Times staff writers Sandy Banks, Steve Berry,...

Times staff writers Sandy Banks, Steve Berry, Andrew Blankstein, Sharon Bernstein, Jeff Brazil, Bettina Boxall, Henry Chu, Shawn Hubler, John Johnson, Jeff Leeds, Myron Levin, Jim Newton, Eric Malnic, Ann W. O’Neill, Lucille Renwick, Eric Slater, Stephanie Stassel, Julie Tamaki, Jodi Wilgoren and Martha L. Willman and special correspondents Jill A. Leovy and Greg Sandoval contributed to these stories.