Around The Counter With Molly & Friends

About Around The Counter With Molly & Friends

Obsessively talking about what’s happening on the Utah and national political stages, the same way you would with your friends - Around the Counter. aroundthecounter.substack.com (https://aroundthecounter.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Around The Counter With Molly & Friends

Category

government · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Mar 2026

Latest episode

28 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

41 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2026

   Around the Counter with Molly & Jack

   Utah’s Wasatch canyons face three concurrent industrial proposals: an Emigration Canyon oil pipeline, a Parley’s Canyon gravel quarry, and a $1.4B Little Cottonwood gondola. Save Our Canyons Executive Director Jack Stauss breaks down the environmental policies, municipal water impacts, and legal battles affecting Salt Lake County. Executive Summary If you live along the Wasatch Front, our canyons are far more than scenic recreation hubs, they provide our drinking water, buffer our air quality, and serve as the wild spaces where our families recharge. Right now, three of Salt Lake County’s premier canyons face major development proposals at the same time: HF Sinclair’s proposed Westline Connect petroleum pipeline through Emigration Canyon, Tree Farm LLC’s 600-acre limestone quarry at the mouth of Parley’s Canyon, and UDOT’s proposed $1.4 billion gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon. In this episode of Around the Counter with Molly & Friends, host Molly Jones sits down with Jack Stauss, Executive Director of Save Our Canyons, to talk through these complex public policies and explain what is actually at stake. Key Takeaways * The Emigration Canyon Pipeline Risk: HF Sinclair’s proposed Westline Connect would transport volatile refined fuels (gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel) across an active groundwater recharge zone and a community with a wildfire hazard rating higher than 99% of U.S. neighborhoods. * The Parley’s Canyon Quarry Legal Battle: While the Utah Division of Air Quality granted an initial small-mine permit, Salt Lake County’s forestry and recreation zoning ordinance remains a legal barrier preventing commercial aggregate extraction in sensitive watershed areas. * Buses Over the $1.4B Gondola: UDOT’s Record of Decision outlines a phased transit approach; prioritizing Phase 1 bus rapid transit (BRT), dedicated bus lanes, and mobility hubs provides immediate, adaptable relief for canyon traffic without spending over a billion dollars on single-destination gondola infrastructure. * Local Policy and the Power of Showing Up: Corporate proposals rely on public exhaustion, but localized civic engagement—from participating in municipal hearings to tracking county land-use ordinances—consistently moves the needle on conservation outcomes in Utah. *Executive Summary and key takeaways generated by AI and edited by humans. Podcast is purely human. Thanks for pulling up a stool. Want to grab a glass and join the conversation? Here’s how: * Love it: Hit that heart button to show you like this post. * Join the Conversation: We’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s piece. * Restack: Share this out to your personal feed to help us expand our reach. * Share the warmth: If this resonated, feel free to forward it to a friend. We can also be found on Instagram (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/e18911f1-f124-4cfc-ab3b-434b7f6e2353?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), Threads (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/8d6350d8-0640-4f2b-8b8f-0cad9578ce4b?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), YouTube (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/b278825b-f7e2-48d8-ae5f-e500e9dc0f2b?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), Spotify (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/b7cd4ce1-a3f1-4e90-81c5-4b803e44b83c?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), and Apple Podcasts (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/65f5612e-1959-4d06-bdd1-2cab9d3e041e?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0). Or, check out our 2026 midterm election prediction model, Tiny Model (https://tinymodel.aroundthecounter.com/). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aroundthecounter.substack.com (https://aroundthecounter.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Around the Counter with Molly & Tasha

   Hey folks, Molly here. Before we pull up our stools today, I want to let you know that this episode is heavy. We are talking about neonatal loss, emergency medical complications, and abortion care. These are deeply personal, tender topics that touch so many families sitting at kitchen counters across the country. If this isn't the right listen for you today, no worries at all. Give yourself grace and we'll see you next week. Executive Summary Navigating complex healthcare legislation can feel overwhelming, especially when medical facts get buried beneath polarized political soundbites. In this episode of Around the Counter with Molly & Friends, host Molly Jones breaks down Idaho’s reproductive healthcare landscape alongside maternal and pediatric nurse Tasha Hussman. Drawing from her background in nursing and her own personal loss, Tasha offers a clear, accessible translation of the medical procedures that safeguard mothers during catastrophic pregnancy complications. The discussion focuses on the systemic consequences of Idaho’s restrictive abortion statutes. When Tasha suffered a concealed placental abruption and life-threatening silent labor at 19 weeks while living in Maryland, her clinical team acted immediately with misoprostol and a surgical dilation and evacuation that saved her life. In Idaho today, the ambiguity surrounding statutory exceptions creates profound legal jeopardy for physicians, causing delays in acute care and accelerating an unprecedented exodus of obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists that leaves rural regions without maternity care. Examining Idaho Proposition 1—the citizen initiative on the ballot known as the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act—Molly and Tasha explore how the measure restores decision-making authority to patients and licensed clinicians. By comparing Idaho’s framework with neighboring Utah and conservative faith traditions, this episode illustrates why practical healthcare policy must prioritize maternal survival and long-term family wellbeing. Key Takeaways: * Emergency Obstetric Care Mechanics: Severe complications such as concealed placental abruptions cause rapid, unpreventable internal hemorrhages that require urgent induction or surgical intervention to save the mother’s life. * The Delay Factor in Restrictive Statutes: Vague statutory definitions force clinicians to delay treatment until a patient’s vital signs deteriorate to near death, exposing women to life-threatening risks of sepsis, organ failure, and future infertility. * Regional Healthcare Deserts: The threat of criminal prosecution has caused nearly one-third of Idaho’s obstetric specialists to relocate or retire, forcing rural hospital units to shutter and exacerbating healthcare shortages across the Mountain West. * Bipartisan Coalition for Maternal Health: Over 110,000 Idahoans across conservative and rural districts backed Proposition 1, reflecting broad common ground among mothers, grandmothers, and families who recognize that protecting maternal health is foundational to thriving communities. *Executive Summary and key takeaways generated by AI and edited by humans. Podcast is purely human. Thanks for pulling up a stool. Want to grab a glass and join the conversation? Here’s how: * Love it: Hit that heart button to show you like this post. * Join the Conversation: We’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s piece. * Restack: Share this out to your personal feed to help us expand our reach. * Share the warmth: If this resonated, feel free to forward it to a friend. We can also be found on Instagram (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/e18911f1-f124-4cfc-ab3b-434b7f6e2353?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), Threads (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/8d6350d8-0640-4f2b-8b8f-0cad9578ce4b?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), YouTube (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/b278825b-f7e2-48d8-ae5f-e500e9dc0f2b?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), Spotify (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/b7cd4ce1-a3f1-4e90-81c5-4b803e44b83c?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), and Apple Podcasts (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/65f5612e-1959-4d06-bdd1-2cab9d3e041e?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0). Or, check out our 2026 midterm election prediction model, Tiny Model (https://tinymodel.aroundthecounter.com/). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aroundthecounter.substack.com (https://aroundthecounter.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Around the Counter with Molly & Great Salt Lake

   Utah sits at a pivotal crossroads regarding the future of the Great Salt Lake. In this episode of Around the Counter with Molly & Friends, we are doing something different. In partnership with Where the Water Was, we interviewed activists, organizations, and regular people about the problems facing Great Salt Lake, their solutions, why they are running 260 miles to raise awareness, and what their favorite memories of the lake are. This isn’t a normal podcast, but this isn’t a normal problem. Learn more about Where the Water Was (https://runfootprints.org/where-the-water-was) and how you can get involved, donate to Grow the Flow & Utah Rivers Council (https://runfootprints.org/donate), Sign the People’s Charter for the Great Salt Lake (https://gsl2034.com/support-the-charter/), and/or vote for Great Salt Lake champions in the midterm elections on November 03, 2026. If you want to follow along more closely, we’re doing all sorts of cool stuff over on Footprints Instagram. (https://www.instagram.com/footprintsrunning/) Thanks for pulling up a stool. Want to grab a glass and join the conversation? Here’s how: * Love it: Hit that heart button to show you like this post. * Join the Conversation: We’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s piece. * Restack: Share this out to your personal feed to help us expand our reach. * Share the warmth: If this resonated, feel free to forward it to a friend. We can also be found on Instagram (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/e18911f1-f124-4cfc-ab3b-434b7f6e2353?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), Threads (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/8d6350d8-0640-4f2b-8b8f-0cad9578ce4b?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), YouTube (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/b278825b-f7e2-48d8-ae5f-e500e9dc0f2b?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), Spotify (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/b7cd4ce1-a3f1-4e90-81c5-4b803e44b83c?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0), and Apple Podcasts (https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/65f5612e-1959-4d06-bdd1-2cab9d3e041e?j=eyJ1IjoiN2YwYzg5In0.tUze9KkESn0Q7fwwbKnA_knufHuWPoKJW8kR65smXh0). Or, check out our 2026 midterm election prediction model, Tiny Model (https://tinymodel.aroundthecounter.com/). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aroundthecounter.substack.com (https://aroundthecounter.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.