Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
DirecTV boots Weather Channel in ‘unprecedented’ contract dispute
DirecTV satellite executives have given the boot to the Weather Channel, a dramatic decision that caps weeks of contentious contract disputes that included a meteorologist-driven push to paint the television provider as unconcerned with Americans’ welfare. Published January 14, 2014
Wyoming lawmaker says to bring back the firing squad: It’s ‘cheapest’
A lawmaker in Wyoming says the state ought to take action now to avoid a constitutional crisis if lethal injection for convicts is ever outlawed and pass a bill to allow for the return of firing squads. Published January 14, 2014
Don’t feed the whales: California biologist fined $12,500 for violating federal law
A well-known marine biologist in California was sentenced Monday to three years of probation and $12,500 in fines for violating a federal law that bans the feeding of killer whales in the wild. Published January 14, 2014
Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark to be sold to Japanese company: Consumers told ‘nothing has changed’
The nation's leading whiskey operations, Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, may be joining business hands with Japan, but bourbon executives vow the product taste won't change — and neither will the company's historic purity standards. Published January 14, 2014
John Kerry off to the Vatican — but won’t meet with Pope Francis
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was en route to the Vatican on Tuesday for a meeting with a leading church diplomat — but probably not Pope Francis. Published January 14, 2014
Turkey’s six-city raid roots out several al Qaeda suspects
Turkish police wrapped a six-city investigation and raid with the detainment of several suspected of ties to al Qaeda, including one who worked at a prominent charity with Islamic roots. Published January 14, 2014
France’s Francois Hollande to face reporters over affair fallout
French President Francois Hollande has switched gears. Instead of insisting that any affair he may or may not have been conducting with an actress is his own business, Mr. Hollande is now holding a press conference with reporters and will face the masses on Tuesday. Published January 14, 2014
Mikhail Kalashnikov: Late AK-47 creator writes that ‘soul aches’ over invention
The inventor of the AK-47 said in the months before his death that he wrestled with guilt over the killing machine his creation had become and confessed he felt partially responsible for the lives lost. Published January 13, 2014
Israeli air force retaliates against Palestinian funeral rocket fire
Israel's air force responded to Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip with an attack of its own Monday, launching missiles into sites known to be used by militants. Published January 13, 2014
Hope chest tragedy kills Massachusetts brother and sister
Two Massachusetts children — a brother and sister both under the age of 10 — were killed after they were trapped inside a hope chest inside their Franklin home. Published January 13, 2014
‘World’s Most Admired’: Rush, George W. Bush top Hillary, Americans say
U.S. participants in a poll of who is the most admired person in the world put Hillary Rodham Clinton on the list — but she came in tenth, well behind George W. Bush and even notable conservative radio head Rush Limbaugh. Published January 13, 2014
Colorado cop cars hit by driver they say was high on marijuana
In a state where recreational marijuana smoking was just ruled legal, a 23-year-old man was reportedly high on the drug when he crashed his car into two Colorado trooper vehicles. Published January 13, 2014
Pope Francis to baptismal moms at Sistine Chapel: Go ahead and breastfeed babies
Pope Francis — already perceived as the pontiff of the plain masses for his humble reach-out to the poverty-stricken and his physical embrace of the afflicted and obviously ailed — has now sent a new shockwave with another image buster, telling moms during a baptism: Go ahead and breastfeed. Published January 13, 2014
No men allowed: ASU’s new president banned from bringing dates home
The newest president of Alabama State University has just signed a contract for a $300,000 annual salary – if in return, she promises not to bring home any men to stay or live with her on campus. Published January 13, 2014
Philly Eagles player’s home hit for nearly $400K cash, items
Around the same time the Philadelphia Eagles were losing to the New Orleans Saints, a burglar was hitting the home of Philly's DeSean Jackson, taking tens of thousands of dollars in cash and jewels along with a couple of handguns. Published January 13, 2014
Robert Gates: Obama emotionless on military, except for ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy
About the only time President Obama showed any emotion for the U.S. military was when the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy giving gays more freedom to serve was raised, said former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in his new book, "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary of War." Published January 13, 2014
Hillary Clinton’s political hit list of top betrayers includes Kerry, Kennedy
Aides for Hillary Clinton who worked her 2008 presidential campaign kept tight watch on her friends and foes, naming and maintaining a list of those in the party who were perceived to have betrayed her during her primary war with President Obama, a new book revealed. Published January 13, 2014
Target, Neiman Marcus data breaches spread to three other retailers
Security heads say Target Corp and Neiman Marcus aren't the only retailers in the United States to be hit by massive data breaches that potentially compromised millions of shoppers' personal data. Published January 13, 2014
Chess game dispute in Dublin ends with ‘gruesome’ killing, police say
A chess game gone awry led an Italian man to kill a religion researcher in his Dublin home, police said, announcing the arrest of the suspect on Monday. Published January 13, 2014
West Virginia water woes near end, as chemical spill almost cleaned
West Virginia health authorities on Monday promised the 300,000 residents who have been brushing and bathing with bottled water for five days that the ban on tap was almost over, and the chemicals that polluted a nearby waterway were nearly cleaned. Published January 13, 2014
