Verbatim.

• Position: NC trend

"Don'tput your stupid hat on."

1. Gov. Pat McCrory, urging vacationers and coastal residents to play it safe before Hurricane Arthur made landfall near Cape Lookout July 3. But damage wasn't as severe as many had feared, and the next day he was encouraging tourists back to the beaches for the Fourth of July weekend.

   "There's a time and place for everything under the sun, according to the Bible, and I think it's time to go ahead and look for another endeavor."

2. Groover Blitch, explaining to WRAL.com why he and wife Joyce closed their 46-year-old Dunkin' Donuts store in Raleigh, the oldest in the state. In addition to scriptural guidance, he cited the cost of upgrading and expanding to meet new codes and store standards.

   "We weren't in the ballpark."

3. ...