Briefly

Los Angeles: Fifth person dies in apartment crash

A fifth person was confirmed dead Sunday in the wreckage of an apartment building that was hit by a single-engine airplane.

Coroner’s Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said the latest confirmed victim had been riding in the six-seat plane, like three of the victims discovered earlier. The other victim was believed to be a third-floor resident of the building.

By Sunday all 17 people believed to have been inside the 15-unit building had been accounted for, but investigators continued to hunt for clues as to what caused the plane to crash Friday afternoon, minutes after it took off from Santa Monica Airport.

The plane plunged through the roof of the three-story building and crashed down two stories into the garage, where the pilot’s body was found on top of a car next to the cockpit.

Wisconsin: Monkeypox confirmed in prairie dog outbreak

Tests have confirmed that four people in Wisconsin contracted the monkeypox virus after coming into close contact with pet prairie dogs, marking the first time the disease has been discovered in the Western Hemisphere, health officials said Sunday.

The findings at least partially confirm that monkeypox has caused an outbreak of rashes, fevers and chills in people across the upper Midwest since early May. Monkeypox is a viral infection that is related to smallpox.

Twenty-eight people in three states are suspected of suffering from the virus.

The outbreak stems from a batch of prairie dogs that came from a pet distributor in suburban Chicago. It was there that the prairie dogs may have been infected with monkeypox by a Gambian rat — a rodent indigenous to African countries.

Arizona: Wildfire doubles to nearly 2,000 acres

A wildfire in a national forest in eastern Arizona has burned 1,900 acres in steep and rocky terrain that has made the blaze difficult to contain.

The fire in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest about 15 miles south of Alpine wasn’t threatening any structures, and no injuries were reported. No estimate was available on when crews would contain the fire.

“It could be a matter of weeks rather than days, because of the ruggedness of the terrain,” said Gail Aschenbrenner, a fire information officer.

Fourteen fire crews and several helicopters battled the blaze. Firefighters also were trying to protect threatened and endangered species in the area, such as Mexican gray wolves and Mexican spotted owls.

Washington, D.C.: Christian groups plan voter registration drive

The Christian Coalition and two other conservative Christian groups are planning what they hope will be a huge voter registration drive in anticipation of next year’s elections.

The coalition, along with the National Pro-Life Religious Council and the antiabortion rights group Priests for Life, have announced four “National Christian Voter Registration Sundays” that will target millions beginning June 15.

The coalition, which says it has 2 million supporters, said the groups are contacting thousands of churches around the country, urging them to place and advertise voter registration forms in their worship spaces.