Hello, I'm Melissa Long here at the CNN center in Atlanta on this Wednesday, October 31st. Happy Halloween to you. Let's get you up-to-date on some of the stories that are happening NOW IN THE NEWS.
Police say a boy has admitted to starting one of the southern California wildfires. Fire investigators say the boy was playing with matches which led to the Berkeley fire. More than 60 buildings were destroyed, at least 21 homes and more than 38 thousand acres. The boy's name and age have not been released. He is in the custody of his parents. And prosecutors in Los Angeles will decide whether he should face charges.
One of President Bush's top aids says she will soon step down. Undersecretary of state Karen Hughes announced today. She will continue her duties until the end of the year when she plans to return to Texas because of the family. Hughes had been at President Bush's side dating back to his days as governor of the Lone Star State with few interruptions.
The verdicts are in from a Spanish court on the Madrid train bombings. Three suspected terrorists have been found guilty of mass murder. Five were found not guilty on the same charge which drew gasps in the courtroom. Several were convicted of lesser offenses like belonging to a terrorist group. Twenty-eight people are accused of taking part in the terrorist attacks on the commuter trains in the spring of 2004. One hundred and ninety-one people were killed, and another 1800 injured.
The Boston Red Sox are the toast of town again. A day after their hometown fans turned out to celebrate the World Series victory, their home state is now honoring them. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and legislator leaders hosted their ceremony at the state capital. And the festivities will go into extra innings. The president of the Red Sox says the team will take their 2004 and 2007 World Series trophies on a statewide tour.
And a federal mediator is now involved as writers of some of your favorite television shows but has with major Hollywood studios over a new contract. Now if the two sides can't reach an agreement, Union writers could walk out as early as Friday. That would immediately cripple many late-night and scat shows. If a strike drags on for more than a few weeks, prime time scripted shows could be forced to go in two repeats.
And you are up-to-date. Those are the headlines making news at this hour. Do stay with CNN, for more on these stories or other news of the day.