Jackson Unpacked

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...

On this week’s episode: Women in Jackson share their concerns about another OB/GYN clinic closing this year amid rising costs, leaving some with few health care options. We also discuss the impending court hearing that could decide the future of abortion access in Wyoming.  Later, there’s a tiny fish that only lives in a thousand feet stretch of stream in Western Wyoming…and nowhere else. Also, a...

On this week’s episode: Locals and conservationists are fighting back against the proposed sale of the ‘Kelly Parcel,’ hundreds of acres of Teton County land in a migration corridor. Also, our region is losing millions of acres of agricultural land to development, but some ranchers who could make a fortune by selling, are choosing not to. Later, Hoback-based musician Aaron Davis stops by the KHOL...

On this week’s episode: Two Jackson political figures, with different stances on local issues, recently got together for a public one-on-one conversation. Former Mayor Pete Muldoon and current town councilmember Jim Rooks. We’ve been collaborating with StoryCorps to bring community members with different beliefs and backgrounds to talk and discover common ground. Also, filmmaker Mike Hatchet share...

On this week’s episode: There’s a new mural on Jackson’s bike path honoring Northern Arapaho Native Americans which showcases "The Four Hills of Life." Plus, we get to know the documentarian producing the One Small Step project for KHOL and her work bringing people of diverse backgrounds together to get to know one another. Then, we hear one of the conversations in the series between a young progr...

On this week’s episode: A local artist is documenting the issues Jackson’s working class faces in the midst of the region’s growing housing crisis. The new exhibit showcases the lives of community members struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Later, wildlife managers across the West have been stocking high, alpine lakes with fish for decades, mostly so anglers have something to catch. New re...

On this week’s episode: An effort is underway to change Idaho’s primary rules, in an attempt to change party leadership in the red state. And, what’s it like to document what may be the most famous living bear on earth? We talk to Grizzly 399’s photographer. Also, Teton County is home to a growing immigrant community. Now, a new nonprofit is helping increase their access to legal aid. And later, a...

On this week’s episode: A group of women ascend the Grand Teton to honor a 100-year anniversary. Later we talk about bears, berries and ways to keep residents safe and bruins prepare to hibernate for winter. And we hear another conversation in our One Small Step series, which shares conversations between people with different political beliefs. Also, we go mushroom foraging — but don’t expect loca...

On this week’s episode: As part of KHOL’s One Small Step initiative, the head of Teton County’s Republican Party sat down with a local progressive — and they found common ground. And Ukrainian refugees are calling Jackson home while they wait for the war to end, but for some, leaving their country meant growing their families. Plus, a comedy group is regularly coming to the region and other rural...

On this week’s episode: Wyoming conservationists are working to protect more areas for the near threatened sage grouse that calls Teton County home. Later, we talk with a photographer who is helping bring attention to Black cowboys and cowgirls across the Mountain West. Also, more than thirty immigrants recently became citizens during an annual ceremony in the Tetons. It was part of an initiative...

On this week’s episode: Partisan national politics may have caused the Teton County School District to part ways with the state’s school board association. We talk with one of the region’s education reporters about what’s been going on. Also, we take a look at how trillions of federal infrastructure dollars are being spent and examine one project here in the Cowboy State. And Idaho-based artist Tr...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [July 14]: Jackson officials have begun regularly recognizing the town hall sits on the homeland of Native Americans. What do Indigenous leaders and history keepers think of these land acknowledgments? Also, Teton County faces high wildfire risks. As climate change worsens fires across North America, what lessons can local residents take away from a particularly destr...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 30]: Longtime Jackson locals and members of the LGBTQ+ community reflect on growing up here and how they feel seeing Pride celebrations expand in town and across the Rockies. Later, pickleball is taking over the Mountain West. Also: creepy, little blood suckers! Western Wyoming people are saying it’s a big tick year. We head to where there’s the highest rate of...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 16]: We’re honoring community heroes! We asked residents to nominate people who are making a difference in Jackson Hole and will get to know the three finalists for our inaugural Community Hero Award. Also, Jackson is the first town in Wyoming to join a nationwide network of police cameras to help fight crime. But civil rights advocates have privacy concerns. An...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 2]: Teton County recently became the first in Wyoming to have its own rescue helicopter. Also, a mining company may have found the largest known deposit of rare earth minerals in North America in Wyoming. Plus, local organizers are launching what may be the most ambitious Pride month in Jackson’s history. And a KHOL reporter attends a Holocaust memorial in Germa...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [May 19]: Teton County has a local TV news station for the first time in decades - and it’s devoted entirely to the Spanish-speaking community. Also, the region’s affordability issues could be keeping teachers out of classrooms. And, in an era of bans being enacted across the country, are national politics influencing long-held values in the Cowboy state? Plus, a loca...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [May 5]: We explore how local advocates are coming together to create housing for people with disabilities. And the Pink Garter Theatre returns to Jackson, bringing some residents a sense of community. Plus, a look at the aftermath of a devastating winter to big game in Wyoming. And a new album brings together 14 folks artists from across the state. Jackson Unpacked a...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [April 21]: Backcountry skiers in Jackson are saying goodbye to a cultural symbol — the billboard atop Mt. Glory. And a look at the NPR twitter controversy and public radio’s role in the media landscape. Plus, Jackson businesses are trying to innovate ways to curb the environmental impacts of tourism. And local podcast The Fine Line is launching a new season on backco...