Ex-children's hospital worker accused of abuse

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - A former employee of Children's Hospital of Georgia is accused of sexual battery involving patients at the Augusta facility.

Obama health law anniversary finds two Americas

Survey: Low-wage workers missing out on training

WASHINGTON (AP) - As they struggle to get ahead, many low-wage workers are not taking advantage of job training or educational programs that could help them make the leap to better-paying jobs. They are often skeptical about whether such programs are even worth the trouble, a new survey shows.

Universe ages 80M years; Big Bang gets clearer

Ga. jobless rate hits lowest level since early '09

ATLANTA (AP) - State labor officials say Georgia's unemployment rate has dropped 8.6 percent, its lowest level in the past four years.

Judge strikes down section of GA immigration law

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal judge has permanently struck down a section of Georgia's 2011 law targeting illegal immigration that makes it illegal for someone to knowingly harbor or transport an illegal immigrant.

Chairman: Ga. Senate will back $100 lobbying cap

Wal-Mart expands test of mobile checkout program

Senate set to approve huge 2013 spending bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate moved toward a vote Wednesday on a huge, bipartisan spending bill aimed at keeping the government running through September and ruling out the chance of a shutdown later this month.

House OKs lower alcohol limits for boat operators

ATLANTA (AP) - Reacting to high-profile deaths on Lake Lanier, the Georgia House of Representatives has approved a proposal to lower the allowable blood-alcohol limits for hunters and anyone driving a water vessel in the state.

Pa. school asks students to cut back on body spray

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania high school wants its students to cut back on the body spray.

US stocks rise ahead of Federal Reserve meeting

U.S. stocks rose strongly Wednesday ahead of a decision by the Federal Reserve about whether to push ahead with aggressive measures to boost the economy.

Ga. officials nominate 7 to charter commission

ATLANTA (AP) - The State Board of Education has announced seven people have been appointed to the State Charter Schools Commission, which has the power to authorize charter schools.

Brazil judge orders '50 Shades of Grey' removed

SAO PAULO (AP) - A Brazilian judge has ordered the erotic trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey" taken off the shelves of bookstores in the city of Macae, or at least wrapped to prevent minors from opening them.

Lilly drug chosen for Alzheimer's prevention study

Researchers have chosen an experimental drug by Eli Lilly & Co. for a large federally funded study testing whether it's possible to prevent Alzheimer's disease in older people at high risk of developing it.

Vintage music hall to reopen in Ga. mining town

ATLANTA (AP) - One of the South's oldest music halls is preparing to reopen after a major renovation to shore up its floor, revamp its concert hall and make other improvements.

GOP official: House to vote to lift debt limit

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican-controlled House will vote next week to permit the government to borrow more money to meet its obligations, a move aimed at heading off a market-rattling confrontation with President Barack Obama over the so-called debt limit.

Flu season 'bad one for the elderly,' CDC says

Flu hospitalizations among the elderly rose sharply last week, prompting federal officials to take unusual steps to make more flu medicines available and to urge wider use of them as soon as symptoms appear.

Stocks flat in early trading; GE up, Intel fall

NEW YORK (AP) - A mixed batch of earnings reports from some of Corporate America's biggest names kept the stock market treading water in early trading Friday. General Electric and Morgan Stanley rose after turning in better report cards, while a 27 percent drop in earnings sank Intel's stock.

Subway 'crisis': Is footlong sub really 11 inches?

NEW YORK (AP) - What's in an inch? Apparently, enough missing meat, cheese and tomatoes to cause an uproar.

Sniping, then singing as 'American Idol' return

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Fox network is putting a brave face on the shrinking appeal of "American Idol."

Winning numbers drawn in 'Fantasy 5' game

ATLANTA (AP) - The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Georgia Lottery's "Fantasy 5" game were:

Ga. man restores MLK Bible for Obama inauguration

ACWORTH, Ga. (AP) - A suburban Atlanta man has restored a Bible that belonged to Martin Luther King Jr. so that it can be used in President Barack Obama's inauguration.

Police chief told to remove coyotes from island

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - The city council of a Georgia island town has instructed to the police chief to remove coyotes which began to appear on the island last year.

Parts of Southeast digging out from snow

ATLANTA (AP) - Parts of the Southeast were digging out Friday from a winter storm that dumped snow around the region and played a role in at least one death.

'Dear Abby' advice columnist dies at age 94

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Pauline Friedman Phillips, who as Dear Abby dispensed snappy, sometimes saucy advice on love, marriage and meddling mothers-in-law to millions of newspaper readers around the world and opened the way for the likes of Dr. Ruth, Dr. Phil and Oprah, has died. She was 94.

Biden: Nation needs to respond to gun violence

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Joe Biden said the nation could not wait any longer to respond to gun violence, telling mayors on Thursday that the White House would "take this fight to the halls of Congress."