They’re familiar mantras of college students or anyone eager to avoid a hangover: “Beer before liquor, never been sicker”; “Grape or grain, but never the twain”; “Beer before wine and you’ll feel fine ...

This series from The News & Observer’s Service Journalism team answers questions from readers about the Triangle region (and North Carolina). Here are some of the questions we have answered so far.

Making liquor at home has been illegal for more than a century, but a federal appeals court has now struck down that ban. The ...