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CLEARWATER, Fla. – A man accused of draping a noose around the shoulders of a black teen at a fast food restaurant was sentenced Monday to 60 days in jail. The judge also sentenced Louis Giannola IV (search), who was convicted in December of misdemeanor battery, to 10 months probation …

CHICAGO – The driver of a Dave Matthews Band (search) tour bus was charged Wednesday with dumping 800 pounds of human waste onto a sightseeing boat on the Chicago River (search) last summer. Stefan Wohl (search) is charged with misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct and discharging contaminates to cause water …

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – A delegation of seven U.S. congressmen, including Rep. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland, visited Indonesia’s tsunami-hit Aceh province (search) Saturday, meeting injured survivors in a field hospital and getting a firsthand look at the devastation. Rep. Christopher Smith (search), a New Jersey Republican, said the biggest challenge …

NEW YORK – Actress Sandra Bullock (search) has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross to help relief efforts in countries affected by the deadly earthquake and tsunamis (search) in southern Asia and eastern Africa. Bullock, whose screen credits include “Miss Congeniality,” “While You Were Sleeping” and “Speed,” contacted …

Out-of-the-ordinary news from the folks at “Studio B”… Shoo, Fly! There’s something to be said for corporate bureaucracy. But the e-mails speak for themselves. You see, when a fly was bothering accountants at the British firm KPMG (search), they e-mailed maintenance: “We have a fly in our department and it’s …

NEW YORK – Call-center company Aspect Communications Corp. (ASPT) on Tuesday said it agreed to be bought by privately held Concerto Software (search) for $1 billion, forming what Aspect said would be the largest provider of call center products and services. Separately, Aspect lowered its second-quarter earnings target due to …

CHICAGO – Salton Inc. (SFP), which makes the George Foreman grill (search), on Wednesday said it received a warning from the New York Stock Exchange that its shares may be delisted because of low market capitalization. Shares of the small-appliance maker have fallen sharply in recent months on fears that …

NEW YORK – Richard Chamberlain (search) is going out on the road in September with the play “On Golden Pond.” Chamberlain will play college professor Norman Thayer Jr. in Ernest Thompson’s family drama, which recently had an abbreviated run on Broadway. The production folded last month after its star, James …

ORANJESTAD, Aruba – Fearing the investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway (search) has gone cold, a U.S. senator is calling for the Aruban government to allow the FBI to get more involved in the case. Sen. Richard Shelby (search) wants the FBI to have full access to evidence in …

President Bush nominated federal appeals court Judge John Roberts Tuesday evening to fill the seat on the Supreme Court vacated by retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. While both sides of the aisle have acknowledged that Roberts is a well respected jurist with impeccable credentials, both Republicans and Democrats, liberals and …