Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.

Hey, did you read:

• That Illinois isn’t the only state where elections are flooded with more campaign donations than ever? —Mick Dumke

• That Texas governor Rick Perry is no longer allowed to carry a gun? —Mick Dumke

• Ta-Nehisi Coates on learning about French culture and how to speak the French language? —Tal Rosenberg

• About a travel-writing press junket to Guyana? —Aimee Levitt

• About The Shadow Hero, a comic book featuring the first Asian-American superhero? —Lucy Wang

• That Hot Doug’s was inducted into Vienna Beef’s Hot Dog Hall of Fame? —Drew Hunt