While there isn't an option block Stories. We recommend stories we believe the viewer might be interested in based on a variety of signals such as watch history & likeliness. You may also remove recommended content by clearing watch & search history.
That's strange. For us to look into this further, could you send a feedback report with these steps: https://goo.gl/WdI0BK ? While every individual report may not get a direct response, we do review everything and use the details to investigate and fix issues. Thanks.