For Shame
You have to wonder if voters are stupid or simply apathetic. Take some recent polls from The Salt Lake Tribune. Most of the time, you just read them and sigh. Participants are mostly Republican and Mormon—hence the results for polls on shrinking our national monuments, Trump's approval rating and the pending .05 percent DUI law. Wondering why Utahns like the medical marijuana initiative? It's largely because Sen. Orrin Hatch does, too. Now let's talk about the early frontrunners for the 2020 governor's race. Jason Chaffetz came out on top. Do you have no shame, Utahns? Still, it's probably all name recognition, and the names the Trib offered respondents. "If the election were held today, who would you vote for?" Chaffetz, Ben McAdams, Spencer Cox, Josh Romney, Greg Hughes or Spencer P. Eccles? Not a woman among them.
Homeless Hospice
No one's particularly happy with how the Rio Grande homeless situation is being handled. So the very existence of something like the Inn Between is refreshing. One of the few homeless hospices in the U.S., it operates primarily on private donations to fulfill a hidden yet growing need. "As they age, homeless people experience many of the same illnesses as everyone else, including cancer, heart and lung diseases—but they have significantly shorter life expectancies, and their circumstances may accelerate an illness' progression," a story in the Lancet health blog read. KUED tells the story in their new documentary Homeless at the End, which follows the final months of some local homeless. It might be hard to watch, but do it.
Classical Coda
Just in case you were wondering, classical music is in trouble—and not just at BYU Broadcasting. But The Salt Lake Tribune's Scott Pierce is right: There are other ways to listen to music these days. Still, there's been complaints about the station's decision to archive classical music. Some linked the genre to the "existence of the soul," and BYU's secularization as it allows caffeinated drinks on campus. Years ago, KUER had to duck and cover when it flat-lined classical, although the station manager said, no problem—KBYU was still around. One legislator even called for a study of KUER's change. Much like the newspaper industry, the radio world has been stung by a societal trend. But BBC Music notes the world today might need more, not less, classical: "The faster the world becomes, the more a conscious need arises from audiences for time out, a thirst for enrichment, a place to think ..."
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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