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Honoring fallen heroes: Americans pay tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice

HULL, Ga. — Sharon Reid is proud of her great uncle Harry Spratlin, a Georgia soldier killed in action in the waning days of World War I. Reid and her cousins gathered this Memorial Day weekend to lay a wreath at the base of his headstone in a rural cemetery just up the road from the farm where he was raised.

Trending stories

Fayette County bans Flat Creek Baptist Church's outdoor event

Michael Catt's battle with prostate cancer takes turn for worse, family says

Guyana girls dorm fire that killed 19 was deliberately set by student, official says

Why would God send a bear to maul children?

Ken and Mary Ellison reflect on a lifetime of service to Jesus

Eagle's Landing students receive more than $50 million in scholarship offers this year

Photo gallery: Memorial Day 2023 at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton

CANTON, Ga. — Volunteers gathered Saturday at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Ga., to place flags on the graves of veterans for the Memorial Day holiday. Following a brief ceremony that included a 21-gun-salute, the playing of "Taps" and a benediction, volunteers spread across the cemetery in the rolling Georgia hills to decorate the markers.

Eagle's Landing students receive more than $50 million in scholarship offers this year

McDONOUGH, Ga. — An academically and athletically gifted senior class at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy has amassed more than $50 million in college scholarship offers this year, an astounding total for any school but especially one with only 81 students graduating. Class co-salutatorian Melanie Collier praised her classmates for being a “special class filled with special people.” “Something about our class is different,” Collier told her classmates in a speech during graduation exercises on Friday.

Michael Catt's battle with prostate cancer takes turn for worse, family says

ALBANY, Ga. — Michael Catt, the groundbreaking Georgia pastor who served as executive producer of the Christian movies Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof and Courageous, is facing setbacks in his battle with prostate cancer, his family said on social media Wednesday. “In recent months, his health has taken a turn for the worse, and he has had several surgeries, hospitalizations and emergency room visits,” the family said. “Recently, doctors found a tumor in his brain stem.

Ken and Mary Ellison reflect on a lifetime of service to Jesus

MARIETTA, Ga. — Georgia residents Ken and Mary Ellison are among Southern Baptists’ most faithful and exemplary career missionaries, having served the Lord in Indonesia for 32 years. However, they will soon be moving to Wisconsin to live near their daughter. It will be Georgia’s loss and Wisconsin’s gain.

1025 Church launches second campus in Statham

STATHAM, Ga. — In 2019, Tommy Fountain, Sr., pastor of 1025 Church in Monroe, began to be impressed by the Lord to expand his church to have four new campuses. The prospect of fulfilling that vision was temporarily interrupted by the pandemic, but with faith and determination, Fountain never abandoned his vision. His giftedness in the areas of preaching, church growth, assimilating an effective staff, shepherding a flock, motivating people to serve; and fundamentally his desire to seek and follow God’s will most assuredly lead to an extension of his ministry from Walton County into the town of Statham and Barrow County.

Baptist Life

Revival continues: Tugalo Baptists see 27 students come to Christ through learning centers

TOCCOA, Ga. — Some students who enrolled in the new Christian learning centers that have opened in northeast Georgia are getting more than Bible-based education. They’re finding salvation. More than 30 students in Stephens, Banks and Franklin counties have made professions of faith this school year through the Christian learning centers opened over the past two years.

Georgians sharing in cost of third nuclear reactor now at 100% power output

In Georgia, almost every electric customer will pay for Vogtle. Georgia Power, the largest unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co., currently owns 45.7% of the reactors.

Public cost of Atlanta’s police and fire training center set to double

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta's proposed police and fire training center will cost taxpayers more than double the $31 million previously estimated by Mayor Andre Dickens' administration. City officials on Friday confirmed that there is a provision in the city's lease with the Atlanta Police Foundation that will add about $36 million to the public cost of the $90 million complex, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

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Nation

Biden, McCarthy now must convince Congress to go along with debt ceiling deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a deal no one in Washington claims to really like. But after weeks of negotiations, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have struck an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and avert a potentially devastating government default.

Fire chief: 1 person rescued overnight from Iowa building collapse; No deaths reported

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — One person was found overnight at the site of a collapsed apartment building in Iowa, bringing the total number of people rescued to eight, authorities said Monday. Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten said at a news conference Monday that it was unclear if anyone was still missing after part of the six-story complex crashed to the ground in the eastern Iowa city. No deaths have been reported.

Suspect arrested in 5 separate shootings in Phoenix metro area that left 4 dead

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — A suspect has been arrested in connection with five separate shootings in the Phoenix metro area that left four people dead and a woman wounded, authorities said Sunday. Mesa police said 20-year-old Iren Byers was taken into custody Sunday on suspicion of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

China plans to land astronauts on moon before 2030, expand space station, bring on foreign partners

BEIJING (AP) — China’s burgeoning space program plans to place astronauts on the moon before 2030 and expand the country's orbiting space station, officials said Monday. Monday’s announcement comes amid the background of a rivalry with the U.S. for reaching new milestones in outer space, reflecting their competition for influence on global events.

Russia strikes Kyiv in daylight after hitting Ukrainian capital with a more common nighttime barrage

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Explosions rattled Kyiv during daylight Monday as Russian ballistic missiles took aim at the Ukrainian capital, hours after a more common nighttime barrage of the city by drones and cruise missiles. Russian forces fired 11 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv at about 11:30 a.m., according to Ukraine’s chief of staff, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. All of them were shot down, he said, and puffs of white smoke could be seen in the blue sky over the city from street level.

Turkey's Erdogan wins another term as president, extends rule into 3rd decade

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade as the country reels from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that leveled entire cities. A third term gives Erdogan, a polarizing populist, an even stronger hand domestically and internationally, and the election results will have implications far beyond the capital of Ankara. Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO.

Ford electric vehicle owners to get access to Tesla Supercharger network starting next spring

DETROIT (AP) — All of Ford Motor Co.'s current and future electric vehicles will have access to about 12,000 Tesla Supercharger stations in the U.S. and Canada starting next spring. Ford CEO Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the agreement Thursday during a “Twitter Spaces” audio chat. “We think this is a huge move for our industry and for all electric customers,” Farley said.

Expect big crowds for the summer travel season -- and big prices, too

The unofficial start of the summer travel season is here, with airlines hoping to avoid the chaos of last year and travelers scrounging for ways to save a few bucks on pricey airfares and hotel rooms. Some travelers say they will settle for fewer trips than they hoped to take, or they will drive instead of fly. Others are finding different money-saving sacrifices.

Do not call: States sue telecom company over billions of robocalls

PHOENIX (AP) — Attorneys general across the U.S. joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry. The 141-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky and company vice president Stacey S. Reeves. It seeks a jury trial to determine damages.

Ford decides to keep AM radio on 2024 models, will restore AM on two electric vehicles from 2023

DETROIT (AP) — Owners of new Ford vehicles will be able to tune in to AM radio in their cars, trucks and SUVs after all. CEO Jim Farley wrote in social media postings Tuesday that the company is reversing a decision to scrub the band after speaking with government policy leaders who are concerned about keeping emergency alerts that often are sounded on AM stations.

UPS strike looms in a world grown reliant on everything delivered everywhere all the time

WASHINGTON (AP) — Living in New York City, working full time and without a car, Jessica Ray and her husband have come to rely on deliveries of food and just about everything else for their home. It has meant more free time on weekends with their young son, rather than standing in line for toilet paper or dragging heavy bags of dog food back to their apartment. “I don’t even know where to buy dog food,” said Jessica Ray of the specialty food she buys for the family’s aging dog.

Olson blasts 2 HRs, Acuña has 4 hits as Strider, Braves overpower Phillies 11-4

ATLANTA (AP) — Given a seven-run lead in the first inning, Atlanta right-hander Spencer Strider could relax and keep adding to his majors-leading strikeout total. “That game felt like it was over pretty quick,” Strider said. Ronald Acuña Jr. drove in three runs with four hits, including a two-run single in Atlanta's seven-run first inning, and the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-4 on Sunday night to split the four-game series.

Josef Newgarden wins his first Indy 500, gives Roger Penske his 19th victory

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis 500 is the one race Josef Newgarden desperately wanted to win. It's basically the only race that matters to his boss. Coming up empty for 11 consecutive years had become personal for the two-time IndyCar champion. Newgarden finally broke through Sunday, though, winning the Indy 500 to extend team owner Roger Penske's record to 19 victories — and the first since he bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway.