Ken Stanford

Georgia Power wants more money from customers to cover the cost of repairing storm damage to the electrical system, just one of many decisions that regulators will consider before deciding how much the utility can charge.

Tourists returned to the Grand Canyon on Saturday after Arizona officials along with several counterparts agreed to a federal government plan to reopen national parks, which had been closed as a result of the partial government shutdown.

The focus of efforts to end the government shutdown and prevent a U.S. default shifted to the Senate on Saturday, where leaders were in talks aimed at resolving the twin stalemates.

The federal government shutdown that has idled hundreds of thousands of workers is starting to ripple through states, which are now laying off employees and warning of thousands of additional furloughs if the budget stalemate is not resolved soon.

With talks having stalled between the White House and House Republicans, a bipartisan group in the Senate is polishing a measure that would reopen the government and prevent a first-ever default on the country's bills.

People unable to attend a GDOT-sponsored meeting Thursday night on the planned widening of Georgia 347 in South Hall still have time to comment.

House Speaker John Boehner's office says the Ohio Republican spoke by phone with President Barack Obama Friday afternoon.