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.

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.

Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan leader, dies

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez, the fiery populist who declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against U.S. influence and championed a leftist revival across Latin America, died Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer. Vice President Nicolas Maduro, surrounded by other government officials, announced the death in a national television broadcast. He said Chavez died at 4:25 p.m. local time. During more than 14 years in office, ...

Dow hits record, erasing Great Recession losses

NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market is back. Five and a half years after the start of a frightening drop that erased $11 trillion from stock portfolios and made investors despair of ever getting their money back, the Dow Jones industrial average has regained all the losses suffered during the Great Recession and reached a new high. The blue-chip index rose 125.95 points Tuesday and closed at 14,253.77, topping the previous record of 14,164.53 ...

Military leaders welcome House GOP budget bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - A massive House Republican measure to keep the government operating would ease some of the pain of automatic spending cuts slamming the Defense Department, the nation's senior military leaders told Congress on Tuesday. Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff painted a dire picture of construction projects on hold, limits on aircraft carriers patrolling the waters and even a delay in the expansion of Arlington National Cemetery due to the $43 ...