Published April 22, 2011

One quarter of Massachusetts middle-schoolers and over 15 percent of the state’s high school students report being victimized by bullying at school, according to a federal report released yesterday. Students who said they were involved in bullying were also five times more likely to have been exposed to violence at home, the report found.

As you might imagine, leaving a gang and dropping out of thug life isn’t easy. A Suffolk Superior Court jury found a Boston-area gang member guilty yesterday of armed assault with intent to murder for shooting his (former) best friend in retaliation for quitting their gang.

Career centers and job training programs in the state are facing major budget cuts as stimulus money runs dry and the house budget gets trimmed in Washington.

Though they never led until the final horn sounded, the Bruins beat Montreal 5-4 in overtime last night to even the first-round playoff series, 2-2. The teams will suit up again Saturday in Boston.

Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, a 19-year veteran of the team, wrote a memoir about his time in the league. Wakefield, solid never flashy, is beloved by fans as a pitcher. Maybe now he’ll join the New England literary pantheon, too.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on a state trooper hit by a drunk driver, a solar power project on the Cape and a challenge to the state’s gun laws.