California Fires

As firefighters make progress in containing a Northern California wildfire that has become the deadliest in the state's recorded history, high winds are expected to fan the flames of another major fire burning further south (with an additional fire causing problems as well). The region remains under both a "critical" and "extreme" risk Tuesday with winds of up to 60 mph and gusts of more than 70 mph possible. The Camp Fire, which erupted in Northern California on Thursday, became the state's deadliest, killing 42 people thus far. The Woolsey Fire outside Los Angeles, which started Thursday and doubled in size overnight, has killed two people and burned nearly 100,000 acres. And the Hill Fire, which destroyed 4,500 acres in Ventura County, was 85 percent contained on Monday. President Donald Trump on Monday approved a request for a Major Disaster Declaration that will provide the state with federal resources. More than 52,000 people have been evacuated and 1,385 are in shelters due to the Camp Fire. It has scorched more than 117,000 acres of Northern California, and destroyed more than 7,000 structures, including 6,453 single-family residences. As of Monday night, it was about 30% contained. California officials are investigating two utility companies that reported incidents close in time and location to the start of the fires, which may have caused the fires. But the specific why and how is still unclear.

In Other News The National Constitution Center awarded the annual Liberty Medal to President George W. Bush and former first lady Mrs. Laura Bush for their commitment to veterans. Stan Lee, the Marvel Comics patriarch who helped usher in a new era of superhero storytelling -- and saw his creations become a giant influence in the movie business -- has died. He was 95. Lee and Marvel introduced such characters as Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men and Daredevil. After running a year-long competition that drew interest from hundreds of cities and a number of states, Amazon has reportedly chosen New York City and Northern Virginia to split duty as its second headquarters. The development projects, which could be announced as soon as Tuesday, promise to bring the cities a giant infusion of jobs and tax revenue, but are almost certain to draw fire from critics concerned about their impact on infrastructure and property values. The search began in September 2017 when Seattle-based Amazon said it would start accepting proposals for what quickly became known as HQ2. Amazon outlined several criteria for its second headquarters, such as proximity to a major airport and the ability to attract technical talent. It also wanted a suburban or urban area with more than 1 million people and access to mass transit. The company said the new facility would create as many as 50,000 jobs and cost at least $5 billion to build and operate. Kellogg may say goodbye to Famous Amos and Keebler cookies. The cereal maker said Monday that it is exploring a sale of its cookie and fruit snack businesses so it can focus on "core" parts of the company. Kellogg as listed such products as Cheez-Its, Club Crackers, Rice Krispies Treats and Pringles as its "power brands."