The LDS Church was recently fined $5 million by the SEC for hiding billions of dollars. Perhaps giving unto Caesar what is Caesar’s doesn’t always apply in the world’s second wealthiest Church. Utah political leader corruption among LDS members, including former Department of Agriculture Chief Kerry Gibson, is nothing new. Gibson was let go for corruption and collusion … [Read more...]
Why Printing a Magazine in the Era of Social Media?
Printing on paper kills trees; printing requires tons of energy; printing on paper requires ink that is not great for the environment. Printing is wasteful and expensive, it's antiquated, it’s “legacy media”, it's passe ― so why do it? I was reminded last week why we print on paper. YouTube struck Utah Stories channel with a “community violation strike”. This violation … [Read more...]
Elitism in the Outdoors — Ranchers and Western Living vs. Elites Who Want Them Gone
Is Federal Protection of Western Wilderness better than local, economic viability? According to environmentalists on the far left, the best way to protect and preserve the outdoors is to close roads; stop mining, stop drilling, eliminate fertilizer use on farms, and obliterate the energy and farming sectors of rural economies. According to the right-leaning republican … [Read more...]
The Best and Worst of Salt Lake City According to Its Residents
“In the next two years, the population of downtown Salt Lake City will double,” says Dee Brewer, Executive Director of the Downtown Alliance. With dozens of new apartments rising, and a massive influx of residents, Salt Lake City is the seventh fastest growing city in the country, and Utah is the second fastest growing state. Today, we are finally witnessing quite a few … [Read more...]
A Look at Tenement Housing as Opposed to Government Housing
Crossing the Great Chasm From Ward of the State to Productive Citizen In response to a reader's comment: on Reddit: I've actually been doing an assignment surrounding homelessness and a part of me wishes I've chosen another social issue. The more I learn the more I get depressed. I have no idea what the solutions are, and it appears to me as if there may be none to speak … [Read more...]
The Failure of the Metaverse and the Rise of the Real World
Meta (Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a massive bet on the “Metaverse” or the concept that Facebook users would want a more “immersive experience” when they join online communities. The metaverse consisted of massive, elaborate virtual meeting spaces, and the ability to customize your own avatar to your liking, making your online presence even more of your personal … [Read more...]
Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon: A Gondola Wins, Granolas Lose
UDOT (Utah Department of Transportation) determines to move forward with the Little Cottonwood Canyon expansion plan, which is a gondola serving Snowbird and Alta skiers using Utah's taxpayers' dollars. A series of up to 40 poles, each with a concrete base of up to 15 feet in diameter, all serviced by new roads big enough to allow for huge trucks will be installed in some of … [Read more...]
Salt Lake City’s Homeless Abatement Policies Examined
If the homeless abatement policy and program were designed to help the homeless to find a more secure place to camp or stay, perhaps this $1-$2 million per year cost to Salt Lake City taxpayers could be justified. But it could be argued that the opposite is true. The cruelty of moving unsheltered people and families from empty lots who have nowhere else to stay is essentially … [Read more...]
Local and Mixed-Use Superior to Corporate Big Box Zoning
Would you rather walk around Sugar House or the big-box complexes in Sandy? Would you prefer to window shop in Park City or Draper’s Big-Box Furniture Row that offers acres of asphalt parking? Would you rather live in a rambler in Taylorsville or an old two-story Victorian mining house in Park City? These might sound like silly questions because if you know these cities … [Read more...]
The Magnolia Apartments: The new Homes for the Homeless are a “Complete Failure” According to an Inside Source
An inside source provides Utah Stories with an inside look into the reality of the Magnolia Apartments. Salt Lake City, along with the organization Shelter the Homeless, have been working to build “permanent supportive housing units for the chronically homeless”. The Housing First Model is an excellent idea in its basic theory: give temporary homes to the homeless first so … [Read more...]