A couple of news items, one involving a fire at Shock player Kevin Ellison's apartment, the other an update on AFL labor negotiations.

First, the fire in the apartment complex where virtually every Shock player resides. Ellison will face arson charges, according to investigators. The AFL rookie who played at USC apparently wasn't injured when he jumped from his third-floor room. Here's an article that will run in Friday's S-R.

Shock majority owner Brady Nelson stressed that the fire was in no way related to the AFL labor dispute.

Also, the AFL players union sent a counter proposal to owners on Thursday. Owners were expected to discuss the latest proposal tonight. More below.

The Arena Football League players union on Thursday sent a counter proposal to AFL owners as the two sides attempt to reach a new labor agreement. Owners, who submitted a proposal earlier this week, were expected to hold a conference call Thursday night, Shock majority owner Brady Nelson said.

“I think this is a pretty positive step that they gave us something back and just didn’t say no,” Nelson said.

The labor unrest, which impacted one season opening game and another game last week, is not expected to impact this weekend’s games. However, Kansas City Command president Pete Likens told the Kansas City Star that if an agreement isn’t reached soon players could be locked out as early as Sunday and teams would pursue replacement players.

“I want to get a deal done and move on,” Nelson said. “We’ve always tried to be prepared for everything.”