(LAYTON)—Layton police are on the lookout for a man who tried to rob a credit union shortly before it closed Wednesday evening. Surveillance pictures depicted him walking into an American First credit union wearing an out-dated cream-colored suit, a dark fedora style hat and large black-framed glasses. Police say he kept his hand in his jacket pocket as if he had a weapon but authorities say he told the clerk he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Police also say the suspect became suspicious that the police hadn’t been called so he left the credit union without any money. He has been described as a white man, around 5’7” or 5’8” and around 160-170 pounds.

(WEST VALLEY CITY)—Firefighters are allowing a three-alarm fire burn at the Carpet Barn near 3700 South on Redwood Road. Crews are monitoring the fire, which they expect to burn and release clouds of smoke into the evening. Consequently, Redwood Road near 3700 South is closed in both directions and will be for the duration of the fire. The fire started around 11:30 a.m. Thursday while one of the employees was using a weed-burner to melt the ice off of the loading dock. Four people were inside the building when the fire started including the owner, his son and two employees. The building is a complete loss and crews are letting the fire burn because of the type of carpet it has inside. It is made out of nylon, which is petroleum-based. Once it catches fire, the flames cannot be extinguished.

(GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands)—A 52-year-old cruise ship passenger from Utah has died after going on a diving trip in the Cayman Islands. Police spokeswoman Janet Dougall says the woman became unconscious during a dive and died before arriving at George Town Hospital. Thursday, Dougall said the woman was an experienced diver who was visiting the islands on Wednesday with her family. Police did not release her name or hometown.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A judge dropped all charges against a South Salt Lake man accused of brutally beating his wife. Police arrested 31-year-old Davey Williams after he allegedly held his wife captive for three days last September because he thought she was cheating on him. Police said Williams beat his wife, tied her wrists and ankles together with an electrical cord and then around her throat, strangling her. He then used a knife to cut her hair off and prevented her from escaping. Police said Williams also threatened to kill his wife in front of her 2-year-old son. He was charged with aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault and two other felonies in connection with the abuse. A judge dropped the charges against Williams because prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence against him. There were also problems with a witness in the case.

(PROVO)—Provo City is preparing to kick off its New Year’s Eve celebration warmly by holding it inside the Provo Town Centre Mall. At 6:00 p.m., the mall will be transformed into an international party center. Provo Recreation Supervisor Brian Smith says this year’s theme is a party around the world and will include Scottish bagpipes, a Mariachi band, Polynesian dancers and more. Organizers faced some challenges this year putting the party together and the number of donations is down to a slow economic year. Nevertheless, there will still be plenty of things for partygoers to do as there will be green picture booths that use green screen technology to put visitors at various locations throughout the world. Additionally, there will be two fireworks shows, one at 9:00 p.m., and the other at midnight.

(LOGAN)—Many cities are gearing up for their big New Year’s Eve bashes Thursday evening but in Logan, the celebration has been canceled. The Herald-Journal reported that the usual donations to pay for the celebration failed to come in this year. The paper says that in the past, the city has relied on $10,000 apiece from Cache County and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to help fund New Year’s Eve festivities. Both denied the city’s request this year. Past celebrations have included live bands, magic shows, ball drops and fireworks.

(BEAVER) – An automobile crash on I-15 near Beaver killed a Colorado couple Wednesday afternoon. Utah Highway Patrol reported that 77-year old, Robert Moore and 80-year old Bedonna Moore, were traveling northbound, when the driver lost control of his blue Honda Odyssey and crashed over the median into southbound lanes at about 12:30pm. The UHP report said a Dodge Ram pickup, pulling a trailer, T-boned the passenger side of the van, killing both occupants. The driver and passengers of the pickup sustained minor injuries and were transported to the Beaver Valley Hospital. Exit 112 off I-15 near Beaver was closed for four hours Wednesday to clear the scene. Also, Salt Lake and Utah counties reported 123 property-damage accidents, 16 injuries and multiple slide-offs Wednesday.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)—Danielle Adams had 19 points, all of them in the second half and the #10 Texas A&M Lady Aggies smacked the New Mexico Lady Lobos, 84-69 Wednesday at the Pit in Top 25 women’s college basketball action. The Lady Lobos managed to keep things close for much of the game and took a 34-32 lead four minutes into the second half. Nevertheless, a 17-4 surge by Texas A&M gave the Lady Aggies the lead for good en route to their 11th win of the season against one loss. Amy Beggins had 18 points in the loss for New Mexico. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #2 Stanford crushed Fresno State, 68-46, #4 Tennessee decimated Old Dominion, 102-62, #5 Baylor pummeled Texas-Pan American, 100-46, #8 Georgia stymied Savannah State, 80-45, #11 LSU ousted #13 Xavier, 56-47, #11 Florida State gashed Western Carolina, 80-47, #14 Nebraska trounced Albany, 88-41, #15 Oklahoma hammered Cal State Fullerton, 95-76, #19 West Virginia bludgeoned Santa Clara, 78-55, #23 Syracuse tripped up New Hampshire, 58-48 and #25 James Madison waxed Western Michigan, 74-65.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Deron Williams had 21 points and 12 assists and the Utah Jazz defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first time this season with a 107-103 win Wednesday at Target Center. Minnesota, despite amassing only seven wins on the season coming into this game, earned two of them in previous games against Utah. Although the Jazz led by as many as 17 points in the 4th Quarter and were on the brink of putting the pesky Wolves away in the 3rd period, it took a full 48 minute effort for Utah to pull out the win. With the Jazz nursing a 101-84 lead with just over four minutes left to play, a late Timberwolves surge, spearheaded by Kevin Love (17 points, 11 rebounds) fell just short as the Jazz made just enough plays down the stretch to earn their 18th win of the season. In other NBA action Wednesday, Cleveland got past Atlanta, 106-101, Memphis surged past Indiana, 121-110, Orlando smacked Milwaukee, 117-92, Toronto got past Charlotte, 107-103, New Jersey tripped up New York, 104-95, New Orleans stymied Miami, 95-91, Phoenix scorched Boston, 116-98, Portland held off the Los Angeles Clippers, 103-99 and Philadelphia ousted Sacramento, 116-106.

(NEW YORK)—A suspicious white van parked in the heart of Times Square has prompted the New York Police Department to partially evacuate high-rises and send out bomb squads. The bomb squad is using a robot-based camera to approach the vehicle Wednesday, the day before New Year’s Eve. Police say as a precaution, the area around 42nd Street between 7th Avenue and Broadway has been blocked off. Police aren’t sure how long the van with tinted windows has been parked there, but there is a placard from a nonexistent law enforcement agency placed on the dashboard. It has no license plates. Security is tight as New York City prepares for hundreds of thousands of revelers to gather for its New Year’s Eve celebrations.

(OGDEN)—A man accused of stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly man will spend up to 10 years in prison. The Ogden Standard-Examiner reports Ricky McClain was sentenced on charges of exploitation of an elderly adult Tuesday. The judge also ordered McClain to pay restitution of more than $41,000 to the deceased victim’s family. On November 24, McClain pleaded guilty to the exploitation charges in return the theft charges were dismissed. Prosecutors claim McClain became friendly with the 96-year-old victim last year, offering to do small jobs for him, but eventually began demanding money, claiming he was giving it to the needy. The man’s family eventually became suspicious and called police.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Avalanche Center is warning about dangerous conditions in northern portions of the state. Officials say heavy snowfall and wind will overload a fragile and weak snowpack to create hazardous conditions in upcoming days. The center says those without expert avalanche training and skills should avoid traveling in mountainous backcountry areas. The center also says the Wasatch Front and the western Uintas have considerable danger, meaning natural avalanches are possible and human-triggered slides are likely. The Logan area, for instance, rating is high.

(SALINA) – A semi truck driver out of Gunnison died of a medical condition Sunday night at a motel in Salina. Salina Police Chief Greg Harwood reported that 60-year old, Joseph Cromers of Gunnison, had booked an overnight stay at the Super 8 motel on the I-70 Interchange in Salina and was found dead by housekeepers Monday morning. Harwood said Cromers was a cancer patient and died sometime during the night Sunday of a medical condition associated with his disease. He said his office received a call at 12:30pm Monday and it was determined that no foul play was involved. Harwood said that Cromers had picked up a load to take out of town but decided to stay an extra night because he didn’t feel well. Cromers worked for Dale Hall Trucking out of Gunnison.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Friends of a missing woman plan to organize a ribbon campaign to go along with a social media blitz scheduled to begin Monday. Starting Monday and running for 72 hours, Susan Powell’s loved ones will launch an intense campaign on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, in an effort to keep her face in the public eye. Her best friend, Kiirsi Hellewell, hopes a ribbon campaign will be a visual reminder to people in Utah, Washington and elsewhere that Powell is still missing and needs to be found. Hellewell, who has her own blog, says her suspicions concerning Powell’s disappearance, include her belief that she was abducted and taken out of state. She said she could not comment further due to the ongoing investigation. Powell has been missing from her West Valley City home since Dec. 7, after her husband, Josh returned from an early morning camping trip with their two sons and found her missing. Josh has been listed as a person of interest in the case and not a suspect.

(GUNNISON) – A fight between two prisoners at the Gunnison prison Saturday morning caused a building-wide lockdown. According to prison police, the incident happened when one inmate attacked another in their prison cell. The inmate who was attacked had marks on his neck and was taken to the hospital as a precaution but sustained no long-term injuries. Prison spokesman, Steve Gehrke said the inmate was returned to prison. Gehrke said the lockdown prevented family and friends from visiting during the Christmas weekend. Administrators at the Gunnison prison say they hope to have the lockdown lifted by the next visitation period, which begins this Friday. Investigators must first determine the cause of the fight and make sure other issues, including gang involvement, are not factors.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP)—Kathleen Nash amassed 22 points and 14 rebounds and the #22 Texas Lady Longhorns got pas the Miami (Fla.) Lady Hurricanes, 76-65 Tuesday in Top 25 women’s college basketball action. Brittainey Raven added 17 points in the win for Texas. Shenise Johnson had 17 points in the loss for the Lady Canes. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, #3 Notre Dame smacked Central Florida, 85-52, #7 North Carolina pummeled Kennesaw State, 89-44, Duquesne upset #18 Pittsburgh, 72-63, #21 Virginia smoked Liberty, 74-63 and #25 James Madison dismantled Lafayette, 86-54.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant amassed 44 points and 11 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers went on a late 4th Quarter surge to outlast the Golden State Warriors, 124-118 Tuesday at STAPLES Center in NBA action. After nursing a 116-115 lead late in the game, key plays by Bryant and Lamar Odom enabled the Lakers to escape in a matchup which proved closer than many experts predicted. Corey Maggette had 25 points in the loss for Golden State which dropped them to 9-22 on the season. The win enabled the Lakers to hold onto the NBA’s best record as they now boast a mark of 25-6. In other NBA action Tuesday, Cleveland dismantled Atlanta, 95-84, Oklahoma City stormed past Washington, 110-98, New York pummeled Detroit, 104-87, Chicago surged past Indiana, 104-95, Houston humbled New Orleans, 108-100 and San Antonio stymied Minnesota, 117-99.

(WEST VALLEY CITY)—A family is recovering from a carbon monoxide scare they received Tuesday morning. The West Valley City Fire Department reported a girl woke up sick complaining of a headache. After telling her parents, her father realized what was happening and swiftly got everyone out of the house. Four people were transported to the hospital after being poisoned by the carbon monoxide and another person was being evaluated.

(PERRY)—Investigators are seeking to determine the identity of a body found burning close to Interstate 15 near Perry in Box Elder County. Police believe the body is that of a woman between the ages of 40 and 55 and they now say they believe her dramatic death is the result of a suicide. A passerby called authorities around 6:20 Monday evening to report a fire near the Perry/Brigham City exit from I-15. Nearby, troopers found a smoldering body. Perry City Police Chief Mike Jones said it appears the woman poured some flammable liquid on her body before lighting herself on fire, saying evidence of the liquid was found next to her as well as a cigarette lighter. The state medical examiner is currently performing an autopsy on the body and police say they’re hopeful the results will provide more information in the case.

(LOGAN)—Cache County’s executive says most county offices will likely stay on a four-day work week through 2010. Lynn Lemon said that county offices currently on a Monday-Thursday schedule will likely stay that way. He also expects the Cache County Council to take up the issue next month. The county switched to a four-day work week in August 2008, the same month that most state offices in Utah made the move as a way to save money and energy. Councilman Gordon Zilles says he’s heard mixed reviews, both from the public and county employees, on the county’s four-day work week.

(DENVER)—Qwest says it will eliminate death benefits for retirees starting in March. Currently, when retirees die, their survivors receive an amount equivalent to last year’s salary. The families of as many as 27,000 retirees are eligible for the benefit and eliminating it could cut Qwest’s liabilities by $220 million. Qwest says it wants to protect its pension fund’s ability to pay out benefits now and in the future. It’s in good shape now and Qwest hasn’t made a cash contribution for years and won’t need to next year either. Company spokesman Nick Sweers acknowledges that ending the benefit will strengthen its standing on Wall Street. In 2005, retirees filed a lawsuit to stop Qwest from dropping the benefit but they lost their appeal this past summer.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Movie theaters across the state and the nation reported record-setting numbers for the Christmas weekend. Theaters reported an estimated $278 million in weekend box-office revenue that broke the previous record of roughly $253 million set in July 2008, the weekend “The Dark Knight” was released. “Avatar”, the 3-D epic, topped all movies, earning $75 million for 20th Century Fox, according to studio estimates on Sunday, followed by “Sherlock Holmes” at $65 million and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” at $50 million. Megaplex Theaters Senior Vice President, Blake Anderson says in the past, movies like “Harry Potter”, “Lord of the Rings” and “Twilight” have been big box office attractions but this year, “good movies go all the way across the spectrum.”

(MOAB) – A small private plane slid off the runway Tuesday at Canyonlands Field in Grand County near Moab. According to the Sheriff’s Office, 49-year old, Dennis Ransom of Salt Lake City attempted to take off from the airfield at about 5pm but slid off the runway. Ransom was not injured in the accident and the plane sustained damage to its nose gear and both props. Canyonlands Field was temporarily closed as a result of the crash due to weather and the FAA was notified to investigate the crash.

(RICHFIELD) – Several Richfield residents were awakened this morning to a flood from a broken main water line on the west side of the city. Wendell and Rachael Olsen said they woke up at about 1:30am to a wall of water coming into their basement. The Olsen’s home is located at 357 North 500 West in Richfield and major damage was done to their newly remodeled basement. Rachael said a neighbor’s basement also was flooded with about six inches of water and other neighbors had water running up to their basement window wells. City Finance Director, Mike Langston, said a 14-inch main water line burst in the early morning hours today at the southeast corner of the Lion’s Park. He said crews have been working throughout the day to repair the line and should have the work completed by tonight (Monday). Langston said the water line break was likely caused by frozen pipes.

(CIRCLEVILLE) – An elderly Circleville man was cited for causing a head-on collision Sunday afternoon on SR-89 about three miles west of Circleville. According to a UHP report, 27-year old, Benjamin Aiken of West Valley City was traveling northbound in a 2003 Honda Civic, when he swerved to miss 86-year old, Howard Whittaker of Circleville, driving a 2004 Chevy Colorado, who took a U-turn in front of Aiken at about 1:30pm. Aiken hit Whittaker head-on in the accident. The report said Aiken was wearing a seatbelt and was taken to the Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield with unknown injuries. His passenger, 27-year old, Bertha Aiken of West Jordan, also sustained unknown injuries and was taken to the hospital. Whittaker was wearing his seatbelt and was not transported to the hospital. He was cited for improper turn.

(HERRIMAN)—A man has not only had his car stolen, he was also run over by it. The Salt Lake Tribune reports a man was returning a DVD rental to a Redbox near 4600 West and 12600 South Sunday around 2:30 p.m. He had parked his car and left it running while he went in to return the movie. Another man proceeded to jump in the car and drove away. Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Don Hutson told the newspaper the car owner tried to get back to the car and the thief backed into one of the man’s legs. He suffered minor injuries. Deputies received a vague description of the subject.

DENVER (AP)—Chris Stewart amassed two goals while Chris Durno and Milan Hejduk also scored as the Colorado Avalanche humbled the Dallas Stars, 4-1 Saturday at Pepsi Center in NHL action. Peter Budaj added 39 saves for the Avalanche who improved to 22-12-6 with the win. Steve Ott had the sole score in the loss for Dallas, which dropped them to 16-11-11. In other NHL action Saturday, Ottawa edged Buffalo, 3-2 in a shootout, Detroit doubled up Columbus, 2-1, Philadelphia ousted Carolina, 4-3 in a shootout, the New York Islanders tripped up the New York Rangers, 3-2 in overtime, Montreal humbled Toronto, 3-2 in overtime, Washington dismantled New Jersey, 4-1, Tampa Bay snuck past Atlanta, 4-3, Chicago bludgeoned Nashville, 4-1, Minnesota stymied St. Louis, 4-3, Phoenix gashed Los Angeles, 3-2, Vancouver overpowered Edmonton, 4-1 and San Jose smacked Anaheim, 5-2.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Deron Williams amassed 27 points and eight assists and the prolific Utah Jazz made 52 percent of their shots in a 97-76 dismantling of the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday at EnergySolutions Arena in NBA action. Carlos Boozer added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, while rookie Wesley Matthews chipped in with 16 points and eight boards. The 76ers, who lost their third straight, were without the services of Allen Iverson for the fourth consecutive game, but still hung tight until a horrendous 4th Quarter which saw them miss their first 15 shots of the period. The win improved the Jazz to 17-13, while the 76ers fell to 7-22. Thaddeus Young had 20 points in the loss for Philadelphia. In other NBA action Saturday, Dallas outlasted Memphis, 106-101, Atlanta stormed past Indiana, 110-98, Houston got past New Jersey, 98-93, Chicago surged past New Orleans, 96-85, Minnesota stymied Washington, 101-89, Oklahoma City gashed Charlotte, 98-91, San Antonio bested Milwaukee, 112-97, the Los Angeles Lakers tripped up Sacramento, 112-103 in double overtime and Golden State outgunned Phoenix, 132-127.

HONOLULU (AP)—Marcus Johnson amassed 19 points and nine rebounds and Dwight Lewis added 14 more points as the USC Trojans dismantled the #20 Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels, 67-56 Friday in Top 25 men’s college basketball action at the Stan Sheriff Center. The win gave the Trojans the Diamond Head Classic final and improved them to 8-4 on the season. Oscar Bellfield had 17 points in the loss for the Rebels, which dropped them to 12-2.

(TAYLORSVILLE)—Officers had to use Tasers to subdue a Taylorsville man accused of slashing up his estranged wife’s home and threatening to kill her. Officers were called to the home near 5900 South and 4000 West Tuesday and upon their arrival, they found 29-year-old Jack Lee holding a machete. According to a probable cause statement, Lee told the officers to shoot him and refused to drop the weapon. The officers used Tasers on him and took him into custody. Lee’s wife, Amber, told authorities she’d been watching television in bed when her estranged husband entered her house and started slashing up the doors, furniture and walls. Amber then yelled for her roommate to get a gun and the pair locked themselves in her bedroom. The probable cause statement goes on to state Lee followed the women upstairs, slashed down the door and started strangling Amber. Lee faces charges of aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and criminal mischief. According to the probable cause statement, the couple had been separated since July and Lee had not lived in the home since that time.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert has organized a team to coordinate Salt Lake City’s bid to host the 2012 Republican National Convention. A formal application is due January 15. Jeff Hartley, the former Utah Republican Party executive director, has been named acting chairman of the city’s bid committee. Hartley said it will work through the holidays to complete the city’s proposal, putting together detailed plans for transportation, security, convention facilities and lodging. The Republican National Committee will pick four cities as finalists and send a site selection team to visit each one in the spring. The final selection is expected by the end of the summer. An estimated 45,000 people, including 15,000 media, attended the 2008 Republican convention in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. and rented 16,000 hotel rooms, according to the Minnesota host committee. Hartley said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, both Democrats, have written letters supporting Salt Lake City’s bid.

(WEBER COUNTY)—Police arrested a West Ogden man who they say paid an acquaintance to torch his truck so he could collect the insurance money. The Standard-Examiner reports police arrested the truck older, 35-year-old Brian Fain, on Wednesday. The Weber County Sheriff’s Office says on October 29, Fain drove 23-year-old Chad Steven Fisher to a club and told him to get “rid of” a 2000 Dodge pickup truck. A police affidavit says Fain gave Fisher a full can of gasoline and keys to the vehicle. Investigators stated that then Fisher drove the vehicle to an area near 1200 South, dumped gasoline inside and set it on fire. The vehicle was a total loss. Fisher was arrested, then pleaded not guilty to a felony count of arson on December 16. Fain now faces arson and fraud charges.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield City’s bicycle/walking path may see an extension from Snow College to 800 South along College Avenue. At a special council meeting Tuesday night, councilmembers adopted a resolution in support of the City’s application to UDOT for Transportation Enhancement funds. Business Administrator, Woody Farnsworth says the city is committed to match funds for completion of the project. Farnsworth said conditions were discussed and set in the resolution which gained unanimous approval at the meeting.

(TORREY) – A Caineville man was killed in a single vehicle rollover on SR-24 east of Torrey Tuesday at about 6pm. According to a UHP report, 68-year old, Keith Durfey was traveling eastbound in a 2008 Ford F-250, when he went around a bend in the road about 30 miles east of Torrey and hit an icy spot. The report said Durfey went off the left shoulder of the highway and rolled once. He was not wearing his seatbelt and was partially ejected from the passenger side of his vehicle and died at the scene. UHP said road conditions along SR-24 were slick and icy and Durfey was traveling too fast.

(ELSINORE) – Sevier County Deputies arrested a California man Tuesday afternoon on I-70 after discovering nearly 5 grams of cocaine hidden in his car. A sheriff’s office report said that 26-year old, Abel Guerroro of Conaga Park, CA. was pulled over near the Elsinore exit on I-70 for safety violations. Deputy Adrian Hillin said that he was given permission to search Guerroro’s vehicle and found the drugs. Guerroro was arrested on charges of cocaine and opiates and booked into the Sevier County Jail.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield City Police are asking motorists to slow down and be careful while driving along city streets in snowy conditions. Police said they were called to at least eight reportable accidents since 3:30pm Tuesday and there were more not reported. Officers said most of the accidents were minor fender-benders and no one was reported to have been injured. Police warn that you should give yourself plenty of time to arrive at your destination until the roads are clear of ice and snow.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Brad Boyes and T.J. Oshie each scored in a shootout and the St. Louis Blues doubled up the Calgary Flames, 2-1 Wednesday at the Pengrowth Saddledome in NHL action. Patrik Berglund also scored for the Blues, while Mark Giordano had the sole score for the Flames in the loss. Chris Mason added 23 saves in the win for the Blues, which improved them to 17-14-5 on the season. The loss dropped Calgary to 20-11-5. In other NHL action Wednesday, Boston ousted Atlanta, 6-4, Montreal dismantled Carolina, 5-1, the New York Islanders tripped up Toronto, 3-1, the New York Rangers smacked Florida, 4-1, Pittsburgh decimated Ottawa, 8-2, Washington stymied Buffalo, 5-2, Minnesota got past Edmonton, 3-1, Chicago blanked Detroit, 3-0, Philadelphia stonewalled Tampa Bay, 5-2, Dallas waxed Columbus, 3-1, and Phoenix crushed Anaheim, 4-0.

TULSA, Okla. (AP)—Michael Craion had 18 points and 13 rebounds and the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles surged past the #12 New Mexico Lobos, 75-66 Wednesday in men’s Top 25 college basketball action at the Mabee Center. Dominique Morrison added 17 points for the Golden Eagles, who have also vanquished Missouri and Stanford on the young season, to improve to 7-6. Phillip McDonald and Dairese Gary each had 13 points in the loss for the Lobos, who dropped their first game of the season and now stand at 12-1. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #3 Kentucky hammered Long Beach State, 86-73, #6 West Virginia bested #21 Mississippi, 76-66, #8 Villanova pounded Delaware, 97-63, #13 Georgetown dismantled Harvard, 86-70, #14 Tennessee walloped North Carolina A&T, 99-78 and #20 Nevada-Las Vegas crushed Hawaii, 77-53.

(SANDY)—Quick action by Sandy police brought a happy ending to a saga which saw people fall for a $20,000 online car scam. Sandy officers say families in California and Texas contacted them after they responded to a post on Craigslist for a 2009 Chevy Tahoe. The online seller claimed to be a Marine preparing to deploy for Afghanistan and the victims wired $20,000 to a Sandy bank account, but never received the vehicle. The family from Texas sent over $19,000 to an account at a Sandy bank upon learning they’d been scammed. Two other victims had already wired money to the account, but police were able to free the money before it was lost. Police returned the money to the families but are still looking for the suspect.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—For Utah’s outgoing U.S. attorney, the next chapter of his legal career will include preventing corporations from running afoul of the law. Brett Tolman’s last day as Utah’s top federal prosecutor is December 31. In January, Tolman will become a partner at the law firm Ray Quinney & Nebeker and says he’ll focus on corporate compliance issues, development of corporate policies and procedure and white collar criminal defense work. The 39-year-old Tolman resigned in October ahead of anticipated changes by the Obama administration. He was appointed in July 2006 by then-president George W. Bush. Tolman’s tenure was marked by several high-profile prosecutions, including the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping and timed his departure for a 10-day competency hearing for Brian David Mitchell, who is charged with the 2002 abduction. As Utah’s U.S. attorney, Tolman said he also tried to foster better working relationships between state, local and federal agencies and to minimize political influences in his decision-making. Tolman’s resignation has prompted speculation about whether he would run for public office. Tuesday, Tolman said he had no immediate plans to enter politics.

(OGDEN)—Ogden police are identifying a man who was found dead in his apartment with his throat slashed. The victim in question was Gilberto Jesus Robles, but he also went by Gilberto Jesus Sanchez. Police still don’t have any idea who may have murdered him and there were no signs of forced entry into the apartment. The man’s roommate found the body Tuesday and told police he returned from work around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday to find the man, described as being around 40 or 50 years old, in bed, with visible puncture wounds to his neck and a slash to his throat.

(SANDY)—Tuesday, a man pleaded guilty to the murder of a 9-month-old boy. Jared Daniel Billette pleaded guilty to a charge of felony child-abuse homicide in connection with the October death of Milo Doxey. Billette said he was swinging the baby when the child’s head hit a hard surface, causing the fatal injury. Prosecutors originally charged Billette with first-degree felony murder but reduced the charges in exchange for the guilty plea.

(BLUFFDALE)—Investigators are labeling a fire that ripped through a Bluffdale home Wednesday morning as “suspicious.” Firefighters say the residents moved out of the house about a week ago and no one has been living in it since. Firefighters were called to the home around 2:30 a.m. when passersby saw the home engulfed in flames while the roof had already collapsed. Firefighters also said that even though gas and power were going to the house, the fact it’s been vacant for about a week makes its cause suspicious. They are hopeful arson dogs and investigators will find the cause. The damage to the house and property is estimated between $350,000 and $400,000 while Bluffdale fire chief, John Roberts, said the remains of the house will be demolished.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Of all the 535 members of Congress, a Sunlight Foundation report shows Bob Bennett ranks fifth for the number of political fundraisers in the past year. In addition to doing his fundraisers in Utah, he has also done several at Washington D.C. restaurants, including six fundraisers at the Charlie Palmer steakhouse. The foundation’s numbers show Bennett had more than twice the number of fundraisers the rest of the Utah delegation had, combined.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Steve Bernier, Daniel Sedin, Sami Salo and Henrik Sedin each scored and Roberto Luongo added 20 saves as the Vancouver Canucks mowed over the Nashville Predators, 4-1 Tuesday at General Motors Place in NHL action. The win capped off an impressive homestand for the Canucks who won for the fifth time in seven matches on their home ice. Patric Hornqvist had the sole goal for the Predators in defeat while Dan Ellis added 32 saves for Nashville. In other NHL action Tuesday, San Jose got past Chicago, 3-2 and Anaheim doubled up Colorado, 4-2.

HONOLULU (AP)—Tre’Von Willis and Anthony Marshall had 12 points apiece and the #20 Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels made quick work of the Southern Methodist Mustangs with a 67-53 win Tuesday at the first round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Sheriff Center in men’s Top 25 college basketball action. The prolific Rebels raced out to a 42-19 lead at halftime and forced 21 Mustangs turnovers on the game en route to their 11th win of the season. Derek Williams had 18 points to pace Southern Methodist in defeat. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, #1 Kansas bested California, 84-69, #2 Texas overpowered #9 Michigan State, 79-68, #4 Purdue decimated SIU-Edwardsville, 90-63, #5 Syracuse hammered Oakland, 92-60, #10 North Carolina dismantled Marshall, 98-61, #11 Connecticut surged past Maine, 71-54, UAB upset #16 Butler, 67-57, #17 Ohio State tripped up Cleveland State, 72-59, South Alabama edged #18 Florida, 67-66, #19 Washington downed Texas A&M, 73-64, #22 Georgia Tech crushed Kennesaw State, 80-55 and #23 Clemson stormed past Western Carolina, 79-57.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Colin Christensen had 20 points and Taylor Shamo added 13 more as the Delta Rabbits got past the Canyon View Falcons, 48-43 Tuesday in non-region boys basketball action at the Palladium.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Heath Payton amassed 16 points while Kelton Price chipped in with 13 more as the Piute Thunderbirds stormed past the Beaver Beavers, 64-41 Tuesday in non-region boys basketball action. Robbie Gurr’s 10 points led the way in the loss for Beaver.

ESCALANTE, Utah (AP)—Andrea Mayer had 15 points for the Milford Lady Tigers in a 49-25 rout of the Escalante Lady Moquis in Region 20 girls basketball action Tuesday. Lindsey Phillips had 15 points in the loss for Escalante.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris posted 18 points and Chelsea Barney added 13 more as the Panguitch Lady Bobcats surged past the Bryce Valley Lady Mustangs, 38-25 Tuesday in Region 20 girls basketball action. Kaylea Shakespeare had nine points in the loss for Bryce Valley.

JUNCTION, Utah (AP)—Kandice Gleave posted 23 points and Marci Jensen added 13 more as the Piute Lady Thunderbirds pummeled the Valley Lady Buffaloes, 66-28 in Region 20 girls basketball action Tuesday. Amber Sharkey had seven points in the loss for the Lady Buffs.

MT. PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Tia Pappas had 15 points to lead the Carbon Lady Dinos to a 51-45 win over the North Sanpete Lady Hawks Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action. Erica Draper had 12 points in the loss for North Sanpete.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Chelsea Cox had 21 points, including five 3-pointers as the Manti Lady Templars outlasted the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 57-53 in overtime in non-region girls basketball action Tuesday. Chansey Caldwell had 16 points in the loss for Gunnison.

(PAYSON)—Payson police are looking for a man who they believe assaulted two children and tried to assault at least one more. Investigators say the first attack happened last Wednesday at a Dollar Tree store while two other attacks occurred at churches. The children have given a similar descriptions of the man in his 20s with dark hair cut over his ears.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Transit Authority is trying to cut back. UTA’s board voted unanimously Monday to give no raises to union drivers and mechanics this next year and made no promise of a raise in 2011 either, according to the Deseret News. Non-union employees have already made the same concessions.

(SANDY)—A Utah company is looking for 500 workers to help with the 2010 census. Vangent Inc. will work with Quest Staffing Services, Synergy Staffing Partners and Remedy Intelligent Staffing to assist in hiring the temporary employees. Those employees will work at a call center facility to serve as an information hotline for residents who have questions about the census form. The majority of jobs will begin in January 2010 with many assignments ending in August 2010. Job seekers are encouraged to visit the company Web site at www.vangent.com/news-releases.php?n=188 for hiring information and to click on the census logo on the home page for more details.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The state Department of Environmental Quality has issued a health advisory for Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties because of air pollution. The state says a red air quality alert is in effect for three counties on Tuesday, along with Cache County. It is suggested that people with respiratory or heart ailments, the elderly and children limit their time outdoors and not exert themselves. Wood burning is prohibited in red alert areas. The air quality in Utah County is labeled a yellow air quality action day. On red and yellow days, people are asked to drive their cars as little as possible.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Police have jailed a man who they say called in a bomb threat after a customer service dispute with the Gateway mall. Salt Lake City police detectives say 30-year-old Jeffrey Strobell called Gateway security Friday afternoon and told them a bomb inside a vehicle in the parking structure would go off in 30 minutes. They say Strobell called in the threat after he felt a customer service representative he had just talked to by phone wasn’t nice enough to him. Detectives traced the call back to Strobell’s workplace, Mountain West Material, in Murray. When authorities found him, he was still at his desk with the Gateway numbers he had allegedly called still displayed on his desk phone. Strobell was arrested for investigation of making terrorist threats.

(OGDEN)—An Ogden man led police on a short chase in a stolen car Tuesday morning. A Utah Highway Patrol trooper noticed the car idling by a curb near 2800 South and Monroe Boulevard around 1:20 a.m. and stopped to check the registration before discovering the car had been stolen from Ogden around 6:30 p.m. Monday evening. The driver then put the car in gear and sped off. The car slid off the road a few blocks later after which the driver got out of the car, ran and broke his leg. Troopers arrested 27-year-old Daniel Brown and took him to McKay-Dee Hospital. Brown is a parole fugitive who was considered armed and dangerous. The vehicle was retrieved by the registered owners.

(RICHFIELD) – The Sevier County Search and Rescue Team was honored at their Christmas party Saturday night. Public Information Officer Nate Curtis said those who serve on the Search and Rescue have been successful in every one of the callouts they’ve had this year and offer hundreds of volunteer hours to complete their tasks. Curtis, along with Sevier County Sheriff Phil Barney and Commissioner Gary Mason, also thanked the spouses of Search and Rescue members and those in the community who have donated money and equipment to the organization. They said the county couldn’t function without them.

(MEADOW) – A Meadow man was arrested after threatening to stab his brother with a butcher knife in a fight late Friday night. According to a Millard County Sheriff’s report, deputies were dispatched to the home of 19-year old, Lupe Rodriguez, to respond to a fight in progress at about 11pm. During the course of the investigation, deputies discovered that while Lupe’s brother deflected the knife strikes, Lupe managed to hit him in the nose with the handle of the knife. Deputies said that alcohol was a factor in the incident and Lupe was booked into jail for aggravated assault and intoxication.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Scottie Upshall had two goals and Matthew Lombardi, Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata also scored as the Phoenix Coyotes stymied the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-2 Monday at Jobing.com Arena in NHL action. The win improved the Coyotes to 22-13-2 on the season, while the Blue Jackets fell to 14-16-7. Derick Brassard and Antoine Vermette scored for Columbus in the loss. In other NHL action Monday, the New York Rangers clipped Carolina, 3-1, Tampa Bay doubled up the New York Islanders, 4-2, Florida pummeled Philadelphia, 4-1, Buffalo ousted Toronto, 3-2 in overtime, Montreal got past Atlanta, 4-3 in overtime, Boston blanked Ottawa, 2-0, New Jersey walloped Pittsburgh, 4-0, Colorado edged Minnesota, 4-3, San Jose tripped up Dallas, 4-2 and St. Louis destroyed Edmonton, 7-2.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)—DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson each had 18 points and the #3 Kentucky Wildcats amassed a historic victory with an 88-44 rout of the Drexel Dragons Monday at Rupp Arena in Top 25 men’s college basketball action. The win not only improved Kentucky to 12-0 on the season, it was also the 2,000th victory in the program’s storied history. Samme Givens had 11 points to pace the Dragons in the loss. In other Top 25 action Monday, #15 Kansas State gashed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 90-76.

LANDOVER, Md. (AP)—Eli Manning completed 19 of 26 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns and the New York Giants decimated the Washington Redskins, 45-12 Monday at FedEx Field. Armed with a solid resolve to remain in the NFC playoff race, the Giants raced out to a 24-0 lead in the 2nd Quarter by virtue of a 6-yard touchdown reception by Steve Smith, a pair of Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown runs and a 38-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes. In the second half, the Giants maintained their advantage as Terrell Thomas returned an errant Jason Campbell (15 of 28, 192 yards, TD, 2 INT’s) 14 yards for a score while Derek Hagan caught a 23-yard scoring pass from Manning. After Manning’s third touchdown pass, a 25-yard strike to Mario Manningham, the Giants were well on their way to their eighth win of the season, keeping themselves alive for a wild card playoff berth. Fred Davis had five receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown to pace Washington in defeat.

(SYRACUSE)—Syracuse police are conceding a goof after an officer bought donated items from an apartment and tried selling them in his second-hand store. Syracuse Police Chief Brian Wallace said among the items were Halloween masks and other items donated from a nearby Wal-Mart in 2007. Meanwhile, the Syracuse city council is reviewing what turned out to be a potential violation of personnel policies. City officials have not disciplined the sergeant who removed the items during the city’s annual pumpkin walk while he has removed the remaining items from his store in Clearfield.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—All post offices in Utah will be open Thursday December 24, but many will shorten retail lobby hours and close at noon. Regular mail delivery for December 24 will be unaffected by the change. Revised hours will be posted at each post office and commercial customers are asked to check with their Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit for December 24 hours of operation. Additionally, mail should be deposited into blue collection mailboxes by noon for early pick-up December 24. Those customers needing retail services after noon on Christmas Eve can visit post offices in Cedar City, Logan, Moab, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Riverton, Sandy, Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Sugarhouse, St. George (Red Rocks location), Tooele and Vernal. Most collection boxes and lobby drops at the locations listed above will be collected at the regular posted times on Christmas Eve. All post offices will be open and regular mail delivery will resume Saturday December 26.

(RICHFIELD) – No growth was the biggest problem facing Sevier County in 2009. Commissioner Gary Mason commented that sales tax revenue was down throughout the county due to the economic meltdown in the latter part of 2008. The “no growth” tabulation has resulted in no salary increases for county employees in 2010. At the Sevier County Commission meeting today, Commissioners held a hearing for the 2010 budget and opened the 2009 budget for adjustments. County Clerk Steve Wall said the adjusted budget for 2009 was $12.5 million and the 2010 budget would be almost a million dollars less at a little over $11 million. Commissioner Ivan Cowley stated that agricultural incomes were a third to a half less this year than last. Commissioners said that the county will weather the downturn with hopes that the latter part of 2010 will see a boost in revenues.

(SALINA) – A Salina man shot himself over the weekend after barricading himself in his bedroom during a family fight. According to Salina Police, 39-year old, Steven Madsen locked himself in his bedroom during the fight and family members heard a gunshot. Salina Police responded to find the man lying on the bedroom floor with a gunshot wound to the chest. The shot came from a .50 calibre black powder rifle. Madsen was rushed to the Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield in critical condition and was lifeflighted to a hospital up north. Police said that Madsen had made several threats of suicide prior to being found. He was also considered a restricted person for firearms. Police continue to investigate the incident.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Megan Hodge posted 23.5 points and Darcy Dorton added 13.5 more as the Penn State Lady Nittany Lions won their 102nd straight match and became the first women’s volleyball squad to win a third consecutive national championship in a 3-2 win over the Texas Lady Longhorns Saturday in the national championship volleyball match. The win was especially dramatic for Penn State as they had to overcome a 2-0 deficit in order to win their unprecedented title. Destinee Hooker amassed 38 points to pace Texas in the loss.

NEW ORLEANS (AP)—Tony Romo completed 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown and DeMarcus Ware overcame the effects of a sprained neck last week with a game-clinching sack of Drew Brees as the Dallas Cowboys upset the New Orleans Saints, 24-17 Saturday at the Louisiana Superdome. The win was significant for the Cowboys as it stopped a two-game losing streak and propelled them into the thick of the NFC playoff race as they’re currently alive for both the NFC East title and a possible wild card. Despite the Saints’ resiliency and never-say-die attitude, New Orleans proved to bite off more than they could chew after falling behind 24-3 in the 4th Quarter. The Saints did manage to pull to within 24-17 on Lance Moore’s 7-yard touchdown reception from Drew Brees (29 of 45, 298 yards, TD, INT) late in the game, but after getting lucky on a missed 26-yard field goal by Dallas’ Nick Folk, Ware forced Brees to fumble in the closing seconds to preserve the win for the Cowboys. Additionally, Miles Austin had seven receptions for 139 yards and a 49-yard touchdown catch for Dallas in the win which improved them to 9-5. Meanwhile, the Saints fell to 13-1 and could still lose home field advantage to the Minnesota Vikings if they fail to take care of business the next two weeks.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Mason Raymond had a pair of goals, including the game-winner in the third period, and the Vancouver Canucks outlasted the Washington Capitals, 3-2 Friday at General Motors Place in NHL action. Roberto Luongo stepped up with 25 saves and Ryan Kesler added a goal and an assists for the Cancuks, who improved to 20-15. Alexander Semin and Chris Clark each scored in the loss for Vancouver, which dropped them to 21-8-6 on the season. In other NHL action Friday, New Jersey doubled up Ottawa, 4-2, Buffalo waxed Toronto, 5-2, Florida smoked Carolina, 6-3, Tampa Bay dismantled St. Louis, 6-3, and Chicago got past Boston, 5-4 in a shootout.

ATLANTA (AP)—Josh Smith had 16 points and eight rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks dismantled the Utah Jazz, 96-83 Friday at Philips Arena in NBA action. The Hawks broke open a close game with a 37-17 surge in the 3rd Quarter and the lackluster Jazz were never able to recover. Andrei Kirilenko had 13 points in the loss for Utah. In other NBA action Friday, Toronto hammered New Jersey, 118-95, Philadelphia edged Boston, 98-97, New Orleans ousted Denver, 98-92, Cleveland stymied Milwaukee, 85-82, Minnesota pummeled Sacramento, 112-96, New York tripped up the Los Angeles Clippers, 95-91, Oklahoma City humbled Detroit, 109-98, Memphis smoked Indiana, 107-94, Houston surged past Dallas, 116-108 in overtime and Washington bested Golden State, 118-109.

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP)—Marcus Monson had 23 points for the American Leadership Eagles in a 74-56 win over the Beaver Beavers Friday in non-region boys basketball action. Stoney White had 16 points in the loss for Beaver.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Jake Bradford had 16 points for the Juab Wasps as they dismantled the Carbon Dinos, 74-61 in non-region boys basketball action Friday.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—David Bean posted 16 points while Tyler Thomas added 12 more and the Richfield Wildcats stormed past the Millard Eagles, 60-37 Friday in non-region boys basketball action. Jesse Rhodes had 12 points in the loss for Millard.

GRANTSVILLE, Utah (AP)—Caleb Nesbitt had nine points to key a balanced scoring attack and the Grantsville Cowboys got past the North Sanpete Hawks, 43-36 in non-region boys basketball action Friday. Dylan Larsen had 11 points to pace Grantsville in the loss.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—Dillon Bishoff amassed 32 points as the South Sevier Rams gashed the Enterprise Wolves, 67-58 Friday at the Kanab Cowboy Classic.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—Craig Brinkerhoff had 29 points while Rhees Jackson added 28 more as the Kanab Cowboys outlasted the North Sevier Wolves, 80-78 at the Kanab Cowboy Classic Friday. Derrick Christensen had 38 points and eight 3-pointers to pace the Wolves in the loss.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris had 20 points and Breanne Bateman added 12 more as the Panguitch Lady Bobcats hammered the Escalante Lady Moquis, 59-20 Friday in Region 20 girls basketball action. Lindsey Phillips had 14 points in the loss for Escalante.

JUNCTION, Utah (AP)—Amanda Bagley amassed 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Piute Lady Thunderbirds dismantled the Wayne Lady Badgers, 53-32 in Region 20 girls basketball action Friday. Cassey Manzanares had eight points in the loss for Wayne.

MILFORD, Utah (AP)—Keri Brunson posted 14 points while Krystyn Stevens added 13 more as the Millard Lady Eagles blew past the Milford Lady Tigers, 42-23 Friday in non-region girls basketball action.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Camille Tua had 14 points for the Juan Diego Lady Soaring Eagle in a 50-21 rout of the Manti Lady Templars Friday at the Sevier Valley Center. Shauri Lyon had eight points in the loss for Manti.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Miranda Averett had 21 points for the Carbon Lady Dinos as they outlasted the Juab Lady Wasps, 46-42 at the Sevier Valley Center Friday. Kiz Farrer and Tessa Bradford each had 13 points in the loss for Juab.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Caitlin Hatch’s 19 points led the way for the South Summit Lady Wildcats in a 44-40 win over the Beaver Lady Beavers at the Sevier Valley Center Friday. Brittany Griffiths had nine points in the loss for Beaver.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—McKinzie Robins had 23 points for the North Sevier Wolves in a narrow 46-45 win over the Kanab Cowgirls Friday at the Sevier Valley Center. Samantha Houston had 15 points to pace Kanab in the loss.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Brooke Bliss had 17 points for the Richfield Lady Wildcats as they pummeled the Hurricane Lady Tigers, 59-33 at the Sevier Valley Center Friday.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield City officials have decided not to regain a local TV channel they relinquished several years ago to a cable company. At a special luncheon meeting today, city officials met with CentraCom Interactive of Fairview to discuss the possibilities of acquiring the channel or not. Eddie Cox, President and General Manager of CentraCom, said his company would provide local programming for Richfield City so that the city would not need its own channel. Richfield City Mayor Brad Ramsay and councilmembers decided that acquiring the local channel could not be included in the city budget and personnel costs would be too high.

(OGDEN)—Ogden city officials say eight people were taken to the hospital after a cleaning process led to a chemical combination that created an ammonia-based gas. Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Chad Tucker told the Deseret News the incident occurred Friday morning at Pro Pac Labs, a vitamin and mineral manufacturing company. Tucker says employees were using a bleach mixture to clean the labs and it combined with some residue left on equipment, producing an ammonia gas. Eight employees experienced burning in their eyes, noses and mouths while some had difficulty breathing. They were taken to hospitals in the area and later released in good condition.

(OGDEN)—A man has been sentenced to prison in the death of a 37-year-old Ogden man. Thursday, Merlynn Kilfoyle was sentenced to up to five years in prison on a third-degree felony charge of homicide by assault. The May 2000 shooting death of John Thomas Rush was considered a suicide for six years until, according to officials, Kilfoyle’s stepmother told police Kilfoyle told her he killed Rush. The 31-year-old Kilfoyle was also sentenced to one to 15 years in prison for second-degree felony possession of a handgun by a restricted person for buying a gun for Rush, who was banned from owning firearms for a prior felony. A judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently. Originally, Kilfoyle had been charged with first-degree murder but took a plea deal. Kilfoyle’s public defender, Randy Richards, says his client still does not admit guilt.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Officials say conditions in Utah continue to be dangerous for avalanches. The Utah Avalanche Center says early season snow that has become weak and is now buried is producing human-triggered avalanches. The center says unintentionally human-triggered landslides have happened for six consecutive days. The center says avalanche danger is rated as considerable in the Salt Lake, Provo, Ogden, Logan, western Uinta and Moab areas and will likely remain so through the weekend. The center wants backcountry travelers to check the latest avalanche conditions before they ensue in their adventures.

(RICHFIELD) – The Utah Department of Transportation is warning business and homeowners that pushing snow onto State Roads is an illegal practice. In the face of approaching storms, UDOT says pushing snow from driveways and parking lots onto State Roads causes a severe safety hazard to motorists. UDOT says snow removed should remain on the homeowner’s or businesses property. Likewise, UDOT’s snow removal practices include storing snow on State Roads in designated areas and officials are asking private homeowners and businesses to store on their own property.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett is grilling federal officials over the unfair treatment of a bill he sponsored that would turn over two acres of land from the feds to the town of Alta. Bennett questioned members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a Thursday meeting saying the Obama administration wants to charge Alta residents a fee to make the switch, while at the same time, allowing thousands of acres to be transferred for free in similar Democratic-sponsored legislation. He said the town of Alta, home to Alta Ski Resort, is largely made up of low-to-moderate income residents who can’t afford the fee. Bennett’s bill would convey two acres of Forest Service land in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest to the town of Alta. He said Alta officials can manage the land better than the federal government.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—Joe Thornton had two goals while Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi each scored as the San Jose Sharks dismantled the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1 Thursday at HP Pavilion in NHL action. Evgeni Nabokov added 20 saves for the Sharks, who improved to 20-8-7 with the win. Ryan Getzlaf scored the sole goal for the Ducks, who fell to 13-14-7 with the loss. In other NHL action Thursday, Minnesota tripped up Montreal, 3-1, the New York Rangers stymied the New York Islanders, 5-2, Pittsburgh downed Philadelphia 3-2 in a shootout, Atlanta outgunned Dallas, 6-5 in overtime, Phoenix doubled up Columbus, 2-1 in a shootout, Detroit blanked Tampa Bay, 3-0, Calgary humbled Los Angeles, 2-1 and Nashville smoked Edmonton, 6-3.

LAS VEGAS (AP)—Matt Shaw had 16 points and Chace Stanback added 15 more as the #25 Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels downed the Weber State Wildcats, 72-63 Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center in men’s Top 25 college basketball action. Kyle Bullinger had 21 points to lead all scorers for the Wildcats, who fell to 5-5 with the loss. The win improved UNLV to 9-1 on the young season thus far.

ORDERVILLE, Utah (AP)—Clay Williams had 22 points for the Valley Buffaloes in a 58-42 win over the Escalante Moquis Thursday in Region 20 boys basketball action. Ryan Brooks had 13 points in the loss for Escalante.

BICKNELL, Utah (AP)—Dylan Jones had 26 points for the Milford Tigers as they edged the Wayne Badgers, 67-63 in Region 20 boys basketball action Thursday. Cason Chappell had 23 points in the loss for the Badgers.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Kelton Price amassed 15 points and Tyson Westwood chipped in with 13 more as the Piute Thunderbirds got past the Bryce Valley Mustangs, 58-49 Thursday in Region 20 boys basketball action.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Erica Draper and Kara Anderson each had 16 points and the North Sanpete Lady Hawks crushed the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 66-26 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday. Amberlyn Stratton had five points in defeat for Gunnison.

(RICHFIELD) – The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating dozens of burglaries in the county and officials are asking the public for help in reporting any suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Public Information Officer, Nate Curtis said a lot of information is not being released concerning the burglaries due to the ongoing investigations but authorities want to public to be aware of any incidences that should be reported, especially around the holidays. If you have any information concerning burglaries in Sevier County, call the sheriff’s office at 896-2600.

(ST. GEORGE) – A southern Utah parent is being called a hero for saving a school bus full of kids after the driver blacked out on I-15 between Cedar City and St. George on Tuesday. According to UHP reports, the bus was traveling from Cedar City to St. George on the way back from an arts festival when the driver blacked out and went limp. Washington County School District Superintendent Max Rose says, that’s when the parent jumped up, took control of the wheel, turned the engine off and coasted to the side of the road. Rose said if the accident had happened in the black ridge area, the outcome may have been a worse disaster. All the middle-aged kids on board are OK. The school district is not sure what went wrong with the bus driver, except that the driver refused to go to the hospital and instead, was taken home.

(RICHFIELD) – Richfield City Business Administrator Woody Farnsworth is retiring at the end of the year after 32 years of service. At a farewell open house Wednesday afternoon, Farnsworth said his attraction to Richfield began with his wife’s family. He said that his most important accomplishment in his 32 years of service is the completion of the downtown enhancement project. Farnsworth said what he’ll miss the most is working with city employees, including the mayor and city council.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)—Brittainey Raven had 17 points and eight boards and the #21 Texas Lady Longhorns downed the Mississippi Lady Rebels, 64-58 Wednesday in women’s Top 25 college basketball action. Erika Arriaran added 13 points for Texas while Cokie Reed chipped in with 12 more for the Lady Horns who improved to 6-3. Shantell Black had 15 points in the loss for the Lady Rebels. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #3 Tennessee hammered Louisville, 86-56, #5 Baylor crushed Oral Roberts, 101-76, #6 Florida State surged past Central Florida, 70-58, and #9 LSU decimated North Carolina A&T, 75-33

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Carlos Boozer had 26 points and 10 rebounds and Deron Williams added 20 points and 14 assists as the Utah Jazz made quick work of the NBA’s worst team with a 108-92 rout of the New Jersey Nets Wednesday at IZOD Center. The Nets managed to hang with the Jazz for a quarter, trailing only 26-24 after one quarter before Utah seized complete control with a 26-17 surge in the 2nd Quarter. Paul Millsap added 13 more points for the Jazz, while Wesley Matthews chipped in with 10 points for Utah. Brook Lopez amassed 23 points and 10 boards in the loss for New Jersey, who fell to 2-24 with the loss. In other NBA action Wednesday, Atlanta stymied Memphis, 110-97, Indiana edged Charlotte, 101-98, Orlando smacked Toronto, 118-99, Cleveland bested Philadelphia, 108-101, New Orleans humbled Detroit, 95-87, the Los Angeles Lakers surged past Milwaukee, 107-106 in overtime, the Los Angeles Clippers hammered Minnesota, 120-95, Dallas gashed Oklahoma City, 100-86, Denver stormed past Houston, 111-101, San Antonio pounded Golden State, 103-91 and Sacramento got past Washington, 112-109.

(WEST VALLEY CITY)—Police say they suspect foul play in the disappearance of Susan Powell, who has been missing since December 6. Authorities stated Josh Powell submitted a DNA sample and was interviewed by investigators Tuesday, but that there was no new information obtained as to Susan Powell’s whereabouts. On Wednesday, West Valley City Police Assistant Chief Craig Black said Susan’s husband, Josh, has not been cooperative in helping investigators locate the 28-year-old mother of two. During the interview, Black said Josh would only help identify her personal items while refusing to answer questions concerning her disappearance. Black also said that investigators asked Josh to accompany them to the camping site in Tooele County where he claimed to have taken the couple’s young sons on the night Susan disappeared, and that Josh declined her request. Black said investigators had no plans to return to the campsite unless Josh went with them. Police say Josh told them he took his two sons camping overnight on Sunday December 6. When he returned, Susan was gone.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Two men have pleaded guilty to trying to steal 600 pounds of wildflower seed pods in southern Utah’s Zion National Park in hopes of a payday on the commercial market. The thieves, 44-year-old Cresencio Martinez-Guzman and 23-year old Cresencio Lucena-Alvarez, pleaded guilty to felony theft of government property and were sentenced to probation December 7. They also admitted to being in the United States illegally and agreed not to fight deportation. Reportedly, the pair spent weeks in a remote portion of the park pitching Palmer’s penstemon, a tall-growing native plant whose seeds are often used by government agencies for reseeding projects, according to court records. They were arrested in September after Zion park rangers spotted them with several large bags of seed pods inside the park’s western boundary. The commercial value of the pair’s cache was about $25,000, according to court documents. Commercial seed collecting is a profitable business in southern Utah and legal in some federal locations, but not Zion National Park. Matt Fisher, a special agent with the park service’s investigative branch said the men have been turned over to immigration officials and Zion will keep the hundreds of pounds of seeds seized from the last case for later use on re-vegetation projects.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—No charges will be filed against the driver of a bus involved in a fatal crash in Idaho. American Fork High School band teacher, 33-year-old Heather Christensen, was killed when the bus rolled off Interstate 15 approximately two miles north of McCammon, Idaho October 10. The bus was one of four carrying the band home from a competition at Pocatello, Idaho. The bus driver, Debra Jarvis of Spanish Fork, told investigators she began suffering from a stomachache about 10 minutes after leaving Pocatello and then blacked out. The Deseret News reported Jarvis told police that when she came to after her stomachache, she was hanging sideways from her seat belt. Idaho prosecutors say there’s no reason to pursue charges against Jarvis because she didn’t know she had a medical condition that would impair her operation of a motor vehicle.

(PAYSON)—U.S. Marshals are hoping to find the people responsible for the murder of a Payson man through guns stolen at the time of the crime. The Salt Lake Tribune reports Marshals have asked informants to be on the lookout for several weapons taken from the home of Kay Mortensen last month. Initial reports stated two men with guns broke into Mortensen’s home and slashed his throat while tying up two other people at the home at the time. The two surviving victims told police the intruders were armed with guns when they broke into the home. This is the first time marshals have confirmed guns were stolen at the time of the murder. However, they would still not confirm how many guns were taken or what types of guns they were.

(RICHFIELD) – A Logan man was cited for sideswiping a van on main street in Richfield Tuesday morning, sending a two-year old girl to the hospital. According to a UHP report, 48-year old, James Albiston was traveling northbound in a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck, when he sideswiped the van at about 11:15am. The report said the 2001 Chrysler van, driven by 25-year old, Kimberly Westwood of Elsinore, was in the turning lane on Center Street, when she was struck. She was carrying a two-year old girl and an 11-month girl. No one was injured in the accident but Westwood took the two-year old to the Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield for observation. The girl was released with no injuries. Police reports said that Albiston left the scene of the accident, continuing on main street but decided to return and in his attempt, took a U-turn at 100 North and hit the bulb out at Little Wonder Café, disabling his vehicle. Albiston was cited for improper lane travel.

(Manti) The Manti Improvement Business Association or MIBA has allocated funds received from selling turkey dinners during the Mormon Miracle Pageant. The Association took in over $29,600 dollars on 10,800 dinners. Three groups received the bulk of the money. Sixty-two hundred dollars went to the Manti Elementary Parent Teacher Association to renovate the elementary school’s sound system and to purchase LCD projectors for classroom use. Fifty-six hundred dollars was given to the Manti Public Library for additional lighting and security cameras. And $5,800 dollars was awarded to the Manti City Park restroom project. Others that received money include the Manti/Sterling Ambulance Association with $3,500 dollars for trauma kits; $3,000 dollars for the girls scouts to renovate the community center; $2,000 dollars for a scoreboard at the Manti High School baseball field; $2,000 dollars for a concession stand at the Manti High School football field; and $1,000 dollars for upgrades to the Manti City Pound. MIBA is a volunteer organization under the direction of the Manti City Council.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett has voted to prohibit funding for the transfer of Gitmo detainees to the United States. Bennett said in a recent statement that the Obama administration’s plan to transfer terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to the United States is unacceptable and puts an unnecessary risk on the American people. He says he doesn’t see how transferring terrorists to the country they wish to destroy keeps Americans safer. Bennett commented that some administration officials cite the economic boom and job creation to the region as reasons to support the transfer but fail to recognize that tens of millions of taxpayer dollars have already been used to build a secure, state of the art facility in Cuba. The Obama administration plans to purchase the Thompson Correctional Center, located 150 miles outside of Chicago, to house terrorists currently being detained at Gitmo. Congress must vote to allow detainees to be moved to the U.S.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Sean O’Donnell scored the winning goal while Brad Richardson and Dustin Brown also scored as the Los Angeles Kings got past the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2 Tuesday at Rexall Place in NHL action. After Brown’s goal, the Kings held a 2-0 lead before Sheldon Souray and Ryan Potulny each scored for the Oilers. The win improved Los Angeles to 22-11-3 on the season, while the Oilers fell to 15-14-4. In other NHL action Tuesday, Pittsburgh walloped Philadelphia, 6-1, St. Louis downed Calgary, 4-3, Nashville surged past Tampa Bay, 7-4, Minnesota doubled up Columbus, 2-1 and Washington decimated Colorado, 6-1.

CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP)—Tre’Von Willis had 16 points while Chace Stanback added 15 more as the #25 Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels smoked the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 77-59 Tuesday at the Centrum in men’s Top 25 college basketball action. Although the Thunderbirds played Lon Kruger’s squad to a draw in the first half and trailed only 31-30 at halftime, the Rebels seized control with a 20-4 run midway through the latter stanza. Davis Baker had 21 points for Southern Utah, who fell to 19-0 all-time against the Rebels. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, #2 Texas decimated Texas-Pan American, 104-42, #7 Duke bludgeoned Gardner-Webb, 113-68 and #8 Tennessee dismantled Wyoming, 77-58.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Craig Brinkerhoff had 15 points, while Jesus Payton and Rhees Jackson each added 14 more as the Kanab Cowboys smoked the Panguitch Bobcats, 68-46 Tuesday in non-region boys basketball action. Eric Frandsen had 25 points in the loss for Panguitch.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Orion Wilson had 21 points and Dillon Bishoff added 17 more as the South Sevier Rams pummeled the Waterford Ravens, 66-48 in non-region boys basketball action Tuesday. Neal Monson’s 23 points led all scorers in the loss for the Ravens.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Jessica Wood keyed a balanced scoring attack with 11 points and the Cedar Lady Reds hammered the Beaver Lady Beavers, 53-22 Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action. Hannah Snyder had eight points in the loss for Beaver.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Keri Brunson amassed 19 points while Brooke Rhodes chipped in with 17 more as the Millard Lady Eagles got past the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 52-44 in non-region girls basketball action Tuesday. Sara Brown’s 22 points led the way for Gunnison in defeat.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Kiz Farrer had 24 points for the Juab Lady Wasps in a narrow 43-42 win over the Payson Lady Lions Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Kayla King and Rachel Torgerson each had 11 points as the South Sevier Lady Rams humbled the Manti Lady Templars, 48-34 in non-region girls basketball action Tuesday. Shauri Lyon and Tauni McFarland each had nine points in the loss for Manti.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Kaity Diaz had 15 points for the Delta Lady Rabbits as they decimated Stansbury, 49-27 Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah Governor Gary Herbert is sending Energy Secretary Steven Chu a letter, asking him to halt the shipment of nearly 15,000 drums of low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina for disposal in Utah. Herbert says the Department of Energy is circumventing state regulators’ efforts to ensure a private disposal facility in Utah’s west desert can safely dispose of the depleted uranium. Depleted uranium is different from other waste EnergySolutions Inc. disposes of at its site because it becomes more radioactive over time for up to one million years. State regulators and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have acknowledged that difference and have started a rule-making process to address whether it may need to be disposed of differently.

(WEST VALLEY CITY)—A 14-year-old girl was hit by a car in West Valley City Tuesday morning. Police say the girl was on her way to school at Kennedy Junior High around 6:45 a.m. when she was hit by a car and thrown onto its hood. She suffered a broken arm. Officers are still investigating the crash and have not said speed was a factor or if the driver will be charged in the incident.

(SALT LAKE COUNTY)—A high-speed chase that covered much of the Salt Lake Valley ended with the suspect’s vehicle in a ditch. Police started chasing the suspect around 11:00 a.m. after spotting him in a stolen pickup in Salt Lake City. The suspect proceeded to lead officers through much of the western part of the valley and briefly onto Bangerter Highway before going into Salt Lake City. Officers say the suspect then rammed three police cars during the chase. The pursuit ended when the man ran the truck off the road, across a field and into a ditch near California Avenue and 4800 West. Officers then took him into custody. Charges are pending.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Republican lawmakers in the Utah House of Representatives are not interested in signing a pledge to avoid tax hikes. Republicans in the Utah state Senate have passed around a sheet to sign, pledging no tax increases in the upcoming legislative session. The 53 GOP members of the House met behind closed doors Monday. House speaker Dave Clark of Santa Clara told the Deseret News most who were in the caucus don’t raise taxes, but they say it’s too early to make that decision. House Majority Leader Kevin Garn of Layton says committing not to increase taxes before the legislative session even begins has hurt in previous years. Clark said GOP leaders generally like Governor Herbert’s $11.3 budget billion proposal budget which calls for a combination of cuts, borrowing instead of paying cash for roads, tapping into the rainy day fund and more. The leaders expect decisions to come, possibly in late February when tax revenue forecasts will be updated and lawmakers have had time to debate those policy questions. The 45-day general legislative session begins January 25.

(JUNCTION) – A former Piute High School basketball coach was sentenced Monday in Sixth District Court for attempted rape and sodomy involving a then 16-year old girl. Court documents said that 31-year old, Lawson Sweat was sentenced on two counts of three years to life in prison for an amended attempted rape and sodomy charge to be served concurrently. Sweat was arrested and charged in January, 2008 for the incidents involving the girl, who was a student at Piute High School. Court Clerks say the girl has since graduated from the high school and is married. Sweat was taken to the Utah State Prison in Draper to begin serving his sentence.

(RICHFIELD) – The Central Utah Public Health Department is announcing the availability of the H1N1 flu vaccine at several clinics throughout the six-county area. A clinic will be held today at the North Sevier High School from 3-6pm and Thursday and Dec. 30 at the Richfield Office from 3-6pm. The clinic will also be held this Thursday and Dec.21st at the Delta Office from 2-5pm and in Fillmore at the Pahvant Senior Center from 3-5pm today and Dec. 22nd. The H1N1 vaccine is available to the general population.

(MORONI) – An elderly Moroni couple were transported to the hospital after hitting a bull elk Friday night on SR-89. A UHP report said that 76-year old, Dale Skinner was traveling northbound in a 2003 Chevy Cavalier, when he hit the elk. The report said that the elk crashed through Skinner’s windshield. Skinner sustained glass cuts and was taken to the Sanpete Valley Hospital for treatment. He was wearing his seatbelt in the accident. His wife, 67-year old, Linda Skinner, also received cuts and was taken to the hospital. UHP said she was wearing her seatbelt.

CINCINNATI (AP)—Dayeesha Hollins had 22 points, including the game-winning layup in the closing seconds and the Michigan Lady Wolverines edged the #8 Xavier Lady Musketeers, 72-71 Monday in Top 25 women’s college basketball action. With Michigan trailing 38-33 at half, Hollins scored seven quick points to spearhead a 19-2 run which turned the tide in the Lady Wolverines’ favor. Katie Rutan had 18 points to pace the Lady Musketeers in defeat.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—For all the high moments the Utah Jazz have experienced this season, two losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves have sullied their spirits somewhat. Rookie Jonny Flynn had 28 points, including the game-winning layup with three seconds left and the Timberwolves beat the Jazz for the second time this season with a 110-108 win Monday at EnergySolustions Arena. Although Minnesota has only four wins on the season, two of them have come against Utah. Deron Williams amassed 38 points and 13 assists for the Jazz in the loss, which dropped them to 14-10. In other NBA action Monday, Orlando overpowered Indiana, 106-98, Philadelphia pummeled Golden State, 117-101, Boston outlasted Memphis, 110-105, Dallas edged New Orleans, 94-90, Denver stormed past Oklahoma City, 102-93 and the Los Angeles Clippers got past Washington, 97-95.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The public has until January 6 to comment on a proposed settlement in a lawsuit involving Utah’s air and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The environmental group, WildEarth Guardians, filed a lawsuit in September challenging Utah rules that the group claims let industrial facilities exceed emission limits when pollution-control equipment breaks down. The group wants EPA to tell the state that the provision doesn’t comply with the federal Clean Air Act. The lawsuit was filed by U.S. District Court in Denver and the proposed settlement, published in the Federal Register December 7, would require the EPA to decide by February 2011 whether Utah needs to revise its rules.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A conservative think tank is hoping the Utah Legislature can help protect religionists in Salt Lake City after two discrimination ordinances were passed. These ordinances protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in housing and employment. The think tank, Sunderland Institute, has stated churches and certain other organizations have exemptions. Sunderland president Paul Mero said religious freedom and expressive association protect churches in the event that they don’t want to hire gays or others who don’t live according to a particular religion’s standards. Mero said extending the exemptions would protect certain organizations from being fined if someone they didn’t hire believes it was due to their sexual orientation.

(ST. GEORGE)—The new Fifth Judicial District Courthouse opened its doors Monday. The courthouse, located at 206 W. Tabernacle in downtown St. George, began construction in February 2008 and the 91,374-square foot building includes eight courtrooms for use by the district and juvenile courts and office space for the district and juvenile courts. The property for the courthouse was acquired by the state through a unique three-way trade between the state, city and Washington County school district which gave up land previously allocated to West Elementary School. Employees moved into the new courthouse last week, although the previous telephone numbers will remain unchanged.

(RICHFIELD) – The Fishlake National Forest offices have announced their year-end holiday business hours. The Supervisor’s Office and the Richfield Ranger District in Richfield and the Fremont River Ranger District office in Loa will be closed Friday, Dec. 25th and Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. The offices will be open Monday, Dec. 28th through Thursday, Dec. 31st during regular business hours and will resume regular schedule hours on Monday, Jan. 4th, 2010. The Fillmore Ranger District office will be closed on Dec. 25th and Jan. 1st and will be open Tuesday, Dec. 29th through Dec. 30th and will resume regular business hours on Jan. 4th, 2010. The Beaver Ranger District office will be closed from De. 25th through Jan. 1st , 2010 and will open again on Jan. 4th, 2010.

(EUREKA) – Federal officials are proposing a hefty increase in fees at the Little Sahara Recreation Area (LSRA). Glenn Carpenter with the U.S. BLM says the LSRA has been losing money and taxpayers are left making up the shortfall. Officials said it costs money to run the place for staff, utilities, toilets, camping facilities and other services but visitors have not been paying enough to keep it in the black. Plans include the annual vehicle pass would jump from $75 to $120, the one-day pass, which currently costs $8 per vehicle, $10 on holidays, is being scrapped entirely. Instead, there will be a two-day pass for $25, $30 on holidays or a new seven-day pass for $40. The government plans to sweeten the deal by paving 20 miles of roads in the area at a cost of $7 million

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Peyton Manning tossed four touchdown passes along with three interceptions and won the first game of his career where he’s thrown as many picks in a 28-16 win over the Denver Broncos Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in NFL action. The game was historical in several ways as the Colts won their NFL-record 22nd consecutive regular season game. Nevertheless, the Broncos had some history of their own as Brandon Marshall set the new NFL single game record for receptions as he hauled in 21 for 200 yards and a pair of scores. Early on, it looked as if the Colts would rout the Broncos as they raced out to a 21-0 lead. Nevertheless, Denver scored the next 16 points before Manning orchestrated a drive that consumed much of the remainder of the clock and capped it off with a 1-yard scoring strike to Dallas Clark. The win improved the Colts to 13-0 and gave them home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Meanwhile, the Broncos fell to 8-5, but are still in the wild card playoff hunt. In other NFL action Sunday, Philadelphia outgunned the New York Giants, 45-38, New Orleans held off Atlanta, 26-23, Baltimore decimated Detroit, 48-3, Green Bay downed Chicago, 21-14, Houston hammered Seattle, 34-7, Miami held off Jacksonville, 14-10, Buffalo bested Kansas City, 16-10, Minnesota pounded Cincinnati, 30-10, New England doubled up Carolina, 20-10, the New York Jets bludgeoned Tampa Bay, 26-3, Tennessee torched St. Louis, 47-7, Washington waxed Oakland, 34-13 and San Diego outlasted Dallas, 20-17.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (AP)—Daniel Sedin, Mason Raymond, Alexandre Burrows and Ryan Kesler each scored and the Vancouver Canucks outlasted the Minnesota Wild, 4-3 Saturday at General Motors Place in NHL action. Kesler’s goal enabled the Canucks to take a 4-2 lead late in the third period while Roberto Luogo stepped up with 38 saves to pace the Canucks, who improved to 18-14 with the win. Shane Hnidy, Greg Zanon and Martin Havlat each scored for the Wild in the loss which dropped them to 15-14-3 on the season. In other NHL action Saturday, New Jersey dismantled Philadelphia, 4-1, the New York Islanders clipped Boston, 3-2 in overtime, Buffalo edged the New York Rangers, 3-2, Ottawa doubled up Carolina, 4-2, Toronto gashed Washington, 6-3, Atlanta tripped up Montreal, 4-3 in overtime, Anaheim stymied Columbus, 3-1, Pittsburgh stonewalled Florida, 3-2 in overtime, Phoenix humbled San Jose, 2-1, and Detroit got past Nashville, 3-2 in overtime.

HOUSTON (AP)—Roman Martinez had 22 points and made a pair of clutch free throws in the closing seconds as the New Mexico Lobos edged the #18 Texas A&M Aggies, 84-81 Saturday in Top 25 men’s college basketball action at Toyota Center. Darington Hobson had 18 points for the Lobos while Dairese Gary added 14 more for a New Mexico squad which is 10-0 for the first time in 14 years. Donald Sloan’s 29 points led the way for the Aggies who fell to 8-2 with the loss. In other Top 25 action Saturday, #1 Kansas smacked LaSalle, 90-65, #2 Texas dismantled Texas State, 87-54, #4 Kentucky crushed Indiana, 90-73, #5 Purdue tripped up Alabama, 73-65, #7 West Virginia stonewalled Coppin State, 69-43, #10 North Carolina decimated Presbyterian, 103-64, #13 Georgetown bested #16 Washington, 74-66, #20 Butler humbled #15 Ohio State, 74-66, Kansas State upset #17 Nevada-Las Vegas, 95-80, #22 Gonzaga outgunned Davidson, 103-91 and #23 Wisconsin waxed Marquette, 72-63.

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP)—Brandon Simister had 14 points and the Desert Hills Thunder stormed past the Richfield Wildcats, 57-46 Saturday in non-region boys basketball action. Robert Torgerson’s 15 points led the way in defeat for Richfield.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Jared Reed had 21 points and Justin Olsen added 20 more as the Manila Mustangs downed the Escalante Moquis, 70-47 at the Sevier Valley Center Saturday. Paul Sorenson had 16 points in the loss for Escalante.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Caden Andersen had 26 points for the Rich Rebels in a 62-35 pasting of the Valley Buffaloes Saturday at the Sevier Valley Center. Lance Maxwell’s 19 points led the way for Valley.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Dallin Duncan’s 17 points led the way for Monticello Buckaroos as they edged the Piute Thunderbirds, 43-39 at the Sevier Valley Center Saturday. Tyson Westwood had 12 points in the loss for Piute.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Dane Rhoades had 16 points while Robbie Giles added 14 more as the Tabiona Tigers overpowered the Panguitch Bobcats, 45-36 Saturday at the Sevier Valley Center. Zach Brophy had 11 points for Panguitch in the loss.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Jason Johnson had 29 points to lead the way for the Green River Pirates in a narrow 64-61 win over the Bryce Valley Mustangs at the Sevier Valley Center Saturday. Kam Roundy had 22 points for the Mustangs, while Kace Roundy added 17 more for Bryce Valley.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Cason Chappell’s 15 points led the way for the Wayne Badgers in a 68-21 rout of the Christian Heritage Crusaders Saturday at the Sevier Valley Center.

GRANTSVILLE, Utah (AP)—Brooke Bliss had 21 points for the Richfield Lady Wildcats in a 61-40 win over the Grantsville Cowgirls Saturday in non-region girls basketball action.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—McKenzee Murdock had 11 points to lead the North Summit Lady Braves to a 48-39 victory over the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs in non-region girls basketball action Saturday. Sara Brown had 11 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs in defeat.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Gilbert Brule scored a pair of goals and the Edmonton Oilers overcame a 3-0 deficit to surge past the St. Louis Blues, 5-3 Friday at Scottrade Center. The Blues got off to their hot start behind the efforts of David Backes who scored two early goals and another score goal from T.J. Oshie. Nevertheless, the Oilers seized momentum after Brule’s first goal and scored four times in the third period to put the game out of reach. The win improved Edmonton to 15-13-4 on the season, while St. Louis fell to 13-12-5. In other NHL action Friday, Florida doubled up New Jersey, 4-2, Washington ousted Carolina, 4-3 in overtime, Buffalo stonewalled Chicago, 2-1, Detroit edged Anaheim, 3-2 in overtime, Minnesota humbled Calgary, 2-1 in overtime, Colorado downed Tampa Bay, 2-1 in overtime and Dallas stymied San Jose, 3-2 in overtime.

PHOENIX (AP)—Amare Stoudemire posted 28 points and 10 boards and made several key plays down the stretch as the Phoenix Suns held off the Orlando Magic, 106-103 Friday at U.S. Airways Center. Steve Nash added 20 points and 18 assists for the Suns who improved to 8-0 despite blowing a 19-point first half lead. The Magic, who were coming off a debilitating loss at Utah Thursday started off slow, but caught fire in the 3rd Quarter behind the prolific play of Mickael Pietrus (23 points, eight rebounds)and Rashard Lewis (24 points, six rebounds). After Orlando took a six point lead midway through the 4th Quarter, Stoudemire and Jason Richardson (16 points) each made several big shots to turn the tide back in Phoenix’s favor. The win improved the Suns to 16-7 on the season, while the Magic fell to 17-6. In other NBA action Friday, Indiana hammered New Jersey, 107-91, Houston downed Philadelphia, 96-91, Atlanta bested Toronto, 111-89, Dallas gashed Miami, 106-93, New York stymied New Orleans, 113-96, Chicago tripped up Golden State, 96-91 in overtime, Cleveland surged past Portland, 104-99, Oklahoma City tripped up Memphis, 102-94, San Antonio crushed Charlotte, 104-85, and the Los Angeles Lakers stonewalled Minnesota, 104-92.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Traffic on Interstate 80 at 1300 East in Salt Lake City has been restricted to two center lanes in both directions due to a downed utility line. Crews have now completed the last phase of the restricting of the line across the freeway. The Utah Department of Transportation says drivers can expect heavy delays for eastbound traffic and cautioned motorists to watch out for intermittent slowdowns. All lanes are expected to be open for the afternoon commute.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Utah state lawmakers are set to receive new taxpayer-paid cell phones next week. The Deseret News reported the money for these BlackBerrys, plus funds for new computers the lawmakers received earlier this year, was approved years ago when the state had extra money. The state currently faces up to $1 billion in deficits while the new cell phone and service contract will cost around $145,000 a year, which is actually cheaper than the previous one. All the phones have GPS systems, but lawmakers who use it will pay for it themselves. They are also expected to pay for other extras such as international calls.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Transit Authority is gearing up for its regular service to ski areas. Bus service to Little Cottonwood Canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyon will start Sunday. The routes serve Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude while UTA provides service to Sundae Ski Resort in Utah County as well. Connections for the buses can be made in downtown Salt Lake City, the University of Utah and at several TRAX stops along the Wasatch Front.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett has voted in favor of an amendment in the Senate health care bill to restrict the use of federal funding for abortion coverage. Bennett said it’s been a federal standard for 33 years that taxpayer dollars will not be used to pay for abortions. He said the Democrat’s plan is an attempt to reverse that standard. Bennett, along with Senators Orrin Hatch and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, co-sponsored the amendment that would ensure the legislation never makes it into the bill. Bennett said the vote this week is an example of how the Democrats are ignoring the voices of Americans when it comes to reforming health care. In 1976, Congress passed the Hyde amendment, which prohibits public funds from covering abortion. The amendment failed 54 to 45, six votes short of the 60 votes needed to pass the measure.

(MESQUITE, NV.) – An Indiana man wanted for the killing of his would-be bride has been apprehended in Mesquite, NV. Mesquite police spokesman Robert Everett said Thursday that 57-year old, Steven Farrell of Lafayette, IN. was captured outside a laundromat in the southeastern town Wednesday night. He said police responded to a call to check out an intoxicated man who had been staying at the Valley Inn Motel in Mesquite. Acting with a search warrant, Mesquite detectives searched Farrell’s room and retrieved evidence that Everett said would be turned over to Indiana authorities. He was arrested at the laundromat without incident. Farrell was wanted for the slaying of his fiancee, Christine Craig and had been on the run since Nov. 27. Washington County Deputies also said that Farrell may have been spotted in Veyo in southwestern Utah recently. They also said Farrell may have had a home in Enterprise. Police reports said that Farrell shot his fiancee alongside a rural road in Benton County. The slaying, which allegedly took place during an argument, was purportedly witnessed by the victim’s 16-year old daughter.

(DELTA) – An 18-year old aviation student at Utah Valley University crashed landed his airplane just outside of Delta Thursday afternoon. Millard County Sheriff’s Deputies reported that Marcus Burr was flying back to Provo from Cedar City at about 3pm, when he attempted to perform a “touch and go” maneuver at the Delta airport and crashed. Deputies said the plane’s engine died in the attempt about a mile off the runway. Burr tried to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and glided the aircraft into a landing. The report said the plane came to a stop after running into an old irrigation ditch. Burr was not injured in the incident and minimal damage was done to the aircraft. The FAA continues to investigate the crash.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Sarah Madsen had 16 points for the American Leadership Lady Eagles in a 42-38 win over the Manti Lady Templars Thursday in non-region girls basketball action. Shauri Lyon had 12 points in the loss for Manti.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Kiz Farrer and Tessa Bradford each had 12 points as the Juab Lady Wasps downed the North Sevier Lady Wolves, 39-34 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday. McKinzie Robins had 13 points in the loss for North Sevier.

MESQUITE, Nev. (AP)—Kalani Norris’ 22 points led the way for the Panguitch Lady Bobcats in a 51-30 rout of the Virgin Valley (Nev.) Lady Bulldogs, 51-30 Thursday in non-region girls basketball action.

WASHINGTON, Utah (AP)—Brittany Griffiths had 16 points but it wasn’t enough as the Beaver Lady Beavers fell to the Pine View Lady Panthers, 49-36 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday. Julia Chipman and Kiersten Messinger each had 13 points in the win for Pine View.

CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP)—Dayna Monroe had nine points to lead the way for the South Sevier Lady Rams in a 27-26 win over the Cedar Lady Reds Thursday in non-region girls basketball action.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Caitlin Hatch’s 10 points led all scorers as the South Summit Lady Wildcats got past the Millard Lady Eagles, 36-24 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday. Krystyn Stevens had eight points in the loss for Millard.

SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP)—Erin Redd’s 14 points led the way for the Spanish Fork Lady Dons in a 44-38 win over the North Sanpete Lady Hawks Thursday in non-region girls basketball action. Erica Draper had 13 points to pace the Lady Hawks in defeat.

HEBER CITY, Utah (AP)—Katrina Baird posted 18 points as the Wasatch Lady Wasps outlasted the Delta Lady Rabbits, 43-40 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday. Kaity Diaz’ 19 points led all scorers in the loss for Delta.

SANDY, Utah (AP)—Jeannie Woller had 13 points and Laura Lee Judd added 11 more as the Waterford Lady Ravens overpowered the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 42-26 Thursday in non-region girls basketball action. Cami Carlisle had six points in the loss for Gunnison.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Deron Williams amassed 32 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds and the Utah Jazz torched the Orlando Magic, 120-111 Thursday in NBA action at EnergySolutions Arena. Despite falling behind 35-22 at the end of the 1st Quarter, the Jazz managed to hang around and seized control for good in the 3rd Quarter by virtue of a 38-21 run to take a 90-81 lead headed into the last stanza. Additionally, C.J. Miles provided 22 points off the bench for the Jazz, while Carlos Boozer chipped in with 20 points and 14 boards for Utah. The Magic, who fell to 17-5, were led by Vince Carter’s 34 points in defeat. In other NBA action Thursday, Detroit edged Denver, 101-99 and Boston held off Washington, 104-102.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Rick Jackson posted a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds and the #6 Syracuse Orange bested the #11 Florida Gators, 85-73 Thursday in men’s Top 25 college basketball action at the St. Pete Times Forum. Andy Rautins added 18 points for Syracuse, while Wes Johnson chipped in with 17 points and 10 boards to pace the Orange, who improved to 9-0 with the win. Kenny Boynton posted 20 points and amassed five 3-pointers in the loss for the Gators, which dropped them to 8-1. In other Top 25 action Thursday, #14 Michigan State overpowered Oakland, 88-57 and #19 Cincinnati outlasted Miami (Ohio), 63-59.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A Utah man charged with running an $100 million Ponzi scheme pleaded not guilty to 22 federal charges Thursday. Rick Koerber was arraigned Thursday by U.S. Magistrate David Nuffer. The 36-year-old Koerber has been indicted on charges of running an investment scheme from 2004 through 2008 and pocketing some of the money from hundreds of investors. Prosecutors say Koerber was paying early investors interest on money he raised from successive recruits and never made a profit on any real estate dealings. Koerber has vigorously denied the government’s accusations against him.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A boy accused of killing a man at a West Valley golf course will be tried as an adult. Thursday, a 3rd District Court judge granted the prosecution’s request to try 15-year-old Antoine Hunter Farani as an adult for the murder of JoJo Brandstatt. Police say Brandstatt was killed February 5 while they believe the murder was gang-related and was motivated because Brandstatt was wearing the wrong color. Farani was 14 at the time of the murder. His arraignment on adult murder charges is slated for December 13 and the judge has set the bail at $1 million.

(PROVO)—The Provo office of the Census Bureau is looking to hire 1,200 people to knock on doors between March and July 2010. The office is in charge of counting residents from 20 counties and their area of work spans from Provo to St. George. The Provo bureau is one of three Utah offices charged with tracking the state’s population for the 2010 Census. Applicants will be asked to take a basic skills test, while those who score highest will be hired first.

(CEDAR CITY)—A Cedar City man will stand trial on charges he murdered his wife. The 24-year-old Tristan Jared Lamoreaux is accused of shooting his wife in the head five times during a fight August 23. At the time of the fight, Lamoreaux claimed his wife was trying to kill herself and the gun went off as he tried to wrestle it away from her. Lamoreaux has also been charged with possession of a firearm by a restricted person and fleeing from police.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada (AP)—Nigel Dawes, Olli Jokinen and Rene Bourque each scored and the Calgary Flames tripped up the Atlanta Thrashers, 3-1 Wednesday in NHL action at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Jarome Iginla added a pair of saves while Mikka Kiprusoff posted 24 saves for Calgary as the Flames improved to 19-8-3 on the season. Colby Armstrong had the sole goal for the Thrashers in the loss which dropped them to 15-10-3. In other NHL action Wednesday, Buffalo blanked Washington, 3-0, New Jersey doubled up Carolina, 4-2, Toronto edged the New York Islanders, 3-2, Columbus smoked Florida, 3-0, St. Louis outlasted Detroit, 1-0, Edmonton ousted Tampa Bay, 3-2, Chicago tripped up the New York Rangers, 2-1 in overtime, Minnesota gashed Colorado, 1-0 and Los Angeles surged past San Jose, 5-4 in overtime.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—Bryquis Perine had 22 points and Troy Cotton nailed a key 3-pointer in overtime as the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix downed the #23 Wisconsin Badgers, 88-84 Wednesday at Resch Center in men’s Top 25 college basketball action. Rahmon Fletcher added 18 points for the Phoenix who improved to 9-2 on the season with the win. Trevon Hughes paced the Badgers with a career-high 27 points in the loss which dropped them to 6-2. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #1 Kansas smacked Radford, 99-64, #3 Villanova surged past Saint Joseph’s, 97-89, #4 Kentucky edged #12 Connecticut, 64-61, #5 Purdue crushed Valparaiso, 86-62, #7 West Virginia hammered Duquesne, 68-39, and #22 Gonzaga bludgeoned Augustana (Ill.), 79-40.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Brandon Garrett had 20 points and Kyler Nielson added 15 more as the Cedar Redmen got past the Manti Templars, 54-46 Wednesday in non-region boys basketball action. Russ Hugentobler had 19 points for the Templars, while Kyle Moore added 16 more for Manti.

KANAB, Utah (AP)—Tanner Procarione had 22 points and Nevin Jensen added 20 more as the Emery Spartans overpowered the Kanab Cowboys, 74-58 in non-region boys basketball action Wednesday. Craig Brinkerhoff posted 21 points in the loss for Kanab.

ORDERVILLE, Utah (AP)—Lance Maxwell amassed 20 points and Clay Williams added 15 more as the Valley Buffaloes got past the Millard Eagles, 59-53 Wednesday in non-region boys basketball action. Mike Louder’s 15 points paced Millard in defeat.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Brooks Leach led all scorers with 27 points and the Panguitch Bobcats stormed past the Beaver Beavers, 52-34 in non-region boys basketball action Wednesday. Jordan Carter’s 12 points led the way for Beaver in the loss.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Drew Despain had 16 points, while Drayson Ball added 15 more and the Gunnison Bulldogs surged past the Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s Winged Lions, 52-46 in non-region boys basketball action Wednesday. Matt Bossart had 20 points in the loss for the Winged Lions.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Dillon Bishoff posted 17 points and nailed a pair of 3-pointers to lead the South Sevier Rams to a 54-46 win over the Delta Rabbits Wednesday in non-region boys basketball action at the Palladium. Taylor Shamo paced Delta with 13 points in the loss.

PANGUITCH, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris had 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Panguitch Lady Bobcats to a 54-42 win over the Valley Lady Buffaloes on Region 20 girls basketball action Wednesday. Kayla Maxwell’s 15 points led the way in the loss for Valley.

(RICHFIELD) – Dozens of Richfield residents have filed complaints with the city concerning property in violation of the nuisance ordinance. Owners of the property, Jessie and Rose Christensen, appeared before the city council at Tuesday’s meeting, to explain why their property, located at 348 North 400 East, is in disrepair. Jessie commented he works a graveyard shift and had no time to clean up the property, along with winter weather causing problems. Enforcement Officer Charles Billingsley says the property has been in violation of the nuisance ordinance for several months prior to the weather turning cold. He said the confrontations between the Christensen’s and himself were so heated that he had to bring along a peace officer to serve notice. After discussion, Richfield Mayor Brad Ramsay, along with councilmembers, gave the Christensen’s until March 1 to clean up their property or court proceedings will follow.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Gunnison Valley High School and the South Sanpete School District have announced that GVHS head football coach Rhett Jackson has retired. Jackson has been the football coach at Gunnison High for the past 16 years and was instrumental in maintaining and building a program bereft of many of the resources other schools have. Jackson will remain as a teacher at Gunnison High while the school board will consider all available options for his replacement in the coming months.

(LEHI)—A small plane crashed near Interstate 15 near Thanksgiving Point in Lehi Wednesday afternoon. The wreckage sits atop a strip of land west of I-15 between southbound lanes of the interstate and the Alpine off-ramp. The off-ramp has since been closed. The plane went down around 2:00 p.m. The pilot was injured, but the extent of injuries is unknown while he is waiting to be transported to the hospital by helicopter. According to the plane’s tail number, it is a 1960 Beech 35-33, a fixed-wing, single-engine plane, owned by Omni Air LLC out of Washington, Utah. Southbound traffic has been backed up to the point of the mountain at the present moment.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—There is growing support among Republicans wanting to raise Utah’s tobacco tax. Senator Allen Christensen of Ogden wants to raise the tax from just over 69 cents a pack to $2. The Utah Alliance for Tobacco-Free Living says the move would make more than 13,000 kids quit smoking and deter another 19,000. The group says 60 percent of state Republicans support the tax increase.

(ROOSEVELT)—A former nurse at a facility for troubled teens in Roosevelt is now accused of sexually abusing some of them. Geary David Oakes has been charged with forcible sexual abuse and forcible sodomy in connection with alleged sex acts with two of his 15-year-old charges. One of the alleged victims claims Oakes gave him pain medication in exchange for sex. Oakes was fired after charges were filed and he is currently being held at the Duchesne County Jail.

(OGDEN)—Weber State University is closing its community education program. Brian Stecklein, the associate dean for continuing education, says the school is eliminating the program because it needs to make budget cuts. The program offered classes to community members wanting to learn new skills such as Dutch-oven cooking. Stecklein said the classes were open to anyone, but were aimed toward older adults. He said the university tried to scale back the classes, but it still couldn’t afford the remaining ones. About 600 people were enrolled as students and the cut will save the school about $30,000.

(Manti) Snow College has weathered legislative budget cuts so far, but could face another round of reductions if state revenues remain low. According to Greg Dart, Director of Admissions and Communications at the college, the state required a seventeen percent cut in the schools budget, but refunded half of that with stimulus money. The one time money and a twenty-four percent increase in enrollment has allowed the school to continue to operate at a near normal level. The concern is that more cuts will be mandated, which would require more drastic measures at the school. Governor Herbert is expected to release his proposed budget soon, and the legislature will take up the issue after the new year. According to Dart, there are three possible avenues that the legislature may take. They may keep the cut at seventeen percent which the school has managed to meet without significant negative impact. Another possible option is one time money to refund a portion of the cut, and the final possibility is additional cuts which school officials are hoping to avoid. School President Scott Wyatt commented that this has been a difficult year, and a difficult decade for the college, but not the hardest in its history. He also said that they will make it through these tough times and be all the better for it.

(RICHFIELD) – A long-awaited contract for the design of the Richfield Airport has finally been approved by the Richfield City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting. Business Administrator, Woody Farnsworth says after several years of planning, the city has selected Creamer and Noble, Inc. of St. George to be the designer. Farnsworth said Creamer and Noble designed the new additions to the St. George airport and are considered by authorities as the premier designers of airports in many areas. During the discussion at the city council meeting, councilmembers were concerned over the $1.4-million price tag for the design of the airport but representatives said the company would not invoice the city on work performed until funds were made available by the FAA and other entities.

(RICHFIELD) – A hazardous travel warning has been issued for motorists on state roads and highways throughout much of the state today. UDOT road personnel say conditions are treacherous and unsafe. Sanpete County was hit with heavy snow with the two storms that moved through South-Central Utah causing road-slick travel on SR-31. Utah Highway Patrol is warning motorists to slow down and travel safely during the cold snap and icy road conditions.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Taneisha Harrison posted a career-high 27 points and the #15 Pittsburgh Lady Panthers pummeled the Valparaiso Lady Crusaders, 77-52 Tuesday in Top 25 women’s college basketball action. Shayla Scott added 13 more points for the Lady Panthers, while Valpo was led by Betsy Adams’ 18 points, each of which came on 3-pointers. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, #4 Notre Dame hammered IPFW, 96-60, #5 Texas A&M crushed North Texas, 108-49, #11 North Carolina overpowered Radford, 74-48, #13 Georgia smacked Tennessee State, 71-50 and #19 Virginia dismantled Furman, 74-43.

DALLAS (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki amassed 33 points and eight rebounds while Josh Howard had 18 of his 20 points in the second half as the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the Phoenix Suns, 102-101 Tuesday at American Airlines Center in NBA action. The win was a return to normalcy for the usually prolific Mavs, who scored only 75 points in their last outing, a defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. Ex-Phoenix Sun Shawn Marion added 10 points and seven boards for the Mavericks, while Jason Terry added 15 points for Dallas. Steve Nash had 27 points and eight assists for the Suns in one of his better performances thus far on the season. The win improved Dallas to 15-7 on the season, while Phoenix fell to 15-7. In other NBA action Tuesday, Toronto downed Minnesota, 99-84, Charlotte humbled Denver, 107-95, Boston held off Milwaukee, 98-89, New Orleans edged Sacramento, 96-94, New Jersey got past Chicago, 103-101, Memphis upset Cleveland, 111-09 in overtime and Orlando bested the Los Angeles Clippers, 97-86.

(WASHINGTON)—About 24,000 Amby Baby Motion Beds are being recalled after two infant deaths. The hammock-like beds are marketed to parents of fussy babies with colic or reflux. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock can cause an infant to roll and become trapped or wedged against the hammock’s mattress or fabric pad, posing a suffocation risk to babies. Two infants suffocated in such hammocks this summer. The beds are made by Amby Baby USA of Minneapolis.

(WASHINGTON)—The Obama Administration says it will spend more than $3 billion to settle a long-running and contentious lawsuit over royalties owed to American Indians. President Barack Obama handled the settlement of the case, known as Cobell v. Salazar, as an important step in reconciling Indian tribes and the federal government. Under the agreement announced Tuesday, the Interior Department will distribute $1.4 billion to more than 300,000 tribe members to compensate them for historical accounting claims and to resolve future claims. Additionally, the department will spend $2 billion to buy back and consolidate tribal land lost by previous generations. The program will allow individual tribe members to cash payments for divided land interests and free up the land for the benefit of tribal communities. The proposed settlement still must be approved by Congress and a federal court judge.

(CEDAR CITY)—An Iron County man has been found guilty of two counts of aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of two men in 2007. The Spectrum in St. George says a jury found 45-year-old Martin Chris Nelson of Beryl guilty on Tuesday. Jurors started their deliberations Monday afternoon. Police have stated Derek Davis and Chad Grijalva, both 34, were shot eight times in the torso and found buried in a shallow grave on Nelson’s property, 40 miles west of Cedar City. The jury trial lasted six days while Nelson was also found guilty of a charge of theft by receiving stolen property. Sentencing in 5th District Court is slated for February 5 while Nelson could possibly face the death penalty.

(ST. GEORGE) – An Indiana man accused of shooting and killing his would-be bride may have been spotted in southern Utah. According to the Indiana State Police, 57-year old, Steven Farrell of Lafayette, IN., had been dating 40-year old, Christine Craig for years and asked her to meet him on a rural road in Benton County on Nov. 27th. The report stated that Farrell allegedly shot her to death in front of one of her family members. The two had planned to be wed soon. Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies had unconfirmed reports that Farrell may have been seen in the Veyo area recently. Deputies say Farrell was reported to have had a home in Enterprise. He is described as 5-foot, 11-inches tall, 200 pounds, with salt and pepper hair and brown eyes. He was last seen driving a silver 2008 Toyota Tundra pickup with Indiana plates “IN GOD WE TRUST” ZM-9064. Farrell is considered armed and dangerous.

(ST. GEORGE) – The new 5th Judicial District courthouse in St. George will open Dec. 14. The 91,734 square-foot facility includes eight courtrooms, plus office space for judges and court staff, juvenile probation officers, mediators and the Office of the Guardian ad Litem. The $29-million building also has a secure holding area for prisoner transport and cells adjacent to the courtrooms. The layout will prevent interaction between prisoners and the public or court staff. Construction of the building, located at 206 Tabernacle Street, began in February of 2008 and will accommodate more courtrooms as Washington County grows. Employees will move into the new courthouse this Thursday and Friday. Court offices will be closed all day Friday.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett is holding a news conference today to introduce a bill to prevent the Troubled Asset Relief Program from being used as a second “stimulus” bill. Bennett, along with Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and David Vitter, will hold the news conference at 1pm MDT at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. The senators will discuss their opposition to the Obama administration’s potential plan to use unspent TARP funds for another “stimulus” bill. Bennett and Thune recently introduced legislation that would sunset TARP at the end of the year to prevent the Treasury Secretary from extending the program.

(EPHRAIM) – A Manti man was taken to the hospital Monday morning after losing consciousness due to a medical problem while traveling on SR-89 north of Ephraim. A UHP report said that 60-year old, Harold Henriod was traveling northbound in a 1992 Chevy Silverado, when he crossed southbound lanes and went off the west side of the road at about 9:30am. The report said Henriod went through two fences, coming to rest in a field. He was transported to the Gunnison Valley Hospital for observation and treatment. There was no report on any injuries in the mishap.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Scott Parse and Jarrett Stoll each had goals and Jonathan Quick posted 26 saves as the Los Angeles Kings doubled up the Calgary Flames, 2-1 Monday at STAPLES Center in NHL action. After Parse’s goal, Calgary tied things up at 1-1 on a Curtis Glencross goal but after Stoll’s score, the usually prolific Flames failed to find the net for the remainder of the game. Mikka Kiprusoff added 15 saves to bolster Calgary in the loss which dropped them to 18-8-3, while the Kings improved to 18-10-3. In other NHL action Monday, New Jersey blanked Buffalo, 3-0, Toronto tripped up Atlanta, 5-2, Montreal bested Philadelphia, 3-1, Carolina downed Pittsburgh, 3-2, Washington stonewalled Tampa Bay, 3-0, Edmonton stymied Florida, 3-2 in a shootout, Colorado pummeled St. Louis, 4-0, and Phoenix waxed Minnesota, 2-0.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Carlos Boozer ensued in his recent excellence by posting 27 points and seven rebounds and the Utah Jazz downed the San Antonio Spurs for the third time this season with a 104-101 win Monday at EnergySolutions Arena. Additionally, Deron Williams added 15 of his 17 points in the second half while making eight of his 10 shots as well as dishing out 11 assists. After San Antonio led by double digits in the first half, the Jazz turned the tide with a 37-19 surge in the 3rd Quarter while they had just enough left in the tank in the 4th Quarter to pull out the thriller. Matt Bonner had 28 points and eight boards in the loss for San Antonio, which dropped them to 9-9. Meanwhile, the Jazz improved to 12-7 with the win. In other NBA action Monday, Denver downed Philadelphia, 93-83, New York ousted Portland, 93-84 and Oklahoma City pummeled Golden State, 104-88.

(NORTH OGDEN)—The school day got off to a rough start for Ben Lomond High School students, thanks to a broken water pipe. School officials say the pipe broke before classes began Monday morning, flooding one of the commons areas in the school. As students arrived, they were sent to the gym where they stayed until the mess was cleaned up. School officials sent students home at 12:30 p.m. because they are now having trouble maintaining heat at the school.

(RICHFIELD) – The Central Utah Public Health Department in Richfield is offering the H1N1 flu vaccine to the general population in the six-county area. The vaccine will be given on Tuesday at the Richfield Office from 3-6pm and also Dec. 15th at the North Sevier High School in Salina from 3-6pm. H1N1 vaccines will also be given on an availability basis in Piute County Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 5pm at the Junction Office and in Wayne County at the Loa Office. In Millard County, the vaccine will be available this Tuesday from 3-5pm at the Pahvant Senior Center in Fillmore and at the Delta Office this Thursday from 2-5pm at the Delta Office. The vaccine will also be made available today (Monday) from 3-6pm at the Ephraim Middle School.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett spoke on the Senate floor Saturday concerning flaws with the Democrat’s health care bill. Bennett is calling for Democrats to vote their conscience on the bill. He highlighted Utah’s health care model, saying the Democrats’ bill would destroy the successful progress already made in Utah to improve quality and drive down costs of care. Bennett said the “reform” bill will also raise taxes, boost premiums and cut nearly a trillion dollars from Medicare.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Correll Buckhalter ran for 113 yards on only 12 carries and the Denver Broncos scored the most points in franchise history at Arrowhead Stadium with a 44-13 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in NFL action. The Broncos, who have traditionally struggled at Kansas City, managed to take a 14-6 lead at halftime by virtue of a 7-yard touchdown reception by Daniel Graham from Kyle Orton (15 of 25, 180 yards, 2 TD’s, INT) and a 2-yard scoring run by Knowshon Moreno. In the second half, the Broncos proceeded to blow the game open as Orton tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, Andre’ Goodman returned a fumble 30 yards for a score and Matt Prater nailed a pair of field goals. Additionally, the Broncos’ defense remained solid as they surrendered only 222 yards of offense on the day and forced three turnovers. The win improved the Broncos to 8-4 on the season, while Kansas City slumped to 3-9. The Broncos next travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts, while the Chiefs will host Buffalo. In other NFL action Sunday, Philadelphia crushed Atlanta, 34-7, Carolina humbled Tampa Bay, 16-6, Chicago downed St. Louis, 17-9, Cincinnati stormed past Detroit, 23-13, Indianapolis bested Tennessee, 27-17, Jacksonville got past Houston, 23-18, Miami edged New England, 22-21, Oakland upset Pittsburgh, 27-24, New Orleans clipped Washington, 33-30, San Diego tripped up Cleveland, 30-23, the New York Giants ousted Dallas, 31-24, Seattle snuck past San Francisco, 20-17 and Arizona humbled Minnesota, 30-17.

DALLAS (AP)—Shawn Horcoff scored in the fifth round of a shootout and Jeff Deslauriers denied four of five Dallas Stars shooters as the Edmonton Oilers edged Dallas, 3-2 Saturday at American Airlines Center in NHL action. Jamie Benn and James Neal gave Dallas an early 2-0 lead in the first period, while the Oilers received goals from Lubomir Visnovsky and Ladislav Smid to tie things up at the end of regulation. The win improved the Oilers to 12-13-4 on the season, while Dallas fell to 13-8-8. In other NHL action Saturday, Carolina ousted Vancouver, 5-3, St. Louis surged past Los Angeles, 5-4 in a shootout, Boston hammered Toronto, 7-2, the New York Rangers doubled up Buffalo, 2-1, New Jersey clipped Detroit, 4-3 in a shootout, Washington decimated Philadelphia, 8-2, Atlanta got past Florida, 3-2, Colorado humbled Columbus, 3-2, Chicago stonewalled Pittsburgh, 2-1 in a shootout, Tampa Bay blanked the New York Islanders, 4-0, Minnesota gashed Nashville, 5-3, Calgary defeated San Jose, 2-1 and Phoenix tripped up Ottawa, 3-2.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)—Oscar Bellfield amassed 15 points and six rebounds while Tre’Von Willis hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing moments as the #21 Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels outlasted the Santa Clara Broncos, 66-63 Saturday at Leavey Center in men’s Top 25 college basketball action. The Rebels, who have defeated traditional powers Louisville and Arizona in the past seven days, received perhaps their toughest test of the season against the scrappy Broncos. Marc Trasolini had 22 points to pace Santa Clara in defeat. The win improved the Rebels to 7-0, while the Broncos fell to 4-4. In other Top 25 action Saturday, #4 Kentucky edged #11 North Carolina, 68-66, #5 Duke ousted St. John’s, 80-71, #6 Purdue crushed Buffalo, 101-65, #7 Syracuse decimated Maine, 101-55, #14 Georgetown pummeled American U., 73-46, #15 Ohio State obliterated Eastern Michigan, 111-60, Wake Forest upset #16 Gonzaga, 77-75, Charlotte embarrassed #18 Louisville, 87-65, #20 Butler drilled Valparaiso, 84-67, #23 Georgia Tech dismantled USC, 79-53 and #25 California stymied Iowa State, 82-63.

DUCHESNE, Utah (AP)—Marty Burt had 15 points and the Duchesne Eagles hammered the Escalante Moquis, 63-41 Saturday in non-region boys basketball action. Cody Barney’s 12 points led the way in the loss for Escalante.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Craig Brinkerhoff amassed 23 points and the Kanab Cowboys got past the San Juan Broncos, 55-47 at the Sevier Valley Center Saturday.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Brady Vernon had 16 points and the North Summit Braves torched the Beaver Beavers, 54-33 Saturday at the Sevier Valley Center. Robbie Gurr’s 12 points led the way for Beaver.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Isaac Pedroza had 26 points, including 3 3-pointers and the Layton Christian Eagles outlasted the North Sevier Wolves, 62-60 at the Sevier Valley Center Saturday. Derrick Christensen’s 26 points led the way for North Sevier in defeat.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Ajay Pizza had 22 points and Morgan Hesleph added 17 more as the Juan Diego Soaring Eagle ousted the Manti Templars, 63-54 in overtime at the Sevier Valley Center Saturday. Kyle Moore’s 17 points led the way for Manti in defeat.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Rhett Bird amassed 26 points, including four 3-pointers and the North Sanpete Hawks got past the Canyon View Falcons, 51-45 Saturday at the Sevier Valley Center. Jordan Sanders’ 13 points led Canyon View in the loss.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Jace Mecham posted 13 points and the South Sevier Rams edged the Enterprise Wolves, 54-50 at the Sevier Valley Center Saturday.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Mike Brown amassed 21 points, while Trevor Bamgartner added 17 more as the Wasatch Wasps bludgeoned the Richfield Wildcats, 65-40 Saturday at the Sevier Valley Center. David Bean posted 18 points for the Wildcats, while Tyler Thomas added 17 more.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Eddie Dunham amassed 20 points, while Kam Roundy added 14 more as the Bryce Valley Mustangs stonewalled the Monument Valley Cougars, 73-42 Saturday at the Ruby’s Inn Invitational.

CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP)—Joey Dutson had 16 points, and Nick Nissen added 15 more as the Delta Rabbits outlasted the Parowan Rams, 68-63 Saturday at the Southern Utah Invitational at the Centrum.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Jessica Madsen led all scorers with 25 points and the Duchesne Lady Eagles torched the Manti Lady Templars, 60-37 in non-region girls basketball action Saturday. Tauni McFarland had 10 points to lead Manti in the loss.

TROPIC, Utah (AP)—Kaylea Shakespeare had 12 points and the Bryce Valley Lady Mustangs downed the Milford Lady Tigers, 48-22 at the Ruby’s Inn Invitational Saturday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Tracy Pontius had 19 points and the Bowling Green Lady Falcons downed the #14 Vanderbilt Lady Commodores, 66-60 Friday in Top 25 women’s college basketball action. Tamika Nurse added 15 points for the Lady Falcons, while making three 3-pointers and Lauren Prochaska added 14 more for Bowling Green. Jence Rhoads had 13 of her 17 points in the second half for Vanderbilt, while the Lady Commodores trailed by as much as 18 in the latter stanza. The win improved the Lady Falcons to 5-2 on the season, while Vanderbilt suffered its first defeat of the season, falling to 6-1. In other Top 25 action Friday, #13 Arizona State got past Idaho State, 65-56, #23 DePaul bested Illinois-Chicago, 67-56 and #24 Dayton decimated Milwaukee, 86-52.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Carlos Boozer had 35 points and 13 rebounds and rookie Wesley Matthews added 18 points as the Utah Jazz clipped the Indiana Pacers, 96-87 Friday at Energy Solutions Arena. The Jazz, who came out with retro green uniforms to honor the movement of “going green,” started out red hot as they built a 34-12 lead at the end of the 1st Quarter. Nevertheless, the resilient Pacers didn’t back down and behind the clutch play of Danny Granger (26 points, eight rebounds) and Troy Murphy (16 points, 10 boards), they pulled to within four late in the 4th Quarter. Nevertheless, Boozer ensued in his inspired play of late and made numerous big plays in the closing minutes to lead Utah to their 11th win of the season. In other NBA action Friday, Toronto edged Washington, 109-107, New York tripped up Atlanta, 114-107, New Orleans got past Minnesota, 98-89, Cleveland smoked Chicago, 101-87, Detroit downed Milwaukee, 105-96, New Jersey bested Charlotte, 97-91, Boston stormed past Oklahoma City, 105-87, Memphis embarrassed Dallas, 98-82 and the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted Miami, 108-107.

(JOSEPH) – Two Moab men were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries after a rollover on I-70 near Joseph today at about 3pm. According to a UHP report, 83-year old, James Stolzfus was traveling westbound when his 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser drifted off the right shoulder and rolled. The report said Stolzfus was wearing his seatbelt and transported to the Sevier Valley Medical Center for treatment. His passenger, 67-year old, Floyd Humphreys, was not wearing his seatbelt and was also taken to the hospital with possible injuries. UHP said the driver was cited for improper lane travel.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A possible rival to President Barack Obama in 2012 is coming to Salt Lake City, but citizens who want to see Sarah Palin will have to arrive early. Palin will be visiting Salt Lake City with her new book, “Going Rogue.” Across the country, Palin has drawn large crowds, so the Costco store, located at 1818 South 300 West, wants to limit the press of people. Palin has stated she will sign only 1,000 copies of her book when she arrives next Wednesday. Thus, store personnel will be handing out golden tickets for lucky customers December 9 for her appearance at 10:00 a.m.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A Southwest Airlines flight landed in Salt Lake City later than scheduled Friday afternoon due to an expectant mother giving birth. The plane was forced to make a stop in Denver for the woman who had her baby aboard the aircraft. Airline officials reported the mother gave birth on Southwest Flight 441 Friday morning. The plane originated from Ohio, with stops slated for Chicago, Salt Lake City and Boise. The final destination is Spokane, Wash.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Attorney General’s Office is appealing a judge’s decision to throw out charges against a teenager accused of hiring a man to beat her up so she would miscarry her baby. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the judge called the then 17-year-old girl’s actions appalling, saying they fit the definition of an abortion. The girl told the police she hired 21-year-old Aaron Harrison to beat her up after her boyfriend threatened to break up with her if she didn’t terminate the pregnancy. Harrison was sentenced to prison for up to 20 years. The girl gave birth to her child in August. Lawmakers are now considering a bill that could clear the way for the prosecution of women who seek illegal abortions.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Two Utah Highway Patrol troopers returned to work Friday after being involved in a traffic stop that ended with a teen shooting himself. The 17-year-old boy in question is still in critical condition at Intermountain Medical Center after Sunday’s incident. Troopers had stopped the car he was riding in and asked the teen and driver to get out when they smelled marijuana. The teen then started to run and fired a single shot over his shoulder from a .22-caliber pistol, shooting himself in the head. The troopers were put on leave, but reinstated after an investigation into the incident was completed.

(SANDY)—A three-vehicle accident seriously injured a driver and snarled northbound traffic on Interstate 15 near Sandy Friday morning. The incident occurred at 10200 South around 7:30 a.m. The Utah Highway Patrol reported a car traveling northbound in the right lane suddenly swerved and clipped the rear of a small truck, which rolled over. The car then went on to hit another vehicle in the HOV lane, while the driver of the car that caused the accident was transported by ambulance with critical injuries. The other drivers escaped with only minor injuries. Troopers closed down three lanes of traffic to investigate and clear the scene. All lanes were reopened a few moments before 10:00 a.m.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – Sen. Bob Bennett is voicing his opposition to the federal government cutting $500 billion in Medicare to pay for the Democrat’s health care legislation. He said the Democrats are playing politics with senior citizens by telling them they want to fix health care by cutting payments to providers but it’s just another government-run entitlement program. Bennett said Democrats want to slash $14.6 billion for nursing homes, $135 billion for hospitals and supplemental coverage by $120 billion. He said Democrats say the cuts are to health care providers and not cuts to benefits for senior citizens who rely on Medicare but Bennett said that once providers face cuts, the health care businesses will close their doors.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP)—Lauren Altch posted 15 points and Aisha Jefferson added 13 more as the #21 Michigan State Lady Spartans bested the #4 North Carolina Lady Tar Heels, 72-66 Thursday in Top 25 women’s college basketball action. While Michigan State held an 11-point lead midway through the second half, North Carolina took a brief lead at 64-63 before the Lady Spartans regained the lead for good on Allyssa DeHaan’s jumper to make it 65-64. Italee Lucas had 29 points in the loss for the Lady Heels. In other Top 25 action Thursday, #1 Connecticut hammered Vermont, 84-42, #12 Duke downed #3 Ohio State, 83-67, #9 Florida State ousted Indiana, 82-74, #10 Xavier smoked Middle Tennessee State, 80-63, #15 Virgina held off Purdue, 56-49, #18 Oklahoma embarrassed Texas-Arlington, 100-67 and #22 Maryland smacked Minnesota, 66-45.

DENVER (AP)—Carmelo Anthony had 22 points and Aaron Afflalo added 17 points as the Denver Nuggets pounded the Miami Heat, 114-96 Thursday at Pepsi Center in NBA action. The Nuggets, who many NBA analysts extol as an elite team, did their best to live up to those expectations by shooting 53 percent behind the 3-point line for the game and limiting the Heat to 43 percent shooting defensively. The Nuggets used a key 33-20 surge in the second half to blow the game open while the Heat posed little threat in the last two quarters. Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 24 points in the loss for Miami which dropped them to 10-8. The win improved Denver to 14-5, keeping them firmly atop the Northwest Division. In other NBA action Thursday, Boston humbled San Antonio, 90-83 and Houston outlasted Golden State, 111-109.

JUNCTION, Utah (AP)—Tyson Westwood amassed 20 points and Heath Payton added 13 more as the Piute Thunderbirds overpowered the Kanab Cowboys, 61-47 Thursday in non-region boys basketball action. Rhees Jackson had 21 points in defeat for Kanab.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Dalila Rodriguez had 19 points and Sarah Madsen chipped in with 16 more as the American Leadership Lady Eagles got past the Millard Lady Eagles, 49-43 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday. Krystyn Stevens posted 18 points in the loss for Millard.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Shaleece Christensen keyed a balanced scoring attack with eight points and the Beaver Lady Beavers smoked the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 45-19 Thursday in non-region girls basketball action. Kayli Frandsen had five points to lead Gunnison in the loss.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Chelsee Willardson posted 19 points and 11 rebounds and the Richfield Lady Wildcats overpowered the Canyon View Lady Falcons, 55-43 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—McKinzie Robins had 12 points to lead the North Sevier Lady Wolves to a 44-35 win over the Manti Lady Templars Thursday in non-region girls basketball action. Shauri Lyon had 12 points in the loss for Manti.

(PROVO) – Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spent time in Utah Thursday and took the opportunity to tell reporters that Pres. Obama has failed in his stimulus policies. Romney said the 10% national unemployment rate is an albatross around the president’s neck in spite of his promise to hold unemployment to 8%. He said the government needs to stop scaring the private sector with government takeovers and keep taxes down. Romney was in Utah to be a part of the grand opening of the APX Alarms new headquarters in Provo.

(LOGAN)—Authorities say a tractor-trailer crash sent bags of shredded cheddar cheese floating down the Logan River Wednesday in Logan Canyon. The Utah Highway Patrol says the truck, with 38,000 pounds of dairy products on it, tipped over just before noon on a curve of U.S. Highway 89. The driver, a Draper resident, received a minor hand injury.

(SALT LAKE COUNTY)—A former school custodian who got a helping hand from students now faces a sexual abuse charge following claims that he groped a woman. The 44-year-old Terry Birch was charged in 3rd District Court Tuesday with sexual abuse for allegedly touching a mentally-challenged 35-year-old woman. According to the Deseret News, court documents attest the incident occurred at the woman’s residence after the woman, who operates on the mental level of a 5-7-year-old reportedly told him “no.” Birch is deaf and a former janitor at Olympus Junior High School. In 2006, students raised money for a surgery to improve Birch’s hearing. Birch now faces a second-degree felony and his bail is set at $150,000.

(PRICE) – A Price woman died early Wednesday morning after her rambler-style home caught fire. According to Price City Fire Chief Paul Bedont, 65-year old, Carol Seely was upstairs asleep at the time the fire broke out at about 2am and was not able to get out of the house. Fire officials said that two other women were in the home, including Seely’s granddaughter, who tried to get upstairs to save her grandmother. Bedont said the granddaughter had to be treated for smoke inhalation after her attempts to go upstairs where the fire was burning. Damage to the home was estimated to be between $80,000 and $90,000 and not determined to be a total loss. Bedont said the entire upstairs of the home was destroyed but the downstairs remained intact. The State Fire Marshall is expected to conclude the investigation today.

(REDMOND) – Sevier County Deputies are asking the public for help in apprehending individuals who stole 15 goose decoys recently from a field on the Redmond Lake Road. Deputies say the value of the decoys is about $250. They say the decoys belong to Ryker Johansen of Salina. The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office has no known suspects in the case and are asking the public for help with any information.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – New reports show that the original climate scientists in the early ‘80’s have been deliberately deceiving the world on climate change due to discarding raw temperature data. World reknowned environmental consultant and former climatatology professor, Dr. Tim Ball, obtained a report through the Freedom of Information legislation, that the original climate scientists admitted throwing away data on which their predictions of global warming are based. The admission follows the leaking of a thousand private e-mails sent and received by Professor Phil Jones, the Climatic Research Unit Director, discussing thwarting climate sceptics seeking access to the data. The CRU is the world’s leading center for reconstructing past climate and temperatures. Ball says the information means that academic science professors have no basic calculations to show a long-term rise in temperatures over the last 150 years. He says it basically destroys the premise of man-made global warming that some climate scientists have been purporting for the past 30 years.

(RICHFIELD) – The Richfield City Planning Commission held a public hearing Wednesday night concerning the maximum height of garages and exterior buildings in residential areas. No negative comments were offered in the hearing and the commission approved a maximum height of 20 feet on garages and exterior buildings. The commission held a public hearing last month on garage exteriors to be of a similar nature and in harmony with existing homes in the neighborhood. At that meeting, planners approved prohibiting construction of galvanized steel or Quonset-type buildings in residential areas. The recommendations will be forwarded to the Richfield City Council for final approval.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP)—Pepper Wilson had 13 points and six Pittsburgh Lady Panthers scored in double figures as the #20 Panthers improved to 6-0 with an 89-37 rout of the Youngstown State Lady Penguins Wednesday in women’s Top 25 college basketball action. Katie Popovec added 11 points and 12 boards for the Lady Panthers while the Lady Penguins were led by Brandi Brooks’ 10 points and seven rebounds. In other Top 25 action Wednesday, #6 Notre Dame outlasted Eastern Michigan, 69-59, #7 Texas A&M hammered Stephen F. Austin, 106-56, #14 Vanderbilt stormed past Wright State, 63-46, Wisconsin-Green Bay upset #23 DePaul, 79-68 and Central Michigan stunned #25 Louisville, 84-75.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki posted 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as the Dallas Mavericks pounded the New Jersey Nets, 117-101 Wednesday at IZOD Center in NBA action. While the win continued the Mavs’ excellent start to the season as Dallas now boasts a 14-5 mark, things continued to get worse for the New Jersey Nets as they became the first team in NBA history to start a season 0-18. Dallas, which shot 58 percent on the night, broke the game open with a 49-point 2nd Quarter while the Mavericks made 17 of 19 shots in the period. Additionally, Dallas made 81 percent of their shots in the first half, the most prolific performance since Denver connected on 82 percent of their shots in a 2006 game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Chris Douglas-Roberts had 24 points to pace the Nets in the loss. In other NBA action Wednesday, Atlanta hammered Toronto, 146-115, Cleveland stormed past Phoenix, 107-90, Orlando bested New York, 118-104, Washington edged Milwaukee, 104-102, Chicago downed Detroit, 92-85, Memphis got past Minnesota, 97-95, Oklahoma City tripped up Philadelphia, 117-106, Sacramento outlasted Indiana, 110-105 and Houston hammered the Los Angeles Clippers, 102-85.

(AURORA) – An Aurora woman died of an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound Nov. 25 after a traffic stop. According to Salina Police Chief Greg Harwood, 48-year old Tammy Johnson, was pulled over by Officer Eric Pratt for a traffic violation, and while talking to her, Pratt noticed she had her hand on a gun. Harwood said Officer Pratt pulled his own weapon and told Johnson to put her gun down, at which time she drove away. Pratt said he may have heard a gunshot and called for backup. Officers from Salina, Richfield and Sevier County responded and followed Johnson to Aurora, where they attempted to talk her out of her car but to no avail. When officers approached Johnson’s vehicle, they administrated first aid but were unable to save her. Salina Police Chief Greg Harwood said that alcohol may have been a factor in the incident but a complete report from the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm that.

(CEDAR CITY) – A Beryl man charged with the murder of two St. George men was led into a Cedar City courtroom Tuesday for the beginning of his trial. According to court documents, 45-year old, Martin Nelson was charged with shooting and killing Derek Davis and Chad Grijalva, both 34, in 2007 and burying their bodies on his property in the remote community of Beryl. Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett told jurors in his opening statement that Nelson intentionally shot both men while the pair were visiting him at his small trailer. Garrett said the two victims died after being shot eight times each with bullets from a .22 calibre rifle found in Nelson’s trailer. He said that during the investigation, it was discovered that Nelson had made two phone calls to friends telling them “to talk him out of killing some folks.” Nelson could get the death penalty if found guilty.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—Patrick Marleau had two goals, while Jamie McGinn, Ryan Clowe and Manny Malhotra also scored as the San Jose Sharks ousted the Ottawa Senators, 5-2 Tuesday at HP Pavilion in NHL action. Thomas Greiss added 25 saves in the win for San Jose, which improved them to 19-6-4 on the season. Milan Michalek had both goals in the loss for Ottawa, which dropped the Senators to 13-8-4. In other NHL action Tuesday, Toronto blanked Montreal, 3-0, Chicago surged past Columbus, 4-3 in a shootout and Los Angeles ousted Anaheim, 4-3.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)—E’Twaun Moore posted 22 points and JaJuan Johnson added 21 points and nine boards as the #6 Purdue Boilermakers reversed a recent trend of futility in the Big 10/ACC challenge with a 69-58 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Tuesday at Mackey Arena in Top 25 men’s college basketball action. Coming into this game, Purdue had lost six of their last nine matchups in the BIG 10/ACC challenge, but this year’s rendition of the Boilermakers showed their toughness by outscoring the Demon Deacons, 40-27 down the stretch to win going away. Additionally, Purdue forced 25 Wake Forest turnovers and held the Demon Deacons to under 30 percent shooting for much of the second half. C.J. Harris and Ishmael Smith each had 14 points to pace Wake Forest in the loss. In other Top 25 action Tuesday, #11 North Carolina held off #9 Michigan State, 89-82, #17 Florida crushed Florida A&M, 80-59 and #24 Cincinnati decimated Texas Southern, 94-57.

MANTI, Utah (AP)—Rachel Nakken had 20 points and Courtnie Duncan added 13 points and six rebounds for the Cedar Lady Reds as they pummeled the Manti Lady Templars, 66-29 Tuesday in non-region girls’ basketball action. Cedar shot 54 percent for the game and an astounding 75 percent behind the 3-point line. Shauri Lyon had 11 points to pace Manti in the loss.

RICHFIELD, Utah (AP)—Tanisha Armstrong had 14 points for the Richfield Lady Wildcats as they outlasted the Beaver Lady Beavers, 39-34 in non-region girls’ basketball action Tuesday. Bonnie Yardley’s 10 points led the way for Beaver.

SALINA, Utah (AP)—Tia Pappas had 16 points, including the game-winning shot in the closing seconds to lead the Carbon Lady Dinos to a 43-41 win over the North Sevier Lady Wolves Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action. Sydney Asper had 14 points in the loss for the Lady Wolves.

MONROE, Utah (AP)—Tessa Lyman had a game-high 25 points for the Enterprise Lady Wolves in a 59-49 win over the South Sevier Lady Rams in non-region girls basketball action Tuesday. Dayna Monroe and Kayla King each had 12 points in the loss for South Sevier.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Kaity Diaz had 23 points to lead all scorers as the Delta Lady Rabbits dismantled the Hurricane Lady Tigers, 51-32 Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action at the Palladium.

DRAPER, Utah (AP)—Lauren Tigue had 14 points for the Juan Diego Lady Soaring Eagle in a 43-35 win over the Juab Wasps in non-region girls basketball action Tuesday. Kiz Farrer had 12 points for Juab in the loss.

FILLMORE, Utah (AP)—Amanda Bagley posted 17 points while Kandice Gleave and Loni Allan each added 15 more as the Piute Lady Thunderbirds stormed past the Millard Lady Eagles, 78-37 Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action. Keri Brunson’s 10 points led the way in the loss for Millard.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Caitlin Hatch had 14 points to lead the way for the South Summit Lady Wildcats in a 49-23 win over the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs in non-region girls basketball action Tuesday. Felicia Jensen had five points to pace the Lady Bulldogs in the loss.

MT. PLEASANT, Utah (AP)—Sarah John had nine points in a balanced scoring attack as the Union Lady Cougars outlasted the North Sanpete Lady Hawks, 41-36 Tuesday in non-region girls basketball action. Kara Anderson led all scorers with 15 points in the loss for North Sanpete.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A fire in the industrial area of Salt Lake City that shot a massive plume of black smoke into the air has now been extinguished. The fire started just before noon Tuesday inside the cab of a semi truck that was in garage near 1200 South and 3600 West. Mark Bednarik of the Salt Lake City Fire Department said it appeared the structure was on fire, although a deeper inspection revealed that only the vehicle was on fire. The fire has been ruled accidental as the engine of the semi somehow sparked the flames, eventually causing $100,000 in damages. There were early reports of explosions in the fire, but Bednarik said it appeared that was the tires of the truck popping. There were no injuries.

(DAVIS COUNTY)—After a couple of high-profile mistakes concerning inmates at the Davis County Jail, the Davis County Sheriff’s Office plans to do something about it. Davis County will become the first county in the nation to receive a $10,000 grant to start using an eye scan system to keep track of jail inmates. The eye scans are stored in a national database and can quickly be pulled up to ensure a person is who they say they are. A year ago, Davis County accidentally released the wrong inmate while authorities hope the new system prevents that from happening again. Some say the eye scan system should also be used to help find missing children or elderly adults who wander off and forget who they are.

(MURRAY)—A Murray man who admitted to stabbing his ex-girlfriend’s brother will spend five years in prison. Nazir Rahimi pleaded guilty to a charge of homicide by assault in connection with the April 2008 death of Farhad Ahmad Mullahkhel. The two men had been arguing when Mullahkhel came with his sister to Rahimi’s house to retrieve her cell phone at which time Rahimi stabbed Mullahkhel. Before sentencing yesterday, Rahimi apologized, saying he never meant to kill anyone.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—An official says Mexico’s consul over Utah and western Wyoming has died. Deputy Consul Eusebio Romero says 59-year-old Ignacio Rios Navarro died Monday at St. Mark’s Hospital due to complications following abdominal surgery. Romero says Rios had a wife and two children and said his remains will be returned to Mexico. In Rios’ stead, Romero will serve as acting consul. Rios was appointed to the post in April, replacing former Consul Salvador Jimenez who retired in December 2007. The consulate serves an estimated 350,000 Mexicans. Rios previously served as consul of the Mexican Embassy in the United Kingdom.

(CEDAR CITY)—The Dixie National Forest is implementing a new plan outlawing unrestricted off-trail travel for motorized vehicles and designating some 2,700 miles of routes for ATV’s and other vehicles. The plan was approved last summer and implemented this fall. The effort is part of a national push to help federal officials better manage more off-road vehicles in the national forests and limit the effects on the environment. Part of the implementation of the Dixie forest will involve moving boulders, ripping out roads and placing signs. Early next year, forest officials also plan to provide the public with a free map of routes for motorized vehicles.

(WASHINGTON D.C.) – A new Congressional Budget Office analysis shows that health care premiums will go up drastically under a plan proposed by Democrats. Sen. Bob Bennett said that during Pres. Obama’s campaign, he promised that premiums would go down 25% but the CBO report says the premiums would actually go up. Bennett said the CBO report estimates under the Senate legislation, the average family with employer-sponsored coverage would pay more than $20,000 per year for health insurance and premiums for individuals without employer-sponsored coverage would increase 10-13% or $2100 per family in 2016. Bennett said it’s no wonder the majority of Americans oppose health care bills in Congress. He said this is not reform and Americans know it.