From Madison County, Alabama: "“Epilogue," by Tom Brandon

Well, the Cheese Wagon, Big Yellow Banana or whatever the students call it has been swept, washed and parked for the summer. (Read more here.)

From Boston: "Panhandlers of Harvard Square: An essay in oil paintings, interviews," by Marc Clamage for the Boston Globe Magazine

A few years ago, I began to notice that the panhandlers I’d been seeing near my workplace in Harvard Square seemed more plentiful, younger, more troubled. There were lots of new “passing through, need food” signs, and even whole families begging — some are still there. I used to hurry by them, but then I began to stop. Each face tells a story, I realized, and I would try to capture as many as I could through a series of oil paintings. (Read more here.)

From Seattle: "On busing and baby sharing," by Carla Saulter (aka BusChick)

Yesterday, after tiring of the wait for my six-, then eight-, then ten-, then twelve-minute late 27, I resorted to the 4. I was immediately glad I did, despite the fact that the bus was (per usual) extra crowded, and I ended up standing in the no man’s land with poor pole access.

You see, Smooth Jazz was at the wheel.

(Read more here.)

From Denver: "Haunted by the young," by tabdeans

I made the tragic mistake of boarding the 65 bus in the early afternoon, just as the junior high and high schools were letting out. (Read more here.)