Utah State University

It’s about halfway through harvest season in Cache County, and the Utah State University Gleaning Team is back in its second year to bridge the gap between local gardeners and food pantries’ shortages.

As universities prepare for reopening, students are starting to pay both tuition and fees.

Shalayne Smith Needham- Food preservation is important for those wanting to enjoy food for a longer amount of time without spoilage. Melanie Jewkes, an associate professor at Utah State University teaches food preservation to members of the community. And with many people buying their produce directly from farmers this summer, how can we make our farm fresh food last longer?

Summer months are traditionally slow at the Fun Park in Logan when many Utah State students leave the valley and the people who are in town often opt for outdoor recreation. But with the coronavirus pandemic, business has hit a new low with impacts that could reach the University. 

Across the country, cities and towns are struggling to survive during the COVID-19 outbreak.  It has been particularly stressful for gateway communities-- towns or cities that border publicly owned lands such as national parks.  An initiative through USU's Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism is looking at ways to help those communities.

Thanks to funding from the National Park Service, the team at USU’s Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism will be working on a series of projects to improve national parks in the intermountain west.

USU will distribute nearly nine-million dollars in emergency stimulus money for students affected by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Hikers in the mountainous west are often wary of snakes, knowing some are venomous, many of us may be less concerned about our amphibious friends, like frogs, toads and salamanders. While in tropical regions, there are poisonous amphibians, but a venomous amphibian – that’s something new.

Shalayne Smith Needham: On May 1, restrictions on restaurant dine-in options were lifted. Now that restaurant dining areas are opening up again, visitors should expect things to be different. 

Dr. Brian Nummer, a professor in the USU Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences Department joins us. 

Determining when to plant a garden can be especially confusing in Utah’s unpredictable, varied climate where last-frost dates can vary by many days within just a few miles. Many experienced gardeners have planted and later lost their plants to frost.

As individuals and families come to Utah State University’s Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC) to meet their food needs in the coming weeks, they will get to enjoy the fruits of the labors of other USU students and community volunteers.

Utah State University Extension 4-H youth have answered the call to help protect health care workers in rural Utah areas. 

Stress can be brought on by everyday hassles, but especially when there are larger issues like the ongoing public health concern of a pandemic. While no one’s life is completely stress free, regular negative stress can keep us from feeling and performing our best; therefore, it is important that we learn how to manage it. 

Not surprisingly, scammers are taking advantage of the fears that surround the Coronavirus. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has already communicated with several scammers who are selling phony Coronavirus “treatments.” Scammers have set up websites to sell bogus products using fake emails, texts and social media posts as a method to get victims’ money and personal information.

The coronavirus has already taken the lives of nearly 90,000 Americans and is projected to take more. Utah State University scientists are researching new drugs to treat the novel coronavirus. 

Officer Miguel Deras is a former University of Utah police officer who worked on Lauren McCluskey’s sextortion case prior to her October 22, 2018 murder. Deras is once again under fire, this time for allegations that he downloaded images McCluskey provided as evidence to his personal cell phone. 

Under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, nearly $14 billion was allocated to higher education institutions across the United States, including more than $17 million for Utah State University.

Being stuck at home all day has led many people to feel they should get more done-- get their side hustle going, learn to play the piano, get in shape. Social media may fuel or heighten this pressure as people see others post their goals online as part of a trend that is sometimes called "quarantine glow-up."

Personal protective equipment is in high demand right now for essential workers.Community members are working together to produce the needed gear.      

Amidst the current coronavirus pandemic, we have heard a lot about viruses. But what exactly is a virus and in what ways to scientists study them? 

There is lots of information about the coronavirus on the internet and it can be hard to discern what is accurate. Professors from the Department of Journalism and Communication at Utah State University shared some tips for how to tell what is fake news and what is not.