Jackson Unpacked

Volunteers at a Hoback ranch pull up the remnants from decades of cattle ranching. This July 4th marks the 45th anniversary of an event that has helped spur tourism and a sense of wonder west of the Tetons. As the United States of America approaches its 250th anniversary, we ask Jackson residents about what this milestone means to them. And we hear from residents at a mobile home park in Colorado who are competing with another bidder to buy the land under their homes. 

Featuring the song “Best Wishes” from artist Duane Betts. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Sundays, Mondays and Fridays at 12:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

Hundreds of public comments from Grand Teton and Yellowstone reflect tension over how federal public spaces tell history. We get to know the challenging candidates in Jackson Hole’s election. As hardline immigration policies get adopted in the state, some immigrants are choosing to leave. And a western Wyoming conference taps into the momentum and the money of the budding birding movement. 

Featuring the song “Mellow Funk” off My Model Airplane’s debut alternative rock album “The Loft” from Bryan Piironen and Alex Wells.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Sundays, Mondays and Fridays at 12:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

A KHOL data analysis finds the majority of Teton County’s ICE holds were arrested for driving-related charges. Across the state, during a single week in mid-April, the Laramie County Sheriff Office says it had the highest number of immigration arrests of any local or state enforcement agency in the country. We get up close and personal to some critters helping prevent fires with new technology. And Wyoming’s plan for $205 million federal dollars to transform rural healthcare and what held it up. 

Featured music "Chasin' Homesteader Blues" from Screen Door Porch.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Sundays, Mondays and Fridays at 12:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

Businesses in Jackson could benefit from public money for homeschooled students. A study of trails near Snow King shows bikers and bears can coexist. We talk with Jackson filmmaker and pro skier Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada about her own ambivalences with a majority-white sport. And we get inside the mental, emotional calculations for an age-old Jackson question: Do I deserve to live here? 

Featured music: “Here Comes the Rain” by Henry Pepin and the Moguls.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

 When folks in employee housing change or lose their jobs, their housing goes, too. How is Jackson Hole grappling with that tradeoff? There’s regional controversy around the same surveillance cameras that towns like Jackson use to fight crime. And Republicans of all stripes reflect on the future of the state's Freedom Caucus. 

Featuring song “Pale Moonlight" from Oregon-based band dadweed.  

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

 Infighting in Teton Valley over wastewater management goes back 20 years but has reached a tipping point. Tim Sandlin fans remember the late Jackson-based novelist who helped the valley understand itself. A Colorado housing expert talks solutions from other mountain towns. And we hear what it was like in the courtroom for the sentencing of the man who brought a live, injured wolf into a bar two years ago.

Featured music from Bea Jones.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

The hidden homes of the super-wealthy help and strain the Jackson Hole workforce. How plow drivers and Teton Pass patrollers hold up a culture of collaboration and safety. The airport shuttle might end with a whimper, but begs bigger questions about transit goals. And how abortion bans impact a state’s workforce and economy. 

Featured music from Michael Batdorf and Michelle Dickson. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

Strict limits on abortion access have prompted questions for the state’s few providers. We hear from a staunch immigrant advocate in east Idaho and west Wyoming who has voted for President Trump three times. And Mark Engel brings us original tunes and creativity wisdom. He’s an Olympic skier-turned-full-time Jackson Hole musician. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

Scientists and citizens search together for some mangy mammals that have struggled in recent years. What a particularly warm winter means for the regional ski economy. What we can learn from a few of the Wyoming women featured in a new book from Jackson-based photographer Lindsay Linton Buk. And why, every two years, states such as Wyoming put on the pressure to balance a massive budget. 

Featured music from Hilary Camino and Leif Routman. 

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.

Where to turn as cancer and autoimmune treatments dwindle in east Idaho. On the open slopes of Grand Targhee Resort, Jaelin Kauf remembers skiing the same run over and over with her family to create bumps like the ones she’s now shredding at the Olympics.  Why a bar in Lithuania keeps tight tabs on Jackson Hole’s downtown webcam. And in a Colorado ski resort town, what began as a labor dispute has since reshaped local politics with the resignation of two local officials.

Featured music by church bats.

Jackson Unpacked airs locally at 89.1 FM or via live-stream Mondays at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Fridays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Support Jackson’s only nonprofit newsroom by becoming a member of KHOL today.