Jackson Unpacked

One Jackson woman shares the aftermath of her husband's detention and three-month stay in ICE custody. A group of men over 57 talk about friends and how to find them. We remember former Vice President Dick Cheney, who lived in Teton County for over 30 years, with an archived interview from 1989. Two friends reflect on how they came to run a 45-year-old balloon rally in Teton Valley.  StoryCorps co...

We learn about the work of a mental health therapist in town supporting community members struggling with the increased presence of ICE in town. A public record request shows voter complaints about the state’s election laws. The longest land-based migration route in the lower-48 is at odds with the state’s energy goals. And we hear another conversation from our collaboration with Storycorps betwee...

Dual-seasonal workers are among those facing diminishing healthcare options and potentially triple-digit price increases. We talk to a climbing and ski guide wondering what to do and seek some practical advice from experts. As Israel and Hamas take steps toward ending a two-year war, we hear from people in Jackson who are celebrating, mourning and wondering what's next. Novelist Tea Obrecht and po...

A novel workforce housing project just outside Jackson is slated for construction next spring on leased land within the Bridger-Teton National Forest. We hear from one of the project’s leaders at a time when public land and housing are at the forefront of national land use debates. A local legend, Jay Pistono, recently died at 67. We remember the man who preserved skiing on Teton Pass. Plus, we ge...

When the state cut property taxes this year, it hit organizations doing some pretty gritty work. We head to the banks of the Snake River to meet up with a team that’s still sniffing out weeds… literally. No shade on wildlife art, but we hear from artists working to bring work to Jackson Hole that’s a little weirder. Jaelin Kauf is the region’s top hope for Olympic gold in Italy this winter. We hea...

The hottest party invite in Jackson this summer is a quinceañera; we have the last in a series following one 15-year-old on her journey to this coming-of-age milestone. In Rock Springs, a community reckons with the memory of a 19th-century massacre of Chinese immigrant workers. We also share a snippet of a StoryCorps conversation with Jackson resident Curt Parker about resilience after tragedy. La...

This week we have another bonus episode from “The Modern West,” a production of PRX and our friends over at Wyoming Public Media. In the podcast’s 10th season, “The Gray in Between,” reporters tackle stories from a wolf incident in Sublette County last year that gained worldwide attention, to creative solutions to the affordable housing crisis, to the inevitable death of elk in the Jackson Herd, r...

Some would box sailing in, say there’s no way the sport could exist in landlocked Wyoming. We travel to Fremont Lake south of town and find that’s not the case at all. Also, the evolution of a town-wide group chat that shows Jackson’s good, bad and at times, downright ugly. We take a tour of a Jackson nonprofit lab working on brain disease research and we check in on the state of journalism in the...

This week we have another bonus episode from “The Modern West,” a production of PRX and our friends over at Wyoming Public Media. In the podcast’s 10th season, “The Gray in Between,” reporters tackle stories from a wolf incident in Sublette County last year that gained worldwide attention, to creative solutions to the affordable housing crisis, to the inevitable death of elk in the Jackson Herd, r...

We head to an archaeological dig in Rock Springs that’s leading to discoveries about the town's former Chinatown and a massacre that took place there over a century ago. Then, we get inside the concert halls in Teton Village where the Grand Teton Music Festival is trying to prove its music isn’t just for the highbrow listener. We hear about how a photo camp on the Wind River reservation is becomin...

This week, we have a bonus episode from “The Modern West,” a production of PRX and our friends over at Wyoming Public Media. In the podcasts’ 10th season, “The Gray in Between,” reporters tackle stories from a wolf incident in Sublette County last year that gained worldwide attention, to creative solutions to the affordable housing crisis, to the inevitable death of elk in the Jackson Herd, right...

After federal workers were fired in February, many warned it would be much harder to keep the over 3 million acres in the Bridger-Teton National Forest clean, accessible and safe this summer. We check in. Also, what the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” may mean for rural hospitals like St. John’s here in Jackson, a chat with a four-member bluegrass band from Victor and a high alpine lake in...

This week, we have a BONUS episode from “The Modern West,” a production of PRX and our friends over at Wyoming Public Media. In the podcast's 10th season, “The Gray in Between,” reporters tackle stories from a wolf incident in Sublette County last year that gained worldwide attention, to creative solutions to the affordable housing crisis, to the inevitable death of elk in the Jackson Herd, right...

We learn how more immigrants in Teton County are being transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A new state law could continue the trend. We’ll hear more about how parents are talking with t heir kids about antisemitism, a look at Teton Science School’s efforts to keep students around after some tough years for enrollment. And, there’s lots of talk right now about selling off federal la...

This is a bonus episode from “The Modern West,” a production of PRX and our friends over at Wyoming Public Media. In the podcast's 10th season, “The Gray in Between,” reporters tackle stories from a wolf incident in Sublette County last year that gained worldwide attention, to creative solutions to the affordable housing crisis, to the inevitable death of elk in the Jackson Herd, right here, in ou...

Take a trip to Grand Teton National Park’s most popular trail where an adaptive athlete from Jackson is advising Grand Teton National Park on how to make it more accessible. We remember a beloved mother, photographer and Jacksonite that died in a tragic accident earlier this month. We unpack a threat to public media, including KHOL, being considered by federal lawmakers and we have a conversation...

This week, we have a bonus episode from “The Modern West,” a production of PRX and our friends over at Wyoming Public Media. In the podcasts 10th season, “The Gray in Between,” reporters tackle stories from a wolf incident in Sublette County last year that gained worldwide attention, to creative solutions to the affordable housing crisis, to the inevitable death of elk in the Jackson Herd, right h...

On this week’s episode: The print news scene in Pinedale is a one-woman show. We journey 80 miles to the Western outpost to see how a start-up radio station is trying to parch the news desert, and all the political challenges that come with the territory. In Teton County’s schools, we hear how educator Piper Worthington is trying to integrate students in their first year from another country. The...

The Jackson Hole Rodeo sits in the middle of town and sells out almost every summer night. We hear what’s on the minds of those in the stands and the chutes as its organizers consider if its popularity has a cap. Author and editor at The New Yorker, Michael Luo, joins us to talk about Wyoming’s hidden history of anti-Chinese violence and immigration. A Jackson musical about a woman’s rise to power...

When people think about leaving an abusive relationship, the biggest barrier in their way is often housing. But what happens if there’s nowhere to go? We hear how an organization across the pass is dealing with a surge in need after the murder of a Victor mother. With the Trump admnistration expressing interest in converting public lands to private housing, a new study looks at the potential chall...

On this week’s episode: As newsrooms around the country assess the first 100 days of President Trump’s  second administration, we bring you the view from Jackson Hole. In the foreground for county electeds is public land, where workers who manage the vast majority of our county have been fired, rehired and grappled with resignations. Advocates say the impacts have only just begun. In town, we hear...

Looming beneath the surface on North Cache is a plume of a carcinogen called benzene from an old gas station, about to be unearthed to build a mega-hotel. Is the development leading to remediation, risk, or both? In a novel effort to protect both cattle and elk from disease, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition has started a new program to share costs with ranchers moving cattle in  winter, with the...

An inside look at one family paying down debts and saving for a home with Habitat for Humanity. We’ll hear how the fashion of Gaper Day at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort helps your favorite ski bum break from the typical beanie and base layer. As federal employees grapple with layoffs, we catch up with a postal worker union representative to hear how the United States Postal Service has been living...

In this week’s episode, U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman is touring the southern part of the state. In Afton, her defense of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency caused an uproar. And several bills this legislative session took aim at Jackson and Teton County’s strategy for affordable and workforce housing. We talk with two local electeds to test their confidence in the p...

On this week’s episode: ICE visited Jackson early last month. The news spread quickly across social media but even now, many still have questions. A conversation with Ira Glass, host and creator of the popular public radio program “This American Life,” ahead of a recently announced August show in Jackson. And confirmed cases of Chronic Wasting Disease south of town has one wildlife biologist with...