Utah NOW Audiocast on KUED Channel 7

December 21st, 2007: It's not often we talk to international superstars on the program, but this week on Utah NOW the singer Sissel is with us. Last Christmas she caused a sensation when she sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We'll talk about music and the inspiration she draws from her native Norway.

December 14th, 2007: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was actually trying to resolve questions in his recent speech on religion. Instead, he may have raised more. This week on Utah NOW we're exploring some of those questions. Among them, does freedom really require religion? And in a so-called enlightened 21st century, is our political system still rife with religious bigotry?

November 23rd, 2007: Making science seem accessible is quite a trick. But astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is good at it. Dr. Tyson is with us this week. He'll explain his passion for space and what the exploration of the cosmos is telling us about the very nature of life.

November 9th, 2007: This week on Utah NOW - one of the architects of The 9/11 Commission Report, former congressman Lee Hamilton is with us. In an era of partisan bickering, he is one of the few bonafide statesmen. We'll talk about the changing roll of American foreign policy in a hostile world.

November 2nd, 2007: If you go by the campaign rhetoric, there's a lot at stake in the vote over school vouchers. On one side, it's the sanctity and solvency of the public school system. For others, it's nothing less than meaningful reform and real choice. This week on Utah NOW, we weigh the issues in the debate over Referendum 1.

October 26th, 2007: This week Utah NOW presents the Governor's Monthly News Conference.Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., speaks for an extended period on his stance on Referendum 1 and school vouchers, and how he is perceived as campaigning for the referendum. He also speaks about Nuclear power and waste in Utah, and Utah's need for new sources of electricity.Other topics the Governor covers are the Utah Commission investigating the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, both bringing in to, and outsourcing jobs from, Utah, and his plans for running for re-election.

October 19th, 2007: Lawmaker Ralph Becker and city councilman Dave Buhler are headed into the final stretch of the campaign for mayor of Salt Lake City. This week on Utah NOW we bring them together. From downtown to the west side, from budgets to crime to sky bridges...the candidates will meet to debate the issues of the race.

October 12th, 2007: This week on Utah NOW--we're talking about the Bear River. It's part of an evolving story of water in the West.People in this region have always worried about water and a growing population is making new demands.The debate over whether to divert the Bear River may provide lessons or even a cautionary tale for the future.

October 5th, 2007: This week on Utah NOW--we'll explore the latest plan to fix Utah's crippled healthcare system. A proposal by the charity organization the United Way, offers some middle ground in the contentious debate over how to provide coverage for thousands of uninsured. The plan has the buy-in from a large collection of business and community leaders. But there are still questions. How does it work? And if it doesn't, what will?

September 28th, 2007: This week Utah NOW presents the Governor's Monthly News Conference. Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. responds to criticism about his seeming lack of public support for school vouchers, the cost of expansion for the Utah prison system, and the lack of communication between the Federal and State investigations of the Crandall Canyon Mine tragedy. Governor Huntsman also discusses the United Way's recent healthcare proposal and its associated mandates, answers questions regarding polygamy after the decision in the Warren Jeffs case, and highlights his outlook on the 2008 Utah state budget.

September 21st, 2007: This week on Utah NOW -- we continue our conversation with filmmaker Ken Burns.Burns' latest series premiers next week on PBS stations around the country. It is a deeply personal chronicle of World War Two and like all of Burns' work, it's history brought to life through stories.

September 7th, 2007: This week on Utah NOW--the writer, philosopher and sometime-Utahn Robert Fulghum will be with us. Fulghum came to prominence by sharing the lessons he learned in kindergarten. His essays are observations of the smallest things that raise the biggest questions. We also say farewell to Utah teacher and statesman J.D. Williams.

August 31st, 2007: This week on Utah NOW--we begin a series of conversations with the filmmaker and master storyteller Ken Burns.From "The Civil War" to "Jazz" - from "Baseball" to his upcoming film on World War II; Burns' work has a breathtaking reach. But at its core, you'll find the American experiment expressed in a story.

August 24th, 2007: Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. speaks extensively about the tragedy at the Crandall Canyon Mine and his extreme frustration in how the event was handled and how the families and the community of Huntington have been treated. He also talks about the lessons to be learned from the crisis and what the State of Utah can do to respond to crises of this nature. The Governor also speaks about the Special Legislative Session and the bill proposals within the session...specifically on the discussion of the ballot proposal to split Salt Lake County school districts, and on an animal cruelty law known as "Henry's Law."

August 17th, 2007: This week on Utah NOW--as people in Central Utah cling to the hope that six trapped miners are still alive, we're talking about the safety in a coal mine.It's an evolving story about standards, working conditions and the culture of an industry where there have always been risks.