Gloria Hillard

Malls have long been the place to "shop till you drop." In Southern California, Forest Lawn, a funeral industry leader, has made them places to shop before you drop.

The ploughshare tortoise's ornate golden shell makes it a popular black market pet. In California, the Turtle Conservancy is trying to give the threatened species a second chance.

Since returning from Iraq, Jerral Hancock, a single father of two, has been living in a poorly constructed mobile home with doors and hallways too narrow for his wheelchair. When a group of high school students found out, they decided to do something about it.

Many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking advantage of GI benefits to pay for higher education. But most are looking at large state schools or for-profit and online universities. Now, a new scholarship program in California focuses on veterans whose experiences and talents are better suited for smaller private liberal arts colleges.

Last year, two sisters took in Arefa, a badly burned Afghan girl, while she received medical treatment in the U.S. The sisters were ecstatic to host a goofier and wigglier Arefa during a return visit this summer, but they say the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan may make future reunions difficult.

Senior Softball USA has 33,000 members and is growing. As part of our Summer Night series, we head to southern California, where the Mightys play. It's a group of senior women who love the sport and love to swear in excitement. But no chewing tobacco.

Los Angeles International Airport has 30 comfort dogs assigned to assist weary and stressed-out travelers. The airports in San Jose and Miami are using dogs, too. Many passengers say it's helpful to see a smiling dog at the end of the security check-in.

National polls show a growing acceptance of gay men and women, but the transgender community often feels left out of the discussion. Young transgender people face discrimination in all aspects of life, and many find themselves on the streets.

More than 1,000 sick and dying sea lion pups have been found stranded since the beginning of the year, from Santa Barbara to San Diego. As scientists try to figure out why, one animal rescue worker says that in nearly three decades on the job, he's never seen anything like it.

Los Angeles's infamous Jordan Downs public housing project in Watts is getting a makeover. For the last 18 months, the city's housing authority has dispatched life coaches to assist longtime residents with a myriad of social services from career counseling to parenting classes. These coaches are there to help make way for a new development. The plan is to try and attract hundreds of middle-class residents who will be living side-by-side with some of the city's poorest people. But some families living in Jordan Downs say for all its ills, the community is also a place where people care for and look out for each, and they fear that will be lost forever amid the restaurants, retail outlets, and condos.