From Portland, Oregon: "Bus poetry nearing end of the line," by Anna Griffin

Slowly, surely and sadly, the poetry is disappearing from my bus. I'm not speaking in metaphors. The views on the ride downtown from the east side are still lovely enough most days to inspire a little free verse. But the poetry is going away, on my route and yours. (Read more here.)

From the U.S.A.: "Unescorted Prisoners Take the Bus." (Parade Magazine)

Thanks to a little-known policy at the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the guy sitting next to you on the bus could be a convicted felon. As part of a cost-cutting program, the BOP allows more than 25,000 prisoners each year to ride unescorted and unannounced between federal correctional facilities. At least 50 have escaped, including a drug dealer who is now considered armed and dangerous. (Read more here.)