Fourth Chicago Teen Charged in Videotaped Beating

CHICAGO (AP) — A fourth teen is facing murder charges in the beating death of a Chicago high school honor student in September.

The 14-year-old’s name isn’t being released. He was charged Nov. 5 as a juvenile and appeared the following day before a judge.

Prosecutors allege the teen delivered the punch that rendered the 16-year-old Derrion Albert briefly unconscious. His attorney and family members refused to comment after the hearing.

Three other teens have been indicted on murder charges in Albert’s Sept. 24 beating, which was caught on a cell phone camera. The footage shows him being hit with boards and kicked as he lay on a sidewalk.

Albert’s death and Chicago youth violence have attracted attention from federal officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Teens Arrested in Shooting of Girl at High School

(AP) — Two 16-year-old boys have been arrested for the murder of a 16-year-old girl who was shot following a homecoming football game in Long Beach.

Long Beach police recently did not identify the suspects because they are minors. Police say the teens, both reputed gang members, will face charges connected with firing multiple rounds into a crowd during a brawl at Woodrow Wilson High School Oct. 30.

Melody Ross, an honor student and track athlete, was shot. She died at a hospital.

An 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were also struck and were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Sacramento Mayor Engaged to D.C. Schools Superintendent

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Washington schools superintendent Michelle Rhee are engaged.

The former NBA star and the nationally known education reformer have regularly been seen together ever since Johnson launched his mayoral bid in early 2008. They attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration together.

Rhee also served on the board of Johnson’s St. HOPE Public Schools from 2006 to 2007.

The engagement was first reported Nov. 6 in The Washington Post’s Reliable Source blog, which said Rhee was seen at Democratic school reform event this week sporting a “pretty sparkly thing on her left hand.”

The 44-year-old Johnson and 39-year-old Rhee say they have no immediate plans for a wedding and will continue their cross-country courtship.

Gospel’s Bobby Jones Donates Recordings Worth $6M

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gospel music singer Bobby Jones has donated an estimated $6 million worth of recordings to Tennessee State University, his alma mater.

Jones has given about 30 years worth of recordings, along with exclusive rights, of his performances and the television programs he hosted and produced on the Black Entertainment Television cable network.

The university said in a statement that the recordings have been professionally appraised at $6 million and will be used for scholarly research. The donation is the largest in-kind gift the university has ever received.

The donated recordings are being preserved and will be housed in the school’s library.

Parents of Dead Spelman Student File Lawsuit

ATLANTA (AP) — The parents of a Spelman College student killed by a stray bullet as she walked on the Clark AtlantaUniversity campus are suing the university for their daughter’s death.

In a lawsuit filed Nov. 5 in Fulton County State Court, Constance Franklin and Clint Lynn of Kansas City, Mo., say Clark Atlanta did not take “necessary actions to properly secure its campus.” The lawsuit claims that lack of security directly led to the Sept. 3 shooting death of 19-year-old Jasmine Lynn.

The lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of money.

Franklin said her daughter was so proud of getting into Spelman that she gave her acceptance letter to her mother as a Christmas gift in 2008. Lynn had a 3.8 GPA and was studying to be a clinical psychologist, according to the suit.

“No amount of money could heal my pain,” Franklin said during a news conference in downtown Atlanta after the lawsuit was filed. “I don’t want another parent to have to stand here in my shoes. We have to save our babies.”

Clark Atlanta spokesman Larry Calhoun declined comment.

One person has been charged in Lynn’s shooting.

The Clark Atlanta campus is more open than Spelman or Morehouse, which are gated.