Slight decline in early trading on Wall Street

Ga. amputee runner raising money for bomb victims

ATLANTA (AP) - A Sandy Springs man who is a double-amputee was nearly to the finish line of the Boston Marathon when the bombs went off.

Georgia unemployment rate drops to 8.4 percent

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 8.4 percent in March, the lowest rate since December 2008.

Police: 5 to 15 people killed in Texas explosion

Ga. police Sgt. arrested in McDonalds dispute

CUMMING, Ga. (AP) - A metro Atlanta police sergeant accused of pulling a gun on a customer in a McDonalds drive-thru has been arrested.

Senate blocks expanded gun sale background checks

Stocks fall on signs of slowing global economy

NEW YORK (AP) - As evidence of a slowing global economy grows, investors are showing some caution just one week after U.S. stocks hit an all-time high.

Ricin in Obama letter, odd packages scramble Hill

Feds deny reports Boston suspect is arrested

Lawyer: former Atlanta schools chief is innocent

Guide to the Philadelphia abortion doc murder case

Dr. Kermit Gosnell is on trial for murder in the deaths of a female patient and seven babies allegedly born alive at the abortion clinic he ran. A look at the facts in the case:

Official: Suspect in custody in Boston bombings

BOSTON (AP) - A suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings was taken into custody Wednesday in a breakthrough that came less than 48 hours after the deadly attack, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said Wednesday.

Braves LHP Avilan better, hopes to avoid DL

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta Braves reliever Luis Avilan is feeling better after being carted off the field the previous night because of severe pain in his left leg.

Deal approved in Muslims' suit against McDonald's

DETROIT (AP) - A judge has finalized a $700,000 settlement between McDonald's and members of Michigan's Muslim community over claims a Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised food as prepared according to Islamic law.

Officials: 2nd letter to Senate tested for ricin

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 ...

UGA to compare pay of male, female professors

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - The University of Georgia plans to compare the salaries of male and female professors in an attempt to find out whether they're getting equal pay for equal work and accomplishment.

Highway patrol: 'High rate' of speed in Ohio crash

WARREN, Ohio (AP) - Investigators were focused on speed as a key factor in the crash of a sport utility vehicle carrying eight teenagers that smashed into a guardrail and flipped over into a swampy pond, killing five boys and the young woman driving. While citing an unspecified "high rate" of speed, investigators wouldn't speculate on whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash about 7 a.m. Sunday on a two-lane road snugged ...

Changes in GA immigration bill draw opposition

ATLANTA (AP) - A Georgia bill that was intended as a simple fix for unintended consequences of a 2011 crackdown on illegal immigration is suddenly drawing opposition. The bill was presented as a solution to complaints from several state agencies that Georgia's 2011 law was creating extra work and delays in processing public benefits. But a House committee added key changes last week. Now the bill would effectively deny driver's licenses to young people ...

Sen. McCain slams release of illegal immigrants

PHOENIX (AP) - Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Friday that some of the more than 2,000 illegal immigrants recently released by the Homeland Security Department because of budget cuts may have been convicted of serious crimes, citing "local sources."

Georgia Capitol Notes

ATLANTA (AP) - HEADLINES: House lawmakers endorsed big changes to Georgia's gun laws this week just ahead of a key internal deadline. Under internal rules, most bills had to be approved by at least one chamber of the General Assembly by Thursday or risk failing for the year. There are some exceptions. House Republicans voted to allow people with a license to carry a firearm to take their weapons into bars, churches and parts ...

Stocks move higher following strong job growth

NEW YORK (AP) - A burst of hiring in February pushed stocks higher on Wall Street.

New TSA policy on knives, bats sparks backlash

WASHINGTON (AP) - Flight attendants, pilots, federal air marshals and even insurance companies are part of a growing backlash to the Transportation Security Administration's new policy allowing passengers to carry small knives and sports equipment like souvenir baseball bats and golf clubs onto planes. The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, representing nearly 90,000 flight attendants, said it is coordinating a nationwide legislative and public education campaign to reverse the policy announced by TSA Administrator John ...

US adds 236K jobs, unemployment falls to 7.7 pct.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A burst of hiring last month added 236,000 U.S. jobs and reduced the unemployment rate to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent in January. The robust gains suggested that the economy can strengthen further despite higher taxes and government spending cuts.

Online fishing guides provide tips to Ga. anglers

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (AP) - The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has introduced a new website to help anglers take the guesswork out of finding a place to go fishing.

Chattahoochee whitewater course to open in May

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - After more than a decade of planning and construction, a man-made whitewater course on the Chattahoochee River will soon open.

Ga. Senate OKs scholarship tax credit changes

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Senate has approved changes to a tax credit program that provides scholarships for children to attend private schools.

Senate panel casts year's first votes on gun curbs

WASHINGTON (AP) - In Congress' first gun votes since the Newtown, Conn., nightmare, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to toughen federal penalties against illegal firearms purchases, even as senators signaled that a deep partisan divide remained over gun curbs.