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ATLANTA (AP) — The state of Georgia on Wednesday delayed the execution of its only female death row inmate, ahead of a winter storm forecast to hit many areas with several inches of snow. Kelly Renee Gissendaner, 46, had been scheduled for execution at 7 p.m. at the state prison in Jackson. The execution has been reset for Monday, according to a Department of Corrections statement.

The two-person crew of a Marine Corps jet is safe after a crash Sunday near Statenville, Ga. The F/A-18 Hornet was with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224 based out of Beaufort, S.C., and was part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point, according to Michael Barton, deputy director of the public affairs office at Cherry Point. The pilot, Maj. Rick Nicka and the weapons officer, 1st Lt. Robert Reynolds, ejected from the jet and were treated for minor injuries at South Georgia Medical Center 19 miles away in Valdosta, Ga., according to a release. Barton said the plane...

President Obama may enjoy the approval of 84% of blacks, but don’t count CJ Pearson among them. Pearson, a 12-year-old middle school student in Georgia, has more informed opinions than many adults. The student posted a YouTube video yesterday in which he seeks to “applaud Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his comments about President Barack Obama.”

President Obama may enjoy the approval of 84% of blacks, but don’t count CJ Pearson among them. Pearson, a 12-year-old middle school student in Georgia, has more informed opinions than many adults. The student posted a YouTube video yesterday in which he seeks to “applaud Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his comments about President Barack Obama.”

ATLANTA (CBS46) - Former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Atlanta and Mayor Kasim Reed. Cochran was reportedly fired after handing out a book he wrote to his employees. The book had what Reed called "disturbing sentiments about the LGBT community." At first, Reed suspended Cochran for 30 days and the chief was to undergo sensitivity training. The former chief believes he was fired because of his Christian faith and beliefs.

<[p> The former fire chief of Atlanta, Georgia, is suing the city and its mayor, claiming he was dismissed from his job because of his Christian faith. Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Kelvin Cochran, a highly regarded fire offical whose troubles began when some fire department employees complained about a book he was allegedly distributing on the job. Cochran had written the book, "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" which briefly discusses "Biblical sexual morality," according to an ADF press release. Cochran, who is a deacon in a Protestant church, wrote the book during his...

Georgia’s only female death row inmate has submitted a rather lengthy list for her last meal ahead of her execution later this month. Kelly Renée Gissendaner, 46, will become the first woman to be executed in seven decades in the state when she receives a lethal injection on February 25. She requested a last meal of cornbread with a side of buttermilk; two Burger King Whoppers with cheese; two large orders of fries; cherry vanilla ice cream; popcorn; a salad with boiled eggs, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrots, cheese and Newman’s Own buttermilk dressing; and lemonade. […] (Gissendaner) was convicted...

Former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Mayor Kasim Reed and the city, saying he was fired last month because of his religion. Attorneys with faith-based nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom are representing Cochran in the federal case, which was filed Wednesday.

In Atlanta, Ga., a small and dedicated group of organizers is busily creating the city’s first and only private school especially for gay — or lesbian, or bisexual or transgender — kids as young as pre-kindergarten. [Snip] “I want a place where queer and trans families can bring their kids and not have to worry about being the token lesbian family or the token gay family,” Christian Zsilavetz, a chief founder, said, according to Pink News. Zsilavetz explained that he believes Atlanta needs a school where gay students are segregated from the general student population because too many children are...

<p>FORT STEWART, Georgia — The U.S. Army is sending more than 3,000 Fort Stewart soldiers to Europe to help assure American allies in the region and deter Russian aggression in Ukraine.</p> <p>Officials at the southeast Georgia Army post said Tuesday that soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division will deploy next month.</p>

A state-level campaign to rein in the federal government by calling an unprecedented convention to amend the U.S. Constitution is gaining steam, picking up support from two high-profile Republicans as more states explore the idea. Coburn, a legendary government-waste watchdog, announced this week that he has joined the effort by becoming a senior adviser for the group Convention of States Action, which wants states, not just Congress, to pass constitutional amendments. Article V of the Constitution states amendments can be ratified either by Congress or by states if two-thirds of them petition Congress to call a convention. Then, any amendment...

The state of Georgia is issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. After years of explaining this fact to astonished Georgians all over the state, I have still not grown accustomed to the shock and outrage they so vocally express. “But Georgia is governed by Republicans! – what is this, California?” is the most common reply that is printable here. They seem to become even angrier when someone correctly points out that illegal aliens cannot obtain a driver’s license in Mexico. For those readers who are wondering – no, this bewildering assault on our driver’s license integrity is not a result...

State legislators around the country have introduced more than 200 bills aiming to nullify regulations and laws coming out of Washington, D.C., as they look to rein in the federal government. The legislative onslaught, which includes bills targeting federal restrictions on firearms, experimental treatments and hemp, reflects growing discord between the states and Washington, state officials say. “You have a choice,” said Kentucky state Rep. Diane St. Onge (R). “To sit back and not do anything or say anything and let overregulation continue — or you have the alternative choice to speak up about it and say, ‘We know what...

Kelly Tucker, who has been employed with the Tift County School System for 25 years, responded to a post on Facebook by Kirsten Underwood of WTIF and WFFM concerning some protesters, who were holding a sign that read "Black Lives Matter" in reference to the ongoing situation in Ferguson, Mo., at the parade during the Hometown Holidays Christmas Celebration on Dec. 6.

DEVELOPING: A gunman shot seven people Saturday, killing five of them, in a subdivision west of Atlanta, Georgia. [Snip] Daniel said five people were killed, including several children.

The mother of a mentally disabled man allegedly beaten at a Gordon facility that cared for disabled adults has filed suit seeking punitive damages. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by Betty Gill in Bibb County Superior Court, claims that her son, Joseph Allen Cason Jr., also was taken to vote in the 2013 Gordon city election, although he lived in another county. Employees, while acting in their scope of employment, allegedly took Cason and other residents to the polls to vote for the sister of the facility’s owner, who was running for mayor, according to the suit.

Leading members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are lining up to skip a coming speech by the prime minister of Israel. Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the civil rights icon, and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), the chairman of the CBC, said they won't attend Benjamin Netanyahu's March 3 speech before Congress to protest Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) decision to invite the prime minister without first consulting President Obama and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill. Butterfield said that move marked an "unprecedented overreach of the Speaker’s authority" that "goes beyond the traditions of his office." "It is baffling that Speaker Boehner, who...

Murder suspect Thomas Jesse Lee, who allegedly killed his wife and four others in Georgia, was taken into custody in Tupelo, Miss., Troup County Sheriff James Woodruff announced Monday on the department's official Facebook page. Officials launched a nationwide manhunt Monday for a 26-year-old Georgia man suspected of murdering five people, including his wife and other family members, whose bodies were discovered in their suburban home Saturday evening. Thomas J. Lee, of Troup County, is wanted for the murders of four family members and a family friend. The bodies were found Saturday night but authorities believe the deaths occurred Wednesday,...

UPDATE: Motorists being advised to avoid downtown Atlanta. A suspicious package found at the 14th Street bridge forced police to close the Downtown Connector shortly before 2 p.m. An hour later, it remained closed, forcing massive traffic backups on Atlanta interstates. Dozens of drivers were stuck in place in both directions on I-75 and I-85, and others were advised to avoid the area. That is leading to backups on many cross streets through the city.

The 2016 Republican nominating season is beginning to move to the next level as events like last weekend’s Iowa Freedom Summit give candidates more opportunities to interact with primary voters in early states. Although Jeb Bush’s announcement late last year that he will explore a candidacy has shaken up the race, the Republicans can hardly be described as closing ranks around the former Florida governor. It remains likely that the Republican primary field will be large, and by most measures, strong, leading to a genuinely competitive primary. Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is the kind of candidate who can easily...