As some of the world's largest banks teetered on financial demise, college seniors and recent alums had more on their minds than what it meant for their financial aid and student loans.
Teachers and parents in Dallas, Texas, are angry about new grading policies that they say are dumbing down the district and pushing students through the system who haven't earned it.
Rich Franklin used to spend his days teaching math to high school students. Today, he spends his evenings in an octagon-shaped cage grounding and pounding fighters into submission in front of thousands of screaming fans.
Historical Background: Presidential debates are a product of the television era. In 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy met in the first general election presidential debate, which was viewed by about 70 million people.
"We were a normal red-blooded American family," recalls Rudy Aguilar. "And ... it took [one day] to wipe us out."
As some of the world's largest banks teetered on financial demise, college seniors and recent alums had more on their minds than what it meant for their financial aid and student loans.
Teachers and parents in Dallas, Texas, are angry about new grading policies that they say are dumbing down the district and pushing students through the system who haven't earned it.
Rich Franklin used to spend his days teaching math to high school students. Today, he spends his evenings in an octagon-shaped cage grounding and pounding fighters into submission in front of thousands of screaming fans.
Historical Background: Presidential debates are a product of the television era. In 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy met in the first general election presidential debate, which was viewed by about 70 million people.
"We were a normal red-blooded American family," recalls Rudy Aguilar. "And ... it took [one day] to wipe us out."
Harvard University is the country's oldest, wealthiest and most selective university. Now it's back on top of the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, claiming sole possession of the No. 1 spot for the first time in 12 years.
A lot of college students feel pressured to binge drink, says University of California, Berkeley, student Joseph Bui.
Carolyn Dennis, mother of a 5-year-old, initially wasn't too keen on Utah's decision to move her to a four-day workweek.
Pop superstar Madonna reaches a major milestone Saturday. She's turning 50.
Pop superstar Madonna reaches a major milestone Saturday. She's turning 50.
Can a four-day work week exist at a 24-hour news operation?
Life coach Gail Blanke went to acting school to learn to improvise in any situation. Turns out the tricks that actors use on stage can help you score a date, land a job -- or just make any conversation more engaging
Eyes are on Beijing, China, for the Summer Games, with an estimated 4 billion people expected to tune in to watch the world's top athletes seek the ultimate recognition: an Olympic gold medal.
Brandi Robinson hoped for a beautiful outdoor wedding in the hills of Central Pennsylvania. Mother Nature had other plans.
Nine companies have agreed to pay a total of $355,000 in fines for failing to tell the government some of their children's clothing had hood and neck drawstrings, which are prohibited because they've caused dozens of strangulation deaths over the years.
So you hear about a 41-year-old swimmer making the Olympics eight years after retiring and two years after giving birth. You immediately think:
When you hear the name "Indiana Jones," you think of an archaeologist carrying an idol and dodging a giant boulder. When you hear about "Dow Jones," you might wonder if it's up or down that day. However, in this case, Indiana and Dow Jones are siblings, 12 and 7 years old, respectively.
Jeff Hornagold loved being a UPS driver.
"It's the magic of dogs."
"The thought that I can reach out and permanently improve someone's life for the better is addictive," says Dave Schweidenback.
In a small independently owned coffee shop on the corner of one of Atlanta's urban pockets, a group of would-be poets come together at open mic night for an evening of poetry and rhymes.
Forty years after the death of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., CNN took an unprecendented look at the state of black America in "CNN Presents: Black in America. The success, struggle, pain and pride.
It took Diane Pickel Plappert six months to tell a counselor that she had been raped while on duty in Iraq. While time passed, the former Navy nurse disconnected from her children, and her life slowly unraveled.
New appliances and vacation packages aren't unusual giveaways in the housing slump, but one woman is taking the unorthodox step of throwing in a car with the purchase of her home.
Bent over or sitting at a table, gripping a ballpoint pen, marker or crayon, Frank Calloway spends his days turning visions from his youth into lively murals -- and at 112 years old, the images of his childhood are a window to another time.
The following is a list of local and national organizations and programs designed to address many of the issues raised in "CNN Presents: Black in America" and "CNN & Essence: Reclaiming the Dream." Some of the people or guests featured in the programs are involved in some of these organizations.
San Quentin Prison sits like a fortress along the bay just north of San Francisco. It is bordered by some of the most expensive residential real estate in the country. But at the edge of this scenic peninsula, 5,400 inmates are locked up.
El Paso native Maria Ruiz knows firsthand how different life can be a mere 30-minute drive south of her Texas home.
There were 56 men who put quill to parchment during the Summer of Independence in 1776.
A South Carolina woman's whimsical approach to food is helping her crack the insular world of cooking contests with such novel dishes as pecan-encrusted oysters over asiago cheese grits.
If Russell Jackson has his way, any child who needs medical care but lacks the transportation to get there will have a safe and reliable alternative.
More than a dozen people, some wearing orange protective gear, pulled rakes and shovels from a dingy shopping cart and started working on a parched patch of land along a busy off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway.
After surviving a near-fatal accident, Richard Olson recalls the doctor telling him, "You may never walk again."
Novel nicknames are one thing, but Michelle Dudley deeply resents the one her husband's buddies have given her: "Jason's Whatever."
The Cyrus family is ready to rock and always on a roll at its new L.A. home. Kick back and chill out with Billy Ray, Miley and the entire guitar-crazy clan.
Michael and Sharon thought the photos from their wedding were lost forever.
In a year marked by massive flooding, deadly tornadoes and blazing wildfires, Tad Skylar Agoglia has never been needed more. This week, he's on the scene in Iowa.
With foreclosures and bankruptcy affecting millions of homeowners, CNN's Larry King on Tuesday talked to several experts in the real estate industry to get advice on handling the mortgage meltdown.
When Katy Milane was asked to be in her college roommate's August 2007 wedding, she expected the bridesmaid dress to be simple and sporty, just like the bride's taste in clothes.
Misha Di Bono zips around town in her Infiniti sport-utility vehicle, breezy and unconcerned about the price of gas.
"My total sentence was 55 years -- for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute," recalls Carolyn LeCroy.
America's two largest hot dog makers are waging a wiener war as grills fire up this summer, hoping to win over customers and secure the No. 1 spot atop the stagnating frank market.
The TV no longer sits on a moving box, but she's still using filing cabinets as end tables. Desiree Jacobsen graduated from college years ago, so why does her apartment resemble a dorm room? It's hard to save for the finer things when you've had to shell out money to be in five weddings in one year, three times as maid of honor.
Atlanta's East Lake community was a rough place to grow up in 1989, when murder, gangs, poverty, teen pregnancy and drug problems were common.
Weddings are supposed to be a time to celebrate new beginnings. But for Shay Nowick, whose friend asked Nowick to be a bridesmaid at her wedding, it was the beginning of the end -- of their friendship.
Staff Sgt. Travis Nielsen had no idea when he joined the U.S. Army that his duty would include one of the most solemn and hallowed ceremonies in the military.
It happens to all of us. You fall in love with someone's looks... but then he's not quite what you expected. Even, sometimes, if he's a cat.
About 45 feet beneath the ocean's surface lies a cemetery with gates, pathways, plaques and even benches.
As other cars zipped by at 70 mph or more, Mike Papin and his wife, Joann, kept rolling along just below the 65 mph limit as they made their way from their winter home in Florida to a summer place in Vermont.
As the room echoes with R&B music, students from Clark Atlanta, Morehouse and Spelman colleges laugh, talk and work on brightly colored pieces of cloth on long tables.
After 22 years in private practice and seeing people "kicked around by the system," Dr. Lorna Stuart found herself frustrated with the number of insurance companies and the rules and restrictions that came with them.
Lots of kids are into dinosaurs. Tyler Lyson says he just never grew out of it. He grew up in rural North Dakota and says fossils were more widespread there than in other places in the U.S.
It started with a generous gesture by David Beckham, who handed over his game-used soccer jersey to two young boys after a game at Aloha Stadium.
Noel Bosse and Ken Davis watch as the numbers keep spinning at the gas pump -- 70 bucks, 80 bucks. Gulp, guzzle, then it stops: $101 for about 25 gallons.
Ordinary Americans aren't the only ones being punished by tough economic times. Charities say they need help, too.
Julia Abrantes spent hours cleaning her house and primping in front of a mirror before heading to John F. Kennedy airport in New York. She was there to pick up the love of her life, whom she had met on the Internet.
During Rachel Rosenfeld's junior year in high school, the unexpected happened.
Two years ago, Stephanie Kaster of Manhattan set out to plan the birthday party of a lifetime for her daughter. Granted, little Sophie didn't have many parties under her belt with which to compare it: She was not yet 3.
After the sudden death of her 26-year-old daughter left five grandchildren in her care, Viola Vaughn searched for peace.
Nicki Amouri hands her camera to a friend, throws her arm over another and smiles wide as she leans in for a shot with the monument her class came to visit.
It's Autism Awareness Month, but for people who have autism or live with someone who does, they are aware every day.
At 5 a.m. on any given day, Anne Mahlum could be found running the dark streets of Philadelphia -- with homeless men cheering her on as she passed their shelter. But one morning last spring, she stopped in her tracks.
Tax filing day is just around the corner, but some Americans may not be ready to submit their returns by April 15. Others may not have the cash to pay the tax they owe.
If you've been in the hospital or had a family member or friend there, you know how lonely and scary it can be. Once visiting hours are over, the levity and the hugs stop. But, if it were up to Taylor Crabtree, the hugs would last all night.
At the stroke of midnight, American beer drinkers were no longer breaking the law when they broke open a beer.
Bake sales and recycling are common fundraising tactics in middle school. But Tara Suri wasn't baking cupcakes for just any common cause. Her cause was hope, literally.
