*********ECRWSSEDDM****
POSTAL CUSTOMER
Donate Today!
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, December 4, 2025
SBSU Offers New App for Kids
CENTRAL/SO. UTAH - Many high school graduates enter adulthood without the financial skills needed to navigate today’s digital economy. To help families build those skills early, State Bank of Southern Utah has launched the SBSU Kids App, a firstof-its-kind offering from a financial institution in Southern Utah. The SBSU Kids App is available free of charge to all residents of Central and Southern Utah, regardless of whether they bank with State Bank. Designed for children and teens ages 5-17, the SBSU Kids App is a fun, interactive tool that helps families teach essential money management skills through hands-on experience. The app allows parents to assign custom chores, track completion, and reward kids with weekly earnings. Children can then use their funds to spend, save, donate to Kids App Cont'd on A6
Issue #1644
insiderutah.com
'Tis the Season for Lenza Wilson’s Electric Light Train
The train, an Escalante tradition since 1994, will once again be lighting up the town's streets this December by Kathryn Chamberlain
settling into that familiar comfort that the season has arrived. This tradition began in 1994 on a whim with a 1976 Oldsmobile convert-
Nov. 24, 2025
ible. Wilson tossed some trees in the trunk, taped lights wherever they would Electric Light Train
Garfield Commission
Cont'd on B2
Cont'd on B3
Lenza Wilson stands next to his Electric Light Train, an Escalante tradition since 1994. Since then, it has grown into a hodgepodge of light and wonder, built piece by piece, trailer by trailer. This year, the train rolls out with eighteen trailers, which include the “Beer Can," “Twirling Hilda,” the "Enchanted Forest," and the "Rainbow." in all its glory throughout the month, carrying on a long-running local tradition. People hear the generator before they see the lights and run outside,
by Peg Smith
GARFIELD CO. During the November 24, 2025, Garfield County Commission meeting, the commissioners spent several minutes discussing a presentation they’d attended on 2025 and 2026 legislation that is likely to affect Garfield County residents. In Commissioner David Tebbs’ board report, he noted that “we always worry about the federal government overreach, but man, there's just a lot of issues…they just feel like maybe it's the state that's overreaching.” Tebbs was referring to two topics he’d heard at the presentation. The first related to the current “property tax circuit breaker” policy that can provide tax relief to qualified veterans, elderly, and disabled persons. Tebbs said Senator Daniel McCay is working on a bill to eliminate that provi-
Kathryn Chamberlain
ESCALANTE - The start of December in Escalante is marked by the return of Lenza Wilson’s Electric Light Train. It will be weaving through town
Garfield County Commission
Melissa Veater Recognized DWR Cold Water Dangers Rise as Temperatures Drop: Reminding with RHAU’s Lifetime Achievement Award Utahns Officials Urge ‘Don’t Ditch Life Jacket Use Safety tips provided to help a Fish’ recreators stay safe this winter season
Courtesy Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation
Anglers on Fish Lake. With temperatures dropping rapidly across Utah, the Division of Outdoor Recreation (DOR) and the Division of State Parks are urging those who continue to boat, fish, hunt and recreate on or near the water to take extra precautions. UTAH - With temperatures dropping rapidly across Utah, the Division of Outdoor Recreation (DOR) and the Division of State Parks are urging those who continue to boat, fish, hunt and recreate on or near the water to take extra precautions.
Cold water immersion can be deadly, even for experienced recreators, as the risks of cold shock, incapacitation and hypothermia rise sharply in these cold conditions. Cold Water Safety Cont'd on A6
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
SALT LAKE CITY After discovering an illegal fish introduction this year, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is again reminding Utahns that it’s both harmful and illegal to move sportfish you’ve caught from one waterbody to another, to dump unwanted pet fish into local ponds, or to use live bait fish. Each spring and fall, DWR biologists survey various lakes and streams to assess the status of sportfish and native fish populations in Utah. During surveys this year, biologists discovered that smallmouth bass were Don't Ditch a Fish Cont'd on B2
Courtesy Rural Health Association of Utah
On Wednesday, November 12, at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George, Melissa Veater of Panguitch was named the 2025 Rural Health Association of Utah (RHAU) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. ST. GEORGE - On Wednesday, November 12, the Rural Health Association of Utah (RHAU) proudly welcomed at-
**Weather is subject to Change
George. This year’s event brought together leaders, Award Cont'd on B3
UPCOMING EVENTS... Escalante Holiday Market
Boulder Holiday Market
Destination Cafe 10 AM to 3 PM
Boulder Community Center 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
December 6
THURS. DEC. 4 - WED. DEC. 10
Partly cloudy and sunny, with highs ranging from the high 30s and 40s to the low 50s; lows in the 20s. Little to no chance of precipitation.
tendees from across Utah and the United States to the 2025 Annual RHAU Conference at the Dixie Convention Center in St.
There are things that are so serious that you can only joke about them. —Werner Heisenberg
December 13
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.