City Cast Salt Lake

Latest Episodes:

What Can Taxpayers Get for $2B in Stadiums? Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

Two new sports arenas could dramatically change Salt Lake City: an MLB stadium on the Westside and a combined NHL/NBA arena in Downtown. But who benefits most from these proposals? Salt Lakers or the billionaires making the pitch? Salt Lake Tribune Jazz reporter Andy Larsen joins host Ali Vallarta to break down how this “investment” in Salt Lake City could pan out and what taxpayers should be asking for in return.

Resources and references:

What Lawmakers Did About SLC Stadiums, Great Salt Lake, and Calendars [City Cast Salt Lake]
Should SLC Copy Las Vegas’ Sports Model? [City Cast Salt Lake]
How much are you willing to pay to help the Millers and Smiths build new stadiums? [Salt Lake Tribune]
‘Boondoggle’: Economist warns Utah against $2B stadium spending plan [Salt Lake Tribune]

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.

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CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

SLC Council Member Won’t Run Again, Utah UFOs, and Working Cats Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

A seat is very likely opening up on the Salt Lake City Council for the 2025 election. Could you be District 5’s new representative? Current Council Member Darin Mano joins host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means to dish on why he won’t run again — with one caveat — and why he wants you to. Plus, are there aliens in Utah? Also, Emily, Ali, and Council Member Mano share their picks of the week.

Resources and references:

Email Councilmember Darin Mano at Darin.Mano@slcgov.com
The West is UFO country, so why ‘not approach that scientifically’ asks a Utah study [KUER]
Apply to adopt a working cat through Salt Lake County.
Dance at Hot House Swing Nights, the Westerner, Cumbia Nights at Alibi, and Cumbia Prom.

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Why SLC Needs to (General) Plan Together Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

Salt Lake City is rapidly changing, but the plans that guide our growth haven’t kept up; some haven’t been updated for decades. Now, the city has newly defined “general plan” in its code. Salt Lake City planning director Nick Norris joins host Ali Vallarta to explain the do’s and don’ts of general plans and how neighborhoods can work together toward a common vision for our city.

Resources and references:

Mayor plans to roll out citywide form-based zoning this year [Building Salt Lake]
Learn more about Salt Lake City’s recently approved community benefit policy
What’s in SLC’s 5-Year Housing Plan? [City Cast Salt Lake]
Could This Plan Revive SLC’s Rio Grande Station? [City Cast Salt Lake]

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Less Cheese, More Water? The Big Pay Gap, and Two Divas Down Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

Utahns could save more water by eating less cheese and beef — but will we? Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means break down the story and response by Gov. Spencer Cox. Plus, Ali quizzes Emily on how Utah ranks in women’s equality, and there’s one less queer bar in Salt Lake.

Resources and references:

A simple change could save the West from drought. You probably won’t like it. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Gov. Spencer Cox’s response to eating less beef and cheese [X]
Ballerina Farm is bringing an agritourism hub to Kamas, Utah [Utah Business]
The college enrollment gender gap. What’s it like in Utah? [KSL Radio]
LDS women should join me in skipping church on Sunday [Salt Lake Tribune]
HK Brewing Collective’s Womens Sports Trivia Night, March 21
Utah Jazz player John Collins gets dunked on [Bleacher Report]
Sun Trapp Surrenders License [QSaltLake]

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The Trial of the Century Returns to Utah Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

If Utahns thought they’d seen the last of Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow after her 2023 ski trial in Park City, they were wrong … kinda. “Gwyn” is back and center stage at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre for the U.S. premiere of “Gwyneth Goes Skiing,” a satirical play based on Paltrow’s ski-slope collision with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson and the courtroom showdown that followed. Joseph Martin and Linus Karp, writers and stars of the production, join host Ali Vallarta to share their favorite jokes-as-couplets and ask Salt Lakers for help returning to the scene of the crime.

Resources and references:

Tickets to “Gwyneth Goes Skiing” at the Egyptian Theater in Park City, May 16-26, 2024.
ICYMI: A tidy recap of the infamous trial.
Gwyneth v. the Optometrist, Delicious Food News, and Construction Corner [City Cast Salt Lake]

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Subminimum Wage, Health Care Traps, and Disability Visibility Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

More than 25% of Utah adults have a disability. So why didn’t the Legislature pass two bills that could have made life better for them? Advocate and former journalist Shelby Hintze joins host Ali Vallarta to explain how Utah’s cultural approach to disability limits our local economies.

Resources and references:

Why Utah’s Discrimination Against Disabled People Matters for Everyone [Prism]
Getting Arrested for More Accessible Transit [City Cast Salt Lake]

Consider becoming a 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:

New Shelter Where? A New TRAX Line, and Adult Playdates Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

The Utah Legislature set aside $25 million for a new, 600+ bed shelter. The big question is: Where will it go? Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means talk about the future of the state’s homeless shelter system. Plus, the Utah Transit Authority TRAX system is getting an upgrade, and Ali and Emily share their picks of the week.

Resources and references:

What's next for Utah's evolving homeless shelter system? [Utah News Dispatch]
Volunteer or donate to the Second & Second Coalition
Provide feedback on the TechLink Study TRAX Alternatives
An Introduction to Public Transit in Salt Lake and Beyond [Hey Salt Lake]
Things You Didn’t Know Your Library Card Could Do [City Cast Salt Lake]
Salt Lake Urban Play Initiative

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The Case for (and Against) Glendale High School Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

As Salt Lake City School District considers a hypothetical $600 million bond to rebuild Highland and West High Schools, the Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods would like SLC taxpayers to consider making it a $900 million bond. Host Ali Vallarta asks longtime Glendale advocate and former SLC School District employee Jenny Mayer-Glenn why Glendale needs a high school and what lengths parents will go to to build one.

Resources and references:

Read the letter Glendale parents, students, and community members sent to the SLC School District in 2020.
Four Schools To Close, Legislative Guide, and 24 Hours to Shovel [City Cast Salt Lake]

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Airbnb Crackdowns, a Gilmore Girl in SLC, and a Secret Oscars Party Mar 13, 2024

Show notes

Data show Utah’s housing crisis is — wait for it — still bad, especially for millennials. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means dig into the numbers and explore a new tool for renters and what Salt Lake City is doing about Airbnbs. Plus, in honor of the new state flag going up, featuring Utah’s ubiquitous beehive, Ali quizzes Emily on other state symbols.

Resources and references:

Tickets to Lauren Graham’s Book Tour, April 10 at the Union Event Center
Salt Lake City’s new Consumer Protection Portal
Local Solutions to Utah’s Culture War Laws [City Cast Salt Lake]
It’s Officially Cheaper To Rent Than Buy. Now What? [City Cast Salt Lake]
Do You Know Utah’s State Symbols? [City Cast Salt Lake]
Get the official not official Skiing Dino Shirt
Oscar Party SLC

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A Good Neighbor’s Guide to Ramadan Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

The crescent moon was spotted on Sunday night, and 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.

Resources and references: