PLU evacuates indoor pool when swimmers notice ceiling cracks

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• Japan minister visits nuke plant amid safety worry

  Japan minister visits nuke plant amid safety worry

  Japan's environment and nuclear minister visited the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant on Saturday to inspect a spent fuel pool at the center of safety concerns and said it appeared to have been properly reinforced.

• SWIMMING: Younkin finishes second for Channel Cats

  SWIMMING: Younkin finishes second for Channel Cats

  FEDERAL WAY -- Tri-City Channel Cats swimmer Ashton Pollick won the boys 15-18 100-yard backstroke Friday at the Northwest Region 2012 Short Course Age Group Championships.

  Pollick was timed in 53.64 seconds, ahead of Billings Aquatic Club's Matthew Wehr (54.17). The Richland sophomore is no stranger to strong laps in the King County Aquatic Center pool: He won the B final of the 100 back during February's 4A high school state championships.

  In the boys 15-18 200 butterfly, Pollick faced fellow Mid-Columbia swimmer Brenden Eslick (Moses Lake). Eslick, competing for the Moses Lake Manta Rays, took third and Pollick sixth.

• Burst water pipe causes more than $100,000 damage for Meridian Middle School building

  Burst water pipe causes more than $100,000 damage for Meridian Middle School building

  LAUREL - It will cost more than $100,000 to repair a building at Meridian Middle School damaged when a water pipe burst over the weekend.

  "We are going to begin work right away to repair the damage," said Tim Yeomans, superintendent of the Meridian School District on Tuesday, Jan. 24, after talking to an insurance adjuster who said that the damage was in excess of $100,000.

  The pipe burst in the building's ceiling as a result of last week's frigid temperatures. The damage was discovered about 6:55 a.m. Monday.

• Safety groups urge swimming lessons for minorities

  Safety groups urge swimming lessons for minorities

  Safety advocates urging parents to be aware of swimming pool safety before the summer heats up also say more efforts are needed to teach black and Hispanic children to swim.

• Hanford, Richland divers left out of today's finale

  Hanford, Richland divers left out of today's finale

  WALLA WALLA -- In tight swimming meets, it can be diving that makes the difference.

  But when one team has diving and the other doesn't, it can make for quite the conundrum.

  In their CBBN 4A-3A regular-season finale today, Hanford (7-0) and Richland (6-1) will head to Walla Walla (6-0), but diving will be crossed off the event lineup because Walla Walla's home pool at Whitman College lacks a board. As a result, the Blue Devils don't have any divers on their squad.