Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
School party for high-scoring students condemned as ‘caste system’
A Maryland middle school that sponsored a dance and pizza party for students who earned straight As on their most recent report cards has left some parents of lower-scoring kids angry and outraged, wondering about the state of their child's self-esteem. Published February 5, 2014
Valerie Jarrett steps from shadows to talk judge picks with Black Caucus
Valerie Jarrett, the reputed shadowy voice behind much of President Obama's political maneuverings, is stepping from the background to meet with Congressional Black Caucus members to discuss recent judicial nominations. Published February 5, 2014
Bill Nye, the ‘Science Guy,’ defends evolution at Kentucky’s Creation Museum
Bill Nye, former 1990s-era television "Science Guy" and vocal critic of creationist theories of humanity, took on the founder of Kentucky's Creation Museum for a much-publicized debate on how life started. Published February 5, 2014
U.S. scales back drones in Pakistan for Taliban talks: report
The White House has given the Pakistan government a tacit thumbs-up to a request to cut back drone strikes to decrease tensions as key leaders try to forge a peace plan with members of the Taliban. Published February 5, 2014
Hollywood news site: ‘Time to shun Woody Allen’
An influential website that covers Hollywood news and the business of entertainment, TheWrap.com, has called on industry insiders and members of the movie-watching public to turn their backs on movie director Woody Allen. Published February 5, 2014
Clay Aiken of ‘American Idol’ fame announces run for Congress
Clay Aiken of "American Idol" fame announced on Wednesday he's making a run for Rep. Renee Ellmers' North Carolina congressional seat. Published February 5, 2014
Bored teens charged with gunning down Aussie jogger head to court
One of the three teenagers charged in the fatal shooting of an Australian who was attending an Oklahoma university on a baseball scholarship said in court that he thought the gun contained blanks. Published February 5, 2014
Cardinal published notes that dead pope wanted burned
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz went ahead and published a book of Pope John Paul II's private notes, despite the pontiff's dying wish to throw them in the fire. Published February 5, 2014
Kansas to Maine: Snowstorms hits more than 100M
A massive winter storm churned through parts of the United States, leaving thousands without power and thousands more stranded at various airports, on Wednesday. Published February 5, 2014
Anti-Putin beer makes debut: ‘Hello My Name is Vladimir’
BrewDog, an independent brewery headquartered in Britain, has come up with a novel approach to protest Russia President Vladimir Putin's views of gays, just in time for the Olympics: The anti-Putin beer. Published February 4, 2014
Iran unveils two new satellites, worrying West
Western powers aren't thrilled with Iran's unveiling of what its government claimed were new surveillance powers — two satellites that bolster the country's wireless connections and that take high-resolution photographs. Published February 4, 2014
Jerry Seinfeld rants on white comic comment: ‘Who cares’
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld had a blunt reply to a Buzzfeed reporter who questioned why the star's shows seemed low on the diversity scale — that he never used anything or anybody considered non-white. Published February 4, 2014
U.S. ambassador to Russia stepping down
The U.S. ambassador to Russia announced in a blog posting Tuesday he's stepping down from his diplomatic role. Published February 4, 2014
Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai in secret talks with Taliban: report
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has been engaged in behind closed door talks with members of the Taliban in an effort to forge a peace deal, The New York Times reported. Published February 4, 2014
Arizona woman accused of injecting feces into husband’s IV
Police in Arizona say a woman who visited her 66-year-old husband in the hospital took advantage of his recovery time to inject some feces into his intravenous tube. Published February 4, 2014
FDA spends millions to target youth, gay teens: Don’t smoke
The price tag for a new Food and Drug Administration campaign to tell teens — especially targeted groups, like gays and Native Americans — not to smoke stretches into the millions. Published February 4, 2014
N.J. Gov. Chris Christie admits: I may have heard of traffic jams
Embattled N.J. Gov. Chris Christie said he didn't know of any plot by his aides to create traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge as political revenge — but he thinks he heard about the lane back-ups while they occurred. Published February 4, 2014
‘XStat’ invention seals bullet wounds in 15 seconds
A new creation called XStat — a spongy substance that seals bullets wounds in 15 seconds — is being hailed as the savior of U.S. battlefield soldiers and a new way to treat gun injuries. Published February 4, 2014
Susan Rice blasts tweets at Israel for criticizing John Kerry
Susan Rice — the national security adviser who rocked headlines by repeating the White House message that Benghazi's fatal terror attack was started by an anti-Muslim video — has now jumped to the administration's defense once again. Published February 4, 2014
Obama gripes: ‘Of course’ Fox News is biased and unfair
President Obama may not be totally sure what happened in Benghazi, or with the IRS targeting of tea party groups. But of Fox News he's certain: The cable media giant is inherently biased and unfair. Published February 4, 2014
