Kerry Bringhurst

Utah 4-H is holding a centennial celebration this week in Logan. Kerry Bringhurst speaks with Ross Jacobsen, who has dedicated 32 years of his career working with Utah State University as part of what has become the nation's largest youth development organization, 4-H.

"Celebrating Diversity in the West" is the focus of administrative leaders in Western Land Grant universities, who are meeting this week in Park City for the Western Region Joint Summer Meetings.

Kerry Bringhurst speaks with Chuck Gay, Associate Vice President for Extension at Utah State University, who explains why representatives from the Land Grant universities get together every summer and what they are celebrating this year.

Newly published research from the University of Utah shows  there is  a genetic connection to the emotional response to music. For the study, music by Elvis Presley and others was played to gage emotional hormone levels in people with Williams syndrome, a well-documented genetic disorder.

Logan resident Scott Bushman is a member of a Northern Utah Type-III Overhead Team, responsible for managing wildlife suppression operations. Kerry Bringhurst talked to Bushman about what it's like to wake up to a phone call and go fight a wildland fire.

Reactions to the Supreme Court's decision regarding national health care reform vary. During UPR's Access Utah broadcast Thursday morning, guests were asked to give their reaction to the decision, less than an hour after the announcement, and by mid-day Utah's high-level politicians had released their statements.

It's already apparent that the recent and ongoing consuming wildfires in Utah will have an impact on the state's economy. Kerry Bringhurst spoke with Kyle Stevens, Deputy Commissioner for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, about the impacts on the agricultural industry in Utah. Livestock producers in Sanpete County have reported the loss of lambs and ewes in wildfires. In other areas of the state, livestock has been evacuated. 

When temperatures soar like they have this week in Utah, working outdoors can be dangerous. A national campaign is underway to help prevent heat-related deaths and illness.

Twenty-three girls from Southern Utah's Hurricane High School cheer squad spend a lot of time outside in the heat. Shanna Baker is their assistant coach, responsible for making sure the girls stay hydrated and healthy.

"In fact our school is under construction, so we're outside full time right now on the football field."

The non-profit organization Families USA released a report this week that estimates 2 Utahns between the ages of 25 - 64 die every week because they did not have adequate health care.

The organization's Executive Director Ron Pollack says the Affordable Care Act offers access to coverage for families who struggle to get the health care they need.

To encourage self-sufficiency and sustainability the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is challenging Utahns to grow their own food with the 10,000 Garden Challenge.

The overgrowth of invasive weeds in Utah is in part to blame for out-of-control fires in the state according to Larry Lewis of the Utah Department of Agriculture. Lewis says the department is working with Utah State University Extension experts and local weed control experts to eradicate weeds and encourage the regrowth of native grasses.

According to Lewis, wildfires burning in rural communities where invasive weeds are found can force smoke to filter throughout the state, impacting air quality in all areas of the state.