Notebook: Kansas Prepares for Fort Hays State

The Rock Chalkboard

Self downplays perimeter-shooting numbers from Illinois, looks ahead to next exhibition Wednesday - KU Sports
It didn’t take long for guard Nick Timberlake to get reminded of Sunday’s perimeter-shooting disparity between Kansas and Illinois. Joe Dooley, the KU director of student-athlete development, made sure it was fresh in Timberlake’s mind as he worked on his shooting back in Lawrence Tuesday.

It wasn’t all bad, but Dickinson didn’t thrive as promised in latest exhibition action - KU Sports
Dickinson, however, came out of the gate in Sunday’s exhibition game with a string of early missed jumpers and hook shots and a traveling call and was 3-for-8 by halftime, stirring up an away fan base that he had once called “annoying” during his Michigan tenure and that booed him vociferously every time he touched the ball.

KU football now has to turn the page - KU Sports
“A sign of an excellent head coach is navigating his team through that, and they have,” Leipold said.

Eraser Dust

Witnesses Describe Horror as Shark Tears Aussie Man Apart During Attack
Authorities in Australia postponed the search for the body of a 55-year-old man on Tuesday, believed to have been mauled by a shark in a known great white hotspot. Witnesses described their horror at seeing the surfer go under during the attack in South Australia, and poor ocean conditions have halted the search process for any remains. Police said witnesses spotted the attack around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday (local time), when “I saw the shark go and just launch and bite,” Ian Brophy told the Advertiser. “Over the top of the guy and bite and drag him down under the water and then nothing for a minute or two and blood everywhere and then up pops the board. That’s all it was, was this guy getting torn apart. I saw him in the wave and the shark had his body in his mouth. It was pretty gruesome. It took every bit of him I think. Sixty years of surfing and I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life.” Another surfer described the shark as a “f**king monster.”

Taylor Swift’s Tinder Masterpiece - The Atlantic
The enduring success of Swift’s fifth album—now out as a rerecorded Taylor’s Version—makes it easy to forget how perfectly it fit a particular cultural moment. Marketed as her full turn from country to “official pop,” it incorporated the synthetic sounds of her titular birth year and the tried-and-true melodic tricks of the producers Max Martin and Shellback. With 12.3 million units sold and three Hot 100 No. 1 hits (“Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood”), it remains her most popular release, and its rerecorded version just gave Swift the biggest streaming day for any artist in Spotify history. But the album’s incredible reach has also undercut its reputation as art: Many critics think of 1989 as lovable but generic.

Daisy Ridley's New Star Wars Movie Gets Potential Title, Exciting Script Update
A Reddit user on the r/StarWarsLeaks page has claimed that their sources tell them that the title of the new film is Star Wars: A New Beginning. This title appears to be in reference to the movie’s position as a post-Skywalker Saga story, where Rey will attempt to restart the Jedi Order from the ground up following the group’s decimation at the hands of the Sith. The rumor has generated a lot of talk on social media with fans, but this title hasn't been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm or Disney at this time.

Donald Trump Demands Extreme Loyalty: It's Starting to Backfire
Throughout the criminal investigations of Donald Trump, the former president has expected his co-defendants, alleged co-conspirators, and potential witnesses for the prosecution to stay fiercely loyal to him. This has included — according to people who’ve discussed the matter with him — his belief that some of his former lieutenants should risk jail time rather than turn on him.

Missoula man sentenced to life in prison for murder of homeless man
Nelson was found dead on November 20, 2020, near the Riverfront Trail in downtown Missoula by a nurse during her lunchtime walk.

This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened. - The New York Times
In May, Florida passed a law requiring public school districts to impose rules barring student cellphone use during class time. This fall, Orange County Public Schools — which includes Timber Creek High — went even further, barring students from using cellphones during the entire school day.

‘One project for the people of Montana’
“Bleu Horses,” a herd of 39 life-sized metal sculptures, stands sentinel across a 160-acre parcel of sloping prairie adjacent to Highway 287, which runs between Three Forks and Helena. Dolan installed the sculptures in 2013, just north of mile marker 104.

Montana leads nation for highest rate of new COVID hospitalizations | KECI
MISSOULA, Mont. — New data from the CDC shows Montana leading the nation for the highest rate of new COVID-19 hospitalizations.