Cheryl K. Chumley

Hollywood losing luster as high costs drive out movie business

Los Angeles is losing big on the movie business, and the mayor says his recently appointed movie czar better help producers cut through red tape and bypass bureaucratic business walls or else Tinseltown will forever lose its luster.

August 28, 2013

Stop-and-frisk casualty: N.Y. judges toss gun conviction, citing no cause to search

The recent overturning of New York City's stop-and-frisk police power has already seen its first casualty, as the state's Appellate Division on Tuesday tossed a conviction on the grounds that authorities didn't actually have proper cause to search the suspect.

August 28, 2013

Israelis prepare for Syrian spillover with run on gas-mask shops

Gas masks have become the thing in Israel, as huge crowds of people concerned about the spillover from the Syrian conflict have lined up at distribution centers in recent days to obtain their own.

August 28, 2013

‘Twerking,’ made famous by Miley Cyrus, makes it to online dictionary

Twerking, the term made famous from 20-year-old Miley Cyrus’ raunchy MTV Video Music Awards act, is the latest addition to Oxford Dictionaries Online.

August 28, 2013

James DiMaggio’s sister: ‘Where’s the proof’ my brother killed Hannah Anderson’s family?

The sister of James DiMaggio — the California man who was fatally shot by police after abducting his friend's 16-year-old daughter, Hannah Anderson — wants police to show concrete evidence that her brother actually killed the girl's mother and 8-year-old brother and burned their bodies.

August 28, 2013

New York Times website goes dark due to ‘Syrian Electronic Army’ hack

A group called the "Syrian Electronic Army" is taking responsible for attacking the website of The New York Times, leaving readers unable to access any online content.

August 28, 2013

U.N. answers Syria question with appeal for diplomacy

The United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that it's not too late for Syria to work toward a peaceful, diplomatic end to the two-plus years of violence that's pitted President Bashar Assad's forces against rebel fighters.

August 28, 2013

Jesse Jackson: ‘Tea party is the resurrection of the Confederacy’

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a Tuesday interview with a national news outlet that there's no question about it — Republicans are constantly pushing the race button on all matters of policy and politics, and tea party activists are akin to redneck racist throwbacks from the Civil War era.

August 27, 2013

Calif. lawmaker calls on Obama to stop violating Fourth Amendment

A Republican lawmaker in California has brought forth a resolution to compel Congress and President Obama to quit the unlawful National Security Agency surveillance and to halt the Fourth Amendment violations.

August 27, 2013

N.J. black teen in majority-white school caught sending racist texts to self

A black teen in New Jersey seeking to win election to a student government office at a mostly white school was busted for sending racist text messages to himself, ostensibly to garner attention, sympathy and votes, school officials said.

August 27, 2013

Black clergy members cite MLK in call to Congress to crack whip on guns

A group of black faith leaders citing Martin Luther King Jr. have taken to Capitol Hill to push lawmakers to crack down on gun ownership and pass a national law requiring background checks for all purchases.

August 27, 2013

Boston strong: Condo owner called ‘fake’ patriot for fighting flag rule

A Boston condominium owner says management can threaten and fine all they want – he’s not taking down his 6-foot-by-10-foot American flag that’s hanging in his window.

August 27, 2013

Massachusetts military veteran tossed from diner for service dog

A military veteran recently tossed from a Massachusetts diner after the owner objected to the presence of his certified service dog said he felt "belittled" and wants an apology.

August 27, 2013

WWII veteran Delbert Benton died trying to defend self from thugs: police

The 88-year-old World War II veteran who was beaten to death with a flashlight as he crossed a parking lot in Washington state may have died because he tried to defend himself, police said.

August 27, 2013

Obama spokesman sends condolences to family of Australian killed in Oklahoma

Through his spokesman, President Obama sent out a statement this week expressing condolences to family members of the Australian baseball star who was attending college in Oklahoma when he was shot and killed in a random act of violence.

August 27, 2013

Wisconsin lawmaker pushes English as official state language

A Republican lawmaker isn’t giving up the fight to make English the official language of the state of Wisconsin, and reintroduced a bill this week that would do just that.

August 27, 2013

China’s trouncing of U.S. in space race: ‘Unmistakable warning signs’

It's irrefutable, said one political science professor from Georgia: China is moving full speed ahead with its race to space, while other nations — including the United States — have entered yawn status.

August 27, 2013

Sarah Murnaghan: Pennsylvania girl who sparked transplant debate heads home with new lungs

The 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who sparked a nationwide debate about the rights of children versus adults who are on organ transplant lists headed home on Tuesday with new lungs in place.

August 27, 2013

ACLU ‘stunned’ as New Mexico judge rules gay marriage legal, despite law

New Mexico doesn't have a specific constitutional provision or law that allows same-sex marriages, but a judge said on Monday that prohibiting the unions is a form of sexual discrimination — and by proxy, ruled gay marriage legal.

August 27, 2013

Flying kid-free: Singapore airline offers adults-only seating

For a paltry $14, fliers on one Singapore-based airline can now kick back in kid-free zoned seating.

August 27, 2013