State parks could close

As many as 13 state parks could close or shorten hours because of Georgia's tough economy. The state Department of Natural Resources won't release the parks and historic sites under consideration for closing. The DNR will withdraw workers from all federally owned wildlife management areas in north Georgia, including those in the Chattahoochee and Oconee national forests. Next summer, no swimming pools in state parks will open.

Lawsuit filed vs. coal-fired plant

The first coal-fired power plant to be built in Georgia in two decades faces a lawsuit. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports the Sierra Club, GreenLaw, and Friends of the Chattahoochee are teaming up in the suit. They claim mercury emissions from the Longleaf Energy Station would be built near Columbus would violate the Clean Air Act.