60 Gas is a lot cheaper than it was during Independence Day weekend last year, but times are tougher overall. So more of us plan to stay home for the holiday this year. www.newsobserver.com/1592047 This is not how Jerry Crutsfield saw his life unfolding. He had no sign. www.newsobserver.com/1591999 A federal affidavit submitted by a Washington, D.C., detective tells a chilling story of the abuse of a 5-year-old adopted boy. www.newsobserver.com/1591996 A new state law will give the public a glimpse behind the curtain at state psychiatric hospitals and other mental health facilities when a patient dies. www.newsobserver.com/1591976 Fire officials are leaving the scene of the incident on the UNC health affairs campus after determining there was no fire. www.newsobserver.com/1592542 Mayor Charles Meeker said today that Raleigh’s ability to emerge from the current recession quickly will be tied to its ability to promote sustainable living and better public transportation for its residents. www.newsobserver.com/1592497 Raleigh police have apprehended all three bank robbery suspects who fled their vehicle after a chase. www.newsobserver.com/1592493 Durham police announced this afternoon they have arrested a man in connection with a shooting that left a Durham police officer wounded. www.newsobserver.com/1592299 Gov. Beverly Perdue urged the legislature Wednesday to agree on a state budget, taking what she called an "in-your-face" approach in warning that North Carolina is missing out on $5 million a day in budget cuts and tax increases. www.newsobserver.com/1591900 A 10 percent cut at UNC-CH will total about $60 million in lost funding. www.newsobserver.com/1592451 UNC Greensboro has concluded its five-year capital campaign. The take? A cool $115 million. www.newsobserver.com/1592382 Bloomsbury Estates perches high over downtown Raleigh, a brick edifice so imposing that it has garnered over-the-top comparisons to Cinderella's Castle at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. www.newsobserver.com/1591963 Raleigh councilwoman Nancy McFarlane said Wednesday that she will resign from her position as president of the N.C. Water Rights Committee, saying her involvement with the group has become a distraction. www.newsobserver.com/1591975 A former aide to John Edwards who claimed he fathered a child born to the mistress of the two-time Democratic presidential candidate spent Wednesday in a federal courthouse. www.newsobserver.com/1592092 N.C. State University is highly unlikely to negotiate a settlement with former first lady Mary Easley, who earlier this week indicated she will appeal her firing, the university's new leader said Wednesday. www.newsobserver.com/1592039 It looks like blob of wriggling pudding staring out through a single, puckered eye. You can see it caught on camera, clinging to the concrete pipes below Raleigh's Cameron Village: the Sewer Monster. www.newsobserver.com/1592049 North Carolina needs a comprehensive plan to protect beaches and inlets, according to a new report, "Developing a Management Strategy for North Carolina's Coastal Ocean," that reviews emerging ocean policy topics for state officials. www.newsobserver.com/1591899 Twenty-one Marines will take the oath of allegiance for citizenship Saturday in a naturalization ceremony at the Marine base to mark Independence Day. www.newsobserver.com/1591898 Residents of inner-city Durham got a glimpse of several "brownfields" properties that will be tested for contaminants under a $400,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Brownfields are areas where environmental concerns hinder development. www.newsobserver.com/1591897 A Raleigh woman was arrested Wednesday on charges related to allegations of improper conduct with children involving sex acts and illegal drugs. www.newsobserver.com/1591998 S.T. Wooten Corp. of Wilson will start work this month widening a six-mile section of Interstate 40 in West Raleigh, a long-sought project to ease congestion on the Triangle's worst commuter bottleneck. www.newsobserver.com/1591896 Consumers will soon be able to know whether their doctors have paid medical malpractice awards under a bill approved this week by state lawmakers. www.newsobserver.com/1591894 The second annual "God and Country" celebration, featuring Miss North Carolina, will be held at a Clayton church Saturday and Sunday. www.newsobserver.com/1591909 On the day the ConAgra plant exploded in Garner, James Evans was about to start a machine in the packaging section of the south building, the site of the deadly blast. www.newsobserver.com/1591893 The Museum of Life and Science chose mediation over prosecution in its dinosaur vandalism case at least partly out of concern for the vandals' safety, a museum official said. www.newsobserver.com/1591908 From giant fireworks displays to doughnut-eating contests, the Triangle is gearing up for more than two dozen Independence Day celebrations. Here are some others, listed by city or town. They crank up Friday and continue through Sunday. www.newsobserver.com/1592029 A Wake County elementary school teacher was arrested Wednesday on charges of molesting a student. www.newsobserver.com/1591982 Investigators have not said why a man allegedly shot and killed his half-brother Saturday afternoon. www.newsobserver.com/1591907 Police in Wake Forest have arrested a Raleigh man on charges of having sex with an underage girl. www.newsobserver.com/1591977 Three correctional officers face felony charges in the alleged 2008 beating of an inmate at a state prison in Greene County. www.newsobserver.com/1591973