Josh Shaffer

1 week ago | police1.com | Josh Shaffer

By Josh ShafferThe News & Observer (Raleigh)MORRISVILLVE, N.C. — A red-tailed hawk swooped through the front door of the Morrisville public library Monday morning, startling readers, drawing both police and fire departments and setting off a series of bird-related puns. The raptor, not yet fully grown, passed through the library’s electronic doors about 10 a.m. , just as toddler story time was wrapping up.

1 week ago | newsobserver.com | Josh Shaffer |Martha Quillin

Flash-flooding hit Sanford Thursday afternoon, blocking downtown streets, causing several car accidents and trapping residents in several parts of town. A rain band passing through the Sandhills dumped an estimated 4 inches of water across Lee County about an hour southwest of Raleigh. The North Carolina Department of Transportation started closing streets, and power outages were reported. Gregory Hamm was at Biscuit Bar on downtown Chatham Street when the downpour hit.

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Josh Shaffer

Wilmington's new Rainbow Bridge for lost pets is meant to replace the well-known version swept away from Lake Lure during Hurricane Helene. Courtesy of Susan Chesson Last September, Hurricane Helene rushed through Lake Lure, sweeping away much of the town, including its Rainbow Bridge - a shrine to beloved pets. Hundreds of people came from across the country to hang collars on the colorful bridge railings, so many that they completely covered the wood.

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Josh Shaffer

A red-tailed hawk swooped through the front door of the Morrisville public library Monday morning, startling readers, drawing both police and fire departments and setting off a series of bird-related puns. The raptor, not yet fully grown, passed through the library's electronic doors about 10 a.m., just as toddler story time was wrapping up. "We already thought summer reading had gone to the birds," said director Christina Adams, making the first of many avian jokes.

2 weeks ago | uniondemocrat.com | Josh Shaffer

When he was about 14, Pete Proimos learned a soul-crushing statistic about the cystic fibrosis he’d endured since birth: Patients back then didn’t live much past high school. “Should I go to college?” he asked his parents. “Go be as normal as possible,” they replied, “for as long as possible.”More than two decades later, Proimos is married with three children, looking at a life expectancy more than three times longer than he grew up accepting.