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Hook Line and Stinkers makes knitted mascot apparel for babies, $20-30, at etsy.com/shop/HookLineandStinkers.

Gifts of Style

Whether the people on your shopping list already appreciate good style or could use a little help...

Nightlife photos

Browse party photos from around town on Triangle.com.

Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Jameis Winston will not be charged with sexually assaulting a woman who accused him of raping her about a year ago, a prosecutor said Thursday. 13 minutes ago

Local/State News

Lottery players line up to buy tickets from cashier Karen Leach, right, at C Mini Mart on Poole Rd. in Raleigh, NC on May 17, 2013.

NC’s online lottery action worries some retailers

Starting Thursday, North Carolina residents will be able to buy tickets online for three NC Education Lottery games. The move has upset some retailers who worry about the potential loss in sales of drinks and snacks.

Business

FILE- In thisTuesday, July 16, 2013, file photo, a covered vehicle sits in part of the new paint shop at Chrysler's Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Mich. The Commerce Department issues its second of three estimates of how fast the U.S. economy grew in the July-September quarter of 2013 on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. Analyst forecast that third-quarter growth will be revised to a 3.1 percent annual rate, faster than the initial estimate of 2.8 percent.

US economy grows at 3.6 percent rate in 3rd quarter

The U.S. economy grew at a 3.6 percent annual rate from July through September, the fastest since early 2012. But nearly half the growth came from a buildup in business stockpiles, a trend that could reverse in the current quarter and hold back growth... 2 hours ago

Politics

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010, file photo, traffic backs up on the Bonner Bridge near Nags Head, N.C., as people return to Hatteras Island following mandatory evacuations of the barrier island for Hurricane Earl. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, North Carolina transportation officials closed the Bonner Bridge, the only bridge onto a 60-mile stretch of the Outer Banks, after discovering the deteriorating span posed an immediate safety threat. The state Department of Transportation declared last week that the inlet had scoured out sand around the base of supports at the southern end of the bridge, near Hatteras Island. Subsequent sonar tests and divers found there was more sand gone in that section of the bridge than previously thought, DOT spokesman Mike Charbonneau said. Reopening the bridge will require fortifying the bridge's support columns and bringing in additional sand, he said.

McCrory and Outer Banks leaders blast environmental group over bridge delay

After safety concerns forced NCDOT, without warning, to close the Bonner Bridge that links Hatteras Island to the mainland, political leaders blamed the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Nation/World News

Ornaments decorate a tree in the Blue Room of the White House.

First watch: Pearl Harbor remembered, White House holiday, presidential doodles

Living

Gifts of Style

Whether the people on your shopping list already appreciate good style or could use a little help in that department, we’ve rounded up some unique gifts that will leave everyone looking a little snazzier in the new year.