
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

Oct 16, 2023 • 23min
How Astra Tower Is Changing Downtown SLC
The final steel beam has graced Astra Tower, the luxury apartment building that’s the newest addition to the Salt Lake skyline. But aside from being the tallest building in the state, what does it all mean? Host Ali Vallarta asks local realtor Mitch Finlinson how the Astra is already changing Salt Lake City’s downtown — for better or worse.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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 13, 2023 • 33min
How Should Utah Grow? I-15 Expansion, and the OG X Wifes Place
Survey says: We’re done griping about our growth and want to find smart ways to guide it instead. The Governor’s Office released results from the Guiding Our Growth survey this week. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the findings on housing, transportation, water, and open space. Plus, they share their picks of the week.Public comment for the I-15 expansion is open now through Nov. 13. You can also attend a series of open houses on the proposal. The next one is virtual on Monday, Oct. 16 at 5 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 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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 12, 2023 • 12min
A Utah Astronomer’s Guide to the Annular Eclipse
Are you ready for the annular eclipse? On Saturday, Oct. 14, the sun will appear in the sky like a “ring of fire,” and southern Utah will be right in its path. The cosmic event will surely draw huge crowds, and Torrey Mayor Mickey Wright says his town is gearing up for a massive wave of visitors. Mayor Wright — who is also an astronomer — joins host Ali Vallarta to give us an astronomy lesson and share tips for safely enjoying the eclipse.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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 11, 2023 • 19min
Why Do Neighborhood Boundaries Matter?
Salt Lake City’s neighborhoods are far from identical — just ask the staunch defenders of their boundaries. But is it a real problem, or a realtor’s problem? Building Salt Lake editor Taylor Anderson joins host Ali Vallarta to explain why we should care where our neighborhood starts and ends. This episode originally aired Feb. 8, 2023.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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 10, 2023 • 20min
How New Incentives Could Help SLC’s Housing Crisis
According to Salt Lake City’s housing dashboard, we’re currently short about 18,000 affordable housing units. So the City Council is exploring a slate of code changes and incentives to encourage affordable housing developments in every part of our city — not just the west side. From skyscrapers to density and fourplexes, SLC Council Chair Darin Mano tells host Ali Vallarta how these ideas could translate to results and whether he thinks they will.A public hearing for the affordable housing incentives is scheduled for the City Council’s formal meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Learn more about what’s being proposed.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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 6, 2023 • 32min
Who Can Afford Salt Lake, In-N-Out vs. the Vision, and a $7.9 Million Roof
Salt Lake Tribune data reporter Andy Larsen is exploring how Salt Lake County incomes stack up against available rental units — and, just in time for Halloween, it’s frightening! He and host Ali Vallarta discuss how it all relates to an inflammatory text from one Salt Lake City Council candidate. Plus, producer Ivana Martinez lends ears to Ali’s big feelings™ about South Salt Lake’s proposed In-N-Out and to share picks of the week.Get tickets to Las Espookys Hispanic Heritage Month drag show at Metro Music Hall.Do you want to be a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake? We’ve been publishing a daily podcast and newsletter for almost two years, bringing you useful interviews with mayoral candidates and deep dives into important subjects like how to save the Great Salt Lake and the best bars for unwinding. Consider joining to support our work, plus get an ad-free version of the podcast for as little as $8 per month. Learn more and sign up today 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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 5, 2023 • 20min
Why Utah Restaurants Aren’t Getting Michelin Stars
In 2018, the state of Utah was awarded three Michelin Stars. But the prestigious travel award is often associated with culinary excellence, and, on that front, Utah restaurants have not been awarded a single star! Host Ali Vallarta asks food writer and Gastronomic SLC founder Stuart Melling why we haven’t received the blessing, and what area restaurants should be on Michelin’s short list.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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 4, 2023 • 23min
One Unexpected Reason the Tim Ballard Scandal Matters
There are a lot of layers to the bombshell news surrounding Utahn Tim Ballard and his anti-human trafficking organization, Operation Underground Railroad. There’s the public rebuke by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; allegations of sexual misconduct against Ballard; a psychic providing intel for rescue missions; and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes’ connections to Ballard. But beneath all the juicy details, there’s a lesson about doing good in our communities. Cassie Bingham, assistant director of the Center for Social Impact at Utah Valley University, joins host Ali Vallarta to talk about hero worship and how we can all be more thoughtful about social causes.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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 3, 2023 • 25min
SLC School District Answers Our Questions About School Closures
The Salt Lake City School District is looking at closing a handful of elementary schools and changing boundaries for the remainder as it faces nearly a decade of declining enrollment. As Salt Lake reels over this decision making process, host Ali Vallarta asks SLC Schools Communications Director Yándary Chatwin some of our most burning questions. Like, whose opinion matters most in this process?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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 2, 2023 • 22min
The Big Idea to Drain Lake Powell
Lake Powell is a favorite summer destination for Salt Lakers, but the Colorado River water crisis is begging the question: Do we need to drain Lake Powell and decommission Glen Canyon Dam? Luke Runyon, co-director of The Water Desk at the University of Colorado, joins host Ali Vallarta to explain the proposal and make the case for why Salt Lakers should be invested in the fate of the Colorado River.Listen to Thirst Gap: Learning to live with less on the Colorado River.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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices