This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Anti-Romney, anti-Mormon sign comes down in Cali. Utah County prosecutor to take on Jenson case. WaPost sells for $250 million.

Happy Tuesday. An anti-Mitt Romney neon sign has come down after almost a year in a California neighborhood after the protestor was jailed and a court ordered the 13-foot-tall structure removed. The sign, posted during the height of the 2012 presidential race, displayed a website address for a site that slammed Romney's Mormon faith for not allowing black men full rights until the 1970s. [VCStar]

Topping the news: Jailed businessman Marc Sessions Jenson, who has made accusations against AG John Swallow, will no longer be prosecuted by the AG's office. Instead, the task will fall to acting Utah County Attorney Tim Taylor. Jenson's lawyers are also requesting that the AG's investigator be replaced. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13] [ABC4]

-> The Utah House committee investigating AG John Swallow will hold its first meeting today. [DNews]

-> Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is buying The Washington Post for $250 million in cash. [WaPost] [USAToday]

Tweet of the day: From @jim_newell: "Why pay so much for the post? You can read it for free online"

In other news: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes seeking federal protection under the Endangered Species Act for two rare plant species endemic to the Uinta Basin. These plants' range has diminished due to oil an gas development, invasive species and grazing. [Trib]

-> In a rare joint op-ed, Utah's three Republican House members extoll the reasons for Congress' August recess and offer support for a "grand bargain"-style compromise to preserve some land and open others up for development. [DNews]

-> Utah's two senators and the state's attorney general are standing up in defense of opening prayers in government meetings. The U.S. Supreme Court is due to hear a case involving a New York town where an appellate court ruled that starting town board meetings with predominantly Christian prayers was a violation of the Constitution. [Trib]

-> After nearly two decades presiding over the 3rd District Court mental health court, the first of its kind in Utah, Judge Judith Atherton is retiring. [Trib]

-> Proposed cuts to the food stamps program would mean a reduction in benefits for around 253,000 Utahns. Current legislation governing funding to the program expires Oct. 31st and Congress has yet to pass a bill outlining the new budget. [DNews]

-> A UTA employee claims in a new lawsuit that her supervisor forced her to have sexual relations with him in order to get better work assignments. [Trib]

-> A Sandy man has been charged with running an illegal bar out of his home. [Trib]

-> Candidates for West Valley City mayor say during a forum that their first priority is returning faith in the city's police force. [Trib]

Nationally: More than 80 lawmakers from the House and Senate have signed a letter asking the Obama administration to scrap a policy that bans gay men from donating blood. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., was the only Republican to sign the letter. [TheHill]

-> A "temperature poll" conducted by Quinnipiac University that asked voters how they felt about politicians on a scale of 0-100, with zero being the coldest and 100 the warmest, has found that the nation's "hottest" political figure is Chris Christie. Hillary Clinton came in a close second and President Barack Obama was fourth. [ABCNews] [Politico]

-> A group of 76 senators, including Republicans Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have signed a letter to the White House urging the Obama administration to take a harder line against Iran's nuclear program. [TheHill]

-> Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is demanding that CNN and NBC drop their planned Hillary-Clinton related film projects or risk losing partnership on the 2016 GOP presidential primary debates. [Politico] [WaPost] [TheHill]

-> In a talk at the National Press Club, Texas State Senator Wendy Davis, famous for her lengthy filibuster earlier this summer, said that she's thinking about running for governor. Current Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced last month that he would not be running for reelection. [Politico] [NYTimes]

Where are they?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz appears on Fox News and attends a Salt Lake Bees game.

Gov. Gary Herbert meets with Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams attends the County Council meetings.

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker meets with officials to discuss the new performing arts center and takes part in an immigration reform roundtable.

President Barack Obama travels to Phoenix, Arizona where he tours Erickson Construction and talks about his plans to restore security to homeownership in a speech at Desert Vista High School. In the afternoon he flies to Los Angeles to tape his appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]

— Thomas Burr and Isobel MarkhamTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/i_markham