Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Bus in Italy plunges 100 feet, killing 38 people
Emergency responders on Monday were trying to determine what made a bus skid off the side of the road and down a 100-foot ravine in southern Italy, killing 38 and wounding 16. Published July 29, 2013
Tea party T-shirted students turned away from Obama speech
Ten student ticket-holders heading into a University of Central Missouri forum to hear President Obama speak on Wednesday were turned away at the door for what staffers at the event described as security reasons. Published July 26, 2013
U.N. launches pro-gay campaign to world platform
The United Nations' human rights office on Friday launched its first-ever gay outreach campaign, Free & Equal, to pressure nations around the world to enact laws that benefit gays and the transgendered. Published July 26, 2013
Murder suspect says court’s ‘In God We Trust’ sign violates Cherokee beliefs
Just one day after a courthouse in Tennessee erected a sign saying "In God We Trust" — the same motto inscribed on U.S. currency — an Indian defendant charged with attempted murder petitioned for case dismissal, claiming his religion follows the spiritual way known as the "Red Road." Published July 26, 2013
Ex-IMF’s Strauss-Kahn to face pimping charges in France
The former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, will have to face charges of pimping in a French court, after prosecutors were unable to convince the court to drop the case. Published July 26, 2013
Desmond Tutu: I’d pick hell over an anti-gay heaven
South Africa's iconic retired archbishop, Desmond Tutu, said on Friday that if he had his pick, he'd go to hell before heading to a heaven that condemned homosexuality as sin. Published July 26, 2013
O.J. Simpson pleads for parole board to cut prison time
O.J. Simpson, 66, told a parole board on Thursday that he's spent long enough in jail and should be allowed a reduced sentence. Published July 26, 2013
Secretary John Kerry makes waves with reference to Palestine as country
Secretary of State John Kerry sparked a furor at the United Nations on Thursday, making a mistaken reference to the country of Palestine. Published July 26, 2013
Ariel Castro’s fate: Ohio kidnapper accepts plea, gets 1,000 years, no parole
Ariel Castro, the Ohio man accused of atrocities related to his alleged abduction and detainment of three Cleveland-area women for nearly a decade, accepted a plea on Friday and will serve 1,000 years in jail with no parole. Published July 26, 2013
Spain train driver warned to slow down just seconds before crash
The driver of the train that flew off the tracks in the northwest region of Spain earlier this week was arrested late Thursday evening, authorities confirming he was warned to slow just seconds before the crash that killed 78 and injured dozens. Published July 26, 2013
FBI tells Sen. Rand Paul: We’ve used drones on U.S. soil 10 times
The Federal Bureau of Investigations told Sen. Rand Paul in a recent unclassified letter that agents have flown drones over U.S. airspace a total of 10 times in the past seven years. Published July 26, 2013
Hezbollah to EU: Label Israel’s IDF a terror group
Just two days after the European Union voted to label the military wing of Hezbollah as a terror organization, the leader of the Shiite group asked the EU — why isn't Israel's military classified similarly? Published July 26, 2013
Ohio firearms group sends George Zimmerman $12K to buy guns, security system
The Buckeye Firearms Foundation said its members have raised more than $12,000 to help defend George Zimmerman, who's been the subject of widespread threats after his acquittal of murder and manslaughter charges in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Published July 26, 2013
Indonesia demands U.S. pay for pulling clove cigarettes from shelves
An angry Indonesia said the United States ought to compensate the country for pulling clove cigarettes from store shelves, because the action violates World Trade Organization agreements. Published July 26, 2013
Pope Francis tells youth: Be rebellious and ‘mess’ with dioceses
Go ahead — be a rebel. That was the latest message of Pope Francis to Catholic youth, rendered during his visit to Brazil for the church-backed World Youth Day event that gathers thousands of faithful from around the world. Published July 26, 2013
Eliot Spitzer’s wife, Silda, to divorce him after election: report
Silda Spitzer, the wife of Eliot Spitzer — whose political career was tainted by a prostitution scandal but who now seeks a career comeback as New York City comptroller — is going to file for divorce as soon as the election ends, friends quietly tell The New York Post. Published July 26, 2013
Lincoln Memorial vandalized with green paint
U.S. Park Police say green paint was thrown on portions of the Lincoln Memorial in downtown Washington, D.C., either late Thursday night or early Friday morning. Published July 26, 2013
N.J. Gov. Chris Christie slams Sen. Rand Paul, calls libertarianism a ‘very dangerous thought’
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had blunt words of criticism for those in the Republican party who take a turn to the libertarian way of thinking: That's dangerous. Published July 26, 2013
Army Pfc. Bradley Manning ‘not a naive soldier,’ prosecution says
U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, on trial and facing court-martial for his role in releasing sensitive military and intelligence documents to WikiLeaks, is hardly a naive soldier who simply stumbled into his legal quagmire, prosecuting attorneys says Thursday. Published July 26, 2013
Egypt’s Mohammed Morsi ordered held over Hamas ties
Ousted President Mohammed Morsi has been arrested and detained for the last 15 days for allegedly contacting Hamas to help with his 2011 jail break, Egypt's state-run media reported Friday. Published July 26, 2013
