Obama: No special prosecutor to investigate IRS

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama dismissed the idea of a special prosecutor to investigate the Internal Revenue Service Thursday, saying probes by Congress and the Justice Department should be able to figure out who was responsible for improperly targeting tea party groups when they applied for tax-exempt status.

Stocks flip between gains and losses; Cisco climbs

NEW YORK (AP) - Cisco Systems led the Dow Jones industrial average slightly higher Thursday after the technology company reported higher sales. Mixed corporate earnings and economic reports kept the major stock indexes flipping between slight gains and losses.

Lowest gas price - May 16

The lowest price for regular gas is $3.34 at Marathon, located at Ga. Highway 142 and Dixie Road.

Georgia's jobless rate drops to 8.2 percent

ATLANTA (AP) - State labor officials say Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has dropped to 8.2 percent in April.

Woman using bare hands to build house with rocks

SILVER CREEK, Ga. (AP) - A woman is using her bare hands to build a house in the woods of north Georgia by stacking large rocks on top of each other, one rock at a time.

Police: Suspect arrested in La. parade shooting

50 Shades of funny

There's no disputing that the book "50 Shades of Grey" took the world by storm, just as there should be no argument, from those who actually read it, that the book was atrocious. But rather than punish ourselves for reading it, why not take back our power and realize that the only real way to win, is to mock the book and its characters! If you're filled with self-loathing (or not), head over to The ...

The best form of entertainment

The best form of entertainment has always been reading – at least for me. You can be anyone, go anywhere, and learn anything – all from a book. And if you're looking to update or increase your library then The Montessori School of Covington is the place to go today and Friday. Open from 3-8 p.m. Thursday and 3-6 p.m. Friday, the school will have books for elementary, middle and high school-age on sale through ...

Party in the Park

You know summer is coming when Atlanta starts their outside concerts in Centennial Park. This weekend check out Party in the Park with Ellie Goulding, Electric Sons and Passion Pit. Gates open for the one-day concert at 3 p.m., with music starting at 3:15 p.m. and going until 11p.m. – rain or shine. You can even pay extra and get yourself a VIP pass to meet the performers. Keep in mind, Ellie Goulding has played ...

Taking over Peachtree

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have miles of Atlanta streets to wander on your bike or on foot without worrying about being plowed down by a MARTA bus? Well here's your chance to find out! For four hours on Sunday 2.7 miles of Peachtree Street will be closed to cars and open to YOU! You can ride your bike, walk, skateboard – you can travel in any way that does ...

One Tank Trips

The kids are almost done with school, and you know what that means. It's time for vacations! But vacations take time and usually lots of money since you always have to go into those awful souvenir shops at the beach and take a picture standing in front of the giant shark mouth.

East Atlanta style

All the beer you want to drink, live bands, East Atlanta people watching and awesome weather? That's what you've got to look forward to if you get tickets to the 10th annual East Atlanta Beer Festival this weekend. Taste beers from more than 100 different companies, eat some tasty food, watch three bands, listen to some DJs and just chillax in the sun. It's really a great way to spend the day. And you don't actually ...

Byams leaves Newton for Tucker

After two years at Newton High School, Rams' baseball coach Vincent Byams is moving on at the end of the 2012-13 school year.

Bibles reinstated in Ga. state park lodges, cabins

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has ordered the Department of Natural Resources to return Bibles that were removed from cabins and lodges at state parks.

NCSS releases preliminary CRCT results

The Newton County School System has released preliminary scores of its elementary and middle schools in the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test for the 2012-2013 school year, and according to NCSS officials, the results show positive increases.

Newton County back to tornado watch until 10 p.m.

(7:10 p.m.) Rockdale, Henry and Newton are back under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. (6:30 p.m.) A tornado warning has been issued for parts of southern Rockdale, northern Henry and central Newton counties until 7 p.m. by the National Weather Service. A warning means a tornado has been sighted or picked up on radar in the area. (4:36 p.m.) A torndao watch has been issued for Newton County until 10 p.m. ...

Ga. man sentenced in fatal drunken driving crash

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A 22-year-old west Georgia man has been sentenced in a DUI crash that killed two people in Douglas County.

Wildfire burns outside Great Smoky Mountains

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (AP) - A wildfire burning in a resort area outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee has damaged or destroyed nearly 60 large rental cabins and is threatening additional homes.

Woman who lost downloading case says she can't pay

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota woman at the center of a long-running court fight over the unauthorized downloading of copyrighted music said there's still no way she can pay record companies the $222,000 judgment she owes after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal Monday. The justices did not comment on their decision. Attorneys for Jammie Thomas-Rasset, of Brainerd, argued the amount was excessive. The music industry filed thousands of lawsuits in ...

High court divided over Ariz. voter requirement

WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court justices disagreed Monday over whether states can require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier. Arizona and other states told the justices the precaution is needed to keep illegal immigrants and other noncitizens from voting. But some justices asked whether states have the right to force people to document their citizenship when Congress ordered the states ...

Campaign against sex trafficking in Ga. kicks off

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia attorney general and other law enforcement officials kicked off a public awareness campaign Monday to target sex trafficking with the focus on those who pay for sex. The campaign bears the slogan "Georgia's not buying it" and includes a public service announcement featuring professional athletes from Atlanta sports teams speaking out against sex trafficking. The campaign also is being promoted through billboards, a designated website and on social media. ...

Accused shoplifter fatally shot by Ga. police

LILBURN, Ga. (AP) - Authorities in Gwinnett County say an accused shoplifter has been fatally shot by police.

Lawyer: Paternity suit against Jordan withdrawn

ATLANTA (AP) - A lawyer for a woman who says Michael Jordan fathered her teenage son has withdrawn her paternity suit, but left open the possibility that it could be refiled. Pamela Smith "stands by the facts alleged in her original filing," Atlanta attorney Randall Kessler told The Associated Press on Monday. Kessler said the lawsuit was withdrawn Friday without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled. Smith filed the suit herself last month against ...

Stocks edge lower, rebounding from Cyprus losses

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks were little changed on Wall Street after recouping losses from an early sell-off caused by concern that a bailout plan for the Mediterranean island nation Cyprus would re-ignite the European debt crisis.

Brazil: police puzzle over 7 gift-wrapped skulls

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo are baffled by a macabre puzzle: someone has been leaving gift-wrapped human skulls around town.

Stocks fall Wall Street on Cyprus bailout

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks fell in early trading on Wall Street on concern that the terms of a proposed bank bailout for the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus could cause the euro crisis to flare up again. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 36 points, or 0.2 percent, to 14,477 as of 10:18 a.m. EDT. The Dow fell as much as 110 points in the early going, then recouped some of ...

Supreme Court upholds sentence in girl's killing

ATLANTA (AP) - The Supreme Court of Georgia has upheld the convictions and life prison sentence given to the stepmother of an 11-year-old girl who prosecutors say was starved and beaten to death in Henry County in 2003.

Ga. day care regulators changing some rules

MACON, Ga. (AP) - Georgia day care regulators are changing some rules and adding others in an effort aimed at better protecting and educating children.

Rise of Latino population blurs US racial lines

WASHINGTON (AP) - Welcome to the new off-white America. A historic decline in the number of U.S. whites and the fast growth of Latinos are blurring traditional black-white color lines, testing the limits of civil rights laws and reshaping political alliances as "whiteness" begins to lose its numerical dominance. Long in coming, the demographic shift was most vividly illustrated in last November's re-election of President Barack Obama, the first black president, despite a historically ...

Lowest gas price - March 18

The lowest price for regular fuel in Covington is $3.49 at the RaceWay, located at 5148 U.S. Highway 278 NW near Piper Street.