Carter: Character, integrity are true pillars of society

I was conversing with a couple of friends this week, each of whom expressed frustration and disappointment at having been wronged recently in a business transaction.

Tri-state water feud plays out in Congress

Court dismisses 1,800 when police fail to show up

ATLANTA (AP) - Records show that at least 1,800 criminal cases have been dismissed in a metro Atlanta county court since 2010 because police officers failed to show up in court dispute being subpoenaed to testify.

Lowest gas price - May 13

The lowest price for regular fuel is $3.39 at QuikTrip, located at 3214 U.S. Highway 278 NW and Emory Street.

Huge drug cost disparities seen in health overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP) - Cancer patients could face high costs for medications under President Barack Obama's health care law, industry analysts and advocates warn.

Newton County Jail Log, May 12

Derran Donovan Marlow, 24, Villa Rica, May 1. Probation violation.

Christian writers group honors poets

At its annual Poetry Forum, the East Metro Atlanta Christian Writers group recently presented its People's Choice Award to poet Carol Whitmire of Covington.

Mothers make for good shopping buddies

Attention, Newton County mothers and your adult daughters: When you're out and about shopping, picking out spring plants for your garden, or maybe enjoying lunch and a little family gossip, do not be alarmed if you notice me lurking about. I have neither sinister nor larcenous intent.

McCoy: Men, watch your step at weddings

If you're a man who's been invited to a wedding, you need to heed my advice so you know what to do at these alien affairs.

Local, Oxford grads set fine example

The bell tower chimes 10 a.m. on a beautiful Saturday morning in Oxford, as hundreds of black-robed graduates march across the courtyard following a bagpiper.

How home sellers shoot themselves in the foot

With full-fledged sellers' markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months or more with no takers.

Allen expects success for Rams

Current Newton Rams head coach Cortez Allen will not return next season to coach the school's football program, but he feels good for the program's future.

Williams: Hustlers are selling a bill of goods

One definition given for insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

School board needs to choose wisely

Dear Editor:

Phil Peppers Golf Tourney winners

The Advanced Disposal golf team of Social Circle took first place in the annual Phil Peppers Golf Tourney May 3, hosted by the Social Circle Lions Club.

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.