Published December 15, 2010

What’s news on a bitterly cold Wednesday morning in Boston:

Cambridge genius Mark Zuckerberg is Time’s Person of the Year. “For connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them; for creating a new system of exchanging information; and for changing how we all live our lives.” (Time)

A huge batch of new census data teaches us lot about ourselves. “Massachusetts has a greater percentage of college graduates than any state in the country. Its population is growing slowly and becoming more racially diverse. Its residents are old, compared to other states, and their homes are the oldest in the country. Commutes are long, and carpooling is rare.” (Globe)

A $71 million award for a dead smoker is a significant case for Mass. A law professor who consulted the plaintiffs says it’s the first time a jury has found that a tobacco company cemented a lifelong addiction by passing out samples to children. (WBUR)

Court officers have donated thousands to pols under fire in the Probation Dept. scandal — “further spotlighting the sweeping extent of political patronage in state government.” (Herald)

A homeless veteran found a wallet with $172 inside and returned it. “I counted the money and said, ‘Wow, I could probably get three nice presents with this.'” (Globe)