CURRENT EVENTS MAY 3NBA journeyman Jason Collins has announced

he's a gay man, talking about his decision to go public in a cover story for Sports Illustrated.

Collins, an NBA veteran of 713 games, playing last season with Boston and Washington. The 34-year-old centre previously played for Atlanta, Minnesota, Memphis and New Jersey.

The seven-footer was selected 18th overall in the first round of the 2001 draft out of Stanford.

Collins could be considered the first male from a major North American team sport to announce he is gay, although his playing status for next season is open to question. He averaged just under 10 minutes a game in 38 regular season appearances in 2012-13.

NBA PLAYER JASON COLLINS ANNOUNCES HE'S GAY

CURRENT EVENTS MAY 3Collins writes: "If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand." Collins played in a Final Four for Stanford and reached two NBA Finals.

His twin brother, Jarron, was also a longtime NBA center. Jason says he came out to his brother last summer.

Tennis star Martina Navratilova and WNBA most valuable player Sheryl Swoopes are among the most notable gay athletes of all time, while No. 1 WNBA draft pick Brittney Griner last week announced she was gay — news that received relatively little press attention.

Bill Clinton also voiced encouragement for Collins. Clinton said he has known Collins since the player attended Stanford University with his daughter Chelsea. http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2382426247/

CURRENT EVENTS MAY 3

The union representing striking Alberta prison guards has reached a deal with the provincial government to end the five-day illegal strike.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) announced Tuesday night that the province has agreed to another occupational health and safety review of issues raised by the guards at the Edmonton

The illegal strike began Friday afternoon when guards from Edmonton's new $580 million remand centre refused to report for duty citing concerns for personal safety in the facility.

The jail is built around the concept of direct supervision, where there are no barriers separating guards from the majority of the prisoners

ALBERTA JAIL GUARD UNION REACHES DEAL TO END STRIKE

CURRENT EVENTS MAY 3The announcement comes after

prison guards and sheriffs remained on strike Tuesday despite a court ruling that fined AUPE hundreds of thousand dollars each day workers defied a ruling ordering them back to work.

The first $100,000 fine was paid earlier on Tuesday. On Wednesday, AUPE will pay the $250,000 fine for not meeting the Tuesday noon deadline.

The union leader said the $350,000 cost was worth it, because the government was forced to pay attention to the issues raised by the walkout.

The government earlier estimated the cost of having police take over security at correctional centres at $1.2 million a day.http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2382674736/

CURRENT EVENTS MAY 3

The Bank of Canada released new polymer version of the $5 and $10 currency this week

In 2012, for the eighth year in a row, the number of counterfeit Canadian banknotes in circulation has fallen. Much of the credit for that probably goes to the introduction of polymer $100, $50 and $20 bills, as well as to the efforts of the RCMP's counterfeit enforcement teams.

According to the RCMP, last year 44,975 counterfeit Canadian banknotes were discovered in circulation, down 92 per cent from the peak in 2004.

Police also seized 14,882 counterfeit banknotes during investigations in 2012, the highest number since 2008.

BANK OF CANADA UNVEILING NEW $5 AND $10 POLYMER BANKNOTES

CURRENT EVENTS MAY 3With about two billion banknotes in circulation,

that 44,975 works out to about 28 counterfeit notes per every million legitimate ones.

But that is nothing to sneeze at: The face value of those counterfeit notes is about $1.6 million.

The $20 bill continues to be the counterfeiters' favourite, accounting for 68 per cent of all the Canadian counterfeit banknotes passed in 2012.

The unit cost of producing a polymer banknote is about 20 cents, compared to 11 cents for the cotton-based paper note.

However, according to the bank, the polymers "are expected to last at least 2.5 times longer."

CURRENT EVENTS MAY 3

 A year ago, Sgt. Sue MacLean, the RCMP's national counterfeit co-ordinator, told CBC News that so far the Mounties have seen only "one very poor replication" of a polymer banknote.

The new $5 banknote features a space technology motif, while the new $10 has a railroad image.