RadioWest

Utah Democrats minted a new leader in Brian King over the weekend. But with the party relegated to the political margins in a state dominated by a Republican supermajority, some are wondering if anyone can turn its fortunes around.

Is a river alive? That's the animating question in Robert Macfarlane's new book. And if the answer is yes, and rivers are living things, what do we owe them?

Some families seem to have the secret code to sibling success. How else to explain how an Olympic athlete, an award-winning novelist and a successful entrepreneur could all be raised under a single roof? The journalist Susan Dominus set out to answer this puzzle.

These days, you might type ideas into the Notes app. But that's just a testament to the importance of history's real creative titan: the humble notebook.

A recent article co-published by The New York Times and The Salt Lake Tribune raises the question of whether or not, as Great Salt Lake continues to dry up, the political will to save the lake is likewise evaporating. If so, what can be done to reinvigorate it?

HBO's “Succession” bears a strong resemblance to media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his children. But in a stranger-than-fiction moment, the show may have also influenced the actual Murdoch family — and its future.

Sebastian Junger is no stranger to death. He covered the war in Afghanistan for years. But it was a medical emergency that brought him face to face with dying — and an afterlife.

For many people, the night sky is an afterthought, especially if you live in a big city, where all the artificial light drowns out the stars. But the nature writer Craig Childs wants to help us rediscover the dark heavens and consider what they show us about who we are and where we fit in the universe.

Spring is brief in Utah, so there isn't much time to get your garden and landscape dialed in for the year. To help, we brought sustainable landscape designer Daryl Lindsey back into the studio for some ideas on how to make our yards more beautiful and resilient before summer sets in.

Here's how many debates about contentious societal issues stall out: someone declares, “because the Bible says so.” End of story. But what does the Bible say?

You'd think that certain bonds couldn't be broken by different beliefs, even strongly opposed convictions. But some conspiracies are just that powerful.

The new book "Abundance," by journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, argues that blue-led cities struggle with housing more than red-led cities. We'll spend the hour asking local housing experts how Utah and Salt Lake City are doing.

Mary Beard is an expert on the Roman Empire, and her latest book is about the rulers who presided over it — 30 emperors in nearly three centuries.

In 2024, Utah lawmakers eliminated D.E.I. programs from the state's public schools. Today, the University of Utah is trying a new approach.

This year, the Utah Legislature passed a bill banning fluoride in public water. The change comes on May 7. We're asking what it all means.

The author Katherine Rundell didn't believe in love at first sight — until she met a pangolin. The encounter with the anteater-like creature made her curious about other endangered animals, and now, she wants us to notice more of these exquisite creatures.

The Utah Way is built on compromise and collaboration, and for years it has defined the Utah Republican Party's approach to legislating. But can the state GOP sustain its ways in the face of Donald Trump's hold on the party?

In 2000, the social scientist Robert Putnam wrote the book “Bowling Alone.” It was a warning about the collapse of the American community. Why? Declining participation in neighborhood networks and civic clubs.

Sundance is leaving Park City for Boulder, Colorado. We're processing the breakup and asking what all jilted partners do: Was it something we did?

The evidence is clear that Jesus of Nazareth was a real, historical person. But beyond that, says the scholar Elaine Pagels, there are more questions than answers about what kind of person Jesus was and what can be known about his life.

Do you find yourself struggling in conversations? Fear not. There's actually science to help you get better at the art of talking with other people.

This week, we're revisiting two of our recent favorite shows, focusing on how we find balance in our lives.

Satanic panics — a fear that satanic cults secretly performed ritualistic abuse and sacrifices — were common in the late '80's and early '90's. One seems to be playing out in San Pete County today.

On September 2, 1885, tragedy struck the coal-mining town of Rock Springs, Wyoming, when white coal workers brutally attacked and murdered Chinese immigrants brought in to work the mines.

Another legislative session is in the books. This year, lawmakers passed over 500 bills. We're talking about what's new after the 2025 Utah Legislative Session.

In 1980, Jane Fonda and her producing partner Bruce Gilbert, took a serious issue — women in the workforce not receiving equal pay — and made it into the accessible and smash-hit comedy “9 to 5.” Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, it became a pop culture hit.

Kevin Fedarko's best friend said it would be easy: Hike from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other. He said it would be “a walk in the park.” It wasn't.

Johann Hari spent a year on the weight-loss drug Ozempic, and it worked — better than he could've imagined. But the treatment left him deeply conflicted.

It's unclear whether President Donald Trump gives much thought to public land in the West. Nonetheless, observers on all sides are fairly certain his new administration will have a noticeable impact on public lands policy in the region. Which begs the question: If Trump isn't the one guiding those policies, who is? And what does that mean for America's 640 million acres of federally-owned public land?

If the word “Viking” conjures for you a braided warrior raiding a village in the north of Europe, you're not wrong. But there's a lot more to the story.

In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, John Williams, a wilderness survival trainer from Utah, embarked on a dangerous mission to infiltrate American militias. Posing as an ally, Williams spent years undercover within groups like the Oath Keepers.

Author and journalist Jonathan Rauch is a Jewish atheist. And yet, he's calling on Christians to remember their faith — and practice it the way Founding Father James Madison might have done.

Can you name the person who broke the color barrier in professional basketball? If you are thinking Chuck Cooper, Nat Clifton or Earl Lloyd, you are wrong. It was a Japanese American point guard from Ogden named Wat Misaka.

The INN Between is the only end-of-life and recuperative care facility of its kind in the U.S. And it's housed in a quiet neighborhood in Sugarhouse.

These days, you might type ideas into the Notes app. But that's just a testament to the importance of history's real creative titan: the humble notebook.

John Curtis took his place in the United State Senate on January 3 of this year. He's joining us to talk about his life in politics and his vision for Utah and the nation.

With the new year comes a new legislative session — and a new tone.

The Netflix mini-series “American Primeval” depicts the Utah War with extreme brutality. It's also raising questions about historical accuracy.

Sports journalist Joe Posnanski is a diehard baseball fan, but deep down, he knows what Americans really love: football on Sundays.

In 2021, Jeffrey Holland, an apostle for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, suggested it would be better for Brigham Young University to lose accreditation than compromise its spiritual mission. Today, BYU's Commissioner of Education is holding professors to higher spiritual standards.

Last week, we talked about new reporting on Great Salt Lake that raised questions about the lake's decline. The claim? Climate change, more than overuse, is to blame.

History is full of white explorers “discovering” the Americas. But there are stories that flow the other way, too, of Indigenous people who also “discovered” a new land — Europe.

In January of 2023, Brigham Young University released a dire report about the Great Salt Lake. The biggest takeaway? The lake will be gone in five years. Then, a major snowfall hit the state, we had a record-breaking winter and Governor Cox called the report a joke.

If you've ever wanted to share a room with two great actors talking about Shakespeare, here's your chance — with Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea.

Time is limited. And life is short. So why, asks the writer Oliver Burkeman, do we waste so much of it trying to get on top of things before we can focus on the really meaningful parts of life?

Norman Maclean became a literary star after publishing his largely autobiographical novella, “A River Runs Through It.” A new book recounts his lifelong efforts to reconcile the different parts of himself.