National briefs

TEXAS: His death marks 1,000th

The 1,000th American serviceman killed in Afghanistan had already fallen victim once to a hidden bomb, and was so eager to return to war that he pushed through his rehabilitation. Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht, a Texas Marine, was serving his second overseas tour. His first one in 2007 lasted only a few weeks after his Humvee drove over an explosive, breaking his leg. He almost lost that leg, but after two years in an Army hospital recovering, he successfully lobbied to return to the battlefield. Leicht had only been in Afghanistan for a few weeks when he stepped on an explosive and was instantly killed on May 27.

CALIFORNIA: A plan to save for college

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is pitching a new plan to help families save money for college. Newsom is proposing a new city program that would create college savings accounts for the city's kindergartners and make small initial deposits to get them started. The mayor, who is campaigning to be California's next lieutenant governor, plans to include funding for the program in his proposed city budget, scheduled to be released Tuesday.

ALABAMA: Vying to be 1st black guv

A well-funded black congressman has a shot at becoming the first African-American to win the Democratic nomination for governor of Alabama. But Artur Davis is doing it without the backing of the state's traditional civil rights organizations. They have endorsed Davis' white opponent, state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, for Tuesday's primary. They did it after Davis skipped their endorsement meetings.