Four Corners Coronavirus Coverage
I’m reporting on the pandemic’s impact in the Four Corners region for KSUT Public Radio.
These stories previously aired on KSUT.
Indian Health Services Director Visits Navajo Nation to Measure COVID Response
On the Navajo Nation, efforts to trace the spread of the disease are working. And testing is on the increase. But challenges remain and federal native health officials are responding with more funding.
A Brave New World: Colorado Restaurants Reopen Dine-In Service
Colorado restaurants can reopen their dining rooms and patios for the first time in two months. But diners should prepare for some changes to the way their favorite eateries operate.
Mesa Verde Reopens After Two-Month Closure; What Visitors Can Expect
Mesa Verde National Park is open again after a two-month closure because of the coronavirus. There are some caveats to what visitors will be able to see and do.
Keeping People Fed During a Crisis
Hunger is hard enough. It’s even more difficult to face during a global pandemic. As unemployment has skyrocketed, so has people’s reliance on food programs. I talked to Doug Byele, the Priest-in-Charge at a Cortez, Colorado church about how they’re alleviating hunger with a daily sack lunch program.
A Friendship Endures During a Pandemic, Even Through a Window
Every week, Rena Wilson drops by the Valley Inn Nursing Home in Mancos, Colorado. She spends some time with her longtime friend, Mac Neely, who is 99-years-old. They can’t meet in person right now, because of the coronavirus. But that doesn’t stop their ability to connect.
Durango Woman Shares Her COVID-19 Experience: Mild But Miserable and Not the Flu
We may know someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspect they’ve had it. Jamie Pickering got a positive diagnosis and suffered what she calls a mild case. But she says it was still worse than the flu. I spoke to her about her experience.
An Exploration of Arizona Astronomy
A five-part audio series examining professional and amateur astronomy.
Explore Episodes
Special Series: Copper at the Crossroads
Copper: The Miracle Metal
Copper mining in Arizona is a tale of both fortune and failure. A look at the past, present and future of an industry at the crossroads.
“I’m Not a Miner, I’m a Provider”
Onofre Tafoya spent 40 years moving the earth in an underground copper mine near Tucson. But it was more than hard work. It was the place where, as he says, he “became a man.”
Some Thrived, Some Died
Tracking the history of Arizona’s boom and bust towns. Bisbee and Globe survived, Helvetia and Ruby didn’t.
Stories From the Archives
Making Mirrors
It takes years to cast a large telescope mirror at theSteward Observatory Mirror Lab. But the race to build ever larger “eyes” is leading to new discoveries in astronomy.
“The Kinds of Things He Believed, He Tried to Live…”
Gordon Hirabayashi objected to the way Japanese-Americans were treated in World War II. His fight took him from the Supreme Court to a prison camp in Arizona.
Tom Russell and the Vanishing Poetry of ‘The Old, Weird America’
Tom Russell writes songs about champion fighting cocks, Edward Abbey, the Watts riots, Nina Simone, and the day Frank Sinatra played Juarez. For him, it’s all part of a grand tradition of American storytelling.
Re-enacting the Civil War in the Southwest
The Battle of Picacho Pass on April 15, 1862 was the western-most engagement of the Civil War. Some say it was just a “skirmish,” but each year it’s brought back to life a dedicated group of re-enactors.
A Kartchner Caverns Tour With Gary Tenan
Most people see Kartchner Caverns as part of a tour guided by a volunteer docent. The experience is a little different for the man who discovered the cave.
Author Byrd Baylor Celebrates the Desert
Author Byrd Baylor still writes by candlelight in her rural desert home. It’s just enough light, she says, to see the ink on the page.