Human Race

Disclosed

Potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton came under heavy criticism after reports surfaced on March 2 that she had used a personal email account to conduct State Department business during her four-year tenure as secretary of state. Clinton and her aides also didn’t transfer the emails to department servers, a violation of the Federal Records Act.

Jason R. Baron, former director of litigation at the National Archives and Records Administration told The New York Times that Clinton’s actions were highly irregular: “It is very difficult to conceive of a scenario—short of nuclear winter—where an agency would be justified in allowing its cabinet-level head officer to solely use a private email communications channel for the conduct of government business.”

Died

Leonard Nimoy, the actor and director known for his role as Mr. Spock in the Star Trek saga, died Feb. 27 at 83. The son of Jewish immigrants in 1966 began nearly 50 years of Star Trek involvement but was also an author and poet: He wanted to be known for more than Spock and the famous Vulcan salute gesture he drew from his Jewish heritage. Yet he acknowledged that Spock, known for exalting logic over emotion, also profoundly influenced his thinking and lifestyle.

Disclosed

Staffers with Democratic National Committee chairwoman and Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz apparently told a top state donor she might support legalizing medical marijuana if he stopped criticizing her. The donor, trial lawyer John Morgan, backs a medical marijuana ballot initiative that Schultz officially opposes. When the POLITICO website sought comment on Morgan’s criticism of Schultz, her staffers apparently offered the public relations bribe to change positions. Morgan sent the emails to POLITICO, calling Schultz a “bully” whose “days of pushing people around are over.”

Died

Earl Lloyd, the National Basketball Association’s first black player, died Feb. 26 at 86. A pioneer on the court and as a coach, the modest Lloyd broke the NBA’s race barrier in 1950. The 6-foot-5-inch forward played nine seasons with Washington, Syracuse, and Detroit, winning the 1955 title. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, Lloyd also briefly coached the Pistons from 1971 to 1973.

Appealed

In a summary judgment bypassing trial, a Washington state judge ruled that florist Barronelle Stutzman violated state law by not fully supporting same-sex marriages. Attorney General Bob Ferguson offered to settle for $2,000 in fines and $1 in legal fees if she promised to “no longer discriminate” and stop litigation, but Stutzman wrote to Ferguson that her conscience is not for sale. Stutzman faces the fine plus large legal fees, which the judge ruled plaintiffs may collect from her personal assets. That may put Stutzman in a position like that of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the Oregon bakery facing fines up to $150,000 at a March 10 hearing.

Relapsed

Los Angeles Angels left fielder Josh Hamilton reportedly confessed to a relapse in his cocaine and alcohol addiction. Drafted first overall in 1999, the baseball prodigy faced a two-year ban from 2004 to 2006 for drugs and alcohol. A devout Christian, he credits God for his recovery and career rebirth in 2007. Hamilton has had occasional slipups with alcohol, which he publicly apologized for, but not drugs. He likely faces a lengthy suspension from commissioner Rob Manfred.

Pardoned

Iranian Christian pastor Rasoul Abdollahi, imprisoned since December 2013, is able to return to his family following his late-February pardon. Iranian officials released the house church leader more than a year after convicting him of threatening national security with his ministry. It’s unclear if he plans to leave Iran.

Died

Dr. John Willke, a pro-life pioneer, died Feb. 20 at 89. The obstetrician of 40 years began fighting abortion in the 1960s and from 1988 on devoted himself full time to the cause. Willke and his late wife, Barbara, wrote the Handbook on Abortion, an early pro-life text now in 32 languages. He served as president of the National Right to Life Committee for a decade, and his own Life Issues Institute continues to influence the movement.

Convicted

A Texas jury convicted Eddie Ray Routh in the murders of Chad Littlefield and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, known from the movie and memoir American Sniper. The defense held that the former Marine was not guilty by reason of insanity, due to PTSD and schizophrenia Kyle was helping him deal with, but prosecutors convinced the jury that Routh knew right from wrong. He faces life in prison without possibility of parole.

Sentenced

A federal judge sentenced former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell to 12 months and one day in jail for corruption. A jury last fall convicted her of accepting gifts in exchange for favors. Husband Bob McDonnell, once a rising GOP star, received a two-year sentence in January, and is free pending appeal.

Convicted

A British jury on Feb. 23 convicted Patrick Sookhdeo—one of the founders of the Christian charity Barnabas Aid International—of sexual assault and witness intimidation. The jury upheld charges that Sookhdeo, 67, groped a female staff member and intimidated two witnesses last year. Sookhdeo denies all charges. A judge sentenced Sookhdeo to a nightly curfew for three months. Barnabas Aid board members accepted Sookhdeo’s resignation as a trustee, and said they are considering his resignation as international director.

By the numbers

$25,000 | The amount of money per person authorized by the Virginia General Assembly on Feb. 26 to compensate victims of the state’s forced sterilization program, which from 1924 to 1979 involuntarily sterilized more than 7,000 persons. Only 11 known victims remain alive.

130 | The number of birds set on fire midflight during one day of tests for the new 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Tonopah, Nev., according to Nevada officials. The birds were apparently attracted to the plant’s thousands of heliostat mirrors.

800 | The estimated number of applicants who mistakenly received acceptance emails in February from Carnegie Mellon University’s top-ranked computer science program.