City Cast Salt Lake

A judge rules votes for and against Amendment D won’t count, but it’ll still appear on your November ballot. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means make sense of the chaos and dig into the potential consequences for the courts. Plus, takeaways from the governor debate, a scenic photo contest, and canoeing down the Jordan River.  Find all our 2024 local election coverage in one place. Resources and references in this episode: Judge rules Amendment D is 'void' but will remain on the ballot [Fox 13] What Constitutional Amendment D Actually Does [City Cast Salt Lake] Did You Blink and Miss This Change to How We Choose Judges? [City Cast Salt Lake] Get to the River Festival at the Jordan River through September. Enter the Scenic Utah photo contest before Oct. 15. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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 City Corporation Hale Centre Theatre Zoo Arts and Parks Avenue Street Fair Embodied Patience Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you stuck in a restaurant routine? Salt Lake has a ton of delicious places to try besides your usual haunts. Hey Salt Lake newsletter editor Terina Ria joins host Ali Vallarta to share where to find cheap eats, food experiences, and cafe creations dethroning the PSL. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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 City Corporation Hale Centre Theatre Zoo Arts and Parks Avenue Street Fair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One side effect of Utah’s growth? Not enough hospital beds. Executive producer Emily Means and host Ali Vallarta discuss the problem and possible solutions. Plus, a new drinking group wants a seat at the legislature’s table, a delicious cocktail competition, and Redwood Road gets a safety glow-up.  Resources and references: Utah has the third lowest rate of hospital beds in the nation. Here’s why. [Salt Lake Tribune] New group seeks to advocate for 'everyday, responsible Utah drinkers' on Capitol Hill [Fox 13] Take the SAFER Utah survey Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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 City Corporation Hale Centre Theatre Zoo Arts and Parks Avenue Street Fair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The November election is two months out, and we just got language for a big question on our ballots. Are Utah’s Republican leaders trying to mislead voters on Constitutional Amendment D? Salt Lake Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke joins host Ali Vallarta to separate fact from fiction. For more background on how we got here, listen to “Fall Ballots Just Got Juicier, SLC Housewives Return, and Local Jimmy Buffett” by City Cast Salt Lake. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Embodied Patience Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Salt Lake City Corporation Hale Centre Theatre Zoo Arts and Parks Avenue Street Fair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a lot to learn from the 23 cities and towns in Salt Lake County; what ideas are worth stealing? Today, host Ali Vallarta asks Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs how he’s tackling the needs of his fast-growing community in the southwest corner of the valley. Plus, what ideas does Millcreek have to offer? Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Salt Lake City Corporation Hale Centre Theatre Zoo Arts and Parks Avenues Street Fair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Utah State Fairpark has fenced off a part of the Jordan River Trail in Salt Lake City, as the State Fair opens this week. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means dig into the closure and the tense response by SLC Council members. Plus, the Great Salt Lake gets a major donation, Halloween costume gems, and dinosaurs in concert.   Resources and references: Could Utah Republicans Fix School Lunch Debt? [City Cast Salt Lake] Operation Jordan River? Sounds Familiar. [City Cast Salt Lake] A major water donation for the Great Salt Lake [Great Salt Lake Collaborative] Utah Opera’s costume department sale is Saturday, Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. Get tickets to Jurassic Park in concert, Sept. 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Embodied Patience Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even if you’re new to the state, you’ve probably noticed what one scholar calls “the defining feature of Utah cultural life” — the divide between members and non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake Tribune religion reporter Tamarra Kemsley talks to host Ali Vallarta about how the divide creates riffs in Salt Lake neighborhoods. Check out Tamarra’s series on the LDS/non-LDS divide. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salt Lake City has big plans for getting Japantown back, but what about Greek Town? Executive producer Emily Means and host Ali Vallarta dive into the drama and opportunities around a proposal to redevelop the area. Plus, here’s how much your energy bill could go up, and local tips for ghost town explorers and moviegoers. Resources and references: As SLC looks to revitalize Japantown, the question arises: What about Greek Town? [Salt Lake Tribune] How We Get Japantown Back [City Cast Salt Lake] Rocky Mountain Power lowers its rate increase proposal to 18.1%, down from 30.5% [Utah News Dispatch] Why Your Electric Bill Might Go Up [City Cast Salt Lake]  How to balance safety vs. adventure at Utah's ghost towns and abandoned mines [Axios]  Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  September marks Salt Lake’s first taste of fall, and we’re diving right in. Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and producer Ivana Martinez bring you a guide to making the most of the month, from maximizing your time outdoors, to trying a new wine bar, and dancing at the symphony. Plus, if you head to one of the Bees’ final baseball games at Smith’s Ballpark, don’t miss our episode on what the future holds for the stadium.  For even more tips on how to make the most of September in Salt Lake, check out Hey Salt Lake’s take on what to do this month.  City Cast Salt Lake’s guide to September is made possible by our awesome sponsors: Live Crude, Babbel and Embodied Patience. We are 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. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Check out our options. Reach us at saltlake@citycast.fm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The temps are cooling down, but city leaders are getting heated about plans to house unsheltered Utahns this winter. Executive producer Emily Means and host Ali Vallarta break down what’s on (and who is at) the table. Plus, more e-bike credits on the way, fermenting at the farmers market, and Salt Lake events struggle with revenue.  Resources and references: As winter looms and homeless shelter capacity strains, Utah leaders ask: Will we be ready? [Utah News Dispatch] South Salt Lake officials express frustration, but recognize need for proposed family shelter [KSL] Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  The Shop Utah Department of Health and Human Services Embodied Patience Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

College football kicks off this weekend, with the Utah Utes’ home opener on Thursday. Whether you’re a superfan or a casual observer, you may be wondering: Where the heck can I have the most fun watching sports in this city? Salt Lake Tribune sports reporter Andy Larsen and host Ali Vallarta name the best sports bars and restaurants, speculate on what’s missing from the scene, and share stadium recs — so you, too, can enjoy all Sports Lake City has to offer. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  The Shop Utah Department of Health and Human Services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s no secret that Utah Republican leaders take issue with the federal government’s ownership of nearly 70% of land in our state. Now, they’re making it the U.S. Supreme Court’s problem, with a lawsuit to gain control of “unappropriated” public lands. Kate Groetzinger, communications manager for the Center for Western Priorities, joins host Ali Vallarta to give important context for the case and debunk one folksy ad about camping.  Watch Utah’s “Stand for our Land” ad. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  The Shop Utah Department of Health and Human Services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the Salt Lake City Council and Intermountain Health finally reach a deal on the Sears Lake hospital? Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means discuss what Salt Lakers could lose and gain from the proposal. Plus, Utah students are falling behind, Westside pickleball, and a City Hall legend is retiring. Resources and references: City Council nears vote on upzone of Sears Block for IHC [Building Salt Lake] Four years in, Utah students still fall short of pre-pandemic proficiency rates in some subjects [Salt Lake Tribune] Could Utah Republicans Fix School Lunch Debt? [City Cast Salt Lake] Salt Lake’s Unknown Power Players [City Cast Salt Lake] Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  The Shop Utah Department of Health and Human Services The Shop Embodied Patience Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sundance Institute finally released a shortlist of cities that could host the Sundance Film Festival beginning in 2027. News of the fest taking bids to leave Utah caused a stir — but has the writing been on the wall for years? Host and former Sundance staffer Ali Vallarta talks producer Ivana Martinez through the institution’s existential threats and opportunities. And, whether Salt Lake City could convince the festival to stick around. This episode originally aired on May 8, 2024. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Utah Department of Health and Human Services The Shop  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Utah Legislature used their emergency powers this week to put a constitutional amendment on our ballots. KSL TV reporter Lindsay Aerts joins host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means to break down what exactly we’ll be voting on in November and why. Plus, the Real Housewives of SLC are back, CatVideoFest, and a Parrot Head reunion. Resources and references: Watch the RHOSLC season five trailer. Get tickets to CatVideoFest at The Broadway.  Get tickets to the Jimmy Buffett memorial concert on Sunday, Sept. 1. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Utah Department of Health and Human Services Stein Eriksen Lodge ICO Embodied Patience Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Salt Lake Bees are in the home stretch at the Smith’s Ballpark; their final scheduled game before moving to Daybreak is on Sept. 22. And yet, we still don’t know what will fill the hole the team leaves behind. Erika Carlsen, co-chair of the Ballpark Action Team, tells host Ali Vallarta what the community wants from city leaders as the future of the neighborhood hangs in limbo. Resources and references: What's NEXT for Smith's Ballpark? Our Favorite Proposals. [City Cast Salt Lake] Request free tickets to an upcoming Salt Lake Bees game. Attend the Ballpark community meeting with Mayor Erin Mendenhall on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m.  Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Utah Department of Health and Human Services Stein Eriksen Lodge ICO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The developer C.W. Urban just presented plans for a 16-story condominium in downtown SLC. Why are apartments you can own such a victory in Utah? Dejan Eskic, senior research fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, joins host Ali Vallarta to explain the past and present barriers to building condos here and where they fit in our affordable housing crisis. This episode originally aired on April 8, 2024. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Utah Department of Health and Human Services Stein Eriksen Lodge ICO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Utah Legislature might call themselves into special session to push back on recent losses handed down by the Supreme Court. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means discuss the odds that lawmakers will put another constitutional amendment on our ballots. Plus, the state’s earthquake commission gets canned, treasure hunting in KRCL’s record collection, and apply to be an SLC planning commissioner. Resources and references: Vote for City Cast Salt Lake in Best of Utah Will Legislators Plot Revenge on Utah’s Supreme Court? [City Cast Salt Lake]  Utah legislators eye special session, maybe next week. Will it deal with abortion, redistricting? [Utah News Dispatch] This group is tasked with preparing Utah for the “Big One.” Utah leaders voted to get rid of it. [Salt Lake Tribune]  Check out KRCL’s record sale.  Apply for Salt Lake City’s planning commission (especially Glendale and Avenues residents!) Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Utah Department of Health and Human Services Stein Eriksen Lodge ICO Embodied Patience Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Salt Lake kids head back to school this week, we can’t get this number out of our heads: Utah students owe nearly $3 million in school lunch debt. But one Republican legislator from Provo is making it his problem. Host Ali Vallarta asks Rep. Tyler Clancy for his solutions and how he plans to sell his conservative colleagues on them. Resources and references: Constitutional amendment on November ballot could lead to removal of Utah food sales tax [KSL TV] Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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:  Utah Department of Health and Human Services Stein Eriksen Lodge ICO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salt Lakers will vote on more than $1 billion in bonds this November. Executive producer Emily Means and host Ali Vallarta break down what that money buys us and how it’d impact our wallets. Plus, one insane campaign ad, SLC baby Olympics, and “Life After Deadpool.”  Resources and references: A First Look at Salt Lake County’s Homelessness Plan [City Cast Salt Lake] Utah’s oldest public high school urgently needs upgrades — and could see a complete rebuild [Salt Lake Tribune] The Case for (and Against) Glendale High School [City Cast Salt Lake]  Pics from the library’s baby Olympics. Pre-order “Life After Dead Pool” by Zak Podmore. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re 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. 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 Utah Department of Health and Human Services Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad. Embodied Patience Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices