KZMU News

This week, KZMU News reflects on another year of grassroots, community powered journalism. Today’s pick first aired in August. It brings us to the westside of Moab, where Travis ‘Cat Daddy’ Garcia looks after a group of community cats. This audio portrait was a listener and staff favorite, and we gave it a ‘best of’ for spotlighting a local driven by a tender heart.

// Original broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/travis-cat-daddy-garcia-audio-portrait/

Another Best of 2022 at KZMU News! Today we rebroadcast a story that first aired in April. It’s about an anti-camping ordinance that threatened river guides’ homes. We thought it was worth highlighting due to the myriad issues it touched on here in Moab — worker housing and safety, unintended consequences of local regulations and civic participation.

// Original broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/friday-april-29-2022/

Best of 2022 at KZMU News continues! Today we rebroadcast a story that first aired in August. It’s about a soapbox that showed up at Moab’s outdoor markets this season, attracting poets, politicians and public service announcements. We gave it a ‘best of’ for its playful, hyper-local community storytelling.

// Original broadcast: https://www.kzmu.org/friday-august-5-2022/

This week our news team reflects on another year of grassroots, community powered journalism by airing the best of KZMU News. Our first pick is a feature on the life and death of Esther Nakajjigo. We gave it a ‘best of’ for its thoughtful look into an internationally impactful person, as well as the people and projects she leaves behind.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Esther Nakajjigo, who died in 2020 after a freak accident in Arches National Park, was a reality TV star, Uganda’s ambassador for women and girls and a visitor at the Watson Institute in Colorado. (Friends of Europe)

// Original broadcast:

https://www.kzmu.org/friday-december-16-2022/

Dozens of wild or feral horses have been found shot in San Juan County as drought exacerbates conflict over the area's limited grazing feed. We visited the area and report on the increased tensions on public lands. Plus, Congress is expected to pass a $1.7 trillion spending package before the holiday. The federal plan includes money for a number of water projects in the West. And due to the holidays we won’t have our usual News Reel or What Happened at the Meeting segments. Those will return in the New Year!

// Show Notes:

// Photo: David Yanito, a Navajo rancher in San Juan County, has been documenting dead horses with help from his drone. KZMU

// KSL: 'Bodies strewn all over the place': Why are wild horses being shot in southern Utah?

https://www.ksl.com/article/50501550/bodies-strewn-all-over-the-place-why-are-wild-horses-being-shot-in-southern-utah

// AP: Over 100 horses apparent victims of drought on the Navajo Nation near Cameron, Ariz.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2018/05/02/over-100-horses-die-due-drought-navajo-nation-cameron-arizona/575592002/

// Navajo Times: Hunt canceled, feral horses a growing problem

https://navajotimes.com/reznews/hunt-canceled-feral-horses-growing-problem/

// Navajo Times: Horse-eating part of Navajo tradition

https://navajotimes.com/news/2013/0813/081513hor.php

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act offers funds for those impacted by nuclear weapons testing and the uranium industry. Although President Biden signed a two-year extension of the bill before its expiration over the summer, Phil Harrison, an advocate for Navajo workers and downwinders, would like to see more. He’s been pushing for an amendment to RECA that includes expanding who is covered. And he says those Navajo who should qualify for compensation often don't have the required proof of residence or employment. Plus, the main branch of the Boulder Public Library closed Monday afternoon to allow for testing related to methamphetamine contamination. And 2022 was a particularly bad year for the Colorado River. The 23-year drought across the Southwest grew worse and demand for the river’s water continued to outstrip supply. Climate change is shrinking the river that supplies 1 in 10 Americans and policymakers are caught in a standoff about how to share it.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: The Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project is a reminder of the legacy of the uranium industry, its impact on the landscape and people. The project is cleaning up uranium tailings left by the former Atlas Minerals Corp Mill. KZMU

// KZMU: Benefits for Those Harmed by the Nuclear Industry Are Expiring. Advocates Are Racing to Help as Many as They Can

https://www.kzmu.org/benefits-for-those-harmed-by-the-nuclear-industry-are-expiring-advocates-are-racing-to-help-as-many-as-they-can/

// Radiation Exposure Compensation Act

https://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca

// The Denver Post: Boulder’s main library closed indefinitely after tests find high meth levels in restroom exhaust vents

https://www.denverpost.com/2022/12/20/boulder-public-library-meth-smoking-restrooms/

On a recent chilly morning, locals fanned out across Grand County outfitted with some critical winter outdoor gear…binoculars. Moab’s birders participated in the Audubon Society’s 123rd Christmas Bird Count, documenting species from the rare to the more mundane. Data collected here and across the country helps researchers study the long-term health of bird populations, including how climate change might affect their ranges. Plus, people in our region came together to cut their own Christmas trees at an annual holiday posada celebration.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Kathy Grossman and Scott Gibson record bird species in downtown Moab as part of the annual Christmas Bird Count. Data collected here and across the country helps researchers study the long-term health of bird populations. KZMU

// Audubon Society: Christmas Bird Count

https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count

// Aspen Public Radio: Jahir Rodas cuts his first Christmas tree and keeps his grandmother’s memory alive

https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/community/2022-12-14/jahir-rodas-cuts-his-first-christmas-tree-and-keeps-his-grandmothers-memory-alive

Last year, the Grand County Local Homeless Council created the Safe Outdoor Living (SOL) Project, aiming to connect unhoused individuals with supplies to be safer outside. Since its launch in January 2022, the project has connected 83 individuals with items like headlamps, sleeping bags and pads. Now, Project SOL is aiming to restock for next year. Plus, the Ute Mountain Ute Chairman is calling on the federal government to designate a 20,000-acre Colorado ranch as reservation land. And, a researcher in our region was the lead author of the 2022 Arctic Report Card, whose latest data has created a ‘new normal.’

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Headlamps at the Safe Outdoor Living (SOL) Shed. The Grand County Local Homeless Council is restocking the shed with items like sleeping bags and pads for unhoused individuals.

// Project SOL

https://www.dreamlist.com/list/ltear55i2llpkzcjejaaqjaeea

// KGNU: Weather in the Arctic Is Getting So Weird That Researchers Are Changing The Grading System

https://news.kgnu.org/2022/12/weather-in-the-arctic-is-getting-so-weird-that-researchers-are-changing-the-grading-system/

Earlier this month, protesters from Salt Lake City to Washington DC demanded that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack revoke a permit for the proposed Uinta Basin Railway. Today on the news, we hear how a Utah train could impact communities in Colorado and beyond. Plus, policymakers met in Las Vegas last week to discuss the future of the Colorado River. But, they didn’t emerge with any new commitments to significantly cut back demand.

Photo: A Union Pacific train hauling heated tanker cars travels through Glenwood Springs. Earlier this month, volunteers organized rallies across the country protesting the Uinta Basin Railway. Credit Amy Hadden Marsh

In 2020 a horrible accident occurred in Arches National Park. One woman was left dead. A husband and family were left grieving. A trial related to that incident isn’t so much about that death, but about the potential of the lost life. Today we report on who Esther Nakajjigo was. And the Moab City Council was in session this week. Our partners at the Moab Sun News tell us ‘what happened at the meeting.’

Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Sophia Fisher of The Times-Independent discusses political stickers plastered on downtown street signs, bear-hunting regulations and a local student’s watercolor of Green River on the National Mall in D.C. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News talks about glamping company Under Canvas’ expansion, Moab’s purchase of a duplex for city employee housing, more city spending for a state lobbyist and the 2023 Community Artist in the Parks.

// Show Notes:

// Esther Nakajjigo, who died in 2020 after a freak accident in Arches National Park, was a reality TV star, Uganda’s ambassador for women and girls and a visitor at the Watson Institute in Colorado. (Friends of Europe)

// Salt Lake Tribune: A metal gate at Arches National Park killed a woman. It’s now the center of a wrongful death trial.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2022/12/07/metal-gate-arches-national-park/

// Moab Sun News

https://moabsunnews.com/

// Moab City Council

https://moabcity.org/151/City-Council

// Weekly News Reel Mentions:

// The Times-Independent: Sticker shock - Adhesives take a political turn

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/sticker-shock-adhesives-take-a-political-turn/

// The Times-Independent: County hopes to influence bear pursuit regulations

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/county-hopes-to-influence-bear-pursuit-regulations

// The Times-Independent: HMK artwork adorns Utah Tree in D.C.

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/hmk-artwork-adorns-utah-tree-in-d-c/

// Moab Sun News: Under Canvas launches new ULUM brand

​​https://moabsunnews.com/2022/12/15/under-canvas-launches-new-ulum-brand/

// Moab Sun News: City buys duplex for city employee housing

https://moabsunnews.com/2022/12/15/city-buys-duplex-for-city-employee-housing/

// Moab Sun News: City dedicates more funds to state lobbyist

https://moabsunnews.com/2022/12/15/city-dedicates-more-funds-to-state-lobbyist/

// Moab Sun News: Meet the 2023 Community Artist in the Parks

https://moabsunnews.com/2022/12/15/meet-the-2023-community-artist-in-the-parks/