KZMU News

A new state law makes it easier for unincorporated land to become a municipality. The new legislation was passed earlier this month, just days before Grand County denied developers of the controversial Kane Creek housing complex the permits they would need to construct a wastewater treatment facility on the property. The developers have already applied to become a municipality through this new pro...

Last week, the U.S. banned the import of Russian uranium, which supplied over 20 percent of the country's fuel demands. Mines in the La Sal Complex south of Moab and at Pinyon Plain near the Grand Canyon have been ramping up production to meet domestic energy demands in response. Today we also hear from the Utah News Connection about fire weather in Utah. Plus, we hear from KSJD about a new law to...

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a story about the connection between beavers and humans from KSUT. We also hear a two-way with Dr. Daniel Wildcat, a professor at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, who was a speaker at a recent conference in Colorado on using Indigenous knowledge to address the climate crisis, produced by KGNU. Plus, an interview with a veteran on challen...

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about local first responders who were recently honored by the state for how they handled a fatal plane crash that killed Senator Doug Larsen and his family last fall. We also talk about Meadow, a pet dog that was found after a nine-day search along the Colorado River. Plus, we have a story about parents who vo...

Today, we hear from KSUT about a bill in Colorado that would fund research about Native American boarding schools in the state. We also hear from KSJD about vets who are seeking compensation for health complications they link to working at the Nevada Test and Training Range where radiation levels are high.

This year, the Grand County School District started a program called the Student Career Success Center to help boost historically low graduation rates. The program is intended to help students earn enough credits to graduate by offering a flexible, online schedule that allows students to work while still attending high school. The program director says it will have helped at least 6 students gradu...

The northern lights swept across the Mountain West last weekend. We hear from a space scientist at the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, about what causes this phenomenon, and the effects it has on Earth. We also hear from a Utah drag artist who performed in Moab two weekends ago about what drag means to the queer community amidst the national culture wars. Plus, we hear from K...

Today on the Weekly News Reel, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Moab Times-Independent, about why the high school principal, Todd Thompson, was fired last week. We also talk about why a policy that was supposed to help local businesses provide workforce housing hasn’t really succeeded. And we finish up with a story about a rally for motorized vehicle use that turned into a Phil Lyman campaig...

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear an interview with KBUT and KVNF about the impact of the closure of U.S. Route 50, which is impacting thousands on Colorado's Western Slope. We also hear a feature about how one school district is working with high school students ahead of prom to warn them about the dangers of driving under the influence. Plus, an interview with a student activist from The Un...

Today we hear from our partners at KUNC about a new study that predicts more precipitation at the headwaters of the Colorado River in the coming years. We also hear from KSUT and KSJD about a program to bring fiber optic cables to the Ute Mountain Ute tribe. Plus, we hear from KHOL about the beginning of this year's shed antler hunting season and how things are different now that out-of-state hunt...

On Tuesday, Grand County Commissioners voted to deny a conditional use permit that would enable developers to build a wastewater treatment facility for the new Kane Creek housing complex. The vote was a big win for local organizers opposed to the project, which is under construction in an undeveloped corridor of the Colorado River. The battle isn't over yet, though. Organizers with Kane Creek Deve...

Today, we hear from our partners at KDNK about rises in the number of cases of syphilis, especially in newborn children. We also hear from Aspen Public Radio about how local law enforcement is trying to prevent DUIs in high schoolers after prom.

On the latest Regional Roundup, we hear a story about an award-winning high school mariachi band from Uvalde, TX, which just wrapped up a tour of Boulder, Colorado. We also hear an interview on a new helpline for Indigenous Women in Utah. Plus, an interview with the film makers behind a new documentary about navigating housing and healthcare in Chaffee County, CO. To finish up, we hear a two-way w...

Today on the Weekly News Reel, we talk to Sophia Fisher, reporter with the Moab Times-Independent, about a conditional use permit that was approved for a guiding business in a residential area in Spanish Valley. We also talk about plans for the Utah Renewable Communities Coalition, and what that could mean for renewable energy projects in Moab in the future. We also discuss the City Council’s resp...

On the latest Regional Roundup: an event in our region aims to welcome more people of color to the mountains and snow sports. Plus: a selection of cowboy poetry, recorded at a cowboy poetry gathering in 1990, from the archives. And: an interview with environmental historian Jessica Lee who explores borders, plants and belonging in her new collection of essays, 'Dispersals.'

On the Weekly News Reel, we talk to Sophia Fisher, reporter with the Moab Times-Independent, about the Grand County Commission postponing a decision related to a luxury and residential and overnight rental development. We also talk about why it's difficult to forecast weather in Moab and how local topography affects our weather systems. And we finish off with news of a groundbreaking at the Arroyo...

Who killed Ann Woodward? The question still haunts local law enforcement, who have been stumped by the murder since 1973 when the former owner of Woody’s Tavern was murdered at the bar. Law enforcement botched the initial investigation, and in the process, lost a box of crucial evidence for over 50 years. But earlier this fall, the Moab Police found that missing evidence, and thanks to DNA testing...

Who killed Ann Woodward? The question still haunts local law enforcement, who have been stumped by the murder since 1973 when the former owner of Woody’s Tavern was murdered at the bar. Law enforcement botched the initial investigation, and in the process, lost a box of crucial evidence for over 50 years. But earlier this fall, the Moab Police found that missing evidence, and thanks to DNA testing...

Who killed Ann Woodward? The question still haunts local law enforcement, who have been stumped by the murder since 1973 when the former owner of Woody’s Tavern was murdered at the bar. Law enforcement botched the initial investigation, and in the process, lost a box of crucial evidence for over 50 years. But earlier this fall, the Moab Police found that missing evidence, and thanks to DNA testing...

On the latest Regional Roundup: an interview with Heather Cox Richardson, author of the daily e-newsletter and podcast 'Letters from an American,' about the state of our democracy, why she's worried and what we can do. Plus: we revisit an interview with Lena Pace, the superintendent of the Southeast Utah Group of National Parks. And: a report about the last train journey for the conductor of the W...

On the News Reel today, we talk to Sophia Fisher, reporter with the Moab Times-Independent, about the city’s new budget, which includes plans to reinstate a property tax in Moab for the first time in 30 years. We also talk about where things stand for new hotels that were approved years ago before city and county laws restricted construction of new overnight accommodations. We finish off with an u...

For six years, Moab City has made various attempts to build workforce housing at the Walnut Lane trailer park without displacing current residents. And for six years, these efforts have fallen short for a variety of reasons. Now, the story of Moab City and Walnut Lane has reached a new low. Facing a pending loss of insurance for the trailer park, city officials are now requiring all tenants vacate...

On the show today we speak to director Hadley Austin and cinematographer Yoni Goldstein about their new documentary, Demon Mineral. The film, which screened in Moab on Tuesday night, shows the devastating health and environmental consequences of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation where over 500 mines are still unremediated. // Show Notes: https://www.demonmineral.com/

On April 12, the Bureau of Land Management announced new rules around oil and gas drilling on public lands, including increasing the minimum bond for drilling. The BLM will also focus oil and gas leasing in areas that have the highest potential for development – and the least conflict with other uses. Plus: federal water managers recently discovered damage to plumbing inside the dam that holds bac...

On the latest Regional Roundup: an interview with two Utah women on the fight for equal rights for queer families. And, a report on a prom that promotes inclusivity in our region. Plus: a poem from Colorado's new poet laureate.