The Rock Chalkboard

Through KU's first 3 games, junior forward Jalen Wilson following nicely in Ochai Agbaji's footsteps as a scorer and a leader | Tale of the Tait | KUsports.com Mobile
But if you haven’t at least thought briefly about Ochai while watching Jalen Wilson go off to open the season, I’m not sure you’ve been watching closely enough.

KU women's coach Brandon Schneider hopes signing of S'Mya Nichols will have 'significant impact on future recruiting' | KUsports.com Mobile
“You don’t have to go to a top-five program,” the Shawnee Mission West senior recalled thinking to herself throughout the process during a recent interview with the Journal-World. “Why don’t you make a top-five program.”

Regents approve policy that will require KU, other state universities to get new approvals to change athletic conferences | KUsports.com Mobile
The new policy requires the chair, vice chair and president/CEO of the Board of Regents to approve any move to a new conference. Specifically, the policy requires those three officials to grant approval before any university official enters any “discussions or negotiations” to begin to join another athletic conference. It also requires the trio’s approval before any final decision to move to a new conference is made.

Concept plan shows KU would build 600-seat conference/event center in north bowl of football stadium; south end would get new plaza area | KUsports.com Mobile
While the plans aren’t set in stone, the concept answers one of the biggest questions that’s been floating around Jayhawk tailgaters this season: Where is everyone going to park and tailgate if KU builds a convention center and other amenities on the football stadium’s main parking lot? (Previously the biggest KU tailgating question was why do they call it a Hefty plate if it can’t withstand my 4-pound breakfast helping of nacho cheese?)

Eraser Dust

Brittney Griner has been transferred to a penal colony in western Russia, her lawyers say | CNN
“We visited her early this week. Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment. Considering that this is a very challenging period for her, there will be no further comments from us.”

McConnell congratulates Pelosi on ‘historic tenure’ and ‘path-breaking career’ | The Hill
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday congratulated Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) on “concluding her historic tenure” as the House Democrats’ leader and her “consequential and path-breaking career.”

Biden admin to ask high court to take up student debt plan | AP News
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration plans to ask the Supreme Court to reinstate the president’s student debt cancellation plan, according to a Thursday legal filing warning that Americans will face financial strain if the plan remains stalled in court when loan payments are scheduled to restart in January.

Why the Defeat of Montana’s 'Born Alive' Ballot Matters | Time
When a family receives a fatal diagnosis for a pregnancy, some may choose to end the pregnancy by delivering early, which allows them to hold and comfort their baby during the baby’s final moments. Still, others may experience spontaneous preterm labor and give birth to a very premature infant months before a delivery date. In these instances, families are saying goodbye to an infant that is born with only a short time to live.

Forcing doctors to intervene in these situations, which would be required had LR-131 passed, would not only be futile but would also deny families these final precious moments with their babies. No exceptions for grieving parents of nonviable infants would have been permitted under LR-131. That is the reality of what families are facing while our opponents throw around inflammatory rhetoric like “infanticide,” which could not be further from the truth. That is why it was opposed by Montana’s major medical organizations, including the Montana Medical Association, the Montana chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Montana Nurses Association.

Star Wars Lore Changes Forever with Reveal of Palpatine's Sith Rival
In its new Hidden Empire event, Star Wars just changed the original trilogy forever by introducing a secret Sith rival to Emperor Palpatine. In a trilogy encompassing War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, and Hidden Empire, Marvel's in-canon Star Wars comics have followed the secret war between Palpatine's Empire and Lady Qi'ra's Crimson Dawn, which has positioned disgruntled agents across every major faction in the galaxy. Now, Qi'ra is moving against Palpatine, with a plan to unleash a previously unknown Sith Lord.

Qatar to reportedly ban beer at World Cup in dramatic reversal
Qatar is banning all beer sales at and around its World Cup stadiums, in a dramatic U-turn just two days before the massive soccer tournament begins, world soccer governing body FIFA confirmed on Friday.

Kalispell man sentenced for dealing meth | KECI
MISSOULA, Mont. — Timothy Leo Vleisides, 64, of Kalispell, was sentenced to six years in prison followed by five years supervised release for dealing meth. Vleisides pleaded guilty in August to possession with intent to distribute.

Works Like Bug Spray - Flathead Beacon
3:27 p.m. A shop owner in Bigfork was spraying his garbage cans with bear spray as a deterrent.

After Elon Musk's ultimatum, Twitter employees start exiting | Reuters
Hundreds of Twitter Inc employees are estimated to have decided to quit the beleaguered social media company following a Thursday deadline from new owner Elon Musk that staffers sign up for "long hours at high intensity," or leave.

Elizabeth Holmes, Convicted Theranos Founder, to Be Sentenced Friday - WSJ
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of disgraced blood-testing company Theranos Inc., has asked a federal judge for leniency for her fraud crimes, positioning herself as a loving mother and selfless community servant.

Ticketmaster faces antitrust scrutiny after Taylor Swift ticket chaos | TechCrunch
Ticketmaster is facing more scrutiny from politicians after its chaotic presales for tickets to Taylor Swift’s tour. Tennessee attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti said he is looking into whether Ticketmaster violated consumer’s rights and antitrust regulations. Skrmetti is the latest politician who has called attention to Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s hold on the ticketing market.

James Webb Space Telescope spots what may be the most distant galaxy yet found - CBS News
The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a remote, reddish galaxy shining just 350 million years after the birth of the cosmos 13.8 billion years ago, surprising astronomers who are struggling to figure out how stars and galaxies could have formed so rapidly in the wake of the Big Bang, researchers said Thursday.

Concept plan shows KU would build 600-seat conference/event center in north bowl of football stadium; south end would get new plaza area | KUsports.com Mobile
While the plans aren’t set in stone, the concept answers one of the biggest questions that’s been floating around Jayhawk tailgaters this season: Where is everyone going to park and tailgate if KU builds a convention center and other amenities on the football stadium’s main parking lot? (Previously the biggest KU tailgating question was why do they call it a Hefty plate if it can’t withstand my 4-pound breakfast helping of nacho cheese?)