What Can the State or City do to Alleviate Homelessness? A report was recently released (in November of 2021 by the Utah State Auditor’s Office). The report details what it has found to be some of the reasons why despite massive spending increases the homeless population only continues to increase. Currently, the major issues associated with the homeless epidemic are a lack … [Read more...]
Homeless Families Braving the Cold Rather Than Stay in Shelters in Salt Lake City
On North Temple, near 15th West, I find a family who is choosing to camp in an empty parking lot under tarps rather than stay in a shelter. A woman and her two adult sons are taking extreme measures to survive in the frigid temperatures. They use candle wax as well as hand sanitizer to burn small fires under their tarps and blankets to stay warm. Why are they taking such … [Read more...]
The Californication of Utah
California has been known for decades as the leader of the Western United States both in terms of the booming tech economy and the widening class division between the rich and the poor. Tech companies have the rare distinction of being both an enormous benefit for producing high-paying jobs for engineers, programmers, and support staff–oftentimes minting thousands of … [Read more...]
Ben Thornock: Utah Speedskater Heading to the 2022 Winter Olympics
Persistent. Positive. Passionate. These are the words that describe Ben Thornock, a Utah-based speedskater. He’s one of 11 skaters on the USA short track team headed to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Short-track racing was first added to the Olympics in 1992. Skaters explode from the starting line and reach speeds up to 35 mph as they muscle down an oval … [Read more...]
BOWLS OF FLAVOR: Deer Valley’s New Fresh Tracks Kitchen
Last week, I finally got my first ski day of the season. And I did it at my favorite local ski resort: Deer Valley. One reason I love Deer Valley Resort so much - endless powder notwithstanding - is the amenities. Deer Valley Resort has the best dining options around, including a new eatery I visited called Fresh Tracks Kitchen. Fresh Tracks Kitchen is located in the … [Read more...]
Frescobaldi Wines for the Holidays
If you’re in the market for tasty but affordable Italian wines to help celebrate the holidays, I suggest you check out Frescobaldi. I recently tasted three different wines from Frescobaldi and was impressed by the quality of these Tuscan wines. Frescobaldi brings one thousand years of family history to their winemaking efforts and has been making wine in Tuscany for over 700 … [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 Main Street Divide: Remembering Main Street Salt Lake City of Christmas Past
Downtown Salt Lake City’s Main Street has always had two very distinct halves: The North half is almost all LDS-Church-owned and now the billion-dollar City Creek Center has almost every fashionable Wall Street traded chain store one could hope for (Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton, Coach). With over five million annual visitors to Salt Lake City’s Temple each year, now we can host … [Read more...]
Distillery 36 Celebrate Utah’s Deciding Vote to Repeal Prohibition
In a fitting tribute to a state known to be difficult to drink in, Distillery 36 was named by owners and operators Jensen Dobbs and Creed Law to celebrate Utah’s deciding vote as the 36th state to repeal Prohibition. In 2016, the long-time friends raised a glass and launched Distillery 36’s flagship product — 100% cane Brigham Rum. They followed it with the Spiced Brigham … [Read more...]
Homeless Policies in Salt Lake City: Paying off? Or an Endless Money Pit?
The homeless in Salt Lake City has always been on the periphery, but today they are camping right on Main Street impacting local business operations and causing blight, especially the area formerly occupied by Sam Weller’s Zion Bookstore. Utah Stories wrote in a previous article about the hardship of business owner Omar Mullahkhel, who has operated the Market on Main … [Read more...]