On Wednesday, Utah registered its highest single-day number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic — more than 7,200 cases. Soon after those numbers were released, State Epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen jumped on a Zoom call to answer questions from Utah media. No surprise, Dr. Nolen said that the fast spreading Omicron variant […]

A recent investigative report from the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica examines the ways Utah’s powerful water lobby has worked to undermine water conservation measures proposed by state lawmakers. Utah is the fastest-growing and second-driest state in the nation, but it lags behind its neighbors in instituting meaningful reforms to conserve water, even while it pursues expensive […]

Park City has a strong labor history. In the late 19th and the early 20th century, the miners who lived in the town and who worked underground were often part of a union. The sometimes-militant Western Federation of Miners had a strong presence in the mining camp and helped negotiate better wages and working conditions […]

This week on In the Hive, the continuation of last week’s conversation about homelessness in northern Utah. Host Roger McDonough sits down with Salt Lake City mayor Erin Mendenhall to get her thoughts on the outsized role Utah’s capitol city plays in providing services for those who find themselves without shelter. Plus, an infectious disease […]

Last week, Salt Lake City leaders reluctantly agreed to host a temporary winter overflow shelter at what was previously a Ramada Inn on North Temple and Redwood Road. The announcement came after the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness said that they considered locations in other cities, but each option ended up being unworkable. […]

Today on “In the Hive,” we look at where things stand in the planning process that aims to change how transportation is done in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The Utah Department of Transportation released a draft Environmental Impact Statement earlier this year and identified two preferred alternatives to relieve congestion in the canyon: an enhanced bus […]

During a special session of the legislature, Utah lawmakers gave the green light to electoral maps that critics say represent textbook gerrymandering. Today on the program, we examine the recent history of redistricting in Utah and ask why lawmakers ignored the maps created through a painstaking and transparent process by the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission. […]

Two years ago, the late, great western historian Will Bagley helped KCPW relate what is perhaps the quintessential Utah Halloween story — the sordid tale of grave robber Jean Baptiste. In 1862, pioneer Salt Lake City was up in arms over the revelation that the grave digger at the city cemetery had been unearthing corpses […]

On this edition of “In the Hive,” we hear about the plan to cut Utah air pollution in half by 2030. The proposal, by Sen. Kirk Cullimore, would implement a series of incentives for cleaner vehicles and buildings and create a cap-and-trade program for industrial polluters in the state. Salt Lake Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke […]

A week ago, Pfizer asked the federal government to authorize use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5-11 and earlier this week the White House told governors to get ready for that eventuality. Today on “In the Hive,” we hear about what the vaccine rollout to younger children will look like in the beehive […]