The Rock Chalkboard

KU-CU cancellation doesn't spoil special trip for families honoring late family members | KUsports.com
One problem: The KU game never happened. Multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the Colorado Buffaloes basketball program forced the game to be canceled. But, as luck would have it, that decision came shortly after Tony, Jillian and Sydney made the decision to sell their tickets and not go.

KU veterans Agbaji, Braun leading Jayhawks while raising NBA draft stock | KUsports.com
One of those two KU veterans leads the Jayhawks in seven major statistical categories and the two sit atop KU’s list of scoring leaders thus far, with Agbaji leading the way at 22 points per game and Braun not far behind at 16.8.

Bits o Chalk

Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors out of Hawai'i Bowl due to COVID-19 issues
The EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl was canceled after Hawai'i announced Thursday that it was pulling out of the game, citing COVID-19 issues within the program in addition to injuries and transfers.

Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns joins six teammates in health and safety protocols
Towns' mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, died at 59 last year from complications with COVID-19. Towns said before last season that six other family members had also died from complications with the virus.

UCF Knights beat Florida for first college football win over Gators, Sunshine State bragging rights
As the final seconds ticked off UCF's 29-17 win over Florida in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday night, the UCF football Twitter handle was quick to make a declaration: "Sunshine STATEment."

Los Angeles Lakers bid adieu in home arena's final game as Staples Center
"Staples," as it was known colloquially in Los Angeles, became synonymous with the Lakers' championship teams headlined by Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Pau Gasol and coached by Phil Jackson. The Lakers won the NBA championship each of their first three seasons at Staples Center, and won three additional titles while calling the building home.

Eraser Dust

People face long lines for COVID tests ahead of the holidays : NPR
The result so far has been around-the-block lines at testing sites and shortages of at-home tests at drug stores. And many Americans are facing the possibility that they'll have to scrap their plans altogether, as the number of testing opportunities dwindles ahead of the holidays.

TrumpWorld Becomes Unglued Over Trump’s Praise of Vaccine and Booster Shots
“Oh no, the vaccines work, but… the ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine,” Trump told Owens. “But it’s still their choice… Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it’s a very minor form. People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.”

Top 10 2021 Albums From Classic Rock's Next Generation
Some of the artists in this new generation are truly youngsters — Kiszka, for example, is 25 – while others, like Jason Isbell or Sleater-Kinney, have been making records since the '90s. Together they all represent a torch-carrying generation of rock 'n' roll fans who are making new music to get genuinely excited about.

West Valley home daycare destroyed in fire; no injuries | Daily Inter Lake
Firefighters responded to a structure fire at a home daycare on ​Tall Pine Ridge in West Valley on Thursday, Dec. 23 at about 2 p.m.

Salvation Army finds donated gold coin in Kalispell | KECI
MISSOULA, Mont. — Salvation Army volunteers in Kalispell discovered a half ounce gold coin in one of their Red Kettles. Advisory Board members say this has happens regularly for the Kalispell area.

Nerves run high ahead of the James Webb Space Telescope launch this Saturday | Space
This Saturday (Dec. 25), the James Webb Space Telescope will blast off from Earth on a 1-million-mile (1.5 million kilometers) journey to its ultimate destination, where it will make groundbreaking new observations of the early universe. But with such ambitious science goals, more than 25 years of work and $10 billion spent, a lot is riding on the success of this telescope.

Comet Leonard Last Came in Earth's View 80,000 Years Ago—Watch It Appear for the Last Time This Month
Holiday lights won't be the only bright sights to see this season. According to CNN, Comet Leonard, which last passed by our planet 80,000 years ago, has been illuminating the sky this month, and stargazers can catch the out-of-this-world event for a few more days before it goes away. The comet was spotted by NASA and the European Space Agency, as it made its way across the sky from Friday to Sunday. Another exciting fact? The Milky Way was spotted in the background along with Venus and Mercury.