Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Boston cabbies forced to pay bribes to drive
An investigation initiated by a Boston newspaper finds that cab drivers are forced to pay bribes and fees to fleet owners just for the right to drive and then, at the end of their shift, are forced to fill their taxis with gas purchased from the company's overpriced tanks. Published April 3, 2013
Conspiracy poll: 3 in 10 believe ‘secretive power elite’ runs government
Thirty percent of surveyed Americans think a behind-scenes force — a "secretive power elite," as the poll authors put it — is running the world's government. And what's more, one-fifth of Republicans believe President Obama just may be the anti-Christ, the poll says. Published April 3, 2013
Turkey: John Kerry to talk about Syria with PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Secretary of State John F. Kerry will head to Turkey before the end of this week to discuss the continuing Syrian conflict, which has just entered its second year. Published April 3, 2013
Dr. Ben Carson: White liberals ‘the most racist’
The conservative rising star Dr. Ben Carson said on a Tuesday talk show that critics won't shut him up and that among the most vicious of his attackers were white liberals. Published April 3, 2013
Israel, Gaza militants trade fire as cease-fire crumbles
Israel launched its first airstrike into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in nearly four months, and Gaza militants responded in kind, signaling the end of a cease-fire the two sides called in November. Published April 3, 2013
Alabama lawmakers tighten restrictions on abortion clinics
Alabama lawmakers passed a measure that tightens restrictions on abortion clinics and gives patients more information about their medications. Published April 3, 2013
Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai gives go-ahead for Taliban leader to seek presidency
Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, has given his stamp of approval for Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar to seek the presidency in next year's elections. Published April 3, 2013
Islamic cleric decrees it OK for Syrian rebels to rape women
An Islamic cleric has cleared the path for rebels in Syria, who are trying to oust President Bashar Assad, to rape women, so long as they're non-Sunni. Published April 3, 2013
Hillary Clinton returns to stage: White House run in works?
Political watchers see Hillary Rodham Clinton's return to the public arena Tuesday evening — and to a very large Kennedy Center stage, at that — as a strategic stepping stone to the White House in 2016. Published April 3, 2013
Dozens injured as brawl breaks out at Los Angeles jail
A racially charged brawl broke out at a Los Angeles jail, sending guards for their pepper spray and a handful of inmates to the hospital. Published April 3, 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel volunteers to give back part of his pay
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he's sending a message of solidarity to his furloughed workers and giving back part of his salary. Published April 3, 2013
China spokesman meets with U.S., Koreas to express ‘serious concerns’
A spokesman from China met Wednesday with ambassadors from the United States and North and South Koreas to express "serious concern" over the escalating tensions. Published April 3, 2013
Magic Johnson responds to photo of gay son: ‘Very proud’ of him
Basketball legend Magic Johnson said a recent photograph of his son walking the Sunset Strip, dressed in fur coat and swinging a handbag — and holding hands with his boyfriend — doesn't bother him. Published April 2, 2013
Georgia city approves law requiring gun ownership
A small north Georgia town with a population of about 1,300 has passed a law that requires homeowners to own guns. Published April 2, 2013
Fire kills 13 children in Burma orphanage
Thirteen children were killed during a fire at a mosque in Yangon, Burma that serves as an orphanage. Published April 2, 2013
Amsterdam taxed, fined Holocaust Jews in hiding — and in Nazi camps
Apparently, in Amsterdam, fleeing Nazi persecution and hiding from German troops to avoid forced placement in a concentration camp is no excuse not to pay taxes. Published April 2, 2013
Columbia U. hires ex-Weather Underground member convicted in armed robbery
Kathy Boudin, an ex-Weather Underground radical who spent time in prison for a dramatic armed-car robbery that left two police officers and security guard dead, has a new gig: adjunct professor at Columbia University. Published April 2, 2013
Sacramento man dies in failed vandalism attempt; second in weeks
A man accidentally hung himself in what police said was an attempt to vandalize the exterior of an 18-story office building in Sacramento, Calif. — the second graffiti-related death in the city in the past three weeks. Published April 2, 2013
First lady’s frustration: Reading at egg roll promoted junk food
First lady Michelle Obama's plans to push healthy food choices on participants in the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll went awry, as children — fueled by the pro-spaghetti book she read them — voiced scant preference for peas. Published April 2, 2013
Colorado courts face review after mistakenly setting Evan Ebel free
Colorado's court system is reviewing its own rules after it was found that a clerical mistake was to blame for the wrongful release of the prisoner now suspected of killing the state's corrections head. Published April 2, 2013
