Nation IN BRIEF : ALABAMA : Mystery Fire Guts 5th Black Church

Fire swept through a 65-year-old rural black church in Greensboro, the fifth such blaze in western Alabama since December. Damage to Rising Star Baptist Church could total $250,000, deacon John Hodge said. Investigators were expected to release preliminary findings today on whether the fire was deliberately set. No cause was found for fires in Greene County that destroyed one church in late December and two more within hours of each other in January. A white volunteer firefighter was charged with a Feb. 28 fire in Dallas County, but race was ruled out as a motive.