The Wayne & Garfield County Insider February 15, 2024

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The

Insider

Serving Wayne & Garfield Counties, Utah

Loa • Fremont • Lyman • Bicknell • Teasdale • Torrey • Grover • Fruita • Caineville • Hanksville Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Antimony • Bryce • Tropic • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder

Corner Post Media, P.O. Box 105, Escalante, UT 84726

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Issue #1550

insiderutah.com

Bill Introduced to Protect Water Resources After Wildfires in National Forests

New Horizons Advisory Opinion: Escalante City's Project Joins Crisis Approval of Site Plan for Family Dollar "Unlawful" Centers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mitt Romney and Michael Bennet (D-CO), along with Representatives Celeste Maloy (R-UT), John Curtis (RUT), Joe Neguse (D-CO), and Yadira Caraveo (DCO), today introduced the Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act, bipartisan legislation to help communities and water users protect their water supply after natural disasters on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands. The bicameral legislation would create a new Emergency Forest Watershed Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to streamline recovery efforts and protect life, private property, and water resources downstream of America’s national forests. “Over the last several years in Utah, we have seen the need for a program

Utah’s Property Rights Ombudsman, Ms. Clery’s assessment of the need to re-zone was correct. “The City’s project approval of the commercial site plan was unlawful because it proposed a

RICHFIELD - February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, and at New Horizons Crisis Center, we work hard each February to raise awareness about this important and prevalent issue. We do our best to maintain an online presence, where we run a month-long social media campaign to bring recognition to teen dating violence. We join crisis centers nationwide in wearing the color orange (the official color of TDVAM) on February 6th’s “Wear Orange Day.” We hold workshops and provide educational presentations about healthy relationships, and we offer resources to those who have been affected by abuse. We are here to provide resources and information to help prevent unhealthy relationships and to empower young people through our services.

Unlawful

Teen Dating

Nationwide Raising Teen Dating Awarness

Insider

Richard B. Plehn, Attorney for the State of Utah's Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman, issued an advisory opinion on January 25, 2024, stating that Escalante City's approval of the Family Dollar Store at Highway 12 and 300 East was "unlawful, and must be reconsidered because it did not comply in substance with the terms and standards of applicable land use regulations."

ESCALANTE – It’s been almost a year since the March 21, 2023 meeting in Escalante City Council chambers, where council members heard concerns from over a dozen city residents—and before a standing-room-only crowd— related to the citing of a Wildfires Family Dollar/Dollar Tree Cont'd on A5

Benefit for Bex by Jaynie Connor

PANGUITCH - The power of community was on full display in Panguitch, Utah on Friday February 2nd, 2024. Locals gathered together in the Panguitch High School Gymnasium for a raffle, silent auction and bake sale in honor of one of Panguitch’s newest residents, Bex Gary Hall.

Courtesy Shelby Hall

Baby Bex Gary Hall is at home and recovering following an early-life run in with Covid-19. Bex was born on December 28, 2023, to Panguitch residents Kaden and Shelby Hall. At just eight days old he tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized for observation and was then life flighted to undergo further testing at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City where he stayed

for eleven days. With a necessary Life Flight ride to Salt Lake City from Panguitch, ambulance rides, and hospitalization, medical bills have added up extremely fast. Friends and family decided to put together an event to raise funds to assist with the financial strain that can accompany having a newborn in the hospital. Bex is currently back in Panguitch with with parents and siblings and is recovering and resting. When asked how home recovery is going, Bex’s mom Shelby answered, “He is doing okay. Still on oxygen at home but we are home and that’s amazing.” She continued, “We would like to express our thanks to the community of Garfield County for how generous that have been to our family. The calls, texts, visits around town, dinner, financial help and support means the world to us. We hope we can give back as opportunities arise around us. We have so much gratitude for everyone who Baby Bex Cont'd on A2

REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST

store within the city limits on Highway 12 and 300 East. Among those speaking that evening was Catie Clery, who voiced concerns about the split zoning of the parcel; the frontage area being zoned as ResidentialCommercial and the rear zoned as Single-Family

Residential. “If any of these properties were to be developed commercially,” Clery asked, “wouldn’t the property owner need to petition to be rezoned within the Residential-Commercial zone? According to a January 25, 2024 advisory opinion from Richard B. Plehn,

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Billboard industry won’t get seat on Orchard Docent Scenic Byway Committee in revised bill Volunteer Under this bill, the Legislature would have more control over the state’s scenic byways Program at by Anastasia Hufham | The Salt Lake Tribune Capitol Reef National Park CAPITOL REEF N.P. - After initial interest from community members last fall, Capitol Reef National Park is moving forward with a new orchard docent volunteer program. The park is seeking several orchard docents who can volunteer regularly to help communicate the importance of the orchards to visitors. Orchard docents will interact with visitors and share orchard history, help during fruit harvests, and may work with park staff to collect scientific data. Docents may staff orchards to answer questions about picking fruit, lead orchard Docents Cont'd on A2

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune

Cyclists race along Scenic Byway 12 above the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument during the Tour Of Utah bike race in 2016. A proposed bill would give the Utah Legislature — and the billboard companies who lobby its members — more power over the management of scenic byways over local governments, critics say. A discussion meant to billboards — even though the process by which scefocus on legislation amend- they’re not mentioned in nic byways are designated ing the management of the bill text. or removed throughout the Utah’s scenic byways on SB 28, sponsored by Billboards Monday instead evolved Sen. Wayne Harper, R-TayCont'd on A2 into a spirited debate about lorsville, makes changes to

UPCOMING EVENTS... Bryce Winterfest Feb. 17 -19

Presidents Day

Feb. 19

Ruby's Inn rubysinn.com/bryce-canyonwinter-festival

FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA

THURS. FEB. 15 - WED. FEB. 21

Partly cloudy most of this week with highs in the 40s, lows in the low 30s. Chance of rain/ snow showers Mon.-Wed. Light winds, 7-10 mph.

**Weather is subject to Change

Things are beautiful if you love them.

—Jean Anouilh

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