AUSTIN, Texas (AP)—While former Kansas State All-American Michael Beasley was busy helping his Miami Heat teammates fight out of a huge hole against the Dallas Mavericks Saturday, another athletic phenom was adding another chapter to the underrated legacy of Wildcat basketball. Denis Clemente equaled Beasley’s highest output of last season with 44 points as the unranked Wildcats stunned #12 Texas, 85-81 Saturday at the Erwin Special Events Center. The game against the decorated Longhorns proved to be a coming out party for the native Puerto Rican as he made 13 of 25 shots, including all six of his 3-point attempts. Damion James had 19 points and 12 boards in the loss for Texas, which saw their record drop to 15-5 on the season. As for K-State, they have won three consecutive conference games after staring 0-4 in BIG 12 play. In other Top 25 action Saturday, #2 Connecticut pounded Providence, 94-61, #3 Pittsburgh stormed past #22 Notre Dame, 93-80, Georgia Tech surprised #4 Wake Forest, 76-74, #5 Oklahoma bested Iowa State, 78-68, #6 North Carolina hammered North Carolina State, 93-76, #7 Louisville ousted West Virginia, 69-63, #8 Marquette outgunned #23 Georgetown, 94-82, #10 Xavier held off Massachusetts, 82-80, Washington overpowered #14 Arizona State, 84-71, #16 UCLA crushed Stanford, 97-63, #17 Purdue gashed Michigan, 67-49, Portland demoralized #18 St. Mary’s, 84-66, #19 Memphis waxed Houston, 83-68, and #25 Gonzaga stymied San Diego, 64-47.

MIAMI (AP) Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and the Dallas Mavericks shot 60 percent for the game in a 111-96 victory Saturday at the American Airlines Arena. Click here for game summary

MONTREAL (AP)—Saku Koivu scored the winning goal on a power play in the closing seconds as the Montreal Canadiens edged the Los Angeles Kings, 4-3 Saturday at Bell Centre. The Kings took leads of 1-0 and 3-2 via goals by Michal Handzus and Jaret Stoll but the Canadiens earned their 28th win of the season with clutch scores in the third period, including Koivu’s leadoff shot. Carey Price also stopped 23 shots for his first win in four starts for the Canadiens. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 20-21-7 on the season. In other NHL action Saturday, Washington doubled up Detroit, 4-2, Boston blanked the New York Rangers, 1-0, Anaheim downed Colorado, 4-3, the New York Islanders waxed Florida, 3-1, Toronto bested Pittsburgh, 5-4, Dallas hammered Columbus, 7-3, Carolina stymied Atlanta, 2-0, St. Louis humbled Philadelphia, 4-0, Buffalo tripped up Phoenix, 2-0, Minnesota surged past Vancouver, 4-3, and Chicago stormed past San Jose, 4-2.

BOISE, Idaho (AP)—The Boise State womens’ indoor track and field team broke two school records while posting 11 first place finishes to excel in Day 2 of the Bronco Invitational Saturday. The Lady Broncos’ Megan Olivetti set a school record in the womens’ 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.60 seconds while her teammates Eleni Kafourou and Mele Vaisima won the womens’ triple jump and weight throw, respectively. Additionally, several Utah-based athletes did well as Weber State’s Laken Skidmore won the women’s mile run while Lauren Endersen of Utah won the womens’ 3000-meter run. Meanwhile, Utah’s Langley Iverson won the womens’ high jump with a leap of 5-05.75 and Brigham Young’s Kari McAlister won the pole vault with a mark of 12-08. As for the men, a pair of Weber State Wildcats earned individual titles with Taylor Pebley winning the mens’ 400-meter dash while teammate Jace Nye won the 800-meter dash. Other Weber State athletes taking first place were Tyler McBee in the 60-meter hurdles and Adam Ball in the mens’ pole vault. To finish off the meet, a pair of Boise State men also took individual titles as Zacharias Arnos won the triple jump, and Simon Wardhaugh took the weight throw title.

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP)—Utah State’s Krista Larson took first place in the womens’ weight throw with a mark of 55-09.75 feet to headline a strong showing by several collegiate track and field athletes scattered throughout the west this weekend at the Washington State Cougar Indoor Invitational. Washington State’s Angela Jensen had a solid performance for the Lady Cougars on her home track as she swept the womens’ 800-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles in the heptathlon section of the meet. Meanwhile, Eastern Washington’s Brianna Okoro won the womens’ long jump, while Ellen Rouse of Idaho took the womens’ shot put title. The Utah State mens’ team was well represented by John Strang who amassed a hat trick in the mens’ heptathlon with titles in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump and high jump. Additionally, Sacramento State’s Ronald Brookins won the crown in the open long jump.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)—San Diego State’s Nicole Stone took the crown in the womens’ 400-meter dash to lead the way for numerous competitors who excelled Saturday at Mountain T’s Invitational at the Walkup Skydome. Additionally, Charonda Williams of Arizona State did well as she took the womens’ 200-meter dash crown while placing second in the 60-meter dash, as Nevada Las-Vegas’ Lekeisha Lawson finished directly behind her in both races. Lawson’s teammate, Jennifer Shearer also performed well as she swept the titles in both the womens’ mile run and 3000-meter races. The Arizona State men also shone as Darryl Elston won the 200-meter dash while his teammate Donald Sanford took the crown in the 400-meter dash. Southern Utah’s Nate Houle stepped up to the plate with a title in the mens’ open 800 meter dash while Alexander Wentz of Arizona State won the mens’ 1000-meter run in the heptathlon.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP)—Alexandria Anderson of Texas won the womens’ 60-meter hurdles to headline a dominant performance by the BIG 12’s mens’ and womens’ indoor track and field teams over their SEC counterparts Saturday at Gilliam Indoor Track & Field Stadium. Other strong showings for BIG 12 institutions came from Missouri’s Shannon Leinert who won the womens’ 800-meter dash and Tevan Everett of Texas who took the mens’ 800-meter crown.

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. (AP)—Tanesha Johnson of Colorado State took first place in the womens’ 60-meter dash and the triple jump at the Barrett Air Force Duals Saturday at the Air Force Academy which featured several track and field teams from the Intermountain West. Additionally, a pair of Wyoming Cowgirls excelled as Lindsey Simmons won the womens’ 200-meter dash while teammate Afiya Walker won the 800-meter dash. Colorado’s Rachel Gioscia won the womens’ 3000-meter crown while another Wyoming athlete, Jennifer Schmitz, won the 60-meter hurdles title. Air Force teammates Melissa Beerse and Sara Neubauer won the pole vault and shot put events respectively As for the men, Colorado’s Jeremy Dodson swept the 60 and 200-meter dashes, while Wyoming’s Kekoa Chavez took the 400-meter title and Wil Buchanan of Colorado State won the 800-meter dash. Other winners included Kellen Curry of Air Force in the 60-meter hurdles, Colorado State’s Kevin Wills in the long jump, and Jeremiah James of Wyoming in the long jump.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)—Lukas Hulett of Nebraska led the way in a dominant performance for his Cornhuskers with a win in the mens’ 400-meter dash Saturday at the Adidas Classic at the Devaney Center. Teammate Nick Makukutu won the mens’ 600-yard run, while Lehann Fourie won the mens’ 60-meter hurdles for the second consecutive week. Several Kansas Jayhawks also excelled as Colby Wissel placed second in the mens’ 3000-meter run and Jordan Scott took the pole

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP)—Jeff Menzel posted 26.5 points while Cullen Irons added 18 more as the #10 Cal-Santa Barbara Gauchos humbled the #9 Brigham Young Cougars, 3-2 Friday. Andrew Stewart had 19.5 points in the loss for the Cougars. In other intercollegiate volleyball action Friday, UC-Irvine downed UCLA, 3-1, #3 Pepperdine blanked #4 USC, 3-0, and Long Beach State downed Stanford, 3-2.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP)—Lyndra Littles had 30 points while Monica Wright added 28 more while the #18 Virginia Lady Cavaliers overpowered the #9 Maryland Lady Terrapins, 89-81 Friday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Marissa Coleman had 19 points in the loss for Maryland. In other Top 25 action Friday, #24 Pittsburgh hammered Marquette, 86-54.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Matthew Lombardi, Andre Roy, and Adrian Aucoin all scored while Mikka Kiprusoff posted 28 saves in his NHL-leading 30th win of the season as the Calgary Flames downed the Nashville Predators, 3-1 Friday at the Pengrowth Saddledome. With their 30th win of the 2008-09 campaign, the Flames now lead the Northwest Division by 11 points while they’re within five points of the second-place Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference. The loss dropped Nashville to 21-24-3 on the season. In other NHL action Friday, New Jersey edged Pittsburgh, 4-3 in overtime, Columbus blanked Ottawa, 1-0, Philadelphia smacked Tampa Bay, 6-1, and Edmonton waxed Minnesota, 3-1.

DRAPER, Utah (AP)—Pablo Coro had 12 points for the Juan Diego Soaring Eagle as they pounded the North Sanpete Hawks, 56-32 Friday in Region 8 boys basketball action.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Dustin Belliston amassed a triple double with 17 points, 10 assists and 10 steals to lead the Salem Hills Skyhawks to a 60-49 win over the Delta Rabbits in Region 8 boys basketball action Friday at the Palladium.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Griffin Aste posted 21 points, while Russ Hugentobler added 17 more as the Manti Templars overpowered the Richfield Wildcats, 63-55 in Region 12 boys basketball action Friday. J.D. Michaelsen had 15 points to pace Richfield in the loss.

MOAB, Utah (AP)—Daniel Hales posted 13 points as the North Sevier Wolves won their first game of the season with a 48-39 win over the Grand Red Devils Friday in Region 12 boys basketball action.

BLANDING, Utah (AP)—McKay Blackburn had 14 points, while Dillon Bishoff added 11 more as the South Sevier Rams held off the San Juan Broncos, 49-47 in Region 12 boys basketball action Friday. Cameron Shumway had 16 points in the loss for the Broncos.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Haydn Jessup’s 16 points led the way for the Beaver Beavers as they smacked the Cross Creek Bobcats, 71-33 Friday in Region 13 boys basketball action.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Austin Moyle had 12 points for the Enterprise Wolves who started the game on an 18-2 run en route to a 62-34 shellacking of the Millard Eagles in Region 13 boys basketball action Friday .

COALVILLE, Utah (AP)—Bryer Trussell had 24 points while Colton Richins added 19 points and Caden Richins chipped in with 18 more as the North Summit Braves ousted the Juab Wasps, 65-55 Friday in Region 14 boys basketball action. Kyler Jones had 18 points for the Wasps in defeat.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—Katie Wasden and McKenzie Torgerson had 12 points apiece for the North Sevier Lady Wolves as they humbled the Grand Lady Red Devils, 44-35 in Region 12 girls basketball action Friday.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Jacee Curtis and Jaden Parsons each had 18 points for the South Sevier Lady Rams as they decimated the San Juan Lady Broncos, 74-12 Friday in Region 12 girls basketball action.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Chamaya Kia had seven points for the Beaver Lady Beavers while 14 different players scored for Coach John Marshall in a 62-13 rout of the Cross Creek Lady Bobcats in Region 13 girls basketball action Friday.

MILFORD, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris had 28 points for the Panguitch Lady Bobcats as they overpowered the Milford Lady Tigers, 45-24 in Region 15 girls basketball action Friday.

ORDERVILLE, Utah (AP)—Brooke Blackburn’s 12 points led the way for the Wayne Lady Badgers in a 41-29 win over the Valley Lady Buffaloes Friday in Region 15 girls basketball action.

(RICHFIELD) – The Richfield Public Library has just completed spending the last of their 2008 grant. Library Director, Linda Fields, says the money was spent on computer software for English as a second language and skills to teach the public on how to run the program. Head Librarian, Robin Davis, says the 2009 budget includes spending money on more electronic media, such as DVD’s and Audio Tapes. Library officials invite the public to come in and see the new remodeled structure and what the library offers.

(HURRICANE) – Hurricane City Police are looking for a missing man. They say 57-year old, Anthony Long, disappeared almost 10 days ago. According to police reports, Long’s friends say it’s not like him to leave without telling anyone. They say he’s also an avid hiker. Reports say that Long drives a blue Ford Ranger with Utah license plate that says, “UNWED 1”. If you have any information as to his whereabouts, call the Hurricane City Police at 435-634-4730.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett joined Senate Republicans Thursday in a press conference to discuss his opposition to the nearly trillion dollar stimulus bill. Bennett said this is the same bill that Democrats tried to pass before and it didn’t work back then, either. He said he’s not opposed to Pres. Obama in his attempt to improve the economy, just that this bill is not right.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)—Klay Thompson nailed eight of his 10 3-point attempts and posted 28 points to lead the Washington State Cougars to a 65-55 upset of the #14 Arizona State Sun Devils Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena in Top 25 mens’ basketball action. Thompson made his first seven treys and shredded Arizona State’s solid zone defense which came into the game surrendering just 58 points a game. Aron Baynes chipped in with 22 points and nine boards for the cougars while James Harden had 26 points in the loss for the Sun Devils. In other Top 25 action Thursday, #9 Michigan State smacked Iowa, 71-56, #11 Clemson got past Virginia Tech, 86-82, #16 UCLA trounced California, 81-66, #25 Gonzaga surged past #18 Saint Mary’s, 69-62, and #24 Minnesota decimated #20 Illinois, 59-36.

PHOENIX (AP)—Manu Ginobili posted 30 points and Tony Parker added 26 more as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Phoenix Suns, 114-104 Thursday at U.S. Airways Center. San Antonio finally gained much needed separation with a 9-2 surge in the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 12 points as the Spurs withstood every Phoenix run from that time on. Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, while Grant Hill chipped in with 20 points and 10 boards for Phoenix in a loss which dropped them to 25-19. The win was the 29th in a row for the Spurs when they score at least 100 points, a quizzical trademark for a team known primarily for its defense. In other NBA action Thursday, Orlando bested Cleveland, 99-88.

ESCALANTE, Utah (AP)—Kevin Griffin had 17 points to pace the Escalante Moquis as they overpowered the Milford Tigers, 60-49 Thursday in Region 15 boys basketball action. Cade Boyter had 18 points in the loss for Milford.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Patricia Smith had 16 points for the Carbon Lady Dinos as they got past the North Sanpete Lady Hawks, 48-36 in Region 8 girls basketball action Thursday.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Jaquel Christensen had 16 points for the Richfield Lady Wildcats while Brooke Bliss added 15 more as the Richfield Lady Wildcats hammered the Manti Lady Templars, 61-31 Thursday in Region 12 girls basketball action.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Chelsea Gardner and Aubrey Green each posted 16 points as the Enterprise Lady Wolves smacked the Millard Lady Eagles, 55-31 in Region 13 girls basketball action Thursday. Amber Freeman had 13 points in defeat for the Lady Eagles.

PAROWAN, Utah (AP)—Kelly Livingston posted 11 points to lead the Kanab Cowgirls to a 40-37 win over the Parowan Lady Rams Thursday in Region 13 girls basketball action. Ricky Warr had eight points and six steals in defeat for Parowan.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Brittney Stokes had 14 points as the North Summit Lady Braves crushed the Juab Lady Wasps, 59-56 in Region 14 girls basketball action Thursday. Tessa Bradford’s 13 points led the way for the Lady Wasps.

JUNCTION, Utah (AP)—Matt Hoyt had 19 points for the Valley Buffaloes as they pounded the Piute Thunderbirds, 49-33 Thursday in Region 15 boys basketball action.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Bryce Taylor posted 23 points for the Panguitch Bobcats and Trac Norris added 17 more as the Panguitch Bobcats decimated the Bryce Valley Mustangs, 70-40 in Region 15 boys basketball action Thursday.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Abbey Kay’s 16 points led the Emery Spartans to a 55-47 win over the Delta Lady Rabbits Thursday in Region 8 girls basketball action at the Palladium

(Ephraim) The Ephraim LDS Institute will host its annual Sweetheart Forum on Friday February 6th. For the last thirty-two years the Institute has selected a couple from the area that exemplify the standards of marriage and family. This year the forum will recognize Bruce and Marlane Harless of Mount Pleasant. The Harlesses are currently serving as the President and Matron of the Manti Temple. The public is invited to attend the forum which will start at 12:30 PM on Friday February 6th at the Institute building in Ephraim.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Sean O’Malley and Kyle Caldwell combined for 42 kills and nearly 46 points, while Caldwell added a career-high 14 digs as the #8 UCLA Bruins overpowered the Cal Baptist Lancers, 3-1 Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion in intercollegiate volleyball action. Cal Baptist’s Adiel Tiedjop had six aces for the Lancers in the loss.

WACO, Texas (AP)—Courtney Paris had 15 points and 14 rebounds and scored the tiebreaking basket in the closing seconds as the #2 Oklahoma Lady Sooners held off the #3 Baylor Lady Bears, 56-51 Wednesday at Ferrell Center. Ashley Paris chipped in with 12 points and 11 boards for Oklahoma as the Lady Sooners won their 13th consecutive game to improve to 17-2. Danielle Wilson had 11 points in the loss for the Lady Bears, which dropped them to 17-2. In other Top 25 womens’ action Wednesday, #7 Texas A&M overpowered #17 Texas, 68-54, and #21 Xavier edged Saint Joseph’s, 42-41.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Michael Cammalleri amassed a hat trick as the Calgary Flames torched the Buffalo Sabers, 5-2 Wednesday at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Cammalleri now has 25 goals on the season, while Todd Bertuzzi and Dion Phaneuf also scored for the Flames who improved to 29-14-4 on the season. Drew Stafford and Tim Connolly scored in the loss for the Sabers which dropped them to 25-19-5 on the season. In other NHL action Wednesday, Pittsburgh hammered the New York Rangers, 6-2, Chicago edged Anaheim, 3-2 and Nashville bested Vancouver, 5-3.

(RICHFIELD) – Three elementary schools in the Sevier School District have been recognized by the state as performing high marks in the Title One Schools system. State Director, Karl Wilson, said that Ashman, Pahvant and Salina Elementary Schools are three of 56 of Utah’s Title One schools to receive the 2008 Utah High Performing Title One Schools recognition. He said that in order for schools to be recognized for this honor, they must achieve adequate yearly progress as measured in the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program in language arts and math for at least two consecutive years. Wilson also said the schools must achieve at or above the state level and be nominated by the school district’s superintendent. He said that for 30 years, the U.S. Congress has recognized that higher poverty schools face unique challenges in educating students. In response, the federal government provides Title One grants to give supplementary assistance to public schools that serve higher levels of low income families.

(RICHFIELD) – A Richfield business may be cited by Police for violating the city’s nuisance ordinance concerning abandoned vehicles at the business. Verdi Rasmussen, owner of United Automotive on Cove View Road in Richfield, appeared before the City Council Tuesday night to defend himself on a complaint that his business is becoming a salvage yard, not just a repair shop. City Enforcement Officer, Charles Billingsley, told the council that he counted over 50 disabled, inoperable or junked vehicles on the premises and took pictures showing the nuisance conditions since June 20, 2008. Billingsley also stated that the business shows heavy weeds, old scrap metals and junk at the business. Rasmussen said part of the problem is travelers who dump their vehicles off for repair and never pick up their vehicle or pay for them. The general consensus of the council was that Rasmussen has six months to remove all the abandoned vehicles, or he’ll be cited.

(Mt. Pleasant) Mount Pleasant City is preparing a grant application for water system improvements. The application will be submitted to the Community Impact Board by the end of the month. The city has enough water rights, but needs to upgrade the distribution system. Jones and DeMille Engineering made several proposals at the city council meeting last night (Tuesday) outlining what needs to be done. The expected cost of the project is one million dollars. If the project is approved, the CIB will determine how much of that will be grant money and how much will be a loan. If the money is given as a loan, the city will likely have to raise water rates. The city will hold public hearings to receive public input before committing to additional debt.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Pres. Barack Obama met with Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday and Utah’s Congressional Delegation gave him some style points but are opposed to his stimulus package. Third District Congressman, Jason Chaffetz, said the president showed a sincere desire to reach out and work with the GOP but he’s not convinced his prescription is right for the country. Obama met separately with House and Senate Republicans. Chaffetz said when the President talks about cutting taxes, he applauds him but when he talks about growing the debt and continued deficit spending, he vehemently disagrees. Rep. Rob Bishop and Senators Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch all commented that the President was sincere in selling his program but are not converts to his plan.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)—Ashley Sweat had 18 points and Shalin Spani nailed three treys in a crucial second half surge for #12 Kansas State as they overpowered the Nebraska Lady Cornhuskers, 51-40 Tuesday in Top 25 womens college basketball action. Cory Montgomery had 21 points in the loss for the Lady Huskers while the win improved the Lady Wildcats to 18-1 on the season. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, Rutgers downed #13 Notre Dame, 78-68, #24 Pittsburgh tripped up Georgetown, 50-39, and #25 DePaul edged St. John’s, 59-58.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Chris Kunitz and Corey Perry each posted two goals to lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 7-3 rout of the Phoenix Coyotes Tuesday at Jobing.com Arena. Additionally, Bobby Ryan had a goal in his fourth straight game while Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen also scored for the Ducks as they moved into a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference with Phoenix. Shane Doan had two goals in the loss for the Coyotes. In other NHL action Tuesday, Boston got past Washington, 3-2 in overtime, the New York Rangers edged Carolina, 3-2, Columbus stymied Detroit, 3-2 in overtime, New Jersey waxed Ottawa, 4-1, Tampa Bay ousted Montreal, 5-3, Florida handled Philadelphia, 3-2, Minnesota trounced Toronto, 6-1, Dallas blanked Atlanta, 2-0, Buffalo decimated Edmonton, 10-2, and San Jose smacked Colorado, 3-0.

(RICHFIELD) – The Crop Disaster Program designed to help farmers and ranchers who lost crops through natural causes will end at the end of February. Paul Pace of the USDA said the program is for producers who lost crops from 2005-2007. He said that Congress authorized CDP as a special disaster recovery program for agriculture in 2007 and is now coming to a close. Pace said most producers in Sevier, Piute and Wayne Counties have been compensated for crop losses during those years but there may be some who have not applied.

(Ephraim) Construction on the long anticipated Snow College Library will begin next week with a ground breaking scheduled for February 3rd. The new library will follow the architecture of the Noyes Building which is one of the original college buildings. Despite the 19th century architecture, the library will be Central Utah’s first certified high performance green building. The library will feature a cafe, a 200 seat auditorium, study rooms as well as open study areas, and state of the art technology. The project is expected to be completed by August 2010. The public is invited to the ground breaking ceremony on Tuesday February 3rd at 1:00 PM at the south west corner of the Snow College campus in Ephraim.

(RICHFIELD) – The Sevier County Economic Development Office in Richfield is sponsoring seminars to help business owners grow their business, especially during tough economic times. Keith Church of the Small Business Center at Snow College-Richfield and Ephraim, offers several recession tips for business owners on do’s and don’ts, including watching cash flow and inventory. He says other tips for business owners include reviewing credit policies, speeding payments from customers and offering incentives, working with suppliers to secure payment deadline extensions, re-negotiating contracts with landlords and lenders and looking for deals on commercial properties. He also said don’t get discouraged during economic slumps in business, don’t let your personal credit slide and don’t fall for scams. The business seminars will begin Feb. 5 and will be held each Thursday night for eleven weeks from 6:30 to 9:30pm at the Snow College Richfield Campus.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Shaquille O’Neal continued his resurgence with 29 points and eight rebounds and the Phoenix Suns won their second consecutive game with a 103-87 pasting of the Washington Wizards Monday at Verizon Center. Although the moribund Wizards came out with fire and led 24-22 at the end of the first quarter, the Suns eventually seized control and removed all doubt from the outcome with a 28-14 run in the fourth quarter. Leandro Barbosa amassed 23 points off the bench for the 25-18 Suns while Amare Stoudemire chipped in with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Caron Butler posted 28 points and six rebounds in the loss for the Wizards. In other NBA action Monday, Miami torched Atlanta, 95-79, New York downed Houston, 104-98, New Orleans pounded Philadelphia, 101-86, Minnesota humbled Milwaukee, 90-83, Oklahoma City surged past New Jersey, 94-85, and Portland smacked the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-88.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP)—Lyndra Littles had 15 of her 22 points in the second half to lead the #14 Virginia Lady Cavaliers to a 75-67 win over the Clemson Lady Tigers Monday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Monica Wright added 19 points in the win for Virginia as a 24-6 run in the first half enabled the Lady Cavs to be in control for much of the game. Although Clemson was able to outscore Virginia, 41-39 in the second half, the Lady Cavaliers made enough plays down the stretch to pull it out, with Littles and Wright doing much of the damage to the Lady Tigers’ chances. Lele Hardy paced Clemson with 17 points in defeat. In other womens’ Top 25 action Monday, #1 Connecticut decimated #10 Louisville, 93-65.

(KOOSHAREM) – 100% of the third grade students at Koosharem Elementary School have demonstrated proficiency on the state end of the level reading test. School Principal, Lorna Stapley, said she credits her excellent teachers with the success of their students. Sevier School Board President, Don Naser, said that all third graders at Koosharem Elementary met 90% of the reading goal. A plaque honoring the students was presented to Stapley at this month’s school board meeting.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett spoke on the Senate floor last week in opposition to the “Lily Ledbetter” bill that would allow the opening of pay discrimination complaints from decades ago. Bennett said that it’s incomprehensible to him for Congress to consider a bill in the middle of an economic crisis, that would destroy jobs among small businesses and discourage employers of medium size businesses, from creating new jobs. Bennett said he supports protecting all American workers from discrimination and believes the alternative bill introduced by Sen. Hutchison of Texas, which is a more fair bill in handling pay discrimination complaints. He said that Congress wants to spend billions of dollars in the name of a stimulus package while simultaneously discussing legislation that would destroy jobs and create chaos for those trying to survive in this financial circumstance.

(RICHFIELD) – The morning commute will be slow as roads continue to be snowpacked and icy. The Utah Department of Transportation says I-70 from the I-15 Junction to the top of Clear Creek is snowpacked and icy as well as SR-89, U-31 up Fairview Canyon and SR-28 to Nephi. The Utah Highway Patrol warns motorists to be extra careful this morning, drive slower than normal and arrive at your destination safely.

MONTREAL (AP)—Alexei Kovalev had two goals and added a score in the shootout as the East outgunned the West, 12-11 Sunday in the NHL All-Star Game at Bell Centre. The cradle of hockey in North America proved to be the backdrop for an exciting exhibition which saw 23 goals and numerous big plays. The West tied things at 8-8 apiece after the second period by virtue of six goals in the stanza. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals sealed the win for the East with a goal in the shootout’s third round.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP)—Marissa Coleman had 18 of her 22 points before halftime along with 10 rebounds and Kristi Tolliver amassed 18 of her 23 points in the latter stanza as the #13 Maryland Lady Terrapins edged the #3 North Carolina Lady Tar Heels, 77-71 Sunday in Top 25 womens college basketball action. Tolliver’s 11 points in a 13-0 second half run for the Lady Terps proved instrumental as it gave Maryland a 12-point lead they would not relinquish. Jessica Breland posted 18 points and 12 boards in the loss for North Carolina which dropped the Lady Heels to 17-3, while the Lady Terps improved to 16-3. In other Top 25 action Sunday, #2 Oklahoma hammered Texas, 89-69, #5 Auburn dismantled #12 Tennessee, 82-68, #8 Duke embarrassed Georgia Tech, 60-34, #17 Ohio State surged past Purdue, 71-60, #18 Vanderbilt humbled South Carolina, 66-56, and #19 Florida decimated Mississippi, 75-54.

GUNNISON, Colo. (AP)—Benjamin Kjar went 3-0 in the 125-pound division as the Utah Valley Wolverines swept the Borah Duels Saturday with a 40-6 win over Mesa State, as 38-3 victory over Colorado State-Pueblo, and a 28-12 win over Division II Western State. Additionally, Flint Ray, Jeffrey Newby, Jeb Clark and Casen Eldredge went undefeated in their respective weight divisions for the Wolverines. Overall, the Wolverines went 25-5 on the day, including six victories by fall. In other wrestling action Saturday, Boise State blanked Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 41-0.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)—Damion James had 28 points, including 11 in a row in the second half as the #15 Texas Longhorns overpowered Texas A&M, 67-58 Saturday at the Erwin Special Events Center. The game represented a renaissance for James who scored only 12 points in the Longhorns’ last game against Oklahoma while Texas coach Rick Barnes said he enjoys seeing James progress. The win kept the Longhorns within the upper echelon of the BIG 12 as they trail only Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri in the overall conference standings. Donald Sloan had 17 points in the loss for the Aggies. In other Top 25 action Saturday, #2 Duke embarrassed Maryland, 85-44, #3 Connecticut humbled #19 Notre Dame, 69-61, #5 Oklahoma pounded #23 Baylor, 95-76, #10 Marquette ousted DePaul, 79-70, Washington surged past #11 UCLA, 86-75, #13 Xavier bested LSU, 80-70, #17 Butler decimated Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 78-48, #21 Villanova got past South Florida, 70-61, #24 Memphis stymied Tennessee, 54-52, and #24 Illinois tripped up Wisconsin, 64-57.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—LeBron James, coming off the heroics of a buzzer-beating shot Friday at Golden State, posted 33 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Utah Jazz, 102-97 Saturday at Energy Solutions Arena. Former Jazz standout Mo Williams added 25 points and four assists for the Cavaliers as they improved to 34-8. Although the Jazz took a 49-47 lead into the half, Cleveland seized control with a 34-24 surge in the third quarter. However, Utah responded with a 12-0 run to begin the last stanza before a Williams 3-pointer restored the lead to the Cavs. Although Mehmet Okur had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the closing moments, his 3-point attempt glanced off the iron and the Cavaliers made enough free throws down the stretch to prevail. Paul Millsap had 24 points and 15 boards to lead the way for the Jazz in defeat. In other NBA action Saturday, Philadelphia surged past New York, 116-110, Miami handled Orlando, 103-97, New Jersey waxed Memphis, 99-88, Milwaukee outlasted Sacramento, 106-104, and Portland dismantled Washington, 100-87.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)— New Mexico indoor track & field athletes Jarrin Solomon, Lee Emanuel and Deanna Young each qualified for the NCAA championships in March while 25 athletes qualified overall Saturday at the Cherry & Silver Invitational Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Solomon set a school record in the mens’ 400-meter dash for the Lobos with a mark of 46.84 seconds, while Emanuel won the mens’ 800-meter dash in a time of 1:50.30 and Young leaped 42.5 feet in the womens’ triple jump. Other strong showings came from Brigham Young’s Amy Menlove who placed second in the womens’ 60-meter hurdles and won the womens’ long jump with a mark of 20-06.50 and Natalie Stewart who won the womens’ 400-meter dash in 54.52 seconds and the 800-meter dash in 2:11.26. Meanwhile, Arizona’s Megan Howard and Nicole Lloyd placed first and second in the womens’ weight throw. As for the men, Stanford’s Myles Bradley placed first in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 7.71 seconds while Rory Fraser of New Mexico won the mens’ mile-run in a time of 4:11.89 seconds. Brigham Young’s Meelis Kosk also had a good day as he won the mens’ pole vault with a mark of 15-03.00.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)—Nebraska’s Natalie Willer set a new school record with a mark of 14-0 feet in the womens’ pole vault and the BIG 12 dominated the Mountain West, 249-118 in the Mountain West/Big 12 Challenge Saturday at the Devaney Center. However, many Mountain West athletes shined at the meet such as Colorado State’s Tanesha Johnson who won the womens’ 60-meter hurdles in 7.75 seconds. However, a pair of Kansas State runners, Lekesha Allen-Pointer (first in the 400-meter dash), and Lilliani Mendez (first in the mile run) tipped the scales in favor of the BIG 12. As for the men, Missouri’s Brian Graybill won the mile run, and Lehann Fourie of Nebraska took the 60-meter hurdles title to aid the BIG 12’s cause. John Alderson of Wyoming also had a solid showing as he placed second in the men’s triple jump.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP)—Latoya Heath of Oklahoma and Texas Christian’s Kishelle Paul placed second and third respectively in the womens’ 60-meter hurdles to headline a strong showing for several southwestern United States based schools in Day 2 of the Razorback Invitational Saturday. Additionally, Baylor’s Erin Bedell, Danielle Bradley, and Nichole Jones took the first three places in the womens’ mile run while the Baylor men also performed well as Whitney Prevost and Trey Harts finished first and second in the mens’ 60-meter dash.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP)—Porscha Lucas earned titles in the womens’ 60 and 200-meter dashes as the Texas A&M Aggies mens’ and womens’ indoor track & field teams swept their meets Saturday at Gilliam Indoor Track & Field Stadium. The women nipped the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee, 83-69 while the men edged Texas, 81-77. The men were led by Gerald Phri, who won the 60-meter dash, Chris Dykes who placed first in the 200-meter dash and Justin Oliver who took the 400-meter dash title.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP)—Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech automatically qualified for the national indoor track & field championships with a mark of 16:07.12 in the womens’ 5,000 meter dash while her teammate Ozie Okolie won the womens’ weight throw at the Texas Tech Invitational Saturday. Additionally, the Red Raiders’ Anthony Flemons won the mens’ long jump with a mark of 24-03.75 feet while Texas-El Paso’s Dimitrios Fylladitakis won the mens’ weight throw with a toss of 66-06.50 feet.

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP)—Several Washington State track athletes excelled Saturday at the Washington State Indoor Open as the Cougars’ Trent Arrivey won the high jump with a mark of 7-1.4 feet. Other mens’ winners for Washington State included Moreno Zapata in the triple jump, Marlon Murray in the 60-meter dash and Brianne Brown in the womens’ 400-meter dash.

NAMPA, Idaho (AP)—Utah State’s Jason Holt won the mens’ mile run with a time of 4:14.19 to headline a strong bevy of performances Saturday at the Orange and Blue Classic hosted by Boise State. Erin Stratton of Utah State also excelled as she won the womens’ mile run while teammate Allison Taylor placed second. Karren Nick and Jordan Strang also did well for the mens’ team for the Aggies as they finished first and second respectively in the 60-meter hurdles. Meanwhile, several Boise State athletes did well as Megan Olivetti won the womens’ 60-meter hurdles, Kyle Christofferson won the mens’ 400-meter dash and Per Strandquist won the mens’ 60-meter dash.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP)—Alex Von Hagen won the mens’ heptathlon and Javen Correia earned a title in the mens’ 60-meter hurdles as the Colorado Buffaloes earned 10 individual titles Saturday at the Potts Indoor Invitational. Other winners for the Buffs included Veronica Maul in the womens’ 200-meter dash, and Emma Coburn in the womens’ 800-meter run.

AMES, Iowa (AP)—The #3 Iowa State Cyclones erased an early deficit to stymie the #11 Oklahoma Sooners, 23-15 Friday at Hilton Coliseum in BIG 12 wrestling action. The Cyclones earned the win by virtue of wins by Heber City native and 157-pounder Cyler Sanderson and 165-pounder Jon Reader. Additionally, the Cyclones were bolstered by several points from 197-pounder Jake Varner. Iowa State also had 24 takedowns to just five for the Sooners. In other wrestling action Friday, Boise State embarrassed Cal State Fullerton, 37-4, Oregon State shellacked Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 41-4, Minnesota trounced Arizona State, 26-12, and Nebraska bested Pennsylvania, 23-14.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and seven rebounds while Josh Howard chipped in with 22 points and Brandon Bass added 18 more off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks torched the Detroit Pistons, 112-91 Friday at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Mavericks made 54 percent of their shots on the evening and after building a 63-51 lead at halftime, coasted to the easy win which was a refreshing change from their 133-99 defeat at Milwaukee Wednesday. Richard Hamilton had 17 points to pace the Pistons in the loss. In other NBA action Friday, Indiana tripped up Houston, 107-102, Charlotte smacked Phoenix, 98-76, Atlanta dismantled Milwaukee, 117-87, New York hammered Memphis, 108-88, Minnesota surged past New Orleans, 116-108, Toronto gashed Chicago, 114-94, San Antonio edged New Jersey, 94-91, the Los Angeles Clippers held off Oklahoma City, 107-104 and Cleveland snuck past Golden State 106-105. Click here for game summary

MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Nick Nissen had 19 points, while Josh Eliason added 18 more for the Delta Rabbits as they humbled the North Sanpete Hawks, 55-41 Friday in Region 8 boys basketball action.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Griffin Aste’s game-high 22 points enabled the Manti Templars to hand South Sevier their first loss of the season in a 62-49 rout in Region 12 boys basketball action Friday. Dillon Bishoff had 17 points for the Rams in defeat.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Dane Whittaker’s 16 points led the way for the Richfield Wildcats as they hammered the North Sevier Wolves, 58-28 Friday in Region 12 boys basketball action. The win kept North Sevier winless on the season at 0-13.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Cameron Shumway had 16 points while Nate Einerson added 13 more as the San Juan Broncos bested the Gunnison Bulldogs, 61-56 in Region 12 boys basketball action Friday. Erick Rosenvall’s 14 points led the way for Gunnison.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Craig Brinkerhoff amassed 21 points while Justin Orton chipped in with 20 more for the Kanab Cowboys as they surged past the Beaver Beavers, 61-50 Friday in Region 13 boys basketball action. Haydn Jessup had 15 points in defeat for Beaver.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Tim Hughes posted 28 points for the Escalante Moquis in an 80-69 win over the Panguitch Bobcats in Region 15 boys basketball action Friday. Eric Frandsen had 22 points for the Bobcats in the loss.

ORDERVILLE, Utah (AP)—Matt Hoyt had 23 points and Clay Williams added 22 more for the Valley Buffaloes as they smacked the Bryce Valley Mustangs, 86-47 Friday in Region 15 boys basketball action. Dusty Ahlstrom’s 15 points led the way for Bryce Valley.

BLANDING, Utah (AP)—Bailie Reynolds amassed 35 points and the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs ousted the San Juan Lady Broncos, 52-42 in Region 12 girls basketball action Friday.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—Despite Tyce Peterson’s game-high 22 points for the Wayne Badgers, they fell to the Piute Thunderbirds, 50-47 in overtime Friday in Region 15 boys basketball action.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Morgan Kartchner amassed 31 points and drilled five 3-pointers for the Dugway Mustangs as they shellacked the Wasatch Academy Tigers, 93-46 in Region 18 boys basketball action Friday.

(RICHFIELD) – The Central Utah Public Health Department in Richfield has just completed a year-long renovation and expansion project and an open house for the public is being planned. Registered Nurse, Alecia Beckstead, says the open house will focus on information for preventative care. Health Inspector, Mike Carter, said the Health Department offers five areas of information concerning public health. The public is invited to attend the open house Jan. 30 at the Public Health Department at 70 Westview Drive, north main in Richfield.

PROVO, Utah (AP)—Mat Taylor had 22 kills while Kevin Sagers added 19 more as the #9 Brigham Young Cougars overpowered the #11 Hawaii Warriors, 3-1 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation volleyball action Thursday at the Marriott Center. Although Hawaii raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set, it was all Cougars from that time on as Yamil Perez posted a career-high 62 assists as well for Brigham Young in setting up Taylor and Sagers. Brigham Young improved to 1-0 in conference play with the win, while Hawaii fell to 0-1.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP)—Ashley Walker posted 20 points and seven rebounds while Natasha Vital had 14 of California’s last 20 points as the #6 Lady Golden Bears held off Oregon State, 77-72 Thursday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Brittney Davis had 24 points in the loss for the Lady Beavers which dropped them to 11-6 on the season while California improved to 15-2. In other Top 25 action Thursday, Georgia Tech edged #3 North Carolina, 66-62, #5 Auburn hammered Alabama, 84-66, #11 Stanford shellacked Oregon, 85-57, #12 Tennessee outlasted Arkansas, 76-67, #17 Ohio State crushed Illinois, 68-51, and Georgia bested #18 Vanderbilt, 66-55.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Jordan Cotterell had 14 points for the Millard Eagles as they surged past the Cross Creek Bobcats, 59-41 Thursday in Region 13 boys basketball action.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—McCall Nielson had 17 points for the Richfield Lady Wildcats in a 49-37 win over the North Sevier Wolves in Region 12 girls basketball action Thursday.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Jacee Curtis keyed a balanced scoring attack with 14 points for the South Sevier Lady Rams in a 51-31 pasting of the Manti Lady Templars Thursday in Region 12 girls basketball action.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—The Beaver Lady Beavers ended the game on a 13-3 run as they dismantled the Kanab Cowgirls, 40-23 in Region 13 girls basketball action Thursday.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Amber Freeman’s game-high 22 points spearheaded a Millard Lady Eagles’ onslaught as they obliterated the Cross Creek Lady Bobcats, 93-14 Thursday in Region 13 girls basketball action.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Tessa Bradford posted 23 points for the Juab Lady Wasps as they trounced the American Leadership Lady Eagles, 55-41 in Region 14 girls basketball action Thursday.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Caitlyn Pollock led all scorers with 14 points for the Bryce Valley Lady Mustangs as they stonewalled the Panguitch Lady Bobcats, 38-25 Thursday in Region 15 girls basketball action.

JUNCTION, Utah (AP)—Loni Allan posted 22 points and Kandice Gleave poured in 20 more for the Piute Lady Thunderbirds as they stymied the Valley Lady Buffaloes, 72-59 in Region 15 girls basketball action Thursday.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Shelby Earl’s 13 points led the way for the North Sanpete Lady Hawks as they snuck past the Delta Lady Rabbits, 48-45 Thursday in Region 8 girls basketball action at the Palladium.

(Manti) Utah will be well represented in the Miss America Pageant this Saturday night. Kayla Barclay of Manti was crowned Miss Utah last year and will compete for the state in the national pageant in Las Vegas on January 24th. The Pageant will be carried on the TLC cable channel at 9:00 PM Mountain time. As part of the pageant experience, contestants this year have taken part in a reality series called “Countdown To The Crown”. The final episode of the series will air tomorrow (Friday) night. Contestants have been competing in preliminaries this past week and will be narrowed down to the top fifteen. Only the top fifteen will compete in during the live show. Pageant fans can track the preliminary winners on the pageant website www.missamerica.org.

(FILLMORE) – The Millard County Commission received an update on the progress of the wind turbine project developing near Milford in Beaver County. Millard County Commission Chairperson, Kathy Walker, said the county is receiving equipment, including poles and turbines, for the construction of the wind towers and transmission lines. She said Millard County is responsible for the construction of the project because all the power would be coming from Millard County, not Beaver County. Walker said that building permits have not yet been granted for construction of the project.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett wants to investigate why several Utahns were denied access to designated areas to view the Inauguration of Pres. Barack Obama. He said that many of his constituents who had tickets were not admitted to their designated area due to security malfunctions blamed on “unprecedented crowds”. Bennett said he was extremely disappointed that many who traveled long distances to attend the historic inauguration, were not admitted. He said that he would be working with law enforcement officials to thoroughly investigate why it happened. Bennett is a member of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP)—Tommy Pestolesi posted a career-high 25 kills and the #7 Long Beach State 49ers rallied past the #8 UCLA Bruins, 3-2 in intercollegiate volleyball action Wednesday at the Walter Pyramid. Additionally, Dean Bittner had 22 kills and Mike Klipsch had 56 assists for the 49ers in the win. Long Beach State also hit .400 in the clinching fifth set to pull away.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP)—Morghan Medlock had a season-high 17 points and Danielle Wilson completed a crucial three-point play with 4.8 seconds left as the #4 Baylor Bears surged past the #7 Texas A&M Lady Aggies, 64-61 Wednesday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. The game was hotly contested throughout as Baylor led only 37-34 at halftime, while the Lady Aggies took the lead briefly in the second half by virtue of an 11-4 surge to start the latter stanza. Nevertheless, the 16-1 Lady Bears managed to pull out the victory with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch while they connected on 82 percent of their foul shots for the game. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #2 Oklahoma hammered Colorado, 72-58, #14 Virginia surged past Virginia Tech, 75-69, #15 Kansas State stonewalled Texas Tech, 60-48, #21 Xavier decimated Massachusetts, 83-54, and #22 Iowa State crushed Missouri, 65-42.

HOUSTON (AP)—Rafer Alston had 23 points and eight assists and made a clutch steal in the closing moments as the Houston Rockets surged past the Utah Jazz, 108-99 Wednesday at Toyota Center. Although Houston raced to a 31-19 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Rockets could not put the Jazz away until late in the fourth quarter as Deron Williams and Ronnie Brewer (55 combined points) made numerous big shots to keep Utah in it. The win enabled the Rockets to take a 2-0 lead in the season series against the Jazz, although the next two games will take place in Salt Lake City. The win improved Houston to 27-16 on the season while Utah fell to 25-18. In other NBA action Wednesday, Charlotte pounded Memphis, 101-86, Detroit dismantled Toronto, 95-76, Boston blasted Miami, 98-83, New York surged past Phoenix, 114-109, New Orleans stung New Jersey, 102-92, Milwaukee crushed Dallas, 133-99, Cleveland downed Portland, 104-98, Washington bested Sacramento, 110-107, Oklahoma City outgunned Golden State, 122-121, and the Los Angeles Lakers stymied the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-97.

CASTLE DALE, Utah (AP)—Cameron Hansen posted 16 points and Jason Giles added 15 more for the Emery Spartans as they hammered the North Sanpete Hawks, 72-48 Wednesday in Region 8 boys basketball action.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Pablo Coro amassed 21 points while A.J. Pizza chipped in with 16 more for the Juan Diego Soaring Eagle as they surged past the Delta Rabbits, 58-49 at the Palladium in Region 8 boys basketball action Wednesday.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Callan Jones nailed five 3-pointers and had 22 points overall to lead the Manti Templars past the Gunnison Bulldogs 59-50 in Region 12 boys basketball action Wednesday. Derrick Christensen had 21 points for Gunnison.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—McKay Blackburn posted 17 points while Seth Taft had 16 more as the South Sevier Rams dismantled the North Sevier Wolves, 59-28 Wednesday in Region 12 boys basketball action.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Justin Orton had 23 points for the Kanab Cowboys as they smoked the Millard Eagles, 65-49 in Region 13 boys basketball action Wednesday. Jordan Cotterell’s 22 points led the way for Millard.

PAROWAN, Utah (AP)—Zach Wood scored 18 points for the Parowan Rams in a 57-36 pasting of the Beaver Beavers Wednesday in Region 13 boys basketball action.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Justin Brown’s game-high 37 points, which included six treys led the Layton Christian Eagles past the Juab Wasps 78-57 in Region 14 boys basketball action Wednesday. Kyler Jones had 22 points in the loss for Juab.

ORDERVILLE, Utah (AP)—Tim Hughes’ 24 points enabled the Escalante Moquis to outlast the Valley Buffaloes, 65-62 Wednesday in Region 15 boys basketball action.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Tyson Westwood had 22 points for the Piute Thunderbirds in a 61-41 rout of the Bryce Valley Mustangs in Region 15 boys basketball action Wednesday. J.J Dunham had 14 points to pace the Mustangs in the loss.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—Lance Peterson had 17 points while Trevor Taylor chipped in with 15 more for the Wayne Badgers as they smacked the Milford Tigers, 64-46 in Region 15 boys basketball action Wednesday.

(BEAVER) – Beaver County Commissioners held a public hearing this month to gain comment on a proposed ordinance change related to energy exploration and development. Beaver County has never had a Conditional Use Permit as part of the ordinance for companies who want to drill for oil and gas on federal lands. Zoning Administrator, Craig Davis was present at the meeting to help answer questions from the public but there was no comment offered. Commissioners added the CUP as part of the ordinance. Officials also said they are excited to see the progression of the wind turbine project going on near Milford in Beaver County.

(ANNABELLA) – Annabella Town officials met last week to discuss better enforcement on animal control around town. The Town Council said that too many unleashed dogs are running loose and causing problems. Mayor Dale Albrecht asked Sevier County Deputy Hillam to better control animals around the town. Also at the town meeting, the council heard from Jones and Demille Engineering of Richfield on options for requesting additional funds from the Community Impact Board for road construction and repair. The Town Council also discussed possible upgrades to the park on the north side of the Community Center, including planting grass and installing a sprinkler system and constructing a pavilion.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP)—Nolan Smith nailed consecutive 3-pointers in a 51-point second half for the #2 Duke Blue Devils as they dismantled the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 73-56 Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in mens’ Top 25 college basketball action. Gerald Henderson had 21 points for Duke, while Kyle Singler had 14 of his 17 points in the latter 20 minutes which saw the Blue Devils put the game away with a 27-5 run. Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley had 15 points apiece in defeat for the Wolfpack, who made only one field goal in the last 7:45 of regulation. The win improved the Blue Devils to 17-1 on the season, while North Carolina State dropped to 10-6, and of greater importance, 1-3 in ACC play. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, #24 Illinois trounced Ohio State, 67-49.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Paul Millsap amassed 28 points and 15 rebounds and Mehmet Okur chipped in with 22 more points, including successive 3-pointers down the stretch as the Utah Jazz outlasted the Minnesota Timberwolves, 112-107 Tuesday at Energy Solutions Arena. The Jazz came out of the gate swiftly as they built an early 12-0 lead, but Minnesota managed to hang around as Al Jefferson (25 points, eight rebounds) Ryan Gomes and Randy Foye (19 points apiece) all had solid performances. The win improved the Jazz to 25-17 on the season, while the hard luck Timberwolves fell to 13-27 with the loss. In other NBA action Tuesday, Atlanta held off Chicago, 105-102, San Antonio pounded Indiana, 99-81, and Denver smacked Sacramento, 118-99.

ALTAMONT, Utah (AP)—Garrett Sorensen had 15 points as the Altamont Longhorns pounded the Wasatch Academy Tigers, 56-41 Tuesday in non-region boys basketball action.

DRAPER, Utah (AP)—The Delta Lady Rabbits used a 24-14 surge in the second quarter to down the Juan Diego Lady Soaring Eagle, 54-41 in Region 8 girls basketball action Tuesday.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Jodi Robertson amassed 23 points for the Emery Lady Spartans as they humbled the North Sanpete Lady Hawks, 56-39 Tuesday in Region 8 girls basketball action.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Bailie Reynolds had 23 points for the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs as they bested the Manti Lady Templars, 53-43 in Region 12 girls basketball action Tuesday.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—Jacee Curtis and Jaden Parsons each had 20 points for the South Sevier Lady Rams as they shellacked the North Sevier Lady Wolves, 81-42 Tuesday in Region 12 girls basketball action. McKenzie Robins paced North Sevier with 20 points in the loss.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—The Beaver Lady Beavers raced to a 26-9 lead at halftime en route to a 42-19 win over the Parowan Lady Rams in Region 13 girls basketball action Tuesday.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—Kelly Livingston hit a game-winning shot with two seconds left and scored 20 points overall to lead the Kanab Cowgirls past the Millard Lady Eagles, 50-49 in Region 13 girls basketball action Tuesday.

LAYTON, Utah (AP)—Tessa Bradford’s 19 points led the Juab Lady Wasps past the Layton Christian Lady Eagles, 54-21 Tuesday in Region 14 girls basketball action.

(AURORA) – Aurora City held a public hearing Monday night to gain input on several changes in the city code concerning land uses. The City Council discussed comments on six-foot high fences in rear yards where dips in grades appear to raise the heights of fences. Other discussions included the square footage of building foundations, changing the lengths of cul-de-sacs from 500 feet to 300 feet and concerns of splitting subdivision lots from half acres to quarter acres. The Council decided to keep the splits in the old sections of the city and third-acre lots in new subdivisions. Also, comments were offered on five-foot sidewalk widths to abut the curbs and accessories to building sites to be reduced from an eight-foot set-back to two-foot set backs. No negative comments were offered at the hearing and the council clarified the city code to reflect the changes.

(MT. PLEASANT) – An Elsinore man was injured Sunday morning in a rollover south of Mt. Pleasant. A UHP report said that at about 9:30am, 30-year old, Carey Chadwick was traveling southbound in a 1996 Toyota Corrolla on SR-89 when he went off the right shoulder, overcorrected to the left and exited the roadway and overturned on the left shoulder. The report said that Chadwick was wearing a seatbelt and was transported to the Sanpete Valley Hospital with unknown injuries.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Sam Young posted 19 of his 22 points in the second half and DeJuan Blair amassed his 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds as the #4 Pittsburgh Panthers overcame the ill effects of last Saturday’s loss to Louisville with a 78-60 pasting of #8 Syracuse Monday at the Petersen Events Center. As has been their trademark under head coach Jamie Dixon, the Panthers won by virtue of their stellar defense, which held the Orange almost 22 points below their scoring average on the season and rebounding, as they outrebounded Syracuse, 40-28 on the evening. Andy Rautins had 17 points in defeat for the Orange, as they fell to 17-3.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)—Chantel Black amassed all 17 of her points and 16 of her 17 boards after halftime as the #10 Duke Lady Blue Devils edged the North Carolina State Lady Wolfpack, 61-58 in overtime Monday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Karima Christmas posted 17 more points for Duke as the Lady Blue Devils erased a 14-point deficit to improve to 16-1 on the season. Shayla Fields led all scorers with 20 points for the Lady Wolfpack as she also forced overtime with a jumper from the left elbow to tie things at 52-52 apiece. Nevertheless, Black and Christmas each came up with numerous big plays in the extra session for Duke in the win. Nikkita Gartrell chipped in with 14 more for North Carolina State in defeat. In other Top 25 action Monday, #1 Connecticut hammered #2 North Carolina, 88-58, and #21 South Dakota stated blasted UMKC, 83-63.

PITTSBURGH (AP) Here’s the tale of the tape for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 23-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Click here for game summary

(ARLINGTON, VA.) – The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued penalties totaling $265,000 to C.W. Mining Co. and contractor Trimac Transportation Service, Inc., for violations that contributed to a fatal accident in 2007 at the Bear Canyon Mine in Emery County, in which a truck driver was crushed when a parking brake failed. According to a Department of Labor report, the accident happened on Dec. 12, 2007, when a contract truck driver attempted to attach a tow chain to a haul truck. The report said the parking brake failed to set due to frozen moisture in the air reservoirs that prevented the brake from properly applying. The driver was crushed between a front-end loader and the haul truck. Acting Assistant Secretary for MSHA, Richard Stickler, said that had the front-end loader been properly inspected prior to its operation, the miner might still be alive.

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP)—Alexis Gray-Lawson posted a career-high 37 points and nailed a pair of clutch free throws late in the game to lead the #9 California Lady Golden Bears past the #7 Stanford Lady Cardinal, 57-54 Sunday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Cal improved to 14-2 and 5-0 in Pac-10 play as they won their sixth consecutive game and beat hated rival Stanford on their home court for the first time since 1993. Jayne Appel had 18 points and eight rebounds in the loss for Stanford. In other Top 25 action Sunday, #3 Oklahoma bested #6 Texas A&M, 71-59, #8 Auburn blew past Arkansas, 70-61, #15 Tennessee ousted South Carolina, 68-56, #16 Maryland hammered Virginia Tech, 96-79, #18 Vanderbilt surged past LSU, 75-67, #19 Florida waxed Georgia, 61-45, #23 Rutgers shellacked Marquette, 76-53, and Florida State stonewalled #25 Georgia Tech, 59-49.

TORONTO (AP)—While the Arizona Cardinals gave Maricopa County sports fans an optimum level of excitement with their win in the NFC Championship Game, the Phoenix Suns did their part as well, albeit in a foreign country two time zones away. Amare Stoudemire posted 31 points, and Steve Nash dished out a season-high 18 assists as the Phoenix Suns got past the Toronto Raptors, 117-113 Sunday at Air Canada Centre. The win was a solid start to a six-game road swing for Phoenix, while the Suns will face the Celtics Monday. Anthony Parker amassed 26 points and seven rebounds in the loss for the Raptors, which dropped them to a disappointing 16-26 on the season. In other NBA action Sunday, Miami scorched Oklahoma City, 109-104.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Larry Fitzgerald amassed a hat trick with nine receptions for 152 yards and three touchdowns as the Arizona Cardinals made franchise history with their first ever Super Bowl appearance in a 32-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in the NFC Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals raced to a 24-6 lead at intermission by virtue of Fitzgerald’s three scoring snares while the Eagles shot themselves in the foot in a myriad of ways as they committed a turnover, missed a field goal and failed to score touchdowns when they did penetrate inside the red zone. Nevertheless, Philadelphia came out motivated in the second half as signal-caller Donovan McNabb (28 of 47, 375 yards, 3 TD’s, INT) caught fire and riddled the Cardinals’ secondary with numerous big plays. However, when Philadelphia took a 25-24 lead in the fourth quarter on McNabb’s 62-yard scoring strike to DeSean Jackson, Arizona found success in the form of quarterback Kurt Warner. Warner (21 of 28, 279 yards, 4 TD’s) for all intents and purposes cemented his status as a Hall of Fame quarterback by leading the Cardinals on an impressive 14-play 72-yard drive which ended in an 8-yard scoring reception by rookie Tim Hightower. While the Eagles had one last chance, they turned the ball over on downs near midfield which set the stage for one of the more thrilling victories of the 2008 NFL season. Additionally, Warner joined Earl Morrall and Craig Morton in exclusive company as the only other quarterback to lead two different teams to victory in a conference championship game. The Cardinals will continue their storybook run with a berth in Super Bowl 43 Sunday February 1 at Tampa, Fla., and will face the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-14 victors over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. Click here for game summary

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP)—Todd Chamberlain had a career-high 20 kills but the #13 Ball State Cardinals suffered a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Stanford Cardinal Saturday at Worthen Arena. Spencer McLachlin, Evan Romero, and Garrett Werner all turned in solid performances for Stanford as they continued their successful jaunt through the Midwest. In other volleyball action Saturday, #10 Brigham Young pounded #11 Lewis, 3-1.

LOGAN, Utah (AP)—Sonia Grabowska qualified for the NCAA indoor track & field national championships by clearing the pole vault at 13.9 feet to lead the Utah State track team to a stellar showing at the Wilson Invitational Saturday. The Lady Aggies had a successful performance overall as they won eight of the 13 events as other Utah State athletes who excelled included Jennifer Day, who won the 400-meter dash and James Allred who took first place in the mens’ 800-meter dash. Additionally, Utah Valley’s Jazmine Wittman took first place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.82 seconds.

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP)—Weber State’s LaTia Hatcher headlined several Utah-based track & field athletes who had stellar performances Saturday at the Bengal Shootout at Holt Arena. Hatcher placed first in the womens’ 200-meter dash with a time of 24.89 seconds, while Brigham Young’s Katie Palmer took first in the womens’ 800-meter dash, while teammates Ashlee Thomas and Nicole Clark finished second and third, respectively. As for the men, Southern Utah’s Shaka Richardson placed second in the 60-meter dash while Brock Rose of Weber State took the 200-meter dash title in a time of 22 seconds. Other winners included Brigham Young’s Rhyan Atrice in the 400-meter dash and Cameron Levins of Southern Utah in the 800-meter dash.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)—Nevada-Las Vegas’ Lekeisha Lawson placed in the top three in both the womens’ 60 and 200-meter dashes while several other Mountain West and Pac-10 athletes shined at the Lumberjack Invitational Saturday at the NAU Walkup Skydome. Additionally, LaTisha Holden of Arizona placed first in the 60-meter hurdles, while the Lady Wildcats’ Gabriella Duclos took the crown in the womens’ pole vault with a jump of 13-10 feet. Meanwhile, Elijah Wells of UCLA had a stellar day on the mens’ side of the meet as he won the 400-meter dash in a time of 48.95 seconds.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)—New Mexico athlete Josh Cosio won the mens’ high jump with a mark of 6’10” to lead the way for the Lobos’ indoor track & field team Saturday at the Lobo Opener. Other strong showings came from New Mexico State’s Jasmine Tucker who placed second in the womens’ triple jump posting a mark of 35 feet and three inches and Chad Clark of New Mexico who won the mens’ 60-meter hurdles.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP)—Omo Osaghae won the mens’ 55-meter hurdles and set a new Texas Tech school record in the process with a time of 7.17 seconds as the Red Raiders had a strong showing at the Texas Tech Invitational Saturday. Additionally, a pair of Lady Raiders qualified for the national championships in March as Patience Knight threw the shot put 53 feet and 1.75 inches, while teammate D’Andra Carter finished in second by tossing it 51 feet. Additionally, Baylor’s DeAna Carson won the womens’ long jump with a leap of 19 feet and nine inches, and Texas Christian’s Jack O’Brien placed third in the mens’ 800-meter dash in a time of 1:54.35.

DALLAS (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki had 39 points and eight boards and Jason Terry put the game away with a clutch 3-pointer in the closing seconds as the Dallas Mavericks surged past the Utah Jazz, 115-108 Saturday at American Airlines Center. While both teams traded runs in the first half, the Mavericks managed to pull out the game in the fourth quarter as Nowitzki scored 12 in the period to help Dallas beat the Jazz for the 12th time in the last 14 games at the Metroplex. The Mavericks improved to 23-17 on the season with the win, while the Jazz fell to 24-17. In other NBA action Saturday, Boston smacked New Jersey, 105-85, Charlotte stymied Portland, 102-97 in overtime, New Orleans handled Detroit, 91-85, Philadelphia gashed New York, 107-97, San Antonio bested Chicago, 92-87, Houston tripped up Miami, 93-86, Orlando crushed Denver, 106-88 and the Los Angeles Clippers dismantled Milwaukee, 101-92.

CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP)—Jennifer Warkenthien had 28 points for the #21 South Dakota State Lady Jackrabbits as they hammered the Southern Utah Lady Thunderbirds, 87-50 in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action Saturday at the Centrum. Although Southern Utah trailed only 33-28 at intermission, the Lady Jackrabbits caught fire in the second half as they went on a 54-22 surge in the last 20 minutes. The win improved the Lady Jacks to 17-2, while SUU fell to 6-11. In other Top 25 action Saturday, #1 Connecticut obliterated Syracuse, 107-53, #4 Notre Dame edged St. John’s, 70-67, #5 Baylor overpowered #22 Oklahoma State, 75-57, #11 Louisville dismantled Georgetown, 74-58, #14 Kansas State got past #20 Iowa State, 59-52, #17 Texas shellacked Colorado, 62-32, and #24 Xavier snuck past Dayton, 51-49.

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. (AP)—Auriele Fain and Katherine Ward finished first in the mile and 3,000-meter races respectively as the Air Force mens’ and womens’ track & field teams got off to a solid start on the season at the Air Force Open Friday. Other first place finishers for the Falcons included Kellen Curry who won the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.16 seconds while several other Air Force athletes placed in the top four of their respective competitions such as Tyler Stanley in the 800-meter run, and Dan Paladino in the weight throw. The meet resumes Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Kawika Shoji had 46 assists and Spencer McLachlin added 14 more as the Stanford Cardinal earned a 3-0 sweep of the #14 Ohio State Buckeyes, 3-0 Friday in mens’ college volleyball action at St. John Arena. This was the site of the Cardinal’s national championship in 1997 and Stanford coach John Kosty said his squad sensed something special about the venue. In other mens’ volleyball action Friday, UCLA blanked UC-Santa Barbara, 3-0, and USC downed Hope International, 3-0.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—Deron Williams had 27 points and 12 assists as the Utah Jazz overpowered the Memphis Grizzlies, 101-91 Friday at FedEx Forum. Ronnie Brewer added 21 points as he made nine of his 13 shots on the evening while the Jazz made 52 percent of their shots overall. O.J. Mayo had 23 points in the loss for Memphis which dropped them to 11-28 on the season. In other NBA action Friday, Indiana held off Toronto, 111-104, Philadelphia torched San Antonio, 109-87, Washington got past New York, 96-89, Cleveland tripped up New Orleans, 92-78, Oklahoma City stymied Detroit, 89-79, Minnesota upset Phoenix, 105-103, Milwaukee outgunned Sacramento, 129-122, Golden State smacked Atlanta, 119-114 and Orlando bested the Los Angeles Lakers, 109-103.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—If it’s any indication of success for the Steelers, the weekend got off to a nice start for teams in Pittsburgh clothed in black and gold. Matt Cooke had two goals, while Hal Gill added another and the Pittsburgh Penguins tripped up the Anaheim Ducks, 3-1 Friday at Mellon Arena. The win was important for the Penguins, as they were forced to play without star Sidney Crosby for the first time all season as they improved to 22-20-4. Ryan Getzlaf scored the sole goal in a loss for Anaheim which dropped them to 22-19-5. In other NHL action Friday, New Jersey edged Columbus, 2-1, Philadelphia outlasted Florida, 3-2 in a shootout, Atlanta bested Toronto, 4-3 in overtime, the New York Rangers downed Chicago, 3-2 in overtime, and Edmonton handled Colorado, 3-2.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield City continues to lease or sell available lots in the new Business Park. Manager, Kimball Poulson, says he’s received several letters of intent of businesses willing to locate to the park. He updated the city council at this week’s meeting saying Lot Number Six may be purchased for $87,500 by a business who cannot be named publically until the contract is signed. Mayor Brad Ramsay was concerned that the intended company wants the city to buyback the property at the full price if they don’t develop within a two year time limit. The city policy is that the city buys back sold property at 80% of the original purchase price. Kimball expressed that the city attorney has assured the city that since each lot is sole individually, the council doesn’t have to worry about the potential problem.

(TORREY) – National Parks are moving ahead to attract more visitors to travel through the parks and see the sights. Capital Reef National Park Superintendent, Al Hindricks, says if you want to avoid crowded parks, visit Capital Reef. He says that the park relies on outside lodging and restaurants for support and boasts a beautiful and informative visitor’s center, 71-site campground area and excellent hiking trails. Hindricks says his permanent staff of 25 and dozens of volunteers through the USU Connection, help visitors enjoy even a more positive experience when they visit the park.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett voted against the second half the emergency bailout bill in the Senate on Thursday, while Sen. Orrin Hatch, abstained. Bennett said he was one of the biggest proponents of the $700-billion bailout package in October but voted against giving access to Pres. Elect-Barak Obama’s second half of the money. He said the first half of the bailout money was spent to avert a total collapse of financial markets in an emergency situation but there’s not as much of an emergency right now. Bennett said Obama’s team hasn’t given enough assurances that taxpayer money will be protected. Sen. Hatch voted “present” on the resolution and did not vote for or against the measure. Earlier this week, Hatch said he may be forced to vote against releasing the funds if Obama couldn’t guarantee more transparency on how private companies use the taxpayer funds.

(OGDEN) – An Amber Alert has been issued for a 14-year old Ogden girl who went missing around midnight in the 2000 block of Monroe Avenue in Ogden. Reyna Santelices is white, about 5-feet, 8-inches tall, weighing 110 pounds with brown eyes and hair. She was wearing a white sweater with “FOX” written in tan letters on the front. She’s believed to have been abducted by 22-year old, Ana Avalos, who’s described as a white woman, 5-feet, 3-inches tall, weighing 100 pounds. She has brown spiked hair with orange highlights and brown eyes. No word on what she was wearing. Police believe the suspect may have a relationship with the victim but they don’t know if the girl left with the suspect willingly. Police say Avalos had talked about possibly going to Reno, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, CA. or Mexico. The suspect was born and raised in Mexico and has no known relatives in the immediate area. If you have any information, please call the Ogden Police Department at 801-629-8221 or 911.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP)—Marissa Coleman had 19 points, while Lynetta Kizer added 15 more to lead the #16 Maryland Lady Terrapins past the Clemson Lady Tigers, 65-56 Thursday at Littlejohn Coliseum Thursday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Although the Lady Terps committed 22 turnovers in the game, they also limited Clemson to 31 percent shooting from the field to improve to 14-3 on the season. The loss dropped The Lady Tigers to 10-7. In other Top 25 action Thursday, Minnesota edged # 13 Ohio State, 59-56, #15 Tennessee surged past Mississippi State, 63-56, and #19 Florida waxed South Carolina, 77-63.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—DeMar DeRozan had 19 of his career-high 22 points in the second half as the USC Trojans clipped the #16 Arizona State Sun Devils, 61-49 Thursday at Galen Center in Top 25 mens’ college basketball action. Dwight Lewis chipped in with 18 points for the Trojans who improved to 11-5 with the win. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment on the evening, though, for USC was their effectiveness in shutting down the Sun Devils’ James Harden. The stifling Trojan defense surrendered only four points to the prolific Harden, who came in averaging 23 points a game, all of which coming at the foul line. The Sun Devils have no time to pout, however, as they must face fellow Top 25 foe UCLA Saturday afternoon. In other Top 25 action Thursday, #4 Connecticut handled St. John’s, 67-55, #6 North Carolina decimated Virginia, 83-61, #16 Xavier held off Rhode Island, 67-65, #17 Minnesota surged past Wisconsin, 78-74 in overtime, #18 Butler trounced Loyola (Ill.), 78-55, #19 Purdue outlasted Northwestern, 63-61, #25 Saint Mary’s crushed Loyola Marymount, 78-53, and #7 UCLA shellacked Arizona, 83-60.

ESCALANTE, Utah (AP)—Tim Hughes posted 25 points as the Escalante Moquis decimated the Bryce Valley Mustangs, 81-42 Thursday in Region 15 boys basketball action. The win improved the Moquis to 10-1 on the season.

MILFORD, Utah (AP)—Cade Boyter had 26 points and Tyler Denny chipped in with 15 more as the Milford Tigers snuck past the Piute Thunderbirds, 50-48 in overtime in Region 15 boys basketball action Thursday. Tyson Westwood had 20 points in the loss for Piute.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—Lance Peterson and Tyce Peterson each had 16 points to lead the Wayne Badgers to a 74-53 dismantling of the Panguitch Bobcats Thursday in Region 15 boys basketball action. Cameron Leach had 19 points in the loss for the Bobcats.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Kylee Blackham had 11 points and six steals to lead the North Sanpete Lady Hawks to a 51-33 win over the Juan Diego Lady Soaring Eagle in Region 8 girls basketball action Thursday.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Jacee Curtis had 19 points while Jaden Parsons added 17 more as the South Sevier Lady Rams bludgeoned the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 61-31 Thursday in Region 12 girls basketball action. Bailie Reynolds had 16 points to pace Gunnison.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Chamaya Kia’s 11 points led the way for the Beaver Lady Beavers as they edged the Enterprise Lady Wolves, 31-30 in Region 13 girls basketball action Thursday.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Araceli Aleman had 14 points for the Millard Lady Eagles in a 51-35 rout of the Parowan Lady Rams Thursday in Region 13 girls basketball action.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—The North Summit Lady Braves blew the game open with a 16-7 run in the third quarter as they bested the Juab Lady Wasps, 56-44 in Region 14 girls basketball action Thursday. Tessa Bradford had 23 points in the loss for Juab.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield area businesses are looking forward to an economic boost by attracting more customers to the city. Richfield Area Chamber of Commerce Staff member, Lorraine Gregerson, said that the 1-A Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments in February, bring in a lot of people. The 1-A Girls Tournament will be held at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield on Feb. 18-21 and the 1-A Boys Mar. 5-7. Gregerson said that business owners are welcome to become members of the Chamber of Commerce to receive vital information as to how they can grow their business. SVC Director, Jason Beal, said that Wrestling Tournaments will also be held at the SVC Feb. 6-7. He also commented that the SVC was able to sign the Harlem Globetrotters for a performance on Feb. 10.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP)—Garrett Drucker headlined an outstanding overall performance for the Oregon State wrestling team as they hammered Portland State, 40-3 Wednesday at Gill Coliseum. Drucker pinned the Vikings’ Westly Moniz in just 23 seconds while other Beaver standouts included Jake Gonzales, Kelly Kubec and Keegan Davis. The Beavers next face traditional power Iowa State on Sunday.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Jeff Green amassed 23 points while Russell Westbrook chipped in with 22 points and seven assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder stormed past the Utah Jazz, 114-93 Wednesday at the Ford Center. This was easily Oklahoma City’s most prominent victory in its brief history since moving from Seattle as the Thunder snapped a 20-game losing streak to teams with winning records. Deron Williams had 25 points and six assists in the loss for the Jazz, which snapped a four-game winning streak although they have dropped five consecutive games on the road. In other NBA action Wednesday, Indiana held off Detroit, 110-106 in overtime, Philadelphia pounded Portland, 100-79, Chicago downed Toronto, 102-98, Boston decimated New Jersey, 118-86, New York outgunned Washington, 128-122, Miami edged Milwaukee, 102-99, New Orleans bested Dallas, 104-97, San Antonio outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers, 112-111, Atlanta crushed the Los Angeles Clippers, 97-80 and Sacramento surged past Golden State, 135-133 in triple overtime.

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP)—Kristin Hernandez amassed 19 points while Andrea Riley added 18 more as the #22 Oklahoma State Cowgirls hammered the Colorado Lady Buffaloes, 79-43 Wednesday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. The Cowgirls broke the game open with a 19-0 run late in the first half which saw the Lady Buffs go scoreless for nearly an eight minute span. The win improved Oklahoma State to 12-3 on the season, while Colorado slumped to 8-6. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #3 Oklahoma smacked #14 Kansas State, 64-48, #5 Baylor bested #20 Iowa State, 68-57, #11 Louisville gashed South Florida, 76-60, #17 Texas pounded Nebraska, 74-60, #23 Rutgers got past Villanova, 60-51, and #24 Xavier decimated Duquesne, 82-45.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield City is seeking additional money to fund the Sevier County Veteran’s Memorial to be erected at the cemetery. Business Administrator, Woody Farnsworth, said the city has applied for a $280,000 grant from the Community Impact Board to match local funds of the same amount. He said private donations have been coming in at a steady pace. Farnsworth said that the city has received over 700 names so far to be placed on memorial monoliths at a cost of $100 each and more is coming in to reach the goal of $280,000. He said the city had to ask CIB for additional funds because of increased costs of landscaping and granite stone work on the project. At the city council meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Brad Ramsay said the city can’t fund the project except with private donations. The total cost of the project is $580,000 and should be completed by fall this year.

(Manti) The Manti City Library has received a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant was in the form of a new computer server that will improve internet service and availability for library patrons. Library Director Bridget Funk commented that the library provides internet service to many residents, logging over one thousand hours of internet usage in just one month. Funk also commented that the new technology will will help the community learn and grow. The new server will also give patron access to sites like Pioneer, which is Utah’s Online Library.

(SALINA) – GreenFibre Utah is helping Sevier County with a new paper recycling program. Coordinator, Krista Rosequist, says the company will accept all kinds of paper products. She said that ten recycling bins are located in the vacant lot across from the North Sevier High School in Salina. Rosequist hopes citizens will actively use the bins to help with paper recycling in the area.

(RICHFIELD) – Sevier County is looking for more volunteers to help with several projects throughout our six-county area. Shara Bastian, Manager of the Volunteer Connection for the Six-County area, says the mission of the organization is to promote the Volunteers In Service To America. Bastian says she needs volunteers to participate in a food drive for the needy starting on Jan. 19 and continuing through Apr. 25. She said that food booths will be set up on Martin King Luther Day on Jan. 19 at several grocery stores in Sevier County including, Walmart, Albertson’s and Lin’s Market in Richfield. Also, Barrett’s in Salina, Crisp Grocery in Monroe and the Flying U in Joseph. Bastian said the food collected in the two-month period will be taken to the Sevier County Food Bank.

PROVO, Utah (AP)—Lee Cummard had 22 points and seven rebounds and the Brigham Young Cougars ensued in their usual practice of winning on their home court with a 73-61 win over the Texas Christian Horned Frogs Tuesday at the Marriott Center. Jonathan Tavernari added 14 more points for the Cougars, while Jackson Emery and Jimmer Fredette each had 11 for Brigham Young. The Cougars raced out to a 42-21 lead at intermission and never looked back as they improved to 14-2. Kevin Langford amassed 14 points and six boards in the loss for the Horned Frogs.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Michael Cammalleri scored two goals and David Moss added another as the Calgary Flames smacked the St. Louis Blues, 3-1 Tuesday at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The victory enabled the Flames to ensue in their current hot streak as they are only eight points behind the Detroit Red Wings for second place in the Western Conference. As for the Blues, they took an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Dan Hinote, while the Flames didn’t break away until the closing stages of the third period when they finally pulled away. The win improved Calgary to 26-12-4 on the season, while the Blues fell to 16-23-3. In other NHL action Tuesday, Boston waxed Montreal, 3-1, the New York Rangers doubled up the New York Islanders, 2-1, Pittsburgh stymied Philadelphia, 4-2, Edmonton mowed over Washington, 5-2, Columbus snuck past Colorado, 4-3, Ottawa dismantled Carolina, 5-1, Nashville blanked Toronto, 2-0, Minnesota blasted Phoenix, 6-3, New Jersey downed Vancouver, 5-3, and San Jose decimated Tampa Bay, 7-1.

(RICHFIELD) – The agriculture industry in Utah saw positive growth in 2008, according to some financial experts. Brad Thompson, Loan Officer at Zion’s Bank, said his bank is taking a pro-active approach to farm loans. He said bank officials continue to help farmers build their budgets to be as profitable as they can be during economic slumps. Regional Credit Manager for Zion’s Bank, Orrin Bliss, says the market looks good for farmers in our six-county area. Both Bliss and Thompson commented that with changes in the farming industry and high production costs, banks need farmers and farmers need banks.

(Ephraim) The economy may be suffering, but it hasn’t stopped people from enrolling in higher education. Snow College has seen its share of the increase as well. According to Public Affairs Coordinator Greg Dart, the school has seen a double digit increase for Spring Semester compared with last year. Numbers had been dropping over the last few semesters, but the school has been engaged in an aggressive image campaign. College representatives have made trips to areas around the state and region in an effort to promote the affordability and quality of the education available at Snow College. Snow is one of three state run higher education schools that have seen increases this spring.

(ELSINORE) – Four travelers from Colorado were injured on I-70 near Elsinore Monday morning when their vehicle rolled. A UHP report said that at about 10am, a 2006 Ford Freestar was traveling westbound on I-70, when the driver left the roadway, overcorrected and went through a fence, hitting a cement structure and rolled. The vehicle came to rest on its wheels. UHP said the driver, 72-year old, Melvin Harris of Grand Junction and passengers, 72-year old, Phyllis Barslund, also of Grand Junction, were taken to the Sevier Valley Hospital with injuries. Two other passengers, 76-year old, Eddie Saindon of Clifton, CO. and 80-year old, Ivan Saindon, also of Clifton, were taken to the hospital. All occupants were wearing seatbelts. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

DALLAS (AP)—Trevor Daley scored the winning goal in overtime and the Dallas Stars overcame a 3-1 deficit to oust the Detroit Red Wings, 5-4 Monday at American Airlines Center. Detroit earned their early lead by virtue of goals from Brian Rafalski, Tomas Holmstrom and Marian Hossa. The emphatic win for Dallas was astounding as last Thursday, the Red Wings hammered the Stars, 6-1. The victory improved Dallas to 18-17-6 on the season, while Detroit fell to 29-7-6. In other NHL action Monday, Tampa Bay stonewalled Los Angeles, 3-1.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP)—Blake Griffin posted his 14th double-double of the season as the #5 Oklahoma Sooners bested the #11 Texas Longhorns, 78-63 Monday at the Noble Center in Top 25 mens’ college basketball action. The Sooners raced out to a 38-27 lead at halftime and held off a late Texas surge to improve to 16-1 on the season. Willie Warren added 17 points for Oklahoma, while A.J. Abrams had 22 points to lead Texas in the loss. In other Top 25 mens’ action Monday, #20 Louisville dismantled #13 Notre Dame, 87-73 in overtime.

(FAYETTE) – A Nephi woman sustained minor damage to her vehicle when she was forced to swerve to miss another vehicle on SR-28 near Fayette this morning. UHP Troopers reported that at about 10am, 18-year old, Tessa Christensen of Fayette was turning north on the highway in her 2008 black Nissan Ultima, when she failed to notice a 2005 Mazda 3, heading southbound. The driver, 22-year old, Kristin Back of Nephi, swerved to miss Christensen, ending up on the side of the road. Neither driver was injured in the mishap and Back’s vehicle only had minor damage. Christensen was cited for failure to yield

(Manti) The Sanpete County Sheriff’s office was involved in a brief stand-off Friday night in Manti. According to a sheriff’s report, an 18 year old male left his home with a large butcher style knife. The subject then went to an abandoned building. When police arrived, the subject came out of the building, pointed the knife at the officers and threatened them if they came any closer. After about an hour of attempting to get the subject to put down the weapon and surrender, the officers moved in and used tasers to subdue the subject. He was taken to the Sanpete County Jail. The prosecuting attorney is considering if charges should be filed. Officers believe that the man was suicidal. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett has commented on the Congressional Budget Office’s Budget and Economic Outlook on the $1.2-Trillion federal deficit. Bennett said the government must address the runaway entitlement spending that will have a bigger impact on the long-term deficit than anything the government does in the way of a stimulus right now. He said that he has worked on Social Security and health care reform since he began his career in the Senate. Bennett also served as one of the official tellers last Thursday at the joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes and formally announce the name of the next president. He stated that it was exciting for him to be a part of history in the constitutional process by which the votes for president and vice president are officially counted.

(RICHFIELD) – The Richfield City Mayor will give his “State of the City Address” this Wednesday at a luncheon. Mayor Brad Ramsay will speak at noon at the Tomato Vine at Days Inn in Richfield. The speech will be part of the regular monthly luncheon sponsored by the Richfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Those who want to have lunch with the mayor, may RSVP by calling 896-4241.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP)—Jeff Teague did his best impression of former Wake Forest star (and current Hornets standout) Chris Paul by posting a career-high 34 points as the #4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons edged the #3 North Carolina Tar Heels, 92-89 Sunday at Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Top 25 mens’ college basketball action. Chas McFarland added 20 points for the Demon Deacons, who at 14-0 are one of three unbeaten teams still remaining in Division I. Incidentally, one of the other blemish-free squads is conference rival Clemson, whom Wake Forest will meet Saturday. Danny Green had 22 points to pace the Tar Heels in a loss which has placed them in a last-place tie in the ACC with Georgia Tech. In other Top 25 action Sunday, #1 Pittsburgh hammered St. John’s, 90-67, #7 UCLA edged USC, 64-60, #14 Purdue blasted Wisconsin, 65-52, #18 Xavier decimated Fordham, 86-60, and #19 Minnesota trounced Penn State, 79-59.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Sam Gagner scored the winning goal and added an assist as the Edmonton Oilers surged past the St. Louis Blues, 2-1 Sunday at Rexall Place. Dwayne Roloson added 21 saves for the Oilers who improved to 20-18-3 with the win. Yan Stastny scored the first goal of the game for St. Louis, before Edmonton seized control with scores by Gilbert Brule and Gagner. The loss dropped the Blues to 16-22-3 on the season. In other NHL action Sunday, Chicago waxed Nashville, 3-1, and Anaheim ousted New Jersey, 4-3.

HONOLULU (AP)—Murphy Troy had 26 kills and three aces while Sean Dennis posted 18 more kills as the USC Trojans smacked the Ohio State Buckeyes, 3-1 Saturday at the Outrigger Hotels Invitational. USC ended the meet with a 2-1 mark as after they fell to defending national champion Penn State in the opener, they overpowered #13 Hawaii and the Buckeyes The Trojans return to the mainland with a match against Hope International Friday at Los Angeles.

WACO, Texas (AP)—LaceDarius Dunn scored 20 points, including 11 in a row in the second half as the #23 Baylor Bears overpowered the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 73-61 Saturday at the Ferrell Center in mens’ Top 25 college basketball action. After the Red Raiders tied things up at 45-45 apiece midway through the second half, Dunn began his run which enabled the Bears to win going away. Kevin Rogers added 14 points and 14 rebounds in the win for Baylor while Curtis Jerrells added 13 more. In other Top 25 action Saturday, #2 Duke held off Florida State, 66-58, #5 Connecticut tripped up Cincinnati, 81-72, #6 Oklahoma got past Kansas State, 61-53, #7 Texas handled Iowa State, 75-67, #9 Syracuse stormed past Rutgers, 82-66, #10 Georgetown humbled Providence, 82-75, #11 Clemson bested North Carolina State, 63-51, #12 Michigan State trounced Kansas, 75-62, #13 Notre Dame smacked Seton Hall, 88-79, #15 Marquette hammered #22 West Virginia, 75-53, #16 Arizona State shellacked Oregon, 76-58, #21 Louisville outlasted #17 Villanova, 61-60, #20 Butler snuck past Detroit, 64-60, Miami (Fla.) surged past #24 Boston College, 77-71, and #25 Tennessee outgunned Georgia, 86-77.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Here is a summary of the Ravens-Titans game which saw Baltimore signal-caller Joe Flacco become the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first two playoff starts. Baltimore will face either Pittsburgh or San Diego in the AFC Championship game next Sunday. Click here for game summary

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Kyle Turris scored in the fifth round of the shootout as the Phoenix Coyotes got past the Dallas Stars, 1-0 Saturday at Jobing.com Arena. Ilya Bryzgalov earned the win for the Coyotes with 38 saves in regulation and overtime as Phoenix improved to 21-17-5. The win continued an excellent weekend of professional sports in Maricopa County as the Arizona Cardinals crushed the Carolina Panthers, 33-13 in the NFC Divisional playoffs. In other NHL action Saturday, Boston waxed Carolina, 5-1, Florida overpowered Atlanta, 8-4, Colorado smacked Pittsburgh, 5-3, Detroit ousted Buffalo, 3-1, Montreal handled Washington, 5-4, the New York Rangers blanked Ottawa, 2-0, Philadelphia stymied Toronto, 4-1, Columbus doubled up Minnesota, 4-2, Nashville bested Chicago, 4-1, San Jose tripped up Vancouver, 4-2, and New Jersey steamrolled Los Angeles, 5-1.

PRICE, Utah (AP)—Craig Brinkerhoff had 22 points and Justin Orton chipped in with 19 more as the Kanab Cowboys edged the Carbon Dinos, 73-70 Saturday in non-region boys basketball action.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—Shane Yuhas posted 17 points to lead the Grand Red Devils past the North Sevier Wolves, 62-59 in Region 12 boys basketball action Saturday. Colton Piep’s 19 points led the way in the loss for North Sevier.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—McKay Blackburn amassed 18 points and Seth Taft added 15 more as the South Sevier Rams walloped the San Juan Broncos, 66-47 Saturday in Region 12 boys basketball action. The win improved the Rams to 11-0 on the season.

MOAB, Utah (AP)—The North Sevier Lady Wolves went on a 9-3 run in the fourth quarter as they overpowered the Grand Lady Red Devils, 49-40 in Region 12 girls basketball action Saturday. Lauren White posted 12 points and 13 boards in defeat for Grand.

BLANDING, Utah (AP)—Jaden Parsons had 16 points and Aubrey Lindgren chipped in with 15 more to lead the South Sevier Lady Rams to a 60-29 shellacking of the San Juan Lady Broncos Saturday in Region 12 girls basketball action.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP)—Karima Christmas made 7 of 10 shots and posted a career-high 21 points as the #10 Duke Lady Blue Devils overpowered the Miami (Fla.) Lady Hurricanes, 73-58 Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Chante Black added 17 more points for Duke as the Lady Blue Devils improved to 13-1 on the season. Epiphany Woodson had 16 points in the loss for the Lady Canes which dropped them to 10-6 on the season.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Brad Boyes and Brandon Crombeen scored clutch goals in the closing moments as the St. Louis Blues outlasted the Vancouver Canucks, 6-4 Friday at General Motors Place. Vancouver built a 2-1 lead in the first period behind goals by Jannik Hansen and Willie Mitchell, but the Blues battled back to take a 3-2 lead in the second period behind goals from Patrik Berglund and Alexander Steen. After Daniel Seedin’s goal deadlocked things at 4-4 apiece for the Canucks, the Blues stole the momentum and earned the win. The victory improved the Blues to 16-21-3 on the season while Vancouver fell to 22-16-5. In other NHL action Friday, Columbus blanked Washington, 3-0, Buffalo tripped up the New York Rangers, 2-1 in a shootout, San Jose hammered Edmonton, 4-1, and Tampa Bay got past Anaheim, 4-3.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Haydn Jessup had 28 points and the Beaver Beavers edged the American Leadership Academy Eagles, 53-49 Friday in non-region boys basketball action.

CASTLE DALE, Utah (AP)—Nevin Jensen posted 22 points and the Emery Spartans blew past the Kanab Cowboys, 77-53 in non-region boys basketball action Friday.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Kyler Jones amassed 25 points as the Juab Wasps snuck past the Parowan Rams, 68-63 in non-region boys basketball action Friday.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—The Richfield Wildcats blew the game open with a 33-11 run in the second quarter as they crushed the Gunnison Bulldogs, 83-50 Friday in Region 12 boys basketball action. Trent Nielson had 19 points for the Wildcats, while Derrick Christensen posted 18 in the loss for Gunnison.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—Kyler Johnson had 18 points and Nate Einerson added 17 more as the San Juan Broncos held off the North Sevier Wolves, 70-60 in Region 12 boys basketball action Friday. Colton Bates had 15 points in defeat for the Wolves.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—The South Sevier Rams raced out to a 20-2 lead and never looked back as they pounded the Grand Red Devils, 70-33 Friday in Region 12 boys basketball action. Dillon Bishoff and McKay Blackburn each had 15 points in the win for the Rams.

JUNCTION, Utah (AP)—Tim Hughes had 23 points and the Escalante Moquis shellacked the Piute Thunderbirds, 72-44 in Region 15 boys basketball action Friday. Tyson Westwood had 25 points to pace the Thunderbirds in the loss.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Trac Norris posted 34 points while Eric Frandsen chipped in with 22 more and the Panguitch Bobcats decimated the Milford Tigers, 80-59 Friday in Region 15 boys basketball action.

BLANDING, Utah (AP)—McKenzie Torgerson had 15 points to lead the way for the North Sevier Lady Wolves as they edged the San Juan Lady Broncos, 46-45 in Region 12 girls basketball action Friday. Heather Meyer’s 15 points led the way for San Juan.

MOAB, Utah (AP)—Jacee Curtis keyed a balanced scoring attack with 13 points as the South Sevier Lady Rams overpowered the Grand Lady Red Devils, 54-30 Friday in Region 12 girls basketball action. Shelby Dalton had 17 points to lead Grand in the loss.

(MONROE) – The Utah Bomb Squad was called to a Monroe residence Thursday to dispose of dynamite and blasting caps found at the home. According to a sheriff’s report, Kurt Meacham had been adding onto his home at 195 West 100 South in Monroe, when he discovered several sticks of dynamite while cutting into the foundation of an older addition to the home. The report stated that Meacham was unaware of the explosives and said that they appeared to have been there for quite some time. Deputies are warning the public to not handle any suspected explosives if they are found and to call the sheriff’s office immediately.

MIAMI (AP)—In all due respect to the Florida Gators, nationally-syndicated talk show host Jim Rome was right when he said that Thursday night’s BCS “championship game” was for third place at best. Although the rules of the seditious Bowl Championship Series say that Florida will be crowned “national champion” by virtue of their 24-14 win over the Oklahoma Sooners Thursday at Miami Dolphins Stadium, that is debatable. While the BCS’ power brokers say that there is nothing wrong with their system, the fact remains that the only unbeaten team in the nation, the Utah Utes, have been unjustly denied. The tragedy is that only a lawsuit will humble those simple-minded stooges who say that their system is fine. In the classic film Ben-Hur, the evil Messala said Rome would never fall. Of course, as any 12th grade student that has paid attention even once in his or her classes can tell you, that proved to be false. Here’s hoping that the BCS will fall as the once mighty Rome did two millennia ago swiftly.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)—James Harden posted 22 points on 10 of 11 shooting and the usually torrid shooting #20 Arizona State Sun Devils outdid themselves by making 65 percent of their shots as they hammered the Oregon State Beavers, 69-38 Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. Additionally, the Sun Devils made an astounding 89 percent of their shots in the second half while surrendering only 38 points to the hapless Beavers, the lowest point total allowed by Arizona State since their admission to the Pac-10 in 1978. Lathen Wallace had 13 points in the loss for Oregon State. In other Top 25 action Thursday, #18 Xavier decimated Saint Louis, 70-44, #19 Minnesota edged Iowa, 52-49 and #20 Butler dismantled Wright State, 64-48.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Daymond Langkow scored his 15th goal of the season and posted two assists as the Calgary Flames smoked the New York Islanders, 5-2 Thursday at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Mikka Kiprusoff added 24 saves for Calgary in the win, while Michael Cammalleri, Rene Bourque, Curtis Glencross and Adam Pardy all added goals for the Flames. The win improved Calgary to 25-12-4 on the season, while the Islanders fell to 12-26-4. In other NHL action Thursday, Boston surged past Ottawa, 6-4, Atlanta blanked New Jersey, 4-0, Philadelphia gashed Minnesota, 3-1, Detroit hammered Dallas, 6-1, Montreal ousted Toronto, 6-2, Florida doubled up Carolina, 4-2, Nashville waxed Pittsburgh, 5-3, Colorado handled Chicago, 2-1, Phoenix smacked Tampa Bay, 3-2 and Los Angeles overpowered Anaheim, 4-3.

(RICHFIELD) – Budget cuts statewide are affecting those with disabilities, including people who need wheelchairs. Cliff Roderick with the Red Rock Center for Independence, a disability advocacy group, says he and others are seeking additional funding for those in need. Red Rocks has partnered with Volunteers In Service To America to help the poor in our local areas get out of poverty. VISTA was created after Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson declared a “war on poverty” and signed the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, fulfilling a dream by Pres. John F. Kennedy to create a domestic volunteer program modeled after the Peace Corps. Since then, VISTA has grown to over 6,000 members who help promote welfare-to-work initiatives. Red Rock Center Advocate, Cliff Roderick, noted that a training session will be held Jan. 16 from 2-4pm at the Sevier County Administration Building.

(Ephraim) Ephraim city officials are saying that even with the slowing economy, they city is meeting forecasts for revenue. Some industries have been hit harder than others. Building permits for single family homes are down twenty-five percent from the same time last year. The city is also watching expenditures closely, but there are a number of projects slated to start this spring. Those include the new library at Snow College, a new LDS chapel by Walmart, and the new elementary school. There may also be new commercial developments at the north and south ends of town.

BOSTON (AP)—Jeremy Lin had 27 points and the Harvard Crimson pulled off a rare upset against a Top 25 team with an 82-70 dismantling of the #24 Boston College Eagles, 82-70 Wednesday at the Conte Forum. Despite the Eagles’ impressive win over previously top ranked North Carolina Sunday, head coach Al Skinner knew the dangers Harvard presented. However, Boston College overlooked Tommy Amaker’s Crimson, much to their detriment. Corey Raji had 16 points in the loss for the Eagles which dropped them to 13-3 on the season while Harvard equaled their win total from last season as they improved to 8-6. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #2 Duke overpowered Davidson, 79-67, #3 North Carolina crushed Charleston, 108-70, #9 Syracuse waxed DePaul, 85-68, #15 Marquette bested Rutgers, 81-76, #21 Louisville smacked South Florida, 71-57, and Gonzaga blasted #25 Tennessee, 89-79 in overtime.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Steve Bernier scored two goals in a three goal-flurry for the Vancouver Canucks in the second period as they doubled up the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2 Wednesday at Rexall Place. Alexandre Burrows and Pavol Demitra also scored for the Canucks as they improved to 22-15-5 on the season. Robert Nilsson and Erik Cole had goals for the Oilers who fell to 19-17-3 with the loss. In other NHL action Wednesday, Montreal overpowered the New York Rangers, 6-3.

(RICHFIELD) – The Southern Utah Elite Drill competition is coming to Richfield this weekend. Richfield High School Drill Instructor, Sharon Wall, says the RHS Drill Team is one of more than two dozen teams competing. She says this is her ninth year instructing the RHS Drill Team and does it because she enjoys helping the kids achieve their greatest potential in competition. The event will be held at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield this Friday and Saturday in the Arena.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield City is conducting a Health Fair Thursday for all county residents. City Recreation Director, Paul Foster, says this is an opportunity for people to get up-to-date on their health care screenings combined with a four-month progress report. Health Fair volunteer member, Rochelle Crimin, says this is a chance for people who made New Year resolutions to get healthier, to make good on their promise. The Health Fair is Thursday from 5-7pm at the Administration Building on the Snow College Richfield Campus.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – The deadline to nominate a teacher for the Arch Coal Foundation Awards is this Friday. Vicki Miller of the Arch Coal Foundation, says their organization does more than offer awards, including scholarships. She says that anyone can nominate a teacher to be selected to receive the award, which includes a cash amount of $3500 to be used any way the teacher wants. Miller commented that the awards will be given out at the end of the school year to five teachers in the Sevier, Sanpete, Emery and Carbon School Districts. Nominations can be submitted at Arch Coal’s website at www.archteacherawards.com, by a postcard or by calling 435-636-2869. Arch Coal owns the Sufco Mine in Sevier County, Skyline Mine in Scofield and the Dugout Canyon Mine in Wellington.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP)—Erica Morrow had 17 points, while Nicole Michael had 15 points and 14 rebounds as the Syracuse Lady Orange crushed the #16 Rutgers Lady Scarlet Knights, 68-54 Tuesday at the Carrier Dome in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Even on the day of Epiphany in Catholicism, Rutgers’ Epiphanny Prince’s 23 points failed to inspire a flat Lady Scarlet Knights squad which suffered the after effects of a loss to Tennessee Saturday as they made only 29 percent of their shots on the evening. The win improved Syracuse to 12-3 on the season while Rutgers fell to 8-4. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, #1 Connecticut obliterated South Florida, 83-37, #4 Notre Dame decimated DePaul, 86-62, #12 Louisville shellacked Seton Hall, 76-47, #21 Oklahoma State smacked Centenary, 100-57, and Richmond stunned #25 Wake Forest, 45-33.

DALLAS (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki had 34 points including a key blocked shot and turnaround jumper in the closing moments as the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the Los Angeles Clippers, 107-102 Tuesday at American Airlines Center. The Mavs exploded for 37 first quarter points and seemed primed to run the shorthanded Clippers off the court. Nevertheless, behind the inspired play of Eric Gordon (a career-high 32 points) and Al Thornton (25 points, eight rebounds), Los Angeles not only hung around but took the lead briefly in the fourth quarter. However, a myriad of big plays by Nowitzki and Jason Terry enabled the Mavs to earn their 21st win of the season. Meanwhile, the loss was only the latest frustration in a futile season thus far for the Clippers as they fell to 8-26. In other NBA action Tuesday, Orlando got past Washington, 89-80, Philadelphia surged past Houston, 104-96, Charlotte gashed Boston, 114-106 in overtime, Oklahoma City slipped past New York, 107-99, Minnesota bested Memphis, 94-87, Chicago ousted Sacramento, 99-94, and New Orleans overpowered the Los Angeles Lakers, 116-105

SALINA, Utah (AP)—Kaitlin Kesler had 17 points while Chamaya Kia chipped in with 16 more as the Beaver Lady Beavers hammered the North Sevier Lady Wolves, 56-34 Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action.

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (AP)—Kaity Diaz had 15 points and the Delta Lady Rabbits got past the Class 5A Taylorsville Lady Warriors in a 36-31 win in non-region girls basketball action Tuesday. Athena Mauga posted 15 points and four blocks in the loss for Taylorsville.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Amber Freeman’s 18 points led the way for the Millard Lady Eagles as they got past the North Sanpete Lady Hawks, 52-47 Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Bailie Reynolds posted 22 points but it wasn’t enough as the Manti Lady Templars handled the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 52-47 in Region 12 girls basketball action Tuesday. Sarah Wallingford had 13 points in the win for Manti.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Lindsay Card amassed 16 points and Jaquel Christensen added 12 more as the Richfield Lady Wildcats edged the South Sevier Lady Rams, 40-39 Tuesday in Region 12 girls basketball action. Aubrey Lindgren had 11 points in the loss for South Sevier.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—The Panguitch Lady Bobcats raced to a 26-7 lead at halftime and never looked back in a 52-26 shellacking of the Milford Lady Tigers Tuesday in Region 15 girls basketball action.

(RICHFIELD) – Sevier County is preparing for the demolition of old buildings at the fairgrounds at its current location. County Administrator, Malcolm Nash, says demolition should begin Jan. 14. He said that B.C. Construction of Richfield was awarded the low bid of $21,000 to demolish the old agriculture buildings and other structures with an additional $2,000 bid to remove the old grandstand, depending on approval from the County. Nash said the new structures would include a multi-function agricultural and display building and more parking area for fair-goers. Sevier County Commissioner, Gary Mason, said that 34 bids were received with 18 of those making a formal response. Mason also stated that he wanted a performance bond to be in place so that the County can recover funds spent in case the contractor fails to complete the demolition.

(RICHFIELD) – The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office has reported several auto accidents due to snowy conditions on Monday. Deputies responded to three vehicle accidents with property damage and a single-vehicle slide-off in Central Valley resulting with no damage. One of the accidents occurred in Elsinore when an eastbound vehicle on main street attempted to turn south to center street and slid across oncoming traffic, hitting and disabling another vehicle. The sheriff’s report stated that the rest of the accidents involved drivers traveling too fast for conditions. One of the drivers went to the Sevier Valley Hospital with possible whiplash but the rest sustained no injuries.

(RICHFIELD) – Sevier County Commissioners held a swearing-in ceremony Monday morning for a new County Commissioner and the Election of a new Chairman. At 9am, Gordon Topham of Monroe, was sworn in, taking the place of outgoing Commissioner, Ralph Okerlund. Topham said he’s looking forward to serving as Commissioner. He said the County has been divided over the issue of the proposed building of a coal-fired power plant near Sigurd and he would like to see the rift repaired. Topham said that other alternative sources of energy in the county need to be addressed as well as demolition of buildings at the fairgrounds. Outgoing Commissioner, Ralph Okerlund, stated he’s looking forward to a new opportunity to serve as the State Representative for District 24. At the Commission meeting, Commissioner Gary Mason was elected as Chairman and Sevier County Economic Development Director, Malcolm Nash, was approved as a County Administrator to help Commissioners with details of county business.

(RICHFIELD) – Several inches of new snow fell last night in South-Central Utah, making road conditions slippery. The Utah Department of Transportation says that all roads, including I-70, I-15 and SR-89 are snowpacked. The Utah Highway Patrol warns motorists to drive slow on the highways throughout the day and night and give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)—Tanae Davis-Cain and Courtney Ward spearheaded a 20-3 run in the second half and the Florida State Lady Seminoles gashed the #3 Texas A&M Lady Aggies, 60-53 Monday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Jacinta Monroe had 15 points and nine rebounds to key a balanced scoring attack for Florida State as the Lady Seminoles improved to 12-4 on the season. Tanisha Smith paced the Lady Aggies with 17 points as they dropped their first game of the season to fall to 12-1. In other Top 25 action Monday, Purdue waxed #4 Texas, 66-55, #11 Duke hammered Temple, 87-52, #15 Virginia crushed St. Francis (Pa.), 82-66, and Oakland stymied #21 South Dakota State, 67-51.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Deron Williams posted 25 points and 15 assists and Ronnie Brewer chipped in with seven points down the stretch as the Utah Jazz outlasted the Golden State Warriors, 119-114 Monday at Energy Solutions Arena. Despite the loss of Stephen Jackson to a hamstring injury near the end of the first half, Golden State remained within striking distance as Jamal Crawford (28 points) and Corey Maggette (23 points) picked up the slack for the Warriors. Nevertheless with key contributions from Paul Millsap (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Mehmet Okur (20 points, 11 rebounds) in complimentary roles, the Jazz had enough left in the tank to pull out the win. The win improved Utah to 20-15 on the season, while the Warriors fell to 10-26. In other NBA action Monday, San Antonio humbled Miami, 91-84, New Jersey handled Sacramento, 98-90, Milwaukee overpowered Toronto, 107-97 and Denver outgunned Indiana, 135-115.

MIAMI (AP) Click here for game summary

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)—Jeanette Pohlen nailed five 3-pointers in scoring 15 points and the #8 Stanford Lady Cardinal clipped the Arizona Lady Wildcats, 70-61 Sunday at the McKale Center. Stanford put the game on ice by surrendering only four field goals in a 16-minute span in the second half to take a 65-40 lead they would not relinquish. Nnemkadi Ogwumike added 14 points for the Lady Cardinal, while Arizona was led by Ify Ibekwe’s 23 points. The win improved Stanford to 11-3 on the season while the Lady Wildcats fell to 7-6. In other Top 25 womens’ college basketball action Sunday, #5 Oklahoma obliterated UNC-Central, 89-25, #9 California edged Arizona State, 54-53, #17 Ohio State hammered Michigan State, 67-49, #22 Pittsburgh surged past West Virginia, 72-63, and #24 Georgia Tech crushed Tulane, 69-52.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—O.J. Mayo had 18 of his 21 points in the second half and the Memphis Grizzlies snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Dallas Mavericks with a 102-82 win Sunday at FedEx Forum. Marc Gasol added 19 points for the Grizzlies, who also snapped a four-game skid overall with the win. Although the Mavs trailed only 50-45 at halftime despite allowing Memphis to shoot 67 percent from the field, they uncharacteristically failed to make a second half surge. Dirk Nowitzki amassed 28 points in the loss for the Mavericks, which dropped them to 20-13 on the season. Memphis improved to 11-23 with the win. In other NBA action Sunday, Toronto got past Orlando, 108-102, Washington downed Cleveland, 80-77, Detroit edged the Los Angeles Clippers, 88-87, New York humbled Boston, 100-88, and the Los Angeles Lakers bested Portland, 100-86.

CHICAGO (AP)—Martin Havlat, Andrew Ladd and Patrick Sharp each scored goals and Nikolai Khabibulin amassed 34 saves as the Chicago Blackhawks smacked the Calgary Flames, 5-2 Sunday at the United Center. The win commemorated a return to the indoor version of the NHL for the Blackhawks, who fell to Detroit, 6-4 Thursday at Wrigley Field and they welcomed the change with a three-goal second period to put the game away. The win improved the Blackhawks to 21-8-7 on the season, while Calgary slumped to 23-12-4. In other NHL action Sunday, Montreal outgunned Florida, 6-5 in a shootout, New Jersey ousted Ottawa, 4-3 in overtime, Tampa Bay waxed Atlanta, 4-1, Minnesota blanked Colorado, 2-0, Anaheim shut down Phoenix, 2-0, and Dallas got past Vancouver, 3-2 in a shootout.

WACO, Texas (AP)—Danielle Wilson posted a career-high 26 points, seven rebounds and four blocks and just two weeks after her mother was murdered, Morghan Medlock added 15 more points as the #7 Baylor Lady Bears crushed Texas State, 95-55 Saturday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action. Although Baylor looked rusty in the early going, a 16-4 Lady Bears’ run midway through the first half enabled them to lead the Lady Bobcats, 50-22 at intermission. Ashley Cole had 14 points in the loss for Texas State. In other Top 25 womens’ college basketball action Saturday, #1 Connecticut bested LSU, 76-63, #3 Texas A&M overpowered George Washington, 78-59, #4 Texas crushed Lamar, 82-45, #6 Notre Dame edged Seton Hall, 66-60, #10 Auburn smacked Stephen F. Austin, 79-56, #12 Tennessee snuck past #14 Rutgers, 55-51, #13 Louisville humbled DePaul, 78-60, #16 Maryland blasted Richmond, 83-65, #18 Kansas State obliterated Central Arkansas, 81-38, Iowa State upset #19 Vanderbilt, 55-51, #20 Florida ousted Ohio, 74-56, #21 South Dakota State shellacked IPFW, 71-48 and #23 Oklahoma State decimated Texas-Pan American, 85-36.

DENVER (AP)—Carmelo Anthony had 22 points including a clutch layup in the closing seconds and despite blowing a 26-point third quarter lead, the Denver Nuggets managed to pull out a 105-100 win over the New Orleans Hornets Saturday at Pepsi Center. J.R. Smith added 17 points for the Nuggets, who improved to 23-12 with the win. Chris Paul had 30 points and 11 assists in the loss for New Orleans while David West chipped in with 21 more for the Hornets who fell to 20-10. In other NBA action Saturday, Indiana outgunned Sacramento, 122-117, Atlanta surged past Houston, 103-100, Charlotte gashed Milwaukee, 102-92, Miami got past New Jersey, 101-96 in overtime, Minnesota ousted Chicago, 102-92, and San Antonio outlasted Philadelphia, 108-106.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Here are the stats from the Falcons-Cardinals game, the first home playoff game the Cardinals’ franchise has hosted since 1947: Click here for game summary

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Deven Holmes and Callan Richins each had 11 points and the North Summit Braves hammered the Millard Eagles, 67-38 Saturday in non-region boys basketball action.

MILFORD, Utah (AP)—Dusty Ahlstrom had 19 points and the Bryce Valley Mustangs edged the Milford Tigers, 58-52 in Region 15 boys basketball action Saturday. Dylan Jones amassed 18 points in defeat for Milford.

ESCALANTE, Utah (AP)—Dalton Lisonbee and Tim Hughes each had 17 points and the Escalante Moquis smacked the Wayne Badgers, 69-48 in Region 15 boys basketball action Saturday. Lance Peterson amassed 13 points in the loss for Wayne.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Trac Norris had 29 points and Eric Frandsen added 16 more to lead the Panguitch Bobcats to a 60-47 win over the Wayne Buffaloes Saturday in Region 15 boys basketball action. Ryan Reese had 27 points in the loss for Valley.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—The Cedar Lady Reds improved to 8-1 on the season as they got past the Kanab Cowgirls, 51-40 in non-region girls basketball action Saturday.

HURRICANE, Utah (AP)—Megan Clyde’s 20 points led the way for the Hurricane Lady Tigers in a 55-36 pasting of the Delta Lady Rabbits Saturday in non-region girls basketball action.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—The Pine View Lady Panthers handled the Beaver Lady Beavers, 38-34 in non-region girls basketball action Saturday.

CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP)—Aubrey Lindgren had 13 points and Stephanie Bishoff made a clutch 3-pointer in the closing seconds as the South Sevier Lady Rams edged the Canyon View Lady Falcons, 40-39 Saturday in non-region girls basketball action.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—The Wayne Lady Badgers improved to 9-1 on the season in a 50-32 dismantling of the Dixie Lady Flyers in non-region girls basketball action Saturday.

PAROWAN, Utah (AP)—The Piute Lady Thunderbirds raced to an early 16-2 lead and never looked back as they shellacked the Parowan Lady Rams, 53-35 Saturday in non-region girls basketball action. Kandice Gleave’s 20 points led the way for Piute.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)—Ashley Walker amassed 23 points, including 16 in the second half and the #9 California Lady Golden Bears bested the Arizona Lady Wildcats, 56-46 Friday in Top 25 womens’ college basketball action at the McKale Center. Additionally, Casey Morris had 18 points (all of which coming in the first half) for California as the Lady Bears led 29-23 at intermission. Reiko Thomas had 16 points in the loss to pace Arizona. In other Top 25 action Friday, #8 Stanford edged Arizona State, 64-61, and #15 Virginia outlasted Georgia, 62-60.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant amassed 40 points and seven rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers got past the Utah Jazz, 113-100 Friday at STAPLES Center. The win was significant for Pau Gasol as he amassed 21 points and eclipsed the 10,000-point mark for his career. The Jazz pulled to within three points in the third quarter after being down by as many as 17 points, but Los Angeles was able to withstand the surge and prevail. Mehmet Okur had 21 points and 13 for the Jazz, while Paul Millsap added 16 points and 17 boards in the loss for Utah. In other NBA action Friday, Orlando tripped up Miami, 86-76, Toronto smacked Houston, 94-73, Boston hammered Washington, 108-83, Cleveland crushed Chicago, 117-92, New Jersey snuck past Atlanta, 93-91 in overtime, Indiana outlasted New York, 105-103, Detroit held off Sacramento, 98-92, Minnesota handled Golden State, 115-108, Denver outgunned Oklahoma City, 122-120, San Antonio overpowered Memphis, 91-80, Dallas clipped Philadelphia, 96-86, Milwaukee decimated Charlotte, 103-75, Phoenix gashed the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-98, and New Orleans trounced Portland, 92-77.

HURRICANE, Utah (AP)—Gordie Dotson posted 16 points, including four 3-pointers as the Hurricane Tigers got past the Delta Rabbits, 53-43 Friday in non-region boys basketball action. Josh Eliason had 16 points in the loss for Delta.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Kyler Jones amassed a game-high 31 points as the Juab Wasps humbled the Richfield Wildcats, 69-62 in non-region boys basketball action Friday. J.D. Michaelson posted 27 points in defeat for Richfield.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—Rhees Jackson had 20 points and Justin Orton chipped in with 15 more to lead the Kanab Cowboys to a 63-56 win over the Valley Buffaloes Friday in boys non-region basketball action. Max Hoyt paced the Buffaloes with 18 points in the loss.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Russell Hugentobler posted 21 points and Callen Jones added 18 more as the Manti Templars shellacked the North Sanpete Hawks, 76-49 in boys non-region basketball action Friday.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Seth Taft’s 16 points led the way for the South Sevier Rams in a 70-55 dismantling of the Enterprise Wolves Friday in boys non-region basketball action.

JUNCTION, Utah (AP)—Loni Allan had 16 points and Kandice Gleave chipped in with 13 more as the Piute Lady Thunderbirds smacked the Panguitch Lady Bobcats, 55-42 Friday in Region 15 girls basketball action.

ORDERVILLE, Utah (AP)—Kayla Maxwell posted 22 points and the Valley Lady Buffaloes hammered the Milford Lady Tigers, 50-30 in Region 15 girls basketball action Friday.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Jami Jackson had 12 points and the Wayne Lady Badgers used a key 13-6 surge in the second quarter to surge past the Bryce Valley Lady Mustangs, 38-34 Friday in Region 15 girls basketball action. Deysha Twitchell had 13 points in defeat for Bryce Valley.

(RICHFIELD) – The Monroe City mayor has provided a State of the City report. Mayor Kirt Nilsson applauded Monroe City Power and the city staff for their hard work in 2008 in helping the city run efficiently. He commented that he hopes several projects will be completed in 2009, including the new water system the city has in place. Nilsson said the downturn in the economy has slowed new construction projects throughout the city, including new business but he says Monroe City is a great place to live.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Matthew Stafford completed 20 of 31 passes for 250 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as the #15 Georgia Bulldogs clipped the #18 Michigan State Spartans, 24-12 Thursday in the Capital One Bowl at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Stafford saved his best for last as all three of his scoring tosses came in the final 18 minutes of regulation while the Spartans’ defense had successfully stymied Georgia prior to that point. The win enabled the Bulldogs to finish the season on a high note as Mark Richt’s squad was ranked #1 in the preseason polls before crucial losses to Florida and Alabama in conference play. The win was the sixth in eight bowl games for Richt and the Georgia defense also rose to the occasion as they limited Michigan State to 236 offensive yards and one touchdown, a 1-yard score by Javon Ringer. The win improved Georgia to 10-3 on the season, while the Spartans fell to 9-4. In other bowl action Thursday, #5 USC gashed #8 Penn State, 38-24 in the Rose Bowl, #19 Virginia Tech smacked #12 Cincinnati, 20-7 in the Orange Bowl, Iowa crushed South Carolina, 31-10 in the Outback Bowl, and Nebraska bested Clemson, 26-21 in the Gator Bowl.

CHICAGO (AP)—Jiri Hudler and Pavel Datsyuk combined to score three goals for the Detroit Red Wings in a 6-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL Winter Classic Thursday at Wrigley Field. The atmosphere was electric for nearly 41,000 fans who took in the game at the rare outdoor spectacle for the NHL. The hometown Blackhawks raced out to a 3-1 lead in the first period behind Martin Havlat’s goal and two assists but the veteran Red Wings maintained their composure and outscored Chicago, 5-1 over the course of the last two periods. The win improved the Red Wings to 25-7-5 on the season, while the Blackhawks fell to 20-8-7. Despite Detroit’s impressive win, the NHL proved to be the big winner as for the second successive season, an outdoor game received major plaudits from fans in attendance as well as those who tuned in for the national broadcast on NBC. Consequently, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman plans to have this tradition continue. In other NHL action Thursday, Boston doubled up Pittsburgh, 4-2, Buffalo waxed Toronto, 4-1, Washington outgunned Tampa Bay, 7-4, and Vancouver snuck past Nashville, 2-1.

(ST. GEORGE) – The Utah Department of Transportation has opened access to Utah’s southern-most interchange on I-15 this morning. UDOT said they opened the “Atkinville Interchange” at Exit 2 to public access. According to a UDOT report, the interchange will service expanding residential areas in St. George’s southwest section and provide the main arterial connection to the city’s new airport, currently under construction. The interchange marks the first major construction component to be completed on the new “Southern Parkway” corridor drafted by designers to meet Washington County’s expanding transportation needs. A $39.3-million construction contract covers building the interchange as well as new construction to River Road, constituting the first phase of the Southern Parkway. The entire project should be complete in November this year.