Man, wife dress as superheroes to patrol Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) - A masked man and his wife who dress in superhero costumes say they're trying to fight crime by patrolling the streets of an Atlanta neighborhood.

Big Brother is watching you

Internet companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google have vast amounts of data on you.

Sotomayor gets another $1.9 million for memoir

Gunman shoots at vehicles near Calif. college

500 years later, theological debate still simmers

Texas actress arrested in ricin case

DALLAS (AP) - A pregnant Texas actress who told FBI agents her husband had sent ricin-tainted letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been arrested for allegedly sending the letters herself, law enforcement officials said Friday.

GA on pace to spend $35 million on private lawyers

ATLANTA (AP) - Records show that Georgia is on pace to spend nearly $35 million on private lawyers to do work for its departments and agencies rather than state attorneys.

2 sentenced in prostitution ring get 20+ years

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Two Atlanta men who ran a prostitution ring that employed underage girls and stretched from Maryland to Florida have been sentenced to 25 and 20 years in prison.

Obama defends phone data collection program

Stocks rise after US jobs report beats forecasts

NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market rose sharply in early trading Friday after the U.S. government reported that hiring picked up in May.

Is Big Data turning government into 'Big Brother?

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - With every phone call they make and every Web excursion they take, people are leaving a digital trail of revealing data that can be tracked by profit-seeking companies and terrorist-hunting government officials.

4 Ga. youth lockups among worst for sex assaults

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal report shows that some of Georgia's youth detention centers are among the nation's worst for sexual assaults on inmates.

Washington's copy of the Constitution on display

Made-up names appear in NY high school's yearbook

SCHAGHTICOKE, N.Y. (AP) - Officials at a small school district in upstate New York say an "honest mistake" led to students being identified in the yearbook as "Creepy smile kid" and "Some tall guy."

Pa. girl gets on lung donor list; boy also sues

Obama backs down

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration bowed to demands from Republicans blocking a vote on the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA on Thursday, stating there are limits to a president's ability to order drone strikes on U.S. soil against suspected terrorists who are American citizens. The reassurances were contained in a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder to Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who staged a filibuster across 13 hours ...

Ga. lawmakers face deadline to pass legislation

ATLANTA (AP) - The clock is ticking for Georgia state lawmakers seeking to pass legislation this year.

Georgia jobless rate holds steady at 8.7 percent

ATLANTA (AP) - State labor officials say Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 8.7 percent held steady in January, unchanged from the December rate.

Lion kills intern at Calif. Exotic animal park

DUNLAP, Calif. (AP) - Authorities are trying to determine what provoked a lion at an exotic animal park in Central California to attack and maul to death a 24-year-old woman, who had been on the job as an intern there for just a few weeks. The woman was attacked and killed Wednesday when she entered the male African lion's enclosure at Cat Haven about 45 miles east of Fresno, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies responding ...

Arkansas adopts US's most restrictive abortion law

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas lawmakers overrode a veto Wednesday and gave the state the most restrictive abortion law in the country - a near-ban on the procedure from the 12th week of pregnancy onward that is certain to end up in court. A day after the Republican-led state Senate voted to override Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's veto, the GOP-controlled House voted 56-33 to do the same. Only a simple majority was needed ...

Ga. lawmakers debate easing gun carrying rules

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia lawmakers will debate rules Thursday that could allow more mentally ill people to carry firearms, though hasty changes may blunt some of the impact.

US stocks edge up following Dow's record day

NEW YORK (AP) - After barreling through a record the day before, the Dow Jones industrial average meandered higher on Wednesday. The Dow edged up 42.47 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 14,296.24. An encouraging job-market report helped nudge the stock market up and pushed bond prices lower. On Tuesday, the Dow blew past the previous all-time high it hit more than five years ago. The index of 30 big corporations has more ...

House votes to prevent March 27 federal shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans pushed legislation through the House on Wednesday to ease the short-term impact of $85 billion in spending cuts and prevent a government shutdown this month - at the same time previewing a longer-term plan to erase federal deficits without raising taxes. President Barack Obama pursued a different path as the GOP asserted its budget priorities. He arranged to have dinner with several Republican senators in search of bipartisan support for ...

Jeb Bush more open to a future White House bid

WASHINGTON (AP) - Jeb Bush has long resisted pressure from supporters to run for president, but now the former Florida governor is signaling that he's open to the idea.

License plate fees cause change in wildlife money

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Money gleaned from state auto tag fees to fund Georgia wildlife conservation programs are drying up.

Family: Woman denied CPR wanted no intervention

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Relatives of an 87-year-old woman who died after a nurse at her retirement home refused a 911 dispatcher's pleas to perform CPR expressed satisfaction with the care she received, saying her wishes were to die naturally. Meanwhile, the company that owns the facility now says its worker failed to follow proper procedures.

US stocks climb following Dow's record day

NEW YORK (AP) - An encouraging look at the job market helped send the stock market higher Wednesday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average tore through its previous record high.

Deal struck to make change in state's car tax law

ATLANTA (AP) - State lawmakers have reached agreement on a deal to fix one aspect of Georgia's new car tax law that drew complaints about car leasing.

Dukes of Hazzard reunion could be big draw

BYRON, Ga. (AP) - The upcoming "Dukes of Hazzard" reunion in Byron is beginning to have the makings of a countrified Woodstock. Organizer Chris Jennings said when he first conceived the "Dukes of Hazzard" Georgia Reunion, Classic Car Show and Music Festival, he was hoping for 10,000 people. He said he now believes more than 60,000 will show up for the event that runs Friday through Sunday. He said tickets have been sold in ...

Storm damages homes, whips up wind across Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) - Forecasters are warning of high winds with gusts of up to 40 mph across Georgia, part of a winter storm system that damaged several homes northwest of Atlanta and brought snow and ice to parts of the north Georgia mountains.