We’re taking a break from election coverage to talk about two scandals that boggled our brains this week. One involves essential oils and the other a sexy calendar — we couldn’t make this up if we tried. Executive producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the stories, plus share their picks of the week. 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 ...
Nov 10, 2023•33 min
Homelessness is one of Salt Lake’s most urgent issues, and the topic has dominated the Salt Lake City mayoral race. Earlier this year, City Cast Salt Lake was quick to get candidates on the record about the issue. In the final part of our three-interview series, host Ali Vallarta talks with current SLC mayor Erin Mendenhall about her record on this issue, and how she views the city’s role in problem solving. Later, Ali and lead producer Emily Means offer analysis and deeper context. Yesterday, f...
Nov 09, 2023•48 min
The topic of homelessness has dominated the Salt Lake City mayoral race, and earlier this year, City Cast Salt Lake was quick to get candidates on the record about the issue. In the second of three interviews, host Ali Vallarta talks with former SLC mayor and current mayoral candidate Rocky Anderson about his record on this issue, stretching all the way back to the 2002 Olympics. Later, Ali and lead producer Emily Means offer analysis and deeper context. Yesterday, candidate Michael Valentine ga...
Nov 08, 2023•39 min
The topic of homelessness has dominated the Salt Lake City mayoral race, and earlier this year, City Cast Salt Lake was quick to get candidates on the record about the issue. With Election Day about two weeks out, host Ali Vallarta and lead producer Emily Means are revisiting and analyzing our conversations with each of the candidates, starting with Michael Valentine. Find out more about Salt Lake City’s temporary shelter community. Learn about Denver’s sanctioned camping program. Could the SLC ...
Nov 07, 2023•32 min
This past winter, ski bus service up Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons really sucked. With opening day at the resorts fast approaching, what can winter recreators expect this season? Russ Fox, director of planning at the Utah Transit Authority, joins host Ali Vallarta to talk about improvements, so you’re (hopefully) not left waiting at a bus stop in a blizzard. UTA’s guide on riding the ski bus this season. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to s...
Nov 06, 2023•20 min
Election Day is a couple weeks away, and candidates are making their last-ditch efforts to convince you to vote for them. But can their endorsers convince you? Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to ponder how much political endorsements really matter in an election. Plus, they share municipal news about community funding for arts and culture programming and a permanent Green Loop as well as their picks of the week. Learn more about ranked choice voting. Apply for an ACE grant fund...
Nov 03, 2023•27 min
Looking for a weekend getaway from Salt Lake? Try heading north to Boise, Idaho. We know what you’re thinking: “Boise? Really?” But lead producer Emily Means just visited for the first time — for her mini honeymoon, of all occasions — and absolutely loved it. She joins City Cast Boise host Emma Arnold to debrief on food recommendations, tractors, and more. Plus, should Salt Lake be a little more like Boise? Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to su...
Nov 02, 2023•20 min
November can seem like just a runway month to the holiday season. But producer Ivana Martinez and host Ali Vallarta are here to convince you to make the most of this month. They share their best bets for November, from nailing your Friendsgiving to local ideas for homebodies. Here are some of the events and places discussed: Workshop SLC Salt Lake Pottery Ballet West Utah Symphony Clever Cucumber Sugar House Craft & Create Día de Muertos Cumbia Party at Alibi Wild Turkeys Consider becoming a...
Nov 01, 2023•22 min
So you’ve received your ballot for Salt Lake City’s municipal elections, and it just might be your first time using ranked choice voting. Now what? Salt Lake City Elections Management Coordinator Olivia Hoge joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the do’s and don’ts when it comes to ranked choice ballots, so you can successfully cast your vote this election season. Dates, deadlines, and more helpful information for the General Election. Get more information about Salt Lake City’s ranked choice vo...
Oct 31, 2023•14 min
Besides the Utah Jazz’s defeat in their first home game of the season, things seem to be looking up for Jazz fans. The team is wearing purple, they’re playing at the Delta Center again — good signs all around. Except for a rumor that has us on edge: Could the Jazz someday leave Salt Lake City for the ‘burbs? Host Ali Vallarta has been looking for answers and shares her speculations and findings with lead producer Emily Means. Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s...
Oct 30, 2023•26 min
What’s in Salt Lake County’s budget? Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to break down Mayor Jenny Wilson’s proposal. Plus, four heroes ran an entire marathon around the 9th and 9th whale, tricks for avoiding the wait at Urgent Care, and City Creek Canyon closures. 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 th...
Oct 27, 2023•30 min
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when our famously mild-mannered and street-swept suburbs absolutely rock out for Halloween. Twelve-foot-tall skeletons grace Sugar House neighborhoods, Daybreak is Barbieland, and Utahns are hyped for scary season. Deseret News features writer Meg Walter joins host Ali Vallarta to explain why Utah goes so hard for Halloween. 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 ar...
Oct 26, 2023•23 min
There are a lot of assumptions about Utah and the people who live here, but only a few of them are true. KUER politics reporters and State Street co-hosts Saige Miller and Sean Higgins join host Ali Vallarta to debunk some of the biggest Utah stereotypes and dig into how we’re pushing back against them. 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 membe...
Oct 25, 2023•27 min
Medical Director of Utah Naloxone Dr. Jennifer Plumb explains exactly how to identify and reverse an opioid overdose by administering Naloxone. And, where Salt Lakers can get a Naloxone kit to keep on them. This episode originally aired on April 12, 2022. 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...
Oct 24, 2023•17 min
In September, Salt Lake City and state officials announced the site of the state’s first-ever sanctioned homeless camp at 300 S. and 600 W. in downtown SLC. And though details are still being ironed out, one city council member has said they’re looking to Denver’s sanctioned camping program for inspiration. Host Ali Vallarta asks Denverite homelessness reporter Kyle Harris what lessons Salt Lake can learn from Colorado and the successes and challenges we should come to expect. “How Any of Us Cou...
Oct 23, 2023•25 min
Temperatures are dropping and people want to know — what’s Salt Lake’s winter homelessness plan? Plus, is downtown getting a makeover? Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to break down the news and share their picks of the week. Volunteer with Unsheltered Utah this weekend. Learn more about the Point in Time Count, and sign up to volunteer in January 2024. Choose a proposal for downtown Main Street and 100 S. — take the survey! Get tickets to Utah Symphony/Opera, and Ballet West pe...
Oct 20, 2023•34 min
We never thought we’d see the day when it’s more cost-effective to rent than buy a house, but here we are. Deseret News reporter Katie McKellar joins host Ali Vallarta to explain how renting pencils out better than buying in Utah’s current housing market, and Ali asks what that means for the American dream. 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 m...
Oct 19, 2023•23 min
There are 18 Black-owned banks left across the entire United States, and one of them is now in Holladay. Host Ali Vallarta asks Redemption Bank’s chairman and CEO Ashley Bell why the only Black-owned bank in the Mountain West will be in Utah — and what its $78 million NFL deal means for 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....
Oct 18, 2023•19 min
What are funeral potatoes? What’s Salt Lake’s best bar deal? Where should you take your parents when they visit? It’s our first mailbag show, and you sent us some excellent questions. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to answer them. 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 newsl...
Oct 17, 2023•27 min
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. Ge...
Oct 16, 2023•23 min
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 vir...
Oct 13, 2023•33 min
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 La...
Oct 12, 2023•12 min
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 ...
Oct 11, 2023•19 min
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 ince...
Oct 10, 2023•20 min
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...
Oct 06, 2023•32 min
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 @CityCastSL...
Oct 05, 2023•20 min
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, ass...
Oct 04, 2023•23 min
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 @Cit...
Oct 03, 2023•25 min
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 mo...
Oct 02, 2023•22 min
A Salt Lake City bookstore received bomb threats this week over an all-ages drag storytime event. Lead producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to talk about it — because we think more people should be. Plus, we break down a potentially interesting development in the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola saga as well as what’s going on with the ski bus this winter. Listen to our conversation with Tara Lipsyncki about “the new normal” for drag shows. Attend the next Central Wasatch Commission meet...
Sep 29, 2023•31 min
