Community news from KPCW
You can find KPCW everywhere you go, even when you’re not near your radio. Connect with us on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes looks at the people and stories behind the stories. In addition to @KPCWRadio on Facebook and Instagram, you can now follow @KPCWPodcastShows highlights, live in-studio music, memorable interviews and feel-good stories from our weekday shows to brighten your scroll.
Below, you’ll find a few recent pieces covering local news across Wasatch County. Thanks for listening—and reading—like a local.
Meet Heber City’s new airport manager, Adam Bunker
By Grace Doerfler
(Photography by Grace Doerfler)
The Heber Valley Airport has a new manager.
Adam Bunker, the airport’s former assistant manager, was appointed to the post by the Heber City Council by unanimous vote.
The job includes implementing city policy, budget recommendations and meeting the needs of airport users.
An Orem resident, Bunker was one of nearly 80 nationwide applicants for the position. He says he wants to make the airport a runway for the area’s economic growth ahead of the Olympics in 2034.
He also wants to protect general aviation, or GA, which in Heber consists of small propeller planes and other light aircraft.
Currently, the airport is home to over 100 airplanes and has several dozen hangars. Bunker envisions adding more hangars for small aircraft and making the airport a more attractive place for recreational pilots to land.
For Wasatch Back ski resorts, fire prevention is a year-round effort
By Grace Doerfler
(Photography by Grace Doerfler)
Wasatch Back ski resorts may only be top-of-mind for their winter activities, but they also help mitigate the local risk of wildfire.
Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain use a range of strategies to prevent fires and stay response-ready if a blaze ignites.
Both ski areas conduct controlled burns, clearing dead trees and coordinating closely with fire agencies across the region.
Some of the work begins well before the snow melts. Snowcats begin removing the dead trees from the mountain as soon as ski season ends. In the summer crews build piles of branches and brush for controlled burns.
On-mountain cameras are also used to monitor the terrain for problems and snowmaking systems can be turned on to knock down small fires.
Wasatch County victim advocates help hundreds with court cases each year
By Grace Doerfler
(Credit: BillionPhotos.com-stock.adobe.com)
Annually, Wasatch County’s victim advocates guide hundreds of crime victims through the legal system. The majority of those they serve have experienced domestic violence.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, more than 500 crime victims were helped. Over 300 were survivors of domestic violence.
Advocate Kristine Guthrie says reporting a crime is just the beginning of what can be a long, complex process through the court system.
Her office helps people navigate police interviews, paperwork and sometimes a trial. They also connect individuals with counseling, go with them to court and help them apply for financial restitution.
Guthrie says part of the goal is to minimize any financial burdens of the victimization. She says she doesn’t think that should be added to the trauma victims have experienced.
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