Three more bodies found in Tennessee wildfire ruins

Three more bodies found in Tennessee wildfire ruins

GATLINBURG, Tenn.

Three more bodies were found in the ruins of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses in the Great Smoky Mountains area, raising the death toll to seven, a Tennessee mayor said Wednesday.

Search-and-rescue missions continued, and Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said they had found three people who had been trapped since the fires started spreading wildly in high winds Monday night. The mayor said the three were OK.

Rain provided some relief for the Gatlinburg area Wednesday. All the wildfires in the city are now out, but some are still smoldering, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Cubans line streets as Fidel Castro’s ashes begin journey

HAVANA

Fidel Castro’s ashes have begun a four-day journey across Cuba from Havana to their final resting place in the eastern city of Santiago.

The remains of the 90-year-old leader were taken out of Cuba’s Defense Ministry and placed in a small coffin covered by a Cuban flag to begin a more than 500-mile procession.

His ashes will be interred Sunday, ending the nine-day mourning period for the man who ruled the country for nearly 50 years.

The route traces in reverse the victory tour Castro and his bearded rebels took after overthrowing the forces of strongman Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

Deliberations begin in S.C. police murder trial

CHARLESTON, S.C.

A jury of 11 whites and one black man began deliberations Wednesday in the murder trial of Michael Slager, a fired white police officer who was videotaped killing a black motorist after a traffic stop.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman instructed the jurors on the law and told them they could acquit Slager, convict him of murder or convict him of voluntary manslaughter.

The case then went to the jury early Wednesday evening after a monthlong trial in which 55 witnesses testified. They deliberated for about an hour before going home for the night.

Slager was charged with murder, but the judge said Wednesday the jury could also consider manslaughter in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott, who died after five of the eight bullets Slager fired hit him in the back as he tried to run away.

Senate takes aim at ‘bots’ that snap up concert seats

WASHINGTON

The Senate is cracking down on computer software used by ticket brokers to snap up tickets to concerts and shows.

Senators passed legislation by voice vote Wednesday that would make using the software an “unfair and deceptive practice” under the Federal Trade Commission Act and allow the FTC to pursue those cases. The House passed similar legislation in September, but the bills are not identical so the Senate legislation now moves to the House.

The so-called “bots” rapidly purchase as many tickets as possible for resale at significant markups. They are one of the reasons why tickets to a “Hamilton” performance can sell out in just a few minutes.

Associated Press