Ken Stanford

Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed five new members, including Union County Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris, to the board overseeing the state's public defender system.

A young couple who became lost while rafting on the Chattahoochee River in White County was rescued after about a three-hour search Tuesday night by rescue personnel.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference says its president, the Rev. Howard Creecy Jr., has died.

Brenau University joined an elite group of national universities this week when it gained "Honor Roll" status in The Chronicle of Higher Education's 2011 "Great Colleges to Work For" rankings.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level since early April, a sign the job market may be healing after a recent slump.

A utility official says a reservoir that supplies water for several northeast Georgia counties is full despite recent drought conditions.

State grants totaling $53,400 have been awarded non-profits in Habersham County and Hartwell to help the homeless and domestic abuse victims in those areas.

A key Georgia courts committee has overhauled its rules to guarantee that non-English speakers are provided with interpreters at every critical state of criminal or civil legal proceeding.

The Georgia Department of Labor reports that unemployment rates rose throughout the state in June.

Rural America now accounts for just 16 percent of the nation's population, the lowest ever.