Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON STATE : Arson Causes $80,000 Damage to Church

An arson fire caused about $80,000 worth of damage to a black church, authorities said. There were signs of forced entry through a window of the Pleasant Hills Missionary Baptist Church in Graham, a rural community 38 miles south of Seattle, said Curt Benson of the Pierce County sheriff’s office. More than 40 predominantly black churches, mainly in the South, have been hit by fires in the past 18 months. Officials are investigating a similar number of suspicious blazes at predominantly white churches.