By Josh Shaffer, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Aug. 20--RALEIGH -- All it took was a garden spade, some soil and muscle enough to drag 100 pounds. But Pat Dixon managed a chore that has long escaped Raleigh: creating a comfortable, eye-catching bus stop.

By Anne Blythe and Josh Shaffer, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Aug. 17--With three-quarters of North Carolina now suffering from severe or extreme drought, Gov. Mike Easley urged residents to cut their water use by 10 percent.

By Josh Shaffer, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Jul. 25--RALEIGH -- Two Raleigh shopping centers have agreed to allow city buses on their property, a reversal that quiets a month of controversy and ignites further discussion over poor public transit.

By Josh Shaffer, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Jul. 11--RALEIGH -- A review of city, federal and insurance records shows Raleigh buses rarely crash, logging 2.5 million miles a year with few wrecks more serious than a sideswiped parked car or a clipped rear-view mirror.

By Josh Shaffer, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Jul. 7--RALEIGH -- A bus rider waiting outside the Wal-Mart on Wake Forest Road faces two options: squat on an overturned shopping cart or sit on the branch of a crape myrtle.