Linda lost her son in Parkland. Kelsey lost her favorite teacher. But he still brought them together
By Darran Simon, CNNWhen a gunman opened fire in her Parkland, Florida, high school in February, Kelsey Friend huddled in a classroom while her favorite teacher was shot feet away. Scott Beigel saved her life, she said -- he unlocked the door of the room to let her hide inside. He didn't make it in himself.
A college essay she never let go
By Darran Simon, CNNErin Thompson typed furiously, unleashing a torrent of painful memories onto the page.
The new face of Mother Emanuel
By Darran Simon, CNNThe young pastor stood in a house filled with mourners ready to minister. His parishioner had been strangled, her body dumped.
Sacramento's police chief faces a test after his officers kill an unarmed, black father
By Darran Simon and Dan Simon, CNNDaniel Hahn's swearing-in ceremony last August as Sacramento's first African-American police chief was a celebration.
Praying for justice in Charleston
By Darran Simon, CNNDeacon Thad Miller closed his barbershop for the evening and sat in a worn leather chair by the front window. He was exhausted. Not just by the day's work, but also the topic of conversation gripping his city.
The opioid epidemic is so bad that librarians are learning how to treat overdoses
By Darran Simon, CNN Photographs by Michelle Gustafson for CNNA crowd hovered over the man lying on the grass as his skin turned purple. Chera Kowalski crouched next to his limp body, a small syringe in her gloved hand.
California family buries man wrongfully ID'd as son
Janet DiGiacomo and Darran Simon, CNNOn May 12, Frank Kerrigan buried his son in a plot next to his late wife in California. About two weeks later, Kerrigan received a phone call and heard a voice he wasn't expecting.
Talladega College band on inauguration: 'Forget the politics... We are musicians'
By Darran Simon, CNNAlex Liddell Jr. sang an Al Green song as he sorted through recently dry-cleaned uniforms -- deep crimson with Carolina blue accents -- for his marching band's biggest performance ever.
