NPR People: Tovia Smith

High school seniors are hoping to impress colleges by sending videos of themselves at work and at play. The mini-movies range from slick creative productions to amateur-hour card tricks. Although many say there's no stopping the YouTube generation from making and submitting their "video essays," others worry the application process is becoming more like American Idol.

Public humiliation has long been used as a deterrence mechanism for everything from adultery to drunken driving. Now judges in Massachusetts are ordering companies guilty of crimes that harm the community of publicly acknowledge their wrongdoings in newspaper ads. Critics say the practice is more retribution than deterrence, though.

The troubling past of biology professor Amy Bishop, who is accused of fatally shooting three colleagues in Alabama, is now shedding light on last week's tragedy. Bishop was previously accused of fatally shooting her brother in 1986 and, more recently, punching a stranger in a pancake restaurant.

Many people are still trying to figure out exactly who Scott Brown is: the "everyman" who campaigned in his blue jeans and pickup truck, or someone else altogether. In the meantime, the senator-elect has become the new darling of the Republican Party.

Senator-elect Scott Brown, who heads to Washington Thursday, is asking the Senate to seat him before his election results are certified. Boston University professor Tom Whalen says Brown is a kind of pragmatist who continues to mean different things to different voters.

Scott Brown became the first Republican to capture a Senate seat in the heavily left-leaning state since 1972. The Democratic loss was driven in part by opposition to President Obama's efforts to overhaul health care, but Massachusetts is not typical of the nation on this issue.

As the nation marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, it does so for the first time with an African-American president in the White House. And for the residents of Newton, Mass., there's another first: It has a popularly elected black mayor and governor to celebrate along with the president. But not many have noticed.

This time of year, companies are raising money for charities — in part because they gain business for giving. But Harvard professor Richard Weissbourd says the country has "lost a sense of morality" around giving, and it sends a bad message to kids. Others say the net benefit to society outweighs morality.

Market watchers look to their favorite indicators to signal when the economy is turning around — things like GDP, productivity or the consumer price index. But for a Massachusetts liquor store, it's when customers stop buying inexpensive wines.

Cities are getting into the business of developing iPhone apps. Boston has created a Citizens Connect app as a way to make a one-touch kvetch about anything from potholes to broken streetlights. Users snap a photo, and the location's coordinates automatically embed in the photo.

Bowl & Board succumbed to the recession this fall after 43 years in business. But the end was somewhat anticlimactic. After liquidation specialists swarmed through the store taking inventory, owner Mark Giarrusso prepared for the store's final sale.

Navy reservist Setti Warren is one of a small but growing number of Iraq War veterans who are seeking elected office. Warren had been thinking about running for mayor of his hometown of Newton, Mass., when he was deployed to Iraq. He served a year as naval intelligence specialist before returning home and immediately launching his campaign. He is now mayor-elect of the town.

Same-sex marriage supporters are vowing to continue their fight after a loss at the polls in Maine on Tuesday. Voters there passed a measure blocking gay marriage, dealing a major blow to the cause of same-sex marriage around the nation.

Students learn everything from gross and net earnings to COBRA, COLAs and co-pays. Professor Ann Witte created the Fundamentals of Personal Finance class to offer real-life experience before collegians start real life.

Some gay rights activists say the march planned for this weekend in Washington, D.C., is bad timing and may drain resources from critical fights raging elsewhere, and that old-fashioned lobbying is much more effective. Organizers counter that it's not an either/or situation.