The governors of Georgia and South Carolina met privately and far from their statehouse offices Friday to discuss disagreements that have left years of cooperation toward building a shared seaport on the Savannah River in limbo. They left without saying if they were any closer to a resolution.

Metro Atlanta has seen some of the steepest declines in construction jobs in the country since peaking five years ago, a new study shows. The region has lost 56,100 construction jobs – a 40-percent drop since December 2006, according to a survey released Friday by industry group Associated General Contractors of America.

Aaron's added customers in 2011 as a difficult economy led more people to the Atlanta-based rent-to-own furniture company for televisions and couches. In 2011, the company's customer base was up nearly 11 percent. Aaron's executive vice president and CFO Gilbert Danielson said he could not draw any conclusions about the state of the economy from the increase, but Aaron's customers tend to live week-to-week or month-to-month.

State utility regulators signed off on the latest round of construction costs for Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project Friday, a day after parent Southern Co. won federal approval to begin major construction. The approved costs cover the first six months of 2011.

A history of Southwest and AirTran: 1967: Texas investors incorporate Air Southwest Co., a commuter airline serving that state. 1975: Company goes public, name changes to Southwest Airlines. 1979: Southwest expands its reach beyond Texas, flying to New Orleans.

Q: What flights is Southwest launching from Atlanta? A: Southwest launches its first flights from Atlanta Feb. 12 with routes to Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Denver and Houston Hobby. Then in March it will begin flying to Las Vegas and Phoenix, in June to Los Angeles and in August to Norfolk, Louisville and Seattle/Tacoma.

Georgians live closer to the financial edge than anyone else in the nation, and the danger extends beyond the poor to the middle class, according to a newly published in-depth analysis. The study by the Washington-based Corporation for Enterprise Development ranked Georgia dead last in terms of the financial security of its residents, based on factors such as their high debt load, lack of savings and assets, and the prevalence of personal bankruptcies.

A Senate committee approved legislation Thursday that would make it harder to sell stolen metal. Senate Bill 321, sponsored by Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, would establish stiffer requirements for metal recyclers and sellers. The bill would prohibit cash payments for metal purchases and require metal recyclers to collect a digital image of the metal items, plus a thumbprint and copy of a valid identification card from the seller.

It’s official: Georgia will be the site of the nation’s first new nuclear reactors in more than 30 years. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s on Thursday approved Southern Co.’s plan to build two reactors at Plant Vogtle, south of Augusta -- though the decision was not without dissent.

Georgia and 48 other states have reached a $25 billion deal with major lenders who have agreed to reduce mortgage loans and reimburse customers who became victims of overzealous foreclosures. The banks involved include Wells Fargo, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Ally Financial.

The day before Southern Co. learns whether it will get the go-ahead to build the first newly approved nuclear reactors in 30 years, company executives sat in a crowded room of federal nuclear regulators telling them the $14 billion project is under strict management and oversight and will be built to the highest of standards.

An airport concessions joint venture run by Atlanta-based Concessions International expects to lay off about 530 employees starting next month, though many of those workers could find jobs with new restaurants. Those affected in the move by the joint venture between Concessions International and Paschal’s include servers, bartenders, kitchen managers and others.

The agency overseeing plans to deepen the river channel to the Port of Savannah announced Wednesday it will funnel an additional $2.5 million in federal funding toward pre-construction planning, which Georgia port officials said should help keep the projected on target for completion by 2016.

Are you looking for a job? The Atlanta Police Department may be looking for you. The APD is holding a job fair beginning at 8 a.m. Monday on the 2nd floor of police headquarters, 226 Peachtree Street SW. Police Chief George Turner went before the City Council last year to request more funding to get the police force to 2,000 officers from about 1,800 currently.

The Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, where Marietta tennis sensation Melanie Oudin trained before competing in the U.S. Open and at Wimbledon, has been sold to Life Time Fitness, the company announced this week. The Racquet Club has eight indoor and 28 outdoor tennis courts at its complex on Courtside Drive.

Growth in Equifax’s U.S. consumer business helped improve earnings for the fourth quarter 2011, the Atlanta-based credit bureau said Wednesday. Equifax said revenue in its U.S. Consumer Information Solutions unit climbed 13 percent overall, driven by banks doing more business checking consumer credit and underwriting for mortgage refinances.

Sprint dug deep into its pockets in the latest quarter to put iPhones in the hands of its customers. The perennially money-losing company on Wednesday posted its largest loss in three years. Sprint Nextel Corp., once known for the worst customer service in the industry, has made progress on turning its fortunes around in the last few years.

A company that has lobbied for more than two years to bring commercial passenger service to Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field is the only firm interested in running the airport. Propeller Investments, which has said it wants to launch service to New York, Chicago, Miami and a host of other cities, on Wednesday submitted the only proposal to operate the county airport near Lawrenceville.

A $20 million study of deepening the Charleston Harbor shipping channel will continue now that the work has been included on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' work plan and $2.5 million in federal money made available. "This is the most significant federal contribution made thus far to the Charleston Harbor deepening effort," U.

A tax officer says the Chatham County Assessor's Office placed an IKEA furniture distribution center in the unincorporated county at the same time it put the center's contents in Port Wentworth. The Savannah Morning News reports that interim Chief Appraiser Maryellen Burner discussed the discrepancy Tuesday as she was questioned about what led to the error.

Atlanta Medical Center and financially ailing South Fulton Medical Center announced Wednesday that they will seek state permission to consolidate the two hospitals. Both hospitals are owned by the Tenet Healthcare Corp. The 338-bed South Fulton Medical Center in East Point has been losing millions of dollars annually in recent years, according to reports filed with the state.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has announced that Tenneco, an automotive industry supply company, will expand its production lines and add 350 employees at its northeast Georgia facility. Authorities say the expansion will take place at the Lake Forest, Ill.

Many of metro Atlanta Comcast customers started off the year with higher cable bills as the nation’s top cable provider raised rates for most of its TV packages. But frustrated customers may find little options elsewhere as competitors such as DirecTV and AT&T’s U-verse are bumping up their prices as well.

One of the biggest emblems of Atlanta's real estate boom became the biggest emblem of its bust on Tuesday. Bank of America Plaza, the South’s tallest skyscraper and an Atlanta skyline icon, was taken back by its lender at a foreclosure auction at the Fulton County Courthouse.

As a 12-year-old growing up in Atlanta, Scott Garber started dealing baseball cards. As a teenager, he moved to Beanie Babies, building what he said became an $8 million business around the plush collectibles. Now, he runs a growing chain of gold-buying stores.

A wealthy real estate developer said Tuesday he and four partners plan to make an offer to buy the city's two largest newspapers, whose downtown offices he already owns. Bart Blatstein said he plans to pursue an acquisition of some or all of the assets of Philadelphia Media Network, which operates The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and their shared website, philly.

A shuttered Alpharetta company that provided home foreclosure services to lenders has been indicted on forgery charges in Missouri. In one of the few criminal actions in response to reports of widespread improprieties against homeowners, the company, DocX, and its Alpharetta founder and former president, Lorraine O.

Gov. Nathan Deal has signed a bill into law that makes it easier for business to file garnishment requests in Georgia. Deal said Tuesday he's committed to working with the state Legislature to "reduce unnecessary regulation on businesses, large and small.

An Atlanta businessman will spend 8 years in prison and must repay nearly $9 million for duping investors caught in his Ponzi scheme, prosecutors said Tuesday. Charles Michael Vaughn, 43, who operated a tax and financial consulting firm, persuaded 50 investors to invest millions in a pooled investment fund, or “hedge fund,” between July 2004 and March 2008, according to prosecutors and court testimony.

Atlanta-based apartment community developer Post Properties reported Tuesday its funds from operations – a key measure of strength – fell in the fourth quarter, following a hit from an early debt payoff. The company’s funds for operations for the last three months of 2011 was $20.