Access Utah

By Tom Williams

Society & Culture Arts History Performing Arts Visual Arts

What's Access Utah about?

Access Utah is UPR's original program focusing on the things that matter to Utah. The hour-long show airs live Monday-Thursday at 9:00 a.m. Access Utah covers everything from pets to politics in a range of formats from in-depth interviews to call-in shows. Email us at [email protected] or call at 1-800-826-1495. Join the discussion!

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Access Utah episodes:

04.24.2024
Revisiting 'Public Libraries' with Sam Passey on Wednesday's Access Utah
Sam Passey is Director of the Uintah County Library in Vernal and we revisit our conversation with him, reviewing current challenges and opportunities and looking to the future.
04.22.2024
Earth Day 2024 on Monday's Access Utah
Every year for Earth Day, we check in with writer and photographer Stephen Trimble, author of “Bargaining for Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America,” and many other books. He, alongside other guests join this episode to...
04.17.2024
Food security with Heidi Kühn on Wednesday's Access Utah
Heidi Kühn is our guest for this episode. Through the nonprofit organization Roots of Peace, which she founded in 1997, Kühn has led initiatives to restore agriculture in former conflict zones, restore soil health, enhance food security, support livelihoods and...
04.15.2024
'Neurodiversity' with Jason Grygla on Monday's Access Utah
Our guest today is Jason Grygla, Executive Director and Founder of Techie for Life. He’ll give a talk tomorrow at noon in the Dunford Auditorium at Utah Tech University in St. George. His talk is titled Neurodiversity: A Renaissance of...
04.10.2024
'Sliding Into History' on Wednesday's Access Utah
On this episode we talk with USU professor Tammy Proctor and several students in her sports history class about a project they’re calling Sliding Into History: The Legacy of USU Women's Softball Champions 1980 – 1981.
04.08.2024
'Westwater: Lost and Found' with Mike Milligan on Monday's Access Utah
Westwater Lost and Found: Expanded Edition is the continuing story of Westwater—a relatively short, deep canyon near the Utah-Colorado state line that has become one of the most popular river-running destinations in the Southwest—and its lasting significance to the study...
04.03.2024
Revisiting 'Beethoven' with Kerry Candaele on Wednesday's Access Utah
We revisit our conversation with film producer and director Kerry Candaele, who is showing the first two documentaries of his Beethoven trilogy. We discuss the films as well as the global impact of Beethoven's music.
04.01.2024
'Returning Rapids Project' with Mike DeHoff on Monday's Access Utah
The receding waters of Lake Powell have returned some of the dam-inundated areas of the Colorado River Basin to a more natural state, while imperiling others. Mike DeHoff joins us to discuss.
03.28.2024
'Big Box USA' on Thursday's Access Utah
On this episode we talk with the editors of Big Box USA, which presents a new look at how the big box retail store has dramatically reshaped the U.S. economy and its ecosystems in the last half century.
03.27.2024
Revisiting A Republic of Scoundrels' On Wednesday's Access Utah
Today we revisit our conversation with the editors of the book 'A Republic of Scoundrels: The Schemers, Intriguers, and Adventurers Who Created a New American Nation.' Our guests are editors Timothy Hemmis and David Head.
03.20.2024
Environmental member drive special on Wednesday's Access Utah
We talk with Wayne Wurtsbaugh, professor emeritus in the Watershed Sciences Department at USU and Jack Greene, nature educator and regular contributor to UPR’s Wild About Utah.
03.18.2024
Folklore member drive special with Lynne McNeill on Monday's Access Utah
It’s another special Member Drive edition of the program and our guest is folklorist Lynne McNeill.
03.06.2024
Revisiting 'Crossings' with Ben Goldfarb on Wednesday's Access Utah
We revisit our conversation with Ben Goldfarb to talk wildlife and discuss his upcoming book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.
03.04.2024
Rural Utah voting and elections with T.J. Ellerbeck on Monday's Access Utah
Our guest today is T.J. Ellerbeck, executive director of the Rural Utah Project, which works in voter registration and mobilization in rural areas among other initiatives. We’ll talk about voting and elections, technology, and other issues affecting rural Utah.
02.28.2024
Bringing War Home: Vietnam War Symposium on Wednesday's Access Utah
Many are still living with the legacies of the Vietnam War, and one of the populations deeply affected by this devastating event were the women of many backgrounds who served militarily. Susan O’Neill and Kara Dixon Vuic join us today...
02.26.2024
Faith and the Environment with Tamarra Kemsley on Monday's Access Utah
Today Salt Lake Tribune religion reporter Tamarra Kemsley joins us to talk about how religious faith affects peoples’ views of the environment.
02.22.2024
Moab Kane Creek development on Thursday's Access Utah
A developer plans to build a large luxury home and commercial development on scenic agricultural land in the Colorado River floodplain just outside Moab, and a residents’ group, as part of a groundswell of local opposition, has formed to oppose...
02.21.2024
2024 legislature with Tyler Clancy on Wednesday's Access Utah
Today we’ll talk with Rep. Clancy about mental health issues, homelessness, and other issues.
02.20.2024
Revisiting The "Pill Mill Killer" on Tuesday's Access Utah
We revisit our conversation with Philip Eil about his book Prescription for Pain. It follows his years-long investigation into his father’s old classmate: former high school valedictorian Paul Volkman, who once seemed destined for greatness after earning his MD and...
02.15.2024
'Sleepless' with Annabel Abbs-Streets on Thurday's Access Utah
In the tradition of books like Breath and Wintering, Sleepless combines science, historical research, and personal experience to explore the complicated relationship women have with darkness.
02.14.2024
Love magic for Valentine's Day 2024 on Wednesday's Access Utah
On this Valentine’s Day we're joined by Jeannie Thomas to talk about love spells, heartbreak rituals, a study about fruit flies and breakups, and anthropologist Helen Fisher’s studies on what happens to our brains when we fall in love.
02.13.2024
Discussing Lisa Thompson's 'Wild Wasatch Front' on Tuesdays Access Utah
Lisa Thompson and the Natural History Museum of Utah have a new book out called Wild Wasatch Front, an urban adventure guide that invites both locals and tourists to discover unexpected nature thriving in the cities and suburbs of the...
02.12.2024
Water issues in the 2024 Legislature on Monday's Access Utah
On this episode we’ll talk about water policy as it's being debated and acted upon at the Utah Legislature. Our guests include Salt Lake Tribune water and land use reporter Leia Larsen and Rep. Joel Briscoe, D-SLC.
02.07.2024
Great Salt Lake & the 2024 Legislature on Wednesday's Access Utah
Our guest is Great Salt Lake Commissioner and Great Salt Lake Strike Team Co-Chair Brian Steed, here to talk about the Great Salt Lake Data and Insights Summary, prepared for the 2024 Utah Legislature.
02.06.2024
Revisiting 'National Dish' with Anya von Bremzen on Tuesday's Access Utah
We all have an idea in our heads about what French food is—or Italian, or Japanese, or Mexican, or . . . But where did those ideas come from? Who decides what makes a national food canon? Recipient of three...
02.05.2024
'Our Secret Society' with Tanisha Ford on Monday's Access Utah
Today historian Tanisha Ford will join us to talk about her biography of Mollie Moon, who was one of the most influential women of the civil rights era.
02.01.2024
Revisiting Michael Finkel's 'The Art Thief' on Thursday's Access Utah
Michael Finkel’s book The Art Thief chronicles one of the most outrageous crime sprees in history.
01.31.2024
David Zook on Wednesday's Access Utah
On this episode of Access Utah we check in with Cache County Executive David Zook to talk about housing, transportation, the economy, homelessness and more.
01.30.2024
Utah legislation and the 2024 energy policy on Tuesday's Access Utah
Today we’ll talk about energy policy as it's being acted upon at the Utah Legislature.
01.29.2024
Revisiting ''Walt Longmire' with Craig Johnson on Monday's Access Utah
We're once again joined by Craig Johnson, the New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mystery novels.
01.25.2024
'Patricia Turner's Trash Talk' on Thursday's Access Utah
Today we'll talk with UCLA Professor Patricia Turner discusses her latest book, Trash Talk: Anti-Obama Lore and Race in the Twenty-First Century.
01.24.2024
Neurodiversity with Sara Sanders Gardner on Wednesday's Access Utah
Sara Sanders Gardner is the openly autistic designer and developer of Bellevue College's nationally recognized Neurodiversity Navigators program, and they are the guest for this episode.
01.23.2024
Science reporting in Panama on Tuesday's Access Utah
On this episode we talk with scientists and reporters who have been researching and reporting at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
01.22.2024
Advocacy groups and the 2024 Legislative Session on Monday's Access Utah
As the 2024 session of the Utah Legislature enters its second week there are many organizations advocating for their causes. We’ll talk to several of these groups today.
01.18.2024
Revisiting 'The Cat's Meow' with Jonathan Losos on Wednesday's Access Utah
Today we talk cats. Our guest is Jonathan Losos, and on this episode we discuss his book The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa.
01.17.2024
Revisiting 'Like, Literally Dude' with Valerie Fridland on Access Utah
On this episode we talk speech. We revisit our conversation with Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Reno and author of Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English.
01.11.2024
'The Codex of the Endangered Species Act' with Lowell Baier on Access Utah
The year 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. It was also another year in an ongoing crisis of biodiversity loss, species extinctions, climate change, and natural disasters. On this episode we talk with Lowell Baier about...
01.09.2024
Revisiting 'Hollywood Harmony' with Frank Lehman on Tuesday's Access Utah
We revisit our converstaion about music in the movies! We're joined by Frank Lehman, Associate Professor of Music at Tufts University. He is author of Hollywood Harmony: Musical Wonder and the Sound of Cinema and recent essay, How to Write...
01.08.2024
Poetry in the New Year 2024 on Monday's Access Utah
We continue our tradition of bringing you poetry in the New Year. This year we feature conversation with and poetry from Utah Poet Laureate Lisa Bickmore, along with poets Michael Sowder and Ben Gunsberg.
01.04.2024
Top digital folklore trends of 2023 on Thursday's Access Utah
We're once again joined by USU English professors Jeannie Thomas and Lynne McNeill to talk about folklore. On this episode we focus on the most popular memes and digital trends of last year.
10.23.2023
Homelessness and Logan's warming center
Today we’ll spotlight the William A. Burnard Warming Center in Logan. We’ll also talk about the causes of homelessness in Cache Valley and how those differ from other areas of the state.
10.09.2023
'ROLL BACK THE WORLD' with Deborah Kasdan on Monday's Access Utah
Today we’ll talk with Deborah Kasdan about her new book ROLL BACK THE WORLD: A Sister’s Memoir. Threaded throughout this love letter to her older sister are stories of four siblings and their parents. As the second sibling, Deborah Kasdan...
12.01.2022
Exploring 'Secret Salt Lake City' with Jeremy Pugh
Where can you find a chunk of the Matterhorn enshrined at a Utah ski resort? What is the origin of Iosepa, the Hawaiian ghost town in the desert? And why is Utah called the Beehive State?
11.30.2022
Revisiting 'To Boldly Grow' with Tamar Haspel
"To Boldly Grow" allows us to journey alongside Tamar Haspel as she learns to scrounge dinner from the landscape around her and discovers that a direct connection to what we eat can utterly change the way we think about our...
11.30.2022
'Time To Think Small': Climate action with Todd Myers
"Time to Think Small" examines ways we can leverage the growing power of smartphones and other technologies to protect threatened species, reduce the risk from climate change and stop ocean plastic.
11.30.2022
The Great Salt Lake
Today we’ll talk to two reporters participating in the Great Salt Lake Collaborative who recently traveled to Las Vegas to learn what that water-starved city is doing and what Utah might learn from them.
11.30.2022
Revisiting 'For You When I Am Gone' with Steve Leder
We revisit our conversation with Rabbi Steve Leder about life, death and the concept or writing an ethical will.
11.30.2022
'Our Sixth Sense: Math' with David Brown
On this episode we talk about math. We're joined David Brown who recently delivered the 47th Annual Honors Last Lecture on the USU Logan Campus, which was entitled: Our Sixth Sense: Math.
11.30.2022
'Pump' with Bill Schutt
On this episode we're joined by zoologist Bill Schutt to talk about the origins of circulation, still evident in microorganisms today, to the tiny hardworking pumps of worms, to the golf-cart-size hearts of blue whales.
11.30.2022
Revisiting understanding the world and more with Jim Enote
We revisit our conversation with Jim Enote to talk about the different ways that western scientists and Native people understand the world, Bears Ears National Monument, challenges facing the Colorado Plateau, Native response to rock art and more.

What's Access Utah about?

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Access Utah episodes:

Revisiting 'Public Libraries' with Sam Passey on Wednesday's Access Utah

Earth Day 2024 on Monday's Access Utah

Food security with Heidi Kühn on Wednesday's Access Utah

'Neurodiversity' with Jason Grygla on Monday's Access Utah

'Sliding Into History' on Wednesday's Access Utah

'Westwater: Lost and Found' with Mike Milligan on Monday's Access Utah

Revisiting 'Beethoven' with Kerry Candaele on Wednesday's Access Utah

'Returning Rapids Project' with Mike DeHoff on Monday's Access Utah

'Big Box USA' on Thursday's Access Utah

Revisiting A Republic of Scoundrels' On Wednesday's Access Utah

Environmental member drive special on Wednesday's Access Utah

Folklore member drive special with Lynne McNeill on Monday's Access Utah

Revisiting 'Crossings' with Ben Goldfarb on Wednesday's Access Utah

Rural Utah voting and elections with T.J. Ellerbeck on Monday's Access Utah

Bringing War Home: Vietnam War Symposium on Wednesday's Access Utah

Faith and the Environment with Tamarra Kemsley on Monday's Access Utah

Moab Kane Creek development on Thursday's Access Utah

2024 legislature with Tyler Clancy on Wednesday's Access Utah

Revisiting The "Pill Mill Killer" on Tuesday's Access Utah

'Sleepless' with Annabel Abbs-Streets on Thurday's Access Utah

Love magic for Valentine's Day 2024 on Wednesday's Access Utah

Discussing Lisa Thompson's 'Wild Wasatch Front' on Tuesdays Access Utah

Water issues in the 2024 Legislature on Monday's Access Utah

Great Salt Lake & the 2024 Legislature on Wednesday's Access Utah

Revisiting 'National Dish' with Anya von Bremzen on Tuesday's Access Utah

'Our Secret Society' with Tanisha Ford on Monday's Access Utah

Revisiting Michael Finkel's 'The Art Thief' on Thursday's Access Utah

David Zook on Wednesday's Access Utah

Utah legislation and the 2024 energy policy on Tuesday's Access Utah

Revisiting ''Walt Longmire' with Craig Johnson on Monday's Access Utah

'Patricia Turner's Trash Talk' on Thursday's Access Utah

Neurodiversity with Sara Sanders Gardner on Wednesday's Access Utah

Science reporting in Panama on Tuesday's Access Utah

Advocacy groups and the 2024 Legislative Session on Monday's Access Utah

Revisiting 'The Cat's Meow' with Jonathan Losos on Wednesday's Access Utah

Revisiting 'Like, Literally Dude' with Valerie Fridland on Access Utah

'The Codex of the Endangered Species Act' with Lowell Baier on Access Utah

Revisiting 'Hollywood Harmony' with Frank Lehman on Tuesday's Access Utah

Poetry in the New Year 2024 on Monday's Access Utah

Top digital folklore trends of 2023 on Thursday's Access Utah

Homelessness and Logan's warming center

'ROLL BACK THE WORLD' with Deborah Kasdan on Monday's Access Utah

Exploring 'Secret Salt Lake City' with Jeremy Pugh

Revisiting 'To Boldly Grow' with Tamar Haspel

'Time To Think Small': Climate action with Todd Myers

The Great Salt Lake

Revisiting 'For You When I Am Gone' with Steve Leder

'Our Sixth Sense: Math' with David Brown

'Pump' with Bill Schutt

Revisiting understanding the world and more with Jim Enote