Will Hillary Clinton be the next Secretary of State? Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is among the candidates that President-elect Barack Obama is considering for secretary of State, reports The Associated Press. The news comes from two Democratic officials close to the Obama transition team, AP says. Read the rest here.

No records set on Election Day. Turnout in last week’s election increased from four years ago but fell far short of some forecasts, largely because many Republican voters either stayed home or left blank the presidential section of their ballots. In states won by President-elect Barack Obama, turnout was more than 5 percentage points higher than in states won by Republican John McCain, according to a Globe analysis of data compiled by a pair of researchers who study voting patterns in U.S. elections, reports The Boston Globe. 

A foundation funds Black archives. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to the Kansas City Public Library to help finish the expansion and renovation of space for the Black Archives of Mid-America, reports the Kansas City Business Journal. The archives will be housed in a former administration building for the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department. To recognize the grant, the archives will designate a public space named after Ewing Kauffman to be used for research, exhibits, training and presentations. The building’s renovation is expected to be completed by the fall of 2009.

Concerns are raised about HIV “crime.” Some health officials are concerned that a growing trend to criminalize the transmission of HIV will hurt progress made in the fight against the virus worldwide, AP/Yahoo! News reports. According to a recently released report from the International Planned Parenthood Federation, 33 countries are considering legislation that would prosecute people who transmit the virus, and 58 countries already have similar laws or use existing laws to prosecute HIV transmission. Seven West African countries have passed such laws since 2005, AP/Yahoo! News reports. Paul de Lay of UNAIDS said he is concerned that such laws, if “applied badly,” could lead to policies that force people to undergo HIV testing or cause people to hide their HIV status. He added that this could move the epidemic underground, allow the virus to spread undetected and “set us back and do incredible damage.” Although some critics argue that laws criminalizing the spread of HIV are necessary for individuals who are “maliciously” spreading the virus, according to AP/Yahoo! News, many experts argue that those are extreme cases.

Black law makers to wrap up health summit in D.C. As part of the 38th Annual Legislative Conference, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. will wrap up its Black Health Empowerment Project tour in the nation’s capital. The Health Empowerment Project is a national health initiative created and produced by the foundation to educate African Americans about the relationship between obesity and chronic diseases. The project brings civic leaders, health experts and communities together to discuss practical strategies for reversing this public health crisis affecting adults and youths. The tour’s theme is “Eat, Move and Test for Health.” The final event this year will be held as a special session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, in the ALC ‘08 Exhibition Hall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW. The program is free and open to the public. It features a series of interactive presentations during a healthy living forum. International fitness celebrity Donna Richardson Joyner, creator of “Sweating in the Spirit” exercise videos, will headline the event along with her husband, Tom Joyner, host of the “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” the nationally syndicated radio program. Overall, more than 18,000 people focusing on issues affecting African Americans attend the event each year. The four-day conference is headlined by the 42 members of the Congressional Black Caucus and features dozens of policy forums, general sessions, exhibits, a job fair, book signings and networking opportunities. It ends with a star-studded awards dinner and after-dinner gala. The project has reached thousands of people of all ages in 17 cities nationwide during the past two years, including most recently Charlotte in June and Milwaukee in July.

The youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. fights back

Two children of Martin Luther King Jr. have been sued by the institution their mother founded, under allegations by their brother that they have used The King Center for Nonviolent Change for personal gain. Dexter King, the center’s chairman, filed the lawsuit Monday against his brother and sister, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, in a countersuit to the one his siblings filed against him earlier this year. Dexter says his siblings have established foundations in direct competition with The King Center for Nonviolent Change, according to The Associated Press. Dexter King also says in the lawsuit that his brother used the center without permission to meet with then-presidential candidate John Edwards in January 2008. In July, Bernice and Martin Luther King III sued their brother to force him to open the books of their father’s estate.