City Cast Salt Lake

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants kids to spend less time on social media, and the state has enacted laws to restrict access for minors. But out of all the issues impacting Utah children — homelessness, food insecurity, environmental crises — why focus on how much time teens spend on their phones? Aimee Winder Newton, director of Utah’s Office of Families, joins host Ali Vallarta to explain why this is a priority for her office and what the state is doing about it.Resources and references: Learn more about Utah’s social harms campaign, including resources for parents. Hunting Utah’s biggest bully — social media [Deseret News]  Utah governor replaces social media laws for youth as state faces lawsuits [AP] 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.At the end of the episode, we have a short conversation with Joyce Wambuyi, a Salt Lake Community College student who will graduate this spring. Learn more about SLCC’s PACE Scholarship Program.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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

Juicy text messages reveal Salt Lake City Council members’ knee-jerk reactions to a bill paving the way for Major League Baseball and a stadium entertainment district on the Westside. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means share key takeaways from the digital skirmish. Plus, a historic building took a hit on Easter Sunday, and Ali and Emily share local shoutouts.Correction: The Fairpark District Board will still exist even if the Larry H. Miller Company doesn’t secure a Major League Baseball team. Resources and references: SLC Council members shared scathing text messages about Utah MLB ballpark deal [Salt Lake Tribune] SLC Council Duo on Setting the Westside Agenda [City Cast Salt Lake] Renter Resource Fair on Wednesday, April 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sneaky Clauses in Your Utah Lease Agreement [City Cast Salt Lake] Housing is Coming. Where Will State Street’s Beloved Restaurants Go? [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 find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but what else is April bringing? Deseret News columnist Meg Walter joins host Ali Vallarta to celebrate the return of outdoor dining, share tips for deer-proofing your garden and allergy-proofing your house, and highlight cool local events.Resources and references: Utah Baseball v. UVU, Monday, April 1 at Smith’s Ballpark Salt Lake County’s list of dog-friendly outdoor patios Prepare Your Salt Lake Home for Allergy Season [Hey Salt Lake] Pollen.com map of Utah Jordan River Earth Day Cleanups Arbor Day at Red Butte Garden, free admission & free trees Utah ski season closing dates [Salt Lake Tribune] Don’t Trip! Wine Walkaround 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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

Salt Lake City’s skyline is reaching new heights, but down below our sidewalks are disappearing. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means go on a tour-de-construction around the city and dig into who’s responsible when the sidewalk ends. Plus, Utahns’ top priorities as perceived by lawmakers, and picks of the week for cooking, dancing, and stretching.Resources and references:  Downtown Rising: Updated looks at the skyline-changing developments in Salt Lake City [Building Salt Lake]  Urban planner Jeff Speck on “Righting SLC’s Walkability Wrongs in a New City” [City Cast Salt Lake] Report sidewalk problems to Salt Lake City Utah voters and leaders agree cheaper housing should be the state’s No. 1 policy priority [Deseret News] Deseret News reporter Brigham Tomco’s thread on policy priorities Bunny Hop moved to T.F. Brewing, Sunday, March 31 Yoga at Mountain West Cider, Wednesdays at 6 p.m.  A delicious biscuit recipe for Easter brunch and beyond 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 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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

Could protecting one little bird save Great Salt Lake? Maybe! That’s what environmental advocates are betting on with a petition to list the Wilson’s phalarope under the Endangered Species Act. Deeda Seed, senior campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, joins host Ali Vallarta to explain how federal regulations around the species could get more water into the lake.Resources and references: Utah Made a Plan to Save the Great Salt Lake! [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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

Complaints from Utah Royals opponents have America First Credit Union playing defense. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means break down the controversy and a rattling history. Plus, will more funding to enforce canyon traction laws lead to better outcomes, or more hype for the proposed gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon? This and more in a midweek news roundup chock-full of local shoutouts.Resources and references: Millcreek Common climbing wall opens Soccer fans debate meaning of 'America First' on Royals team jersey; Gov. Cox weighs in [KUTV] America First, Invoked by Trump, has a complicated history [NPR] A Short History of ‘America First’ [The Atlantic] Are traction laws enforced in the Cottonwood Canyons? It’s complicated. [Salt Lake Tribune] Crashes strand Alta, Snowbird skiers in Little Cottonwood Canyon [Salt Lake Tribune] Plan B Vending Machine at the University of Utah Crossroads Urban Center food pantry foods of the month 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 find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

It’s time to start planting your garden, Salt Lake. No green thumb? No problem! Experimental gardener Madison Boerner joins host Ali Vallarta to share tips for renters, basement dwellers, and plant killers on how we can all grow something beautiful — even in the sidewalk cracks.This episode originally aired May 10, 2023.Resources and references: The Gallivan Center’s Garden Party, Saturday, March 30 from 11 a.m.- 2p.m. Salt Lake City Library’s Garden Fundamentals Workshops Wasatch Community Garden’s Where to Join a Community Garden in Salt Lake City [Hey Salt Lake] How To Start Urban Farming [Hey 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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

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.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:CRUDE Microbiome-friendly Skincare

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. 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 find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @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 Workspace Harmons Grocery

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] 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 Workspace Harmons Grocery