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The third-party candidate who could hurt Romney. Hatch a model for 'Sen. Fido.' The debate over Utah's concealed carry permit.

Happy Monday. It looks like Condi Rice isn't going to be Mitt Romney's vice presidential choice, as she headlines a list of speakers announced for the Republican National Convention. Others include Sen. John McCain and Mike Huckabee. [TampaBay]

Topping the news: For the second straight month, Romney has raised more than $100 million, putting major pressure on President Barack Obama to keep pace. [WaPost]

-> Obama has been to 43 states as president. Utah isn't one of them and that's unlikely to change soon, but Utah's members of Congress say they would welcome a presidential visit. [Trib]

Today's News: Taking a hard stance on immigration, Constitution party presidential candidate Virgil Goode may steal away some of Romney's votes in key swing states, namely Virginia. [Trib]

-> Utah ranchers lose another round in the fight over water rights against Las Vegas. The ranchers say drawing water away from Snake Valley will have disastrous effects. [Trib] [KCPW]

-> Paul Rolly says a Salt Lake City street widening project left at least one person out in the rain. [Trib]

Tweet of the day: From @christykarras: "Curiosity lands on Mars! Wonder which fictional scenario will turn out to be most correct: Mines? Monsters? Three-breasted hookers?" For more on NASA's big success: [LATimes]

Hatch = Fido: Sen. Orrin Hatch is the model for a fictional character called "Sen. Fido," in a new farcical sci-fi novel called "Year Zero." The book's author, Rob Reid identified Hatch as the model in a footnote of his book about extraterrestrials falling in love with Earth music, but then facing bankruptcy because they owe an enormous amount for copyright violations. Reid, appearing on NPR's "On the Media," over the weekend had this to say about Sen. Fido:

"This character fancies himself to be a songwriter, so music industry lobbyists … are able to manipulate him by playing to this little fantasy of his. From my own interactions with him over the years, I accrued quite a collection of Orrin Hatch CDs, actually. It is firmly believed in certain circles that music industry lobbyists have played to Mr. Hatch's music-writing pretensions to great effect."

The Sikh shooting: Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill posted this on Facebook: "As an American I am outraged at what seems as a targeted killing of a people in prayer by virtue of their cultural and ethnic identity. As a Sikh I am heartbroken and deeply saddened that a moment of prayer by people who are no different from any one us were subjected to this senseless act of violence. We are better than this, we have to be." For more on the shootings: [JournalSentinel]

-> Obama and Romney offer their condolences. [TheHill] [NYTimes]

Opinion section: Paul Rolly says state legislators who are at odds with the press, run to their own colleague's radio show, Red Meat Radio, to "set the record straight." [Trib]

-> Barb Guy tells the story of a young boy's imaginative arcade, and the filmmaker who decided to show the world. [Trib]

-> A retired professor from Weber State University says socialism doesn't deserve the dirty reputation it has and people forget that it's everywhere in our society. [Trib]

-> Leaders of the Salt Lake Chamber and the Downtown Alliance say downtown cannot be expected to grow without a proper performing arts center. [Trib]

-> Advocates for children say lawmakers need to start putting kid's issues ahead of other priorities, such as high poverty rates and a lack of health insurance. [Trib]

-> The vice chair of the Utah Republican Party says the Aurora tragedy points out that "gun-free-zones" are also "criminal-safe-zones." [Trib]

-> The director of the Alliance for a Better UTAH says that Sen. Mike Lee needs to stop embarrassing Utah with his obstructionist attitude. [Trib]

-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb discuss the future of conservative lawmakers and the resurgence of mainstream and productive members of Congress. [DNews]

-> Pat Bagley's take on Romney's tax record woes. [Trib]

-> Former Sen. Robert Bennett says facts matter in elections, but get muddled often. He touts a new university effort to change that. [DNews]

Weekend in review: While one of Mitt Romney's main selling points is his involvement in saving the 2002 Olympics, critics point out he couldn't have done it without a multi-million investment from the federal government. [Trib]

-> Cheap for hire, out-of-state concealed carry instructors may dilute the rigor and credibility of Utah's concealed weapon's permit. [Trib]

-> Rep. Rob Bishop blasts NASA for snubbing Utah company Alliant Techsystems proposal for space exploration projects. [DNews]

-> Democrat candidate for Attorney General Dee Smith criticizes AG Mark Shurtleff's handling of the Colorado City property trust, resulting in the state owing an accountant more than $5 million dollars. [KUTV]

-> Interviews with Peter Metcalf, advocate of the outdoor recreation industry, and Democratic candidate for Congress Donna McAleer. [KCPW]

-> As the state board of education meets with representatives for the Common Core Standards, they try to shake the perception that it's a federal takeover. [KCPW]

2012 watch: Romney has yet to show American voters the real him, instead the Obama camp has painted its own picture of the candidate. [ABCNews]

-> A new Romney ad attacks Obama on increasing joblessness and the president's new ad hits the GOP candidate on his remarks about getting rid of Planned Parenthood. [NYTimes]

-> Romney has the perfect storm of events working for him in the election, so why can't he get a definitive lead against the president? [WaPost]

-> Republicans are lashing out at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, with one calling him a "dirty liar" for his accusation that Romney didn't pay taxes for 10 years. [NYTimes]

-> The two campaigns argue over a lawsuit filed by the Obama camp against Ohio. Romney says they're attacking the military's voting rights, while the president's campaign say they're defending the rights of all in the state. [CNN] [TheHill]

-> One of Obama's chief campaign advisers received a $100,000 speaking fee from a firm that does business with Iran. [WaPost]

-> Romney says he's against any more stimulus money from the federal government going towards boosting the economy. [Reuters]

Where are they?

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker sits in on a Performing Arts Center Meeting, then meets with Public Utilities Director Jeff Niermeyer.

S.L. County Mayor Peter Corroon holds a cabinet meeting before giving a presentation at Millcreek Beautiful Gardens.

WVC Mayor Mike Winder visits Oquirrh Meadows Assisted Living Center.

President Barack Obama signs the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, then appears at a campaign event in Connecticut.

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 you inbox. [Trib]

— Matt Canham and Andreas Rivera Twitter.com/mattcanham and Twitter.com/andreascrivera