UTAH NEWS DIGEST

Utah at 3 p.m.

The supervisor is Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City bureau can be reached at 801-322-3405. For technical assistance, call 800-305-9534. AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can be obtained from www.apexchange.com

CONCEALED CARRY

The Utah House has advanced a bill eliminating the need for a permit to carry a concealed gun in Utah if it's unloaded. The bill from Vernal Republican Rep. John Mathis allows anyone 21 or over to carry a hidden gun as long as they haven't been convicted of a crime that bars a person from legally owning a firearm. A permit would still be required to carry a loaded, hidden weapon or carry a hidden weapon on a school campus or in another state that honors concealed weapon permits from Utah. Four other states currently allow residents to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. By Annie Knox.

MEDICAID EXPANSION-UTAH

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Herbert is coming under increasing pressure to accept the federal government's offer to expand Medicaid. A rally is scheduled for Friday on the steps of the state Capitol and Utah Democrats made their case earlier this week in a press conference saying rural and working poor residents need the help. By Brady McCombs.

DINOSAUR SPECIES

RAPID CITY, S.D. — A team led by a South Dakota School of Mines and Technology assistant professor has discovered a new species of plant-eating dinosaurs that was a food source for an extinct relative of the crocodile. Clint Boyd and two colleagues from other universities published fossil evidence of a crocodyliform feeding on small ornithopod dinosaurs. The findings, published this week in the academic journal PLOS ONE, are significant because dinosaurs are typically depicted as the dominant species, he said.

SPORTS:

SPD--US OPEN-TETER

Here's the scoop: Production of snowboarder Hannah Teter's featured ice cream flavor has been frozen for the moment. The Ben & Jerry's flavor named after the two-time Olympic medalist fell out of favor and the company decided to give it a break. Don't worry, though, "Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie" might be back in stores before the 2014 Sochi Games. One thing's for sure: Teter certainly isn't going anywhere. She's always near the top and rarely needs a break. By Pat Graham.

SBD--GRAND PRIX-FREESKIING

PARK CITY, Utah — Skicross finals at the U.S. Snowboarding and Freeskiing Grand Prix at Canyons resort in Park City, Utah 10 a.m.-1 p.m. By Lynn DeBruin.

ALSO:

— PUSH POLLING BILL — The Utah Senate has advanced a measure to improve transparency in political polling and cut down on a practice known as push polling.

— MORMON SCRIPTURES-UPDATED EDITION — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released a new edition of its English-language scriptures that's been eight years in the making.

— COLLECT CALL SCAM-INMATES — Authorities say a phone company lost at least $200,000 after two Davis County jail inmates' collect calls were billed to bogus accounts.

— ROTTWEILER SHOT-POLICE — Police say a Rottweiler was shot to death while police were trying to arrest its owner for an assault in Taylorsville.

— WILD TURKEYS — Utah legislators are talking turkey — that is, they're looking to curb the growing population of wild turkeys.

— TROOPER SAFETY — Utah troopers are practically begging people to steer clear of them when they make traffic stops or respond to accidents.

The AP.