• MEASLES OUTBREAK THAT BEGAN AT DISNEYLAND GROWS TO 87 CASES: LOS ANGELES (AP) — A measles outbreak that originated at Disneyland has grown to 87 cases.
The California Department of Public Health said Monday most of the infections — 73— are in California. The rest are in Arizona, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska and Mexico.
Measles has been spreading since an outbreak linked to visits to California Disney parks last month. Most of those infected were not vaccinated, and health officials have urged people to get the measles shot.
Measles is a contagious illness spread through the air by coughing and sneezing. It was largely eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but it can enter the country from abroad.
The U.S. experienced a record number of measles cases last year, with 644 infections reported from 27 states.
• LYFT CARS DOING AWAY WITH PINK FURRY MUSTACHE: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The pink mustache is out.
Ridesharing company Lyft has pulled the pink furry mustache that drivers display on the front of their cars and replaced it with a 5-inch-long pink “glowstache” that goes on the dashboard.
About 300 Lyft drivers on Monday formed a line that stretched three blocks from the company’s San Francisco headquarters while they waited to receive the new glow-in-the-dark mustache for their cars.
Lyft is one of several companies that allow customers to use a smartphone app to book and pay for rides in a private car.
• DECK COLLAPSE IN SAN FRANCISCO SERIOUSLY INJURES 3 PEOPLE: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Three people were treated for serious injuries after a deck collapsed during a birthday party in San Francisco.
The collapse happened about 5:30 p.m. Sunday at a home in the city’s Excelsior District.
People were outside taking pictures during the party when the railing gave way, dropping them roughly 20 feet to the concrete below.
Authorities say all three people sustained head injuries and one had a broken hip and arm.
A building inspector reported that the railing had rotted. The incident remains under investigation.
• GRASS FIRE NEAR SAN FRANCISCO OUT, EVACUATIONS CALLED OFF: PACIFICA (AP) — Residents have returned to their homes after firefighters contained a six-alarm grass fire south of San Francisco.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the fire was contained by 7:30 a.m. Monday, about four hours after it broke out in brush and vegetation on a street near Highway 1. At least five acres were charred.
Clyde Preston of the North County Fire Authority says about 80 to 90 homes in the Rockaway Beach area were evacuated. People have been allowed to return home.
Preston says the fire began in a heavily wooded area and was quickly whipped up by winds gusting up to 15 mph. About 50 firefighters battled the blaze, he said.
• HORSE GETS STUCK IN FENCE AT CALIFORNIA RESCUE FACILITY: ORANGEVALE (AP) — Rescue workers have euthanized a horse after it became stuck in a fence at a Northern California rescue facility.
Sacramento fire and animal rescue specialists responded to Ponyland in Orangevale around 6 a.m. Monday. The horse — a 1,500-pound mare named Opal — had gotten two of her hooves stuck in a metal fence inside her stall.
She was freed from the fence, but unable to stand on her own despite being raised with a mechanical lift and given oxygen and fluids.
The 17-year-old horse was administered a lethal injection and died a little past 12 p.m.
Ponyland owner Kimberly Hunter said she thinks the horse had been stuck for eight hours before fire officials arrived.
• CALIFORNIA DRAWS $3.2 BILLION IN FEDERAL HEALTH SUBSIDIES: SACRAMENTO (AP) — Californians received $3.2 billion in federal subsidies last year to help make health insurance more affordable.
The state announced the total Monday for the first time since the subsidies began in 2014 as part of the federal health overhaul. It showed that Californians who qualified for assistance spent $1.1 billion on premiums while the federal government contributed $3.2 billion.
That three-to-one ratio is consistent with national averages reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee says about 800,000 households received an average of $436 a month in premium subsidies. Between 85 and 88 percent of individuals who enrolled qualified for assistance.
The state is also starting to send out new tax reporting forms this week showing the premium assistance each household received.
