Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Rights for Tommy the chimp: Group petitions court for legal person label for ape
The Nonhuman Rights Project has filed a petition with a New York court, asking that a chimp named Tommy — currently caged — be declared a legal person and given his accompanying rights, including freedom. Published December 3, 2013
‘12 Days of Christmas’ gifts rise to $114K
Those seeking to buy all of the gifts popularized by the holiday carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" should take note: This year's purchase price has risen by almost 7 percent, from $107,300 in 2012 to $114,651. Published December 2, 2013
Minnesota man cited for raining down cash at Mall of America
A Minnesota man desiring simply to “spread the love” and give some needy holiday shoppers some extra bucks now finds himself facing the ire of police who say his dump of $1,000 in bills over the second-floor railing at the Mall of America was foolish, short-sighted and downright dangerous. Published December 2, 2013
Pope Francis rattles Catholic Church with ‘feistier’ political side
Pope Francis had a closed-door meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the latest example of the pontiff’s deeper wade into politics than his Catholic Church predecessors. Published December 2, 2013
Supreme Court rejects LIberty University’s Obamacare appeal
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an Obamacare-related appeal from Liberty University, effectively ending a case that many saw as a last-ditch attempt to overturn the 2010 law. Published December 2, 2013
U.S. sends submarine-hunting jets to E. China Sea post
U.S. military authorities dispatched the first of six top-tech submarine-hunting jets to its Okinawa post near the disputed East China Sea, a move sure to ratchet up tensions among China and the United States. Published December 2, 2013
Rob Ford, embattled Toronto mayor, finds time for football
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford may be readying for the fight of his political life in next year's re-election bid after an admission of crack cocaine use, but he found time for football Sunday. Published December 2, 2013
Allen West warns Obama’s ‘backdoor gun control is moving forward’
Come 2014, all ammunition sold to civilian gun-owners in America will have to be imported, a result of President Obama’s crackdown on sulfur dioxide and lead emissions and accompanying harsh Environmental Protection Agency regulations, said former Florida congressman, Lt. Col. Allen West. Published December 2, 2013
Pilot decries autopilot: ‘We’re a piece of luggage’
The National Transportation Safety Board is poised to hold an investigative hearing on pilots’ use of autopilot – a commonplace occurrence that now leave the drivers of craft feeling more like baggage than highly trained operators. Published December 2, 2013
GOP strategist: ‘Reagan is dead. Accept it.’
Lovers of Ronald Reagan: Avert your eyes. A leading Republican strategist said the beloved leader is dead and that the GOP of the future needs to move on and quit looking to the past. Published December 2, 2013
David Plouffe on Obama: People ‘trust this president’
Forget the polls, said former White House senior adviser David Plouffe said. Americans really do have confidence in President Obama. In fact, most people “trust this president,” he said, on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Published December 2, 2013
NASA sends seeds to moon to test vegetable garden
NASA is sending seeds to the moon in 2015 to see if it’s possible to grow a vegetable garden and, ultimately, if humans can ever live there. Published December 2, 2013
Cardinal Tim Dolan warns Obama to back off birth control
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said the Catholic Church will not stand down its opposition to Obamacare’s birth control mandate and warned that the president will lose substantial support if he doesn’t compromise. Published December 2, 2013
Black boxes recovered from New York train wreck that killed 4
Investigators said early Monday they recovered both black boxes aboard the New York commuter train that derailed, killing four and injuring more than 60. Published December 2, 2013
Dianne Feinstein: Terrorism is a greater threat today
Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Mike Rogers may hail from opposite political parties, but they struck agreement on at least one key issue in recent talk shows: America’s threat from terrorism is on the rise. Published December 2, 2013
Israeli P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu sparks furor with $23K flower buys
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignited a firestorm in his country among critics who say some of his purchases have been frivolous and wasteful. Published December 2, 2013
Jesse Owens’ 1936 Olympic gold medal hits the auction block
One of track star Jesse Owens’ gold medals, won during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin at a time when Nazi propaganda was putting forth a message of Ayran supremacism, has been put up for online auction. Published December 2, 2013
Gay couples flock to marry in Hawaii, as midnight chimes in new law
Monday dawned in Hawaii with dozens of gay couples forming lines at various venues to exchange vows and take advantage of the state’s same-sex marriage law that just went into effect. Published December 2, 2013
Delivery by drone: Amazon chief predicts aerial package drops by 2015
The chief executive of Amazon.com says drones will be doing much of the company's product deliveries within the next five years — and that customers can expect some packages to arrive within 30 minutes of processing. Published December 2, 2013
China’s $1B flop: New eco-friendly airport nobody wants to use
There's just one problem with China's newly minted, super-sized $1 billion high-tech airport, equipped with all the latest environmentally friendly features — nobody wants to use it. Published November 29, 2013
