Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Illegal immigrants on food stamps won’t face slower citizenship path: USDA
Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been quietly assuring illegal immigrants that taking food stamps and other government assistance won't slow their paths toward citizenship. Published February 19, 2013
Hugo Chavez sent back to Venezuela to die, report says
Spanish media is saying that cancer-stricken Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been sent back to his country to die — not to recover from successful treatment received in Cuba, as previously and widely reported. Published February 19, 2013
Coal regulations push Britain to ‘near-crisis’ of energy costs, supplies
Britain is facing an energy shortage that will see household costs for heat and light rise by as much as 60 percent, according to one industry regulator. Published February 19, 2013
Red-light camera backlash builds as drivers feel the pinch
Fifteen years ago, red-light cameras were a rarity. Now, 24 states and Washington, D.C., use them with regularity — and backlash is starting to build. Published February 19, 2013
Oscar Pistorius scared girlfriend into hiding before shooting her, prosecutor says
Olympian track star Oscar Pistorius faced prosecutors Tuesday, who alleged he purposely shot and killed his celebrity model girlfriend following a shouting match that left her cowering and hiding behind a bathroom door. Published February 19, 2013
Broke U.S. Postal Service paying $2M for conference, golf, party
Four hundred U.S. Postal Service executives are heading to San Francisco next month for workshops, meetings — and a dance party. Published February 19, 2013
Help wanted: Al-Jazeera marks expansion to U.S. with hiring spree
It's been years in making, but Al-Jazeera has finally joined the ranks of Washington, D.C.-based cable news operations. Published February 19, 2013
Diamond heist at Brussels airport nets thieves a $50M bounty
It's the stuff of movies. Thieves cut through a hole in a security fence at Brussels' international airport, drove down the tarmac and stole $50 million worth of diamonds that were stored on a plane headed for Switzerland. Published February 19, 2013
Germany’s highest court strengthens gay adoption rights
Germany's highest court ruled Tuesday that one gay member of a couple could adopt his or her partner's stepchild or adopted child — a significant judicial boost to the nation's same-sex adoption law Published February 19, 2013
Meet China’s super-secret military hacking unit
Cyberattacks on dozens of U.S. firms have been traced back to a small, nondescript Chinese military unit quietly working in a similarly unimpressive setting — a dull office building just outside Shanghai. Published February 19, 2013
Nancy Pelosi says drone strikes on Americans can stay secret
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the White House doesn't necessarily have to confess to killing American citizens by unarmed drones. Published February 18, 2013
NYC taxpayers tapped for $20M in costs over union strike
New York City taxpayers spent an estimated $20.6 million to get tens of thousands of stranded students to school, during a monthlong strike by the bus workers' union that began Jan. 16 and ended Friday. Published February 18, 2013
Russian lawmaker’s body found stuffed in barrel of cement
Investigators have discovered the body of a 36-year-old Russian lawmaker stuffed into a barrel of cement and are working off the theory he was killed because of unpaid debts. Published February 18, 2013
Chicago police chief: Second Amendment supporters guilty of corruption
Chicago's chief of police can't seem to avoid controversy over his statements related to gun control. Published February 18, 2013
Dressed to kill: MIT scientists forging new uniform to help soldiers communicate on the battlefield
Scientists with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are fine-tuning a fiber invention that could soon see soldiers speaking to each other — by speaking into their field jackets. Published February 18, 2013
NYC police begin roundup to purge streets of the mentally ill
New York City's finest have embarked on a new safety project to rid the streets of those deemed mentally ill. Published February 18, 2013
No White House brain drain: Obama launches project to study human mind
Talk about a Big Brother conspiracy story. The White House has announced a 10-year study on the inner workings of the human brain, akin to the Human Genome Project's research into genetics. Published February 18, 2013
Mo. GOP Rep. rails against ‘hammer and sickle’ gun bill
A Republican congressman in Missouri is standing strong in the face of a Democrat-backed push to outlaw certain weapons in the state, characterizing the effort as a Communist-style politics and vowing its legislative failure. Published February 18, 2013
China flexes its muscle, takes control of key Pakistani port
China has taken control of a Pakistan seaport located on the southwest coast, an economically strategic move that will benefit Beijing. Published February 18, 2013
Reader’s Digest files for bankruptcy; iconic magazine will still publish
The company that publishes Reader's Digest, one of America's most iconic magazines, has filed for bankruptcy. Published February 18, 2013
