Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Obama wraps vacation with final round of golf
President Obama returned to the White House late Sunday, following a week-long family get-away to Martha’s Vineyard – but not before squeezing in one last round of golf. Published August 19, 2013
Barbara Bush: ‘Unbelievably accomplished’ Hillary Clinton should run in 2016
Hillary Rodham Clinton received some strong support for a 2016 White House run from a conservative camper on Thursday — none other than the 31-year-old daughter of former President George W. Bush, Barbara. Published August 16, 2013
Rodeo clown who mocked Obama committed ‘hate crime,’ NAACP says
The rodeo clown at the Missouri state fair who donned a mask of President Obama and mocked about a bull running him over is guilty of a hate crime, the head of the state's NAACP chapter said in a radio show late Thursday. Published August 16, 2013
Texas city sends in SWAT to remove homeowner’s property blight
Sustainable farm owners in Arlington, Texas, said SWAT members invaded their home and property under false pretenses -- alleging the family was growing marijuana -- and destroyed fruit and vegetable patches and confiscated 20,400 pounds of material used for the farming operation, all in the name of obliterating what city officials said was blight. Published August 16, 2013
CIA finally acknowledges Area 51’s existence
The CIA finally acknowledged the existence of the mysterious Area 51 in central Nevada, referencing the site that's been the stuff of conspiracy stories for decades in newly declassified documents made public on Thursday. Published August 16, 2013
Illinois lawmaker: Hillary Clinton screamed in closed-door session on Benghazi at terrorism label
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a congressman from Illinois, said he was shocked when the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actually screamed at one of his congressional colleagues during a closed-door session to discuss Benghazi, Libya, just days after the terrorist attack. Published August 16, 2013
Afghan man kills wife for going to market without permission
An Afghanistan man on an honor-killing crusade fatally shot his wife this week when she went to the market without first obtaining his permission, a police spokesman said. Published August 16, 2013
Georgia’s new law bans drivers from paying others’ tolls
So much for the good deed. In Georgia, drivers riding through toll booths can't pay the fee for the car behind them any longer, thanks to a new law that took effect on Friday. Published August 16, 2013
Newtown, Conn., gun permit requests on track to double from 2012
The number of permit requests for guns from residents of Newtown, Conn., the site of the gruesome Sandy Hook school shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead, have risen substantially in recent months. Published August 16, 2013
‘Spider-Man’ performer trapped in stage on Broadway, rushed to hospital
A Broadway performance of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" turned disastrous on Thursday night as the superhero fell through a trap door on the stage during the performance, and emergency responders rushed to cut him from the floorboards and transport him to the hospital. Published August 16, 2013
Coffee kills, cola causes violence: New studies knock favorite drinks
It's getting so water is about the only safe beverage left on the planet — and even that doesn't come without caveats, as researchers point to the dangers of tap and the need to buy bottled. But the newest studies: Drinking four or more cups of coffee a day could bring early death, and cola causes violence in kids. Published August 16, 2013
Arizona’s tough Joe Arpaio puts crosses in desert to mark illegals’ deaths
Tough-talking Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who's been slammed by detractors who say his border control crackdown views are anti-immigrant and racist, has ordered his deputies to commemorate those who die while crossing into the United States by placing Christian crosses at the site of their desert deaths. Published August 16, 2013
Ecuador abandons ‘no drill’ plan after enviros fail to pay preservation cash
Ecuador had high hopes of saving its rainforests with an energy policy that relied on rich countries to pay the government not to drill for oil in the Amazon. But those hopes were dashed when the wealthy countries didn't come through with the cash. Published August 16, 2013
80 percent Israeli Jews say peace with Palestinians impossible: survey
Fully 80 percent of Israeli Jews don't think a peace agreement can be brokered with Palestinians, a new opinion poll released Friday found. The survey comes just two days after key political players have resumed peace talks in Jerusalem. Published August 16, 2013
Boston Marathon bombing victim, 7, returns home minus left leg
A 7-year-old girl, Jane Richard, who lost her left leg in the Boston Marathon terrorist attack — which also killed her 8-year-old brother, Martin — returned home Thursday with a new prosthetic, a new lease on life and, her family says, as an "incredible source of inspiration." Published August 16, 2013
Lisa Robin Kelly: ‘That ‘70s Show’s star, 43, dies in rehab
Lisa Robin Kelly, the woman who played the sexy teenage sister of Eric, the main character on "That 70s Show," died Thursday night at the age of 43 in the rehab center she just entered for addiction-related treatments. Published August 16, 2013
Calif. teen Hannah Anderson steps out, as cops find ‘letters from Hannah’ in suspect’s home
Hannah Anderson, the 16-year-old California teen who was abducted by a suspect who's also believed to have murdered her mother and brother, attended a fundraiser Thursday, her first public appearance since police shot and killed James DiMaggio in the wilderness of Idaho where the pair was discovered. Published August 16, 2013
Benghazi truth-seekers press for ‘paparazzi’ blitz on lawmakers
A group dedicated to finding out the truth of what transpired at America's consulate during the fatal Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack says concerned citizens should bombard their congressional members with requests to create a special committee — and videotape the lawmakers' responses to post online as additional pressure. Published August 15, 2013
Israel drafts first transgender female soldier
For the first time in the nation's history, Israel has drafted a transgender female soldier — a teenager who is currently undergoing sex change surgery to be a girl. Published August 15, 2013
Sgt. Sean Murphy returns to patrol after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev photo flap
Sgt. Sean Murphy, the Massachusetts state trooper who leaked photographs of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's real look during his capture and arrest — not the rock-star image portrayed by Rolling Stone magazine — is back on the job, a spokesman for the department said Thursday. Published August 15, 2013