Bike trail discussed for old rail route in N. Ga.

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Officials in Georgia are talking about the possibility of creating a bike trail where the former Gainesville and Northwest Railroad connected Gainesville and Helen.

Court: GA driver's license law is constitutional

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia's highest court has rejected a Mexican national's argument that part of a state law that requires a Georgia-issued driver's license to get behind the wheel is unconstitutional because it discriminates against non-Georgia citizens.

Winds with gusts of up to 40 mph blow into Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) - Forecasters say strong winds with gusts of up to 40 mph are expected to continue throughout Monday across much of Georgia.

Ga. to end Medicaid payments for some early births

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia health officials are hoping to improve care - and save money - by steering pregnant women and doctors away from some early deliveries.

Heart repair breakthroughs replace surgeon's knife

Woman fired after tweeting pic of men making sexist jokes

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A female developer was fired after tweeting about a group of men she said were making sexual comments at a computer programming conference, fueling an already vigorous debate about gender equality and culture in Silicon Valley.

Police arrest 2 teens in Ga. baby killing

Pa. caretaker charged with drinking old whiskey

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - The live-in caretaker of a western Pennsylvania mansion is facing criminal charges for allegedly drinking more than $100,000 worth of the owner's whiskey.

Ga. Senate passes competing bill on lobbying rules

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Senate has upped the ante on the House as the two chambers attempt to overhaul lobbying rules at the Capitol.

Soccer players suspended over drinking allegations

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say 18 players on a high school soccer team in east Georgia have been suspended and removed from the team after they were accused of drinking alcohol while on a school-sponsored trip.

Senate Democrats on track to pass budget

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats controlling the Senate moved on Friday toward approving their first budget in four years, promising another, almost $1 trillion round of tax increases on top of more than $600 billion in higher taxes on the wealthy enacted in January.

Punxsutawney Phil 'indicted' over spring forecast

Tolls on Georgia 400 to end before Thanksgiving

ATLANTA (AP) - Transportation officials say the tolls on Georgia 400, a busy commuter route on the north side of Atlanta, will end later this year.

UGA student reports attack by mime

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - A University of Georgia student told police she was attacked by a woman who appeared dressed as a mime.

3 dead, including suspect, in Marine base shooting

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.

Bin Laden spokesman caught in Jordan

WASHINGTON (AP) - Osama bin Laden's spokesman and son-in-law has been captured by the United States, officials said Thursday, in what a senior congressman called a "very significant victory" in the ongoing fight against al-Qaida.

Senate approves new rules for nurse discipline

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Senate has approved a proposal that would require nurses to report alleged professional violations by their colleagues.

Stocks gain for fifth day on unemployment report

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow pushed further into unchartered territory Thursday, having surpassed its previous all-time high two days ago. The catalyst was a government report on employment that gave succor to stock market bulls. Stocks started higher after the Labor Department reported that the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell by 7,000 last week, driving the four-week average to its lowest in five years. The drop is a positive sign ...

Obama backs down

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration bowed to demands from Republicans blocking a vote on the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA on Thursday, stating there are limits to a president's ability to order drone strikes on U.S. soil against suspected terrorists who are American citizens. The reassurances were contained in a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder to Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who staged a filibuster across 13 hours ...

Ga. lawmakers face deadline to pass legislation

ATLANTA (AP) - The clock is ticking for Georgia state lawmakers seeking to pass legislation this year.

Georgia jobless rate holds steady at 8.7 percent

ATLANTA (AP) - State labor officials say Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 8.7 percent held steady in January, unchanged from the December rate.

Lion kills intern at Calif. Exotic animal park

DUNLAP, Calif. (AP) - Authorities are trying to determine what provoked a lion at an exotic animal park in Central California to attack and maul to death a 24-year-old woman, who had been on the job as an intern there for just a few weeks. The woman was attacked and killed Wednesday when she entered the male African lion's enclosure at Cat Haven about 45 miles east of Fresno, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies responding ...