Park Service Will Run King Tomb

The family of Martin Luther King Jr. agreed Monday to turn over management of the slain civil rights leader’s tomb to the National Park Service.

The move comes after the park service, which has conducted tours of King property for 12 years, was banished from the King birth home and the King Center last year during a dispute that was later resolved.

The park service will take over tours of King’s tomb, located at the King Center, as well as the Freedom Hall exhibit building before the Olympics, when officials expect 100,000 visitors a day.

The King Center, which has been cutting back on staff while coping with financial difficulties, will also turn over control of a $534,000 federal grant used to maintain the sites, said Troy Lissimore, park manager for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.