NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Shooting victims: Authorities in Texas on Wednesday identified the 26 victims of the church massacre in Sutherland Springs, Texas, three days after a black-clad gunman stalked through the pews of First Baptist Church and killed or wounded nearly every member of the congregation during services. The attack tore through the small community outside San Antonio, with the shooter targeting children, a pregnant woman and senior citizens alike. Among those shot dead in the church were eight men and 17 women. Seven of those killed were 14 or younger. Officials said the toll of 26 dead included the unborn child of Crystal Marie Holcombe, who was pregnant. The other victims were between 1 and 77 years old.
2 Spacey out: Kevin Spacey is getting cut out of Ridley Scott’s finished film “All the Money in the World” and replaced by Christopher Plummer just over a month before it’s supposed to hit theaters. People close to the production who were not authorized to speak publicly said Wednesday that Plummer is commencing reshoots immediately in the role of J. Paul Getty. All of Spacey’s scenes will be reshot, the people said. Co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams are expected to participate. Scott is intending to keep the film’s Dec. 22 release date. The film was originally set to have its world premiere at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Nov. 16.
3 Lethal drug: Arkansas has identified a New York pharmaceutical company as the maker of one of its lethal injection drugs, and the company says it doesn’t want any of its products used in executions. A package insert for the state’s supply of midazolam released by the state Wednesday identifies Athenex as the maker of the drug, one of three used in Arkansas’ lethal injection process. The insert was included as part of an affidavit filed by state Correction Department officials in Little Rock. Athenex did not immediately reply to a request for comment. But the company issued a statement Wednesday saying it doesn’t accept orders from prison systems for products it believes are intended for use in executions and it also has agreements with its distributors to not sell its drugs for that purpose.
4 Seattle mayor: The booming liberal city of Seattle will get its first woman mayor since the 1920s after former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan defeated urban planner Cary Moon for the office left open by a sex abuse scandal. Durkan maintained her 20-point lead Wednesday when a second batch of ballots was released in the all mail-in election. Durkan captured just over 60 percent of the votes while Moon tallied about 40 percent. Durkan will replace former Mayor Ed Murray, who resigned earlier this year amid accusations of sexual abuse.
5 Executions: Florida and Texas executed men convicted of murder on Wednesday. In Starke, Fla., Patrick Hannon, convicted of killing two people in 1991, became the third inmate executed in Florida since the state resumed carrying out the death penalty after a hiatus. Hannon said two accomplices killed the victims. In Huntsville, Texas, Mexican citizen Ruben Ramirez Cardenas, 47, was executed after several federal court appeals failed to halt his punishment for the February 1997 killing of his 16-year-old cousin Mayra Laguna. Both men were given lethal injections.