I already like hanging out in bars, maybe this field IS for me

Finally, some closure to the ongoing discussion we've had about where nonfiction narrative belongs in the professional news environment. I've often thought of that section of a newspaper as being for the sentimental yuppy demographic of a target audience.
These authors put it a different way. These stories aren't always meant to stir emotion or jerk tears, but to simply provide readers with a bigger picture of their community for the sake of cultural understanding and awareness. "Spot" news says, "This is what's happening;" the narrative says, "This is us; this is where we live...now you know."
It depends on a given publications style of voice, but I think that real "stories" about people work best when it is clear that the publication makes it part of their mission to provide cultural context rather than just report hard news.