MANHATTAN -K-State Athletic Director John Currie announced Thursday night that the university is currently in the process of phasing out annual student fee allocation to intercollegiate athletics. 

In a letter to the University published Thursday night, Currie writes;

“As you may recall, when President Schulz and I arrived at K-State in June of 2009, approximately $2.6 million of our $44 million (6 percent) budget came from direct and indirect University funding (not counting the student fee allocation). Thanks to the generosity of our donors and fans, the growth of our Big 12 Conference revenues and careful fiscal management, we have been able to eliminate this funding source, enabling these dollars to be reinvested into critical academic needs across campus. This year, fiscal year 2016, we are the lone athletics program in the state of Kansas and one of only approximately 25 in the country to operate with no direct or indirect university funding or state support.

Our nationally-renowned students will continue to be a huge part of our ability to achieve the Vision of A Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program, and that’s why we continue to allocate the prime seating sections both court- and field-side in Bramlage Coliseum and Bill Snyder Family Stadium. But, we believe, given other critical student needs across campus, the time has come for us to phase out the annual student fee allocation to intercollegiate athletics. In this spirit, earlier tonight the SGA Privilege Fee committee proposed legislation to the Student Senate which, if passed, will reduce allocations to Athletics to $450,000 in fees in FY17 followed by $350,000 in FY18 and $200,000 for in FY19 with the anticipation that these allocations will then cease.”

You can read the letter in it’s entirety here!

ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are preparing a legislative push to curb guns, a week after a mass shooting at an Oregon community college refocused attention on the nation’s toll of firearms deaths.

Republicans controlling Congress have shown scant interest in restricting guns and the Democratic effort has little chance of success. But their drive could keep the issue alive during next year’s elections and complicate GOP senators’ re-election campaigns in some closely divided states.

Democrats say their push would include broadening background check requirements to cover all sales at gun shows and online. Republicans blocked similar legislation in 2013 after the killing of 20 students and six staffers at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

A gunman killed nine people last week at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon.  One person died and three others were wounded following an early morning shooting at Northern Arizona University early Friday.

KANSAS CITY – A member of the Kansas City Royals grounds crew avoided a serious injury during the rain delay in game one of the American League Division Series.

Social media made the teenager a celebrity after he was run over by the huge tarp used to protect the infield. Officials reported he was checked out and not injured.

Hey @Royals #TarpGuy, if u can survive that monster tarp attack, we are looking for some good officer candidates. http://t.co/fO2kUDJBXK.

— Lenexa Police (@LenexaPolice) October 9, 2015

The rain delay lasted less than an hour.

This is what happens when you make the freshman roll tarp pic.twitter.com/xTigYZyFjb — Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) October 9, 2015

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — One person has been killed and three firefighters were injured in a house fire in Emporia.

The Emporia Gazette reports fire crews were called to the house fire late Thursday.

Rich Gould with the Emporia Fire Department says in a statement that crews encountered high heat and flames when they arrived at the home. Gould also says fire hydrants in the area were low in pressure, and that lack of water became an issue.

Fire crews found a person who had died in the second story of the home. The victim’s name hasn’t been released.

Three firefighters were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by local police and fire officials as well as the state Fire Marshal’s office.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a 29-year-old man was injured after an argument in south Wichita led to a shooting.

Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza said Thursday that the victim was arguing with a 31-year-old acquaintance shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday. Espinoza said the argument escalated and the victim ran from a group of men. Police say the group of men chased the victim and he was shot in the leg.

The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. He is expected to survive.

An investigation is ongoing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s astonishing decision to abandon his campaign to become speaker has left Republicans staring at turmoil and uncertainty.

GOP lawmakers are meeting Friday to discuss their next move.  On Thursday night Kansas first district congressman Tim Huelskamp discussed the speakers’s race on the Fox New’s Megyn Kelly Show and  the nationally syndicated Mark Levin radio show.

.@CongHuelskamp: If you were a conservative in the House, you didn’t have a voice under Speaker @johnboehner. pic.twitter.com/1XEI1G0Y9N

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 9, 2015

Frank Luntz said Republican leadership doesn’t realize the “grassroots have abandoned them.” — Cong. Tim Huelskamp (@CongHuelskamp) October 9, 2015

On Thursday morning, Republicans at a closed-door meeting where they seemed ready to coronate the Californian as their candidate for speaker were aghast when McCarthy rose and told them he wouldn’t seek the job.

McCarthy’s announcement leaves the race to succeed departing Speaker John Boehner wide open. The Ohio Republican delivered his own shocker on Sept. 25 when he said he would retire from Congress at the end of October.

Boehner said he would remain in his job until a new speaker was installed. That election had been set for Oct. 29, but now the date is uncertain.