Donald Kurth

Donald Kurth stood in a New Jersey courtroom in 1969 at the mercy of the judge. A heroin addict, Kurth had been arrested for petty larceny and drug possession. His oversized jeans sagged at the waist. His belt had been stolen that week by a corner drug-seller in Harlem. Perhaps seeing a speck of promise in the 20-year-old, the judge offered him drug rehab instead of jail. Kurth balked. If he did the time, he'd be back on the street sooner. Consider it a gift and take it, his attorney told him.

Donald Kurth stood in a New Jersey courtroom in 1969 at the mercy of the judge. A heroin addict, Kurth had been arrested for petty larceny and drug possession. His oversized jeans sagged at the waist. His belt had been stolen that week by a corner drug-seller in Harlem. Perhaps seeing a speck of promise in the 20-year-old, the judge offered him drug rehab instead of jail. Kurth balked. If he did the time, he'd be back on the street sooner. Consider it a gift and take it, his attorney told him.

I strongly feel that all hospitals should provide medical care to all rape victims all of the time. While other hospitals have dropped out of the program, Queen of the Valley Hospital has remained committed to providing medical care to rape victims. Despite increasing financial losses, no victim has been turned away from our emergency facility. It is no wonder, though, that hospitals are refusing to do these examinations. Funding is so poor that we cannot expect hospitals to shoulder the burden alone.

Mel Gibson's relapse was a public humiliation. Robin Williams, who "found himself drinking again" after 20 years of sobriety, according to a statement released last week, had a private one. Both are back in treatment as some of their legion of followers "tsk-tsk," shake their heads and conclude that two more stars have failed. But such relapses are fairly common during the lifelong struggle against what science considers the chronic disease of alcoholism.

Los Angeles activists Holly Mitchell and Reggie Jones-Sawyer are among 339 Californians spending a small fortune to compete in the June 8 primary election for the state Legislature, even though it is despised by the public and plagued by a budget mess that will require painful decisions. California voters will go to the polls to fill 100 state legislative seats, nearly a third of which will have no incumbent on the ballot. A combination of term limits, legislators seeking other offices and lawmaker fatigue has set the stage for political fights up and down the state.