KZMU News

A new proposal in Grand County would allow developers to build up to 45 units per acre. But all of them – every single unit – must be restricted to households with very low to low median income. Today we speak with Elissa Martin, Grand’s Planning Director, on this proposal. Plus, numerous tribes encouraged a moratorium on drilling near Chaco Canyon. But the Biden Administration’s recent decision t...

Today we revisit an audio portrait of the Moab Pride Library. Organizer Desirae Miller took us on a tour of the library, which provides a safe space for locals seeking resources and information. This audio portrait first aired in July 2022. Thanks for listening! // Original Broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/moab-pride-library-with-desirae-miller-audio-portrait/

On June 9, 2021, a fire broke out in the Pack Creek day use area. It moved quickly through the riparian area along the creek, tearing through several homes and structures in the Pack Creek neighborhood. And then it moved up to the mountains. Over the coming days and weeks, the fire burned close to 9,000 acres. On the two year anniversary of the Pack Creek Fire, we revisit its early hours with two...

Today, we hear from our regional partner at KUNC, who takes us to the Yampa River, a major tributary of the Colorado River and one of the West’s only undammed waterways. Plus, we hear from our partners at KSJD about the Ute Mountain Ute tribe’s annual Bear Dance in Towaoc, Colorado. We also hear from KJZZ about Indigenous communities’ responses to Arizona’s recent funding for psychedelic research....

An excited, almost gleeful group of students gathered outside Margaret L. Hopkin Middle just before summer break. Using cans of spray paint, they created unique designs on several panels that will represent themselves and their school. The panels will hang in the Thunderbird’s Nest, a new ‘freestore’ at MLHM where students can exchange clothes and grab new items like toiletries and school supplies...

In a new piece for Salt Lake Magazine, Christie Porter writes that marginalized students at Brigham Young University are more visible “than ever before.” During Pride month, she asked current students if this increased visibility is leading to increased acceptance in the wider school community. Plus, Navajo Nation officials launched Operation Rainbow Bridge to help Navajo citizens caught up in fra...

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature a new, biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. This show features authors who write about the American West. We’ll hear from author Oscar Hokeah on Calling For a Blanket Dance, author Shelley Read on Go As a River, author Teow Lim Goh on Western Journeys and author Morgan Sjogren on Path of...

The Bureau of Land Management owns 245 million acres of lands in the U.S, including about 40% of the lands in Utah. And to manage this landscape, the federal agency uses a doctrine of multiple use and sustained yield. That’s why oil and gas, grazing, and recreation often co-exist on BLM lands. But what about conservation? Today on the news, we report on a rule that would clarify conservation as it...

A couple years ago, Moab resident Jeff Gutierrez started Natural Resonance, a tour guiding business that enables people to explore canyons and the sounds of their ricochets. KZMU’s Emily Arntsen joined Gutierrez on a musical hike. Plus, we hear from our partners at KOTO about Telluride’s recent acquisition of the Valley Floor. //Photo: Jeff Gutierrez poses with his alto saxophone after playing in...

An excited and determined group of local middle schoolers gathered at the shores of Ken’s Lake on Tuesday. Their goal? Be the first ones to make it across the lake in homemade, cardboard boats. And later, we hear from the Great Salt Lake commissioner on why Utahns should avoid 'Great Salt Lake fatigue'. Plus, a federal judge has ruled in a trespassing case involving our region’s checkerboard patte...

How can we learn to live with less on the Colorado River? This question is at the heart of Thirst Gap, a new podcast from KUNC. In a six-part series, host Luke Runyon examines how the Southwest is adapting to water shortages as climate change causes the region to warm up and dry out. Today on the news, we speak with Luke about this new series and his years of experience reporting on the people and...

Today we revisit an audio portrait from the KZMU News Archive. Molly Marcello speaks with local feline hero Travis Garcia, otherwise known as Cat Daddy. //Original broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/travis-cat-daddy-garcia-audio-portrait/

Moab received a lot of water this year. You might assume that would make for a bad mosquito season this summer. Shanon Amsberry of the Moab Mosquito Abatement District gives us the run-down on what to expect from these bugs in the coming months. We also hear from Maggie McGuire, editor of the Moab Sun News, who gives us a summary of what happened at this week’s Moab City Council meeting. // Plus,...

Before it closed in 2019, the Kayenta Mine provided high-paying jobs to Navajo coal miners who lived nearby. But some say that working there, and at other coal mines across the Navajo Nation, has given miners lasting health problems, including black lung disease. Our radio partners at KSJD went on a tour of the Kayenta Surface Mine in northeastern Arizona with a former miner. And, states that rely...

Lift Up continues! This KZMU storytelling project intends to deepen understanding and empathy within our community and reinforce a sense of safety and belonging for all. // Our next Lift Up storyteller is Alison Anders. They like to spend their time exploring, cooking with friends, creating art, and instigating dance parties. A passionate outdoor educator and environmental steward, Alison finds pu...

Biologists from the University of Arizona were in Moab at the Matheson Wetlands looking for American Yellow Warblers and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers last week. They want to know if the pitch of a bird’s song can tell us more about a bird’s overall health. Plus, Moab closes campgrounds along the Colorado River because of dangerously high water. We also hear from Alex Hager at KUNC, who explored...

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature a new, biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. Today’s show features a roundtable with two reporters on predatory sober living homes targeting Indigenous communities throughout the Rocky Mountain West. Plus, an interview with a regional endurance athlete who wrote a new book on his father’s...

New mountain lion hunting laws went into effect in Utah at the beginning of May. The laws now allow year-round, unlimited cougar hunting despite a decline in cougar numbers in recent years. Plus, Grand County School District is closed today and Monday following a Norovirus outbreak. We also hear from our partners at KUER about a state-wide initiative to fund outdoor recreation. //Photo: New mounta...

A group of conservationists are working to remove flammable vegetation from a section of Pack Creek that runs through town as fire season approaches. A particularly wet winter led to a boom in invasive plants this spring. Once these plants dry out, they become dangerous tinder for potential fires. We also hear from our partners at UPR about the death of twenty California condors due to avian flu....

In a visit to Grand County High School this week, Utah Governor Spencer Cox spoke with students about their worries. Grand’s kids shared their concerns about school safety, social media impacts and heading into the adult world after graduation. Rounding out a statewide tour of local high schools across the state, Governor Cox says these in-person conversations will absolutely inform his future age...

Grand County is looking to spend an estimated $650 to $850,000 on economic diversification projects in the next six weeks. That’s because come July…it will be illegal to do so. Today on the news, we hear about the county's plans to spend some transient room tax dollars on a short deadline. Plus, the Southeast Utah Health Department is currently investigating a possible outbreak of norovirus at Gra...

Today we revisit an audio portrait of Mike Mewborn, known to locals as Marlow. We caught up with him on the shores of the Colorado River in June 2022. Thanks for listening! // Original Broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/mike-marlow-mewborn-audio-portrait/

A dried-up side channel of the Colorado River just upstream of Sorrel River Ranch is finally receiving some water after six years of restoration work. We speak with Tony Mancuso of the Utah Department of Natural Resources about the collaborative effort to bring back the river’s wetland habitats. Plus we hear from our partners at KHOL that the Upper Snake River could look very different after feder...

Utah’s Third District Court temporarily blocked a piece of legislation that would have functionally eliminated access to abortion in the state. Today on the news, we speak with a Planned Parenthood staffer on how ongoing legal challenges and uncertainty has affected their licensed abortion clinics. Plus, the Environmental Protection Agency may add the first-ever Navajo Nation site to its Superfund...

The Moab UMTRA site is testing a new method for preventing contaminated groundwater from reaching the Colorado River. In April, scientists injected a mineral called apatite into the aquifer beneath the site to soak up uranium. We also hear from our partners at KSJD about recent changes to Arizona’s Medicaid program, which closed a loophole for sober homes that were taking advantage of Indigenous c...