Home Care In Circleville, UT

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Public Safety announced the appointment of Darin J. Bushman as the new Division Director for the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services in a press release.

With an impressive background in leadership, public service and diverse industries, Mr. Bushman brings a wealth of experience to contribute to the ongoing success and development of the Emergency Medical Services sector in Utah.

Growing up in Marysvale, Bushman developed a strong work ethic through involvement in various businesses. He graduated from Utah State University in Logan with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

With 28 years of experience in roles ranging from engineer to company president, Bushman’s most recent public service role was as a Piute County Commissioner, since January 2013.

One of Mr. Bushman’s most notable achievements is his role in advocating for and transforming Utah’s EMS landscape by laying the groundwork for essential legislative changes, including restoring the EMS grant fund, restructuring EMS as an essential service and increased accountability for providing EMS services.

“We look forward to Director Bushman’s leadership as he takes on this crucial role in the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services,” Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson said. “His passion for advocacy, strategic thinking, and ability to drive results will undoubtedly shape the future of EMS in Utah.”

The news release stated that Bushman’s vision for EMS extends to providing safe, cost-effective, and patient-centric care statewide. His extensive background and dedication to this cause make him uniquely qualified to lead the Emergency Medical Services Bureau toward becoming a world-class and cost-effective statewide system.

In 2020, Bushman pitched in his restoration efforts for the home of one of America’s more commonly known outlaws.

For decades, the home of Butch Cassidy sat rotting from decades of weather and neglect. It is located on private land owned by Afton Morgan in the middle of an actively farmed hay field. As previously reported by St.George News, the Morgan family wanted the cabin and site preserved, as did the surrounding counties, but nobody had the resources.

Bushman stepped in and became the project’s champion and catalyst, wanting to preserve the historic relic and also augment tourism in his county. Garfield County became a vital part of the project as well.

Recently, Bushman received the Rural EMS Directors Association’s “Advocate of the Year Award” for 2023, an accomplishment he gives credit due to the support of his wife, Keri and their three children.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

Circleville senior Garret Gray recently signed with Butler University, an NCAA Division I institution located in Indianapolis, to play college baseball. Gray, a first-team Mid-State League Buckeye Division and Southeast District selection as both a sophomore and junior, batted .419 with on-base percentage of .523, a home run, 30 RBI and 23 runs scored last season. Gray helped to lead the Tigers to the Division II state tournament as a junior.

Question: What is your favorite genre of music or music group?

Answer: I like a little bit of everything.

Q: What is your favorite homemade meal?

A: Lasagna

Q: What are some of your strengths in baseball?

A: Ability to provide leadership on and off the field. I believe that I provide a comfort for our pitching staff, because of the pride I take on defense behind the plate. I also try to be a great teammate in all situations.

Q: Name a previous weakness you’ve overcome in baseball?

A: Putting too much pressure on myself.

Q: What led you to sign with the college you selected?

A: I love the coaching staff and the direction the program is going in since they joined the Big East four years ago. Butler was just voted as the No. 1 private university in the Midwest academically in certain areas. I like the location of the campus and will get a chance to play early as a freshman/sophomore. I also want to be a part of the first team in Butler history to make it to Omaha for the College World Series.

Q: What are some of your top athletic accomplishments or memories?

A: Going to the OHSAA State Final Four in Baseball my junior year has to be at the top because of what we did as a team. As well as winning regionals and districts the same year. You hope every team comes together like that one did.

Being first team all-league and all-district my sophomore and junior year. Hitting two doubles in the regional final game Being named Offensive MVP for Team Ohio at the 2017 Futures Games in Indianapolis. Being named to the Perfect Game All-Tournament Teams in some of the top tournaments in the country. (Arizona 2018 and Georgia 2017)

Q: Do you have any pregame rituals or routines?

A: I stick to my hitting routine of drills I have been working on since I was a kid. Milk shakes are always a go to before the game. Sometimes you have to switch up the flavor.

Q: Hobbies?

A: Hanging out with friends, playing Xbox, watching movies, working out, hitting baseballs and collecting MLB hats.

Q: What career do you want to go in when you are an adult?

A: I’m leaning towards some sort of Business degree, because I’m a people person.

Q: If you could meet one person from any era of history?

A: Ken Griffey Jr., because I love his swing and I looked up to him when I was younger.

Q: Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

A: My dad, because he has helped me throughout my baseball career to achieve the goals I set for myself. He has been a great example for me even when things didn’t always go his way. He has always said he would push me until my goals changed and it never changed — to get an education and play college baseball at the highest level I could.

Q: What’s your favorite memory from the Pumpkin Show?

A: Hanging out with Jay Styers and friends.

Q: Nickname?

A: Triple G and Double Deuces (my No. is 22). I have three Gs in my legal name (George Garret Reece Gray).

Q: Favorite college team?

A: Ohio State for football and Butler for baseball and basketball.

Q: Favorite television show?

A: Big Brother

Q: Favorite movie?

A: Comedy would be Step Brothers and sports would be The Natural and Miracle.

Q: Favorite video game?

A: Fortnite

Q: Favorite restaurant?

A: Pizza King in Indiana.

Q: What’s the best present you’ve ever received or given someone?

A: Friendship, because they just accept me for who I am. Does not matter how long it has been since I have seen a few of them, because we always come back to the good times.

Q: What was your favorite costume you dressed up in for Halloween growing up?

A: Leprechaun, my costume was legit and the red beard is only something I wish I could grow.

Q: What’s your dream vacation?

A: Maui, Hawaii, do not really know other than my mother tells me about it from time to time.

Q: What’s your favorite school subject?

A: Have to go with mathematics, because it comes easy to me and who does not want to make a lot of money someday.

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

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CIRCLEVILLE, Piute County — Farmers in southern Utah are scratching their heads and trying to figure out what caused an unusual phenomenon in an irrigation pond. Earlier this week, Gary Dalton of Circleville discovered a mysterious crater that suddenly appeared under the water.

"The sun was just right," Dalton said, "so, I saw this blasted thing that no one had ever seen."

He noticed it after most of the water was drained from the pond for irrigation. Just beneath the surface he saw concentric circles in the pond botom with a diameter of about 25 feet. The outer ring is a circular depression filled with algae. An inner circle looks as though something erupted from beneath, forming what looks startlingly like a small volcanic crater.

"My heck, I guess that's Martian art," Dalton said. "I don't know."

Experts from the Utah Geological Survey took a look and were initially baffled.

"Well, yeah, we've got several theories," said veteran geologist Bill Lund as he examined the pond. "Most of them have gone up in smoke."

Most of the theories were disposed of almost immediately.

The sun was just right, so I saw this blasted thing that no one had ever seen.

–Gary Dalton, crater finder

Some had speculated that the feature was caused by a natural spring, pushing up from under the pond after being supercharged by recent rains. But Lund said that theory was quickly disproved by aerial photos that were taken before the pond was excavated two-and-a-half years ago.

"This was an alfalfa field and there was no spring here," Lund said. "It's not a spring."

Another theory was that a buried pipeline had been punctured during construction of the pond. But Lund said there is no pipeline.

Another possibility is that there was a burp of methane gas from decaying organic material under the pond. Lund strongly doubts that theory because the local geology isn't the type that sometimes causes such events. "If we were in coal country," Lund said, "I'd be thinking about that a little harder but — you know — we're not."

Earthquakes sometimes will cause similar features in sand or mud, due to liquefaction of soils. But Lund ruled that out because there have no earthquakes in the Circleville area powerful enough to trigger liquefaction.

When Dalton's son Michael was asked what his own pet theory is, he said the obvious: "I have no idea." Another son joked that it was either a volcanic eruption or a Martian landing.

During the geologists' visit, Dalton and his sons maneuvered a platform-lift over the crater to get a closer look.

Although the Dalton's saw a fiery meteor in the sky a few weeks ago, Lund has essentially ruled that out as the cause; the sighting took place long before the crater appeared. Also, no one in nearby Circleville reported hearing any loud booms.

"We don't think it's an impact crater," Lund said. "We don't think anything hit there."

Hovering over the crater in the lift, the curious farmers and geologists lowered a tape measure into the crater. The central depression is about 7 inches deep. They were able to push the handle of a pitchfork another 13 inches or so straight down in the soft center.

"Obviously something came up and created this ring," Lund said. "But then it collapsed back on itself and closed off the vent. Whatever the vent was is closed."

From those observations, a leading theory emerged: a geologic condition called collapsible soils. The pond has been drained and refilled more than a dozen times in the last two years. The theory is that the repeated loading of weight on the soil eventually led some of the soil under the pond to collapse, creating a small eruption.

"As it collapsed and compacted," Lund said, "it forced some air and some water up and created this thing. It looks like a one-off thing. It just happened one time. That's it."

That remains the most likely explanation, even though Lund said he has never seen such a phenomenon take place under water.

"I mean there are still some unanswered questions here," Lund said. "That's for sure."

That's probably just as well with the Dalton family. They can still savor some of the mystery while refilling their pond and getting back to the business of growing crops.

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ST. GEORGE — The brief break from the heavy monsoon rains was just that: brief. The National Weather Service says Southern Utah is in for another week of flood watches and brief, but heavy, thunderstorms similar to that seen just over a week ago.

Update Aug. 9, 5:25 p.m. The NWS has issued a flash flood warning for west central Kane County and east central Washington County as follows:

“Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the south end of Zion National Park and the city of Springdale. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.50 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.”

Update Aug. 9, 4:40 p.m. Flood advisories and flood watches have been issued by the National Weather Service for throughout the afternoon the following cities and townships: Milford, Circleville, Kanab, Alton, St. George, Hurricane, Koosharem, Bryce Canyon City, Cedar City, Panguitch, Escalante, Springdale, Brian Head, Beaver and Ivins.

Broader areas include Southwest Utah, Lower Washington County, Zion National Park, Southern Mountains, Upper Sevier River Valleys, Bryce Canyon Country and South Central Utah,

The advisory continues to remind citizens that “excessive runoff may result in flash flooding of slot canyons, normally dry washes, slickrock areas and other low-lying flood-prone locations.”

Update Aug. 9, 12:30 p.m. Information added from weather service, including a heavy monsoon pattern expected to last throughout the week.

A flood watch has been issued that covers all five of Southern Utah’s counties through Tuesday until midnight but is likely to continue for a long period after that.

The weather pattern was elevated from Monday, when it had looked like this was going to be a milder monsoonal pattern than the one that downed trees and flooded Southern Utah city streets at the start of the month, as previously reported by St. George News. It also appeared that it would be just a one-day flood pattern, but now appears likely to continue through at least next Monday.

Christine Kruse, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Salt Lake City office, told St. George News that while predicting the weather has some unpredictability – especially in Southern Utah – residents should be ready for the same kind of flooded streets and slot canyons they saw in the last week of July.

“It’s really hard to use comparisons,” Kruse said. “What I can tell you is it’s going to be a decent monsoon surge going into next week.”

Kruse said it may right now be a flood watch for Southern Utah, where flooding is possible, but residents should expect flood warnings, where flooding is imminent or occurring, over the next few afternoons and evenings.

The flood watch is in effect at 1 p.m. Tuesday and will continue into the evening. Cities included in the watch are Milford, Circleville, Kanab, Alton, St. George, Hurricane, Koosharem, Bryce Canyon City, Cedar City, Panguitch, Escalante, Springdale, Brian Head, Beaver and Ivins. Also included are Zion National Park, the Southern Mountains, upper Sevier River valleys, Bryce Canyon country and southcentral Utah.

According to the weather service, under this watch, flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. Excessive runoff may result in flash flooding of slot canyons, normally dry washes, slickrock areas, and other low-lying, flood-prone locations.

A flood watch for Tuesday afternoon also was issued for portions of northwest Arizona, southeast California and Nevada, including the following areas, in northwest Arizona, Lake Havasu and Fort Mohave, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Northwest Deserts and Northwest Plateau.

In Nevada, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Las Vegas Valley, Lincoln County, northeast Clark County, Sheep Range, Southern Clark County, Spring Mountains-Red Rock Canyon and western Clark and southern Nye County.

Precautions

Flash flooding is a very dangerous situation. The public should monitor the latest forecasts and be prepared to take action.

Turn around. Don’t drown.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the National Weather Service offer the following safety rules for flash flooding:

During any flood emergency, stay tuned to official weather reports via radio, television and social media. Cell phone users can also sign up to receive weather alerts as text messages. You can also follow St. George News and Cedar City News for weather alerts and updates relevant to Southern Utah.

For the most current conditions, warnings and advisories, go to the National Weather Service-Salt Lake City office website.