13-year-old drowns while swimming
A 13-year-old boy drowned Sunday while swimming in the Okanogan River.
The boy was with two other children and an adult at the river about 5 1/2 miles south of Oroville, Wash., when he began to have difficulties and went under about 12:30 p.m., said the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.
The adult and other two children lost sight of the boy as he went under and then called authorities.
The Sheriff’s Office responded, along with fire and emergency crews from Tonasket, Oroville, and the Washington State Game Department.
Divers located the boy’s body about 3 p.m. where he was last seen on the river, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The boy’s name was not released.
– Sara Leaming
Spokane County
Two children injured in SUV collision
Two children were injured Sunday in a two-vehicle crash north of Spokane.
The children were passengers in a small sport utility vehicle westbound on Country Homes Boulevard about 3 p.m. when it collided with another sport utility vehicle traveling southbound on Division, Spokane police said. The SUV carrying the children flipped onto its side upon impact.
The two children received minor cuts and bruises and were taken to the hospital as a precaution, while the driver and another child were not injured, said Spokane police Officer Gordon Grant.
The driver and the passenger in the other vehicle were not injured. It was unclear who was at fault or whether any citations would be issued.
The intersection was blocked for about an hour while crews worked to clear the overturned vehicle.
– Sara Leaming
Tonasket, Wash.
Single-prop plane crashes, killing two
Two California women were killed Saturday night when their single-prop plane crashed during landing at the Tonasket, Wash., airport.
It appeared that the plane, a 1966 Mooney M20E, was attempting to land about 9:30 p.m. when the aircraft went off the end of the runway and burst into flames, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office reported in a press release. The plane had landed at the Oroville airport earlier, and then took off for Tonasket, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Killed were the pilot, 78, and the passenger, 73. Their identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin, an Okanogan County dispatcher said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting an investigation.
– Sara Leaming
Boise
BSU football star gets married
Ian Johnson, a star running back for Boise State who proposed to his girlfriend on national television after scoring the winning points in the Fiesta Bowl, tied the knot on Saturday.
Johnson and Chrissy Popadics were married at Cathedral of the Rockies. As they drove away in a stretch limosine, Johnson kissed his new wife and said, “Let’s play ball,” the Idaho Statesman reported.
Johnson, 21, from San Dimas, Calif., ran into the end zone on a so-called “Statue of Liberty” play to score the winning two-point conversion as underdog BSU beat the Oklahoma Sooners 43-42 in overtime Jan. 1.
– Associated Press