City Cast Salt Lake

A group of influential Utahns have a big pitch for Salt Lake’s Fairpark neighborhood: a Major League Baseball team and a shiny new ballpark to house it. Plus, SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall has officially announced her re-election campaign and the Sugar House Kum & Go proposal gets shot down. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the stories of the week and have a little gripe...

Salt Lake’s first Indigenous Fashion Week kicks off this weekend, and every designer and model on Saturday’s catwalk will be Native. Diné model and designer Sahar Khadjenoury tells host Ali Vallarta what an event like this can accomplish in the face of federal threats to tribal sovereignty. And, of course, Spring’s hottest trends. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us on Insta...

Salt Lakers hate crossing our county lines to the south. Provo? Never heard of her. But as one of the fastest growing cities in the country, producer Ivana Martinez thinks you should give her hometown a chance. She makes her case for venturing outside of Salt Lake County to host Ali Vallarta. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @CityCast...

It’s easy to look at golf courses in our drought-stricken state and wonder if they’re doing their part to conserve water. We’re over here xeriscaping the heck out of our yards to save the Great Salt Lake, and they just get to be lush and green all summer long? But new data show our ire might be a little overblown. Salt Lake Tribune water reporter Leia Larsen digs into the numbers with host Ali Val...

Salt Lakers tend to think of our city’s battle with air quality as recent history –– but that’s not really true. In fact, this might be the cleanest our air has been in a while. Dr. Logan Mitchell, a climate scientist and analyst with Utah Clean Energy, helps host Ali Vallarta understand some of the myths around the air you can chew, where we go from here, and how to keep our lungs safe. Subscribe...

The Salt Lake City Council was busy this week with all sorts of land-use proposals. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to try to make sense of the municipal stuff. Plus, will we ever get more buses up the Cottonwood Canyons? And if you’re worried about flooding, Ali shares some action items to ease your anxiety. Listen to our episode on ADUs. Browse proposed changes to height requir...

It’s been fun to watch this winter’s snowfall break state records — most recently the all-timer at Alta Ski Area. But you know what they say about too much of a good thing? Meteorologist and forecaster Evan Thayer tells host Ali Vallarta why he is of two minds on all this snow and whether we could see another winter like this in our lifetimes. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can fin...

Host Ali Vallarta and lead producer Emily Means want to figure out if the interactive online robot, Chat GPT, is coming for their jobs. So, they decided to spend some time picking its “brain” about Salt Lake. Can it write a killer haiku about the proposed inland port? Not exactly. Can it analyze the experience of being a Salt Laker? Maybe. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us...

In a world full of acronyms, Building Salt Lake editor Taylor Anderson is here to convince you to care about this one: ADUs aka accessory dwelling units. As the City Council takes up this heated debate, Taylor tells host Ali Vallarta how tweaks to Salt Lake City’s ADU ordinance could boost our housing supply — and maybe even bring back the “starter home?” Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter....

Driving down I-15 there are dozens of billboards advertising medical spa procedures for botox, face filler, and body sculpting. These med spas are Utahns' best kept secret, but why are we so obsessed with them? Deseret News features writer Meg Walter joins host Ali Vallarta to get real about this cultural phenomenon.  Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us on Instagram @CityCas...

Academy Award winner and lifestyle influencer Gwyneth Paltrow is in Park City for what’s been dubbed “the trial of the century.” The spectacle has host Ali Vallarta and lead producer Emily Means wondering — for the first time in their lives — what the rules of skiing even are. They tackle that, downtown development updates, and spring sports during this week’s news roundup. Our conversation with U...

Athletes and enthusiasts have submitted a bold proposal for Salt Lake’s soon-to-be-vacant Smith’s Ballpark: build the first women’s sports complex in the nation. In a state that consistently ranks the worst for women’s equality, that’s a big deal! Utah Falconz football team president and defensive player Lacy Mile talks with host Ali Vallarta about what having a home field to play at could mean fo...

The Salt Lake City Council recently approved the plan for a brand spankin’ new regional park in Glendale. It’s the site of the defunct Raging Waters Water Park and will have a ton of amenities. So, how hyped is the neighborhood? Salt Lake Tribune west side reporter Alixel Cabrera joins host Ali Vallarta to explain the potential impact of something called green gentrification. Get details on the Fo...

A handful of Utah banks — including two in Salt Lake — have been put on a national watchlist for predatory lending practices. That has us worried! University of Utah law professor Chris Peterson, who specializes in consumer protection, joins host Ali Vallarta to break-down how Utah started exporting triple-digit interest rates — and whether it’s an indictment of FinTech. Read Christie Porter’s pie...

This winter is one for the books. Utah’s snowpack broke a 40-year record, and we’re seeing increasing preparations around the valley in case of flooding. That, plus the third anniversary of the pandemic and Magna earthquake have us wanting to stock up on canned goods and put together a 72-hour kit. Emily Cottam, a Taylorsville prepper and mother of two, joins host Ali Vallarta to share her tips. G...

The lineup for Salt Lake’s Twilight Concert Series was announced this week, and well, it’s gonna be a sad boy summer. Plus, the Utah Transit Authority isn’t on board with the Rio Grande plan, Davis School District might ban the Bible, and policing in Salt Lake County is up in the air. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the local stories of the week. Get tickets to Stor...

The crescent moon was spotted on Wednesday night which means that thousands of Muslims across Salt Lake are now celebrating the holy month of Ramadan — which includes fasting from dawn to dusk! Nora Abu-Dan of the Emerald Project joins host Ali Vallarta to create a guide to being a good neighbor, manager, or co-worker over the next 28 days.  This episode first aired on April 4, 2022. Subscribe to...

It’s been 19 years since riders and wranglers came to town to compete in Utah’s gay rodeo. But this summer, the Utah Gay Rodeo Association plans to break that spell by hosting the Crossroads of the West Regional Rodeo. UGRA trustee Kevin Hillman joins host Ali Vallarta to explore a resurgence in cowboy culture and explain where gay rodeo fits in the “Yeehaw Agenda.” Participate in the mini, indoor...

There is no Salt Lake as we know it without a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, and our drag scene reflects that. But like other places around the country, drag shows are under attack by lawmakers and right-wing extremists who say they aren’t appropriate for children. Salt Lake’s all-ages Bes-Teas show recently returned, after armed Proud Boys protested the event earlier this year. Now, Bes-Teas creator T...

From the triumphant return of the Utah Royals soccer club to the University of Utah Women’s basketball team taking home the PAC-12 championship, our women athletes in Salt Lake are absolutely crushing it. Women’s sports super fan Sarah Reale joins host Ali Vallarta to explain why this is more than just a moment — it’s an evolution in our local industry. Read the 2021 Deloitte TMT Predictions repor...

It seems like there’s always new news from Salt Lake City’s Ballpark neighborhood. This week, “The Swarm” proposal is the buzz about town. Plus, we have good and bad news for our shrinking Great Salt Lake. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to make sense of the week’s news. Plus, Hey Salt Lake newsletter editor Terina Ria recommends a weekend of “maybe” events. See renderings of "Th...

We recently asked Mayor Erin Mendenhall if Salt Lake City would consider rescinding its “no camping” ordinance, and she said no. That raised some questions for us, like how often are Salt Lakers going to court for camping? Taylor Hastings, an attorney with the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association, talks with lead producer Emily Means about what other measures could keep folks out of the criminal j...

We love our big parks here in Salt Lake: Liberty, Jordan and Sugar House Parks — all have a lot to offer. But this show isn’t about them. Today, we’re highlighting those tiny pocket parks you might never know about if you don’t know where to look. They’re scattered throughout neighborhoods and cover about two acres or less. Lead producer Emily Means talks with pocket park enthusiast Bryant Heath a...

Utah’s got a fever, and the only prescription is new flags. Salt Lake City’s redesigned banner has received glowing reviews from flag experts. And after a multi-year process and thousands of submissions, the Legislature approved a simpler design to rep the Beehive State — though some voters think there’s no school like the old school. Host Ali Vallarta talks with Ted Kaye of the North American Vex...

One of the reasons we live in a city is the promise of accessibility, right? Disability advocate Shelby Hintze explains how the legacy of the late Barbara Toomer can be felt in how she gets around Salt Lake in a wheelchair. Plus, she shares the infrastructure improvements as well as day-to-day courtesies on her wishlist. Listen to our chaotic Women’s History Month playlist on Spotify. More info on...