Cheryl K. Chumley

Anti-smoking zealots taking battle to the Great Outdoors

Bans against smoking in public venues that are outdoors are on the rise.

August 8, 2013

Pentagon mulls revision to same-sex benefits to mandate marriage

The Pentagon's much-ballyhooed extension of benefits to same-sex couples may be scaled back a bit, as military heads said Wednesday they're now mulling a plan to allow only legally married gays to take advantage.

August 8, 2013

U.S. drone strike kills another 6 al Qaeda militants in Yemen

Another U.S. drone killed six more suspected al Qaeda militants in the southeastern province of Yemen on Thursday, bringing the total number of such attacks that have gone forth in the country within the past two weeks to six.

August 8, 2013

Powerball luck strikes 3 times in 2 states — N.J. and Minn.

Three people in two states came forward Thursday as the lucky winners of the massive $448 million Powerball lottery prize.

August 8, 2013

Jeb Bush blasts Matt Damon as hypocrite on public education

Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, on Tuesday sent a blistering critique of Hollywood actor Matt Damon's decision to school his three children at a private facility, not public: You're such a hypocrite.

August 7, 2013

NAACP decries Va. group’s plan to fly huge Confederate flag near I-95

The NAACP has come forward in staunch opposition and anger about a heritage group's plans to fly a 10-by-15-foot Confederate flag on a 50-foot pole south of Richmond, Va. — large enough to be seen from the corridor's main highway, Interstate 95.

August 7, 2013

Joe Scarborough rocks the ‘gay’ look on ‘The View’

Sporting bright pink pants, Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" took a seat Tuesday on the coach next to the four hosts of "The View," along with his co-host Mika Brzezinski, and promptly fielded questions about his accused "gay" look.

August 7, 2013

Benghazi truth-seekers use billboards to push Boehner

A group aiming to bring truth to the American public about the Benghazi terrorist attack is poised to run full-size billboards in House Speaker John Boehner's congressional district with a blunt message: Set up a special investigative committee.

August 7, 2013

Social media uproar over Obama’s Winter Olympics’ flub on Jay Leno

If social media had sound, they would be sending forth peals of laughter on Wednesday over President Obama's erroneous reference of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics during a previous evening appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

August 7, 2013

Pennsylvania mayor defies state law and performs same-sex marriage

The mayor of Braddock, Penn., said this week that he doesn't care about state law — he's performing same-sex marriages anyway. And since Monday, he has.

August 7, 2013

Colorado renters told to toss guns or move out

Renters at an apartment community just south of Denver are between a rock and a hard place, ordered by their landlord to either get rid of their weapons or move out.

August 7, 2013

Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard vacation to close major roadway

As the Obama family packs for vacation, Martha's Vineyard residents, other tourists and drivers are being given the heads-up for travel inconvenience. For the first time in the island's history of hosting presidents for vacation, Secret Service agents are poised to close a main roadway for an extended period of time and set up security checkpoints on nearby side streets, only allowing residents and emergency vehicles access to the area.

August 7, 2013

Usher’s ex-wife files for custody after son, 5, nearly drowns in singer’s pool

Usher's ex-wife, Tameka Raymond, filed custody on Wednesday for the two children she had with the singer, after their 5-year-old son nearly drowned in a pool accident while in Usher's care.

August 7, 2013

‘Judge Judy’ rival? Casey Anthony’s judge may get his own TV show

The judge who heard the case of Casey Anthony — the now-notorious mom who was acquitted of murder charges in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee — has partnered with a producer with hopes to head to Hollywood. He wants his own "Judge Judy"-type show.

August 7, 2013

Dog’s best friend: Sinking South African sailor saves pet first, then wife

A South African couple setting sail on a three month-journey to Madagascar crashed onto a reef and started to sink — but then the real trouble hit.

August 7, 2013

State Dept. on Yemen evacuation: It’s not an ‘evacuation,’ it’s a ‘reduction in staffing’

Despite scores of media outlets that characterized this week's order for staff at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen to evacuate — a so-called evacuation order — a spokeswoman for the State Department insisted on Tuesday that it's not an "evacuation."

August 7, 2013

Nairobi airport fire closes port, clamps down economy

A huge fire at Nairobi's Kenyatta International Airport shut the site to travel on Wednesday, sending ripples throughout the country's economy and crippling its ability to continue key exports.

August 7, 2013

Mayor Michael Bloomberg: NYC may be the next Detroit

New York City is headed toward the same bankrupt fate as Detroit, unless the incoming mayor tends to municipal union issues and curbs soaring pension costs right away, Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned on Tuesday.

August 7, 2013

Dustin Hoffman: Actor ‘feeling great’ following cancer treatment

Hollywood actor Dustin Hoffman has emerged from cancer treatment and is doing well, his spokeswoman said in a statement.

August 7, 2013

Scandal-tainted Eliot Spitzer films campaign ad at N.Y. school, with 5-year-olds

Eliot Spitzer, the former governor of New York who resigned amid a scandal involving prostitutes, headed out to a Manhattan charter school on Tuesday to film his latest campaign ad for comptroller, filling the classroom and his film's background with students as young as age 5.

August 7, 2013