Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Calif. judge boots tenure laws: ‘Grossly ineffective teachers’ must go
A judge in California ruled the state's teacher tenure, dismissal and layoff laws are unconstitutional, opening the doors for administrators to get rid of underperforming teachers and promote good ones. Published June 11, 2014
Toyota expands recall for air bag glitch to 650K vehicles
Toyota Motor Corp. has recalled almost 650,000 vehicles in Japan over air bag glitches that could lead to faulty discharges — leading to fires — during operation. Published June 11, 2014
Delaware teen bitten by shark — but beach cleared for reopening
A Delaware boy, 16, was bit by a shark in waters off Cape Henlopen State Park earlier this week, but state officials decreed just a day later that the beach was safe to reopen and the coastline clear of danger. Published June 11, 2014
Iran, U.S., world powers ‘hit a wall’ on nuclear talks, France says
Day two of nuclear talks just wrapped among Iran, the United States and five other world powers, and already negotiations have "hit a wall," France's foreign minister said. Published June 11, 2014
Air Force offers bonus pay to draw better nuclear leadership
The Air Force, which has been suffering from a string of scandals tied to its nuclear missile corps, is now offering bonus pay as a means of drawing in better leadership to the branch. Published June 11, 2014
Ohio toddler, 2, shot dead as dad fires weapon during dispute with mom
A 2-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed in his home after his father fired a gun through the window while arguing with the child's mother, police in Cleveland said. Published June 11, 2014
Senate hopeful turns stalker charge to campaign gold: ‘I’m a person who doesn’t easily back down’
Dr. Monica Wehby, an Oregon Republican who's challenging Sen. Jeff Merkley for his Senate seat, tried to shake the stalking charges that surfaced about her in recent weeks: That just shows I'm uber-persistent. Published June 10, 2014
Student killed at Oregon school; shooter also dead
Oregon police say a gunman shot and killed a student at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, just outside Portland, early Tuesday morning. Published June 10, 2014
Twitter roasts N.Y. skywriter for ragged Rangers message
A New York Rangers fan tried to showcase their skywriting skills above Manhattan over the weekend, but apparently could've used more practice — or a spell check. Published June 10, 2014
Boko Haram gunmen blamed for kidnapping 20 more females in Nigeria
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists are believed to have kidnapped another 20 females from a village in northeast Nigeria, right next to where Islamic radicals stole away more than 300 schoolgirls in mid-April. Published June 10, 2014
Colorado sees tax collections boom from marijuana trade — near $18M
Just-released tax figures show the marijuana trade in Colorado — where recreational use of the drug is now legal — is booming, with sales up by 17 percent in the one-month transition from March to April. Published June 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ book title shares unfortunate tie to porn
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's much-ballyhooed book, titled "Hard Choices," has an unfortunate tie-in with the porn industry: It's the same name as a 1987 skin flick. Published June 10, 2014
Rush Limbaugh on swap for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl: Obama’s ‘replenishing the enemy’
Conservative talk show icon Rush Limbaugh summed up President Obama's swap of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay as little more than helping the enemy. Published June 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton clarifies poverty quip: ‘Everything in life has to be put into context’
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took some time Tuesday to explain what she meant when she complained of her family's financial struggles after leaving the White House, saying that with a little context, her claim holds water. Published June 10, 2014
Christian radio host slams Muslim prayers at Vatican as outreach to ‘demon god’
A Christian radio host, Bryan Fischer, said Pope Francis shouldn't have allowed Muslim prayers to come from the Vatican because it was akin to sacrilege — they were praying to a "demon god," he said. Published June 10, 2014
Utah ‘mountain man’ on the lam for years sentenced to decade behind bars
Troy James Knapp, a survivalist who roamed the wilds of Utah for six years, evading law enforcement until he was trapped at a cabin and engaged in a shoot-out with police in 2013, has been sentenced to a decade in prison. Published June 10, 2014
Border agents warn of ‘chicken pox, MRSA staph’ from illegal child crossings
Border patrol agents who have already experienced scabies infestations from illegal border crossers now fear the thousands of children who are sweeping into the United States are bringing a host of new diseases and ailments — of even more serious nature. Published June 10, 2014
John Kerry on chances of freed Taliban attacking Americans: ‘Baloney’
Secretary of State John Kerry puts the odds of the five Taliban members who were freed from Guantanamo Bay now turning around and attacking Americans at a blunt slim-to-none, calling the scenario "baloney." Published June 10, 2014
6-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer suffers severed spine in ATV crash
Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, told emergency medical personnel she couldn't feel her legs or toes after she crashed in an all-terrain vehicle incident in Arizona. Published June 10, 2014
Pakistan airport attacked by motorbike-riding insurgents
Militants riding motorbikes tried to storm into an airport training facility in Karachi early Tuesday, just two days after members of the Taliban launched an attack on the international airport in the same city. Published June 10, 2014
