The Salt Lake Tribune

One dead, one in custody after shooting at Liberty Park

Spencer Burt — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 23:29:40 +0000

A victim is dead and a suspect is in police custody after a shooting in a Salt Lake City park Sunday afternoon.

Crews focus on protecting people, property as ‘catastrophic’ Widemouth 2 Fire grows

Staff and Fox13 reports — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:33:42 +0000

The Widemouth 2 Fire burning near Kanosh in Millard County has become so dangerous that firefighters are now focused only on protecting people and property, and not battling its progress.

How Salt Lake City wants to protect one of its strangest pockets from development

Tony Semerad — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

It's out of the way, unfathomably strange, and, if you ask Salt Lake City, worth protecting for the long haul.

Voices: Don’t give up on those struggling with addiction. We’re fighting a battle many could never understand.

Christian Pelletier | For The Salt Lake Tribune — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:05:00 +0000

“Every week, I see fear. I see shame. I see people convinced they’ve gone too far,” recovery advocate Christian Pelletier writes. “And then I see something incredible — I see people begin to believe in themselves again.”

PHOTOS: What’s small, fluffy and gray all over (for now)? The Tracy Aviary’s newest flamingo chicks.

Sydney Jezik — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

The just-hatched babies join a long line of flamingo arrivals at the Liberty Park aviary, one of only two stand-alone aviaries in the country.

Gordon Monson: New BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga aims not just to replace Jay Hill, but to surpass him

Gordon Monson — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:44:09 +0000

Kelly Poppinga clearly remembers the day in December when his boss, ballyhooed BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, vacated that position in Provo to join Kyle Whittingham’s staff at Michigan. And he remembers with even more exactness the day shortly thereafter, the one at the start of January when his bigger boss, Kalani Sitake, informed him that he, Poppinga, was the man now called upon to not only replace the departed DC, but to replicate his success, his acclaim.

Letter: Blanche is demonstrably unqualified to be attorney general. And only two GOP senators agree?

Ira Rubinfeld | The Public Forum — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:01:00 +0000

In 1973, at the height of the Watergate scandal, Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox demanded that President Nixon turn over the now infamous “Watergate tapes.” President Nixon ordered then Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. Richardson refused, and was promptly fired, as were several others in what came to be known as the “Saturday night massacre.”

Letter: We have spent billions to become more water efficient in Utah and the Great Salt Lake is dying. There is a better way.

Deborah Van Noy | The Public Forum — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

Letter: We have spent billions to become more water efficient in Utah and the Great Salt Lake is dying. There is a better way.

Letter: Toward a more perfect union: What are the goals and responsibilities of government and how are those best met?

Ellen Brady | The Public Forum — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

A recent Voices piece framed the Declaration of Independence as a covenant binding “one people” into community rather than a promise of individual rights. These competing concepts of community vs individualism speak to current debates around capitalism, communism, socialism and democratic socialism, with each option framed as an all or none proposition, good vs evil. Rather the question should be: “What are the goals and responsibilities of government and how are those best met?”

Which Latter-day Saints across the globe are the most devout? Survey offers clues.

Peggy Fletcher Stack — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

As American-born Mormonism sprouts in more and more countries across the globe, the societies where it grows play a crucial role in how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the region follow the faith’s practices.

In this booming SLC neighborhood, a key property owner wants to move a historic home — brick by brick

Tony Semerad — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

If Trolley Square gets its way, an old home along 700 East would be carefully taken apart, moved brick by brick and reassembled nearby on the same block — a final step toward clearing room for another major housing development next to the iconic shopping mall.

This book from a Utah publishing house won the American Book Award

Palak Jayswal — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

An anthology of Indigenous voices, published by Utah publishing house Torrey House Press, has won a 2026 American Book Award.

‘What do I grab?’: Here’s what these Utahns quickly packed as fires, floods forced them to flee — and what they wish they took

Julie Jag, Samantha Moilanen — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Elberta • Residents of the historic silver-mining town of Eureka had little more than 20 minutes of warning before they were ordered to evacuate because of the encroaching Iron Fire in June.

At least 3 dead and 2 injured in shooting at In-N-Out Burger in Idaho

Alena Cerro and Mack Liederman | The New York Times — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 03:37:34 +0000

At least three people were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Saturday, the authorities said.

Salt Lake City’s ‘iconic’ 9th and 9th whale will get a makeover. See it here.

Samantha Moilanen — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 01:24:09 +0000

Jocelyn Todd and Megan Culp arrived at the unveiling of the new look for the humpback whale bursting out of the 9th and 9th roundabout with a little hesitation.

New SLC liquor store could be a ‘blessing’ or a ‘death sentence,’ members of nearby sober club say

Kolbie Peterson — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

When asked how they feel about a state-run liquor store being built behind their clean and sober clubhouse in Sugar House, Fellowship Hall regulars have mixed opinions.

Canyon Road Fire tears through Logan neighborhood overnight, forcing evacuations

Jeff Tavss | Fox 13 News — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:26:30 +0000

A large fire burned through a Logan neighborhood south of Utah State University overnight, forcing evacuations and leading to shelters being opened in the overnight hours.

Officials pinpoint cause of four-alarm fire that displaced hundreds at Midvale apartment complex

Samantha Moilanen — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 21:08:31 +0000

A fire that tore through a Midvale apartment complex Friday, forcing hundreds of residents from their homes, was likely caused by a mechanical issue, officials said.

Voices: A bill in Congress could hurt — or strengthen — the backbone of Utah’s economy

Ben Hart | For The Salt Lake Tribune — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:05:00 +0000

Utah Inland Port Authority director Ben Hart: “As Utah continues to grow, preserving an efficient, multimodal freight network isn’t just good transportation policy — it’s an economic necessity."

Here’s why there’s a pyramid in SLC — and why it’s filled with mummified pets

Jordan Miller — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

Tucked away in Salt Lake City’s Poplar Grove neighborhood is a glittering pyramid, where the sounds of bubbling water features and the occasional peacock call accompany the aroma of fresh-grown lavender.

Detroit meets Chicago at this Utah pizza place

Kolbie Peterson — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter. To get the full newsletter every Wednesday, subscribe at sltrib.com/utah-eats.

A Salt Lake City police officer changed how the world drives. The search is on for his invention.

Jose Davila IV — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

Lester Wire was tired of standing in the rain and dodging dangerous, newfangled machines hurtling by him.

Utah food pantry closes, leaving hundreds ‘heartbroken’ and hungry

Mark Eddington — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

St. George • After serving as a lifeline for low-income families in southwestern Utah, the Salvation Army has closed its center in Washington City and shut down its food pantry while its leaders search for a new home.

Letter: If the SAVE Act is needed for voting, it’s needed for firearms as well

Mario Quintero | The Public Forum — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:01:00 +0000

The SAVE Act is intended to address a faux crisis of voter fraud. There is however, a very real crisis of American purchased firearms making their way into the hands of the cartels in Mexico. In light of this, surely Republicans can get behind the SAVE Guns Act:

Letter: School grounds are public property. Utah taxpayers — and their dogs — shouldn’t be denied access.

Charles Ouderkirk | The Public Forum — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

Letter: School property is public property, not private property. I do not believe schools should be chaining gates or prohibiting responsible residents from walking leashed dogs after hours.

Tribune editorial: How to teach our children to love to read

The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:05:00 +0000

“Read to your children. Encourage them to read to themselves, and each other,” The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board writes. “Perhaps most important, let your children see you reading. Not because you have to, but because you want to.”

Letter: Fauci made the right decision

Aharon D. Shulimson | The Public Forum — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

In my psychology practice I sometimes suggest to a patient that they are in a situation where they have two choices: do nothing, or do something that makes it worse. Dr. Anthony Fauci knew what was coming in his Senate hearing and made the correct choice.

Opinion: What we really learned from the Fauci hearing

Rachael Bedard | For The New York Times — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

Senate hearings are always theatrical. Even still, Wednesday morning’s Senate committee hearing to interrogate Dr. Anthony Fauci on, among other things, the origins of Covid-19 was a shocking performance: Dr. Fauci barely spoke, while everyone else spent some three hours projecting their emotions onto him.

Is this the year BYU breaks into the College Football Playoff? Here are the big storylines entering fall camp.

Jason Batacao — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

Will this finally be the year that the Cougars make the College Football Playoff? Maybe. But let’s start with fall camp first. Here are the three biggest questions facing BYU before the season starts.

Opinion: Why do we tolerate Elon Musk’s racist commentary?

Jamelle Bouie | The New York Times — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:01 +0000

“The Turner Diaries” is a work of white supremacist agitprop. It purports to be the diary of a neo-Nazi militant, Earl Turner, who is working to overthrow the United States government — or as the book calls it, “the System” — through a group called “the Organization.” Turner castigates “the System” for promoting integration, encouraging nonwhite immigration and placing Jewish people, Black Americans and other minorities in positions of authority over whites.

Utahn finds a higher calling in the world’s tallest mountains

Mark Eddington — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

When Sky Chaney first trekked into Nepal’s high Himalayas as a tourist 17 years ago, he expected stunning mountain vistas, not a second calling.