Much of the NFL news cycle swirls around Cincinnati Tuesday as the Bengals made perhaps the biggest splash of the offseason with the acquisition of Terrell Owens. The enigmatic wideout, who has zealously been looking for a team since the Buffalo Bills released him earlier this year, has signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, making the long moribund franchise one of the NFL’s more interesting stories. Despite the prodigious talents of signal-caller Carson Palmer, the Bengals passing offense only amassed 181 yards (that figure comes after I rounded up) in 2009. Thus, Cincinnati brass rectified this issue in part in the annual collegiate draft last April as they drafted prolific Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham, Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley and Kansas wideout Dezmon Briscoe. Additionally, Bengals owner Mike Brown brought in veteran receiver Antonio Bryant to assist the eccentric, yet gifted, Chad Ochocinco, who with 72 receptions, 1047 yards and nine scores, was Palmer’s only reliable target in 2009. Of course, Ochocinco and Owens have already been teammates of sorts off the field as they both have their own reality shows on VH1. If any team can handle the scrutiny which will descend upon them by having the likes of Ochocinco and Owens on their team, be assured that it’s the Bengals. As for Brown, he told www.nationalfootballpost.com Tuesday that a potential lockout in 2011 will be averted so I sincerely hope he’s right. It’s nice to have the NFL coming shortly again!

(GRANTS PASS, Ore.)-A coalition of several western states and three Canadian provinces offered its most detailed strategy as of yet for controlling greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change, saying they hope it stands as a model for national systems in both the United States and Canada. At the core is a cap-and-trade system that would go into effect in January 2012, gradually ramping down emissions levels. The system, which gives financial incentives for carbon emission reductions, would start with power plants and then extend to large industrial producers and transportation. The goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the next 10 years to levels 15 percent below those produced in 2005. Building on a less-detailed strategy issued two years ago,the plan comes at a time when Congress has been unable to produce a climate bill to address the same issues. The document includes the first details of how the carbon auction would work and it recommends the offsets from programs that store carbon would be limited to a fraction of total emissions. Thus, there would be a floor price on emissions and the auction would be open to anyone. Thus far only two states, California and New Mexico and three provinces, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, are writing regulations in anticipation of joining the Western regional carbon auction when it begins in 2012, said Michael Gibbs, California’s Deputy Secretary for climate change and co-chairman of the initiative. The two states and three provinces account for 70 percent of the emissions produced by the signers of the strategy, creating enough liquidity to get the cap-and-trade system up and running. An economic analysis estimated fuel savings would offset the cost of investing new and more energy-efficient equipment to meet limits on carbon production, Gibbs said. Jim Whitestone of the Ontario Ministry of Environment said the coalition hopes the cap-and-trade system will serve as a model for the governments of Canada and the United States.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-Government officials close to the investigation into the release of a list of 1,300 names of purported illegal immigrants in Utah tell the Associated Press the second person suspected in the case work in the imaging department of a state agency. The officials identified the worker as Leah Carson and they spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case. Carson worked in the imaging department for the state’s Department of Workforce Services. The imaging office scans documents to put them into electronic form. State officials say two workers methodically viewed private records to compile the list and Carson could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

(PHOENIX)-According to documents obtained by the Arizona Daily Star last week, federal authorities knew someone was planning a violent home invasion in the Arizona border town of Arivaca, more than a month before it happened. The documents, filed last week in Pima County’s Superior Court in Tucson, show two FBI informants claimed they told agents Shawna Forde was recruiting people to raid a house she thought was filled with money, drugs and guns. A man and his 9-year-old daughter were shot to death in the home May 30 although informants said they knew of the plot in April. Forde is reportedly connected to a border watch group that takes protecting Arizona’s border with Mexico into their own hands. She and two men were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the invasion and slayings. Prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty. The FBI stated they received information after the fact and will not comment until the case is tried. Mid-Utah Radio again expresses appreciation to KPHO-TV Channel 5 in Phoenix for information on this story.

(FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.)-Kaibab National Forest specialists are preparing to ignite splash piles on the Williams Ranger District this week. Depending on environmental conditions and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality approval, burning may begin on Wednesday at the Spring Valley and Frenchy units. If the request is approved, fire personnel plan to approximately 30 acres of piles on Spring Valley, which is nine miles north of Parks, Ariz. and Interstate 40 and 50 acres of piles on Frenchy, two miles south of I-40 just north of Horse Hill. Personnel are evaluating the potential for igniting the units depending on fuel moisture, humidity and wind. Light south winds are predicted for the region Wednesday. During the day, smoke will likely transport north of the project areas while managers expect smoke to settle into local areas overnight. Smoke may be visible for several days after ignition.

(DENVER)-The federal government is rapidly expanding a program to identify illegal immigrants using fingerprints from arrests. This has drawn opposition from local authorities and advocates, who argue the initiative amounts to an excessive dragnet. This program has received less publicity than Arizona’s immigration law, which debuts Thursday, but it may end up having more potential, due to its ability to round up and deport immigrants nationwide. Currently, the state of Colorado is debating the program, although it has been derided in such cities as San Francisco and Washington. Under this program, known as Secure Communities, the fingerprints of all those booked into jail for any crime are run against FBI criminal history records and Department of Homeland Security immigration records to determine who is in the country illegally and whether they’ve been arrested previously. Most jurisdictions are not included in the program, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been expanding the initiative. Since 2007, more than 450 jurisdictions in 26 states have joined. Due to the fact everyone would be fingerprinted who is arrested, the program could easily deport more people than Arizona’s law, according to attorney Sunita Patel. The program has had previous success as from October 2008-May 2010, almost 3 million people have been screened and of those, almost 35,000 people were identified as illegal immigrants previously arrested or convicted for more serious crimes, such as murder and rape. Colorado officials became interested in the program after an illegal immigrant from Guatemala with an extensive criminal record was accused of causing a car crash at a suburban Denver ice cream shop killing two women in a truck and a 3-year-old inside the store. Authorities say this illegal, Francis M. Hernandez evaded discovery because he conned police with 12 aliases and two different places of birth. The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition said in its letter to the governor that the Secure Communities is “inherently flawed and should not be implemented.” CIRC cited one of its major concerns is that in cases of domestic violence, where both parties involved may be taken into custody while authorities investigate, victims may feel reluctant to report crime out of fear illegal status may be discovered. However, ICE maintains that only suspects arrested for crimes, and not those reporting them, will be screened for legal status.

(HUNTINGTON)-As the Crandall Mine Canyon disaster approaches its third anniversary, coal mining in Utah appears to be experiencing a resurgence, both in profitability and safety. According to the Deseret News, Pete Heckford, the state’s director of Division of Boiler and Elevator Safety says among coal-producing states nationwide, Utah is even with Colorado for fifth place in underground mining, producing about 26 million tons of coal annually. In a report released in June, “The Structure and Economic Impact of Utah’s Coal Industry,” showed that in addition to those employed by the state’s coal-powered electricity plants in 2007, another 7,300 jobs were created through “ripple effects.” The statewide total earnings impact associated with the operation of the coal-powered plants was estimated to be around $350 million, according to the report from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Utah. Coal’s economic impact may also be felt by the royalties and taxes paid by the coal industry, the report stated. One of the larger mine operations in the state, the Deer Creek Mine near Huntington, produced about 4 million tons of coal last year, according to mine manager Earl Snow. Snow credits technological advances and industry-wide commitment to improving safety as major reasons for decreased mining injuries and fatalities through the years. Much of the reason for increased safety in the mines, according to Garth Nielsen, the director of the Utah Office of Mine Safety is the miners themselves making better choices while underground as well as the improved technology.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-The Utah Supreme Court overturned the conviction of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs Tuesday morning at a West Jordan courthouse. The court ruled that the trial judge, James Shumate, committed an error in his instructions to the jury. According to the high court, the jurors should have been instructed that in order to convict, they had to find it was Jeffs’ intent that Elissa Wall be raped without her consent. Since no such instruction was given, the court threw out Jeffs’ convictions and ordered a new trial. A spokesman for the attorney general says it has not yet been decided whether the case should be retried or not.

(SALT LAKE CITY)-A state lawmaker hoping to bring an Arizona-style immigration law to Utah says the version of the bill released to the media this week is fraudulent. Republican Representative Stephen Sandstrom of Orem says the phony measure circulated Monday included extreme proposals such as seasonal workers receiving tax exemptions for agreeing to ankle bracelet monitoring, housing “reservations” for such workers, employers who report illegal immigrants get refunds on their state Workers’ Compensation Fund contributions, sheriffs receiving the ability to deny bond for illegal immigrants because they’re a flight risk and compensations for ordinary citizens to enforce immigration laws. The Deseret News reported Sandstrom is outraged and he said someone seeks to sabotage him with the fake bill. The lawmaker also guarantees his bill says nothing concerning guest worker programs.

(RICHFIELD) – A suspect charged with the murder of a Millard County Deputy will appear in court today for a preliminary hearing. Court documents showed that 38-year old Roberto Roman of Delta is scheduled to appear in 6th District Court today at a preliminary hearing to determine the proceedings of his future trial. Roman was arrested and charged with murder for the slaying of Millard County Deputy Josie Fox of Delta at a traffic stop in the early morning hours of Jan. 5 east of Delta. He’s also charged with tampering with evidence and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. His accomplice, 37-year old Ruben Chavez-Reyes of Fillmore, has also been charged in the slaying.

(RICHFIELD) – Thunderstorms that passed through Central Utah over the past week were responsible for starting 15 fires. Personnel on the Fishlake National Forest say that ten of the fires are burning on the Fishlake with most at a tenth of an acre or less. Officials say the Twitchell Canyon Fire burning about 13 miles northeast of Beaver is at about 130 acres. For public safety, the Indian Creek Road after the Pole Canyon road junction is closed to Manderfield Reservoir until further notice. The Jensen Spring Fire, burning about 2 miles northeast of Monroe is also being managed. All fires are being allowed to burn to reduce hazardous fuels and take its natural role in the ecosystem. Fire personnel continue to observe and manage the fires including rate and direction of the spread, fuels and weather.