Associated Press stories, Page 2553

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance claims from California’s deadly November 2018 wildfires have topped $11.4 billion, making the series of fires one of the most expensive in state history, officials said Monday. More than $8 billion of those losses are from the fire that leveled the town of Paradise, killing 86...

SEATTLE — A Washington state baker is apologizing for a politically charged Valentine’s Day cookie that generated an uproar on social media. KING-TV reports that Ken Bellingham, who owns Edmonds Bakery, has gotten phone calls from frustrated customers about the heart-shaped cookie with “Build that Wall” in frosting letters. The...

MILWAUKEE — Heavy snow and powerful wind created blizzard-like conditions Monday across parts of the Midwest, prompting officials to cancel about 1,000 flights at Chicago’s airports and close hundreds of schools. But forecasters warned the most dangerous weather is yet to come: frigidly low temperatures that the region hasn’t seen...

INDIANAPOLIS — Kicker Adam Vinatieri has signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts. General manager Chris Ballard announced Friday the two sides had agreed to terms on a new deal. Vinatieri made it official with his signature Monday, then told reporters he was glad the process went smoothly and...

ORLANDO, Fla. — A 30-year-old orca has died at SeaWorld’s Orlando park. SeaWorld officials say Kayla died Monday after a brief illness. SeaWorld officials say a cause of death won’t be known until a post-mortem examination is conducted. Kayla began showing signs of discomfort on Saturday, and veterinarians began treating...

WASHINGTON — The federal government shutdown will cause slight permanent harm to the economy — about $3 billion — according to a report Monday by the Congressional Budget Office. The report says the five-week shutdown has slowed growth in the near term but that most of the lost growth “will...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Pro Bowl center Alex Mack rattled off all he does before the snap: Checks for blitzes, keeps an eye on the play clock, makes blocking adjustments and communicates all the changes to everyone else. All that happens in seconds — with 300-pound defenders a few inches away...

STOWE, Vt. — A Vermont ski resort says more than 150 skiers and snowboarders were evacuated off of a chairlift that got stuck. Stowe Mountain Resort spokesman Jeff Wise says the Lookout Double lift stopped operating about 10:30 a.m. Sunday due to an electrical issue. Mychampaignvalley.com reports Mount Mansfield Ski...

HAVANA — A tornado and pounding rains smashed into the eastern part of Cuba’s capital overnight, toppling trees, bending power poles and flinging shards of metal roofing through the air as the storm cut a path of destruction across eastern Havana. Power was cut to many areas and President Miguel...

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis has sought to lower expectations from his big sex abuse prevention summit next month. Francis told reporters returning from Panama on Sunday that he wants the Feb. 21-24 meeting to essentially be a catechism class for bishops about sex abuse. He said he...

LONDON — Officials say a rare red panda is safe and sound, a day after it escaped from Belfast Zoo in Northern Ireland. The animal went missing on Sunday, and Belfast City Council had urged members of the public to report any sightings to the zoo. The council said Monday...

CHICAGO — Experts say that U.S. companies are increasingly navigating delicate conversations with employees suffering from cognitive declines as the American workforce ages. Workers experiencing early stages of dementia may struggle with tasks they’ve long completed without difficulty. Historically punctual employees may forget about scheduled meetings. And those who have...

NEW YORK — The U.S. Postal Service is honoring entertainer Gregory Hines with a Black Heritage Series stamp. Acting chief postal inspector Gary Barksdale will host the first day of issue ceremony Monday at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York. Hines, who was known for his unique style...

SEBRING, Fla. — Residents in a small Florida city gathered Sunday and held a vigil to honor the five women killed in a SunTrust branch mass shooting. People lit flashlights and cell phones instead of candles to honor the victims because heavy rain in Sebring pushed the vigil to an...

SAN DIEGO — Justin Rose missed a short birdie putt that felt like another bogey. His three-shot lead was down to one through six holes of the Farmers Insurance Open, and the biggest battle was trying not to panic. That’s when he scratched a line on his scorecard after six...

WARSAW, Poland — The world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday amid a revival of hate-inspired violence and signs that younger generations know less and less about the genocide of Jews, Roma and others by Nazi Germany during World War II. As survivors of Auschwitz marked the 74th anniversary...

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department on Sunday announced it was lifting sanctions on three companies connected to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. The move comes despite an effort in Congress to block the action with many lawmakers concerned that the Trump administration is not being tough enough on Russian President Vladimir...

ATLANTA — The Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots are bringing two of the top scoring offenses in the NFL to the Super Bowl. The reason they have played so well has a lot to do with the big guys playing up front. Los Angeles had the same offensive...

OAKLAND, Calif. — Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Sunday that those in power are trying to turn people against each other, which she says is “not our America.” Harris, a first-term U.S. senator from California who announced her candidacy last Monday, rallied supporters outside City Hall in Oakland, her...

MINNEAPOLIS — A winter storm pushing across the Upper Midwest is expected to dump more than a foot of snow in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The National Weather Service reports blizzard conditions Sunday in parts of eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Officials have issued a travel alert for...

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Pro Bowl long has been considered a laughable representation of the NFL game. It reached a new level of comedy Sunday as several players swapped positions. Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey caught a touchdown pass in the final minute, capping a dominate performance for the AFC...

BRUMADINHO, Brazil — Brazilian officials on Sunday resumed the search for hundreds of missing people in the wake of a massive dam collapse, with firefighter crews returning to mud-covered areas after a several-hour suspension over fears that a second dam was at risk of breach. Authorities evacuated several neighborhoods in...

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University’s medical school has issued an apology and launched a review after an administrator admonished students over speaking Chinese in a school building. Megan Neely, who served as graduate studies director in the biostatistics master’s program, wrote an email Friday urging students to “commit to using...

LAS VEGAS — Wayne Newton dropped out of high school his junior year to perform with his brother at a Las Vegas hotel. It was 1959, and he was too young to spend his breaks at the casino and too broke to eat dinner there. Six decades later — with...

NEW YORK — Matthew McConaughey notched one of the worst debuts of his career, Oscar nominees saw only modest bumps and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” easily remained No. 1 on a quiet weekend in movie theaters. The weekend’s two new wide releases — McConaughey’s tropic noir “Serenity” and the updated...