Notebook: Kansas Ready for Illinois

The Rock Chalkboard

Bill Self discusses his return to Champaign, what he's looking for in KU's exhibition vs. Illinois
Although KU’s typical opening exhibition against a local Division II school (Fort Hays State this season) isn’t until next Wednesday, the Jayhawks will have an opportunity to get action against a Power 5 opponent when they face Illinois in Champaign on Sunday. Not only will it raise money for relief in Maui, but it will provide the team with its first legitimate game action since Puerto Rico and it will be the first time Bill Self has returned to Illinois since his departure in 2003.

Self looking forward to his return to State Farm Center: 'It'll be a juiced atmosphere'
CHAMPAIGN — We’re only a few days away from seeing something that hasn’t happened in more than 20 years, and that’s Bill Self stepping onto the court at State Farm Center.

Illinois Basketball: 5 burning questions for the Illini against Kansas
On the basketball side of things, I think this is a big game for Illinois to get ready for the 2023-24 season. Kansas is a good team, and we can learn a lot about our program with this contest. I will be keeping an eye out for a few things as well.

Eraser Dust

U.S. Strikes Syrian Militias as Israel Makes Fresh Incursion Into Gaza - WSJ
U.S. military forces struck two bases in Syria in what the Pentagon said was a move to deter Iran-backed militias from broadening the conflict in the Middle East, while Israeli ground forces conducted an incursion into the Gaza Strip for the second consecutive day ahead of a widely-anticipated ground war.

What to know about the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine | AP News
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Authorities say a U.S. Army reservist fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night. A massive search for 40-year-old Robert Card of Bowdoin was ongoing Friday. The shooting in the state’s second-largest city is the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The database includes every mass killing since 2006 from all weapons in which four or more people, excluding the offender, were killed within a 24-hour time frame.

Hasan Minhaj issues a video rebuttal to critical 'New Yorker' profile : NPR
"I'm aware that even talk about this now feels so trivial," Minhaj says, noting how the Israel-Hamas War has dominated recent news. "But being accused of fake racism is not trivial. It is very serious, and it demands an explanation."

Taylor Swift Presents ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ With Handwritten Post – Billboard
The pop superstar’s re-recorded LP dropped at the stroke of midnight, nine years to the day since the original 1989 was released back in 2014.

Apple weighs in on Brendan Fraser in Killers Of The Flower Moon
Even though Martin Scorsese’s epic Killers Of The Flower Moon clocks in at almost 3-and-a-half hours, Brendan Fraser’s approximately seven minutes of screen time has garnered an outsized amount of attention—for pretty obvious reasons if you’ve seen the film. We won’t spoil anything here, but Fraser’s appearance as attorney W.S. Hamilton near the end of the movie is... boisterous, to say the least.

Flathead man accused of shooting into ex-girlfriend's home
KALISPELL — A Flathead Valley man is accused of shooting into his ex-girlfriend's home while she was home Wednesday evening.

‘Star Wars’ Finally Returns to the Original Trilogy in Brand-New Trailer - Inside the Magic
It feels like it’s been a long time since The Mandalorian (2019) was last on our screens, but Season 3 only ended in April this year. Perhaps it’s all the hype surrounding the follow-up Star Wars series Ahsoka (2023), which, like The Mandalorian Season 3, divided fans.

American Federation of Teachers distances itself from Kansas teachers union after controversial letter
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), alongside its Kansas branch, have issued a statement following the controversial stance taken by a local labor union at the University of Kansas on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

McDonald's Ditches Weird McFlurry Spoons Over Plastic Concerns
When the McDonalds ice cream machine is not perpetually broken, there’s nothing quite like a McFlurry to bring you joy. While you’ll still be able to enjoy the tasty treat, you’ll no longer be able to eat it with its iconic, chunky plastic spoon. After almost three decades, the fast food chain is swapping out the spoon in order to try and save plastic.