FYI PanguItch

by Mack Oetting ~ mackoetting @gmail.com

compares to Zion, and it is just in our backyard. With the temperatures warming up, the snow won't last very much longer, so now is the time to take a day and go visit it.

On our way down, we found where much of our snowstorms ended up. From Todd’s Junction down to Glendale, they got a whole lot of snow, and it is still several feet high. Because of many of the hills along the road, there are many big rocks that are flaking off, but so far none have landed on the road.

The car show, as usual, was great. I don’t think that there was room for one more car. They are like great works of art. They have many categories, and they give three trophies for each one. Carl, you should have been there. With more than three hundred cars, there were only two buckets; you would have won a trophy, maybe even first place. It is a pricey fun sport, and you do need a lot of money. Paint jobs are $15,000, motors are $25,000, chassis are $10,000, and its another $5,000 for the interior. But after all of that work, you can now go anywhere in that car and have people drooling over your ride.

Easter was a glorious day and a perfect day to celebrate the Savior's, Jesus Christ's, resurrection. It was the most prominent day in history, given all that believe in Him and Eternal Life. With all of the snow that California got and the flooding, much good came of it. Last year, their reservoirs were at 30%, and now they are at 90% and still filling up. Their ski resorts have so much snow that they are going to remain open till late June, if not longer if the demand is there. Our lakes and reser- voirs will also benefit from the snow, and maybe the Great Salt Lake will fill up some. Brain Head ski resort is also staying open longer this year, so don’t put away your sticks just yet.

The City has plans to do some wonderful things with our water system, ending some dead in mains and adding seven more fire hydrants. Any time you spend money on water systems, it is money well spent.

Elaine Baldwin has a petition she would like you to sign. It would give the people in the state the right to vote on changing the State flag. Arguments against the new flag that the legislature is choosing include that it has no history attached to it and that it is being presented by one of the legislators that is in the flag business and stands to make millions. I have seen his flag, and if it comes up to vote, it will probably only get his vote.

Not a whole lot is going on in April for the rest of the month, however, the 15th is this week, and it is tax time. This year, with all of the new IRS employees, they collected 80 billion more money than last year. The money will go to hiring more employees and paying down the national debt. April showers bring May flowers, and as fast as time is going, it will be May before you know it. Most of May’s excitement is at the end of the month on Memorial Day weekend. The American Legion will be putting out the flags at the cemetery on Friday. The City will again have their big sidewalk sale on Saturday, so get all of your fun things, and you might find someone who will love it. Monday is Memorial Day and honors those that gave life to us and to the military that gave their all for our freedom.

After that, it will be our start of summer with the Panguitch Quilt Walk Festival. Elaine Baldwin and Cheryl Church will head the Quilt Walk play, which brings much of the history of our little town back. So those cast members from before, go over your parts and be ready to put on a good show. Tera Conner will put on the old homes tours, and she has three homes to show and can use two more. There will be much more on these events as they draw closer.

The drug makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk say they will cut prices on some insulin products, an essential medicine for millions of people with diabetes. This will bring those with private insurance in line with those that have Medicare that was signed into effect early in the year by President Biden. This is part of the Inflation Reduction Act and will save Medicare beneficiaries $25 billion dollars. This act will also allow Medicare to negotiate some drug prices and allow them to get drugs from the cheaper places.

OPEC has decided to cut oil imports to us by 1 ½ million barrels a day. When oil got down to $72 dollars a barrel, by cutting back on the barrels, it helps keep up their trillion dollar business. Gas has gone up nationally to $3.55 for 87 octane, and Utah still has one of the highest gas prices in the country.

The new job market finally fell back to 145,000 new jobs. The unemployment also went down 3.5%, which means more people are sticking with their current employment. Supposedly, this is what the Feds are looking for in their efforts to bring down inflation. OPEC's cuts also will cause an increase in inflation.

Pat and I will be tripping this next weekend, so if you have any news, save it for the next week.

With the days like they have been, get out of the house and enjoy life because that is why you are here.

Mack O

Nine Intermountain Health Cancer Centers

First in Utah to Achieve National Accreditation from American Society for Radiation Oncology for Clinical Excellence

UTAH - Nine Intermountain Health cancer centers are the first in Utah to earn accreditation from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), APEx- Accreditation Program for Excellence—an objective external validation that a radiation oncology facility is delivering high-quality patient care.

The nine Intermountain cancer centers to earn accreditation are located at:

Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital, Intermountain Cedar City Hospital, Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital, Intermountain American Fork Hospital, Intermountain Riverton Hospital, Intermountain Medical Center, Intermountain LDS Hospital, Intermountain McKayDee Hospital, and Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital.

The nine Intermountain cancer centers are among only 200 facilities nationwide to earn APEx accreditation.

The Utah sites join two additional Intermountain Health cancer centers in Colorado to hold this accreditation. Those are Cancer Centers of Colorado at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction, accredited since 2018, and Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, accredited since 2016.

“The accreditation process is a very rigorous, multi-step process that took more than a year to complete,” said Craig Nielsen, director for radiation oncology at Intermountain Health. “We evaluated all our policies and procedures using objective, evidencebased performance measures in radiation oncology.”

APEx, is a voluntary process during which a radiation oncology practice is evaluated using consensus-based standards. Each cancer center must demonstrate its safety and quality process and show that it adheres to patient-centered care by promoting effective communication, coordinated treatments, and strong patient engagement.

“This accreditation demonstrates to our patients that we are committed to the highest standards of safety and quality in the practice of radiation oncology,” said Nielsen. “Patients receiving treatment at our centers can be assured they will receive the highest quality care and that our team will work closely with them as partners in their care.”

With less than 5% of cancer centers in the United States currently accredited, this is a unique and prestigious honor.

“We know that getting a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most difficult times for our patients,” Nielsen added. “It’s because of our patients and their families that our team has worked so diligently to earn this recognition and accreditation,” said Nielsen.

The national accreditation also recognizes that patients being treated at an Intermountain accredited facility have access to the most advanced cancer care that is delivered with compassion and coordination in a personalized approach from a specialized multidisciplinary team.

“ASTRO commends Intermountain Health’s cancer centers for achieving APEx accreditation,” said Laura A. Dawson, MD, chair of the ASTRO board of directors. “By undergoing this comprehensive review, these facilities demonstrate their strong commitment to delivering safe, high-quality radiation oncology services to their patients.”

—Intermountain Health

April 17 - April 23

by John Mosley

Dark

Sky Week:

The night sky has provided inspiration to people throughout the ages. Gazing at stars and the moon joins the past with the present. We are fortunate to live here, in one of the last remaining places on earth where we are still able to view the same glories of the night sky as our ancestors.

Dark Sky Week

Cont'd from A1 outdoor lighting for a variety of needs, including safety and commerce, it is important to do our best to minimize the harmful effects of lighting by attempting to

Only put light where we need it, Use energy efficient bulbs that are only as bright as needed, • Shield lights and direct them down, Only use light when we need it,

• And choose light bulbs with a warm color.

The night sky has provided inspiration to people throughout the ages. Gazing at stars and the moon joins the past with the present. We are fortunate to live here, in one of the last remaining places on earth where we are still able to view the same glories of the night sky as our ancestors.

You are invited to join in celebration by attending a star party and dark sky monitoring event on April

15th from 9:00 - 10:30 p.m. in Teasdale, Utah at 200 E. Rustler Street (two blocks east of the Teasdale Post Office). For more information, contact Barb Walkush at barb.walkush@gmail. com. During International Dark Sky Week, take a walk in the dark, listen to the creatures of the night, contemplate the majesty of the stars, and maybe discover something you didn’t even know you were seeking.

—Torrey Dark Skies

People who like a challenge should try to spot the ultra-thin crescent moon, only 1% illuminated by the sun, immediately after sunset on the 20th, when the moon is a scant 23 hours past new. Find a spot with a very low western horizon and use binoculars. It will be 5° below Mercury at the 7 o’clock position, but at 2nd magnitude, Mercury itself won’t be easy to see. The following night the moon will be higher and 4% illuminated—still the thinnest of crescents and an unusual sight in binoculars. Early spring is the best time of year to see the youngest of moons for exactly the same reason it’s the best time of year to see Mercury, as explained last week, so this evening is an excellent occasion to try for your record young new moon.

Three planets are visible tonight, two easily and one with difficulty. The hard one is Mercury, just mentioned, which on the

17th sets 90 minutes after the sun; after the 17th, it sets even earlier. Don’t bother unless you’re up for the challenge, and then you’ll need binoculars.

In contrast, Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky. It’s 1/3 of the way up the western sky in evening twilight, and it sets 3½ hours after the sun.

Venus is moving eastward through Taurus, passing 5° to the right of the Hyades Star Cluster from the 15th through 20th; watch it move nightly against the background of distant stars.

Mars is as bright as the brighter stars and it’s noticeably orange in color, and you’ll find it in the middle of Gemini, the Twins, and twice as high as Venus as darkness falls. Mars is midway between Procyon to the left and Capella to the right, and it’s at the bottom of a narrow V with Castor (L) and Pollux (R) above. Almost straight below Mars is Orion, the

Hunter—a familiar winter constellation that lingers into the spring.

The first decent meteor shower in months peaks early on the morning of the 23rd when Lyrid meteors flash overhead. An observer in a dark location might see one meteor every four minutes radiate from near the bright star Vega. Better showers are ahead.

An unusual solar eclipse happens on the opposite side of the earth on the 20th, and of course we won’t see it. Mark your calendars for an unusual annular, or ring, solar eclipse that passes through Utah on October 14, 2023. All stargazers appreciate, and rely on, a dark sky, yet dark skies are becoming a rarity. The International Dark-Sky Association was founded in 1988 to help preserve dark skies for many important practical reasons beyond the aesthetics of being able to enjoy a star-filled sky. Some communities have been surprisingly successful in limiting wasted and harmful light (I’ve just returned from Tucson where they’ve had outstanding success); other communities not so much. April 1522 is “International Dark Sky Week”; Google it for more information.

John Mosley was Program Supervisor of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles for 27 years and is the author of “Stargazing for Beginners” and “Stargazing with Binoculars and Telescopes.” He and his wife live in St. George, where he continues to stargaze from his retirement home while serving on the advisory committee for Stellar Vista Observatory.