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San Francisco indie musician John Vanderslice is well-known for his exhaustive, comprehensive, and lengthy approach to recording music. Legend has it that Vanderslice spent 4,000 hours working on one album. But his latest studio effort called “White Wilderness,” a collaboration with the Magik*Magik Orchestra, was completed in just three days to the surprise of fans and music critics. Vanderslice is in North Carolina to perform at the 2nd annual Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh.

The North Carolina Zoo is leading an emergency fundraising effort for the Tripoli Zoo in war-torn Libya. Political chaos there has left zoo keepers without money to buy food for the animals, and they have only a week's supply on hand. North Carolina Zoo Director David Jones has led similar international fundraising efforts for zoos in Afghanistan and Iraq. He says he's happy to help Libya's main zoo as well.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina is filing a federal lawsuit alleging the state's adoption of "Choose Life" license plates is unconstitutional on the grounds that a pro-choice alternative isn't offered. Katherine Lewis Parker is a Legal Director at the ACLU.

Concerts, memorials, and other events will take place across the state this Sunday to remember those who died on 9-11. Dave DeWitt reports.

From an interfaith panel at Duke to firefighter climbs in Greensboro and Morrisville, there will be a full slate of events surrounding the 10th anniversary of 9-11.

Work crews are making changes to freeways in R-T-P as they build the new Triangle Expressway. The short segment of the Durham Freeway south of I-40 closed for good this week. That section of Highway 147 provided a quick connection to T-W Alexander Drive in south Durham. It will eventually be part of the Triangle Expressway, a toll road running along the west side of Raleigh from Morrisville to Holly Springs. D-O-T spokeswoman Holly Allen says drivers going south on the Durham Freeway should take a detour via I-40.

This Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and Americans will be inundated with commemorations. Amidst that flood of images and stories, how can people find an intimate and meaningful way to reconnect with the events of a decade ago? At the same time, is there a collective way to memorialize a tragedy that changed the country, but changed each of us in different ways? What roles are played by artists, scholars, and theologians?

State Agriculture leaders have come up with a “wish list” for the legislature.  They say the measures will help farmers weather future disasters.

Farmers – mainly in eastern North Carolina – are continuing to feel the wrath of Hurricane Irene.  Early estimates put damage to Agriculture at 325-million dollars.  The state Ag Board met at the fairgrounds yesterday to discuss how to help.  Ag department spokesman Brain Long says one idea is for there to be “bridge” loans available for farmers devastated by a disaster.

In the months following September 11th, thousands of firefighters, police, and other volunteers descended into ground zero. It was one of the most difficult and dangerous search efforts ever undertaken.

The Reverend Louane Frey lives in Cary now, but on September 11th she was a school teacher in New Jersey. She also was a hospital chaplain and counseled victims after traumatic events. So when the call came for people of faith to provide comfort and counsel to those working at ground zero, she quickly stepped forward.

Former U-N-C President Erskine Bowles will speak on campus tomorrow about the deficit and taxes. He may also chat about his cool new appointment.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh plans to build a 2,000-seat cathedral in southwest Raleigh. Church officials say the Sacred Heart Church in downtown Raleigh has a seating capacity of 320 - making it the smallest Catholic cathedral in the continental U-S. Bishop Michael Burbidge says that's insufficient to serve the needs of a growing Catholic population.