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Loretta Ruppert, of Cary, shops for holiday gifts during her first time to the Deco Raleigh store. She found a unique gift for her Secret Santa that she says "couldn't be found anywhere else." Customers got treated to an after-hours holiday shopping party there in downtown Raleigh, N.C. on Monday, December 9, 2013. Owner Pam Blondin (not seen) partnered with Yellow Dog Creative in Hillsborough, N.C. and the graphic design firm sent out about 200 invitations to their clients. The store donated 10% of their profits from the day to Dress for Success and Yellow Dog Creative matched with 15%. The Dress for Success organization helps disadvantaged women to get support and career advice and attire for their professional wardrobes.

Holiday Faces 2013

A collection of images by N&O photojournalists featuring people in the area that capture the...

Sports

North Carolina guards Leslie McDonald (left) and P.J. Hairston are expected to sit out for the ninth consecutive game when the Tar Heels host Kentucky on Saturday.

UNC coach Roy Williams: No update, still, on P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald

Hairston and McDonald, the Tar Heels’ most experienced guards, are set to sit out their ninth consecutive game on Saturday when UNC hosts Kentucky. 42 minutes ago

Local/State News

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby describes the altercation that led to the death of inmate Shon Demetrius McClain, 40, while delivering closing arguments Wednesday.

Jury to determine Wake jailer's fate in manslaughter case

A Wake County jury will now decide the fate of 27-year-old detention officer Markeith Council in the beating death of 40-year-old inmate Shon Demetrius McClain.

Business

Blue Cross and Blue Shield has a storefront in Morrisville to sign up for its policies under the Affordable Care Act. The public has through March to enroll.

Nearly 9,000 in NC have now signed up for subsidized insurance

Nearly 9,000 people in North Carolina have signed up for subsidized insurance through November, according to federal officials. That's an improvement over October's lackluster 1,600 figure but is just a fraction of the state's potential market for... 28 minutes ago

Politics

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, joined by House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., takes reporters' questions, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013, as House Republicans signaled support for a budget deal worked out yesterday between Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chair Rep. Patty Murray, D-Wash. The budget deal was one of a few major measures left on Congress' to-do list near the end of a bruising year that has produced a partial government shutdown, a flirtation with a first-ever federal default and gridlock on President Obama's agenda.

House Republicans get behind budget agreement

Speaker John Boehner sharply criticized outside conservative groups opposed to year-end budget legislation on Thursday and said the measure "takes great steps in the right direction." 3 minutes ago

Nation/World News

In this Dec. 10, 2013, photo, Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Continuing a furious pace of shuttle diplomacy aimed at securing an elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the spring, Kerry arrives in the Middle East on Dec. 12 on his ninth trip of the year. In closed door talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday and Friday, Kerry will be following up on elements of a West Bank security plan, ideas for which he unveiled on his most recent visit to the region just last week, and other points of potential progress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

First watch: Kerry to Israel, Tea Party's new low, Twitter's year in review

Top video highlights.

Living

This season, plaid is showing up in coats, hats, pants, sweaters and accessories, not just shirts. Tommy Hilfiger’s fall collection featured this all-plaid ensemble on the runway.

Latest trend offers new twist on plaid

The new plaid trend is a twist on the traditional, with new colors and all sorts of crazy combinations of patterns and fabrics.

Entertainment

This film image released by CBS FIlms shows Oscar Isaac in a scene from "Inside Llewyn Davis." Isaac was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy for his role in the film on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. The 71st annual Golden Globes will air on Sunday, Jan. 12.

'12 Years,' 'Hustle' lead Globes nominations

The harrowing historical epic "12 Years a Slave" and the con-artist caper "American Hustle" led the 71st annual Golden Globes with seven nominations each, setting up two very different films as Academy Awards front-runners. 7 minutes ago

Opinion

Tata: Environmental group must end legal fight so Bonner Bridge replacement can go forward

The Southern Environmental Law Center must listen; release its grip on Hatteras residents’ access to health care, jobs, education and other important services; and dismiss all legal challenges so NCDOT can move forward in constructing a replacement... 55 minutes ago

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Financial

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