A heatwave that has baked Southern California in recent days is expected to begin easing on Monday, with relief and a noticeable drop in temperatures by the middle of the week, meteorologists said.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory this weekend, with Van Nuys hitting 94 degrees on Sunday, Riverside 96 and Palm Springs 108. Other mountain, inland and foothill areas were also expected to see triple-digit temperatures before the end of the day, the weather service said.

“We’re expecting that today should be the end of the peak,” said Kathy Hoxsie, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “We still have forecast of some hundreds across some of the interior valleys...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — White Sox prospect Nick Madrigal had the first four hits of his promising big league career, including two during a seven-run seventh inning, and Chicago beat the Kansas City Royals 9-2 on Sunday to finish a three-game sweep.

Yasmani Grandal added three RBIs and Nicky Delmonico two in support of right-hander Dylan Cease (1-1), who gave up a homer to Alex Gordon in the third inning but otherwise steered clear of trouble. Cease wound up allowing two runs and five hits over six innings in a solid bounce-back performance from a miserable start in Detroit.

Scott Barlow (1-1) took the loss for the Royals on a second straight terrible outing by their bullpen.

Madrigal, the fourth overall pick out of Oregon State in the 2018 draft, was called up ahead of the weekend ser...

BALTIMORE (AP) — Hanser Alberto doubled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, Renato Núñez and Pat Valaika homered, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

After the final out, the Orioles celebrated (with proper social distancing) their first series sweep since Aug. 27-29, 2018, against Toronto, and first against Tampa Bay since 2016.

Brandon Lowe homered for the Rays, who have dropped five straight to fall two games under .500 (4-6) for the first time since June 28, 2018 (39-41).

With the score 1-all in the seventh, Cedric Mullins reached on a bunt against Jalen Beeks (0-1). Chaz Roe entered and Mullins stole second before Alberto hit an opposite-field liner to right...

California’s first major wildfire of the year grew to more than 20,000 acres overnight after destroying one home, forcing thousands more to be evacuated and sending up a plume of smoke so massive that it generated its own winds, authorities said.

The Apple fire in Riverside County was burning up steep and rugged hillsides as it spread north and east toward the San Gorgonio Wilderness while continuing to threaten homes to the south. The fire had burned at least 20,516 acres and was 0% contained as of 6 a.m. Sunday.

The terrain is characterized by a web of narrow canyons and drainage channels, which “is creating this higher potential for extremely active fire behavior,” said Lisa Cox, fire information officer for the San Bernardino National Forest.

“What we saw yesterday was a perfec...

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout is expected to return to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday after missing four games to be with his wife and newborn son.

The three-time AL MVP is likely to play in Seattle at the start of a six-game road trip, Angels manager Joe Maddon said Sunday.

Trout missed his fourth straight game Sunday after his wife, Jessica, gave birth to their first child, Beckham Aaron Trout, on Thursday.

The Angels transferred Trout from the paternity list to the restricted list after the three-day time limit on the paternity list expired Sunday. Los Angeles is off Monday.

The Angels (3-6) lost two of their first three games without Trout. The MVP had seven hits and two walks in 28 plate appearances over LA’s first six games, hitting one homer with four RBIs.

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More AP ...

After Civic Center Park was closed to the public in April, Lincoln Park — the block across Broadway that had been declared a public health hazard back in January, then mitigated and reopened in early March — again began filling up with tents, just down the hill from the Colorado State Capitol.

On July 29, two days after Mayor Michael Hancock said that the homeless encampments “cannot persist,” Lincoln Park was swept. While Denver has said it supports setting up a safe camping site, none has been established thus far. Meanwhile, Lincoln Park is fenced off.

Says Harold:

Good, that was disgusting. That is not what represents Colorado.

Replies Alexandria:

Glad the eyesore is gone, but it doesn’t address the root of the problem.

Adds Jerri:

All it is doing is forcing the homeless t...

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A coalition of political parties in Venezuela led by U.S.-backed Juan Guaidó said Sunday that it won’t participate in upcoming congressional elections called by officials loyal to President Nicolás Maduro.

A group of 27 opposition parties rejected the Dec. 6 election as “fraud.”

The vote would determine control of the National Assembly led by Guaidó and the only branch of Venezuela’s government that Maduro doesn’t control.

“We will fight together to choose the fate of our country,” Guaidó tweeted Sunday. “Now we must mobilize our majority that desires to live with dignity. Together we’re going to beat the regime!”

The coalition has invited Venezuelans to unite behind a fresh push against what they call Maduro’s “dictatorship...

After days of protests over police brutality in Los Angeles County, a young sheriff’s deputy on the front lines reached out to her commander, reeling.

As a Black woman, she wanted to show solidarity with her community in grieving the brutal police killing of George Floyd. But as a law enforcement officer, she feared backlash from her peers if she were to take a knee.

“My comment to her was, if it’s genuine, if that’s how you feel, we’re not going to criticize you,” said Cmdr. April Tardy, who also is Black.

That personal conflict highlights the delicate duality of being a Black police officer in America during this moment of unrest.

In interviews, Black law enforcement leaders said they are uniquely equipped to understand the racism embedded in the criminal ...

A group of Pac-12 football players say they will not practice or play until their concerns about playing during the COVID-19 pandemic and other racial and economic issues in college sports are addressed.

The players posted a statement Sunday on The Players’ Tribune website and social media with the hashtag #WeAreUnited and sent out a press release. The release listed the names of 12 Pac-12 players from nine schools, including Oregon star safety Jevon Holland, and provided a statement from each one.

It says hundreds of players throughout the Pac-12 are concerned about the risks of COVID-19 and that the conference and NCAA lack transparency, uniformity and adequate enforcement infrastructure.

The Pac-12 on Friday released a revised football schedule for the upcoming season, which because...

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Sunday morning at 5:40 a.m. Pacific time less than a mile from San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake occurred four miles from Milpitas, Calif., eight miles from Fremont, Calif., and 10 miles from Santa Clara, Calif.

In the last 10 days, there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 4.9 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.

Even if you didn’t feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike...