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

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."

Accumulating snow starts to fall across Southeast

ATLANTA (AP) - A winter storm that dumped 4 inches of snow in parts of Mississippi was hitting Alabama on Thursday afternoon, with the system expected to spread across northern Georgia and into the Washington, D.C., area, according to the National Weather Service.

NFL Playoffs Capsule: 49ers at Falcons

SAN FRANCISCO (12-4-1) at ATLANTA (14-3)

Sheriffs, state lawmakers push back on gun control

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - From Oregon to Mississippi, President Barack Obama's proposed ban on new assault weapons and large-capacity magazines struck a nerve among rural lawmen and lawmakers, many of whom vowed to ignore any restrictions - and even try to stop federal officials from enforcing gun policy in their jurisdictions.