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Show Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder • Duck Creek Thursday, October 1, 2009 • Issue # 236 School Cuts Days, Gives Raises On Thursday, September 17, 2009 the Garfield County School District voted 3-2 to reduce classroom instructional time by five days and, in a separate action, voted 4-1 to authorize payment of step and lane raises for teachers and other employees. The five day reduction in class instructional was promoted as a cost saving measure and is authorized by the legislature if other criteria are met, including the notification of parents. Savings from the five day reduction are estimated to be approximately $130,000. However, those savings were eliminated with the board’s acceptance of the Garfield Education Association’s proposal to have the District pay deductible costs for the employee health insurance program approved in last month’s meeting and approval of the Association’s most recent proposal to restore step and lane raises for district employees this school year. Other business conducted at the meeting included authorization to appeal the judge’s decision in the Desai discrimination case and acceptance of the new business manager’s contract. Establishment of specific dates to accomplish the five day reduction in classroom instruction will be receive at the next board meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 15, 2009 at Escalante High School. COOPERATIVE NATIVE PLANT PROJECT On Wednesday September 16 a bus load of Kanab High School students spent a day in the field with Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Kanab BLM Field Office science specialists setting up the Grand Staircase Native Plant Project. with funding from Grand Staircase Escalante Partners. Students in Ms. Warner’s Natural Resource Management and Mr. Glover’s Advanced Math classes took turns working with Lis Fano of GSENM to survey two study sites using GPS/ GIS technology. This information will be used to map areas that the students will then rehabilitate with native plants. While one group was doing survey work with Lis a second group was working with Brian Taylor and Lisa Church from the BLM Kanab Field Office to collect native Winterfat and Indian Rice Grass seeds. These seeds will be used to grow plants in the Kanab High School greenhouse for GSENM/BLM re-vegetation projects. A third group explored the area with Dustin Rooks of GSENM identifying different plant species and learning more about how they have adapted to their dif- ADVERTISE IN the Insider Call 676-2621 to place ads REMINDER! Don’t miss the Panguitch Flu Shoot-Out Thursday, October 1st from noon to 6 pm @ the Fire Station Come get your seasonal flu shot without leaving your car! (Vaccinations for kids available inside the fire station) $25 cash or check or no charge with Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, PEHP, Select Health (Must bring card). Call 6768800 for more information Sponsored by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department and Garfield County weather thursday Sunny high: 76 low: 39 friday Sunny high: 80 low: 42 saturday Sunny high: 80 low: 43 sunday Sunny high: 79 low: 43 monday Mostly Sunny high: 76 low: 41 tuesday Sunny Sunny high: 71 low: 41 wednesday Sunny high: 73 low: 43 The secret of concentration is the secret of self-discovery. You reach inside yourself to discover your personal resources, and what it takes to match them to the challenge. ~ Arnold Palmer ADMINISTRATION OVERSTEPPING BOUNDARIES BY ISSUING GAG ORDER Says one of many examples of administration encroaching upon private sector Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) today expressed strong opposition to the Obama administration’s efforts to quiet a private health care company that shared its concerns on the president’s health care proposal with its beneficiaries. “It is shocking to me that this administration believes it is okay to tell a private company what they can and cannot share with its clients,” said Bennett. “This is yet another example of government overreaching and intervening in the private sector. We need more dialogue in this debate over health care reform, not less; the administration cannot pick and choose which information is distributed by a private company.” The administration, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, launched an investigation into Humana, a private health care company, for circulating information explaining to senior citizens how the health care legislation being considered in Congress might affect their coverage. The Congressional Budget Office recently stated that the administration’s health care proposal to cut Medicare would lead to significant reductions in benefits for seniors. “The administration proudly spends taxpayer dollars to promote its stimulus package with signage along new construction projects, but the minute a private company spends its own money to warn clients about potential downsides to the administration’s bill they are slapped with a gag order. That is not how our government should operate and that is not how we honor our First Amendment rights,” added Bennett. ficult environment of salty, clay soil with very little moisture. With funding coordinated through the Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, this is a long term project to grow, study and re-establish native plants in crucial areas of the Monument. Winterfat, also known as white sage or Krascheninnikovia lanata, was really interesting because it didn’t look much like the sample we studied in the lab at KHS. These plants were much smaller and prob- 2010 Official Utah Scenic Calendar Now Available The Utah Office of Tourism, an agency of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, has released its 2010 Utah ‘Life Elevated’ Official Scenic Calendar. Now in its 38th year, the annual award-winning publication highlights many of Utah’s iconic destinations, outdoor activities, and events through its stunning photography and innovative graphic design. The calendar also features a greeting by Governor Gary R. Herbert. A photo of Canyonlands National Park’s Angel Arch, taken by accomplished Utah photographer Willie Holdman, was selected as the cover image. Many other Utah destinations are featured throughout the calendar including all five national parks, Monument Valley, and Temple Square. “The photography, design work, and destination information in our annual calendar has never been better,” said Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. “It’s our hope that this year’s edition will inspire residents and non-residents alike to seek out the uplifting vistas and exciting experiences available throughout the state. The calendar truly showcases Utah as a 12-month destination, and makes an excellent gift for clients, family, and friends.” Scott Hardy, who has worked on the state’s scenic calendars for the past 24 years, once again designed this year’s calendar. Twenty-thousand copies were printed by Rastar in West Valley City, which was recently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The Utah Scenic Calendar is recognized regularly for design and photography. Last year’s calendar was honored with the Rodney A. Anderson – Best of National Calendar Award, the competition’s highest honor. It was also awarded seven Gold Awards and one Silver Award in the competition. The Utah Office of Tourism accepts wholesale or bulk orders of 50+ calendars at $8 each. Individual orders of 49 or fewer may be purchased through the Zion Natural History Association (ZNHA) bookstore located at Council Hall, 300 N. State St., Salt Lake City, Utah, 84114. Individual calendars are $11 each, plus tax and shipping. An order form can be found online at http://travel.utah.gov. If you have questions, please call (801) 538-1900. A simple enough pleasure, surely, to have breakfast alone with one’s husband, but how seldom married people in the midst of life achieve it. Anne Morrow Lindbergh THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia and is distributed weekly to all of Garfield County. Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Articles submitted from independent writers are not necessarily the opinion of Snapshot Multimedia. We sincerely hope you enjoy the paper and encourage input on ideas and/or suggestions for the paper. Thank you for your support. ably quite a bit older than the ones growing closer to Kanab. This has a lot to do with the soil they’re growing in as well as the climate and forage factor. It will be fun to see if plants grown from winterfat seed collected in other areas can survive this environment. By the end of the day everyone had a chance to learn about GIS, seed collecting and native plants. We’re all looking forward to doing it again in October at our next locations. Phone: 435-676-2621 Fax 435-836-2700 PO BOX 472, Loa, Utah 84747 snapshot@scinternet.net ALL content for THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER must be submitted on FRIDAY before 5:00 pm to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper. BOXHOLDER PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID LOA, UTAH PERMIT No. 5 |