It is hard to get an accurate count because things are still so much in flux. However, it is estimated that more than 500 Utah restaurants have closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s close to 10 percent of all restaurants, and many more are just barely hanging on. The closures range from independents like Cannella’s, Mazza, Coachman’s and Fireside on Regent, to Dunkin’ … [Read more...]
Lots of Smoke, A Little Less Fire: More Human Caused Wildfires in Utah Due to COVID-19?
While skies appeared thick with smoke this past summer, and images of flaming landscapes were featured on newscasts, there were not a record number of wildfires last year. When Utah wildfire officials closed the books on the 2020 season that ran from June 1 to November 30, they counted 1,547 total fires that burned 336,364 acres in the state and cost an estimated $60 … [Read more...]
The Corrupted Leader Who Tainted Utah’s Medical Cannabis Program
Kerry Gibson was the former Weber State County Commissioner. Under his stewardship, ranchers that Utah Stories have spoken to have been losing their land and their water due to the overdevelopment of the area. But somehow Kerry Gibson became a darling of state GOP leaders. According to one rancher we spoke with, Gibson used his post to improve conditions for his own family’s … [Read more...]
Will Tesla Drive the Green Energy Revolution?
Green energy It’s become a topic of political contention because everyone especially on the right is fearful of how we are going to pay for it and how it might be a trojan horse to usher in socialism or fascism. WATCH THE VIDEO: LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: The far left believes that if we don’t embrace green energy now, we will destroy our planet due to climate change. … [Read more...]
Utah earthquake: A magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook up northern Utah
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook up northern Utah with its epicenter in Magna. Utah residents have been hearing about the “Big One” for decades. The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) was warning residents to prepare their emergency kits and take their cars out of their garages in fear that the earthquake that struck at approximately 7 AM, Wednesday was just a … [Read more...]
Referendum Organizers Cheer Repeal of Utah Tax Reform Law
Opponents of a tax reform bill that was approved by the Utah Legislature and signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert hoped to repeal the legislation at the polls this November. Instead, they won the fight without a single vote from the public. The governor and legislative leaders threw in the towel after organizers of the Tax Restructuring Revisions Referendum campaign said … [Read more...]
What is the point of printing a magazine?
Letter from the editor What is the point of printing the words on this page? Why should we be killing trees to bring to you a printed magazine? Why should we deforest the environment with diesel trucks, shredding and slaughtering massive forests, grinding them into a pulp to bring you an antiquated product? I thought it was about time we answered this question. We have … [Read more...]
Affordable Housing Crisis: Utah Urbanites find solution in Cohousing Projects such as Wasatch Commons Cohousing
“I drive past the strip malls and big box stores, the parking lots and car dealerships, office buildings and sub-developments, each building a model of cost-efficiency, and I marvel: “After 5,000 years of architectural development, we’ve ended up with this?” We have maximised our production of the measurable—the square feet, the productivity per labour unit—at the expense of … [Read more...]
Homeless Millennials—Weighing In On Big Changes to City Programs
A resource center is not a homeless shelter, and that helps explain their $63 million price tag. Was this a good investment? We will get to that later in the story, but first I would like to know: What do young homeless people think about these new centers? Fairmont Park “Jessica” is a homeless millennial. She says she is “homeless by choice.” “It’s the choices I … [Read more...]
Taxing Your Doctor Visit? Professional service providers oppose taxation plan
In March, Utah legislative leaders put on hold a bill that would have imposed a 3.1 percent sales tax on a wide range of services such as accounting, landscaping, life coaching, construction and plumbing—but opponents are worried the measure could be revived as lawmakers continue working to overhaul the state’s taxing system. Doctors' & Lawyers' Concern Over House Bill … [Read more...]