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Triangle Spokes Group bicycle assembly crew leader Zack Johnson, right, with his father in law Mike Clayton, both of China Grove, assemble new bicycles Monday, Dec. 9, 2013 for the Triangle Spokes Group. They were assembling the last 80 of 550 donated childrens' bicycles. They and three other family members from western North Carolina began assembling the bikes last Friday midday in the Salvation Army Toy Shop on New Bern Ave., Raleigh. The Triangle Spokes Group raised the money to buy the 550 brand new 20 inch and 26 inch Huffy bicycles along with an equal number of helmets to give to children in the area this December.

Holiday Faces 2013

A collection of images by N&O photojournalists featuring people in the area that capture the spirit of the holidays. Go to newsobserver.com/videos to see videos of some of the people featured

Sports

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera (center) admitted Monday he didn’t have any magic words for his team after it lost to New Orleans 31-13 on Sunday night.

Rivera on Panthers' loss: 'Maybe we got a little full of ourselves'

It's been two months since Panthers coach Ron Rivera had to address his team following a loss, and Rivera admitted he had no magic words following a "humbling" 31-13 defeat to New Orleans on Sunday.

Local/State News

Signs warn motorists as they enter the Camp Hatteras National Seashore that the Bonner Bridge over the Oregon Inlet is closed eight miles ahead. The NC DOT deemed the bridge unsafe for vehicles on Tuesday and shut it down due to erosion around support struts.

Road Worrier: SELC says no to lattes, yes to lawsuit against NCDOT bridge

Board members for the Southern Environmental Law Center shrugged off pressure from Gov. Pat McCrory to drop a lawsuit that has stalled an NCDOT project to replace Bonner Bridge on the Outer Banks. 2 hours ago

Business

FILE - In this undated file photo made available by Google, hundreds of fans funnel hot air from the computer servers into a cooling unit to be recirculated at a Google data center in Mayes County, Okla. The green lights are the server status LEDs reflecting from the front of the servers. Eight major technology companies, including Google, Facebook and Twitter, have joined forces to call for tighter controls on government surveillance, issuing an open letter Monday, Dec. 9, 2013 to President Barack Obama arguing for reforms in the way the U.S. snoops on people.

Tech giants call for controls on government snooping

Major technology companies, stung by revelations that the U.S. government collects people's personal data on their networks, on Monday issued an open letter to President Barack Obama asking for tighter controls on surveillance. 27 minutes ago

Politics

Art Pope

Responding to critics, Art Pope 'shocked' by picket protest

A week after a picketing campaign began at his family's stores, Art Pope responded to critics in a letter that says he is "shocked" by the tactics being used against him.

Nation/World News

A painting showing former South African President Nelson Mandela, center, surround by Martin Luther King, left, Mohandas Gandhi, 2nd left, John F. Kennedy, 3rd left, Abraham Lincoln, 3rd from right, Winston Churchill, 2nd right, and Barack Obama, right, is fixed on top the flowers outside Mandela's house in Johannesburg, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. Along a street lined with walled mansions shaded by graceful jacaranda trees, mourners black and white by the thousands rubbed shoulders Monday outside the villa where Nelson Mandela died, placing flower bouquets and condolence notes on top of piles already knee-high. Others danced while singing praise for the anti-apartheid leader _ a vivid example of the “Rainbow Nation” unity of race-blind multiculturalism championed by Mandela for South Africa.

'Rainbow Nation' mourners swarm Mandela's mansion

Along a street lined with walled mansions shaded by graceful jacaranda trees, mourners, black and white, by the thousands rubbed shoulders Monday outside the villa where Nelson Mandela died, placing flower bouquets and condolence notes on top of piles... 27 minutes ago

Living

The holidays are supposed to serve up plenty of laughter and joy, but for many, it’s a stress-filled pressure cooker with a side of chaos.

Give yourself the gift of less stress this holiday season

Experts say one major cause of stress during the holidays is putting everyone else's needs ahead of your own, causing exhaustion and resentment. A former Duke professor offers some tips to reduce your stress.

Entertainment

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 1967 file photo, film actress Eleanor Parker visits Palm Mallorca, while in in town trying to purchase a villa in Spain. Parker, a three-time Oscar nominee who played the scheming baroness in "The Sound of Music," has died at age 91.

'Sound of Music' actress Eleanor Parker dies at 91

Eleanor Parker, who was nominated for Academy Awards three times for her portrayals of strong-willed women and played a scheming baroness in "The Sound of Music," has died at 91.

Opinion

McCrory, Tata cast false blame for Bonner Bridge closing

Gov. Pat McCrory and his DOT secretary Tony Tata take the wrong route on access to the Outer Banks.

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Financial

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