Sonic Corp., the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, today announced that its Board of Directors has increased the amount available under the company's stock repurchase authorization from $10.7 million to a total of $100 million. The expiration date for the current stock repurchase program, at the newly authorized amount, remains August 31, 2007.

Two Dennis men were sentenced today in federal court for conspiracy to commit tax evasion and tax evasion arising out of a scheme to defraud the government at West Harwich Sunoco. United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Douglas A. Bricker , Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation in New England, announced today that THOMAS P. STILLSON, age 51, and STEPHEN A. TWOMBLY, age 64, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole.

A new report released today in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals that African Americans in all age groups have lower average intakes of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus and consume fewer servings of dairy foods than non African Americans. African Americans in all age groups do not meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommendation for three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or milk products.

NEC Electronics today announced the availability of six new microcontrollers (MCUs) for inverter control systems, designed for advanced motor control applications in products such as air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines. The new devices feature high performance with advanced control functions for more precise motor control, as well as integration of formerly discrete components to help lower costs. The new offering includes four 100-pin V850E/IG3 MCUs and two 80-pin V850E/IF3 MCUs.

It's that special time of year when romance is in the air and the American workplace is abuzz. In fact, nearly four in 10 workers would consider dating a coworker, and nearly four in 10 have done so, according to the latest Spherion(R) Workplace Snapshot survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R). And with 25 percent of such romances leading to the altar, Cupid is busy.

The Digital Freedom Campaign today announced that more than 50 new bands have joined the nationwide movement to protect the rights of artists, consumers and innovators in the digital age. The Digital Freedom Campaign's mission is to ensure that all Americans can enjoy new digital technologies free of unnecessary government restrictions and costly lawsuits that restrict consumers' ability to use lawfully acquired content on digital devices.

In a storyline reminiscent of Y2K, there is a little-known glitch on the way that could soon confound computer systems across the United States. The author of the problem isn't some malware writer bent on causing trouble; the glitch is compliments of the United States Congress. In 2005 when the Congress passed legislation to lengthen the U.S. observation of Daylight Savings Time (DST), the move was a benign effort to squeeze a little more light out of each of our days.

Two powerful new books say today's global warming is due not to human activity but primarily to a long, moderate solar-linked cycle. "Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years," by physicist Fred Singer and economist Dennis Avery was released just before Christmas. "The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change," by Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark and former BBC science writer Nigel Calder (Icon Books), is due out in March.

Internet access revenue for cable and other program distribution increased 18 percent, from $9.4 billion in 2004 to $11.1 billion in 2005, while access revenue for Internet service providers decreased 13 percent, from $14.1 billion in 2004 to $12.2 billion in 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.