KZMU News

Staying connected to friends and neighbors can be important for health, especially for people aging in our community. And creating connections is what the Grand Center is all about. Senior citizens from all over Grand and northern San Juan Counties come to eat lunch, plan activities and just plain hang out. Says senior Ethel Krist, “it’s important to be needed…that makes happiness, is to be needed...

The public only has a few more days to weigh in on a proposed lithium mining project near Moab. Lithium helps make electric vehicle batteries, which could help fight climate change. But as our partners at KUER report, there are environmental concerns about the mining itself. Plus, Saturday marks the historic anniversary of the 19th amendment which solidified the right of some women to vote. And la...

Jared Garcia will leave his position as Moab City Police Chief at the end of September, just fifteen months after he started. In a press release, city leaders praised his efforts to improve officer morale and training as well as build stronger relationships within the community. Garcia will become a deputy executive director at the Utah Department of Corrections. Plus, our radio partners interview...

In response to a rise in anti-trans and anti-drag legislation across the country, LGBTQ+ advocates are doubling down on creating safe spaces. Our radio partners look at one café in our region where people can gather and be themselves. Plus, two bills making their way through Congress could throw out public comments on the Bureau of Land Management's new rule. And later, the United States’ Second G...

At last weekend's demolition derby in Durango, Colorado, all of the drivers were men, except for one, and she was 79 years old. Mary Tate came to the demolition derby last year and realized she "really wanted to hit somebody." Her neighbor, longtime demolition derby driver Ralph Brawley, fixed up a car for her and made her dream come true. //Photo: Cars crashed into the cement barrier during the d...

Today we hear from Kaya Williams of Aspen Public Radio about artist Patrick Kikut, who is capturing scenes of drying reservoirs and changing rivers across the West with the hopes of communicating the region's dire water shortage. We also hear from Chris Clements of KSJD about one advocate's attempts to help the Indigenous victims of fraudulent sober living facilities return home. We end the show w...

On Friday, a lawsuit that challenged President Biden's decision to restore the original size of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was dismissed by a federal judge. The State of Utah has already filed an appeal, claiming the president abused his powers under the Antiquities Act. //Photo: Bears Ears National Monument expanded by over a million acres on Frid...

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature the biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. On the latest episode: school stories. We hear a first-person account on high school academic pressure and a story about an arts community banding together to put on a school play. Plus, the family of a teen killed in Parkland, Florida is touring the countr...

On Tuesday, City Council members reviewed a draft of Moab's sustainability plan, which will be completed in December. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in town is one of the main goals. We also hear from our partners at KJZZ about a new national monument that will protect sacred Indigenous sites around the Grand Canyon. Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Doug McMurdo of the Times-Inde...

Amid the mounting pressures of climate change and habitat loss, protected areas like national parks and monuments can be a refuge for wildlife…including the very tiniest. Curious folks from around the region came together during the first annual Bears Ears Butterfly Count. Organizers say these citizen science events help document diverse species and can inspire new advocates for their conservation...

On Tuesday, the Utah Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to continue blocking the state’s abortion ban. Abortions are still legal in Utah up to 18 weeks of pregnancy, but if the state’s high court finds that the injunction on the state’s abortion ban is unconstitutional, abortions will become illegal in the state. //Photo: Attorneys representing the state of Utah and Planned Parenthood presen...

The crew at our local public works carry a different mental map of Moab City. They don’t just look at a street and see a road. They look at a street and see curb cuts, concrete, storm drains, gutters, patches, trip hazards, potholes, retention and detention. They take in all the things we can observe…and all the stuff beneath the surface. Today on the news, we ride along with public works, touring...

With a new school year just around the corner for Grand County students, we revisit an audio portrait of one place that screams summer: the pool! Get ready for backflips, pencil dives and cannonballs. // Original Broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/thursday-june-15-2023/

Using flowers to decorate the gravesites of our loved ones is a long held tradition in many cultures, including right here in Moab. But after a good wind at the cemetery in Spanish Valley, silk and plastic flowers can end up everywhere but the gravesites. Now Grand’s sexton is introducing a project that will help folks recycle and reuse wayward memorials. Plus, a popular stretch of the Snake River...

Today we hear from Aspen Public Radio about Gloria Vasquez, a 72-year-old runner who plans to finish 100 marathons before her 100th birthday. We also hear from KSUT about a free Ute language class that aims to preserve the spoken word. Finally, we hear from KHOL about kids from New York City who traveled to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks to preserve historical buildings. //Photo: Glori...

The Times-Independent is used to recording history. But this summer, they made a little of their own. Moab’s longest running newspaper is now a nonprofit under the umbrella of The Salt Lake Tribune. The TI’s longtime publisher sees this move as an opportunity, one that will help sustain local journalism. Today on the news, we head to the presses and hear from staff about this transition. It's one...

Today we speak to Mary Hudetz, a reporter at ProPublica, about her recent article on stolen Native American remains that are still being used for research today. She outlines the slow process of repatriation of these ancestral remains, and explains where things stand decades after a federal law was passed to reunite stolen ancestors with their tribes. We also hear from our partners at KUNC about c...

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature the biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. On today’s show we hear stories of regional food from Indigenous farming on the Navajo Nation to food rescue in Denver and the history of Colorado sugar beet workers.

Utah is home to the world’s largest organism. It’s a massive aspen grove called Pando, and it takes up 106 acres of Fishlake National Forest in central Utah. Some scientists believe it has survived for over 13,000 years. But now, its health is failing, and researchers at the Division of Wildlife Resources are pointing their fingers at mule deer. //Show Notes: //Photo: A fence surrounds part of Pan...

Lithium, considered critical for a greener economy, is used in products like rechargeable batteries, computers and electronic vehicles. Companies around the world are staking claims in potentially lithium-rich areas, including lands near Canyonlands National Park. After additional environmental analysis, the BLM has reopened such a proposal for public comment. Plus, to test their designs, competit...

Today we discuss the local amateur radio community with two of Moab’s “ham” radio operators, KJ7LVZ and KJ7PMR. They welcome us into the Sinbad Desert Amateur Radio Club's weekly on-air chit-chat. We nerd out about the weather, "old guy stuff," and radio physics. //Show Notes: //Photo: Joshua Griffin operates his radio setup during the Sinbad Desert Amateur Radio Club's weekly meeting. Photo by Em...

In the very salty north arm of Great Salt Lake, Gunnison Island hosts one of the largest breeding grounds for American white pelicans in the world. But not this year. Researchers say pelicans appear to have mostly abandoned their traditional nesting site. Our partners at Utah Public Radio report on a recent lake-wide survey of the birds. Plus, Utah leaders visited forest-management projects to exa...

Today we revisit our very first audio portrait. This non-narrated feature takes us to Old City Park, where outdoor guide Blaine gives us some insight into #vanlife in our community. // Original Broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/friday-february-26-2021/

Right now, the state of Utah doesn’t have a great way to measure how much of the water used to irrigate farms gets returned to the aquifers or lost to the air through evaporation. A pair of researchers with the Utah Geological Survey are working at Dugout Ranch to measure how much water is lost to evaporation and transpiration, information that could help the state make better water management dec...

Today we're airing episode three of a special series, Thirst Gap: Learning To Live With Less On The Colorado River, by KUNC. You can catch the show live at 6:00 p.m. on KZMU, or follow this link to listen to the podcast. //https://www.kunc.org/thirstgap/2023-05-01/episode-three-the-big-empty //Lake Powell on the Colorado River reached a record low this year. A wet winter will help it recover, but...