Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Chinese boy, 6, abducted, eyes gouged out
A six-year-old Chinese boy was abducted, drugged and left in a field down the road from his house with his eyes removed, authorities said. Published August 28, 2013
Atheists threaten suit over 9/11 memorial with Christian cross
Atheists are threatening to sue over a Princeton, N.J., planned memorial to mark the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on American soil because a metal beam that’s part of the display has a small cut-out of a Christian cross. Published August 28, 2013
Kentucky kids to first lady Michelle Obama: Your food ‘tastes like vomit’
First lady Michelle Obama’s healthy eating initiative has hit a roadblock, as students and parents in one rural Kentucky school are lashing back at the mandated menu plans. Published August 28, 2013
Bradley Manning gender fight escalates as Fox plays ‘Dude (Looks Like a Lady)’
The case of Army Pvt. Bradley Edward Manning, who insists his name is now Chelsea Elizabeth Manning because he wants to spend his 35 years behind bars as a woman, just won’t go quietly into the Fort Leavenworth prison night. Published August 28, 2013
North Carolina bans judges from turning to Shariah law to decide cases
North Carolina's newest law, enacted without the signature of the governor, outright bans judges in certain cases from turning to Islamic law to determine rulings. Published August 28, 2013
Obama on ‘The Butler’: ‘My girl,’ Oprah, ‘she can act’
President Obama, speaking on Tuesday about the fictionalized movie version of a black man who worked for decades in the White House titled "The Butler," had only words of praise for "my girl" Oprah Winfrey, who played a leading role. Published August 28, 2013
Jimmy Carter’s U.N. ambassador: ‘Trayvon is a martyr’ for civil rights
The man who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President Jimmy Carter had a somewhat surprising assessment of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's future relevance: He's a martyr to the civil rights cause. Published August 28, 2013
Delbert Belton’s accused killer claims WWII veteran, 88, stiffed him on crack deal
One of the teenagers arrested in the brutal beating death of 88-year-old Delbert “Shorty” Belton says he initially approached the World War II veteran to buy crack, then the exchange turned violent. Published August 28, 2013
Alec Baldwin, poised for MSNBC gig, slams paparazzo into car
Hollywood hothead Alec Baldwin lost his temper yet again this week, slamming and pinning a photographer onto the hood of his car and chastising the paparazzo for trying to take a picture of his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, who just gave birth. Published August 28, 2013
Hollywood losing luster as high costs drive out movie business
Los Angeles is losing big on the movie business, and the mayor says his recently appointed movie czar better help producers cut through red tape and bypass bureaucratic business walls or else Tinseltown will forever lose its luster. Published August 28, 2013
Stop-and-frisk casualty: N.Y. judges toss gun conviction, citing no cause to search
The recent overturning of New York City's stop-and-frisk police power has already seen its first casualty, as the state's Appellate Division on Tuesday tossed a conviction on the grounds that authorities didn't actually have proper cause to search the suspect. Published August 28, 2013
Israelis prepare for Syrian spillover with run on gas-mask shops
Gas masks have become the thing in Israel, as huge crowds of people concerned about the spillover from the Syrian conflict have lined up at distribution centers in recent days to obtain their own. Published August 28, 2013
‘Twerking,’ made famous by Miley Cyrus, makes it to online dictionary
Twerking, the term made famous from 20-year-old Miley Cyrus’ raunchy MTV Video Music Awards act, is the latest addition to Oxford Dictionaries Online. Published August 28, 2013
James DiMaggio’s sister: ‘Where’s the proof’ my brother killed Hannah Anderson’s family?
The sister of James DiMaggio — the California man who was fatally shot by police after abducting his friend's 16-year-old daughter, Hannah Anderson — wants police to show concrete evidence that her brother actually killed the girl's mother and 8-year-old brother and burned their bodies. Published August 28, 2013
New York Times website goes dark due to ‘Syrian Electronic Army’ hack
A group called the "Syrian Electronic Army" is taking responsible for attacking the website of The New York Times, leaving readers unable to access any online content. Published August 28, 2013
U.N. answers Syria question with appeal for diplomacy
The United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that it's not too late for Syria to work toward a peaceful, diplomatic end to the two-plus years of violence that's pitted President Bashar Assad's forces against rebel fighters. Published August 28, 2013
Jesse Jackson: ‘Tea party is the resurrection of the Confederacy’
The Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a Tuesday interview with a national news outlet that there's no question about it — Republicans are constantly pushing the race button on all matters of policy and politics, and tea party activists are akin to redneck racist throwbacks from the Civil War era. Published August 27, 2013
Calif. lawmaker calls on Obama to stop violating Fourth Amendment
A Republican lawmaker in California has brought forth a resolution to compel Congress and President Obama to quit the unlawful National Security Agency surveillance and to halt the Fourth Amendment violations. Published August 27, 2013
N.J. black teen in majority-white school caught sending racist texts to self
A black teen in New Jersey seeking to win election to a student government office at a mostly white school was busted for sending racist text messages to himself, ostensibly to garner attention, sympathy and votes, school officials said. Published August 27, 2013
Black clergy members cite MLK in call to Congress to crack whip on guns
A group of black faith leaders citing Martin Luther King Jr. have taken to Capitol Hill to push lawmakers to crack down on gun ownership and pass a national law requiring background checks for all purchases. Published August 27, 2013
