Spring

Looking toward Tokyo this spring, summer or fall? Malaysia Airlines is offering an LAX-to-Tokyo round-trip fare for $672 that includes all taxes and fees. Under the terms of the special, departure must be made by May 1, or between Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. The deal, which is subject to availability, must be bought by April 26. Info at Malaysia Airlines Source: Airfarewatchdog.com Follow us on Twitter @latimestravel and like us on Facebook

Overanalyze stormed down the home stretch to pull away and win the $1-million Arkansas Derby on Saturday at Hot Springs, Ark. The colt, trained by Todd Pletcher , trailed with a second group for much of the race before charging ahead after the final turn in the 1 1/8-mile race. Overanalyze overcame the lead pack and held off Frac Daddy and Carve to earn Pletcher his third win in the Kentucky Derby prep race, his first since winning back-to-back Arkansas Derby races in 2000 and 2001.

Justin Miller is executive chef of Pizzeria Ortica in Newport Beach. Miller, born and raised in Orange County, describes his approach to cooking as "relaxed," a good fit for the rustic Italian cooking at David Myers' restaurant, where much of the cooking is done in a wood-burning oven. Miller once served as chef of a cruise ship that led professional surfers from San Diego to Panama in search of the best waves. He's also cooked at Mastro's Steakhouse in Santa Ana and Dolce in Newport Beach.

  2 hours. Serves 6 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 1/2 to 2 ounces rinds from Parmigiano-Reggiano Herb trimmings Salt 2 dozen asparagus tips 1/2 pound sugar snap peas Goat cheese ravioli or fresh pasta squares 2 tablespoons chopped chives 1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1. In a soup pot, simmer the chicken broth, water, garlic, Parmesan rinds and herb...

USC concluded spring practice Saturday with a Coliseum scrimmage devoid of tackling. This time, however, it was by executive order, not defensive shortcomings. With 20 players sidelined because of injuries, and the Trojans especially thin at tight end and receiver, Coach Lane Kiffin said "there just weren't enough bodies out there. " So fans in the stadium and those watching on television saw the Trojans finish workouts with what amounted to a glorified passing drill designed to avoid injuries.

UCLA is still going through the process of finding a running back, or running backs, to fill the void left by Johnathan Franklin. That chore could be a bit easier a year from now. Rushel Shell, who is leaving Pittsburgh and looking at other schools, attended the Bruins' practice Saturday, getting the A-list treatment. That included a conversation with Franklin, who gained 1,700 yards last season and is awaiting the NFL draft. "He was telling me about the program - how it's about to take off," said Shell, who gained 641 yards rushing as a freshman at Pittsburgh in 2012.

The competition to replace Matt Barkley as USC's starting quarterback will not end Saturday in the Trojans' final spring scrimmage at the Coliseum. But Max Wittek, Cody Kessler and Max Browne are looking forward to making lasting impressions. Trojans Coach Lane Kiffin has not classified them in any order - "They're all in there," he said - and no major change is expected when Kiffin releases a depth chart Monday. Still, the quarterbacks' performances will enable USC fans to begin forming opinions as the Trojans head into summer.

A spring storm that hit Colorado on Tuesday was not as strong as predicted but still powerful enough to bring highway-clogging snowfall to the Denver area, cause the cancellation of hundreds of flights and deliver blizzard conditions in some regions. Wyoming took the brunt of the snowstorm as the cold front dawdled over that state rather than barrel through Colorado. More than a foot of snow fell in from Laramie to Lander, more than expected. Originally, the National Weather Service was predicting a sizable snow accumulation in Denver, but predictions were revised downward in the area from more than 12 inches to about half that.

The calendar says it's spring, but that doesn't mean snow season has ended, based on a blizzard warning from the National Weather Service for parts of Colorado. The temperatures in the Denver area was expected to reach the high 60s on Monday but drop rapidly in the evening. By the early hours of Tuesday, it will be cold enough to turn rain into snow, with accumulations of two to four inches expected, the weather service said. “The National Weather Service in Pueblo has issued a blizzard warning ... which is in effect from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. MDT Tuesday,” the service said  on its website.

Despite predictions by federal officials that deep budget cuts would lead to long wait times at the nation's airports, airline on-time performance did not change significantly during the busy spring break period. But the cuts brought about by the so-called sequestration did force government agencies to slash travel spending by as much as 30% in March, lowering revenue for the nation's airlines. When a budget battle between Congress and the Obama administration boiled over in February, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano predicted that job furloughs and cuts in overtime pay to airport screeners and customs officers would result in gridlock and airport wait times growing by an hour or more.