Cheryl K. Chumley

Obama entourage in Japan samples $300-per-plate sushi from elite chef

President Obama, in Japan to reassure authorities that the U.S. has the country's back in its long-running Sea Island dispute with China, made a speedy beeline for a three-star restaurant for some fancy dining on estimated $300-a-plate sushi fare.

April 23, 2014

Atheists win prayer battle against California city council

Atheists who complained about pre-meeting prayers conducted by members of the Pismo Beach City Council in California can now claim a win.

April 23, 2014

Texas is next! AG warns BLM wants 90,000 acres after Bundy ranch standoff

The attorney general of Texas has a stark warning for state residents, on the heels of the federal government's armed standoff at the Cliven Bundy cattle ranch: The BLM may be headed to our neck of the woods next, with intent to take over 90,000 acres of prime Red River property.

April 23, 2014

Texas A&M kicks off FAA-backed drone tests for business ventures

Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi has become drone central of sorts, kicking into high gear an experimental program approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to see how unmanned craft might best be adopted by the business sector.

April 23, 2014

Bad loser: ‘Call of Duty’ gamer calls in SWAT team on teen who won

A gamer who lost an online battle of "Call of Duty" took out his frustration to the extreme, calling in a hoax threat that ultimately sent an army of ground police, helicopter cops and emergency response vehicles to the home of the game winner.

April 23, 2014

Beer-flavored lollipops make debut: ‘An All-American slam-dunk’

Beer drinkers formerly constrained to choosing to satisfy their tastebuds by bottle, can, tap or keg now have a new option: The lollipop.

April 23, 2014

Gabby Giffords’ gun control push gets high-profile speaker: Bill Clinton

Gabby Giffords, the former lawmaker who was shot and then started a nationwide legislative campaign to crack down on Second Amendment freedoms, has a new gun control fundraising friend: Bill Clinton.

April 23, 2014

Tony Blair to warn West: Take sides against radical Islam

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to issue a stark warning to the United States on Wednesday to choose sides and draw lines in the fight against radical Islam, the Guardian reported, citing an advance copy of his speech.

April 23, 2014

Pfc. Bradley Manning’s name change to Chelsea heads to court

Pfc. Bradley Manning — the former Army intelligence analyst who decided as he was headed to prison for leaking government information to WikiLeaks that he wanted to be a she — heads to court Wednesday to try for a name change to Chelsea.

April 23, 2014

NYPD’s attempt at positive Twitter outreach campaign proves to be an epic fail

The New York Police Department tried a positive outreach campaign on Twitter, asking city residents to tweet photographs of themselves or other citizens with officers. Talk about an epic fail.

April 23, 2014

Forget the Porsche — it’s the guy with the Prius that attracts the ladies, poll shows

A study from Harris polling agency for the dating site AnastasiaDate found that the Porsche and other sports cars of its ilk have really fallen out of favor with ladies, who see such in-your-face speedsters as signs of drivers' arrogance.

April 22, 2014

Fired Russian Facebook CEO says site has fallen in the hands of pro-Putin supporters

The just-fired founder of the Russian version of Facebook said pro-Putin forces had seized control of his site and that going forward, postings would pretty much need the official government stamp of approval.

April 22, 2014

EPA’s Gina McCarthy: Climate change ‘biggest public health challenge we face’

Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, called climate change the biggest health issue facing the United States and that states and the private sector need to step up and take speedier steps to develop alternative energy sources.

April 22, 2014

Karl Rove stings Obama on Keystone pipeline: ‘Stupid move’

Republican political strategist Karl Rove didn't pull punches while responding to President Obama's failure to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, calling it a "stupid move" firmly entrenched in politics and aimed fully at appeasing the environmentalists.

April 22, 2014

Peoria mayor under fire for raiding home of mock Twitter user

The mayor of Peoria, Ill., is facing a First Amendment-fueled backlash for reportedly ordering a raid of the home of a Twitter user who set up a mock account accusing the mayor of drug use and cavorting with prostitutes.

April 22, 2014

Lawmakers rally to keep beer prices down, oppose FDA rule

Lawmakers under the lead of Sen. Chuck Schumer are petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to drop a proposed standard for food safety that could lead to price hikes on beer.

April 22, 2014

‘Boston Strong’ history: An Ohio man first tweeted the phrase

"Trivial Pursuit" fans can add this to their list of facts to know and love: The first person to tweet out the phrase "Boston Strong" didn't actually hail from Boston or even Massachusetts.

April 22, 2014

Bryan Singer’s sex abuse accuser names 3 more Hollywood bigwigs

Michael Egan III, the Nevada actor who named famous "X-Men" director Bryan Singer of molesting him when he was a teen, has now stepped forward and accused three other Hollywood bigwigs of preying on him years ago, too.

April 22, 2014

Pat Buchanan sums up Nevada ranch standoff: Sending ‘Seventh Cavalry to collect a bill’

Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan summed up the armed federal standoff between agents with the Bureau of Land Management and cattle rancher Cliven Bundy, his family and his supporters: It was all over an unpaid bill.

April 22, 2014

Joe Biden vows to Ukraine: ‘We want to be your partner and friend’

Vice President Joseph R. Biden said to Ukrainian political officials on Tuesday that the United States has their back when it comes to defending themselves against "humiliating threats" from Russian aggressors.

April 22, 2014