Former White House press secretary Tony Snow died early today of colon cancer. Conservative Snow hosted "Fox News Sunday" for many years before joining the White House. Most recently, he was a commenter on CNN. In a statement, President Bush called Snow "a devoted public servant and a man of character."......

--The Massachusetts House voted overwhelmingly in favor of preliminary approval to pour $1 billion into life sciences investment over 10 years. [WBZ Radio] --Of course Manny Ramirez would forget about $10,000 that the state of Massachusetts owes him. And if you think the state owes you some money, too, go to findmassmoney.com. [Boston Herald] --Is it just us, or is Bridget Moynahan looking better and classier than ever? Or is it just extended Super......

On the way out of the TDB Garden last night, we weren't completely thrilled about the Celtics' victory over King James and the Cavaliers last night. It was a kind of sloppy game, Paul Pierce was way off-target all night, and the effects of jet lag were obvious. Then we stopped for a second and remembered where this team was a year ago. In one season, we've gone from plummeting towards ignominy, to beating the......

It seems that the Bruins' approach to the NHL trade deadline - to hold steady and remain as is - might just pay off. On Tuesday night, against an Ottawa Senators team that the Globe kindly referred to as "thoroughly disinterested" (read: someone's will to play didn't arrive at the TDBN Garden with the rest of the Senators' gear), the Bruins cruised along to a 4-0 win, extending the winning ways that began out on......

Art Although the weather is bone-chilling, the MFA wants to lure you out of the house with free admission until 4:45 this afternoon. Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Jazz Orchestra will also perform in Remis Auditorium between 11:00 am and 3:30 pm. More info from the MFA. Movies One of Woody Allen's best will screen at the Coolidge Corner Theatre as part of the "Science on Screen" series. In Sleeper, Woody Allen is transported......

It seems that Bostonist's call for submissions inspired you. Say hello to Gerard Sloan, who is already working the political beat! And we hope you'll meet more writers in the next week. Interested in joining the team? Read our call for columnists and e-mail jobs@bostonist.com. Despite polls showing large leads for Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, the Granite State used its moment in the national spotlight yesterday to give Hillary Clinton a narrow victory......

The Red Sox has permeated nearly every facet of Bostonist's lives. When they're not live-blogging the games, waxing poetic about the games, thanking Curt Schilling for his splendid work, or telling Dane Cook to watch his hair, they're watching certain presidential candidates hop on the Red Sox bandwagon (sorry, Gothamist). The Sox are so branded on the local brain that people are using the Series to spice up their sex lives. Speaking of spice, Bostonist......

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice......

Happy first weekend of September - and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let's take a look at what's been happening around the Ist-a-verse. The deaths of two firefighters shook Bostonist this week. Boston's firefighters bent over backwards all week long - first, they fought flames pouring from the Boston Tea Party museum, and then a restaurant fire killed two and injured many more. Their efforts make everything else - like Tom......

--Forbes announced that former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney placed fourth in their "creepiest candidate" poll. We can understand why – and it has nothing to do with Mormonism or big sticks. It's simply the fact that the man has not aged for several decades. Of course he's creepy – he's hiding a portrait in the attic! --Romney's new "crazy eyes" ad certainly won't help him get off the creepy list. Earlier in......

Usually we're bringing you the Mitt Watch on this little corner of the internet. Today we're watching Mitt in his new ad for Mitt Watch. We're still too many months away before actual voting in the 2008 election cycle begins to start putting any faith in poll numbers. Political ads generally tend to bore us, but since it's time to start planning the Fourth of July BBQ patriotism may have taken over – for 24......

American troops keep dying in Iraq, and that includes several troops from Massachusetts. A Lawrence family is left wondering if their son is dead or captured, and a well-known BU professor who spoke out against the war lost his son. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence is one of three soldiers who are missing after an ambush in Mahmoudiya that left four soldiers and a translator dead. One soldier who has died has not been identified, which......

While dubya continues the war in Iraq and Afghanistan he's also rolling hard boiled eggs across the white house lawn. The 2007 edition of the Easter Egg Collection is now available. The 2007 Easter Egg Collection continues the tradition that began in 1994 where each state sends a decorated egg to the White House for display. Artists from across the United States created the decorated eggs, which represent each state and the District of Columbia.......

Never in the history of the blotter did we expect to have anything on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who appears to be made of Teflon. And he's still made of Teflon. But he has a few unpaid parking tickets that he might want to clear up, for old times' sake. The Somerville News reported: "Obama’s disobedience of the rules of the road earned him $140 in fines from the City of Cambridge. The tickets......

Since it was introduced in 1935, Parker Brothers' Monopoly has delighted all those broke folks out there hoping that one day they could own Park Place (with hotels even). For those of us in 2006, we still dream of someday being able to afford any sort of real estate in the Boston area, so we turn to board games to make our fantasies a reality. In honor of Monopoly's 70th birthday, Parker Brothers is launching......

There's a whole wide world out there, and here's the proof: DCist revels in The University of Maryland's basketball triumphs, marvels at Metro's security strategy, and applauds DC local Katie Couric's new gig. Phillyist is all about the Philadelphia Film Festival. OK, not all about -- they still have time for loitering, underage sex, and random wacky news. LAist would have to send a camera around the world to get shots as bizarre as Katie's......

Since Bostonist knows you are all gearing up for the big anniversary party tomorrow night at the Kinsale, we assume you’ll all be staying home and resting tonight…well, okay probably not, but we thought we’d do a news roundup today because hell, it’s Friday. We certainly don’t expect you to read a newspaper. Bar Brawl on Newbury Street: Bostonist has had its fleeting moments of drunkenness over on Newbury Street’s basement level bar, Daisy Buchanan’s.......

It seems a bit of a coincidence, doesn't it? Senator Edward Kennedy has been all over the news this week with his focus on Judge Samuel Alito in the congressional hearings. So, while the nation sits and watches the Democrats and Republicans duke it out, Scholastic Inc. has decided to strike while the iron is hot and send out a press release about an upcoming book written by Senator Kennedy himself. Now don't get too......

Bostonist is never surprised by revelations about the current administration, so when we learned from local internet security expert Richard Smith that the White House web site uses cookies to keep track of the internet browsing activities of people who visit the site and other programs to keep possibly past content from being archived, well, we weren't like, "OMG!" (Full disclosure: In addition to his web sleuthing duties, Smith is our mother-in-law's husband.) But we......

. . . OK, that part about the steel cage match isn't true . . . yet. But Secretary of State William Galvin, whose heart never really seemed in the race, is now officially out of contention for the governor's job, which will be open in 2006 assuming Mitt Romney decides to make a run for the White House (and who knows, really? Yesterday, after all, he weighed in on a matter of pressing concern......

When you live in a Commonwealth headed by an anomalously conservative governor with an eye both eyes firmly fixed on the White House, and an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature that pretty much runs the show, a lot of the headlines are, to say the least, predictable. Case in point, the House of Representatives yesterday gave a mighty "No, thank you" to Romney's much-touted proposal to bring the death penalty back to Massachusetts, voting it down 100......

Last night PBS premiered “RX for Survival - A Global Health Challenge,” a three-part, six-hour series on worldwide public health. Focusing on innovations in the last century, including vaccines and antibiotics, the series highlights efforts to eradicate disease around the world and comes at a timely moment: The Massachusetts State Legislature is debating a bill that would change healthcare coverage in the state and the White House just yesterday, released a plan to address the......

How much longer until Mitt Romney decides whether to lose a bid for the white house or a bid for reelection? Because Bostonist is starting to feel like the matronly society wife in an old-time comedy of manners who married a philanderer for the economic and social benefits and now must stoically turn a blind eye to his dalliances with young showgirls (or primary states, as the case may be). Maybe we should create a......

When John Roberts was initially announced as the Bush administration's pick to succeed Sandra Day "Swing" O'Connor, Bostonist couldn't help but feel disappointed, as it signalled the end of our own governor's dark horse candidacy for the Supreme Court post. But now our hopes are alive again, as Roberts has been bumped up and nominated chief (sorry, Nino!). If his confirmation goes as quickly and happily as everyone seems to think, Mitt could get the......

Bostonist's old pal Bill Weld is officially running for governor of New York, the Globe, Herald, and NY Times report today. Whether he can give New York's mighty pitbull of an Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, a run for his money remains to be seen, but that's really a matter for our good friends at Gothamist to ponder. We can offer kudos to Weld for resisting the siren song of the white house, which seems to......

Mitt's aspirations to be President of the United States seem to keep surfacing in the local news. Today he has finally confirmed that he is in fact testing the waters, but we'll have to wait until the fall for a firm bid. This mcuh-quoted utterance - "If someone said, well, you know, the governor's testing the national waters, that's a fair characterization," Romney said. "But I'm planning on running for governor. Time will tell, I'll......

George Santayana said that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. But George Bernard Shaw said, more astutely, we think, "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history." As exhibit one to illustrate the latter point, Bostonist offers Attorney General Tom Reilly and his bold promise on Sunday that, if elected governor, he will not raise taxes. Bostonist seems to recall that back in 1988, a certain Republican candidate......

Though politics in our fair city are often quite divisive, what better way is there to get political enemies to the same table than the St. Paddy's day holiday? Every year, South Boston State Senator Jack Hart sponsors a brunch on the Sunday following the holiday, which rather than bringing true unity, often takes the tone of a Friar's Club Roast. Headlined by such political notables as the sitting Governor, Attorney General, and Boston......

The first blogger was admitted into the White House's briefing room with an official press pass today; Garrett Graff, a 23 year-old blogger on mediabistro.com's new blog, Fishbowl D.C., had attempted for the past week to grab a daily press pass of his own and finally his pleading paid off. Graff was not truly impressed with the environment of the room, describing it as "dilapitated" and "cramped," adding insult to injury by calling the whole......