Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
NYPD head Ray Kelly wins big retirement perk — a $1.5M tax-paid team of bodyguards
Raymond W. Kelly, the commissioner of the New York Police Department, will receive a 10-member team of around-the-clock security officers when he retires next year, a task force that's going to cost taxpayers an estimated $1.5 million a year. Published December 4, 2013
Libraries to feds: Stop spying on us
Libraries around the nation have joined together to pressure lawmakers to clamp down on the federal government's ability to demand data on the books that borrowers' read and the Internet sites that visitors search. Published December 4, 2013
Angry NTSB ousts railroad union from N.Y. train crash site
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have sent union members packing from the site of the train derailment that killed four and injured dozens Sunday in the New York borough of the Bronx, saying railroad workers violated an agreement and released sensitive information to the press. Published December 4, 2013
Sen. Bernie Sanders hints at White House run
Sen. Bernard Sanders, an independent who describes himself as a democratic socialist, said to his Vermont constituency in a local newspaper article that the time might be right for him to make a run for the White House. Published December 4, 2013
Westboro Baptists slam actor Paul Walker: He’s ‘in Hell’
Westboro Baptist Church members have announced plans to protest and picket at the funeral of Hollywood actor Paul Walker, who, along with another man, died Saturday in a fiery car crash in California. Published December 4, 2013
United States ranks 19 of 177 on global corruption survey
As far as corruption goes, you can’t get any worse than Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia, a just-released survey of 177 nations from the group Transparency International revealed. But America could stand to do a lot better, ranking only 19 out of 177 for transparent and honest governance in this latest survey. Published December 4, 2013
Apple wins facial recognition patent for iPhone 6
First Apple introduced a fingerprint sensor to unlock its latest iPhone 5 device. Now, the company says it’s been awarded the rights for another security patent — for facial technology. Published December 4, 2013
Americans on disability reaches new record levels
As far as making history goes, President Obama is breaking all kinds of records for federal disability payouts to non-working Americans. Published December 4, 2013
South Africa’s Nelson Mandela on ‘deathbed,’ but still fighting
Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa who’s been fighting complications from a lung infection for the past six months, is on his “deathbed,” family members said Wednesday. Published December 4, 2013
‘Tipsforjesus’ mystery diner leaves huge tips across America
A generous tipper, or group of tippers, have been leaving massive tips for service staff at restaurants around the nation – in the thousand-dollar range – and following up with receipt posts to an Instagram account that reveals the motive behind the kindness: “Tipsforjesus.” Published December 4, 2013
Dennis Rodman heads back to North Korea — again
Dennis Rodman just can’t keep out of North Korea. The former basketball star is heading back to the tightly ruled nation on Dec. 18, his third visit in recent months. Published December 4, 2013
Hezbollah: Israel ‘directly to blame’ for killing our commander
One of the heads of Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group, was gunned down Wednesday just outside his house in Beirut, security agents said. Published December 4, 2013
Rep. Michele Bachmann: Obama is ‘rewriting the Constitution’
President Obama is "rewriting the Constitution" so he can push his personal agenda and curry political favor for Democrats — case in point, Obamacare — Rep. Michele Bachmann said Tuesday. Published December 3, 2013
Notre Dame sues over Obamacare birth control — again
For the second time, the University of Notre Dame has filed a legal challenge to Obamacare, claiming the federal government has no constitutional right to compel the school to provide free birth control. Published December 3, 2013
USPS sued over stamp image of Statue of Liberty
It's bad enough that the U.S. Postal Service released a so-called "Forever" stamp it claimed contained the image of the Statue of Liberty — the one that stands in New York Harbor — when it was actually, and mistakenly, the image of the version that stands outside New York-New York Casino Hotel in Las Vegas. Published December 3, 2013
Egypt’s draft constitution lets military choose key minister
The latest edition of the Egyptian Constitution guarantees the military the right to choose its own defense minister, at least for the next eight years, and that provision has some legal minds worried that the stage could be set for the creation of a tightly controlled military state. Published December 3, 2013
Martin Bashir ‘on vacation’ after anti-Sarah Palin rant
MSNBC's Martin Bashir, who recently rocked national headlines with a broadcast suggestion of defecating in the mouth of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has been noticeably missing from his Monday-night shows — but he's only on vacation, his network insisted. Published December 3, 2013
Sen. John Cornyn: Obama & Co. has ‘taken lying to a new level’
President Obama and his administrative heads have been covering up details about the attacks that took place on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, leaving four Americans dead, one key senator said this week. Published December 3, 2013
Train operator said he jolted awake right before NYC derailment: report
New information released Tuesday about the deadly Metro-North Railroad derailment in the New York borough of the Bronx shows the motorman operating the control booth may have been dozing in the seconds before the crash. Published December 3, 2013
Amazon’s drone delivery idea sets lawmakers on edge over privacy rights
Lawmakers who were not quite as enthusiastic as Amazon over expectations that door-to-door deliveries by drones will become a reality by 2015 have brought forth a bill that would ban the practice, at least for the time being. Published December 3, 2013
