Saturday Is Veterans Day, Here’s Where Vets Can Get Free Meals & Services

In honor of Veterans Day, both local businesses in Ancestor Square and throughout the Greater Zion area are joining forces to show their appreciation for the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

These businesses are offering free meals and discounts to veterans and active-duty military personnel on Veterans Day this Saturday (Nov.  11).  

This collaborative effort by a number of businesses, and local establishments downtown is a way to say “thank you” to our veterans and active-duty military members for their dedication and sacrifice in defending our country.  

Participating businesses, including restaurants, retail stores, and service providers, are extending their gratitude by offering special discounts and complimentary meals to veterans and active-duty service members. Downtown St George is also having a special event, on both Nov 10th and Nov 11th which culminates at Rise & Wander, located on the north side of Ancestor Square, right next to the round-a-bout. Rise & Wander is providing live music, a food truck, art, games, balloons and tons of giveaways and raffles to support our heroes. There will also be popups for people to check out and a St. George Photography Booth will be there with a huge camera booth with lights and props to truly make this a remembrance day.

List of local businesses participating in Ancestor Square:

• Rise & Wander (Event host 20% off for Vets)
• St George Photography Company (Interactive Booth)
• Barbers of Green Gate (free haircut for vets)
• Georges Restaurant (Free Breakfast for Vets)
• Cappeletti’s (Free lunch for vets)
• Benja Thai (free lunch, limited menu)
• Painted Pony (free lunch for vets)
• Wood•Ash•Rye (inside the hotel, 50% off breakfast)
• Bear Paw Cafe (Free Breakfast)
• Culver’s ($1 ice cream sundaes)
• Judds (free ice-cream for vets)
• Children’s Museum (Free entry)
• Brain Health Center (Free Brain Mapping + TMS Treatment for Veterans Suicide Prevention)
• Pizza Factory + Pasta Factory (Providing Pizza/Pasta while it lasts on Saturday at Rise & Wander)
• Cafe Feel Love (Vets get 50%off entire bill all locations)
• Groupie Love (Free Pair Earrings, +20% off)
• Pallets (Free Gourmet Creamsicle first 100 for Vets)
• Pica Rica (Free dessert)
• Sole Sanctuary (Free Foot Spa Service first 20 vets)
• Ökenhem (20% off to veterans)
• Mojave (20% off for vets plus a free sticker)
• St George Book Store (20% off all items)

Here are some of the participating corporate businesses:

• Applebee's -- On November 11, active-duty military, veterans, reserves and National Guard that dine in-restaurant get a complimentary full-size entrée from a special menu. They will also receive a $5 Bounce Back Card to redeem for dine-in, To Go, or delivery within a three-week redemption window.  
• Buffalo Wild Wings -- Veterans and active-duty service members get a free order of 10 Boneless Wings and Fries on November 11 with valid ID. Only available for dine-in. Buffalo Wild Wings GO locations will be included for walk-in/order at the counter only.
• Carrabba's -- On November 11, veterans and active-duty military get a complimentary dine-in appetizer or dessert paired with a soft beverage with show of ID.
• Chili's -- Veterans and active-duty service members get a free meal from a select menu on November 11 with proof of service. Available for in-restaurant only.
• Denny's -- Veterans and military personnel receive a free Original Gran Slam on November 10 from 5 a.m. (Store Open) to noon. Dine-in only. Must show valid Military ID or DD214.
• Einstein Bros. Bagels -- Veterans and active-duty military get a free hot or iced coffee (any size) with a purchase in-store on November 11.
• Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers -- Veterans and active-duty military personnel who visit on November 11 will receive a free Freddy’s Original Double with Cheese combo meal card that can be redeemed through November 30.
• Golden Corral -- Golden Corral is hosting their Military Appreciation Night on November 13 from 5pm to close. This includes a free “thank you” meal when dining in.
• IHOP -- Veterans and active-duty military get free Red, White, & Blueberry Pancakes or Pancake Combo on November 11 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dine-in only, at participating restaurants.
• Little Caesars is offering veterans and active military a free lunch combo at participating stores nationwide on November 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Outback Steakhouse -- Active-duty military and veterans get a free Bloomin' Onion and beverage with the purchase of an adult entree in-restaurant on November 11
• Peet's Coffee -- Active-duty military and veterans get a free small drip coffee or tea on November 11 at participating locations with proof of service.
• Red Lobster -- Veterans, active-duty military and reservists get free printed meal vouchers for Veterans Shrimp & Chips from 11:00am to 4:00pm local time on November 11. Guests need to show a valid military ID or proof of service. The voucher can be redeemed beginning November 13 through December 10 for dine-in only.
• Red Robin – Veterans and active-duty military get a complimentary Red's Big Tavern Burger on November 11 with valid ID. Dine-in only, not valid for online or to-go orders. The free meal also comes with an endless side of steak fries.
• Sizzler -- On November 11, participating locations are offering a free lunch to active-duty military and veterans until 4:00pm. Choose between a free Half Dozen Crispy Shrimp, Malibu Chicken, or 6oz Tri-Tip Steak entree.
• Starbucks -- Starbucks is honoring those who have served with a free tall (12-ounce) hot or cold brewed coffee for veterans, military service members and military spouses who visit participating U.S. stores on November 11.
• Wendy’s -- Active-duty military and veterans get a free breakfast combo on November 11 at participating locations during breakfast hours with valid ID.

Veterans and active-duty military personnel can take advantage of these special offers by simply presenting their military ID or proof of service at the participating businesses on Veterans Day.  

David Cordero, Communications and Marketing Director for the City of St. George, as well as the Chairman of the Veterans Coalition of Southern Utah, expressed the following: “It is so refreshing and inspiring to see local businesses in our area honor and recognize veterans and active-duty military personnel this Veterans Day.”  

The collective efforts of these businesses exemplify the spirit of community and gratitude that defines the Greater Zion area. It is a reminder of the respect and support we have for our military heroes.  

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Check Out These Scary Animal Attacks In Utah

The story from Northern Utah is devastating.

Last week, 63-year-old Sandra Dee Miller was in her own backyard in Taylorsville when she was attacked by two adult and five puppy Pitbulls.

When police arrived, they had to use pepper spray to get the dogs away from the woman. Even then, one of the dogs came at the first responders and was shot dead.

Miller suffered severe injuries to her face, neck, legs and hands and was rushed to the hospital, where she was cared for, with doctors ultimately opting to amputate one of her legs in an effort to save her life.

Unfortunately, the mom and grandma succumbed to her injuries Monday, passing away at the hospital.

The other six dogs involved in the attack, all owned by the victim's son, have been euthanized.

It is a tragic story all around, but not the first time animals have attacked humans in the Beehive State. Here are some other incidents:

• Last week, Clinton -- Three dogs (also Pitbulls) attacked two adults, causing non-life-threatening injuries. One of the adults shot and killed one of the dogs, while a second dog returned to its owner. The third dog is still on the loose.
• October of this year, Draper -- Coyote snatches pet Chihuahua out of lady's front yard, despite her yelling and screaming. The coyote snarled at the woman, then took off with the pet. The dog, 'Koda' was never found.
• July 8, near Provo -- This one was a cougar attack. Although the mountain lion never actually touched Kyle Burgess, this one is compelling because Burgess had the whole attack on video.
• April 28, Spanish Fork Canyon -- A 70-year-old man was attacked by a mountain lion near a parking area in the canyon, suffering lacerations to his head and face, sending him to the hospital. DWR officials warn that there at least 1,500 mountain lions in the state of Utah.
• October, 2022, Sandy -- A 5-year-old boy had to have nearly 3,000 stitches to repair wounds to his face and hands after being mauled by a husky. The boy had been riding his bicycle out in front of his home when the neighbor's dog attacked.
• Sept. 26, 2022, Mill Creek Canyon -- Another mountain lion attack, this one sending two female joggers to the hospital.
• Aug. 2019, Hobble Creek Canyon --  A young black bear bit a 13-year-old boy while he was camping at the Dewey Bridge Campground near Moab. The boy was sleeping outside in a sleeping bag when the bear bit his head. The bear was scared off when the boy woke up, but he was left with injuries on his cheek and ear.
• March, 2019, Layton -- A 4-year-old boy lost his hand and arm after sticking them through a neighbor's fence. A husky on the other side of the fence committed the attack..
• June 2007, American Fork Canyon -- A boy was killed when a black bear ripped him from a tent he was sharing with his family. Officials searched for hours before finding the boy’s body hundreds of yards from the campsite. The black bear later was shot and killed.

This is just a sampling of a few frightening encounters. There have been many more cases of animals attacking in Utah.

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When Did Crossing The Street In Utah Become So Deadly?

Making national news is not necessarily a good thing for Southern Utah.

Recent stories from our neck of the woods to make national headlines include the heartbreaking murder-suicide in Enoch (eight people dead!), the battle over water rights with other Western states, and just this week, two siblings being killed less than 48 hours apart at virtually the exact same location on North Bluff Street.

The odds that the two pedestrian victims were brother and sister are astronomical. But sadly, the odds of a pedestrian dying on the streets of Utah are not that long.

Just yesterday, in another auto-pedestrian accident, a jogger was killed in Logan, making it the 34th auto-pedestrian death in 2023.

"A pedestrian died Monday after she was hit by a truck in Logan. It happened on 14-hundred North early that evening, and the 58-year-old woman was taken to a hospital where she died of her injuries. According to officials, the woman had been jogging before she was hit, though investigators are still working to determine what led to the collision. The woman's death is the 34th auto-pedestrian fatality in Utah this year."

It's a disturbing trend for sure, but we are actually down this year from recent times.

In 2018, there were 37 pedestrian fatalities. In 2019 there were 42. In 2020, 36 pedestrians died in Utah and that number was 45 in 2021. Finally, the number jumped to 53 in 2022.

So we're actually a little better off this year with less than two months to go (although it's worth noting that eight of the 34 pedestrian deaths have happened in just the last three weeks).

Nevertheless, pedestrians being hit by cars is tragic.

One key fact that may be lost on some people is this: The leading known cause of pedestrian deaths is the pedestrian himself/herself being in the road when or where  they shouldn't be.

The No.2 cause? Crossing the street improperly or failure to use a crosswalk.

As much as we want to blame cars and drivers for these tragedies, the truth is that most (not all) of these deaths are the pedestrian's' fault.

Moral of the story: Use a crosswalk and stay out of the roadway (especially at night).

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Utah's Shame: 'A Man Who Hurts A Woman Is Not A Man At All'

A recent study showed Utah to be among one of the top states in per capita violence against women in a marital setting. The numbers are sobering. And disturbing.

Did you know in Utah 1 in 3 women experience some form of domestic abuse? That means more than 350,000 women in our beloved Beehive State have experienced or are currently experiencing violent domestic abuse.

Two years ago, on a horrific day during the summer of 2020, dispatchers across the state received 359 domestic violence calls in Utah. That was IN ONE DAY.

Call me old-fashioned, but I was raised to believe that it is never OK to hit a woman. Never.

My Dad never once even came close to raising a finger against my Mom. He used to tell me that it would be the dumbest thing a man could do. Why in the world would you even think about hurting the person you love most in this world?

"A man who hurts a woman," he said. "Is not a man at all."

On the AG Show today, I asked listeners why they believed this was happening in our state.

"A lot of people in the predominant religion believe men should rule the house, but leave out the part about ruling the house 'with your spouse, in righteousness.'"

One person texted into the show: "Andy ... full disclosure. I am a 69-year-old male, non-LDS, 4-year resident, married to an LDS woman. I would say the domestic violence vs. women is partially the result of the Church's teaching about male dominance in the household. Some take it as a dictatorship rather than a partnership. Seen overbearing husbands that belittle wives."

Honestly, if that happens, the husband has a fundamental misunderstanding of what his religion, his God, is asking of him. That is, in fact, exactly opposite of what is taught in the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

In the gospel that I believe in, women are to be honored, revered, counseled with, respected and loved.

Domestic abuse (and dictatorship) does none of this.

Another texter said: "My theory: there is a big difference between "self esteem" and a sense of self worth, that I don't have time to go into here. Many well-meaning parents have bought into the self-esteem nonsense which has resulted in a maturing generation of males who feel like everything has to go their way. Some females react by psychologically bullying each other while some males react by being physically aggressive."

Other callers speculated that the high rate of abuse has to do with the religious belief that divorce is a last resort, that marriage should be saved at all cost.

I'm here to tell all you wonderful women that if a man physically abuses you, that marriage is not worth "saving at all costs." There are always exceptions, but I believe if he'll do it once, he'll do it again.

Ladies, you don't have to take it.

And guys, don't do it. It's not OK. It's never OK.

Come on Utah, we have got to be better than this.

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Heart Of The Matter: What Makes Utahns Tick

Utahns have a lot of motivators, but in trying to decode what makes us tick -- what gets our motors running -- this is what we came up with on the Andy Griffin Show.

Here are the main motivators that we came up with:

1. Money -- This one is deceptive because money seeps into almost everything we do. Want to make the boss happy? To what end -- to get a promotion or raise. Want to make your spouse happy? "Hey dear, I got this for half price." Want to make your kids happy. Hand them 20 bucks. Money might be the root of all evil, as someone once famously said, but is also the root of (almost) all motivation.

2. Inner drive -- Money can affect this one, but it's so much more than that. Inner drive is the idea, as Jack said, that "I can always be better, learn more." Inner drive can actually have many motivating factors behind it, but there is something special about someone who just wants to get better and learn more.

3. Praise -- This is the early motivator for children. Every kid wants to hear, "I'm proud of you," or "Way to go." The thing is, some of us never really outgrow this motivator. Actually most of us don't. My Mom passed away a couple of years ago, and I'd give anything to hear her say she was proud of me one more time. Praise from a boss, spouse or even our kids and grandkids can go a long toward getting us to try harder or do better.

4. Pride -- Closely tied into the "Praise" motivation, Pride has to do with wanting to do something great for the sake of doing something great. Of course money and inner drive also factor in here, but Pride in a job well done can be a huge factor in and of itself. Most real artists don't create something to receive praise or sell the piece of art for a lot of money. Rather, they do it because there is something great inside of them that they want to create on the outside. To them, it doesn't much matter what the rest of the world thinks.

5. To be the best -- This motivation often comes after several of the others, sometimes before. But make no mistake, it is a strong motivator. I started off in radio wanting to be the best. I knew I would never be the best football player, or the best post player in basketball, or the best racquetballer. I tried, got pretty good at those, but came to the realization that I was never going to reach the top or even come close. But broadcasting and writing came naturally to me. I knew if I developed those talents, I had the opportunity to be the best. If not in the world, at least in my world. Of course, I now know that "the best" is mostly a fictitious, or more accurately, an objective achievement. But that didn't stop me from being motivated to try to be the best.

Ultimately, the real litmus test in motivation is this (according to Jack Lancaster):

"I always do this experiment in my head. If I had $30 million in the bank, what would I do with my time? When you really sit down and meditate on that ... it's a great test of what you really want. What would you do?"

Jack's answer was fairly simple. "I'd probably do a lot more fishing."

Mine was not as simple. I don't think I would change much. I'm not really a golfer. I don't fish. I love my job. I love spending time with my beloved wife. I love broadcasting games on the radio.

Nope, probably wouldn't change much.

But what a great question. What does motivate you?

If money were no object, what would you spend most of your time on?

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Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes In Utah: What You Need To Know

Type 1 diabetes used to be rare ... and it still is.

But Type 2 diabetes, the same blood-sugar disease but with a different cause, is not rare,

In fact, there's a good chance you know someone with Type 2 diabetes and an even better chance that you or someone you love has pre-diabetes and doesn't even know it.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and also the birthday of the man who discovered a world-changing treatment for the disease (insulin) -- Sir. Frederik Banting.

You've probably heard the stories about how Banting, a research scientist, discovered insulin and the potential use it had for treating diabetes, how he could have been a millionaire, but flatly refused to patent the cure. His desire was for insulin to be cheap or free for all who suffered from diabetes.

He was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

The late Banting's birthday is Nov.14, now known as International Diabetes Day.

He passed away more than 80 years ago and doubtfully never could have seen this modern epidemic of Type 2 diabetes brought on by obesity and sugar consumption. Here are some staggering numbers (from diabetesresearch.org):

• 37.3 million people, or 11.3% of the U.S. population, have diabetes. An estimated 28.7 million people had diagnosed diabetes. Approximately 8.6 million people have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.
• 26.4 million people aged 65 years or older (48.8%) have prediabetes.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 18–64 years.
• As many as 80 percent of people who have prediabetes don't know they have it.

Perhaps the best news about prediabetes is it's easily detectable (the Southwest Utah Public Health Department has a $25 test available now and will be offering the test for free Nov. 13-22).

The other good news is that you can actually prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes before it arrives by simply getting in better shape.

"Truthfully, if you are prediabetic and lose just 5- to 7-percent of your body weight, you can stop Type 2 diabetes before it ever arrives," said SWUPHD director Dr. David Blodgett.

That means a person weighing 200 pounds needs to lose just 10 pounds or so to prevent this crippling infirmity.

So that's it, we can find out if we're getting diabetes with an easy (and free) test and we can stop it in its tracks with a little bit of diet and exercise.

The link to the prediabetes screening test on the SWUhealth.org website is here.

Some other scary diabetes facts:

• Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2017 based on the 83,564 death certificates in which diabetes was listed as the underlying cause of death.
• Diabetes was listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death on 270,702 death certificates in 2017.
• In 2017, the total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. was $327 billion.
• Without insulin, the body’s cells would be starved, causing dehydration and destruction of body tissue.
• Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a healthy meal plan and a program of regular physical activity, losing excess weight, and taking medications.

Nartional Diabetes Foundation website