DALLAS (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and seven rebounds and Jason Terry added 21 more for the Dallas Mavericks as they clinched a postseason berth for the ninth consecutive season with a 130-101 win over the Utah Jazz Wednesday at American Airlines Center. Jose Barea chipped in with 18 points and nine assists for the Mavericks who officially eliminated the Phoenix Suns from the playoffs and can possibly move up to the sixth seed in the West. Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists in the loss for the Jazz. In other NBA action Wednesday, Cleveland downed Washington, 98-86, Indiana smacked Toronto, 130-101, Orlando edged Memphis, 81-78, Portland overpowered San Antonio, 95-83, Boston held off New Jersey, 106-104, Detroit hammered New York, 113-86, Phoenix ousted New Orleans, 105-100, Atlanta surged past Milwaukee, 113-105, Denver bested Oklahoma City, 122-112, and Minnesota humbled Golden State, 105-97.

(LINDON)—The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands is trying to get rid of an invasive weed growing on the shores of Utah Lake. The weed is reportedly interfering with the ability of water birds to nest, while officials are using controlled burns, such as an 112-acre burn on Tuesday to get rid of the phragmites, or common reed, plant. It’s estimated that 6000 acres along the lake’s shores in Utah County are infested with the plant, which is a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes. Jason Curry, a spokesman of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands says mosquito abatement is difficult because the chemicals can’t get enough penetration through the plant.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Salt Lake City Police Department is emphatically opting out of Senate Bill 81 which cracks down further on illegal immigration. The bill’s House sponsor says this is worthy of retribution. Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank has an issue with the bill in the event that some of his officers should become immigration officers. Burbank states his department under the law has the right to opt out while he also says the law forces officers to racially profile people. Additionally, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff claims that local law enforcement has no duty to enforce SB 81. Nevertheless, Kane County representative Mike Noel finds it appalling that police officers sworn to uphold the law would make a statement on public television that they won’t follow a particular law because they don’t like it. Regardless of what the majority of police officers may think, the bill goes into effect July 1.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Although the legislative season is technically over, a joint House and Senate ethics panel still has a lot of work ahead of them. A group of 16 lawmakers will serve on the interim committee to take a long, hard look at the ethics complaint process. The move comes after a rude awakening last year which included several allegations in the State Treasurer’s Race. House Ethics Committee co-chair John Dougall said the entire investigative process will be looked at, from how an ethics complaint is filed to its investigation. Dougall stated everyone recognizes how important this issue is to all Utah citizens. The panel will also receive input from other lawmakers who will draft legislation and propose it to the State Legislature most likely next season.

(OGDEN)—The case against four airmen from Hill Air Force Base has concluded. It started last July when a man was shot outside of a night club in Salt Lake City. The airmen in question were arrested and all charged for their roles in the crime. The shooter, Daniel Eugene Clemons, pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm as he caused serious bodily injury and was sentenced to life in prison. Another airman, Jeremy David Crist pleaded guilty to failing to stop for police, while another airman, Destinee Williams, reached a plea deal with prosecutors in which she pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. Charges against the fourth airman were dropped.

(SALINA) – The Arch Coal Foundation has awarded Golden Apple certificates to sixteen outstanding teachers in the Sevier, Sanpete, Emery and Carbon County School Districts. Skyline Mine General Manager, Wess Sorensen, said that on April 28, five of the sixteen will receive the Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award. He said the Golden Apple certificates are awarded to superior teachers and that several of the applicant’s scores were within a percentage point of the annual award. Sorensen said almost 200 nominations were received from the public this year for the awards. The Arch Coal Foundation is a supporter of teacher recognition or grant programs in several states.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Some employees of the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera have taken pay cuts of 10 percent or more to compensate for an anticipated budget shortfall. The organization plans to cut nearly $1 million in operating costs from its $19 million budget for this fiscal year. President and CEO Melia Tourangeau and director Keith Lockhart each volunteered to take 10 percent salary cuts, while musicians voted to give back nearly 12 percent of their salaries and benefits for this fiscal year.

(FILLMORE) – The Little Sahara Recreation Area is getting a visitor center facelift after 30 years. BLM Spokesperson, Lisa Reid, says the remodeling came just in time for the big Easter weekend. She said LSRA is expecting around 32,000 visitors for the Easter weekend and officials wanted to complete the visitors center before in the influx of recreationists. Reid noted the center will look like a brand new 1970’s building in a 2007 style. A grand opening is planned in the future. Reid said that LSRA boasts more than 320,000 visitors a year, even while not providing all services, which are available at nearby communities of Delta and Nephi.

(DELTA) – The 37th Annual Deseret News-KSL Sterling Scholars of South-Central Utah was held in Delta Tuesday night featuring local winners and runners-up. In Business and Marketing Education, Bailey Hampton of Richfield was the winner along with Alexandria Wall, also of Richfield, in Dance. Courtney Mehew of Richfield, took top honors in General Scholarship and Heidi Lyman, also of Richfield, won the Social Science award. In Science, Marie Tuft of South Sevier was selected the winner and in Visual Arts, Rachel Gale, also of South Sevier, was selected as the winner. Organizers, Richard and Loreen Chisholm of Monroe, are retiring this year after many successful years planning the awards night. Richard says he’ll miss many people. Other winners included Shelli Richardson of Millard in Family and Consumer Sciences, with Shelby McCoy of Wayne as runner-up; Kelcie Thomas of Delta as runner-up in Dance, Joshua Camp, of Millard, as runner-up in Social Science, Amy Stephenson of Delta as runner-up in English and Literature, Luis Fandimo of Delta as runner-up in Foreign Language, Morgan Condie of Millard, as winner in Agriculture Science, Cory Finlinson of Delta as runner-up in Mathematics, Joseph Visser of Delta and Marley Haupt of Richfield, as runners-up in Science and Cydnee Lee of Richfield as runner-up in Speech and Drama, Jamilyn Finlinson of Delta and Gabe Hare of Millard, as runners-up in Music and Lance Peterson of Wayne in General Scholarship.

(WASHINGTON) – Authorities in Washington County say a body discovered in a burned-out car could be that of a missing Maysville, Kentucky man. Investigators say the torched car belongs to University of Utah student, Zachary Ruble. Ruble’s family members told the “Ledger Independent”, a Maysville newspaper, that Zachary had been missing from his dorm room and has not contacted his family since last Wednesday. The family is holding out hope that the body might not be that of Zachary. Washington County medical examiners will compare dental records provided by the Ruble family to positively identify the body.