KZMU News

With COVID-19 vaccinations rolling out in Grand County, local frontline healthcare workers and first responders are breathing easier as we enter the ‘beginning of the end’ of the pandemic. But there’s still a long way to go. Although those classified as top priority are receiving vaccinations now, Utahans in the general population may not receive the vaccine until July. Today on the news, more on this timeline, the Moderna vaccine, and how it works in the body. Plus, record-breaking wildfires in 2020 turned huge swaths of Western forests into barren burn scars. Those forests store winter snowpack that millions of people rely on for drinking and irrigation water. Scientists are investigating what happens when a river’s headwaters goes up in flames.

Show Notes:

Photo: A still from Moab Regional Hospital’s video on how the COVID-19 vaccine works in the body

Sign Up for Local Vaccine Info/Updates

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

Sign Up for Utah Vaccine Info/Updates

https://coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine#sign-up

Utah Vaccine Distribution Timeline

https://coronavirus-download.utah.gov/Health/Vaccine_Timeline.pdf

Utah Vaccination Plan FAQ

https://coronavirus-download.utah.gov/Health/Coronavirus_Vaccine_FAQ.pdf

Moab Regional Hospital: How the Vaccine Works in the Body (Video)

https://lightroom.adobe.com/shares/6a79ae32571d4edc8bf2c47785f97649

CDC Info about the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html

This week, KZMU News reflects back on another year of grassroots, community powered journalism. We’re airing some of our favorite feature stories of 2020 - the best of KZMU News.

Today we return to a time when schools were shuttered to in-person learning. This story first aired on Monday, April 20th, when many people were first adjusting to being almost entirely at home. The school district knew that a lot of students rely on schools for lunch and breakfast, so they had to figure out how to keep feeding kids. If the kids couldn’t come to school, the school would come to them.

**And to our amazing podcast listeners, there’s more at 27:00 minutes! We’re highlighting another story from early in the pandemic, about local musicians figuring out ways to create and play music. It first aired on April 3rd. Here at KZMU, we dream about a time when musicians can pop-in casually to the radio station, play a few songs and chat. Hopefully in 2021 those days will again be upon us.

This week, KZMU News reflects back on another year of grassroots, community powered journalism. We’re airing some of our favorite feature stories of 2020 – the best of KZMU News.

Today’s story aired on Monday, May 18th, after the Fiery Furnace Marching Band played their first surprise, socially distant parade for the local community. The band’s music acted like a healing balm to collective worries; something familiar and fun in a time of uncertainty.

Original Post: https://www.kzmu.org/kzmu-news-monday-may-18-2020/

This week, KZMU News reflects back on another year of grassroots, community powered journalism. We’re airing some of our favorite feature stories of 2020 – the best of KZMU News.

This story first aired on Monday, June 8th after hundreds of demonstrators gathered on Main Street, calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism. We spoke with them about why they showed up to demonstrate, and changes they want to make personally and within the Moab community.

Original Post: https://www.kzmu.org/kzmu-news-monday-june-8-2020/

This week, KZMU News reflects back on another year of grassroots, community powered journalism. We’re airing some of our favorite feature stories of 2020 – the best of KZMU News.

Today we hear a story that aired ‘in the before times,’ back when there were no known COVID-19 cases in the state of Utah. In fact, local and state officials were worrying over a different issue – a proposal to lease parcels overlapping the Slickrock Bike Trail for oil and gas development. This story first aired on Monday, February 17th.

Original Post: https://www.kzmu.org/kzmu-news-monday-february-17-2020/

This week, KZMU News reflects back on another year of grassroots, community powered journalism. We’re airing some of our favorite feature stories of 2020 - the best of KZMU News.

Today we hear a piece that originally aired recently – on Friday, December 4th. KZMU News worked with the Colorado River Reporting Project at KUNC to report it, and it was broadcast by radio stations across the river basin. It’s about the Returning Rapids of Cataract Canyon, a project led by Moab river runners Mike DeHoff and Pete Lefebvre. The duo is documenting changes to the Colorado River as Lake Powell recedes.

Original Post: https://www.kzmu.org/kzmu-news-friday-december-4-2020/

Photo Courtesy of Glen Canyon Institute

Hello dear listener, KZMU News is on a break Thursday and Friday. Catch us next week, where we’ll reflect back on another year of grassroots, community-powered journalism. We’ll air some of our favorite stories of this year – the best of KZMU News! Stay tuned for that. Wishing you and yours a safe and merry last month of 2020.

Photographers, migrating animals, and cultural histories all share a reliance and admiration for one thing: clear, dark, starry skies. But the preservation of dark skies is threatened by development, including growing cities and the infrastructure needed for oil and gas production. Our partners at KSJD report that southeast Utah is just one of the places where advocates say mitigation for light pollution is often ignored. And later, athletes are working to make rock climbing more welcoming to all. Plus, states in the Colorado River Basin are ready to begin negotiating policies to govern the critical water source.

Photo: Hovenweep Towers/Daniel Rayzel

New information about Moab’s water resources coupled with continued growth, climate change and aging infrastructure are weighing on the minds of local officials. City council member Mike Duncan recently made a presentation to the Water Conservation and Drought Management Board called ‘Moving to a Water-Restricted Future.’ We hear his thoughts on the new normal when it comes to water in the desert. Plus, dams throughout the Colorado River watershed create barriers and alter flows that make life harder for native fish. For decades, millions of dollars have been spent on recovering the river’s fish species on the brink of extinction. And while some are on a path to survival in the wild, others aren’t.

Show Notes:

Mike Duncan on This Week in Moab

https://www.kzmu.org/water-a-memorial-and-christmas-tale-on-this-week-in-moab/

12/9/20 Water Conservation and Drought Management Board Meeting

‘Moving to a Water-Restricted Future’ presentation starts at 44:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTJEc7jff-4

12/16/20 Special City Council Meeting

Water Resources Discussion starts at 11:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CJHpGDEbY8

KUNC: Here’s What It Takes To Keep Colorado River Fish From Going Extinct

https://www.kunc.org/environment/2020-12-21/heres-what-it-takes-to-keep-colorado-river-fish-from-going-extinct?fbclid=IwAR3egmrPPRZO2ijTD0XQLdwSwSju-UfbQ5N1YmmRWWdyiSrr_h_tXJBCt-E

Photo: The Nature Conservancy's Linda Whitham stands in front of an expanded channel to deliver water to the wetland's fish nursery. Luke Runyon/KUNC

Plans for a 35-mile highway through the Book Cliffs are suspended, after the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition voted to stop their work on an environmental study. Grand County officials have long opposed proposals for the road, raising concerns about the price tag, energy development, and potential harm to the environment. In recent months, both Grand County and a private landowner said they would not relinquish right of ways to build the road. And later, New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland is poised to become our nation’s first Indigenous cabinet secretary. For many, her nomination signals a potential shift in the relationship between tribes and the federal government.

Show Notes:

Photo: Book Cliffs/BLM Utah

Seven County Infrastructure Coalition 12/18 Meeting Agenda

https://scic-utah.org/storage/app/uploads/public/5fd/976/d8f/5fd976d8f1125719857468.pdf

Seven County Infrastructure Coalition Conceptual Corridor Feasibility Study

https://moabcanyoncountryrisingtide.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/eastern-utah-regional-connection.pdf

Mountain West News Bureau: ‘It’s Overdue’ – Indian Country Applauds Nomination of Haaland to Lead Interior

https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/its-overdue-indian-country-applauds-nomination-haaland-lead-interior