The latest government shutdown isn’t just a story out of Washington — it’s hitting home right here in northeastern Arizona.
At Petrified Forest National Park, rangers and staff who care for one of our region’s most visited landmarks are once again caught in the middle. Some are furloughed, others are working without pay, and visitors are greeted by closed restrooms, locked doors, and fewer helping hands on the trails.
When the park slows down, so does the local economy. Fewer travelers stop for lunch in Holbrook, fill up in Joseph City, or stay overnight in Winslow. For small businesses that depend on park traffic, every day the gates are quiet means money lost — and that hurts.
Other federal workers across the area are feeling it too — from Forest Service employees to postal workers — all wondering how long they can hold out while Congress argues.
It’s time for Washington to remember that their decisions reach all the way out here. Because when they shut down, it’s our paychecks, our parks, and our people who feel it first.
