Progress

Asthma sufferers have long relied on inhalers for relief from wheezing or coughing attacks. But as of Dec. 31, Primatene Mist -- the only available over-the-counter asthma inhaler -- was taken off shelves because of its adverse effect on the environment. Other inhalers are available, but these require a doctor's prescription. Some people with asthma aren't happy about the change, but lung doctors and asthma specialists agree that Primatene Mist wasn't the best option for patients anyway.

PITTSBURGH - Clayton Kershaw soon could become the richest pitcher in baseball history. But Kershaw was upset that he had to talk Sunday about his ongoing negotiations with the Dodgers, whom he blamed for leaking information to Fox Sports. The previous night, Fox Sports reported that Kershaw and the Dodgers were "making progress" toward agreement on a seven-year contract extension. According to the report, which cited unnamed "major league sources," the deal being discussed would be worth more than the record $180-million, seven-year contract between the Detroit Tigers and Justin Verlander, who in March agreed to five-year extension through 2019.

'Girl in Progress' MPAA rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content including crude references, and drinking — all involving teens Running time: 1 hours, 32 minutes Playing: In limited release

Six months ago today, on Dec. 14, Americans reacted with horror to the slaughter of 20 children and six school employees at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Suddenly, gun safety legislation was front and center everywhere, including Washington. Then in April, a recalcitrant Senate succumbed to pressure from gun manufacturers and the NRA's leadership and failed to pass even the most modest measure, a bill to extend background checks to gun shows and Internet sales. The president was angry, the families of victims frustrated, and the moment for gun control seemed lost.

California lawmakers have little to celebrate this Fourth of July as talks continue on how to close the state's deficit. Little progress was reported Saturday, and the Legislature is not expected to meet until Monday. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers are trying to bridge a $26-billion shortfall. Earlier this week, the state began issuing IOUs, and state employees received additional furlough notices.

Track brewery progress Beachwood BBQ & Brewing 210 E. 3rd St., Long Beach, http://www.beachwoodbbq.com El Segundo Brewing Co. 140 Main St., El Segundo, on Facebook. Henson Brewing on Facebook. Kinetic Brewing Co. 735 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, http://www.kineticbrewing.com Ohana Brewing Co. 1756 E. 23rd St., Los Angeles, http://ohanabrew.wordpress.com Pilot Brewhouse Stay tuned. Pipe Dream Brewing http://www.lonelightstudios.com/brewerypromo.html

Seven hours of meetings between representatives of the NHL and the NHL Players' Assn. on Tuesday in New York produced at least one key agreement: that they had enough reason to reconvene Wednesday to continue exploring resolutions to the labor dispute that has wiped out more than a quarter of the schedule. People familiar with the nature of the talks but not authorized to speak publicly said progress had been made, but both sides declined to describe specifics of the sessions, which were attended by top executives of both sides as well as 13 players and several owners.

It is precisely the self-aggrandizing philosophy expressed in Ted Brown's letter of May 20 that has created the environmental crisis that Americans, and most especially Southern Californians, find themselves confronted with today. Far too many are the inconsistencies and hypocrisies in Mr. Brown's diatribe, but among the more amusing is his pique at at homeowners who "move somewhere, then decide that no one else has the right to live or open a business there." This when it is the so-called "developers" who attract home buyers to these areas with such lures and promises as "secluded," pristine," ad nauseam, and then, as soon as the bait is taken and the units are sold, begin systematically to destroy the surroundings in the name of progress, which usually means a right to unbridled rapaciousness and irresponsibility.

The doctor-patient relationship at the center of the striking debut feature "Augustine" is modern for its time, the late 19th century. Yet it feels primitive, and not merely because of what we know about the period's scientific limitations. As told by filmmaker Alice Winocour, the story of neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and the teenage kitchen maid Augustine who became one of his most celebrated cases alternates between impenetrable Gothic shadow and dreamy Baroque light. It's a story of women's "hysteria," the catch-all term for mysterious symptoms like Augustine's, and a story of primal female power - debased, dissected and displayed.

President Obama is hitting hard this week on the idea that the economy is making progress under his stewardship. A series of interviews with local news outlets already this week makes his point clear, featuring the word “progress” several times in relation to the economy. Advisers to the president say the argument is based on fact, and it clearly forms the heart of their message this summer. “We have made some substantial progress,” White House press secretary Jay Carney says.  “We have seen the economy grow. We have seen it produce almost 4.3 million private sector jobs.” But the approach is coming under some critical review -- not just from Republicans, and not just as a result of the flap over Obama's choice of words in describing the job creation on his watch.

Fifty years ago, in Brady vs. Maryland, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors have an obligation to turn over to defendants any evidence that might help prove their innocence or favorably change the outcome of their trials. Failure to do so, the court ruled, violates the Constitution's promise of due process of law. It was a landmark decision whose underlying principle seems both obvious and fundamental: A prosecutor's duty is not to win cases at all costs, but to seek justice.

PITTSBURGH - Andre Ethier doesn't know where he'll be batting in the lineup when the Dodgers open a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday. Or, for that matter, if he'll be playing at all. These days, nothing is certain for Ethier, who only a year ago was viewed as one of the team's centerpieces and signed to a five-year, $85-million contract extension. Not only is Ethier's short-term future now in question, his long-term future is too. The emergence of Yasiel Puig has led to widespread speculation in baseball circles that the Dodgers will attempt to trade Ethier in the near future.

[Updated, 10:56 a.m. June 7: SAN JOSE - President Obama on Friday morning held up California as an example of how his healthcare law will help consumers, citing the state's progress getting health insurers to offer better plans at affordable prices. “A lot of opponents of the Affordable Care Act … had all kinds of sky-is-falling, doom-and-gloom predictions that not only would the law fail, but what we would also see is costs would skyrocket,” the president told reporters at a stop in Silicon Valley.

Hundreds of firefighters were battling a brush fire Tuesday night that had charred 2,000 acres in Santa Barbara County and forced authorities to evacuate about 50 homes earlier in the day. The White fire raged out of control on a day when Southern California was buffeted by high winds as fire crews responded to other, smaller brush fires in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties. The White fire broke out Sunday in the Los Padres National Forest and flames quickly consumed brush, oak trees and chaparral, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Principal Steve Elwood enters the narrow passageway where nobody else at Lee Williams High School dares to go. He leans low to open a half-sized hallway door, leading the way into a musty windowless chamber the size of a small tomb. Light pours into the cramped space, illuminating the dust that rises from the gravel floor like at an exotic archaeological dig. Even though it's mid-May, there's an odd chill to the air. The room isn't used for anything, yet it was somehow included in the building plans for the new school.

Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. say they have satisfied their obligations to help troubled borrowers under last year's landmark mortgage settlement with state and federal officials. Another bank that signed the settlement, Wells Fargo & Co. said it is "90% of the way" to meeting its obligations, while Citigroup Inc. said it "remains committed to fulfilling the terms" while declining to characterize its progress. The self-reported information will not be credited officially until Joseph J. Smith Jr., the national monitor for the settlement, reviews the data.

Deaths of mothers giving birth in developing countries have dropped by nearly half since 1990, while deaths of children under 5 have fallen from 12 million to 7.6 million, according to a new report released Wednesday by the United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF). A few countries have made "spectacular progress" toward lowering death rates, but some others have made virtually no progress at all, according to the report, Building a Future for Women and Children, which was published under the auspices of the Countdown to 2015 Initiative.

Stocks rallied more than 1% in early trading Monday on optimism that President Obama and Congress would reach a deal to resolve a looming fiscal crisis at the end of the year. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 142 points, or 1.1%, to 12,730 shortly after the opening bell.  The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 20 points, or 1.4%, to 1,379. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, which entered into correction territory last week, gained 44 points, or 1.6%, to 2,898. After a week of declines last week, major U.S. indexes finished up 0.4% or more Friday after Obama and congressional leaders met at the White House about the so-called "fiscal cliff.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Proponents of fluoridating Portland's water supply had no trouble getting the local Urban League on board. Here in the biggest city in the country that still doesn't treat its water to prevent tooth decay, studies show that low-income children and kids of color have been hit hardest by untreated cavities. "Do we really want our children to be suffering from something we could prevent? Why would we not want to be involved?" said Jerome Brooks, an Urban League advocacy contractor who has helped marshal the civil rights group behind a fluoridation measure on Tuesday's municipal ballot.

The doctor-patient relationship at the center of the striking debut feature "Augustine" is modern for its time, the late 19th century. Yet it feels primitive, and not merely because of what we know about the period's scientific limitations. As told by filmmaker Alice Winocour, the story of neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and the teenage kitchen maid Augustine who became one of his most celebrated cases alternates between impenetrable Gothic shadow and dreamy Baroque light. It's a story of women's "hysteria," the catch-all term for mysterious symptoms like Augustine's, and a story of primal female power - debased, dissected and displayed.