Published January 5, 2011

Good morning! A late start for me today. I don’t normally do this, but here are last night’s winning Mega Millions lottery numbers; 4, 8, 15, 25, 47; Mega Ball: 42

You didn’t win. The winning tickets were sold in Idaho and Washington. The Globe notes the numbers’ eerie similarity to the recurring digits on ABC’s “Lost.” (I bet a lot of people played those numbers and won $150.)

Bad news for employees of Natick-based BJ’s Wholesale: The AP reports BJ’s will close three stores (none in Mass.) and lay off 500 employees (some in Mass.).

Ex-state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson is begging a judge for mercy in advance of her sentencing on corruption charges. In an apology letter, Wilkerson described her behavior — she pleaded guilty to taking more than $23,000 in bribes — as “wrong and inexcusable.”

Ahead of his second inauguration tomorrow, Gov. Deval Patrick made the rounds with news organizations and bloggers yesterday, including WBUR. He made a little news with us, saying he wants a “comprehensive fix” for the state’s parole system. The Parole Board freed a three-time convict who went on to shoot and kill a Woburn police officer in December, and Patrick has been under pressure to respond. The governor also outlined his ambitious second term.

The Globe covers a radical pastor who won international attention for his testimony as a homosexuality “expert” in Uganda in 2009. He said “the gay movement is an evil institution.” Now Rev. Scott Lively has moved back to Springfield — and he’s popular.