Thomas C. Palmer Jr. has covered real estate and commercial development for The Boston Globe since early 2002 and is in the Business department of the newsroom. Previously, he covered transportation issues for nine years, including the Central Artery/Ted Williams Tunnel project (the Big Dig). He joined the Globe in 1976 and has been a copy editor, assistant national editor, assistant foreign editor, investigative reporter with the Globe's Spotlight Team, general-assignment reporter, roving national reporter and roving foreign reporter. He graduated from Kansas State University, in Manhattan, Kan., with a B.A. in technical journalism in 1969, and from the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, with an M.A. in communications in 1971. He previously worked at the Orange Coast Daily Pilot, in Costa Mesa, Calif., and at the Los Angeles Times as a copy editor. He was born in Kansas City, Kan.

Email address: tpalmer@globe.com