Jackson Unpacked

On this week’s episode: Grizzly 399’s death has made national headlines and triggered memorials and gatherings from the Snake River Canyon to Grand Teton National Park. KHOL’s Dante Filpula Ankney reports both wildlife advocates like Kristin Combs and wildlife managers like Chris Servheen and Dan Thompson say the bear had a positive impact throughout it’s life but posed some unique management chal...

On this week’s episode: Producer Alyson Spery brings us a special election edition, featuring conversations with candidates running for local office and the constituents they aim to represent.  These conversions were recorded as part of KHOL’s local One Small Step initiative, produced in partnership with StoryCorps. One Small Step brings people with different beliefs into the recording studio to t...

On this week’s episode: KHOL’s Emily Cohen takes us overseas, to Kazakhstan where Jacksonites Scott Zimmerman and Hayden Hilke with a group of others from across the West compete in the World Nomad Games.  Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan reports the U.S. Forest Service is facing budget cuts, meaning Scott Kosiba and the local nonprofit he leads, Friends of the Bridger-Teton, will continue to be...

KHOL reporter Jenna McMurtry tells us Teton County is proposing changes to its Fire Protection Plan, that among other things, expands the boundary of what’s considered wildland urban interface. Robb Sgroi of the Teton County Conservation District, Todd Fitzgerald of a local tree service business and Jackson Fire Marshall Raymond Lane provide insight into why and how residents can make their homes...

On this week’s episode: Host and KHOL Senior Reporter Dante Filpula Ankney heads to Teton Village to talk to Jacksonites Gabe McNees, Ryan Stanley, Anna Catino and Erme Catino after they finish Lotoja. The over 200 mile bike race ends here in the Tetons and is only possible due to work from organizers like David Bern.    KHOL reporter Jenna McMurtry talks with professional skier and ultrarunner Dr...

On this week’s episode: Host and KHOL Senior Reporter Dante Filpula Ankney introduces us to the station’s revival of One Small Step. In partnership with Storycorps, we’re hosting a series of conversations between candidates running for local office and a constituent they aim to represent —- that hold differing beliefs — finding coming ground. Tune into the first of the series between Wilson reside...

On this week’s episode: Trumpet Swans — the large, straight necked black billed bird was once thought to be extinct but its recovery has had strong ties to a Jackson-based nonprofit. We’ll hear more from a music therapist about their work in the community, a discussion about a tax on empty homes that’s been considered in mountain towns across the rocky mountain west including Jackson and we hear f...

On this week’s episode: Former President Donald Trump is coming to town for a costly private fundraiser, a Jacksonite is training to become the first Winter Olympian from his country, the science of wildfire smoke in the Rocky Mountain West and we’ll take a trip to a jagged rock face in Grand Teton National Park. How do we balance safety with the desire to leave no trace?    Jackson Unpacked airs...

On this week’s episode: the town’s budget deficit and a new agreement between the town and county to split the costs of joint services. Also, we head to the Snake River where recent heat spells are impacting the river ecosystem. Lastly, we chat with the owner of a local outdoor gear repair business working to make ends meet and we introduce our new reporter, Jenna McMurtry.   Jackson Unpacked airs...

On this week’s episode we take a trip out towards the park to get a tour of the Kelly Parcel. Its sale is inching closer but the fight to bring it over the finish line is far from over. Also, we hear from Jackson Police Department’s mounted patrol atop their steeds and the Grand Teton Music Festival's expansion of programming. Lastly, we had a conversation with the “Jackson Boys” from their time o...

On this week’s episode: the latest on the Teton Pass highway reopening via a detour as a complete rebuild looms and a conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg. Also, a trip to Wyoming’s first reproductive freedom summit, as some grapple with the uncertain future of abortion in the state – in part due to challenges from right here in Teton County. And to round out today’s episode, a...

On this week’s episode: All of our stories are focusing on the recent landslide closing the Teton Pass highway — and its impact on our community. Idaho commuters doubling their commute time. Businesses with how the pass is impacting them - if at all. And a WYDOT geologist to answer the question: how did this happen? Tune in!   Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at...

On this week’s episode: Jackson landlords are tacking on extra housing fees, and it’s adding up to sticker shock for renters. And the upcoming Mountains of Color Film Festival aims to promote inclusivity in outdoor spaces. Also, outrage continues after a man brought a muzzled and leashed wolf into a bar about an hour from Jackson, and hatred is falling on the backs of those who had nothing to do w...

On this week's episode: We’re doing something a little different. KHOL recently partnered with Wyoming Public Media on an episode of its podcast, The Modern West. It’s part of the new season, High Altitude Tales, that goes behind the scenes with reporters out in the field. This episode is about one of the biggest issues in the region — you guessed it — housing in Jackson. It's all about people fin...

On this week’s episode: We go out shed hunting near the National Elk Refuge. A new law limited the opening week to Wyoming residents, but competition was still fierce. And a new immigrant resource center opened in Jackson specifically to support people from Tlaxcala, a small state in Central Mexico. Also, in the next part of our Workers series, we spend some time with barn owls and take a commute...

On this week’s episode: Recent allegations of wolf abuse in the southwest part of the state have drawn attention from around the world. We talk to some of the people who have been covering the story. Later, in the latest in our radio diary series of workers in Jackson Hole, a snow plow driver shares his efforts to prioritize his crew’s mental well-being. Also, we talk to Teton County State Represe...

On this week’s episode: A local nonprofit stepped up to try to make Teton Pass more safe, by running a shuttle for recreationists. Also, in Eastern Idaho, a streak of avalanche deaths among snowmobilers has revealed forecasting gaps, but some are trying to change that. And, on both sides of the Tetons, men are gathering in groups to get mental and emotional support, in the wake of a community trag...

On this week’s episode: Jackson and Teton County officials have made it a priority to play a larger role in building relationships in the state capital and, for one local, that meant calling Cheyenne home for two weeks. Also, the future of the state’s only procedural abortion center remains uncertain under new legislation. Later we get into March Madness, but brackets for the cutest dogs. And we t...

On this week’s episode: Jacksonites host a vigil for an Oklahoma teenager and share concerns for the safety of LGBTQ+ youth. Wyoming’s legislature passes a bill which may ban most gender-affirming care for minors if it becomes law. We look back at the bill' journey this year and residents’ reactions to the legislation. Also, The Gem State pivoted to primary caucuses this year and some local voters...

On this week’s episode: Teton County has seen a boom in construction in recent years, with old homes being demolished and mansions going up in their place, but what happens to the old structures? One organization is trying to repurpose them and address the region’s worsening housing crisis. Plus, we head to the top of Teton Pass, where a group of skiers is hiking up in the dark — some with 90-poun...

On this week’s episode: The Wyoming legislative session kicks off next week, with hot topics surrounding the budget, property taxes, education and LGBTQ+ rights. Our state government reporters tell us what to expect. And members of a comedy group in Jackson share how they find community – and laughter – in the world of improv. Plus, a look at how a new law could impact shed hunting in the region a...

On this week’s episode: We go salsa dancing! Latin Dance Night has become a monthly  staple in the region, and is helping bring the community of all backgrounds together. Also, an annual sled dog race returns to Wyoming, and this year one team is a bit different from the norm. Later, we talk to one of the biggest names in Jackson’s theater community and learn about his plan to help more people get...

On this week’s episode: In new survey results of the Jackson community, locals share that they’re being forced to move away because of high housing costs. We talk to the region’s housing director about what folks are saying about their struggles to pay rent. And later, Wyoming’s only avalanche center in Jackson is trying to bring together snow observations from community members in less-studied sn...

On this week’s episode: We return to some of our favorite stories from 2023. Santa visited Jackson kids in a new multi-million dollar helicopter. Skiers said goodbye to a green billboard covered in stickers known to many as the ‘shrine of the pass.’ We went mushroom foraging in the Tetons. And a Ukrainian family is acclimating to life in the Mountain West - and their ‘freedom baby’ who made it pos...

On this week’s episode: We dive into issues surrounding healthcare access in our region and across Wyoming. Two Wyoming residents with opposing views feel passionately about how our state should legislate on abortion, but find commonality through conversation. An assisted living facility on the other side of Towgetee pass is trying to reach more of the state’s aging population. One reporter is inv...