NBA Player Jason Collins came out as gay on this week’s cover of Sports Illustrated, making him the first active male athlete on any team in the four major North American pro sports leagues to do so. Last week, Rhode Island put itself on track to become the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriage, and similar bills are pending in Minnesota, Delaware and Illinois. Read full story here.

A man in Utah, who told authorities several months ago that he wanted to be killed by police, entered a suburban Salt Lake City police station Monday and pointed a gun at an officer and clerk. Another officer opened fire on the man, wounding him twice in the arm. No officers were hurt, and the man was taken to a nearby hospital.

According to the Education Department’s plan to carry out the automatic spending cuts mandated by Congress, schools near military bases and tribal lands will face a $60 million cut between now and September, and aid to college students will be cut by almost $90 million. Read full story here.

Contact Maura Zurick at [email protected].