A sexually abused boy and his mother recount the anguish they suffered at the hands of a trusted teacher when he was in kindergarten. (LAT) View

Edwin Shneidman, a 90-year-old pioneer in suicide prevention, contemplates his own demise. (LAT) View

A 16-year-old California girl sets out to complete a solo nonstop sailing trip around the world ... and to break her brother's record. (LAT) View

Two Marilyn Monroe impersonators compete for attention on Hollywood Boulevard. (LAT) View

Outrageous fashion is the calling card for this Los Angeles hair designer. Just don't call them costumes. (LAT) View

A family struggles with the extreme challenges of raising a spirited 6-year-old daughter with severe schizophrenia. (LAT) View

Former nurse Spencer Sullivan copes with life after a tragic medical error left him a quadriplegic. (LAT) View

The Best Videojournalism Stories of 2009 ... Celebrating excellence in video, journalism and storytelling. View

Bessie Mae Berger, 97, and her two sons, Larry and Charlie, both in their 60s, tried to survive while living in their rusty '73 Chevy Suburban. (LAT) View

Former Los Angeles gang members travel to the South to turn around the lives of impoverished kids whose upbringings are hauntingly familiar. (LAT) View

Civilian contractors injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fight for benefits and treatment when they return home. (LAT) View

The dirty, dangerous, difficult work of picking grapes in California's central valley remains a life sentence of poverty. (LAT) View