*********ECRWSSEDDM****
POSTAL CUSTOMER
The
NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID LAS VEGAS, NEVADA PERMIT No. 3587
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, April 16, 2026
Intermountain Health Sevier Valley Hospital Named One of the Nation’s Top 20 Rural & Community Hospitals RICHFIELD - The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has named Intermountain Health Sevier Valley Hospital one of the Top 20 Rural and Community Hospitals in the nation. The NRHA announced the twenty highest-ranked hospitals based on an evaluation conducted by the Chartis Center for Rural Health using the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX, one of the most comprehensive and objective tools for measuring rural hospital performance. Top hospitals will be recognized on May 21, 2026, during the NRHA’s annual Rural Health Conference in San Diego. Hospitals are evaluated across several key
Wayne Helping Wayne and Garfield County Seniors County Stay in Their Homes Commission Programs offer in-home support and safety improvements for aging residents
In Garfield County, senior support is available through the Five County Area Agency on Aging, which serves Washington, Beaver, Garfield, Iron, and Kane counties. For many seniors in southern Utah, staying at home depends on whether that home can still meet their needs. While services differ slightly by region, both Wayne and Garfield counties offer programs aimed at helping seniors remain safely in their homes.
See Great Blue Herons at Upcoming DWR Viewing Event
20th Amazing Earthfest in Kanab Features 2-Part Photography Workshop by Bruce Hucko; May 8 & 9
Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Great blue herons are the most widespread North American heron and can be found from Alaska to northern South America. In Utah, they are the most commonly seen heron species and can be found throughout the state, typically along the shorelines of lakes and rivers, as well as in marshes. SALT LAKE CITY Great blue herons are large, unique birds, and if you’ve ever wanted to see them in the wild, you should have a good opportunity at an upcoming Utah Division of Wildlife Resources viewing event. Great blue herons are the most widespread North American heron and can be found from Alaska to northern South America. In Utah, they are the most
Apr. 6, 2026
Courtesy Bethany Hill
slightly by region, both Wayne and Garfield counties offer programs aimed at helping seniors remain safely in their homes. In Wayne County, those services are coor-
Top 20
by Kathryn Chamberlain
by Kathryn Chamberlain
WAYNE / GARFIELD COS. - For many seniors in southern Utah, staying at home depends on whether that home can still meet their needs. While services differ
Cont'd on A4
Issue #1663
insiderutah.com
commonly seen heron species and can be found throughout the state, typically along the shorelines of lakes and rivers, as well as in marshes. Every year from February to June, great blue herons nest in a rookery near the DWR’s George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center. Viewing Event Cont'd on B3
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST
KANAB - Southern Utah’s 20th Amazing Earthfest takes place in Kanab on May 7 - 10, 2026. Twenty-eight scheduled activities make up this year’s four-day festival of events in experiential learning, arts, outdoor adventure and film. This year offers an unusual opportunity for area photography enthusiasts to learn from the acclaimed Utah fine art landscape photographer Bruce Hucko who will present a free talk open to all, followed by a two-part fee-based workshop. On Thursday, May Photography Workshop Cont'd on A2
dinated through the R6 Regional Council. Jill Fulmer works directly with residents, conducting in-home assessments and connecting them with support. One of the primary
services available is the Alternatives Program, a state-funded program that provides ongoing in-home
WAYNE CO. - The Wayne County Commission covered a mix of routine business and public concerns during its April 6 meeting, including an annual report from the Central Utah Counseling Center, discussion of a local complaint, and several approvals. Representatives from the Central Utah Counseling Center presented their annual audit and program update. Officials reported a clean audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, with no compliance issues identified. The center operates on a roughly $14 million budget across six counties and relies heavily on state and federal funding, including Medicaid. They also highlighted the importance of state funding that was briefly at risk during the most recent legislative session but ul-
Aging in Place
Wayne Commission
Cont'd on B3
Cont'd on B3
Capitol Reef N.P. Celebrates the Night Sky During International Dark Sky Week
Courtesy National Park Service
On a clear night at Capitol Reef National Park, the stars begin to show through once the sun sets behind the red rocks. CAPITOL REEF N.P. The night sky has been used for navigation, timekeeping, agriculture and storytelling for centuries. Beginning April 13, we celebrate International Dark Sky Week and remember the importance the night sky has had on humans’ lives throughout
our vast human history. Proclaimed in 2015 as an International Dark Sky Park, Capitol Reef National Park (CRNP) was the seventh U.S. National Park Service unit to be recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association, now called Dark Sky International. Long before its of-
ficial designation, the park had been celebrating its pristine dark night skies while sharing them with visitors from around the world. In 2010, CRNP started hosting the annual HerNight Skies Cont'd on A3
UPCOMING EVENTS... Earth Day
April 22
Memorial Day
May 25
FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. APR. 16 - WED. APR. 22
Mostly sunny/partly cloudy, with wind and chance of showers on Weds (30%). Highs range from the 40s to the low 60s; lows from the teens to the low 30s. **Weather is subject to Change
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. —Winston Churchill
INSIDER CONTENT DEADLINE 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.