By Elizabeth Wynne Johnson

Washington, DC – Utah's newest representative in Washington is wasting no time becoming a household name. He's garnering attention in old AND new-fashioned ways - including a starring role in an online "reality" series. Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports from Capitol Hill.

Click here to see Rep. Jason Chaffetz on CNN.

By Doug Fabrizio

Salt Lake City, UT – The biographer Mayank Chhaya has said he was never in awe of his most recent subject - the Dalai Lama. But after interviewing the Tibetan leader and talking to hundreds of people connected to his story, Chhaya says he admires the qualities that have made him a renowned figure. Chayya's book looks at the various roles of the Dalai Lama - a monk, a mystic, a political leader and a man. This month marks the 50th anniversary of his exile from Tibet, and Monday, Mayank Chhaya joins us for a portrait of the 14th Dalai Lama.

By Jenny Brundin

Salt Lake City, UT –
On Utah's Capitol Hill yesterday, lawmakers debated health care, whether a TRAX station should be built on a 3,000 year old archeological site, a Choose Life license plate, and testosterone. But first -Democratic legislators unveiled their own budget proposal- one that lessens the severe budget cuts under consideration now. KUER's Jenny Brundin reports.

By Dan Bammes

Salt Lake City, UT – Utah lawmakers are finalizing next year's state budget with a plan for a big tax break for movie producers. Money from the president's economic stimulus package would be used for the incentives. KUER's Dan Bammes also looks at debate on an abortion bill, access to government records and what kinds of animals ought to have legal protection as service animals under the law.

By Jenny Brundin

Salt Lake City, UT – On Tuesday, lawmakers took up beer on tap and pay day lending. They didn't get to hear testimony from a 10-year-old on a health bill .so we will in this story. But we begin with a bill killed by the Utah House that would have limited public access to river and stream beds. KUER's Jenny Brundin reports.

By Doug Fabrizio

Salt Lake City, UT – The story of Harvey Milk - the San Francisco city politican who live his life and ran his campaigns as an openly gay man in the 1970s - was a revelation to the writer Dustin Lance Black. Milk's story helped Black, himself gay and raised in a Mormon family, to navigate his way through some very personal territory. Black won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film "Milk," and Friday on RadioWest, we're rebroadcasting our conversation with him about Harvey Milk's story and his own. (Rebroadcast)

By Doug Fabrizio

Salt Lake City, UT – You're more likely to the find the writer Wendell Berry working on his family farm in Kentucky then you are to find him on the lecture circuit. He likes to farm the old-fashioned way - using horses and growing as much of his own food as possible. But Berry is also a poet, a novelist and a citizen activist with more than 40 books on conservation and the human condition. Wendell Berry is in Utah, and he joins Doug in studio to talk about values and usefulness and his own connection to the soil.

By Doug Fabrizio

Salt Lake City, UT – If you think of an American sport, what comes to mind? Sure, there's baseball. And of course basketball was invented in Massachusetts. But there's one game that's been played on the continent longer than any other. Lacrosse is rooted in Native American religion, and today, it's one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States. Wednesday on RadioWest, we're looking at the history of the sport, its appeal to young athletes and Utah's own Lacrosse community.

By Jennifer Napier-Pearce

Salt Lake City, UT – Allegations of bribery, harassing an intern and other conduct unbecoming an elected official over the past year led many Utahns to believe that 2009 would be the year for ethics reform at the state Capitol. With just 10 days left in the legislative session, how are lawmakers doing? KUER's Jennifer Napier-Pearce reports.

By Doug Fabrizio

Salt Lake City, UT – As China, India and Russia gain strength, how with the new dynamics affect America's standing as a global power? Will the U.S. lose out or will the power shifting help forge partnerships among nations to combat the common threats of terrorism, climate change and disease? On Monday, Doug talks with author and scholar Nina Hachigian about how America can thrive in the new global environment.