Jessica Chasmar

Craig Robinson: ‘The Office’ star tries to board plane with ecstasy, pot

"The Office" star Craig Robinson was arrested for drug possession in the Bahamas Thursday after trying to board a plane with half a gram of marijuana and 18 ecstasy pills, TMZ reported.

October 10, 2013

‘Elmo’ sentenced for trying to extort Girl Scouts out of $2 million

An Elmo street performer in New York's Times Square, who was once arrested for shouting anti-Semitic rants, was sent to jail for a year on Wednesday for trying to extort $2 million from the Girl Scouts of the USA.

October 10, 2013

Radio host Bill Press: ‘Big mistake’ to pay death benefits to military families during shutdown

Liberal radio host Bill Press said on his morning program Thursday that military families should not be paid special attention by the media for not receiving death benefits during the government shutdown, Mediaite.com first reported.

October 10, 2013

French journalist prosecuted for insulting Islam

A French journalist is facing a criminal trial for remarks he made in a radio interview against the influence of Islam in the country.

October 10, 2013

N.H. elementary school rules game of tag too dangerous

The principal of a Nashua, N.H., elementary school has decided that the game of tag is too dangerous for youngsters and should be banned.

October 10, 2013

N.J. politicos to Peyton Manning: Tell Eli to focus less on politics, more on winning games

Hoboken, N.J., mayoral candidate Tim Occhipinti and his One Hoboken team of municipal candidates penned an open letter to NFL star Peyton Manning, blasting his brother Eli Manning for endorsing incumbent mayor Dawn Zimmer for the upcoming election in November.

October 10, 2013

Tenn. school board to retrain staff on church-state separation after pastor gives 9/11 speech

The Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee will retrain its teachers on the separation of church and state after a local pastor gave a speech on Sept. 11 at a Sale Creek public school.

October 10, 2013

‘I don’t think I blame Hitler’: Cameraman ruins Jewish couple’s wedding video

A Jewish newlywed couple was horrified when they sat down to watch their wedding video for the first time only to hear the cameraman going on an anti-Semitic rant.

October 10, 2013

Bloomberg’s next move: Spend to defeat Sen. Mark Pryor

Appearing on the cover of this week's Time magazine, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg explains how he plans to use his sizable fortune to alter the debate on everything from climate change to guns.

October 10, 2013

Woody Allen pulls ‘Blue Jasmine’ from India due to strict smoking laws

Director Woody Allen has pulled his latest film, "Blue Jasmine," from India because the country's laws require an anti-smoking ad every time a character appears on screen smoking a cigarette.

October 9, 2013

Shots fired at W. Va. federal courthouse; suspect dies when officers return fire

A man with a rifle fired 15 to 20 shots at the federal courthouse in Wheeling, W.Va., before security officers returned fire. The suspect died from his wounds, ABC News reports.

October 9, 2013

Coolio treats college kids to rare apartment jam session

The famous rapper Coolio just gave a group of college kids a story they will never forget.

October 9, 2013

Taliban mocks ‘selfish, empty-minded American leaders’ for shutdown

Taliban militants in Afghanistan taunted the U.S. on Wednesday, blaming "selfish and empty-minded American leaders" for the recent government shutdown.

October 9, 2013

Mastodon tooth found in Mich. charity donation box

A tooth from the now-extinct mastodon was found in a Michigan charity's donation box during a July pickup in Grand Rapids.

October 9, 2013

Halloween canceled at Philadelphia-area school over ‘religious overtones’

Children at a suburban Philadelphia elementary school won't get to celebrate Halloween this year because officials have decided the holiday may have "religious overtones."

October 9, 2013

Shutdown essentials: National Guard awarded $47,174 for mechanical bull

While many federal employees wait to find out when they're allowed back to work, the U.S. National Guard was awarded Monday a federal grant of $47,174 to buy a mechanical bull.

October 9, 2013

Daytime Al Jazeera America programming scores zero in key demo: report

Al Jazeera America continued its shaky start last week, scoring zero for some daytime television programs and registering only in the single digits for others in the key demographic of ages 25-54.

October 9, 2013

Conservative actor James Woods: ‘I don’t expect to work again’

James Woods, the award-winning actor and outspoken conservative, said Tuesday night that he's aware he may never work again in Hollywood because of his political views.

October 9, 2013

Starbucks #PayItForward campaign meant to teach Congress to play nice

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is so annoyed by the government shutdown that from Wednesday to Friday, the chain is offering a free coffee to any customer in the U.S. who buys another person a beverage.

October 9, 2013

Frequent suicides lead to new protective shields at Bangkok airport

Following another suicide just two weeks ago by a foreign tourist, Airports of Thailand is to begin installing glass shields on the fourth floor of Suvarnabhumi's terminal building in Bangkok to prevent people from taking their own lives and damaging the country's reputation.

October 9, 2013