Human Race

Rehired

Pennsylvania’s new Democratic governor Tom Wolf reappointed as Secretary of State lawyer Pedro Cortés, who overlooked the crimes of abortionist Kermit Gosnell at the same post from 2003-2010. Cortés led a Department of State that the Gosnell grand jury said “repeatedly chose to do nothing” about mounting accusations over several decades. During Cortés’ tenure, the department ignored as many as five malpractice complaints, and one woman’s death from a perforated womb went uninvestigated.

Met

Naghmeh Abedini and her children met with President Barack Obama about her husband, imprisoned pastor Saeed. Abedini said God “ordained” this first meeting with Obama, and the family was able to make Saeed’s plight personal for Obama, 2½ years into the pastor’s Iranian imprisonment. Son Jacob asked Obama to “please bring my daddy home” for his March 17 birthday, and the president said he would “try very hard.” Saeed relayed a letter thanking Obama: “You have my prayers from inside of these walls.”

Won

Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils used a late surge to beat St. John’s 77-68 and make him the first NCAA Division I men’s coach to amass 1,000 wins. Krzyzewski earned those wins over 40 years at Army and Duke, compiling four NCAA titles and 11 Final Four trips. A bear hug with his wife of 46 years capped off his 26th but biggest win at Madison Square Garden. Krzyzewski, who turns 68 on Feb. 13, told reporters “there’s an end in sight” to his career.

Compensated

The Hahn family, Mennonite owners of Conestoga Wood Specialties, settled with the Obama administration for $570,000 in legal fees over Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Burwell. Part of the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby case, the Hahns fought Obama’s mandate forcing them either to pay for insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs for employees or face crippling fines.

Charged?

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s lawyer received word that the Army will charge Bergdahl with desertion, retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer told Fox News. The report set off a week of fierce denials from the White House and the Pentagon while Shaffer accused the Obama administration of hiding a tense internal political battle. It played out amid reports one of the prisoners traded for Bergdahl reconnected with terrorists from his Qatari exile. Under rumored charges, Bergdahl could receive time served for years held captive by terrorists after he left his Afghanistan post in 2009.

Consecrated

The Church of England consecrated its first female bishop before a packed York Minster. With the laying on of hands, Libby Lane, 48, became Bishop of Stockport in the first such ordination since the Church approved legislation in November for female bishops. A lone objector, Rev. Paul Williamson, declared female bishops are “not in the Bible,” as the worldwide Anglican communion continues to splinter over issues such as female leaders and sexual ethics. Women have been priests in England for 20 years.

Recovered

A Maryland deep-sea search firm recovered the bodies of Larry and Jane Glazer, upstate New York tycoons and philanthropists whose plane crashed off Jamaica in September. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the experienced pilots, 68, on their way to Naples, Fla., and their plane continued south on autopilot for 1,700 miles. The couple’s three children hired the search firm, which recovered the couple and their plane two miles deep on Jan. 19.

Died

Charles H. Townes, the 1964 Nobel Laureate in physics as father of lasers, died Jan. 17. He was 99. Townes’ scientific breakthrough on a park bench in 1951 paved the way for lasers and such modern devices as printers, computer networks, and barcode scanners. And as a member of the United Church of Christ, he used his public voice to argue science and religion are much the same: One looks at the way things are, the other at why, and both require faith, he said.

Died

The man synonymous with the Chicago Cubs, “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks, died Jan. 23. The Hall of Famer was 83. One of the Cubs’ only bright spots from 1953-1971, Banks hit 512 home runs and twice won National League MVP despite never reaching the postseason. Those who knew the first African-American Cub remembered him for being kindhearted and loving baseball despite constantly losing. President Barack Obama, a White Sox fan, in 2013 presented Banks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the nation’s top civilian awards.

By the numbers

$300 million | The sale price that the American Bible Society (ABS) received for its headquarters on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The ABS is moving its headquarters to Philadelphia.

5,000 | The number of free pizzas delivered to U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan on Super Bowl Sunday by Pizzas 4 Patriots, Rich Products Corporation, and DHL Express.

15 | The number of Senate roll call votes on amendments to the Keystone XL Pipeline bill in January. That was more than the Senate had in all of 2014.

19.3 | The amount of snow, in inches, recorded at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Feb. 2. The snowstorm was the fifth-largest on record for the city.