The Rock Chalkboard

March Madness winner: 10 most likely men’s NCAA tournament champs - Sports Illustrated
Seed: No. 1 in the West. Path to the Final Four, if seeding holds: Georgia State, Boise State, Arkansas, Duke. Predicted path: Georgia State, Boise State, Arkansas, Texas Tech. The selection committee gave the overall No. 1 seed the toughest region, with stiff tests in the second, third and fourth rounds.

Kansas vs. Creighton odds, picks, TV channel: Expert predictions for NCAA Tournament second round game – The Athletic
Trey Alexander picked one hell of a time, day, and stage to record his career-high in points. The freshman led the way for the Bluejays, who defeated the San Diego State Aztecs in overtime on Thursday night.

Kansas Jayhawks Starts NCAA Tournament Run With Blowout Win Over Texas Southern Tigers - Blue Wings Rising
As Kansas began its run in the NCAA Tournament, it did what it does best: run. And leading the charge was Remy Martin, who was a maestro with his passing and effective with his scoring on the way to a 83-56 first-round victory over Texas Southern.

Eraser Dust

Why the Iowa Hawkeyes and Kentucky Wildcats fell short and everything else we learned on March Madness Thursday
So how's your March Madness bracket? A 2022 NCAA tournament Thursday that offered all the usual opportunities for upheaval delivered on more than a few of them. The No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats, a very trendy Final Four pick entering the day, lost in shocking fashion to the 15-seed Saint Peter's Peacocks. The Iowa Hawkeyes, fresh off an impressive showing in a run to the Big Ten tournament title, fell to the Atlantic 10 champion and frequent March Madness giant killer Richmond Spiders.

Andy Beshear vetoes bill that would forfeit $50M in food stamp benefit
Beshear, in a video released on social media Wednesday, said the measure meant "over half a million Kentuckians, our seniors, our children, could go hungry on any given day."

Russian strikes hit Ukrainian capital and outskirts of Lviv – Boston 25 News
LVIV, Ukraine — (AP) — Russian forces pressed their assault on Ukrainian cities Friday, with new missile strikes and shelling on the capital Kyiv and the outskirts of the western city of Lviv, as world leaders pushed for an investigation of the Kremlin’s repeated attacks on civilian targets, including schools, hospitals and residential areas.

Putin likens opponents to 'gnats,' signaling new repression - ABC News
NEW YORK -- Facing stiff resistance in Ukraine and crippling economic sanctions at home, Russian President Vladimir Putin is using language that recalls the rhetoric from Josef Stalin’s show trials of the 1930s.

Creston Auction returning for its 56th year
New fire engines and equipment are bigger than they used to be, requiring a bigger facility. Also, EMT and auction finance director Rachel Bodick notes that with a growing population, the fire department is busier than ever.

Bukacek resigns from Flathead County health board | Daily Inter Lake
Bukacek entered the race for Montana’s Public Service Commission District 5 seat last week, and said her decision to step down from the health board was to “avoid any unforeseen conflict of interest” during the campaign.

Inflation will stay at 6% to 9% until 2024, Fed’s rate hikes won’t stop that now – Steve Hanke | Kitco News
“[Inflation] is definitely not transitory,” he said. “[People] are still droning on about supply chain problems, and the fact that those have not been fixed as fast as people thought they would be fixed, and that is the reason that inflation has been dragging on longer than people thought.”

Mortgage Rates Rise Above 4% for the First Time Since 2019 - WSJ
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage topped 4% for the first time since May 2019, Freddie Mac said Thursday. At the beginning of the year, the average rate on America’s most popular home loan was 3.22%. It hit a record low of 2.65% in January 2021 and spent more than half the year under 3%.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to keep Dolly Parton on nominee list despite her opting out - CNN
"All of us in the music community have seen Dolly Parton's thoughtful note expressing her feeling that she has not earned the right to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to her incredible talent as an artist, her humility is another reason Dolly is a beloved icon by millions of fans around the world," a statement from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, posted to its official Twitter account, said. "From its inception, Rock & Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music. It is not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture. Dolly Parton's music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed."

March Madness winner: 10 most likely men’s NCAA tournament champs - Sports Illustrated
Seed: No. 1 in the West. Path to the Final Four, if seeding holds: Georgia State, Boise State, Arkansas, Duke. Predicted path: Georgia State, Boise State, Arkansas, Texas Tech. The selection committee gave the overall No. 1 seed the toughest region, with stiff tests in the second, third and fourth rounds.