State labor officials reported an 8.2% April jobless rate. That's down 0.2% from March and a full point from April of last year. The hospitality industry led the growth with a monthly gain of 10,000 jobs.

A water projects bill approved by the U.S. Senate contains a provision that would remove a bureaucratic obstacle to deepening the Savannah harbor. Georgia Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss both praised passage Wednesday of the new Water Resources Development Act, which still needs approval by the House. The bill would remove a spending cap of $459 million placed on the harbor deepening project in 1999. The Army Corps of Engineers now estimates the project will cost $652 million.