Partner sorry about deadly blazeOAKLAND, Calif. — The longtime partner of the founder of a ramshackle Oakland artists’ colony where dozens of people burned to death in a fire last month says she’s sorry about what happened but is angry about what she called “pretty terrible” treatment by the media and ex-neighbors.Micah Allison, the partner of Derick Ion Almena, the Ghost Ship warehouse’s master tenant, attended a city council meeting Monday night at which the lawmakers reviewed ways to protect tenants and temporarily stop evictions from unpermitted live and work spaces.Flames tore through the building, known as the “Ghost Ship,” during a dance party Dec. 2.The cluttered warehouse had been converted to artists’ studios and illegal living spaces, and former denizens said it was a death trap of piled wood, furniture, snaking electrical cords and only two exits.It was the most lethal building fire in the U.S. in more than a decade.At Monday’s meeting, Allison said: “The main thing I wanted to say is how sorry I am for what happened on Dec. 2. I wish that more had been done before, because we carry a really heavy weight on our shoulders right now.”

Singer apologizes for Trump postingNASHVILLE, Tenn. — A gospel singer is apologizing to her fans after posting an image on her social media account suggesting that Jesus was returning to the White House under President Donald Trump.Vicki Yohe, known for her song “Because of Who You Are,” posted the meme on Instagram on Saturday, but then removed it after getting flooded with criticism from fans.She posted a note Monday on Facebook saying she did not mean to imply that former President Barack Obama was not a Christian. She wrote that she was wrong and regrets it.

Dentist fined $1.1M for false billingTRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey dentist has been fined $1.1 million by the federal government for assuming the identity of a dead colleague and submitting fraudulent Medicaid bills after losing his license.Roben Brookhim, 58, also accepted a 50-year exclusion from participating in any federal health care programs for masterminding the long billing scheme.Federal authorities say Brookhim started billing the government under the name of deceased dentist John Kirkland Jr. after his own license was revoked in 2004.The settlement, announced Monday, resolves the Short Hills man’s civil obligations for his actions.