PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — It’s easy to see what oil money means to the University of Texas. Tuition hasn’t budged in three years because of gushing wells in the Permian Basin. More than a few buildings, including the football team headquarters, are named after wildcatters.

But with oil prices down more than 50 percent since last summer, the outlook for both public revenue and donations is grim in energy-heavy states like Alaska, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

Major donors tied to the energy industry are taking longer to fulfill their pledges. Some campus projects, like the planned football stadium expansion at the University of Oklahoma, have been scaled back. And some scholarship programs are taking a hit. The situation may be the grimmest in Alaska, where colleges have frozen hiring and may have to consolidate programs.

MANHATTAN -Francis Gary Powers Jr. will present a book lecture “The U-2 Incident and the Cold War” on Wednesday at the K-State Alumni Center in Manhattan.

Powers will discuss the U-2 incident, which he wrote about  in his 2003 book “Operation Overflight: A memoir of the U-2 Incident.” He also served as technical director to the new Steven Spielberg film “Bridge of Spies,” which stars Tom Hanks and depicts the incident.

He will be signing books starting at 4 p.m. with the lecture to follow at 5 p.m. and a reception afterwards at 6 p.m.. Tickets are free and are available at Commerce Bank, 727 Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, and by emailing Sean Smith at Alliance Realty, [email protected]. Tickets are also available by emailing Brittany Beneke at [email protected].

The book lecture is part of the university’s Political, Diplomatic and Military Lecture series.

FRANKLIN COUNTY – One person was injured in an accident just before noon on Monday in Franklin County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Ford Escape driven by Dustin Frank, 22, American Fork, UT., was south bound on Interstate 35 at the Franklin Miami County line.

The vehicle drifted in to the median, the two left tires went into the grass and the driver over corrected.

The vehicle then crossed over both lanes of southbound traffic and over turned several times in a field.

Frank was transported to Ransom Memorial Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

KEN DILANIAN, AP Intelligence Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — An anonymous hacker claims to have breached CIA Director John Brennan’s personal email account and has posted documents online, including a list of email addresses purportedly from Brennan’s contact file.

The CIA said it referred the matter to the proper authorities, but would not comment further.

The hacker also claims to have breached an account belonging to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

The New York Post first reported the hack. They described the hacker Sunday as “a stoner high school student,” motivated by his opposition to U.S. foreign policy and support for Palestinians. His Twitter account, @phphax, includes links to files that he told the Post he took from Brennan’s account.

The Post said he didn’t reveal his name or where he lived.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government will require many drone aircraft to be registered.

The move is being prompted by a growing number of reported close calls and incidents that pose safety risks. The government says pilot sightings of drones have doubled since last year, including sightings near manned aircraft and major sporting events, and interference with wildfire-fighting operations.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta says the reports “signal a troubling trend.” He says registration will increase pressure on drone operators to fly responsibly, otherwise “there will be consequences.”

To work out details, the FAA and the Transportation Department are setting up a 25- to-30-member task force including government and industry officials and hobbyists. They’ll recommend which drones should be required to register and which should be exempted. The intent is to design a system that makes it easy for commercial operators to comply.

Toys and small drones are likely to be exempt. Drones that weigh only a pound or two or that can’t fly higher than a few hundred feet are considered less risky. Heavier ones and those that can fly thousands of feet pose more of a problem.

JEFF AMY, Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi College Board has named Jeffrey Vitter, the brother of a U.S. senator who is provost at the University of Kansas, as its top choice to become chancellor of the University of Mississippi.

Jeff Vitter is the preferred candidate for Ole Miss chancellor but isn’t here today. He’ll come to campus next week

— Royce Swayze (@royce_swayze) October 19, 2015

 

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A 59-year-old suburban Kansas City man faces charges accusing him of hitting two police officers with his car.

The officers weren’t seriously hurt in the incident Sunday in Overland Park.

The Kansas City Star reports Verton Tyrone Gee Sr. was charged in Johnson County District Court with theft and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer.

Police say two officers were knocked to the ground by a car Gee was driving when they tried to stop him from leaving a store where a theft had been reported.

Gee’s being held on $250,000 bond. Online court records don’t list a lawyer for Gee.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has filed a federal lawsuit against the Kansas Supreme Court justices and others related to the suspension of his law license over his investigations of abortion providers.

His attorneys contend in a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas that the court enhanced Kline’s punishment because of his “fervid beliefs” against abortion. The lawsuit also contends the court selectively applied rules governing attorney conduct.

The Kansas Supreme Court sanctioned Kline’s law license in October 2013. The court found that as attorney general and as Johnson County prosecutor, Kline misled judges and a Kansas City-area grand jury to further his investigations against a Wichita abortion doctor and an Overland Park Planned Parenthood clinic.

The court didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Great Bend-  The Brit Spaugh Zoo in Great Bend is mourning the loss of the world second oldest spider monkey named Spidey.

Spidey was found non responsive with an extremely low heartrate by zoo keepers first thing Monday morning, according to a media release.

Keepers and Zoo Veterinarian were making the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him but in the meantime Spidey had already passed. His health had been rapidly declining over the last several days and he was being watched and monitored closely.

Spidey was its oldest and most beloved resident, in the wild Spider Monkeys are only expected to live around twenty years. In captivity, life expectancy is around 40 years due to veterinary care.

The Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo was lucky enough to have a vibrant Spidey that lived 50 years! He moved to Great Bend in 1965 when he was just 6 months old. Earlier in the year the zoo celebrated his 50th birthday with a party and celebration to the fact that he was the second oldest spider monkey in the world.

Zookeeper Sara Hamlin reported on behalf of all the zookeepers, “We are devastated. At 10 years past his life expectancy we knew this day would come, but it still doesn’t prepare you for how your heart will break when the day arrives. Spidey had such a great personality and he will be leaving behind a huge hole in all our hearts.”

SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County continue to investigate a reported accidental shooting just after 8:30 p.m. on Friday at the Starplex Cinema at the Salina Central Mall.

Cody Deneault, 24, Concordia, shot himself in the thigh while at the movies, according to Salina Police Captain Chris Trocheck.

Deneault was with his wife at the theater, adjusted the handgun in his pants pocket, and it went off.

Deneault was taken to the Salina Regional Health Center for treatment of the non-life threatening wound.

It has not been determined if Deneault will face any charges, according to Trocheck.

Local staff at the Starplex have been asked not to comment and officials at Starplex headquarters in Dallas have not responded to questions about the incident.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Results from Kansas state assessment tests administered last spring are expected to be released to parents in the next few weeks.

The student test reports will be distributed by school districts, and will show students’ scores and how the scores compare to median scores for each school, district and the state as a whole.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the results are expected to be sent to parents over the next several weeks.

Beth Fultz, assistant director for assessments and accountability for the Kansas Department of Education, says the standards for the new tests were increased, making the assessments more difficult.

Wichita Superintendent John Allison says the bar has been set very high, and while students’ results may not be at the highest level initially, they could get there.

STAFFORD, Kan. (AP) — Two adult whooping cranes have been reported at a wildlife refuge in central Kansas, marking an early fall return for the endangered birds.

The Wichita Eagle reports  the two whooping cranes were seen this weekend at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County.

Barry Jones, visitor services specialist at the refuge, says the earliest record of the birds arriving at Quivira was in 2000, when a pair arrived Oct. 6. The first sighting this fall was Oct. 10, when another pair of the whooping cranes rested in refuge’s south end of the Little Salt Marsh.

The two this weekend were in the northwest corner of the Little Salt Marsh.

About two dozen of the large birds pass through Quivira and nearby Cheyenne Bottoms in Barton County each fall migration.

ABILENE — In a recent episode of “Our Town,” Eagle’s Dennis Weese recently interviewed crew members from the USS Eisenhower.

Check out the interviews from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum in Abilene by clicking HERE.