Public honors late John Dingell, longest-serving congressman

DEARBORN, Mich. – Dozens of John Dingell’s former constituents lined up Monday at a performing arts center in suburban Detroit to pay their respects to the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history, passing his flagcovered coffin and offering condolences to his wife and family. Dingell’s casket was in a ballroom at the center in Dearborn. Outside the room, mourners viewed photos of his life and 59-year career in Congress. He died last week at 92, four years after retiring from the House.

SEATTLE – Schools closed across Washington state and the Legislature canceled all hearings Monday as snow and ice storms pummeled the Northwest again, with more winter storms predicted for areas that typically experience very rainy winters but little snow. Seattle’s metro area has already been hit by three snowstorms this month, and the National Weather Service reports that Seattle-tacoma International Airport has received 14.1 inches of snow so far in February. The latest storm to hit Seattle dumped 2 to 4 inches of snow.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The faraway space snowman visited by NASA last month has a surprisingly flat – not round – behind. New photos from the New Horizons spacecraft offer a new perspective on the small cosmic body 4 billion miles away. The two-lobed object, nicknamed Ultima Thule, is actually flatter on the backside than originally thought, according to scientists. When viewed from the front, Ultima Thule still resembles a two-ball snowman. But from the side , the snowman looks squashed.

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Palestinians on Monday called on Arab nations to boycott or downgrade their representation at a Mideast summit cohosted by the United States, as President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Saudi Arabia discuss “the dangers facing the Palestinian cause.” The conference in Poland is widely seen as a U.s.-led effort to isolate Iran, which was not invited. The Palestinians cut off contact with the Trump administration after it recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017.