John Hinckley Receives Ronald Reagan Medal of Marksmanship

"U.S. Sen. George Allen's alleged racial remark is costing him an award from an organization named for a civil-rights titan.

The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund chose the Republican for its community leadership award because of his legislation providing $250 million in federal aid to historically black colleges for computers and other information technology.

But Allen last night disclosed he would decline the honor because the scholarship-dispensing foundation said donors were threatening to withhold funds if it gave him the award next month.

"I regret that there are those who would put their personal or political dislike of me ahead of the needs of deserving students, and I do not want to be the cause of any controversy which could in any way harm the efforts to help these young people," he said in a written statement.