Stocks gain after unemployment claims fal

NEW YORK (AP) - Encouraging news about the job market and higher profits from CBS, Facebook and other companies lifted stocks Thursday.

Ga. tightens reins on distribution of pain drugs

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia will no longer be a haven for pain clinics that authorities say are fronts for illegal distribution of prescription pain medication.

Deadheads oppose renaming Jerry Garcia venue

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Deadheads are uniting in opposition to a proposal to rename a San Francisco venue named in honor of the Grateful Dead founder.

Georgia child care workers to face more checks

MACON, Ga. (AP) - Gov. Nathan Deal has signed a bill into law requiring childcare workers to undergo comprehensive, fingerprint-based background checks.

New law opens Ga. licenses to certain noncitizens

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has signed two bills into law making it easier for certain noncitizens to get Georgia driver's licenses.

FBI: 3 removed backpack from Boston suspect's room

BOSTON (AP) - Three college friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were arrested and accused Wednesday of removing a backpack containing fireworks emptied of gunpowder from Tsarnaev's dorm room three days after the attack to try to keep him from getting into trouble.

Fed keeps stimulus, says taxes and cuts have hurt

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday stood by its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy and reduce unemployment. And it sent its most explicit signal to date that tax increases and spending cuts that kicked in this year are slowing the economy.

Grocery store worker wins big on her lunch hour

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (AP) - A grocery store worker near Atlanta made more money on her lunch break than many people earn in a lifetime.

Carpet company planning 2 plants in Dalton area

DALTON, Ga. (AP) - A spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal says a carpet manufacturing company will open two plants in northwest Georgia and create about 2,400 jobs.

Stocks edge lower on manufacturing, jobs slowdown

Scientists find cannibalism at American settlement

Boston police: 3 more suspects in custody bombings

BOSTON (AP) - Three more suspects have been taken into custody in the marathon bombings, city police said Wednesday.

Georgia family finds burning cross in front yard

WOODSTOCK, Ga. (AP) - Police are investigating after a metro Atlanta family found a large cross, which had been set on fire in their front yard.

Lake Lanier begins summer full of water

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - After persistent drought conditions, a popular north Georgia lake is beginning the summer recreation season with a full pool of water.

456 colonoscopy patients warned of infection risk

ATLANTA (AP) - An Atlanta surgery center is warning 456 patients that their colonoscopies might have put them at risk of HIV and other diseases.

New vehicle tax laws could mean long lines

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia county officials say motorists can expect longer lines and higher fees at county tag offices across the state as new laws vehicle tax laws take effect.

Obama wants even more taxes

WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing yet another fiscal deadline, President Barack Obama is urging congressional Republicans to accept more tax revenue in order to avert looming, across-the-board budget cuts due to take effect in less than two weeks.

First lady quips that midlife crisis led to bangs

PALM CITY, Fla. (AP) - Michelle Obama jokingly says a mid-life crisis is what inspired her new haircut with bangs.

Round-the-world UK cyclists killed in Thailand

LONDON (AP) - A British couple's round-the-world cycling odyssey ended in tragedy when both of them were killed in a road accident in Thailand.

Warm winter temps confuse reptiles in coastal Ga.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) - Warm winter weather may mean more days at the beach for residents and tourists, but it is causing some confusion for reptiles and amphibians in the Golden Isles.

How many votes is a photo op with the pope worth?

ROME (AP) - How much weight does an endorsement from a lame-duck pope carry in the upcoming election?

Conyers businesswoman will go to court

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - A Georgia businesswoman will stand trial April 15 on federal charges of paying bribes to a former superintendent of schools in Greenville, Miss.

Singer Mindy McCready dies in apparent suicide

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) - Mindy McCready, who hit the top of the country charts before personal problems sidetracked her career, died Sunday in Arkansas in an apparent suicide. She was 37.

Budget cut warnings may prove harsher than reality

WASHINGTON (AP) - Get ready for two weeks of intensifying warnings about how crucial, popular government services are about to wither. Many of the threats could come true.

GA-State-Forecas

State forecast for georgia National weather service peachtree city ga 454 am est sat feb 16 2013 ...Wind advisory in effect from 1 pm this afternoon to 7 pm est This evening for parts of north and central georgia... ...Wind advisory in effect from 3 pm this afternoon to 10 pm est This evening for parts ...

Ga. inmates try to block execution because of drug

WASHINGTON (AP) - Three death row inmates in Georgia are seeking a court order that would prevent the state from using a drug to execute them without a doctor's prescription. The inmates, two of whom are to be executed next week, asked a federal judge in Washington on Friday to direct the Drug Enforcement Administration to prevent the use of pentobarbital in lethal injections. The inmates, Warren Lee Hill, Andrew Allen Cook and Marcus Wellons, ...

Army may have to extend deployments in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) - Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan next year may see their war tours extended because budget cuts will drastically limit training for brigades to replace them, the top Army general said Friday. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said the military will be able to fund training and operations for combat units in Afghanistan now and for those deploying in the summer and fall. But he says there will be delays ...

Boston Pops to perform in Athens

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - The famed Boston Pops orchestra is coming to Georgia. The University of Georgia and the Classic Center in Athens are collaborating to host the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra on Feb. 27. The Pops will play a tribute to the late Oscar - and Tony - winning composer Marvin Hamlisch. The program will feature some of Hamlisch's most well-known themes from musical theater and film, including "Through the Eyes of Love" ...

Jesse Jackson Jr., wife charged in federal cases

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been charged with spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses. His wife was charged with filing false income tax forms. Federal prosecutors filed a charge of conspiracy against the former congressman and charged his wife, Sandra, with one count of filing false joint federal income tax returns for the years 2006 through 2011. In a statement, the former congressman says he offers no excuses ...

FBI: Man slaps boy on plane, charged with assault

ATLANTA (AP) - Federal authorities say a 60-year-old Idaho man has been charged with simple assault for slapping an infant aboard an Atlanta-bound flight.