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

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.

Ga. State Senate expected to pass Medicaid plan

ATLANTA (AP) - Leading Georgia Senate officials say they expect the Senate to pass Gov. Nathan Deal's proposal for a new Medicaid financing scheme that will spare lawmakers from voting directly on a tax.

Georgia jobless rate rises slightly

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia labor officials say the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has risen slightly to 8.6 percent.

Winter storm warning issued for parts of north Ga

ATLANTA (AP) - Forecasters at the National Weather Service have issued a winter storm warning for 12 Georgia counties in the northwest and northern parts of the state.

Accumulating snow could fall across the Southeast

ATLANTA (AP) - Snow was expected to spread Thursday from Mississippi across northern Georgia and up to the Washington, D.C. area, the National Weather Service said. The winter blitz follows days of heavy rain across much of the Southeast.

Xavier's Bobinski named new Georgia Tech AD

ATLANTA (AP) - Mike Bobinski, who has been in charge of Xavier's athletic department for 12 years, has been named Georgia Tech's athletic director.

Obama is flexing his leverage on debt, immigration

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is assembling an ambitious second-term agenda, pushing aggressively where he thinks he has political leverage but moving more cautiously on issues where he has less control.

Second presidential terms loaded with setbacks

WASHINGTON (AP) - Second presidential terms are never easy - even for George Washington.

Goldman, Morgan Stanley pay $557M in mortgage case

WASHINGTON (AP) - Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley will pay a combined $557 million to settle federal complaints that they wrongfully foreclosed on homeowners who should have been allowed to stay in their homes.

Boeing leads Dow lower; other indexes mixed

NEW YORK (AP) - More problems for Boeing's 787 sent the aircraft maker's stock down sharply early Wednesday, dragging the Dow Jones industrial average lower.

ER visits tied to energy drinks double since 2007

AN FRANCISCO (AP) - A new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide during the past four years, the same period in which the supercharged drink industry has surged in popularity in convenience stores, bars and on college campuses.

Obama unveils anti-gun violence push

WASHINGTON (AP) - Braced for a fight, President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in two decades, pressing a reluctant Congress to pass universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

2.9-magnitude earthquake hits northwest Georgia

DALTON, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a small earthquake struck near Dalton, in northwest Georgia.

White House calls NRA video repugnant, cowardly

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says a National Rifle Association video referencing President Barack Obama's daughters is "repugnant and cowardly."

Caterpillar to start hiring workers for Ga. plan

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Officials at Caterpillar Inc. are seeking applicants for jobs at the company's new plant being constructed in northeast Georgia.

Weaker-than-expected recovery hampers Ga. budget

ATLANTA (AP) - A weaker-than-expected economic recovery is proving to be a drag on Georgia's state finances.