The Rock Chalkboard

KU to send 28 track and field athletes to West Regionals for chance to compete in NCAA National Championships - KU Sports
KU will have five men and two women competing in the pole vault competition. On the men’s side, Clayton Simms enters the meet ranked No. 3 in the West Region. Ashton Barkdull (15), Anthony Meacham (17), Andrew Saloga (21) and Jake Freidel (27) will join Simms, while Samantha Van Hoecke (20) and Gabby Hoke (29) will compete on the women’s side.

KU baseball falls short against Texas Tech, but team qualifies for Big 12 tourney for first time since 2021 - KU Sports
The key game, though, was Saturday, not Sunday. That’s when the Jayhawks had a chance to win the series agains the Red Raiders, but lost an 8-7 game in extra innings. KU had won Friday’s opening game 3-1, giving the Jayhawks a chance to upset the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas.

Bits o Chalk

NBA playoffs: Nuggets overcome LeBron James' 40 for WCF sweep of Lakers, first-ever Finals trip
Powered by a history-making Nikola Jokić triple-double, the Nuggets rallied for a 113-111 win to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. The victory continued a remarkable postseason run by the Nuggets while securing their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals. They did so while overcoming the best effort of the postseason by one of the game's all-time greats.

NFL’s controversial 'Thursday Night Football' flex scheduling decision reflects league's priorities
The proposal, as of now for just the 2023 season, will carry some of the same restrictions that games flexed in and out of the Sunday night slot have already held. Flexes are permitted during only the final five eligible weeks of the regular season — Weeks 13 to 17, as "Thursday Night Football" isn’t on the Week 18 schedule. No more than two games per season can be flexed. And no team can be flexed in or out of a Thursday slot more than once.

Super Bowl officially returning to Levi's Stadium in February 2026 - NBC Sports Bay Area
Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, the home of the 49ers since 2014, officially was selected as the site of Super Bowl LX in a vote of the NFL owners Monday in Minneapolis.

Eraser Dust

Historic Colorado River deal not enough to stave off long-term crisis, experts say | Water | The Guardian
A hard-fought agreement between California, Arizona and Nevada to slash the states’ use of the shrinking Colorado River is only a temporary salve to a long-term water crisis that continues to threaten the foundations of life in the American west, experts have warned.

U-Haul driver faces multiple charges after crashing into a security barrier near White House in Lafayette Square, police say | CNN Politics
The driver of a U-Haul who crashed into a security barrier in Lafayette Square near the White House Monday night was arrested on multiple charges, including threatening to kill or harm a president, vice president or family member, according to US Park Police.

Actor Ray Stevenson, Volstagg in 'Thor,' dies at 58 - The Washington Post
Ray Stevenson, the actor from Northern Ireland who was known for his roles in Marvel’s “Thor” movies, the Star Wars franchise, “RRR” and the TV series “Rome,” has died at age 58.

Taco Bell is bringing back this old fan-favorite menu item
In a Reddit AMA on Monday morning, Taco Bell Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery broke some exciting news to fans: the Enchirito is coming back.

Montana bill defining sex as binary becomes law
Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office announced Saturday that the Republican governor has signed into law Senate Bill 458, legislation that inserts binary, reproduction-based definitions of “male,” “female” and “sex” into dozens of parts of state code.

Ron DeSantis is learning that not every state wants to be Florida
DeSantis has found that not everyone wants to be Florida. And he has encountered spirited pushback from competitive fellow governors and GOP officials who believe that their states have done just as much, if not more, to advance a conservative agenda.

Dave Matthews Band’s ‘Walk Around the Moon’ Review - The New York Times
“Walk Around the Moon,” the group’s 10th album, faces troubles and searches for solace.

ChatGPT retakes CPA Exam as v4.0, passes | Accounting Today
ChatGPT retook a practice CPA exam after failing the first time (not so different from the 50% of people who fail on their first attempt) and passed comfortably.