Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Donate today to give back in celebration of all that #PublicMediaGives. Your contribution will be matched $1 for $1.

Vicki Barker

Vicki Barker was UPR's Moab correspondent from 2011 - 2012.

A native of Moab, she started working in radio as a teenager and earned a degree at Utah State University-Logan in broadcast performance and management. She worked as a news reporter and feature writer for radio and publications throughout the intermountain area and also worked in the national parks, in outdoor environmental education, and as an editor.

Vicki passed away in April 2012 and has left a void on UPR where her voice used to be.

  • Britain's Conservative-led government has unveiled proposals to change the social benefits system, moving ever closer to workfare. One measure under the plan requires the long-term jobless to do community work. Another plan would ax automatic housing and other benefits for unemployed Brits under 25.
  • The scandal has shown just how long and winding the food chain really is, and how little oversight is exercised within Europe's open borders. In Britain, local butchers are among the beneficiaries of this crisis.
  • The fast food giant said this week that some of its burgers in Britain and Ireland were found to contain horsemeat. That's prompted a Twitter campaign and threats of a boycott.
  • In most of Britain, property prices are slumping amid a weak economy. But mega-rich foreigners see London's upscale neighborhoods as a safe place to invest, and they are snapping up properties and pushing up prices even though many don't plan to use these homes as a primary residence.
  • There's no place for chronic misplacers of keys at the 21st World Memory Championships under way in London. About 75 competitors from some two dozen countries are vying to see who can memorize the most numbers, faces, playing cards or random words in a set amount of time in this "mnemonic Olympiad."
  • A nurse at a London hospital who took a hoax call about Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge was found dead on Friday. Jacintha Saldhana let through a call from an Australian radio station purporting to be the Queen calling about the ailing Duchess.
  • After resisting for some time, Starbucks has agreed to pay corporate taxes in Britain. It was revealed earlier that the coffee company has paid no such taxes in the past three years.
  • Illustrator Ralph Steadman became known for his collaborations with "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson, but their partnership wasn't always easy. The documentary For No Good Reason looks at Steadman's life, art and relationship with the eccentric writer.
  • The U.K. has denied extradition to the United States for a computer hacker who is accused of breaking into military systems. British authorities say they feared he would commit suicide. The U.S. sought Gary McKinnon's extradition in relation to an incident 10 years ago.
  • The BBC is apologizing to women who claim they were sexually abused decades ago by one of the broadcaster's top entertainers. Jimmy Savile had been knighted for his charity work in 1990. He died last year. The number of women alleging abuse could be more than two dozen and the scandal has dominated Britain's media.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.