2 PLU students die in car accident

Tacoma

Pacific Lutheran University has reported that two PLU students, one of them a player on the school's football team, were killed in a car accident near Brewster, Okanogan County, on Friday night.

They are Jocelyn Denham and Brady Freeman, a junior offensive lineman. Freeman's twin brother, Boone Freeman, a junior offensive lineman at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, was critically injured in the crash.

Anchorage

Fishing-boat death is investigated

The Coast Guard is investigating the death of a man on board a Seattle-based fishing boat.

The 39-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was repairing a suspected gas leak Thursday night on the Zenith as the vessel was about 72 miles southeast of False Pass in the Aleutian Islands.

Other crew members found the man unconscious. Attempts to resuscitate him failed.

The Zenith is owned by Jubilee Fisheries.

Poulsbo

Driver perishes in fiery crash

A driver died in a single-car crash outside Poulsbo early Saturday when a late-model Mazda slammed into a tree and burst into flames, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office reported.

Authorities did not release the identity of the driver, who was killed at the entrance to the Foss Corner electrical power substation in the 22600 block of Stottlemeyer Road Northeast.

Authorities reported the car was going at a high rate of speed, and the driver appeared to have lost control and overcorrected.

The car fire spread to the trees and was put out by the Poulsbo Fire Department.

Yakima

Damage on crops from cold assessed

Reports of crop damage caused by freezing temperatures have grabbed the attention of Gov. Christine Gregoire, who may seek a proclamation offering growers low-interest loans.

A five-day cold snap that ended Monday damaged cherry, apple, pear and asparagus crops in the Yakima Valley. Some growers reported seeing entire apple or cherry crops destroyed.

In an announcement Friday, Gregoire said her staff will be assessing the damage this week to make recommendations on possible relief to affected growers.

"Right now, the damage does not appear widespread but may be significant in isolated areas," Gregoire said in a news release. "Growers are telling us they need a few days of warmer weather before they will know the real extent of the damage."

Abbotsford, B.C.

Church floor gives way; many injured

The floor of a church filled with about 1,000 teens collapsed during a concert Friday, injuring dozens.

The youths were at the Central Heights Church to hear the Christian rock band Starfield when a large area in front of the stage gave way, police said.

Investigators were trying to determine what caused the collapse. The hole was about 22 feet wide, said Casey Vinet, of the Abbotsford police.

The local health authority said more than 40 people were treated at hospitals for injuries that included bruises and broken bones.

Two people were transported to hospitals in Vancouver, and police confirmed one of them, a 41-year-old woman, suffered critical injuries.

Pastor Chris Douglas says the concert was organized by a private promoter, and similar events had been held there without problems.

Seattle Times staff and news services