Ken Stanford

A Georgia woman who bought just one ticket and used family birthdays and lucky No. 7 to choose her numbers was one of two winners of the $636 million Mega Millions jackpot, the second-largest in U.S. history.

A presidential advisory panel has recommended dozens of changes to the government's surveillance programs, including stripping the National Security Agency of its ability to store Americans' telephone records and requiring a court to sign off on the individual searches of phone and Internet data.

The Federal Reserve has decided to reduce its stimulus for the U.S. economy because the job market has shown steady improvement. The shift could lead to higher long-term borrowing rates for individuals and businesses.

Consumers worried that tight deadlines around the holidays and lingering computer problems could thwart their efforts to secure coverage under President Barack Obama's health overhaul will get extra time to pay, the health insurance industry said Wednesday.

Firefighters expected to get some help Wednesday from the weather as they battle an unusual late fall wildfire that has destroyed more than a dozen homes and forced about 100 people to flee the scenic Big Sur region overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The Hall County Sheriff

Brett Willis, an attorney with the Hall County Public Defender

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges elected Brenau University President Ed L. Schrader to a three-year second term on its board of trustees.

U.S. builders broke ground on homes at the fastest pace in more than five years, strong evidence that the housing recovery is accelerating despite higher mortgage rates.