On Friday, a new lithium mine in Green River announced that the Utah Division of Water Rights approved its application. The mine, owned by Anson Resources, was granted a flow rate of 19 cubic feet of water per second on the condition that all water used in the extraction process will be re-injected back into the aquifer after lithium has been remov…

This week on Regional Roundup, we hear how many of our beloved outdoor spaces are being loved to death as increasing numbers of tourists flock to the region. This show explores how local communities are grappling with the challenge of preserving their natural landscapes while sustaining their economies. From overcrowded trails to endangered ecosyst…

On the News Reel today, we talk to Andrew Christiansen, reporter at the Times-Independent, about disagreements among commissioners on how the state’s audit of Grand County tourism funds was represented at a recent legislative meeting. We also discuss a report on National Park Service revenue in southeastern Utah during 2023. And we finish up with a…

The annual paranormal conference Phenomecon took place in Vernal, Utah, last weekend. UFO spotters, Bigfoot enthusiasts, and Skinwalker believers convened for four days of lectures and presentations about supernatural occurrences in the Uinta Basin and beyond.- Photo: Phenomecon attendees Audie Tackett and Gail Tackett show off a photo of what they…

For over a century, the world's fastest drivers have been coming to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah every year to set speed records in their homemade hotrods. But the future of the sport is uncertain as conditions of the speedway deteriorate from decades of mining on the salt flats. What will that mean for the next generation of racers?Photo: At …

This week on the Regional Roundup, we hear an interview with the author of a new book, "The Western Horse: A Popular History of the Wild and Working Animal" by RMCR. We also hear a feature on the Churro sheep and its significance to the Navajo Nation, from the archives at KSJD/KSUT. Plus, a feature on Trumpeter swans in Wyoming, by KHOL. And an int…

KZMU News is on a break until early September. Tune in to KZMU News live every weekday at noon and 6:00 pm for regional news from our sister stations and rebroadcasts of some of our favorite stories from the past year. Talk to you in a couple weeks. Thanks for listening.Oleh KZMU News

On the News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about former Salt Lake Tribune reporter Zak Podmore’s new book, Life After Dead Pool. We also discuss the state’s most recent precipitation report, which found below average rainfall in Utah this summer. And we finish off with a story about Grand County Commission Cha…

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a two way on the impact of dehumanizing political rhetoric targeted at immigrants from RMCR, a two way with the founder of the Rocky Mountain Welcome Center and its work with recently arrived Venezuelans from KDNK, a two way on the history of Buffalo Soldiers in the Rocky Mountain West from KRCL, and a feature…

On the News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the city’s plans to improve Main Street in Moab, possible updates to the Moab Area Travel Council Advisory Board, and law enforcement’s recovery of the body of a missing woman who was killed in a flash flood. Plus, we hear from Kenny Fallon, editor and publisher…

The mining company Energy Fuels transported its first shipment of uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon to the White Mesa Mill in Blanding, Utah, on Tuesday. The company plans to transport six or more truckloads of ore to the White Mesa Mill daily for the next two years. The shipping route cuts through the Navajo Nation, whic…

After 51 years, the Moab Police Department has finally solved the murder of Ann Woodward, a local barkeep who was killed at Woody’s Tavern in 1973. For decades, law enforcement was stumped — who was the man that Ann beat at poker that night, the man sitting next to her smoking Camel cigarettes, the man with what one witness described as “devastatin…

This week on the Regional Roundup, we hear a feature about using stilts to pick peaches in Palisade, Colorado, by Rocky Mountain PBS. We also hear a feature on catfishing in the moonlight by KGNU, a feature on a mounted patrol unit in Jackson, Wyoming, by KHOL, a feature on the recent Ute games for kids, by KSUT/KSJD, and a feature on river runners…

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the county’s decision to postpone accepting a recent state auditor’s report that found the county misallocated over $4 million in tourism-related funds. We finish our discussion with a story about a recent tragedy involving a Moab resident who passed away…

Today we hear from our partners at KUER about a proposed shooting range near a residential neighborhood. We also hear from KSUT about an inter-tribal sports competition in Ignacio, Colorado. And we finish off with a story from KHOL about Jackson, Wyoming's volunteer crew of mounted police.Oleh KZMU News

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a two way with former Colorado Governor, Dick Lamm, who spearheaded the opposition to the Winter Olympics in Colorado. We also hear a feature on bird watching in Telluride. Plus, an audio postcard on fire flies, and an interview on Dark Sky communities. And we finish up with a two way on the Gunnison Valley Ob…

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the Moab Police Department’s year-in-review report, which uses a new records management system that will hopefully make it easier to track 9-1-1 calls by category in the future. We also cover two tragedies that happened last week – two fatalities in Canyo…

Today we hear from our partners at KGNU about a traveling Smithsonian exhibit that is currently on display at the John Wesley Powell River History Museum in Green River. We also hear from Rocky Mountain Community Radio's Maeve Conran about western Colorado's approach to managing the spread of Japanese Beetles.…

Today we hear from KSUT about a new program to provide locally grown produce to Indigenous communities. We also hear from KGNU about Colorado's new Medicaid plan that includes doula services.Oleh KZMU News

This week on the Regional Roundup, we hear a two way interview with best-selling author and Paonia native, Paolo Bacigalupi, produced by KBUT. We also hear a feature on finding solutions to polarized politics, a recent forum at the Aspen Ideas Festival, produced by Aspen Public Radio. And we finish up with a presentation on evaluating media in the …

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the extent of the damage from two recent floods. We also discuss a scandal at the Utah State University satellite campus in Price, Utah, where an employee was paid $157,000 over two years without working. - Show Notes - • Moab’s recent flash floods: The e…

As of July 1, Grand County and the City of Moab are no longer accepting glass in single stream recycling. Residents can still recycle glass for free at the Moab Community Recycling Center. But now, Grand County will join the rest of the state and most of the country in cutting glass from single-stream recycling.- Show Notes - • Moab Community Recyc…

Today we hear from our partners at KVNF about a recent decision by a Colorado court to vacate the sentences against Sunset Mesa Funeral Home operators who were caught illegally selling body parts. We also hear from Aspen Public Radio about DACA recipients who are worried about whether they'll be able to continue living and working in the U.S. depen…

The Utah Investigative Journalism Project recently reported that Kane Creek developer Craig Weston donated over $40,000 to attorney general candidate Derek Brown's campaign in 2023. Reporter Eric Peterson connects the dots for us about why this relationship is relevant within the larger story of the controversial housing development in Moab. - Show…

This week on the Regional Roundup, we hear a feature about students from Ignacio, Colorado, who headed to Space Camp in Alabama, produced by KSJD/KSUT. We also hear the keynote speech of the Aspen Psychedelics Summit about the intersection of psychedelics and neurodiversity, produced by Aspen Public Radio. And we finish up with an interview with a …

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the city’s plans to repave Mill Creek Drive starting in August. We also talk about the proposed increase in property taxes, which have been set at 0% in Moab for over 30 years. We finish up with a story about a Texas couple who went missing during a flash…

KOTO’s Gavin McGough speaks with writers and long-time friends Hampton Sides and Kevin Fedarko about their new books. Fedarko's "A Walk in the Park" captures his 750-mile hike along the Grand Canyon, and Sides' "The Wide, Wide Sea" tells of map-maker Captain James Cook’s final journey to Hawaii.Oleh KZMU News

Today we hear from our partners at KDNK about Colorado's recently introduced wolf pack. We also hear from Utah News Connection about price gouging in the pork industry. We finish up with a story from KUNC about a federal program to pay Arizona cities to conserve water from the Colorado River.Oleh KZMU News

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a feature about using an augmented reality app to get kids outdoors, produced by KDNK. We also hear a two way on a non profit from Colorado Springs that turns guns into gardening tools, produced by the Rocky Mountain Community Radio. We finish up with a two way with a man from Kurdistan who now lives in Salt L…

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the state’s audit of Grand County, which found that over $1 million in tourism-related funding was misused. We also discuss the status of a sexual battery case involving former elementary school teacher, Bruce Hucko, and a 12-year-old student. - Show Note…

Grand County has multiple alert systems to warn residents and tourists of local emergencies. On Friday, all cellphones within the identified high-risk area were pinged with a flash flood warning from the county. Residents not within the high-risk area did not receive the notification, leading some to believe the warning system failed, an issue the …

On Monday, Grand County Search and Rescue began looking for two individuals who were reported missing following Friday's flash flood. Their car was found near the Steel Bender off-roading area, and soon after, GCSAR found an abandoned UTV associated with the missing man and woman. The search is still ongoing. The incident follows another recent flo…

On Friday, Moab received over one inch of rain in just 15 minutes, triggering a severe flash flood that overflowed onto multiple roads in town. We speak with Moab City Manager David Everitt about the city's clean up plan and how prior mitigation techniques held up during this emergency.Photo by Emily Arntsen/KZMU.…

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a feature on why a landslide has resulted in the catastrophic failure of a major thoroughfare connecting Westering Wyoming and Eastern Idaho, from KHOL. We also hear a short feature on the impact on drivers of the ongoing U.S. 50 closure, from KVNF. Plus, a story from Writers on the Range commentary on what re…

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about the hostile work environment that prompted Grand County Administrator Mallory Nassau to resign. We’ll also talk about an upcoming rate increase for trash collection in Moab City and changes to how residents will have to recycle glass. We finish off with a…

Today we hear from our partners at the Utah News Connection about getting people of color access to public lands. We also hear from KGNU about a rally of janitors in Denver who came out to protest unfair wages and commemorate the anniversary of a violent janitor's protest that happened in California in 1990.…

Today we hear from our partners at Aspen Public Radio about replanting native species after a fire in western Colorado. We also hear from KDNK about a new program to engage kids outside with augmented reality.Oleh KZMU News

Today we hear from our partners at KUER about wildfire risks despite heavy precipitation in Utah the last two years. We also hear from KSUT about a federal program to remediate coal mines on the Navajo Nation. And we finish with a story from Aspen Public Radio about cuts to the music departments at Carbondale schools.…

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a two way with the author of Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage, about the twentieth anniversary of the armored tank rampage in Granby, Colorado, and the disinformation that persists, from KFFR. We also hear a feature on increasing tree canopy in one Denver neighborhood, from KGNU. Plu…

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about Grand County’s response to a state investigation into whether transient room taxes were misallocated during an economic diversification program that was cut short in 2023. We’ll also talk about the county’s reaction to a new state law that could give deve…

Today we hear stories about rural Utah’s greenhouse gas emissions, Colorado’s new laws to regulate the funeral industry following multiple malpractice cases, and Dine College’s new law program.Oleh KZMU News

Today we hear from KUER about a recent candidate debate for Utah's U.S. Senate election. We also hear from KOTO about the ongoing controversy over a proposed monument to protect the Dolores River canyon.Oleh KZMU News

Today we say goodbye to Molly Marcello who founded KZMU News in 2018. We reflect on the highlights of Molly's reporting and her accomplishments as News Director over the past six years. It's not goodbye for good, though. Molly will continue to work for KZMU developing a podcast about search and rescue. Emily Arntsen will take over as News Director.…

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear a two way interview with KZMU's Emily Arntsen about a three-part series on a cold case in Moab that may soon be solved. We also hear a two way with the Executive Director of the Earth Law Center in Durango, which works with Indigenous partners in the U.S. to enforce the rights of nature. We finish up with an i…

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about construction at the Kane Creek housing development, which was stalled briefly after the state cut off access to a well developers were using illegally. We also discuss Moab’s new title as a Dark Sky Community and what that will mean for businesses moving …

Today we hear from KSUT about recent water rights negotiations between three Native American tribes, the state of Arizona, and the federal government. We also hear from KGNU about the financial hardships of drought on Southwestern farmers.Oleh KZMU News

Today we hear from our partners at KUER about one Utah town’s solution to the housing crisis. We also hear from KSUT about Colorado’s new Seal of Climate Literacy designation for high school students. Plus, we hear from KUNC about an upcoming Colorado River conference during which key negotiators will make a plan about the waterway’s future. We als…

Today we hear from our partners at KSUT and KSJD about a weekend celebration of Navajo-Churro sheep weaving in southwestern Colorado. We also hear from KUER about a Utah mermaid performer who participated in the Swiss Mer-lympics last month.Oleh KZMU News

Today on the Regional Roundup, we hear an interview with a survivor of a Japanese American prison camp in Wyoming about the need to remember this history, from KZMU. We also hear an interview with a refugee advocate who was part of a wave of thousands of Vietnamese refugees who came to Colorado between 1975 and 1990, from KGNU. We finish up with an…

On the Weekly News Reel today, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about upcoming improvements to two bike paths in Moab, one on Highway 128 and one along Highway 191 on the way to Arches National Park. We also highlight key takeaways from a recent interview with Brian King, a Democratic State Representative who’s running in U…