Cheryl K. Chumley

Utah’s biggest tipper: Restaurant staff report $1K and $5K gratuities

Staffers at two bars in Ogden, Utah, say a wealthy resident has been passing along his good fortune with a string of feel-good, high-dollar tips that – in at least one instance – brought a beer server to grateful tears.

August 26, 2013

Florida on high alert, as beaches are running out of sand

Florida leaders are scurrying to find solutions to a complex problem that threatens to hurt their tourism industry — their beaches are running out of sand.

August 26, 2013

Bashar Assad: ‘Failure awaits’ the U.S. in Syria

Syrian President Bashar Assad warned the United States on Monday: Don't even think of jumping into the fray.

August 26, 2013

Iraq’s ‘day of terror’ wraps with at least 47 dead

At least 47 people were killed in Iraq on Sunday, the so-called declared day of terror that pitted Sunni Muslims and al Qaeda militants against Shiite villagers.

August 26, 2013

Doctors confounded with India baby’s burst into flames — three times

Doctors are confounded, but parents of a baby boy in India insist: The tyke has burst into flames for no apparent reason at least three times since birth.

August 23, 2013

Paula Deen kills Trayvon Martin? ‘Law and Order’ episode explores story line

A “Law and Order: SVU” show currently under production depicts a Paula Deen-type character killing a Trayvon Martin-type character — and it’s actually set to air this October.

August 23, 2013

Bob Filner’s mayoral resignation deal sticks legal costs to taxpayers: report

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s resignation deal is only effective if the City Council agrees to pay all his legal fees and any settlements that might stem from his numerous sexual harassment charges – a trade-off that could cost taxpayers big bucks, a local media outlet reported.

August 23, 2013

California wildfires spread inside Yosemite National Park

A massive wildfire raging across California lapped inside Yosemite National Park on Friday, forcing forestry officers to shut a key road used by tourists.

August 23, 2013

Tripoli in chaos as mosque-area bombs kill dozens, injure hundreds

Two powerful blasts tore across the city of Tripoli on Friday, killing dozens of Lebanese and injuring an estimated 500.

August 23, 2013

Obama: Local laws banning aggressive dog breeds are wrong

The same week that the White House opened its doors to a new first family addition, a Portuguese water dog named Sunny, President Obama gave his thumbs-up to a petition to prevent local bodies from banning certain breeds deemed dangerous – like, pit bulls that are often involved in attacks on humans.

August 23, 2013

NAACP creates handbook for clergy to promote ‘Christian socialism’

The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP has created a guidebook for members of the clergy to cite biblical verses that prove socialist governance is based on God's will.

August 23, 2013

Charlie Rangel: Kids shouldn’t ‘have to pay for college’

New York lawmaker Charlie Rangel gave an interesting take on the college funding situation during an interview on MSNBC on Thursday: Youth shouldn't have to pay, he said.

August 23, 2013

NBC’s Jenna Wolfe, partner Stephanie Gosk announce baby girl’s birth

NBC’s “Today” host Jenna Wolfe, who came out publicly about her gay engagement to partner Stephanie Gosk a few months ago, and their subsequent pregnancy, had a new announcement this week: It’s a healthy girl.

August 23, 2013

Ark. gun activists to carry weapons through streets to defy ban on open carry

Gun rights activists are marching through western Arkansas with their weapons on full display this weekend, a subtle act of defiance and show of solidarity against the state’s attorney general who said the open carry of handguns is illegal.

August 23, 2013

Batman’s newest caped crusader: Ben Affleck

The newest Hollywood version of the Caped Crusader will be Oscar-winning Ben Affleck, Warner Bros. announced on Thursday.

August 23, 2013

NYC Mayor Bloomberg loses stop-and-frisk battle to city council

New York City’s Michael Bloomberg was forced to admit defeat Thursday after a two-hour heated debate among City Council members led to a vote to override the mayor’s veto of two stop-and-frisk curbs.

August 23, 2013

Israeli warplanes attack ‘terror site’ in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military attacked a "terror site" near the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday after four rockets were fired by militants into northern Israel a day earlier.

August 23, 2013

Doctors die treating Syrian chemical patients

Some of the emergency responders who first arrived at the scene of a purported chemical weapons attack outside Damascus have died, lending further credence to claims that President Bashar Assad used poisonous gases to fight rebel forces.

August 23, 2013

Pat Buchanan: U.S. has been ‘de-Christianized’

The United States has lost one of its core guiding lights — its Judeo-Christian focus — said one conservative pundit, reflecting on the tragic and senseless shooting death of an Australian man in Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship, whose life was allegedly snipped by three self-proclaimed bored teens.

August 22, 2013

German tourist bitten by shark in Hawaii dies from wounds

A German woman who was vacationing in Hawaii when she was bit by a shark died from her injuries on Wednesday, a week after she was admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment.

August 22, 2013