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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...

Jessica Richardson, night guard in the Wells Fargo building in downtown Raleigh, crafted this snow Yoda about 3 a.m. Thursday.

Shaffer: Creative snow sculptors use the force of densely packed slush

With their power cut, their houses dark and their iPads temporarily unavailable, Triangle residents...

Sports

N.C. State’s Cat Barber drives around Virginia Tech’s Justin Bibbs during Saturday’s game in Raleigh.

Confident Cat Barber leads resurgent NC State

Sophomore point guard Cat Barber has been through a lot this season but his recent play has sparked NC State's resurgence into NCAA tournament contention.

Local/State News

Liz Baird, director of education for the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, takes a selfie this week in front of the skeleton of a Postosuchus, a 200-million-year-old dinosaur that greets people at the entrance to the museum’s new branch in Whiteville.

NC Museum of Natural Sciences opens mini branch in Whiteville

The NC Museum of Natural Sciences will open a mini version of itself Saturday in Whiteville, a town of less than 6,000 residents two hours from the museum's Raleigh home. It's a test of whether the museum in Raleigh can reach out through branch facilities...

Business

Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Brad Wilson speaks with Tamara McCulloch, left, and Gary Bolt during the Shop Talk Breakfast.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC posts first loss in 15 years

Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Carolina's largest health insurer, said Friday it posted its first financial loss in nearly two decades as a result of insuring older and sicker people under the Affordable Care Act.

Politics

Some audience members wore duct tape over their mouths during the UNC Board of Governors meeting Friday at UNC Charlotte.

UNC governors vote to close 3 university-based centers

The UNC Board of Governors voted Friday to close three university-based centers as part of a sweeping review of institutes across universities in North Carolina.

Nation/World News

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.

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

In this May 14, 2013 file photo, Leonard Nimoy arrives at the LA premiere of “Star Trek Into Darkness” at The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Nimoy, famous for playing officer Mr. Spock in “Star Trek” died Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 in Los Angeles of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83.

Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock of ‘Star Trek,’ dies at 83

Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on...

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