News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

RALEIGH, N.C. — Cockroaches spend most of their time grooming, and some North Carolina State University researchers think the insect’s meticulous nature could one day lead to its demise.

If the NHL can stop destroying itself long enough to get a deal done in time to save the season, this is as good a time as any to propose some changes to help the league get back on its feet. Nothing sells the game of hockey like a home playoff game.

So as the NHL emerges from the lockout, why not tweak the playoff format to give more teams a chance to host a playoff game? By adding a one-time-only preliminary round, another eight teams would make the playoffs, giving a bigger chunk of the league reason to get excited.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — If you send an email to Paul Jones, you won’t hear back from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor. You will, however, receive an automated reply that could only have come from him.

"Good Bye Email, I’m divesting," reads the subject line. The message says that Jones gave up email on June 1, 2011, and goes on to suggest more than a dozen ways to contact him: through Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Gtalk, AIM, Skype, LinkedIn, even YouTube.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Military leaders and gay and lesbian service members say the year that has passed since the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" took effect has been remarkable for what hasn’t happened. Recruitment and retention have not fallen off as some opponents of the repeal predicted they would. Harassment of homosexual troops has not significantly increased. Unit cohesion has not suffered.

RALEIGH, N.C. - The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill physicist being held in an Argentine prison after 2 kilos of cocaine were found in his luggage has been diagnosed with a personality disorder that - despite three Oxford University degrees - allowed him to be easily duped into carrying the drugs, say supporters and the scientist himself.

While the debate over President Barack Obama's support of same-sex marriage plays out nationally, social-media traffic in North Carolina remains abuzz with reaction to the state's marriage ban.

The colorful, normally cheerful Facebook page called "Visit North Carolina" filled up so quickly with profane posts Wednesday that its moderator had to plead for a more civil tone.

The 2011-2012 flu season seems to be in its final weeks, but it's hard to tell for sure, because, like winter itself this year, it barely happened.