School boards, libraries face insurance cost hike

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia school boards and public libraries will have to pay more for the employer share of health insurance following a decision by the Community Health Board.

US stocks edge lower at end of a volatile week

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks edged lower in the early going on Wall Street Friday as trading quieted down at the end of a turbulent week.

Commander in SS-led unit living in US

BERLIN (AP) - A top commander of a Nazi SS-led unit accused of burning villages filled with women and children lied to American immigration officials to get into the United States and has been living in Minnesota since shortly after World War II, according to evidence uncovered by The Associated Press.

Government has history of secrecy, spying, leaks

Plane from Nashville to Atlanta strikes pole

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Passengers on Delta flight 1066 from Nashville to Atlanta were removed from the plane after it struck a light pole while taxiing on the ramp.

Prosecutors push for anti-phone theft measures

Girl who took on transplant rules gets new lungs

Southern Baptists address prisoners, trafficking

HOUSTON (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention tackled topics at its annual meeting this week that seemed to show a concern for a broadening array of social issues, including human trafficking and the country's high rate of incarceration.

Severe storms could bring hail, high winds to Ga.

ATLANTA (AP) - Forecasters are predicting severe storms for much of Georgia.

US stock market wavers in early trading

Southern Baptists consider resolution on scouting

HOUSTON (AP) - Southern Baptist Convention leaders have proposed a resolution expressing their opposition to the Boy Scouts of America's new policy allowing gay Scouts.

Unusually massive line of storms aim at Midwest

Girl, 16, dies while 'car surfing' on vehicle hood

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a Dawson County teenager has been killed while riding on the hood of a moving vehicle in a stunt known as "car surfing."

Hands-free texting still distracting for drivers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Using voice commands to send text messages and emails from behind the wheel, which is marketed as a safer alternative for drivers, actually is more distracting and dangerous than simply talking on a cellphone, a new AAA study found.

Southern Baptists re-elect first black president

HOUSTON (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention has re-elected its first black president, the Rev. Fred Luter Jr.

Police chase shuts down westbound lanes of I-285

ATLANTA (AP) - A police chase briefly shut down the westbound lanes of a freeway that circles Atlanta during the tail end of Monday morning's rush hour.

Georgia high in underwater mortgages

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia is featured prominently in a survey of ZIP codes where mortgage holders owe more on their homes than the homes are now worth.

Chavez's heir to take over divided Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, has won Venezuela's presidential election by a stunningly narrow margin that highlights rising discontent over problems ranging from crime to power blackouts. His rival demanded a recount, portending more headaches for a country shaken by the death of its dominating leader. One key Chavista leader made known his dismay over the outcome of Sunday's election that was supposed to cement the self-styled "Bolivarian Revolution" ...

UGA student stabbed, in intensive care

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Police in Athens say a University of Georgia student is in intensive care after being stabbed during a dispute with another student.

Groundbreaking improv comic Jonathan Winters dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jonathan Winters, the cherub-faced comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. He was 87. The Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes, said Joe Petro III, a longtime friend. He was surrounded by family and friends. Winters was a pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag ...

Masters imposes stunning penalty on 14-year-old

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - The Masters took a stunning turn for its youngest player ever, and it may cost 14-year-old Guan Tianlang a chance to play on the weekend at Augusta National.

Upper income seniors' Medicare hike

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's new plan to raise Medicare premiums for upper-income seniors would create five new income brackets to squeeze more revenue for the government from the top tiers of retirees. The administration revealed details of the plan Friday after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the Congress on the president's budget. The details had not been provided when the budget was released earlier in the week. ...

PSY's new single steals attention away from NKorea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean pop star PSY's first new single since his viral hit "Gangnam Style" is stealing attention from inter-Korean tensions.

Stocks end a four-day advance as energy slides

NEW YORK (AP) - A drop in energy and mining companies Friday ended a four-day surge in the stock market. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 30 points at 14,834 shortly after 2 p.m., a drop of 0.2 percent. In the first four days of the week the Dow rose 300 points, a gain of 2 percent. The price of crude oil dropped $2.50 to $91 a barrel in New York trading. The ...

A weak start on Wall Street; energy stocks slide

NEW YORK (AP) - Energy companies led the stock market lower Friday as the price of oil sank 2 percent. Major indexes were still on track to end the week with strong gains. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 36 points at 14,828, a loss of 0.2 percent, shortly after 10 a.m. The Dow had surged more than 2 percent, a climb of 300 points, over the previous four days. The price ...

Police search for clues in shooting of motorist

ATLANTA (AP) - Police say they're continuing to investigate why a motorist driving a luxury car was gunned down on an interstate outside Atlanta.

Hail, damaging winds, tornadoes possible in Ga.

ATLANTA (AP) - The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for parts of north Georgia including the metro Atlanta area.

Leishman grabs Masters lead, Woods starts strong

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Marc Leishman is the surprising early leader at the Masters. The 29-year-old Australian shot a 6-under 66 Thursday for a two-stroke lead over another unheralded player, England's David Lynn. Leishman missed the cut in 2010 and is playing in just his second Masters. He surged to the top of the leaderboard with four straight birdies on the back side, starting at No. 13. Leishman came into the first major of the ...

Ga. child care workers likely to face more checks

ATLANTA (AP) - A major change to rules governing child care centers across the state is likely to receive final approval soon as lawmakers, state officials and advocacy groups hail the move as an improvement to children's safety. Legislation passed by the General Assembly in recent weeks calls for every employee of the state's roughly 6,300 licensed child care facilities to undergo a comprehensive, fingerprint-based background check. The bill, which is expected to be ...

2 killed, dozens injured in bus crash near Dallas

IRVING, Texas (AP) - At least two people were killed and more than 40 were hospitalized after a charter bus careened off a North Texas highway and flipped onto its side Thursday, drawing a large emergency response as rescue crews struggled to reach victims inside, authorities said. The Cardinal Coach Line bus was on its way to a casino in Oklahoma when it suddenly weaved across the busy highway and struck two concrete barriers ...