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The Wayne & Garfield County Insider January 29, 2026

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Thursday, January 29, 2026

Wayne Co. Rural Health Champion Honored for Commitment to Care

WAYNE CO. - The Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (PCRH) is pleased to announce that Josie Moosman, the nursing director at Wayne Community Health Center, has received two awards for her commitment to rural healthcare. The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) chose Moosman as the 2025 Community Star, and PCRH has awarded her the Impact Award in honor of National Rural Health Day. Josie Moosman provides a wide range of care to her community, from prenatal checkups to endof-life planning and everything in between. "Working in Wayne County is very dynamic. We work at the top of our licenses,” said Josie MoosTwo Awards Cont'd on A3

USU Extension Program Boosts Rural Businesses to $1M in Online Sales by Jaynie Connor

Wayne County Commission by Kathryn Chamberlain

Jan. 20, 2026

Jaynie Connor

The Utah State University Extension E-Commerce Accelerator (ECA) program has been helping rural businesses and business owners use a free, hands-on initiative with digital and e-commerce tools to boost their rural and agricultural businesses and sell their products online. The ECA program supports businesses that either have not set up an online store for their products or who are struggling to generate sales through their existing website. UTAH - A Utah State University Extension Program has been helping rural businesses and business owners use a free, hands-on initiative with digital and e-commerce tools to boost

Patches Quilt Shop Quilt Auction Raises Funds for Local Woman in Need; Tickets Available Until Early March by Jaynie Connor

Courtesy Jon Gray

Patches Quilt Shop in Panguitch is auctioning tickets for a chance to win a beautifully crafted, handmade opportunity quilt. Proceeds will go to Amber Barnson, a mother of six from Piute County, who is currently facing a battle with metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma. PANGUITCH Patches Quilt Shop in Panguitch is reaching out to the local community for support in raising funds for a mother in need. They are auctioning tickets for a

Issue #1652

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chance to win a beautifully crafted, handmade opportunity quilt. Amber Barnson, a mother of six from Quilt Auction Cont'd on B3

REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST

their rural and agricultural businesses and sell their products online. The program is called the Utah State University Extension E-Commerce Accelerator (ECA) pro-

5 New Utah Fishing Records Set in 2025

SALT LAKE CITY Anyone who goes fishing knows how thrilling it is to catch a fish, especially if it is a large, potentially record-breaking one. And in 2025, anglers set several new fishing records in Utah. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources began tracking records for harvested fish in the early 1900s. Since then, the record fish program has expanded to also include catch-andrelease records and records for fish caught using alternate tackle, like spearfishing, archery and setline. “The primary reason that the DWR tracks record fish is to provide anglers with recognition of their achievements,” DWR Fishing Records Cont'd on B3

gram, and it supports businesses that either have not set up an online store for their products or who are struggling to generate sales through their existing website.

Panguitch local and Statewide Program Specialist with the Rural Online Initiative for Utah State

WAYNE CO. - Tourism Board appointments led off discussion at the Wayne County Commission’s January 20th meeting, as board members and commissioners worked through questions of experience, participation, and who should have a seat at the table. Tourism Director Nycole Durfey introduced board member Jessica Alvey of Hanksville, who said the issue goes beyond routine appointments. “This is my livelihood,” Alvey told commissioners. “It’s not a hobby.” She said frequent turnover makes it hard to keep projects moving and pointed out that the board had recommended keeping Tracy Potter and Gary Brian for continuity while newer members get their footing. Alvey and Durfey also raised concerns about

ECA Program

Wayne Commission

Cont'd on B3

Cont'd on B4

2025 Escalante Christmas Bird Count Sees Decreased Numbers in Comparision to Previous Years by Allysia Angus | Escalante CBC Compiler

Emily Leach | Insider

Brewer’s blackbird photographed in Escalante, Utah. The 2025 Escalante Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on December 18, 2025, and this time around, ten participants covered almost twenty miles by foot and ninety driving miles to document bird sitings within the Escalante CBC coverage area. ESCALANTE - The 2025 Escalante Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on December 18, 2025. It was an unseasonably warm day, with temperatures rising up around 60 degrees in the after-

noon, the warmest count day to date. The warm temperatures caused creeks and reservoirs to have much less ice than is typical, and flowers were even blooming on the Fremont’s Mahonia (Grape Holly).

The Escalante CBC began in 1998, making this the 28th year one has been hosted here. Ten participants covEscalante CBC Cont'd on B4

UPCOMING EVENTS... Panguitch Fishing Derby

February 7

*Event is weather and ice-condition dependent

Valentine's Day

February 14

FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA

THURS. JAN. 29 - WED. FEB. 4

Mostly sunny/partly cloudy, with highs in the 40s and 50s; lows in the teens and 20s. Little to no chance of precipitation. Winds from 5 to 15 mph. **Weather is subject to Change

Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it. —George Carlin

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.


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