EDITORIAL & OPINION

Hot seat for education hopefuls
ALL THREE FINALISTS for the post of commissioner of the state Department of Education held up well yesterday under questioning by education specialists and community leaders. The interviews mark a high point in a competitive process that should end on Jan. 17 when the nine-member Board of Education makes a choice.

Still Obama and McCain
NOTHING we have seen in the three weeks since we made our recommendations for the New Hampshire primary has changed our view that Barack Obama and John McCain are the best presidential candidates in their respective parties. The Globe endorses their bids in the nation's first primary today. We hope the famously discerning New Hampshire voters agree.

Warding off the cold
DESPITE A COUPLE of mild days, temperatures this winter have been cold overall. Home heating prices are high. Thousands of poor Massachusetts families can't afford to pay their heating bills. They need more state and federal help, both now and in the long term.