KNAU update for Dec. 20 — Celtic Connections Signing Off, FUSD Reporting App and more

It is with sadness we report the passing of Bryan Kelso Crow, host of the long-running music show Celtic Connections, heard Saturday nights on KNAU.

In addition to his expertise on Celtic music, Dr. Crow taught in the Communications Studies department at Southern Illinois University.

According to his wishes, his nationally-syndicated radio program will cease distribution at the end of the year. The last few months have been reruns specifically selected by him from among the 28 years of programs he hosted. Virtually unique among public radio programs, the loss of Celtic Connections leaves a significant gap in the KNAU program schedule.

But radio doesn’t work that way—no gaps allowed—so we’re researching what to do Saturdays at 9pm. We’ve got some interesting ideas, so watch this space and be sure to tune in for the final show December 28^th.

With just a few days left before Christmas, Classical KNAU provides the soundtrack with two live performances you’ll want to know about. Monday at seven, hymns, carols, choral works and orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity. Former KNAU Music Director Val Kahler hosts the St. Olaf Christmas Festival. Christmas Eve, tune in at seven for this year’s live performance of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College in Cambridge, England.

Celebrate the season with Classical KNAU.

The Flagstaff Unified School District has launched an app that aims to meet the smartphone generation where they are. The Anonymous Alerts app allows students, parents and others to report information to the district…everything from concerns about bullying and mental health, to event schedules and even icy school sidewalks. Learn more at KNAU.org.

Northern Arizona musician Klee Benally has a new acoustic album out called The Unsustainable Sessions. It’s a departure from the music he’s perhaps best known for, the all-sibling Navajo punk trio Blackfire. But it’s equally powerful in its messages of environmental and social justice. Learn more at KNAU.org.

Scientists at Northern Arizona University mapped frozen water hidden just below the surface of Mars, with the goal of finding the best spots for future astronauts to visit. Learn more at KNAU.org.

A steel dam near Ash Fork in Arizona’s high desert still holds water after more than a century. It’s a relic of a short-lived era in American history, when dam builders thought steel could replace stone. Learn more at KNAU.org.