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Austin Tice, a freelance journalist for McClatchy and other news outlets, vanished in Syria. Tice is thought to be still alive, and he isn’t a prisoner of the Islamic State, which executed two American journalists last year. But there’s been no direct communication with his captors since he vanished near Damascus as he was traveling to Beirut.

Drescher: Remember journalist Austin Tice, missing in Syria

Austin Tice's commitment to action prompted him to report from Syria and photograph its battles. The former Marine captain and law student has been missing since 2012. Now, a massive media campaign is trying to raise awareness about Tice's disappearance.

Sports

Reacquired in the off season, the Carolina Hurricanes Tim Gleason flashes a smile as some of the players work out at Raleigh Center Ice in Raleigh on Sept. 2, 2014 in preparation for the upcoming season.

Canes trade Gleason to Capitals

The Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday traded defenseman Tim Gleason to the Washington Capitals for defenseman Jack Hillen and a draft pick. 3 hours ago

Local/State News

UNC Board of Governors member Ed McMahan, center, walks past no more than 2 dozen students protesting before a UNC Board of Governor's panel meeting where some university-housed centers and institutes were being reviewed. They were at the Spangler UNC Administration Building in Chapel Hill on Dec. 10, 2014.

UNC governors approve tuition increases

The UNC Board of Governors approved tuition and fee increases Friday that will average 4.3 percent for in-state undergraduates across the university system's campuses. That brings the average cost to $6,448.88 per year for North Carolina residents.

Business

In this photo taken Friday, Feb. 27, 2015, photos by Scott Garlock are seen on display at an exhibit entitled "Rural Revival: Photographs of Home and Preservation of Place" at the Museum of History in Raleigh, N.C. The timing of the opening of the exhibit of abandoned houses as legislators reconsider a historic preservation tax credit is serendipitous but not intentional, say the curator and the photographer.

Abandoned house photos make accidental political statement

The timing is coincidental, but organizers hope it's also serendipitous: An exhibit of photographs of abandoned houses in eastern North Carolina is opening at the state Museum of History as lawmakers returning for a new legislative session are being...

Politics

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky walks to the Senate chamber from his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015, as Congress closed in on approving a short-term spending bill for the Homeland Security Department that would avert a partial agency shutdown hours before it was to begin. The legislation also leaves intact Obama administration executive actions on immigration that Republicans have vowed to overturn.

Congress passes temporary funding fix for Homeland Security, averts shutdown

A night of political brinkmanship ended late Friday when the House and Senate approved a one-week temporary spending bill to avert the partial shutdown at midnight of the Department of Homeland Security.

Nation/World News

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker waves while speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. Thirteen potential candidates each got 20 minutes before the Conservative Political Action Conference. Walker got the loudest applause.

Who scored, who didn’t, at CPAC

In the conservative conference’s search for a rising star, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin comes closest. He has momentum with conservatives. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul have the passion. And Jeb Bush still faces widespread skepticism that’... 1 hour ago

Living

Nandina contain a form of cyanide that is toxic to animals, especially birds.

Backyard Wildlife: Your choices may hurt, not help animals' diets

Your garden contains numerous threats to animals and birds, from toxic plants to everyday junk you overlook.

Entertainment

Shaofu Zhang, holding an Oscar, poses with Patrick Osborne, director of the Oscar-winning animated short film “Feast” the morning after the Academy Awards. Zhang, who works for Disney, graduated from Sanderson High School in 2002.

Sanderson High School graduate finds success in film animation

Sanderson High graduate Shaofu Zhang worked on two animated films that took home Oscars in February: "Big Hero 6" and "Feast."

Opinion

Raleigh should keep free parking at night

The city of Raleigh should not institute new downtown parking fees at night to pay for cleaning up trash and parking decks. Other revenue sources can meet that cost without discouraging downtown visits.

Financial