KZMU News

Federal approval for the Uinta Basin Railway was recently revoked by the U.S. Court of Appeals. The proposed 88-mile railway is intended to connect oil fields in eastern Utah to a larger network of railways, including a section of the Union Pacific Railway line, which runs through Grand County. With this new route, oil producers were hoping to transport an additional 350,000 gallons of waxy crude oil out of the Uinta Basin daily. Plus, we hear from our partners at KOTO about how the Telluride Mushroom Festival is acknowledging Colorado’s recent decriminalization of psilocybin.

//Photo: A map of the proposed Uinta Basin Railway show where the new tracks would connect to the Union Pacific line, carrying oil through Utah and Colorado on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

//Show Notes:

//7 County Infrastructure Coalition: Uinta Basin Railway

https://scic-utah.org/projects/uinta-basin-railway/

School districts across the country are grappling with transportation issues due to a shortage of bus drivers. That’s true even in Grand County, where driver shortages can turn bus scheduling into a ‘juggling act’ for local staffers. Today on the news, we speak to the school district’s director of transportation about what makes the job challenging to fill...but also unique and rewarding. And later, our radio partners report on a Four Corners motorcycle rally honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Plus, the BLM released a plan for managing recreation across their 245 million acres.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: A big yellow school bus parked on Moab’s Main Street advertises the need for bus drivers. The school district is increasing pay and conducting a CDL class for new drivers.

// Curious about driving a big yellow school bus?

Anna Conrad, Director of Transportation Grand County School District

(435) 259-5430 and [email protected]

// HopSkipDrive: State of School Transportation 2023 Report

https://www.hopskipdrive.com/state-of-school-transportation-2023

// KSJD: Motorcycle rally in Durango honors Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives

https://www.ksjd.org/2023-09-05/motorcycle-rally-in-durango-honors-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-relatives

Today we hear from our regional partners at KHOL about ongoing investigations into drink spikings at bars in Jackson, Wyoming. We also hear from KSJD about revived efforts on the Navajo Nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Finally, we hear from KDNK about a new artificial technology that can spot dangerous wildfires.

//Photo: Earlier this summer, a woman suspects she had her drink spiked at The Stagecoach Bar in Wilson, Wyoming. Photo by KHOL.

Getting people on wheels is what the folks at Skate Moab love to do. From all-ages skate nights to themed events like ‘disco’ and ‘burning man,’ the group aims to bring the joy of skating to our local community. Today on the news, we revisit an audio portrait of the skater at the backbone of these community-focused events: Jazmine Duncan.

// Original Broadcast:

https://www.kzmu.org/wednesday-march-23-2022/

Golf has come under some scrutiny recently in Utah because of how much water the courses use for irrigation. Earlier this year, a house bill was proposed that would have mandated that all golf courses publish how much water they use per year. The bill didn’t pass, but it did bring up some questions about Moab’s golf course, and whether the 18-hole course is worth the water.

// Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Sophia Fisher of The Times-Independent talks property tax spikes for business owners, opioid settlements bolstering local recovery-focused organizations, and chair Emily Campbell resigning from the planning commission. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News discusses the winning formula for Moab’s youth mountain biking teams and one hiker’s attempt to be the first woman to solo the American Discovery Trail.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: The Moab Golf Course uses 411 acre feet of water per year to irrigate the greens. Photo by Emily Arntsen / KZMU.

// The Salt Lake Tribune: Here’s how much water golf courses use in Utah

www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2023/04/10/heres-how-much-water-golf-courses/

// Weekly News Reel Mentions:

// The Times-Independent: Businesses slammed by property taxes

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/businesses-slammed-by-property-taxes/

// The Times-Independent: Opioid settlements bolster local services

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/opioid-settlements-bolster-local-services/

// The Times-Independent: Campbell resigns from planning commission

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/campbell-resigns-from-planning-commission/

// Moab Sun News: Youth mountain biking teams poised for another winning season

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/08/31/mountain-biking-team-winning-season/

// Moab Sun News: Hiking the American Discovery Trail through Moab

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/08/31/american-discovery-trail/

Lift Up is a KZMU storytelling project intending to deepen understanding and empathy within our community and reinforce a sense of safety and belonging for all.

// Our next Lift Up storyteller is Kaitlin Myers, a housing advocate, rafter, and glitter enthusiast. She moved to Moab as an Americorps VISTA from Tampa, FL and has lived here year-round for 7 years. She is currently the Executive Director of Moab Community Land Trust. When she’s not working, she’s hanging with friends, attending community events, rafting, swimming, or bedazzling.

// This episode of Lift Up was produced by Ginger Cyan with support from KZMU.

// Find Lift Up Season 2 here:

www.kzmu.org/lift-up-season-2/

// Music in this interview is Stargazer by Bansheebeat, Adventure, Darling by Gillicuddy, Blue Moment by Koi Discovery, Negative Vortex by Koi Discovery, Shenandoah by Salmon Like The Fish and Zion by Salmon Like The Fish. Lift Up intro music is Chicago by Scott Holmes Music and outro music is Only Knows by Broke for Free.

// Image Description: Kaitlin Myers, a person with short hair, looks over heart-shaped sunglasses and holds their hand to their chin.

On Monday, a tanker carrying road chip oil rolled over on State Road 128, locally known as River Road. 3,800 gallons of chip oil spilled near Big Bend campground. Chip oil is the tar-like substance used to repair cracks in roads. No oil reached the Colorado River, according to Moab Valley Fire Chief TJ Brewer, who led the emergency containment crew. We also hear from our partners at KGNU about the latest updates in the court proceedings of the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting case. Plus, we hear from KDNK about Colorado’s efforts to bear-proof their towns. We also hear from a KGNU Report for America Corps Member about the drawbacks of electric bike batteries.

//Show Notes:

//Photo: A tanker rolled over on State Road 128, spilling 3,800 gallons of chip oil. Photo courtesy of Moab Valley Fire Department.

//BLM Moab Field Office Contact: 385-235-4364

Floods, fires and public health emergencies are just a few of the hazards that have hit Grand County in recent years. Local emergency management is now looking for public input on a plan to mitigate natural and manmade safety threats. Plus, the largest spill of radioactive material in U.S. history occurred 44 years ago in northern New Mexico. Members of the Navajo Nation are commemorating the event as they advocate for more clean up of uranium mining debris. And later, Utah Governor Spencer Cox is using his platform at the National Governors Association to promote his ‘disagree better’ campaign.

// Photo: Kerby Lane is one of several roads in Grand County that become inundated with water during high flow seasons, making emergency repairs frequent and necessary. From the 2023 Draft Hazard Mitigation Plan

// Hazard Mitigation Plan

https://grandcountyutah.net/1264/Hazard-Mitigation-Plan

The Regional Roundup is a biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. The latest show brings us animal stories across our region from Burrofest to butterflies and beyond!

Staying connected to friends and neighbors can be important for health, especially for people aging in our community. And creating connections is what the Grand Center is all about. Senior citizens from all over Grand and northern San Juan Counties come to eat lunch, plan activities and just plain hang out. Says senior Ethel Krist, “it’s important to be needed…that makes happiness, is to be needed.”

// Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Sophia Fisher of The Times-Independent discusses new research on mountain goats in the La Sal Mountains, the film commission deal falling through, flared tempers over water board nominations at the county commission and West Nile virus in Moab. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News highlights a new skills-centered pathway to graduation for local students and hands-on paleontology at a local dinosaur-focused club.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Dave Lyle cuts a slice of pie during this summer’s ‘pie social’ at the Grand Center. Seniors brought in a plethora of homemade pies to share.

// Weekly News Reel Mentions:

The Times-Independent: Parsing mountain goats in the La Sals

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/parsing-mountain-goats-in-the-la-sals/

// The Times-Independent: Film commission deal falls through

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/film-commission-deal-falls-through/

// The Times-Independent: Winfield says commission is ‘manipulating and meddling’ with board nominations

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/winfield-says-commission-is-manipulating-and-meddling-with-board-nominations/

// The Times-Independent: West Nile virus is in Moab, but its extent is unclear

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/west-nile-virus-is-in-moab-but-its-extent-is-unclear/

// Moab Sun News: An alternate graduation path for high schoolers

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/08/24/an-alternate-graduation-path-for-high-schoolers/

// Moab Sun News: No bones about it: Amateurs learn hands-on paleontology through local club

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/08/24/hands-on-paleontology/