
City Cast Salt Lake
City Cast Salt Lake is Salt Lake City’s daily news podcast. Host Ali Vallarta and a bevy of smart and entertaining locals will bring you conversations about the issues that matter most to SLC. Some days City Cast will make you proud; other days it’ll make you angry. It will celebrate Salt Lake’s triumphs, (try to) solve its mysteries, and explore its history. City Cast will help you feel more connected to the Wasatch Front – whether you’ve lived here for 6 months or 6 generations.
Latest episodes

May 2, 2025 • 45min
Horse Gambling in Utah? Crumbl Gets Sued, Hockey Club Leak
The Kentucky Derby is this weekend, and our money is on Journalism! Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means explore Utah’s horseracing scene and why, according to Utah’s Supreme Court, horses are an exemption to gambling. Plus, SLC enforces a ban on astroturf, the leaked Hockey Club name, local May Day, and Crumbl v. Warner Music Group.
Resources and references:
Utah Gov. Cox issues drought executive order, urges Utahns to conserve water [Utah News Dispatch]
Weekly lawn watering guide
The May Day party at Jordan Park
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.
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:
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Salt Lake Sewciety
Cozy Earth - Use code COZYSALTLAKE for 40% off best-selling sheets,
towels, pajamas, and more.
Live Crude - Get $10 off your first CRUDE purchase with promo code CITYCASTSLC.
Workshopslc.com - use code CITYCAST for 20% off.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 1, 2025 • 36min
Your Guide to May 2025 in Salt Lake
It's May in Salt Lake, when the sunshine — or lack thereof — can make or break your patio experience. Host Ali Vallarta, producer Ivana Martinez, and Hey Salt Lake newsletter editor Terina Ria bring you a guide to what to expect and how to make the most of this month, from cheap margaritas to a mobile book shop to a killer zipline deal. Plus, if you take advantage of the plant sales this month, don’t miss our episode on gardening advice for plant killers and renters.
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 May in Salt Lake, check out Hey Salt Lake’s take on what to do this month.
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.
City Cast Salt Lake is made possible by our awesome sponsors, the Salt Lake City Arts Council, Aura Frames, and Salt Lake Sewciety. 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.
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

Apr 30, 2025 • 28min
How Salt Lake ERs Compare to ‘The Pitt’
Host Ali Vallarta is obsessed with "The Pitt," a new medical drama that chronicles one 15-hour shift in a downtown Pittsburgh emergency room. But how closely does it mirror Salt Lake ERs? Local emergency medicine Dr. Aly Smith shares how the cases and the institutional issues stack up.
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.
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:
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Salt Lake Sewciety
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 29, 2025 • 34min
Big Scammer Weekend, Anti-Union Law Oppo, 2026 Marathon Idea
A law that neuters Utah's public sector labor unions is getting a second chance at death. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means give the latest update on the Protect Utah Workers referendum. Plus, a huge weekend for scammers, an early Mother’s Day event, and the origins of SLC’s sticker machines.
Resources and references:
State auditor: Employee stole more than $100,000 from a Salt Lake County liquor store over more than three years [Salt Lake Tribune]
Utah couple arrested, accused of smuggling $300M in oil into US from Mexico [KSL]
For a discount on Mother’s Day brunch & flower arrangement tickets visit shopsatsouthtown.com/events promo code MOMSQUAD.
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.
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:
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Salt Lake Sewciety
Cozy Earth - Use code COZYSALTLAKE for 40% off best-selling sheets,
towels, pajamas, and more.
Live Crude - Get $10 off your first CRUDE purchase with promo code CITYCASTSLC
Workshopslc.com - use code CITYCAST for 20% off.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 28, 2025 • 30min
Can the Rio Grande Plan Guys Convince Utah To Bury the Rails?
An idea to bury the train tracks dividing the east and west sides of SLC could bring $12 billion of economic impact to Salt Lake County. But that doesn't mean the Rio Grande Plan has the greenlight. Host Ali Vallarta asks Taylor Larsen, one of the project's organizers, where it fits with other big developments on the horizon and what's next.
Required listening: how the Rio Grande Plan came to be.
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.
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:
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Salt Lake Sewciety
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 25, 2025 • 40min
Utah Nonprofits Play Defense, 20+ Years for Running Water, SLC Marathon Closures
Utah's environmental organizations were in a frenzy this week due to President Trump’s rumor mill. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means discuss the administration's latest impacts on local nonprofits. Plus, a Navajo Nation community in Utah finally gets running water, The Beach Boys' Salt Lake ties, and a Met Gala fundraiser for teachers. Resources and references:
Planned Parenthood of Utah announces clinic closures [Instagram]
A Navajo Nation community has running water after waiting nearly 25 years [Colorado Sun Times]
IncludED United gala tickets
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. 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
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Cozy Earth - Use code COZYSALTLAKE for 40% off best-selling sheets,
towels, pajamas, and more.
Live Crude - Get $10 off your first CRUDE purchase with promo code CITYCASTSLC.
Workshopslc.com - use code CITYCAST for 20% off.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 24, 2025 • 24min
How You Can Make Salt Lake's Sidewalks Better
A new opportunity to audit your sidewalk could lead to better walking experiences across the Salt Lake valley. HEAL Utah policy analyst Katie Balakir tells host Ali Vallarta what makes a great sidewalk and how to participate in this grassroots data project.Start with HEAL Utah’s walk audit toolkit.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.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
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 23, 2025 • 26min
Where Hot Girls Shop in SLC
Time to bury your puffy coat and refresh the wardrobe. Host Ali Vallarta and her friend Kate Groetzinger riff on the best places in Salt Lake to find a new fit, considering price, quality, and style.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.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:
Prolonlife.com/city - Use this link for 15% off
ICO
Momentum Climbing
Harmons
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Apr 22, 2025 • 37min
Millcreek Deportation Orders, Another Teacher Union Win, TIME100 Influential Utahn
Utah's school voucher program — a core tenant of Republicans' education strategy — has been ruled unconstitutional. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means discuss the case and what happens next. Plus, Millcreek's mayor pushes back (again) on the Trump administration's deportation agenda, recognition for an influential local researcher, and good neighbors in Kanab.Resources and references:
Judge rules 'Utah Fits All' voucher program is unconstitutional [FOX 13]
‘That’s not American’: Millcreek mayor stands up for local Venezuelan family he says feds told to leave U.S. [Salt Lake Tribune]
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.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
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Cozy Earth - Use code COZYSALTLAKE for 40% off best-selling sheets,
towels, pajamas, and more.
Live Crude - Get $10 off your first CRUDE purchase with promo code CITYCASTSLC.
Workshopslc.com - use code CITYCAST for 20% off.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 21, 2025 • 26min
How To Feed Every Utahn
Beginning in July, about 40,000 Utah kids will be eligible for free lunch — good news in a state where one in eight of us experience food insecurity. But there's still more work to do. Host Ali Vallarta asks Gina Cornia, executive director of Utahns Against Hunger, what it would take to eradicate hunger in Utah.Learn more about one Republican legislator's plan to feed students. 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.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
Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCAST
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices