Despite our reputations as political conservatives who extoll family values, a 2009 study out of Harvard University assigned Utahns the unflattering status of being number one in the nation for online pornography consumption. But a more recent analysis by PornHub.com, one of the world’s largest purveyors of pornographic material, says the online viewing of porn has dropped 68 … [Read more...]
San Rafael Secrets: What Did Madame Marie Curie Do in the Middle of a Utah Desert?
High-quality uranium brought Madame Curie to Emery County Deep in the San Rafael Swell lie the lonely stone remnants of the Temple Mountain townsite, a remote cluster of stone cabins where Marie Curie, aka Madame Curie, once lived for a short time. Long before Charlie Steen struck it rich with his discovery of uranium in Moab during WWII, ushering in the age of the atomic … [Read more...]
Frank Page: A Local Author on His Latest Novel and the Murder at the Green Parrot
On May 17, 1992, two armed men with ties to neo-Nazi groups attempted to rob the Green Parrot Night Club in Salt Lake, and fatally shot an employee. The tragic event shattered many lives. Frank Page and his brother Paul were two of the lives most affected by the heinous and senseless murder, changing them forever, and forging an even stronger bond between them. … [Read more...]
The Story of Snowbird Ski Resort
Ted Johnson and Dick Bass built a recreation legacy. Snowbird’s millionaire oil tycoon and financier Dick Bass was an outdoor icon. Bass jet-setted the world’s highest peaks, summiting seven of them in his fifties. Bass not only set world records, he also started a trend that other aging, adventurous multi-millionaires would follow. John Krakauer’s famous Everest expedition … [Read more...]
Inside the Mind of One of Utah’s Most Successful Real Estate Investors
Those TV shows make it look so easy. Buy an old house, make some renovations, and sell it for a pile of money! But in the real world, investing in real estate is a speculative venture that requires a thorough knowledge of the housing market, access to capital (known as hard money), and a willingness to take a calculated risk. Real estate investors, known in the industry as … [Read more...]
The Big House Flip: Buying Low and Selling High in Salt Lake
Everyone knows that Salt Lake’s housing market is hotter than a two-dollar pistol. Home values have gone up 24.7% over the past year, with median home prices hovering around $485,000. Even so, buyers are lined up to purchase homes while interest rates are low — even if it means overpaying for a home — which many people are willing to do. In fact, more than 55% of … [Read more...]
A Ghost Plays Piano in the Old Mormon Church in the Middle of Night
Graveyards are notoriously scary places, especially after dark, and the same is true of old church houses. Churches, despite being houses of God, can also attract opposing forces, making them concentrated gathering points for both good and evil. My first experience with the darker side of churches came right after high school. After taking a vocational floor covering class … [Read more...]
Millcreek Residents Fed Up with Road Work on 3900 S
The Road Work That Never Ends. When will 3900 S in Millcreek be complete? It only took 20 years to build the Great Pyramid at Giza, but many Millcreek and Holladay residents are wondering whether they’ll live long enough to see the completion of 3900 S between 2300 E and Wasatch Blvd. — a mere mile-and-a-half section of road. With only one lane in each direction, it’s not … [Read more...]
Neff’s Cave: Utah’s Best-Kept Subterranean Secret
Sometimes the best-kept secrets are hidden in our own backyard. For example, if you were to ask an experienced caver from France to name 10 of the top technical caves in the world, he would more than likely include Neff’s Cave among them. He might even tell you where it is. He may have even been there. On the other hand, if you were to ask random Salt Lakers about … [Read more...]
Utah Cycling: Back in the Saddle Again
I turned 62 in April of this year, and I climbed back on a bike for the first time in more than 10 years. My butt didn’t touch a bike saddle for the entire decade of my 50s, and I make that confession with a great deal of embarrassment and regret. I loved riding my bike as a kid. I don’t remember the bike I first learned to ride on, but the first bike I could call my own … [Read more...]