City Cast Salt Lake

Latest Episodes:

A Plan To Save Us From Toxic Lake Dust? Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

As gross air encircles the city, anxiety is high about the shrinking Great Salt Lake and its toxic dust. Host Ali Vallarta asks Save Our Great Salt Lake co-founder Chandler Rosenberg what phase of saving the Great Salt Lake (and ourselves) we are in right now, from upcoming legislation to a new report on water use.

Read the Great Salt Lake Strike Team’s 2026 report.

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Can Utah Kids Read? Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

The Kem C. Gardner Institute published research claiming that “nearly half of Utah’s current young children do not read at grade level.” Host Ali Vallarta asks Salt Lake City School Board member Ashley Anderson about this shocking new data.

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Sundance Tix We’d Buy, Our Festival Awards, Kirk Blvd? Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning for Utah’s last-ever Sundance Film Festival! Host Ali Vallarta and Hey Salt Lake newsletter editor Terina Ria have tips for making the most of it as a local. Plus, we give our own ‘Best of Sundance Awards’ and shout out great places.

You might also like ‘Sundance Tips From Former Staffers’ [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

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Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Cozy Earth - use code COZYSALTLAKE for up to 20% off

‘The Pitt’ Is Back! Here’s How a Local ER Compares. Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

Everyone's favorite medical drama, "The Pitt," is back for season 2 tonight! Each season is an intense depiction of one 15-hour shift in a downtown emergency room. Salt Lake emergency medicine Dr. Aly Smith tells host Ali Vallarta how the cases and the institutional issues compare to a real local ER.

This episode first aired April 30, 2025.

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Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137

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Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

ICO

4 Trips to Plan From SLC This Year (Sponsored by Flights From Home) Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Flights From Home is sponsoring this episode, and they gave host Ali Vallarta her dream assignment: Plan four vacations for executive producer Emily Means using real Flights From Home deals out of the SLC airport. Here’s what to eat and see abroad on a shoestring budget in 2026 — take notes!

Explore this week’s free travel deals with Flights From Home, the sponsor of this episode.

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Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137

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15% Tax Increase Challenged, Sewer Smells, Wine School Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Could Salt Lake County's 15% property tax increase be overturned? Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and City Cast Salt Lake contributor Andy Larsen talk about the citizen-led effort to put it to voters. Plus, the Poplar Grove "BioTower" and joyful picks of the week.

Resources and references:

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

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Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

The Shop

2 People Dead After Shooting Outside LDS Church in SLC Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Two people are dead and several are injured after a shooting outside an LDS church in Salt Lake City Wednesday evening. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means share what we know so far.

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

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Your Bartender Needs a Therapist, Too. Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

SLC bartenders listen to everyone’s problems, even on holidays. But who is taking care of their mental health? Host Ali Vallarta asks One Small Miracle founder Matt Pfohl about a new program to help solve that problem in Utah.

Text Matt about One Small Miracle at 801- 419-7165.

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:

The Shop

New Utah Laws, 2026 Predictions, Cage Week Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Twenty-five new laws went into effect in Utah on Jan. 1. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means break down the biggest (and strangest) ones, so you stay out of trouble. Plus, our local predictions for 2026, heated Olympians, and the 9th annual Cage Week!

Here are 25 new Utah laws that went into effect on Jan. 1 [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 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:

The Shop
Cozy Earth - use code COZYSALTLAKE for up to 20% off

What U.S. Cities Will Be Talking About in 2026 (Including Salt Lake) Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

Nobody understands a city’s pulse quite like a City Cast host — and that makes them the best predictors for 2026’s biggest local stories. City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta joins CEO David Plotz and the other 12 hosts from across the network to talk about the big changes coming to our cities, from political shifts to data centers.

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

The Shop

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