It's been one week since Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher shocked the football world by shooting his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, then himself. In the intervening seven days, people have tried to make sense of his actions in different ways. Could he have suffered concussions during his time on the field, which made him prone to violence and poor impulse control? Some outlets speculated Belcher was angry at Perkins for various reasons. ESPN was criticized for airing a graphic in tribute to Belcher.

To try to make some sense of the story and resulting coverage, we called Gina McCauley, who blogs at What About Our Daughters. McCauley says all the speculation about the causes of last Saturday's events is offensive, and an avoidance tactic. "Why are we going out of our way to ignore the fact that the reason this woman was murdered is because of misogyny and sexism?" she asks. "She was murdered because he wanted to control her in some way. He couldn't, so he killed her."

Her post on the murder cites the CDC statistic that black women ages 25-29 are about 11 times more likely than white women in that age group to be murdered while pregnant, or within one year of giving birth. She had a lot to share with us about the disparity in those numbers and why the media doesn't talk about it in cases like this.

We also spoke this week with documentary filmmaker Aishah Shahidah Simmons, who directed "No! The Rape Documentary." In the film she examines sexual assault in communities of color, and unique issues surrounding survivors within our community. 

When the Kentucky Wildcats won the 2012 NCAA men's basketball championship, UK students and fans flooded the streets of Lexington -- screaming, celebrating and burning stuff. But no college hoops observer needed such a revelruos display to know that Wildcats fans are among the most obsessive in sports. 

Excerpted from the book 100 Things Wildcats Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, by Ryan Clark and Joe Cox.

Western Kentucky football coach Willie Taggart has accepted the same job at South Florida, just weeks before the Hilltoppers' first bowl appearance since becoming a member of college football's top level in 2008, ESPN.com is reporting Friday night.

Taggart, a Florida native, has coached the Hilltoppers for three season. Western Kentucky was winless the season before he arrived and won just two games his first season.

"A half day of shooting for ten seconds of scene." That's how a member of the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets described his experience on the set of Stephen Spielberg's Lincoln.

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he hopes a deal can be reached to avoid the fiscal cliff,  but so far the talks have not gone well.

McConnell said President Barack Obama is asking for a new stimulus package -- the unlimited ability to raise the debt ceiling and more than $1 trillion in new tax revenues.

(The New York Times recently published a handy graphic outlining where the sides stand.)

U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana will continue wielding influence in Washington after he leaves office, but with a much younger audience.

Lugar is starting an internship program with the University of Indianapolis that will operate out of Washington. He has also agreed to deliver a handful of lectures each year as a distinguished professor at the private university.

The 80 year old Lugar will split his time between Washington and Indianapolis in the new job.

The Supreme Court has decided to take up cases involving California's Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage, and a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The justices' rulings on the cases are likely to be announced next June, after arguments are heard in the spring. Advocates on both sides of the issue were welcoming the news.

The NAACP has announced its greatest education agenda since the federal government ordered desegregation in 1954, the group said this week.

The civil right group is asking local branches to lobby county and state governments to extend school time, improve teacher training and preschool programs and streamline spending to the neediest students.

The initiatives are being supported by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who said in a state the number of students dropping out, especially among minorities, is “devastating entire communities.”