Articles by Mark Thiessen and Jocelyn Gecker

Associated Press

Storm Battering Western Alaska Caused Widespread Flooding

A powerful storm sweeping north through the Bering Strait on Saturday caused widespread flooding in several western Alaska coastal communities, knocking out power and sending residents fleeing for higher ground. The force of the water moved some homes off their …

California Extending Indoor Mask Mandate Until Mid-February

California’s indoor mask mandate was extended into mid-February to help prevent the astonishing spike in coronavirus cases from overwhelming hospitals but the state’s health director said Wednesday additional restrictions are not being considered. The fast-spreading omicron variant of COVID-19 is …

Aftershocks From M6 Earthquake Rattle California, Nevada

Aftershocks have hit the region between Northern California and Nevada Friday after a magnitude 6 earthquake sent large boulders rolling into highways and knocked smaller items off shelves. The quake shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday was centered south of Lake …

90% of California Can Dine Indoors, Go to Movies, Gym

A year after the pandemic forced California to shut down, about 90% of the state’s nearly 40 million residents can enjoy a restaurant meal indoors, watch a movie in a theater and sweat it out inside a gym after more …

Data Privacy Law Expansion Approved by California Voters

In the state that is home to Silicon Valley and serves as the headquarters for Google, Facebook and other tech titans, voters strengthened data privacy protections by approving a ballot measure that supporters tout as a model for other states. …

Women Accuse Opera Star Domingo of Sexual Harassment Over Decades

For decades, Placido Domingo, one of the most celebrated and powerful men in opera, has tried to pressure women into sexual relationships by dangling jobs and then sometimes punishing the women professionally when they refused his advances, numerous accusers told …

Report Details Death, Panic in Deadly Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire

Voices screamed out, “Fire!” Suddenly, the lights went out and it got harder to breathe. Many of the 36 people killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland huddled together in the dark, and that’s where they died of …