Carpet firm could get $100 million in incentives

ATLANTA (AP) - State officials say a Georgia-based carpet manufacturing company could get state incentives worth more than $100 million.

Gator ousted from suburban Atlanta pond

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - An alligator that had been living in the pond of a suburban Atlanta subdivision was removed, but not before biting the trapper on his arm.

Police: Dead Boston bombing suspect buried

Stocks edge lower in early trading

NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market pulled back early Thursday after surging to record levels during the past week.

Study: Fish oil doesn't help prevent heart attacks

Eating fish is good for your heart but taking fish oil capsules does not help people at high risk of heart problems who are already taking medicines to prevent them, a large study in Italy found.

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.

Teen wounded in Ga. school shooting

ATLANTA (AP) - A 14-year-old student was wounded in a shooting at a middle school Thursday, and a suspect was taken into custody, authorities said. No other students were hurt.

Congress passes bill to extend borrowing authority

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress has approved must-do legislation to permit the government to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars more to meet its obligations, averting a first-ever government default that had loomed as early as mid-February.

Senate to clear debt limit increase for Obama

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate Thursday took up must-do legislation to permit the government to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars more to meet its obligations, putting off one Washington showdown even as others loom in coming weeks.

Teen wounded in Ga. school shooting

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say a 14-year-old has been wounded in a shooting at an Atlanta middle school and a suspect has been taken into custody. Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos says the wounded student has been taken "alert, conscious and breathing" to Grady Hospital. He says the suspect has been tentatively identified as a student and all other students at the school are safe. Campos says the teen was shot outside of the ...

Feds: $13.6M in phony sports goods confiscated

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Investigators have confiscated more than $13.6 million worth of phony sports merchandise over the past five months and expect to seize more in New Orleans during Super Bowl week, a federal law-enforcement official said Thursday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said authorities also have shut down more than 300 websites selling counterfeit goods as part of an enforcement effort dubbed "Operation Red Zone." The operation targeted international ...

Teen wounded in Ga. school shooting

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say a 14-year-old has been wounded in a shooting at an Atlanta middle school and a suspect has been taken into custody.

Atlanta school shooting suspect in custody, wounded student 'alert, conscious'

Authorities: Atlanta school shooting suspect in custody, wounded student 'alert, conscious' .

Lawmaker: Ga. lobbying rules bill will be amended

ATLANTA (AP) - A Republican lawmaker says a proposal to tighten lobbyist rules will be amended to answer concerns it could limit free speech rights.

Sperm whale secretion may spell fortune for UK man

LONDON (AP) - One very smelly sperm whale secretion may soon make one lucky British beachcomber a very happy man.

Dow edges lower, still headed for stellar January

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow drifted lower Thursday, but stayed on track for its best start to the year in more than two decades. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 33 points to 13,877 as of noon EST. The index has gained 6 percent so far this month, putting it in line for its best January performance since 1989, according to data from S&P Dow Jones Indices. The Standard and Poor's 500 ...

Joint Chiefs: Looming cuts would 'hollow' military

WASHINGTON (AP) - The military's top leaders are warning Congress that automatic spending cuts looming in March would force the Pentagon to slash operating budgets, weakening the armed forces and possibly forcing furloughs of 800,000 civilian employees. The Joint Chiefs say in a letter to Congress that the cuts would create a "hollow force" and would require aircraft to be grounded and warships to return to port. The chiefs said the troops on the front ...

Dow edges lower, still headed for stellar January

EW YORK (AP) - The Dow drifted lower Thursday, but stayed on track for its best start to the year in more than two decades.

Ala. child hostage standoff in 2nd day at bunker

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) - A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day Thursday as police surrounded an underground bunker where a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed off a school bus after shooting the driver dead.

2 dead after storms rake South, take aim at East

ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Kandi Cash trudged in rain through the splintered debris of her grandparents' home, hoping to salvage photos and other keepsakes after violent storms raked the Southeast, leaving two people dead before the vast storm front moved on to pummel the East Coast.

Syria and Iran threaten retaliation against Israel

BEIRUT (AP) - Syria and Iran have threatened to retaliate for an Israeli air raid near the capital Damascus.