Whether you are returning from a weekend getaway or cross-country road trip, experts with AAA shared tips outlining when motorists should hit the road to avoid peak traffic as people return home from their Labor Day vacations.

For drivers planning to return home on Monday, AAA advised them to hit the road any time before 10 a.m. as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. would be the “worst time to drive” home.

Motorists planning to return home on Tuesday should hit the road after 1 p.m. as 8 a.m. to noon are likely to be peak travel times for many commuters.

“Drivers should expect the most severe traffic jams before the holiday weekend as commuters mix with travelers,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a statement. “Monitoring traffic apps, local news stations, and 511 traveler information services may help drivers navigate around congestion and reduce driver frustration this Labor Day.”

In the event of any car troubles, AAA recommends drivers to:

• Pull as far over on the shoulder as safely possible to create more distance between your vehicle and passing traffic.
• Turn your hazard lights on so other drivers know you are there.
• Get to the nearest exit or stopping point if possible.
• Call for assistance
• Remain with your vehicle as long as it’s safe.
• Watch out for oncoming traffic when exiting your vehicle and avoid turning your back to traffic when possible.

This year, AAA expected millions of Americans to take domestic or international vacations to celebrate the end of the summer travel season

The Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect and the seizure of 43 pounds of crystal meth during a drug bust. 

According to LAPD Central Bureau Assistant Commanding Operations Officer Lillian L. Carranza, the Narcotics Enforcement Detail recovered the meth during a raid. 

The exact date and location of the raid were not disclosed. 

In addition to the drugs, police also recovered $11,000 in cash and a handgun. 

“In the past, this [would] be a seizure by [Los Angeles County District Attorney’s] Major Narcotics Division,” Carranza said in a post to X.  “These days, [it’s] so much more common…drug dealers come from other areas to [prey] on those addicted to drugs in Skid Row.” 

The identity of the person taken into custody was not released. 

More human remains have been found at the home of 62-year-old Redlands resident Michael Sparks, who was arrested on suspicion of murder last week in connection with an elderly couple reported missing out of Colton.  

Investigators with the Redlands Police Department on Sunday were in their fourth day of an extensive search of Spark’s property at the Olive Dell Ranch Nudist Resort when they recovered the additional remains.  

On Aug. 29, after police were tipped off about where the now presumed dead 73-year-old Stephanie Menard and 79-year-old Daniel Menard might be located, authorities attempted to locate Sparks at his home.  

The 62-year-old had barricaded himself with a rifle inside, prompting police to use a drone and then a battering ram to tear through the house.  

He was located in a cement bunker beneath the residence, the same location where a cadaver dog alerted police to bags stuffed with human remains.  

Authorities said Sparks attempted to take his own life moments before he was captured, but the rifle misfired.  

The Menards were last seen on Aug. 24 and reported missing the next day by a friend when they didn’t show up for church. Their abandoned vehicle was found about a half mile down from the RV Park.  

The Menards and Sparks had been neighbors for years. Other nearby residents told KTLA that the trio had an ongoing feud, and that Sparks never liked the couple.  

While authorities have yet to comment on how the alleged killings happened, others, like longtime friend and neighbor Irene Engkraf, have been asking their own questions. 

“If [Sparks] drove that car down there, how did he come from there all the way around and up that hill without anybody seeing or knowing who drove that car,” she told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson.

Authorities say they are continuing the work of positively identifying the remains found on Spark’s property as that of the Menards.  

It remains unclear if the additional human remains found on the property Sunday may be another victim or victims.