Walker

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.

I'm a lifelong Democrat and a career educator. So I'm predictably appalled by Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who has cut spending for schools and stripped teachers - and most of the state's public workers - of collective bargaining rights. But I'm also appalled by the recall campaign against Walker by Wisconsin Democrats, who Tuesday chose Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to run against Walker in a June 5 special election - a rematch of the 2010 contest. The recall epitomizes the petty, loser-take-all vindictiveness of contemporary American politics.

Re "Scavengers Show Us Who We Are," March 31. I too am a walker with a plastic bag . . . because I enjoy it. It's my alone time . . . no phones, nothing to distract me from the pleasure of being at one with the outdoors. Except garbage. Instead of just picking up recyclables, I pick up almost everything. Bottles, cans, cups, papers and lots of empty cigarette boxes. When people pass me by, they smile and tell me what a good deed I am doing. I'm always thinking to myself how easy it is. If every caring person picked up something (that some uncaring person threw out of their car windows)

MADISON, Wis. - When Tim Cullen returned to the Wisconsin state Senate after an absence of 24 years, he might have been an ideal bridge between the state's warring parties. A former three-term Democratic Senate majority leader, Cullen had left the Legislature in 1987 to become an influential Cabinet secretary under then-Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican. He won his election in 2010 with significant support from both parties, representing one of the state's bellwether regions.

Herschel Walker used to tell friends at the University of Georgia that he aspired to be considered one of the greatest athletes in history. "And not just in football," Walker recalled this week. Since running the Bulldogs to the 1980 national championship and winning the Heisman Trophy in 1982, Walker rushed for more than 13,000 yards in the USFL and NFL, then retired in 1997 with the second-most all-purpose yards in NFL history. During his pro football career, he also earned a spot on the 1992 Olympic two-man bobsled team, and won television's "Superstars" event three times.

When documentary filmmaker Lucy Walker smiles and says, "I can't complain my life isn't varied," she is not kidding. While most directors would be grateful to have one film in Sundance, Walker has two compelling works and they could not be more different. For "Countdown to Zero," a hair-raising exposé of the dangers of rogue nuclear weapons, she spent considerable time talking with world leaders like Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Tony Blair, F.W. de Klerk and Pervez Musharraf, "more presidents than I could keep track of."

A Ventura man who was hit by a train was in serious condition Wednesday. Silverio Romero, 66, was crossing the tracks in the 2000 block of Channel Drive about 7 p.m. Tuesday when an Amtrak approached, authorities said. The train sounded its horn, but Romero, who uses a walker, couldn't clear its path.

What a contrast between Walker and Norris--one has a happy nature that makes a physical flaw seem insignificant, while the other reveals the real disability of an unkind heart. JEAN LEE Westminster

John A. Walker Jr. feared that Soviet agents might kill Jerry A. Whitworth and him when Whitworth stopped stealing high-quality naval secrets and was thinking about quitting espionage, Walker testified Thursday. "I explained to him that in the field of espionage one doesn't play games with one's contacts," Walker said.

Testimony by FBI agents Monday in the trial of accused spy Jerry Whitworth revealed the cloak-and-dagger activities surrounding the capture of former Navy man John A. Walker Jr., the convicted Soviet spymaster that the prosecution says recruited Whitworth into espionage.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's easy victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary turns Wisconsin's recall election into a rematch -- a bitter, $80-million, four-week argument over whether voters will reaffirm, or reverse, the 2010 election. The campaign to unseat Republican Gov. Scott Walker -- only the third attempt to recall a governor in U.S. history -- has deeply and evenly divided the state. A poll released last week by Marquette University Law School showed Walker and Barrett neck and neck with only 4% of voters undecided.

LeRoy Walker, the first African American to lead the U.S. Olympic Committee and the first black man to coach an American Olympic team, died Monday in Durham, N.C. He was 93. Walker's death was confirmed by Scarborough & Hargett Funeral home, but no cause was given. The grandson of slaves, Walker led the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1992 to 1996, shepherding the Summer Games staged in his native Atlanta and leading the group when the 2002 Winter Olympics were awarded to Salt Lake City.

Despite its rather tiresome and typographically unwieldy title,ABC's "Don't Trust the B - in Apartment 23" is among the least raunchy of this year's super-sized batch of female-centric comedies. It is also one of the funniest, which should make a point about the tantalizing though too often abusive relationship between shock and humor, and also the comedic value of the word "vagina," which will never be as high as the various slang terms for the word "penis. " (It may just be a syllable thing.)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose campaign to limit the power of public employee unions aroused the ire of labor groups across the country, will face a recall election later this spring, the state's Government Accountability Board ruled Friday. The board, which enforces state election laws, voted 5-0 to order the election. The decision had been expected because the board had certified that there were more than enough petition signatures to force the vote. At stake will be Republican Walker's political future and that of Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, also a Republican.

I  go up to the Hollywood Hills for peace, solitude, hiking and walking my dogs. And Bronson Canyon is the best part of the hills. Minutes away from the Capitol Records building and studio lots is some of the most pristine native wilderness you will find along Griffith Park's 52 miles of fire roads and trails. The canyon path winds uphill from the Craftsman bungalows of Beachwood, through sprays of red-berried toyon, or California holly, the plant that gave Hollywood its name.

The gig: A 95-year-old sailor, inventor and entrepreneur, Stanley A. Dashew is probably best known for his invention of credit card embossing and imprinting machines in the 1950s that helped give birth to the plastic credit card industry. He has also invented other devices in such fields as shipping, mining and marine recreation. He personally holds 14 U.S. patents. Dashew and his late wife, Rita, were world travelers who supported efforts to strengthen international ties and promote peace.

Markel Walker's return to action was not enough as the Bruins fell to Louisiana State and former UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell, 58-41, at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Tuesday evening. LaSondra Barrett scored 18 points and had eight rebounds to lead the Tigers. Adrienne Webb added 13 for LSU. Poor second-half shooting and a season-high-tying 24 turnovers contributed to the Bruins' loss. Walker was the Bruins' leading scorer on the night with 11 points in her season debut.

Kara Walker's biting, sometimes humorous commentary on race and the antebellum South, as expressed through her art installations and videos, has secured her a place of international prominence. Slavery, exploitation, sexuality and how American history has typically dealt with such themes hold a place in nine of Walker's videos on display at the Hammer. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. On Sunday, videos will be screened continuously from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. And at 2 p.m., there will be a conversation with Walker and writer Hilton Als. Free.