<a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/12420">Ryan Showman</a>&nbsp;is well aware of the impact&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/13112">Amanda Hill</a>&nbsp;(SR/Rossville, Kan.) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/12426">Kelcey Hinz</a>&nbsp;(SR/Whitewater, Kan.) have had on the Kansas Wesleyan women's basketball program the last three seasons.

In the last two months Hill has become KWU's career scoring leader and Hinz has established new career standards for rebounding and blocked shots.

Having an athlete achieve one of those milestones is uncommon and cause for celebration. Two athletes shattering three significant records in the same season is improbable and likely unprecedented.

Showman, a former KWU player, assistant coach and now in his 10th season as the Coyotes' head coach, has the pleasure of watching two NAIA All-Americans put the finishing touches on their record-setting careers.

"They have impacted me more than they'll ever know," he said. "They make me a better coach. In my head coaching career, I might not have two players like Amanda and Kelcey ever again. This could be a once in a career type of situation."

Hill shattered Joedy Zimmerman's 37-year-old career scoring mark of 1,568 points against Ottawa on January 22 and currently has 1,647 points. Two months earlier, on November 29 against Southwestern, she played in her career-best 129th game that broke the previous mark set by Shelby Babcock from 2008-12 and has played in 144 games to date.

Hinz topped Stephanie Frost's career rebounding record of 832 during KWU's game against York on January 14 and currently has 916 rebounds. She also surpassed Frost's blocks record of 221 against Saint Mary on December 8 (Frost played for the Coyotes from 2009-13) and has 269 career blocks thus far. Also, her 11 blocks against Ottawa on November 27 set a single-game school record previously held by her and Kristen Crittenden in 2004.&nbsp;

Collectively Hill and Hinz were members of the 2019-20 team that's considered one of, if not the best in school history. The Coyotes were 26-6 overall, won the program's first outright Kansas Conference title with a 21-3 record and defeated Mayville State in the first round of the NAIA Tournament before the tournament was cancelled because of COVID-19.

It hasn't been easy, though. Hill and Hinz have combined the rigors of college basketball with the demands of being students in KWU's nursing program. Hill is a 2021 graduate and works full-time in the emergency room at Salina Regional Health Center; Hinz is her final year and currently doing her clinicals SRHC along with classroom work.

Marathon days and nights studying, classes, clinical sessions and 12-hour shifts at the hospital and are punctuated by individual workouts, practices, travel and games. And occasionally sleep.

"Time management as much as I can and really communicating with my coaches like if I have work and stuff like that so I'm able to do everything," Hill said. "(Communication) was something that everybody preached but it didn't really occur to me until I was in the nursing program that it is such a factor. Showman has really strengthened my communication skills."

Hill arrived at KWU five seasons ago after a stellar career at Rossville High School. College, though, was a different beast and she leaned on two veterans early on.

"Coming in as a freshman I think I was really scared and there were a lot of girls that were really, really good," Hill said. "I had Sydney Mortensen and Gabbie Miller that kind of like led me through it and those were my mentors. They helped me become confident in my first couple of years. I was able to transition to that role for some of the people coming up."

Hill opted to return for a fifth year this season, a situation the NAIA allowed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She says she feels a twinge of guilt because of it, though.

"I do feel like I'm cheating getting five years but it's really fun and it's cool that I got to do that," she said. "(Zimmerman) was a great player and 37 years is a really long time. I'm really excited."

Hill's current schedule redefines hectic. She works 12 hours on the night shift at SRHC then sleeps before coming to KWU for basketball in the afternoons/evenings.

"A lot of people don't see the sacrifices she makes to put on that Coyote jersey," Showman said. "I don't think a lot of people know the behind-the-scenes work she's put in in the last four years."

It helps that Hill has her younger sister Caila along for the ride. They share a house with their two dogs and are teammates and starters on the basketball team. Caila's also a nursing student.

"It's great, it's the most fun thing ever, I absolutely love doing it," Amanda said. "She's why I came back for my fifth year."

Hinz transferred to KWU from Neosho Community College three seasons ago and made an immediate impact. A consummate post player, she gives the Coyotes an offensive and defensive presence inside that most teams don't have.

Hinz, like Hill, wasn't sure how her career might unfold when she arrived.

"I was just hoping to get some playing time and make some memories with some people and make some friends and all the other great things that have happened along the way," she said. "I was taken in very well and they really made it feel at home and made me feel comfortable enough to do whatever I need to."

Hinz, who is doing a clinical in the Intensive Care Unit at SRHC, said it has been an arduous process. She and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/12431">Caila Hill</a>&nbsp;(JR/Rossville, Kan.) arrived in Leavenworth during the first quarter of KWU's game against Saint Mary on Thursday because of nursing obligations.

"Yeah, it's hard but that's how it is," Hinz said. "You have to make sure you take time for yourself because if you get so caught up in basketball and school all the time, you're going to run yourself in a wall and it's not going to be good.

"It has taken a lot strength and determination and help from Showman and the professors in the nursing program and my teammates to allow me and Amanda and Caila to do whatever we need to do and still come back and play and do what we need to do to win."

Hinz has dealt with knee issues throughout her playing career, including KWU, but has persevered through that too.

"When you're setting career records and getting All-American status it goes beyond that," Showman said. "She's been coachable and has allowed me to coach her hard. She's positive, she's caring, she's empathetic, she has a high level of integrity. All those things give her that special status."

Hinz says the full impact of what she's accomplished during her KWU career hasn't fully sunk in.

"It's really an awesome feeling," she said. "I don't know if it's actually hit me yet. It might once basketball's over but right now it's still push, push, push. I don't think I realize how really cool and awesome it is."

"For those girls to not only be in the record books individually but to play on arguably one of the greatest teams to play at Kansas Wesleyan, I think that says a lot about who they are as people, as leaders, as teammates and definitely as players.

-<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com">kwucoyotes.com</a>-

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644167357772.jpeg" alt="Amanda Hill and Kelcey Hinz. Image courtesy <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com">kwucoyotes.com</a>" />
 <figcaption>Amanda Hill and Kelcey Hinz. Image courtesy <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com">kwucoyotes.com</a></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/12420">Ryan Showman</a>&nbsp;is well aware of the impact&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/13112">Amanda Hill</a>&nbsp;(SR/Rossville, Kan.) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/12426">Kelcey Hinz</a>&nbsp;(SR/Whitewater, Kan.) have had on the Kansas Wesleyan women's basketball program the last three seasons.In the last two months Hill has become KWU's career scoring leader and Hinz has established new career standards for rebounding and blocked shots.Having an athlete achieve one of those milestones is uncommon and cause for celebration. Two athletes shattering three significant records in the same season is improbable and likely unprecedented.Showman, a former KWU player, assistant coach and now in his 10th season as the Coyotes' head coach, has the pleasure of watching two NAIA All-Americans put the finishing touches on their record-setting careers."They have impacted me more than they'll ever know," he said. "They make me a better coach. In my head coaching career, I might not have two players like Amanda and Kelcey ever again. This could be a once in a career type of situation."Hill shattered Joedy Zimmerman's 37-year-old career scoring mark of 1,568 points against Ottawa on January 22 and currently has 1,647 points. Two months earlier, on November 29 against Southwestern, she played in her career-best 129th game that broke the previous mark set by Shelby Babcock from 2008-12 and has played in 144 games to date.Hinz topped Stephanie Frost's career rebounding record of 832 during KWU's game against York on January 14 and currently has 916 rebounds. She also surpassed Frost's blocks record of 221 against Saint Mary on December 8 (Frost played for the Coyotes from 2009-13) and has 269 career blocks thus far. Also, her 11 blocks against Ottawa on November 27 set a single-game school record previously held by her and Kristen Crittenden in 2004.&nbsp;Collectively Hill and Hinz were members of the 2019-20 team that's considered one of, if not the best in school history. The Coyotes were 26-6 overall, won the program's first outright Kansas Conference title with a 21-3 record and defeated Mayville State in the first round of the NAIA Tournament before the tournament was cancelled because of COVID-19.It hasn't been easy, though. Hill and Hinz have combined the rigors of college basketball with the demands of being students in KWU's nursing program. Hill is a 2021 graduate and works full-time in the emergency room at Salina Regional Health Center; Hinz is her final year and currently doing her clinicals SRHC along with classroom work.Marathon days and nights studying, classes, clinical sessions and 12-hour shifts at the hospital and are punctuated by individual workouts, practices, travel and games. And occasionally sleep."Time management as much as I can and really communicating with my coaches like if I have work and stuff like that so I'm able to do everything," Hill said. "(Communication) was something that everybody preached but it didn't really occur to me until I was in the nursing program that it is such a factor. Showman has really strengthened my communication skills."Hill arrived at KWU five seasons ago after a stellar career at Rossville High School. College, though, was a different beast and she leaned on two veterans early on."Coming in as a freshman I think I was really scared and there were a lot of girls that were really, really good," Hill said. "I had Sydney Mortensen and Gabbie Miller that kind of like led me through it and those were my mentors. They helped me become confident in my first couple of years. I was able to transition to that role for some of the people coming up."Hill opted to return for a fifth year this season, a situation the NAIA allowed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She says she feels a twinge of guilt because of it, though."I do feel like I'm cheating getting five years but it's really fun and it's cool that I got to do that," she said. "(Zimmerman) was a great player and 37 years is a really long time. I'm really excited."Hill's current schedule redefines hectic. She works 12 hours on the night shift at SRHC then sleeps before coming to KWU for basketball in the afternoons/evenings."A lot of people don't see the sacrifices she makes to put on that Coyote jersey," Showman said. "I don't think a lot of people know the behind-the-scenes work she's put in in the last four years."It helps that Hill has her younger sister Caila along for the ride. They share a house with their two dogs and are teammates and starters on the basketball team. Caila's also a nursing student."It's great, it's the most fun thing ever, I absolutely love doing it," Amanda said. "She's why I came back for my fifth year."Hinz transferred to KWU from Neosho Community College three seasons ago and made an immediate impact. A consummate post player, she gives the Coyotes an offensive and defensive presence inside that most teams don't have.Hinz, like Hill, wasn't sure how her career might unfold when she arrived."I was just hoping to get some playing time and make some memories with some people and make some friends and all the other great things that have happened along the way," she said. "I was taken in very well and they really made it feel at home and made me feel comfortable enough to do whatever I need to."Hinz, who is doing a clinical in the Intensive Care Unit at SRHC, said it has been an arduous process. She and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kwucoyotes.com/roster/23/2/12431">Caila Hill</a>&nbsp;(JR/Rossville, Kan.) arrived in Leavenworth during the first quarter of KWU's game against Saint Mary on Thursday because of nursing obligations."Yeah, it's hard but that's how it is," Hinz said. "You have to make sure you take time for yourself because if you get so caught up in basketball and school all the time, you're going to run yourself in a wall and it's not going to be good."It has taken a lot strength and determination and help from Showman and the professors in the nursing program and my teammates to allow me and Amanda and Caila to do whatever we need to do and still come back and play and do what we need to do to win."Hinz has dealt with knee issues throughout her playing career, including KWU, but has persevered through that too."When you're setting career records and getting All-American status it goes beyond that," Showman said. "She's been coachable and has allowed me to coach her hard. She's positive, she's caring, she's empathetic, she has a high level of integrity. All those things give her that special status."Hinz says the full impact of what she's accomplished during her KWU career hasn't fully sunk in."It's really an awesome feeling," she said. "I don't know if it's actually hit me yet. It might once basketball's over but right now it's still push, push, push. I don't think I realize how really cool and awesome it is."Showman has no similar issues."For those girls to not only be in the record books individually but to play on arguably one of the greatest teams to play at Kansas Wesleyan, I think that says a lot about who they are as people, as leaders, as teammates and definitely as players."It's been an incredible ride."-<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com">kwucoyotes.com</a>-

Hinz, Hill cement names in KWU women's basketball history

<a href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/ruth-m-briggs">Obituary | Ruth M. Briggs of Olathe, Kansas | Wilson Family Funeral Home</a>

Ruth Marie (Kohr) Briggs, 87, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away peacefully with family at her side on Thursday, February 3, 2022.

Ruth was born on January 6, 1935 to George and Viola (Cooley) Kohr of Salina. &nbsp;As the fifth of eight children, Ruth grew up in a large family in and around the Salina area, graduating from Salina High School in 1953. After high school, Ruth attended Kansas State College graduating in 1957 with a teaching degree in home economics.

During her senior year at K-State, Ruth met the love of her life, Stanley Edward Briggs, her future husband of just a week shy of 62 years and who preceded her in death in 2020.

Ruth’s well known and oft stated goal in life was to “become a teacher and marry either a preacher or a farmer.” She held her first teaching job as a home economics teacher in Marion, Kansas, while engaged to Stanley, a fourth generation Ottawa County farmer. On June 8, 1958, she and Stanley were united in marriage and the newlyweds began their life as husband and wife on the family homestead in Lamar. Ruth began teaching at Delphos High School and the two of them joined the First United Methodist Church of Minneapolis.

Life was never a dull moment for Stanley and Ruth as the two of them worked tirelessly to preserve Stanley’s family farm over the next few years before settling down to have children. Together they expanded the family’s holdings, creating a lasting legacy for their children and grandchildren that continues today, nearly 160 years after its original founding. Ruth was an active participant in all farm operations and supported her husband’s many varied endeavors throughout their long union. Such endeavors included returning to K-State after the birth of their fourth child so Stanley could finish his engineering degree and moving their family of six to various Midwest towns such as Hesston, KS, Bismarck, ND, and Beloit, KS before returning to the area to reside in Minneapolis with their two youngest children in 1981.

While her husband farmed, Ruth was the farm’s bookkeeper, commodity trader, logistics operator, marketing and sales representative, and self described “risk assessment officer, human resources officer and government regulations compliance officer.”

 Despite the full plate she had assisting with the operations side of the farm, Ruth was also fully present in the daily lives of her children and took an active role in their many activities and education. She was a dedicated den mother, room mother, carpool driver and party planner among everything else imaginable, always at the ready when need would arise and always with plenty of cookies, Snickers candy bars and pop. 

Ruth was an involved member of the Minneapolis First United Methodist Church serving on several committees, teaching Sunday School, preparing children’s sermons, volunteering with Vacation Bible School, cooking for numerous church events and programs such as the widely successful Methodist Church chicken dinners, working the concessions stand at the county fair every summer and nearly every other church-sponsored event. 

An avid bridge player, Ruth belonged to multiple bridge groups, both ladies only and with Stan in couple’s bridge. She was an active member of the Minneapolis chapters of EHU, Home Arts Club and PEO. Besides spending time with family and playing bridge, Ruth’s other greatest passions were sewing, especially making her daughter’s formal gowns, baking, attending estate sales, visiting museums, attending community theater, following K-State athletics and reading. She was quick to remind her children that she “read a book a day” and books were stashed and stacked in every corner of her house. It was not uncommon to visit Ruth sitting in her recliner with her book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Her passion for reading led her to become a trustee for the Minneapolis Library, a position with which she held in high esteem. Members of the Minneapolis community might also remember Ruth for the years she spent as the receptionist for local dentist, Dr. Fred Hargis.

Later in life, Ruth and Stan watched their four children marry and have children of their own. Ruth instantly became the world’s most enthusiastic grandma in 1990 when her first grandchild was born. Soon followed more boys and later even more Briggs boys! Her five grandsons kept her busy with their tornado like energy building forts, playing army, digging in the dirt with all the many Tonka farm toys and wrestling throughout her house – none of it forbidden and all of it very much to the delight of their doting grandma. In the mid-2000s, her next wave of grandchildren were born adding three beautiful granddaughters to the family, each of whom enthusiastically shared Grandma’s joy of baking, teatime with fancy china and dress up. Her grandchildren knew that what happens at Grandma’s, stays at Grandma’s and her home - full of sweet treats, toys that may or may not be allowed in their own home, and big grandma hugs - was the most magical of places for all eight grandchildren. Of all her titles, positions, and roles, it was being grandma that brought her the most joy and for which she is most revered.

As Ruth and Stan’s children spread their wings throughout the country, Ruth and Stan travelled to visit them. From nearby places like Oklahoma and Missouri to further away places such as Idaho, Minnesota, Florida, Seattle, Phoenix, Connecticut, Texas and even China, Ruth and Stan committed to visiting each of the kids every year, delighting in touring new sights and experiencing new cultures.

Ruth leaves behind her four children, David (Carla) of Raymore, Mo, Bradley (Lori) of St. Paul, Minnesota, Andrew (Lori) of Kay, Tx, Cynthia (Mauricio) of Sammamish, WA, eight grandchildren, one great-grandson, her sister and brother-in-law, Jean and Larry Darrow of Salina, sister-in-law Delores Kohr (nee Barefield) of Salina and many loving nephews and nieces.

Visitation will be Monday, February 7, 2022 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.. at Wilson Funeral Home, 405 Argyle, Minneapolis.&nbsp; Funeral service for Ruth will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Internment will immediately follow at Hall Cemetery, Delphos, KS.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Minneapolis or Minneapolis Public Library and may be mailed to Wilson Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis, KS 67467.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Ruth M. Briggs, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/ruth-m-briggs/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

<h2>Ruth M. Briggs, Olathe</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644156268385.jpeg" alt="Ruth M. Briggs" />
 <figcaption>Ruth M. Briggs</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/ruth-m-briggs">Obituary | Ruth M. Briggs of Olathe, Kansas | Wilson Family Funeral Home</a>January 6, 1935 - February 3, 2022Ruth Marie (Kohr) Briggs, 87, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away peacefully with family at her side on Thursday, February 3, 2022.Ruth was born on January 6, 1935 to George and Viola (Cooley) Kohr of Salina. &nbsp;As the fifth of eight children, Ruth grew up in a large family in and around the Salina area, graduating from Salina High School in 1953. After high school, Ruth attended Kansas State College graduating in 1957 with a teaching degree in home economics.During her senior year at K-State, Ruth met the love of her life, Stanley Edward Briggs, her future husband of just a week shy of 62 years and who preceded her in death in 2020.Ruth’s well known and oft stated goal in life was to “become a teacher and marry either a preacher or a farmer.” She held her first teaching job as a home economics teacher in Marion, Kansas, while engaged to Stanley, a fourth generation Ottawa County farmer. On June 8, 1958, she and Stanley were united in marriage and the newlyweds began their life as husband and wife on the family homestead in Lamar. Ruth began teaching at Delphos High School and the two of them joined the First United Methodist Church of Minneapolis.Life was never a dull moment for Stanley and Ruth as the two of them worked tirelessly to preserve Stanley’s family farm over the next few years before settling down to have children. Together they expanded the family’s holdings, creating a lasting legacy for their children and grandchildren that continues today, nearly 160 years after its original founding. Ruth was an active participant in all farm operations and supported her husband’s many varied endeavors throughout their long union. Such endeavors included returning to K-State after the birth of their fourth child so Stanley could finish his engineering degree and moving their family of six to various Midwest towns such as Hesston, KS, Bismarck, ND, and Beloit, KS before returning to the area to reside in Minneapolis with their two youngest children in 1981.While her husband farmed, Ruth was the farm’s bookkeeper, commodity trader, logistics operator, marketing and sales representative, and self described “risk assessment officer, human resources officer and government regulations compliance officer.” Despite the full plate she had assisting with the operations side of the farm, Ruth was also fully present in the daily lives of her children and took an active role in their many activities and education. She was a dedicated den mother, room mother, carpool driver and party planner among everything else imaginable, always at the ready when need would arise and always with plenty of cookies, Snickers candy bars and pop. Ruth was an involved member of the Minneapolis First United Methodist Church serving on several committees, teaching Sunday School, preparing children’s sermons, volunteering with Vacation Bible School, cooking for numerous church events and programs such as the widely successful Methodist Church chicken dinners, working the concessions stand at the county fair every summer and nearly every other church-sponsored event. An avid bridge player, Ruth belonged to multiple bridge groups, both ladies only and with Stan in couple’s bridge. She was an active member of the Minneapolis chapters of EHU, Home Arts Club and PEO. Besides spending time with family and playing bridge, Ruth’s other greatest passions were sewing, especially making her daughter’s formal gowns, baking, attending estate sales, visiting museums, attending community theater, following K-State athletics and reading. She was quick to remind her children that she “read a book a day” and books were stashed and stacked in every corner of her house. It was not uncommon to visit Ruth sitting in her recliner with her book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Her passion for reading led her to become a trustee for the Minneapolis Library, a position with which she held in high esteem. Members of the Minneapolis community might also remember Ruth for the years she spent as the receptionist for local dentist, Dr. Fred Hargis.Later in life, Ruth and Stan watched their four children marry and have children of their own. Ruth instantly became the world’s most enthusiastic grandma in 1990 when her first grandchild was born. Soon followed more boys and later even more Briggs boys! Her five grandsons kept her busy with their tornado like energy building forts, playing army, digging in the dirt with all the many Tonka farm toys and wrestling throughout her house – none of it forbidden and all of it very much to the delight of their doting grandma. In the mid-2000s, her next wave of grandchildren were born adding three beautiful granddaughters to the family, each of whom enthusiastically shared Grandma’s joy of baking, teatime with fancy china and dress up. Her grandchildren knew that what happens at Grandma’s, stays at Grandma’s and her home - full of sweet treats, toys that may or may not be allowed in their own home, and big grandma hugs - was the most magical of places for all eight grandchildren. Of all her titles, positions, and roles, it was being grandma that brought her the most joy and for which she is most revered.As Ruth and Stan’s children spread their wings throughout the country, Ruth and Stan travelled to visit them. From nearby places like Oklahoma and Missouri to further away places such as Idaho, Minnesota, Florida, Seattle, Phoenix, Connecticut, Texas and even China, Ruth and Stan committed to visiting each of the kids every year, delighting in touring new sights and experiencing new cultures.Ruth leaves behind her four children, David (Carla) of Raymore, Mo, Bradley (Lori) of St. Paul, Minnesota, Andrew (Lori) of Kay, Tx, Cynthia (Mauricio) of Sammamish, WA, eight grandchildren, one great-grandson, her sister and brother-in-law, Jean and Larry Darrow of Salina, sister-in-law Delores Kohr (nee Barefield) of Salina and many loving nephews and nieces.Visitation will be Monday, February 7, 2022 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.. at Wilson Funeral Home, 405 Argyle, Minneapolis.&nbsp; Funeral service for Ruth will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Internment will immediately follow at Hall Cemetery, Delphos, KS.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Minneapolis or Minneapolis Public Library and may be mailed to Wilson Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis, KS 67467.To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Ruth M. Briggs, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/ruth-m-briggs/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

Ruth M. Briggs

Today is Sunday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2022. There are 328 days left in the year. 

On Feb. 6, 1952, Britain's King George VI, 56, died at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; he was succeeded as monarch by his 25-year-old elder daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II. 

In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris.

In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 

In 1815, the state of New Jersey issued the first American railroad charter to John Stevens, who proposed a rail link between Trenton and New Brunswick. (The line, however, was never built.) 

In 1862, during the Civil War, Fort Henry in Tennessee fell to Union forces. 

In 1899, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain was ratified by the U.S. Senate.

In 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Illinois. 

In 1922, Cardinal Archille Ratti was elected pope; he took the name Pius XI.

In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the so-called "lame duck" amendment, was proclaimed in effect by Secretary of State Henry Stimson. 

In 1993, tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe died in New York at age 49. 

In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Carl Wilson, a founding member of The Beach Boys, died in Los Angeles at age 51. 

In 2000, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate. 

In 2008, the Bush White House defended the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, saying it was legal — not torture as critics argued — and had saved American lives. 

Ten years ago: The U.S. closed its embassy in Syria and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus in a new Western push to get President Bashar Assad to leave power and halt the murderous grind in Syria.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump accused the media of deliberately minimizing coverage of the threat posed by the Islamic State group; the president did not immediately offer evidence to support his claim, made during the new commander in chief's first visit to the headquarters of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Irwin Corey, the wild-haired comedian and actor known for his improvisational riffs and nonsensical style, died in New York at age 102.

One year ago: The Wyoming Republican Party voted overwhelmingly to censure U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney for voting to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office issued revised guidelines for indoor church services after the Supreme Court lifted the state's ban on indoor worship during the coronavirus pandemic but left in place restrictions on singing and chanting. George P. Shultz, who was President Ronald Reagan's secretary of state as part of a long career in public service, died at his California home; he was 100. Peyton Manning, a quarterback who helped redefine offense in the 21st century, was among the former players elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Mamie Van Doren is 91. Actor Mike Farrell is 83. Former NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw is 82. Singer Fabian is 79. Actor Gayle Hunnicutt is 79. Actor Michael Tucker is 77. Producer-director-writer Jim Sheridan is 73. Actor Jon Walmsley is 66. Actor Kathy Najimy is 65. Rock musician Simon Phillips (Toto) is 65. Actor-director Robert Townsend is 65. Actor Barry Miller is 64. Actor Megan Gallagher is 62. Rock singer Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses) is 60. Country singer Richie McDonald is 60. Singer Rick Astley is 56. Rock musician Tim Brown (Boo Radleys) is 53. ABC News anchor Amy Robach is 49. Actor Josh Stewart is 45. Actor Ben Lawson is 42. Actor Brandon Hammond is 38. Actor Crystal Reed (TV: "Teen Wolf") is 37. Actor Alice Greczyn is 36. Actor Anna Diop is 34. R&amp;B singer/actor Tinashe is 29.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Sunday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2022. There are 328 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 6, 1952, Britain's King George VI, 56, died at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; he was succeeded as monarch by his 25-year-old elder daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II. On this date: In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris.In 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1815, the state of New Jersey issued the first American railroad charter to John Stevens, who proposed a rail link between Trenton and New Brunswick. (The line, however, was never built.) In 1862, during the Civil War, Fort Henry in Tennessee fell to Union forces. In 1899, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain was ratified by the U.S. Senate.In 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Illinois. In 1922, Cardinal Archille Ratti was elected pope; he took the name Pius XI.In 1933, the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the so-called "lame duck" amendment, was proclaimed in effect by Secretary of State Henry Stimson. In 1993, tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe died in New York at age 49. In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill changing the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Carl Wilson, a founding member of The Beach Boys, died in Los Angeles at age 51. In 2000, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate. In 2008, the Bush White House defended the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, saying it was legal — not torture as critics argued — and had saved American lives. Ten years ago: The U.S. closed its embassy in Syria and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus in a new Western push to get President Bashar Assad to leave power and halt the murderous grind in Syria. Five years ago: President Donald Trump accused the media of deliberately minimizing coverage of the threat posed by the Islamic State group; the president did not immediately offer evidence to support his claim, made during the new commander in chief's first visit to the headquarters of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Irwin Corey, the wild-haired comedian and actor known for his improvisational riffs and nonsensical style, died in New York at age 102.One year ago: The Wyoming Republican Party voted overwhelmingly to censure U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney for voting to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office issued revised guidelines for indoor church services after the Supreme Court lifted the state's ban on indoor worship during the coronavirus pandemic but left in place restrictions on singing and chanting. George P. Shultz, who was President Ronald Reagan's secretary of state as part of a long career in public service, died at his California home; he was 100. Peyton Manning, a quarterback who helped redefine offense in the 21st century, was among the former players elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today's Birthdays: Actor Mamie Van Doren is 91. Actor Mike Farrell is 83. Former NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw is 82. Singer Fabian is 79. Actor Gayle Hunnicutt is 79. Actor Michael Tucker is 77. Producer-director-writer Jim Sheridan is 73. Actor Jon Walmsley is 66. Actor Kathy Najimy is 65. Rock musician Simon Phillips (Toto) is 65. Actor-director Robert Townsend is 65. Actor Barry Miller is 64. Actor Megan Gallagher is 62. Rock singer Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses) is 60. Country singer Richie McDonald is 60. Singer Rick Astley is 56. Rock musician Tim Brown (Boo Radleys) is 53. ABC News anchor Amy Robach is 49. Actor Josh Stewart is 45. Actor Ben Lawson is 42. Actor Brandon Hammond is 38. Actor Crystal Reed (TV: "Teen Wolf") is 37. Actor Alice Greczyn is 36. Actor Anna Diop is 34. R&amp;B singer/actor Tinashe is 29.

Today in History - Feb. 6

From the Salina Public Library Facebook page:

See what's new this week at the Salina Public Library at:

*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-438&amp;fbclid=IwAR0tkmqkbjxQb9m_kPf7kC-Rbpw8COQeyQIt8tip8N-R6wMj5sKoGXdpHII" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-438</a> ***

There are six new bestsellers, 15 new movies, and 161 other new books. The new bestsellers this week include "Vegan, at Times: 120+ Recipes for Every Day or Every So Often," "Clarity &amp;amp; Connection," and "Hero on a Mission: A Path to a Meaningful Life." The new movies this week include "This Is Us: The Complete Season 4," "This Is Us: The Complete Season 5," and "American Siege."&nbsp;&nbsp;

From the Salina Public Library Facebook page:See what's new this week at the Salina Public Library at:*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-438&amp;fbclid=IwAR0tkmqkbjxQb9m_kPf7kC-Rbpw8COQeyQIt8tip8N-R6wMj5sKoGXdpHII" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-438</a> ***There are six new bestsellers, 15 new movies, and 161 other new books. The new bestsellers this week include "Vegan, at Times: 120+ Recipes for Every Day or Every So Often," "Clarity &amp;amp; Connection," and "Hero on a Mission: A Path to a Meaningful Life." The new movies this week include "This Is Us: The Complete Season 4," "This Is Us: The Complete Season 5," and "American Siege."&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644077824888.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Check out what's new at the Salina Public Library

Today is Saturday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2022. There are 329 days left in the year. 

On Feb. 5, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump, bringing to a close the third presidential trial in American history, though a majority of senators expressed unease with Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment. Just one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, broke with the GOP and voted to convict. 

In 1811, George, the Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent due to the mental illness of his father, Britain's King George III. 

In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, an act severely curtailing Asian immigration. 

In 1918, during World War I, the Cunard liner SS Tuscania, which was transporting about 2,000 American troops to Europe, was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Irish Sea with the loss of more than 200 people. 

In 1922, the first edition of Reader's Digest was published. 

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices; the proposal, which failed in Congress, drew accusations that Roosevelt was attempting to "pack" the nation's highest court. 

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the surface of the moon in the first of two lunar excursions. 

In 1973, services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for U.S. Army Col. William B. Nolde, the last official American combat casualty before the Vietnam cease-fire took effect.

In 1983, former Nazi Gestapo official Klaus Barbie, expelled from Bolivia, was brought to Lyon, France, to stand trial. (He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison -- he died in 1991.) 

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, granting workers up to 12 weeks unpaid leave for family emergencies.

In 1994, white separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Mississippi, of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison. (Beckwith died Jan. 21, 2001 at age 80.) 

In 2008, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru to the Beatles who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop; he was believed to be about 90. 

In 2014, CVS Caremark announced it would pull cigarettes and other tobacco products from its stores.

Ten years ago: Josh Powell, long identified as a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his wife, Susan, set fire to his home in Graham, Washington, killing himself and his two sons, 7-year-old Charles and 5-year-old Braden, who had been brought there by a social worker for a supervised visit. Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 for New York's fourth NFL title in Super Bowl XLVI (46).

Five years ago: Tom Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports history highlighted by a spectacular Julian Edelman catch that helped lift New England from a 25-point hole against the Atlanta Falcons to the Patriots' fifth Super Bowl victory, 34-28, the first ever in overtime.

One year ago: The Supreme Court told California it couldn't enforce a ban on indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic; the justices declined to stop the state from barring singing and chanting at services. New York's Yankee Stadium was opened as a COVID-19 mass vaccination site by officials trying to boost inoculation rates in surrounding Bronx neighborhoods hard hit by the pandemic. Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp in the film "The Sound of Music" and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award winner in history, died at 91. Former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks died at 67 after battling prostate and other cancers; he had beaten Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1978.

Today's Birthdays: Tony-winning playwright John Guare is 84. Financial writer Jane Bryant Quinn is 83. Actor David Selby is 81. Singer-songwriter Barrett Strong is 81. Football Hall of Famer Roger Staubach is 80. Movie director Michael Mann is 79. Rock singer Al Kooper is 78. Actor Charlotte Rampling is 76. Racing Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip is 75. Actor Barbara Hershey is 74. Actor Christopher Guest is 74. Actor Tom Wilkinson is 74. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is 63. Actor-comedian Tim Meadows is 61. Actor Jennifer Jason Leigh is 60. Actor Laura Linney is 58. Rock musician Duff McKagan (Velvet Revolver) is 58. World Golf Hall of Famer Jose Maria Olazabal is 56. Actor-comedian Chris Parnell is 55. Rock singer Chris Barron (Spin Doctors) is 54. Singer Bobby Brown is 53. Actor Michael Sheen is 53. Actor David Chisum is 52. Country singer Sara Evans is 51. Country singer Tyler Farr is 38. Actor-singer Darren Criss is 35. Actor Alex Brightman is 35. Actor Henry Golding is 35. Rock musician Kyle Simmons (Bastille) is 34. Actor Jeremy Sumpter is 33. Drummer Graham Sierota (Echosmith) is 23.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Saturday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2022. There are 329 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 5, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump, bringing to a close the third presidential trial in American history, though a majority of senators expressed unease with Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment. Just one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, broke with the GOP and voted to convict. On this date: In 1811, George, the Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent due to the mental illness of his father, Britain's King George III. In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, an act severely curtailing Asian immigration. In 1918, during World War I, the Cunard liner SS Tuscania, which was transporting about 2,000 American troops to Europe, was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Irish Sea with the loss of more than 200 people. In 1922, the first edition of Reader's Digest was published. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices; the proposal, which failed in Congress, drew accusations that Roosevelt was attempting to "pack" the nation's highest court. In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the surface of the moon in the first of two lunar excursions. In 1973, services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for U.S. Army Col. William B. Nolde, the last official American combat casualty before the Vietnam cease-fire took effect.In 1983, former Nazi Gestapo official Klaus Barbie, expelled from Bolivia, was brought to Lyon, France, to stand trial. (He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison -- he died in 1991.) In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, granting workers up to 12 weeks unpaid leave for family emergencies.In 1994, white separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Mississippi, of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison. (Beckwith died Jan. 21, 2001 at age 80.) In 2008, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru to the Beatles who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop; he was believed to be about 90. In 2014, CVS Caremark announced it would pull cigarettes and other tobacco products from its stores.Ten years ago: Josh Powell, long identified as a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his wife, Susan, set fire to his home in Graham, Washington, killing himself and his two sons, 7-year-old Charles and 5-year-old Braden, who had been brought there by a social worker for a supervised visit. Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 for New York's fourth NFL title in Super Bowl XLVI (46).Five years ago: Tom Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports history highlighted by a spectacular Julian Edelman catch that helped lift New England from a 25-point hole against the Atlanta Falcons to the Patriots' fifth Super Bowl victory, 34-28, the first ever in overtime.One year ago: The Supreme Court told California it couldn't enforce a ban on indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic; the justices declined to stop the state from barring singing and chanting at services. New York's Yankee Stadium was opened as a COVID-19 mass vaccination site by officials trying to boost inoculation rates in surrounding Bronx neighborhoods hard hit by the pandemic. Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp in the film "The Sound of Music" and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award winner in history, died at 91. Former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks died at 67 after battling prostate and other cancers; he had beaten Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1978.Today's Birthdays: Tony-winning playwright John Guare is 84. Financial writer Jane Bryant Quinn is 83. Actor David Selby is 81. Singer-songwriter Barrett Strong is 81. Football Hall of Famer Roger Staubach is 80. Movie director Michael Mann is 79. Rock singer Al Kooper is 78. Actor Charlotte Rampling is 76. Racing Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip is 75. Actor Barbara Hershey is 74. Actor Christopher Guest is 74. Actor Tom Wilkinson is 74. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is 63. Actor-comedian Tim Meadows is 61. Actor Jennifer Jason Leigh is 60. Actor Laura Linney is 58. Rock musician Duff McKagan (Velvet Revolver) is 58. World Golf Hall of Famer Jose Maria Olazabal is 56. Actor-comedian Chris Parnell is 55. Rock singer Chris Barron (Spin Doctors) is 54. Singer Bobby Brown is 53. Actor Michael Sheen is 53. Actor David Chisum is 52. Country singer Sara Evans is 51. Country singer Tyler Farr is 38. Actor-singer Darren Criss is 35. Actor Alex Brightman is 35. Actor Henry Golding is 35. Rock musician Kyle Simmons (Bastille) is 34. Actor Jeremy Sumpter is 33. Drummer Graham Sierota (Echosmith) is 23.

Today in History - Feb. 5

Today is Friday, Feb. 4, the 35th day of 2022. There are 330 days left in the year. 

On Feb. 4, 1783, Britain's King George III proclaimed a formal cessation of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War. 

In 1789, electors chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. 

In 1801, John Marshall was confirmed by the Senate as chief justice of the United States.

In 1861, delegates from six Southern states that had recently seceded from the Union met in Montgomery, Alabama, to form the Confederate States of America. 

In 1913, Rosa Parks, a Black woman whose 1955 refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus to a white man sparked a civil rights revolution, was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee. 

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta.

In 1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, 19, was kidnapped in Berkeley, California, by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army. 

In 1976, more than 23,000 people died when a severe earthquake struck Guatemala with a magnitude of 7.5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

In 1977, eleven people were killed when two Chicago Transit Authority trains collided on an elevated track.

In 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, California, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. 

In 1999, senators at President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial voted to permit the showing of portions of Monica Lewinsky's videotaped deposition.

In 2004, the social networking website Facebook had its beginnings as Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched "Thefacebook."

In 2020, thousands of medical workers in Hong Kong were on strike for a second day to demand that the country's border with China be completely closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus; the territory reported its first death from the virus and the second known fatality outside China. 

Ten years ago: Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award in a landslide. Florence Green, who had served with the Women's Royal Air Force and was recognized as the last veteran of World War I, died in King's Lynn, eastern England, at age 110.

Five years ago: The Justice Department appealed a judge's order temporarily blocking President Donald Trump's refugee and immigration ban, saying it was the "sovereign prerogative" of a president to admit or exclude aliens in order to protect national security. Running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis and quarterback Kurt Warner were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

One year ago: Former President Donald Trump rejected a request from House Democrats that he testify under oath at his second Senate impeachment trial. A fiercely divided House tossed Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia off both of her committees, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she'd earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories. A voting technology company, Smartmatic USA, sued Fox News, three of its hosts and two former Trump lawyers – Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell – for $2.7 billion, for allegedly conspiring to spread false claims that the company helped "steal" the presidential election. Johnson &amp; Johnson asked U.S. regulators to clear the world's first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a new statewide mask order after the Republican-controlled Legislature repealed his previous mandate. (The state Supreme Court would strike down the mask mandate nearly two months later.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor Jerry Adler is 93. Former Argentinian President Isabel Peron is 91. Actor Gary Conway is 86. Actor John Schuck is 82. Rock musician John Steel (The Animals) is 81. Singer Florence LaRue (The Fifth Dimension) is 80. Former Vice President Dan Quayle is 75. Rock singer Alice Cooper is 74. Actor Michael Beck is 73. Actor Lisa Eichhorn is 70. Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is 63. Actor Pamelyn Ferdin is 63. Rock singer Tim Booth is 62. Rock musician Henry Bogdan is 61. Country singer Clint Black is 60. Rock musician Noodles (The Offspring) is 59. Actor Gabrielle Anwar is 52. Actor Rob Corddry is 51. Singer David Garza is 51. Actor Michael Goorjian is 51. TV personality Nicolle Wallace is 50. Olympic gold medal boxer Oscar De La Hoya is 49. Rock musician Rick Burch (Jimmy Eat World) is 47. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 47. Rapper Cam'ron is 46. Rock singer Gavin DeGraw is 45. Rock singer Zoe Manville is 38. Actor/musician Bashy, AKA Ashley Thomas, is 37. Actor Charlie Barnett is 34. Olympic gold medal gymnast-turned-singer Carly Patterson is 34. Actor Kyla Kenedy (TV: "Speechless") is 19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Friday, Feb. 4, the 35th day of 2022. There are 330 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 4, 1783, Britain's King George III proclaimed a formal cessation of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War. On this date: In 1789, electors chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. In 1801, John Marshall was confirmed by the Senate as chief justice of the United States.In 1861, delegates from six Southern states that had recently seceded from the Union met in Montgomery, Alabama, to form the Confederate States of America. In 1913, Rosa Parks, a Black woman whose 1955 refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus to a white man sparked a civil rights revolution, was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee. In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta.In 1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, 19, was kidnapped in Berkeley, California, by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army. In 1976, more than 23,000 people died when a severe earthquake struck Guatemala with a magnitude of 7.5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1977, eleven people were killed when two Chicago Transit Authority trains collided on an elevated track.In 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, California, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. In 1999, senators at President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial voted to permit the showing of portions of Monica Lewinsky's videotaped deposition.In 2004, the social networking website Facebook had its beginnings as Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched "Thefacebook."In 2020, thousands of medical workers in Hong Kong were on strike for a second day to demand that the country's border with China be completely closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus; the territory reported its first death from the virus and the second known fatality outside China. Ten years ago: Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award in a landslide. Florence Green, who had served with the Women's Royal Air Force and was recognized as the last veteran of World War I, died in King's Lynn, eastern England, at age 110.Five years ago: The Justice Department appealed a judge's order temporarily blocking President Donald Trump's refugee and immigration ban, saying it was the "sovereign prerogative" of a president to admit or exclude aliens in order to protect national security. Running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis and quarterback Kurt Warner were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One year ago: Former President Donald Trump rejected a request from House Democrats that he testify under oath at his second Senate impeachment trial. A fiercely divided House tossed Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia off both of her committees, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she'd earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories. A voting technology company, Smartmatic USA, sued Fox News, three of its hosts and two former Trump lawyers – Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell – for $2.7 billion, for allegedly conspiring to spread false claims that the company helped "steal" the presidential election. Johnson &amp; Johnson asked U.S. regulators to clear the world's first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a new statewide mask order after the Republican-controlled Legislature repealed his previous mandate. (The state Supreme Court would strike down the mask mandate nearly two months later.) Today's Birthdays: Actor Jerry Adler is 93. Former Argentinian President Isabel Peron is 91. Actor Gary Conway is 86. Actor John Schuck is 82. Rock musician John Steel (The Animals) is 81. Singer Florence LaRue (The Fifth Dimension) is 80. Former Vice President Dan Quayle is 75. Rock singer Alice Cooper is 74. Actor Michael Beck is 73. Actor Lisa Eichhorn is 70. Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is 63. Actor Pamelyn Ferdin is 63. Rock singer Tim Booth is 62. Rock musician Henry Bogdan is 61. Country singer Clint Black is 60. Rock musician Noodles (The Offspring) is 59. Actor Gabrielle Anwar is 52. Actor Rob Corddry is 51. Singer David Garza is 51. Actor Michael Goorjian is 51. TV personality Nicolle Wallace is 50. Olympic gold medal boxer Oscar De La Hoya is 49. Rock musician Rick Burch (Jimmy Eat World) is 47. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 47. Rapper Cam'ron is 46. Rock singer Gavin DeGraw is 45. Rock singer Zoe Manville is 38. Actor/musician Bashy, AKA Ashley Thomas, is 37. Actor Charlie Barnett is 34. Olympic gold medal gymnast-turned-singer Carly Patterson is 34. Actor Kyla Kenedy (TV: "Speechless") is 19.

Today in History - Feb. 4

<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Janet-Miller">Obituary for Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller | Ryan Mortuary</a>

December 28, 1926 ~ January 28, 2022 (age 95)

Janet “Jan” Louise Miller, 95, of Salina, KS, passed away on January 28, 2022, with her daughter and son-in-law at her side.

&nbsp;The daughter of Fred and Helen (Morganfield) Anderson, Jan was born in Lyons, KS, on December 28, 1926. On February 10, 1946, Jan was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart, John Miller, in Lyons.

Jan was a homemaker while her children were growing up and became secretary to the treasurer of Olive W. Garvey Company in Wichita later on. 

She loved being active and made many friends in each town she and John lived in. They settled in Wichita and remained there until their retirements in 1986, when they moved and built a new home in Bella Vista, Arkansas.

 Jan belonged to book clubs, bridge clubs, and her favorite of all, ladies golf leagues. She volunteered at each church she and John joined and was a proud member of the Stephen Ministry at Bella Vista Community Church for many years. Entertaining and socializing with family and friends whenever possible were some of her favorite things to do.

 Jan and John lived in Bella Vista until moving to Salina in&nbsp;2012 to be closer to family. They were residents of Salina Presbyterian Manor for eight years, with the last few years spent in healthcare.

Jan lost her beloved husband of almost 76 years on January 16, 2022. They were one of those couples that one couldn’t imagine without the other. 

She is survived by their two children, Susan Grosser (Craig), of Salina, KS; and Gregg Miller (Pam), of Wichita, KS; grandchildren Ryan Crist (Kristin), of Abilene, KS; Adam Crist (Brandy), of Lincoln, NE; Erin Bryant (Matt), of Omaha, NE;&nbsp;Jami Grosser (Shelbi Long), of Sonoma, CA; Hayley Grosser, of Wichita, KS;&nbsp;Lyndi Cox (Vincent) of Topeka, KS; Lance Miller (Hollie), of Wichita, KS; great-grandchildren Olivia and Ava Crist; Connor Crist; Emily, Megan, and Tanner Bryant; Lauren and Keaton Cox; Emree and Gracyn Miller.&nbsp;

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and sister.&nbsp;

Cremation was chosen and a reception for family and friends will be held in the spring.&nbsp;

The family would like to give special recognition to the wonderful, compassionate care Jan received from the staff at Salina Presbyterian Manor and Kindred Hospice. These amazing people loved and cared for her and our family, as we said goodbye to both parents in a very short period of time.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Salina Presbyterian Manor Employee Fund, in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 N. Eighth St., Salina, KS 67401. Please designate “Employee Fund”

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller, please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Janet-Miller/sympathy">floral store.</a>

<h2>Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller, Salina</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643931642634.jpeg" alt="Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller" />
 <figcaption>Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Janet-Miller">Obituary for Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller | Ryan Mortuary</a>December 28, 1926 ~ January 28, 2022 (age 95)Janet “Jan” Louise Miller, 95, of Salina, KS, passed away on January 28, 2022, with her daughter and son-in-law at her side.&nbsp;The daughter of Fred and Helen (Morganfield) Anderson, Jan was born in Lyons, KS, on December 28, 1926. On February 10, 1946, Jan was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart, John Miller, in Lyons.Jan was a homemaker while her children were growing up and became secretary to the treasurer of Olive W. Garvey Company in Wichita later on. She loved being active and made many friends in each town she and John lived in. They settled in Wichita and remained there until their retirements in 1986, when they moved and built a new home in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Jan belonged to book clubs, bridge clubs, and her favorite of all, ladies golf leagues. She volunteered at each church she and John joined and was a proud member of the Stephen Ministry at Bella Vista Community Church for many years. Entertaining and socializing with family and friends whenever possible were some of her favorite things to do. Jan and John lived in Bella Vista until moving to Salina in&nbsp;2012 to be closer to family. They were residents of Salina Presbyterian Manor for eight years, with the last few years spent in healthcare.Jan lost her beloved husband of almost 76 years on January 16, 2022. They were one of those couples that one couldn’t imagine without the other. She is survived by their two children, Susan Grosser (Craig), of Salina, KS; and Gregg Miller (Pam), of Wichita, KS; grandchildren Ryan Crist (Kristin), of Abilene, KS; Adam Crist (Brandy), of Lincoln, NE; Erin Bryant (Matt), of Omaha, NE;&nbsp;Jami Grosser (Shelbi Long), of Sonoma, CA; Hayley Grosser, of Wichita, KS;&nbsp;Lyndi Cox (Vincent) of Topeka, KS; Lance Miller (Hollie), of Wichita, KS; great-grandchildren Olivia and Ava Crist; Connor Crist; Emily, Megan, and Tanner Bryant; Lauren and Keaton Cox; Emree and Gracyn Miller.&nbsp;She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and sister.&nbsp;Cremation was chosen and a reception for family and friends will be held in the spring.&nbsp;The family would like to give special recognition to the wonderful, compassionate care Jan received from the staff at Salina Presbyterian Manor and Kindred Hospice. These amazing people loved and cared for her and our family, as we said goodbye to both parents in a very short period of time.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Salina Presbyterian Manor Employee Fund, in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 N. Eighth St., Salina, KS 67401. Please designate “Employee Fund”To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller, please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Janet-Miller/sympathy">floral store.</a>

Janet Louise (Anderson) Miller

ATMEH, Syria (AP) — The leader of the violent Islamic State group was killed during an overnight raid carried out by U.S. special forces in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, President Joe Biden said Thursday.

The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who took over as head of the militant group on Oct. 31, 2019, just days after leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a U.S. raid in the same area. Biden said al-Qurayshi died as al-Baghdadi did, by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family, including women and children, as U.S. forces approached.

The operation came as IS has been trying for a resurgence, with a series of attacks in the region, including an assault late last month to seize a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees, it’s boldest operation in years.

“Thanks to the bravery of our troops this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said. He said al-Qurayshi had been responsible for the prison strike, as well as genocide against the Yazidi people in Iraq in 2014.

U.S. special forces landed in helicopters and assaulted a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted the town of Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria’s civil war.

Biden said he ordered U.S. forces to “take every precaution available to minimize civilian casualties,” adding that was why they chose not to conduct an airstrike on the home.

First responders reported that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women.

Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and senior national security aides monitored a live-feed of the operation from the White House Situation Room according to an official.

The operation marked a military success for the United States at an important time after setbacks elsewhere — including the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal — have led allies and opponents to conclude U.S. power globally was weakening.

The house, surrounded by olive trees in fields outside Atmeh, was left with its top floor shattered and blood spattered inside. A journalist on assignment for The Associated Press and several residents said they saw body parts scattered near the site. Most residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

“The mission was successful,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement. “There were no U.S. casualties.”

Idlib is largely controlled by Turkish-backed fighters but is also an al-Qaida stronghold and home to several of its top operatives. Other militants, including extremists from the rival IS group, have also found refuge in the region.

“The first moments were terrifying; no one knew what was happening,” said Jamil el-Deddo, a resident of a nearby refugee camp. “We were worried it could be Syrian aircraft, which brought back memories of barrel bombs that used to be dropped on us,” he added, referring to crude explosives-filled containers used by President Bashar Assad’s forces against opponents during the Syrian conflict.

The top floor of the low house was nearly destroyed; a room there had collapsed, sending white bricks tumbling to the ground below.

Blood could be seen on the walls and floor of the remaining structure. A wrecked bedroom had a child’s wooden crib and a stuffed rabbit doll. On one damaged wall, a blue plastic baby swing was still hanging. Religious books, including a biography of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad, were in the house.

Al-Qurayshi had kept an extremely low profile since he took over leadership of the Islamic State. He had not appeared in public, and rarely released any audio recordings. His influence and day-to-day involvement in the group’s operations was not known and it is difficult to gauge how his death will affect the group.

His killing, however, is a significant blow just as the group had been trying to reassert itself in Syria and Iraq.

The opposition-run Syrian Civil Defense, first responders also known as the White Helmets, said 13 people were killed in shelling and clashes that ensued after the U.S. commando raid.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, also said the strike killed 13 people, including four children and two women. Ahmad Rahhal, a citizen journalist who visited the site, reported seeing 12 bodies.

The Pentagon provided no details on casualties in the raid.

The Observatory said the troops landed in helicopters. Residents and activists described witnessing a large ground assault, with U.S. forces using megaphones urging women and children to leave the area.

Omar Saleh, a resident of a nearby house, said he was asleep when his doors and windows started to rattle to the sound of low-flying aircraft at 1:10 a.m. local time. He ran to open the windows with the lights off, and saw three helicopters. He then heard a man, speaking Arabic with an Iraqi or Saudi accent through a loudspeaker, urging women to surrender or leave the area.

“This went on for 45 minutes. There was no response. Then the machine gun fire erupted,” Saleh said. He said the firing continued for two hours, as aircraft circled low over the area.

Taher al-Omar, an Idlib-based activist, said he witnessed clashes between fighters and the U.S. force. Others reported hearing at least one major explosion during the operation. A U.S. official said that one of the helicopters in the raid suffered a mechanical problem and had to be blown up on the ground.

The military operation got attention on social media, with tweets from the region describing helicopters firing around the building near Atmeh. Flight-tracking data also suggested that multiple drones were circling the city of Sarmada and the village of Salwah, just north of the raid’s location.

Through slickly engineered propaganda, including brutal beheading videos, IS emerged as a dominant global extremist threat in the past decade. Its clarion call to followers in the West to either join its self-described caliphate in Syria, or to commit acts of violence at home, inspired killings in the U.S. as well as thousands of travelers determined to become foreign fighters. The allure of IS to would-be militants has proved challenging for the West to fully stamp out even amid leadership changes and U.S. military strikes and raids.

At the height of its territorial conquests around 2014, the Islamic State controlled more than 40,000 square miles stretching from Syria to Iraq and ruled over 8 million people.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-syria-middle-east-racial-injustice-iraq-e0c9bdc100f6ad74fb52d63a188ac978">Islamic State group has been reasserting itself</a>&nbsp;in Syria and Iraq with increased attacks.

Last month, it carried out its biggest military operation since it was defeated and its members scattered underground in 2019: an attack on a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees. The attack appeared aimed to break free senior IS operatives in the prison.

It took 10 days of fighting for U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces to retake the prison fully, and the force said more than 120 of its fighters and prison workers were killed along with 374 militants. The U.S.-led coalition carried out airstrikes and deployed American personnel in Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the prison area to help the Kurdish forces.

A senior SDF official, Nowruz Ahmad, said Monday that the prison assault was part of a broader plot that IS had been preparing for a long time, including attacks on other neighborhoods in Kurdish-run northeastern Syria and on the al-Hol camp in the south, which houses thousands of families of IS members.

The U.S.-led coalition has targeted high-profile militants on several occasions in recent years, aiming to disrupt what U.S. officials say is a secretive cell known as the Khorasan group that is planning external attacks. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida’s second in command, former bin Laden aide Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, in Syria in 2017.

ATMEH, Syria (AP) — President Joe Biden says a U.S. special forces raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday killed the top leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. Biden said all Americans involved in the operation returned safety. Biden said he would address the American people later Thursday on the raid.

 First responders at the scene reported 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women. The operation, which residents say lasted over two hours, jolted the sleepy village of Atmeh near the Turkish border

ATMEH, Syria (AP) — U.S. special forces carried out what the Pentagon said was a large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday. First responders at the scene reported 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women.

The operation, which residents say lasted over two hours, jolted the sleepy village of Atmeh near the Turkish border — an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria’s civil war. The target of the raid was unclear.

“The mission was successful,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement. “There were no U.S. casualties. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”

A journalist on assignment for The Associated Press and several residents said they saw body parts scattered near the site of the raid, a house in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province. Most residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, and said the raid involved helicopters, explosions and machine-gun fire.

It was the largest raid in the province since the 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-syria-ap-top-news-international-news-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-2c2c48e64f934d329c72a7af3dc284b1">Trump-era U.S. assault</a>&nbsp;that killed the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

An Iraqi intelligence official in contact with the U.S.-led coalition said Thursday’s target was a high-ranking militant leader whose identity will be released by the White House later in the day. Information suggests he may be al-Baghdadi’s successor, the current IS leader known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the official added. He spoke on condition of anonymity to divulge sensitive information.

Idlib is broadly controlled by Turkey-backed fighters, but is also an al-Qaida stronghold and home to several of its top operatives. Other militants, including extremists from the rival IS group, have also found refuge in the region.

“The first moments were terrifying, no one knew what was happening,” said Jamil el-Deddo, a resident of a nearby refugee camp. “We were worried it could be Syrian aircraft, which brought back memories of barrel bombs that used to be dropped on us,” he added, referring to crude explosives-filled containers used by President Bashar Assad’s forces against opponents during the Syrian conflict.

The top floor of the two-story house, surrounded by olive trees, was almost totally destroyed in Thursday’s raid, with the ceiling and walls knocked out.

Blood could be seen on the walls and floor of the remaining structure, which contained a wrecked bedroom with a child’s wooden crib on the floor. On one damaged wall, a blue plastic swing for children was still hanging. The kitchen was blackened with fire damage.

The opposition-run Syrian Civil Defense, first responders also known as the White Helmets, said 13 people were killed in shelling and clashes that ensued after U.S. the commando raid. They included six children and four women, it said.

The Pentagon provided no details on who was the target of the raid, or if any combatants or civilians on the ground were killed or injured.

Residents and activists described witnessing a large ground assault, with U.S. forces using megaphones urging women and children to leave the area.

Omar Saleh, a nearby resident, said the doors and windows of his house started to rattle to the sound of low-flying aircraft at 1:10 a.m. local time. He then heard a man, speaking Arabic with an Iraqi or Saudi accent through a loudspeaker, urging women to surrender or leave the area.

Others reported hearing at least one major explosion during the operation. A U.S. official said that one of the helicopters in the raid suffered a mechanical problem and had to be blown up on the ground. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the military operation.

The Observatory said troops for the U.S.-led coalition using helicopters landed in the area and attacked a house. It said the force clashed with fighters on the ground. Taher al-Omar, an Idlib-based activist, also said he witnessed clashes between fighters and the U.S. force.

The U.S. has in the past used drones to kill top al-Qaida operatives in Idlib, which at one point was home to the group’s biggest concentration of leaders since the days of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. The fact that special forces landed on the ground suggest the target was believed to be of high value.

A similar attack in Pakistan, in 2011, killed bin Laden.

Thursday’s clandestine operation came as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-syria-middle-east-racial-injustice-iraq-e0c9bdc100f6ad74fb52d63a188ac978">Islamic State group was reasserting itself</a>&nbsp;in Syria and Iraq, carrying out some of its biggest attacks since it was defeated in 2019. In recent weeks and months, the group has launched a series of operations in the region, including a 10-day assault late last month to seize a prison in northeastern Syria.

A U.S.-backed Kurdish-led force said more than 120 of their fighters and prison workers died in the effort to thwart the IS plot, whose goal appeared to free senior IS operatives from the prison. The prison houses at least 3,000 Islamic State group detainees.

The attempted prison break was the biggest military operation by the extremist group since IS was defeated and members scattered to havens in 2019. The U.S.-led coalition carried out airstrikes and deployed American personnel in Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the prison area to help the Kurdish forces.

At a news conference Monday, an SDF senior official Nowruz Ahmad said the prison assault was part of a broader plot that IS had been preparing for a long time, including attacks on other neighborhoods in northeastern Syria and on the al-Hol camp in the south, which houses thousands of families of IS members.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643896451643.png" alt="President Biden, Vice President Harris and members of the President’s national security team observe the counterterrorism operation responsible for removing from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — the leader of ISIS.-White House photo " />
 <figcaption>President Biden, Vice President Harris and members of the President’s national security team observe the counterterrorism operation responsible for removing from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — the leader of ISIS.-White House photo </figcaption>
 </figure>ATMEH, Syria (AP) — The leader of the violent Islamic State group was killed during an overnight raid carried out by U.S. special forces in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, President Joe Biden said Thursday.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F3107076899540438%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=160" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who took over as head of the militant group on Oct. 31, 2019, just days after leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a U.S. raid in the same area. Biden said al-Qurayshi died as al-Baghdadi did, by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family, including women and children, as U.S. forces approached.The operation came as IS has been trying for a resurgence, with a series of attacks in the region, including an assault late last month to seize a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees, it’s boldest operation in years.“Thanks to the bravery of our troops this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said. He said al-Qurayshi had been responsible for the prison strike, as well as genocide against the Yazidi people in Iraq in 2014.U.S. special forces landed in helicopters and assaulted a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted the town of Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria’s civil war.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643902134347.png" alt="President Biden addressed the nation early Thursday-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden addressed the nation early Thursday-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Biden said he ordered U.S. forces to “take every precaution available to minimize civilian casualties,” adding that was why they chose not to conduct an airstrike on the home.First responders reported that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women.Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and senior national security aides monitored a live-feed of the operation from the White House Situation Room according to an official.The operation marked a military success for the United States at an important time after setbacks elsewhere — including the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal — have led allies and opponents to conclude U.S. power globally was weakening.The house, surrounded by olive trees in fields outside Atmeh, was left with its top floor shattered and blood spattered inside. A journalist on assignment for The Associated Press and several residents said they saw body parts scattered near the site. Most residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.“The mission was successful,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement. “There were no U.S. casualties.”Idlib is largely controlled by Turkish-backed fighters but is also an al-Qaida stronghold and home to several of its top operatives. Other militants, including extremists from the rival IS group, have also found refuge in the region.“The first moments were terrifying; no one knew what was happening,” said Jamil el-Deddo, a resident of a nearby refugee camp. “We were worried it could be Syrian aircraft, which brought back memories of barrel bombs that used to be dropped on us,” he added, referring to crude explosives-filled containers used by President Bashar Assad’s forces against opponents during the Syrian conflict.The top floor of the low house was nearly destroyed; a room there had collapsed, sending white bricks tumbling to the ground below.Blood could be seen on the walls and floor of the remaining structure. A wrecked bedroom had a child’s wooden crib and a stuffed rabbit doll. On one damaged wall, a blue plastic baby swing was still hanging. Religious books, including a biography of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad, were in the house.Al-Qurayshi had kept an extremely low profile since he took over leadership of the Islamic State. He had not appeared in public, and rarely released any audio recordings. His influence and day-to-day involvement in the group’s operations was not known and it is difficult to gauge how his death will affect the group.His killing, however, is a significant blow just as the group had been trying to reassert itself in Syria and Iraq.The opposition-run Syrian Civil Defense, first responders also known as the White Helmets, said 13 people were killed in shelling and clashes that ensued after the U.S. commando raid.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, also said the strike killed 13 people, including four children and two women. Ahmad Rahhal, a citizen journalist who visited the site, reported seeing 12 bodies.The Pentagon provided no details on casualties in the raid.The Observatory said the troops landed in helicopters. Residents and activists described witnessing a large ground assault, with U.S. forces using megaphones urging women and children to leave the area.Omar Saleh, a resident of a nearby house, said he was asleep when his doors and windows started to rattle to the sound of low-flying aircraft at 1:10 a.m. local time. He ran to open the windows with the lights off, and saw three helicopters. He then heard a man, speaking Arabic with an Iraqi or Saudi accent through a loudspeaker, urging women to surrender or leave the area.“This went on for 45 minutes. There was no response. Then the machine gun fire erupted,” Saleh said. He said the firing continued for two hours, as aircraft circled low over the area.Taher al-Omar, an Idlib-based activist, said he witnessed clashes between fighters and the U.S. force. Others reported hearing at least one major explosion during the operation. A U.S. official said that one of the helicopters in the raid suffered a mechanical problem and had to be blown up on the ground.The military operation got attention on social media, with tweets from the region describing helicopters firing around the building near Atmeh. Flight-tracking data also suggested that multiple drones were circling the city of Sarmada and the village of Salwah, just north of the raid’s location.Through slickly engineered propaganda, including brutal beheading videos, IS emerged as a dominant global extremist threat in the past decade. Its clarion call to followers in the West to either join its self-described caliphate in Syria, or to commit acts of violence at home, inspired killings in the U.S. as well as thousands of travelers determined to become foreign fighters. The allure of IS to would-be militants has proved challenging for the West to fully stamp out even amid leadership changes and U.S. military strikes and raids.At the height of its territorial conquests around 2014, the Islamic State controlled more than 40,000 square miles stretching from Syria to Iraq and ruled over 8 million people.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-syria-middle-east-racial-injustice-iraq-e0c9bdc100f6ad74fb52d63a188ac978">Islamic State group has been reasserting itself</a>&nbsp;in Syria and Iraq with increased attacks.Last month, it carried out its biggest military operation since it was defeated and its members scattered underground in 2019: an attack on a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees. The attack appeared aimed to break free senior IS operatives in the prison.It took 10 days of fighting for U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces to retake the prison fully, and the force said more than 120 of its fighters and prison workers were killed along with 374 militants. The U.S.-led coalition carried out airstrikes and deployed American personnel in Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the prison area to help the Kurdish forces.A senior SDF official, Nowruz Ahmad, said Monday that the prison assault was part of a broader plot that IS had been preparing for a long time, including attacks on other neighborhoods in Kurdish-run northeastern Syria and on the al-Hol camp in the south, which houses thousands of families of IS members.The U.S.-led coalition has targeted high-profile militants on several occasions in recent years, aiming to disrupt what U.S. officials say is a secretive cell known as the Khorasan group that is planning external attacks. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida’s second in command, former bin Laden aide Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, in Syria in 2017.-------ATMEH, Syria (AP) — President Joe Biden says a U.S. special forces raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday killed the top leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. Biden said all Americans involved in the operation returned safety. Biden said he would address the American people later Thursday on the raid. First responders at the scene reported 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women. The operation, which residents say lasted over two hours, jolted the sleepy village of Atmeh near the Turkish border----------ATMEH, Syria (AP) — U.S. special forces carried out what the Pentagon said was a large-scale counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria early Thursday. First responders at the scene reported 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women.The operation, which residents say lasted over two hours, jolted the sleepy village of Atmeh near the Turkish border — an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria’s civil war. The target of the raid was unclear.“The mission was successful,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement. “There were no U.S. casualties. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”A journalist on assignment for The Associated Press and several residents said they saw body parts scattered near the site of the raid, a house in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province. Most residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, and said the raid involved helicopters, explosions and machine-gun fire.It was the largest raid in the province since the 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-syria-ap-top-news-international-news-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-2c2c48e64f934d329c72a7af3dc284b1">Trump-era U.S. assault</a>&nbsp;that killed the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.An Iraqi intelligence official in contact with the U.S.-led coalition said Thursday’s target was a high-ranking militant leader whose identity will be released by the White House later in the day. Information suggests he may be al-Baghdadi’s successor, the current IS leader known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the official added. He spoke on condition of anonymity to divulge sensitive information.Idlib is broadly controlled by Turkey-backed fighters, but is also an al-Qaida stronghold and home to several of its top operatives. Other militants, including extremists from the rival IS group, have also found refuge in the region.“The first moments were terrifying, no one knew what was happening,” said Jamil el-Deddo, a resident of a nearby refugee camp. “We were worried it could be Syrian aircraft, which brought back memories of barrel bombs that used to be dropped on us,” he added, referring to crude explosives-filled containers used by President Bashar Assad’s forces against opponents during the Syrian conflict.The top floor of the two-story house, surrounded by olive trees, was almost totally destroyed in Thursday’s raid, with the ceiling and walls knocked out.Blood could be seen on the walls and floor of the remaining structure, which contained a wrecked bedroom with a child’s wooden crib on the floor. On one damaged wall, a blue plastic swing for children was still hanging. The kitchen was blackened with fire damage.The opposition-run Syrian Civil Defense, first responders also known as the White Helmets, said 13 people were killed in shelling and clashes that ensued after U.S. the commando raid. They included six children and four women, it said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, also said the strike killed 13 people, including four children and two women. Ahmad Rahhal, a citizen journalist who visited the site, reported seeing 12 bodies.The Pentagon provided no details on who was the target of the raid, or if any combatants or civilians on the ground were killed or injured.Residents and activists described witnessing a large ground assault, with U.S. forces using megaphones urging women and children to leave the area.Omar Saleh, a nearby resident, said the doors and windows of his house started to rattle to the sound of low-flying aircraft at 1:10 a.m. local time. He then heard a man, speaking Arabic with an Iraqi or Saudi accent through a loudspeaker, urging women to surrender or leave the area.“This went on for 45 minutes. There was no response. Then the machine gun fire erupted,” Saleh said. He said the firing continued for two hours, as aircraft circled low over the area.Others reported hearing at least one major explosion during the operation. A U.S. official said that one of the helicopters in the raid suffered a mechanical problem and had to be blown up on the ground. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the military operation.The Observatory said troops for the U.S.-led coalition using helicopters landed in the area and attacked a house. It said the force clashed with fighters on the ground. Taher al-Omar, an Idlib-based activist, also said he witnessed clashes between fighters and the U.S. force.The military operation got attention on social media, with tweets from the region describing helicopters firing around the building near Atmeh. Flight-tracking data also suggested that multiple drones were circling the city of Sarmada and the village of Salwah, just north of the raid’s location.The U.S. has in the past used drones to kill top al-Qaida operatives in Idlib, which at one point was home to the group’s biggest concentration of leaders since the days of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. The fact that special forces landed on the ground suggest the target was believed to be of high value.A similar attack in Pakistan, in 2011, killed bin Laden.Thursday’s clandestine operation came as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-syria-middle-east-racial-injustice-iraq-e0c9bdc100f6ad74fb52d63a188ac978">Islamic State group was reasserting itself</a>&nbsp;in Syria and Iraq, carrying out some of its biggest attacks since it was defeated in 2019. In recent weeks and months, the group has launched a series of operations in the region, including a 10-day assault late last month to seize a prison in northeastern Syria.A U.S.-backed Kurdish-led force said more than 120 of their fighters and prison workers died in the effort to thwart the IS plot, whose goal appeared to free senior IS operatives from the prison. The prison houses at least 3,000 Islamic State group detainees.The attempted prison break was the biggest military operation by the extremist group since IS was defeated and members scattered to havens in 2019. The U.S.-led coalition carried out airstrikes and deployed American personnel in Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the prison area to help the Kurdish forces.At a news conference Monday, an SDF senior official Nowruz Ahmad said the prison assault was part of a broader plot that IS had been preparing for a long time, including attacks on other neighborhoods in northeastern Syria and on the al-Hol camp in the south, which houses thousands of families of IS members.The U.S.-led coalition has targeted high-profile militants on several occasions in recent years, aiming to disrupt what U.S. officials say is a secretive cell known as the Khorasan group that is planning external attacks. A U.S. airstrike killed al-Qaida’s second in command, former bin Laden aide Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, in Syria in 2017.

🎥 Pres. Biden on raid in Syria that killed ISIS leader, women and children

Today is Thursday, Feb. 3, the 34th day of 2022. There are 331 days left in the year. 

On Feb. 3, 1943, during World War II, the U.S. transport ship SS Dorchester, which was carrying troops to Greenland, sank after being hit by a German torpedo in the Labrador Sea; of the more than 900 men aboard, only some 230 survived. (Four Army chaplains on board gave away their life jackets to save others and went down with the ship.) 

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens held a shipboard peace conference off the Virginia coast; the talks deadlocked over the issue of Southern autonomy. 

In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified. 

In 1917, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, the same day an American cargo ship, the SS Housatonic, was sunk by a U-boat off Britain after the crew was allowed to board lifeboats. 

In 1959, rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. 

In 1966, the Soviet probe Luna 9 became the first manmade object to make a soft landing on the moon. 

In 1988, the U.S. House of Representatives handed President Ronald Reagan a major defeat, rejecting his request for $36.2 million in new aid to the Nicaraguan Contras by a vote of 219-211. 

In 1994, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off, carrying Sergei Krikalev, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a U.S. spacecraft. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Thursday, Feb. 3, the 34th day of 2022. There are 331 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 3, 1943, during World War II, the U.S. transport ship SS Dorchester, which was carrying troops to Greenland, sank after being hit by a German torpedo in the Labrador Sea; of the more than 900 men aboard, only some 230 survived. (Four Army chaplains on board gave away their life jackets to save others and went down with the ship.) On this date: In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens held a shipboard peace conference off the Virginia coast; the talks deadlocked over the issue of Southern autonomy. In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified. In 1917, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, the same day an American cargo ship, the SS Housatonic, was sunk by a U-boat off Britain after the crew was allowed to board lifeboats. In 1959, rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. In 1966, the Soviet probe Luna 9 became the first manmade object to make a soft landing on the moon. In 1988, the U.S. House of Representatives handed President Ronald Reagan a major defeat, rejecting his request for $36.2 million in new aid to the Nicaraguan Contras by a vote of 219-211. In 1994, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off, carrying Sergei Krikalev, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a U.S. spacecraft. In 1995, the space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Collins, in the pilot's seat for the first time in NASA history.In 1998, a U.S. Marine plane sliced through the cable of a ski gondola in Italy, causing the car to plunge hundreds of feet, killing all 20 people inside. In 2006, an Egyptian passenger ferry sank in the Red Sea during bad weather, killing more than 1,000 passengers. In 2009, Eric Holder became the first black U.S. attorney general as he was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden.In 2020, in closing arguments at President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial, Democratic prosecutors urged senators to stop a "runaway presidency" and recognize Trump's actions in Ukraine as part of a pattern of behavior that would allow him to "cheat" in the 2020 election; Trump's defenders accused Democrats of trying to undo the 2016 election and said voters should decide Trump's fate. Ten years ago: The breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure abandoned plans to eliminate its funding for Planned Parenthood, following a three-day furor that resounded across the Internet, in Congress and among Komen affiliates. Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Lance Armstrong, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the seven-time Tour de France winner and his teammates had participated in a doping program. (In January 2013, Armstrong publicly admitted taking performance-enhancing drugs.) Actor-director Ben Gazzara, 81, died in New York. Five years ago: President Donald Trump launched his long-promised attack on banking rules that were rushed into law after the nation's economic crisis, signing new orders after meeting with business and investment chiefs and pledging further action to free big banks from restrictions. One year ago: A white Columbus, Ohio, police officer, Adam Coy, was charged with murder in the December 2020 shooting death of a Black man, Andre Hill. (Coy has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.) Country star Morgan Wallen was suspended from his label and his music was pulled by radio stations and streaming services after a video surfaced showed him shouting a racial slur. Tennis Hall of Famer Tony Trabert, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, died at his Florida home at the age of 90.Today's Birthdays: Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton is 82. Actor Bridget Hanley is 81. Actor Blythe Danner is 79. Football Hall of Famer Bob Griese is 77. Singer-guitarist Dave Davies (The Kinks) is 75. Singer Melanie is 75. Actor Morgan Fairchild is 72. Actor Pamela Franklin is 72. Actor Nathan Lane is 66. Rock musician Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) is 66. Actor Thomas Calabro is 63. Rock musician/author Lol Tolhurst (The Cure) is 63. Actor-director Keith Gordon is 61. Actor Michele Greene is 60. Country singer Matraca Berg is 58. Actor Maura Tierney is 57. Actor Warwick Davis is 52. Actor Elisa Donovan is 51. Reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee is 46. Actor Isla Fisher is 46. Human rights activist Amal Clooney is 44. Singer-songwriter Jessica Harp is 40. Actor Matthew Moy is 38. Rapper Sean Kingston is 32. Actor Brandon Micheal Hall is 29.