Notebook: New Contract Makes Bill Self a Very Rich Man

The Rock Chalkboard

Self signs new lifetime contract to become nation’s highest-paid college basketball coach - KU Sports
“Bill Self is undoubtedly the most consistent coach in college basketball, and a restructuring of his contract terms (was) long overdue,” Goff said in a press release. “In an ever-changing collegiate athletics environment, our strong commitment to Coach Self positions KU basketball to maintain and enhance its status as the most storied program in the country.”

‘He makes the game so much easier’: Dickinson delivers impressive debut for No. 1 Jayhawks - KU Sports
Following a 99-56 victory for No. 1 Kansas, Moton was extremely thoughtful and candid during his nine-minute postgame press conference with the media. He admitted his brand-new roster was overwhelmed right away, and simply didn’t have the talent to keep the Jayhawks from getting up by as many as 55 before KU’s walk-ons closed out the contest.

Shakeup near top of Big 12 power rankings puts OSU in second, KU in third - KU Sports
Oklahoma State moved to No. 2 in this week’s Big 12 Conference power rankings, the Cowboys’ high point of the season, after its Bedlam victory over Oklahoma.

Eraser Dust

Kalispell Man Buzzes In Again With Return to 'Jeopardy!' - Flathead Beacon
“I’m out there in Dayton, playing against North Carolina A&T or whatever,” Crane said, referring to the NCAA Men’s Tournament’s First Four play-in tournament for the lowest seeded March Madness teams, which takes place in Dayton, Ohio. “I’m still a champion, but trying to make my way to (playing) Duke or North Carolina.”

Kalispell Wrestling Program Center of Federal Lawsuit - Flathead Beacon
The parent of a Glacier High School wrestler has alleged that Kalispell Public Schools (KPS) administrators and athletics officials failed to address the sexual assault of her son and permitted a culture of hazing and violence within the high school wrestling team, per a lawsuit filed in federal court on Oct. 23.

Flathead Elections Officials Reviewing Ballot Mishap - Flathead Beacon
Officials from the Flathead County Elections Department say that ballots mailed to voters for the Kalispell municipal elections were issued according to previous ward and precinct boundaries and had not been updated to reflect the new boundaries approved by the City Council in December 2021.

Where Are All the Missing Students? - The Atlantic
American schools have tracked absenteeism for more than a century; it’s a well-practiced routine. The teacher calls names. The students say, “Here.” Those who don’t respond are marked absent. If too many unexcused absences accumulate, the student is deemed truant. In many school districts, average daily attendance has mostly been seen as a goal tied to school funding; the more students a school has, the more money it receives. But over the past decade, as researchers began to examine the links between being present in class and performance, schools have started to recognize that attendance is a fundamental contributor to academic success. “Every day matters,” Gottfried told me. “After the first day [missed], test scores decline, and it declines in the same way as it does from the eighth or ninth day missed.”

High court seems likely to uphold law banning guns for accused domestic abusers : NPR
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to uphold a federal law that bans gun possession for anyone subject to a domestic violence court order. If so, the decision would be a small retreat from the court's sweeping decision on gun rights last year.

Kalispell Man Buzzes In Again With Return to 'Jeopardy!' - Flathead Beacon
“I’m out there in Dayton, playing against North Carolina A&T or whatever,” Crane said, referring to the NCAA Men’s Tournament’s First Four play-in tournament for the lowest seeded March Madness teams, which takes place in Dayton, Ohio. “I’m still a champion, but trying to make my way to (playing) Duke or North Carolina.”

Zinke plan to end Glacier vehicle reservation system passes House | Daily Inter Lake
A funding bill containing Congressman Ryan Zinke’s proposal to kill the Glacier National Park pilot vehicle reservation system passed the House last week, but may not get much further.

The 25 greatest cover songs of all time, ranked
The list of songs that follows contains covers that belong to all three categories. At 25 songs, this list can’t possibly be comprehensive; covers have been part of the vernacular of popular music since the beginning of recorded music. So we’ve chosen to focus on pop and rock covers from the last 50 or so years, songs that remain part of the collective soundtrack, either in the original version or, usually, in these particular incarnations, which somehow managed to supplant the originals in one way or another.

Steve Martin ‘so proud’ his book was banned by Florida school district | The Hill
“So proud to have my book ‘Shopgirl’ banned in Collier County, Florida!” the “Only Murders in the Building” comedian wrote on Instagram on Monday.

Abortion Rights Fuel Big Democratic Wins, and Hopes for 2024 - The New York Times
Democrats won decisive victories in major races across the country on Tuesday evening, overcoming the downward pull of an unpopular president, lingering inflation and growing global unrest by relying on abortion, the issue that has emerged as their fail-safe since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.

Ohio voters will approve constitutional right to an abortion, CNN projects | CNN Politics
Ohio will become the latest state to enshrine reproductive rights in its state constitution, CNN projects, continuing a winning trend for abortion rights advocates since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.