The Washington Post originally reported that PFC Auctions is selling the blood sample, which it says was taken from President Reagan during his recovery from an assassination attempt in 1981. The auction company says it attained the item from a man whose late mother worked in a lab where the president’s blood was tested.

Doctors who treated Mr. Reagan after the 1981 shooting recalled that several hospital workers took souvenirs from the experience, including stitches and medical reports, the Post said.

In a statement, the foundation, in Simi Valley, Calif., called the sale a “craven act.” The auction, which ends today, is asking a bid price of almost $15,000.

South Asian Youth Action, which works in seven local schools and a Sikh temple, was started in 1996 by Sayu Bhojwani who wanted to offer resources for those kids. One in 20 New Yorkers between the ages of five and 19 are South Asian, according to Census figures, and a fourth of them live in poverty.

The charity, with headquarters in Queens, offers about a dozen services, including tutoring, leadership development, counseling, and a basketball program. All of those who have participated in Chalo College, which helps teenagers navigate the college-application process, have gone on to enroll at higher-education institution, says Udai Tambar, the charity’s executive director.

In total, the organization has served about 7,700 youths, including Khwaja Hassan, now 28, who began attending the center as a high-school student. The son of immigrants from Bangladesh who worked as cashiers, Mr. Hassan graduated from college, now earns a six-figure salary through his job as an account manager for Bloomberg, and supports his family, including his parents. He says, “When you get a taste of what is out there, which is what I got with SAYA, you get hungrier and hungrier, and right now, I am living in a dream.”

The Catholic groups are fighting provisions in its health-care law regarding access to contraception, and by suing the Obama administration, the Journal says, they are “saying that the same federal government they have viewed for decades as an ally in their fight for social justice is now a threat to their religious liberty.”

The editorial faulted President Obama for his approach to the controversial policy, saying he “has rebuffed Catholic leaders in their attempt to work out a compromise over the Administration’s mandate that all insurance plans offer contraception and sterilization services.”

The commentary concluded, “Once upon a time the political left viewed Catholics and especially the bishops as their allies in using government to create more equal opportunity and redistribute income. … We trust the courts will instruct the Administration that the Constitution still puts religious liberty first.”

The money will be directed toward charities that are related to the university or operate in State College, Pa., where it’s located.

Mr. Paterno worked for the university for 61 largely successful years, but his last year was marred by an investigation surrounding his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, who was arrested on 40 counts of child sexual abuse.

The move is being announced to mark the 30^th anniversary of Newman’s Own, the food company Mr. Newman established that is known for its salad dressings and pasta sauces. The money is the largest amount that the foundation has ever given out in a single year. Over the years it has donated more than $300-million to charity.

Besides supporting nutrition programs, the grant money will be directed specifically to charities that help children with serious medical conditions or other problems, and more broadly to charities that assist wounded veterans, cultivate corporate giving, and promote social change.

The foundation was established in 2003 to collect donations to renovate a fraternity house, and, according to its articles of incorporation, “exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including the provision of lodging, dining, library, technological and related educational facilities for students.”

The federal agency ruled that the foundation was doing no more than helping the fraternity with the upkeep and operations of the house and therefore was not fully meeting its stated purpose.

Ted Groom, a lawyer for the foundation, told the Web site that while the foundation planned to provide educational scholarships and programs, “The fraternity was placed on suspension for a period of time, which interrupted the expected flow of revenue and intended activity.”

The newspaper reported yesterday that the Metropolitan Opera Guild, which publishes Opera News, had ordered the magazine to stop reviewing productions, after several articles in the publication were harshly critical of the opera company’s performances and its general manager, Peter Gelb. Mr. Gelb acknowledged responsibility for the original decision.

He reversed course after receiving a flood of criticism yesterday from the public and experts who said his move was censorship.

“I think I made a mistake,” said Mr. Gelb. “The Metropolitan Opera only exists with the good will of the public. Clearly the public would miss Opera News not being able to review the Met, and we are responding to that.”

U.S. Catholic bishops say the requirement is an attack on religious freedom because it forces Catholic employers to provide access to services that go against their religious beliefs.

The mandate is part of the Obama administration’s reworking of the health-care system, which the bishops say they support in most other ways.

The program officer, Dhaval S. Patel, was fired from his job in April after officials of the foundation discovered evidence they say shows that Mr. Patel falsified documents and travel receipts for trips he took on behalf of the foundation.

The foundation was founded by the billionaire financier Warren Buffett and named for his first wife, who died in 2004. The foundation donated more than $240-million to charities in 2010.

Mr. Patel and his attorney, Jason Troia, could not be reached for comment, wrote the newspaper. If he is convicted, Mr. Patel could face from five years of probation up to 20 years in prison.

Part of the school-choice movement, the programs operate in eight states and have grown in the face of cuts in funding for public schools. One organization, the Alliance for School Choice, says the programs have redirected approximately $350-million away from public scholarship programs meant to provide private-school scholarships to 129,000 students.

Although the nonprofit scholarship programs have helped many children whose parents would otherwise not be able to afford to send them to private school, the newspaper reports that the money has also been used for other purposes like increasing the salaries of people who work at the scholarship groups. Critics also point out that the programs are set up so they can collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in administrative fees, and that they work closely with private schools to raise donations and decide which students get scholarships, which ends up limiting school choice for the students themselves.

Meanwhile, public-school officials say the tax credits are really just state subsidies that are shifting tax dollars away from public-school systems. Many of the private schools benefiting from the program are religious, The Times reported.