City Cast Salt Lake

Did you feel the earthquake over the weekend? Executive producer Emily Means, producer Ivana Martinez, and newsletter editor Terina Ria have tips for prepping for the next one. Plus, Salt Lake City is the "most neighborly" city in America and local shoutouts. Resources and references: Here’s what we know about Utah’s latest earthquake — including a surprising origin theory [Salt Lake Tribune] Can SLC Ride Out the Next Massive Earthquake? [City Cast Salt Lake] Sign up for the Community Emergency Response Team Program Training I Lived in the “Most Neighborly City in America” for 11 Years — Here’s What That Actually Looked Like [Apartment Therapy] Adopt Lil' Ears McGee. Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  ICO Salt Lake Sewciety

Can ski skeptics become true believers in just a few days on the slopes? Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means tried it and shared their findings with veteran skier and City Cast social media manager Molly Miloscia. Plus, the resorts dropped some hot deals to convince you to ski.  Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Cozy Earth - use code COZYSALTLAKE for up to 20% off ICO Salt Lake Sewciety

All eyes have been on the Twin Cities lately, including Salt Lakers’. Operation Metro Surge is reportedly ending in Minnesota, with the withdrawal of immigration agents expected over the next week. Over the last two months, though, residents of the Twin Cities have organized a range of local collective action efforts including protests, mutual aid, and monitoring ICE — and they’ve done it quickly. In this inaugural episode of “Your City Could Be Better,” City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Twin Cities podcast host Sean McPherson about how his community self-organized, why these networks have been so successful, and what other cities can take away from Minnesotans’ response to Operation Metro Surge. Plus, we have a D.C. vs. Twin Cities face-off on local cultural norms. We also mentioned this episode of City Cast Twin Cities. Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Three weeks left in Utah’s legislative session, but who’s counting! Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and City Cast Salt Lake contributor Andy Larsen talk about the bills they're tracking. Plus, Gov. Spencer Cox's bad Olympics take and picks of the week. Resources and references: Help us make a list of the 1,000 things we love about Salt Lake. A Fresh Idea to Raise Wages Just Dropped [City Cast Salt Lake] Utah governor calls for a focus on sports, not politics, at Winter Games [KSL] Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.  Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Harmons Utah Museum of Fine Arts Salt Lake Sewciety ICO Salt Lake City’s The Watch Party

Is the Legislature trying to punish the courts? Host Ali Vallarta asks Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, why lawmakers are targeting the judicial branch — is it about efficiency or revenge? Learn more about recent changes to Utah's judicial nominating process.  Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Harmons Utah Museum of Fine Arts Salt Lake Sewciety ICO

Salt Lake's dating scene can be brutal, but are there glimmers of hope? Host Ali Vallarta, Becca Shapiro of Lady Flour Cakes, and Date My Mate creator Brandon Luong share your tales of dating in Small Lake City. Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Harmons Utah Museum of Fine Arts Salt Lake Sewciety ICO

The clock is ticking for the GOP's Prop 4 repeal, and things aren't looking good. Host Ali Vallarta, newsletter editor Terina Ria, and executive producer Emily Means talk about the messy efforts to overturn something Utahns already voted on. Plus, Valentine's Day ideas for all different vibes and local shoutouts. Resources and references: A MAGA push to erase a Dem House seat is triggering accusations of fraud and violence in Utah [Politico] Get a $25 ticket to the Party for Public Lands. A Valentine's Day playlist for your listening pleasure. Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Harmons Utah Museum of Fine Arts Salt Lake Sewciety ICO Cozy Earth - use code COZYSALTLAKE for up to 20% off

Who are the most powerful lobbyists in Utah? Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means talk about the big players trying to influence legislators to meet their — or their clients' — needs. Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Harmons Utah Museum of Fine Arts Salt Lake Sewciety ICO

It’s week three of the legislative session, and lawmakers aren’t stopping anytime soon. Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and Save Our Canyons executive director Jack Stauss discuss the bills they’re watching. Plus, the "Champagne of Pain" just landed in Utah liquor stores and picks of the week.  Resources and references: Scoop tickets to Meanwhile Park. Help us make a list of the 1,000 things we love about Salt Lake. Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.  Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Asher Adams The Watch Party

Utah’s having a scarily warm winter this year. Executive producer Emily Means asks Hayden Mahan, a National Weather Service meteorologist for Salt Lake City, how concerned we should be, the long-term effects of a bad winter, and if the season could turn around.  Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Asher Adams

Are you shopping for a different political party? The state of Utah has a brand new one: the People’s Freedom Party. Host Ali Vallarta talks with spokesperson Denise Weaver about their platform and what they hope to accomplish as a third party. Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Asher Adams

The planned megashelter on Salt Lake City's westside meets opposition from a national coalition. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means talk about who's involved and how the annual homeless count went last weekend. Plus, food Oscars and local shoutouts.  Resources and references: Utah Legislature passes bill to expand Utah Supreme Court, add 5 more lower court judges” [Utah News Dispatch] A nationwide coalition wants to prevent federal funding to Utah’s massive homeless campus [Salt Lake Tribune] Interrogating Controversial Homeless Policy Proposals [City Cast Salt Lake] MICHELIN Is Trying SLC Restaurants. Who Could Get Stars? [City Cast Salt Lake]  Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Asher Adams Cozy Earth - use code COZYSALTLAKE for up to 20% off Questionable Productions

Fall back in love with Salt Lake City in February! Host Ali Vallarta, producer Ivana Martinez, and newsletter editor Terina Ria made you a guide to making the most of this month, whether you want to feed your sweetheart to a local hawk (no, seriously) or eat your heart out for the Lunar New Year. And, if you want to spice things up even more, check out our guide to romanticizing your Salt Lake life.  If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Salt Lake community.  For even more tips on how to make the most of February in Salt Lake, check out our newsletter's take on what to do this month.  City Cast Salt Lake is made possible by our awesome sponsors, Storywork: the Prints of Marie Watt at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Asher Adams, and Cozy Earth. We’re also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more about how to become a member of City Cast Salt Lake. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Check out our options. Reach us at saltlake@citycast.fm.

Utah is about to buy one of our biggest polluters, US Magnesium. Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and City Cast Salt Lake contributor Chandler Rosenberg discuss what this means for the Great Salt Lake. Plus, bills we’re watching  and joyful picks of the week.  Resources and references: Utah set to buy one of the state’s major polluters in $30M ‘commitment’ to Great Salt Lake [Salt Lake Tribune] Cox calls for prayer again as Utah's snowpack nears record low [KSL] Utilizing TikTok for Your Business with the Queen of SLC. Rally to Save Our Great Salt Lake on Saturday at noon. Help us make a list of the 1,000 things we love about Salt Lake. Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.  Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Canyon View Credit Union  The Watch Party

Tourists are swarming Park City for Sundance’s last dance. But do they know the real mountain town? Executive producer Emily Means talks with Michael O'Malley, author of "Attitude at Altitude: The People's Guide to Park City and Summit County," about his best local tips and tricks.  This episode first aired on Oct. 16, 2025.  Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.

Is Salt Lake City's downtown gonna pop off in 2026? Host Ali Vallarta asks Blake Thomas, downtown advisor to Mayor Erin Mendenhall, what's on tap for the neighborhood this year. Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.

Salt Lake City took to the streets this weekend to protest ICE after the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and newsletter editor Terina Ria talk about how local leaders responded. Plus, news from the first weekend of Sundance and local shoutouts. Resources and references: Utah officials react after federal agents kill second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis [Salt Lake Tribune] Plus, update on alleged ICE facility: ‘No plans to sell’: SLC warehouse owners address rumors of ICE detention center [Salt Lake Tribune] Help us make a list of the 1,000 things we love about Salt Lake. JJ’s coffee pop-up RSVP for Natural History Museum’s microplastics roundtable.  Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Canyon View Credit Union Cozy Earth - use code COZYSALTLAKE for up to 20% off

Now that host Ali Vallarta is learning to ski, she asks More Perfect Union reporter Jordan Zakarin why Vail and Alterra had to ruin all the fun. And, if city-owned ski resorts are the future? Listen more on how we could save Park City.  Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Salt Lake Sewciety

Four days of the Utah legislative session under our belts — just 41 more to go, but who's counting? Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and City Cast Salt Lake contributor Cassie Bingham talk about the highs and lows from the first week. Plus, joyful picks for your weekend.  Resources and references: Anti-transgender bill among ‘most harmful and outrageous’ Utah LGBTQ+ advocates have seen [Utah News Dispatch] Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.  Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Salt Lake Sewciety

Our Rocky Mountain Power electric bills went up last year, and they could go up again this year! But some cities are actually powering their own electricity. Host Ali Vallarta asks Mike Squires of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems if it's cheaper and what it would take for Salt Lake City to make the switch.  Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.  Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:  Salt Lake Sewciety