KZMU News

On Monday, San Juan County Sheriff Lehi Lacy announced that an investigation by his department and the Utah Fire Authority identified a suspect responsible for the Deer Creek Fire. No additional information about the suspect has been released. The fire is more than 50 percent contained, and as of Tuesday morning, over 17,000 acres have burned, including 10 structures. Geyser Pass Road, Forest Road 73 (La Sal Pass Road), and Highway 46/Highway 90 are now open to the public.

- Show Notes -

• USFS: Deer Creek Wildfire Closure Information

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/manti-lasal/alerts/deer-creek-wildfire-closure-7212025-moab-ranger-district

This week on the Regional Roundup, we revisit the award-winning series called “Loved to Death,” which explores the complex relationship between tourism and the environment. The series looks at the impact of social media influencers on local trails, a timed-entry system at Rocky Mountain National Park aimed at controlling crowds, and a historic railroad’s switch from coal to oil-powered engines after a wildfire. It also examines the threat of invasive species carried in by visitors.

In this week’s Regional Roundup, we hear about the different ways people are staying cool this summer, and how extreme heat is taking a significant toll on rural communities. We also hear an audio postcard from Green River, Utah, about the tradition of melon growing, and a story about solar panels that could make farms more resilient. We finish up with a story about the Colorado researchers who are taking part in a major national study on hail.

This week on the News Reel, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about a financial program to subsidize utilities for city residents. We also discuss where and when residents can use fireworks this Fourth of July. And we finish with a quick update about a major water rights agreement for the Colorado River that is set to expire soon.

- Show Notes -

• Moab extends utility relief program another six months

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/moab-extends-utility-relief-program-another-six-months/

• Moab city warns of fireworks restrictions ahead of July holidays

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/moab-city-warns-of-fireworks-restrictions-ahead-of-july-holidays/

• Feds pressure states to reach deal on the future of the Colorado River

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/we-stand-on-the-brink-of-system-failure-feds-up-pressure-for-states-to-reach-deal-on-the-future-of-the-colorado-river/

This week on the Regional Roundup, we hear about a new podcast that explores the ripple effect of gun violence after the King Soopers shooting in Boulder, Colorado. We also hear from a right-leaning environmental group that says conservation is a conservative value. And we finish up with two stories about insects in our region — the challenges facing pollinators in the West and a citizen science project to better understand fireflies in Utah.

This week on the News Reel, we talk to Andrew Christiansen, reporter at the Times-Independent, about a protest at the Velvet-Wood mine in San Juan County that took place on Saturday. The uranium mine is the first project in the country approved under a new federal process that drastically reduces the environmental review period. We also discuss the Kane Creek luxury housing development, now called Echo Canyon, which is the first development in the state to receive approval to become a limited, self-governing preliminary municipality. We finish with a quick update on the lease for the National Park Service office building in Moab, which will no longer be terminated in April.

- Show Notes -

• Protesters rally against Velvet-Wood uranium mine

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/dont-fast-track-utah-into-a-wasteland-protesters-rally-against-velvet-wood-uranium-mine/

• State certifies Echo Canyon as first limited self-governed development in Utah

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/state-certifies-echo-canyon-as-first-self-governed-development-in-utah/

• Moab’s NPS building removed from DOGE lease termination list

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/moabs-nps-building-removed-from-doge-lease-termination-list/

This week on the Regional Roundup, we'll hear about No Kings protests across the region, including a look at the fatal shooting of a bystander at the Salt Lake City rally. Also in the episode, we'll hear about Republican efforts to sell off public land, the impact of Medicaid cuts, and proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act.

Today on the weekly News Reel, we talk to Doug McMurdo, editor of the Times-Independent, about changes to the city’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. We also discuss the No Kings rally, which took place in Moab and in other cities nationwide, on Saturday.

- Show Notes -

• Council approves FY 2025-2026 budget http://moabtimes.com/articles/council-approves-fy-2025-26-budget/

• For the fifth time in 2025, Moabites take to the streets in protest of the Trump administration

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/for-the-fifth-time-in-2025-moabites-take-to-the-streets-in-protest-of-the-trump-administration/

Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee is proposing a bill to sell off hundreds of millions of acres of public lands across the West, including 18 million acres in Utah. On Monday, an updated version of the bill was leaked, revealing changes that would mandate the sale of up to 3.3 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service Land in the next five years. Sen. Lee has argued that this land would be used to develop affordable housing. But critics are calling his bluff, pointing out that the bill includes no such requirements and overall, has very few limitations on how that land could be used by new owners.

- Show Notes -

• Map of possible BLM & USFS land for sale under proposed bill

https://wilderness.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=821970f0212d46d7aa854718aac42310

Source: The Wilderness Society

This week on the Regional Roundup, we'll hear stories about a 90-year-old javelin thrower who stole the show at the Colorado Senior Games, a grueling 350-mile bikepacking route through the Rockies, and a queer brass band from Salt Lake City that's celebrating Pride month.