KZMU News

Hi listener, KZMU News had to take an unexpected break this week. But we still met with our amazing media partners. On the Weekly News Reel, Gwen Dillworth of The Times-Independent discusses Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s proposal to invest $185 million in housing. Plus, she talks about the new Community Artist in the Parks and two local athletes who signed on to compete at the college level. Alison...

Hate crimes have been on the rise over the last decade. Now, with the Israel Gaza conflict, there has been an increase of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. ‘Speak Up & Stand Up Against Hate’ is a cooperative that looks to provide resources for those facing hatred. Our radio partners at KRCL spoke with representatives from the Utah Muslim Civic League and the United Jewish Federation of Utah to hear...

On the latest regional roundup, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count starts December 14, and around the region, groups of bird counters are participating in this important community science event. We'll have a few bird-related stories, plus an interview with the author of 'Killdozer,' which tells the story of Marvin Heemeyer, who in 2004 modified a bulldozer with concrete and steel and demolish...

Governor Spencer Cox recently announced his proposed budget and plan to address homelessness throughout the state of Utah. His proposed budget would set aside nearly $130 million for emergency shelter services targeting housing resources and supportive services to those who need them most. Plus, our partners at KUER report on the pollution on the west side of Salt Lake, forcing hundreds of thousan...

Today we hear from KUNC about the cost of replacing municipal water systems in the face of drought. We also hear from KVNF about wetlands restoration in Colorado, from KGNU about Colorado's increase in insured residents, and from KSUT / KSJD about the federal government's program to return Native land to tribes across the country. Photo by Alex Hager of KUNC.

Within the Tonto National Forest in Arizona, Oak Flat is an area considered sacred by many Indigenous communities. It’s also been the site of legal battles and court cases. But this fall, it turned into a spiritual hub, and our radio partners were there to witness it. Plus, protests took place in Denver recently spotlighting a rise of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate. And later, as communities th...

Today we hear from our partners at Utah Public Radio about a new reflective paint that could prevent pavement from reaching scalding temperatures in the summer months. We also hear from the Utah News Service about a horsemanship program for first responders, from the Mountain West News Bureau about the BLM's new recreation plan, and from Aspen Public Radio about the fate of unsold food in the Roar...

Tune in to the Regional Roundup to hear about the prominence of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado politics in the 1920s. Alan Prendergast explores this history and tells the tale of the district attorney who brought them down in his new book. Plus, we have a report on a collaboration between a regional printmaker and a musician, and spoken word poetry from a world poetry slam champion.

The Audubon Society's annual Christmas Bird Count is a fun activity for birders that happens to contribute tremendously to the field of ornithology. Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Doug McMurdo of The Times-Independent explains how an unusable boat ramp at Lake Powell is affecting river guiding businesses in Moab, the city’s new green burials program at the cemetery, and Moab’s forthcoming rock climbi...

Lift Up is a KZMU storytelling project intending to deepen understanding and empathy within our community and reinforce a sense of safety and belonging for all. Our next Lift Up storyteller is Joshua Patterson. A two-year transplant, Josh hopes to one day be considered a full Moabite. He is currently working on a degree in history in hopes to be a history teacher. He lives with his husband, and en...

Construction on a stormwater system will begin at a development in Kane Creek next week. Concerned residents held a meeting with the Utah Division of Water Quality on Monday to discuss flood risks. Plus, we hear from KGNU about what really happens to most clothes donated to thrift stores in the U.S. //Photo: Construction on a housing and shopping development near the Colorado River is set to begin...

If you experienced an emergency in Moab and had nowhere else to turn, Moab Solutions is an organization that could help. All year long, the nonprofit fields calls for emergency lodging, gas, food and even medicine. About one third of the funding Moab Solutions needs to support these calls is raised over the next few weeks by bell ringers. Today on the news, we have an audio portrait of long time b...

On the latest Regional Roundup, we hear about a high school in Durango teaching the Navajo language. Plus, an interview about supporting a group of migrants from Venezuela in our region, a feature on a new move to stop naming birds after people, and author Betsy Gaines Quamman examines the myth of the American West.

“The library is the place where you don’t have to ever believe something or buy something to come in here and stay and enjoy the space. Everyone is welcome.” –Meg Flynn, Grand County Public Library Assistant Director

In the West, ongoing drought is forcing us all to think about how we use water differently. Hopi farmer and University of Arizona faculty member Michael Kotutwa Johnson is using ancient practices to grow food. Our radio partners visited Johnson in his fields, and learned more about the ways he grows corn, squash and beans and why he wants native seeds repatriated back to Indigenous communities lik...

Kaitlin Myers, Colin Topper, and Tawny Knuteson-Boyd won seats in the Moab city council during Tuesday's election. Plus, we hear from our partners at Aspen Public Radio about the blessing of the skis. And from KSJD about hydropower developments on the Navajo Nation. Show Notes: Election results: https://electionresults.utah.gov/results/public/grandcountyutah/elections/2023-Nov-General

The first-ever Parks & Recreation Master Plan recommends an estimated $22.3 million dollars worth of improvements for Moab City’s parks and recreation facilities. These include getting public parks into ADA compliance, redesigning the Center Street Ballfields, and improving trail connections. Plus, WabiSabi’s free, in-person community Thanksgiving meal returns. And later, our radio partners report...

On the latest Regional Roundup, an interview with professor Temple Grandin on her new book about visual thinking. Plus, revisit KZMU's reporting on mountain lion hunting in Utah as Colorado voters seek to ban the practice. Plus, high speed broadband comes to a rural town in our region. Tune in!

A lot happened between the years 1989 and 2000 in Moab. There were near-seismic shifts in the economy, people and the character of this town. And Channel 6 News caught it all on tape. That’s right, Moab’s local television news station captured the people and the politics that shaped the experience of this place at a seminal moment. Now, with the help of the Moab Museum, over 2,000 news broadcasts...

The native fish nursery in the Matheson Wetlands Preserve in Moab had a boom in razorback suckers this year — 51 juveniles this fall compared to zero last year. The wetlands are managed by The Nature Conservancy. Plus, we hear from KGNU about a biodynamic farming conference in Boulder County, Colorado. //Photo: Razorback suckers are native to the Colorado River and need to spawn in protected ponds...

The team at the Utah Avalanche Center is back in the Moab office – and the field. As they gear up for the winter recreation season, we check in with avalanche forecaster Eric Trenbeath about our local snowpack and typical conditions. Plus, a rally honoring Great Salt Lake brought Native and youth voices to Utah’s Capitol Hill. And later, the latest National Climate Assessment shows the impact of w...

Today, we hear from the Utah News Connection about the state's recent decision to allocate more funds for wildlife crossing infrastructure. We also hear from KOTO about the federal government's program to identify rare earth minerals at former mine sites near Telluride via helicopter. Plus, we hear from the Mountain West News Bureau about how algal blooms can be identified using satellite imagery....

On the latest Regional Roundup from the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition: an interview with a regional senator on the Colorado River compact, a feature on a naturalist who won a book award for writing about the sandhills, and a feature on the Jingle Dress Project.

For two decades, the town of Castle Valley has celebrated the beauty and versatility of the hard shelled gourd. During the 20th year of the Castle Valley Gourds & More Festival, the many gourd-esses of the past joined the festivities for a retrospective of gourd regalia. Plus, the Western megadrought is getting some attention from an unexpected music icon. And later, our radio partners report on m...

The Forest Service is drafting a new plan for the Manti-La Sal National Forest. One local conservation group proposed alternatives to the plan earlier in the process that would reduce the amount of grazing and mining, and encourage the Forest Service to remove the herd of non-native mountain goats in the La Sals. These alternatives were rejected even though comparable alternatives have been adopte...