Why Can’t CNN Tell Good Stories? CNN has been growing in profits every year since the last century, but is the quality growing with it? Former CNN bureau chief, producer and story editor Fuzz Hogan explains that the money isn’t in superb, honed stories. It’s in stock B-roll footage that will run four times on CNN and more than a dozen times over various CNN feeds.

How I Fixed That 405 Exit. As Derek Hildebrandt constantly dodged cars veering into his lane while making a right turn, he knew he needed to do something about that dangerous Southbound 405 Inglewood Avenue off-ramp. It required a freshly painted white line. So he picked up the phone, called the city of Redondo Beach, and three months later, after some back and forth, he reveled in his power to make a difference.

The Bad Dad Who Cursed California. Why do we have California’s flawed initiative process?  Because of one governor’s toxic relationship with his father. Joe Mathews debunks the myths of Hiram Johnson and tells us why we are governed by ghosts.

Landmarks Of My Father. This Father’s Day, Madeline McSherry remembers her father—the adventures they shared and the places they visited. She writes, “Our hearts are too small to hold all our memories, so we leave some deposited in the landmarks of our personal narratives like invisible relics.”

Will It Ever Be Safe To Be a Journalist in Mexico? Violence against the press has long been a problem in Mexico. In advance of “Reporting From Mexico’s Drug Wars,” a Zócalo event featuring Alfredo Corchado, author of Midnight in Mexico, we asked reporters and people who study journalism in Latin America: What can be done to make journalists safe in Mexico?

Next week …

Ernie Powell on the old Santa Monica.

On Tuesday, Chicago Tribune’s Antonio Olivo visits Zócalo to discuss how immigration reform would transform life in the Chicagoland area.