From Taylor to Ruby, politics to pets, barbecue to basketball, we’ve got you covered

Breaking-news reporter Colleen Hammond starred in a one-person theatrical performance in college and won us over by playing the kazoo during her job interview.

So, when Taylor Swift dropped her latest album “Midnights,” and announced an upcoming concert tour, the ever-clever Colleen turned the news into a fun read for Swifties who hoped the mega star would come to North Carolina. (She’s not.)

Swift also became the first artist to land the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 list, causing readers of a certain age to ask: Is the Billboard 100 still a thing?

If the Tay-Tay universe is this enthused, why not spin our own top 10 story topics worth reading this weekend. (The print column summarizes the stories; the digital version provides links to the stories.)

10. We’ve Got the Music (in Us): Taylor Swift may not be coming to the Triangle, but our musical interests vary more than the weather. Just a month after Raleigh wrapped up Farm Aid and the World of Bluegrass, J. Cole’s Dreamville music festival announced its return in April. More than 80,000 attended last year’s event, which highlights hip-hop, rap and R&B.

9. School’s Out? Education reporter T. Keung Hui reported that Wake County students are going to be off from school part of the coming week. It’s because of Election Day and the need for teachers to enter grades and receive ongoing training. This is a story that will have parents scrambling all week.

8. Why Can’t We Be Friends? North Carolina leads the way in brutal local election commercials. The irony is that most of the money is coming from out of state. State politics reporter Avi Bajpai provided readers with a guide to the outside spending.

7. Is It Over? Election Day is Tuesday. Go to www.newsobserver.com and look for the top navigation bar to find our North Carolina Voter Guide.

6. We Got Game: N&O sports journalists are talking about college basketball at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe in Durham. Seats are limited, so go online to sign up for free tickets. This is the latest live event from The N&O team.

5. Be Like Mike: UNC-Chapel Hill sports beat reporter C.L. Brown caught my attention with a story on star guard Caleb Love’s shoe choices during the Tar Heels Final Four run. Is it the shoes? It is the shoes!

4. (In need of more) Puppy Love: This is an alarming story from Kristen Johnson. The Wake County Animal Shelter is out of space because of an influx of more than 100 new animals last weekend. Adoptable pets can be found online with information about how to adopt at pets.wakegov.com.

3. Ruby Don’t Take Your Love (to D.C.): Did you know North Carolina is the nation’s second-largest producer of Christmas trees? Reporter Martha Quillin has plenty of fun facts in a story about Ruby, the red spruce and viral star that has been selected as the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

2. Hog Wild meets Dream Police: Customer walks into famed Raleigh barbecue joint, cops called, the internet goes up in smoke. Food writer Drew Jackson provided context on the perplexing “pink pork” problem that brought police to Cooper’s. Is this news? It’s smoked ribs, so yes.

1. Firework meets Chained To The Rhythm: No “Bad Blood” here. We started with Taylor Swift. We’ll end with Katy Perry, who recently tweeted: “one of my favorite sounds ever is the sound of a crisp new newspaper being read over breakfast for an hour or so. … The popping out of it, the folding, the scribbling on the crossword. … I hope it never goes out of fashion in our digital world. It is too romantic.”

Thanks, Katy, for plugging newspapers. Because as you’ve said before: “Make ‘em go, “Oh, oh, oh.”

Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. He is musically challenged.