Georgia Man Missing After Falling from Cruise Ship

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for Reco Scott, a Decatur man who was on his honeymoon when he went overboard on a Carnival Cruise Ship in the Bahamas. Scott, 32, fell off the ninth deck of the Carnival Liberty about 5 a.m. Friday. The ship was 10 miles northwest of the Berry Islands when he went missing. Fox 5 Atlanta reports that a family member says he renewed his wedding vows with his wife Angelijica and the couple went on the cruise last Saturday for their honeymoon. When Scott went over board, cruiseship crew launched a search and notified authorities. Coast Guard officials say a helicopter search got underway soon after and a cutter vessel was dispatched to assist in the search.

NBA Commissioner: Charlotte, N.C., Eligible for 2019 All-Star Game

The NBA is again considering Charlotte as a host city for the league’s All-Star Game now that the controversial “bathroom bill” has been rolled back by legislators. The city was expected to host the game this year, but the NBA pulled it over what it said was the discriminatory nature of HB2, a North Carolina law which requires transgender people to use bathrooms based on their gender at birth. The league says still there’s no guarantee the game will come to Charlotte because it will need assurances that the law replacing HB2 complies with their non-discriminatory policies. Earlier this week, the NCAA announced that championship games would return to the state.

Neil Gorsuch Confirmed as Supreme Court Judge Despite Efforts to Block Him

A Senate committee easily voted Judge Neil Gorsuch in to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court despite attempts by Democrats to thwart his confirmation. Earlier this week, Senate Democrats attempted to filibuster the vote on Gorsuch, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell exercised the so-called “nuclear option” on Thursday, changing the rules to allow a simple majority move the nomination forward. The final tally among senators was 54-45 in favor of confirming Gorsuch. He is expected to be sworn in by President Trump, who nominated him next week.

Jobless Rate Drops to Decade-Low 4.5 percent

Employers added 98,000 jobs last month bringing the unemployment rate down to 4.5 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor said. Job growth occurred in better-paying industries, such as manufacturing and a category that includes accounting, engineering and other professional services, which economists say is an encouraging sign. “Within the disappointing 98,000 net new jobs added, there seems to be a lot more going on beneath the surface, and what is going beneath the surface is mostly good,” said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo told the Associated Press. In the past the unemployment rate fell because of people who gave up looking for work. But in this case, it’s because of people getting new jobs, the Labor Department reported.