RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Morgan Anderson of Desert Hills placed first in first singles at the 3A South Division girls’ tennis tournament Wednesday at Richfield. Hurricane’s Zoe Gregorie placed second, while Kayla White of Manti was third and North Sanpete’s Roberta Garlick placed fourth. Desert Hills also placed first in second singles with Annie Davis taking the title while North Sanpete’s Breanna Sadler was third and Seleni Shepherd of Richfield placed fourth. Desert Hills’ Alexa Ford made the Thunder 3 for 3 in singles events as Alexa Ford placed first in third singles, while Manti’s Abby Hatch was third and Courtney Hailes of Delta placed fourth. Desert Hills maintained their dominance in doubles’ events as Kristin Anderson and Hilon Wright placed first in first doubles while Manti’s Meg Jenkins and Jen Johnson were second. Additionally, Richfield’s Kim Wayman and Kaitlyn Christensen were third. Finally, in second doubles, Manti’s Nikki Barton and Audrie Naylor were first as they bested Kelsee Broadhead and Angie Steck of Desert Hills. 3A girls’ tennis will resume with the state tournament at Brigham Young University Friday and Saturday October 9 and 10.

(WASHINGTON D.C.)—Wednesday, the Obama Administration declared driving while distracted a “peril in a nation reluctant to put down its cell phones and handheld devices.” Officials said Congress and the public must teem up to reduce the danger. Congress is watching the issue closely as Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York and other Democrats are pushing legislation requiring states to ban texting or e-mailing while operating a moving vehicle or losing 25 percent of their annual highway funding. Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws making texting while driving illegal and seven states and the District have banned driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Intermountain Health Care announced a new standard for sending genetic information between doctors and labs Wednesday. For cystic fibrosis, colon cancer, breast cancer, some kinds of heart disease and many other diseases, the doctor needs information about the patients’ genes. The doctor sends questions and information to a lab and now that they can be sent via computer, doctors say this signifies better care. IHC hopes the new standard will be used by labs, hospitals and doctors nationwide.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Salt Lake City’s ambulance provider may leave the city several years before it’s able to fund its own services. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the city wants to start its own ambulance service, but it’s a project that will take several years to go online. The contract with the current provider, Southwest Ambulance, expires December 21. Southwest says it will leave the state unless a new contract can be worked out.The council says even if Southwest leaves, the city will find another company to provide short-term service.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Salt Lake County residents can now enroll in a new program that will give them discounts on their prescription medications. The Salt Lake County Prescription Discount Card gives residents an average discount of 20 percent off the retail prices of prescription drugs. Any county resident can pick one up, regardless of whether they have health insurance or not.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A total of 76 gang members and gang associates across the state, including many with serious criminal histories, are facing further criminal charges or deportation today following a 2-month, multi-agency gang enforcement surge spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in close coordination with the offices of the Utah U.S. Attorney and the Utah Attorney General. There were 36 gang members and gang associates arrested in Utah over the last two months who are facing federal or state criminal prosecution on a wide array of charges. The enforcement surge focused on gang members and gang associates in four areas statewide, Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden and St. George, while in each jurisdiction, ICE worked closely with local law enforcement agencies to identify gang members and gang associates who posed a significant threat to public safety. For more information on reporting suspicious activity in your community, you can visit www.ice.gov.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—While the bitter winter-like weather has been anything but propitious in south central Utah, things are hardly better along the Wasatch Front. Wet roads have caused traffic delays on I-215 and I-80 in the Salt Lake Valley, while an accident occurred at the I-15 interchange with 700 North. The Utah Department of Transportation prepared for the change in weather earlier this week when crews put snowplow blades on trucks, despite temperatures in the 90s. Once the height of winter occurs, UDOT plans to have 280 plows on Utah roads.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Orrin Hatch says he’s disappointed with the Senate Finance Committee’s decision to vote against his amendment that would ensure taxpayer’s dollars not be used to fund abortions. Hatch said the American people don’t want and should not be expected to foot the bill for abortions through the new programs or subsidies created in the current health bill. He said that once the bill gets to the floor for debate, he’ll fight tooth-and-nail to get language in the bill that would prevent taxpayer’s dollars from being spent to fund abortions. Hatch’s amendment failed in the committee by a vote of 13-10.

(MANILA, PHILIPPINES) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints continues to distribute relief supplies to flood-ravaged areas of the Philippines in the wake of a severe storm that tore through the northern province. Saturday’s arrival of tropical storm Ketsana in the Philippines resulted in the heaviest rainfall reported in that country in 40 years and triggered significant flooding. Of the 140 confirmed fatalities in the Philippines, 24 were identified as LDS Church members, with more among the others still missing and the total number of church members affected by the flooding still being assessed. All LDS missionaries in the flooded area are safe and accounted for and church members are assisting in clean-up efforts and distributing relief supplies.

(RICHFIELD) – The Central Utah Public Health Department is notifying the public that their current supply of seasonal-flu vaccine has been depleted. The lack of supply has forced the canceling of the Monroe flu shot clinic on Thursday. CUPHD officials said the public can still get seasonal-flu vaccine shots at local doctor’s offices and at hospitals. They said that a boost in supplies should arrive at the end of November.

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Antti Miettinen scored the decisive goal in a shootout as the Minnesota Wild outlasted the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4 Tuesday at the Wachovia Center in the preseason finale for both squads. Mikko Koivu and Martin Havlat also scored shootout goals for the Wild, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Claude Giroux, Mika Pyorola, Mike Richards and Daniel Briere each scored in the loss for Philadelphia. The Wild will start the regular season at Carolina Friday while the Flyers will visit Columbus on Saturday to start the season. In other NHL action Tuesday, St. Louis blanked Linkopings HC, 6-0, ZSC Lions Zurich doubled up Chicago, 2-1, and New Jersey bested the New York Islanders, 4-2 .

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Lance Maxwell drove in the winning RBI as the Valley Buffaloes outlasted the Bryce Valley Mustangs, 12-11 Tuesday in Region 20 baseball action.

EPHRAIM, Utah (AP)—Kaitlyn Pogroszewski and Taylor Daniels each scored as the Manti Lady Templars doubled up the North Sanpete Lady Hawks, 2-1 in Region 12 soccer action Tuesday.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Rachel Sawyer had two goals to key a balanced scoring attack as the Beaver Lady Beavers pounded the South Sevier Lady Rams, 7-0 Tuesday in Region 13 soccer action.

PAROWAN, Utah (AP)—Krystyn Stevens had the sole goal for the Millard Lady Eagles while Jaisha Wilcox earned the shutout in a 1-0 win over the Parowan Lady Rams in Region 13 soccer action Tuesday.

MT. PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Lindsey Bradley had 11 kills and McKelle Anderson added five aces as the North Sanpete Lady Hawks humbled the Manti Lady Templars, 3-0 Tuesday in Region 12 volleyball action.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—Staylee Bradshaw posted 11 kills and Brittney Griffith had 16 digs for the Beaver Lady Beavers stonewalled the Kanab Cowgirls, 3-0 in Region 13 volleyball action Tuesday. Calli Jackson had 12 kills to pace Kanab in the loss.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris had 17 kills for the Panguitch Lady Bobcats in a 3-0 rout of the Bryce Valley Lady Mustangs Tuesday in Region 20 volleyball action.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Elise Waddingham’s two goals led the way for the Delta Lady Rabbits in a 10-1 win over Richfield in Region 12 soccer action Tuesday

(SALT LAKE CITY)—An Orem-based marketing company has been fined for child labor violations. The U.S. Department of Labor says the $550,000 penalty against Western Wats is among the highest of its kind ever assessed. The company disputes the fine and is appealing. Western Wats was accused of employing 1,482 minors throughout Utah and six other states in violation of federal laws. Investigators say the minors were as young as 13, but most of them were 14 or 15 years old. They were found working company phone centers in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. Officials say children under 14 can only work unrestricted in farm jobs. The rules for 14 and 15-year-olds limit their hours and job conditions. Youths cannot work in any non-hazardous jobs until they turn 16.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Opening Utah’s bars to the public this summer has not resulted in an increase in alcohol sales. Tuesday, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said sales of full-strength beer, wine and liquor to bars declined 9.2 percent in July and August compared with the same period last year. This decline follows a national trend of Americans spending less on alcohol at bars and restaurants and more on alcohol that is consumed at home and difficult economic times. The Utah Hospitality Association, a trade group representing the state’s bar industry said it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why there’s been a decline in sales but said that even if the economy was unscathed, the association wouldn’t have expected a significant increase in sales due to the law change.

(TOOELE COUNTY)—A man died in Tooele County Tuesday after losing control of his vehicle Tuesday morning. Utah Highway Patrol troopers say the man was traveling at excessive speeds down SR-36 when he lost control of his vehicle and swerved into oncoming traffic. He then overcorrected, going over a dirt berm on the side of the road and into the yard of Staker Rock Products, where he crashed into a pile of rocks. He died at the scene. Troopers say it was likely a medical condition that caused him to initially lose control.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—There appears to be no further action taken against District Attorney Lohra Miller for her alleged retaliation against a veteran Salt Lake City prosecutor. Miller was ordered to re-hire Kent Morgan after she fired him due to her accusations of him leaking information to Doll House escort service owner, Steven Maese. However, she did not assign Morgan to cases or let him return to the courtroom. Instead, she only allowed him to labor as a law clerk. Last week, the Career Service Center ordered Miller to let Morgan return to his old job. Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon says the action is sufficient and he plans no further action against Miller.

(GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.)—Federal authorities have signaled they’re working to change how oil shale development is regulated in three Western states. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management indicated in a court filing that it’s working to settle a lawsuit over regulations issued during President George W. Bush’s administration. The Bureau was granted a fifth extension to respond to the lawsuits by U.S. District Court Judge John Kane. The government said discussions of a settlement have been “productive,” but more time is needed. Conservation groups are challenging the regulations, which could open 1.9 million acres of public land in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to oil shale development. Kane extended the deadline for negotiations to November 16.

(LOGAN)—Bear River Health District officials say the rate of smoking among residents has dropped 39 percent over the last 10 years. Additionally, smoking among pregnant women has dropped 14 percent over the same period. District tobacco program manager Holly Budge said the smoking rate is just below 5.8 percent. Since 2001, statistics show a 53 percent decrease in tobacco sales to underage youth across the district, which includes Cache, Rich and Box Elder counties. Budge says the district’s smoking decline mirrors a decrease in smoking statewide. New figures from the Utah Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control program shows the state’s smoking rate at 9.1 percent, which is a 33 percent drop since the program was first funded in 1999.

(MANILA, PHILIPPINES) – Dozens of members of the LDS Church are among the more than 200 people dead after Tropical Storm Ketsana tore across the northern Philippines over the weekend. According to Church officials, at least 24 LDS Church members have perished in the flood, along with at least 240 Philippinos who have also died. The storm, which dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in 12 hours, damaged 15 LDS Church meetinghouses in the region from the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding towns. Church officials confirmed that all LDS missionaries have been accounted for and are safe. Local missionaries and church members are participating in massive cleanup efforts from the country’s worst flooding conditions in more than 40 years. The homes of nearly 1.9 million people in the capital and surrounding areas were inundated, with nearly 380,000 people brought to schools, churches and other evacuation centers. The United States Government has donated $100,000 and deployed military helicopters and five rubber boats manned by about 20 American soldiers from the country’s south area.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – An environmental group says a majority of Utahns want wilderness restrictions on more than 9 million acres in the state. According to a poll conducted by Dan Jones and Associates for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, just over 60% of respondents support the so-called “Redrock Bill” in Congress that would place more restrictions on BLM land designated as wilderness. The poll runs counter to sentiments of elected officials. Utah’s entire congressional delegation is on record as opposing the bill. A committee hearing on the bill is scheduled for Oct. 1.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Terence Newman returned an interception 27 yards for a score in the closing moments and the Dallas Cowboys won their first game at Cowboys Stadium with a 21-7 win over the Carolina Panthers Monday evening. The Panthers built an early 7-0 lead when Jake Delhomme (22 of 33, 220 yards, TD, INT) hit Dante Rosario on a 25-yard scoring strike but things went downhill for the Panthers from there. The Cowboys amassed 449 yards of offense on the night while Tashard Choice (18 car, 82 yards, TD) scored Dallas’ first touchdown which gave the Cowboys a 10-7 lead they would not relinquish. Despite Dallas’ statistical dominance, the Panthers still had a chance to win until Delhomme committed a costly fumble after the two minute warning. Tony Romo (22 of 33, 255 yards) was also fairly solid for the Cowboys in the win. Dallas next faces Denver Sunday at INVESCO Field @ Mile High, while the Panthers have a bye.

(LAYTON)—A clerk at a Layton Maverik was assaulted during a Monday morning robbery. Police say around 11:00 a.m., a clerk was exiting a side door carrying a canvas bag with the store’s bank deposit inside when he noticed a wallet on the ground. According to the victim, authorities stated he bent over to pick up the wallet and was kicked in the head by a man wearing white shoes and shorts. The clerk was knocked unconscious and police said when he came to, the money was gone. After the clerk called 911, police said he was unable to give them a detailed description of the subject, other than that he was male and his white shoes had red trim on them. Police say other than the victim, there were no witnesses. The clerk was treated by emergency personnel at the scene of the crime and later released.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah state officials are fielding various combinations of energy proposals, such as solar and geothermal installations and energy storage projects, that would turn salt caverns into a giant battery. The caverns, in turn, would then hold compressed air when not storing natural gas. Additionally, in Nevada, the National Guard is planning to install solar-power panels that would serve double duty as carports at its installations, in a condition called “solar parking.” Provo-based Raser Technologies recently took only six months to fire up a modular plant, while a wind farm, First Wind, is in the process of constructing 97 wind turbines near Milford.

(EAGLE MOUNTAIN)—As the Utah Department of Transportation’s project to widen SR-73 nears completion, it was decided among the Eagle Mountain City Council that an additional eastbound lane be added. UDOT public information manager, Scott Thompson, said the project could possibly be finished this week, if the weather should hold up. The striping of the new eastbound lane is scheduled for Wednesday, if colder temperatures don’t prevent it.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Mitt Romney is returning to Utah for a fundraiser. Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom told the Salt Lake Tribune the event will raise money, enabling Romney to campaign for Republican candidates in the 2010 election. The former 2002 Winter Olympics boss and presidential candidate will hold an $1000-a-plate dinner at the Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City Tuesday, which will be preceded by a VIP reception for those who pay $5000. The events are only open to donors. The money raised will go to Romney’s Free and Strong America Political Action Committee. The Tribune reports the PAC has raised about $4.6 million since it began in April 2008 and has spent nearly $500,000 supporting GOP candidates around the country. During his presidential bid, Romney raised $5.5 million from Utahns in his campaign account alone. He isn’t commenting on another possible run for the presidency.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – An LDS General Authority says homosexuality is “not in your DNA”. Speaking at the 19th Annual Conference of Evergreen International in Salt Lake City, Elder Bruce C. Hafen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, said that people who are attracted to members of their own sex, can change and they shouldn’t let Satan persuade them they can’t. Evergreen International is a non-profit group that helps members of the LDS Church overcome homosexual behavior and diminish same-sex attraction. Hafen said that if members of the Church are faithful, on resurrection morning, they will have normal attractions for the opposite sex. He said the devil, or the adversary, will convince people with homosexual tendencies, that they are hopelessly “that way”, so that acting out your feelings, is inevitable. Hafen said he’s lying and that the devil is the father of lies. He spent much of his speech criticizing the homosexual rights movement and denying a biological link to sexual orientation.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – A new poll shows a strong majority of Utah voters believe the political tone has become less civil. In a KSL-TV/Deseret News poll of 410 Utahns, 71% say the political tone around the country is less civil in the last five years. The poll results come on a day when Pres. Obama pushed back against a tide of criticism and what some have called the “incivility” of his opponents. Obama has said that the easiest way to get 15 minutes of fame is to be rude. Republican leaders countered that Americans are getting more news about what’s happening in their government than they’ve ever gotten before and they’re genuinely scared. Of those polled, 61% said the far left has too much influence nationally and only 28% think the far right has too much influence. The poll also showed that Americans nationally don’t have enough influence in Washington.

(CEDAR CITY) – The Iron County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing this Thursday concerning approving a Conditional Use Permit for a new landfill in the county. The Commission will also discuss amendments to the county zoning ordinance relating to wind energy systems, including wind turbines, throughout the county. The hearing will be held Thursday at 5:30pm at the Iron County Visitor’s Center at 581 North Main Street in Cedar City.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett has introduced two separate bills that would transfer more than 430 acres of public land to the state of Utah to allow the Utah National Guard to expand. The first bill would transfer the land managed by the BLM within Camp Williams to the state to consolidate ownership in the headquarters area for the construction of facilities by bonding. The second bill would convey approximately two acres of Forest Service land in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest to the town of Alta, allowing for local development. Bennett said the federal government is not the best landlord for the two areas and the state of Utah and Alta are better suited to manage the land. Bennett stated that he introduced the bills to reduce red tape that’s causing unnecessary delays and wasting tax payer dollars.

(HURRICANE) – Hurricane City leaders have denied any claims of human-caused climate change saying adopting the notion would result in higher energy costs. Officials recently approved a resolution opposing any federal legislation governing heat-trapping emissions. Hurricane Mayor Tom Hirschi says he doesn’t believe scientific evidence has demonstrated that human activities are raising global temperatures. Hirschi calls cap-and-trade legislation a scare tactic. City Councilman, Dean McNeill says any federal mandate to discourage burning of fossil fuels will affect every household and business in Utah. Hurricane owns its own power company and is a member of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems. Utah gets about 95% of its electricity from coal burning power plants.

TORONTO (AP)—Tomas Vanek had two goals and Clarke MacArthur, Nathan Gerbe, Jochen Hecht, Tim Kennedy and Matt Ellis also scored for the Buffalo Sabres in a 7-6 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday at Air Canada Centre. Lee Stempniak had two goals to pace the Maple Leafs in defeat as the NHL preseason ended for both squads. The NHL regular season will commence Thursday. In other NHL action Sunday, Washington edged the New York Rangers, 4-3, Detroit waxed Pittsburgh, 4-1, Tampa Bay thrashed Atlanta, 5-1, Nashville doubled up Columbus, 4-2, Edmonton outlasted Vancouver, 5-4 in overtime and Anaheim ousted Los Angeles, 5-4.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—Douglas Murray amassed a hat trick and Evengi Nabokov posted 15 saves as the San Jose Sharks crushed the Anaheim Ducks, 6-0 Friday at HP Pavilion in NHL preseason action. Manny Malhotra, Ryane Clowe and Devin Setoguchi also scored in the rout for the Sharks. Justin Pogge had 30 saves in the loss for Anaheim. In other NHL preseason action Friday, Carolina edged Atlanta, 4-3, Boston doubled up Ottawa, 2-1, Toronto bested Detroit, 5-4 in a shootout and Chicago stymied Minnesota, 4-3.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Joffrey Reynolds ran for 151 yards on only 17 carries and Henry Burris tossed for 197 yards and a touchdown as the Calgary Stampeders overpowered the British Columbia Lions, 27-18 Friday at Commonwealth Stadium in CFL action. Overall, the Stamps ran for 208 yards, which enabled them to run out the clock in the 4th Quarter and maintain their lead. Martel Mallett had 15 carries for 136 yards and a score in the loss for British Columbia. In other CFL action Friday, Montreal hammered Hamilton, 42-8.

(PROVO)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert has kicked off a 2-year $1.39 million project to reconstruct a Utah County highway that will feature a commuter lane design never used in Utah before. The Highland Highway (S.R. 92), will ultimately split into an expressway that will speed commuters to the freeway with no lights. Two adjacent lanes in each direction will let shoppers and residents reach their destinations without use of the expressway. The 6-mile project is slated to be finished in the summer of 2011.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Airline travel may be down, but the airlines have raked in $3.8 billion in the first six months of this year, primarily from fees. Other sources of income for the airlines include fees for canceling or rebooking flights, assigning seats, flying with pets or sending an unaccompanied minor.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert says he doesn’t want his state to be a national clearinghouse for concealed weapons permits. At the end of the fiscal year in June, just over 50 percent of the state’s concealed weapons applicants were outside Utah. Utah’s permit is considered valuable as it allows holders to carry hidden weapons in nearly 36 states. As of September 1, there were about 196,000 people with Utah permits, according to state records. About 116,000 of those were Utahns. In Utah, law enforcement officials continually check criminal records against a list of permit holders, but they don’t have the ability to do the same thing with every other state. Herbert said he would support lighter controls on concealed weapon permits, but he didn’t specify what those controls might be.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert will meet with local officials and residents in the Salt Lake Valley about a draft mismanagement that calls for dividing up a shared aquifer on the Nevada-Utah line. The meetings were scheduled for Friday. In 2004, Congress required Utah and Nevada to reach an agreement on dividing up the water in the Snake Valley aquifer. The Southern Nevada Water Authority wants to eventually start delivering rural groundwater from the aquifer to the Las Vegas area. The draft agreement dictates construction of the pipeline can’t begin until at least 2019 so the environmental impacts can’t be fully studied. Both states would be entitled to half the water in the aquifer under the agreement.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—The Manti Lady Templars improved to 8-0 in region play with a 5-0 win over the Emery Lady Spartans Thursday in Region 12 tennis action. Wins came from Kayla White, Rachel Mitsvotai, and Abby Hatch in singles matches while Jen Johnson, Meg Jenkins, Nikki Barton and Audrie Naylor won their respective doubles matches.

MT. PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—The North Sanpete Lady Hawks edged the Delta Lady Rabbits, 3-2 in Region 12 tennis action Thursday. Raberta Garlick and Breanna Sadler were among the winners for North Sanpete, while Delta winners included Courtney Hailes in singles, and Mary Rempp and Janice Houston in 2nd doubles.

(FILLMORE) – The Utah BLM has been awarded nearly $1.8 million in stimulus funds to construct a new Field Office in Fillmore. BLM Spokesperson, Lisa Reid, says the current structure is old and needs an upgrade. The existing Fillmore Field Office Building was built in 1979 and doesn’t meet the needs of the current staff and recent condition surveys have identified significant deficiencies in several areas. The new building will be 70% more energy efficient and provide other sustainable measures including, low-flow toilet fixtures, low volatile organic compound paints, sealants and adhesives, recycled content and no permanent irrigation systems. A ground-breaking ceremony was held Monday.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – A so-called conservative group, Club for Growth, is once again, attacking Sen. Bob Bennett for his alternative health care reform bill, after the club spent $90,000 last month on a TV ad campaign against it. The group said Wednesday it’s mailing more letters to 3200 past state GOP delegates, who are likely to be elected again, criticizing Bennett’s bill as a government takeover of health care. Bennett is firing back saying his Healthy American Act would not increase health care cost and would allow employees to take the money that employers provide for health care and buy any plan they like. He said his bill will make insurance portable. Bennett also shot back at Club for Growth, saying they’re TV ad last month was full of falsehoods about his health care plan and that the group is aligned with unions and other liberal groups in attacking Democratic-sponsored health care legislation that they say is too conservative.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Congressional Democrats have thwarted a GOP effort to put the sweeping health care debate on hold. Sen. Orrin Hatch said he proposed an amendment intended to protect seniors who signed up for private insurance plans through Medicare and could lose some benefits as a result of Medicare cuts in the legislation. The amendment was defeated in a 13-10 straight party line vote. Hatch commented that the reason Democrats are rushing to pass a health-care reform bill is because they want to raise taxes on middle-income Americans. He said he would have required expansion of coverage to the uninsured to be delayed if a million or more people who now have coverage wound up having to pay higher premiums as a result.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Teemu Selanne scored the game-winning goal with 1:11 left in overtime as the Anaheim Ducks edged the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 in overtime Thursday at General Motors Place in NHL preseason action. Matt Pope and Shane O’Brien (who put the game in overtime) each scored for the Canucks, while Jonas Hiller had 22 saves to help preserve the win for Anaheim. The Ducks improved to 4-2 in preseason play, while Vancouver slumped to 6-0-1. In other NHL action Thursday, the New York Rangers stymied Washington, 3-2, Philadelphia doubled up New Jersey, 2-1 in overtime, Columbus waxed Pittsburgh, 5-2, Boston ousted Montreal, 2-1 in a shootout, St. Louis stormed past Minnesota, 4-1, Dallas humbled Colorado, 3-2, and Tampa Bay surged past Edmonton, 4-3 in overtime,

EPHRAIM, Utah (AP)—Taylor Daniels amassed four goals and Ali Rosquist added two more as the Manti Lady Templars pounded the Richfield Lady Wildcats, 6-0 Thursday in Region 12 soccer action.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Krystyn Stevens had two goals for the Millard Lady Eagles, while Briana Lemon and Keri Brunson each chipped in with a goal in a 4-0 win over the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs in Region 15 soccer action Thursday.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Mikael Thatcher had two goals for the Parowan Lady Rams as they doubled up the South Sevier Lady Rams, 2-1 Thursday in Region 15 soccer action. Megan Chisholm scored the sole goal for South Sevier in defeat.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Kati Tucker and Tauni McFarland combined for 20 kills as the Manti Lady Templars outlasted the Emery Lady Spartans, 3-2 in Region 12 volleyball action Thursday.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Mary Cook and Bailey Stilth combined for 31 kills as the Delta Lady Rabbits smoked the Juab Lady Wasps, 3-0 Thursday in Region 12 volleyball at the Paladium.

ENTERPRISE, Utah (AP)—Jessica Porter amassed four aces, three kills and four blocks for the Enterprise Lady Wolves in a 3-0 rout of the Kanab Cowgirls in Region 13 volleyball Thursday.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Geological Survey has been busy digging holes as they seek more information for the frequency of large past earthquakes along the Wasatch Fault Line. After digging a trench near North Ogden, geologists recently uncovered evidence of a major earthquake that struck the area nearly 500 years ago. They also found evidence of six other earthquakes of a 6.5 magnitude or greater that seemed to be spaced about 1500 years apart. Geologist Chris DuRoss of the UGS said this shows the fault continues to be active and that the earthquakes tend to occur every 300 years, while the latest occurred around Nephi 350 years ago. The Wasatch Fault Line runs from southern Idaho-Levan, but is most active between Brigham City and Nephi, DuRoss said. Geologists say an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 or higher would cause major destruction in the metro areas of Salt Lake City, especially to brick buildings built before 1975 that are not reinforced. DuRoss says he and his fellow geologists hope to construct trenches next spring in the Salt Lake City part of the fault near the University of Utah.

(LOGAN)—The Utah Attorney General’s Office wants a court to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Utah State University over the death of a freshman student. Michael Starks died from alcohol poisoning November 21 while the 18-year-old was pledging to join the Sigma Nu fraternity. Starks’ parents filed a lawsuit in August and their attorneys have said that the university’s benign neglect contributed to Starks’ death and that the university allowed the conduct at the fraternity to percolate by years of inaction. Nevertheless, Utah Attorneys General Steven Combe and Reed Stringham say in an 11-page memo filed last week in 1st District Court that USU is immune from suit under the Governmental Immunity Act of Utah. They asked the court to dismiss the suit with prejudice, meaning it could not be refiled if dismissed.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Salt Lake City Fire Department’s deputy chief of operations will take over the department Friday. The City Council unanimously confirmed Kurt Cook as the department’s new chief Tuesday after a recommendation from Mayor Ralph Becker and outgoing Chief Tom Shannon. Cook has been with the department for nearly 24 years. Shannon is stepping down to return to Arizona to spend more time with his family. He was hired as chief in November 2008 after starting his career in Glendale, Ariz.

(OGDEN)—A judge chastised an Ogden woman in court Wednesday for lighting her home on fire in an apparent suicide attempt. According to the Standard-Examiner, 2nd District Judge Ernie Jones asked 48-year-old Kathie Belinda Tiger if she had any idea how many people she could have killed or injured with her actions before meting out a sentence, which will include required mental health treatment. Additionally, Jones ordered Tiger to pay $17,480 in damages. Tiger admitted to starting a fire at her home last May with fireworks. She told an officer she was behind on her mortgage payments and didn’t want the mortgage holder to have the home. She also said she sought to kill herself. In August, Tiger pleaded guilty to second-degree felony arson in connection with the fire.

(WASHINGTON D.C.)—Senators writing a health care overhaul bill have rejected a Republican amendment that could have put the sweeping measure on hold. Senator Orrin Hatch would have required expansion of coverage to the uninsured to be delayed if a million or more people who now have coverage wound up having to pay higher premiums as a result. Hatch said his amendment was intended to protect seniors who signed up for private insurance plans through Medicare and could lose some benefits as a result of Medicare cuts in the legislation. Democrats said insurance plans change their benefits all the time, and Hatch’s idea was unworkable. The amendment was defeated 13-10 in a straight party line vote.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A Utah congressman who has taken an interest in airport security is defending his actions at a security checkpoint. The Deseret News reports Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz refused to enter a whole-body scanner at the Salt Lake City International Airport recently. Chaffetz stated Transportation Security Administration workers at the checkpoint harassed him. Chaffetz said when he sent four gray bins through the X-ray machine, TSA workers asked him to go through the body scanner, while he refused to do that. Chaffetz said he then got back in line for a regular machine, went through it and was randomly selected for a pat-down search after which he asked to speak to a supervisor. The worker claimed to be a supervisor and was hesitant to give Chaffetz his employee identification number. The TSA is not officially responding to the situation, but says they will directly respond to Chaffetz should he have any concerns. A Chaffetz-sponsored bill that passed the House in June, but has yet to pass through the Senate says whole-body image machines can only be used for secondary searches, and people may opt for a pat-down search instead.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A team that worked to eradicate noxious weeds near Price is getting recognized for its work by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. BLM Director Bob Abbey said the effort was one of the country’s top rangeland stewardship projects in 2009. The project was a collaboration between several counties along with state and federal agencies. Representatives working in the Skyline Cooperative Weed Management Area received the award during a meeting of the Public Lands Council in Sacramento, Calif. An Idaho ranch was also recognized for its efforts to improve rangeland conditions.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble each had two goals and an assist as the Washington Capitals pummeled the Chicago Blackhawks, 6-2 Wednesday at the Verizon Center in NHL preseason action. After Patrick Sharp pulled the Blackhawks to within 5-2 in the third period, Tyler Sloan scored an insurance goal for the Capitals to give them their final margin of victory. Washington improved to 3-1 in the preseason, while Chicago fell to 0-2-1 thus far. In other NHL preseason action Wednesday, Buffalo tripped up Toronto, 3-2, New Jersey doubled up the New York Islanders, 4-2, Atlanta ousted Nashville, 5-4, Florida blew past Dallas, 4-1, Calgary surged past Edmonton, 5-3, Colorado downed Los Angeles, 3-2, Phoenix stormed past Tampa Bay, 4-3 in a shootout, and Vancouver held off St. Louis, 4-3 in a shootout.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—Brennan Rees homered for the Wayne Badgers in a 7-4 win over the Panguitch Bobcats Wednesday in Region 20 baseball action. Brooks Leach added a home run in the loss for Panguitch.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Chelsie Barney, Breanne Bateman, Taelyr Tebbs and Kalani Norris combined for 31 kills as the Panguitch Lady Bobcats smoked the Wayne Lady Badgers, 3-0 in Region 20 volleyball action Wednesday.

(ALPINE)—A standoff and hostage situation in Alpine ended peacefully after police arrested a man they say invaded a home and held the owners hostage. The incident happened late Tuesday night while police say the man entered the home, threatened a man and a woman with a weapon, and took them hostage. The homeowners were then somehow able to call police. Officers say they left their phone line open, so dispatchers could hear what was happening. At one point, the suspect tried to leave the home with the owners at which point police moved in and arrested the suspect. The incident is still under investigation although police believe the homeowners may have had business dealings with the suspect in the past.

(SALT LAKE COUNTY)—A woman has lost her four children to the custody of the state after police say she was caught with drug paraphernalia and her 2-year-old ran through a campfire, severely burning her feet. Tuesday at about 6:30 p.m., a Sandy police officer saw the woman, 31-year-old Carin Stoll and her two youngest children, the toddler and an infant, sitting on the side of the road near a transient camp near the Jordan River on 8800 South. After several moments, an officer approached Stoll, heard the toddler screaming, and saw burns on her feet. The officer immediately began pouring bottles of water on the girl’s feet and called for medical assistance. The 2-year-old girl was taken to Intermountain Medical Center with second-degree burns. The infant and Stoll’s other two children, a 13-year-old and an 11-year old who were with their grandmother at the time, have since been taken into state custody. Utah Department of Human Services spokeswoman, Elizabeth Sollis, wouldn’t confirm the children were being taken care of by the state, but said it’s not uncommon to take kids into custody if the department determines the children are at immediate risk and need immediate protection. Stoll and Randy Johnston were arrested on drug related charges. Johnston has a lengthy criminal history and had $40,000 in warrants at the time.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A report from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control shows that liquor sales in the state are booming. For the fiscal year which ended June 30, total revenues topped $129 million, up from $126 million in 2008. Revenues are expected to increase even more next year as 10 new and expanded state liquor stores add 40 percent more retail space. Liquor sales for the 2009 fiscal year totaled $267 million, up from $257 million in 2008. This year, more than $59 million in net profits went to the state’s general fund. The state also collected nearly $41 million in taxes from liquor sales. This includes $14 million that went to school lunch subsidies, a $1 million increase from the year before.

(UTAH COUNTY)—Construction to widen S.R.-92 in northern Utah officially began Wednesday. Not only will the existing lanes of the road be expanded to five lanes from I-15-Highland Boulevard, new commuter lanes will also be built alongside the road. The commuter lanes will be the first of their kind in Utah, while UDOT project director Bryan Adams says the concept of the commuter lane came about while trying to find the best way to accommodate both commuters heading to the freeway as fast as possible and people making trips around the community. In the project, the commuter lanes will be built first, so traffic can be moved to the commuter lanes while the original portion of S.R. 92 is being reconstructed and widened. The $139 million project is scheduled to be done in the summer of 2011.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A bill that extends unemployment benefits for Americans still out of work won’t benefit Utahns because the jobless rate is too low. The bill extends benefits only for those living in places where unemployment rates are 8.5 percent or above. Utah’s rate is only 6 percent. Currently, Utah workers have 26 weeks of state-funded unemployment benefits and up to 20 weeks of emergency benefits that are federally funded. The measure easily passed the House Tuesday, 331-83 while 66 House Republicans, including Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, voted against the bill. Utah Democratic Representative, Jim Matheson, was one of 17 Democrats to vote against it. The bill now goes to the Senate, and while the Senate bill is similar, it is not identical. The bill is an economic lifeline to more than 300,000 people whose jobless benefits are set to expire at the end of the month. More than a million people expect their benefits to run out by year’s end. Majority leader Harry Reid is promising quick Senate action on its version of the extension.

(HARRISVILLE)—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is opening a new welfare services center in Harrisville. The facility, at 435 N. Wall Avenue, will house Deseret Industries along with LDS Family Services and church distribution services. Bishop Richard C. Edgley is scheduled to dedicate the facility Wednesday evening along with other church representatives.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah’s Navajo Tribe would gain more control over its finances under a bill introduced by Senator Bob Bennett. Under the Utah Republican’s bill, the state-managed Utah Navajo Trust Fund would be turned over to the Utah Dineh Corporation, a corporate entity formed by the Utah Navajo people through their elected representatives. Since 1933, Utah has managed about 37 percent of the royalties from oil and gas production within the area known as the Aneth Extension. This area north of the San Juan River was added to the Navajo Reservation to compensate for land that had been taken to establish Lake Powell. The Aneth Extension was the first area on the reservation to produce oil and gas.

(Manti) Three Sanpete schools have failed to reach Adequate Yearly Progress as prescribed by the No Child Left Behind Act. The Gunnison Elementary and Middle Schools as well as the North Sanpete Middle School were the only schools out of the two districts to miss the mark. The schools were not able to make the benchmarks because of the requirement to have those with disabilities and economic and social challenges meet certain criteria which is included in the final score. If one subgroup of students fails to meet the grade, the whole school is classed as failing. The Gunnison Elementary failed in Language arts among economically challenged students, and both the Gunnison Middle School and North Sanpete Middle School failed in language arts among students with disabilities. Most school officials agree that the requirements are unrealistic and unfair. A range of penalties can be levied against schools that continually fail to meet the Federal requirements.

(SACRAMENTO, CA.) – A collaborative effort among several South-Central and East-Central Utah counties and agencies have earned them the 2009 BLM Rangeland Stewardship Award for the management of invasive and noxious weeds on land in the Price area. At the awards ceremony in Sacramento, California, groups forming the Skyline Cooperative Weed Management Area, were presented with the award for their focus on treatment of the weeds. The Management Area consists of groups in Carbon, Emery and Sanpete Counties, as well as groups in the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Parks and Recreation, UDOT, Division of Oil, Gas and Mining and several other agencies. Presenters of the award said that while individual efforts are notable in working on public lands, collaborative efforts accomplish much more.

(RICHFIELD) – The Richfield City Council discussed the road realignment project at 925 North and Westview Drive due to the unsafe traffic conditions at the intersection. At the city council meeting Tuesday night, Business Administrator, Woody Farnsworth addressed the council on the problems the city faces in funding the project because property in that area was previously approved for a subdivision. Farnsworth said the city has no money in the road budget to purchase the two lots in the Jeff Parker subdivision to help offset costs of the $223,300 project and there’s no money for the road construction as well. The Utah Department of Transportation has warned the city that signaling at the dangerous intersection will eventually need to be done but the city’s hands are tied due to lack of funds to complete the project. No action was taken at the city council meeting and further review of the budget will be conducted.

EVERETT, Wash. (AP)—Jeff Halpern had two goals and James Wright added two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning bested the Phoenix Coyotes, 2-1 Tuesday in NHL preseason action. Petr Prucha scored the sole goal for the Coyotes in the NHL’s first game in Washington since Los Angeles met Pittsburgh in 1992. In other NHL preseason action Tuesday, Philadelphia bested Detroit, 5-2, Toronto ousted Pittsburgh, 3-2 in overtime, Columbus outgunned Boston, 6-5, Los Angeles doubled up the New York Islanders, 4-2, and Florida stymied Dallas, 3-1.

(RICHFIELD) – Sevier County Commissioners have awarded the low bid for the asphalt project at the county fairgrounds. At the commission meeting Tuesday, Commissioners gave the bid to Staker Parsons Construction Company who submitted the low bid of $221,000 for the project. Staker Parsons should start the project soon and have it completed before winter hits the area. The company and Jones and DeMille Engineering of Richfield still need to finalize construction costs. Also at the meeting, Commissioners discussed a damage claim submitted by a private company to two public announcement speakers that were damaged by micro burst winds recently at the fairgrounds. According to Commissioner Gordon Topham, a tent flipped in the wind and landed on the speakers, causing about $3,000 in damage. The County’s insurance company said the damage was an “Act of God” and refused to pay. Topham said the county and the private company may be able to work out an agreement to replace or repair the speakers.

(WASHINGTON D.C.)—Counterterrorism officials have issued security bulletins to police around the nation about terrorist interest in attacking stadiums, entertainment complexes and hotels, the latest in a flurry of such internal warnings as investigators chase a possible bomb plot in Denver and New York. In the two bulletins, sent to police departments Monday and obtained by the Associated Press, officials said they know of no specific plots against such sites, but urged law enforcement and private companies to be vigilant. These two bulletins followed on the heels of a similar warning about the vulnerabilities of mass transit systems.

(FALLON, Nev.)-A Winnemucca, Nev. man has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and other charges following a weekend crash on Interstate 80 that left one man dead and his wife in critical condition. The 53-year-old Anthony D. Rock was booked into the Churchill County Jail on Monday after being released from a hospital with minor injuries. The Nevada Highway Patrol says Rock was driving a 1988 BMW sedan Sunday when he crashed into the back of a minivan driven by 43-year-old Barbara Faust of Mapleton. The van rolled over several times. Her husband, 46-year-old Damon Faust, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say Barbara Faust remains hospitalized in critical condition.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The trial of a man accused of kidnapping his neighbor’s children began this morning in Salt Lake City, a case which has created a lot of controversy. Two different stories are emerging in the case. Prosecutors say David James Bell kidnapped two children, but his attorneys say this is a case of child neglect. Bell has been accused of kidnapping the children after a Fourth of July party last year. On the witness stands, one of the children’s mothers said when she discovered her 2-year-old daughter gone, instinct led her to Bell’s house. Bell had been to her house earlier that morning. The mother tearfully described finding her daughter in Bell’s bedroom, with Bell and his partner. Prosecutors stated Bell confessed to the crime, but Bell’s attorney says this confession was only given after a grueling beating and head injury he suffered at the hands of the children’s parents. Attorneys stated Bell is gay and that his sexual orientation matters in this case. His supporters protested yesterday, calling this a hate crime. Defense attorneys say Bell will take the stand in his own defense and the trial is expected to last all week.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The latest census numbers are in and it has been determined that Utahns make up the most married state and have the most children. Additionally, Utah has the lowest amount of disabled people, with just under 9 percent, there are more men than women in Utah, the median age in the state is 28 and 82 in every 1,000 Utah women gave birth last year.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—State courts in Utah are now accepting online payments for traffic and criminal fines. Thus far, 27 district courthouses and one justice court are participating in the new program. Juvenile courts are not currently offering the service. Court system administrator, Dan Becker, said the online payment program should make the process more convenient and alleviate lines at courthouse counters. Three Wasatch Front courthouses, located in Salt Lake City, Orem and Provo, have been trying the program for the last two months. Those desiring to pay online should visit www.utcourts.gov/payments and need to have their case or citation number and a credit card.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—High school students throughout Utah are getting a chance to design new T-shirts that will be sold at the Utah Capitol Store. Students will design the shirts based on what the Capitol means to them while the designs are expected to reflect something about the newly-restored building or the artwork displayed inside. The contest runs through November 6 and four winners will be chosen. The winning shirts will then be available for purchase at the store.

(RICHFIELD) – Municipal election totals have been completed for two towns in Sevier County in preparation for the primary elections in November. Central Valley and Sigurd were the only two towns in the county that held elections for their mayoral positions. Official totals showed that Mayor Chad Houchin in Sigurd will run against Gordon Ballow in the primary election. Houchin received 59 votes and Ballow had 20. For the Central Valley mayor position, Mayor Dwayne Bayles and David Nielson each received 60 votes and will run against each other in the primary election. The primary election will be held the first Tuesday in November.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Gov. Gary Herbert is planning a visit to Delta this Friday to hold a public meeting concerning the proposed draft agreement on the Snake Valley Aquifer. The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30pm at the Millard County Fairgrounds. The governor will also flip the coin for the Delta-Manti football game at Delta High School.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Former presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, says Pres. Obama’s spending and borrowing has weakened the country. Speaking at the Value Voters Summit in Washington D.C. on Sunday, Romney said Obama’s policies will greatly increase the deficit. He also said the spending is “bankrupting” the country and will lead to severe economic problems. Romney added the president’s cap-and-trade plan would cost the average American family more than $1700 a year and kill jobs.

(ST. GEORGE) – An armed man robbed the Mormon Handicraft store in St. George on Monday. Police say the man entered the store at 12:50pm, showed an employee a gun and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. The store is located at 783 South Bluff St. in St. George. Reports say the man is described as white, in his 60’s and wearing a dark-color baseball cap, yellow polo shirt and khaki shorts. Dixie High and Middle schools, along with Tonaquint Elementary School, were locked down but there was no danger at the schools and classes ended at normal times. Police continue the search for the robber.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Daniel Sedin had two goals including the goal that forced overtime as the Vancouver Canucks outlasted the Calgary Flames, 5-4 Monday in NHL preseason action at GM Place. Cory Schneider also stopped three of four shots in the shootout to help the Canucks prevail and improve to 5-0 in the preseason. Curtis Glencross, Jamie Lundmark, Jay Bouwmeester and Olli Jokinen each scored for Calgary while Curtis McElhinney posted 30 saves in defeat for the Flames. In other NHL action Monday, the New York Rangers doubled up Detroit, 4-2, Buffalo got past Washington 2-1, Atlanta stonewalled Carolina, 4-2, Columbus trounced Minnesota, 5-1, Montreal outlasted Pittsburgh, 4-3, Ottawa blew past Tampa Bay, 3-1, and Anaheim tripped up San Jose, 3-2.

Those who know me understand my great love for the people of Texas. I have great admiration for the gallant souls who defended the Alamo, and I’ve always appreciated the integrity of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. Now, as Brigham Young and Utah have bit the dust and for all intents and purposes are out of the BCS (like every other season, the Mountain West conference season is virtually meaningless, we need a playoff badly), two of the three aspirants to break up the illegal cartel hail from the Lone Star State. Exhibit A: #15 Texas Christian. First of all, the Horned Frogs’ athletic department has always been a friend to Mid-Utah Radio and Gary Patterson’s football team has consistently been excellent on the gridiron. They have a great shot to knock off the ACC’s Clemson (it bears mentioning that Brigham Young failed to vanquish Clemson’s conference brethren in Florida State) and with efficient signal caller Andy Dalton (a 73.5 completion percentage thus far) at the helm, they can go far in determining how corrupt college football really is when they’re shut out of the mythical “national championship” game. Of course, when one goes down I-35 several hundred miles, the Houston Cougars are also stout. Coach Kevin Sumlin’s Cougars are #17 in the national polls this week and fresh off of a 45-35 pasting of then-Top 10 squad Oklahoma State, while the score was not indicative of how the game really went with the Big 12’s Cowboys being pushed around by the supposedly inferior Houston squad representing Conference USA. While Dalton of TCU is efficient, Houston’s quarterback, Case Keenum, is dynamic. Thus far, Keenum has completed a respectable 72 percent of his passes while he averages 363 passing yards a game. Not only are the Horned Frogs and Cougars solid candidates to embarrass the supposed “elitists” of Division I college football, Texas Senator Joe Barton plans to bring the BCS to Capitol Hill in mid-October should no changes occur in the interim. As a former missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in El Paso, I have a deep love for the Texans and it’s nice to see that they are contributing both on the field and in the courts to breaking up the oppressive BCS. Also, lest I should forget, Boise State is another solid candidate to break up the BCS as the Broncos are 8th in the polls. Speaking of which, my Denver Broncos are impressing in the NFL and I’m really looking forward to the Dolphins-Colts Monday night tilt. You see, this is real football. The NFL, Divisions I-AA, II and III in college football, as well as Canadian football and high school football are all real sports because they know how to determine a championship. The BCS is like the rich kid that doesn’t have any friends but takes solace in the money it possesses. However, there is no lasting happiness in this. Even from the classic movie, “Richie Rich,” the protagonist, Richie, realized he needed to have friends to make his life worthwhile. Right now, among the upper cloak and dagger, Gadianton tier of college football, this is not happening. Once again, I hope for change by any means necessary (and legal!) and kudos to the Horned Frogs, Cougars and Broncos who are making it hard for the country club.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Salt Lake City police are investigating a vandalism at the Ken Garff auto dealership in downtown Salt Lake City. Investigators responded to a report around 4:00 a.m. Monday that tires had been slashed on at least 28 vehicles. The front driver’s side tire was cut on almost all of the cars. Police say the vehicles were lined up along 200 East. Police are not sure what time the vandalism happened. They’re currently reviewing surveillance video taken over the past two days in hopes it will provide an apt description of the suspects in question.

(LOGAN)—Monday, the new Texas Roadhouse steakhouse opened in Logan, and its proceeds promise to be different than other restaurants in the franchise chain. The Logan Texas Roadhouse is the first restaurant of its kind to dedicate all its profits to help the less fortunate in the community. The charity, Andy’s Outreach, (Andy is the armadillo mascot of Texas Roadhouse) is a program that helps Texas Roadhouse employees and their families who are in need. According to company representatives, the Logan location was one of several possibilities for Andy’s Outreach. The company takes pride in taking care of its own, even in times of economic strife and uncertainty. The Louisville, Ky.-based Texas Roadhouse has more than 300 locations nationwide.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—An incinerator that burns hazardous material from Utah and around the West is facing more than $500,000 in penalties for environmental violations. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality issued 48 violations against Clean Harbors Aragonite LLC in Utah’s West Desert for problems two years ago. Since the incinerator, located about 70 miles west of Salt Lake City, opened, it has changed hands several times and had trouble with regulators. New businesses that moved into Tooele County in the past few years hired away many of the plant’s employees and in the interim, new managers have been brought in. State officials recognize the complexity of the operation and the importance of having someplace to incinerate toxic waste. Based in Norwell, Mass., Clean Harbors claims to be the largest hazardous waste disposal company in North America. The Aragonite facility is one of four incineration operations it runs in the United States. The public has until October 5 to comment on the proposal and the state’s Solid and Hazardous Waste control board is scheduled to take up the proposal at its October 8 meeting.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—An effort by state lawmakers to help car dealers who lost their Chrysler or GM franchises appears to be falling short. A number of lawmakers were trying to craft legislation to force the automakers to give the franchises back, or at least keep them from opening new franchises without first offering the franchise to those who were cut out. Executive Director of the New Car Dealers of Utah, Craig Bickmore, said a federal bankruptcy judge made a ruling that basically stopped any efforts made by the states. Bickmore said it was disheartening to see dealers lose their franchises. The situation became even more controversial when Chrysler decided to reopen a franchise in St. George, but didn’t give it to the dealer it had cut a few months before. Utah State Senator John Valentine of Orem said the situation was frustrating, but there wasn’t much that could be done, as a law has yet to be created that could pass Constitutional muster.

(DAVIS COUNTY)—Deputies in Davis County will not be cross-trained to help enforce immigration laws. Last month, the federal government rejected the county’s bid to participate in an agreement with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, last year Davis County Sheriff Bud Cox applied to have 10 deputies trained to process undocumented arrestees at the Davis County Jail. ICE inspectors visited Davis County and investigated the facilities in October 2008, while the county received a rejection letter in August. Homeland security spokesman Matt Chandler told the Salt Lake Tribune that Davis County’s needs can be more effectively met by “other ICE programs.” Currently, deputies notify ICE when a person is arrested and can’t prove their legal status. The sheriff says ICE is usually good about picking them up quickly, but sometimes the suspects get released before agents arrive. The denial is drawing fire from local politicians while Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Senator Orrin Hatch have both said the ICE rejection “handcuffs the county.” Hatch acknowledges the ICE program is difficult to get into because applicants nationwide compete for limited training dollars. He still would like Davis County to be approved to participate. Weber and Washington Counties were approved for the ICE agreement.

(HELPER)—Federal regulators have taken a Utah coal mine off a special watch list. The Mine Safety and Health Administration had the Horizon mine near Helper under intense scrutiny during much of 2009 due to a past record of safety violations. Two years ago, the mine’s safety violations were twice the national average. American West Resources, Incorporated protested that it was being punished for the misdeeds of a previous operator. Rather than risking a shutdown, it retreated from a section of the mine plagued by roof falls. Documents obtained by the Associated Press show MSHA withdrew its shutdown threat earlier this summer. Mine Manager Joe Fiedler says he hasn’t had a lost-time injury in a year and a half.

(RICHFIELD) – The H1N1 flu virus, commonly called the swine flu virus, is not a threat to South-Central and the rest of the state. Bruce Costa, Central Utah Public Health Department Director, addressed Sevier County Commissioners today with an update on enough supplies on hand in case the virus breaks out in our local areas. Costa says we need to be prepared for the upcoming flu season. He said the CUPHD has enough flu vaccine on hand for the normal flu virus but less supplies for the swine flu virus due to the unlikely threat of an outbreak in our local area.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)—Martin Havlat had two goals in his first game with the Minnesota Wild as they blanked the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-0 Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center in NHL preseason action. Petr Sykora added an insurance goal for Minnesota in the third while Wild goalies Nicklas Backstrom and Anton Khudobin combined to stop all 18 Chicago shots. In other NHL action Sunday, Boston doubled up Montreal, 2-1, Calgary scorched Florida, 5-2, the New York Islanders smoked Edmonton, 3-1 and Colorado bested St. Louis, 2-1 in overtime.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—Patrick Marleau had a pair of goals including the game-winner in overtime as the San Jose Sharks sunk the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-4 Saturday in NHL preseason action at the HP Pavilion. Devin Setoguchi, DeRyane Clowe and Jamie McGinn also scored for the Sharks, who improved to 2-1 thus far in the preseason. Stefan Meyer, Justin Bernhardt, Zbynek Michalek and Kyle Turris all had goals in defeat for Phoenix.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Buck Pierce completed 20 of 28 passes for 171 yards as he returned to the lineup for the British Columbia Lions in a 23-17 win over the Toronto Argonauts Saturday at BC Place in CFL action. Martell Mallett added a 1-yard touchdown run for the Lions, while Sean Whyte hit three field goals down the stretch to help British Columbia earn the win. The victory was exceptionally sweet for Lions coach Wally Buono who surpassed Don Matthews as the CFL’s all-time winningest coach with 232 victories.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Jon Jay and Jarrett Lee Hoffpauir each had three hits while Brian Barden added two RBI as the Memphis Redbirds completed a sweep of the Sacramento River Cats in the Pacific Coast Finals with a 6-0 win Friday. Additionally, Memphis posted 13 hits while the River Cats committed two costly errors to help the Redbirds prevail.

GREEN RIVER, Utah (AP)—Jason Johnson had five RBI and Elias Polito posted seven strikeouts as the Green River Pirates decimated the Wasatch Academy Tigers, 15-0 Friday in the first game of a 1A baseball doubleheader.

GREEN RIVER, Utah (AP)—Holden Marshall amassed a no-hitter and added seven strikeouts and added a home run as the Green River Pirates completed a sweep of the Wasatch Academy Tigers with an 11-1 Friday in 1A baseball action.

ESCALANTE, Utah (AP)—Trevor Behunin had a home run and the Wayne Badgers exploded for 11 first inning runs in a 27-1 rout of the Escalante Moquis in Region 20 baseball action Friday.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Dylan Chynoweth had 13 carries for 226 yards and three scores as the Park City Miners bludgeoned the Manti Templars, 56-14 Friday in non-region football action. The Miners amassed 520 yards of offense and averaged nearly 14.5 yards a play in the win.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—Derrick Christensen, Courtney Orgill and Terin Averett each scored touchdowns for the North Sevier Wolves in a 30-20 win over the North Summit Braves in 2A East football action Friday.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Cameron Shumway tossed for three touchdowns and ran for another as the San Juan Broncos hammered the Gunnison Bulldogs, 44-19 Friday in 2A East football action.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—Rhees Jackson had a pair of scoring receptions, including one of 85 yards as the Kanab Cowboys pasted the Beaver Beavers, 33-7 in 2A West football action Friday.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Austin Manwill, Jacob Dowell and Jace Meacham each ran for touchdowns as the South Sevier Rams blanked the Millard Eagles, 21-0 in 2A West football action Friday.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Ben Jorgensen snared four touchdown passes and the Richfield Wildcats bested the Carbon Dinos, 34-0 in non-region football action Friday.

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP)—Hayden Worwood and Ryan Worwood each had touchdown runs as the Juab Wasps edged the American Leadership Eagles, 15-12 Friday in non-region football action.

HEBER CITY, Utah (AP)—Mike Davis hauled in scoring passes of 46 and 29 yards and added a 36-yard scoring run as the Wasatch Wasps stung the North Sanpete Hawks, 56-20 in non-region football action Friday.

MILFORD, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris and Chelsie Barney combined for 23 kills as the Panguitch Lady Bobcats got past the Milford Lady Tigers, 3-0 in Region 20 volleyball action Friday.

(WEST JORDAN)—West Jordan Police have arrested a man in connection with three robberies in the Salt Lake Valley. Gardner Westgate, the alleged 21-year-old thief, reportedly committed two robberies last Thursday, at RiteAid pharmacies in Cottonwood Heights and South Salt Lake. Westgate has also been accused of robbing another pharmacy in West Jordan September 11. Westgate stole the powerful painkiller Oxycontin from all three locations, authorities believe, and is charged with three counts of Aggravated Armed Robbery for brandishing a gun and allegedly ‘pistol whipping’ a customer in the Cottonwood Heights robbery. Police say they linked Westgate to the three robberies through one of his former cellmates at the Salt Lake County Jail.

(Nephi) Three vehicles were involved in a crash in Nephi Canyon Thursday night just before 10:00 PM. Twenty year old Jayne Ann Stewart of Salem UT, was westbound in a 1998 Chevy Cavalier when she crossed the center line and collided head on with a 2007 Mercury Milan driven by Russell Newsome of Ephraim. A Volkswagon Jetta driven by Kayla Maughan of Mendon UT, was following Stewart and collided with her as the vehicle spun. Stewart’s vehicle was launched into the air and landed on it’s top without making a full rotation. The vehicle driven by Newsome was rotated counterclockwise by the impact but remained upright. Maughan’s vehicle also remained on its wheels. UHP Troopers report that Stewart was taken to Utah Regional Medical Center with injuries to her abdomen and upper extremities. Russell Newsome was also taken to Utah Regional Medical Center with injuries to his upper Thorax and extremities. Patricia Lynn Rogers, a passenger in Stewart’s vehicle was transported to University Hospital in Salt Lake City with critical head injuries. Tyler Newsome of Ephraim was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital with critical neck injuries. Kelly Maughan was taken to Central Valley Medical Center in Nephi with facial injuries. Tracy Lynn Newsome of Ephraim and Paige Seeholzer of River Heights, were taken to Central Valley Medical Center with minor injuries. All but Tyler Newsome were wearing seat belts. According to Troopers, the road was wet and the vehicles were traveling to fast for the conditions.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The son of former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney won’t be paid a state salary in his new role as Utah’s national business recruitment policy adviser. Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s spokeswoman, Angie Welling, said Friday Josh Romney is volunteering his services to the state and that the position isn’t full-time. Romney was appointed to the newly created post Thursday and Welling said, that in many ways, he will serve as an ambassador to the state in hopes of luring companies to Utah. Romney’s business background is in real estate.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert says he doesn’t favor placing limits on how much money someone can donate to a campaign, but says he would support a law requiring disclosure within 48 hours. Herbert told the Associated Press in a recent interview that placing a limit on how much money candidates can receive from any one donor could end up being the equivalent of placing a sign in front of the Capitol saying “only the rich can apply.” Utah is one of just a handful of states that places no limit on campaign contributions or where they can come from. Herbert says campaign contribution limits also violate the constitutional right to free speech although federal courts have ruled otherwise.

(DAYBREAK)—The Salt Lake Valley Health Department confirmed three cases of roundworm at Oquirrh Lake in the Daybreak Development lately. Daybreak officials have been proactive in shutting down the beaches while health officials look into the problem. Dr. Dagnar Vitek, the health department’s medical director, says roundworm, or Ascaris, is the most common infection for humans and is usually found in tropical or subtropical areas with poor hygiene and sanitation. It’s uncommon in the U.S, Vitek said. Additionally, Vitek stated a person is infected by playing in the sand or swimming in water and swallowing the worm eggs. Side effects also include abdominal pain, cramps or constipation. The lake was filled with water last year and work continues around it. A triathlon is slated for Daybreak Saturday, but organizers are looking for alternative options to the swimming portion of the race.

(WASHINGTON D.C.)—Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Indiana Senator Richard Lugar both claim they’re the most senior Republican in the U.S. Senate. The Deseret News says this is an issue because if Republicans ever hold a majority in the Senate again, the most senior Republican would serve as Senate president pro tempore, thus making them third in line for the presidency, behind the vice president and Speaker of the House. The Deseret News also stated both Hatch and Lugar were sworn in on the same day and that numerous tiebreakers, such as previous service in the Senate, Cabinet and House have been used to determine who rightfully holds the honor. Lugar says home state population should be a determining factor, while Hatch believes alphabetical order of last names is more important.

(LOGAN)—Utah State University says 2009 was a big year for patents. The university claims 44 patents were filed and 11 were issued to Utah State. The school says it also has 10 commercialized technologies that fall into the copyright category. Utah State’s Technology Commercialization Office says last year it filed 26 patents and had five issued. Director Ray DeVito says it’s encouraging to see the school’s recent growth in the patent process.

(PROVO)—People at LaVell Edwards Stadium have been working for months to get ready for Saturday’s home opener against Florida State, and in addition to a new field, fans will notice other changes such as a text messaging system. Stadium employees will hand out cards at the gate with the new texting number on them. Signs are also up in the concourses and on the press box, letting people know about the system. Additionally, hand sanitizers will be at the selling locations around the concessions and food items due to potential risks the H1N1 virus has caused.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Elizabeth Smart has received a mission call from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Her father, Ed Smart, told reporters that his daughter will serve a mission in Paris, France. He says Elizabeth has talked about serving a mission all her life and wants to share her testimony with others and do some good work. Smart says the whole family is excited about Elizabeth’s call. He said her call won’t get in the way of her possibly testifying in a hearing for her accused kidnapper, Brian Mitchell, in two weeks. She plans to leave before the end of October.

(FILLMORE) – The body of a Missouri man reported missing was found Thursday afternoon in the Notch Peak area in Millard County. A Sheriff’s report said that recovery efforts are currently underway to recover the body of 31-year old, LeRoy Buckley from Ft. Leonardwood, MO. who was hiking last week with 44-year old, Kurt Gregory of Twin Falls, ID. The two men were looking for a place in the Notch Peak area to BASE jump when they became separated. The report said that Gregory used his personal distress beacon to notify authorities and also attempted to contact Buckley after spotting him walking along a ledge but he went out of sight.

(Ephraim) The list of candidates for Ephraim city’s mayor and council positions is starting to take shape. On the Republican side, Dave Parrish is running for the position of mayor, with Greg Dart and Don Olson running for the open council positions. No names have been turned in from the Democratic side yet, but they have until Tuesday the 22nd to submit those. Candidates are chosen within their respective parties, rather than holding a general primary election.

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP)—Carlee Payne scored both goals for the Brigham Young Lady Cougars as they pulled out a 2-1 win over the Northwestern Lady Wildcats Thursday. McKinzie Olson added three saves for the Lady Cougars, who improved to 5-2-1 with the win. Alicia Herczeg scored the sole goal for Northwestern in the loss, which dropped them to 3-4-1 on the season.

MIAMI (AP)—Jacory Harris completed 20 of 25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns as the #20 Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes stormed past the #14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 33-17 in ACC college football action Thursday at Landshark Stadium. After Georgia Tech drew first blood with a 32-yard Scott Blair field goal, Miami’s onslaught began. In the first half, Harris threw scoring passes of 40 yards to LaRon Byrd and 13 yards to Dedrick Epps while Matt Bosher’s 34-yard field goal gave the Canes a 17-3 halftime lead. In the second half, Miami increased their lead to 24-3 on a 3-yard scoring run by Javarris James, while Georgia Tech finally responded with a 3-yard scoring run by Anthony Allen to make it 24-10. Nevertheless, Harris’ third scoring toss, a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham, and a safety gave the Hurricanes a 33-10 lead they would not relinquish. Demaryius Thomas (6 rec, 133 yards, TD) then added a 56-yard scoring reception to help the Yellow Jackets score their last touchdown of the game. The win improved the Canes to 2-0 while Georgia Tech slumped to 2-1.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Election officials say a new statewide law requiring voters to show identification before casting a ballot presented few problems during municipal primaries. Acceptable forms of identification include a Utah driver’s license, state ID card or current U.S. passport. Voters can also provide two separate documents with their name and current address as identification. Voters without identification can still vote on a provisional ballot and provide ID to the county clerk or city recorder within five days of the election.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert has appointed Spencer P. Eccles as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Herbert says Eccles and Josh Romney, who will serve as the state’s national business recruitment policy adviser, will be critical to his priority of providing residents with employment opportunities and creating economic stability. Eccles has long been a figure in Utah’s business scene, including managing the development of the Snow Basin venue for the 2002 Winter Games. Romney is the son of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Eccles succeeds Jason Perry, who was named Herbert’s chief of staff, while also serving as Herbert’s transition director after former Governor Jon Huntsman was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to China.

(DRAPER)—Paragliding enthusiasts say their sport is safe, despite two crashes at the Point of the Mountain in less than 24 hours. Paragliding instructor Steve Mayer from Draper-based Cloud Nine says he was at the Flight Park State Recreation Area for both crashes and said the one Thursday morning involved a newer pilot that might have gotten into a bad situation because so many people were out flying. Mayer says the key to avoiding injuries is to play safe and that participants should survey conditions when they fly.

(NEPHI)—A homecoming tradition at Juab High School may be in jeopardy after three students were burned when teens poured gasoline on a bonfire. The Salt Lake Tribune reports students got the proper permits from the city and lit the fire in a vacant lot in Nephi September 9. About 200 students, along with police and firefighters, were present. Some teens doused the wood in the fire with gasoline and flames quickly shot out, burning three students. One was flown to the University of Utah with third-degree burns, while two other teens were burned, but not as seriously and have since returned to school. The homecoming bonfire has been a long-standing tradition, but fire officials aren’t sure if it will continue. The school district distanced itself from the practice years ago.

(RICHFIELD) – Two towns in Sevier County held municipal elections Tuesday in preparation for the general election in November. Central Valley and Sigurd were the only two towns in Sevier County that held the election for mayoral positions. Unofficial totals show that candidates for mayor for Central Valley include 60 votes apiece for Dwayne Bayles and David Nielson and Wayne Chisholm has 24. The Central Valley Town Council will hold a canvass meeting Friday at 7:30pm at the Community Center. For the mayor position in Sigurd, Chad Houchin received 59 votes, Gordon Ballow had 20 and Dale Tribe had 19 votes. Sigurd Town will canvass the votes on Monday, Sept. 21 at 6pm.

DALLAS (AP)—Brad Richards had two goals, including a conversion in the third round of a shootout as the Dallas Stars outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2 Wednesday in NHL preseason action at American Airlines Center. Loui Eriksson and James Neal also scored for the Stars while Marty Turco stopped 11 of 13 shots for Dallas. Todd Fedoruk, Brett McLean and Blair Jones each had a goal for the Lightning while Antero Nittymaki stopped 13 of 15 shots in the first two periods for Tampa Bay. In other NHL preseason action Wednesday, New Jersey downed the New York Rangers, 3-2 in a shootout, Florida doubled up Ottawa, 2-1, Boston got past Toronto, 3-2, Detroit tripped up Philadelphia, 3-1, Edmonton defeated the New York Islanders, 3-2, and Anaheim stymied Phoenix, 3-2.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)—Destinee Hooker had 15 kills and Heather Kinser had 11 digs as the Texas Lady Longhorns smoked the Baylor Lady Bears, 3-0 Wednesday in Big 12 volleyball action at Gregory Gymnasium. After playing Texas competitively in the first two sets, Baylor folded in the third as they lost 25-15. The Lady Longhorns improved to 6-0 with the win, while the Lady Bears suffered their first loss of the season to fall to 11-1.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—The Wayne Badgers used a 7-run 3rd inning to blow open a 12-2 win over the Bryce Valley Mustangs Wednesday in Region 20 baseball action.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Riley Miller homered and earned the win on the mound as the Panguitch Bobcats shellacked the Escalante Moquis, 25-4 in Region 20 baseball action Wednesday. Zach Brophy and Dexter Humphreys each had a pair of extra base hits in the win for Panguitch.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris posted 29 kills, Shelby Taylor amassed 17 digs and Natasha Barney chipped in with 45 assists as the Panguitch Lady Bobcats humbled the Piute Lady Thunderbirds, 3-1 in Region 20 volleyball action Wednesday.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Kayla King had 17 kills while Shelby Sorenson and Neccia Sirrine combined for 36 assists to lead the South Sevier Lady Rams to a 3-1 win over the Canyon View Lady Falcons Wednesday in non-region volleyball action.

(LOGAN)—Utah State University is looking at creating two new schools, a college for fine arts and a school for vocational education, at the Logan campus. University president Stan Albrecht says the recommendation comes from deans and department heads. Albrecht stated the standalone schools could be a way for the university to raise more donations, by naming them after donors. Utah State has a Caine School of the Arts and Albrecht said the university could capitalize on this fine-arts program by organizing it as a separate college. Albrecht discussed the proposals during a State of the University address Tuesday.

(RICHFIELD) – Central Valley and Sigurd Town held municipal elections in Sevier County Tuesday. Unofficial results for the Central Valley position for mayor have been tabulated by election officials showing that candidates Dwayne Bayles and David Nielson are tied with 60 votes each and Wayne Chisholm has 24. The Central Valley Town Council will hold an additional meeting to canvass primary election returns this Friday at 7:30pm. The meeting will be held at the Central Valley Community Center at 50 West Center. Sigurd Town is still awaiting unofficial results.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—An airliner returned to Salt Lake City International Airport shortly after taking off when it was struck by lightning. The American Airlines’ MD-80 was bound for Chicago when it took off during storms that swept over the Salt Lake Valley Monday. American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner says the flight crew returned to the airport as a precaution. Mechanics inspected the plane and found no damage, thus enabling it to take off later that afternoon.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Experts say the stock market, gross domestic product and most other indicators hit their bottom earlier this year and are on their way back up. However, thus far, the same is not true for employment. The gross domestic product is forecast to grow again in the third and fourth quarter, after losses starting in the third quarter of last year and running through the end of the second quarter of 2009. Retail sales picked up in August, possibly boosted by back-to-school sales and the Cash for Clunkers program. Wells Fargo economist Kelly Matthews is forecasting a national unemployment rate of 10 percent through most of 2010 that will finally drop back in the fourth quarter of the year. Currently, the nation’s unemployment rate is at 9.3 percent.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah’s chief economist says next year’s state revenues could be higher than expected, but will likely still fall short by as much as $150 million. Legislative fiscal analysts will update the revenue estimates again in December. So far, lawmakers haven’t said they need a special session to address budget problems. However, there is some talk of raising selected taxes, including those on alcohol and tobacco by $100 million.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert has agreed to meet with a nuclear waste watchdog group to discuss concerns over importing foreign nuclear waste. Officials from Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, also known as HEAL, Utah, sent a letter to the governor earlier this month to voice concerns over a possible deal with EnergySolutions to split profits from importing the waste if the cash-strapped state drops its legal objections. Herbert has said he supports Utah’s current appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that the state can’t use a regional compact to keep foreign nuclear waste out. Herbert’s spokeswoman, Angie Welling, says HEAL Utah has been invited to meet with the governor October 7.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A group pushing a ballot initiative that proposed a strict code of ethics for state lawmakers has scheduled a series of public hearings across Utah to discuss the issue. Utahns for Ethical Government will hold the first of eight hearings Wednesday night at the Uintah Basin Applied Technology Center in Vernal. Under Utah law, UEG must collect 100,000 signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot during the 2010 general election. The initiative calls for the establishment of an independent ethics commission that would set standards and enforcement policies for Utah lawmakers.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett, along with several Republicans on the Senate Committee for Homeland Security, have sent a letter to Pres. Obama expressing serious concern over the creation of “czars” within the Executive Branch of the President. Bennett says the decision to expand the executive branch and bypass cabinet officers with a group of presidential assistants, undermines the Constitution. He said many of these “czars” are not subject to senatorial confirmation and is an attempt to negate Congress’s right of oversight. The committee asked the president to explain the process by which the administration vetted the individuals, their specific responsibilities and how they prevent the undermining of other cabinet offices. Bennett also wondered if the “czars” would appear before Congress when called. Pres. Obama wants to create 18 “czar” positions in the Executive Branch.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Patrick O’Sullivan had two goals, while Tom Gilbert and Shawn Horcoff also scored for the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames in the preseason opener for both squads at the Pengrowth Saddledome Tuesday. Jason Jaffray scored the sole goal for Calgary in the third period, while Oilers starting goalie Jeff Deslauriers stopped all 13 shots he faced in 30 minutes of action. In other NHL action Tuesday, Florida bested Ottawa, 3-1, Boston doubled up the New York Rangers, 2-1, Pittsburgh downed Columbus, 5-4, St. Louis stymied Minnesota, 3-1, Phoenix ousted Los Angeles, 4-2, while Los Angeles returned the favor with a 4-3 win over the Coyotes in a later game.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—David Freese had the sole RBI of the game to lead the Memphis Redbirds to a 1-0 win over the Sacramento River Cats Tuesday in Game 1 of the Pacific Coast League Finals. Jaime Garcia earned the win for Memphis as he scattered three hits in over six innings of work. The River Cats did themselves no favors as they stranded 18 on base on the evening. Game 2 will be Wednesday at Memphis.

(RICHFIELD) – The Annual ATV Jamboree got underway Monday at the Richfield Park where hundreds of ATV enthusiasts from all over the world gathered for the weeklong event. Sevier County Event Coordinator, Kevin Arrington, said the weather didn’t stop the four-wheelers from rolling. Arrington said he wanted everyone who has access to an ATV to gather at the swimming pool Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 to try to break the Guiness Book of World Records of the longest ATV parade in history. ATV Jamboree activities will continue in our local area all week long.

(WASHINGTON D.C.)—The Food and Drug Administration approved the new swine flu vaccine Tuesday, a long-anticipated step in the government’s process to get vaccines underway next month. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the vaccine’s approval to Congress and says she hopes to get the first limited supplies distributed early in October. The bulk of vaccines will start arriving October 15 and Sebelius said eventually it should be available at 90,000 sites around the country. Sebelius said there would be enough vaccine available for everybody eventually, but that certain people would be sent to the front of the line, including children and pregnant women.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah’s wildlife division has agreed to pay a sister state agency $300,000 to allow hunters and anglers to continue using its land. Budget cuts earlier this year prompted the State Division of Wildlife Resources to cut its annual $579,000 payment to the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. The wildlife agency has agreed to a partial payment to the trust lands administration this year but will ask state lawmakers in January to make up the difference. The annual payment is part of a 10-year agreement between the two agencies that began in 2007. The agreement provides hunters’ access to most of the 3.4 million acres controlled by the trust lands administration. In exchange, the agency agreed not to make any business deals that would keep hunters off the land.

(WEST VALLEY CITY)—There are new details in the case of a 6-year-old girl assaulted and found bleeding in a West Valley City backyard. Police have arrested the 17-year-old who reported finding the girl while he was mowing his lawn. The girl’s father says he wants people to know the boy is not the hero he’s been portrayed as and that he wants justice exacted for what the boy reportedly did to the girl. On Friday, the teen, who lives in the neighborhood, said he heard the girl crying while taking a break mowing the lawn and that he was behind a fence. When a neighbor arrived to help the girl, she claimed the boy pulled the girls’ pants down and was in the process of regaining consciousness. West Valley City police will not confirm or deny the arrest of the 17-year-old boy although the victim’s family did confirm it. Currently, the girl is trying to get back in the swing of things again.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Walt Macey, the founder of Macey’s Grocery Stores, passed away Monday at the age of 90. His family says he died of natural causes incident to age. He founded Macey’s in 1947, when it was called the “Save-A-Nickel-Market.” From there, it grew into a chain of numerous grocery stores throughout northern Utah. Macey served as president of the Salt Lake Grocers Association, among other positions and was once a recipient of the National Food Industry’s “Spirit of America” award and the “City of Hope” humanitarian award. Macey was preceded in death by his wife Mary Lewis. He is survived by three sons, two daughters and wife Anne Brockbank Snow.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A fundraising program for Primary Children’s Medical Center is getting underway. Today (September 15)-October 15, volunteers will go door-to-door seeking donations for Pennies By the Inch campaign. Every cent raised goes to help children who are currently being treated at Primary Children’s. Last year, the hospital spent more than $13.3 million to cover more than 11,300 hospital visits by needy children. The hospital has 259 beds that hold the most critically ill and injured children in a five-state area. Primary Children’s is the only full-service children’s hospital in the Intermountain West. It’s also one of ten pediatric trauma one hospitals in the nation.

(ZION’S PARK) – Zion’s National Park has received an environmental award for decreasing both waste and emissions at the park. The award went to the park’s Green Team for reducing the waste caused by disposable water bottles in the park and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the transportation of bottled water to the park. The team installed stations for filling water bottles to encourage visitors to drink from reusable containers. The Green Team was also responsible for ending the sale of bottled water within Zion’s National Park. Zion’s was one of six national parks that received the award. Others included Bryce Canyon National Park, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Denali National Park in Alaska.

(RICHFIELD) – A Glenn Beck-style Tea Party/Town Hall meeting will be held this weekend in Richfield to honor the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Featured speakers include Addyson Reynolds, a student from Wayne High School, whose patriotic speech won her first place in the Freedom Academy competition this summer at Camp Williams. Dr. L.S. Brown of Richfield will also speak on current legislation before Congress which threatens the Constitution. Matthew Caldwell will appear as Patrick Henry, a speaker who lectured widely on freedom and Carl Holmes of Richfield will also speak. The public is invited to attend the meeting to be held Saturday at 7pm in the basement auditorium of the Sevier County Administration Building. The meeting is free to the public.

(PANGUITCH) – A contract between the Garfield County School District and a former business administrator has launched an investigation by the state auditor. At issue, is a contract signed by former business administrator, Justin Baugh and the school district for a two-year deal that gave Baugh $68,000 per year salary, plus medical insurance, sick leave and a retirement fund plan. Reports show that when Baugh was six months into the contract, he suddenly resigned and demanded the district pay up. Acting Superintendent, Janice Hatch, said an on going investigation doesn’t permit her to say much about the matter. Hatch said her contract doesn’t read like the one Baugh signed. Utah State Auditor, Austin Johnson, confirmed his office is investigating the contract. Baugh had no comment on his contract investigation.

(MT. PLEASANT) – A lightning strike burned down a small Mt. Pleasant school Monday afternoon. Reports say that at about 1pm, the lightning hit and tore through the roof of the Top Flight Academy, a school for troubled boys. A dozen staff and boys were in the building at the time of the incident when the two-story structure caught fire during a heavy downpour on Monday. Everyone in the building were able to get out before the structure burned to the ground. The owner of the building, Cindi Sainsbury, said the lightning shook the whole building and exploded a four-square foot cavity in the roof, which collapsed the roof and gutted the entire building. About a dozen firefighters from two agencies battled the blaze. The staff and boys will be staying temporarily in a nearby building until more permanent arrangements can be made. The academy is a licensed therapeutic residential treatment center for boys 12 to 17.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A serious technical glitch at DTV Utah knocked nearly every Utah television station off the air Sunday evening. The incident occurred around 8:15 p.m. MDT, when all TV stations housed at DTV Utah went off line. Currently, all stations are operating at a slightly reduced power level while the faulty piece of equipment is checked by technicians. The cause of the outage is isolated to a combiner that puts all the signals into one antenna.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—After years of behind-the-scenes legal wrangling, the fight over a disputed route in Canyonlands National Park has finally arrived in the courtroom. Monday, lawyers gave their opening statements in federal court about the fate of a remote canyon corridor leading to Angel Arch, one of southern Utah’s most spectacular sights. San Juan County and the state of Utah sued the National Park Service for closing much of the route to vehicles about 10 years ago. Monday, attorneys for the county and state said the route clearly qualifies as a public right of way under an 1866 law, R.S. 2477, which assured passage across federal lands. Federal lawyers dispute the claims and say the lawsuit was filed beyond the statute of limitations. The trial is scheduled to run for two weeks.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-Western Governors University says its enrollment has surpassed 15,000 students. The online university has grown 43 percent in the last two years. The school offers degrees in business, health care, information technology and teaching. The school’s vice president of marketing, Patrick Partridge, says enrollment growth is happening for numerous reasons, including the economic downturn. Many students are returning to school in hopes of finding a better job.

(RICHFIELD) – A police car had to be towed when a Richfield Police officer crashed into a new cement decoration along Main Street in Richfield early this morning. According to a police report, Officer Kevin Christensen was drowsy at the time of the accident and crashed into the cement decoration between 100 and 200 North at about 4am. Christensen was not injured in the accident but his vehicle sustained substantial damage to the undercarriage and had to be towed. Sevier County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Nate Curtis, said accidents are bound to happen with law enforcement due to the long hours officers spend on the road.

(SIGURD) – Sigurd Town officials want to improve water accessibility within the town limits. At the town council meeting last week, Jeff Albrecht of Sunrise Engineering addressed the council on the feasibility of the project. Councilmembers say the town needs to improve the water tank for more water storage, install new water meters and create better water flow to fight a major fire or other emergency situations. Sigurd Town clerk, Vicki Houston said town officials are working with the Utah Division of Drinking Water and other agencies to secure funding for the water improvement project.

(GUNNISON) – A West Jordan family escaped serious injury Sunday morning when their vehicle slid off wet roads north of Gunnison. Utah Highway Patrol reported that 27-year old, Nicholas Mitchell was driving northbound on SR-28 in a 2001 Ford F-150, when he lost control and went off the left shoulder. He was wearing his seatbelt and taken to the Gunnison Valley Hospital with possible injuries. His passengers, 23-year old, Britanny Parker and two children were wearing seatbelts and were not injured in the accident. The passengers were not transported to the hospital.

(CEDAR CITY) – Police have identified a Pleasant Grove man who was killed Friday afternoon on I-15 near Cedar City when his minivan collided with a flatbed pickup. A UHP report said that 42-year old, Nyal Bodily was killed while driving with his wife and four sons in a Toyota Sienna south of Cedar City at about 5pm. The report said that a 16-year old boy from Santa Clara, was driving northbound in a pickup, when he spun out of control, crossed the median into oncoming traffic and hit the minivan. He was unhurt in the accident but Bodily’s 11-year old son suffered a broken hand. His 34-year old wife, along with three other sons, ages 13, 8 and 5 were not seriously injured. UHP said that all were wearing seatbelts, except for the 11-year old. Troopers are investigating why the boy lost control of the pickup and citations are possible. Neither impairment nor excessive speed appear to be factors in the crash.

CINCINNATI (AP)—Brandon Stokley caught an 87-yard scoring pass for his only catch of the day in the closing seconds to help the Denver Broncos start the 2009 season on a positive note with a 12-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. The Broncos, who led for much of the game, fell behind 7-6 when Cedric Benson scored on a 1-yard run for the Bengals before Kyle Orton (17 of 28, 243 yards, TD) overcame the ill effects of a finger injury and made perhaps the most memorable play of his 5-year career. Orton’s scoring strike to Stokley came on a ball deflected by the Bengals which the 11-year veteran out of Southwestern Louisiana took for a score. Meanwhile, Carson Palmer (21 of 33, 247 yards, 2 INT’s) showed some rust for the Bengals after sitting out most of the preseason but made several big plays to keep Cincinnati in the game. In other NFL action Sunday, Atlanta humbled Miami, 19-7, Baltimore outgunned Kansas City, 38-24, Philadelphia hammered Carolina, 38-10, Minnesota smacked Cleveland, 34-20, the New York Jets waxed Houston, 24-7, Indianapolis held off Jacksonville, 14-12, New Orleans torched Detroit, 45-27 as Drew Brees tossed six touchdowns for the Saints, Dallas trounced Tampa Bay, 34-21, San Francisco got past Arizona, 20-16, the New York Giants outlasted Washington, 23-17, Seattle blanked St. Louis, 28-0, and Green Bay surged past Chicago, 21-15, thanks in part to world-class choke artist Jay Cutler’s four interceptions.

(Mayfield) The Sanpete County Sheriff’s office was called out to a hayfield between Mayfield and Gunnison Saturday night about 8:00 PM after a farmer on a tractor was approached by a Hispanic male who was covered in blood, and who was bound and gagged. Officers report that the man was taken to the Gunnison Valley Hospital and later taken to another hospital on the Wasatch Front. The incident is currently under investigation and no names have been released. The condition of the man is also unknown at this time.

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP)—Carlee Payne and Jennie Marshall each scored goals and the #18 Brigham Young Lady Cougars doubled up the Montana Lady Grizzlies, 2-1 Saturday in non-conference soccer action. The Lady Grizzlies built a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period as Frankie Brady scored the first goal of the game before the Lady Cougars made their surge to pull off the win. Brigham Young improved to 4-2-1 on the season while Montana fell to 1-6.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Henry Burris completed 20 of 36 passes for 393 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions and the Calgary Stampeders overcame a 34-20 deficit heading into the 4th Quarter to pull out a 35-34 win over the Edmonton Eskimos Friday at Commonwealth Stadium. After the Stampeders took a 17-14 lead into halftime, Edmonton seemed poised to break the game open as they used a 20-3 surge to put the Stamps on the ropes. Nevertheless, Burris patiently made numerous big plays in the passing game to help Calgary foil their bitter rivals to the north. Jermaine Copleand added five receptions for 117 yards and a pair of scores in the win for the Stampeders. In other CFL action Friday, Toronto ousted Hamilton, 25-22.

(MANTI) – The Sanpete County Planning Commission granted a local oil company’s request Wednesday to obtain a Conditional Use Permit on an exploratory well near Mayfield. Representatives from Wolverine Gas and Oil Company petitioned the commission to grant the CUP on land located northwest of Mayfield. The company already has two oil-producing wells in that area and representatives from Wolverine Oil are confident that more oil can be found in the same area.

(WEST JORDAN)—Police say one student suffered minor injuries after a pickup truck and school bus collided in West Jordan. The truck driver was also injured while he and the student were treated at the scene Friday morning. The Salt Lake Tribune also reported Friday that another Jordan School District bus picked up the 45 high school students and took them to school. The 27-year-old pickup truck driver was cited for failure to yield. Police say he turned left in front of the school bus.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utahns commemorated the 8th anniversary of 9/11 by planting trees and displaying flags. Friday morning, Salt Lake City’s Northwest Recreation Center remembered the holiday with a tree planting effort on what they called an inaugural “day of service.” The Salt Lake County TreeBank hopes to plant 1 million trees countywide by 2017. President Barack Obama issued a proclamation earlier this week urging Americans to mark the anniversary of the attacks with community service. In Sandy, the Patriot Day healing field event was underway, where volunteers had to set up a field of U.S. flags. The event ends Monday.

(LINDON)—Lindon City is remembering 9/11 by conducting a citywide emergency drill. Lindon Police Chief Cody Cullimore said natural disaster drills took place Friday morning in all of the city’s schools. A large-scale drill is set for Friday night while police sirens will be sounded throughout the city around 6:00 p.m. The city’s emergency plan chain of command has the nearly 11,000 residents divided up into three areas. A major focus of the drill will be to test the city’s ability to communicate quickly during a disaster, both with and without technology. The chief also says 9/11 is a great day to test the city’s preparedness. Several other cities around the country are also taking part in drills today in a program known as Drill Down for Safety.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A portion of U.S. Highway 89 under the Beck Street Bridge in North Salt Lake will close Friday night. The southbound lanes will be closed to traffic as of 10:00 p.m. Friday evening while they’ll reopen Saturday at 5:00 a.m. The lanes were closed Thursday night while crews placed girders on the bridge and the work was slated to continue Friday. Motorists traveling from North Salt Lake will be detoured onto Interstate 15.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Some cities are turning off streetlights to save money. Currently, Salt Lake City is debating the issue. City officials don’t want to merely shut off the lights, they want to determine whether such a measure is safe or not. City transportation engineer Mike Barry says every other light in some areas could go dark, or more dimmers could be used. Barry also has to weigh what kind of cost savings could come from energy-efficient bulbs. A new bulb, for example, may cost $400 but may not pay enough back in energy savings before the lamp wears out. Barry said the city is testing LED and induction lights on 1000 of the 15,000 streetlights in the city.

(GEORGETOWN, GUYANA) – The President of the South American country of Guyana said the security ministry should have “better handled” the detention of about 40 LDS missionaries last week. President Bharrat Jagdeo told reporters today that he disagreed with the way the missionaries, mainly U.S. citizens, were briefly detained last week but he said their work permits were expired and immigration rules had to be enforced. Jagdeo said authorities didn’t need to round people up and that it’s not the image Guyana wants to portray, particularly where it concerns religious people. Some government officials have said privately that ruling party leaders felt the LDS missionaries were too close to opposition figures and were also wary of the Church’s independent charity work in the interior. Jagdeo declined to comment on those statements but said that Guyana is welcoming and they also have laws. Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues said the United States has asked Guyanese authorities to clarify rules for renewing work permits so that similar incidents with U.S. missionaries can be avoided in the future.

(MOAB) – A California couple had to be rescued Tuesday after they got lost while mountain biking near Moab and became dehydrated. Grand County Sheriff’s Deputy, Curt Brewer, reported that 39-year old, Terry Daniels and 37-year old, Katie Daniels, used a cell phone to alert authorities to their situation. The Santa Rosa, CA. couple were riding the Porcupine Rim Trail east of Moab, when they went off the trail and ended up near Matt Martin Point. Efforts were made over the phone to get the Daniels back on the Porcupine Rim Trail but the bikers were too dehydrated. The Grand County Search and Rescue were called out and located the bikers just north of Coffee Pot Rock. The couple were transported off the trail by Search and Rescue.

CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP)—Analaine Pelaez, Jazmine Ma’afala and Tess Lawrence combined for 47 kills as the Southern Utah Lady Thunderbirds earned a 3-1 win over the Indiana-Fort Wayne Lady Mastodons Thursday at the Centrum in Summit League volleyball action. The Lady Thunderbirds bolted out to a 2-0 lead and after IPFW took the third set, SUU ousted them with a 25-22 win in the fourth set. Rebekah Roehm had 17 kills to lead the way for the Lady Mastodons who fell to 4-5 with the loss while the Lady Thunderbirds improved to 3-6.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Ben Roethlisberger overcame a slow start to complete 33 of 43 passes for 363 yards a touchdown and two interceptions as the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Tennessee Titans, 13-10 in overtime in the season opener for both squads at Heinz Field. For much of the evening, the defenses dominated as the first points didn’t come until there were 52 seconds left in the first half when Roethlisberger found reigning Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes (9 rec, 131 yards, TD) for a 34-yard score and a 7-0 lead. Incidentally, only 34 seconds later, the Titans tied things up at 7-7 when Kerry Collins (22 of 35, 244 yards, TD, INT) hit Justin Gage on a 14-yard strike. In the second half, the defenses tightened once again although Tennessee seemed to be in command when they took a 10-7 lead in the 4th Quarter. Nevertheless, the dormant Steelers suddenly came to life and were actually in position to win the game in regulation before Hines Ward (8 rec, 103 yards) coughed up a costly fumble which Tennessee recovered. Nevertheless, the Titans were content to play for overtime and this cost them as Pittsburgh won the toss in the extra session and never let Tennessee touch the ball. After a 10-play, 63-yard drive in overtime, Jeff Reed nailed a 33-yard field goal to give the Steelers the win. The victory improved Pittsburgh to 1-0 on the season while the Titans slumped to 0-1.

(WASHINGTON D.C.)—The government is warning Americans not to forget their regular flu shots before they swarm in for swine flu vaccinations this October. As of September 10, vaccinations to protect Americans from the regular flu are good to go. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius cautions that Americans should not forget their seasonal flu bug despite all the news about the swine flu. The people in greatest need of flu shots include adults 50 or older, children between 6 months-18 years old, pregnant women, people with chronic health problems, health care workers and caregivers of the high risk.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—New numbers are shedding light on the challenge crime victims face in collecting restitution from the people who scammed them. The statistics, obtained from the Utah Attorney General’s Office, show state prosecutors recovered less than 8 percent of the $87.3 million in restitution ordered this decade. The amounts collected vary from year to year while in the 2007-08 fiscal year, victims saw $2.5 million or one third of the $7.5 million in restitution that was ordered. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said one problem is that collection can become a shell game where crooks funnel stolen money into foreign bank accounts and accounts with different names. Shurtleff says his prosecutors often fight to exact restitution for longer than judges want to keep criminals on their books. He says auctioning off property is another effective way to recover some money for victims.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Food Bank is moving to its new home Thursday. An increase in demand has expedited the need for a larger building. In February, the bank launched a campaign to raise $10 million to purchase the new building and equipment, complete renovations and expand its capacity to collect and distribute food. Thus far, it has raised a total of $7.2 million. About 30 FedEx employees are helping with the relocation to the new facility at 910 W. 3150 South in Salt Lake City. At 86,000 square feet, the new building is twice the size of the old facility. A spokesperson for the food bank says the new facility will allow the bank to double its current distribution of nearly 20 million pounds of food a year to Utah’s needy families.

(DENVER)—An environmental group is suing to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to speed up its review of state pollution regulations. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court claims there’s a backlog of dozens of so-called state implementation plans awaiting review and approval. States file the plans when they change how they comply with the federal Clean Air Act. The lawsuit singles out Colorado, Montana and Utah, where the group says many of its members and supporters live. A message left for a Denver EPA spokesman was not immediately returned.

(RICHFIELD) – ATV access in South-Central Utah has recreationists from all over the world thrilled to visit our local areas. ATV trainer and enthusiast, Fred Christensen of Richfield, says the trail system in South-Central Utah is one of the best in the world. Christensen said he started four-wheeling in 1981 using the old-fashioned three-wheeled machines and has enjoyed the activity with his family and others since he started. He said that his position on the Piute Trail Committee has helped to improve trail maps along the system and the ATV Jamboree coming up next week in the local area.

(DELTA) – The Millard County Sheriff’s Office has apprehended two male juveniles on graffiti throughout the Delta City area. According to a sheriff’s report, on Aug. 29, the county started receiving complaints of graffiti on several different local businesses, fences and other property. During the investigation, officers took over 20 separate cases involving graffiti either spray painted or written in marker on the properties. Each juvenile has been referred to 4th District Juvenile Court for felony criminal mischief.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Erin Dalley and Natalie Young each scored a goal as the Utah Lady Utes blanked the Princeton Lady Tigers, 2-0 Wednesday in intercollegiate soccer action. The win gave Utah coach Rich Manning his 100th career win while the Lady Utes improved to 5-2 on the season and Princeton fell to 1-2 in the loss.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—The Wayne Badgers exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning and Colin Anderson earned the win on the mound in a 13-5 victory over the Milford Tigers Wednesday in Region 15 baseball action.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris posted 10 kills while the Panguitch Lady Bobcats posted 18 aces overall in a 3-0 win over the Bryce Valley Lady Mustangs in Region 15 volleyball action Wednesday.

(CEDAR CITY) – A Springdale-based landscape artist is hoping a new on-campus art museum will be built at Southern Utah University in Cedar City. 76-year-old, Jim Jones, has spent the better part of 33 years gazing on Utah and Arizona’s redrock vistas during a career replicating them on canvas. The artist has produced hundreds of landscape paintings, including many depicting iconic landforms of Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. Jones says, when he was young, his father took him to the Springville Museum of Art and he became enchanted by a big building in a small town, filled with art. He said he would like to see one built in Cedar City that would reflect the city’s status as the region’s cultural center. SUU President Michael Benson has revealed plans at a recent Board of Regents meeting, promising to raise the entire $10 million to build the facility.

(SANDY)—A woman who was hit by a car while jogging early Wednesday morning has died from her injuries. Police have now identified her as 62-year-old Renee Fleckenstein of Sandy. Sandy police say the woman was jogging southbound on 114th South and 1000 East at 6:40 a.m. when a northbound vehicle turned west and hit her. Lieutenant Victor Quezada of the Sandy Police Department said it threw Fleckenstein about 30 feet in the air. Fleckenstein was flown to the University Medical Center in critical condition and unconscious before her death. The driver says she didn’t see the jogger because it was dark. Currently, investigators do not believe speed, alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident and police say there appears to be no criminal wrongdoing and are trying to discover who’s at fault. Quezada said it’s in the best interests of many joggers to have IDs with them, although many don’t.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—During the Utah Golf Championships this weekend at the Willow Creek Country Club in Sandy, Humana, the official health benefits company of the PGA Tour, will be offering free pedometers to chart the number of steps patrons take. Each person who walks at least 7000 steps will be entered to win an iPod Nano, while anyone who walks 10,000 or more steps will be entered into a drawing for an iPod Touch. Participants can pick up the free pedometers at the Humana booth.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert says the state is still “smarting” from missing out on a fourth House seat following the 2000 census. Utah missed qualifying for the seat by only 857 people, while the seat in question was awarded to North Carolina. State officials unsuccessfully argued that the government should have counted more than 11,000 Mormon missionaries living overseas, as federal employees and military personnel are. North Carolina is home to several large military bases, such as Fort Bragg and Camp Lejune. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Utah’s claims and ruled the U.S. Census Bureau enjoys wide discretion on counting. Herbert made the comments Wednesday to a state committee responsible for getting residents counted during the 2010 census.

(WASHINGTON D.C.)—Congressman Jim Matheson’s chief of staff will leave Utah this week to become a Washington lobbyist. A Matheson spokesman says after eight years of service, Stacey Alexander is leaving to work for a small boutique lobbying firm. House rules prevent her from lobbying Matheson’s office for one year following the end of her employment.

(ZION NATIONAL PARK)—Next week, helicopters will begin dropping herbicides and seeds across roughly 4600 acres in Zion National Park. The project is an effort to rehabilitate an area that burned in 2006. Park officials say the work will require temporary closure of some trails in the area of Kolob Terrace Road, Coal Pits Wash and Dalton Wash. There could also be delays along Kolob Terrace Road. In 2006, the fire burned more than 10,000 acres in the park, while afterward investigators said the area was invaded by nonnative cheatgrass, which creates a fire hazard. The herbicide is aimed at reducing cheatgrass in the area while the seeds are supposed to help re-establish native vegetation in the area. The work could last for as long as two weeks, depending on the weather.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Ranchers and livestock producers who have lost animals due to disasters have the opportunity to recoup their losses in the Livestock Indemnity Program. The Utah USDA Farm Service Agency reminds eligible ranchers and farmers to apply for the benefits before Monday, Sept. 14, 2009, when the program ends. The program identifies losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires and extreme heat and cold. The Utah USDA invites those affected to apply at the office in Salt Lake City.

(SALINA) – The Arch Coal Foundation is preparing to honor five star teachers in their Teacher Achievement Awards program in 2010. Classroom teachers in Sevier, Sanpete, Carbon and Emery counties are eligible to be nominated to receive the award at the close of this school year. The counties surround the Skyline, Dugout Canyon and Sufco mines, operated by Canyon Fuel Company, a subsidiary of major coal producer, Arch Coal. Ken May, General Manager of the Sufco Mine, said the winners will each receive a $3,500 personal cash award and other gifts. The Arch Coal Foundation is a supporter of teacher-recognition or grant programs in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and West Virginia. Nominations may be made until Jan. 8, 2010.

(CEDAR CITY) – The tearful pleas of a Cedar City sex offender’s wife has kept him out of prison. In 5th District Court Tuesday, Judge Michael Westfall sentenced former Cedar Middle School teacher, Matthew Adams, to a year in the Iron County jail for videotaping women through their windows. The 31-year old man plead guilty in July to sexual exploitation of a child, a second-degree felony and two counts of voyeurism by electronic means, one a third-degree felony and the other a class A misdemeanor. Westfall sentenced Adams to one to 15 years in prison on the second-degree felony and up to five years on the third-degree felony but suspended the sentences and placed him on probation. The judge said he would have sentenced Adams to prison but his wife made a strong plea in his defense. Adams was arrested in January after a couple taking a walk saw him peering into windows of a Cedar City apartment and called police. He admitted to looking for young women to videotape. Police eventually discovered 17 of his victims were students at the middle school where he taught shop. Adams resigned his position after his arrest.

(MANTI) – A 17-year old Moroni girl has been sentenced in Sixth District Court in Manti for dumping her stillborn baby in the trash. The teen plead guilty Tuesday to obstruction of justice for failing to notify police until weeks after the incident. She was charged last month with abusing a corpse, a third-degree felony and plead guilty to a lesser charge. Judge Paul Lyman sentenced the girl to probation and 150 hours of community service. She must provide a DNA specimen and complete counseling. The judge also banned the girl from dating anyone older than 19 while she’s on probation. This past spring, the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office received a call that a Moroni girl had given birth to a stillborn and disposed the baby in a trash container which was taken to the White Hills Landfill near Mayfield on May 4. Searchers combed the area for more than a month but were unable to find the baby. The baby’s body has never been found.

(RICHFIELD) – A potential problem of overnight camping and waste dumping at 300 North College Avenue in Richfield was addressed at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Councilmember, Larry Lunnen, discussed his concerns that campers are parking in the staging area at the location and may end up dumping sewage and garbage in the canal next to the spot. The council determined to post signs that indicate no overnight parking would be allowed in that area.

(RICHFIELD) – A subdivision developer was able to secure the approval of a Conditional Use Permit from Richfield City for the building of the Mt. Catherine subdivision along College Avenue. Doug Crowther, representing the developer, addressed the city council at Tuesday night’s meeting to get the CUP approval. Prior to final approval, the mayor and council were concerned with the developer’s intentions of erecting a cedar fence around the subdivision, instead of a masonry fence, which the council had desired. Crowther said the developer was able to work out costs with building a masonry fence to get approval from the council. The CUP was granted on a four-to-one vote from the council. Councilmember, Richard Barnett, voted no on the project, saying it’s the wrong project at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

(RICHFIELD) – Sevier County Commissioners have discussed refinancing up to $6 million in general obligation refundable bonds to save the county thousands of dollars. At the monthly County Commission meeting on Tuesday, Commissioners passed a resolution authorizing them to refinance the bonds. Brian Baker, Assistant Vice President of Zions Bank Public Finance, addressed the commissioners, saying by refinancing the bonds, the county could save $135,000 over a period of ten years. Commissioners said a 30-day protest period is in place for the public to file a lawsuit to challenge the resolution. The bonds have been effect since 2001 for the purpose of funding county projects.

(RICHFIELD) – The transient room tax may increase in Sevier County to defray expenses the county must pay for county-planned events. At the County Commission meeting today, commissioners discussed increasing the tax one percent for hotels, restaurants and other related businesses to help pay a $20,000 bill owed by the county. Commissioners discussed an $8,000 bill owed for a five-school district Invitational Tournament being held in Richfield as well as $4,000 earmarked for the ATV Jamboree being planned this month. Sevier County must also pay $8,000 for the Extreme Barrel Racing event planned. Commissioner Gary Mason said the businesses affected by the tax increase may complain but they’re the direct recipients of the increased business and need to help pay for county events that boost their business. The current tax is 3% and the county wants to increase the tax to 4%. County Commissioners say they have the authority to increase the tax to 4.2% if needed. Future discussions with the businesses affected are planned.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The public can drop off unused prescription drugs Saturday at a University of Utah Health Fair. The program is intended to keep unused medications from being stolen or flushed down the toilet. Members of the Salt Lake City Police Department will collect the medication during the health fair, which will take place from 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. State officials say those medications that are collected will be disposed of properly. For more information, please visit www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov

(SALT LAKE CITY)—With Labor Day having been completed, statistics from the Utah Office of Tourism show hotel occupancy rates from 2009’s second quarter are off nearly 12 percent from the same time last year. Additionally, passenger numbers at the Salt Lake City International Airport are slightly down, while visits to national parks have increased. A report by PKF Hospitality Research perhaps has revealed that the future will be better though as it predicts room occupancy rates in luxury, upscale and mid-scale hotels will begin to rebound. However, researchers caution that the idea of deep discounts has taken hold with consumers and they’ll continue to expect a deal.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The San Juan County Attorney says no additional charges will be filed against the driver of a bus that crashed near Mexican Hat in January 2008, killing nine people. Craig Halls said the speed of the bus may not have been excessive and a Utah Highway Patrol investigator reviewed video from the bus and found speed was not a factor in the crash that injured 43 people as they returned to Phoenix from a weekend ski trip in Tellulide, Colo. UHP Sergeant Rick Eldredge said he found the bus was traveling about 5 m.p.h. over the speed limit of 65. An April report from the National Transportation Safety Board estimated the bus was traveling 88-92 m.p.h. when it rounded a bend on the rural Utah highway, crashed through a guardrail and rolled down an embankment.

NEW YORK (AP)—After the Brigham Young Cougars’ 14-13 win over Oklahoma Saturday at Arlington, Texas, the national media paid them an impeccable comment as they now find themselves ranked #9 nationally heading into Saturday’s game at Tulane. While the BCS is still a crime and an illegal cartel, as Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Texas Senator Joe Barton have rightfully called it, the AP is still showing they believe Brigham Young to be an excellent football team. Of course, the Cougars are not pleased with where they’re currently at, as head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who went on national radio with Jim Rome Tuesday morning, said this was one step along the journey for the Cougars to get back to national prominence. Florida is currently #1, Texas is #2 and USC, Alabama and Oklahoma State round out the Top 5.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP)-By virtue of their excellent performances in the #9 Brigham Young Cougars’ win over then#3 Oklahoma, quarterback Max Hall and safety Andrew Rich were named as the Mountain West Conference’s offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively. Hall tossed for 329 yards, 2 touchdowns and two interceptions for the Cougars in the win, while Rich, a former Snow College star, had four solo tackles and assisted on another stop. Brigham Young next travels to New Orleans to face the Tulane Green Wave, this upcoming Saturday, September 12 at 1:30 MDT. The game can be heard live on KMGR, 102.7 and 95.9-FM.

(Ephraim) Some unofficial enrollment numbers are coming in for the current semester at Snow College. As things stand right now, the number of full time equivalent students has risen nearly nineteen percent over last year to around three thousand. When final numbers come in, school officials expect to have more than forty-three hundred student. That number includes high school student who are participating in concurrent enrollment. Though many schools are seeing increases in enrollment due to the weak economy, that doesn’t appear to be the driving force behind the record number this year at Snow. Greg Dart, the Director of Admissions at the college attributes the increase to an aggressive enrollment campaign and the work of college ambassadors.

(MOAB) – A missing Moab man has been found. Police reports say that 87-year old, George Jenkinson had driven to Provo and was found safe there Monday night. The report said that Jenkinson suffers from dementia and police thought he was lost and didn’t know his name. He was last seen in Moab on Sunday.

(SALINA) – The Utah Highway Patrol investigated a rollover crash on I-70 over the weekend near the summit of Salina Canyon. A UHP report said that 19-year old, Nicholas Oviatt of Elmo was traveling westbound Sunday afternoon in a 2007 Ford Focus, when he became distracted and drifted into the median at about 3:30pm. The report said he overcorrected to the right, causing the vehicle to roll on its side and slid down the shoulder of the highway. Oviatt sustained minor injuries in the crash and was transported to the Gunnison Valley Hospital with minor injuries. His passenger, 17-year old, Mallorie Martinez of Price, was also transported to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. The driver was cited for the crash.

(BRIAN HEAD) – A West Jordan motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries when he crashed on SR-143 near Brian Head Saturday afternoon. According to a UHP report, 54-year old, Craig Pickering, was traveling southbound on a 2006 Harley TCI, when he drifted off the right side of the highway and crashed at about 3:10pm. The report said Pickering was wearing a helmet and was transported to the Garfield Memorial Hospital.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)—Jacory Harris threw for 386 yards, the most for a Miami (Fla.) signal-caller against Florida State, 2 touchdowns and two interceptions, as the Hurricanes surged past the #18 Florida State Seminoles, 38-34 Monday at Doak Campbell Stadium in the ACC opener for both teams. The shootout started early when Harris found Travis Benjamin on a 39-yard strike to open the scoring for the Hurricanes, giving them a 7-0 1st Quarter lead. Nevertheless, the prolific ‘Noles opened up a 23-14 lead in the 3rd Quarter when Christian Ponder (24 of 41, 294 yards, 2 TD’s, INT) threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Taiwan Easterling, and managed to hold a 34-31 lead in the 4th Quarter when Dustin Hopkins nailed a 45-yard field goal. Nevertheless, the stage was set for Harris’ heroics as he found Benjamin again in the closing seconds, this time for 40 yards, which set up the winning 3-yard score by Graig Cooper. The shootout saw the teams combine for 43 first downs and 880 yards of offense.

OGDEN, Utah (AP)—Meagan Ganzer and Cassie Robins combined for 25 points as the Washington State Lady Cougars stymied the Weber State Lady Wildcats, 3-0 Monday at Swenson Gym in intercollegiate volleyball action. The Lady Cougars were barely challenged against Weber State, until the third set as they won, 25-20, 25-17 and 25-22. The win improved Washington State to 6-0 on the season, while the Lady Wildcats slumped to 1-6.

(LAYTON)—City officials say sales tax revenue generated from Layton businesses declined by more than $1 million in the fiscal year that ended in June. A sluggish housing market is primarily responsible for the decline. City Finance Director Steve Ashby says sales tax revenue generated from businesses that sell building and construction supplies were down 45 percent or about $500,000. Entertainment revenues were down by 17 percent, while miscellaneous businesses, such as crafts, bike shops and bookstores were down by 12 percent.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Labor Commission has dismissed 19 claims for workers compensation for police officers who were exposed to methamphetamine. Many of the cases were dismissed at the officers’ request, who wanted more time to find evidence that meth labs contributed to their ailments. Eight cases remain because a judge says or opposing sides agree there’s enough evidence to proceed. Police officers exposed to meth say they often experience headaches, joint pain and memory loss. While a 2008 state study suggests the officers have a high risk of contracting lymphoma, melanoma and colon and rectal cancers, the burden of proof is placed on officers.

(SCIPIO) – The lightning-caused Sawmill Fire burning south of Scipio has now consumed nearly 6900 acres and is 50% contained. Fire crews continue to secure the fireline along the south and southwest perimeter of the fire until the fire is fully contained. The fire is burning in dormant brush, hardwood slash, timber, grass and mahogany about five miles south of Scipio. Fire personnel are asking the traveling public to minimize speed along Highway 50 through the fire zone to allow access for crews to work the fire.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP)—Grant Stucker completed 10 of 17 passes for 208 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions as the Colorado State Rams gave the Mountain West Conference their second upset win over a BIG 12 opponent in as many days with a 23-17 win over the Colorado Buffaloes Sunday at Folsom Field. Leonard Mason added 107 yards on 23 carries for the Rams while John Mosure ran for a score and caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to give Colorado State an early 14-0 lead while they held off a late CU surge. Cody Hawkins completed 24 of 40 passes for 222 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the loss for the Buffs.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Once again, as the Brigham Young Cougars demoralized the Oklahoma Sooners with a one-point victory, the BCS was exposed for what it is, a hoax that oppresses not only college football, but collegians everywhere with its insistence that only those who reside in conferences with automatic bids to the illegal cartel profit thereby. Already this season, we have seen Boise State pummel Oregon, a member of a BCS conference as well as the Cougars’ mastery of the Sooners. Although the margin was slim, those who watched the game know Brigham Young dominated from wire to wire as only their mistakes gave Oklahoma a sliver of a chance. While last year’s Heisman winner, Sam Bradford, was injured in the first half for the Sooners, they were equally ineffective with him as they were without him in the second half. Ultimately, what was proven, for the umpteenth time, was any good team, regardless of what conference they reside in, can compete with the so-called “elitists” in college football. The media at large continues to eschew the excellence that resides in other conferences outside the BCS, especially the Mountain West, where Utah, Texas Christian and of course, Brigham Young will continue to defy the logic of how college football is supposed to go, according to their delusional view of the world. Currently, Senators Orrin Hatch and Joe Barton are working night and day to find a way to break up the BCS but the best way to expedite change is to make power brokers in any given organization look foolish. That is what Brigham Young and their Mountain West brethren, along with Boise State have done, and will continue to do. Victims have included storied programs Pittsburgh, Alabama and Oklahoma, previously when Boise State embarrassed them on national television in the Fiesta Bowl. Those who refuse to see the need for a playoff in Division 1 are those who condone lawbreaking and injustice of every kind. It is a slap in the face to our illustrious Founding Fathers and the Constitution, inspired of heaven, that this nonsense persists. However, there is solace, the NFL comes upon us September 10 and with compelling action on the field and a REAL PLAYOFF, I will be entranced by yet another season of magnificent professional football. GO BRONCOS!!! With that said, the BCS may be laughing all the way to the bank for now, but having the federal government on your tail is never a good thing.

EPHRAIM, Utah (AP)—Brandon Gorsu completed 8 of 14 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown for the Arizona Western Matadors as they stunned the Snow Badgers, 35-17 Saturday at Stoddard Field at Badger Stadium. The Matadors amassed 475 yards of offense in the game and limited the prolific Badgers to just 310 yards. After the Badgers pulled to within 21-10 in the 3rd Quarter on a 15-yard scoring reception by Mazi Ogbanna, Arizona Western seized momentum for good when Reggie Bullock (9 carries, 202 yards, 2 TD’s) busted loose for a 96-yard score. Mecham completed 19 of 29 passes for 222 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception in the loss for Snow.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Martell Mallett ran for a British Columbia Lions-record 213 yards on 21 carries and legendary Wally Buono won the 231st game of his career to tie Don Matthews for the all-time CFL lead in a 19-12 win over the Montreal Alouettes Friday at BC Place. Jarious Jackson also had a solid game for British Columbia as he completed 17 of 30 passes for 217 yards and a pair of scores in the win. Jamel Richardson had five receptions for 146 yards for the Alouettes, who despite leading the CFL in scoring, were held without a touchdown.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Rex Grossman completed 9 of 16 passes for 197 yards and a pair of scores in a last-bid attempt to remain with the Houston Texans as Houston bested the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-20 Friday in NFL preseason action at Raymond James Stadium. Grossman connected on scoring passes of 87 yards to Jacoby Jones and 11 yards to James Casey, a rookie out of Rice. Josh Johnson and Josh Freeman each threw for touchdown passes in the loss for Tampa Bay. In other preseason action Friday, Dallas outgunned Minnesota, 35-31 and San Diego stonewalled San Francisco, 26-7.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A convicted child abuser is facing brand new charges as police say he tried to hire someone to kill his victim’s family. Authorities say 46-year-old Dennis Lingmann has already been convicted of sexual exploitation, sexual activity with a minor, and stalking. Thursday, the Attorney General’s office additionally charged him with six felony counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Investigators say Lingmann offered $16,000 to anyone who would kill his abuse victim and her family. Prosecutors say he also wanted the family’s home burned down. Authorities say Lingmann worked for the family while he was having a sexual relationship with the 15-year-old girl.

(WEST VALLEY CITY)—A man accused of sexually assaulting a young boy in a West Valley City Burger King restroom has been arrested. West Valley City Police say they received tips from the public after surveillance video of the suspect was aired on the news and they were led to 44-year-old Jorge D. Gutierrez. Police say August 15, Gutierrez followed a 7-year-old boy into the bathroom and sexually assaulted him. The boy went out crying and told his mother what happened. Police released the video of Gutierrez’ act Thursday and arrested him later in the day. Gutierrez will be booked into the Salt Lake County jail and is facing charges of child kidnapping and sodomy on a child.

(TAYLORSVILLE)—A masked burglar is targeting Salt Lake County golf courses, as four have been hit in the past two weeks. The latest burglary occurred Friday morning at the Meadowbrook Golf Course in Taylorsville, and police have surveillance video of the thief. Surveillance video of a burglary that occurred Sunday at South Mountain Golf Course in Draper showed the burglar going into an office in the golf shop while he used a sledgehammer to break the glass on the doors. The burglar then tried to find the safe, but gave up when he had no success. Golf course managers are now installing additional security measures and say they want the man caught and prosecuted. He did not escape with money, but caused thousands of dollars in damages.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A federal judge has reduced, by nine months, the prison sentence of a white separatist group member who was convicted in a conspiracy to scare minorities into staying off of Salt Lake City’s streets. Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Dee Benson ordered Eric G. Egbert’s 42-month sentence reduced to 33 months. Prosecutors did not oppose the reduction and it was meant to correct a disparity between Egbert’s sentence and those of co-defendants, Shaun A. Walker and Travis D. Massey. Egbert, Walker and Massey were convicted in April 2007 of conspiracy to interfere with civil rights and interference with a federally protected activity in connection with the 2002 and 2003 attacks of two minority men.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Salt Lake District Attorney is proposing defense attorneys pay for materials they request to defend their clients. The Salt Lake Tribune reports this will include $25 up front for discovery evidence. Defense Attorney Greg Skordas said many areas charge a fee for these types of materials, but wishes it was just a flat fee. Some reports state other attorneys have complained about fee costs and they question the fairness of charging someone to see evidence against them.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Highway Patrol plans to conduct DUI checks extensively this Labor Day weekend. Trooper Cameron Roden said the UHP will be out in full force in Salt Lake County, South Salt Lake and Lehi this weekend. In 2009, thus far, Roden said 180 people have lost their lives on Utah highways which compares with 178 last year.

(SCIPIO) – The lightning-caused Sawmill Fire burning south of Scipio has now grown to almost 6900 acres and is 50% contained. Fire personnel say that moisture received on the fire Thursday helped moderate fire activity but gusty winds could produce thunderstorms that may increase fire activity quickly. Crews are mopping up fire spots on the east side of the fire and securing the perimeter on the south and east ridges.

(NEW HARMONY) – Favorable weather conditions have kept the Mill Flat Fire from growing too fast for firefighters to manage. The fire, burning near New Harmony in southern Utah, has now consumed 12,607 acres and remains 33% contained. 746 personnel are working the blaze to protect 550 residences that are threatened by the fire. Estimated cost of the fire now stands at $4.1 million. The main focus of firefighting efforts include establishing several remote camp locations around the fire. Passing thunderstorms dropped some rain and hail in the higher elevations, making work difficult. Reports say two new fires east of Big Water were sparked by lightning but water-packing helicopters were able to douse the flames before they could spread.

CHENEY, Wash. (AP)—Chelsea Winbush scored in the 106th minute as the Texas-El Paso Lady Miners got past the Eastern Washington Lady Eagles, 3-2 Thursday in non-conference womens’ soccer action. Jo Radcliffe and Brittany Kindzierski also scored for the Lady Miners while Melissa Desilets and Skye Schultz added assists in the win. Morgan O’Friel and Doran Brittney each scored in the loss for Eastern Washington.

DENVER (AP)—Tom Brandstater completed 16 of 30 passes for 187 yards and an interception while leading the Denver Broncos to an early 10-0 lead in a 19-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Thursday at INVESCO Field @ Mile High. The Broncos were in charge from the beginning as Brandstater led an 8-play, 67-yard on the opening drive which resulted in a 26-yard Matt Prater field goal and an early 3-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Darius Walker scored the game’s only touchdown on a 1-yard run which capped off an 8-play, 77-yard drive and Denver never looked back. The Broncos’ much-maligned defense stole the show, however, as they forced five turnovers and limited Arizona to 244 yards of offense. The Broncos finished the preseason with a 1-3 record, while the Cardinals conclude with an 0-4 mark. Arizona will host San Francisco in the regular season opener September 13, while Denver will travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. In other NFL preseason action Thursday, Detroit bested Buffalo, 17-6, the New York Jets outgunned Philadelphia, 38-27, Baltimore pummeled Atlanta, 20-3, Cincinnati decimated Indianapolis, 38-7, New England handled the New York Giants, 38-27, Jacksonville outlasted Washington, 24-17, Chicago edged Cleveland, 26-23, Tennessee waxed Green Bay, 27-13, St. Louis stymied Kansas City, 17-9, Miami tripped up New Orleans, 10-7, Pittsburgh stormed past Carolina, 21-10, and Seattle humbled Oakland, 31-21.

(OREM)—A fire broke out in an Orem home Thursday morning, displacing the family that lives there. The fire started around 10:15 a.m. and the family noticed it after seeing a sink leak upstairs. When they went downstairs to check the damage, smoke was pouring out. The home is not expected to be a total loss, although significant damage occurred. There were no injuries and the cause is still under investigation.

(CLEARFIELD)—Police in Clearfield are looking for a thief that used stolen credit cards throughout various Utah counties. Police say August 8, the thief stole a woman’s purse in Centerville while the thief was later caught on surveillance camera using the victim’s credit card at America First Credit Unions in Salt Lake, Weber and Davis counties. Police believe there are other victims, from whom the thief has defrauded more than $12,000.The thief drove a Mercury Sable which was recently impounded and contained evidence of the crimes committed. The person driving the Sable at the time it was impounded was not the suspect sought by police.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Department of Defense is launching a new task force aimed at curbing military suicides. Officials believe the task force will look into trends causing suicides and develop more effective methods of prevention. The Utah National Guard reported two suicides in 2008, which is a marked improvement from four in 2006, although the Ogden Standard-Examiner reported civilian suicides at Hill Air Force Base spiked to five in 2008, the most in seven years. Utah Lieutenant Colonel Hank McIntire said the Utah National Guard has implemented pre and post-mobilization briefings on suicide awareness and prevention, while allowing follow-up classes during deployments as well as other services.

(DRAPER)—Kindergartners in Draper are thinking more highly than their peers, as they entertained thoughts about college Thursday. One by one, kindergartners at Oak Hollow Elementary School received diplomas from Canyons School District Superintendent Dr. David Doty. The students then received wristbands and put hand prints on a banner, pledging to be ready for college. On their heads were mortarboards, reading Class of 2022. Dr. Doty said the demonstration was more for parents than the kids as they hope parents will discuss college with their children.

(NORTHERN UTAH)—School districts across northern Utah are taking precautions before President Barack Obama delivers an address to students next Tuesday. Some parents believe Obama’s remarks will be too liberal for their students and pledge to keep their kids away. To address these concerns, Salt Lake City School District is advising schools and teachers to notify parents if they’ll be airing the speech and if so, to have an opt-out. In the Jordan School District, teachers are being advised to integrate the speech into their curriculum if they plan to show it. Additionally, the Davis School District is sending a note home with students to give their children an opt-out of hearing the speech while the Nebo School District will not show it. More information on the address can be found at the U.S. Department of Education Web site and can be seen online Tuesday at www.whitehouse.gov.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert has created a commission in hopes of optimizing state government operations. The Utah Advisory Commission to optimize state government will be led by former Republican Governor Norm Bangerter. The commission seeks ways to make state government more efficient while providing better services. As of fall 2010, final recommendations will be submitted. The commission was formed just as the state faces a $700 million budget shortfall for 2010. Herbert insists he doesn’t want to raise taxes, but he hasn’t committed to vetoing a budget that includes increases.

(RICHFIELD) – An ATV rider carrying a five-year old passenger were both injured Wednesday afternoon when their four-wheeler crashed on Cove View Road in Richfield. Sevier County Deputies, along with EMT’s and Richfield Police, responded to the accident to investigate the rollover just south of the Elks Lodge. The report said that 33-year old, Estefanie Marin was operating the ATV and went off the roadway, hit a fence and rolled. Both subjects were taken to the Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield with several injuries. Police reports said that the riders were wearing bicycle helmets that shattered on impact. They said if the riders were not wearing helmets, the crash could have been much worse.

(Manti) Manti City will conduct it’s annual city clean-up the week of September 14th. Residents are asked to place items into three categories with at least five feet between piles. The three categories of debris are rock and masonry, metal, and limbs and garden waste. Crews will not pick up tires or household trash. The city council also discussed a growing rodent problem in the city, as well as a recent increase in demand on the power grid over the last two months. The council authorized the use of traps to deal with the rodents and will evaluate whether a cost offset will be needed to cover the increased power demand.

(SCOFIELD) – Firefighters are getting the upper hand on the West Scofield Fire due to help from the weather. State Division of Forestry Spokesman, Jason Curry, said a brief rain shower Wednesday afternoon helped slow down the fire, currently 20% contained. Curry said fire crews hope to have the blaze completely contained by today (Thursday). Cabin owners were given limited access to the Scofield Mountain Homes subdivision earlier this week and the evacuation order could be lifted as soon as tonight (Thursday). The fire began when embers from a controlled burn in the mountains were blown over fire breaks, igniting dry ground on the other side. The fire has scorched 251 acres west of the Scofield Reservoir and came within 520 feet of a subdivision. No homes were destroyed.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—With a recent change in the ownership of the Carolina Panthers, team owner Jerry Richardson made a quick move to fill the gap. Incidentally, the Panthers’ new president is a friend of Mid-Utah Radio. Danny Morrison, who has served as the athletic director at Texas Christian University since 2005, has known Richardson for years and enabled the Panthers to have training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. every summer since the franchise was established in 1995. Morrison has a great reputation throughout both the Carolinas and the Metroplex while also extending his hand, unbeknown to him, to Mid-Utah Radio. Whenever I’ve e-mailed him and given him information on how we cover Texas Christian athletics on our site, he has been gracious and swift in his responses. Although I am not a bigtime journalist yet, Morrison treated me as if I were. Thus, I wish him the best of luck with the Panthers and although my heart bleeds Bronco orange and blue, I will more favorably smile upon Panther blue so long as Morrison is at the helm.

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP)—Alex Shearer had 10 kills and Katie Luna added 14 digs and nine kills as the Dixie State Red Storm got past the Mesa State (Colo.) Lady Mavericks, 3-1 Wednesday at Burns Arena. Megan Bosch led the way for Mesa State with 12 kills but also incurred five errors for the Lady Mavs.

(RICHFIELD) – A new section of a bike/walking path on the west side of Richfield was officially dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday night. The mayor, city council and citizens met at the old bridge on the east side of the cemetery at 6pm to perform the ceremony. Mayor Brad Ramsay said this section of the path is a welcome addition to the city and asks citizens to take care of it. Ramsay said the city council has wanted this section of the bike/walking path to be completed for quite some time but the downturn in the economy last year cut funds earmarked for the project. The mayor said the path is now nearly 1.5 miles stretching from the cemetery on main street to almost 530 South along College Avenue. He says the city wants to complete the path by eventually connecting with the county path from Elsinore.

(LOA) – The Solomon Basin Fire burning 11 miles northeast of Loa continues to be allowed to burn for resource benefits. The fire has burned nearly 1300 acres a mile west of Meeks Lake. Dispersed campers in the area have been asked to leave and no injuries have been reported. No structures are threatened in the area of the fire. Several Forest Roads remain closed until personnel re-open them when conditions are safer.

(CEDAR CITY) – A double semi crash today involving two tractor-trailer trucks has closed northbound lanes of I-15 near the Iron-Beaver County line. The Utah Highway Patrol said the crash occurred when one truck slammed into the rear end of another truck. Crews are working to extricate the driver of the rear truck. UHP Spokesman, Cameron Roden, says the driver’s injuries are not serious. He said no alternate routes are available in the area and traffic is “stacking up” on the highway. Troopers hope to have at least one lane open as soon as debris can be cleared. Roden did not know what cargo is being carried by either truck.

(NEW YORK)—Charles Gibson, who has served as anchor of “ABC World News” since May 2006 announced Wednesday morning that he will step down from his post at the end of this year and retire from full-time employment at ABC News. In January, “Good Morning America” anchor, Diane Sawyer, will take over as the next “World News” anchor in January. ABC News President David Westin said he and Gibson have been talking about the decision for several weeks and that Gibson has persuaded him this is the best decision he could have made.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Wednesday, Utah Senator Bob Bennett said his chief Republican opponent, attorney general Mark Shurtleff, may be violating federal election laws, although he won’t file a formal complaint. Bennett told reporters Shurtleff “appears” to be using state funds for a federal race. Shurtleff has created a state political action committee and maintains a personal campaign account. Shurtleff’s PAC financial disclosure report was due Monday. Unlike federal law, Utah places no limits on the amount of contributions an individual, political action committee or corporation can donate. Shurtleff’s PAC for Utah’s future has raised more than $260,000 this year and spent about $254,000 including transferring $21,000 to his personal account. Much of that money came from large donations from corporations, which are banned under federal law. Shurtleff announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in May, roughly one year from when Republican delegates will choose the party’s nominee. In Utah’s political system, 3500 state delegates pick the party’s nominee. Only candidates who fail to get 60 percent of the delegate vote are forced into a primary.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A new walking path from the parking lot at the Salt Lake City International Airport has been installed. The cement path is designed to accommodate travelers that would rather walk to the terminals instead of using the free shuttle bus system. The path starts on the north edge of the parking lot and leads into the car rental operation area and through the lowest level of the daily parking garage to the terminals. This enables passengers to pull luggage as they walk between the terminals and their parked vehicles. Additionally, a resurfacing project has begun in the parking lot as the lanes between the stalls will be reinforced and resurfaced due to the strenuous traffic the lot receives. Airport officials note that these projects are part of a series of planned upgrades to the airport’s parking system.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Wednesday, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced that the state will receive $3.5 million from a settlement with Pfizer, Inc. over illegal kickbacks and off-label marketing campaigns. Pfizer is paying more than $1 billion to federal and state health care programs, making it the largest settlement in history in a health care fraud matter. The civil damages and penalties will compensate Medicaid, Medicare and various federal health care programs for harm suffered as a result of its conduct. Pfizer is also suspected of having illegally paid health care professionals to promote and prescribe Bextra, Geodon, Lyrica, Zyvox and other Pfizer drugs.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A woman arrested in connection with a string of Oxycontin robberies died after attempting to commit suicide in jail. Sheriff’s officials say guards found Nicole Dubarry near death on Saturday after she sought to take her own life. Dubarry was rushed to the hospital and died Tuesday. Dubarry, her husband, Mark, and her son Shawn were all charged in federal court for the armed robberies of two Rite Aid stores last month. If convicted, Dubarry would have faced up to 32 years in prison.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A judge for the Utah Labor Commission has ruled that school district officials in southern Utah engaged in racial profiling and prejudice when they rejected a man from India for a substitute teaching position shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Harshad Desai is a U.S. citizen and native of India who moved to Panguitch in 1992. Administrative Law Judge Cheryl D. Luke discovered that the 58-year-old Desai was passed over in favor of applicants with no college education. Meanwhile, Desai has master’s degrees in chemistry and plastics engineering. Luke ruled that the Garfield School District must pay Desai eight years of wages for money he might have earned from October 2001-July 2009, while also ordering the district to add him to its roster of qualified substitute teachers.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Sen. Bob Bennett has responded to an ad placed by Club For Growth that attacks his health insurance coverage plan. Bennett takes issue with several items in the ad that he says are completely false. He’s inviting the public the go online and connect with FactCheck.org, a website that investigates the validity of political commercial announcements and discover the truth. Bennett said FactCheck noted that Club For Growth claims to be conservative but they have actually alligned themselves with the liberal left and workers unions to propagandize their message. Bennett is seeking his fourth term in 2010.

(Tucker) UDOT will be closing a portion of Highway 6 tonight for about a half hour to blast rocks adjacent to the road. The closure will take place near Tucker, west of Soldier Summit and will also affect the junction of Skyline Drive and South Starvation Road with Highway 6. The construction is part of a project to reconstruct and widen the roadway in that area. Traffic will be stopped in both directions until crews determine it is safe to re-open. Motorists are encouraged to use caution in the area and obey traffic signs and instructions from road crews.

(SCIPIO) – The public is being asked to minimize travel along the Gap Road south of Scipio to allow access for fire personnel. Forest supervisors say the Sawmill Fire burning about five miles south of Scipio has now consumed about 6300 acres and is 50% contained. Managers say the fire is active north of Raspberry Canyon and continues to make runs due to gusty winds. The fire caused Highway 50 to be closed for two hours Tuesday night when thick smoke and flames got too close to the road and the fire arched the power lines causing power outages throughout Millard County for several hours. Power was restored to residents Tuesday night. Fire managers are moving towards full containment of the fire.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Sarah Hibbert posted a career-high 13 kills as the #17 Utah Lady Utes made quick work of the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Lady Mustangs Tuesday in intercollegiate volleyball action. The Lady Utes won their 13th consecutive regular season match and their 14th in a row at Crimson Court. Abby Simmons added a team-high 20 assists for Utah while Chelsey Sandberg delivered a career-high six aces. Molly Pon had seven kills in the loss for Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. In other collegiate volleyball action, Utah State outlasted Brigham Young, 3-2.

(SCIPIO) – The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has announced a road closure due to a wildfire burning southeast of Scipio. UDOT Involvement Manager, Kevin Kitchen, says Highway 50 between Scipio and Salina has been closed until further notice. Kitchen said the traveling public can get up-to-date information on the road closure by calling 5-1-1 or go online at commuterlink.utah.gov.

(LAYTON)—An 8-year-old boy was flown to the hospital Tuesday morning after being hit by a cement truck. The boy was riding his bike to Layton Elementary when he veered into the road and was run over by the back tires of the truck around 8:30 a.m. The truck driver stopped as soon as he felt the bump and began first-aid until paramedics arrived. The boy was flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center with severe leg and head injuries.

(SCIPIO) – Fire officials are asking the public to minimize travel along the Gap Road to allow access for fire personnel who are fighting the Sawmill Fire burning southeast of Scipio. The fire has consumed almost 5200 acres and is 50% contained. The lightning-caused fire is burning in mixed conifer, brush and grass since August 5. Fire personnel say the fire made active runs above the Raspberry Canyon area in steep, rocky terrain. Local firefighters have built a line where possible and are using natural barriers to block the fire’s spread where appropriate. No injuries have been reported on the fire and no structures have been threatened. Firefighters are moving toward full supression of the fire.

(OGDEN)—Ogden police say 51-year-old Fernando Deleon-Barrios of Los Angeles drove up to an 11-year-old Ogden girl in the city park near Grant Avenue around 6:00 p.m. Saturday and committed a kidnapping. Ogden Police Department Lieutenant Tony Fox said Deleon-Barrios told the girl her family told him to pick her up, but instead of taking her home, he took her to a nearby Days Inn. A witness at the Days Inn noted how nervous the girl was acting and called police. When officers arrived at the hotel they found Deleon-Barrios with the girl inside a room. Her mother told investigators she does not know Deleon-Barrios and he shouldn’t have been with her daughter. Police aren’t sure what Deleon-Barrios’ motives were, although he reportedly has a history of theft, but no sex crimes.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—With the urban sprawl that has affected much of northern Utah, the Salt Lake aqueduct is being impacted by mankind in a way that it never has been before. Until 2006, the aqueduct was the property of the federal government, but currently it belongs to the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City and Sandy which means it’s the two cities’ job to maintain the pipeline and make sure it remains safe. Hundreds of homes have reportedly violated the pipeline easement and home owners will be notified of what the water district plans to do through community block meetings over the course of the next few months, in order to prevent tragedy from striking. Wayne Winsor, the engineering manager of the water district, said in some instances, items, such as fences and landscaping, may have to be moved.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Salt Lake City Police Department participated in the 4th annual Utah Highway Patrol Police Motorcycle Training and Competition last weekend in Lindon and did quite well. The Police Department sent 10 officers and one sergeant to compete against 50 colleagues from Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada and other local agencies and the SLCPD took no worse than eighth in any of the major categories, such as the Harley Road King Class and the Slow race. The annual competition serves to hone and match skills with elite officers from police departments scattered throughout the country.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah State Senator Greg Bell was confirmed as Utah’s lieutenant governor Tuesday. Bell, a Republican like Governor Gary Herbert, is widely considered a moderate and is best known for pursuing ethics reforms in the Legislature and sponsoring a failed bill backed by former Governor Jon Huntsman that would have extended some legal rights to gay couples.

(INDIANOLA) – Utah Highway Patrol Troopers report no injuries in a trailer rollover at the Utah-Sanpete County line on SR-89 Sunday morning. The report said that at about 7am, 36-year old, Stephanie Broadbent of Lehi, was traveling northbound in a 1998 Dodge pickup pulling a trailer, when she came to the crest of a hill and the trailer started to fish tail. The weight of the trailer pushed the vehicle into a guard rail off the right shoulder and the trailer rolled on its side. Broadbent was wearing her seatbelt and was not injured in the accident.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Gov. Gary Herbert is reconsidering whether the state should accept partial reimbursement from the federal government for the cost of fighting the Mill Flat Fire burning at New Harmony in southern Utah. Herbert says the U.S. Forest Service could be responsible for the entire expense. Utah requested a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would cover up to 75% of what’s being spent to battle the Washington County blaze that has destroyed nearly a dozen structures over the weekend. But questions are being raised about the responsibility of the Forest Service, which initially had allowed the fire to burn for resource benefits. Strong winds and high temperatures on Saturday caused the fire to double in size to more than 10,000 acres. FEMA says it’s not typical for a state to request funds and then reject them but they say if the Forest Service is responsible, they’re not involved. Gov. Herbert is still considering rejecting the funds.