KZMU News

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.moabtimes.com/articles/utahs-shelter-crisis-has-gotten-worse-after-a-change-meant-to-help-domestic-violence-victims/ • Moab’s victim assistance program https://moabcity.org/673/Victim-Assistance-Program

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 changes to wolf hunting laws in Wyoming. We hear from KUNC about the best runoff storage in a decade, and from the Utah News Connection about Black voters in Utah. We finish off with a story from Aspen Public Radio about recent drowning deaths in Garfield County. - Show Notes - • BLM Public Comment Portal https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2027164/510 • Salt Lake Tribune: Residents of this southern Utah community fear copper mining proposal’s effects on water https://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/02/04/residents-this-southern-utah/ • KZMU: Residents of Lisbon Valley speak out against copper mine https://soundcloud.com/user-452372146-352514478/thursday-february-24-2022?utm_source=www.kzmu.org&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fuser-452372146-352514478%252Fthursday-february-24-2022

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, a death doula about having a peaceful death from KRCL.

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 the Moab Recreation and Aquatics Center. And we finish off with a story about two people who stole artifacts from Canyonlands National Park. https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/cost-of-trash-pickup-will-increase-for-city-residents/ • Need for repairs delays MRAC outdoor pool opening https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/need-for-repairs-delays-mrac-outdoor-pool-opening/ • This weekend: The 30th Moab Arts Festival https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/this-weekend-the-30th-moab-arts-festival/ • Water district looks to acquire federal water pipeline https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/water-district-looks-to-acquire-federal-water-pipeline/ • NPS needs help solving archeological theft incident at Canyonlands National Park https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/nps-needs-help-solving-archeological-theft-incident-at-canyonlands-national-park/

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 from the Medicaid system in Utah. - Show Notes - • A Moab Prison Camp: Japanese American Incarceration in Grand County https://moabmuseum.org/exhibition/a-moab-prison-camp/ • Sam Mihara https://sammihara.com/

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 program, and if approved, they would be able to bypass county laws and establish their own land use codes. Organizers with Kane Creek Development Watch have reason to believe the new law targets Grand County. Plus, we hear from Aspen Public Radio about a new initiative in Colorado to test drinking water at mobile home parks. - Show Notes - • State Bill 258 https://le.utah.gov/~2024/bills/static/SB0258.html • New law could override county's vote against wastewater facility at Kane Creek https://soundcloud.com/user-452372146-352514478/new-law-could-override-countys-vote-against-wastewater-facility-at-kane-creek-development • Kane Creek improvement district helmed by developers, not county https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/kane-creek-improvement-district-helmed-by-developers-not-county/

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 repatriate sacred objects to Native American tribes. We finish off with a story from KUNC about Colorado River negotiations. - Show Notes - • House of Representatives Uranium Industry Report 2023 https://www.congress.gov/118/crpt/hrpt296/CRPT-118hrpt296.pdf • Salt Lake Tribune: Biden banned Russian uranium imports. Here’s why Utah will feel that. https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2024/05/15/bidens-ban-russian-uranium-imports/

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 challenges facing veterans trying to get compensation for radiation exposure at the Nevada Test and Training Range, from KSJD. We finish off with a feature about shed antler hunting from KHOL.

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 voiced their support for former Grand County High School Principal, Todd Thompson, after he was fired earlier this month. To close, we discuss the school district’s new superintendent, who hopes to improve teacher retention. - Show Notes - • Local responders to be honored by state https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/local-responders-to-be-honored-by-state/ • GCHS parents turn out to support principal fired by state board https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/gchs-parents-turn-out-to-support-principal-fired-by-state-board/ • Lost dog reunites with owners after 9 days on the run https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/lost-dog-reunites-with-owners-after-9-days-on-the-run/ • GCSD hires a new superintendent from Texas https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/gcsd-hires-a-new-superintendent-from-texas/

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 graduate who otherwise would not have received a diploma. - Show Notes - https://gchs.grandschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=4251335&type=d&pREC_ID=2517314

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 KUER about new snow survey technology that's flying over Utah. And we finish off with a story from KSUT about one man in Gunnison, Colorado, who has been cultivating relationships with beavers his whole life. - Show Notes - https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast

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 campaign event in Monticello last weekend. We also talk to Kenny Fallon, editor and publisher of a new, monthly newsletter called the Green River Observer. We discuss Green River’s hopes for a partnership with the state’s inland port authority. Fallon also updates us on the new lithium mine in Green River, which was just approved for water rights from the state. And we finish up discussing how a new state law will enable two coal-fired power plants in Emery County to stay open longer than anticipated. - Show Notes - Moab Times-Independent: • GCHS principal fired by state board https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/gchs-principal-fired-by-state-board/ • Arch Canyon protest rally turns into campaign event https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/arch-canyon-protest-rally-turns-into-campaign-event/ • The company that helped propel the ADO is ditching it https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/the-company-that-helped-propel-the-ado-is-ditching-it/ Green River Observer: • Wanted: ideas for potential Inland Port Authority project https://thegreenriverobserver.substack.com/p/wanted-ideas-for-potential-inland • Lithium mine gains more water rights and coal plants gain time https://thegreenriverobserver.substack.com/p/eye-on-energy

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 University of Colorado about Los Seis of Boulder, 6 Chicano activists who were killed 50 years ago this month in two car bombs in Boulder. We finish off with a feature on the largest powwow in North America that took place recently in Albuquerque, NM.

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 hunters are barred from participating in the first week.

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 Development Watch are worried a new state law could override the county's authority by granting developers municipal oversight on their property. We also hear from KHOL about a new Mexican community center that hopes to connect Jackson's Hispanic residents with their roots. - Show Notes - • New state law that could override county's authority, State Bill 258 https://le.utah.gov/~2024/bills/static/SB0258.html • Grand County Commission Meeting 5/7/24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UPPBGoXrkw

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 with Derek Gow about his new book, Hunt for the Shadow Wolf, in which he explores the mythology, mystery and history of wolves, and their speckled history with our species.

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 response to upcoming evictions at the Walnut Lane trailer park. Plus, we talk about the GOP’s nomination of local House Representative, Phil Lyman, for Utah’s upcoming gubernatorial election. - Show Notes - • Hearing officer overturns county’s conditional use decision https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/hearing-officer-overturns-countys-conditional-use-decision/ • Clean energy program adjusts as Rocky Mountain Power pivots https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/clean-energy-program-adjusts-as-rocky-mountain-power-pivots/ • Council devastated by Walnut Lane issue; vow to see project through https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/council-devastated-by-walnut-lane-issue-vow-to-see-project-through/ • Gov. Cox beat at GOP convention, Lyman wins big https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/gov-cox-beat-at-gop-convention-lyman-wins-big/

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.'