Woods favored, but challengers aplenty at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Eighty-three-year-old Arnold Palmer punched the air on an overcast morning.

Ga. couple arrested after son suffers brain injury

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - A metro Atlanta couple is being held in the Cobb County jail after their special needs son was hospitalized with a brain injury.

5 Ga. firefighters taken hostage; SWAT on scene

SUWANEE, Ga. (AP) - Authorities in northwest Georgia say a barricaded man is holding five firefighters hostage.

98 warrants issued in Ga. child porn investigation

Braves acquire RHP Ayala from Orioles

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves have bolstered their bullpen depth by acquiring right-handed reliever Luis Ayala from the Baltimore Orioles for a minor-leaguer.

Survivor of '63 Ala. church bombing seeks funds

Standard & Poor's 500 climbs to an all-time high

Rogers, Bare, Clement in Country Hall of Fame

Senators unveil deal on gun sales background check

Strong storms, possible tornadoes could strike Ga.

ATLANTA (AP) - Forecasters say strong to severe thunderstorms are expected Thursday afternoon into Friday morning across Georgia.

US couple in jail after fleeing to Cuba with kids

Obama sends Congress $3.8 trillion spending plan

Ga. man in wheelchair dies after being hit by car

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - An Athens man riding in a motorized wheelchair has died after being hit by a car.

3 Ga.-based soldiers killed in Afghanistan attack

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) - The Army says three soldiers based at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia died in a weekend suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that also killed an American diplomat.

Kardashian, mom, on witness list in divorce case

Voting rights law gets Supreme Court challenge

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court's conservative justices voiced deep skepticism Wednesday about a section of a landmark civil rights law that has helped millions of Americans exercise their right to vote. In a fast-paced, 70-minute argument, the court's liberals and conservatives engaged in a sometimes tense back and forth over whether there is an ongoing need in 2013 for a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure requires states ...

10 students disciplined over marijuana brownies

DACULA, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say 10 students at a high school northeast of Atlanta have been disciplined after school officials say one of them brought marijuana brownies to school and shared them.

Better late than never

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama will meet Friday with the top leaders in the House and Senate to discuss what to do about automatic cuts to the federal budget, White House and congressional leaders said.

Application helps streamline accident reporting

ATLANTA (AP) - The state Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner is recommending Georgians use a new smartphone application to simplify information sharing after a car accident.

Hagel takes helm at Pentagon after bitter fight

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chuck Hagel takes charge at the Defense Department with deep budget cuts looming and Republican opponents still doubtful that he's up to the job. Hagel is expected to be sworn in Wednesday and is likely to address the staff in his first day as defense secretary. The bitter, seven-week fight over his nomination ended Tuesday as a deeply divided Senate voted 58-41 to confirm him. Just four Republicans joined Democrats in ...

Pope says goodbye

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI basked in an emotional sendoff Wednesday from a massive crowd at his final general audience in St. Peter's Square, recalling moments of "joy and light" during his papacy but also times of difficulty when "it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

Music, movie industry to warn copyright infringers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Internet users who illegally share music, movies or TV shows online may soon get warning notices from their service providers that they are violating copyright law. Ignore the notices, and violators could face an Internet slow-down for 48 hours. Those who claim they're innocent can protest - for a fee. For the first time since a spate of aggressive and unpopular lawsuits almost a decade ago, the music and movie industries ...

Advanced breast cancer edges up in younger women

CHICAGO (AP) - Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons.

Home Depot leads Dow average higher

NEW YORK (AP) - A jump in home sales and strong earnings from Home Depot helped the Dow claw back more than half of its losses from Monday. Improving consumer confidence also brought back buyers to the market. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 115.96 points, or 0.8 percent, to 13,900.13. The Dow fell 216 points the day before, its biggest drop in three months, on concern that the European debt crisis may ...

Court appears conflicted over DNA sampling issue

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday struggled with what one of the justices called its most important criminal procedure case in decades, whether to let police take DNA without a warrant from those arrested in hopes of using it to solve old cases.

Another blow to taxpayers

ATLANTA (AP) - In a case that's being watched closely in Georgia, a federal appeals court has upheld a temporary ban on a Florida law requiring drug testing of welfare recipients.

More of the same Bull

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) - No progress to report in negotiations with Congress, President Barack Obama on Tuesday singled out for praise the few Republicans who say they're open to aspects of his approach to averting looming government-wide spending cuts, seeking to turn up the heat on GOP leaders ahead of Friday's deadline.

Bernanke signals continued support for low rates

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ben Bernanke sent a message Tuesday to Congress: The Federal Reserve's low-interest-rate policies are giving crucial support to an economy still burdened by high unemployment. The Fed chairman acknowledged the risks of keeping rates low indefinitely. But he expressed confidence that such risks pose little threat now. Delivering the Fed's semiannual monetary report to Congress, Bernanke sought to minimize concerns that the central bank's easy-money policies might cause runaway inflation ...

Dorothy Hamill and Andy Dick among 'Dancing' stars

NEW YORK (AP) - A gold-medal figure skater, a country music legend and a kooky comedian are stepping their way onto "Dancing With the Stars."

Strong start on Wall Street; Home Depot leads Dow

NEW YORK (AP) - Strong earnings reports from Home Depot and Macy's helped lift stock indexes in early trading on Wall Street Tuesday. A jump in home sales and consumer confidence also brought buyers back to the market.