Podcast
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Can Accountability Break the Cycle of Crime?
Crime entered his life before hard drugs did. As a teenager he stole cars, sold marijuana at school and repeatedly encountered law enforcement. By the age of fourteen he was…
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Rethinking Homelessness: What We Often Don’t See
People argue over housing costs, addiction, mental illness, law enforcement, government spending or whether enough is being done to address the problem. Statistics are cited, policies are proposed and opinions…
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Utah’s Housing Debate Misses the Question That Matters Most
A generation ago, homeownership was not reserved for the affluent. Working-class families bought modest homes on modest incomes. They built equity, raised families, and entered retirement with a valuable asset…
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Why Utah Loves Dirty Soda: The Story Behind the State’s Sweetest Craze
Why would a state known for avoiding coffee create one of America’s most successful beverage trends? Why would people willingly add cream and flavored syrups to drinks that already contain…
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What It Was Like at Weber State in the 1980s
When Zeveloff arrived at Weber State in 1984, he entered a state that was far more isolated than the Utah most residents know today. The state was growing, but it…
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Utah Wants Affordable Homes. So Why Did It Kill the Starter Home Bill?
Utah leaders have spent years talking about affordable housing. Governor Spencer Cox has repeatedly emphasized the need for more attainable housing, with a goal of creating tens of thousands of…
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What Was Happening Inside Phillips Plaza Before the Murder in Salt Lake?
Three days before Ralph Hoffman was killed, Utah Stories interviewed Phillips Plaza residents who described security concerns, unauthorized visitors, and questions about how vulnerable tenants were being supervised. After the…
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The Armenian DNA Mystery No One Can Explain
Joulhayan described ancient remains discovered near the Aras River, near Mount Ararat, where researchers reportedly compared ancient genetic samples with modern Armenians and found remarkable continuity stretching back thousands of…
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Why Restaurants Like Mazza Are Disappearing
Across Salt Lake City, luxury restaurants continue to open. High-end dining rooms remain packed. Investors continue buying buildings in formerly quirky neighborhood districts. Chains increasingly move into areas once dominated…
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The Reality of Meth Psychosis on Utah’s Streets
On the streets of downtown Salt Lake City, psychosis has become part of the landscape. People scream at invisible enemies. Some believe they are prophets. Others wander through traffic carrying…
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Did Utah Leaders Already Sell Out Tremonton to Big Tech?
When Kevin O’Leary appeared on Fox Business and casually announced that Utah would soon become home to what could be the largest AI data center project in the world, many…
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From LDS Mission to Heroin Addiction: A Utah Man’s Descent and Recovery
More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in a single year. That number is often repeated, rarely absorbed, and almost never understood in a way that forces real reflection.…
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Cottonwood Heights Corruption Allegations: A Case That Never Reached a Courtroom
A year ago, we here at Utah Stories recorded a podcast episode that we never published. We were revisiting corruption allegations from ten years ago. We decided not to publish…
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Left in a Box as a Baby: Trauma, Alcoholism, and Addiction
A man abandoned as a baby builds a structured life in law enforcement, but unresolved trauma and alcoholism slowly begin to unravel it. His story raises a harder question about…
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Why Most People Stay Stuck in Business and What It Takes to Move Forward
Every so often, you meet an immigrant who came here with almost nothing and managed to build something exceptional. Prakash Shah is the kind of man who has spent enough…
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Dyslexia and ADHD in Kids: Why Some Students Struggle to Read in School
That’s what led to my conversation with Donell Pons, a Utah-based dyslexia expert who has spent more than two decades working with students who struggle to read. What struck me…