UPR to Broadcast Live Coverage of the Utah Rural Summit
Legislators, economic strategists and social leaders will address the unique challenges and opportunities of living in rural Utah at the 24th annual Utah Rural Summit Aug. 11-12 in Cedar City. Utah Public Radio’s Morning Edition host and news director Kerry Bringhurst will provide live coverage of the summit and interview some of the event’s keynote speakers.
Presenters include former state Sen. Robert F. Bennett, Lt. Gov. Greg Bell and Jim Goodwin, project coordinator of the Western Rural Development Center at Utah State University. He will discuss university-based community and economic development projects.
“One of the challenges faced by rural Utahan’s is limited access to information,” said Bringhurst. “It seems appropriate for UPR to participate in the Utah Rural Summit to provide coverage of the issues of interest to those living in these unique communities.”
The theme for the 2011 summit is “Building locally, looking globally,” and topics of discussion will include methods of functioning for rural Utahans during times of economic downturn. Timing could not be better as debt problems exist in Europe, stock markets continue to drop, and the United States’ credit rating was recently downgraded. Speakers at the summit will address how Utah businesses and communities may be affected by the global economic downturn and how they can thrive.
“The summit will give participants access to insight about national programs that have helped leaders in rural communities encourage industry, participate in the political process and maintain a certain lifestyle,” Bringhurst said.
Through his work with the Western Rural Development Center, Goodwin works with Stronger Economies Together — a national regional training initiative developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Office. The goal is to encourage rural communities to collaborate on projects that will strengthen their regional economies. Bringhurst will interview Goodwin about USU’s involvement in the USDA-funded program.
UPR is a service of Utah State University and can be heard across Utah and southern Idaho through a network of 32 translators including sites in Hanksville, Parowan, Tabiona and Delta. A complete list of station frequencies and live audio streaming is available online. UPR is a member of National Public Radio (NPR) and an affiliate of Public Radio International.
Coverage of the Utah Rural Summit begins Thursday, Aug. 11, during NPR’s Morning Edition between 6 a.m. -9 a.m., with additional interviews from Cedar City during NPR’s All Things Considered 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Those interested can access complete coverage of the URS online.
The public is invited to meet Bringhurst at the summit Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UPR’s booth in the Hunter Conference Center at Southern Utah University.
More information about the summit is online.
Writer: Kristen Munson, (435) 797-0267, kristen.munson@usu.edu
Contact: Nora Zambreno, (435) 797-9507, nora.zambreno@usu.edu
USU's Utah Public Radio will broadcast live from the Utah Rural Summit Aug. 11 and 12 in Cedar City.
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