KZMU News

On Monday, Grand County Search and Rescue began looking for two individuals who were reported missing following Friday's flash flood. Their car was found near the Steel Bender off-roading area, and soon after, GCSAR found an abandoned UTV associated with the missing man and woman. The search is still ongoing. The incident follows another recent flood-related rescue. On Friday, 20 hikers were evacu...

On Friday, Moab received over one inch of rain in just 15 minutes, triggering a severe flash flood that overflowed onto multiple roads in town. We speak with Moab City Manager David Everitt about the city's clean up plan and how prior mitigation techniques held up during this emergency. Photo by Emily Arntsen/KZMU.

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a feature on why a landslide has resulted in the catastrophic failure of a major thoroughfare connecting Westering Wyoming and Eastern Idaho, from KHOL. We also hear a short feature on the impact on drivers of the ongoing U.S. 50 closure, from KVNF. Plus, a story from Writers on the Range commentary on what resort towns can learn from Aspen, from KVNF. We fin...

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the hostile work environment that prompted Grand County Administrator Mallory Nassau to resign. We’ll also talk about an upcoming rate increase for trash collection in Moab City and changes to how residents will have to recycle glass. We finish off with an update from Lena Pace, the National Park Service...

Today we hear from our partners at the Utah News Connection about getting people of color access to public lands. We also hear from KGNU about a rally of janitors in Denver who came out to protest unfair wages and commemorate the anniversary of a violent janitor's protest that happened in California in 1990.

Today we hear from our partners at Aspen Public Radio about replanting native species after a fire in western Colorado. We also hear from KDNK about a new program to engage kids outside with augmented reality.

Today we hear from our partners at KUER about wildfire risks despite heavy precipitation in Utah the last two years. We also hear from KSUT about a federal program to remediate coal mines on the Navajo Nation. And we finish with a story from Aspen Public Radio about cuts to the music departments at Carbondale schools.

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a two way with the author of Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage, about the twentieth anniversary of the armored tank rampage in Granby, Colorado, and the disinformation that persists, from KFFR. We also hear a feature on increasing tree canopy in one Denver neighborhood, from KGNU. Plus, a feature on an all-female wild land fire fight...

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about Grand County’s response to a state investigation into whether transient room taxes were misallocated during an economic diversification program that was cut short in 2023. We’ll also talk about the county’s reaction to a new state law that could give developers of a controversial housing project on Kane...

Today we hear stories about rural Utah’s greenhouse gas emissions, Colorado’s new laws to regulate the funeral industry following multiple malpractice cases, and Dine College’s new law program.

Today we hear from KUER about a recent candidate debate for Utah's U.S. Senate election. We also hear from KOTO about the ongoing controversy over a proposed monument to protect the Dolores River canyon.

Today we say goodbye to Molly Marcello who founded KZMU News in 2018. We reflect on the highlights of Molly's reporting and her accomplishments as News Director over the past six years. It's not goodbye for good, though. Molly will continue to work for KZMU developing a podcast about search and rescue. Emily Arntsen will take over as News Director.

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a two way interview with KZMU's Emily Arntsen about a three-part series on a cold case in Moab that may soon be solved. We also hear a two way with the Executive Director of the Earth Law Center in Durango, which works with Indigenous partners in the U.S. to enforce the rights of nature. We finish up with an interview with author Erica Berry about her new boo...

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about construction at the Kane Creek housing development, which was stalled briefly after the state cut off access to a well developers were using illegally. We also discuss Moab’s new title as a Dark Sky Community and what that will mean for businesses moving forward. We finish off talking about a public hear...

Today we hear from KSUT about recent water rights negotiations between three Native American tribes, the state of Arizona, and the federal government. We also hear from KGNU about the financial hardships of drought on Southwestern farmers.

Today we hear from our partners at KUER about one Utah town’s solution to the housing crisis. We also hear from KSUT about Colorado’s new Seal of Climate Literacy designation for high school students. Plus, we hear from KUNC about an upcoming Colorado River conference during which key negotiators will make a plan about the waterway’s future. We also hear from the Utah News Connection about one cou...

Today we hear from our partners at KSUT and KSJD about a weekend celebration of Navajo-Churro sheep weaving in southwestern Colorado. We also hear from KUER about a Utah mermaid performer who participated in the Swiss Mer-lympics last month.

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear an interview with a survivor of a Japanese American prison camp in Wyoming about the need to remember this history, from KZMU. We also hear an interview with a refugee advocate who was part of a wave of thousands of Vietnamese refugees who came to Colorado between 1975 and 1990, from KGNU. We finish up with an interview about films featured in Māsima: Pacific...

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about upcoming improvements to two bike paths in Moab, one on Highway 128 and one along Highway 191 on the way to Arches National Park. We also highlight key takeaways from a recent interview with Brian King, a Democratic State Representative who’s running in Utah’s gubernatorial race. We finish off with a rec...

Bird flu has infected four herds of cattle in Colorado, and scientists believe milk is one likely source of transmission. We also hear from our partners at KUNC about a federal program to pay farmers not to grow crops on their land in order to conserve water. We also hear from KUER about a Utah initiative to reduce recidivism rates on the Navajo Nation.

Nathaniel Clark, a victim advocate with the Moab Police Department, won the System-Based Advocate of the Year award from the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. We discuss crime trends in Grand County, which has the most domestic violence cases per capita in the state. - Show Notes - • Utah’s shelter crisis has gotten worse after a change meant to help domestic violence victims https://www.moab...

The BLM opened a public comment period today for a new plan proposed by the Lisbon Valley Copper Mine in San Juan County. The company hopes to start in-situ recovery, which requires approval from the EPA to inject acidic solution into the aquifer. This kind of mining permanently contaminates the aquifer, making the water non-potable indefinitely. We also hear from our partners at KHOL about change...

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a feature about an immersive theater production that aims to heal the historical trauma of the Sand Creek Massacre from Rocky Mountain PBS. We also hear a two-way with Dr. Anne Giesen, a gerontologist with 20 years of hospice care about end of life choices from KGNU. And we finish off with an interview with Holly Carlin who is terminally ill and Jude Higgins,...

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the cost of trash collection, which is expected to rise in Moab this summer. We also talk about an old pipeline that could be repurposed from the Crescent Junction UMTRA site to bring water to the town of Thompson Springs. Plus, we preview the Moab Arts Festival and give updates on big repairs needed at...

Today, we hear an interview with Sam Mihara, a survivor of the Heart Mountain Prison Camp for Japanese Americans in Wyoming. He spoke at the Moab Museum on Tuesday as part of the museum’s current exhibit on the history of the Moab Isolation Center, a Japanese incarceration camp that operated north of town during WWII. We also hear from the Utah News Connection about the disenrollment of children f...