On Wednesday, President Donald Trump took an official step toward re-considering the protection of 40 national monuments, including Bears Ears National Monument. Barack Obama brought the monument under federal protection in the final days of his presidency, in a move Trump called, “an egregious abuse of power." The new administration is now reviewing whether they believe power w … [Read more...]
Inside Heroin Addiction and Homelessness in Salt Lake City
If a lighthouse were planted on Lookout Peak above Salt Lake City, you could trace the lambency of its beacon in a southwestern direction down the mountainside, across the polished spires of the Mormon temple, through the glass façade of Vivint Arena, and finally into the Block, where the light would disperse and settle like falling snow. The Block is the gathering place for … [Read more...]
Build a Better Burger
It's a summertime staple: grilled, barbecued cheeseburgers topped with lettuce, pickles, onions and fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes. It doesn't get much better than this, except for the addition of an ice-cold beer. Americans consume an average of 73 pounds of red meat per person per year. But how is all of this beef produced? In one pound of ground beef (from most major … [Read more...]
Utah Restaurants: Gone But Not Forgotten
As Utah Stories planned September's food issue we asked our readers to share their memories of a favorite restaurant that has since closed. Some of our fond memories include Der Ratskeller Pizza, Della Fontana, Beau Brummel, The Paprika, La Parisienne, Bratten's Seafood Grotto, The Hawaiian, and The Print Shop. Actually we could go on and on. It is not just the great food that … [Read more...]
Civil Asset Forfeiture
Did you know that your private property can be seized and kept by police, even though you have not been charged with a crime? You may be totally innocent of any wrongdoing, but police and state prosecutors can still grab your home, vehicles, bank account and any cash you may have available-everything you own. Worse, you may never be able to get that property returned. In … [Read more...]
West-ward Ho: Cowboy West Taylor
The pursuit of happiness comes in all forms, including how one St. George man made his dreams come true after having his house foreclosed and losing everything. “I remember being in the city and working and the stress, and I was wondering how I was going to just get happy. How am I ever going to achieve happiness?” West Taylor is sitting with us under a leaky outdoor alu … [Read more...]
Geist Rally in Salt Lake City
Utah Stories attended the Justice for Geist rally on Saturday June 28th. Our July issue's cover story Justice For Geist (coming out tomorrow) makes the call to state leaders to change our laws to make pets more than personal property. To consider that in the eyes of our criminal justice system, our dogs and cats are no different than a stereo or computer, and are collateral … [Read more...]
Vertical Gardening Tomatoes– See the Huge Difference!
I started using this method after programming some lectures 12 years ago for the Mittleidter Gardening Group. All over the world Mittleider was teaching people how to grow food more efficiently often in small spaces with poor soil conditions. I will not claim that I have perfected the method, or that I am a "master gardener" and I will not say that this is the one and only … [Read more...]
Cash or Crops?
The foothills in Perry, Utah, are flourishing with fully loaded green peach and apricot orchards. Looking west are lake views of Willard Bay, the Great Salt Lake and a few large homes. To the east are small canyons and a gravel pit. Thayne Tagge is taking me on a tour in his nearly bumperless Toyota Prius on a narrow dirt road,.“This is way cool. You have got to see this,” he … [Read more...]
History of Electric Cars in Utah
The Pony Express once manned over 20 waystations across Utah to recharge horses for riders as they galloped westward. Tesla Motors has five supercharging stations in Southern Utah for a similar intent. Currently there are 86 supercharging stations throughout North America, reaching 80 percent of the U.S. population. The stations allow drivers to charge half their car battery in … [Read more...]