(Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, Rutgers University fired head basketball coach Mike Rice, Nelson Mandela is making progress in seventh day at hospital and former superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools reported to jail and was released on bond in cheating scandal.

Rutgers University fired head basketball coach Mike Rice after ESPN broadcast a video showing him physically and verbally abusing players. [CNN]

Nelson Mandela is making progress as he spends the seventh day at the hospital. [BET]

The former superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools reported to jail on Tuesday for cheating scandal. She was released on bond on Wednesday morning. [CNN]

President Obama will attend this month’s dedication of the George W. Bush presidential library in Dallas. [USA Today]

Rev. Al Sharpton kicks off the National Action Network convention in New York City. [BET]

D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry hospitalized after experiencing a drop in blood sugar. [AP]

President Obama and Michelle Obama were moved after viewing 42, a movie about Jackie Robinson. [AP]

Oregon lawmakers are considering a bill that will regulate the production, processing and sale of marijuana. [USA Today]

North Carolina lawmakers introduced a bill declaring that the state has the power to establish an official religion. [NBCNews]

Four sisters aged between 19 and 24 in north India received burns after two men on motorbike splashed them with acid. [Al Jazeera]

In today’s top news, all of Urban Prep Academy’s senior class is college-bound for the fourth year, Louisville’s Kevin Ware is recovering from surgery after a gruesome leg injury and the White House is expecting 35,000 people at the 135th Easter Egg Roll.

Urban Prep Academy, an all-Black male charter school in Chicago, is sending all of its students to college for the fourth year. [Chicago Sun Times]

Louisville’s Kevin Ware is recovering from surgery after a gruesome leg injury in last night’s game against Duke. [ABCNews]

A crowd of 35,000 is expected to show up to the White House lawn for the 135th Easter Egg Roll. [NBC Washington]

Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for James Holmes, who was accused in last year’s movie theater massacre in Colorado. [Washington Post]

Philip Banks III, an African-American, is the new highest-ranking uniformed officer in the NYPD. [The Grio]

The Supreme Court is weighing in on race as they address the affirmative action and voting rights cases. [AP]

Conservatives attack Google for using its homepage to celebrate Cesar Chavez’s birthday and not Easter. [Politico]

Elwin Wilson, a former KKK supporter who apologized for years of violent racism toward Blacks, has died at 76. [AP]

The number of female tourists arriving to India has dropped by 35 percent in the past three months since the fatal Delhi rape. [The Guardian]

An Afghan teenager killed an American soldier by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children. [USA Today]

(Photo: AP Photo, File)

In today’s top news, Nelson Mandela is hospitalized again, George Zimmerman’s lawyer Mark O’Mara believes Robert Zimmerman’s controversial tweets will harm defense and two Georgia teens have been indicted for the murder of a 1-year-old.

Nelson Mandela was hospitalized again for a lung infection. [BET]

George Zimmerman’s lawyer Mark O’ Mara believes Robert Zimmerman’s tweets about Trayvon Martin will harm the defense. [CNN]

Two Georgia teens have been indicted for the murder of a 1-year-old. [CNN]

A rally will be held in D.C. on Good Friday to increase national awareness of racial disparities in incarceration. [Afro American]

In the stop-and-frisk trial, a NYPD officer testified that he detained and taunted an innocent 13-year-old. [Wall Street Journal]

Search warrants say Adam Lanza killed 26 people and himself in five minutes in the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre. [USA Today]

Miami Heat’s winning streak ends with loss to the Chicago Bulls, 101-97. [ESPN]

Jamie Foxx will play the president in the upcoming action film White House Down. [The Grio]

In today’s top news, police release Trayvon Martin 911 tapes, top leaders gather in D.C. for BET’s Leading Women Defined conference and Mitt Romney wins primary victory in Puerto Rico.

Police release Trayvon Martin 911 tapes. [BET]

Top leaders gather in D.C. for BET’s Leading Women Defined conference. [BET]

Mitt Romney wins primary victory in Puerto Rico. [BBC]

Sugary drinks and sodas linked to heart disease in men. [BET]

Despite progress, one in four high school students drop out. [AP]

The Temptations sue iTunes over royalties. [Billboard]

Kony 2012 director detained and hospitalized. [NYT]

Data shows Nigerians are the most educated in the U.S. [HoustonChronicle]

Slavery still alive in Mauritania. [CNN]

Virginia student told to read Langston Hughes poem “Blacker.” [WAMU]

In today’s top news, Spike is planning a bash for Obama’s re-election bid, Columbia vows to return mistakenly deported teen Jakadrien Turner and Rick Santorum backtracks on his infamous Black comment.

Spike Lee plans an upscale fundraiser to support President Obama’s re-election bid. [BET]

Mistakenly deported Dallas teen Jakadrien Turner to be returned home. [CNN]

D.C. Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. resigns amid felony charges [BET]

California homeless seek shelter amid killing spree. [MSNBC]

Rapper Wiz Khalifa accused of stealing hit song “Black and Yellow.” [BET]

Michelle Obama makes her acting debut on Nickelodeon show iCarly. [AP]

Africa is now China’s “golden ground” for investment. [AFP]

Rick Santorum backtracks on Black comment. [CNN]

New computer virus can raid your bank account. [MSNBC]

Commentary: Do Black celebrity weight loss endorsements make you want to shed those pounds? [BET]

(Photo: Fame Pictures)

In today’s top news, GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich gets the stamp of approval from J.C. Watts, pop star Rihanna rejects being called a racial slur and Detroit’s budget crisis has put its publicly funded Black museum on the chopping block.

Black Republican lawmaker J.C. Watts to endorse Newt Gingrich’s presidential candidacy. [BET]

Rihanna snaps back after a Dutch magazine calls her the N-word. [MTV]

U.S intelligence officials pointing fingers after Kim Jong Il death went unnoticed for 48 hours. [NYT]

Housing starts are at highest level since April last year. [MSNBC]

Detroit eyes budget cuts that may affect city museums, zoo. [Free Press]

NYC rats raid holiday treats at area post offices. [MSNBC]

Georgia group delivers natural hair Barbie dolls to young Black girls. [News 13]

Study: Black girls exercise less and less as they age. [BET]

D.C. Black men outraged over police treatment. [WUSA9]

Plane crash lands on a busy New Jersey highway. [NYT]

(Photo: John Ricard)

In today’s top news, Obama blasts GOP critics with a snarky comeback, Jay-Z prepares to raise cash for the United Way, and Oprah’s TV network may be getting a lot more color.

Obama tells critics to  “ask Bin Laden” if he’s an appeaser. [CBS]

NBC will approve Questlove’s future Fallon show selections. [AP]

Jay-Z to perform for charity. [BET]

FAMU president punished after hazing death. [Orlando Sentinel]

Scientists discover nature’s own STD test. [MSNBC]

Sandusky’s wife stands by her man. [ABC]

Despite the achievement gap, Black parents do care about education. [BET]

Eddie Murphy eyes role of ex-D.C. mayor Marion Barry in upcoming HBO film. [Hollywood Reporter]

Oprah’s OWN network may shift its aim to Black viewers. [NYPost]

Black atheists in the south share stories. [CNN]

(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, a gang of thieving teens baffle police, Occupy protesters are running up high tabs across the country, Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky is in more trouble and Herman Cain thinks he’s got what it takes to grab Black votes.

Teen flash mob robs a Maryland 7-Eleven. [CNN]

Nearly half of all Americans struggle to make ends meet. [MSNBC]

New Sandusky child abuse allegations surface. [CNN]

Occupy protests running a high tab with U.S. cities. [AP]

New Mexico Black pastors allege discrimination by state university. [NYT]

DC DMV offers HIV testing. [AP]

Three U.S. students arrested in Cairo amid violence. [BBC]

One million in Zimbabwe need food aid. [IRIN]

Obama to hold third Native American conference. [AP]

Herman Cain bets on Black votes. [BET]

Democratic Party political strategist Jamal Simmons recently bought a new crib in D.C. On Politico’s Click blog feature “Off the Clock,” he shows off his new digs and takes you to a few spots in the neighborhood.

On Friday, residents of the District of Columbia observed Emancipation Day. The annual local celebration commemorated the 148th anniversary of the day in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln freed slaves in DC.

This year, activists used the occasion to build final momentum towards next week’s congressional vote when members of the House of Representatives will vote on whether or not the District of Columbia will be granted a vote in Congress.

Right now, the city is represented in Congress by D.C. delegate Eleanor Homes Norton but she does not vote.

President Obama supports voting rights for D.C. residents. The President said, “I urge Congress to finally pass legislation that provides D.C. residents with voting representation and to take steps to improve the Home Rule Charter.”

Also on Friday, Obama was presented a copy of Lincoln’s proclamation that freed slaves in Washington. It will be kept and displayed in the Oval Office at the White House.

Do you think it’s a good idea for the District of Columbia to have a voting member in Congress even though it is not a state?