Where Gov. McCrory passed on an opportunity to be a cool guy, Mayor Cannon has swooped in and offered to help a former Reid's worker who was fired after a confrontation with the governor find a job.

Finally or maybe not: A final proposal for an amendment that would install new regulations on which bars and restaurants can offer outdoor entertainment past 11 p.m. was offered to City Council this week.

In more SMDH, coal ash/Dan River related news, regulators say a second stormwater pipe at the Duke Energy power plant in Eden is spilling "elevated levels of arsenic" into the Dan River. See the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources' survey by checking out this video.

Don't eat that Hot Pocket! It may contain meat from "processed diseased and unsound animals."

This week's cover story is a reminder that there can be beauty in destruction: How to be an urban-exploring enthusiast.