STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP)—Alexis Rack had 31 points and the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs surged past the #16 Vanderbilt Lady Commodores, 90-76 Thursday in Top 25 women’s college basketball action. Armelie Lumana added 18 points for the Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 11-4 with the win. Meredith Mash had a career-high 29 points for the Lady Commodores, who despite shooting 68 percent from the field in the first half, failed to maintain their prolific shooting as the Lady Bulldogs outscored Vandy 53-36 in the latter 20 minutes. In other Top 25 action Thursday, #1 Connecticut decimated Cincinnati, 83-51, #4 Tennessee pummeled South Carolina, 79-62, #8 Georgia edged Kentucky, 61-60 in overtime, #9 Duke crushed Clemson, 67-41, #11 Florida State smacked #19 Virginia, 68-50, #12 LSU obliterated Arkansas, 65-38, #18 Wisconsin-Green Bay dismantled Wright State, 68-41 and Washington upset #24 Arizona State, 62-56.

NEPHI, Utah (AP)—Kiz Farrer had eight points to lead all scorers and the Juab Lady Wasps downed the Manti Lady Templars, 30-14 Thursday in Region 12 girls basketball action. Chelsea Cox had three points to lead Manti in the loss.

CASTLE DALE, Utah (AP)—Taylor Mann had 22 points for the Emery Lady Spartans in a 70-33 rout of the North Sanpete Lady Hawks in Region 12 girls basketball action Thursday. Shelby Earl’s 11 points led North Sanpete in defeat.

DELTA, Utah (AP)—Shacari Hinck amassed 14 points and the Richfield Lady Wildcats mowed over the Delta Lady Rabbits, 45-28 Thursday in Region 12 girls basketball action at the Palladium. Kaity Diaz had 14 points in the loss for Delta.

MILFORD, Utah (AP)—Kalani Norris had 17 points and Chelsea Barney added 14 more as the Panguitch Lady Bobcats hammered the Milford Lady Tigers, 51-17 in Region 20 girls basketball action Thursday.

ESCALANTE, Utah (AP)—Amanda Bagley had 13 points for the Piute Lady Thunderbirds in a 56-27 shellacking of the Escalante Lady Moquis Thursday in Region 20 girls basketball action. Lindsey Phillips had 18 points in the loss for Escalante.

ORDERVILLE, Utah (AP)—Cassey Manzanares posted 13 points and the Wayne Lady Badgers edged the Valley Lady Buffaloes, 42-41 in Region 20 girls basketball action Thursday. Nikki Milligan had 15 points to pace Valley in the loss.

GUNNISON, Utah (AP)—Sarah Madsen had 21 points to lead all scorers as the American Leadership Lady Eagles got past the Gunnison Lady Bulldogs, 33-30 Thursday in non-region girls basketball action. Chansey Caldwell and Sara Brown each had seven points in the loss for Gunnison.

BEAVER, Utah (AP)—Brittany Griffiths and Brittney Blackner had 10 points apiece and the Beaver Lady Beavers stymied the North Sevier Lady Wolves, 35-29 in non-region girls basketball action Thursday. McKinzie Robins had 13 points in the loss for North Sevier.

(WOODS CROSS)—Officials say they will restart a crude oil refining unit at Utah’s Silver Eagle refinery at Woods Cross, where a huge gas explosion in November led the company to decide to temporarily shut down the location. There were no injuries during the November 4 explosion, but several homes nearby were damaged. A little more than a week after the explosion, company officials accepted a recommendation from investigators to shut down the refinery unit until it was deemed safe to reopen. The refining unit is scheduled to restart January 24. Silver Eagle Vice President of Reining and Operations, Mike Redd, says the refinery’s insurance company has received 271 damage claims. About 45 claims have been settled with residents thus far. Redd says the refinery is being inspected and new protocols will be in place before it’s running again.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Deseret Management Corporation, the for-profit arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, unveiled a new mission statement Thursday. Mark Willes, the president and CEO of DMC, unveiled the new mission statement during a daylong meeting Thursday of managers of the church’s various media companies, including KSL Television and Radio, Deseret Book, Deseret News and the newly created Deseret Digital Media. The mission has been summarized as DMC realizing their role as a trusted voice of light and knowledge reaching millions of people around the world.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Notwithstanding a lack of money, Utah state educators seem determined to ensuring there are more counselors in Utah’s junior high and high schools. The state is looking to secure a counselor for every 350 students. Educators say they’re encouraged by the workload counselors currently assume and how state officials are dedicated to the issue despite tight budgets.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Bankruptcy filings in Utah soared in 2009. The number of filings hit 14,481, which is a 56 percent increase from 2008. This is serious enough to rank Utah fifth in the nation for bankruptcy filings. A clerk at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court tells the Deseret News some year-to-year numbers from last summer showed increases of 75 percent. Overall, 2009 was the seventh-worst year on record for the rate people were filing for bankruptcy.

(SPRINGVILLE)—Springville police arrested three people for stealing their roommates’ debit card after she died. The Deseret News reports the 60-year-old died Friday morning of unknown causes. The theft was discovered when her son came to collect her belongings a couple of days later. Springville Police Lieutenant Dave Caron told the Deseret News someone used the card, but he wasn’t sure how much money was taken. Additionally, Caron said her Social Security check had been cashed as well. A few days before the discover, one of the womans’ roommates, 30-year-old Kristina Hamer, had been arrested for DUI. Police say the missing card was found in Hamer’s car. Police arrested Hamer, her 32-year-old husband, Kevin Hamer, and another roommate, 53-year-old Melody Barker, on Tuesday for unlawful use of a financial card and unlawful possession of a transaction card.

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The American West Center at the University of Utah is developing an oral history record of polio survivors and those who treated them. The university is seeking survivors and clinicians involved with the disease. Material gathered will be available to clinicians, researchers and the public through the Special Collections Department of the University of Utah’s Marriott Library.

PASADENA, Calif. (AP)—Tonight in southern California, computers have decided Texas and Alabama are worthy to play for an immaterial “national championship” because Division I-A college football believes they’re too good to determine a title the way all sports do.

I say this because college football at the I-A level is NOT a sport, regardless of what BCS spin doctors say. It is a beauty pageant, but unlike Miss Universe, the contestants would look horrendous in bathing suits. No scintillating Miss Italys or Miss Australias, I regret to inform you.

Right now, the biggest tool in the world has to be BCS executive director Bill Hancock. My brethren at playoffpac.com (please, visit this site and if you have money to give, donate!) have lampooned Hancock’s interview with Dan Patrick several weeks ago wherein NBC’s NFL halftime and Football Night in America host grilled Hancock on what you tell an unbeaten team (Texas Christian, Boise State, Cincinnati were all unbeaten and kept out of the “national championship” game) that didn’t get to play for a title.

Hancock’s asinine response is, “not everyone can play for a title. You had a great season.” Anyone who has a brain and loves sports has what my copy editor professor at Southern Utah University called their “B.S. meter” go off wildly. The way to rectify this is simply a playoff.

Playoffs are more indigenous to collegiate football than BCS apologists would have you believe. Speaking of Southern Utah University, they play in a division of college football I refuse to call anything but I-AA, although the preferred title by BCS bigwigs is Football Championship Subdivision. Incidentally, playoffs also occur in Divisions II and III of the NCAA. What is the reason for their reticence in having one at the highest level, where competition is clearly the best in collegiate spheres?

Quite aptly, this title is a reflection of what actually exists in this level of Division I football, a playoff. While ESPN buffoons such as Mark May and (Lispin’) Lou Holtz were having nonsensical arguments about who would play for a mythical championship, a real one was unfolding in I-AA.

On December 18, an exciting playoff was culminated when Villanova edged Montana at Chattanooga, Tenn. This was a majestic conclusion to exciting playoff games, such as Villanova and William & Mary and Montana and Appalachian State which saw the Mountaineers only lose to the Grizzlies on the final play of regulation.

All of these games were rife with meaning and intensity and for several years now, at the I-A level of college football, I have rightfully deduced that the emperor has no clothes. I am no longer bewitched nor hoodwinked by the fraudulent specter of the Sun Bowl, even if it does occur in my old stomping grounds of El Paso, Texas or the Orange Bowl or any other bowl that does not have “Super” in front of it.

Furthermore, the BCS consists of the most despicable criminals this country has ever seen, rife with agendas that do not have the best interests of the athletes themselves.

Hancock says a playoff will hurt the athletes’ ability to graduate and increase injuries.

Just so Hancock knows, I have heard these arguments before. An assistant coach at Arizona State University (a member of the Pac-10, one of the conferences whose rear end the BCS kisses) told me that when he coached at then I-AA Idaho, the playoff got everybody banged up, but the kids seemed to want one.

As to a playoff getting everybody “banged up,” as one who played football myself, I know injuries can occur at any time in any situation. There is no empirical evidence suggesting that playoffs create more injuries.

As for the academic argument, Montana’s Brandon Fisher (the son of the longest-tenured NFL head coach, Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans) sported a 4.0 GPA, even though playoffs were occurring right through Finals. Again, I adroitly eradicate another nonsensical argument.

The federal government is already angry at the BCS for their illegal cartel and if this argument is the best they can do, they’ll go the way of VCR’s anyday now. As for me, this day cannot come soon enough. In any case, I tip my hat to the only Division I football champions for the 2009 season, the Villanova Wildcats!

(WEST VALLEY CITY) – Today marks one month since Susan Powell disappeared from her West Valley City home. Her husband, Josh Powell, has returned from Washington and plans to move the contents of the West Valley home and return to Washington permanently. Neighbor, Tim Peterson, built a playground for the Powell family just a few days before Susan disappeared and said with Josh moving, he wants to get his playground set back. One of Josh Powell’s brothers was at the home and told Peterson he’d have to ask Josh about taking the playground. The brother then called police, saying Peterson was trespassing. Peterson left empty-handed.