Human Race

Died

Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, one of 12 to walk on the moon, died Feb. 4 at age 85. He died during the 45th anniversary of his historic mission with Alan Shepard and Stuart Roosa, from Jan. 31-Feb. 9, 1971. Shepard and Mitchell covered about 2 miles on the moon’s surface, collecting samples and famously golfing. But Mitchell wasn’t a typical astronaut, with an eccentric interest in Eastern spirituality and extrasensory perception. He later accused the U.S. government of hiding signs of alien life. Seven moon-landers are still alive.

Sued

In a class-action lawsuit, a Dallas-based law firm accused Gospel for Asia Inc. (GFA) of fraud and racketeering. The Feb. 8 lawsuit accuses founder K.P. Yohannan of diverting to a “personal empire” money that tens of thousands of donors had designated for specific supplies. Plaintiffs demand GFA return hundreds of millions of dollars, but the Texas-based international ministry claims donations have gone to the poor or to preaching the gospel. The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability rescinded GFA’s membership last year.

Returned

Former InterVarsity Christian Fellowship President Alec Hill returned to work Feb. 1 as he continues to recover from bone marrow cancer. InterVarsity says Hill, as president emeritus, will work with Interim President Jim Lundgren, mentoring and counseling on various projects. For now, Hill will work via teleconferencing from home as his immune system is still compromised from a successful August bone marrow transplant. Hill announced his cancer and resignation last May. The board of trustees has not yet named a new president.

Rescinded

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson on Feb. 11 apologized to the family of Tamir Rice, an African-American boy killed by police in 2014, after the city billed his estate $500. The charge for ambulance rides is routine policy, Jackson said, but supervisors should have noticed the person it involved. A rookie police officer shot the 12-year-old in November 2014, seeing him playing with a pellet gun. Authorities did not charge the officer, and the family has sued the city in federal court.

Criticized

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new Liberal government suggested it may shutter Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom, similar to the U.S. Office of International Religious Freedom. Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion criticized the office Jan. 28 as singling out one human right over others. Both the ambassador’s term and the office’s funding run out before April. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim groups all petitioned the government to maintain the office, as people increasingly suffer for their beliefs worldwide. Christian Elia, executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League, accuses the Liberal government of expressing a “radical secularism.”

Questioned

Seattle police are investigating Tracy Dart, a self-professed three-time breast cancer survivor, for allegedly faking her battles with cancer. Dart had become a local celebrity, working with her “Team Tracy” supporters to rally well-wishers and raise well over $400,000 for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation. Early February revelations dumbfounded Komen and Dart’s supporters alike. So far, information points to the money all going to cancer research, without any benefit for Dart. A former supporter told KOMO-TV that Dart “needs help.”

Born

Kim and Vaughn Tucci welcomed naturally conceived quintuplets Jan. 28 in their hometown of Perth, Western Australia. Thousands had followed the difficult, 1 in 60 million pregnancy on the Tucci’s “Surprised by Five” Facebook page. The mother of now seven rejected abortion after seeing a video about the procedure. Just shy of 30 weeks, Tiffany, Penelope, Beatrix, Allie, and Keith each weighed at least 2.5 pounds, and they were reportedly healthy. Many in the Perth community are offering to provide meals and support.

Died

Dispensationalist theologian Charles C. Ryrie died Feb. 16 at age 90. Ryrie taught systematic theology at Dallas Theological Seminary and was the author of multiple theological works written at layman’s level, including Basic Theology and The Ryrie Study Bible, which sold 2.5 million copies in several languages. Ryrie once wrote, “The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it the highest of all goals.”

Died

Maurice White, the leader and founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, died Feb. 3 at age 74. He had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for perhaps well over 20 years, halting his travels with the band in 1995. The nine-piece band sold more than 90 million albums in making hits like “September” and “Shining Star.” At the band’s 2000 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the group’s iconic falsetto Philip Bailey said, “We experienced pure magic together.”

Died

Zdravko Tolimir, a Bosnian Serb general tied to the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre, died Feb. 8. He was serving a life sentence at a United Nations detention center. Tolimir, 67, was chief of military intelligence when his army captured the town of Srebrenica in July 1995, killing some 8,000 Muslim prisoners in what is now known as Europe’s worst massacre since World War II.

By the numbers

60 | The percentage rise in health insurance premiums by 2025 under Obamacare, as predicted by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

$4.1 trillion | The amount of spending in President Obama’s proposed fiscal year 2017 budget. Congress rejected the budget.

24 | The percentage increase last year in the number of human trafficking victims who called a national hotline, according to the advocacy group Polaris.