cups o' sperm). Still, it's troubling that tough times may force people to give up a part of themselves out of desperation rather than desire, and give rise to biological children they may never connect with. And what's next: kidney donations? Folks cutting out their organs in the bathtub for a buck? Let's hope the economy turns around before we resort to fingers.

Last week, we wondered "WTF, Vermont?" when we heard the news that Governor Jim Douglas planned to veto the bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. Well, he did. But, in a dramatic show of awesomeness, the Vermont House of Representatives voted to override the veto, 100-49. Vermont is the fourth state to legalize same sex marriage and the first to do so through an act of legislature.

Boston police found Pack, the bronze duckling who had been swiped from the Public Garden, safe and sound on Beacon Hill, the Globe reports. Pack was not the first duckling to disappear from the public art work, and he probably will not be the last. Nonetheless, he has not been turned into crack rock, despite the sensationalistic claims of some news outlets.

Lissa Harris denies being behind the keyboard of the Marty Baron Twitter feed. If the feed is to be believed, which it is not, Globe editor Marty Baron is a whale-obsessed, booze-drenched jet-setter with a fondness for grape soda. Funny ha, or funny meh? Sometimes, both.

We thought we'd figured out everything about Tom and Gisele: rich, beautiful, famous; basically unmatched in every day (except maybe Tom's knee, but let's not talk about that). So you'd expect a wedding between the two to be nothing less than perfect right, right? In an odd turn of events, armed security guards at the couple's dream wedding in Malpais, Costa Rica, shot at paparazzi who had obtained footage of the celebration and refused to turn it over to security. The shot hit the windshield of the photographers' SUV as they fled. We can't decide whether a wedding gunfight (the Herald already used our "shotgun wedding" pun) is awesome or terrifying; we'll settle for a mix of the two. We imagine the wedding was impeccable in every other way, but sadly cannot report firsthand, as we were not invited. Shoot.

It's hard to feel rhapsodic about how the New York Times is the guardian of democracy when Judith Miller's former employer is pulling this shit.

We'll never be able to hang with the Herald's alliteration: "The New York Times [NYT] Company has threatened to shut down the Boston Globe if the paper doesn’t come up with $20 million in cuts within 30 days in a dramatic act of brinksmanship at the beleaguered broadsheet." But we'd better learn to, if it's going to become Boston's paper of record.

Despite overwhelming House and Senate votes in favor of the it, Governor Jim Douglas is poised to veto Vermont's marriage equality bill. In the meantime, the Green Mountain State was beaten by freaking Iowa, which became the third state in the U.S. to allow everybody to marry the person whom they want to marry. The other two, of course, are Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Do you want your children taught by people who are not certified teachers? Are five weeks sufficient to learn how to command classrooms full of troubled kids? Should inexperienced, uncertified teachers be paid the same as those with years of training and experience? Teach for America says yes; Boston Public Schools says no. In an apparently controversial decision, BPS has refused to employ Teach for America recruits, asserting that the district already has enough qualified, experienced teachers. Teach for America is a somewhat ironic endeavor: the organization's own literature lauds the superior power of experienced teachers, yet the two-year program involves no certification, no experience, and often does little more than Ivy League grads something to do for two years between college and graduate school. The corps members may be educated, but that doesn't mean they can educate, and throwing them into a classroom for a brief amount of time does a disservice both to the corps members and their students. Additionally, Teach for America does nothing to solve the troubling problem of insufficient teacher training in America; it's merely a band-aid that falls off when its corps members move on. BPS is right to hold its ground and stand out for teachers who will commit to a career of education, not a brief stopover on the way to "better" things.

Channel 7 WHDH, Boston's NBC affiliate, is saying no way to airing Jay Leno's new show at 10pm this fall, asserting it will air the station's local news program instead. It's a slap in the face to a local boy made good, and also "a flagrant violation of the terms of their contract with NBC," according to John Eck, president of NBC TV Network. NBC is threatening WHDH with cancellation of its affiliate status if the channel persists in dissing Jay. But Ed Ansin, who owns both WHDH and WLVI, says the Leno show "will be detrimental to our 11 o'clock" news program and feels that more news viewers will be around at 10. Will WHDH be un-NBC'ed? Stay tuned this fall to find out.