Wally Amos, creator of Famous Amos Cookies, dies at 88, reports say

Wally Amos is shown in his home office in the Lanikai section of Kailua, Hawaii, in 2007. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni/File)

The founder of Famous Amos cookies has died.

According to the New York Times, Wallace “Wally” Amos died at the age of 88 on Tuesday from complications of dementia.

Shawn and Sarah Amos, two of his children, shared that he died in his Honolulu home.

Amos is survived by four children and his wife Christine Harris Amos.

No further immediate information was made available from the family.

Wally previously told the New York Times that he started baking as a hobby before opening the Famous Amos Cookie Company on Sunset Boulevard in 1975.

People reports that Wally’s cookies became known for their natural ingredients with his baking company making $300,000 in its first year while reaching $12 million in revenue in its first five years.

However, Wally ended up selling Famous Amos for $3 million in 1988 after reportedly running into financial troubles. He lost the use of his name and his image.

But Wally did not stay out of the kitchen, selling baked goods under other names such as Uncle Wally’s Muffins, the Cookie Kahuna, and most recently Aunt Della’s Cookies.

Before his baking days, Wally also reportedly worked at a talent agency for many years signing such superstar acts as Simon and Garfunkel and The Supremes.

Manufacturer recalls thousands of cans of formula due to elevated levels of vitamin D

The Perrigo Company is issuing a voluntary recall for its store brand Premium Infant Formula. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

A manufacturer has issued a voluntary recall for thousands of its infant formula cans after routine testing revealed excessive levels of vitamin D.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Perrigo Company issued the recall for 16,500 cans of store-brand Premium Infant Formula with Iron Milk-Based Powder.

The recall says the formula contains levels of vitamin D that are above the maximum level permitted.

The recall affects cans of formula that were shipped to H-E-B and CVS stores across 12 states.

Officials said the recalled product was sent to stores in New Jersey, Texas, Florida, California, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Missouri.

The formula sold at CVS carries the lot code T11LMXC with a use-by date of Nov. 11, 2025.

At H-E-B, the affected formula carries the lot codes T11LMXC with a use-by date of Nov. 11, 2025, and T09LMXC with a use-by date of Nov. 9, 2025.

Perrigo said it has notified both retailers to remove the product from their shelves and warehouses.

There have been no immediate reports of adverse reactions attributed to the elevated levels of vitamin D, company officials said.

According to the FDA, consuming excessive amounts of vitamin D is unlikely to cause adverse health implications for the majority of infants, but some could suffer health complications due to the recalled product.

According to the Mayo Clinic, infants under 12 months need 400 IU of vitamin D daily to support bone development.

If infants experience any symptoms while using the product, consumers have been urged to contact the FDA’s MedWatch program along with their healthcare provider.

Any further questions or concerns regarding the recall can be communicated to Perrigo Consumer Affairs at 1-800-538-9543.

Baby gorilla forced to find another family after mother rejects him after birth, zoo says

In a move to ensure a baby gorilla is raised by gorillas, the Woodland Park Zoo said it has made a critical decision to move its 1-month-old gorilla boy to another zoo. (Woodland Park Zoo)

Seattle

A gorilla born at a zoo in Washington state is getting relocated to another zoo to live with a surrogate mother and another family of gorillas.

According to the Woodland Park Zoo, first-time mother Akenji has rejected her new baby who was born on June 28.

Since the infant arrived, he has been cared for by humans.

“Because Akenji hasn’t shown any interest in caring for her baby, human intervention was necessary,” a spokesperson for the zoo shared.

Because further attempts to unite mom and baby have been unsuccessful, the animal care team said it has made “a critical decision” to move the 1-month-old gorilla boy to another zoo so he could be raised by a surrogate gorilla mom.

According to the animal care team, they tried to focus on training three adult female gorillas at Woodland Park to be surrogate mothers, but the “progress has not advanced fast enough.”

Now, staff has turned to the Gorilla Species Survival Plan, which keeps a list of potential surrogate mothers at accredited zoos and aquariums nationwide.

“We’re confident the infant will be placed in a great home, and we’ll share final details upon his safe arrival,” Martin Ramirez, interim senior director of animal care at Woodland Park Zoo, said.

Constantly being with a mom is natural for an infant gorilla, the zoo shared. It gives the infant confidence and a sense of security which are critical characteristics for a gorilla to live a healthy and social life.

The animal care team also said this is why raising a baby gorilla needs to be gorilla-centric from the start and it is imperative to socialize the infant with a surrogate mom and a gorilla family without further delay.

“While we hoped for a different outcome, this is the best decision for his long-term benefits and well-being,” Ramirez said.

Woman hopes to live dream of being homeowner after winning $1M on lottery scratch-off

The winning player, who has requested to remain anonymous, said her husband actually picked up the winning ticket as a gift for her. (Illinois Lottery)

Chicago

A lucky lottery player says they were shocked to discover their $25 scratch-off ticket turned into a $1 million.

According to the Illinois Lottery, a winning player, who has requested to remain anonymous, was given the winning ticket as a gift to her by her husband.

“My husband was on his way home from work and he knows I like crosswords and puzzles in general, so he bought me a $25 Diamond Crossword scratch-off lottery ticket,” the winner shared.

And that ticket ended up returning the $1 million scratch-off prize.

Lottery officials said the woman’s husband purchased the winning ticket at the Monee Tobacco store just outside of Chicago.

“The only people we’ve told so far are our kids,” the winner said. “Each of us had the same shocked reaction and didn’t believe we’d really won a million dollars.”

The lucky winner says they already know what they are going to do with the winnings.

“I’ve always dreamed of buying a house. It would be fabulous to finally say ‘We own this home.’ After taking care of a few other necessary purchases, choosing the perfect house for our family will be the top priority,” she said.

The Monee Tobacco store will also receive a selling bonus of $10,000.

Lottery officials said so far this year players have won more than $1 billion in prizes from Instant Ticket games.

‘One-of-a-kind’: Safari park welcomes rare baby albino alligator

Wild Florida, a wildlife and safari park, announced the hatching of a rare albino alligator. (Wild Florida)

Kenansville, Fla.

A wildlife and safari park in Florida announced the hatching of a rare albino alligator.

Representatives with Wild Florida said their Croc Squad team kept the albino eggs in an incubator and a climate-controlled room under careful watch.

“With the hard work and dedication of our Croc Squad, we worked together to produce one perfect healthy albino alligator hatchling this season,” Andrew Ayala on the Croc Squad said.

According to the animal team, it’s almost impossible to have albino gators reach maturity in the wild and they are dedicated to providing the best environment possible for the animal to thrive.

The albino gator hatchling is expected to make its debut at Wild Florida’s Gator Park after a month of maturity.

For now, guests can see the parents, Snowflake and Blizzard, in their exhibit or the Albino Gator encounter.

“We are most proud of the parents who continue to beat the odds and be a one-of-a-kind experience for guests,” Ayala said.

According to Wild Florida, it is proud to be the only attraction in the world with a successful albino alligator breeding program.