Ken Stanford

A band of thunderstorms battered the Oklahoma City area Thursday, slowing cleanup operations in the suburb where a tornado killed 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes this week.

The population of the six cities and towns in Hall County beat the growth rate in the state over the past 12 months, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

U.S. sales of new homes rose in April and nearly matched the fastest pace in five years, driving the median price to a record high. The gains suggest the housing recovery is strengthening.

In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits fell by 23,000 last week.

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), operators of the North Georgia Detention Center in Gainesville, and the Hall County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) will sponsor a special blood drive in Gainesville June 7.