Jackson Unpacked

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Nov. 12]: With the off-season in full swing, two seasonal Teton Valley workers from Mexico are ready to flee the snow and head home. Boulder residents look to add housing in their own backyards -- literally. Basalt, Colorado, builds the state’s first net-zero affordable housing project and the City of Moab buys a trailer park to save the land from luxury developers....

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Nov. 5]: KHOL tags along with a PhD student studying the effects of winter ticks on Jackson Hole moose this fall with the help of a working dog. Local Latinos observe Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. And a new documentary follows members of Wyoming’s Northern Arapaho Tribe as they seek to bring home the remains of children who died at the Carlisle Indian I...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Oct. 29]: Proposed winter closures of some terrain in and around Grand Teton National Park to protect bighorn sheep are drawing backlash from some backcountry skiers. A proposed land development code hits roadblocks in Teton Valley. A new exhibit at the Center for the Arts draws on Indigenous cultures of the Americas and U.S. immigration policy, and the artist who pa...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Oct. 22]: We're sharing an episode of the show "Wildcard" from our friends at KVNF in Paonia, Colorado. It's going to take you around the region, with stories from Colorado and Utah about everything from avoiding food waste, to a college in Durango reckoning with its past to the legacy of Japanese American internment camps. Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Oct. 15]: KHOL interviews the three authors of a recent joint WyoFile and Wyoming Public Media investigation into allegations of workplace hostility and sexual assault within the Wyoming National Guard. Music director Jack Catlin recaps his coverage of Treefort Music Festival in Boise last month. Western writer Jonathan Thompson discusses his new book, “Sagebrush Emp...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Oct. 8]: Debates over the future of Jackson’s rodeo and fairgrounds are heating up, as local elected officials get ready to consider the issue early next year. KHOL interviews Nick Reynolds, one of Wyoming’s top political reporters, about his decision to leave the state. A new Jackson garden aims to better understand post-fire restoration, and a program in Montrose,...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Oct. 1]: KHOL interviews the new CEO of Teton Science Schools, Shawn Kelly, about taking the helm after a wave of resignations that saw more than a third of staff leave their jobs last spring. A new program in Big Sky is paying landlords to rent to locals, and a government weatherization effort is helping reduce energy bills in Crested Butte. Plus, KHOL’s roundup of...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Sept. 24]: KHOL reports on a new program trying to capitalize on the money flowing through Jackson Hole in real estate transactions, with the goal of investing it back into affordable housing projects. The BLM is rounding up thousands of wild horses in Wyoming and across the West. KHOL music director Jack Catlin interviews the local band Coyote Queen. Plus, how one M...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Sept. 17]: Could Vancouver’s vacancy tax on homes left vacant for more than half the year serve as a model for Western mountain towns looking to address affordable housing crises? Jackson musician Aaron Davis discusses how the pandemic influenced his latest EP. And KHOL interviews the new mayor of Tlaxcala, Mexico--the state where most local Latinos trace their roots...

This week on Jackson Unpacked, we’re bringing you a one-on-one conversation with Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon. Gordon held a public forum in Jackson on Aug. 31, during which he answered questions about the state’s COVID-19 response, climate change and tourism. But KHOL wanted to talk more specifically about Teton County, so we invited the governor into our KHOL studios to discuss the local housing cri...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Aug. 27]: KHOL reports on a University of Wyoming team that’s been studying elevated E. Coli levels in Teton County creeks this summer. New 2020 Census data gives us better insight into local growth -- or does it? A look at how one Colorado mountain town is raising money for affordable housing projects, and a Spanish-language story about DIYDocs, which is going inter...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Aug. 20]: KHOL speaks to WyoFile reporter Angus Thuermer, who broke the story about Patagonia’s decision to pull its products from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The legal tug-of-war between the Biden administration and the fossil fuel industry continues. A Spanish-language story explores the impact of a new summer employment program for local Latino youth. Plus, KHOL...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Aug. 13]: Less than three weeks away from the first day of school, Teton County parents are sharply divided on whether or not the district should require masks. A climate reporter reflects on how 30 years have changed the experience of rafting through the Grand Canyon. KHOL speaks to the founder of the new Wydaho Adventure Film Festival. Plus, KHOL’s roundup of this...

Justin Farrell is a social scientist, Yale University professor, native Wyomingite and the author of "Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West." KHOL News Director Kyle Mackie interviewed Farrell while he was in Jackson last week for his first local talk since the book was published in March 2020. Listen to hear their full conversation about how mind-boggling...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [Aug. 6]: KHOL speaks to "Billionaire Wilderness" author Justin Farrell about how mind-boggling wealth is transforming Teton County. A new class of Teton County Search and Rescue volunteers is in the thick of training, and local musician Chris Archuletta discusses his new punk rock project Box Elder. Plus, KHOL’s new roundup of this week’s headlines.   Jackson Unpacke...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [July 30]: KHOL speaks to two authors of a new report that shows the tremendous extent to which climate change has transformed the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem since 1950. All of Teton County is now in Severe or Extreme Drought. Jackson-based musician Jake Dulln reflects on how his time in the U.S. Army and traveling around the country influences his sound. Plus, KHO...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [July 16]: The proposed expansion of Grand Targhee Resort in Alta, Wyoming, which is accessible only through Teton Valley, Idaho, is raising concerns among local residents and community leaders. A new survey of Colorado mountain towns shows that many pandemic-era changes are likely here to stay. Plus, a look at the health risks of wildfire smoke and an in-studio perfo...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [July 9]: KHOL reports on the fallout of a conservative scheme that infiltrated several progressive political groups across Wyoming. A new effort in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley aims to connect people with housing assistance. The Colorado River is tapped out. Plus, Thin Air Shakespeare is back at the Center for the Arts in Jackson this week and modernizing “Much Ado...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 30]: Several town governments across the Mountain West, including Jackson, are trying something new to help local workers purchase homes: offering down payment assistance. A school superintendent on the Wind River Indian Reservation discusses how the legacy of federal Indian boarding schools continues to affect Indigenous students today. Plus, KHOL Spanish-langu...

In this bonus episode of Jackson Unpacked, KHOL's Will Walkey talks with Mike Koshmrl of the Jackson Hole News&Guide about human-bear conflict on Jackson Hole roadways, and the choice by Wyoming Game & Fish to haze famed grizzly "Felicia."   A full transcript of this interview is available here . A shorter version of Walkey and Koshmrl's conversation was also featured in a recent Jackson U...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 23]: A first-of-its-kind nuclear power plant is coming to Wyoming. Is it safe, and what does it mean for the state? Jackson Hole News&Guide reporter Mike Koshmrl discusses his recent reporting on the hazing of Grizzly Bear 863, aka Felicia, on Togwotee Pass. A Jackson botanist is using citizen science to track the impact of climate change on local plant spec...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 16]: Local businesses from restaurants to the Rec Center are struggling to find employees this season -- so much so that some might have to shut down entirely. The concert series Music on Main in Victor returns this week after a year of forced hiatus. Plus, a regional look at how severe drought conditions are impacting the mental health of farmers and ranchers a...

In this bonus episode of Jackson Unpacked, KHOL shares a recent special edition of "Wildcard" from our friends at KVNF in Paonia, Colorado. Host Gavin Dahl rounds up some of the best recent stories from across the Rocky Mountain Community Radio coalition, which KHOL is a member of. Listen now to hear about the first year of Colorado's red flag law from KSJD Cortez, the infestation of Front Range t...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 9]: Rendezvous Park is now home to the latest public art project in Teton County: a larger-than-life troll statue named Mama Mimi. KHOL interviews two of the organizers of Jackson’s first month-long celebration of LGBTQ Pride this June. Plus, KHOL Spanish language correspondent Alicia Unger reports on how health officials are trying to overcome COVID-19 vaccine...

This week on Jackson Unpacked [June 2]: The Jackson Hole real estate market shattered records last year and appears on course to do the same in 2021. A failed education bill in the Wyoming State Legislature reflects the growing national debate on how American youth should learn about American history. Plus, a conversation with a local music therapist, GPS moose collaring in Wilson and more. This w...