The Rock Chalkboard

New sports editor eager to build on rich tradition of KU and local coverage - KU Sports
I spent the summer after my junior year of college interning at a sports tech company by day and sleeping in a converted office in a home in the Troostwood neighborhood of Kansas City by night. When I was free from work on the weekend and desperate for entertainment, I used to walk down in the direction of the Country Club Plaza neighborhood, but I kept going straight through the rows of glitzy shops until I reached the Kansas state line and crossed into Westwood. Then I would turn around, head back and repeat the ritual a week later.

KU football reveals pair of early-season game times - KU Sports
The Jayhawks’ Aug. 31 home opener against Missouri State, which falls on a Thursday night, will take place at 7 p.m. Central Time and be broadcast on ESPN+ under the Big 12 Now banner. More than two weeks later, their first road game of the year at Nevada on Sept. 16 will kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT in Reno. That game, the first meeting between the two schools, will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

Eraser Dust

Kalispell Chamber to depart Depot Park, citing homeless activity | Daily Inter Lake
Chamber officials have looked for a suitable replacement for about a year and half, according to President Lorraine Clarno. She said the organization has outgrown the former Great Northern Railway Depot building — which it leases from the city of Kalispell — but that homeless activity in the park has forced them to move up the timeline.

First Thing: US debt ceiling deal passes Senate, averting catastrophic federal default | US news | The Guardian
The Senate narrowly passed a bill to suspend the debt ceiling on Thursday night, sending the legislation to Joe Biden’s desk and averting a federal default that could have wreaked havoc on the US economy and global markets.

A 14-year-old from Florida wins the Scripps Spelling Bee : NPR
Shah's winning word was "psammophile," a noun that is used to describe animals and plants that prefer to live in sandy soil environments, according to Merriam-Webster.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar Slam Duggar Family Secrets Doc - E! Online
"The recent 'documentary' that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love," Jim Bob and Michelle wrote on the Duggar family website June 1. "Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format. This 'documentary' paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that's the direction of entertainment these days."

Senate votes to overturn Biden’s student loan relief program
The 52-46 vote to pass the legislation comes a day after senators took a similarly close vote to proceed to the measure, which would repeal Biden’s debt relief program and end the administration’s pause on federal student loan payments. A few moderate senators — Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — voted with Republicans on the final passage vote as well as the motion to take up the measure.

1 New Star Wars Movie Will Finally Solve The Prequels' Last Anakin Mystery
An upcoming Star Wars movie can finally solve one remaining prequel-era mystery. The Star Wars prequel trilogy introduced the concept of the Chosen One, a prophecy that stated that one person was destined to bring balance to the Force. After meeting Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn believed Anakin to be the Chosen One, though why exactly he thought that to be true was never fully explained. Of course, Anakin was unusually strong with the Force, and the circumstances of his birth were questionable, at best, but the prequels never included the actual text of the prophecy, leaving everything concerning Anakin’s role open to interpretation.

Flathead County reports 1,500+ accidental calls to 9-1-1 so far in 2023 | ABC Fox Kalispell | montanarightnow.com
Flathead County MT said in a Facebook post in the event of an accidental 9-1-1 call, do not hang up; rather, explain to the dispatcher what happened so they don't unnecessarily send emergency services.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus says one of the hardest parts of Seinfeld was the apartment
“What we were always challenged by was, as soon as you walk into the apartment, what are you supposed to do? ‘What business am I going to find to do in this apartment?’” Louis-Dreyfus told Evans. “You’re not just going to come in and sit on the couch every time. You had the couch, you had the kitchen, and then you had the sweet spot, which I believe we called the ‘Alleyway,’ between the counter and couch.”

Liam Gallagher shares opinion on Noel's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' cover
Gallagher’s brother Liam was among those who took issue with the rendition. “I must once again apologise on behalf of my family for [Noel’s] piss poor and damn rite blasphemous version of joy division’s love will tear us apart tut fucking tut SORRY,” Liam wrote on Twitter late last evening.

Ja Morant likely facing a significant suspension as Adam Silver hints we’ll know his fate soon - The Athletic
“So in assessing what discipline is appropriate, if that’s the case, we look at both the history of prior acts, but then we look at the individual player’s history as well,” Silver said. “And the seriousness, of course, of the conduct. Those are all things that get factored.