Utah has so much natural splendor, it’s a shame we feel so strongly that it can only be enjoyed in the spring and summer, the same time the rest of the state—and the rest of the world, for that matter—also decides to enjoy the canyon country. Consequently, those wide-open spaces can sometimes feel a little cramped when you’re elbowing way your past German tourists in … [Read more...]
Cash Canyon: Former Lawmaker’s Bill to Allow Canyon Tolling Benefit His Development Project
The following story was written and reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Utah Stories. In the 2018 Legislature, then-Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, one of the most powerful legislators on the hill, presented a bill in a committee to pave the way for toll roads to be established in the state. The soft-spoken Sandy Republican … [Read more...]
California Schemin’
The following was written and reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Utah Stories. The Story of Scheming Before he pled guilty to running a $125 million fraud and being labeled a “scammer extraordinaire” by the FBI, Deepal Wannakuwatte was known as a charming entrepreneur who owned his own tennis team. He mixed sports and scheming, making … [Read more...]
Big MLM trouble in Big China
Can USANA deal with Chinese laws? Major multi-level marketing companies like USANA face crackdowns in China, where the business practice is widespread, sometimes violent, and very illegal. The following story was written and reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Utah Stories. USANA encounters multi-level problems in China Multi-level … [Read more...]
The “Smart Home”?
The following story was written and reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Utah Stories. Life is going to be easy in your techno-fabulous Vivint Smart Home of the not too-distant future. Why? Because your smart home will act like a sophisticated security guard/nanny/third parent. You can come home, kick back, and check the stats on … [Read more...]
Empty Boxes—How Utah Communities Adapt When Amazon Washes Away Brick-and-Mortar Retail
The following story was researched and written by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Utah Stories. On January 2, 2018, Amazon announced it had shipped 5-billion items through its Prime services alone in 2017. That year also saw many traditional retail stores washed away by the swift waters of change brought by online commerce. Macy’s had to … [Read more...]
Cottonwood Heights and DUIs
Cottonwood Heights has garnered a reputation for stomping a heavy foot down on suspected drunk drivers. While some have praised the city's life-saving measures, others feel the police agency is using jackbooted force, simultaneously squashing civil liberties and local small businesses. In the past, a cluster of city businesses had alleged harassment by local law enforcement. … [Read more...]
Red Air – Wasatch Front Polluters
‘Tis inversion season once again, so Utah Stories decided to check up on some controversial state polluters such as US Magnesium, Stericycle, as well as EnergySolutions' continued efforts to bring depleted uranium into Utah. US Magnesium—Tooele Forty miles west of Salt Lake City and just a few miles from the shores of the Great Salt Lake lies US Magnesium, the nation's … [Read more...]
Who Does Utah Love? Big Business Gets Big Breaks
Utah government is all about the business of business--keeping red tape to a minimum so that companies can keep making green. It’s also why the Utah Governor’s Office actively lures major out-of-state companies to expand into the state. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development, or GOED, offers tax credits to companies that relocate or expand here, but only after the … [Read more...]
Developing Mountain Accord
The Mountain Accord agreement reached July 13, 2015, represented a mind-blowing level of collaboration among dozens of stakeholders from ski resort moguls to grassroots eco-advocates. In terms of government agencies, nearly two dozen different jurisdictions were represented in perhaps the state’s most impressive pyramid of state, local and federal policymakers all coming … [Read more...]