By Joe Depriest, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Sep. 30--The Bessemer City beavers have backed off. You'll recall that in August they were hard at work building dams of limbs, sticks and mud on a creek that feeds into the town's main water source.

By Joe Depriest, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Aug. 19--Bessemer City's water supply was already drying up. Then came the beavers. The critters recently constructed two tightly-woven dams of limbs, sticks and mud on a creek that feeds into the Gaston County city's main water source.