Utah Weekly Forum With Rebecca Cressman

Freight, passenger, and Frontrunner trains and light rail crisscross across Utah's roadways and neighborhoods. The trains travel at forceful speeds, yet many drivers and pedestrians underestimate the danger of crossing and trespassing railway tracks.  For Rail Safety Week, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined in this episode by Vern Keesler, Executive Director of Utah Operation Life Saver, who shares why approaching railway crossings with extra caution is vital to saving lives. To learn more about how to avoid tragic collisions at Utah's railways, visit UtahOperationLifeSaver.org.

All across the country, community gardens create a space for people to connect to each other and to enjoy helping each other plant and harvest healthy, locally grown food. Community Action Services and Food Bank in Utah County now has 3 community gardens in Provo City and 1 in Spanish Fork City created with partnerships with local cities and volunteers. In this episode, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by CASFB Community Garden Program Manager Hillary Wittaker and Angie Hatch, the volunteer leader of the Spanish Fork Community Garden. They share how the gardens are just one of the many supportive programs and resources that Community Action Services and Food Bank offers to help individuals and families gain self-reliance, financial stability, and food security. To volunteer or to learn more visit,  https://www.communityactionprovo.org/

Some of Utah's best dancers are now zombies, vampires, and other Halloween villains as Odyssey Dance Theatre reprises it's legacy show 'Thriller' to the stage. In this episode, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by ODT Founder and Executive Director Derryl Yeager who shares what new  surprises have been added to the family-friendly show. Thriller, the Musical is touring in 5 Utah cities but will now have an extended theatrical run from October 14th-26th at the Grand Theater in Salt Lake City. For more information, visit https://odysseydance.com.

Expectant mothers have many decisions to make before they welcome a baby, like who will provide her prenatal care and where will she labor and deliver her baby. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Elaine Thompson - Certified Nurse Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner at Intermountain Health Sanpete Valley. As a skilled provider in obstetrics and midwifery, Thompson shares the benefits of community hospitals where mothers can choose Certified Nurse Wives or OB-GYNs for pregnancy care and opt for low-intervention childbirths in smaller settings, closer to home, and with the safety net of advanced expertise and higher-level care if needed. Learn more about Pregnancy and Baby care options on Intermountainhealthcare.org.

September marks the beginning of free classes and neighbor-to-neighbor service projects at West Valley City's My Hometown Community Resource Centers (CRCs) in Northeast Granger, Central Granger, West Granger, & Central Valley View. The centers are staffed by neighborhood volunteers who help coordinate Days of Service to improve local homes in need and who teach everything from English as a second langauge to parenting, and from pathways to citizenship to piano. The goal? To help others, expand opportunities, and to form friendships and connections within WVC communities. The My Hometown Initiative is expanding to other cities along the Wasatch Front. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by West Valley Mayor Karen Lang, My Hometown Initiative leaders Craig and Linda Burton, and WVC My Hometown Chair Randy Whitehead who share the impact of this partnership between the city's community members, the Interfaith Council, local businesses, local churches, and The Church o

Utah's Spanish-speaking population is growing and their financial needs are as diverse as their backgrounds. So, how can an organization or business develop strategies that will better serve, engage, and connect with Hispanic communities?  In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Ileana McDonald, Granite Credit Union's Director of Community Relations, and Juan Londono, Marketing & Communication Specialist, who share how the credit union created initiatives and thoughtful outreach to give Hispanic Utahns greater access and connection to local financial services & resources.

The month of August marks the 85th anniversary of the escape of LDS missionaries from Germany just one day before the Nazi invasion began. In this episode, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Utah Filmmaker T.C. Christensen. Christensen shares how his latest movie Escape from Germany draws from the personal diaries of the real missionaries who escaped to Denmark in 1939 and why he believes this film, shot in Utah and in Europe, has had continued success at the box office 4 months after its release in April.

It's common to experience dark times and dark feelings, so common that every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide. And for every death, there are 25 attempts. There's a global movement to change that by encouraging people to make a promise to reach out for help. In this episode, FM100.3's Rebecca Cressman is joined by CEO and Founder Brandy Vega who shares how her experience as a mother inspired her to create Promise2Live and the details on an upcoming Global Live Stream & Gala on September 10th with well-known musicians, actors, and hosts who are coming together to save lives. More details at Promise2Live.org.

Each year hundreds of wildfires in Utah are caused by people who may appreciate the beautiful outdoors, but make critical mistakes that ignite fires.  And, this year, the number of human caused wildfires is on the rise.  In this week's episode, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Kayli Guild, the Fire Prevention and Communications Coordinator for the Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands who explains how using Fire Sense or taking common sense precautions the next time they go camping, boating, target shooting or hit the roadways can prevent roughly 70% of Utah wildfires. For more fire prevention and safety information, visit UtahFireSense.org or UtahFireInfo.gov.

The Salt Lake City Library launched its Super Summer Challenge giving beginning and advanced readers new experiences and adventures on and off the pages of their favorite books. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Salt Lake City Public Library's Director of Marketing Quinn McQueen and Copy-Editor Bryton Sampson. They explain what prizes are in store for those who complete the challenge and encourage parents to bring their children to a City Library branch to pick-up this year's free adventure-themed activity tracker. The colorful, interactive tracker is published in English and Spanish. Readers can also track their progress online on the Beanstack Tracker app. For more information, visit https://events.slcpl.org/supersummer

Most people are familiar with foreign exchange student programs, but students at Utah's Mountain Heights Academy are exchanging places with students across the United States. It's part of the American Exchange Project and it's giving students nationwide a chance to travel to communities throughout America for free with the hope of connecting a divided country. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Mountain Heights Academy Executive Director DeLaina Tonks and recent high school graduates Ben Parr of Portland Maine and Brodie Harris of Cedar City who share what they learned from their own American Exchange experience and how it gave them hope for a more united country. To learn more, visit MountainHeightsAcademy.org or AmericanExchangeProject.org.

The theatrical non-profit dance company that entertained generations of Utahns is back with Thriller and more world-class dance. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, Executive Director Derryl Yeager joins FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman to share how, after a short hiatus, Odyssey Dance Theatre is back with plans to make contemporary dance even more accessible to a wide audience. For more info on season tickets and upcoming productions, visit OdysseyDance.com.

Getting involved in service helps us form meaningful connections, develop better mental health, and make a positive impact in the world. So to give Utah families the chance to get involved, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is hosting the free Show Up for Summer Service event June 3rd, 4-8pm at Thanksgiving Point's Electric Park with over 60 local nonprofits in need of service, plus lawn games, food trucks, raffles, and bouncy houses for entertainment. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by First Lady of Utah Abby Cox and her Deputy Director of Initiatives Tania Hansen who explain why this event is perfectly timed to kick-off the summer and how it can help friends and family learn new skills and build new relationships within the community. Register for your free ticket through Show Up for Service instagram link or on ShowUpUtah.org.

Nearly 45% of women over 20 years old are living with some form of cardiovascular disease.  Yet, many women don't prioritize taking time to care for their own health leaving them vulnerable to cardiovascular disease, the #1 killer of women.  In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Intermountain Healthcare Cardiologist Dr Amanda Donohue for an informative discussion on what both younger and older women need to know now about their own heart health. Dr. Donohue also explains how important it is for women to learn to manage stress, to adopt healthier lifestyles, and to get regular blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose screenings to help prevent heart attacks and stroke. For more heart health tools and resouces from the American Heart Association, visit GoRedforWomen.org. 

Utah has the highest rate of melanoma in the country. So, understanding how often to get screened, how to take care of your skin, and how to lower your risk of any type of skin cancer is very important. In this week's episode of Utah Weekly Forum,  FM100.3's Rebecca is joined by Josh Winters, a PA-C with Swinyer Woseth Dermatology, who explains what you should know during Skin Cancer Awareness Month and what steps to take to safely enjoy the sunshine. You can find more helpful information at www.dwoseth.com. 

Sometimes a simple in-person visit to a doctor’s office is anything but simple. People live in rural areas, have inflexible work hours, family responsibilities, and health limitations that make driving to an appointment difficult. To help patients have easier access to comprehensive and affordable healthcare, Intermountain Health offers virtual visits 24/7. In this week’s episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Dr. Maurine Cobabe, Medical Director over Ambulatory Telehealth for Intermountain Health, who explains that there are now more options like E-Visit, Connect Care Urgent Care, and On-demand that can help patients receive the best possible treatment closer to home through a computer or mobile device. For more information, visit Intermountainhealthcare.org/services/telehealth  

In 1982, two young Utah fathers were murdered outside an iconic restaurant in Millcreek Canyon. The violence changed the lives of the surviving family members, but it also shed light on how trauma and forgiveness can affect families for generations. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, Amy Donaldson, Investigative Reporter and Host of "The Letter" podcast joins FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman to explain how this unplanned second season came to be and what insights we can gain about rebuilding lives after tragedy. More information about "The Letter" is on TheLetterPodcast.com

  Utah patients and caregivers have a chance to learn about the latest therapies and treatments for Alzheimer's disease at a free Alzheimer's Educational Conference on May 15th in West Valley City, Utah. The conference, hosted by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, will feature experts in the field of Alzheimer's disease, brain health, caregiving, and advanced planning. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Alzheimer's Foundation of America President/CEO Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr and two Utah Alzheimer's experts who will speak about the progress physicians and researchers are making at the upcoming conference: Dr. Christine J Cliatt Brown, a Behavioral Neurologist within University of Utah's Department of Neurology who diagnoses and treats various types of dementia, and Dr. Donna Cross, a Research Associate Professor within University of Utah's Department of Radiology where she heads the Neuroimaging and Biotechnology Laboratory. The conference is open to ever

A convention created by and for adults on the autism spectrum will be held again in Provo, Utah May 16th-May 17th. The 2-day event called AUTCON is presented by ScenicView Academy and Autism Council of Utah with entertaining activities, networking, resources, and panel discussions in an autism-friendly setting. In this episode of Utah Weekly Forum, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by ScenicView Academy’s Program Director Jared Stewart and Community Engagement Officer Kari Bushman who share how this year’s convention hopes to empower neurodivergent adults and help them thrive. For registration and event information, visit https://www.svacademy.org/autcon.html

Parents often look for educational options that match their family’s priorities and values. Concordia Lutheran Elementary and Learning Center in Riverton has expanded and is now providing a hybrid option where homeschool students up to grade 6 can attend the school and continue learning at home. In this episode, FM100.3 Host Rebecca Cressman is joined by Concordia Lutheran Principal Deanna Smith who explains the vision of Holy Trinity Church’s Elementary School and Early Childhood Learning Center which is welcoming children from throughout the valley. For more information, visit https://concordialearningcenter.holytrinityut.org/