LAT

The anointed difference maker between the Ducks who lost to the eventual-champion Kings in the playoffs last season and this year's version is Anaheim center Ryan Kesler. - LAT

Contemplating the possibility that there might be a downside to Blake Griffin's return seemed like a silly endeavor. - LAT

A number of Los Angeles County Fire Department employees could lose their jobs or face lesser punishment as part of a crackdown on cheating in the agency's hiring process, Fire Chief Daryl Osby said Wednesday. - LAT

The Big Four of men's tennis were all at it on the same day and the same place Wednesday. Fans at Indian Wells, for the BNP Paribas Open, undoubtedly were looking for excellence and dominance. - LAT

FBI agents and members of an informal task force are investigating whether Robert Durst may be responsible for other unsolved slayings in the various locales where he resided, according to a law enforcement source. - LAT

The U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, returned to work Thursday, two weeks after a knife-wielding assailant attacked him at a forum in Seoul. - LAT

Timea Bacsinszky is a tennis player who is virtually unknown outside of those women who go around the world with her on the WTA traveling road show. - LAT

The Clippers won their second game in a row, beating the Sacramento Kings, 116-105, on Wednesday during the second night of back-to-back games. - LAT

Two civil rights groups sued the city of Fullerton on Wednesday, saying the college town's at-large voting system shuts out Asian Americans. - LAT

M.J. Cage and K.J. Smith are the sons of former NBA players. They know how to perform when the lights come on and the crowds get big. And they were at their best Wednesday night in helping Santa Ana Mater Dei knock off No. 1-seeded Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 65-59, in a semifinal game of the... - LAT

Glendale police are launching a program that would help officers quickly locate people with cognitive disorders who are reported missing by family members or loved ones. - LAT

SACRAMENTO — It was almost a throwaway line amid more pressing concerns, but Coach Doc Rivers made sure to mention it during a recent practice. - LAT

A pregnant Colorado woman was attacked Wednesday and had her baby cut from her body after being lured to another woman's home by a Craigslist ad for baby clothes, police said. - LAT

A low-pressure storm system sweeping through Southern California brought rain, scattered thunderstorms and some hail late Wednesday as officials warned of possible floods and dangerous road conditions. - LAT

M.J. Cage is growing up before everybody's eyes, and Mater Dei is the beneficiary. - LAT

Britain may be famous for preserving its royal DNA, but a genetic analysis of the nation is providing new insights into the "story of the masses," according to scientists. - LAT

Reggie Bush is returning to the West Coast. - LAT

Sixteen years ago a prominent Republican stopped me on the street to complain that his party was in denial. It was falling fast, he said, with little hope. - LAT

As student protesters interrupted Wednesday morning’s UC regents meeting, university President Janet Napolitano had a tart reaction that she probably thought was private. - LAT

Lindsey Vonn added another crystal globe to her collection by claiming the season-long downhill title on Wednesday, winning the last race in the discipline at the World Cup finals at Meribel, France. - LAT

Several people were shot in a restaurant in the city of Goteborg late Wednesday and at least two of them have died, Swedish police said. - LAT

Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes - LAT

Television producer Jill Blackstone was released from custody Wednesday after her arrest in connection to the death of her deaf, partially blind sister, authorities said. - LAT

Joe Arpaio, the outspoken Arizona sheriff who often touted his get-tough approach to combating illegally immigration, has admitted that he violated a federal judge’s orders to stop detaining people simply because of a suspicion they may be in the country illegally. - LAT

Nelson Agholor decided to forgo his senior season at USC to make himself available for the NFL draft, but the receiver left his mark. - LAT

After listening to seven hours of doomsday predictions, state water officials agreed Wednesday to look at how to solve one of California’s largest but often ignored environmental problems: the deterioration of the Salton Sea. - LAT

Virginia's governor has ordered an investigation into a black University of Virginia student's arrest after photos and video of the student's bloodied face went viral on social media. - LAT