Ken Stanford

Two extravagant comedies, "Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel," tied for the most Oscar nominations Thursday morning with nine nods each, including best picture.

The Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville will host a question-and-answer session later this month with the Latin group "Contrapuntpo' or "Counterpoint."

The end of the holiday season led to more Americans seeking unemployment benefits last week, raising the number of applications to an 18-week high. Still, the number remains near historically low levels.

The Mexican government on Thursday will start issuing birth certificates to its citizens at consulates in the United States, seeking to make it easier for them to apply for U.S. work permits, driver's licenses and protection from deportation.

Stocks recovered much of a midday swoon but still ended lower following some discouraging news on the global economy and retail sales in the U.S.

Police in Athens are investigating the shooting death of a University of Georgia student who was killed off-campus.

Federal officials say more than 398,000 Georgians have enrolled for health coverage through the federally run insurance marketplace.

California farmers now must abide by the nation's strictest rules for a widely used pesticide in a change designed to protect farmworkers and people who live and work near agricultural fields but is likely to raise prices on produce.