Athens businessman becomes Republican chairman

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - The new chairman of the Georgia Republican Party says the party won't twiddle its thumbs under his leadership.

Jekyll breaking ground on overdue convention hotel

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - Developers are set to start construction on a new convention hotel for Jekyll Island after long delays that largely resulted from difficulties getting a bank loan for the $41 million project.

Fog blankets much of Georgia in wake of storms

ATLANTA (AP) - Fog blanketed much of Georgia in the wake of storms that washed out roads in the northeast part of the state and led to rising streams and rivers.

Atlanta council considers 20-story Ferris wheel

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta City Council is expected to consider a request to construct a Ferris wheel once used in Paris that would soar 20 stories over downtown Atlanta.

US gas prices up 11 cents over past 2 weeks

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) - The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 11 cents over the past two weeks.

Ga. man pleads guilty to possession of child porn

ATLANTA (AP) - U.S. Attorney's officials say a 52-year-old man has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography.

Braves bring Jason Heyward off disabled list

ATLANTA (AP) - Braves right fielder Jason Heyward has been activated from the disabled list and is starting against the Dodgers.

Ga. Republicans gather in Athens for convention

A year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus

Stocks rise on hopeful signs for the US economy

Handel jumps into crowded US Senate race in Ga.

IRS refuses to turn over documents

30 catalytic converters stolen in past 2 weeks

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say more than 30 catalytic converters have been stolen from vehicles during the past two weeks in Atlanta and nearby Decatur.

Brady Campaign sues Ga town over mandatory gun law

NELSON, Ga. (AP) - A group that supports gun control is suing a north Georgia town that passed a law requiring gun ownership.

Ga. Rep. Brooks of Atlanta indicted for wire fraud

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal grand jury has indicted state Rep. Tyrone Brooks over allegations claiming he misappropriated more than $1 million in charitable funds.

Ga. gun proposal could close legal loophole

ATLANTA (AP) - A proposal to change Georgia's gun laws would close one loophole potentially allowing mentally ill people to purchase firearms. Still, state judges are concerned the proposal could open another gap allowing mentally ill people to carry guns. Federal law prohibits anyone deemed mentally deficient or committed to receive mental health care from buying or keeping a gun. Federal officials use mental health records complied by states to determine whether sales should ...

Black smoke from chapel chimney: No pope yet

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Black smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Tuesday, signaling that cardinals had failed on their first vote of the papal conclave to choose a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and their troubled church. Surrounded by Michelangelo's imposing frescos imagining the beginning and the end of the world, cardinals locked themselves into the chapel following a final appeal for unity to heal the divisions that have ...

Tony Gonzalez coming back to Falcons

Tony Gonzalez has changed his mind. He wants to play football again. The NFL's career leader among tight ends with 1,242 receptions and 103 touchdowns, is coming back to the Atlanta Falcons. After saying he was 95 percent certain he would retire after 2012, the other 5 percent won out. Hours before free agency began Thursday, Gonzalez tweeted: "The lure of being on such a great team and organization, along with unbelievable fan support ...

US stocks waver after seven straight gains

NEW YORK (AP) - Stock indexes wavered between small gains and losses on Wall Street Tuesday following a seven-day rally. The Dow Jones industrial average was down five points, or 0.03 percent, at 14,442 as of noon EDT. The Standard & Poor's 500 was down three points, or 0.2 percent, at 1,553. The Nasdaq composite dropped 15 points, or 0.5 percent, to 3,237. The stock market has surged this year as investors became encouraged ...

College tuition stipends for US airmen suspended

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The U.S. Air Force has joined other military branches in suspending tuition assistance that thousands of active-duty airmen rely on to pay for college classes.

Applying for health care not easy

WASHINGTON (AP) - Applying for benefits under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul could be as daunting as doing your taxes. The government's draft application is now on the Internet. It runs 15 pages for a three-person family. The online version has 21 steps, some with added questions. At least three major federal agencies, including the IRS, will scrutinize your application. That's just the first part of the process, which lets you know if ...

First workers move in to new Caterpillar plant

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - The first group of Caterpillar workers is moving in to office space at the company's new Georgia plant.

Senate panel ready to OK gun background checks

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats are ready to muscle expanded background checks and other gun curbs through a Senate committee, giving President Barack Obama an initial if temporary victory on one of his top priorities.

History shows NKorean pattern: Wait, then attack

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Recent Korean history reveals a sobering possibility: It may only be a matter of time before North Korea launches a sudden, deadly attack on the South. And perhaps more unsettling, Seoul has vowed that this time, it will respond with an even stronger blow. Humiliated by past attacks, South Korea has promised - as recently as Tuesday - to hit back hard at the next assault from the North, ...

Chipper in pinstripes? Well, Yanks' Cashman tried

VIERA, Fla. (AP) - Chipper Jones putting on pinstripes? The banged-up New York Yankees would love to have him. General manager Brian Cashman even said so Monday, expressing interest in the retired Atlanta Braves star. "He'd be perfect," Cashman said at Yankees' camp in Tampa. "I'd take Larry in a heartbeat. I think everybody would." The eight-time All-Star third baseman - better known by his nickname than actual first name - quickly ended such ...

House unveils amended Ga. budget plan

ATLANTA (AP) - An amended $40.9 billion budget plan in Georgia would restore what amounted to cuts for rural school districts and reduce some of the funding cuts for a school nutrition program, a ranking Republican said Monday.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck staying put at 'The View

NEW YORK (AP) - No need to say goodbye to Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She's staying put as a co-host of "The View" despite reports insisting otherwise.

Senate Democrats prepare government funding bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats are preparing a catchall government funding bill that denies President Barack Obama money for implementing signature first-term accomplishments like new regulations on Wall Street and his expansion of government health care subsidies but gives Democrats modest additional funding for domestic priorities like health research.

GOP retaliates against Dems over Fulton tax vote

ATLANTA (AP) - Revenge is on the menu at the Georgia Capitol. Republicans dominate the House, but they're one vote shy of having a supermajority to do whatever they want. That mattered last Thursday when Democrats blocked a local bill that would have cut Fulton County property taxes by doubling the homestead exemption. So when representatives convened Monday, Republicans retaliated by reversing Thursday's votes in favor of more than a dozen local bills sponsored by ...

US begin drills as NKorea threatens war

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korean state media said Monday that Pyongyang had carried through with a threat to cancel the 60-year-old armistice that ended the Korean War, as it and South Korea staged dueling war games amid threatening rhetoric. Enraged over the South's joint military drills with the United States and recent U.N. sanctions, Pyongyang has piled threat on top of threat, including vows to launch a nuclear strike on the ...