The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is allowing its ward house in San Marcos, Calif., to be used for immigration services, including the issuance of matricula cards for immigrants from Mexico who need the ID to function in the United States.

UFIRE, you might recall, is the group clamoring for tougher laws and enforcement against undocumented immigration, and some of them even suggested the LDS Church should cancel church privileges to members who are in the country illegally. Church officials responded to that suggestion a few years ago by telling them, in so many words, to go to heck.

Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, has been UFIRE's go-to guy in the Legislature, although he won't be there next year after getting thumped in the Republican primary.

Some of that ilk have complained about the church allowing its facility to be used for such services, but LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter says the Mexican Consulate asked the church if it could provide temporary location for a "Mobile Consulate" for Mexican citizen services that are legally provided at the consulate in San Diego.

"The church sought the input of the U.S. State Department Office in Los Angeles, which confirmed that the request involved legal services provided by the Mexican Consulate. The church then provided the location simply as an act of neighborliness, just as it has for evacuation centers during major fires and in housing the National Guard, or providing temporary relief for flood victims in New Orleans and Iowa," Trotter said.

Gee, a church acting neighborly. How dare it.

Experts on experts? Jan Hubbard of McClatchy Newspapers allegedly is an expert on the NBA. At least he writes a column that purportedly gives readers inside information about the NBA.

So his online column Friday about the NBA draft quickly pointed out his superior knowledge, making fun of longtime basketball commentators Dick Vitale, Fran Fraschilla and Mark Jackson for statements they made during the draft coverage Hubbard felt were a bit naive.

Then Hubbard adds: "That aside, Jackson ranks second all time behind Magic Johnson in assists, so he knows a little about the game."

Uh, Hubbard - expert - ever heard of a guy named John Stockton?

Power Man to the rescue: The neighborhood around 4th Avenue and C Street in Salt Lake City was in a slight panic recently when Polly Schnaper's chubby little cat Phoebe got herself stuck in the wires of a telephone pole near the house.

Several neighbors tried different options to rescue the distraught and piteously meowing cat, including ladders, tuna and - the most original - using lawn aerating shoes to climb the pole.

Finally, the Schnapers called Rocky Mountain Power and Seth at the company said he would see if a service truck was in the area.

Less than 30 minutes later, a Rocky Mountain Power truck, complete with cherry picker, chugged up the street.

Chan, the driver and rescuer, elevated the cherry picker, reached calmly out to the nervous and distrusting feline, and, within a few seconds, had her by the scruff of the neck and into the cab of the picker.

He is Polly's new superhero. And he didn't even wear a cape.

prolly@sltrib.com