Obama: Calif. attorney general is 'best-looking'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - President Barack Obama praised California's attorney general for more than her smarts and toughness at a Democratic Party event.

Cherokee County deputy kills homicide suspect

CANTON, Ga. (AP) - A Cherokee County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man suspected of killing two people in Union County.

Judge wants trial in baby killing before year ends

NY judge makes morning-after pill available to all

NEW YORK (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration must make emergency contraceptives available to girls of all ages within 30 days, a federal judge has ruled, saying the agency's decisions regarding the so-called morning-after pill were "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable.

Women's rights unfinished business

NEW YORK (AP) - Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the rights of women represent "the unfinished business of the 21st century" in the U.S. and around the world.

Georgia Department of Education to grade schools

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Department of Education plans to give parents a detailed look at schools' performance.

Official: Obama proposes cuts to Social Security

US economy adds 88K jobs, rate drops to 7.6 pct.

Pastor files suit in traffic stop mix-up

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - A pastor and his wife have filed a lawsuit after a mix-up led to police pulling them over and drawing their guns.

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert dies

Obama's budget to spare Medicaid

Woman jailed in fatal fire granted bond

MACON, Ga. (AP) - A woman charged with murder and child cruelty after three of her four children died in house fire has been granted $75,000 bond.

Laws, rumors have ammo hard to stock

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gun enthusiasts fearful of new weapon controls and alarmed by rumors of government hoarding are buying bullets practically by the bushel, making it hard for stores nationwide to keep shelves stocked and even putting a pinch on some local law enforcement departments.

Wall street stocks edge higher; Best Buy soars

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks edged higher on Wall Street as investors took advantage of a slump Wednesday to get back into the market.

Jimmy Fallon to take over Leno's spot

NEW YORK (AP) - NBC's recent personnel transition in morning television was a disaster. Executives hope their luck is better late at night, and they have a year to try and make it a smooth handoff from Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon at the "Tonight" show.

Arkansas adopts US's most restrictive abortion law

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas lawmakers overrode a veto Wednesday and gave the state the most restrictive abortion law in the country - a near-ban on the procedure from the 12th week of pregnancy onward that is certain to end up in court. A day after the Republican-led state Senate voted to override Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's veto, the GOP-controlled House voted 56-33 to do the same. Only a simple majority was needed ...

Ga. lawmakers debate easing gun carrying rules

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia lawmakers will debate rules Thursday that could allow more mentally ill people to carry firearms, though hasty changes may blunt some of the impact.

US stocks edge up following Dow's record day

NEW YORK (AP) - After barreling through a record the day before, the Dow Jones industrial average meandered higher on Wednesday. The Dow edged up 42.47 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 14,296.24. An encouraging job-market report helped nudge the stock market up and pushed bond prices lower. On Tuesday, the Dow blew past the previous all-time high it hit more than five years ago. The index of 30 big corporations has more ...

House votes to prevent March 27 federal shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans pushed legislation through the House on Wednesday to ease the short-term impact of $85 billion in spending cuts and prevent a government shutdown this month - at the same time previewing a longer-term plan to erase federal deficits without raising taxes. President Barack Obama pursued a different path as the GOP asserted its budget priorities. He arranged to have dinner with several Republican senators in search of bipartisan support for ...

Jeb Bush more open to a future White House bid

WASHINGTON (AP) - Jeb Bush has long resisted pressure from supporters to run for president, but now the former Florida governor is signaling that he's open to the idea.

License plate fees cause change in wildlife money

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Money gleaned from state auto tag fees to fund Georgia wildlife conservation programs are drying up.

Family: Woman denied CPR wanted no intervention

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Relatives of an 87-year-old woman who died after a nurse at her retirement home refused a 911 dispatcher's pleas to perform CPR expressed satisfaction with the care she received, saying her wishes were to die naturally. Meanwhile, the company that owns the facility now says its worker failed to follow proper procedures.

US stocks climb following Dow's record day

NEW YORK (AP) - An encouraging look at the job market helped send the stock market higher Wednesday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average tore through its previous record high.

Deal struck to make change in state's car tax law

ATLANTA (AP) - State lawmakers have reached agreement on a deal to fix one aspect of Georgia's new car tax law that drew complaints about car leasing.

Dukes of Hazzard reunion could be big draw

BYRON, Ga. (AP) - The upcoming "Dukes of Hazzard" reunion in Byron is beginning to have the makings of a countrified Woodstock. Organizer Chris Jennings said when he first conceived the "Dukes of Hazzard" Georgia Reunion, Classic Car Show and Music Festival, he was hoping for 10,000 people. He said he now believes more than 60,000 will show up for the event that runs Friday through Sunday. He said tickets have been sold in ...

Storm damages homes, whips up wind across Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) - Forecasters are warning of high winds with gusts of up to 40 mph across Georgia, part of a winter storm system that damaged several homes northwest of Atlanta and brought snow and ice to parts of the north Georgia mountains.

Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan leader, dies

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez, the fiery populist who declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against U.S. influence and championed a leftist revival across Latin America, died Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. Vice President Nicolas Maduro, surrounded by other government officials, announced the death in a national television broadcast. He said Chavez died at 4:25 p.m. local time. During more than 14 years in office, ...

Dow hits record, erasing Great Recession losses

NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market is back. Five and a half years after the start of a frightening drop that erased $11 trillion from stock portfolios and made investors despair of ever getting their money back, the Dow Jones industrial average has regained all the losses suffered during the Great Recession and reached a new high. The blue-chip index rose 125.95 points Tuesday and closed at 14,253.77, topping the previous record of 14,164.53 ...

Military leaders welcome House GOP budget bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - A massive House Republican measure to keep the government operating would ease some of the pain of automatic spending cuts slamming the Defense Department, the nation's senior military leaders told Congress on Tuesday. Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff painted a dire picture of construction projects on hold, limits on aircraft carriers patrolling the waters and even a delay in the expansion of Arlington National Cemetery due to the $43 ...

Dow surges to record ... and keeps going

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow closed at an all-time high Tuesday, beating the previous record it set in October 2007, before the financial crisis and Great Recession. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 14,253.77, up 125.95 points, or 0.89 percent. The index jumped from the opening bell, climbed as much as 158 points early and peaked at 14,286. Twenty seven stocks in the 30-member Dow advanced, with industrial companies leading the gains. ...