KZMU News
1,411 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago - ★★★★★ - 25 ratingsKZMU News features grassroots, independent journalism broadcast from the heart of Moab, Utah. A daily newscast with reliable coverage, local voices, and reporting that empowers community.
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Episodes
KZMU News: Tuesday April 9, 2019
April 09, 2019 19:00 - 7 minutes - 6.98 MBExcessive dispersed camping in the popular Klondike Bluffs area is impacting public health, wildlife habitat, and sensitive cultural and paleontological resources, according to the Bureau of Land Management. The Moab field office is currently seeking public comment on an environmental assessment of a plan for the area. They want to manage camping and get a handle on revegetation, firewood restrictions, and proper disposal of human waste. Learn more on today’s news. [Photo: Biking in the Klo...
KZMU News: Monday April 8, 2019
April 08, 2019 19:00 - 8 minutes - 7.49 MB- BLM nullifies decision on helicopter shuttle from Mineral Bottom pending further study on impacts to desert bighorn sheep - Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan has bi-partisan support - Public Lands Corner features takeouts for Cataract Canyon trips and the EA on camping in Klondike Bluffs
KZMU News: Friday April 5, 2019
April 05, 2019 19:00 - 9 minutes - 9.2 MBKZMU speaks with Doug McMurdo, the associate editor of The Times-Independent about the paper's latest coverage. This week - Moab City Police Chief Jim Winder says he'll be leaving the department 'relatively soon,' the dark skies ordinance passes in Grand County, and EMS looks to make big upgrades to its offices and dorms. Plus, a quick wrap-up on KZMU's ladies arm wrestling event. Tune in!
KZMU News: Thursday April 4, 2019
April 04, 2019 20:33 - 5 minutes - 5.41 MBGrand County Middle School’s Quiz Bowl team is outcompeting their peers this season, earning trophies at regional competitions. Under the direction of Coach Mike Estenson, the seventh and eighth grade students challenge themselves academically across a wide variety of subjects, while having fun being part of a team. KZMU News gets the latest on the team members, and why they love participating in this “sport for the mind.” [Photo: GCMS's varsity quiz bowl team with their first place trophy]
KZMU News: Wednesday April 3, 2019
April 03, 2019 19:30 - 5 minutes - 5.15 MBWarming weather in Moab typically means increased visitation. For Mill Creek Canyon, that combination of sunny days with more tourism poses significant threats to its cultural and natural resources – as well as public safety. It’s not unusual for the parking lot to overflow, while hordes of visitors drag coolers and blast music down the trailhead. A collaborative group of city, county, public lands and nonprofit representatives are now looking for answers to mitigate impacts associated with i...
KZMU News: Tuesday April 2, 2019
April 02, 2019 19:50 - 8 minutes - 7.85 MBMoab's community radio station celebrated 27 years on the airwaves with cake, sparkling cider, and a mayoral proclamation designating April 2nd as KZMU day. The station has come a long way since its first broadcast, but its mission to ‘inform, educate, engage, entertain, and delight’ still holds. Today on the newscast, station manager Serah Mead gives us an update on where KZMU might be headed in its 27th year. [photo: Mayor Emily Neihaus and KZMU General Manager Serah Mead celebrate the pro...
KZMU News: Monday April 1, 2019
April 01, 2019 19:47 - 8 minutes - 7.44 MB- Moab City supports federal legislation imposing fee on fossil fuels - Testimony heard on Colorado River Drought Contingency plan - Grand Junction police officer wants public input on a cold case
KZMU News: Friday March 29, 2019
March 29, 2019 19:00 - 9 minutes - 9 MBKZMU News welcomes Doug McMurdo of The Times-Independent to discuss some of the paper's latest coverage. This week - Spanish Valley residents urge San Juan County to consider dark skies with new development, Moab Regional Hospital discusses rural healthcare with Rep. John Curtis, Elaine Gizler runs down the Moab Area Travel Council budget, and an update on last October's homicide case. Tune in.
KZMU News: Thursday March 28, 2019
March 28, 2019 19:08 - 10 minutes - 9.24 MBYoung climate activists gathered at the state capitol Monday to protest a Bureau of Land Management oil and gas leasing sale held this week. The federal agency sold 135,000 acres for leasing in Utah, bringing in roughly $7.2 million. Notably, the BLM deferred all parcels in San Juan County to a later sale, citing a need for “additional environmental review” in that area. Climate change – or at least the threat of lawsuits related to climate change - might have played a role in this decision m...
KZMU News: Wednesday March 27, 2019
March 27, 2019 19:25 - 6 minutes - 5.5 MBWhat would you like Moab to be in 20 years? Grand County, Moab City and a team of planners want to know. They’re currently creating a unified land use plan that both reflects the vision of local residents and meets the needs of this changing community. At an open house Tuesday, community members talked infrastructure, housing, water, and economic diversity. Organizers want as much of this public input as possible, in order to ensure future development is aligned with community needs. Learn mo...
KZMU News: Tuesday March 26, 2019
March 26, 2019 19:00 - 6 minutes - 5.82 MBThomas Edison became a household name for inventing the first practical incandescent light bulb. But because of what happened in a small town in Colorado, his bitter rival Nikola Tesla won the bigger prize to electrify our modern grid. Our partners at H20 radio have a story of revenge over a century later.
KZMU News: Monday March 25, 2019
March 25, 2019 19:00 - 7 minutes - 7.28 MB- Higher mercury concentrations in Lake Powell's side canyons, according to USGS study - BLM incentivizing wild horse and burro adoptions - Public Lands Corner asks questions about our relationship to federal lands and tourism promotion
KZMU News: Friday March 22, 2019
March 22, 2019 19:00 - 10 minutes - 9.99 MBKZMU welcomes Doug McMurdo of The Times-Independent to the studios to discuss their latest coverage. First on the list - reservations. Arches National Park has backed off of a proposal that would have created a reservation system to alleviate congestion issues. Then, a new affordable housing project makes strides in the county, the health department considers banning all types of burning, and the study committee to change the county's form of government hosts an info session. Tune in!
KZMU News: Thursday March 21, 2019
March 21, 2019 19:00 - 7 minutes - 6.99 MB- Reservation system at Arches 'on hold' according to Superintendent Kate Cannon - High snowpack might stave off water shortage declaration for Colorado River Watershed - Moab's local Girl Scouts learn financial literacy and gain confidence during 'cookie season' [photo: Older Girl Scouts teach younger troops about different flavor profiles during their 'cookie rally' earlier this year]
KZMU News: Wednesday March 20, 2019
March 20, 2019 19:00 - 5 minutes - 5.06 MB- Dark skies advocates appeal for lighting ordinance in Grand County - Southwestern water managers ask Congress for help with drought contingency plan for Colorado River
KZMU News: Tuesday March 19, 2019
March 19, 2019 19:00 - 7 minutes - 6.9 MBWhen ecosystems change, what happens to the cultures who rely on them? Here in Utah, forest health experts are carefully monitoring changes to Aspen and Juniper forests – places people have come to rely on for generations. This story is not unfamiliar across the world. Today, H20 radio takes us to Hawai'i, where the disappearance of Ohi'a forests could have serious ramifications for watersheds and ecosystems in the state. For native Hawaiians who revere the tree, vanishing Ohi'a could mean th...
KZMU News: Monday March 18, 2019
March 18, 2019 20:55 - 6 minutes - 6.02 MB- Stronger beer now allowed in grocery stores after state passes bill - Public Lands Corner features a kayak trip down a flooding Courthouse Wash
KZMU News: Friday March 15, 2019
March 15, 2019 19:00 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBKZMU welcomes Doug McMurdo, associate editor of The Times-Independent to chat about their latest coverage. This week – the study committee promises transparency in change of government process, Grand County joins Moab City to study overnight accommodation land use, and a federal agency's lack of communication causes a lockdown at local schools. Plus, Canyonlands Half Marathon this weekend and record breaking weather. Tune in.
KZMU News: Thursday March 14, 2019
March 14, 2019 19:00 - 7 minutes - 7 MB- Bill aiming to prohibit local plastic bag bans shouted down at state legislature - Environmental groups sue over Utah's first oil shale development - Utah's diverse biomes on Wild About Utah
KZMU News: Wednesday March 13, 2019
March 13, 2019 19:00 - 10 minutes - 9.85 MBFor the last 55 years, Glen Canyon has been submerged under the waters of Lake Powell. Drowned with it are ancient sites and features recalled as beautiful, healing, and sacred. For 55 years, legendary river runner Ken Sleight has thought about the Glen Canyon he once knew, when the river ran wild. The exhibit, Glen Canyon: A River Guide Remembers, is open until March 23rd at Green River’s John Wesley Powell Museum. Tune in and learn more. [Show Notes: Thanks to Martha Ham for some providin...
KZMU News: Tuesday March 12, 2019
March 12, 2019 19:00 - 5 minutes - 5.3 MBStarting in the late 1980s, rainbow trout in the Western United States began dying off because of a parasite that causes whirling disease. By 1997, wild rainbows in neighboring Colorado had all but vanished. Now thanks to efforts by that state’s parks and wildlife agency, the fish popular with anglers and conservationists alike could be on the rebound. [photo: A volunteer holds rainbow trout in his hand, prior to clipping its adipose fin. Courtesy KRCC]
KZMU News: Monday March 11, 2019
March 11, 2019 19:00 - 8 minutes- 'Massive' natural avalanche in La Sals found by Utah Avalanche Center on Saturday - Utah's smallest counties might be restricted to smallest lawmaking bodies; Phil Lyman's bill moves forward, exempts Grand County - Public Lands Corner features bills affecting National Monuments in Utah [photo: Evidence of a natural avalanche on Pre-Laurel Peak that ran into Horse Creek. Credit Utah Avalanche Center]
KZMU News: Friday March 8, 2019
March 08, 2019 20:00 - 9 minutes - 8.85 MBKZMU welcomes Doug McMurdo, the associate editor of The Times-Independent to talk about their latest coverage. This week - the National Parks release the first-year economic impact of a reservation system at Arches National Park, and county leaders consider joining with the city in land use planning for overnight accommodations. Plus, one major rockfall and an earthquake. Tune in.
KZMU News: Thursday March 7, 2019
March 07, 2019 20:05 - 8 minutesMoab’s fourth annual radio drama, Uranium the Musical, premiers this weekend at Star Hall. The cast, orchestra, and crew have been busy rehearsing and preparing for the upcoming shows. Written and directed by Marty Durlin, Uranium the Musical centers on Moab in 1956. It portrays fictionalized versions of real Moab characters, while adding a touch of fantasy and noire. KZMU News stopped by rehearsal to hear the sounds and scenes of this Moab original. Tune in! [photo: Cast members of Uranium ...
KZMU News: Wednesday March 6, 2019
March 06, 2019 21:20 - 5 minutes - 5.35 MBGovernor Gary Herbert petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week to relax restrictions on road building for roughly 4.2 million acres of Utah’s National Forests currently protected by a 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The Governor’s office says the rule is too restrictive when it comes to forest health management in the backcountry. But many environmental groups have raised an alarm, alleging the petition is not about forest health at all, but rather extractive industries. ...
KZMU News: Tuesday March 5, 2019
March 05, 2019 20:00 - 7 minutes- Eyes on Paradox Valley Salinity Control Facility in relation to Monday's earthquake felt in Moab - Federal government working on alternate plan for Colorado River as states continue to miss deadlines [photo: Map of the 4.5 magnitude earthquake felt in Moab Monday, Credit U.S. Geological Survey]
KZMU News: Monday March 4, 2019
March 04, 2019 20:00 - 6 minutes - 5.52 MB- Rocks the size of 'motorhomes' block River Road Sunday - Colorado River Basin states struggle to finish contingency plans - Public Lands Corner features a rundown on Emery County Public Land Management Act [photo: Rocks blocking SR-128 Sunday. Credit Utah Highway Patrol]
KZMU News: Friday March 1, 2019
March 01, 2019 20:00 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBKZMU welcomes Nathaniel Smith, staff writer for The Times-Independent, to discuss their most recent coverage. This week - the state considers a bill that would reverse Moab's ban on plastic bags, the change of government study committee gets members, dark skies garner public support, and one prospective development utilizes the county's new high density housing overlay. Tune in!
KZMU News: Thursday February 28, 2019
February 28, 2019 20:30 - 6 minutes - 5.8 MBSome Utah lawmakers want to prevent cities and counties from placing restrictions on plastic containers. As it stands now, HB 320 would overturn Moab and Park City's respective bans on plastic bags. Representatives from the Plastics Industry Association support the bill, and it has been characterized as a way to promote 'consistency' in the marketplace while protecting businesses. But opponents say the bill pre-empts local authority to regulate their waste stream and respond to the desires o...
KZMU News: Wednesday February 27, 2019
February 27, 2019 20:00 - 7 minutes - 6.88 MBThe Natural Resources Management Act heads to the president's desk after strong bipartisan support in the U.S. House and Senate. The public lands package includes 1.3 million acres of wilderness protection, hundreds of thousands of which would be in Utah. Representative John Curtis of Utah's 3rd Congressional District joined KSJD's Daniel Rayzel to share why he supported the package, and why he's not supporting a separate Democrat-backed bill to expand Bears Ears National Monument. [photo: M...
KZMU News: Tuesday February 26, 2019
February 26, 2019 20:00 - 7 minutes - 6.66 MB- Hate crimes bill gains traction at state legislature - Weedkiller chemical showing up in some beer brands
KZMU News: Monday February 25, 2019
February 25, 2019 20:00 - 7 minutes - 6.53 MBWhat better way to celebrate creative reuse in the waste stream than by throwing a giant community costume and dance party? This weekend, the Resiliency Hub did just that with their annual Trashion Show. Attendees dressed in their finest creatively upcycled material, competing for "trashiest, sassiest, and classiest" costume. KZMU News spoke with some of these crafty Moab makers. [photo: Kya Marienfeld (left center) performs with The Fiery Furnace Marching Band during Saturday's Trashion Show]
KZMU News: Friday February 22, 2019
February 22, 2019 20:00 - 9 minutes - 9.05 MBKZMU welcomes Doug McMurdo to the studio for a discussion on The Times-Independent's latest coverage. This week, a conversation on Moab's wintry weather, a new bill that seeks to further restrict forms of county government, and more appeals filed in lawsuits brought by former city manager Rebecca Davidson. Tune in!
KZMU News: Thursday February 21, 2019
February 21, 2019 20:15 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBPeople living in Cisco, Utah have always had to get creative to survive. The place is isolated, an hours drive from downtown Moab with no services and no running water. Cisco resident Eileen Muza spends her time resurrecting this spit of desert, creatively re-forming the historic leftovers that span decades in the American West. "I'm just trying to reuse what's here, make it look good, give it a function," Muza told KZMU News. "To me it's a creative process. I'm making art…Random tires stre...
KZMU News: Wednesday February 20, 2019
February 20, 2019 20:00 - 9 minutes - 9.1 MB- State bill aims to stop local government from enacting plastic bag bans - SafeUT App success may help boost mental health resources in Utah's schools - A new report calls for 'major action' to protect local waterways from contamination, chemical threats
KZMU News: Tuesday February 19, 2019
February 19, 2019 20:00 - 6 minutes - 5.85 MB- Albrecht, Hinkins bill moves through committee; HB 78 would require counties get state approval before endorsing National Monuments, Parks etc. - Center for Western Priorities Director discusses the nomination of energy lobbyist David Bernhardt as Interior head [photo: State Rep. Carl Albrecht (left) and Sen. David Hinkins are co-sponsors of HB 78, both represent Grand County in their respective districts]
KZMU News: Monday February 18, 2019
February 18, 2019 20:00 - 6 minutes - 5.91 MBEarlier this month a Colorado man fought for his life in the foothills outside Fort Collins. With nothing more than rocks and his bare hands, he killed a mountain lion that sprang an ambush attack on a popular running trail. The story captured attention around the world. Our partners at KUNC caught up with the man and has his story. [photo: Travis Kauffman and his pet cat Obie/KUNC]
KZMU News: Friday February 15, 2019
February 15, 2019 20:00 - 8 minutes - 7.96 MBKZMU discusses the latest from The Times-Independent's coverage with associate editor Doug McMurdo. This week - Moab City makes recycling 'opt out' for residents, city leaders join the county by passing their own six-month moratorium on overnight accommodations, and more updates on the appointment council for changing the county's form of government. Plus, GCHS boys swim take state. Tune in!
KZMU News: Thursday February 14, 2019
February 14, 2019 20:00 - 9 minutes - 8.41 MBThe Emery County Public Land Management Act recently passed the U.S. Senate as part of sweeping national conservation legislation. The bill includes protections for 663,000 acres of lands in Emery County, including the San Rafael Swell, Desolation and Labyrinth Canyons. KZMU News spoke with Neal Clark, Wildlands Program Director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to learn more. [photo: Labyrinth Canyon proposed wilderness. Credit Ray Bloxham/SUWA]
KZMU News: Wednesday February 13, 2019
February 13, 2019 20:00 - 6 minutes - 5.93 MBIt's all things Moab City on today's newscast. After hearing citizen comment on local recycling, the city council passed a new collection agreement with private hauler Monument Waste. Residents will have the option to opt-out of a single stream recycling program, as well as choose trash collection every other week. Later in the meeting, the council passed a six month moratorium on new overnight accommodations, complementing a similar ordinance at the county. Tune in.
KZMU News: Tuesday February 12, 2019
February 12, 2019 20:51 - 7 minutes - 6.76 MB- Funding boost spurs jobs, tailings removal at Moab UMTRA - State deliberations continue on Colorado River usage [photo: An aerial view of the Moab UMTRA project. Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy]
KZMU News: Monday February 11, 2019
February 11, 2019 20:00 - 9 minutes - 8.71 MBA popped kernel found in southeast Utah looks like it was cooked yesterday – but, chances are, won't taste like it. After a thousand years or so, popcorn usually becomes stale. Our partners at KSJD spoke with Jonathan Till, curator of collections at the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, and archaeobotanist Dr. Karen Adams, to learn more. [photo: Curators at the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum recently catalogued a sample of corn from an alcove site on Comb Ridge. Experts say finding...
KZMU News: Friday February 8, 2019
February 08, 2019 20:46 - 8 minutes - 7.77 MBKZMU welcomes Doug McMurdo, associate editor of The Times-Independent, to talk about the paper's coverage. This week, we spend the whole show on one major issue - the change of county government. A judge ruled that Grand County will control the process, and now the timeline of change begins. Learn about the first steps, the options, and where Grand County might go from here.
KZMU News: Thursday February 7, 2019
February 07, 2019 20:07 - 10 minutes - 9.6 MBAs Moab City prepares to update its waste and recycling hauling contract for the first time in decades, many in the Moab community are weighing in. Green Solutions owner Brad Woodford summed up most of the feelings right now - "there are people who are really upset the government is telling them to do something, there are people who are really upset the government's not telling enough people to do something, and there's people who think that the way [recycling] is going to be done is not the ...
KZMU News: Wednesday February 6, 2019
February 06, 2019 20:35 - 8 minutes - 7.73 MB- Grand County passes six month moratorium on new overnight lodging; citizens speak out about 'overwhelming, out-of-control' development - San Juan County considers resolution supporting Bears Ears; Kelly Laws appeals case against commissioner Willie Grayeyes - Bluff balloon festival delights the skies, reports Moab Sun News
KZMU News: Tuesday February 5, 2019
February 05, 2019 20:00 - 5 minutes - 4.73 MBThe Colorado River Basin is facing a crisis. Much of the focus on solving that crisis has been on using less water. But there's also talk of increasing water supplies - by modifying the weather through cloud seeding. As our partners at KUNC report, it all revolves around the cost of water and how much we're willing to risk to get more of it. [photo: Eric Hjermstad, co-owner of cloud seeding operations company Western Weather Consultants, looks at the flame atop one of his generators near Wol...
KZMU News: Monday February 4, 2019
February 04, 2019 20:00 - 9 minutes - 8.5 MB- Arches, Canyonlands resume normal winter operations - New state bill aims to forbid changes to sex on birth certificate - Drought inspires cooperative model for Four Corners growers [photo: Fresh purple and yellow carrots ready for shareholders at the Southwest Farm Fresh Co-Op. Credit KSJD/Daniel Rayzel]
KZMU News: Friday February 1, 2019
February 01, 2019 19:55 - 10 minutes - 9.52 MBKZMU chats with Doug McMurdo, associate editor of The Times-Independent, about the latest in Moab. This week, a man pleads 'not guilty' to killing a Moab resident last October. New details emerge in the case as witnesses testify in a preliminary hearing. Also, an avalanche kills a San Juan County man in the La Sal Mountains, Grand County's Middle School Principal is placed on administrative leave, and a new timeshare development is slated for construction near the Slickrock Campground. Tune in!
KZMU News: Thursday January 31, 2019
January 31, 2019 20:00 - 7 minutes - 6.87 MBShortly after Willie Grayeyes was sworn in as San Juan County Commissioner, he entered a courtroom to defend, for the second time, his residency. Republican Kelly Laws, who lost to Grayeyes in the 2018 election, filed a complaint in late December alleging his opponent does not live in Navajo Mountain, Utah. After an eight-hour hearing last week, seventh district judge Don Torgerson issued a ruling late Tuesday in favor of Grayeyes. Our partners at KSJD in Cortez, Colorado spoke with a local w...
KZMU News: Wednesday January 30, 2019
January 30, 2019 20:07 - 5 minutes - 4.92 MBMany of the water problems in the American West could be eased if it just snowed more in the Southern Rocky Mountains. For decades, states have invested in weather modification to do just that. But the science to show that cloud seeding actually works has never been clear. While there are still plenty of questions about it, our partners at KUNC did find some answers. [photo: In 2017, researchers flew over Idaho's Payette River basin to try and determine how effective cloud seeding is in boos...