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LOS ANGELES — Seventy-four-year-old Viktor Vasyliev — arms outstretched and smiling broadly — greeted Raul Villagra and his wife, Cristina Araya, with a warm embrace.

After a winter of punishing but indecisive battles, Ukraine is preparing a long-promised spring offensive that officials hope will change the course of the war against Russia.

LOS ANGELES — In a building with a green-tiled roof on Hill Street, most of the old men and women shuffling mah-jongg tiles and sipping jasmine tea shared a surname — Lee.

OAKLAND, Calif. — First it was rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Then it was Mike Trout. And, of course, Shohei Ohtani. Three homers that tallied six runs of support of a stellar start for Tyler Anderson.

WILLIAMS, Calif. — Breathing in the rain-scrubbed air and absorbing the splendor of Topanga Creek, as it danced and pooled before her eyes, Rosi Dagit had to smile.

WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Inside an evacuation center at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Maria Adolfo-Morales and a disaster service volunteer listened to a woman describe her concerns in the Mixteco language.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The snow is melting in the San Bernardino Mountains after eight to 12 feet of powder fell in back-to-back winter storms last month.

LOS ANGELES — Ahead of the first matchup between Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner in almost five years, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts predicted the showdown would “bring out the best” in the two decorated left-handers.

NEW ORLEANS — When the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard in a landmark free-agency acquisition four years ago, the significance was obvious for all to see. A franchise beleaguered by a woeful record in high-stress moments now had their stone-faced closer, a two-time NBA Finals most valuable player whose pulse seemed…