Watch: Luke Bryan hits fan who gave him the middle finger during concert, seamlessly continues song; Calif. police chief defends creating fake news to protect witnesses in probe; Canadian policeman offers heartfelt apology for threatening to punish drunk drivers with Nickelback; Harper Lee would surely disapprove of the plans afoot for her Alabama hometown; Fast-acting Utah parents disarmed their teen son at school, preventing a possible tragedy; The secret ‘double life’ — and violent death — of a beloved Charlotte nursery owner; Mad Dog, as in ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis: The colorful history of a great American nickname; Tacoma officer’s killing a tragic reminder that there’s nothing routine about ‘domestic’ calls; The Mall of America’s first black Santa: ‘Santa comes in many different colors’; Merriam-Webster’s plea: There’s still time to prevent ‘fascism’ from becoming word of the year;   Stories from All Over   Mobsters ran a fake U.S. embassy in Ghana for 10 years, flying the flag and issuing visas for $6,000 The fake embassy, now shut down, was decorated with a photo of President Obama. By Katie Mettler  •  Read more » Watch: Luke Bryan hits fan who gave him the middle finger during concert, seamlessly continues song While it seems like every celebrity is apologizing for something in 2016, Bryan clearly didn't feel the need. By Travis M. Andrews  •  Read more »   Calif. police chief defends creating fake news to protect witnesses in probe A California police chief justified his decision as necessary to protect two people he believed to be in danger by an international gang operating in his jurisdiction. By Travis M. Andrews  •  Read more »   Canadian policeman offers heartfelt apology for threatening to punish drunk drivers with Nickelback The band was four guys from Alberta, the apologetic Canadian policeman said, not a faceless punching bag. By Ben Guarino  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Harper Lee would surely disapprove of the plans afoot for her Alabama hometown The town is planning a “Harper Lee Trail,” which would allow readers to visit some of their favorite places from “To Kill a Mockingbird.” At least one critic, though, has called the idea a “commercialization of Lee’s legacy." By Travis M. Andrews  •  Read more »   Fast-acting Utah parents disarmed their teen son at school, preventing a possible tragedy When they noticed guns missing from their safe, the parents grew worried and rushed to their 15-year-old son's school. By Katie Mettler  •  Read more »   The secret ‘double life’ — and violent death — of a beloved Charlotte nursery owner When Jesse Campbell was fatally shot, everyone wondered why. A shocking answer emerged in court Thursday. By Samantha Schmidt  •  Read more »   Mad Dog, as in ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis: The colorful history of a great American nickname Mobsters, sports stars of a certain temperament and now a future secretary of defense have all worn the moniker, happily or unhappily. By Ben Guarino  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Tacoma officer’s killing a tragic reminder that there’s nothing routine about ‘domestic’ calls His gun was holstered as Officer Reginald “Jake” Gutierrez walked upstairs at a Tacoma, Wash., home. That's when the bullets rained down on him. By Katie Mettler  •  Read more »   The Mall of America’s first black Santa: ‘Santa comes in many different colors’ "There need to be more Santas of color, because this is America, and kids need to see a Santa that looks like them,” Santa Larry Jefferson said. By Samantha Schmidt  •  Read more »   Merriam-Webster’s plea: There’s still time to prevent ‘fascism’ from becoming word of the year The number of dictionary searches for the word skyrocketed in 2016. By Ben Guarino  •  Read more »   Recommended for you   The Switch The day's top stories on the tech industry and tech in our lives. Sign Up »         Share Morning Mix:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Mix. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071