The Rock Chalkboard

Pendulum swings back toward Big 12 in the race to an uncertain future with the Pac-12 | Tale of the Tait | KUsports.com Mobile
There’s no doubt that the remaining Pac-12 schools who were left high and dry by USC and UCLA bolting to the Big Ten made the right move by trying to stick together and exploring whether the conference could survive. If any other schools leave now, though, it’s hard to see that happening, at least not in the form some of the remaining Pac-12 schools would like to see.

Former Jayhawk Marcus Garrett signs second two-way contract with Miami Heat | KUsports.com Mobile
After going unselected in the 2021 NBA draft, Garrett signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat and eventually joined the franchise on a two-way deal. A wrist injury last winter knocked him out for the second half of the 2021-22 season and the Heat waived Garrett in January.

46 Days Until Kansas Football: The Big 12 might have a new media rights ally. - Blue Wings Rising
It seems that the silly season never really goes away. Just when I thought we were going to take a bit of a lull in our talks about conference realignment, we had two big pieces of news drop today that could have ramifications on how realignment ultimately shakes out. And both are related to developments that could affect how much the Big 12 might be able to get for their media rights after the current contract expires.

Eraser Dust

'Heat apocalypse': Photos show Europe's devastating wildfires as temperatures surge
Spain and Portugal have seen over 1,000 deaths in the last week attributed to the weather, according to Reuters. Firefighters in France and Greece have also been out in force to try to combat huge wildfires in rural areas.

Uvalde school board lambasted by parents, called on to quit
"If he’s not fired by noon tomorrow, I want your resignation and every single one of you board members because y'all do not give a damn about our children or us," Brett Cross told Superintendent Hal Harrell and other board members.

Oasis have released a lyric video for the only Be Here Now track Noel Gallagher ever remixed | MusicRadar
“As the years went by I’d started to accept that the songs on Be Here Now were in fact insanely long… too long!” Gallagher said at the time in a press release. “Someone (I can’t remember who) had the idea that we re-visit, re-edit the entire album for posterity’s sake. We got as far as the first track before we couldn’t be arsed anymore and gave up… it does sound f**king mega though!”

Toys 'R' Us is coming to every Macy's this holiday season | CNN Business
Toys “R” Us will be in every US Macy’s (M) in the next few months, part of an expanded partnership with the toy retailer’s parent company, WHP Global.

Democrats boosted a MAGA longshot in the Pa. gov’s race. Now he’s got a real shot at winning. - POLITICO
In the immediate aftermath of Pennsylvania’s messy gubernatorial primary — which included an ill-fated, last-minute attempt by the GOP establishment to stop Mastriano — many Democrats and Republicans in Pennsylvania thought the race was all but over. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee, is a first-class fundraiser with a record of winning tough statewide races. He emerged unscathed from the Democratic primary after clearing the field.

Flathead County accepting applications for ImagineIF board vacancy | Daily Inter Lake
Cuthbertson was the first to challenge the book, “Gender Queer,” a memoir by Maia Kobabe that discusses gender expression and identity. The book has recently become one of the most banned books in the country due to its LGBTQ subject matter. Cuthbertson said she considers the book pornographic, but as a board member does not plan to challenge the book herself, saying it is up to patrons to flag books.

PHOTOS: Under the Big Sky music festival in Whitefish | Daily Inter Lake
Thousands gathered at Big Mountain Ranch in Whitefish over the weekend for the annual Under the Big Sky music festival and rodeo. Headline acts included Turnpike Troubadours, Lord Huron, Cody Jinks, Black Pumas, Jamey Johnson and Midland, along with a number of local groups. The festival wrapped up Sunday, July 17.

Nonprofit aims to bring relief to Kalispell children's hospital patients, families | KECI
KALISPELL, MONT. — An extended stay at the hospital can be a tough time for a sick child and their family, but a Kalispell nonprofit is doing its part to make those hard times a little easier.

GM unveils Chevy Blazer EV to challenge Tesla Model Y | TechCrunch
GM unveiled Monday evening the Chevrolet Blazer EV, an all-electric SUV with up to 320 miles of range and a starting price of $48,000 that CEO and Chairman Mary Barra hopes will supercharge her bid to surpass Tesla in U.S. EV sales by 2025.

Zack Snyder's 'Justice League' Was 'Unwatchable' and 'Joyless': Report
Rolling Stone also reported that at least 13% of the social media accounts that pushed for the release of the "Snyder Cut" were fake.

2022 MLB Home Run Derby results, takeaways: Juan Soto beats Julio Rodríguez for crown; Pete Alonso falls short - CBSSports.com
Juan Soto, one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball, added to his already-lengthy resume on Monday night. The 23-year-old Nationals star won the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby, knocking off Mariners rookie Julio Rodríguez in the finals. It's the first Derby title for Soto, who has been the subject of trade rumors in recent days.

Regular coffee drinkers had lower chance of dying in 7-year period - The Washington Post
For about seven years, the researchers tracked the coffee consumption and health of 171,616 participants, who were an average of nearly 56 years old and were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease when the study started. They found that those who regularly drank 1½ to 3½ cups of coffee a day, whether plain or sweetened with about a teaspoon of sugar, were up to 30 percent less likely to die in that time frame from any cause, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, than were those who did not drink coffee.

Kansas football still has an early top-15 class. Can KU keep its 2 Louisiana 4-stars? - SBNation.com
Last weekend I took a trip to New Orleans for the Nike Opening Regional Camp. One of the themes that stood out was the talented group of players committed to the University of Kansas.

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