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Thursday, January 8, 2026
St. George Regional Hospital Welcomes Utah’s First Baby of 2026; Cedar City Wecomes First Delivery ST. GEORGE / CEDAR CITY - The New Year began with joy and celebration in southern Utah. Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital celebrated Utah’s first baby of 2026 born at 12:09 a.m. on January 1st when Valley Zohner made her grand entrance into the world. Her delighted parents, Kenedi and Zach, are thrilled to welcome their precious daughter to their family. The Zohners live in Cedar City but chose to deliver at St. George Regional Hospital because their OBGYN works there. They had been anticipating the baby's arrival, and wanted to be prepared, so they had been staying Christmas week with family in St. George.
Alberto Vasquez Retires from Karate Instruction with Final Belt Test by Jaynie Connor
Jaynie Connor
Karate class photo with their new belts following their test with Alberto Vasquez at the Bryce City Wellness Center on Dec. 19. After decades of teaching karate in Garfield County, Vasquez has decided to retire, and this will be his final belt test.
GARFIELD CO. - For decades, children in Garfield County have been learning a sport unique to the area, karate, once a week under the guidance of Alberto Vasquez. He began
this journey in 2005, shortly after relocating to Panguitch for a role as the hospital administrator at Garfield Memorial Hospital. Retired from the hospital since 2022, Vasquez has now also
Utah Wildlife Board Approves Updates for Bison Hunting, Other Changes
New Rules for SNAP/ EBT Purchasing of Soft Drinks
First Babies of '26 Cont'd on B4
Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
The Utah Wildlife Board approved some updates for bison hunting and a few other rule changes during a public meeting held Thursday, Dec. 4. SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Wildlife Board approved some updates for bison hunting and a few other rule changes during a public meeting held Thursday, Dec. 4. Bison hunting changes The wildlife board approved adjustments to some of the existing bison hunts, as well as the creation of a new cow bison hunt that would be held during the 2026 and 2027 hunting seasons. As part of the hunting season changes, the board also
Issue #1649
insiderutah.com
confirmed that the bison archery hunt would continue to be the final hunt of each season, ending on Jan. 31. “These changes will help us to better manage the herd to the population objective and maintain the bull-cow ratio, which will help address current drought conditions,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Northern Region Wildlife Biologist Sam Robertson said. “The upWildlife Board Updates Cont'd on B5
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST
SALT LAKE CITY Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Utah residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are no longer able to use those funds to buy soft drinks in Utah. “The SNAP program helps those who are facing food insecurity and in need of nutrition,” said Rep. Kristen Chevrier. “We don’t want to undermine health and fuel chronic disease by subsidizing the purchase of sugary drinks. This innovative change will improve our nutrition program and overall health outlook in the state of Utah.” New Rules Cont'd on B3
decided to retire from teaching karate in 2025, and held the final belt test for his students at the Bryce Canyon City Wellness Center on December 19th. Vasquez began study-
ing karate at Brigham Young University under in 1982 Bobby Lawrence, a student of Grandmaster EdAlberto Vasquez Cont'd on B2
Countdown to Tuacahn’s '26-27 Season Begins IVINS - With the arrival of the new year, the 2026-2027 Tuacahn Broadway season is on the horizon as well—with a lineup of a shows that has everyone counting down until there’s just “One Day More” before music like “Summer Lovin’” “Just Keep Swimming,” and more fill the Outdoor Amphitheatre and holiday favorites, hijinks and hilarity pepper the Indoor Hafen stage. “We are planning for an absolutely spectacular season,” Scott Anderson, producing artistic director for Tuacahn, said of the season that features Les Misérables, Grease, Disney & Pixar’s Finding Nemo: a 70-minute Family Musical, Holiday Inn and The Play That Goes Wrong. “We’ve already had such positive feedback from patrons with everyone clamoring to get their season packages, Tuacahn Cont'd on B2
Annual Christmas Bird Count Draws Record Number Of Participants In Torrey by Dave Cushing
Dave Cushing
A group of local volunteers peer through binoculars to spot birds in Torrey during the annual Christmas Bird Count, a function of the National Audubon Society, on Dec. 20, 2025. TORREY - In December 1900, on Christmas Day, two dozen and two volunteers set out to take a census of birds in the United States and Canada. Within a few years, the or-
ganization that put this together would become the National Audubon Society, dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats. And each year since then, a growing num-
ber of bird watchers in ever-expanding locations have continued this effort, known as the Christmas Torrey CBC Cont'd on B3
UPCOMING EVENTS... Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 19
Valentine's Day
February 14
FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. JAN. 8 - WED. JAN. 14
Chances of snow showers (50%) on Thursday, and sunny the rest of the week. Temps range from the high 20s to the high 40s; lows from the single digits to the 20s. **Weather is subject to Change
And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. —Rainer Maria Rilke
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.