Today on Access Utah we’re going to check in with CAPSA, a domestic violence, sexual abuse, and rape recovery center serving Cache County and the Bear Lake area. CAPSA’s Misty Hewitt says that rates of domestic violence are up during the pandemic. We’ll talk about services, reporting abuse, and healing from trauma, among other topics. We’ll also check in with Hilary Renshaw from USU’s Office of Equity, addresses cases of sexual misconduct and discrimination at USU

Poet Ben Gunsberg will join us for Access Utah on Monday. He’s been writing poems for the pandemic. We’ll hear some of those poems today. His latest collection is “Welcome, Dangerous Life.” He writes about the vulnerability of being a parent. He says (in an article in Utah State University Today) “The stakes are raised once you’ve got children. The title [of the collection] sort of hints at the way life seems more dangerous once you have children, once you have this vulnerable being you’re responsible for, and the way the world has colored and changed.” Ben Gunsberg will read some of these poems as well.

Venezuelan double bassist Edicson Ruiz is one of the premier double bass soloists in the world. He is a previous winner of the International Society of Bassists solo competition and in 2003 became one of the youngest members of the Berlin Philharmonic at the age of 18. He’s described as a shining example of the ground-breaking El Sistema.

In a world where rational, scientific explanations are more available than ever, belief in the unprovable and irrational–in the fringe–is on the rise. There’s a new book out called “The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained.” The author, Colin Dickey, will join me for the hour on Monday’s Access Utah. We’ll talk about everything from the great Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876 to UFOs to QAnon and Pizzagate.

Following the death of George Floyd in May, protests across the nation have demanded police reform and an end to systemic racism in policing. Today we’ll talk about how we’re doing with this in Utah. We'll speak with Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City; and Darlene McDonald, Chairwoman of the Utah Black Roundtable and a member of the newly-created Salt Lake City Commission for Racial Equity in Policing. We'll discuss systemic racism and police reform on the city and state level.

Today we’ll take a look at the Coronavirus pandemic’s effects in Utah jails and prisons. Our guests will include Salt Lake Tribune reporter Jessica Miller; Mayra Cristobal, whose husband has contracted COVID-19 and is incarcerated at the Weber County Jail; and Angie Millgate, whose former husband is incarcerated in the Washington County Jail.

The work of photographer Craig Law is included in an exhibition at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University. The exhibit is called Sky Above, Earth Below: A History of Western Landscape Photography. You can view the exhibit at artmuseum.usu.edu.

Patty Rayman was born with the ability to communicate with animals and has helped thousands of people resolve many types of behavior, health, attitude and relationship issues with their animal companions. In working with all types of animals, she has developed techniques to help people move from conflict to cooperation in their relationships.

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. This time, Stephen Trimble suggested we also reach out to his friend, ecologist, ethnobotanist and writer, Gary Paul Nabhan.

While artist Chris Terry is known for his contemplative interior landscapes, an exhibition at the USU Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA) featured the experimental work he was able to create during four sabbaticals throughout his tenure at USU.