Cheryl K. Chumley

Oklahoma pipeline blast sends fireball hundreds of feet high

A pipeline explosion in a rural northwestern Oklahoma town sent a fireball hundreds of feet into the air, and emergency responders on Wednesday were still at the scene, trying to extinguish the flames.

October 9, 2013

Shutdown of military death benefits stirs national action

A nonprofit group dedicated to helping troops and Marines decided to jump in to assist families of killed military members deprived of their $100,000 death benefits after reading a Washington Times report.

October 8, 2013

Shutdown shame: Hiker nearly killed when park route closed

A hiker who had gone missing for five days at a state park in Texas was just found alive — naked, dehydrated and nearly dead, telling rescuers that she got lost when the government shutdown led authorities to close the only route she knew.

October 8, 2013

Michigan lawmaker incensed: Give beer drinkers what they pay for — a full pint

Lawmakers in Michigan are fighting for the rights of beer drinkers, demanding bar owners quit ripping them off and pour the full 16 ounces, when it’s the full 16 ounces that are purchased.

October 8, 2013

White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer’s ‘unfortunate’ tweet slings the ‘n-word’

Twitter poster Elise Foley perhaps said it best: "Dan Pfeiffer, check your Twitter." That came shortly after the White House senior adviser posted a most unfortunate message, complete with the dreaded "n-word."

October 8, 2013

North Korea on high alert, threatens U.S. ships with ‘horrible disaster’

Pyongyang's military commanders have put their troops on high alert, warning of a looming disaster because of the entrance of U.S. ships into South Korean waters.

October 8, 2013

RNC tries to woo Hispanic voters with 7-state campaign

Republican National Committee operatives have kicked off a seven-state campaign aimed at drawing in Hispanics and showing them the GOP is the best political home to uphold their interests.

October 8, 2013

Ex-Auburn coach slams Condi Rice’s football role: She’s not worthy

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is poised to become the newest member of the College Football Player's selection committee — but to former Auburn coach Pat Dye, that would be a travesty.

October 8, 2013

Veterans to stage storming of memorials, monuments

Angry and outraged military veterans are heading to Washington this weekend to stage a mass storming of the very memorials and monuments that were created in their honor but that they now cannot access because of the government shutdown.

October 8, 2013

Boston-area school looks to back off zero tolerance

A Boston-area school with a high-crime neighborhood backdrop is bucking that national trend for zero tolerance and offering student offenders another way to serve their sentences: Talk it out.

October 8, 2013

Shutdown outrage: Military death benefits denied to families of fallen troops

At least five families of U.S. military members killed during in Afghanistan over the weekend were given a double-whammy by federal officials: Not only have your loved ones died, but due to the government shutdown, you won’t receive a death benefit.

October 8, 2013

California Gov. Jerry Brown says no to noncitizens serving as jurors

California Gov. Jerry Brown has turned aside a legislative attempt to let noncitizens serve on juries in state cases.

October 8, 2013

Obama’s eyes on shutdown puts China in charge at economic summit

President Obama's flip-flop on attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and then his decision to stay in Washington to deal with the government shutdown has left America playing second fiddle to China on an important world stage.

October 8, 2013

Wis. prof emails students: It’s the tea party’s fault you can’t do homework

A Wisconsin college professor said in an email to students that she understood if they couldn't collect all the necessary data to complete their homework — the tea party shut down the government.

October 8, 2013

Yuck! Water served to airline passengers still frequently contaminated

Apparently, the warning to not drink the water doesn't just apply to overseas destinations — it applies to the airline transports that get you there. Numbers from the Environmental Protection Agency indicate that plane passengers are frequently served contaminated drinking water, despite federal attempts to clear the bacteria.

October 8, 2013

Colorado gun advocates, fresh off wins, launch 3rd recall

Second Amendment supporters and activists in Colorado, buoyed by two recent recall wins, have launched another petition drive to oust a third Democrat who voted in favor of the state's much-ballyhooed new gun control laws from office.

October 8, 2013

Catholic priests booted from bases as shutdown trickles to military

Military members around the world who align with the Catholic faith may have to go without Sunday Mass services, due to the government shutdown and the subsequent ban on contract priests on bases.

October 8, 2013

Jesus portrait forced off school wall by ACLU lawsuit

Jesus has left the building. That’s the fate of a portrait of the savior of Christian faithful at one Ohio school, after the American Civil Liberties Union launched a lawsuit and demanded its removal.

October 8, 2013

Jimmy Carter: Today’s middle class was my administration’s poverty level

Former President Jimmy Carter weighed in on income disparity around the nation during an impromptu interview at a Habitat for Humanity building site, calling today’s middle-class yesterday’s poverty level.

October 8, 2013

Long Island middle school bans balls, citing student safety

So much for tossing the ball during recess — or playing tag. One middle school in Long Island has banned a list of popular playground items because the games promote roughness among the students, administrators said.

October 8, 2013