The Salt Lake Tribune
Ben McAdams, Riley Owen have their first debate for Utah's newly redrawn 1st Congressional District
- Title
- Ben McAdams, Riley Owen have their first debate for Utah's newly redrawn 1st Congressional District
- Runtime
- 2:49
- Date posted
- 17 hours ago
- Description
- Contenders in Utah’s new 1st Congressional District — Democrat Ben McAdams and Republican Riley Owen — honed in on what they would do to lower prices and help working families during the first debate between the two Tuesday.
McAdams blamed high prices on the “unconstitutional war” in Iran that has spiked gas prices and driven up the cost of food, as well as a “haphazard” policy on tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which he said have been “ego and vengeance driven.”
Owen and McAdams also sparred over artificial intelligence, agreeing its influence will be a generational change, but differing slightly on what the role of the Congress should be in regulating it.
Reporting: Robert Gehrke
Video: Trevor Christensen
- Title
- The Utah Mammoth unveiled the latest Delta Center renovations
- Runtime
- 1:33
- Date posted
- 1 day ago
- Description
- Clarification: There are eight local restaurants with new offerings this season, making a total of 18 Utah restaurants in the arena.
Utah Mammoth fans experienced a new view from inside the Delta Center Saturday.
Before the Mammoth’s preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche, a number of fans made the climb to the upper bowl in the north end of the arena. Not all of them necessarily had tickets in the section, either. Some were just curious onlookers wanting a peek at the renovated upper bowl.
The most important question: Had the sightlines really improved?
This summer, the Delta Center added “terrace-style ledges” and gondolas to the north end of the upper bowl to address the obstructed sightlines. The other end of the upper bowl will be renovated next summer.
Read more at sltrib.com
Video by Abigail Landwehr from The Salt Lake Tribune
- Title
- Mexican baseball at Bees stadium brings joy to Utah amid U.S. immigration crackdown
- Runtime
- 0:55
- Date posted
- 2 days ago
- Description
- On Saturday night, baseball fans lit up the Salt Lake Bees’ stadium at The Ballpark at America First Square with music, dance and love of the sport.
More than 8,000 baseball fans welcomed two teams from the Mexican Pacific League (Liga Mexicana del Pacífico) over the weekend, according to Miller Sports + Entertainment spokesperson Jenny Teemsma. This is the third year the company has organized the event.
The Águilas de Mexicali won 4-3 over the Jaguares de Nayarit, a team that is just starting its second season. Still, many attendees wore jerseys from other Mexican teams, like the Tomateros de Culiacán and the Charros de Jalisco, noted fan Marlen Martínez.
“It’s a type of event that is different from American baseball. There wouldn’t be this much of a party (or ‘fiesta’),” Martínez told The Salt Lake Tribune in Spanish.
“People just want to watch Mexican baseball,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of jerseys from ...
- Title
- Former Utah death row inmate walks out of jail after 41 years
- Runtime
- 1:20
- Date posted
- 2 days ago
- Description
- Douglas Stewart Carter walked out of the Utah County jail Monday evening unshackled and without handcuffs. For the first time in 41 years, the former Utah death row inmate was free to leave.
New testing excluded Carter from crime scene DNA. His attorneys are calling for the aggravated murder charge to be dropped and an independent investigation.
Reporting: Jessica Schreifels
Video: Trevor Christensen
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/09/27/utah-judge-reconsider-douglas/
- Title
- Nostalgia, community and creativity at FanX 2026
- Runtime
- 1:16
- Date posted
- 6 days ago
- Description
- FanX 2026 is under way, and at your suggestion The Tribune’s Abigail Landwehr got dressed up and paid a visit to the Salt Palace Convention Center to take it all in.
Video: Abigail Landwehr
- Title
- Report: UVU tried to warn Charlie Kirk’s staff of risks, but team ignored concerns
- Runtime
- 2:01
- Date posted
- 6 days ago
- Description
- Utah Valley University leaders and its police chief repeatedly tried to raise security concerns ahead of Charlie Kirk’s scheduled appearance on campus last year.
An independent review says Kirk’s team brushed those warnings off.
Reporting: Courtney Tanner
Video: Trevor Christensen
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2026/09/25/new-report-utah-valley-university/
- Title
- Is there going to be a Charlie Kirk memorial on the UVU campus?
- Runtime
- 0:42
- Date posted
- 8 days ago
- Description
- UVU President Jon Anderson talks on if a decision has been made about a formal campus memorial to Charlie Kirk.
Currently, in the campus courtyard, several large flower planters sit atop the spot of pavement where Kirk was killed.
A committee made up of students, faculty and staff continues to discuss whether to do more with that site, Anderson said, adding that the group is “not near the conclusion of that process right now.”
Read the full story:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2026/09/09/year-more-than-242k-later-uvu
- Title
- Former judge discusses LDS President Dallin Oaks' D.C. speech
- Runtime
- 41:56
- Date posted
- 8 days ago
- Description
- President Dallin H. Oaks, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a landmark address recently in a soaring cathedral at the nation’s capital to a packed audience of Washington politicos and insiders.
The former lawyer, law professor and Utah Supreme Court justice schooled his audience on how the U.S. Constitution offers a clear-cut manual for how to deal with profound differences — including political and religious ones — in a pluralistic society.
It is a message he has offered in several diverse venues, including to scholars in Virginia, Catholics in Rome and Latter-day Saints in their General Conferences.
He has brought his powerful mind to the topic, obviously believing it is an urgent issue at a chaotic and polarized time.
Retired federal Judge Thomas Griffith, a Latter-day Saint, was in the audience at the Washington National Cathedral when Oaks spoke.
On this week’s show, Griffith rev...
- Title
- 1 year and $240K later, UVU still hasn’t released its review of the Charlie Kirk shooting
- Runtime
- 0:26
- Date posted
- 9 days ago
- Description
- Just days after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot on campus last year, Utah Valley University’s administration promised to hire an outside company to review what went wrong.
But a year since Kirk’s death, an independent review has yet to be released — despite the school previously saying a report would come out this spring.
Read the full story:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2026/09/09/year-more-than-242k-later-uvu
- Title
- Behind the scenes at a Utah haunted house
- Runtime
- 1:44
- Date posted
- 9 days ago
- Description
- What does it take to pull off a haunted house? With Halloween season here, we sent one of our most scaredy-cat reporters to find out. Watch how over a hundred crew members bring Utah’s Castle of Chaos to life.
Video: Abigail Landwehr
- Title
- UVU has spent over $240,000 on the external review of Charlie Kirk shooting
- Runtime
- 0:23
- Date posted
- 10 days ago
- Description
- Just days after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot on campus last year, Utah Valley University’s administration promised to hire an outside company to review what went wrong.
But a year since Kirk’s death, those gaps remain unaddressed. The Salt Lake Tribune filed a public records request for what information is available so far.
Initially, Utah Valley University declined to say how much it’s spent. The Tribune appealed that decision, and the public university ultimately provided receipts through the end of May 2026.
Those show UVU had spent $242,431 total up until then for two companies to work on an external review together. The school declined to say how much it has spent in the more than three months since; The Tribune continues to push for that.
- Title
- UVU President talks on hiring two companies to perform external review of the Charlie Kirk shooting
- Runtime
- 0:51
- Date posted
- 10 days ago
- Description
- Just days after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot on campus last year, Utah Valley University’s administration promised to hire an outside company to review what went wrong.
But a year since Kirk’s death, those gaps remain unaddressed. An independent review has yet to be released — despite the school previously saying a report would come out this spring.
In an interview with the school’s new president, Jon Anderson, we ask him: Why were there two companies hired to perform an external review of the Charlie Kirk shooting?
- Title
- Tornado touches down in northern Utah
- Runtime
- 0:30
- Date posted
- 13 days ago
- Description
- A tornado touched down along the mountainside above Davis County Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
The twister touched down just before 2 p.m. near Fruit Heights at an elevation of about 7,500 feet.
Reporting: Jordan Miller
Video courtesy of Shon Stevenson
- Title
- University of Utah plans to lay off hundreds after seeking advice from national consulting firms
- Runtime
- 1:28
- Date posted
- 15 days ago
- Description
- The University of Utah anticipates laying off as many as 855 staff members over the next nine months — news the flagship school confirmed comes after the university sought guidance from two national consulting firms.
The U. announced the changes in a campuswide message last week, though the school said staff in affected units were alerted earlier. Many employees pushed back, calling the reductions unnecessary and traumatic.
“Things are very, very difficult for many staff here at the U.,” said Leslie Francis, a distinguished professor of law and philosophy, during a recent Academic Senate meeting where the issue was raised.
The U.’s chapter of United Campus Workers instead suggested the school cull its top administrators’ salaries to save money, listing each in an Instagram post with a call to “CHOP FROM THE TOP!”
Read more at sltrib.com.
Video by Trevor Christensen of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Title
- Is it time for LDS leaders to speak out against sports betting?
- Runtime
- 30:51
- Date posted
- 15 days ago
- Description
- “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is opposed to gambling. … [It] is motivated by a desire to get something for nothing. This desire is spiritually destructive. It leads participants away from the Savior’s teachings.”
With those words, the faith’s position is clear. No gambling — of any type.
So when The Atlantic staked staff writer McKay Coppins, a practicing Latter-day Saint, $10,000 to place bets while investigating the booming business of sports betting, he felt the need to consult with his bishop.
Since the money wouldn’t be his own and the assignment was for research, the wary church leader gave Coppins the go sign but added a caution: “Be careful.”
During the ensuing months, Coppins learned the wisdom behind that warning as he came to understand the addictive nature of gambling and the odds against winning at it.
“I started with $10,000,” he said. “I ended with less than $200. ...
- Title
- 9/11, Charlie Kirk and why Gen Z uses dark humor and memes to cope with tragedy
- Runtime
- 1:51
- Date posted
- 19 days ago
- Description
- This week marks the anniversaries of 9/11 and the Charlie Kirk shooting at Utah Valley University, but you may have seen your social media flooded with memes and dark jokes about the tragedies. What seems like surface-level, nonsensical humor might also be younger generations coping with heavy news beyond their control.
UVU psychology professor Evan Clarkson said Gen Z’s dark humor often helps them deal with feeling isolated from traditional conversations and overwhelmed by online content. But for those directly affected by real violence, like students who witnessed the UVU shooting, the memes can feel insensitive, regardless of online detachment.
- Title
- LDS service missionaries told they can help immigrants but not with their legal status
- Runtime
- 42:01
- Date posted
- 20 days ago
- Description
- Scott Howell is a well-known figure among Utah Democrats. He served for a decade in the state Senate and was twice the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.
During the past dozen years, though, Howell donned a different mantle: service missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He and his wife, Linda, spent their days teaching workshops on self-reliance, addressing the problems of homelessness, helping those living on the margins get the care they need, even helping a toothless member get dentures.
On this week’s show, the Howells discuss the church’s program, its challenges and rewards, and what they learned along the way.
- Title
- ‘Modern-day martyr’: Charlie Kirk memorial draws thousands to Utah campus where he was killed
- Runtime
- 1:38
- Date posted
- 21 days ago
- Description
- On the Utah campus where Charlie Kirk was killed, thousands of mourners wept, prayed and promised on Thursday — the first anniversary of his death — that they would carry on the work the conservative commentator started.
The memorial held inside Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center was headlined by major conservative names, including Glenn Beck and Michael Knowles, who shared memories of Kirk’s friendship along with Bible passages. Members of the audience, including several prominent Utah lawmakers, cheered at each speech.
Reporting: Courtney Tanner
Video: Trevor Christensen and Abigail Landwehr
- Title
- Statue of Charlie Kirk unveiled in Utah
- Runtime
- 0:23
- Date posted
- 21 days ago
- Description
- A statue of Charlie Kirk was unveiled at Turning Point USA’s “Freedom Built to Last Memorial” to mark the one-year anniversary of Kirk's death.
The memorial was at the UCCU Center on the campus of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed.
Turning Point USA has not said where the statue will be placed.
Video: Abigail Landwehr
- Title
- Charlie Kirk was killed while answering this student's question. Here's what he said one year later.
- Runtime
- 0:31
- Date posted
- 21 days ago
- Description
- What happened to the student who asked Charlie Kirk his final question?
The FBI didn’t consider him a suspect. But online commenters still alleged Hunter Kozak was part of a conspiracy.
A year later, the theories and threats haven’t stopped, and Kozak is still dealing with the fallout.
Reporting: Courtney Tanner
Video: Rick Egan
The Salt Lake Tribune
- Title
- Charlie Kirk was killed while answering this student's question. Here's what he said one year later.
- Runtime
- 16:40
- Date posted
- 22 days ago
- Description
- What happened to the student who asked Charlie Kirk his final question?
The FBI didn’t consider him a suspect. But online commenters still alleged Hunter Kozak was part of a conspiracy.
A year later, the theories and threats haven’t stopped, and Kozak is still dealing with the fallout.
Reporting: Courtney Tanner
Video: Rick Egan
The Salt Lake Tribune
- Title
- Trump's DOJ is investigating Utah's top election official
- Runtime
- 1:01
- Date posted
- 22 days ago
- Description
- The Justice Department is investigating Utah’s top election official for refusing to hand over the state’s entire, unredacted voter database, it informed her in a letter dated Friday and obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.
That revelation comes amid a lawsuit President Donald Trump’s DOJ filed against Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson for not complying with that demand, an action Henderson argues has no federal legal basis and violates Utah data privacy laws.
In an interview, Henderson said officials overseeing elections in other states told her they received similar letters. Henderson told The Tribune she was not previously aware of the investigation and did not know its scope.
Reporting: Emily Anderson Stern & Robert Gehrke
Video: Bethany Baker
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/09/09/trumps-doj-is-investigating-utahs/
- Title
- Sex and older singles — Should the law of chastity still apply?
- Runtime
- 31:27
- Date posted
- 24 days ago
- Description
- Sexual standards set by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seem clear — no sex before marriage, total fidelity during marriage.
Guidelines for sexual activity are set out for young Latter-day Saints in publications like “For the Strength of Youth.”
But what about older singles who have never wed or those whose marriages end in divorce or death? How do they then navigate the possibility of intimacy?
Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, a well-known Latter-day Saint sex therapist and author of “That We Might Have Joy: Desire, Divinity & Intimate Love,” addresses older singles as they encounter complex realities that don’t fit neatly into a pamphlet.
She talks about these realities and how to understand the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.
- Title
- UTA's planned fare hike would make Utah’s public transportation among most expensive in the country
- Runtime
- 1:33
- Date posted
- 26 days ago
- Description
- UTA, which operates transit along the Wasatch Front, plans to raise fares for the first time since 2013. The hike would make Utah’s public transportation among the most expensive in the country.
In fact, of 163 transit agencies surveyed in 2025 by the American Public Transportation Association, UTA’s proposed $3 fares would be tied for the highest.
The agency is currently soliciting feedback on the proposal, which would boost base fares from $2.50 to $3 as early as spring 2027, UTA public information officer Gavin Gustafson said. Utahns can submit comments on the potential increase until Sept. 9.
Video by Abigail Landwehr of The Salt Lake Tribune
- Title
- He went from playing rock tunes in bars to becoming the 'Lord's organist' for LDS Church's Tab Choir
- Runtime
- 1:42
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- Meet Rick Elliott, who played in rock bands while growing up, then converted to Mormonism and now sits at the "Lord's organist" playing for the faith's premier performing troupe. Oh, and he still loves to rock.
- Title
- This Utah thrift store lets people get a small taste of entrepreneurship
- Runtime
- 1:12
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- Tribune journalists visited Indy Clover, a Utah-based thrift and consignment franchise where independent sellers rent booths to sell secondhand clothing and other items.
Video by Abigail Landwehr of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Title
- Judge says Tyler Robinson can go on trial in Charlie Kirk murder case
- Runtime
- 1:28
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- A judge has decided there is enough evidence for the aggravated murder case to move forward against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus nearly a year ago.
Robinson, 23, is facing seven criminal charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025, death.
His attorneys had asked 4th District Judge Tony Graf to strike the murder charge’s aggravating factor — the allegation that the shooting “knowingly created a great risk of death” to someone other than Kirk — which would have made Robinson ineligible to face the death penalty if he is convicted.
On Tuesday, however, Graf found there was enough evidence to move forward with the charges as filed.
Robinson entered not guilty pleas on all counts Tuesday. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
Reporting:: Jessica Sch...
- Title
- Full hearing: Judge considers closing arguments and rules Tyler Robinson case can go to trial
- Runtime
- 4:43:33
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 4th District Judge Tony Graf found there was enough evidence to move forward with the charges against Tyler Robinson as filed.
Robinson entered not guilty pleas on all counts Tuesday. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
Robinson, 23, is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Charlie Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025, death.
- Title
- Aggravated murder case against man accused of killing Charlie Kirk will move to trial
- Runtime
- 1:02:35
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- A judge has decided there is enough evidence for the aggravated murder case to move forward against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus nearly a year ago.
Robinson, 23, is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025, death.
Robinson’s attorneys had asked 4th District Judge Tony Graf to strike the murder charge’s aggravating factor — the allegation that the shooting “knowingly created a great risk of death” to someone other than Kirk — which would have made Robinson ineligible to face the death penalty if he is convicted.
Read the story: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/09/01/charlie-kirk-killing-judge-decide/
- Title
- Closing argument: Tyler Robinson's defense team makes argument in Charlie Kirk murder case
- Runtime
- 58:19
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Defense attorneys made their closing argument Sept. 1, 2026, in the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, whom prosecutors say fatally shot Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last year.
Robinson, 23, is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025, death. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
- Title
- Closing argument: Prosecution argues Tyler Robinson should go on trial in Charlie Kirk murder case
- Runtime
- 37:35
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Utah County prosecutors made their closing argument Sept. 1, 2026, in the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, whom they say fatally shot Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last year.
Robinson, 23, is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025, death. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
- Title
- This once-rustic Utah resort is adding million-dollar homes
- Runtime
- 1:57
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- An iconic Utah bucket-list item is getting a major upgrade – including a chance to own luxury real estate.
Generations of Utahns have made memories at the once-rustic Homestead Resort, but they may be surprised when they visit next.
“If you are visiting the new Homestead, you aren’t going to recognize this place,” said Maverick Bolger, who’s been involved in a yearslong process to revamp the resort.
Video by Francisco Kjolseth of The Salt Lake Tribune
- Title
- Memorial for Black man who was lynched unveiled in Salt Lake City
- Runtime
- 2:09
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Historians’ best guess for the location where children found the lynched body of Thomas Coleman, a formerly enslaved Black man who trekked with his owners to Utah, is on a shaded stretch of manicured lawn sloping southwest from what is now the state’s Capitol.
Kitty-corner in a park strip, Salt Lake City quietly unveiled a plaque last week memorializing the 33-year-old hotel worker whose corpse was discovered, it points out, “just northeast of here” nearly 160 years ago.
But that off-site recognition came only after Utah’s top elected leaders twice rejected requests for a marker on Capitol grounds, nearer to where Coleman was likely killed.
Reporting: Emily Anderson Stern
Video: Trevor Christensen
https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/08/31/slc-unveils-plaque-lynched-black/
- Title
- Utah and the future of the Colorado River
- Runtime
- 1:06:40
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- In an exclusive live webinar for Salt Lake Tribune members, reporter Brooke Larsen and editor Colton Lochhead joined Jack Schmidt, senior research scientist at Utah State University's Center for Colorado River Studies, to discuss the federal government's framework for managing the Colorado River for the next decade. They also talked about what the new operating plan from the Bureau of Reclamation could look like for Utahns.
To get access to live events and other special perks, support The Salt Lake Tribune by becoming a member at sltrib.com/donate.
- Title
- Controversial ICE arrest in Ogden, Utah
- Runtime
- 1:18
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- An encounter Tuesday between a man, an ICE agent and an Ogden police officer sparked debate about the city’s role in immigration enforcement.
Reporting: Jose Davila IV
Video: Abigail Landwehr
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/08/28/ogden-ice-arrest-captured-police/
- Title
- Video shows ICE arrest in Ogden Utah
- Runtime
- 1:24
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Video captured by Ogden City Council member Kevin Lundell shows an Ogden Police Department officer observing and interacting with agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, August 25.
The video sparked questions online about whether the city works with ICE. The officer, the department said in an accompanying statement, only stayed on scene to ensure everyone’s safety.
Ogden Police Department says it will teach officers more about how to handle run-ins with ICE.
The face of the person arrested was blurred before The Tribune obtained this video.
- Title
- Ogden Utah police bodycam shows ICE arrest
- Runtime
- 7:56
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- An Ogden Police Department officer was flagged down by a person claiming that a strange vehicle was following him. It turned out to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, who eventually arrested the driver.
The police body camera sparked questions online about whether the city works with ICE. The officer, the department said in an accompanying statement, only stayed on scene to ensure everyone’s safety.
“The Ogden Police Department did not initiate the stop, did not conduct the arrest, did not ask for or run any information, and did not assist with immigration enforcement,” the department said.
But while Ogden police insist they don’t help ICE, the video shows even officers are sometimes confused about their roles.
Ogden Police Department has blurred the faces of the person arrested as well as the ICE agent.
- Title
- The Other Side Academy is life-changing for some. Others say leaving brought threats.
- Runtime
- 2:17
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Mark Dalley came to The Other Side Academy in 2019 as he was facing a lengthy prison sentence. He thrived in his three years as a student before he was hired on as a staff member.
He said he saw staff threaten to call a student’s probation officer or hurl insults at them if they left.
“They'll tell them the doors are always open, but it comes with very heavy consequences,” he said. “They don't try to get you into another program, or somewhere that might suit your needs a little bit better, or might [address] mental health stuff.”
Then, Dalley said, he became one of those who faced threats and ultimatums.
The Other Side Academy said its students are told that staff will inform their employer if they are “failing to live up to their commitments,” such as using drugs.
Reporting: Jessica Schreifels, Robert Gehrke & Jose Davila IV
Video: Trevor Christensen
- Title
- The Colorado River got so low, rafting companies canceled this popular trip for the first time
- Runtime
- 0:57
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- For the first time in their decades-long histories, at least two rafting companies earlier this month had to cancel trips through Utah’s Westwater Canyon due to the Colorado River’s low flows. One of them, Holiday River Expeditions, also had to halt its trips down the Yampa River in early June — nearly a month ahead of the norm — because of low river flows. One longtime river guide said he knows of some outfitters in Colorado who gave up on rafting before the summer even started.
This video from early August shows how difficult it was for the guides to get through part of Westwater even with just three people on a raft.
Thanks to monsoons in Colorado, Westwater was only offline for larger rafts for about a week. Outfitters with smaller rafts continued to run trips through it even during the water slump.
Video courtesy of Sam Crittenden
Reporting by Julie Jag
- Title
- Shorter lessons. Less foyer time. Will new Sunday schedule lead to a ‘drive-thru’ church?
- Runtime
- 40:34
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Starting in September, the Sabbath experience will change for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world.
Services each Sunday will feature all of the faith’s traditional classes for adults and youths, rather than every other week. That means an hourlong sacrament meeting, the faith’s main worship gathering, followed by 25 minutes of Sunday school for adults and teens, and then 25 minutes for all-male priesthood classes, along with women’s Relief Society and Young Women classes. Children’s Primary will remain 55 minutes long.
Essentially, church leaders are cramming classes and meetings that used to take three hours into the two-hour block the faith adopted in 2019.
Latter-day Saints see allowing men, women and teens to gather each week in their groups as a plus. But members worry about the 25-minute classes. Is that enough lesson time for meaningful discussion and deep gospel and scripture study?
- Title
- Data centers are back in the news in Utah
- Runtime
- 1:43
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Data centers are back in the news in Utah (did they ever really leave?).
Tribune journalist Abigail Landwehr runs down the latest.
Read more here: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/08/21/spanish-fork-data-center-what-know/
- Title
- Examining the American West's worst wildfire season in years
- Runtime
- 2:59
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Seven deaths. Millions of acres burned. Hundreds of homes destroyed.
And requests for help going unanswered.
The Salt Lake Tribune teamed up with WyoFile, CalMatters, The Colorado Sun, Montana Free Press, the Mountain Journal and the Nevada Independent to examine the wildfire challenges currently facing the Western U.S.
Video: Trevor Christensen
- Title
- How Trump's wildfire policies are changing firefighting in the West
- Runtime
- 8:19
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Fast-moving fires have burned millions of acres, destroyed hundreds of homes and buildings in the West, and has tragically killed seven people working to extinguish the blazes.
The federal government is committing the highest possible level of crews, aircraft and firefighting resources to wildfires across the country. And yet requests for help or equipment are going unanswered.
This dangerous fire season hit as the Trump administration has reshaped how America fights wildfire — consolidating crews and pursuing “full suppression” of every new blaze.
Administration officials say the aggressive approach is essential to protect firefighters and communities during a hazardous summer in an abnormally hot and dry West. Critics, though, worry it could worsen conditions that can produce catastrophic fires.
Six newsrooms across the West have collaborated to show how on-the-ground changes made by the Trump administration have affected our ...
- Title
- Salt Lake City water line break flooded 15 homes, displaced four families
- Runtime
- 1:51
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- A rush of water. A dead pet. A car-size sinkhole. How a Salt Lake City pipe failure turned into a ‘nightmare.’
The city has offered some help with disaster cleanup, but some families say it isn’t enough, and are frustrated with the lack of clarity on what the city can and can’t pay for.
- Title
- JJ Coffee in downtown Salt Lake City aims to serve its customers 'affordable luxuries.'
- Runtime
- 0:39
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Hello, Eaters! JJ Coffee Co., at 330 E. 400 South, on the ground floor of The Exchange apartments in downtown Salt Lake City, is the second location of a coffee shop started by husband-and-wife team Trevor and Brooke Schultz.
At JJ Coffee, you’ll find specialty coffee, fun takes on matcha, housemade bottled syrups available for purchase, a brief but delicious food menu, and a space you’ll be drawn to hang out in.
- Title
- Lawsuit is ‘not about silencing criticism,’ LDS Church spokesperson says
- Runtime
- 0:55
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Doug Andersen, spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reads a prepared statement on the church’s arguments regarding its lawsuit against John Dehlin and his “Mormon Stories” podcast.
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/08/20/lds-church-rejects-notion-its-case/
- Title
- Mad about Bears Ears? Gov. Cox says you just don't get it.
- Runtime
- 1:00
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said people who are upset about shrinking Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments don’t understand what it means.
Video: Abigail Landwehr
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2026/07/15/here-are-new-maps-bears-ears-grand/
- Title
- Gov. Cox still wants an ICE detention center in Utah
- Runtime
- 0:24
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- The Department of Homeland Security may have scrapped its Salt Lake City warehouse plan, but Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he still wants an ICE detention center in Utah.
Reporting: Jose Davila IV, Robert Gehrke & Addy Baird
Video: Abigail Landwehr
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/08/19/salt-lake-city-ice-warehouse-dhs/
- Title
- Gov. Cox criticizes Stratos data center process, calls for MIDA reform
- Runtime
- 0:54
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- The process for approving the controversial Stratos data center in Box Elder County was ”not good” and the state board that approved the hyperscale center should be reformed, Gov. Spencer Cox said at a PBS Utah news conference Thursday.
Reporting: Addy Baird & Emily Anderson Stern
Video: Abigail Landwehr
- Title
- The LDS Church’s retention rate hasn’t ‘bottomed out’ yet, says RNS columnist Jana Riess
- Runtime
- 28:46
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- The on-again, off-again debate about retention in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, most definitely, on — again.
And in a big way.
The latest round began with a report by BYU Studies, which found a number of positive signs of high religiosity among members. But it also noted that retention among U.S. Latter-day Saints has plunged from 82% in the heady 1980s to about 50% today.
Stories appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune and the church-owned Deseret News, followed by a post from statistician Ryan Burge under the headline “The LDS Church Has a Retention Problem,” pointing to a 54% rate.
Religion News Service columnist Jana Riess weighed in on the issue, and her commentary spurred a pair of responses from BYU researchers and a number of entries on Mormon blogs.
Of particular concern to Riess, who is a Latter-day Saint, is the even lower retention rate among young women and the remarkable reversal that s...
