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.

Restaurant learns online reviews can make or break

Obama health law anniversary finds two Americas

WASHINGTON (AP) - Three years, two elections, and one Supreme Court decision after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, its promise of health care for the uninsured may be delayed or undercut in much of the country because of entrenched opposition from many Republican state leaders. In half the states, mainly led by Democrats, officials are racing deadlines to connect uninsured residents to coverage now only months away. In others it's ...

Video from BOC March 19, 2013 meeting

NEWTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Survey: Low-wage workers missing out on training

WASHINGTON (AP) - As they struggle to get ahead, many low-wage workers are not taking advantage of job training or educational programs that could help them make the leap to better-paying jobs. They are often skeptical about whether such programs are even worth the trouble, a new survey shows.

Universe ages 80M years; Big Bang gets clearer

PARIS (AP) - New results from a look into the split second after the Big Bang indicate the universe is 80 million years older than previously thought but the core concepts of the cosmos - how it began, what it's made of and where it's going - seem to be on the right track. The findings released Thursday bolster a key theory called inflation, which says the universe burst from subatomic size to ...

Ga. jobless rate hits lowest level since early '09

ATLANTA (AP) - State labor officials say Georgia's unemployment rate has dropped 8.6 percent, its lowest level in the past four years.

Lowest gas price - March 21

The lowest price for regular fuel is $3.44 at Kroger, located at 5341 Ga. Highway 20 south near Brown Bridge Road.

Local libations

Take a drive to Conyers and have a beer and some bar food at the Celtic Tavern this weekend. It's a small space, but it's not the size that matters. At least not here. There's a decently stocked bar, some adorable patio seating - which is great this time of year, and the small setting comes off more as intimate and not cramped. Intimate in a good way, not in a creepy I-want-to-wear-your-feet sort of ...

It ain’t easy bein’ sleazy

Grab your friends or your boo and head out to Blind Willie's Friday for music by Delta Moon, a little Cajun food and some drinks. Use it as a chance to get a little dressed up if you want, or you can always dress down. A joint that has the motto "It ain't easy bein' sleazy" isn't going to mind if you wear jeans. It's like a little bit of the Bayou in the middle ...

Dauset Trails: FREE family fun!

Everyone enjoys having fun, and when it's free that just sweetens the deal! Take a scenic drive down to Jackson, GA and visit Dauset Trails. They have flowers, animals, a pond, picnic areas - all of it completely free. You can bring quarters and feed the fish in the pond, pack a lunch and enjoy the atmosphere, and this time of year it is phenomenal. And did I mention it was free?

Jimbo's rocks the river

If you think Jimbo's is just about burgers and chicken fingers you would be wrong. They have those, of course, along with a plethora of other tasty food and drinks, but they also have live music with local talent (like Gannon Adams later this month!), open mic nights and karaoke. And if you show them some love, they might add trivia to the mix soon! Not only can you support a local business and local talent, but you can get your entertainment close to home.

Tours and tastes at SweetWater

Take a tour of one of Atlanta's best breweries this weekend. Check out SweetWater Wed.-Sat. Check out how some of the city's best beers are made and then take a taste of what SweetWater has to offer. Tours are loose and social, but if you get there early you'll have more time to spend on the tasting part. Wed.-Fri. you can tour from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and on Sat. from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Make sure to bring ...

Judge strikes down section of GA immigration law

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal judge has permanently struck down a section of Georgia's 2011 law targeting illegal immigration that makes it illegal for someone to knowingly harbor or transport an illegal immigrant.

Chairman: Ga. Senate will back $100 lobbying cap

ATLANTA (AP) - The Senate will propose a $100 cap on lobbyist expenditures, not an outright ban, creating a conflict with House lawmakers in the waning days of the General Assembly's annual session, a leading Senate Republican said Wednesday. The Senate Rules Committee will meet Thursday to put forward its version of lobbying restrictions originally written by House Speaker David Ralston, said Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, the committee chairman. Mullis said he hopes the ...

Wal-Mart expands test of mobile checkout program

NEW YORK (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding a test of a new checkout program that allows shoppers to scan items with their smartphones and then pay at self-checkout terminals. The world's largest retailer launched what it calls its "Scan & Go" program late last year in about 70 stores in the Bentonville, Ark., area, where the retailer is based, as well as Atlanta. It is now testing the program in more ...

Senate set to approve huge 2013 spending bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate moved toward a vote Wednesday on a huge, bipartisan spending bill aimed at keeping the government running through September and ruling out the chance of a shutdown later this month.