Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
For sale: 118-carat diamond, ‘greatest white diamond ever’
A 118-carat flawless-colored diamond has hit the display shelf at Sotheby’s auction house in New York, and interested buyers will have a chance to cast their bids in October. Published September 5, 2013
Californian in Syria on video: ‘What America hates, I love’
A video that shows a heavily bearded, sunglasses-wearing man, reportedly from California but in Syria to help the rebels fight, is making the media rounds — an upsetting commentary on America at a time of high tensions and political crossroads. Published September 5, 2013
Christian baker hounded by gays to close shop: My faith in God ‘has grown’
An Oregon baker with Christian beliefs who was forced to shut down operations after refusing to make a cake for a planned same-sex wedding says her faith in God has not wavered — and in fact, has grown stronger because of the ordeal. Published September 5, 2013
Minneapolis mayor scopes out Chicago for gay marriage business
The mayor of Minneapolis is on a mission, heading on Thursday to Chicago to hit up the city’s notoriously gay neighborhoods and persuade those wishing to marry to go north for their ceremonies. Published September 5, 2013
Terrorists tout new encryption technology that thwarts U.S. intelligence
Terrorists and jihadists say they have a new tool to undercut American and Western intelligence — a mobile encryption software system that operates cell phone-to-cell phone, and works on even those devices that aren't equipped with the technology. Published September 5, 2013
Boeing: China to triple aircraft fleet in next two decades
China's airline industry is blooming, and the nation expects to add three times the number of planes it now has to its ranks over the next 20 years, Boeing Co. spokespeople said Thursday. Published September 5, 2013
Ariel Castro victims stay silent on captor’s suicide
The three Cincinnati women who were held hostage by Ohio's Ariel Castro for about a decade stayed silent on their captor's suicide this week, leaving trial watchers and sympathizers wondering how the news hit them emotionally and whether they considered the news good or bad. Published September 5, 2013
Boston’s Mayor Menino causes stir for Detroit comment: ‘Blow up the place’
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino raised hackles this week when he told a national newspaper that Detroit should really reevaluate its politics and policy and enact some major reforms. Published September 5, 2013
Egypt’s interior minister survives car bombing in Nasr City
Egypt's interior minister was the target of a car bombing in the Nasr City district of Cairo Thursday, but he survived, the nation's security authorities said. Published September 5, 2013
200-car pile-up on British roads leaves 2 dead, 100 injured
A massive car crash and pile-up on a road in southeast England near Kent in the early morning hours on Thursday left at least two dead and another 100 or so injured. Published September 5, 2013
Veterans Affairs to give benefits to gays, as Obama bypasses law and orders
President Obama ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to start giving spousal benefits to same-sex partners, despite federal laws still in place that specify the benefits can only go toward spouses of opposite sex. Published September 5, 2013
George Zimmerman pulled over for speeding on Florida roads
George Zimmerman, of Trayvon Martin trial fame, was back in the news this week when police in Florida pulled him over for speeding. Published September 5, 2013
Hybrid hell: Toyota recalls 369K, as electric-powered kinks continue
Toyota announced two recalls on Wednesday, the latest in a rash of vehicle safety and mechanical issues for a company that’s been trying to grow an image of high quality. Published September 4, 2013
N.Y. judge choked, hit with toilet tank lid, left on floor
A judge in upstate New York was the target of a recent vicious act of violence when somebody — police are still searching the identity of the attacker — choked him and whacked him on the head with a toilet tank lid while he locked up court. Published September 4, 2013
Vladimir Putin: Edward Snowden is ‘a strange guy’
President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that intelligence leaker and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden tried to get Russia on board to work together, but he said no. He also said that Mr. Snowden actually stayed in the Russian consulate in Hong Kong before he traveled to Moscow in June. Published September 4, 2013
Christian church fights to erect cross as pastor claims city officials fear Muslims
The pastor and some members of a Christian church in Brandon, Miss., say city officials won’t grant them their permit request for a massive cross to be built on their own property because they’re afraid the symbol might offend Muslims. Published September 4, 2013
Donald Rumsfeld on Obama: He’s ‘feckless’ on Syria
Former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld isn't pulling any punches when it comes to President Obama's notion to launch airstrikes on Syria without following up with ground troops or additional military presence: That type of "minimalist" strategy doesn't work. Published September 4, 2013
Sen. John McCain busted playing video game during Senate hearing on Syria
Sen. John McCain was busted by a newspaper photographer playing poker on his iPhone during a Senate hearing on Tuesday with Secretary of State John Kerry on Syria, and the potential for America to launch military strikes against President Bashar Assad’s regime. Published September 4, 2013
Houston youth, 16, killed in school cafeteria stabbing
One student is dead, another in critical condition and a couple more injured in a Houston high school stabbing early Wednesday morning that shocked witnesses, who saw trails and pools of blood in the hallway Published September 4, 2013
Bradley Manning seeks pardon from president
Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, who now is serving a 35-year sentence at Fort Leavenworth for leaking stacks of classified documents to WikiLeaks for publication, wants a pardon from President Obama for information he released that isn't deemed so sensitive. Published September 4, 2013
