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

Report: States force jobless to pay needless fees

WASHINGTON (AP) - Jobless Americans are paying millions in unnecessary fees to collect unemployment benefits because of state policies encouraging them to get the money through bank-issued payment cards, according to a new report from a consumer group.

US stocks close mixed on uneven economic signals

U.S. stocks meandered between small gains and losses Monday, cooling off after a rally that had pushed the Standard & Poor's 500 index above 1,500 for the first time since December 2007. Encouraging news about manufacturing provided an early boost, but stocks fell later after a report on the pace of home sales fell short of expectations.

Money fears vs. real benefits in Medicaid choice

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama thinks his health care law makes states an offer they can't refuse.

Defense set in gruesome Ariz. boyfriend slaying

PHOENIX (AP) - Jodi Arias was adamant at first. She said she knew nothing about her lover's death, didn't slit his throat, stab him nearly 30 times or put a bullet in his forehead.

University of Ga. provost sole president finalist

ATLANTA (AP) - University of Georgia Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jere Morehead has been named as the sole finalist for the school's president, state officials announced Monday.

Senate nears vote on $50.5B bill for Sandy victims

WASHINGTON (AP) - Three months after Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal areas in much of the Northeast, the Senate moved Monday toward passing a $50.5 billion emergency package of relief and recovery aid after House Republicans stripped it of spending unrelated to disasters.

They're back: J. C. Penney adds sales

NEW YORK (AP) - J.C. Penney is bringing back sales. The struggling department store chain this week will begin adding some of the hundreds of sales it ditched last year in hopes of luring back shoppers who were turned off when the discounts disappeared. Penney also plans to add new price tags or signs for more than half of its merchandise to show customers how much they're saving by shopping at the mid-priced chain ...

Obama asks police to help pass gun legislation

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama kept up pressure on Congress Monday to pass tough new gun legislation, seeking help from law enforcement leaders in three communities that have suffered the horrors of mass shootings.

Report: Ga Lottery execs received large payments

ATLANTA (AP) - Top Georgia Lottery executives received large payouts and raises despite a law mean to curb bonuses.

US stocks edge up after strong Caterpillar earns

U.S. stocks fell Monday morning, backing off a rally that had pushed the Standard & Poor's 500 index above 1,500 for the first time since December 2007. The modest decline occurred despite of encouraging signs about the manufacturing sector, a key driver of economic growth.

Strong storms expected in Georgia on Wednesday

ATLANTA (AP) - Forecasters say severe storms are possible across much of Georgia in the coming week, bringing the possibility of tornadoes to the state.

Senators reach agreement on immigration reform

WASHINGTON (AP) - A bipartisan group of leading senators has reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws.

Ga. historic site trims fence that's killing deer

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Outside the ruins of Georgia's oldest surviving colonial estate, a wrought iron fence that has stood for a century is getting the sharp points atop its pickets trimmed off after park managers were finding too many deer impaled on the spikes.

Angry protests, clashes on Egypt anniversary

CAIRO (AP) - Egyptians delivered an angry backlash against President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood on Friday, marking the second anniversary of the start of the country's revolution with tens of thousands filling major squares and streets around the country to call for a new regime change.

Exxon passes Apple as most valuable company

NEW YORK (AP) - Exxon has once again surpassed Apple as the world's most valuable company after the iPhone and iPad maker saw its stock price falter.