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Serving Wayne & Garfield Counties, Utah
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Thursday, March 2, 2023
BIFF Heads to the Wild West in 2023 BICKNELL - The Bicknell International Film Festival (BIFF) is headed to the Wild West in 2023. The Entrada Institute notes this year’s theme is "Cowboys! Dinosaurs! The Good, the Bad, and Worse!" Entrada Institute President Marci Milligan opined, “BIFF 2023 promises to, once again, uphold the ongoing moniker of ‘Better Living Through Bad Cinema.’ Of course, costumes and sidebar activities will surely maintain the BIFF tradition of marginal taste.” BIFF runs July 21 and 22 at the Bicknell Theater. Friday night’s festivities include the traditional caravan from Torrey. Door prizes worth hundreds of cents will be awarded. The opening feature on Friday is The Valley of Gwangi. This 1969 film, starring James Franciscus, has an implausible plot. A cowboy seeks fame and fortune by capturing an Allosaurus living in the Forbidden Valley and putting it in a circus. One critic noted, “that Gwangi, the snarling dinosaur created from a tabletop model, is
Issue # 1502
insiderutah.com
Decreasing Risks, Improving Protections
Garfield County’s Prevention Coalitions lead the way on substance abuse and mental health issues
Wayne County Commission by Lisa Jeppson
Feb. 21, 2023
Courtesy Heather Dunton
Heather Dunton, Prevention Specialist for the Escalante Prevention Coalition, and student members of the Coalition's "Hope Squad" hosted a Color Hope Run in April 2022. The main goal of the "Hope Squad" is to be a source of comfort and trust for students who need help or someone to talk to, and they spend time throughout the year learning about the dangers of teen depression, as well as how to help prevent suicide.
WAYNE CO. - The second commission meeting for the month of February was held on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, due to the President’s Day holiday on Monday. Commissioners Blackburn, Brian, and Cook were all in attendance. The agenda was accepted and approved with the following changes: County Attorney Michael Winn was not available to present the update on the Opioid Class Action Lawsuit due to illness; Marcus Taylor, who was presenting information on Grover Road, was also unavailable; and Commissioner Blackburn added the discussion of the B & C Road Fund. The minutes from the commission meeting held on February 6, 2023, were accepted and approved with the addition of taxes paid by the state for the two fish hatcheries and house of $327. The first order of business was the annual planning by Six County Association of Governments (SCAOG). This was presented by Brock Jackson who advised the com-
GARFIELD CO. Across the nation, news reports appear daily concerning drug addiction and overdose deaths, and mental health crises and suicidality among adults and teens. The National Center for Health Statistics has reported that in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, overdose deaths in the U.S. exceeded 100,000,
which is greater than the toll from car crashes and gun fatalities combined. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in February from their Youth Risk Behavior Survey among 17,000 adolescents in the fall of 2021. Among those surveyed, 10% of students reported attempting suicide in 2021, nearly three in five
teenage girls reported feelings of persistent sadness, and 30% of females seriously considered attempting suicide—up nearly 60% from a decade ago. Just last week, The New York Times issued a new story about America’s overdose crisis, highlighting mobile outreach programs to drug users within the city. In response to the
Utah Prairie Dog Day Returns to Bryce Canyon on May 11
Six Ways to Build Back Sinking Savings Accounts
Join the Entrada Institute for their March 'Classic Conversation' with Shane Brian of Brian Farm Service
BIFF
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The celebration will include an art contest open to K-12 students in the local area
Courtesy National Park Service
Utah Prairie Dog Day will return on Thursday, May 11, 2023. To help promote the event, the park is holding a Utah Prairie Dog art contest open to all students kindergarten through 12th grade in Garfield, Wayne, and Kane counties. BRYCE - No celebration of Bryce Canyon’s centennial year would be complete without a special day for one of its keystone species. Utah Prairie Dog Day will return on Thursday, May 11, 2023, and feature ranger-led prairie dog viewing, familyfriendly activity booths,
and a special keynote presentation. For a detailed schedule of events, please visit go.nps.gov/UtahPrairieDogDay. To help promote the event, the park is holding a Utah Prairie Dog art conPrairie Dog Day Cont'd on A3
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST
PANGUITCH - The U.S. savings rate has fallen to its lowest level since George W. Bush was president and most Americans were carrying flip phones. The personal saving rate— the percentage of people’s income left over after taxes and spending—sunk to 2.9% in the fourth quarter of last year, its lowest level since 2005. Persistent inflation and rising interest rates have eroded savings gains made during the pandemic, when the savings rate hit an alltime-high of 34% in April 2020. Today, less than half of Americans have $1,000 in savings, according to Bankrate. “The falling saving rate shows many people are struggling financially Savings
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story, one reader commented: “Wouldn't it be something to rejoice over if we got serious about evidencebased prevention initiatives and reduced the demand for drugs?... Prevention is the third leg of the substance abuse response stool, and absent a robust commitment to prevention, that Prevention Coalition Cont'd on B3
Wayne Commission Cont'd on A6
Courtesy Entrada Institute
The Entrada Institute will host a "Classic Conversation" this evening—March 2—with Shane Brian of Brian Farm Service at 7 p.m. at Robbers Roost in Torrey. TORREY - You know him as the affable and knowledgeable owner and manager of Brian Farm Service. Shane Brian has operated the business since the late 90s. Along the way, he has done it all. Shane de-
livered fuel to homes with oil heaters, always allotting extra time to chat awhile with the customers. On Thursday, March 2 at 7 p.m., Shane will participate in a 1-hour "Classic Conversation" with Don
Gomes. In this program, hosted by the Entrada Institute at Robbers Roost in Torrey, a limited live, inperson audience will have Shane Brian Cont'd on B3
UPCOMING EVENTS... Daylight Saving Time Starts
March 12, 2023
St. Patrick's Day 2023
March 17, 2023
FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. MAR. 2 - WED. MAR. 8
Partly cloudy, with lower chances of precipitation this week. Highs in the 30s; lows range from single digits to the 20s. Winds variable from 10 to 17 mph.
**Weather is subject to Change
Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.
—Oscar Wilde
ALL content for THE WAYNE & GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER MUST BE submitted by FRIDAY AT NOON to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper.
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PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122