Georgians make pilgrimage to girl's tombstone

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - One by one they came on foot, a steady stream of pilgrims, from shortly after dawn and continuing until the clouds closed in, threatening to send showers washing over the mildew-stained gravestones at Marietta City Cemetery.

Stocks up in early trading as spending rises

NEW YORK (AP) - A pair of encouraging economic reports helped propel the stock market up in early trading on Monday.

James Bond studio to open 1st US facility in Ga.

ATLANTA (AP) - The British film studio home to the James Bond franchise announced plans Monday for its first U.S. movie production facility at a site near Atlanta.

Storms drop quarter-sized hail, topple trees

ATLANTA (AP) - Residents were cleaning up after Sunday thunderstorms dropped large hail and toppled trees, damaging cars and homes in several Georgia counties.

Hospitals see surge of superbug-fighting products

NEW YORK (AP) - They sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist.

Judge overturns Ga. man's murder conviction

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - A judge has thrown out a murder conviction for a man who has served 12 years in prison for the crime.

Man denied bond in Ga. child molestation case

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - The founder of a science-fiction convention has been denied bond multiple charges of child molestation.

Obama backs Planned Parenthood in political fight

George will show no more

Minivan driver killed by flying tire on I-85

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say a tire from a truck that flew over a freeway median near Atlanta struck and killed the driver of a minivan heading the opposite direction.

Stocks mostly lower on tepid US economic growth

NEW YORK (AP) - Stock prices were mostly lower on Friday after several companies, including Amazon.com, released weak earnings and the government reported that the U.S. economy expanded at a slower rate than economists were expecting.

Early morning earthquake latest to hit east Ga

LINCOLNTON, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say an early morning earthquake that struck east Georgia is the latest in a series of quakes to hit the region.

Bill to end airport delays headed for House vote

Politics on hold at the dedication of Bush library

Singer Currington charged with threats to Ga. man

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Police in coastal Georgia say country singer Billy Currington may have videotaped himself chasing a 70-year-old tour boat captain and threatening to "finish him off."

Coalition will no longer publish attack figures

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S.-led military command in Afghanistan said Tuesday it will no longer publish figures on Taliban attacks, a week after acknowledging that its report of a 7 percent decline in attacks last year was actually no decline at all. A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, Jamie Graybeal, said Tuesday that its reporting on the number of attacks will grow increasingly inaccurate as Afghan forces move further into ...

Researchers report sharp rise in 'patriot' groups

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - President Barack Obama's administration and the gun control debate after the Connecticut school shooting have led to surging numbers of anti-government "patriot" groups, according to a civil rights group that tracks extremist groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported the rising numbers on Tuesday in its annual report on extremist groups. The number of anti-government patriot groups, one category tracked by the center, rose dramatically over the past four years, ...

KaBoom

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia state Senate has passed a resolution to let voters decide whether fireworks sales should be legal in the state.

Officials alarmed by increasing superbug reports

NEW YORK (AP) - Health officials say there's been an alarming increase in some dangerous superbugs at U.S. hospitals. These superbugs are common germs that have become extremely resistant to treatment with antibiotics. The number of hospitals reporting infections with these superbugs is still small. But a government report shows 1 in 25 hospitals saw at least one case last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the new tally Tuesday. They're ...

Crews remove yacht grounded by alleged thieves

PACIFICA, Calif. (AP) - Crews have removed an 82-foot yacht from a Northern California beach after authorities say three people stole it, stocked it with pizza and beer, then ran it aground.

Firefighter group banned from Savannah parade

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Organizers of Savannah's St. Patrick's Day Parade say they've banned a firefighters' group from participating.

GOP seeks to smooth roughest cuts, avert shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans controlling the House are moving to take the roughest edges off across-the-board spending cuts that are just starting to take effect. Even as the military would bear a $43 billion cut over just seven months, the new GOP measure released Monday would give the Pentagon much-needed funding for readiness. It would also ease the pain felt by critical agencies like the FBI and the Border Patrol. The effort is ...

Martha Stewart to testify in trial over her brand

NEW YORK (AP) - Eight years after Martha Stewart was released from prison for lying about a stock trade, the home diva is now facing another legal mess that may not be easy to clean up.

Dow Jones industrial average trades at a new high

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow has never been higher. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 100 points early Tuesday, reaching an all-time high, powered by China's strong economic growth targets and a jump in European retail sales. Shortly after the opening bell the Dow was trading at 14,222. It's on track to close above its record of 14,164 reached on Oct. 9, 2007. It's up 7.8 percent for the year. The Standard & ...

ATL school system considers ending cell phone ban

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta public schools officials are considering ending a cell phone ban for younger students so they would be able to contact their parents in case of an emergency.

Playboy magazine launches Hebrew language edition

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israelis can now read Playboy 'for the articles' as a Hebrew language edition came to the holy land Tuesday.

US home prices rose by most in nearly 7 years

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. home prices jumped in January, a sign the housing market is gaining momentum as it nears the spring selling season. Home prices rose 9.7 percent in January from a year ago, according to data released Tuesday by CoreLogic. That's up from an 8.3 percent increase in December and the biggest annual gain since April 2006. Prices rose in all states except Delaware and Illinois. And prices increased in 92 of ...

Ex-DEA heads: Feds should nullify state pot laws

CHICAGO (AP) - Eight former Drug Enforcement Administration chiefs say the federal government needs to act now or it might lose the chance to nullify Colorado and Washington's laws legalizing recreational marijuana use. The onetime DEA heads plan to issue joint statements Tuesday saying the Obama administration has reacted too slowly and should immediately sue to force the states to rescind the legislation. The Associated Press received an advance copy of the statement Monday. ...

Financial aid process changing for Ga. students

MACON, Ga. (AP) - Students planning to attend college in Georgia and apply for state financial aid will soon have to fill out a federal application instead of a state form.

Ga. House sides with business lobby on labor laws

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia House of Representatives has approved two labor law changes that Republican leaders say would protect workers and boost market competition. Democratic opponents, meanwhile, criticized the measures on Monday as an attack on the organized labor in a state that already restricts union power with so-called "right-to-work" laws. Those laws bar union membership as a condition of employment. House Bill 361 would allow workers to opt out at any time ...