Notebook: Kansas Prepares for Missouri State

The Rock Chalkboard

Notebook: Lance Leipold talks position battles, provides injury updates and more
There are declared starters in Jereme Robinson (defensive end), Devin Phillips (defensive tackle) and Hayden Hatcher (defensive end). But there are still plenty of position battles going on. Dylan Brooks and Davion Westmoreland are competing for the No. 2 spot at strong side defensive end behind Robinson. Tommy Dunn and D.J. Withers are competing for a starting spot at defensive tackle. Gage Keys and Caleb Taylor are competing for the No. 2 spot at defensive tackle behind Phillips. And Austin Booker and Patrick Joyner are competing for the No. 2 spot behind Hatcher was weak side defensive end.

Lance Leipold provides health update on Jalon Daniels heading into KU's season opener
We are just days away from the Kansas football team taking the field for its season-opening game against Missouri State. One of the storylines of KU’s preseason camp was that quarterback Jalon Daniels was limited for a majority of the preseason due to what Lance Leipold called back tightness. With KU's preparations for the season opener well underway, Leipold said KU is “in a really good spot” when it comes to Daniels' health.

WATCH: Lance Leipold's Week 1 press conference
The start of the Kansas football season is just days away. KU is set to take the gridiron for the first time this season on Friday night as it faces off against Missouri State. The season opener will kick off at 7:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, August 31. The game will be televised on ESPN+. To preview the game and give the latest team updates, Lance Leipold met with local reporters on Monday for his weekly press conference. Click the video above to see what the KU head coach had to say.

LOOK: Kansas football announces first depth chart of the 2023 season
Kansas football is set to take the field to kick off the 2023 season on Friday night as KU takes on Missouri State in the season opener. KU has been building to this point since players arrived on campus for the 2023 Spring Semester back in January. The Jayhawks went through their winter lifting program before holding their 15 spring practices in March and April. The summer conditioning program fed right into preseason camp where KU practiced 16 times in 19 days. Now, it's finally game week.

Eraser Dust

10 drugs to face Medicare price negotiations: See the list
The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled the first 10 prescription drugs that will be subject to price negotiations between manufacturers and Medicare, kicking off a controversial process that aims to make costly medications more affordable for older Americans.

Taco Bell menu tries new take on an American classic - TheStreet
"[The] Grilled Cheese Bacon Quesadilla features cheese both in and on top of the quesadilla. Inside the grilled tortilla is grilled chicken and jalapeno sauce, while up top is a grilled layer of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses along with bits of bacon," the food website added.

Joe the Plumber, who questioned Obama's tax proposals during the 2008 campaign, has died at 49 - ABC News
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher, who was thrust into the political spotlight as “Joe the Plumber” after questioning Barack Obama about his economic proposals during the 2008 presidential campaign, and who later forayed into politics himself, has died, his son said Monday. He was 49.

Why Ahsoka Has One Lightsaber Shorter Than The Other
Ahsoka uses two lightsabers in Ahsoka, but one is shorter than the other. Ahsoka first began her Jedi training under Anakin Skywalker's tutelage during the Clone Wars with just one lightsaber, as compared to the two she is now seen wielding. As her blades have changed over time, so has her kyber crystal color, which started as green and then went to blue before settling on the familiar white seen in Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka. These unique characteristics and changes of Ahsoka's lightsabers have made them iconic over time, along with another distinctive detail.

Medicaid warns 5 states that they've made it too hard for residents to keep coverage : NPR
AMESTOY: She wasn't able to get through today and had to make an appointment for a call a week later. Montana's 42-minute average wait time for its Medicaid call center is one of the worst in the nation. Only Missouri's is longer. About 40% of people who call Montana's helpline abandon their calls, a rate higher than most states, Medicaid says. But Whithorn says she has to keep trying.

Moving Regrets: I Moved From Boston to Rural Kansas
Politics are a lot more nuanced here. Having grown up in Boston, I feel like it's almost assumed that anyone you talk to is pretty liberal leaning. Whereas in Kansas, it's much more of a mixed bag.

County aims to curb jumping from Flathead River bridges | Daily Inter Lake
The signs will go up on the new Old Steel Bridge and the Leisure Island Bridge. Both are areas where teens and young adults frequently jump into the Flathead River from the bridges.

Pope says some 'backward' conservatives in US Catholic Church have replaced faith with ideology | AP News
The 86-year-old Argentine acknowledged his point, saying there was “a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude” in the U.S. church, which he called “backward.” He warned that such an attitude leads to a climate of closure, which was erroneous.

This Historic Montana Town Named One Of The Ugliest In The Nation
Drum roll please...Butte, MT. Is this a joke? I wondered how this website came up with this outcome and they claim it's straight from you guys.