Today is Sunday, March 19, the 78th day of 2023. There are 287 days left in the year.

On March 19, 1945, during World War II, 724 people were killed when a Japanese dive bomber attacked the carrier USS Franklin off Japan (the ship was saved). Adolf Hitler ordered the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied hands in his so-called "Nero Decree," which was largely disregarded.

In 1859, the opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod premiered in Paris.

In 1931, Nevada Gov. Fred B. Balzar signed a measure legalizing casino gambling.

In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered men between the ages of 45 and 64, inclusive, to register for non-military duty.

In 1977, the series finale of "Mary Tyler Moore" aired on CBS-TV, ending the situation comedy's seven-season run.

In 1987, televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his PTL ministry organization amid a sex and money scandal involving Jessica Hahn, a former church secretary.

In 1991, Polish President Lech Walesa arrived in Washington for his first state visit to the United States.

In 1995, after a 21-month hiatus, Michael Jordan returned to professional basketball with his former team, the Chicago Bulls.

In 1997, artist Willem de Kooning, considered one of the 20th century's greatest painters, died in East Hampton, New York, at age 92.

In 2003, President George W. Bush ordered the start of war against Iraq. (Because of the time difference, it was early March 20 in Iraq.)

In 2007, a methane gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine killed 110 workers.

In 2020, President Donald Trump focused attention on a malaria drug, chloroquine, as a possible coronavirus treatment; the FDA issued a statement saying that there were "no FDA-approved therapeutics" to treat COVID-19.

Ten years ago: Pope Francis officially began his ministry as the 266th pope, receiving the ring symbolizing the papacy and a wool stole exemplifying his role as shepherd of his 1.2-billion-strong flock during a Mass at the Vatican. Insurgents carried out a wave of bombings across Iraq that killed at least 65 people. Harry Reems, 65, co-star of the 1972 adult-film classic "Deep Throat," died in Salt Lake City.

Five years ago: Speaking in New Hampshire, a state ravaged by opioids, President Donald Trump called for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including the death penalty. Former tennis star Martina Navratilova said she was "extremely angry" to learn that the BBC paid John McEnroe at least 10 times more than her for their broadcasting roles at Wimbledon. Former "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon announced that she would challenge New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary in September. (Cuomo easily beat back the challenge.)

One year ago: Russian forces pushed deeper into Ukraine's besieged and battered port city of Mariupol, where heavy fighting shut down a major steel plant and local authorities pleaded for more Western help. Four U.S. Marines were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise unrelated to the Ukraine war. A former Apple employee was charged with defrauding the tech giant out of more than $10 million by taking kickbacks, stealing equipment and laundering money, federal prosecutors said.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Renee Taylor is 90. Actor Ursula Andress is 87. Singer Clarence "Frogman" Henry is 86. Singer Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) is 77. Actor Glenn Close is 76. Actor Bruce Willis is 68. Actor-comedian Mary Scheer is 60. Playwright Neil LaBute is 60. Actor Connor Trinneer is 54. Rock musician Gert Bettens (K's Choice) is 53. Rapper Bun B is 50. Rock musician Zach Lind (Jimmy Eat World) is 47. Actor Virginia Williams is 45. Actor Abby Brammell is 44. MLB pitcher Clayton Kershaw is 35. Actor Craig Lamar Traylor is 34. Actor Philip Bolden is 28.

<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, March 19, the 78th day of 2023. There are 287 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On March 19, 1945, during World War II, 724 people were killed when a Japanese dive bomber attacked the carrier USS Franklin off Japan (the ship was saved). Adolf Hitler ordered the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied hands in his so-called "Nero Decree," which was largely disregarded.On this date:In 1859, the opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod premiered in Paris.In 1931, Nevada Gov. Fred B. Balzar signed a measure legalizing casino gambling.In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered men between the ages of 45 and 64, inclusive, to register for non-military duty.In 1977, the series finale of "Mary Tyler Moore" aired on CBS-TV, ending the situation comedy's seven-season run.In 1987, televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his PTL ministry organization amid a sex and money scandal involving Jessica Hahn, a former church secretary.In 1991, Polish President Lech Walesa arrived in Washington for his first state visit to the United States.In 1995, after a 21-month hiatus, Michael Jordan returned to professional basketball with his former team, the Chicago Bulls.In 1997, artist Willem de Kooning, considered one of the 20th century's greatest painters, died in East Hampton, New York, at age 92.In 2003, President George W. Bush ordered the start of war against Iraq. (Because of the time difference, it was early March 20 in Iraq.)In 2007, a methane gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine killed 110 workers.In 2020, President Donald Trump focused attention on a malaria drug, chloroquine, as a possible coronavirus treatment; the FDA issued a statement saying that there were "no FDA-approved therapeutics" to treat COVID-19.Ten years ago: Pope Francis officially began his ministry as the 266th pope, receiving the ring symbolizing the papacy and a wool stole exemplifying his role as shepherd of his 1.2-billion-strong flock during a Mass at the Vatican. Insurgents carried out a wave of bombings across Iraq that killed at least 65 people. Harry Reems, 65, co-star of the 1972 adult-film classic "Deep Throat," died in Salt Lake City.Five years ago: Speaking in New Hampshire, a state ravaged by opioids, President Donald Trump called for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including the death penalty. Former tennis star Martina Navratilova said she was "extremely angry" to learn that the BBC paid John McEnroe at least 10 times more than her for their broadcasting roles at Wimbledon. Former "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon announced that she would challenge New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary in September. (Cuomo easily beat back the challenge.)One year ago: Russian forces pushed deeper into Ukraine's besieged and battered port city of Mariupol, where heavy fighting shut down a major steel plant and local authorities pleaded for more Western help. Four U.S. Marines were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise unrelated to the Ukraine war. A former Apple employee was charged with defrauding the tech giant out of more than $10 million by taking kickbacks, stealing equipment and laundering money, federal prosecutors said.Today's Birthdays: Actor Renee Taylor is 90. Actor Ursula Andress is 87. Singer Clarence "Frogman" Henry is 86. Singer Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) is 77. Actor Glenn Close is 76. Actor Bruce Willis is 68. Actor-comedian Mary Scheer is 60. Playwright Neil LaBute is 60. Actor Connor Trinneer is 54. Rock musician Gert Bettens (K's Choice) is 53. Rapper Bun B is 50. Rock musician Zach Lind (Jimmy Eat World) is 47. Actor Virginia Williams is 45. Actor Abby Brammell is 44. MLB pitcher Clayton Kershaw is 35. Actor Craig Lamar Traylor is 34. Actor Philip Bolden is 28.

Today in History - March 19

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Three people involved in a botched drug deal that left a 19-year-old man dead have been sentenced.&nbsp;

On March 3, a judge sentenced 20-year-old Brian Youngman to nine years in prison for the killing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

On Thursday, 19-year-old Lanita Baugh was&nbsp;sentenced to eight years in prison and 20-year-old&nbsp; Myrashia Griffin&nbsp; was sentenced to one year of probation.

On July 11,2022, sheriff's deputies were sent to a shooting call near the intersection of 47th Street South and Clifton in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.

 The call location was quickly updated to the QuikTrip at 47th Street South and Hydraulic. When deputies arrived at the convenience store they found a 19-year-old later identified as Donovan Graves of Wichita, in a vehicle deceased from a gunshot wound. Baugh and Griffin were with him.

Deputies were directed to a mobile home in the 5200 block of south Clifton where the shooting occurred. 

Investigators learned that Graves, Baugh and Griffin drove to the 5200 Block of South Clifton for a drug transaction, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter. 

Graves attempted to rob a 17-year-old girl of marijuana, according to Easter.&nbsp; Youngman pulled a gun and shot Graves during the robbery.

Deputies arrested Youngman, the two women with Graves and the 17-year-old girl for marijuana possession with intent to sell, according to Easter.&nbsp;

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Three suspects arrested after a fatal drug deal shooting will return to court for a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon.

Brian Youngman, 20 of Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder and attempted distribution of a controlled substance, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Myrashia Griffin, 20 and&nbsp;Lanita Baugh, 19, both of Wichita, were charged with 1st degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery, according to the DA's office.

Just after 7:30p.m. July 11, deputies were sent to a shooting call near the intersection of 47th Street South and Clifton in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.

 The call location was quickly updated to the QuikTrip at 47th Street South and Hydraulic. When deputies arrived at the convenience store they found a 19-year-old later identified as Donovan Graves of Wichita, in a vehicle deceased from a gunshot wound. Two adult woman were with him.

Deputies arrested 20-year-old Brian Youngman of Wichita at the mobile home and booked him on requested charges of first degree murder.

Investigators learned that Graves, 19-year-old Lanita Baugh and 20-year-old Myrashia Griffin drove to the 5200 Block of South Clifton for a drug transaction, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter. 

Graves attempted to rob a 17-year-old girl of marijuana, according to Easter. Youngman pulled a gun and shot Graves during the robbery.

Deputies arrested the two women with Graves, according to Blick.&nbsp; Deputies also arrested the 17-year-old girl for marijuana possession with intent to sell, according to Easter. She and Graves knew each other.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657641940268.png" alt="Youngman-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Youngman-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Three people involved in a botched drug deal that left a 19-year-old man dead have been sentenced.&nbsp;On March 3, a judge sentenced 20-year-old Brian Youngman to nine years in prison for the killing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.On Thursday, 19-year-old Lanita Baugh was&nbsp;sentenced to eight years in prison and 20-year-old&nbsp; Myrashia Griffin&nbsp; was sentenced to one year of probation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657636527733.png" alt="Baugh-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Baugh-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>On July 11,2022, sheriff's deputies were sent to a shooting call near the intersection of 47th Street South and Clifton in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick. The call location was quickly updated to the QuikTrip at 47th Street South and Hydraulic. When deputies arrived at the convenience store they found a 19-year-old later identified as Donovan Graves of Wichita, in a vehicle deceased from a gunshot wound. Baugh and Griffin were with him.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657636612949.png" alt="Griffin-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Griffin-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies were directed to a mobile home in the 5200 block of south Clifton where the shooting occurred. Investigators learned that Graves, Baugh and Griffin drove to the 5200 Block of South Clifton for a drug transaction, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter. Graves attempted to rob a 17-year-old girl of marijuana, according to Easter.&nbsp; Youngman pulled a gun and shot Graves during the robbery.Deputies arrested Youngman, the two women with Graves and the 17-year-old girl for marijuana possession with intent to sell, according to Easter.&nbsp;-------------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Three suspects arrested after a fatal drug deal shooting will return to court for a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon.Brian Youngman, 20 of Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder and attempted distribution of a controlled substance, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Myrashia Griffin, 20 and&nbsp;Lanita Baugh, 19, both of Wichita, were charged with 1st degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery, according to the DA's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657634255367.png" alt="Deputies on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Deputies on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 7:30p.m. July 11, deputies were sent to a shooting call near the intersection of 47th Street South and Clifton in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick. The call location was quickly updated to the QuikTrip at 47th Street South and Hydraulic. When deputies arrived at the convenience store they found a 19-year-old later identified as Donovan Graves of Wichita, in a vehicle deceased from a gunshot wound. Two adult woman were with him.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657636612949.png" alt="Griffin-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Griffin-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies were directed to a mobile home in the 5200 block of south Clifton where the shooting occurred. Deputies arrested 20-year-old Brian Youngman of Wichita at the mobile home and booked him on requested charges of first degree murder.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657636527733.png" alt="Baugh-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Baugh-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators learned that Graves, 19-year-old Lanita Baugh and 20-year-old Myrashia Griffin drove to the 5200 Block of South Clifton for a drug transaction, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter. Graves attempted to rob a 17-year-old girl of marijuana, according to Easter. Youngman pulled a gun and shot Graves during the robbery.Deputies arrested the two women with Graves, according to Blick.&nbsp; Deputies also arrested the 17-year-old girl for marijuana possession with intent to sell, according to Easter. She and Graves knew each other.Each is being held on a $500,000 bond

Three sentenced for drug deal killing of Kansas teen

From the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinapubliclibrary">Salina Public Library Facebook page</a>:

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

*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-496&amp;fbclid=IwAR2ZyTgIFhR7sopZBhDt4SgjDtPfnW0M9lHwpN93YAI4L6ZcrCBVq7PjQ88" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-496</a> ***

There are nine new bestsellers, 26 new movies, one new music CD, and 178 other new books. The new bestsellers this week include "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival," "I Have Some Questions for You," and "Burner." The new movies this week include "Midsomer Murders: Series 23," "Living," and "The Son."&nbsp;&nbsp;

From the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinapubliclibrary">Salina Public Library Facebook page</a>:See what's new this week at the Salina Public Library at:*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-496&amp;fbclid=IwAR2ZyTgIFhR7sopZBhDt4SgjDtPfnW0M9lHwpN93YAI4L6ZcrCBVq7PjQ88" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-496</a> ***There are nine new bestsellers, 26 new movies, one new music CD, and 178 other new books. The new bestsellers this week include "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival," "I Have Some Questions for You," and "Burner." The new movies this week include "Midsomer Murders: Series 23," "Living," and "The Son."&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679149334594.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Check out what's new at Salina Public Library

Today is Saturday, March 18, the 77th day of 2023. There are 288 days left in the year.

On March 18, 1940, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met at the Brenner Pass, where the Italian dictator agreed to join Germany's war against France and Britain. On this date:

In 1766, Britain repealed the Stamp Act of 1765.

In 1922, Mohandas K. Gandhi was sentenced in India to six years' imprisonment for civil disobedience. (He was released after serving two years.)

In 1925, the Tri-State Tornado struck southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, resulting in some 700 deaths.

In 1937, in America's worst school disaster, nearly 300 people, most of them children, were killed in a natural gas explosion at the New London Consolidated School in Rusk County, Texas.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing the War Relocation Authority, which was put in charge of interning Japanese-Americans, with Milton S. Eisenhower (the younger brother of Dwight D. Eisenhower) as its director.

In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gideon v. Wainwright, ruled unanimously that state courts were required to provide legal counsel to criminal defendants who could not afford to hire an attorney on their own.

In 1965, the first spacewalk took place as Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov went outside his Voskhod 2 capsule, secured by a tether.

In 1974, most of the Arab oil-producing nations ended their 5-month-old embargo against the United States that had been sparked by American support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War.

In 2002, Brittanie Cecil died two days short of her 14th birthday after being hit in the head by a puck at a game between the host Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames; it was apparently the first such fan fatality in NHL history.

In 2016, police in Brussels captured Europe's most wanted fugitive, Salah Abdeslam, who was the prime suspect in the deadly 2015 Paris attacks.

In 2020, the U.S. and Canada agreed to temporarily close their shared border to nonessential travel in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ten years ago: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her support for gay marriage in an online video released by the gay rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. A mortar shell explosion killed seven Marines from Camp Lejeune and injured eight other people during mountain warfare training at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.

Five years ago: A self-driving Uber SUV struck and killed a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix in the first death involving a fully autonomous test vehicle; Uber suspended its autonomous vehicle testing program in Arizona, California, Pittsburgh and Toronto after the crash. Vladimir Putin rolled to a crushing re-election victory for six more years as Russia's president. The fourth in a series of bombings in Austin, Texas, left two people injured; authorities said it was triggered along a street by a nearly invisible tripwire. "Black Panther" became the first film since "Avatar" in 2009 to top the weekend box office for five weeks in a row.

One year ago: Vladimir Putin appeared at a huge flag-waving rally at a Moscow stadium Friday and lavished praise on his troops fighting in Ukraine, three weeks into the invasion that led to heavier-than-expected Russian losses on the battlefield and increasingly authoritarian rule. Volkswagen recalled more than 246,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because faulty wiring harnesses could make them brake unexpectedly.

Today's Birthdays: Composer John Kander is 96. Actor Brad Dourif is 73. Jazz musician Bill Frisell is 72. Alt-country musician Karen Grotberg (The Jayhawks) is 64. Movie writer-director Luc Besson is 64. Actor Geoffrey Owens is 62. Actor Thomas Ian Griffith is 61. Singer-songwriter James McMurtry is 61. TV personality Mike Rowe is 61. Singer-actor Vanessa L. Williams is 60. Olympic gold medal speedskater Bonnie Blair is 59. Actor David Cubitt is 58. Rock musician Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) is 57. Rock singer-musician Miki Berenyi is 56. Actor Michael Bergin is 54. Rapper-actor-talk show host Queen Latifah is 53. Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is 51. Actor-comedian Dane Cook is 51. Country singer Philip Sweet (Little Big Town) is 49. Rock musician Stuart Zender is 49. Singers Evan and Jaron Lowenstein are 49. Actor-singer-dancer Sutton Foster is 48. Rock singer Adam Levine (Maroon 5) is 44. Rock musician Daren Taylor (Airborne Toxic Event) is 43. Olympic gold medal figure skater Alexei Yagudin is 43. Actor Adam Pally is 41. Actor Cornelius Smith Jr. is 41. Actor Duane Henry (TV: "NCIS") is 38. Actor Lily Collins is 34. Actor-dancer Julia Goldani Telles is 28. Actor Ciara Bravo is 26. Actor Blake Garrett Rosenthal 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 Saturday, March 18, the 77th day of 2023. There are 288 days left in the year.Today's highlight in history:On March 18, 1940, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met at the Brenner Pass, where the Italian dictator agreed to join Germany's war against France and Britain. On this date:In 1766, Britain repealed the Stamp Act of 1765.In 1922, Mohandas K. Gandhi was sentenced in India to six years' imprisonment for civil disobedience. (He was released after serving two years.)In 1925, the Tri-State Tornado struck southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, resulting in some 700 deaths.In 1937, in America's worst school disaster, nearly 300 people, most of them children, were killed in a natural gas explosion at the New London Consolidated School in Rusk County, Texas.In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing the War Relocation Authority, which was put in charge of interning Japanese-Americans, with Milton S. Eisenhower (the younger brother of Dwight D. Eisenhower) as its director.In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gideon v. Wainwright, ruled unanimously that state courts were required to provide legal counsel to criminal defendants who could not afford to hire an attorney on their own.In 1965, the first spacewalk took place as Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov went outside his Voskhod 2 capsule, secured by a tether.In 1974, most of the Arab oil-producing nations ended their 5-month-old embargo against the United States that had been sparked by American support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War.In 2002, Brittanie Cecil died two days short of her 14th birthday after being hit in the head by a puck at a game between the host Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames; it was apparently the first such fan fatality in NHL history.In 2016, police in Brussels captured Europe's most wanted fugitive, Salah Abdeslam, who was the prime suspect in the deadly 2015 Paris attacks.In 2020, the U.S. and Canada agreed to temporarily close their shared border to nonessential travel in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.Ten years ago: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her support for gay marriage in an online video released by the gay rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. A mortar shell explosion killed seven Marines from Camp Lejeune and injured eight other people during mountain warfare training at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.Five years ago: A self-driving Uber SUV struck and killed a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix in the first death involving a fully autonomous test vehicle; Uber suspended its autonomous vehicle testing program in Arizona, California, Pittsburgh and Toronto after the crash. Vladimir Putin rolled to a crushing re-election victory for six more years as Russia's president. The fourth in a series of bombings in Austin, Texas, left two people injured; authorities said it was triggered along a street by a nearly invisible tripwire. "Black Panther" became the first film since "Avatar" in 2009 to top the weekend box office for five weeks in a row.One year ago: Vladimir Putin appeared at a huge flag-waving rally at a Moscow stadium Friday and lavished praise on his troops fighting in Ukraine, three weeks into the invasion that led to heavier-than-expected Russian losses on the battlefield and increasingly authoritarian rule. Volkswagen recalled more than 246,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because faulty wiring harnesses could make them brake unexpectedly.Today's Birthdays: Composer John Kander is 96. Actor Brad Dourif is 73. Jazz musician Bill Frisell is 72. Alt-country musician Karen Grotberg (The Jayhawks) is 64. Movie writer-director Luc Besson is 64. Actor Geoffrey Owens is 62. Actor Thomas Ian Griffith is 61. Singer-songwriter James McMurtry is 61. TV personality Mike Rowe is 61. Singer-actor Vanessa L. Williams is 60. Olympic gold medal speedskater Bonnie Blair is 59. Actor David Cubitt is 58. Rock musician Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) is 57. Rock singer-musician Miki Berenyi is 56. Actor Michael Bergin is 54. Rapper-actor-talk show host Queen Latifah is 53. Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is 51. Actor-comedian Dane Cook is 51. Country singer Philip Sweet (Little Big Town) is 49. Rock musician Stuart Zender is 49. Singers Evan and Jaron Lowenstein are 49. Actor-singer-dancer Sutton Foster is 48. Rock singer Adam Levine (Maroon 5) is 44. Rock musician Daren Taylor (Airborne Toxic Event) is 43. Olympic gold medal figure skater Alexei Yagudin is 43. Actor Adam Pally is 41. Actor Cornelius Smith Jr. is 41. Actor Duane Henry (TV: "NCIS") is 38. Actor Lily Collins is 34. Actor-dancer Julia Goldani Telles is 28. Actor Ciara Bravo is 26. Actor Blake Garrett Rosenthal is 19.

Today in History - March 18

<a href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/deborah-miranda">https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/deborah-miranda</a>

Deborah Sue Miranda, age 67, of Concordia, Kansas, entered into rest on Monday,&nbsp; March 13, 2023 at the Mayo Clinic, St. Mary’s Campus in Rochester, Minnesota.&nbsp; 

She was born on February 18, 1956, to J.P. and Carolyn (Tew) Borden in Patuxent River, Maryland.

Memorial services will be held at 10:00 am, Friday, March 31, 2023 at the Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home with her sister, Donna Alvarez officiating.&nbsp; Burial of the cremains will follow at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Concordia, Kansas.&nbsp; Friends may sign the register book from 1-8 p.m., Thursday, March 30, 2023 with family greeting friends from 6-7 p.m. all at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to the O’Connor Animal Shelter, 104 Industrial Rd., Concordia, KS 66901 or in care of the funeral home.&nbsp; 

For online condolences please visit chaputbuoy.com.&nbsp;

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Deborah Sue Miranda, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/deborah-miranda/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

<h2>Deborah Sue Miranda, Concordia</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679064721472.jpeg" alt="Deborah Sue Borden Miranda." />
 <figcaption>Deborah Sue Borden Miranda.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/deborah-miranda">https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/deborah-miranda</a>Deborah Sue Miranda, age 67, of Concordia, Kansas, entered into rest on Monday,&nbsp; March 13, 2023 at the Mayo Clinic, St. Mary’s Campus in Rochester, Minnesota.&nbsp; She was born on February 18, 1956, to J.P. and Carolyn (Tew) Borden in Patuxent River, Maryland.Memorial services will be held at 10:00 am, Friday, March 31, 2023 at the Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home with her sister, Donna Alvarez officiating.&nbsp; Burial of the cremains will follow at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Concordia, Kansas.&nbsp; Friends may sign the register book from 1-8 p.m., Thursday, March 30, 2023 with family greeting friends from 6-7 p.m. all at the funeral home.In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to the O’Connor Animal Shelter, 104 Industrial Rd., Concordia, KS 66901 or in care of the funeral home.&nbsp; For online condolences please visit chaputbuoy.com.&nbsp;To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Deborah Sue Miranda, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/deborah-miranda/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

Deborah Sue Miranda

Today is Friday, March 17, the 76th day of 2023. There are 289 days left in the year. This is St. Patrick's Day.

On March 17, 1969, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.

In 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick's Day parade.

In 1776, the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city.

In 1905, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt married Franklin Delano Roosevelt in New York.

In 1941, the National Gallery of Art opened in Washington, D.C.

In 1942, six days after departing the Philippines during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater.

In 1950, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley announced they had created a new radioactive element, "californium."

In 1966, a U.S. Navy midget submarine located a missing hydrogen bomb that had fallen from a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber into the Mediterranean off Spain. (It took several more weeks to actually recover the bomb.)

In 1970, the United States cast its first veto in the U.N. Security Council, killing a resolution that would have condemned Britain for failing to use force to overthrow the white-ruled government of Rhodesia.

In 2003, edging to the brink of war, President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave his country. Iraq rejected Bush's ultimatum, saying that a U.S. attack to force Saddam from power would be "a grave mistake."

In 2010, Michael Jordan became the first ex-player to become a majority owner in the NBA as the league's Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan's $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.

In 2016, finally bowing to years of public pressure, SeaWorld Entertainment said it would no longer breed killer whales or make them perform crowd-pleasing tricks.

In 2020, the Kentucky Derby and the French Open were each postponed from May to September because of the coronavirus.

Ten years ago: Two members of Steubenville, Ohio's celebrated high school football team were found guilty of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl and sentenced to at least a year in juvenile prison in a case that rocked the Rust Belt city of 18,000. Former Oklahoma quarterback Steve Davis, 60, who led the Sooners to back-to-back national championships in the 1970s, was killed in a private plane crash in northern Indiana. Louisville earned the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament after a topsy-turvy season in college basketball.

Five years ago: Superstore company Fred Meyer announced that it would stop selling guns and ammunition; in the aftermath of the Florida high school shooting, the company had earlier said it would stop selling firearms to anyone under 21. Russia said it was expelling 23 British diplomats in a growing diplomatic dispute over a nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain.

One year ago: Rescuers searched for survivors in the ruins of a theater blown apart by a Russian airstrike in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, while ferocious bombardment left dozens dead in a northern city. U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu and her father Arthur Liu – a former political refugee – were among those targeted in a spying operation that the Justice Department alleged was ordered by the Chinese government. St. Patrick's Day parades across the U.S., including the largest in New York City, resumed after a pandemic-driven hiatus.

Today's Birthdays: The former national chairwoman of the NAACP, Myrlie Evers-Williams, is 90. Former astronaut Ken Mattingly is 87. Singer-songwriter John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful) is 79. Former NSA Director and former CIA Director Michael Hayden is 78. Rock musician Harold Brown (War; Lowrider Band) is 77. Actor Patrick Duffy is 74. Actor Kurt Russell is 72. Country singer Susie Allanson is 71. Actor Lesley-Anne Down is 69. Actor Mark Boone Jr. is 68. Country singer Paul Overstreet is 68. Actor Gary Sinise is 68. Actor Christian Clemenson is 65. Former basketball and baseball player Danny Ainge is 64. Actor Arye Gross is 63. Actor Vicki Lewis is 63. Actor Casey Siemaszko is 62. Writer-director Rob Sitch is 61. Actor Rob Lowe is 59. Rock singer Billy Corgan is 56. Actor Mathew St. Patrick is 55. Actor Yanic Truesdale is 54. Rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur is 51. Olympic gold medal soccer player Mia Hamm is 51. Rock musician Caroline Corr (The Corrs) is 50. Actor Amelia Heinle is 50. Country singer Keifer Thompson (Thompson Square) is 50. Actor Marisa Coughlan is 49. Actor Natalie Zea is 48. Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson is 48. Actor Brittany Daniel is 47. Singer and TV personality Tamar Braxton is 46. Country musician Geoff Sprung (Old Dominion) is 45. Reggaeton singer Nicky Jam is 42. TV personality Rob Kardashian is 36. Pop/rock singer-songwriter Hozier is 33. Actor Eliza Hope Bennett is 31. Actor John Boyega is 31. Olympic gold medal swimmer Katie Ledecky is 26. Actor Flynn Morrison is 18.

<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, March 17, the 76th day of 2023. There are 289 days left in the year. This is St. Patrick's Day.Today's highlight in history:On March 17, 1969, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.On this date:In 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick's Day parade.In 1776, the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city.In 1905, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt married Franklin Delano Roosevelt in New York.In 1941, the National Gallery of Art opened in Washington, D.C.In 1942, six days after departing the Philippines during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater.In 1950, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley announced they had created a new radioactive element, "californium."In 1966, a U.S. Navy midget submarine located a missing hydrogen bomb that had fallen from a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber into the Mediterranean off Spain. (It took several more weeks to actually recover the bomb.)In 1970, the United States cast its first veto in the U.N. Security Council, killing a resolution that would have condemned Britain for failing to use force to overthrow the white-ruled government of Rhodesia.In 2003, edging to the brink of war, President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave his country. Iraq rejected Bush's ultimatum, saying that a U.S. attack to force Saddam from power would be "a grave mistake."In 2010, Michael Jordan became the first ex-player to become a majority owner in the NBA as the league's Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan's $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.In 2016, finally bowing to years of public pressure, SeaWorld Entertainment said it would no longer breed killer whales or make them perform crowd-pleasing tricks.In 2020, the Kentucky Derby and the French Open were each postponed from May to September because of the coronavirus.Ten years ago: Two members of Steubenville, Ohio's celebrated high school football team were found guilty of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl and sentenced to at least a year in juvenile prison in a case that rocked the Rust Belt city of 18,000. Former Oklahoma quarterback Steve Davis, 60, who led the Sooners to back-to-back national championships in the 1970s, was killed in a private plane crash in northern Indiana. Louisville earned the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament after a topsy-turvy season in college basketball.Five years ago: Superstore company Fred Meyer announced that it would stop selling guns and ammunition; in the aftermath of the Florida high school shooting, the company had earlier said it would stop selling firearms to anyone under 21. Russia said it was expelling 23 British diplomats in a growing diplomatic dispute over a nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain.One year ago: Rescuers searched for survivors in the ruins of a theater blown apart by a Russian airstrike in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, while ferocious bombardment left dozens dead in a northern city. U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu and her father Arthur Liu – a former political refugee – were among those targeted in a spying operation that the Justice Department alleged was ordered by the Chinese government. St. Patrick's Day parades across the U.S., including the largest in New York City, resumed after a pandemic-driven hiatus.Today's Birthdays: The former national chairwoman of the NAACP, Myrlie Evers-Williams, is 90. Former astronaut Ken Mattingly is 87. Singer-songwriter John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful) is 79. Former NSA Director and former CIA Director Michael Hayden is 78. Rock musician Harold Brown (War; Lowrider Band) is 77. Actor Patrick Duffy is 74. Actor Kurt Russell is 72. Country singer Susie Allanson is 71. Actor Lesley-Anne Down is 69. Actor Mark Boone Jr. is 68. Country singer Paul Overstreet is 68. Actor Gary Sinise is 68. Actor Christian Clemenson is 65. Former basketball and baseball player Danny Ainge is 64. Actor Arye Gross is 63. Actor Vicki Lewis is 63. Actor Casey Siemaszko is 62. Writer-director Rob Sitch is 61. Actor Rob Lowe is 59. Rock singer Billy Corgan is 56. Actor Mathew St. Patrick is 55. Actor Yanic Truesdale is 54. Rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur is 51. Olympic gold medal soccer player Mia Hamm is 51. Rock musician Caroline Corr (The Corrs) is 50. Actor Amelia Heinle is 50. Country singer Keifer Thompson (Thompson Square) is 50. Actor Marisa Coughlan is 49. Actor Natalie Zea is 48. Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson is 48. Actor Brittany Daniel is 47. Singer and TV personality Tamar Braxton is 46. Country musician Geoff Sprung (Old Dominion) is 45. Reggaeton singer Nicky Jam is 42. TV personality Rob Kardashian is 36. Pop/rock singer-songwriter Hozier is 33. Actor Eliza Hope Bennett is 31. Actor John Boyega is 31. Olympic gold medal swimmer Katie Ledecky is 26. Actor Flynn Morrison is 18.

Today in History - March 17

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate took a first step Thursday toward repealing two measures that give open-ended approval for military action in Iraq, pushing to end that authority as the United States marks the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War.

Senators voted 68-27 to move forward on legislation that would repeal the 2002 measure that greenlighted that March 2003 invasion of Iraq and also a 1991 measure that sanctioned the U.S.-led Gulf War to expel Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait. Nineteen Republicans including Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall of Kansas and Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri joined Democrats in supporting the repeal.

The bipartisan effort comes as lawmakers in both parties are increasingly seeking to claw back congressional powers over U.S. military strikes and deployments, arguing that the war authorizations are no longer necessary and subject to misuse if they are left on the books. President Joe Biden has backed the push, and the White House issued a statement Thursday in support.

"Repeal of these authorizations would have no impact on current U.S. military operations and would support this administration's commitment to a strong and comprehensive relationship with our Iraqi partners," the White House said.

Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Todd Young, R-Ind., said they believe the 68 votes in support send a powerful message to Americans who believe their voice should be heard on matters of war and peace. Kaine and Young have led the push for repeal and have worked for several years on the issue.

"It is time for Congress to have its voice heard on these matters, and I believe this will establish a very important precedent moving forward," Young said.

It's unclear whether leaders in the Republican-controlled House will bring the bill up for a vote, even if it passes the Senate. Forty-nine House Republicans supported the legislation when then-majority Democrats held a vote two years ago, but current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has opposed it.

Senate Republicans are also split on the legislation. While the 19 GOP senators voted for it, opponents argue that the repeal could project weakness to U.S. enemies. They have pointed out that President Donald Trump's administration cited the 2002 Iraq war resolution as part of its legal justification for a 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani.

The October 2002 votes to give President George W. Bush broad authority for the invasion — coming just a month before the midterm elections that year — became a defining moment for many members of Congress as the country debated whether a military strike was warranted. The U.S. was already at war then in Afghanistan, the country that hosted the al-Qaida plotters responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, something Iraq played no part in.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat who was in the Senate at the time and voted against the resolution, said on the floor before Thursday's vote that "I look back on it, as I'm sure others do, as one of the most important votes that I ever cast."

"The repeal of this authorization of use the use of military force does not mean the United States has become a pacifist nation," Durbin said. "It means that the United States is going to be a constitutional nation and the premise of our Founding Fathers will be respected."

The Bush administration had drummed up support among members of Congress and Americans for invading Iraq by promoting false intelligence claims about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.

After the initial March 2003 invasion, American ground forces quickly discovered that the allegations of nuclear or chemical weapons programs were baseless. But the U.S. overthrow of Iraq's security forces precipitated a brutal sectarian fight and violent campaigns by Islamic extremist groups in Iraq. Car bombings, assassinations, torture and kidnapping became a part of daily life in Iraq for years.

Nearly 5,000 U.S. troops were killed in the war. Iraqi deaths are estimated in the hundreds of thousands.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in the hours before the vote that he was glad that the repeal is a bipartisan effort after the Iraq conflict was the cause of "so much bitterness" in the past.

"Americans are tired of endless wars in the Middle East," Schumer said.

The Senate will consider the legislation next week, with possible amendments from both sides.

One of the amendments that could be considered would repeal a separate authorization of military force passed immediately after the 2001 attacks. It gave Bush broad authority for the invasion of Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism but did not name one country, instead broadly approving force "against those nations, organizations, or persons" that planned or aided the attacks on the U.S.

But there is less support in the Senate and Congress overall for repealing the broader authority. Biden and some lawmakers have supported replacing or revising that authorization in the future, but "not right now," Kaine said, as it is still used by the military.

In its statement of policy, the White House appeared to reference the 2001 authority, saying that Biden "remains committed to working with the Congress to ensure that outdated authorizations for the use of military force are replaced with a narrow and specific framework more appropriate to protecting Americans from modern terrorist threats."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679016319597.png" alt="Nineteen Republicans including Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall of Kansas and Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri joined Democrats in supporting the repeal.CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Nineteen Republicans including Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall of Kansas and Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri joined Democrats in supporting the repeal.CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate took a first step Thursday toward repealing two measures that give open-ended approval for military action in Iraq, pushing to end that authority as the United States marks the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War.Senators voted 68-27 to move forward on legislation that would repeal the 2002 measure that greenlighted that March 2003 invasion of Iraq and also a 1991 measure that sanctioned the U.S.-led Gulf War to expel Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait. Nineteen Republicans including Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall of Kansas and Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri joined Democrats in supporting the repeal.The bipartisan effort comes as lawmakers in both parties are increasingly seeking to claw back congressional powers over U.S. military strikes and deployments, arguing that the war authorizations are no longer necessary and subject to misuse if they are left on the books. President Joe Biden has backed the push, and the White House issued a statement Thursday in support."Repeal of these authorizations would have no impact on current U.S. military operations and would support this administration's commitment to a strong and comprehensive relationship with our Iraqi partners," the White House said.Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Todd Young, R-Ind., said they believe the 68 votes in support send a powerful message to Americans who believe their voice should be heard on matters of war and peace. Kaine and Young have led the push for repeal and have worked for several years on the issue."It is time for Congress to have its voice heard on these matters, and I believe this will establish a very important precedent moving forward," Young said.It's unclear whether leaders in the Republican-controlled House will bring the bill up for a vote, even if it passes the Senate. Forty-nine House Republicans supported the legislation when then-majority Democrats held a vote two years ago, but current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has opposed it.Senate Republicans are also split on the legislation. While the 19 GOP senators voted for it, opponents argue that the repeal could project weakness to U.S. enemies. They have pointed out that President Donald Trump's administration cited the 2002 Iraq war resolution as part of its legal justification for a 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani.The October 2002 votes to give President George W. Bush broad authority for the invasion — coming just a month before the midterm elections that year — became a defining moment for many members of Congress as the country debated whether a military strike was warranted. The U.S. was already at war then in Afghanistan, the country that hosted the al-Qaida plotters responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, something Iraq played no part in.Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat who was in the Senate at the time and voted against the resolution, said on the floor before Thursday's vote that "I look back on it, as I'm sure others do, as one of the most important votes that I ever cast.""The repeal of this authorization of use the use of military force does not mean the United States has become a pacifist nation," Durbin said. "It means that the United States is going to be a constitutional nation and the premise of our Founding Fathers will be respected."The Bush administration had drummed up support among members of Congress and Americans for invading Iraq by promoting false intelligence claims about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.After the initial March 2003 invasion, American ground forces quickly discovered that the allegations of nuclear or chemical weapons programs were baseless. But the U.S. overthrow of Iraq's security forces precipitated a brutal sectarian fight and violent campaigns by Islamic extremist groups in Iraq. Car bombings, assassinations, torture and kidnapping became a part of daily life in Iraq for years.Nearly 5,000 U.S. troops were killed in the war. Iraqi deaths are estimated in the hundreds of thousands.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in the hours before the vote that he was glad that the repeal is a bipartisan effort after the Iraq conflict was the cause of "so much bitterness" in the past."Americans are tired of endless wars in the Middle East," Schumer said.The Senate will consider the legislation next week, with possible amendments from both sides.One of the amendments that could be considered would repeal a separate authorization of military force passed immediately after the 2001 attacks. It gave Bush broad authority for the invasion of Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism but did not name one country, instead broadly approving force "against those nations, organizations, or persons" that planned or aided the attacks on the U.S.But there is less support in the Senate and Congress overall for repealing the broader authority. Biden and some lawmakers have supported replacing or revising that authorization in the future, but "not right now," Kaine said, as it is still used by the military.In its statement of policy, the White House appeared to reference the 2001 authority, saying that Biden "remains committed to working with the Congress to ensure that outdated authorizations for the use of military force are replaced with a narrow and specific framework more appropriate to protecting Americans from modern terrorist threats."

Moran, Marshall vote to advance repeal of Iraq war authorization

Today is Thursday, March 16, the 75th day of 2023. There are 290 days left in the year.

On March 16, 1968, the My Lai massacre took place during the Vietnam War as U.S. Army soldiers hunting for Viet Cong fighters and sympathizers killed unarmed villagers in two hamlets of Son My village; estimates of the death toll vary from 347 to 504.

In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew reached the Philippines, where Magellan was killed during a battle with natives the following month.

In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed a measure authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

In 1935, Adolf Hitler decided to break the military terms set by the Treaty of Versailles by ordering the rearming of Germany.

In 1945, during World War II, American forces declared they had secured Iwo Jima, although pockets of Japanese resistance remained.

In 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In 1972, in a nationally broadcast address, President Richard Nixon called for a moratorium on court-ordered school busing to achieve racial desegregation.

In 1984, William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut, was kidnapped by Hezbollah militants (he was tortured by his captors and killed in 1985).

In 1994, figure skater Tonya Harding pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for covering up an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan, avoiding jail but drawing a $100,000 fine.

In 2004, China declared victory in its fight against bird flu, saying it had "stamped out" all its known cases.

In 2014, Crimeans voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia, overwhelmingly approving a referendum that sought to unite the strategically important Black Sea region with the country it was part of for some 250 years.

In 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to take the seat of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who had died the previous month. (Republicans who controlled the Senate would stick to their pledge to leave the seat empty until after the presidential election; they confirmed Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch in April 2017.)

In 2020, global stocks plunged again amid coronavirus concerns, with Wall Street seeing a 12% decline, its worst in more than 30 years; the S&amp;P 500 was down 30% from its record set less than a month earlier. Ohio called off its presidential primary just hours before polls were to open, but Arizona, Florida and Illinois went ahead with their plans.

Ten years ago: Thousands of activists gathered for the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington gave Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul a narrow victory over Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in their unscientific presidential preference poll (Paul had 25 percent of the vote and Rubio 23 percent; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was third with 8 percent). South Korea's Yuna Kim, back at the World Figure Skating Championships after a two-year absence, won the women's title in London, Ontario, Canada. British actor Frank Thornton, 92, best known as Captain Peacock in the long-running television comedy "Are You Being Served?," died in London.

Five years ago: Singer Aretha Franklin canceled two upcoming concerts, saying a doctor had told her to stay off the road and rest completely for at least two months. (Franklin died five months later from pancreatic cancer.) Airstrikes in Syria killed more than 100 people as civilians fled besieged areas for a second straight day.

One year ago: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy summoned the memory of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 terror attacks in an impassioned video plea to the U.S. Congress to send more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia. President Joe Biden announced the U.S. was sending more anti-aircraft, anti-armor weapons and drones, and declared Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal. The Federal Reserve launched a high-risk effort to tame the worst inflation since the 1970s, raising its benchmark short-term interest rate. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Ray Walker (The Jordanaires) is 89. Game show host Chuck Woolery is 82. Country singer Robin Williams is 76. Actor Erik Estrada is 74. Actor Victor Garber is 74. Country singer Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel) is 72. Bluegrass musician Tim O'Brien (Hot Rize; Earls of Leicester) is 69. Rock singer-musician Nancy Wilson (Heart) is 69. World Golf Hall of Famer Hollis Stacy is 69. Actor Clifton Powell is 67. Rapper-actor Flavor Flav is 64. Rock musician Jimmy DeGrasso is 60. Actor Jerome Flynn is 60. Folk singer Patty Griffin is 59. Movie director Gore Verbinski is 59. Country singer Tracy Bonham is 56. Actor Lauren Graham is 56. Actor Judah Friedlander is 54. Actor Alan Tudyk is 52. Actor Tim Kang is 50. R&amp;B singer Blu Cantrell is 47. Actor Brooke Burns is 45. Actor Kimrie Lewis is 41. Actor Brett Davern is 40. Actor Alexandra Daddario is 37. R&amp;B singer Jhené Aiko is 35. Rock musician Wolfgang Van Halen is 32. Toronto Blue Jays baseball star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 24.

<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, March 16, the 75th day of 2023. There are 290 days left in the year.Today's highlight in history:On March 16, 1968, the My Lai massacre took place during the Vietnam War as U.S. Army soldiers hunting for Viet Cong fighters and sympathizers killed unarmed villagers in two hamlets of Son My village; estimates of the death toll vary from 347 to 504.On this date:In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew reached the Philippines, where Magellan was killed during a battle with natives the following month.In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed a measure authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.In 1935, Adolf Hitler decided to break the military terms set by the Treaty of Versailles by ordering the rearming of Germany.In 1945, during World War II, American forces declared they had secured Iwo Jima, although pockets of Japanese resistance remained.In 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.In 1972, in a nationally broadcast address, President Richard Nixon called for a moratorium on court-ordered school busing to achieve racial desegregation.In 1984, William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut, was kidnapped by Hezbollah militants (he was tortured by his captors and killed in 1985).In 1994, figure skater Tonya Harding pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for covering up an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan, avoiding jail but drawing a $100,000 fine.In 2004, China declared victory in its fight against bird flu, saying it had "stamped out" all its known cases.In 2014, Crimeans voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia, overwhelmingly approving a referendum that sought to unite the strategically important Black Sea region with the country it was part of for some 250 years.In 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to take the seat of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who had died the previous month. (Republicans who controlled the Senate would stick to their pledge to leave the seat empty until after the presidential election; they confirmed Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch in April 2017.)In 2020, global stocks plunged again amid coronavirus concerns, with Wall Street seeing a 12% decline, its worst in more than 30 years; the S&amp;P 500 was down 30% from its record set less than a month earlier. Ohio called off its presidential primary just hours before polls were to open, but Arizona, Florida and Illinois went ahead with their plans.Ten years ago: Thousands of activists gathered for the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington gave Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul a narrow victory over Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in their unscientific presidential preference poll (Paul had 25 percent of the vote and Rubio 23 percent; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was third with 8 percent). South Korea's Yuna Kim, back at the World Figure Skating Championships after a two-year absence, won the women's title in London, Ontario, Canada. British actor Frank Thornton, 92, best known as Captain Peacock in the long-running television comedy "Are You Being Served?," died in London.Five years ago: Singer Aretha Franklin canceled two upcoming concerts, saying a doctor had told her to stay off the road and rest completely for at least two months. (Franklin died five months later from pancreatic cancer.) Airstrikes in Syria killed more than 100 people as civilians fled besieged areas for a second straight day.One year ago: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy summoned the memory of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 terror attacks in an impassioned video plea to the U.S. Congress to send more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia. President Joe Biden announced the U.S. was sending more anti-aircraft, anti-armor weapons and drones, and declared Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal. The Federal Reserve launched a high-risk effort to tame the worst inflation since the 1970s, raising its benchmark short-term interest rate. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan.Today's Birthdays: Country singer Ray Walker (The Jordanaires) is 89. Game show host Chuck Woolery is 82. Country singer Robin Williams is 76. Actor Erik Estrada is 74. Actor Victor Garber is 74. Country singer Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel) is 72. Bluegrass musician Tim O'Brien (Hot Rize; Earls of Leicester) is 69. Rock singer-musician Nancy Wilson (Heart) is 69. World Golf Hall of Famer Hollis Stacy is 69. Actor Clifton Powell is 67. Rapper-actor Flavor Flav is 64. Rock musician Jimmy DeGrasso is 60. Actor Jerome Flynn is 60. Folk singer Patty Griffin is 59. Movie director Gore Verbinski is 59. Country singer Tracy Bonham is 56. Actor Lauren Graham is 56. Actor Judah Friedlander is 54. Actor Alan Tudyk is 52. Actor Tim Kang is 50. R&amp;B singer Blu Cantrell is 47. Actor Brooke Burns is 45. Actor Kimrie Lewis is 41. Actor Brett Davern is 40. Actor Alexandra Daddario is 37. R&amp;B singer Jhené Aiko is 35. Rock musician Wolfgang Van Halen is 32. Toronto Blue Jays baseball star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 24.

Today in History - March 16

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

In a number of ways, Salina's Milt Allen is a modern-day Renaissance man.

Allen and his partner, Nancy Steele, operate Harmony Hideway, a multi-use facility that offers space for retreats, lodging, gatherings, live music performances, and fostering creativity.

READ: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/0241a219-0507-49a1-b948-785e4ae987db">Harmony Hideaway: A retreat and meeting space, arts haven in NE Saline Co.</a>

Allen's lifelong love for music shines in a number of other endeavors. He plays a monthly gig (7 p.m. the second Wednesday of every month at Ad Astra Books &amp; Coffee House, 135 N. Santa Fe Avenue). In the more than 40 years since he graduated from Salina Central High School, he has performed at the Olympics and for a presidential inauguration, he has taught music at the secondary and collegiate levels, and served as a music clinician. In 2015 he started a nonprofit organization called <a href="https://themusicguerrilla.com/">The Music Guerrilla</a> that focuses on underserved and underfunded music programs.

If that wasn't enough, he also finds time to climb...mountains.

In December of 2020, Allen climbed Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. More recently, he has climbed to Peru's 15th-century Incan citadel, Machu Picchu, and to the base camp of the highest mountain above sea level: Mount Everest.

Allen said that his Mount Kilimanjaro climb took an emotional toll on him that he didn't expect.

"That was very scary with the huge health concerns with that. It affected me emotionally a lot more than I thought, and I was just afraid of everything," Allen said. "So I thought, well, I've got to get back on the horse, and the biggest thing was altitude, so I thought 'OK, I'm going to trek the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu.'"

After training for a while, Allen went to Peru in May of 2022.

"The trick about Machu Picchu is, you fly into Cusco, which is kind of the Incan capital. And the thing about Cusco is that when you fly in, it's at 12,000 feet, so you're already at an altitude that's going to make you sick if you're not prepared," Allen explained.

"So I flew in there and tried some things different and just had a great time going to Machu Picchu, and staying above 12,000 feet the whole time. Never got sick. It was great. Felt strong. Felt great. And I thought, well, another big one I wanted to do was Everest basecamp, and now I had some more confidence so I thought, 'well, I'll just use Machu Picchu as a training hike, and focus toward Everest basecamp,' and so that's what I did," he said.

Allen changed up his training routine in preparation before heading to Mount Everest the first weekend in October of 2022.

"Everest basecamp is a different climb," he said. "Also, when we say 'basecamp,' we're not talking like at the bottom of a mountain. Everest basecamp is 17,600 feet, and you're at 53 percent oxygen, so the trick about Everest as opposed to Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro is what's regarded as a quicker ascent, which means that if you get into trouble with oxygen and things, you can go down quicker. Everest has far more rescues, more helicopter rescues, because it's a slower ascent, and as a result, a slower descent. So in that regard, it is much tougher because you're spending more time at higher altitudes the whole time."

Allen said that there was a 10-hour and 45-minute time difference going to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and his first day there, he was unable to sleep.

His climbing group was made up of people from nine different countries.

"Our schedule said we would fly out of Kathmandu and go to the world's shortest runway, to Lukla, which is an interesting flight, on the first day, and then we would start up from there," Allen said.

That changed, however, when the Sherpa leading the group informed them that they would drive for five hours and then fly out.

Allen explained that while many people think of a Sherpa as a porter, that isn't the case. Instead, Sherpa is a culture.

"The reason people confuse the two is because when Edmund Hillary summited Everest, he used a Sherpa. What Hillary meant was using someone of that culture, not a porter," Allen said.

The group made what turned out to be a harrowing five-hour drive to their new destination. 

"The drive was terrible. Horrific. There were washed-out bridges, washed-out roads, occasional rock slides, there was a festival, avoiding head-on collisions," he said.

When they got to their hotel, they found out that a group that had been staying in the hotel and was supposed to fly out was unable to do so because the airport was closed, so rooms were not available for Allen's group. Instead, Allen's group went to another nearby hotel. 

"We get up the next morning. It's foggy. And that's when we find out the airport is closed again. So, our Sherpa says, 'Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna drive seven more hours' (through all these roads and everything), 'and go to this other place where I think we can get a flight into Lukla,'" Allen said.

Allen said his group questioned whether that meant that they would lose an acclimatization day. The Sherpa told them it would, but they would still have one and would be fine.

The group took off on its seven-hour journey, but about an hour away from the destination, the 15-passenger van broke down on a mountain.

"We're going nowhere. Dark's coming. There's not enough places to pass," Allen said. "I had mentioned that there was no way you're going to fix this problem because you've got a chip problem in your fuel pump. So they finally called a couple of Jeeps, two or three, and they carted us all the way. So our seven-hour day turned into 10 hours on these roads."

Allen said he found out later that the road they were on in Nepal was the most dangerous road in Asia.

"There's even a place called the Wall of Mirrors where people will bring mirrors and place them on the wall for a certain god to watch over them as they drive this road," he said.

"So, we get up the next morning. We have one acclimatization day left. Not sure how that going to work, and, of course, I'm a little nervous. We go to the airport - landing strip, had a fence around it. Nobody was really watching - and it's gorgeous. We see a couple of planes take off. We're enthused. And then it slows down. And then, nothing," Allen recalled.

"Well, Sherpa is on his phone because he knows other Sherpa people who work in certain spots. We keep being assured that we're going to do helicopters now. 'Helicopters coming in in two hours.' We heard this all day long. Nothing. So we're getting a little nervous," he said. "Finally, at about 4:30, he points to me and three other people and says, 'grab your gear. Go down to the strip.'"

When the group of four asked what was going on, the Sherpa told them they were going to fly out by helicopter. The rest of the group, the Sherpa said, would follow the next day.

"So this small helicopter lands and the blades keep going. He says, 'Wait, we've got to unload first.' They start pulling out big plastic gas cans of diesel fuel, which they had loaded in the helicopter in case it needed to refuel. And I mean, it was packed with diesel fuel," Allen said. "So we get in there and it smells. It's sickening. 

"We're kind of excited because we think we're going to go, but we're very sad because we didn't have time to say goodbye to the other group members," he said. "So we take off. The first five minutes were cool. And then it got dark. And then it got rainy. And then it got foggy. And all of a sudden, he says, 'we've got to set it down.'"

So the helicopter descends to what appeared to be a little patch of grass with a building. 

"There's a bunch of people. We see two or three other helicopters. So he (pilot) goes to the ground and then noses forward with his props and blows people back and their luggage and then sets it down because of the weather," Allen said. 

Another Sherpa, the assistant guide who was with them, was able to secure lodging for the four people through his connections. That lodging was right beside a raging river, Allen said.

Because of a late-ending monsoon season and a typhoon that had come up in the Bay of Bengal, a great deal of snow had been dumped on the Annapurna Circuit, a trek within the mountain ranges of central Nepal.

The next morning, the group found out that "two people had died. There were avalanches. There were people stranded. All of these helicopters had been busy on rescue missions. We also found out that our helicopter pilot took off again that night in the dark, in that weather to retrieve a body from up on the mountain."

They also found out that the airport they originally were supposed to have flown into, Lukla, had been closed for 10 days because of weather. Thousands of people were stranded.

"So our Sherpa said, 'Here's what we're going to do. We're going to hike out. It's not fair. People have been here waiting for a week, two weeks. We're not going to take this helicopter. They need it,'" Allen said.

"So we just started in the rain and the fog and hiked, initially, a really steep route for 90 minutes, and then just hiked, and hiked, and hiked. And it was hard and wet and cold, and we couldn't see anything. And got through that first day and then there was Plan B, which involved supposedly more helicopters, which did not pan out the next day, but strangely enough, after two days of hiking, the four of us ended up meeting our group again in Namche Bazaar. They had flown in on helicopters," he said.

Allen said the weather after that "was stunning, which is one of the reasons I went in October. It's the clearest time to see the mountains. It was just beautiful. Full of yaks, full of donkeys.

"Having been born and raised here (Salina), you know you read about these mountains and these places and what's happening, but to actually be there. The same thing with Machu Picchu. To actually be there," Allen said and smiled.

"There's a very sobering spot in Lobuche Pass. Lobuche Pass is one of the last places you go through on your way to Lobuche, and then another day or two and you're up, but that's where they make cairns and monuments to people who have died on Everest. It's how many are there. It's heartbreaking. Very sobering. It's just a graveyard you go into, and again, they're memorials, but you really realized how serious this was," he said.

Sixty-seven percent of the people going up Mount Everest make it to the base camp, Allen said. 

"I got a completely new appreciation for those who attempt to summit Everest. And it's not very many who make it. First, you gotta have $50,000-$60,000. You gotta carve out 60 to 90 days to do it," he said. "One of the things I learned this time, I think more than any other, was that you are completely at the whim of the weather. It doesn't matter who you are, what you are, what you have. If the weather's bad, bad things happen."

All in all, the trip was "pretty spectacular," Allen said.

As for what is next, Allen said he wasn't yet, sure. 

"I don't know. I'm always getting into something, it seems," he said and laughed.

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostIn a number of ways, Salina's Milt Allen is a modern-day Renaissance man.Allen and his partner, Nancy Steele, operate Harmony Hideway, a multi-use facility that offers space for retreats, lodging, gatherings, live music performances, and fostering creativity.READ: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/0241a219-0507-49a1-b948-785e4ae987db">Harmony Hideaway: A retreat and meeting space, arts haven in NE Saline Co.</a>Allen's lifelong love for music shines in a number of other endeavors. He plays a monthly gig (7 p.m. the second Wednesday of every month at Ad Astra Books &amp; Coffee House, 135 N. Santa Fe Avenue). In the more than 40 years since he graduated from Salina Central High School, he has performed at the Olympics and for a presidential inauguration, he has taught music at the secondary and collegiate levels, and served as a music clinician. In 2015 he started a nonprofit organization called <a href="https://themusicguerrilla.com/">The Music Guerrilla</a> that focuses on underserved and underfunded music programs.If that wasn't enough, he also finds time to climb...mountains.In December of 2020, Allen climbed Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. More recently, he has climbed to Peru's 15th-century Incan citadel, Machu Picchu, and to the base camp of the highest mountain above sea level: Mount Everest.Allen said that his Mount Kilimanjaro climb took an emotional toll on him that he didn't expect."That was very scary with the huge health concerns with that. It affected me emotionally a lot more than I thought, and I was just afraid of everything," Allen said. "So I thought, well, I've got to get back on the horse, and the biggest thing was altitude, so I thought 'OK, I'm going to trek the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu.'"After training for a while, Allen went to Peru in May of 2022."The trick about Machu Picchu is, you fly into Cusco, which is kind of the Incan capital. And the thing about Cusco is that when you fly in, it's at 12,000 feet, so you're already at an altitude that's going to make you sick if you're not prepared," Allen explained."So I flew in there and tried some things different and just had a great time going to Machu Picchu, and staying above 12,000 feet the whole time. Never got sick. It was great. Felt strong. Felt great. And I thought, well, another big one I wanted to do was Everest basecamp, and now I had some more confidence so I thought, 'well, I'll just use Machu Picchu as a training hike, and focus toward Everest basecamp,' and so that's what I did," he said.Allen changed up his training routine in preparation before heading to Mount Everest the first weekend in October of 2022.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678858814012.jpeg" alt="Allen at the Mount Everest base camp. Photos courtesy Milt Allen" />
 <figcaption>Allen at the Mount Everest base camp. Photos courtesy Milt Allen</figcaption>
 </figure>"Everest basecamp is a different climb," he said. "Also, when we say 'basecamp,' we're not talking like at the bottom of a mountain. Everest basecamp is 17,600 feet, and you're at 53 percent oxygen, so the trick about Everest as opposed to Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro is what's regarded as a quicker ascent, which means that if you get into trouble with oxygen and things, you can go down quicker. Everest has far more rescues, more helicopter rescues, because it's a slower ascent, and as a result, a slower descent. So in that regard, it is much tougher because you're spending more time at higher altitudes the whole time."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678858949661.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Allen said that there was a 10-hour and 45-minute time difference going to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and his first day there, he was unable to sleep.His climbing group was made up of people from nine different countries.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678859169012.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"Our schedule said we would fly out of Kathmandu and go to the world's shortest runway, to Lukla, which is an interesting flight, on the first day, and then we would start up from there," Allen said.That changed, however, when the Sherpa leading the group informed them that they would drive for five hours and then fly out.Allen explained that while many people think of a Sherpa as a porter, that isn't the case. Instead, Sherpa is a culture."The reason people confuse the two is because when Edmund Hillary summited Everest, he used a Sherpa. What Hillary meant was using someone of that culture, not a porter," Allen said.The group made what turned out to be a harrowing five-hour drive to their new destination. "The drive was terrible. Horrific. There were washed-out bridges, washed-out roads, occasional rock slides, there was a festival, avoiding head-on collisions," he said.When they got to their hotel, they found out that a group that had been staying in the hotel and was supposed to fly out was unable to do so because the airport was closed, so rooms were not available for Allen's group. Instead, Allen's group went to another nearby hotel. "We get up the next morning. It's foggy. And that's when we find out the airport is closed again. So, our Sherpa says, 'Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna drive seven more hours' (through all these roads and everything), 'and go to this other place where I think we can get a flight into Lukla,'" Allen said.Allen said his group questioned whether that meant that they would lose an acclimatization day. The Sherpa told them it would, but they would still have one and would be fine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678859519054.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The group took off on its seven-hour journey, but about an hour away from the destination, the 15-passenger van broke down on a mountain."We're going nowhere. Dark's coming. There's not enough places to pass," Allen said. "I had mentioned that there was no way you're going to fix this problem because you've got a chip problem in your fuel pump. So they finally called a couple of Jeeps, two or three, and they carted us all the way. So our seven-hour day turned into 10 hours on these roads."Allen said he found out later that the road they were on in Nepal was the most dangerous road in Asia."There's even a place called the Wall of Mirrors where people will bring mirrors and place them on the wall for a certain god to watch over them as they drive this road," he said."So, we get up the next morning. We have one acclimatization day left. Not sure how that going to work, and, of course, I'm a little nervous. We go to the airport - landing strip, had a fence around it. Nobody was really watching - and it's gorgeous. We see a couple of planes take off. We're enthused. And then it slows down. And then, nothing," Allen recalled."Well, Sherpa is on his phone because he knows other Sherpa people who work in certain spots. We keep being assured that we're going to do helicopters now. 'Helicopters coming in in two hours.' We heard this all day long. Nothing. So we're getting a little nervous," he said. "Finally, at about 4:30, he points to me and three other people and says, 'grab your gear. Go down to the strip.'"When the group of four asked what was going on, the Sherpa told them they were going to fly out by helicopter. The rest of the group, the Sherpa said, would follow the next day."So this small helicopter lands and the blades keep going. He says, 'Wait, we've got to unload first.' They start pulling out big plastic gas cans of diesel fuel, which they had loaded in the helicopter in case it needed to refuel. And I mean, it was packed with diesel fuel," Allen said. "So we get in there and it smells. It's sickening. "We're kind of excited because we think we're going to go, but we're very sad because we didn't have time to say goodbye to the other group members," he said. "So we take off. The first five minutes were cool. And then it got dark. And then it got rainy. And then it got foggy. And all of a sudden, he says, 'we've got to set it down.'"So the helicopter descends to what appeared to be a little patch of grass with a building. "There's a bunch of people. We see two or three other helicopters. So he (pilot) goes to the ground and then noses forward with his props and blows people back and their luggage and then sets it down because of the weather," Allen said. Another Sherpa, the assistant guide who was with them, was able to secure lodging for the four people through his connections. That lodging was right beside a raging river, Allen said.Because of a late-ending monsoon season and a typhoon that had come up in the Bay of Bengal, a great deal of snow had been dumped on the Annapurna Circuit, a trek within the mountain ranges of central Nepal.The next morning, the group found out that "two people had died. There were avalanches. There were people stranded. All of these helicopters had been busy on rescue missions. We also found out that our helicopter pilot took off again that night in the dark, in that weather to retrieve a body from up on the mountain."They also found out that the airport they originally were supposed to have flown into, Lukla, had been closed for 10 days because of weather. Thousands of people were stranded."So our Sherpa said, 'Here's what we're going to do. We're going to hike out. It's not fair. People have been here waiting for a week, two weeks. We're not going to take this helicopter. They need it,'" Allen said."So we just started in the rain and the fog and hiked, initially, a really steep route for 90 minutes, and then just hiked, and hiked, and hiked. And it was hard and wet and cold, and we couldn't see anything. And got through that first day and then there was Plan B, which involved supposedly more helicopters, which did not pan out the next day, but strangely enough, after two days of hiking, the four of us ended up meeting our group again in Namche Bazaar. They had flown in on helicopters," he said.Allen said the weather after that "was stunning, which is one of the reasons I went in October. It's the clearest time to see the mountains. It was just beautiful. Full of yaks, full of donkeys.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678859324759.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"Having been born and raised here (Salina), you know you read about these mountains and these places and what's happening, but to actually be there. The same thing with Machu Picchu. To actually be there," Allen said and smiled."There's a very sobering spot in Lobuche Pass. Lobuche Pass is one of the last places you go through on your way to Lobuche, and then another day or two and you're up, but that's where they make cairns and monuments to people who have died on Everest. It's how many are there. It's heartbreaking. Very sobering. It's just a graveyard you go into, and again, they're memorials, but you really realized how serious this was," he said.Sixty-seven percent of the people going up Mount Everest make it to the base camp, Allen said. "I got a completely new appreciation for those who attempt to summit Everest. And it's not very many who make it. First, you gotta have $50,000-$60,000. You gotta carve out 60 to 90 days to do it," he said. "One of the things I learned this time, I think more than any other, was that you are completely at the whim of the weather. It doesn't matter who you are, what you are, what you have. If the weather's bad, bad things happen."All in all, the trip was "pretty spectacular," Allen said.As for what is next, Allen said he wasn't yet, sure. "I don't know. I'm always getting into something, it seems," he said and laughed.

Man of many passions: Allen makes music, fosters creativity, climbs mountains

Today is Wednesday, March 15, the 74th day of 2023. There are 291 days left in the year.

On March 15, 44 B.C., Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassius.

In 1493, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus arrived back in the Spanish harbor of Palos de la Frontera, two months after concluding his first voyage to the Western Hemisphere.

In 1917, Czar Nicholas II abdicated in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who declined the crown, marking the end of imperial rule in Russia.

In 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force from World War I convened in Paris for a three-day meeting to found the American Legion.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied bombers again raided German-held Monte Cassino.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson, addressing a joint session of Congress, called for new legislation to guarantee every American's right to vote; the result was passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In 1972, "The Godfather," Francis Ford Coppola's epic gangster movie based on the Mario Puzo novel and starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, premiered in New York.

In 1977, the situation comedy "Three's Company," starring John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers, premiered on ABC-TV.

In 2005, former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers was convicted in New York of engineering the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history. (He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.)

In 2011, the Syrian civil war had its beginnings with Arab Spring protests across the region that turned into an armed insurgency and eventually became a full-blown conflict.

In 2019, a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, streaming the massacre live on Facebook. (Brenton Tarrant, an Australian white supremacist, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder and other charges.)

In 2020, the Federal Reserve took massive emergency action to help the economy withstand the coronavirus by slashing its benchmark interest rate to near zero and saying it would buy $700 billion in treasury and mortgage bonds. After initially trying to keep schools open, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the nation's largest public school system would close in hopes of curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

Ten years ago: The Pentagon announced it would spend $1 billion to add 14 interceptors to an Alaska-based missile defense system, responding to what it called faster-than-anticipated North Korean progress on nuclear weapons and missiles. The chief of Syria's main, Western-backed rebel group marked the second anniversary of the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad by pledging to fight until the "criminal" regime was gone. Canadian Patrick Chan won his third title at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario.

<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 Wednesday, March 15, the 74th day of 2023. There are 291 days left in the year.Today's highlight in history:On March 15, 44 B.C., Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassius.On this date:In 1493, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus arrived back in the Spanish harbor of Palos de la Frontera, two months after concluding his first voyage to the Western Hemisphere.In 1820, Maine became the 23rd state.In 1917, Czar Nicholas II abdicated in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who declined the crown, marking the end of imperial rule in Russia.In 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force from World War I convened in Paris for a three-day meeting to found the American Legion.In 1944, during World War II, Allied bombers again raided German-held Monte Cassino.In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson, addressing a joint session of Congress, called for new legislation to guarantee every American's right to vote; the result was passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.In 1972, "The Godfather," Francis Ford Coppola's epic gangster movie based on the Mario Puzo novel and starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, premiered in New York.In 1977, the situation comedy "Three's Company," starring John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers, premiered on ABC-TV.In 2005, former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers was convicted in New York of engineering the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history. (He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.)In 2011, the Syrian civil war had its beginnings with Arab Spring protests across the region that turned into an armed insurgency and eventually became a full-blown conflict.In 2019, a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, streaming the massacre live on Facebook. (Brenton Tarrant, an Australian white supremacist, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder and other charges.)In 2020, the Federal Reserve took massive emergency action to help the economy withstand the coronavirus by slashing its benchmark interest rate to near zero and saying it would buy $700 billion in treasury and mortgage bonds. After initially trying to keep schools open, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the nation's largest public school system would close in hopes of curbing the spread of the coronavirus.Ten years ago: The Pentagon announced it would spend $1 billion to add 14 interceptors to an Alaska-based missile defense system, responding to what it called faster-than-anticipated North Korean progress on nuclear weapons and missiles. The chief of Syria's main, Western-backed rebel group marked the second anniversary of the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad by pledging to fight until the "criminal" regime was gone. Canadian Patrick Chan won his third title at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario.Five years ago: A pedestrian bridge that was under construction collapsed onto a busy Miami highway, crushing vehicles beneath massive slabs of concrete and steel; six people died and 10 were injured. The Trump administration accused Moscow of an elaborate plot to hack into America's electric grid, factories, water supply and even air travel; the U.S. also targeted Russians with sanctions for alleged election meddling for the first time since President Donald Trump took office. Federal health officials took the first step to slash levels of addictive nicotine in cigarettes, a move designed to help smokers quit and prevent future generations from getting hooked. All seven service members aboard a U.S. helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed in Iraq; officials said there were no indications that the crash had been caused by hostile fire.One year ago: Russia stepped up its bombardment of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, while an estimated 20,000 civilians fled the desperately encircled port city of Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor. A man suspected of stalking and shooting homeless people asleep on the streets of New York City and Washington was arrested. The AP All-America college basketball team was announced, with first-team players Keegan Murray of Iowa, Kofi Cockburn of Illinois, Johnny Davis of Wisconsin, Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Ochai Agbaji of Kansas.Today's Birthdays: Actor Judd Hirsch is 88. Jazz musician Charles Lloyd is 85. Rock musician Phil Lesh is 83. Singer Mike Love (The Beach Boys) is 82. Rock singer-musician Sly Stone is 80. Rock singer-musician Howard Scott (War; Lowrider Band) is 77. Rock singer Ry Cooder is 76. Actor Frances Conroy is 70. Actor Craig Wasson is 69. Rock singer Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) is 68. Actor Joaquim de Almeida is 66. Actor Park Overall is 66. Movie director Renny Harlin is 64. Model Fabio is 62. Singer Terence Trent D'Arby (AKA Sananda Maitreya) is 61. Rock singer Bret Michaels (Poison) is 60. R&amp;B singer Rockwell is 59. Actor Chris Bruno is 57. Actor Kim Raver is 56. Rock singer Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) is 55. Rock musician Mark Hoppus is 51. Country singer-musician Matt Thomas (Parmalee) is 49. Actor Eva Longoria is 48. Rapper-musician will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) is 48. Rock DJ Joseph Hahn (Linkin Park) is 46. Rapper Young Buck is 42. Actor Sean Biggerstaff is 40. Actor Kellan Lutz is 38. Actor Caitlin Wachs is 34.