11/20: CDC survey points out Southern counties most obese

AP: CDC survey points out Southern counties most obese

The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.

New research from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than 80% of counties in the Appalachian region (Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia) show high rates of obesity and diabetes. The same high rates of obesity and diabetes were found in about 75% of counties in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina.

Also in the South:

ARKANSAS: Power costs likely to go down in state now that multi-state agreement can be broken

FLORIDA: New cigarette tax increases state budget, despite drop in sales

GEORGIA: Tom Baxter: Clock ticks on Georgia in water wars dispute

KENTUCKY: Jobless rate in state is now at 11.2%

LOUISIANA: Protesters say Hispanic residents are getting citizenship questions from police

MISSISSIPPI: University leaders worry about impact of merger talk

NORTH CAROLINA: Gov. Perdue says group of violent inmates won't be released from prison

SOUTH CAROLINA: Foreclosures up slightly in South Carolina

TENNESSEE: Lawsuit over guns-in-bars statute to be heard today

VIRGINIA: State faces $3.5 billion hole in next two-year budget cycle

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