Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder

Dow average holds on to 15,000 with a small gain

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow Jones industrial average held above 15,000 a day after it closed above the landmark level for the first time.

Miss America' song cut from pageant over dispute

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - The next Miss America won't hear a familiar refrain when she's crowned in Atlantic City, N.J., in September.

Amanda Berry's sister offers thanks, seeks privacy

Former US official describes Libya attack

Nick Saban's Ga. mountain mansion to be auctioned

Some hospitals charge vastly more for same care

Suspect in Ohio helped neighbors look for missing

CLEVELAND (AP) - In the years after his friend's daughter vanished while walking home from school, Ariel Castro handed out fliers with the 14-year-old's photo and performed music at a fundraiser held in her honor.

Deal signs $37.1B budget; touts spending restraint

ATLANTA (AP) - Gov. Nathan Deal signed a $37.1 billion total budget for fiscal year 2014 on Tuesday, saying the plan balances the budget without raising taxes and reduces government spending.

Georgia Gov. Deal signs teacher evaluations bill

ATLANTA (AP) - Gov. Nathan Deal has signed a bill to standardize annual evaluations for Georgia teachers and principals based, in part, on student performance.

Dow Jones industrial average back above 15,000

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow Jones industrial average was headed for its first close above 15,000 Tuesday as Wall Street followed world markets higher.

Ga. to release new grades for public schools

Rain boosts bacteria levels in Chattahoochee River

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say recent rains have sent bacteria levels soaring in the Chattahoochee River.

Girl wounded by knife in Savannah middle school

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a girl was taken to a hospital after an attack involving a knife inside a Savannah middle school.

Limo driver, survivor views differ on fatal fire

Georgia Capitol Notes

ATLANTA (AP) - HEADLINES: House lawmakers endorsed big changes to Georgia's gun laws this week just ahead of a key internal deadline. Under internal rules, most bills had to be approved by at least one chamber of the General Assembly by Thursday or risk failing for the year. There are some exceptions. House Republicans voted to allow people with a license to carry a firearm to take their weapons into bars, churches and parts ...

Stocks move higher following strong job growth

NEW YORK (AP) - A burst of hiring in February pushed stocks higher on Wall Street.

New TSA policy on knives, bats sparks backlash

WASHINGTON (AP) - Flight attendants, pilots, federal air marshals and even insurance companies are part of a growing backlash to the Transportation Security Administration's new policy allowing passengers to carry small knives and sports equipment like souvenir baseball bats and golf clubs onto planes. The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, representing nearly 90,000 flight attendants, said it is coordinating a nationwide legislative and public education campaign to reverse the policy announced by TSA Administrator John ...

US adds 236K jobs, unemployment falls to 7.7 pct.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A burst of hiring last month added 236,000 U.S. jobs and reduced the unemployment rate to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent in January. The robust gains suggested that the economy can strengthen further despite higher taxes and government spending cuts.

Online fishing guides provide tips to Ga. anglers

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (AP) - The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has introduced a new website to help anglers take the guesswork out of finding a place to go fishing.

Chattahoochee whitewater course to open in May

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - After more than a decade of planning and construction, a man-made whitewater course on the Chattahoochee River will soon open.

Ga. Senate OKs scholarship tax credit changes

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Senate has approved changes to a tax credit program that provides scholarships for children to attend private schools.

Senate panel casts year's first votes on gun curbs

WASHINGTON (AP) - In Congress' first gun votes since the Newtown, Conn., nightmare, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to toughen federal penalties against illegal firearms purchases, even as senators signaled that a deep partisan divide remained over gun curbs.

Bin Laden spokesman caught in Jordan

WASHINGTON (AP) - Osama bin Laden's spokesman and son-in-law has been captured by the United States, officials said Thursday, in what a senior congressman called a "very significant victory" in the ongoing fight against al-Qaida.

Senate approves new rules for nurse discipline

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Senate has approved a proposal that would require nurses to report alleged professional violations by their colleagues.

Stocks gain for fifth day on unemployment report

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow pushed further into unchartered territory Thursday, having surpassed its previous all-time high two days ago. The catalyst was a government report on employment that gave succor to stock market bulls. Stocks started higher after the Labor Department reported that the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell by 7,000 last week, driving the four-week average to its lowest in five years. The drop is a positive sign ...

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 ...