Ex-husband of Atlanta mayor dies. David McCoy Franklin, the ex-husband of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin who was a trusted adviser of former Mayor Maynard Jackson, died Sunday, according to a death notice issued by Murray Brothers Funeral Home in Atlanta . He was 65. No cause of death has been disclosed. Franklin had suffered a long illness, Angelo Fuster, former spokesman for Jackson , told The Associated Press. Fuster said that Franklin ’s political smarts were “quite valued,” AP reports.

Blacks are the target of choice for Taser-wielding Houston Police

Life can be shocking if you’re Black and life in Houston . A new study released Monday revealed that Houston Police officers have used their Tasers on African-American suspects more than any other group of people. Read more at BET.com/News.

Philly cops nab third suspect in cold-blooded murder. Philadelphia Police have netted a third suspect in connection with the slaying of a 78-year-old Korean War vet who was shot in the face last week by thugs who attempted to rob him outside a Veterans of Foreign Wars post. The murder of the “sweet and gentle man,” as neighbors described him, shocked the community and the police, which launched an intense investigation into the homicide. Last Thursday detectives arrested two 18-year-olds, Karl Jarmon and Terrell Bennett. Their alleged accomplice, 15-year-old Gary Autrey, is now under arrest, according to homicide Lt. Mel Williams. The trio is being held without bail, charged with murder, conspiracy and weapons charges, police said. “We are satisfied that we took these predators off the streets and we made an arrest in a timely manner, and we were able to give the family closure,” said Lt. Williams. “It’s a tragedy whenever people prey on the old.” Enor Williams had been married to Connie Williams nearly 40 years and, according to The Philadelphia Daily News, was a devoted volunteer at the post. “I hate that [the murder] was the last thing that happened to him,” his 59-year-old widow told the newspaper. “I knew they would find him,” she said of the suspected gunman. “I don’t know how, but I did.” *

He allegedly was mad that an African American had slept with his wife

A Florida man targeting African Americans slammed his car into a 25-year-old Black woman who was riding her bike, according to police. Police said that Thomas Cosby, 56, drove his automobile into Nekedia Cato, and in the process destroyed a nearby porch and hit a tree before causing her to roll over three times, according to NBC affiliate WESH Channel 2. “He just hit me because I was Black,” Cato, who was riding her bike home from the store, told the television station. “I actually saw him coming toward me. I tried to move my bike as fast as I [could], but it wasn’t quick enough. He came straight for me.” After Cosby crashed, police said, he got out of his car and yelled the “N”-word and a slew of racist remarks, including how he wanted to kill Black people, WESH reports. “He was screaming out he had to kill all Black people because one slept with his wife,” said Cato, who suffered several injuries, broken bones and a broken leg so severe doctors inserted a metal rod into her leg. “If he could target me just because of the color of my skin, he could target anybody else. “I’m kind of scared walking down the street because I don’t know if people hate me.” Authorities say she could spend several weeks in the hospital. Cosby is facing hate-crime charges for alleged aggravated battery and simple battery.

Black Republicans have put a media hit out on Barack.
Just when you think you can’t be surprised anymore, something else comes along in this unprecedented presidential race to make you raise both eyebrows again. The National Black Republican Association has launched a series of ads attacking Barack Obama, calling him every dis from the urban dictionary that they could Google. Go to the You(th) Vote for more on this and other stories.