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Four Utah breweries won medals this weekend at the Great American Beer Festival, the United States' premier beer contest.

Templin Family Brewing won silver for its Munich-style Helles.

Proper Brewing Co.'s Steamy Wonder earned silver in rye beers.

Uinta Brewing's Goldenspike Hefeweizen scored a bronze in American wheat beers.

Silver Reef Brewing in St. George won bronze in German dark lagers for its Black Hill.

The intrigue: All of Utah's winning beers are different from those honored at the World Beer Cup in May.

That means you have lots of winners to choose from.

Utah's medal-winning beers

Templin Family Brewing of Salt Lake City accepts a GABF medal at the awards ceremony on Saturday in Denver. Photo: John Frank/Axios

Axios Local

Four Utah breweries won medals this weekend at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Great American Beer Festival" data-vars-click-url="https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/2023-winners/" data-vars-content-id="07907d22-342f-4717-842f-877e245a005a" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s medal-winning beers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/2023-winners/" target="_blank">Great American Beer Festival</a>, the United States&#x27; premier beer contest.<ul><li>Templin Family Brewing won silver for its Munich-style Helles.</li></ul>

News

Gov. Spencer Cox said on Thursday he supports eliminating unsanctioned camping as state and city officials work to reduce homelessness in Salt Lake City.

What he's saying: "I refuse to let Salt Lake City turn into San Francisco or Portland," Cox told reporters at his monthly news conference, referring to each municipality's homeless crisis.

"We will not allow that to happen in our capital city," he said.

State of play: Cox's statement comes a week after state and Salt Lake City officials announced the downtown location of a temporary shelter community for people experiencing homelessness.

Advocates have long argued for more short-term solutions to address homelessness, such as sanctioned camping.

By the numbers: Between 2020 and 2022, the number of Utahns who became homeless for the first time rose by 27%, according to state figures.

Gov. Cox says he won't let Salt Lake City turn into San Francisco

The GOP governor said he doesn't want Salt Lake City to become San Francisco or Portland.

Gov. Spencer Cox holds news conference at PBS Utah on Sept. 21, 2023 in Salt Lake City. Photo: Francisco Kjolseth/Salt Lake Tribune/pool

Gov. Spencer Cox holds news conference at PBS Utah on Sept. 21 in Salt Lake City. Photo: Francisco Kjolseth/Salt Lake Tribune/pool

Homelessness

Gov. Spencer Cox said on Thursday he supports eliminating unsanctioned camping as state and city officials work to reduce homelessness in Salt Lake City.What he&#x27;s saying: &quot;I refuse to let Salt Lake City turn into San Francisco or Portland,&quot; Cox told reporters at his monthly news conference, referring to each municipality&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="homeless" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2023/08/24/san-francisco-homeless-encampments-sweep-lawsuit" data-vars-content-id="0ab23893-5240-45a9-b9df-fd356863e842" data-vars-headline="Gov. Cox says he won&#x27;t let Salt Lake City turn into San Francisco" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2023/08/24/san-francisco-homeless-encampments-sweep-lawsuit" target="_self">homeless</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="crisis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/05/12/2023-homeless-count-in-multnomah-county" data-vars-content-id="0ab23893-5240-45a9-b9df-fd356863e842" data-vars-headline="Gov. Cox says he won&#x27;t let Salt Lake City turn into San Francisco" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/05/12/2023-homeless-count-in-multnomah-county" target="_self">crisis</a>.

Politics

Fans of the iconic television series "Friends" will soon have the chance to visit the Central Perk coffeehouse and Monica and Rachel's kitchen — without ever leaving Salt Lake City.

What's happening: "The Friends Experience" is coming to The Gateway Oct. 20 through Jan. 28, 2024.

The interactive exhibit first launched in New York City in 2019 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the sitcom, which ran from 1994-2004.

The pop-up has toured in several U.S. cities, including Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago.

The intrigue: Last year, CNN included the exhibit in its "best immersive experiences around the world" list.

Two people attempt to move a couch in a stairwell. 

Details: The Instagram-friendly exhibit will allow visitors to walk through and take selfies in recreated sets from the show, such as Joey and Chandler's apartment and the fountain from its title sequence.

Attendees can also relive scenes, like Ross' laughable attempt to move a couch up the stairs.

Admission: Tickets are $26.50, plus fees.

Interactive "Friends Experience" is coming to The Gateway

Visit Central Perk without ever leaving Salt Lake City.

Two people pose for a photo in a recreated set of Central Perk from the TV show "Friends."

Television

Fans of the iconic television series &quot;Friends&quot; will soon have the chance to visit the Central Perk coffeehouse and Monica and Rachel&#x27;s kitchen — without ever leaving Salt Lake City.What&#x27;s happening: &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Friends Experience" data-vars-click-url="https://www.friendstheexperience.com/saltlakecity/?utm_campaign=website&amp;utm_source=sendgrid.com&amp;utm_medium=email" data-vars-content-id="2c15ef27-4f8f-4f60-a951-411302e8d944" data-vars-headline="Interactive &quot;Friends Experience&quot; is coming to The Gateway" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.friendstheexperience.com/saltlakecity/?utm_campaign=website&amp;utm_source=sendgrid.com&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">The Friends Experience</a>&quot; is coming to The Gateway Oct. 20 through Jan. 28, 2024.

Things to Do

Travelers and sports fans can now pick up a Utah Jazz souvenir at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Details: Travel retailer WH Smith North America — in partnership with the NBA team — announced Wednesday the opening of a new store that sells Jazz-branded jerseys, hoodies, and collectibles.

The Utah Jazz Pro Shop, which opened last Friday, is located in a new section of Concourse A between gates 31 and 33.

Be smart: Store hours are 5am to 11pm, per the airport's website.

New Utah Jazz store opens in Salt Lake City International Airport

The new store sells Jazz-branded jerseys, hoodies and collectibles.

A storefront for Utah Jazz merchandise at the airport.

Photo: Courtesy of WH Smith North America

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Travelers and sports fans can now pick up a Utah Jazz souvenir at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Salt Lake City International Airport" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/06/21/restaurants-bars-salt-lake-airport-2024" data-vars-content-id="2cf1832f-f243-4360-bda4-747821c563ff" data-vars-headline="New Utah Jazz store opens in Salt Lake City International Airport" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/06/21/restaurants-bars-salt-lake-airport-2024" target="_self">Salt Lake City International Airport</a>.Details: Travel retailer WH Smith North America — in partnership with the NBA team — announced Wednesday the opening of a new store that sells Jazz-branded jerseys, hoodies, and collectibles.

Sports

Salt Lake City is gearing up for November when it hosts its first-ever mayoral race using ranked-choice voting (RCV).

The big picture: RCV is becoming increasingly popular as more cities and states adopt or consider carrying out the electoral system.

Why it matters: Proponents say RCV results in more representative candidates, reduces so-called "spoiler" candidates and encourages more women and people of color to run for office.

"It's here to stay, really. We're not going to go backward," City Council member Alejandro Puy, who represents District 2, told Axios Salt Lake City.

Flashback: Puy, who is up for re-election this year, was first elected to the City Council in 2021 through an RCV election.

How it works: RCV, also called instant runoff voting, allows voters to rank their preferred candidates on the ballot.

A candidate is declared the winner if they receive over 50% of first-preference votes.

The last-place finisher is eliminated if no one collects the majority of votes.

If voters' first choice is disqualified,  votes for that candidate will be redistributed to their next choice.

Tallies are calculated until a candidate wins the majority of votes.

State of play: Incumbent Mayor Erin Mendenhall and former Mayor Rocky Anderson, who served two terms between 2000 and 2008, have emerged as the frontrunners in the race.

Community activist Michael Valentine is also a contender.

What they're saying: "Another benefit of ranked-choice voting is that it allows people to express their preferences. They don't have to worry that voting for one candidate might be wasting their vote," Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University School of Law, told Axios.

RCV can also lead to less adversarial campaigning because it forces candidates to compete to become second-choice picks.

While educating the public about RCV can prove challenging and costly, Puy said it doesn't "change the fact that it is the right tool to use."

Olivia Hoge, elections management coordinator for Salt Lake City, told Axios the city is conducting outreach to inform voters about RCV through radio ads, social media, mailers and community events.

What's next: Mail-in ballots will start getting sent out on Halloween (Oct 31).

Your guide to ranked-choice voting

Salt Lake City is gearing up for November when it hosts its first-ever mayoral race using ranked-choice voting, which is becoming increasingly popular as more cities and states adopt or consider carrying out the electoral system.

Salt Lake City is gearing up for November when it hosts its first-ever mayoral race using <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ranked-choice voting" data-vars-click-url="https://www.slc.gov/attorney/recorder/ranked-choice-voting/" data-vars-content-id="5ec64f56-ccee-4acb-abac-ff996f242239" data-vars-headline="Your guide to ranked-choice voting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.slc.gov/attorney/recorder/ranked-choice-voting/" target="_blank">ranked-choice voting</a> (RCV).The big picture: RCV is becoming <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="increasingly popular" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/08/us/politics/ranked-choice-voting.html" data-vars-content-id="5ec64f56-ccee-4acb-abac-ff996f242239" data-vars-headline="Your guide to ranked-choice voting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/08/us/politics/ranked-choice-voting.html" target="_blank">increasingly popular</a> as more cities and states adopt or consider carrying out the electoral system.

Kim Bojórquez

Featured stories

Utah's medal-winning beers

Your guide to ranked-choice voting

Gov. Cox says he won't let Salt Lake City turn into San Francisco

Interactive "Friends Experience" is coming to The Gateway

New Utah Jazz store opens in Salt Lake City International Airport