Access Utah

On previous episodes of Access Utah, we’ve tapped into grassroots frustration directed at government for perceived lack of effective action on Air Pollution. Many of you are asking: why isn’t more being done? Wednesday on the program we’ll give you the chance to express your concerns directly to legislators and government officials. We’ll ask our guests and you: what should government do to improve Air Quality?

Tuesday on Access Utah we’ll attempt to narrow the political divide, hoping to model behavior we’d like to see in elected officials in our increasingly polarized society. We’ll follow up on a program we did a few months ago with politicians and commentators. This time we’re appealing directly to you. We’ll ask you to explore the weaknesses of your political beliefs, as well as the strengths of the other side. How we can listen to and understand each other more in our political discourse, and how do we get out of our silos and join with each other in solving our problems? Leading the discussion will be Cache Valley residents Jonathan and Loralee Choate. They have to reach across the aisle at home: he leans libertarian and she’s more liberal. We’ll also hear from our politically-plugged-in Access Utah producers, USU students Dani Hayes and Adison Pace.

On today's Access Utah, Sheri Quinn talks to New York Times technology reporter Matt Richtell about his new novel,"The Cloud." In his book, Ricktell weaves today's cutting edge technology into a suspenseful story about the addictive power of technology that keeps you gripped to the last page. In the second half, Science Questions explores the effects of climate change from new climate data and how changes in national energy plans can benefit the economy.

When mountain lions began appearing in Boulder Colorado, residents cheered the news. But as the lions feasted on pets and began to endanger humans, political battles began—until tragedy brought town together. David Baron’s "The Beast in the Garden" is (according to goodreads.com) “a book about the future of our nation, where suburban sprawl and wildlife-protection laws are pushing people and wild animals into uncomfortable, sometimes deadly proximity."

Conan Grames is a Utah native, lawyer, and lobbyist, who has held top positions in the pharmaceutical industry. He is a former general counsel for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) the trade organization that represents the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Grames says he “was always proud to be part of the pharmaceutical industry in its efforts to save lives.” Others point out problems they see with Big Pharma: excessive lobbying power, inadequate distribution of life-saving drugs, and promotion of a medical culture too dependent on drugs instead of preventive medicine. We’ll talk about these issues as well as relief efforts in Japan. When the earthquake and tsunami hit in 2011, Conan Grames was working as area director of public affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He became heavily involved in coordinating relief efforts.

HB 77, sponsored by Rep. Kraig Powell R-Heber City, was defeated in committee last week. The bill would have defined climate change as a human-caused phenomenon. We’ll debate climate change on Tuesday’s Access Utah. We invite to to continue the discussion via email at upraccess@gmail.com, on Twitter @utahpublicradio and at www.upr.org.

Air quality is today's topic on the program. We'll be taking a grassroots angle on the anger and protest regarding this issue. Utah has been known for having the worst air in the nation, and many Utahns are taking matters into their own hands.

Utah author Betsy Schow writes: “I was fat. Huge. Ginormous. Not because of the number embroidered on the tag of my jeans, but because it consumed a large part of my thoughts and day. It very nearly destroyed my marriage. So much of my life revolved around gaining weight, losing weight … Obesity is an epidemic, but so is this unquenchable drive to be better, thinner, than the woman standing next to us. Even if that woman is just me, looking back from the mirror.”

In today’s program we discuss The Cloud, Mobile Computing, security issues and the problems and opportunities of our increasingly interconnected digital world. We’ll preview the Information Technology Conference sponsored by the Utah State University Huntsman School of Business Partners in Business. The conference held Wednesday on USU campus and focuses on Mobile and Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Network Security. We’ll talk with Steven John, Strategic Chief Information Officer for Workday, and Kimberley Jones, Founder and CEO of Verite.

The Boy Scouts of America will soon vote on a proposal which would reverse its policy against participation in the program by openly gay leaders and scouts. The new policy would allow the sponsors of specific troops to make the decision. The Great Salt Lake Council is urging the national BSA organization not to reverse its policy and to continue the discussion. We discuss the issue on Wednesday’s Access Utah with a mother of 2 Eagle Scouts, Doree Burt; USU student and Eagle Scout, Kelton Wells, and scouter, Robert Starling.

On Monday's program we discuss avalanches in Utah. We hear the story of with two avalanche survivors. Elisabeth Malloy Adam Morrey were recently out in the Mill Creek Canyon area where they were hit by a 700-foot avalanche. Malloy was completely buried where Morrey was only partially. He was able to extricate himself and rescue Malloy. They talk about how they managed to survived. We also talk about safety, preparation and "what to do if" with Toby Weed of the Utah Avalanche Center.

On Access Utah we explore ghosts, hauntings and love. Author and NPR executive producer Eric Nuzum faced his own fears. In his book, “Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship 80’s Rock a Lost Scrap of Paper and What it Means to be Haunted” Nuzum talks of his history being haunted and how he found peace in facing the supernatural.

Joining us from Seattle, The Interfaith Amigos consists of Pastor Don Mackenzie, Rabbi Ted Falcon and Imam Jamal Rahman. Known for their wisdom and humor while talking about religion, these men have worked together to try and make sense of the confusion that often accompanies interfaith dialog. They are the authors of two books "Getting to the Heart of Interfaith" and "Religion Gone Astray: What We Found at the Heart of Interfaith." During the program, we'll be focusing on the second book.

Helen Whitney is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, known for telling the stories of religion and people. Her films have aired on PBS, HBO, ABC and NBC. She has been filmmaking for 42 years. She will be giving a series of lectures on the campus of Utah State University during the week of Jan. 28 - Jan. 31. The lectures will be held at 7:30 p.m. each night in the Performance Hall. She will be discussing many of her films including The Mormons and Forgiveness; A Time to Love and a Time to Hate.

Broadcasting from the Utah State Capitol, it is the first day of the legislature open. Joining us on the first half of the program is Governor Gary Herbert. He discusses various topics that are on the agenda for this year’s legislature including budget priorities, healthcare reform, ethics reform, the Outdoor Recreation Plan, immigration and gun control. On the second half, state senators Ralph Okerlund and Gene Davis join us to continue the discussion of what to expect for this years legislature.

He’s a multi-Grammy winning musician and composer and is the only person who has won the National Fiddle Championship, National Guitar Flatpicking Championship and the World Mandolin Championship. Mark O’Connor is a celebrated violinist and fiddler player, with styles ranging from classical to American folk. He joins us on Access Utah to talk about his talent, his history and his determination. He’ll be performing at the Caine College of the Arts Grand Gala at Utah State University Friday, Jan. 25. For more information, click here.

One spring morning in 1914 members of the United Mine Workers of America clashed with guards employed by the Rockefeller family and state militia in Colorado. When the dust settled, 19 men, women and children from the miners' families lay dead. The strikers had killed at least 30 men and destroyed 6 mines and laid waste to two company towns. We revisit a discussion with Thomas Andrews, author of his book "Killing for Coal" and recounts this 1914 massacre and the great coal field war. He situates it not only in labor history but in the environment. As fossil fuels and especially coal shaped the west, and continue to do so.

Coyotes are the most abundant predator in America. Today we talk about the controversial K9 and it’s perseverance in the West and question the force of human kind and nature.

Our guest for the hour on Wednesday is Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings, who will be in Salt Lake City on January 30, for an appearance at The King’s English Bookshop. He’s out with a new book: "Because I Said So: The truth behind the myths, tales, and warnings every generation passes down to its kids." Many of these myths and warnings are culture-specific. We’ll talk about the Korean “Fan Death” tale, which Jennings first encountered growing up in Seoul. Ken Jennings also grew up as map nerd, and we’ll talk about his previous book: Maphead, in which he travels the nation meeting others of his tribe--map librarians, publishers, "roadgeeks," pint-sized National Geographic Bee prodigies, and the computer geniuses behind Google Maps and other geo-technologies. Jennings says that technology and geographic illiteracy are increasingly insulating us from the lay of the land around us, and we are going to need mapheads more than ever.

Tom Williams’ guest for the hour on Thursday is journalist Ioan Grillo, who has written about Mexican narcotraffickers for the past decade, even interviewing members of the cartels and their death squads. He says that “El Narco is not a gang; it is a movement and an industry drawing in hundreds of thousands from bullet-ridden barrios to marijuana-growing mountains.” Grillo believes these cartels “have transformed into a criminal insurgency that threatens the nation’s democracy and spirals into the United States.”