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."

Boston victims face huge bills; donations pour in

Deal signs second part of GA criminal justice bill

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has signed the second round of a criminal justice bill into law.

Stocks up as job market improves; stimulus chatter

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks moved higher Thursday after claims for unemployment benefits fell and name-brand companies like Royal Caribbean and Harley-Davidson reported healthy profits.

Police: Boston suspects planned to attack New York

Swedish police find drugs on Bieber tour bus

STOCKHOLM (AP) - Swedish police say they have found drugs on board a tour bus used by Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber.

Dog being evaluated after mauling toddler to death

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say they plan to evaluate the health and temperament of a family dog that attacked and killed a toddler in his home south of Atlanta.

Officials: Bomb suspect silent after read rights

Presidents converge to salute one of their own

Georgia signs junior college forward Cameron Forte

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Georgia has signed Cameron Forte, one of the nation's top junior college scorers.

Weak earnings prospects weigh on stocks

Jordan files for paternity lawsuit to be dismissed

ATLANTA (AP) - Michael Jordan has asked a Georgia court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him by a woman who says the NBA hall of famer is the father of her 16-year-old son. Jordan's lawyer John Mayoue said in the document filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court that the six-time NBA champion is not the father of Pamela Y. Smith's son. Jordan accused her of making false claims against him. The NBA's ...

House, debris over Fla. sinkhole to be removed

SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) - Authorities hope to get a better look at a sinkhole that swallowed a man in his Florida home once demolition crews knock down the remaining walls of the house Monday and begin clearing away the debris. The remainder of the house and its contents will be dragged toward the street so crews can recover items inside and keep debris from falling into the hole, Hillsborough County spokesman Willie Puz said ...

Baby born after parents killed in NYC crash dies

NEW YORK (AP) - A baby delivered after his parents were killed in a Brooklyn hit-and-run accident died early Monday, a community spokesman said.

Cardinals begin pre-conclave meetings amid scandal

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Cardinals from around the world gathered Monday inside the Vatican for their first round of meetings before the conclave to elect the next pope, amid scandals inside and out of the Vatican and the continued reverberations of Benedict XVI's decision to retire. The Vatican said 103 of the 115 electors had arrived, while the other dozen are en route. The dean of the College of Cardinals has said a date ...

Falcons release 3 key players to help salary cap

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) - The Atlanta Falcons started their youth movement Friday by ditching three key players from the most successful era in franchise history.

Taco Bell, Icelandic pies drawn into meat scandal

LONDON (AP) - Taco Bell is the latest restaurant chain to acknowledge that its food has been adulterated with horse meat, yanking a variety of ground beef products from its three British outlets and issuing an apology to its patrons Friday. Meanwhile, in Iceland, a food official said his team had found a beef product from a local producer that contained no meat at all. Chief meat inspector Kjartan Hreinsson said a brand of ...

Bill seeks to protect Ga. youth from concussions

ATLANTA (AP) - Newly approved legislation would require that young athletes in Georgia who show the symptoms of a concussion be pulled from games and reviewed by medical professionals. House lawmakers voted 161-7 on Friday to adopt a bill requiring the changes. It now heads to the state Senate. Republican Rep. Jimmy Pruett of Eastman urged his colleagues to support a compromise plan. A similar bill failed to pass last year amid concerns it ...

Angel Food Ministry defendants enter guilty pleas

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - The founders and leaders of a Georgia-based ministry that sent discounted groceries to needy families across the country have pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Florida man swallowed by sinkhole under bedroom

SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) - A huge sinkhole opened up under a man's bedroom and swallowed him as he screamed for help. He was missing Friday and feared dead. Officials lowered equipment into the sinkhole but didn't see any sign of life. Jeremy Bush, who was at the home near Tampa, said it took him only seconds to get to his brother's room about 11 p.m. Thursday. He jumped into the hole and dirt ...

Obama says he can't 'Jedi mind meld' a budget deal

WASHINGTON (AP) - A combative President Barack Obama blamed Republican lawmakers Friday for failing to stop automatic spending cuts from beginning to kick in late in the day, arguing he can't perform a "Jedi mind meld" to get Republicans to agree on a deal. But he and GOP leaders displayed no appetite for letting the fight shut the government down later this month.

Stocks open lower on Wall Street as cuts loom

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks opened lower on Wall Street Friday, with the Dow pulling back from close to a record, as automatic government spending cuts are about to kick in. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 35 points, or 0.3 percent, to 14,019 points as of 10 a.m. EST. The index came within 15 points of its record close of 14,164 Thursday afternoon, before momentum petered out in late trading, leaving the index ...

Obama, congressional leaders meet at White House

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama and congressional leaders are meeting at the White House, with billions of dollars in automatic budget cuts ready to start kicking in. The meeting got under way shortly after 10 a.m. EST. Representing Republicans are House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are the Democratic leaders in the meeting. No breakthrough is expected ...

First lady: Not surprised by reaction to Oscars

CHICAGO (AP) - Michelle Obama says it was "absolutely not surprising" to her that her satellite appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony provoked a national conversation about whether it was appropriate, after some conservative critics accused her of selfishly crashing the event in an attempt to upstage it. She attributed the chatter to a culture shift that has spawned legions of bloggers, tweeters and others who talk about anything and everything all the time. ...

Lake Lanier at highest level in nearly 2 years

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - With recent rains, Lake Lanier is at its highest level in almost two years.

Retired chimps may cost Emory millions

ATLANTA (AP) - Emory University might have to spend tens of millions of dollars to renovate the home of its research chimpanzees - all for aging chimps it doesn't necessarily need. The National Institutes of Health, Yerkes' only source of chimp-research funding, is phasing out biomedical chimpanzee research - now deemed "largely unnecessary" - and may soon raise standards for the housing of chimps that do remain in research. Only five of the 78 chimps ...