

City Cast Salt Lake
City Cast
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 5, 2023 • 26min
Picking Salt Lake Fights With the ChatGPT Robot
Host Ali Vallarta and lead producer Emily Means want to figure out if the interactive online robot, Chat GPT, is coming for their jobs. So, they decided to spend some time picking its “brain” about Salt Lake. Can it write a killer haiku about the proposed inland port? Not exactly. Can it analyze the experience of being a Salt Laker? Maybe.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.

Apr 4, 2023 • 23min
The ‘Mother-In-Law’ Apartment Debate Heats Up
In a world full of acronyms, Building Salt Lake editor Taylor Anderson is here to convince you to care about this one: ADUs aka accessory dwelling units. As the City Council takes up this heated debate, Taylor tells host Ali Vallarta how tweaks to Salt Lake City’s ADU ordinance could boost our housing supply — and maybe even bring back the “starter home?”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.

Apr 3, 2023 • 21min
Utahns' Quiet Obsession With Med Spas
Driving down I-15 there are dozens of billboards advertising medical spa procedures for botox, face filler, and body sculpting. These med spas are Utahns' best kept secret, but why are we so obsessed with them? Deseret News features writer Meg Walter joins host Ali Vallarta to get real about this cultural phenomenon. 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.

Mar 31, 2023 • 28min
Gwyneth v. the Optometrist, Delicious Food News, and Construction Corner
Academy Award winner and lifestyle influencer Gwyneth Paltrow is in Park City for what’s been dubbed “the trial of the century.” The spectacle has host Ali Vallarta and lead producer Emily Means wondering — for the first time in their lives — what the rules of skiing even are. They tackle that, downtown development updates, and spring sports during this week’s news roundup.Our conversation with Utah Falconz president and player Lacy Mile. 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.

Mar 30, 2023 • 22min
A Big Idea for Ballpark Secures a Stadium for Women Athletes
Athletes and enthusiasts have submitted a bold proposal for Salt Lake’s soon-to-be-vacant Smith’s Ballpark: build the first women’s sports complex in the nation. In a state that consistently ranks the worst for women’s equality, that’s a big deal! Utah Falconz football team president and defensive player Lacy Mile talks with host Ali Vallarta about what having a home field to play at could mean for her team and the trajectory of women’s sports.Salt Lake’s women athletes are totally crushing it.Get tickets to the Utah Falconz season opener against San Diego Rebellion on Saturday, April 1.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.

Mar 29, 2023 • 19min
The Unintended Consequences of a Shiny New Park
The Salt Lake City Council recently approved the plan for a brand spankin’ new regional park in Glendale. It’s the site of the defunct Raging Waters Water Park and will have a ton of amenities. So, how hyped is the neighborhood? Salt Lake Tribune west side reporter Alixel Cabrera joins host Ali Vallarta to explain the potential impact of something called green gentrification.Get details on the Folsom Trail Mural Competition, which closes this Friday, March 31.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.

Mar 28, 2023 • 21min
Why Two Local Banks Are on a Watchlist
A handful of Utah banks — including two in Salt Lake — have been put on a national watchlist for predatory lending practices. That has us worried! University of Utah law professor Chris Peterson, who specializes in consumer protection, joins host Ali Vallarta to break-down how Utah started exporting triple-digit interest rates — and whether it’s an indictment of FinTech.Read Christie Porter’s piece in Salt Lake Magazine about the potential impact of Silicon Valley Bank’s demise in Utah.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.

Mar 27, 2023 • 16min
Preparedness Tips from a Salt Lake Prepper
This winter is one for the books. Utah’s snowpack broke a 40-year record, and we’re seeing increasing preparations around the valley in case of flooding. That, plus the third anniversary of the pandemic and Magna earthquake have us wanting to stock up on canned goods and put together a 72-hour kit. Emily Cottam, a Taylorsville prepper and mother of two, joins host Ali Vallarta to share her tips.Get sandbags at one of these “Stop and Fill” locations around the valley.Sign up for the Great Utah Shakeout.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.

Mar 24, 2023 • 24min
Sad Boy Concerts, Banning the Bible, and a Transit Conundrum
The lineup for Salt Lake’s Twilight Concert Series was announced this week, and well, it’s gonna be a sad boy summer. Plus, the Utah Transit Authority isn’t on board with the Rio Grande plan, Davis School District might ban the Bible, and policing in Salt Lake County is up in the air. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the local stories of the week.Get tickets to Storytellers at Midnight Corner.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.

Mar 23, 2023 • 20min
How To Be a Good Neighbor During Ramadan
The crescent moon was spotted on Wednesday night which means that 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.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.