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FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2011, file photo, charity workers dressed as Santa Claus walk up Fifth Avenue in New York during the Volunteers of America annual Sidewalk Santa Parade to raise money for holiday food for needy residents. Volunteers of America-Greater New York says the parade and its Sidewalk Santa fundraising efforts have been retired, and the organization is using other more effective ways to raise money for its "Hope and Hearth" food voucher program. The parade traditionally took place the Friday after Thanksgiving to kick off the organization's program that would have Santas trying to get donations from people passing by their sidewalk locations.

Strange but true

News that's a little off the beaten path.

Photos from the 20th Annual Jingle Ball hosted by the Capital City Clauses at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh.

Photos: Jingle Ball in Raleigh

See photos from the Jingle Ball at Marbles Kids Museum.

Sports

Always the underdog, Duke readies for No. 1 Florida State

Florida State is favored by 29 points in the ACC championship game against Duke. The Blue Devils’ response? ‘We’re not scared,’ coach David Cutcliffe said. 1 hour ago

Local/State News

A sign cautions visitors outside a "pump and treat" facility on the Marine base at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. The sprawling installation is the site of one of the worst drinking water contaminations in U.S. history.

CDC: Water at Marine base linked to birth defects

A long-awaited study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a link between tainted tap water at a U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina and increased risk of serious birth defects and childhood cancers.

Business

FILE - This April 18, 2013 file photo shows a golden eagle flying over a wind turbine on Duke energy's top of the world wind farm in Converse County Wyo. The Obama administration will allow companies to seek authorization to kill and harm bald and golden eagles for up to 30 years without penalty in an effort to balance some of the environmental trade-offs of green energy. The change, requested by the wind energy industry and officially revealed Friday, will provide legal protection for the lifespan of wind farms and other projects that obtain a permit and do everything possible to avoid killing the birds. Companies will also have to commit to take additional measures if they exceed their permit limits or if new information suggests eagle populations

US to allow eagle deaths _ to aid wind power

Under pressure from the wind-power industry, the Obama administration said Friday it will allow companies to kill or injure eagles without the fear of prosecution for up to three decades. 3 minutes ago

Politics

Stacks of paperwork await members of the House Agriculture Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 15, 2013, as it meets to consider proposals to the 2013 Farm Bill, including small cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program in an effort to appease conservatives who say the food aid has become too expensive. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

U.S. farm bill has big impact in NC

North Carolina has a lot riding on the outcome of a closed-door drama now playing out in Washington as Congress works against a deadline this month to hammer out divisions in a new five-year farm bill.

Nation/World News

Mourners sing and dance to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela, in the street outside his old house in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa Friday, Dec. 6, 2013. Flags were lowered to half-staff and people in black townships, in upscale mostly white suburbs and in South Africa's vast rural grasslands commemorated Nelson Mandela with song, tears and prayers on Friday while pledging to adhere to the values of unity and democracy that he embodied.

Mandela’s death stirs sense of loss around the world

The mood was more festive than funereal. Outside Nelson Mandela’s former home in Soweto on Friday, crowds sang, chanted and danced. People carried posters emblazoned with his famous quotations. Children ran through the streets, holding up ... 2 hours ago

Living

Families wait to board the Santa Train at the Museum of Life & Science in Durham. The miniature train is decked out for the seasonal ride annually.

Take a jolly ride with Santa on New Hope Valley train, other tracks

New Hope Valley Railway in New Hill offers Santa Train Rides over the next couple of weekends, while miniature trains at Durham's Museum of Life and Science and Raleigh's Pullen Park also undergo seasonal transformations.

Entertainment

Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo Baggins in Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."

Holiday movie preview

Get ready for "The Hobbit," "Anchorman 2" and more! A look at some of the movies getting a lot of buzz in December.

Opinion

Disturbing trends as colleges spend even more on athletics

A Knight Commission database offers disturbing trends in athletics versus academic spending at colleges and universities.

Events Calendar

Financial

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