The Rock Chalkboard

NBA Summer League: Cavaliers’ Ochai Agbaji erupts for 24 points vs. Hornets
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Ochai Agbaji with the hope that his 3-point shooting ability could add a new dimension to the offense. And if his performance on Wednesday at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is any indication, then he appears ready to do just that.

KU AD Travis Goff discusses latest round of conference realignment, KU's place in the Big 12
ARLINGTON, Tex. — Conference realignment in college athletics resurfaced two weeks ago, almost one year removed from the initial reporting that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. This time around, it was USC and UCLA leaving the Pac 12 for the Big 10. The move sent shockwaves through college athletics and sparked discussion of more potential movement between college programs and conferences.

Lance Leipold reluctant to name a starting quarterback at Big 12 Media Days
ARLINGTON, Tex. — For the first time in several years, the KU football program brought a quarterback to Big 12 Media Days. Junior quarterback Jalon Daniels made the trip down to Arlington, Tex. for the annual event, which takes place Wednesday and Thursday.

51 Days Until Kansas Football: Takeaways from the Jayhawks at Big 12 Media Days - Blue Wings Rising
Big 12 Media Days started today with a bang, as Bob Bowlsby talked briefly about the situation facing the conference right now and Baylor President Linda Livingstone praised new conference commissioner Brett Yormark before the new commissioner talked strongly about the position of the Big 12 and how they expect to move forward.

Eraser Dust

U.S., Israel sign joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear weaponry | Reuters
JERUSALEM, July 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms, a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran.

Fleeing Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa allowed to enter Singapore on 'private visit' | CNN
“In response to media queries, it is confirmed that Mr Rajapaksa has been allowed entry into Singapore on a private visit. He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” the Singapore Foreign Ministry statement read.

Bill Gates vows to drop off world's rich list - BBC News
It came as the Microsoft co-founder announced he would make a $20bn (£17bn) donation to his philanthropic fund.

Housing shortages are making homeownership unaffordable across the U.S. : NPR
"There is just nothing in this whole area, just nothing," says Danielle. The couple was looking for a place with at least a small yard and space for their three young kids.

The Simpsons Star Yeardley Smith Weds Detective She Met in Springfield – The Hollywood Reporter
On June 11, Smith and Grice were married at their Los Angeles home. While comparisons to the classic 1992 film The Bodyguard starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner are obvious, their love story also features two people who had sworn off settling down as Smith was still recovering from her second divorce while Grice had fully committed himself to career goals and demanding detective work.

'Difficult to watch': Escambia County Sheriff reacts to leaked Uvalde officer video | WEAR
The over-70-minute video, obtained exclusively by the Austin American-Statesman, shows the Uvalde gunman enter the school and fire over 100 rounds into that classroom.

House passes amended burn pit legislation | CNN Politics
Burn pits were commonly used to burn waste, including everyday trash, munitions, hazardous material and chemical compounds at military sites throughout Iraq and Afghanistan until about 2010.

These massive open-air burn pits, which were often operated at or near military bases, released dangerous toxins into the air that, upon exposure, may have caused short- and long-term health conditions, according to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Gerson Fuentes was charged in the rape of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion | CNN
A Columbus man has been charged with raping a 10-year-old Ohio girl who then had to travel to Indiana seeking an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to court proceedings CNN obtained through affiliate WBNS.

City Staff Advise Planning Board to Recommend Approval of River Highlands - Flathead Beacon
Columbia Falls city staff have advised that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend the city council approve a series of requests from a developer who wants to construct a mixture of single-family dwellings and apartment buildings on a 49-acre parcel east of the Flathead River and south of U.S. Highway 2 that would be annexed into the city.

Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson having baby boy via surrogate
“Khloé has always wanted a little brother for True and decided to go ahead with having the baby with the support of her family,” a source tells us exclusively.

Doja Cat Loses Thousands of Followers After Blasting Noah Schnapp - E! Online
Doja's Instagram following has reportedly taken a hit after she criticized Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp for posting a private conversation where she asked him to set her up with his co-star Joseph Quinn. Since putting Noah on blast, Doja's Instagram profile has lost roughly 200,000 followers, according to data that the Los Angeles Times obtained from social media stats company Social Blade.

Webb Space Telescope Showcases Its Incredible Power: Detects Water on Distant Planet
A transmission spectrum made from a single observation using Webb’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) reveals atmospheric characteristics of the hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b. A transmission spectrum is made by comparing starlight filtered through a planet’s atmosphere as it moves across the star, to the unfiltered starlight detected when the planet is beside the star. Each of the 141 data points (white circles) on this graph represents the amount of a specific wavelength of light that is blocked by the planet and absorbed by its atmosphere. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, ST

Royals to miss 10 unvaccinated players for Blue Jays road series
The Kansas City Royals are headed to Toronto to face the Blue Jays this weekend, though calling the team they'll be fielding the Royals may be a bit charitable.

A whopping 10 players on the Royals' roster are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and will not be able to enter Canada for the Blue Jays series, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan