FEATURE: In Regional News, the small city of Green River in Western Utah is very proud of its watermelons. In fact, it celebrates them every year with a festival called Melon Days. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-Z-M-U’s Molly Marcello produced this audio postcard about what makes the Green River watermelons so special.
NEWS: Colorado’s first wolf pack since reintroduction in 2023 is once again under intense scrutiny after a series of cattle depredations in the Roaring Fork Valley, reports the Denver Post. Cattle killings in Pitkin County this summer have spurred calls in recent weeks to remove the entire Copper Creek pack — comprising two adults, three yearlings and an unknown number of pups born this year — as a threat. Cattle killings connected to the pack already prompted Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials in May to kill one of the wolves born last year.
In 2024, Colorado ranchers submitted claims for nearly $650,000 in wolf depredation losses, exceeding the state's $350,000 compensation fund. Claims included confirmed livestock deaths, missing animals, and decreased livestock weight and conception rates due to wolf presence according to The Coloradoan. A large portion of the total came from three ranchers in Grand County, with claims totaling over $575,000.
LIVE REMOTE: The annual 4th of July Western Sky Balloon festival held in Delta is a wrap. KVNF attended the first morning ascension of the balloons bright and early Friday morning. I joined Morning Edition Host Brody Wilson for a live remote broadcast from Confluence Park for the yearly event
Your Mountain Grown Community radio station also sponsored a tethered balloon ride and shared the patriotic fireworks soundtrack for the City of Delta’s fireworks show over our network of stations. You can see photos of the balloon ascension and hear the entire live remote on kvnf.org look for KVNF Stories .
STATE NEWS: Two attorneys who defended My Pillow C-E-O Mike Lindell in a defamation case in Denver have been sanctioned for submitting a brief riddled with A-I generated errors. Megan Verlee has more for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.
