Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
North Carolina repeals Racial Justice Act, seen as roadblock to executions
North Carolina's governor signed into law Wednesday a repeal of a law that gave death penalty inmates the opportunity to seek softer sentences if they proved the court was guilty of racial discrimination. Published June 20, 2013
N.Y. firm alleges London Olympics designers pilfered cauldron idea
Designers with the New York firm Atopia are seeing red, accusing the maker of the much-praised cauldron for the London Olympics of pilfering their idea. Published June 20, 2013
Saudis set to expel Lebanese who support Hezbollah
Saudi Arabia is poised to send packing any Lebanese citizens who support the militant group Hezbollah, a show of solidarity with rebel fighters in Syria who are battling to oust President Bashar Assad. Published June 20, 2013
Dubai plans $7 million theme park to honor Koran
Dubai's director of government projects said that nation was constructing a new theme park to honor the Muslim holy text, the Koran, to be ready for tourists and visitors by September 2014. Published June 20, 2013
House votes to cut $2 billion in food stamp funding from farm bill
The House voted 234-188 against a Democrat amendment to a farm bill that would have kept food stamp spending at its current level — and in so doing, gave the thumbs up to go forward with cuts to the program to the tune of $2 billion in one year. Published June 20, 2013
British P.M. David Cameron to Syrian military: Toss Bashar Assad and we’ll give you amnesty
British Prime Minister sent a brief message to Syria's military on Wednesday: Help oust President Bashar Assad and we'll grant amnesty and give 100 percent forgiveness for crimes against the civilians. Published June 20, 2013
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange says he’s helping NSA leaker Edward Snowden sneak to Iceland
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he's trying to forge an asylum agreement for NSA intelligence leaker Edward Snowden to hide in Iceland. Published June 20, 2013
Utah soldier hit 9 times by IEDs finally gets Bronze Star
It took six years, but a former Utah sergeant who was hit by IEDs nine different times while serving two tours of duty in Iraq and who now suffers permanent brain damage finally was awarded the military's fifth-highest combat medal, the Bronze Star. Published June 20, 2013
Iranian President-elect Hasan Rowhani tied to Jewish-targeted bomb plot that killed 85
Hasan Rowhani, the president-elect of Iran, was part of a special government task force that plotted in 1994 to bomb a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, a terrorist attack that ultimately left 85 dead and hundreds wounded. Published June 20, 2013
Police probe bomb threat made to help Fort Hood suspect Nidal Hasan get ‘demands’
Police are trying to identify who threatened to bomb a county courthouse nearby Fort Hood if demands from Maj. Nidal Hasan — on trial for the 2009 shooting rampage that left 13 dead — weren't met. Published June 20, 2013
All-white town in South Africa fights to keep segregation
A South African town that spans about 2,000 acres and touts about 1,000 residents is fighting to maintain its historical roots — as an all-white community that beckons from apartheid days. Published June 20, 2013
Obama sparks Catholic ire with claim: Parochial schools are ‘divisive’
President Obama suggested to a Northern Ireland crowd that gathered for the Group of Eight summit that parochial education leads to a divided community, irking some in the Catholic Church. Published June 20, 2013
MLB legend Joe Torre’s daughter catches falling baby
Good hands. Cristina Torre, the daughter of Major League Baseball legend Joe Torre — who won the National League All-Star recognition for his skills as catcher — saved a 1-year-old who was plummeting to his death. Published June 20, 2013
FBI charges 2 with plot to build lethal mobile X-ray machine
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested two New York men for what they allege was a plot to create a mobile X-ray machine that could silently kill people, a federal spokesman said. Published June 20, 2013
Taliban offer to trade: 5 Gitmo prisoners for 1 U.S. soldier
Taliban militants in Afghanistan have offered a trade to the United States: Give us five senior operatives imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay and we'll free one American soldier held captive since 2009. Published June 20, 2013
Paris tourism board tries profiling: Japanese are ‘demanding,’ Italians are ‘impatient’
Paris is hoping a little profiling might go a long way. Tourist board heads are trying to overturn the city's reputation for rudeness by focusing on what travelers from specific countries want. Published June 19, 2013
Sen. Lisa Murkowski comes out in favor of gay marriage
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced her support for gay marriage on Wednesday — the third Republican in the Senate to do so. Published June 19, 2013
Al Qaeda militants storm U.N. compound in Somali capital, kill 12
Militants with an al-Qaeda-linked group threw several bombs into the United Nations compound in Mogadishu, Somalia, early Wednesday, storming the facility and unleashing a gunbattle that left at least 12 dead. Published June 19, 2013
100 Americans trapped in Kuwait over contract snub
An estimated 100 U.S. citizens are trapped on U.S. military bases in Kuwait, unable to leave the post else face arrest — the victims of a Kuwaiti prime minister's sister-in-law who felt snubbed when a recent contract wrapped without renewal. Published June 19, 2013
Men’s Wearhouse founder abruptly ousted — despite revenue growth
In a surprise move Wednesday, Men's Wearhouse put off its annual shareholders meeting and gave its founder, executive chairman and pitchman the boot, The Associated Press reported. Published June 19, 2013
