RadioWest

When Brigham Young and the Mormons arrived in Utah in the mid-1800s, they encountered a Native American leader who already dominated the region. Wakara, a Timpanogos Ute, was a fierce warrior, prolific horse thief and merciless slave trader. In a new biography, the historian Max Perry Mueller argues Wakara should be considered one of the founding figures of the American West.

In 1954, photographers Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange traveled to southern Utah to capture life in three Mormon towns — Gunlock, Toquerville and St. George. We’ll talk with art historian James Swensen about what their images reveal and how these communities have evolved since then.

New Age spirituality is everywhere these days, from tarot cards and crystals, astrology and energy healing. A new book traces the history of New Age movements.

Dennis Peron came back from the Vietnam War with three pounds of marijuana. Later, he’d become one of the preeminent figures in the movement to legalize weed.

Dallin H. Oaks is the new president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We’re talking about who he is, and what to expect under his leadership.

The Wild West has been the subject of much mythologizing in American culture. But for all the fantasy, at least one figure was real: the gunfighter.

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.

A 2001 rule crafted by the U.S. Forest Service banned road construction and most commercial logging on nearly 45 million acres of public lands. Now the Trump administration wants to rescind that rule, which it deems overly restrictive.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at his home. He was 101 years old.

The historian Jonathan Stapley says it's hard for Latter-day Saints to talk about what happens inside their temples. But his new book explains how those rituals create the Mormon identity.

Much ink has been spilled about media mogul Rupert Murdoch's family, but Atlantic reporter McKay Coppins got the chance to get the stories from the inside. In light of a recent ruling that put an end to the battle for succession, we checked in with Coppins to see what it means for the family — and for their media empire.

In a recent press conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox warned of political violence metastasizing in this country. The journalist McKay Coppins described it as a kind of sermon.

On Tuesday, Robert Redford passed away in Sundance, Utah, a place he loved because it gave him a sense of peace and a respite from Hollywood. As he put it, “Other people have analysis. I have Utah.”

Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was killed by a gunman while speaking at Utah Valley University. We’re discussing what happened and what it all means.

August marked the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We’re thinking about how that singular incident changed filmmaking.

In 2018, voters narrowly passed a ballot initiative, dubbed Proposition 4, to create an independent redistricting commission and redraw Utah’s voting maps. State lawmakers, though, weren’t having it. For the past six years, they’ve managed to thwart the implementation of Prop 4. But a judge’s ruling last week could force their hands and alter the balance of power in Utah’s congressional delegation.

Under orders from the legislature, Utah’s colleges and universities have cut tons of programs. Lawmakers say it’s about efficiency. Others worry it’s an attack on the humanities.

Lots of people dream about leaving it all behind, but Maurice and Maralyn Bailey really did it. They bought a boat and set sail in June of 1972.

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?