Legislation unveiled on Thursday would increase the cost of things like filing fees for corporations, the renewal of special license plates and licenses for coin-operated amusement machines.

Under the bill, there would be a new $100 court filing charge. Grocery stores would have to pay new fees for a state license. So would child care centers.

The fees are designed to raise an additional $96 million.

Supporters say many state fees haven't been increased in decades. The fee increases are designed to cover the cost of administering various programs so that badly needed state money won't be needed to fill the gap.

____

H.B. 1055: www.legis.ga.gov

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Amadou Bah, Kenneth Clee and Mamadu Djalo were indicted this week on charges that they trafficked more than 40,000 cigarettes designed to look like Newport cigarettes.

The three were arrested after Clayton County authorities found several large boxes full of cartons of cigarettes when they searched Clee's car during a routine traffic stop.

An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in an affidavit he traced a U-Haul storage unit filled with thousands of additional counterfeit cigarettes to Bah and Djalo.

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

EAST POINT, Ga. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a shooting at a MARTA station in the Atlanta area that left a man dead.

Officials say the man was shot and killed Wednesday night at the East Point train station.

Lyle Harris, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, says train service was interrupted and buses were used to transport passengers between stations.

MARTA Assistant Police Chief Joseph Dorsey says there hasn't been an incident this serious at a MARTA station in four years.

The victim's name was not immediately released.

___

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ATLANTA (AP) — This was supposed to be Gucci Mane's time to finally gain mainstream appeal, as he collaborated with Mariah Carey, Mario and Usher while churning out street anthems like "Wasted" and "Go Head," featuring Man Bre-Z.

But now he's found himself trying to figure out his next career move behind bars.

Gucci Mane, whose real name is Radric Davis, is currently serving a six-month jail sentence in Georgia after a probation violation last year. While incarcerated, he celebrated his 30th birthday in February and released his album "The State vs. Radric Davis," which debuted No. 1 on Billboard's rap chart in December.

Gucci Mane hopes to regain the momentum he built before he was locked up. No more than two months after his expected release in April, the rapper plans to release "The State vs. Radric Davis: The Appeal" and then "The State vs. Radric Davis: The Verdict" later this year.

He'll also release a mixtape with DJ Drama, who believes Gucci Mane will use his lockdown to become more of a creative artist.

"Gucci might not be the most lyrical type of artist or the most complex, but he is creative when it comes to his personality. It comes across in his music," DJ Drama says.

In a telephone interview from the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Gucci Mane talked about how he's been more "at peace" during his jail stint, how miserable he felt on the day after his album release and how he's been a mentor to other inmates.

The Associated Press: You were featured on Carey's "Obsessed" and had the hit "Break Up" with Mario and Sean Garrett, as well as the single "Spotlight" featuring Usher. How did it feel to finally breakthrough?

Gucci Mane: It felt good to finally be noticed and get some kind of acclaim. This is by far the most praise I've ever gotten. It feels like all my hard work is getting recognized. It makes me work even harder.

AP: How did it feel to have your album top the charts while in jail?

Gucci Mane: Excited. I still had a release party, though I wasn't there. But the day after was the toughest because I just wanted to get out there to see my fans. ... Getting on stage, it's nothing like it.

AP: Gucci, you've been to jail on a few other occasions. How can you avoid being sent back again?

Gucci Mane: Before I make an action, think about the consequences. ... Any decision I make is a heavy decision. I got a lot of people who depend on me. Everything I do has so much weight on it.

AP: How do the other inmates treat you in jail?

Gucci Mane: It's a great response. ... So I try to take a couple of these young guys under my wing and tell them what I've learned, because you can't teach nobody if you don't know anything.

AP: Rappers who have been jailed in the past like Tupac has said it was difficult to jot down lyrics while in prison. How has writing songs been for you?

Gucci Mane: Unfortunately I've been to jail a couple times. Anytime I come in it's difficult to make music, write songs. This time, I have a peace within me. I've been so excited to get out. I've written about 50 to 60 songs.

AP: How much has your jail time been a setback on your career, which was at the peak?

Gucci Mane: With money and selling CDs, I can always do that. I believe I can make all the money I've missed the last six months. But I can't regain the time with fans and family.

___

On the Net:

http://www.guccimaneonline.com/

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A 50-year-old Glynn County woman who pleaded guilty to charges she beat two 7-week-old puppies to death with a sledgehammer has been fined $2,000 and sentenced to five years on probation.

Glynn County Chief Superior Court Judge Amanda Williams sentenced Catherine Louise Tyre of Sterling as a first offender under a plea agreement.

Tyre pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 to two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Glynn County police have said Tyre used a 10-pound sledgehammer. Officers found the dead puppies in a bag. Authorities say Tyre told officers the animals were sick, running around in circles and falling down on their heads.

___

Information from: The Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta police say one man is dead and another wounded after shots were fired at a southwest Atlanta music studio.

Police say two people were at the studio Wednesday night when someone knocked on the door.

Atlanta Police Maj. Keith Meadows says that when they opened the door, someone who stood behind the person knocking pushed his way into the studio and began shooting.

Meadows says one man was killed and the other was shot in the leg and fled the building.

Police say detectives are questioning the man, who was found in nearby East Point and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

___

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Tyler Perry is scheduled to be honored by the Senate on Wednesday for his achievements as an entertainer and humanitarian. The 40-year-old New Orleans native and Atlanta resident is the first celebrity to be honored in the chamber this session.

Sens. Donzella James, Vincent Fort, Nan Orrock, Robert Brown and Gloria Butler are presenting Senate Resolution 1188 to Perry, citing his silver-haired, sharp-tongued "Madea" character, Tyler Perry Studios — the first independent movie studio of its size in the state — and donations to area food banks and various charities.

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Napolitano is scheduled to observe a training exercise Wednesday at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, which trains thousands of law officers each year for agencies including the Secret Service, Customs Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Napolitano will also address trainees on the center's key role in preparing federal agents to protect the nation.

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The bill from state Rep. Michael Harden would strip benefits from anyone who fails a drug test. Benefits could be restored after they pass another test. A second failed drug test would result in losing aid for two years.

Recipients would pay for the tests or the costs could be deducted from their benefits.

Harden, of Toccoa, said the bill is designed to ensure that "taxpayers aren't subsidizing illegal activity."

_____

H.B. 1389: www.legis.ga.gov

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

HEFLIN, Ala. (AP) — A South Carolina woman is dead after authorities say she was struck by a rock that flew through her windshield when a pickup truck hit a pothole along Interstate 20, four miles west of the Alabama-Georgia Monday.

Alabama State Troopers say 33-year-old Jo Maureen Fisher was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, 35-year-old John Fisher on Interstate 20 east in Cleburne County just after noon.

Authorities say that's when a pickup truck driven by 23-year-old Crystal Dick traveling in front of the Goose Creek, S.C. couple hit a pothole and caused a rock to crash through the Fisher's car and strike the victim in the head.

She was flown to UAB Hospital where she later died.

___

Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.