Title: Boston Globe Page One Podcast for Mar 25, 2009

" Thank you for downloading today's podcast from the newsroom of the Boston Globe. Here's a look at today's top story."

" Hello it's a -- falling on Wednesday march 25. -- prime time press conference last night. President Obama tried to reassure millions of Americans cents a nations on the right track in its efforts to heal the economy. The globe's Michael Crennel said Obama addressed public outrage over executive bonuses. And urged people to be patient pledging their perseverance. Will eventually result in -- recovery. He said he sees signs of progress already. But cautioned that quote it'll take many months and many different solutions I'm quote took on the economic turmoil. Most of the press conference focused on the impact of Obama's budget proposal. Which came in this month that three point six trillion dollars and has been the target of unrelenting Republican criticism. And when one reporter inquired as to why Obama hadn't been asking average Americans to make specific sacrifices. Obama said I think folks are sacrificing the left and right. Dozens of massachusetts' cities and towns are moving to impose stiff new fines for smoking marijuana in public. Globe reported Jonathan Saltzman says that critics see that trend. As subverting the state ballot question that voters passed overwhelmingly last fall. Decriminalizing. Possession of small amounts of pot. Recently Duxbury -- met -- Medway Milford Salem and Springfield. Have passed bylaws that target people who laid out in public. And two dozen cities and towns expect to vote this spring on similar measures. Proponents including police officials like in the efforts to longstanding open container laws that prohibit public drinking. And say that flagrant marijuana smoking should be discouraged in public parks and on beaches where young children gather. But advocates of last fall's ballot initiative say the additional civil fines for smoking marijuana in public are unnecessary. Because there are already fines for possession of the drug. The stock market decline has already ravaged your 401K. Plan now it could hurt your pension to. John Wallach of the globe business staff reports that. Under a law that took effect last year if pension fund has shrunk a certain degree below the amount owed to retirees. It could be forced to limit lump sum payout and suspend cost of living increases for recipients. Some plans could even be frozen presenting current employees from earning credit for any more years on the job. The problem is that pension funds are typically invested in a mix of stocks bonds and other securities. Most of which have fallen sharply. Some analysts fear that thousands of pension plans could be affected by angels lost because their funds have becomes so -- pleaded. But don't the rule affects the wave retirees get their pensions. Pension plans themselves aren't at risk. Even if a company files for bankruptcy. Most traditional pensions are guaranteed by a federal insurance plan. One a schools MCAS scores dropped some principles explain it by blaming that students. Suggesting that perhaps they weren't quite as sharp as last year's class the globe's James vastness rights. But state education leaders plan to inject a reality check this far. By tracking their performance of individual students as they advance from one grade to the next. That new measurement of MCAS scores could shed light on who is falling short the teacher or the pupil. By analyzing our students -- scores state education officials can usually predict his or her likelihood for improvement in the future. That's useful because if many students at a particular school are exceeding the statistical predictions. It suggests the school has some promising teaching methods. But if a number of students are falling short of for a prediction he could be a problem at the head of the classroom. Eighteen years after a nineteen year old mother was stabbed to death and left in her home with her two year old son. The murder trial is starting this week in a Boston courtroom. The globe's Michael Levenson writes that the son Sergio rough month who's now twenty. Has vowed to sit through the proceedings. Even though he's been trying to put his mother's slaying out of his mind for most of his life. Now Rahman says he just wants to see the defendant. A former teacher's aide named curve and Richardson convicted. So Romano was raised in a loving home of his grandparents. The hole in his life left by the death of his mother no enemy has been constant. His relatives see -- in the way he lost interest in his studies in high school and in the way he struggled to find himself. Recently he quit his job as a security guard. The man didn't only take one life he took to set amount. But for a month the prospect of stirring up painful memories is less dreadful than never getting closure. He should be -- relief he said if justice is served. Inside today's globe the Boston area's housing market is showing new life. With more people putting homes up for sale and lower mortgage rates prompting more offers. The sports pages looking ahead to this weekend's mad march to the final four and college basketball. But there's also -- glowing report and in new Red Sox catcher. George -- terrorist who was nearly flawless catching Wakefield against the Yankees yesterday in the spring training game in Tampa. We'll see temperatures in Boston inching up to the low fifties today maybe inspiring some recipients to brighten up the yard. Thanks for checking pan -- on my last podcasts as we wind down for the final one on March 31. Have a good day today."

" That's a summary of today's top stories from the Boston Globe for a closer look pick up today's paper. Or go to boston.com. Slash --"