Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder • Fremont • Loa • Lyman Bicknell • Teasdale • Torrey • Grover • Fruita • Caineville • Hanksville
HEADS UP!
WAYNE COUNTY ANGEL TREE PROGRAM
OR LOSE YOUR MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE
If you have received a notice that your Medicare Advantage plan is not going to be available in 2012, it is especially important that you carefully consider your options, and enroll in a new plan during the Open Enrollment Period. Failure to take action will not end your Medicare benefits for hospitals and doctors. But it could result in losing prescription drug coverage for all of next year, with no way to get it back until 2013. Most people who have received this notice will have the option of enrolling in another Medicare Advantage plan. If your old plan included prescription drug coverage, you will want the new plan to include it, too. Those who don’t have this option, and those for whom 2012 Medicare Advantage plans don’t work well (for example, they don’t cover the medications you take), can revert to original Medicare coverage, and choose a separate standalone drug plan. In Utah, there are 33 such plans, with premiums starting just over $15 per month. But, just like Medicare Advantage plans which include drug coverage, you want to be sure the plan you choose covers your medications. So the lowest premium may not be best for your needs. You need to compare them for total overall cost. This can be done online at www.medicare.gov. Have your Medicare card handy, as well as a list of your prescription medications (including name, dosage, and frequency of use), and the name and address of your favorite pharmacy. Remember, selection of a new Medicare Advantage plan, or a new stand-alone prescription drug plan, MUST be completed by December 7, the end of the Open Enrollment Period. Those who decide to revert to original Medicare coverage also have the guaranteed option to purchase supplemental, or “Medigap” coverage, which can help pay for the deductibles and co-payments that original Medicare does not pay. Medigap policies, however, do not cover deductibles and co-payments for stand-alone drug plans. Everyone should know that there is plenty of help available to assist them in understanding the choices, and in making the selection that best fits their needs. Trained help is available at 1-800-MEDICARE [1-800-633-4227] 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or, you can contact the Utah SHIP program at 1-435-893-0736, for honest, objective, and accurate advice from a fellow Utahn.
Once again this holiday season, Wayne County will participate in the Angel Tree program. The Angel Tree will be in Royals Food Town in Loa the weekend before Thanksgiving. The process is simple; select a tag, purchase the gift, return the gift and the tag to either the Bicknell Community Cen-
ern edge of Escalante just past the cemetery on the north side of State Highway 12 beginning October 31. Construction to repair the parking area and sidewalks around the Interagency Visitor Center, and the underlying safety concerns for visitors, necessitated the move of all visitor-related
PANGUITCH WEATHER
LOA WEATHER
ter or the USU Extension Service Office in the Courhouse. Your generosity is deeply appreciated. If you would like to volunteer to help with the Angel Tree Program, please contact Diane Borgerding at 435-425-3142 to leave a message or 435-425-2111. Whether you want to volunteer to help collect gifts,
wrap gifts, or make a cash donation, we can definately use your help. If you have any further questions, please contact me, Diane Borgerding, Angel Tree Program Chairman
Linda’s
Home for The HolidaysBoutique
ATTENTION VETERANS AND SURVIVING SPOUSES The State Department of Veterans’ Affairs has accredited service officers who travel assisting with claims and benefits. This is a free service. Veterans need not be a member of any organization to qualify for assistance. Call 1-800-894-9497 for more information.
Escalante Visitor Center Operations Temporarily Moving October 31 The Escalante Interagency Visitor Center, which serves Dixie National Forest, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, is temporarily moving its Visitor Information services to the Hole-in-the-Rock Heritage Center located on the east-
Thursday, November 3, 2011 • Issue # 913
services to the Heritage Center. The construction is expected to take two weeks. Upon completion, visitor operations will return to the Interagency Visitor Center. Visitor Center Staff will be at the Heritage Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily during this period. Information brochures, trail handouts, maps, and a limited selection of gift items will be available for visitors. For-sale items will be on cash basis only. Fuel wood permits and All American Passes will also be available at the Heritage Center. The telephone number for visitor information will remain 435-826-5499. All other government business will be conducted from the USFS Building adjacent to the Interagency Visitor Center.
November 4th & 5th 10am to 5pm 33 South Main, Loa Free Candle with $50 purchase Door Prizes - Free Brownies APPLICATION SEASON FOR H.E.A.T. PROGRAM BEGINS NOV. 1
Home Energy Assistance Target (H.E.A.T.) applications will be accepted beginning November 1, 2011 and continue through the end of September, 2012 or until funds are exhausted, the Utah Division of Housing and Community Development announced today. H.E.A.T. helps eligible families pay for home heating, cooling, and other energy costs, as well as helping to weatherize eligible families’ homes. “During these tight economic times communities throughout Utah have seen increased demand on key services, such as energy assistance for low-income families. The recent cold snap puts even more pressure on families as they weigh the need to turn on their furnaces,” said Utah Division of Housing and Community Development director Gordon Walker. “The energy subsidies we are releasing this season will help more families afford heat and avert difficult choices too many Utahns face between paying for heat and paying for other essentials like food and medicine.” To qualify, a family must earn below 150 percent of the federal poverty level: about $33,000 for a family of four. Priority for H.E.A.T. assistance is given to households with the highest energy burden in relationship to household income while taking into consideration vulnerable populations such as the elderly, disabled and families with young children. Utahns are encouraged to visit our website at http://housing.utah.gov/seal/offices.html to find their county’s contact information, or to dial 2-1-1. The H.E.A.T. program is administered by the State Energy Assistance and Lifeline office through a statewide network of local community-based organizations. Last year, the funding enabled the H.E.A.T. program to assist more than 50,000 low-income Utah households with their utility bills. The H.E.A.T. program is Utah’s version of the federal LIHEAP program (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program LIHEAP). It is funded 100% by the Federal Government through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Utah’s State Energy Assistance and Lifeline Office is managed by the Utah Division of Housing and Community Development under the Utah Department of Community and Culture. For more information on the heat program in your area, Call Garfield County Heat Office at (435) 467-8597, or Wayne County residents can call (435)893-0745. Applications are taken by appointment only.
DAVCO BUILDING THE SNUGGLE INN......................................................836-2898 55 South Main, Loa ( www.thesnuggleinn.com ) Conference Rooms - meetings, socials, business, reunions, shower rooms, etc. TOSCONOS PIZZERIA.................................................836-2500 Hours: Open: Mon - Sat: 11-8pm ~ Closed Sundays. Sandwiches, Paninnis, Pizzas,Wraps, Salads, Pastas, Breadsticks, Cin-A-Stick w/Frosting, Smoothies and Specialty Coffees CREATIVE SPIRIT GALLERY & GIFTS..................836-2898 www.giftscreativespirit.com MANE-E-ACS HAIR SALON .....................................836-2602 Kimber Wood (Walk-ins, Hair Cuts, Perms, Colors, Pedicures, and Hair Extensions & Jewelry.) PACE TAX SERVICE.....................................................836-2218 Tax Preparations, Refund Loans, IRS E-Filing, and Tax Planning. THE WAYNE & GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia and is distributed weekly to all of Garfield County. Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Articles submitted from independent writers are not necessarily the opinion of Snapshot Multimedia. We sincerely hope you enjoy the paper and encourage input on ideas and/or suggestions for the paper. Thank you for your support.
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. Abraham Lincoln
Wayne Phone: 435-836-2622 Garfield Phone: 435-676-2621 Fax 1-888-370-8546 PO BOX 472, Loa, Utah 84747 snapshot@live.com ALL content for THE WAYNE &GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER must be submitted on FRIDAY BEFORE 5:00 PM to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper.
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PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID LOA, UTAH PERMIT No. 5