Notebook: A Look at the Big 12

The Rock Chalkboard

Kansas picked to finish an unprecedented ninth in Big 12 media poll - KU Sports
The projection reflects newfound public confidence in the Jayhawks following their 6-7 (3-6 Big 12) campaign last season under head coach Lance Leipold, which ended with a bowl berth and an eighth-place finish in the league. It demonstrates in particular the expectations for the high-octane Kansas offense led by quarterback Jalon Daniels, who was named the conference’s preseason offensive player of the year Wednesday. Running back Devin Neal, offensive lineman Mike Novitsky and cornerback Cobee Bryant received first-team honors alongside Daniels. All told, this year’s KU team is expected to return 17 of its 22 starters from the 2022 season.

Get to know the revamped Big 12: Four facts each for four new members - KU Sports
There’s so much to learn about the four new Big 12 schools beyond the nuances of their football and men’s basketball programs. While there will certainly be no shortage of commentary in the months and years to come about how BYU, Cincinnati, Central Florida and Houston match up against Kansas in those two ways — on the gridiron and on the court — they will in reality be taking on the Jayhawks in eight times as many sports.

Daniels named preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year; three other Jayhawks honored - KU Sports
The Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday that its 2023 preseason all-conference football team, voted on by media members, includes KU junior quarterback Jalon Daniels as its offensive player of the year. Junior running back Devin Neal, redshirt senior offensive lineman Mike Novitsky and junior cornerback Cobee Bryant were also selected for the team.

Booth Breakdown: A far-out look at the Texas Longhorns - KU Sports
It may be a Big 12 Conference farewell tour for Texas in 2023, but that won’t stop head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns from playing their hand for a league title. Kansas will take a road trip to Austin in Week 5, at the end of September, and the Longhorns will arguably be the Jayhawks’ toughest test of the year.

Eraser Dust

Biden reverses Trump-era limits on short-term health plans - POLITICO
HHS, the Treasury Department and the Department of Labor issued proposed rules on Friday that clamp down on short-term limited duration health plans, which offer cheap but sparse coverage that Democrats deride as “junk insurance.” The rule, which is meant to protect consumers and bolster the Obamacare exchange, would overturn a 2018 Trump-era regulation and satisfies liberal lawmakers and patient groups who have demanded the administration act since its first days in the White House.

Montana's Senate election complicates cannabis legislation - POLITICO
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) is the lead author of a bill to increase research into cannabis for veterans. He’s also one of the Senate’s most at-risk Democrats, running in a state Donald Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2020.

Twitter sends Meta cease-and-desist letter over new Threads app: Sources - ABC News
Twitter sent Meta a cease-and-desist letter over the newly launched Threads app, sources familiar with the letter's existence told ABC News.

Noel Gallagher Smells What You're Smoking | High Times
“You got jobs?” Noel Gallagher asks. “How can you have jobs if you’re high all the time? I’d be high all the time if I lived here.” Gallagher savored the herbal magic in the air during his recent tour with Garbage and Metric. The mind behind Oasis and High Flying Birds enjoyed the scents while delivering an exceptional performance during a recent stop in Los Angeles.

MT Dept. of Revenue to hold town halls for property owners | KECI
A series of town halls will be held to help Montana property owners better understand their property assessments.

Al Roker fans cry ‘TMI!' as Today host reveals he's undergone new health procedure just weeks after vital knee surgery | The US Sun
The meteorologist had undergone knee surgery just a few weeks ago, and now got his ear wax removed.

Allison Mack seen for the first time since federal prison release
“Smallville” actor Allison Mack was spotted for the first time since being released from federal prison for her role in the Nxivm sex cult Wednesday, casually strolling outside her parents’ Los Angeles-area home.

Marjorie Taylor Greene booted from Freedom Caucus - POLITICO
“A vote was taken to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Freedom Caucus for some of the things she’s done,” said Freedom Caucus board member Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.). When asked if she was formally out, he replied: “As far as I know, that is the way it is.”

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade Kickstarted George Lucas' Worst Habit
It's ironic that "Star Wars" took so many cues from "The Last Crusade," considering that the movie's predecessor, "Temple of Doom," doesn't fall into any of those same traps. The film takes place a year before the events of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but it makes few attempts to explain anything about how Indiana Jones ended up the way he is in the first movie. Here, Indiana inexplicably has a heartwarming father/son relationship with the young Short Round, and develops a relationship with Kate Capshaw's Willie Scott, a woman who's never mentioned in "Raiders" despite her and Indy ending "Temple of Doom" on good terms.

Taco Bell Menu Brings Back Its Answer to Popular Wendy's Offer - TheStreet
Now, Taco Bell has brought back its answer to the $5 Biggie Bag: the $5 Cravings Box.

Nearly half of all U.S. tap water contains forever chemicals, study says - The Washington Post
“Millions of people have been drinking a toxic forever chemical linked to cancer all their lives and are only discovering it today,” Scott Faber, the senior vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, said Thursday on the research.