As the 41st anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., approaches on April 4, newly discovered FBI files say that a small group of White supremacists paid for James Earl Ray to kill Dr. King. This vindicates the 1979 conclusion of a Congressional investigation headed by Rep. Louis Stokes--the House Select Committee on Assassinations--which found that Ray acted for money. . . . 

A state report issued this week projects that Measure 57, the crime-sentencing measure approved by voters in November, will add 1,600 inmates to Oregon's prison population by 2013. The measure, which took effect Jan. 1, requires sending repeat property and drug crime offenders to prison. . . .

An Arctic explorer often overlooked for his accomplishments is about to receive some overdue recognition.
A life-sized statue of Matthew Henson is to be unveiled Monday outside a former Camden church that one group is trying to turn into a maritime museum ... For decades, Henson, who was black, rarely received credit for exploring alongside Peary on all his trips into the Arctic and reaching the North Pole 45 minutes earlier. . . .

The University of Massachusetts in Amherst said Friday it would scan, catalog, digitize and put online papers of civil rights movement pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois. ... an estimated 100,000 diaries, letters, photographs and other items related to Du Bois, who helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. . . .

President Barack Obama on Sunday launched an effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons, calling them "the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War'' and saying the U.S. has a moral responsibility to lead as the only nation to ever use one. In a speech driven with new urgency by North Korea's rocket launch just hours earlier, Obama said the U.S. would host a summit within the next year on reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons. . . .

Northwest Kidney Centers on Saturday May 2, 2009, will hold its 7th annual Kidney Health Fest for African American Families, featuring free health screenings, entertainment and healthy food samples made by local celebrity chefs. The free event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the African American Academy, 8311 Beacon Ave. S., in Seattle. Participants also will enjoy a panel discussion on kidney health and healthy living on a shoestring, featuring Jesse Jones of KING 5 television as the emcee. The day includes music, exhibits, a fitness demonstration and obstacle course for all ages, a fun, interactive Kids' Korner, and the chance to win prizes such as iPods and an Xbox 360. . . .

Mychal Bell, the only member of the Jena 6 to have his case resolved, has written a blog in which he says he now realizes he "should have done what Dr. King preached, which was nonviolence.''
Bell and five other black youths were originally charged with attempted murder after an attack on a white schoolmate. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor second-degree battery charge. The other cases are still pending. . . .

DETROIT (AP) - General Motors Corp. is softening its opposition to bankruptcy reorganization a little more, with new CEO Fritz Henderson saying in an interview broadcast on Sunday, "if it's required, that's what we'll do.'' GM still prefers to do its restructuring without bankruptcy protection, Henderson said in an interview taped by CNN Friday for its program "State of the Union.''  Henderson's predecessor Rick Wagoner was sacked last month after the federal auto restructuring task force determined he was not restructuring fast enough or deep enough. Wagoner had resisted bankruptcy, fearing it would drive customers away and force GM into liquidation. . . .

Mumia Abu-Jamal has lost his bid for a new trial in the killing of a police officer in 1981.
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up Abu-Jamal's claims that prosecutors improperly excluded blacks from the jury that convicted him of murdering Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner.
Since Abu-Jamal's 1982 conviction, activists in the United States and Europe have rallied in support of his claims that he was the victim of a racist justice system. Abu-Jamal, 54, has kept his case in the spotlight through books and radio broadcasts.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld Abu-Jamal's conviction but held his death sentence invalid. The appeals court said it would not second-guess state court rulings rejecting Abu-Jamal's claims of bias in the composition of the jury. . . .

Singer Natalie Cole has been overwhelmed with offers of fans' kidneys after revealing on TV that she requires a transplant. Cole was diagnosed last year with hepatitis C. While appearing on Larry King Live, the 59-year-old explained that after undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatments, her kidney ''stopped functioning.'' ''I couldn't breathe,'' she said. . . .