City Cast Salt Lake City Cast

You’ve found it: your special outdoor spot. But if you let people in on the secret, do you run the risk of drawing too much traffic to paradise? And if you don’t share those spaces, what kind of legacy are you enabling? Western Desk founder Madeline McGill joins host Ali Vallarta to examine gatekeeping of our natural lands and who writes the rules for navigating them.
This episode originally aired April 17, 2023.
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Utah’s water forecast is looking pretty damn good as we head into summer. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means take a look at the Great Salt Lake, our reservoirs, and when you should really be watering your lawn. Plus, the Salt Lake City Council considers a handful of tax increases, and Ali and Emily share local shoutouts.
Resources and references:


Utah water forecast appears good headed into summer [Great Salt Lake Collaborative]

Participate in the Great Salt Lake elevation challenge



Weekly lawn watering guide from Utah Division of Water Resources

Utah Water Savers landscape incentive program


Salt Lake City proposed tax increases


Subscribe to the town of Brighton newsletter


We’re doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey — it’s only seven minutes long, and you’ll be doing us a big favor! Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card and City Cast Salt Lake swag.
Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @CityCastSLC.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National headlines proclaim we saved the bees. That’s great news for us in the Beehive State, but we might have saved the wrong one. Bee researcher Jesse Margolies joins host Ali Vallarta to mythbust which bees need saving and share ways Salt Lakers can support local pollinators.  
Resources and references:


Wait, does America suddenly have a record number of bees? [Washington Post]

Utah Pollinator Habitat Program


Gardening for Native Bees in Utah and Beyond [Utah State University]  


iNaturalist App for Bee Conservancy 

Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Utah Auditor John Dougall is picking a fight with the legislature after they made him the state’s new bathroom monitor. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means break down the political implications and bathroom design ideas stemming from this ongoing showdown. Plus, Salt Lakers give their quality of life a C-minus, free bike workshops, and a cheap date idea.
Resources and references:

State Auditor John Dougall’s bathroom video



Why Are We So Obsessed With Bathrooms [City Cast Salt Lake]

Glendale Library drop-in bike workshop


Redwood Drive-in

Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @CityCastSLC.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salt Lake can claim another reality TV star now that season two of TLC’s “MILF Manor” has dropped. Businesswoman and certified hot mom Barby Garcia talks to host Ali Vallarta about busting Utah stereotypes and where she absolutely would not take her costars in SLC.
Resources and references:


Bethenny Frankel’s reality TV union is easier said than done [Vox]


Utahns’ Quiet Obsession With Med Spas [City Cast Salt Lake]

Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S Supreme Court is poised to make a big decision around cities’ policing of homelessness in public spaces. University of Utah parks and recreation professor Jeff Rose joins host Ali Vallarta to break down how this court case could impact access to Salt Lake’s parks and have a chilling effect on our First Amendment rights. 
Resources and references:

Salt Lake City Homeless Services Dashboard



How Salt Lake Criminalizes Homelessness? [City Cast Salt Lake]


Raising Sales Tax, Juicy Texts, and More Sanctioned Camping? [City Cast Salt Lake] 

Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices