3+ mon, 1+ week ago (427+ words) FILE" A huge 30-by-60 foot U.S. flag is displayed on the west side of the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel to welcome members of the North American Vexillological Association to Salt Lake City for its 47th annual meeting Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. (Matt Gade/Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " Salt Lake Plaza Hotel will close on Nov. 1, then be demolished." The structure at 122 W South Temple in downtown Salt Lake City, was built in 1973. According to its website, it has 150 guest rooms, an on-site gym and a pool, among other amenities. It also boasts views of Temple Square, surrounding downtown and the Wasatch mountains." A press release from Property Reserve, the company that owns the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, cited rising maintenance costs and aging infrastructure as reasons for the decision." Demolition will remove the main building and attached parking garage. Property Reserve said the…...

5+ mon, 3+ week ago (583+ words) Jun 3, 2025, 3:02 PM FILE - Two electronic scooters sit parked on Main Street and 200 South in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News) (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " Salt Lake City is looking at increasing rider fees for electric scooters. Officials say they'll use the money to create more parking spots and better manage their presence in the city. In the last year, over 800,000 people have ridden the city's electric scooters close to 1 million miles. During a city budget presentation meeting last week, Tammy Hunsaker, director of the city's community and neighborhoods department, asked for rider fees to increase from 10 cents a trip to 20 cents. She also asked for electric scooter providers to be charged $15 instead of $10. This would bring in enough revenue for the city to hire a part-time employee who can communicate with…...

6+ mon, 2+ week ago (583+ words) The Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement District is giving out batches of mosquitofish for free to help residents fight off mosquitoes. May 12, 2025, 3:00 PM FILE - Mosquitoes and mosquito larva at left and mosquitofish at right. The Utah County Mosquito Abatement Department uses mosquitofish as one way to keep the mosquito population down. (Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District is giving out free batches of mosquitofish to help residents fight mosquitoes this summer. Abatement Assistant Director Greg White said they are giving these fish to any residents with standing water on their property. White said these fish are only for contained water, not natural water bodies, because they are not native to the West. The mosquitofish is the size of a minnow, but White said one of these little fish can eat 100 mosquito larvae per day. "Other…...

6+ mon, 4+ week ago (560+ words) Utah's snowpack is melting off a lot faster than normal. Forecasters say it could have a big impact on our water supply and the possibility of drought." May 2, 2025, 2:00 PM Snow blankets Big Cottonwood Canyon on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " Utah's snowpack is melting off a lot faster than normal. Forecasters say it could have a big impact on our water supply and the possibility of drought." Right now, we have about 37% less water in the snowpack than we normally do in the first week of May. National Weather Service Hydrometeorologist Nanette Hosenfeld said the warm, dry April we had is a big reason why." "We look to April to still hold on to some of that snowpack. When we start melting early, it really impacts the amount of water that flows into the reservoirs." Hosenfeld…...

7+ mon, 1+ day ago (547+ words) Smith Entertainment Group hopes to buy part of the Salt Palace Convention Center to build a downtown entertainment district. Apr 28, 2025, 6:05 PM The Salt Palace Convention Center is seen from the Delta Center plaza Tuesday. (Carter Williams/KSL.com) SALT LAKE CITY'The Smith Entertainment Group hopes to buy part of the Salt Palace Convention Center's property, with the goal of" building its downtown district. Salt Lake County Council members will consider the proposal on Tuesday. The area under consideration is just east of the Delta Center. It currently houses a large exhibit hall, a smaller hall and a parking garage. All told, it includes about 6.5 acres or 20% of the capacity of the convention center. The sale would include the land beneath those parcels. SEG is eyeing the space as it builds its sports, entertainment, culture and convention district, connecting the Delta…...

5+ mon, 4+ week ago (478+ words) Jun 1, 2025, 11:35 AM FILE: People walk through the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News) (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " The University of Utah was selected to receive $2 million in grants to revitalize local lands, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday. The Brownfields Grants are awarded nationally by the EPA, focusing on protecting the environment and public health, the EPA said in a release. The EPA recognized the university's work identifying "harmful contamination on the property" of the SLC Station Center, "such as arsenic and volatile organic compounds." Now, the university plans to focus on cleaning the soil and contaminated groundwater. "The Brownfields program is about turning opportunity into action, and the University of Utah has done exactly that," Cyrus Western, region 8 administrator, said in a release. "This funding is a…...

6+ mon, 3+ week ago (858+ words) West Valley police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the resolution of a 2022 cold case. May 4, 2025, 7:00 PM SALT LAKE CITY " Sunday, the West Valley City Police Department announced it is offering a $10,000 reward for information on a 2022 cold case homicide. On May 5, it will be the third anniversary of 45-year-old Pete Ulibarri's killing, and police are offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case, a release said. On May 5, 2022, a drive-by shooting occurred "just before midnight in front of a home in the 3500 block of 6400 West in West Valley City," police said in a release. Police said witnesses reported a vehicle drove passed the home and made a U-turn before firing several shots. During the shooting, Ulibarri was in a vehicle in the driveway and was killed. A 46-year-old was reportedly…...

6+ mon, 3+ week ago (564+ words) Saving the Great Salt Lake isn't something that can be done overnight, and definitely not without some tough choices. The Great Salt Lake is pictured by the north end of Stansbury Island in Tooele County on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " Restoring Great Salt Lake to healthy levels could take decades. And even then, it'll require everyone in the region, from homeowners to farmers, to use less water. Specifically, it would take a 50% cut in water use across the region, according to'Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed. However, Steed said a 50% cut just isn't realistic. Instead, Utah is aiming for gradual reductions over 30 years, focusing on smarter farming and conservation. "(If) you have a lawn, you would water it half of what you water it right now. That means you have a lot of lawn die,…...

6+ mon, 2+ week ago (496+ words) The Salt Lake City Public Library will reopen its rooftop terrace on Saturday, two years after it closed for renovation. May 15, 2025, 7:00 AM A green roof, which can help mitigate heat islands, is pictured on the Salt Lake City Public Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " The Salt Lake City Public Library rooftop is set to reopen to the public. It's been closed for repairs for nearly two years." Multiple leaks closed the Salt Lake City Public Library roof in 2023. Director of Marketing and Communications Quinn McQueen said they reached out to the community for help designing the replacement." "We got almost two thousand points of community feedback," McQueen explained. "That is ultimately what drove the design and then the renovation project." Similar to the old one, the renovated roof includes tables…...

6+ mon, 2+ week ago (891+ words) While, on average, Utah rent rates are lower than they were last year, they still add up to be beyond what the average full-time earner makes. May 16, 2025, 1:34 PM A "for rent" sign at a property in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. New numbers suggest that full-time minimum-wage workers would have to work nearly four times as many hours every week to be able to afford the average rent in Utah.(Scott G Winterton, Deseret News) (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News) SALT LAKE CITY " New numbers suggest that full-time minimum-wage workers would have to work nearly four times as many hours every week to be able to afford the average Utah rent. According to Redfin's most recent calculation'using Utah's median rent, those who make minimum wage would have to work 156 hours a week to pay their rent. Redfin considers state-level…...