Bonus pay for teachers revealed in cheating case

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta educators accused of crimes in connection with the school system's cheating scandal earned bonuses that totaled as little as $750 and averaged $2,600.

Chris Kelly of 1990s rap duo Kris Kross dies

ATLANTA (AP) - Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s kid rap duo behind one of the decade's most memorable songs, "Jump," has died at an Atlanta hospital of an apparent drug overdose, authorities said. He was 34.

Gunshot at rattlesnake leads to school lock down

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A gunshot intended for a rattlesnake led authorities to briefly lock down an elementary school in northeast Georgia.

Gary Michael Hilton gets 4 life sentences

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A drifter previously convicted of killing and beheading hikers in Florida and Georgia was sentenced Thursday to four additional life sentences in federal prison for kidnapping and murdering a North Carolina couple in a national forest.

Boston Marathon bombing suspect out of hospital

BOSTON - The surviving Boston Marathon bombings suspect has been released from a civilian hospital and transferred to a federal medical detention center in central Massachusetts.

Former Ga. PTA treasurer charged with theft

CANTON, Ga. (AP) - The former treasurer of a metro Atlanta elementary school's PTA is accused of stealing more than $12,000 from the organization and more than $5,800 from another school's booster club.

Napolitano: Men of interest seen in bomb video

WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the FBI wants to speak with individuals seen in at least one video from the Boston Marathon but says she isn't calling them suspects.

Gun control backers: Senate defeat won't stop us

WASHINGTON (AP) - One day after the demise of gun control legislation, Senate supporters of the measure vowed to try again, while a leading opponent accused President Barack Obama of taking the "low road" when he harshly criticized lawmakers who voted against key provisions.

Miss. man arrested for mailing suspected ricin

Image leads to hunt for Boston bombing suspect

BOSTON (AP) - The painstaking work to identify a bombing suspect from reams of Boston Marathon footage yielded a possible breakthrough as investigators focused on a man seen dropping off a bag, and then walking away from the site of the second of two deadly explosions.

Feds seek suspects, motive in Boston bombings

BOSTON (AP) - The bombs that blew up seconds apart at the finish line of one of the world's most storied races left the streets spattered with blood and glass, three dead, including an 8-year-old boy, more than 140 wounded and gaping questions of who chose to attack at the Boston Marathon and why.

Official angered by story on 'state secrets' bill

ATLANTA (AP) - Emails show that a Georgia juvenile justice official was angered by a writer's coverage of a bill that would keep some reports of problems in juvenile lockups secret, and she worried that news coverage could derail the legislation.

Plan for cameras in city vehicles raises concerns

ATLANTA (AP) - A plan to install cameras in city-owned vehicles in Atlanta is raising privacy concerns from the workers who will be videotaped.

State agency struggles with computer outage

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say the Georgia Department of Driver Services has been struggling with a statewide computer outage at licensing and testing centers across the state.

US couple in jail after fleeing to Cuba with kids

MIAMI (AP) - A Florida couple accused of kidnapping their two young sons and fleeing by boat to Cuba were handed over to the United States and imprisoned and their children were returned to their maternal grandparents, who have official custody, authorities said Wednesday.

Ga. Republicans vote against 'fiscal cliff' deal

ATLANTA - Georgia's Republicans in the U.S. House voted against a last-minute deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" after the state's two senators voted for it.

County jobless rate drops slightly

Newton County's unemployment drop slightly from October to November, according to a preliminary report released by the Georgia Department of Labor today.

Father, daughter leap from burning house

EAST POINT, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a father and his teenage daughter are recovering after escaping their burning home outside Atlanta by leaping from a second-story window. Firefighters tell CBS Atlanta that smoke was pouring from the house in East Point when they arrived shortly after 3 a.m. Monday.

Ga. college funding to be tied to graduation

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia's public colleges and universities will have to earn the money they get from taxpayers by helping more students get a degree.

Teacher accused of abusing students

ATLANTA (AP) - A Fulton County grand jury has indicted a former special needs teacher accused of abusing students. District Attorney Paul Howard's office said Wednesday 34-year-old Melanie Pickens is charged with cruelty to children and false imprisonment. Prosecutors say she physically abused five students at an Alpharetta middle school between 2004 and 2007. She resigned in 2007.

GPC sanctioned by accreditation agency

The Georgia Perimeter College has been sanctioned by an accreditation agency after an audit found the school was operating with a $25 million budget shortfall caused by chronic overspending and lack of financial oversight.

Ga. inmate escapes jail using stolen IDs

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Authorities in Savannah have re-captured an inmate four days after they say he escaped from jail by fooling guards into thinking he was another prisoner due to be released.

Board approves terms for Atlanta stadium

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia World Congress Center Authority has approved the framework for a deal that would lead to a new downtown stadium for the Atlanta Falcons.

Deal seeks contingency plans

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says he has asked his agency heads to come up with contingency plans if federal leaders can't reach agreement to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff."

A DragonCon founder charged in sex crime

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a co-founder of a science fiction convention will likely be extradited to Georgia by Christmas on child molestation charges. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday reported Edward W. Kramer, co-founder of DragonCon, was arrested on molestation charges in Connecticut.

Man,73, kills woman, 65, at gas station

ATLANTA (AP) - A chance encounter at a Georgia gas station left a 65-year-old woman dead and a 73-year-old man facing a murder charge after authorities say the woman's car and his motorized wheelchair bumped and he opened fire, police said Wednesday. Linda Hunnicutt, 65, had just pulled into the gas station in Macon shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday and stepped out of her Buick Lucerne when the man pulled a gun and fatally shot her, city police spokeswoman Jami Gaudet said.

Emory cuts anger some students, faculty

ATLANTA (AP) - A plan by Emory University to eliminate several academic departments and make cuts to others has angered some students and faculty who say the administration decided on the changes without consulting the university community.

Ga. high school grad. rate is 67%

ATLANTA (AP) - Federal education officials say Georgia has a high school graduation rate of 67 percent among all students, ranking it behind all of its neighboring states.

Athens women’s business expo Nov. 30

The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center will present its first annual "Women's Business Expo" Nov. 30.

Ga. immigrants apply for protection

More than 10,000 illegal immigrants living in Georgia have requested temporary protection from deportation under a plan established by President Barack Obama.