As he walked off a stage set up at the park, Menino, still holding the prize, failed to see the stairs that were obscured by the golden trophy.

In an apparent slip of the tongue on the campaign trail yesterday, Mitt Romney mixed up the names of Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

[Boston Mayor Tom] Menino said his level of determination to take on the powerful [firefighters'] union and demand wholesale change has diminished over the years, preventing the "real overhaul" he has promised repeatedly since he took office.

--"[MBTA general manager Dan] Grabauskas said he does not know how much profit, if any, the MBTA would reap in the deal."