ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp signed three bills Wednesday aimed at human trafficking in Georgia. “We are taking three important steps forward to make sure Georgia is a safe haven for survivors … turning Georgia into a national leader for victims’ rights and putting criminals behind bars,” Kemp said during a bill signing ceremony at the state Capitol.

McRAE-HELENA, Ga. (AP) — Someone using a magnet to fish for metal objects in a Georgia creek pulled up a rifle as well as some lost belongings of a couple found slain in the same area more than nine years ago.

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp signed a private-school vouchers bill Tuesday, culminating a fight Republicans have waged for years to give students in low-performing schools another option.

Several crew members were injured and two were hospitalized when a car and truck collided during shooting of the Eddie Murphy film “The Pickup" from Amazon MGM Studios, the studio and a person close to the production said Tuesday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia prison officials have flagrantly violated a court order to reform conditions for prisoners in the state's most restrictive holding facility, showing “no desire or intention" to make the required changes to solitary confinement practices, a federal judge said.

ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.1% last month even as the state added 16,200 jobs, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday. The number of jobs reached more than 4.9 million in March, an all-time high.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgians will owe less in income taxes this year and will get a chance in November to vote to cap increases in how homes are valued for property taxes. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed measures cutting income taxes by a projected $700 million on residents and businesses. The income tax cuts are retroactive to Jan. 1.

Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man,” has died. He was 80.

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Thousands of college students expected this weekend for an annual spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach will be greeted by dozens of extra police officers and barricades closing off neighborhood streets. While the beach will remain open, officials are blocking access to nearby parking.

ATLANTA – The Port of Brunswick enjoyed its busiest month ever in March, the Georgia Ports Authority reported Wednesday. The Colonel’s Island Terminal at Brunswick handled 77,236 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo last month, including autos and heavy machinery, an increase of 21% over March of last year and a new record.

A man has been charged in federal court in Illinois in the transport of millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

BARNESVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Students will pay more to attend Georgia's public universities and colleges in the the 2024-2025 academic year, with officials saying schools face rising costs and must charge more to maintain a quality education.

ATLANTA – The state Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a request by Georgia Power Tuesday for a huge increase in electrical generating capacity power utility executives said is needed to meet the growing demands of large industrial customers.

ATLANTA – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport retained its distinction as the world’s busiest airport last year, the industry organization Airport Council International reported Monday.

ATLANTA – Georgia tax collections continued their downward slide last month, declining by 12.6% compared to March of last year, the state Department of Revenue reported Friday. Year-to-date tax receipts were more encouraging, with revenues down a slight 0.5% compared to the first nine months of the last fiscal year.

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — In a large, empty parking lot outside Atlanta, one car slowly careened around parking spaces. From the passenger seat, driving instructor Nancy Gobran peered over large sunglasses at her student, a 30-year-old Syrian refugee woman who was driving for one of the first times in her life.

ATLANTA (AP) — Two Georgia Republicans are headed to a May 7 runoff in a special election to replace state Rep. Richard Smith of Columbus, who died Jan. 30 while ill with the flu. Sean Knox and Carmen Rice will face off for the remainder of Smith's term on May 7, according to results from the Georgia Secretary of State.

Ralph Puckett Jr., a retired Army colonel awarded the Medal of Honor seven decades after he was wounded leading a company of outnumbered Army Rangers in battle during the Korean War, has died at age 97. Puckett died peacefully Monday at his home in Columbus, Georgia, according to the Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, which is handling funeral arrangements.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A suburban Atlanta prosecutor says she will seek misdemeanor charges against a man who ran over and killed a 4-year-old girl after family members protested when police said felony charges weren't justified.

ATLANTA (AP) — The former chief financial officer for Atlanta pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing money from the city for personal travel and guns and trying to cheat the federal government on his income taxes. Jim Beard, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of federal program theft and one count of tax obstruction in federal court in Atlanta.

MACON, Ga. (AP) — A student at a private university in Georgia has been arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge after arguing with a person giving a speech about the Israel-Hamas war. WMAZ-TV reports the student was arrested by Mercer University police in Macon after making physical contact with Jennifer Grossman, CEO of the conservative group the Atlas Society.

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — Get ready for a day that won’t leave you in the dark! Join Tellus Science Museum on Monday, April 8, to witness the Great American Solar Eclipse of 2024.

ATLANTA – A man serving a life term in a Georgia state prison has been indicted on charges of constructing and mailing bombs to two federal buildings. David Cassady, 55, is an inmate at Phillips State Prison in Buford. He is accused of building the bombs while serving as an inmate at the now-closed state prison in Reidsville and mailing two of them to a federal courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, and a Justice Department building in Washington, D.C.

An increasingly deadly year for the endangered North Atlantic right whale got worse this week when another member of the species was killed in a collision with a ship, federal authorities said Thursday. The giant species of whale numbers less than 360 and is vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. The whales have suffered high mortality in recent years, and several have died already this year off Georgia and Massachusetts.

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Transportation has awarded an $8.4 million grant to Norfolk Southern Corp. to fund freight rail improvements in Henry County. The grant will go toward an estimated $21 million project to more than double the length of a passing track at McDonough, which will allow more efficient use of the tracks and reduce road crossings blocked by trains.