Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Rand Paul ratchet up speculation of White House runs
They didn't say they would — but they didn't say they wouldn't, either. In separate television media appearances over the weekend, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul ramped up rumors of 2016 presidential runs. First came Mr. Ryan, who was asked directly on ABC if he would try to turn his vice presidential candidate experience into a presidential campaign in 2016. Published February 18, 2013
Soaking up the money: Sen. Marco Rubio’s sip of water brings in the PAC cash
Sen. Marco Rubio's water-sipping moment has raised some serious cash for his political action committee. Published February 18, 2013
Zero-tolerance policies in schools face backlash in wake of gun violence
Some experts are now calling for a national rethinking of school zero-tolerance policies, in the wake of several high-profile suspensions involving little kids who have done little more than drawing pictures and shaping fingers into guns. Published February 18, 2013
EU, Britain at odds over ways to end Syrian violence
British defense officials are pushing to end the arms embargo on rebel fighters in Syria as a means of speeding a path toward peace. Published February 18, 2013
Obama to top aide Denis McDonough: Stop biking to work
Going green in the Obama administration has taken a new twist. President Obama has just ordered his top aide, newly minted Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, to stop biking to work. Published February 18, 2013
1993 World Trade Center terrorist requests release from solitary
A terrorist serving life in prison plus 240 years for his role in masterminding the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 that killed six and injured more than 1,000 has now filed a lawsuit to get out of solitary confinement. Published February 18, 2013
Cancer-stricken Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela
Hugo Chavez, 58, has wrapped up his treatment for cancer in Cuba and returned home to Venezuela, with plans to continue his presidency. Published February 18, 2013
Country music’s Mindy McCready dies in apparent suicide
Mindy McCready, the 37-year-old country music star and mother of two, was found dead Sunday, after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Published February 18, 2013
U.N. space panel unveils plan to shoot down asteroids
The United Nations thinks it has a plan to fend off devastation from space — and it comes on the heels of a Friday morning meteor that slammed into Russia, shattering windows and injuring 1,000, and on the same day an asteroid half the size of the United States is reportedly passing by Earth. Published February 15, 2013
NYC unions may end month-long school bus strike
Nine-thousand striking New York City school bus drivers and workers could return to work as early as next week, as union officials hint a "live to fight another day" strategy may be prove their best bet in the public relations nightmare. Published February 15, 2013
Report: North Korea tells China it plans 1-2 more nuclear tests this year
North Korea has told China, its major ally, that it will conduct one or two more nuclear tests before the end of this year, according to a source who claimed direct knowledge of the message. Published February 15, 2013
Online sales tax proposal rears head in Congress — for third time
Congressional legislators are pushing — once again — a federal online sales tax. The House brought forth on Thursday the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that supposedly reconciles the differences among the three introduced — and that failed — in Congress in 2012. Published February 15, 2013
Alert kid foils fifth-graders’ plot for Washington state elementary-school killing spree
A quick-thinking kid upended the plot of two armed fifth-graders to lure several Washington state elementary-school classmates off-campus and then kill them, after he learned of the plan and told school officials. Published February 15, 2013
‘Bionic eye’ approved by FDA
U.S. regulators approved on Friday the use of a what's being called a "bionic eye," giving hope to those with a rare genetic disease that leads to gradual vision loss. Published February 15, 2013
USDA workers caught on video: ‘Pilgrims were illegal aliens’
Watchdog organization Judicial Watch has released video of U.S. Department of Agriculture employees caught on video at a cultural diversity seminar banging on tables and chanting "the Pilgrims were illegal aliens." Published February 15, 2013
Emeryville, Calif., police chief: Guns aren’t for defense
Guns can't be used for defense, said the police chief in Emeryville, Calif. They can only be used to show power and dominance, he said, at a press conference to promote tighter gun-control laws in California. Published February 15, 2013
Egypt intercepts two tons of explosives headed to Sinai
Security officials in Egypt report the seizure of two tons of explosives that were being shipped to the Sinai Peninsula, via the main Suez Canal tunnel. Published February 15, 2013
Petitioners paint Obama as ‘misogynist’ who’s ‘alienating’ women
A petition on the White House website is calling for President Obama to stop referring to female constituents in his many speeches as "wives, mothers and daughters." Published February 15, 2013
Maureen O’Connor, San Diego’s former mayor, lost $1 billion in gambling habit
How the mighty do fall. San Diego's Maureen O'Connor was a rising star in the city's political circles, winning a seat on the City Council at the young age of 25 and going on to serve two terms as a populist, crowd-pleasing mayor — a female first, for the city. Published February 15, 2013
Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp argued before the shooting, neighbors report
A forensic team has converged on Olympian "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius's home, uncovering further details that counter initial theories that he shot and killed his celebrity model girlfriend by accident, under the impression she was an intruder. Published February 15, 2013