Cheryl K. Chumley

Alert kid foils fifth-graders’ plot for Washington state elementary-school killing spree

A quick-thinking kid upended the plot of two armed fifth-graders to lure several Washington state elementary-school classmates off-campus and then kill them, after he learned of the plan and told school officials.

February 15, 2013

‘Bionic eye’ approved by FDA

U.S. regulators approved on Friday the use of a what's being called a "bionic eye," giving hope to those with a rare genetic disease that leads to gradual vision loss.

February 15, 2013

USDA workers caught on video: ‘Pilgrims were illegal aliens’

Watchdog organization Judicial Watch has released video of U.S. Department of Agriculture employees caught on video at a cultural diversity seminar banging on tables and chanting "the Pilgrims were illegal aliens."

February 15, 2013

Emeryville, Calif., police chief: Guns aren’t for defense

Guns can't be used for defense, said the police chief in Emeryville, Calif. They can only be used to show power and dominance, he said, at a press conference to promote tighter gun-control laws in California.

February 15, 2013

Egypt intercepts two tons of explosives headed to Sinai

Security officials in Egypt report the seizure of two tons of explosives that were being shipped to the Sinai Peninsula, via the main Suez Canal tunnel.

February 15, 2013

Petitioners paint Obama as ‘misogynist’ who’s ‘alienating’ women

A petition on the White House website is calling for President Obama to stop referring to female constituents in his many speeches as "wives, mothers and daughters."

February 15, 2013

Maureen O’Connor, San Diego’s former mayor, lost $1 billion in gambling habit

How the mighty do fall. San Diego's Maureen O'Connor was a rising star in the city's political circles, winning a seat on the City Council at the young age of 25 and going on to serve two terms as a populist, crowd-pleasing mayor — a female first, for the city.

February 15, 2013

Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp argued before the shooting, neighbors report

A forensic team has converged on Olympian "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius's home, uncovering further details that counter initial theories that he shot and killed his celebrity model girlfriend by accident, under the impression she was an intruder.

February 15, 2013

Sen. Robert Menendez probe widens, as investigators look to decade-old dealings

Investigators already scrutinizing Sen. Robert Menendez's ties to a Florida doctor-donor friend have now widened their investigation, going back a decade in the New Jersey politician's career and examining the circumstances surrounding his legislative halt to a company merger.

February 15, 2013

House Republicans raise union ire with bill blocking pay raises

House Republicans are set Friday to block a President Obama-backed pay hike for federal workers, but the Senate isn't going to be so amenable.

February 15, 2013

Iranian scientists believed to have attended North Korean nuclear test, report says

Iranian scientists may have been on hand to witness North Korea's underground nuclear test, according to one Western diplomat.

February 15, 2013

Washington, D.C., by far, leads the nation in LGBT population, Gallup says

Fully 10 percent of Washington, D.C., respondents in a Gallup poll identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, making the nation's capital the largest population for LGBTs in America.

February 15, 2013

Francois Hollande looks to raid French pensions to cut costs

Even Socialists admit the pension system can be bloated. France's President Francois Hollande, facing pressure from the European Union to meet budget plans, is looking at the sacred pension cow to cut.

February 15, 2013

Small town in Indiana facing national heat over prom plans to exclude gays

Residents in a small Indiana town are reeling after national attention has turned against its decision to host a "traditional" prom, absent gay couples.

February 15, 2013

Rahm Emanuel, Chicago politicos shoot down White House whispers

Chicago politicos are scrambling to quell reports of a Rahm Emanuel run for the White House, in the hours before President Obama is expected to visit the city to discuss his second-term agenda.

February 15, 2013

Pistorius to be charged with premeditated murder of girlfriend; ‘Blade Runner’ sobbed in court

Prosecutors have indicated they will upgrade the charges for Olympic star Oscar Pistorius to premeditated murder for the shooting death of his celebrity model girlfriend, during a dramatic court hearing on Friday.

February 15, 2013

Carnival cruise ship docks; 4,000 passengers head for home

A Carnival cruise nightmare for 4,000 passengers has finally come to an end, as the ship — after five days disabled at sea — pulled into a Mobile, Ala., dock late Thursday evening.

February 15, 2013

Russian meteor shower in Ural Mountains town of Chelyabinsk injures 1,000

A huge fireball that streaked across Russia's skies above the Ural Mountains before exploding early Friday has injured an estimated 1,000. On an unrelated note, NASA says Asteroid 2012 DA14, a 150-foot asteroid is expected to fly by the Earth later on Friday, but miss it by 17,150 miles.

February 15, 2013

Democrats to target millionaires with tax legislation

Democrats in the Senate are gearing up legislation that will offset proposed spending cuts to federal agencies and the Pentagon, with a focus on imposing taxes on million-dollar earners.

February 14, 2013

Democratic Rep. Nadler decries Republicans for passing disaster relief bill for churches

A bill to provide federal funding to churches and nonprofits tied to religious organizations has passed the House, over the objections of one Democrat, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, who found it unconstitutional.

February 14, 2013