Unemployment insurance claims down in Ga.

ATLANTA - The number of new claims for unemployment insurance in Georgia is down again.

They declined 6.3 percent between November 2009 and last month.

Only four metropolitan areas showed an increase: Gainesville (9 percent), Savannah (12.9 percent), Columbus (24.5 percent) and Dalton (30.7 percent).

At the other end of the spectrum were Brunswick, with a 29.9 percent drop and Athens, with a 27.3 percent decline.

Nationwide, slightly fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the second drop in three weeks. (See separate story.)