KZMU News

Today on the newscast, our interview with Governor Spencer Cox on the social determinants of health, and why addressing them in Utah is a strategic priority of his administration. He speaks to how the pandemic has magnified gaps in health equity across the state, and how data and community collaboration could help close them.

Plus, our Weekly News Reel, where we speak with reporters and editors about their latest local stories. From The Times-Independent’s Doug McMurdo (13:00), we hear more about the Solid Waste District taking over trash and recycling collection from Monument Waste, where Grand County shook out during the 2021 legislative session, and the city council’s latest conversation on the bypass and a regional transportation plan. From the Moab Sun News’ Anastasia Hufham (22:00), we hear how San Juan County schools are working to increase Indigenous representation on their staff, as well as research and conservation efforts in Arches National Park.

Show Notes:

One Utah Roadmap

https://governor.utah.gov/2021/01/19/gov-spencer-cox-releases-one-utah-roadmap-a-plan-for-the-first-500-days-of-the-cox-henderson-administration/

KZMU on Social Determinants: Thursday March 25, 2021

https://www.kzmu.org/thursday-march-25-2021/

Weekly News Reel Mentions –

The Times-Independent: Solid Waste District to assume garbage collection; buys Monument Waste for $11.4M

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/solid-waste-district-to-assume-garbage-collection-buys-monument-waste-for-11-4m/

The Times-Independent: Where Grand County won, lost during the 2021 legislative session

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/where-grand-county-won-lost-during-the-2021-legislative-session/

The Times-Independent: City reluctantly supports Regional Transportation Plan

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/city-reluctantly-supports-regional-transportation-plan/

Moab Sun News: San Juan County schools work to increase Indigenous representation on staff

https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_a6bd5308-8dcf-11eb-9d54-5b0740f35004.html

Moab Sun News: Flooding the desert – Record-breaking visitation invites research & conservation efforts in Arches

https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_20922e9a-8dcd-11eb-8615-570a8e8f7a18.html

During his first two weeks as Governor, Spencer Cox made the social determinants of health a priority for his administration. The conditions in which we are born, grow, work and live are not naturally occurring phenomena – they’re shaped by political, social, and economic forces. Data shows that factors like safe housing, clean air and water, and a life without oppression have greater combined impacts on your health than individual behaviors. Today on the news, we speak with the Governor, his team, and the Moab Free Health Clinic about the important work being done outside the doctor’s office to care for public health in Utah.

Show Notes:

Photo: (From left) Liz Donkersloot, Rhiana Medina, Kolby Williams, and Zaida Agreda stand in front of the Moab Valley Multicultural Center. Williams is creating the Moab Community Referral System at the Moab Free Health Clinic, which connects local medical services to social aid organizations like the multicultural center, in order to help address the social determinants of health. Courtesy Kolby Williams/Moab Free Health Clinic.

World Health Organization: Social Determinants of Health

https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Social Determinants of Health

https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/about.html

Intermountain Healthcare Care Process Model: Social Determinants of Health

https://intermountainhealthcare.org/ckr-ext/Dcmnt?ncid=529732182

Utah’s Intergenerational Poverty Initiative

https://jobs.utah.gov/edo/intergenerational/about.html

Moab Free Health Clinic

https://www.moabfreehealthclinic.org

One Utah Roadmap

https://governor.utah.gov/2021/01/19/gov-spencer-cox-releases-one-utah-roadmap-a-plan-for-the-first-500-days-of-the-cox-henderson-administration/

Attempting to address housing insecurity has been a top issue in Grand County for years, where limited housing stock and low wages make finding a safe and affordable place to live difficult. These pressures don’t exist solely in this community, of course, but throughout our region. Now a struggling budget hotel in Cortez, Colorado has become the latest flashpoint in the Four Corners’ housing affordability crisis. Plus, a new study shows that listening to nature could have significant health benefits.

Show Notes:

Photo: The American Holiday Mesa Verde Inn, better known simply as the Mesa Verde Inn/KSJD

KSJD: Cortez’s Mesa Verde Inn Becomes The Latest Flashpoint In The Southwest Colorado Housing Crisis

https://www.ksjd.org/post/cortezs-mesa-verde-inn-becomes-latest-flashpoint-southwest-colorado-housing-crisis#stream/0

A showdown is looming among the states that rely on the Colorado River for drinking and irrigation water. Negotiations are set to start on the river's future among worsening drought conditions. And right now, western water leaders are attempting to work out their internal issues before the main talks begin. Plus, California is spending more than $200 million to keep an unfolding ecological crisis from getting worse. The state wants to stabilize the banks of the Salton Sea, fed mostly by water from the Colorado. Although it’s good news for those who live nearby and are concerned about their health, the restoration could also impact everyone else who draws water from the river.

Show Notes:

Photo: Visitors take in Colorado River views at Horseshoe Bend outside Page, Arizona. Luke Runyon/KUNC

KUNC: A Colorado River Showdown Is Looming. Let The Posturing Begin

https://www.kunc.org/environment/2021-03-19/with-a-colorado-river-showdown-looming-let-the-posturing-begin?fbclid=IwAR3mNulR_Yhp0N6Fg2yjzU9NRBvAtRU0SS0Sabm8_x0lqHqgO3JNPyjbgtw

KPBS: State Water Project Takes Aim At Restoring Salton Sea, Alleviating Health Risks

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/mar/01/state-water-project-restoring-salton-sea/

All Utah residents age 18 and older will be eligible to receive Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine – and those 16 and older Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine – beginning Wednesday. Our radio partners report that rolling out the vaccine to the general population came earlier than expected. Plus, communities in the West solely reliant on groundwater are starting to run into problems. That’s certainly the case in Moab, where the community gets most of its water supply from an underground aquifer. Recent studies found there’s less water than previously thought, and that’s leading to a reckoning over development and the virtues of conservation.

Show Notes:

Photo: John Weisheit, director of Moab-based nonprofit Living Rivers. His group helps pay for research related to the Colorado River and Moab’s groundwater resources. Kate Groetzinger/KUER

UPR: Vaccine Open To All Utahns 16 and Older On Wednesday

https://www.upr.org/post/vaccine-open-all-utahns-16-and-older-wednesday

KUER: Moab May Be Running Out Of Water. That’s Prompting Residents To Rethink Conservation And Development

https://www.kuer.org/health-science-environment/2021-03-19/moab-may-be-running-out-of-water-thats-prompting-residents-to-rethink-conservation-and-development

Today on the news, we head to 1518 Strasbourg, Germany, where a group of peasants have been dancing for days, their bodies writhing with uncontrollable movement. This is the world of Choreomania – KZMU’s 6th annual radio play – where wise fools and clergymen meet witchcraft and ergot-laced bread. The play centers around the strange but true story of a dancing plague that took hold of German villagers in medieval times. Choreomania is created and performed by a small troupe of local actors, musicians, and sound artists in three acts – the first of which premieres Friday night at 7pm (after the news).

Plus, our Weekly News Reel, where we speak with reporters about some of their latest stories of our area. Carter Pape from The Times-Independent (12:00) discusses Moab City’s consideration of a property tax, Grand County backing away from the bypass, and the latest on noise mitigation efforts. Maggie McGuire of the Moab Sun News (25:00) has a follow up on the annual homeless point-in-time count, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s plans to visit Southeastern Utah.

Show Notes:

Photo: Choreomania Foley artist Josie Kovash uses most of her appendages to bring the soundscape of medieval Strasbourg to life

Link to Choreomania Playbill and Tip Jar

https://www.kzmu.org/choreomania/

Choreomania, The Episodes:

Episode 1 March 19: ‘Choreomania: The Dancing Plague’

Episode 2 March 26: ‘Witches and Mushrooms’

Episode 3 April 2: ‘Psychogenesis’

Weekly News Reel Mentions –

The Times-Independent: ‘Property Tax 101’ crash course coming to Moab

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/property-tax-101-crash-course-coming-to-moab/

The Times-Independent: County votes against further consideration of plans

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/county-votes-against-further-consideration-of-plans/

The Times-Independent: How Grand could enforce noise ordinances on OHVs

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/how-grand-could-enforce-noise-ordinances-on-ohvs/

Moab Sun News: More people identify as homeless in Grand County in 2021

https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_4b7b45c4-8aa8-11eb-b1b4-af871334136d.html

Moab Sun News: Haaland to visit Utah, tour Bears Ears and Grand Staircase

https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_2a40d164-89bb-11eb-b78a-334908d74e6a.html

COVID-19 has wrought devastation on the Navajo Nation. But a year into the pandemic, the Nation has managed a dramatic turnaround, and is now outpacing neighboring states in administering vaccines. Plus, the Biden administration has extended the review of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments to allow newly confirmed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to visit Utah. And later, when the pandemic shut down businesses, schools, and gathering places last year, many people turned to the outdoors for an escape. But the increase in visitors to places like national parks meant social distancing became a challenge in these places too.

Show Notes:

Photo: Roland Begay, the first health care worker in the Navajo Nation area to receive the COVID-19 vaccine/Navajo Nation OPVP Communications

KJZZ: The Navajo Nation Took A Hard Stance Against COVID-19; Experts Say It Worked

https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1665868/navajo-nation-took-hard-stance-against-covid-19-experts-say-it-worked?_ga=2.47313263.915439679.1615844451-384238978.1615335712

UPR: What Does Social Distancing Look Like In A Busy National Park?

https://www.upr.org/post/what-does-social-distancing-look-busy-national-park

This Week in Moab: Arches Pandemic Research, Moab Chamber of Commerce

https://www.kzmu.org/arches-pandemic-research-moab-chamber-of-commerce-on-this-week-in-moab/

Grand County’s Commission has effectively taken a potential – and often controversial – Highway 191 bypass off the table for discussion in local transportation planning. Although the body set aside $30,000 for continued study and public engagement this December, four newly seated commission members made clear they have no appetite to explore the matter further. This might come as welcome news to Moab City, whose majority council members declined to sign an interlocal agreement with Grand County because of the commission's previous position on the bypass. Plus, our radio partners report on newly appointed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who will oversee public lands and help craft new policies for how the Colorado River is managed.

Show Notes:

Photo: Grand County Commission Members voted 6-1 to re-purpose $30,000 from a bypass budget for non-bypass related transit studies

Moab & Spanish Valley 2050 Regional Transportation Plan (Draft)

https://fehrandpeers-my.sharepoint.com/personal/k_skollingsberg_fehrandpeers_com/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fk%5Fskollingsberg%5Ffehrandpeers%5Fcom%2FDocuments%2FMoab%20%26%20Spanish%20Valley%20Past%20Planning%20Efforts%2FDRAFT%5FMoab%2BSpanish%5FValley%5FRTP%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fk%5Fskollingsberg%5Ffehrandpeers%5Fcom%2FDocuments%2FMoab%20%26%20Spanish%20Valley%20Past%20Planning%20Efforts&originalPath=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWhyYW5kcGVlcnMtbXkuc2hhcmVwb2ludC5jb20vOmI6L3Ava19za29sbGluZ3NiZXJnL0VlRzVsNUo3NXloTGtudHFYcmc0VkVNQlBRekQwMWZYOWV0d3hlVWJuclhaMVE_cnRpbWU9QWEtaHNsSHAyRWc

Moab & Spanish Valley Regional Transportation Plan Website

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c88e2a05a7e64d2ea5a646041d4e7975

KZMU News: Tuesday November 24, 2020

‘Representatives work on transportation issues in Moab & Spanish Valley Regional Transportation Plan’

https://www.kzmu.org/kzmu-news-tuesday-november-24-2020/

Today on the news, a reflection on ‘one year ago this week.’ It’s been exactly one year since those early, uncertain days of the pandemic – when the tourism spigot was effectively turned off for the spring and lives changed in a big way. The Grand County Public Library wants to know how community members have coped these past 12 months. They are accepting submissions for a digital scrapbook – think photos, poems, scraps of paper – anything that can communicate life in Moab during the pandemic. And later, an audio postcard of KZMU’s DJs and hosts, who have kept our music and public affairs programming going in spite of the pandemic and its various challenges.

Show Notes:

Photo: A sculpture on Center Street wears a mask. It’s been one year since the local health department released the first in a series of public health orders related to the pandemic.

Grand County COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling

https://www.seuhealth.com/vaccine-scheduling

Digital Scrapbook Project at Grand County Public Library

https://www.grandcountyutah.net/1124/Digital-Scrapbook-Project

Questions? Email [email protected] or call 435-259-1111

Music in KZMU DJ/Host Piece is Sunday Picnic by Lobo Loco

In southern Arizona, the proposed site of a new mine is pitting the Resolution Copper company against the Western Apache people. In the Tonto National Forest, Oak Flat sits above one of the largest untapped copper reserves in North America. It’s also a sacred site for the nearby San Carlos Apache tribe. Just this month, the Biden administration put a pause on a land transfer that would have allowed Resolution Copper to build the mine. Our partners at KJZZ spoke with Randy Serraglio, Southwest conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, about the potential impacts of this extraction project.

Show Notes:

Photo: Members of the San Carlos Apache tribe gather at the Arizona State Capitol to protest a proposed copper mine at Oak Flat in 2015. Jamie Cochran/Cronkite News

KJZZ: Biden Administration Pauses Massive Oak Flat Copper Mine Near Superior

https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1663980/biden-administration-pauses-massive-oak-flat-copper-mine-near-superior?_ga=2.1635766.649844652.1614970561-101729423.1594337169

Resolution Copper Project and Land Exchange Environmental Impact Statement

https://www.resolutionmineeis.us

Center for Biological Diversity: Oak Flat

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/oak_flat/