Couples

WASHINGTON - Supporters of same-sex marriage sang and cheered as a boom box played "Party in the U.S.A.," the pop song by Miley Cyrus. A man dressed in pink fishnet stockings and devil horns spun in circles. One woman held a sign that read: "Marriage equality makes us dance. " Religious groups marched in a quiet parade, red and gold banners on poles billowing above them. Corralled by dozens of police officers, hundreds of people in the procession waved signs that said: "Kids do best with a mom and dad" and "Vote for holy matrimony.

A married couple who disappeared nine years before the husband's body was discovered buried in his San Marino home's backyard had struggled financially but were otherwise happy, a friend testified Monday. Susan Coffman, who described herself as a best friend of the missing Linda Sohus, said she asked her friend one day in the mid-1980s why she and her husband, John, lived with her mother-in-law in the main house, instead of the guest house on the property. “There's a renter who lives there and we don't talk to him because he's kind of creepy,” Linda told her, Coffman recalled in court.

In a sharp turnaround, Colorado will formally approve civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, years after voters banned same-sex marriage in 2006. Gov. John Hickenlooper will sign the measure Thursday afternoon at a ceremony near the state Capitol. It easily sailed through the Legislature, controlled by Democrats, after years of fierce fighting when Republicans ran the lawmaking body. Hickenlooper's signature had been expected. Last May, Republicans who controlled the House by one vote prevented debate on the bill.

ARIVACA, Ariz. - When Jim Chilton tends to the cattle on his 50,000-acre ranch in southern Arizona, he packs at least two guns and no less than 5 gallons of water. A pistol and a rifle are to ward off the drug smugglers who encroach on his land abutting the U.S.-Mexico border. Drums of water in the bed of his Ford truck are for thirsty border crossers lured by U.S. jobs. RELATED: Is the border secure? Unlike much of the heavily fortified border fence in Arizona, the only barriers separating Chilton's ranch from Mexico are four strands of rusty barbed wire, strung along steel posts.

A pair of terror movie staples - the vacation from hell and the murderous children tale - are combined to OK effect in "Come Out and Play," a remake of the 1976 film "Who Can Kill a Child?" which, like "Play," was based on Juan José Plan's novel "El Juego De Niños. " A one-man band known as Makinov - he wrote, directed, produced, shot, edited and ran sound here - has done a pretty decent job in the chills department using a simple story, small cast and largely contained location.

Re "A make-or-break family ruling," March 18 If every politician would follow through on their oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, the same-sex couple profiled in this article, whose marriage is recognized in Massachusetts but not by the federal government, would have no problem. Regardless of one's religious convictions, homosexuals are protected by the equal-protection provisions of the Constitution, period. Anyone with questions just has to read the document. You cannot deny benefits to someone because the Sunday school teacher doesn't like him. Those who disagree need to seek a constitutional amendment.

Cormac is a law-school-bound young man living in a cramped apartment in New York's West Village with his financially strapped mother. Iris is a blogger, working from home in Queens, who hires "Mac" to spiff up her website. The love story that develops between them in Ken LaZebnik's drama "On the Spectrum," now at the Fountain Theatre, would be traditional to a fault were it not for a salient difference: Mac and Iris are characters with autism. Mac has Asperger's syndrome and lives a fairly mainstream life with help from his mother, who is there to nudge him when he gets stuck in one of his obsessive loops.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - Until tax season comes around, Mary Ritchie and Kathy Bush can act like any legally married couple raising two boys. In midwinter, that means watching lots of basketball. "We go to every game and every practice," Bush said. But when they file their tax return with the federal government, they are no longer married. The return is supposed to be "true, correct and complete" by law, but they cannot check "married, filing jointly. " The loss of this routine tax break costs them as much as $6,000 a year.

If the second round is any indication of what to expect from David Frost and Fred Couples on Sunday, then the final round of the Toshiba Classic should be one to watch. Or as Frost said, "it will be a fun day. " Frost sank a 15-foot eagle putt on No. 18 Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Couples, who has a strong backing from fans at Newport Beach Country Club. "It was a day when Freddie and I battled it out," said Frost, a 10-time PGA Tour winner who has had six consecutive top-10 finishes on the Champions Tour.

Times columnist Helene Elliott rates the pluses and minuses in the NHL from the previous week: PLUSES + Kudos to Vancouver Canucks goaltenders Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider for appearing in a four-minute video that spoofed their much-hyped rivalry for the No. 1 job. Produced by Canada's TSN, the skit is funny and clever as it portrays the two trying to top each other while pretending to be friends. They turned a controversy into a comedy and did it well. + The Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to nine Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins, vaulting past Montreal for the East lead, though the Canadiens have two games in hand.