Police: Man who killed wife, self also raped teen

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A felon who police say shot himself to death after fatally beating his pregnant wife also raped a 15-year-old girl the same day.

Metro Atlanta jobless rate declines

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that metro Atlanta's unemployment rate declined to 7.6 percent in April, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 7.9 percent in March. The rate was 8.5 percent in April a year ago.

Death of Ga. infant under investigation

SWAINSBORO, Ga. (AP) - Sheriff's officials say a couple has been arrested after a 4-month-old girl in their care was found unresponsive.

Feds investigate after plane parts land on GA home

ELLENWOOD, Ga. (AP) - Federal authorities are investigating after a Boeing 747 on approach to Atlanta's airport lost parts from its right wing that landed on a woman's house in Clayton County.

Birth control coverage up for federal appeal

DENVER (AP) - In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill.

Lowest gas price - May 23

The lowest price for regular fuel is $3.52 at Shell, located at 10700 Covington Road and Flat Shoals Road.

Your heart will go on

Are you a closet "Titanic" freak? Have you been obsessed since Leo and Kate graced the silver screen with their oh-so-romantic love story (until we saw what a mean girl she was and let him drown, rather than scoot over on the board)? Well, you won't hear Celine sing during this program, but you can see a little bit of pretty spectacular history at the Titanic Exhibit. Over 200 artifacts recovered from the wreck site, ...

Quality Time

Chances are someone you know is graduating from high school this weekend. It's a bittersweet time for everyone, from parents to kids – well, maybe not everyone. Teachers are probably pretty stoked to be getting rid of some of your precious angel babies. But I digress. And with graduation comes the end of school for kids from kindergarten through college, but what to do with the little buggers when they aren't in school for the better part of the day?

Baseball on a budget

Do you love baseball but hate driving into Atlanta? Or do you shudder at the thought of paying so much money to go see the Braves? Then try baseball on a budget and start small with the Gwinnett Braves! They might be a minor league team, but the stadium and the players are nothing to scoff at, and you still get hot dogs and beer, just for less money and a shorter wait in line. ...

Booze and baboons

I'm super sad I won't be able to partake in what promises to be an epic event, so I need you guys to go so that I may live through you! It's time once again for Zoo Atlanta's annual Brew at the Zoo, where the grownups can kick the kids out, have unlimited samples of beer and wine and check out the more than 1,500 animals that call Zoo Atlanta home. Not only do you ...

Good green fun

Grab a blanket and the family and head over to Ashton Hills Golf Club for Screen on the Green next Friday night. Snuggle up under the stars and watch "Parental Guidance," and get there early so you can enjoy family-style meals being served picnic style from the Village Grille. It's the sort of thing that kicks your summer off right, being with family, watching a movie that will (hopefully) make you laugh, and enjoying life. ...

All that jazz

For more than three decades the Atlanta Jazz Festival has been filling Piedmont Park with the sounds of jazz. Old school, newfangled and every style in between, spend the weekend reacquainting yourself with the old and experiencing the new faces in jazz music, as dozens of musicians, from international to local high school bands, take one of the many stages for the festival. You can also participate in jazz education workshops, an interactive kid zone ...

Groups pledge $10.5M to Atlanta freeway project

ATLANTA (AP) - A group of metro Atlanta business community leaders are pledging $10.5 million to improve one of the state's busiest and most congested freeway interchanges.

Arias jury deadlocked but must continue

First Look: New Xbox elegant, but much unknown

After four years of development, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One entertainment console and touted it as an all-in-one solution for playing games, watching TV and doing everything in between. Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be central to your living room, so it packed the new Xbox with such features as the ability to change TV channels through voice commands.

The world series

I must admit that for the moment I'm weary of politics, disgusted with corporate greed, disturbed at what seems to be a complete and inborn inability for people to cohabit peacefully and play well with others, and bemused that anyone seriously thinks that having a different name on the desk in the Oval Office will do anything other than change which group of fat cat supporters gets fatter living off their candidate's largesse during the next Presidential term of office.

Covington's pioneer of style

Bertha Goss is a fixture around Covington. Originally from Atlanta, Goss moved to Covington 41 years ago and has been operating Bertha's Beauty Lounge off of the square for more than 30 years. But more than being a longtime entrepreneur and active member of the community, Goss is better known as a trailblazer, paving the way for black business owners in Newton County. Goss' salon is one of the first businesses chartered ...

County, shelter wrangle over required funding

 Litigation against Newton County from a local domestic violence shelter may be pending on allegations that the county is not paying its share of funding, according to a letter sent out by the shelter's attorney.

Christian school seeks to expand

 Unable to agree on the appropriate number of students for a private Christian school near Oxford, the Newton County Board of Commissioners voted to table a proposal to expand the number of students at Providence Christian School Tuesday night.

Porterdale residents report water bill errors

 Residents of the Kenzi Place subdivision in Porterdale are concerned about the billing process for their water and sewage services and believe the city is not working with them to resolve their grievances.

Store brands, meal-planning key to family grocery budget

 I was intrigued when I first heard about the Food Stamp Challenge.  Created to raise awareness about hunger issues facing our country today, challenge participants volunteer to eat at the average food stamp allotment: $4 per person, per day. Increasing numbers of people - including some members of Congress - have signed on for the challenge since its inception last summer.  Some do it for a week, while braver souls commit to ...

Protecting Planet Earth

Photos by Anthony Banks. Oxford College students and staff celebrated Earth Day Saturday with activities for all ages. The organic chemistry class at Oxford College of Emory University installed a motor that runs on left-over cafeteria grease to power an inflatable jumper. Emily Wooten, third grader at Palmer-Stone Elementary School, creates a leaf fish. A close-up view of Wooten's leaf fish. Alison Tammany, first year student from Santa Rosa, ...

Lois Fincher Edwards

Mrs. Lois Fincher Edwards, 90, of Covington died April 19. Daughter of the late Ambus and Elson Moss Fincher, she was born Dec. 17, 1917 in Newton County. Mrs. Edwards was a lifelong resident of Covington and a member of Red Oak United Methodist Church.

Linda Hall

Mrs. Linda Hall, 61, long-time resident of Covington, died at her home April 17. The daughter of the late Linville Venters and Helen Pass Venters, she was born in 1946 in Letcher, Ky. Mrs. Hall was a devoted and active member of the Light of Calvary Baptist Church and was the special speaker last year at the women's conference. She was also in charge of the fellowship hall. Mrs. Hall was a strong, loving ...

Pauline McWilliams Cobb

Pauline A. McWilliams Cobb, 86, of Decatur, died peacefully in her sleep April 17. Mrs. Cobb was retired from Atlanta Gas Light. Mrs. Cobb's family takes great pride in being some of the first pioneers to establish DeKalb County where she was a life-long resident. She graduated from Southwest DeKalb High School in 1939 and later attended the Atlanta Business School, taking administrative classes. During World War II, she worked ...

Newton High MCJROTC drill team ends season

The Newton High MCJROTC program has been fielding a drill team since it started in 1996, but the 2008 season was the most successful so far.

Georgia State to kick off football for 2010 season

ATLANTA - Georgia State President Carl Patton announced Thursday afternoon that the university will begin football.

Baseball: Habersham Central at Eastside

COVINGTON - On Wednesday it was a gorgeous day for baseball at Eagle Field. However, once the sun had faded, Eastside High (5-15 overall, 5-13 Region 8-AAAA) had suffered yet another heartbreaker, this time to region foe Habersham Central, 7-5. "I felt that we played the best game we've played all year from start to finish," said Eastside coach Michael Poor. "We played a team that's contending for a spot in the ...

Trailblazers of change: Oxford organic chemistry students make biodiesel for service project

The idea first struck Oxford chemistry instructor Brenda Harmon as she was waiting to pick up her children from school. She noticed a funny smell coming from the car in front of her. Almost like French fries, she said, but French fries gone a little bad. The bumper sticker on the car read, "Ask me about biodiesel."

Baseball: M.L. King at Newton

COVINGTON - Demarco Parham, an M.L. King High freshman, is something special, particularly on the mound.