Police bodycam video shows fatal shooting of Chase Allan The Salt Lake Tribune 2023-03-09 | Police publicly released this body camera footage from the five officers who fatally shot Chase Allan on March 1, 2023 near the Farmington, Utah, post office. Police have said Allan initially refused to provide any identification to the officer and “asserted his independence from the laws of the land.” News footage from the scene that day shows Allan’s car bore a placard that included a known “sovereign citizen” symbol — part of a flag, with blue stars and red-and-white stripes — along with the words “Utah, American State Citizen” and “Notice, Private Automobile Not For Hire.”To read more about it, check out sltrib.com/news/2023/03/08/farmington-police-release-bodycamVideo provided by Farmington Police Department.
Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt talks about his new music gig: Tab Choir president The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-19 | The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was launched on Aug. 22, 1847, just 29 days after the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley.After the Tabernacle on Temple Square in the heart of Salt Lake City was completed, the choir performed there for more than a hundred years. Millions have heard the group’s music via a weekly devotional radio program, “Music and the Spoken Word,” which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started in 1929, making it the longest continuously running network broadcast in history.The show is inspiring to insiders and outsiders but never dogmatic. Ronald Reagan called the troupe “America’s Choir.” The famed choir has sung at seven U.S. presidential inaugurations, 13 World Fairs, as well as the 2002 Winter Olympics, and toured in dozens of countries.In 2018, the choir changed its name to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and, in 2020, it was sidelined by the global pandemic.On this week’s show, former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, former Health and Human Services secretary and the choir’s current president, talks about how the choir navigated those changes and challenges, the group’s mission, and what’s in the future for the church’s most visible goodwill ambassadors.
What is Amendment B on Utahs 2024 General Election ballots? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-19 | Utah schools could get more money from public trust lands if Amendment B passes this November. If Amendment B had already been in effect, schools would’ve seen about $120 million in School Learning and Nurturing Development, or "LAND," Trust distributions instead of $106 million this year.Video by Carmen Nesbitt and Bethany Baker of The Salt Lake Tribune.
How should parents respond when their kids leave the church? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-18 | By following an unconventional parenting path, Latter-day Saints Gabrielle and Ben Blair have learned to buck conventional parenting wisdom — and, along the way, remove a lot of the stress that comes with raising kids.How should parents respond when their kids leave the church?Design Mom’s Gabrielle Blair and her husband, educator Ben Blair, tackle that question and more in their new book, “The Kids Are All Right: Parenting With Confidence in an Uncertain World.”
U.S. Senate debate: Candidates spar over climate and federal overreach The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-12 | Utah Rep. John Curtis, Caroline Gleich and Carlton Bowen squared off Thursday night on the campus of Weber State University and shared their policy views during the first and only U.S. Senate debate.Read more at sltrib.com.
Trader Joe’s new Sugar House store in Salt Lake City has unique local art The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-11 | Utah’s newest location of the Trader Joe’s grocery chain is filled with signs that pay tribute to Sugar House and other nearby neighborhoods — from the 9th and 9th whale taking a dive with “Scandinavian Swimmers” to a marquee sign reminiscent of the nearby Dee’s Restaurant.The chain’s fifth Utah location — at 2160 S. 700 East, in a former Pep Boys auto parts store — was opened Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, bringing bits of nostalgia to the 170-year-old neighborhood.The art includes:⋅ A flamingo plushie and portrait pay tribute to Pink Floyd, the flamingo that famously escaped from Tracy Aviary and lived many years at the Great Salt Lake.⋅ Historic photographs, rendered by local artist Laurie Gray, feature more landmarks, including the Snelgrove’s Ice Cream double-scoop sign and Raging Waters waterpark.Reporting by Shaylee NavarroVideo by Rick EganThe Salt Lake Tribune
Thousands of Utahns with disabilities wait years for state help. Amendment A could make it worse. The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-08 | More than 5,700 Utahns are on a waiting list to get funding from Utah’s Division of Services for People with Disabilities. The reason: There’s not enough money going to the Division of Services for People with Disabilities. The office’s budget is a mix of state funds allocated by the Utah Legislature matched with federal Medicaid money. But state lawmakers haven’t dedicated nearly enough to meet the need here.Now Republican lawmakers are asking voters to approve Amendment A, which would remove the provision in the state constitution that commits income tax revenues exclusively to public schools, colleges and disability services.Reporting by Jessica Schreifels and Robert GehrkeVideo by Trevor ChristensenThe Salt Lake Tribune
BYU law school dean contributed to Project 2025 and then had his name removed The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-04 | The Heritage Foundation project, which is a blueprint for a second Trump administration, calls for ending the Department of Education.Read more at sltrib.com.
If you’re Christian, BYU ecologist says, you’ll work for the Earth and against climate change The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-03 | More than three-fourths of Latter-day Saints say they revere nature and feel a responsibility to protect it. Classes on Earth stewardship at Brigham Young University are filling up as young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrestle with the dangers caused by climate change and feel inexorably prompted to act — to do something.What if the church went all-in on protecting the planet, proposing concrete plans to be adopted in every region? Would being involved in an urgent global effort — much as the food storage mandates prepared members for lean times — give more young people a reason to stay in the fold?On this week’s show, Ben Abbott, professor of ecology at church-owned BYU, discuss environmental issues, his faith, and the activism and idealism he sees in his students. He also makes the case that safeguarding the Earth and fighting climate change are part of Christian discipleship.
Everything you need to know about all those tithing lawsuits against the LDS Church The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-10-01 | Two federal appellate courts. Two historic hearings. Two tithing lawsuits. One overarching allegation: namely, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days has misled its members — whether about its finances or its history.In one case, prominent former Latter-day Saint James Huntsman insists top church leaders misrepresented how they spent $1.4 billion of the faith’s funds to build the for-profit City Creek Center shopping mall in downtown Salt Lake City. Topics ranging from religious autonomy and the U.S. Constitution to outright fraud and even a Beatles classic surfaced last week before a full panel of judges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.In the other, ex-members accuse church authorities of hiding important details of Mormonism’s beginnings in order to persuade the faithful to pay their tithes. Oddly enough, founder Joseph Smith, his “seer stone” and translation of the faith’s signature scripture, the Book of Mormon, were openly discussed before a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.So where do these lawsuits go from here? What are their prospects? And how do they fit into the continued media attention on the church’s wealth and a potentially expansive and expensive class-action case?On this week’s show, Salt Lake Tribune reporter Tony Semerad, who has reported on these lawsuits from the get-go and brought to light other aspects of the faith’s financial empire, helps us wind through this legal maze.
Some say Fresh Donuts & Deli makes the best doughnuts in Utah The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-30 | Fresh Donuts & Deli in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been ranked as one of the best doughnut shops in the country by Yelp. Video by Bethany Baker of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Utah rabbi talks about forgiveness and atonement while Middle East fighting rages The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-26 | Next week, Jewish adherents across the globe will begin the annual 10-day examination of their lives and deeds.It starts with Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) on the evening of Oct. 2 and concludes with Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) on the evening of Oct. 11. It is a time for self-reflection, for commemoration, for celebration and for recommitment. It is a chance to think about forgiveness and to make amends to those they have harmed.This year’s High Holy Days are especially fraught for the world’s Jewry with so many eyes are on Israel and its ongoing battles against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. There’s also a war in Ukraine and deep divisions in the United States during this election season.On this week’s show, Rabbi Samuel Spector, leader of Salt Lake City’s Congregation Kol Ami, discusses the importance of these holidays at this particular time.
Utahs air quality issues could affect the future of the states economy. Heres how. The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-26 | Utah's air pollution problem and haze could harm not just residents’ health, but also the state’s vibrant tourism industry and other economic sectors.
Utah started sending ballots by mail to raise turnout. Here’s how many use them. The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-25 | The Tribune collected data from all but three of Utah’s 29 counties on just how many Utahns relied on ballots that arrived in their mailboxes to participate in this year’s primary election.Read the full story at sltrib.com.
How do schools outside Utah with Native mascots support their students? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-21 | Five schools, including the University of Utah, got permission from the NCAA to continue using Indigenous names and mascots. Here’s a look at how those other institutions partner with their local tribes.
Utah says I-15 widening project won’t violate air quality rules, but critics disagree The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-19 | An Environmental Protection Agency loophole is keeping Utah’s air quality projections for the interstate expansion barely within federal limits.
On the Air Force base, she leads the congregation. In her LDS ward, she sits in the pews. The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-18 | Latter-day Saint Jenna Carson, who became the first member ever to serve as a chaplain in the federal prison system, was a student at Harvard Divinity School when, she said, God called her to become a military chaplain.That was 2015. And although Carson did not yet know it, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not at that time grant women the all-important endorsement required by the Defense Department. Female Latter-day Saints could obtain endorsements to serve as chaplains in hospitals, education, hospice care and prisons — but not, it turned out, the military.Nevertheless, the feeling persisted. And so did she. Setbacks followed, but, in 2021, she won Salt Lake City’s go-ahead.The next year, she was on her way to boot camp. Two years into being an Air Force chaplain, Carson has more than a little to say about what it’s like to be a female spiritual authority operating if not within the LDS Church, then with its approval.
University of Utah gets millions from using Utes name. Does the Ute Tribe get enough in return? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-18 | The agreement between the University of Utah and the Northern Utes has existed since 1972. But is it a fair deal? A Tribune investigation points to a lopsided relationship.Read more at sltrib.com.
What is Lake Powell and why does it matter? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-14 | Lake Powell is the second-largest reservoir in the United States. It was created when the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed along the Colorado River near Page, Arizona. The Colorado River provides water to seven states in the American Southwest. The reservoir faces increased challenges as climate change and increased water needs demand more from the crucial water source. Check out the full video at youtu.be/qVJ2mLJsEWc. Video by Bethany Baker of The Salt Lake Tribune.
What is Lake Powell and why does it matter? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-14 | Lake Powell is the second-largest reservoir in the United States. It was created when the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed along the Colorado River near Page, Arizona. The Colorado River provides water to seven states in the American Southwest. The reservoir faces increased challenges as climate change and increased water needs demand more from the crucial water source. Video by Bethany Baker of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Rep. Brian King and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox spar over Amendment D The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-13 | Republican Cox, Democrat King and Libertarian Robert Latham shared policy positions and took jabs at each other during the first, and only, gubernatorial debate of the 2024 election cycle.Read more:sltrib.com/news/politics/2024/09/11/2024-election-utah-gov-spencer-cox
Man vs. trees: How a rancher’s bulldozing project cost Utah taxpayers The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-12 | Mike Siaperas, a wealthy software executive, was looking for a change. He found it 10,000 feet above sea level in eastern Utah, buying a ranch that he would turn into a luxury hunting retreat. But there was a problem.So he bulldozed swaths of forest on his property and an adjacent state reserve. Then he patented a technique that could strip as much as 100 acres of woodland in a day and tested it at a nearby ranch owned by one of America’s wealthiest families. He has since started a tree removal company, created a charity for veterans and opened a pricey lodge at his ranch, hosting retired Navy SEALs, former football stars and other guests to ride all-terrain vehicles, shoot firearms, hunt and bond.Those ambitions have been significantly aided by Utah taxpayers, an investigation by The New York Times and The Salt Lake Tribune has found.Since 2019, state lawmakers have appropriated more than $5 million to support Siaperas’ forestry work, although less than half of it has been paid out. His proposals have been backed by influential allies, met with little to no competition and relied on unproven or disputed scientific claims.Read more:sltrib.com/news/2024/09/10/how-ranchers-tree-bulldozing
Can Latter-day Saint women find a place in the patriarchy? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-11 | In 2014, Neylan McBaine wrote a groundbreaking book, “Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women’s Local Impact.” Even given the patriarchal structure of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, McBaine argued that there was much more the global faith could do to see, hear and include women.“At that time, there were many who felt discussing these facts was unfaithful or dangerous,” McBaine told an audience of 4,000 at last week’s Restore conference. “We swim so entirely in the waters of patriarchy that many of us do not see the extent to which our organizational structure, the language we use, our understanding of God, our quoting of spiritual authorities, our visual representations in our meetings, and the stories of our scriptures center the experiences and viewpoints of men.”Now McBaine hopes Latter-day Saints will call out “patriarchy” and acknowledge how different its goals and rules are from other systems that exist in the U.S.On this week’s show, she discuss where women in the church are now and how it has — or has not — changed in the decade since she published her book.
Can you swim in the Great Salt Lake? The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-07 | Ask many Utahns about swiming in the Great Salt Lake and you're likely to get a look of disgust. It smells, there are bugs, it's hot. But if you go out to the lake on a quiet summer evening, you are likely to find visitors from other places in the water. Explore why some locals avoid it, why some love it anyway, and why it's one of Utah's hidden secrets. Video by Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah ranked fourth in the nation for late stage breast cancer. Heres why. The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-06 | Utah ranked fourth in the nation for the percentage of cases where women were diagnosed with late stage breast cancer between 2017 and 2021, according to data from the National Cancer Institute.Read more at sltrib.com.
Why this Republican LDS mayor hopes Trump’s GOP ‘fails miserably’ The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-09-04 | Like Salt Lake City’s mayor, he oversees a major Western municipality founded by 19th-century Mormon pioneers. Like Salt Lake City’s mayor, the heart of his diverse, dynamic and growing city features a historic temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint bounded by a sparkling mixed-use development built by the Utah-based faith. And like Salt Lake City’s mayor, he supports Kamala Harris for president.But unlike Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Mesa Mayor John Giles is a Republican and a Latter-day Saint — and that’s why his support of the Democratic ticket is grabbing national headlines.A graduate of Brigham Young University, Giles is a lawyer serving his 10th and final year leading Arizona’s third-largest city. He also has run dozens of marathons, but it’s his stance in 2024′s presidential race — in a swing state that could determine who wins the White House — that catapulted this moderate Mormon mayor into a prime-time speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention.On this week’s show, Giles discusses his decision to buck Donald Trump and instead back Harris, along with his desire to see the reemergence of a more-centrist Republican Party and a less-polarized political climate.
How deep is the Great Salt Lake? See how it compares to other Utah landmarks. The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-31 | Most people think the Great Salt Lake is very deep, perhaps because officials usually talk about it in terms of elevation above sea level. But the lake is only about 25 feet deep in its deepest parts. To help visualize just how shallow the lake is, we built a 25-foot pole and took it to a few recognizable spots around Salt Lake City.Video by Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Old Utah Theater site may become a parking lot — for now The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-30 | The developer says its request to pave part of the empty property off Main Street, which used to house 102-year-old Utah Pantages Theater, a “temporary” step, and insists it remains “committed” to building a 31-story high-rise with luxury units and other amenities.Read more at sltrib.com
‘A conference to help questioning Latter-day Saints stay in the church The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-28 | In 2017, a Utah family began discussing some of the challenging questions facing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From those modest beginnings, a multidimensional platform emerged called Faith Matters, which defines itself as a “space in which an expansive, radiant approach to the restored gospel can be considered.”The effort now includes a popular podcast, book publishing, online courses, and, coming next week, its third in-person “Restore” conference. The giant gathering at the Mountain West Expo Center in Sandy has attracted more than 3,000 paid registrants and will feature speakers, poets, musicians and artists — including Astrid Tuminez, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Jennifer Walker Thomas, Terryl and Fiona Givens, Mauli Bonner, Neylan McBaine, Allison Dayton and Eboo Patel. It is, organizers say, meant to “inspire, enlighten and nourish faith.”On this week’s show, Zachary Davis, executive director of Faith Matters, editor of its Wayfare magazine and co-director of the conference, discusses this organization, the upcoming conference and how they appeal to, help and inspire a range of Latter-day Saints.
Utah leaders shut down seismic safety commission, despite earthquake experts warnings The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-26 | Utah could be due for a magnitude 7 earthquake within the next 50 years. Yet Utah lawmakers just voted to eliminate the state's advisory commission on seismic safety this past winter. Experts say it was the wrong move.sltrib.com/news/environment/2024/08/15/utah-faces-big-earthquake-threatRead more at sltrib.com.
Utah on the cusp of becoming Wests first no-kill state The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-23 | Utah has higher-than-average adoption rates compared to other states, and more than 75% of Utah’s animal shelters are no-kill.Read more at sltrib.com
Project 2025 push to resume nuclear testing in Nevada sparks fallout in Utah The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-22 | A conservative think tank’s push to resume nuclear testing in Nevada has opponents in Utah up in arms, many of whom are calling it a half-cocked idea that could trigger more radioactive contamination and reignite a global weapons race.The resumption of underground nuclear weapons testing is one of the key planks in the Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025, an uber-conservative playbook intended to serve as a blueprint for former President Donald Trump should he be elected to a second term in November.Between 1951 and 1992, 928 nuclear bomb tests — 828 of them underground — were conducted at the Nevada site before the U.S. enacted a moratorium on further testing. Many of the tests, especially those conducted aboveground during the 1950s and early 1960s, exposed tens of thousands of Utahns and others in surrounding states — dubbed “downwinders” — to deadly radioactive fallout now known to cause several types of cancer, according to the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute.Read more: sltrib.com/news/2024/08/19/critics-utah-blast-project-2025Story by Mark EddingtonVideo by Trevor ChristensenThe Salt Lake Tribune
How new church policies make trans members invisible and could push them to leave The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-22 | The occasional updates to the online General Handbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often routine, addressing relatively mundane policies, practices and procedures within the global faith of 17.2 million members.Not so this week.The new guidelines spelled out for local lay leaders and their approach to transgender individuals have created a firestorm among LGBTQ members and their allies not seen, perhaps, since the hotly disputed — and now-discarded — exclusion policy of November 2015 against same-sex couples.The new rules state, for instance, that members who have transitioned in any way — whether surgically, medically or socially — cannot receive a temple recommend, work with children, serve as teachers in their congregations or fill any gender-specific assignments, such as president of the women’s Relief Society.They cannot stay at most youth camps overnight. And they are urged to use single-occupancy restrooms at church meetinghouses or station a “trusted person” outside to keep others from entering when they use a restroom that aligns with their personal gender identity.Discussing these new policies and their potential impact on members are religion scholar Taylor Petrey, editor-in-chief of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and author of “Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism,” and Michael Soto, a transgender and queer man who grew up in the church and now serves as president of Equality Arizona.
Utah Wildlife Walls: Artist Chris Peterson is painting a mural in each of the states counties The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-22 | Artist Chris Peterson has a goal of painting a major wildlife mural in each of Utah’s 29 counties. The Mojave desert tortoise he is painting in St. Geroge is his sixth toward his goal of painting a wildlife wall in each of Utah’s 29 counties. Peterson hopes to revitalize places as well as highlighting local community elements important to the area.Video by Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Vandals caught on camera cutting down pride flags at a northern Utah pride center The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-15 | A center for inclusion in northern Utah has been targeted again by vandals, but this time, the culprits were caught on camera.The theft follows a spike in other pride flags being stolen in the area, including previous times at the same location.On Aug. 9, two masked individuals slashed and stole the pride flags outside of Logan’s Pride House, just minutes after a large group had left. The next morning, the center put the flags right back up — just as it did the last time.“We have literally hundreds of flags, so this is not worth your time,” Dorothy Wallis, president of the nonprofit, said. “We can put them out, and when hundreds are gone, we can get more.”Video courtesy of Logan Pride FoundationReporting and writing by Clarissa Casper | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah’s LDS sometimes discriminate — and are sometimes discriminated against The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-15 | A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants to invite her daughter’s friend to join them for their congregation’s annual Halloween trunk-or-treat. But it’s being held in the parking lot of the church, and she worries the parents will think the invitation carries ulterior motives.Across the street, a couple plan a neighborhood dinner party. They want to throw the invite open to everyone, but there will be alcohol, and they fear offending their teetotaling Latter-day Saint neighbors. In the end, they opt to play it safe and invite only a few (non-Latter-day Saint) couples.The Salt Lake Tribune heard stories like this and more when, nearly a quarter century ago, it undertook no small task: an in-depth exploration of Utah’s religious divide. And we heard them again when, this year, we solicited feedback from readers about how the dynamic shapes their neighborhoods.On this week’s show, Latter-day Saint LaShawn Williams, a licensed clinical social worker with a doctorate in education, and Bob Goldberg, a U.S. historian, member of Utah’s Jewish community and former director of the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah, discuss this “unspoken divide.”
Two Utah counties ranked in nations top 5 worst for air quality The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-14 | In 2023, eastern Utah had worse air quality overall than the Salt Lake Valley, something one state official credited to a combination of strong inversions and snowy weather.
Rare 1999 tornado rips through downtown Salt Lake City, Utah The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-12 | On August 11, 1999, a powerful tornado struck downtown Salt Lake City, causing significant damage. The tornado formed unexpectedly due to a collision of wind patterns and a developing thunderstorm. It lasted about 10 minutes, leaving one person dead, injuring over 80 others, rendering 34 homes uninhabitable, and causing over $170 million in damage.Though aware of severe weather conditions, forecasters at the National Weather Service had not anticipated the tornado. Improvements since then include enhanced radar technology and better emergency communication systems to handle similar events more effectively.
A world-renowned bridal designer moved to Utah to be closer to her faith The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-10 | Wedding industry members gathered in the Grand America’s courtyard in downtown Salt Lake City to see Maggie Sottero’s spring 2025 line debuted on a runway in the brand’s home state.
What we ‘see’ in the mirror rarely matches our body’s reality The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-08 | Religion, in general, has prompted believers to have a more positive view of their bodies, and Mormonism specifically teaches that Heavenly Parents are embodied, that humans are created in their divine image, and that the body is a temple.Why, then, do some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints struggle with their body image? Why do many turn to cosmetic surgery to “improve” their bodies?Two researchers from Brigham Young University have just completed what they say is the largest study ever done of how Latter-day Saint doctrine and culture may affect body image.On this week’s show, study co-author Lauren Barnes, a licensed therapist and professor in BYU’s School of Family Life, discuss the findings — and suggestions for improving body image.
Utah Executes Taberon Honie by Lethal Injection The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-08 | Utah has completed its first execution in 14 years.Early Thursday morning, August 8, Taberon Honie was executed by lethal injection at the Utah State Correctional Facility.Honie was 48 years old, and had been on death row for more than 25 years.An execution is a rare event in Utah. The last time the state executed a man was in 2010, when Ronnie Lee Gardner was killed by firing squad.On the morning of the 7th a small group of protesters gathered outside the Capitol to call for an end to capital punishment in Utah. Later that evening, far outside the prison, protestors gathered in a “free speech zone.”In July 1998, Honie broke into the home of his ex-girlfriend’s mother, Claudia Benn, and then sexually assaulted and murdered her. He also sexually assaulted a child that was home that evening.A judge sentenced Honie to death the following year, and he’s been appealing that decision ever since — including several efforts in his final weeks where he asked Utah’s parole board for clemency.The parole board declined to commute his sentence.Six other men remain on Utah’s death row.
How Salt Lake City plans to tackle the west sides heat problem The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-06 | The hottest areas around Utah’s capital city are more likely to be diverse or have residents with lower incomes and education levels — and sometimes both — according to a Salt Lake Tribune analysis of the results of a heat mapping campaign and U.S. Census Bureau data.
How the rise of young Latino American voters may transform the 2024 election The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-04 | Mike Madrid, former political director for the California Republican Party and co-founder of the Lincoln Project, discusses his new book “The Latino Century. How America’s Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy” with The Salt Lake Tribune’s Bryan Schott on "This Week in Utah Politics." Madrid says the Latino vote is quickly becoming a key demographic, with a growing segment of English-dominant, working-class voters who prioritize economic issues. He says both parties need to address the cultural and economic concerns of the Latino population, moving away from a focus on immigration.Madrid also discusses the state of play in the presidential race and the impact of Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee. He says Harris’ entry into the presidential race has brought a surge of enthusiasm from the Democratic base and independent voters, leading to a potential shift in the race.
Utah abortion ban, a Trump fundraiser, how Utah feels about the Olympics, and more Utah politics The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-03 | Salt Lake Tribune Political Correspondent Bryan Schott is joined by politics reporter Emily Anderson Stern on "This Week in Utah Politics" to discuss the top political news from this week.The Utah Supreme Court ruled a legal challenge to the state’s near total ban on abortion can go forward. In response, some Republican lawmakers want a special legislative session to lower the timeframe a woman can seek an abortion from 18 weeks to 6 weeks.Donald Trump is coming to Utah this month. Tickets range from $10,000 to $500,000.The International Olympic Committee is pressuring the U.S. Olympic Committee to back down from an investigation into the World Anti Doping Agency or risk losing the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.Everybody is mad about the Paris Olympic Opening Ceremonies.
Big change for church’s young single adults could bring big benefits The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-02 | Last August, nearly 20,000 Latter-day Saint young single adults came together to sing, dance, play, pray, run and worship over three weekends. By all accounts, it was a smashing success.They’re back again this weekend for a three-day festival to celebrate their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to strengthen their faith, and to feel a sense of belonging.And, they say, to try to break a mark recognized by the Guinness World Records for “the most contributions to a birthday card” — for President Russell M. Nelson, who turns 100 in September.Earlier this month, the Utah-based faith raised the age limit for “young single adults” from 30 to 35, while the term “single adults” now describes unmarried members ages 36 and older.Here to talk about the coming event and the changing demographics is Sara Sumsion, a young single adult who is working on a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy at Northwestern University, and Richard Ostler, who has served as a bishop over a YSA ward, or congregation.
Everybody is mad about the Olympics The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-02 | In this episode of This Week in Utah Politics:⚖️ Utah Supreme Court's Landmark Decision: • The court allows a challenge to the near-total abortion ban to proceed. What’s next for reproductive rights in Utah? Emily Anderson Stern has the details. 🗣️ Republican Push for a Special Session: • In response, Republicans call for a special session to pass new abortion restrictions. 💸 Trump's Spendy Fundraiser in Utah: • Former President Donald Trump is planning an exclusive fundraiser in Utah, with sky-high ticket prices. 🏅 Olympic Games in Jeopardy: • The IOC threatens to pull the plug on the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Games. Could Utah lose its hosting chance? 🌍 Anger Over Paris Opening Ceremonies: • Utah politicos react angrily to the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies. 📚 Interview with Mike Madrid: • Author of "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy," Madrid shares insights on how Latino voters are reshaping the political landscape. 🔥 Owens Didn't Read the Memo: • Despite GOP leaders’ advice, Congressman Owens continues to call VP Kamala Harris a "DEI hire." What are the party repercussions? 🐦 Sen. Mike Lee’s Social Media Escapades: • We recap Senator Mike Lee’s eventful week on social media.
Abortion care remains available in Utah after state Supreme Court ruling — for now The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-08-01 | Abortion is legal up to 18 weeks while the state awaits a lower court’s ruling on Planned Parenthood Association of Utah’s lawsuit alleging that a near-total abortion ban is unconstitutional.
Bryan Schott and Emily Anderson Stern talk important Utah political news from the past week The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-07-30 | Bryan Schott and Emily Anderson Stern discuss the most important Utah political news from the past week. They cover President Joe Biden's announcement not to run for another term, the reactions from Republicans and the process for Utah Democrats to get a new candidate on the ballot.They also examine the controversy surrounding Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Utah being named the host for the 2034 Winter Games, and Sen. Mike Lee falling for a hoax about Jimmy Carter's death.
Great Salt Lake dust lacks proper monitoring and disproportionately harms communities of color The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-07-30 | Great Salt Lake dust consists of six times more PM10 than PM2.5. And while Utah does have some monitors for PM10, it has three times the monitoring sites for PM2.5 — and existing PM10 monitors aren’t located near the people affected by dust events, one expert said.Read more at sltrib.com
Former Utah State Senator Scott Howell talks Joe Biden and Kamala Harris The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-07-29 | Former Utah State Senator Scott Howell joins Bryan Schott on "This Week in Utah Politics" to discuss President Joe Biden’s decision not to run for another term and his longtime association with the Bidens. Howell also shares his experiences with Kamala Harris during the preparations for the vice presidential debate in 2020.
Utah Gov. Cox canceled investigation into Utah National Guard Maj. Gen. Michael Turley The Salt Lake Tribune 2024-07-29 | Utah Gov. Spencer Cox began investigations into former Adjutant General Michael Turley in 2021 and 2022. He ended both inquiries before any members of the guard were interviewed about Turley, asking only the leader about his own conduct.Read more at sltrib.com.
