City Cast Salt Lake City Cast

Hockey is here, and Salt Lake turned out bigtime to welcome the team. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means noodle on names for our newest sports franchise. Plus, Salt Lake schools tackle some sticky topics, a neighborhood tradition will go on, and consider rattlesnake training your dog.
Resources and references:


‘My best day in the NHL so far’: Salt Lake shows up for new hockey club [Deseret News]


Two New Trademark Applications Submitted For Utah NHL Team Name [KSL Sports]

Montreal Expos tweet


Salt Lake School District pauses student training on transgender bathroom law [Axios Salt Lake City]


Salt Lake City schools is the latest district to ponder what to do with smartphones [KUER]


How many ‘indecent’ books will be banned statewide after new Utah law takes effect in July? [Utah News Dispatch]


Resident’s backyard concerts will continue in 15th & 15th after striking deal with Salt Lake City [Building Salt Lake]


Rattlesnake Alert ($200) and Utah Rattlesnake Avoidance ($175)

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:
Epic Brewing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Behind every sweeping decision affecting our day-to-day lives is a table full of unfamiliar yet influential faces. In the last episode of a two-part series, host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means introduce four more powerful individuals and organizations you’ve probably never heard of and explore their impact in our communities.
Listen to Part 1: Salt Lake’s Unknown Power Players.
Resources and references:


Utah's 'unelected governor': The political clout of Zions Bank CEO Scott Anderson [Salt Lake Tribune]


Utah’s new racial equity compact embodies the spirit of Christmas [Deseret News]


Billboard Wars, Did SLC Catch a Coyote? And Consignment Strategies [City Cast Salt Lake]


Utah Realtors Association a powerful lobby group [Deseret News]


Justice Department Says It Will Reopen Inquiry Into Realtor Trade Group [New York Times]

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:
Epic Brewing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salt Lakers tend to think of our city’s battle with air quality as recent history — but that’s not really true. In fact, this might be the cleanest our air has been in a while. Dr. Logan Mitchell, a climate scientist and analyst with Utah Clean Energy, helps host Ali Vallarta understand some of the myths around the air you can chew, where we go from here, and how to keep our lungs safe.
This episode originally aired April 10, 2023.
Resources and references:

Check the daily air quality at air.utah.gov.

Digital exhibit: The History of Air Quality in Utah


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:
Epic Brewing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spring in our canyons brings mountain bikers, dog walkers, and heavy machinery together. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means set your expectations for canyon construction, from Millcreek Canyon to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Plus, air quality is a top-10 issue for Utahns, so why would Gov. Spencer Cox sign a letter asking the Environmental Protection Agency to back off? Start your week with our SLC news roundup and some local shoutouts.
Resources and references:


Millcreek Canyon access would be limited for 2 years in road plan [Salt Lake Tribune]


Sign up for alerts about City Creek Canyon construction.

Bonneville Shoreline Trail maintenance plan


Salt Lake City Foothills Trail System Plan



Cox among 22 Republican governors urging pause to new EPA air quality rule [Utah News Dispatch]


Mythbusting Salt Lake’s Air Quality [City Cast Salt Lake]


How to Keep Track of Air Quality in Salt Lake City [Hey Salt Lake]


Park City A*****e Parking on Instagram

Solstice Chocolate 54% milk dark chocolate



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:
Epic Brewing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Spencer Cox is asking Utahns to “Disagree Better” in an effort to cool down our politics. But what if conflict is actually the good stuff? Host Ali Vallarta asks Utah Valley University professor and conflict specialist Dr. Maria Blevins what the Governor’s campaign gets right and what it’s missing. Plus, tips for when Salt Lakers are feeling feisty — whether with a state legislator or a friend.
Resources and references:
Gov. Cox’s Disagree Better Initiative 

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:
Epic Brewing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Salt Lake City Council explored some big ideas this week, from reimagining a historic train station to dissecting a new sports hub downtown. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means weigh how the proposals could shape the city’s future. Plus, beware of the marathon traffic this weekend, and add these good-weather events to your calendar. 
Resources and references:

Video of Arizona Coyotes fans chanting [X, formerly Twitter]

SLC Marathon closures map



Could This Plan Revive SLC’s Rio Grande Station? [City Cast Salt Lake]

SLC Council’s Rio Grande District slide deck



SLC’s Biggest Opportunity, According to the Mayor [City Cast Salt Lake]


Downtown sports and entertainment district, Part I: City to prepare master plan with virtually no public input [Building Salt Lake]


Could the Jazz Leave Downtown SLC? [City Cast Salt Lake] 


How We Got That Twilight Lineup [City Cast Salt Lake]  

HEAL Utah’s Earth Day Jordan River pedal and pick



Barbie the Movie in Concert with a live symphony

20th Anniversary Deer Valley Concert Series


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:


Embodied Patience posture and movement

The Governor’s startup.utah.gov toolkit


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices