Fire kills three in apartments

BURIEN - Fire swept through an apartment complex in suburban Seattle early yesterday, killing three people and displacing about 50 residents. The fire destroyed one building and heavily damaged another. The cause was under investigation. (AP)

SEATTLE - Driving with one hand on the wheel and the other on a cellphone is no longer an option for drivers in Washington. Tomorrow, they join more than 28 million others nationwide who have to hang up their cellphones or use hands-free devices. Violators can face a $124 ticket. California, New York, and New Jersey have similar laws. (AP)

JASPER - Four people were killed yesterday when a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff about 40 miles north of Birmingham, the county sheriff's office said. The cause was not determined. The twin-engine Beechcraft BE-55 bound for the Alabama coast went down about 8 a.m. in woods near the Walker County Airport. The victims were identified as car dealer Bobby and Jan Crump, and their son, Matthew, a University of Alabama student. Lauren Brue, 19, of Iowa, was also killed. (AP)

STARKE - Florida's new three-drug procedure for lethal injections could be tested tomorrow when executioners put a condemned man to death for the first time since a botched execution. Mark Dean Schwab, 39, is scheduled to die exactly 16 years after he was sentenced for the murder and rape of an 11-year-old boy. Officials say they have resolved problems with the 2006 execution of Angel Diaz, when the lethal chemicals went into his muscles instead of his veins, delaying his death for 34 minutes. (AP)

AUSTELL - A 17-year-old male was decapitated by a roller coaster after he entered a restricted area Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said. Six Flags officials are uncertain why the teen from Columbia, S.C., scaled two 6-foot fences and passed signs that said the restricted area was dangerous. (AP)

NEW YORK - The governors of New York and Oregon are doing fine after surgeries Saturday. Governor David Paterson, 54, of New York, who is legally blind, had a cataract removed and resumed his schedule yesterday. Governor Ted Kulongoski, 68, of Oregon, had his gall bladder removed. He is expected to make a full recovery. (AP)