On weekday mornings, community members gather to send whiffle-ball like objects flying through the air at the Center Street Gym. If you stick around, they’ll tell you how pickleball is not just a sport – it’s a lifestyle. And Moab’s passion for pickleball is not just a local trend. According to USA Pickleball, over 5 million people have a hankering for the sport. Moab City is now working on building dedicated pickleball courts for local and visiting players. Plus, kava is a plant used to make a traditional drink consumed throughout the diverse cultures of Polynesia. Our radio partners report on how it’s connecting cultures here in Utah, too.

// And, the Weekly News Reel where we check in with reporters on their latest stories of the Moab area. Doug McMurdo of The Times-Independent discusses damages at the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite, a new housing development on Kane Creek, and a shortage of substitute teachers in Grand County schools. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News talks local reactions to the dinosaur tracksite damage, a mosquito researcher presenting at the last Science Moab on tap, and registration opening for spring youth sports.

// Show Notes

// Photo: A Moab pickleball player at the Center Street Gym. The sport is growing nationwide, and more communities – like Moab – are asking for dedicated courts.

// Moab Pickleball:

Players currently meet at the Center Street Gym on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 9AM. There are other groups who meet throughout the week at the tennis courts. Find out more by contacting Steve Russell at 435-210-0205 or Moab City Parks and Recreation at 435-259-225.

// USA Pickleball

https://usapickleball.org

// UPR: Kava traditions – how one drink connects people across cultures

https://www.upr.org/utah-news/2022-02-01/kava-traditions-how-one-drink-connects-people-across-cultures

// Weekly News Reel Mentions:

// The Times-Independent: BLM allegedly damages Mill Canyon tracksite

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/blm-allegedly-damages-mill-canyon-tracksite/

// The Times-Independent: ‘Some housing is better than no housing’

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/some-housing-is-better-than-no-housing/

// The Times-Independent: Shortage of subs hurts schools impacted by COVID

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/shortage-of-subs-hurts-schools-impacted-by-covid/

// Moab Sun News: Bureau of Land Management damages dinosaur tracks

https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_59d967e2-8514-11ec-a9f2-c736b80b0d1e.html

// Moab Sun News: Local mosquito researcher will present at last Science Moab on Tap

https://www.moabsunnews.com/get_out_and_go/article_1e984c46-8520-11ec-a4a3-57697248da3b.html

// Moab Sun News: Registration opens for youth spring sports

https://www.moabsunnews.com/get_out_and_go/article_df12a756-851f-11ec-a336-ff11523a987e.html