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Axios Salt Lake City

Utah may welcome back a professional women's soccer team by 2024.

What's happening: The National Women's Soccer League is in the thick of "advanced discussions" to expand teams in Utah, the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.

Catch up quick: The state's former pro women's soccer club, the Utah Royals FC, was sold in 2020. It moved to Kansas City, Kansas, after then-owner Dell Loy Hansen faced allegations of using racist language and sexism.

Between the lines: That deal allowed the new owners to return the team to Utah in 2023. The team's anticipated return to Utah has been described as "an open secret within the NWSL," per ESPN.

Context: For years, Utah leaders and franchise owners have talked about welcoming another professional sports team to the Beehive State.

Last year, Smith Entertainment Group, the parent company of Real Salt Lake, the Utah Jazz and Vivint Arena, announced a deal with Arctos Sports Partners in the hopes of bringing another sports franchise to the state.

Real Salt Lake owners David Blitzer and Ryan Smith have said they intend to bring the Utah Royals back, per Deseret News.

The big picture: The popularity of women's professional soccer has grown significantly in recent years as the NWSL expands.

By the numbers: The Utah owners would pay between $2 million and $5 million for the team as part of an agreement reached years ago, per The Athletic.

What they're saying: "When we have news to share, we will do so," a league spokesperson told Axios. 

A spokesperson for Real Salt Lake declined to comment.

Pro women's soccer team may make a comeback in Utah

The state's former pro women's soccer club, the Utah Royals FC, was sold in 2020.

Illustration of a soccer ball being kicked along an upward trend line.

Soccer

Utah may welcome back a professional women&#x27;s soccer team by 2024.What&#x27;s happening: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The National Women&#x27;s Soccer League" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nwslsoccer.com/" data-vars-content-id="011fdc36-9e24-45dd-9a66-b36509906c1f" data-vars-headline="Pro women&#x27;s soccer team may make a comeback in Utah" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nwslsoccer.com/" target="_blank">The National Women&#x27;s Soccer League</a> is in the thick of &quot;advanced discussions&quot; to expand teams in Utah, the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the Wall Street Journal reported last week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wsj.com/articles/national-womens-soccer-league-san-francisco-boston-utah-11674857126" data-vars-content-id="011fdc36-9e24-45dd-9a66-b36509906c1f" data-vars-headline="Pro women&#x27;s soccer team may make a comeback in Utah" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/national-womens-soccer-league-san-francisco-boston-utah-11674857126" target="_blank">the Wall Street Journal reported last week</a>.

News

Sports

The Utah Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that would require law enforcement officers to conduct an 11-question assessment when responding to domestic violence-related calls.

Why it matters: First responders use lethality assessments to evaluate whether a person faces an increased risk of injury or death by an intimate partner. Questions touch on whether an aggressor has access to a firearm, or incidents of non-fatal strangulation.

Identifying risk factors early could help police intervene and prevent domestic violence homicides.

Details: Many Utah police departments use a lethality assessment on a voluntary basis, but if passed, the legislation would require all law enforcement agencies to comply.

SB 17 also directs the Utah Department of Public Safety to establish a statewide database to store the lethality assessment data for other agencies to access.

The proposed legislation is co-sponsored by state Sen. Todd Weiler (R-Woods Cross) and state Rep. Ryan Wilcox (R-Ogden). 

Weiler said he began crafting the bill last year with Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson after her cousin, 34-year-old Amanda Mayne, was killed by a man she used to date.

What they're saying: "We're going to create a database so when an officer responds to this type of incident, he … or she can know immediately if this aggressor or this victim has been involved in similar circumstances," a tearful Weiler said on the Senate floor Monday.

Of note: The parents of Gabby Petito, who was killed by her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, in 2021 during a cross-country road trip, were present for the bill's Senate passage.

In 2021, police officers responded to a witness's 911 call and found Petito and Laundrie to be "engaged in some sort of altercation," according to CNN.

An independent investigation into Moab police officers' handling of the incident found the officers "made several unintentional mistakes."

The bottom line: The measure would allocate $1.7 million annually to the Utah Department of Public Safety, as well as a one-time sum of $100,000.

What's next: The bill now heads to the House for consideration. 

Utah Senate passes domestic violence threat assessment bill

Illustration of the Utah State Capitol with lines radiating from it.

Safety

The Utah Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that would require law enforcement officers to conduct an 11-question assessment when responding to domestic violence-related calls.Why it matters: First responders use lethality assessments to evaluate whether a person faces an increased risk of injury or death by an intimate partner. Questions touch on whether an aggressor has access to a firearm, or incidents of non-fatal strangulation.

Politics

Utahns can now take the exam to earn a driver's license in a language besides English, per a new law that went into effect last month.

Catch up quick: Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law last year that would allow Utahns with limited English proficiency to take their driver's test in one of the state's five most spoken languages other than English. 

Those are Spanish, Mandarin, Tongan, Portuguese and Vietnamese, as determined by the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs.

The latest: Since Jan. 2, 800 people have utilized the multi-language tests, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson said at a news conference Wednesday. The Spanish and Mandarin tests have been the most requested so far.

Why it matters: The tests could make Utah roads safer by providing greater traffic law awareness to the state's increasingly diverse population, according to the bill's co-sponsor, Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake City). 

The new law comes as the state's Latino and Asian American populations rise. Between 2010 and 2020, Utah's Latino population grew 38%, per the Salt Lake Tribune.

What they're saying: "This is so much more than an exam," said Nubia Peña, the governor's senior adviser on equity and opportunity and director of the Division of Multicultural Affairs. "This is linked to economic pathways to better jobs that are able to give them access to higher-quality living for their families and ... being able to contribute to our state."

Escamilla said taking a driver's license exam can be an intimidating and complicated process for immigrants and refugees, especially those who recently arrived in the U.S.

What we're watching: Escamilla said she's supporting another measure, HB 141, this legislative session that would allow Utahns to bring their own interpreters to take the driver's license exam under certain circumstances. 

Utah's new multi-language driver's tests are in demand

Nearly 800 Utahns have taken the new tests since January.

Illustration of a driver's license in the shape of a text message balloon.

Transportation

Utahns can now take the exam to earn a driver&#x27;s license in a language besides English, per a new law that went into effect last month.Catch up quick: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/03/22/utah-will-now-offer/" data-vars-content-id="7ebf209f-7781-40ef-9718-34f63c128ac5" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s new multi-language driver&#x27;s tests are in demand" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/03/22/utah-will-now-offer/" target="_blank">Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law</a> last year that would allow Utahns with limited English proficiency to take their driver&#x27;s test in one of the state&#x27;s five most spoken languages other than English.

Salt Lakers may be disappointed to discover Beyoncé's "Renaissance" world tour is not stopping in Utah.

What's happening: The singer announced her first stadium tour since 2016 yesterday to promote her seventh studio album.

The shows will run from May through September, with stops in European and American cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina, Seattle, Miami and Kansas City, Missouri.

Zoom out: The nearest concert destinations are Las Vegas, Phoenix and Inglewood, California.

Reality check: Most of the sports venues where Beyoncé is performing can seat over 70,000 people, such as Lumen Field in Seattle and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Utah's Vivint Arena and the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium can hold up to 20,000 and 51,000 people, respectively.

What they're saying: "I'm sad Beyoncé isn't stopping in Salt Lake," Ogden resident and fan Catie Weimer told Axios. "It does sting a bit to see she's hitting up Phoenix over us."

Between the lines: Major artists like Taylor Swift, SZA and Madonna are also skipping over Utah, one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, in their respective tours this year.

Yes, but: A number of other artists, ranging from Omar Apollo to Big Thief and Giveon made stops in Salt Lake City last year.

Muse, Paramore and Sam Smith are slated to perform at Vivint Arena later this year.

Of note: Live Nation and Ticketmaster did not respond to Axios' requests for comment.

Beyoncé's "Renaissance" tour skips Salt Lake City

Major artists like Taylor Swift, SZA and Madonna are also passing over Utah.

Beyoncé singing on stage at the Super Bowl.

Beyoncé performs during the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show. Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images

Music

Salt Lakers may be disappointed to discover Beyoncé&#x27;s &quot;Renaissance&quot; world tour is not stopping in Utah.What&#x27;s happening: The singer <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="announced" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/01/beyonce-renaissance-tour-2023-tour-dates-cities-presale-tickets" data-vars-content-id="8616ca85-6ad3-452a-9f89-32020b5048a1" data-vars-headline="Beyoncé&#x27;s &quot;Renaissance&quot; tour skips Salt Lake City" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/01/beyonce-renaissance-tour-2023-tour-dates-cities-presale-tickets" target="_self">announced</a> her first stadium tour since 2016 yesterday to promote her seventh studio album.

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival wrapped on Sunday, but that doesn't mean your chance to take in the movies is gone.

Here's a list of our top five festival films. Most will be streamable or in theaters later this year.

Of note: We used a 1-5 mountain peak rating system.

Details: Starring Gael García Bernal, this tells the true origin story of Cassandro, a gender-bending and charismatic gay wrestler known as the "Liberace of Lucha Libre." 

The bottom line: This is worth watching for Bernal's performance alone.

Rating: 🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️🏔️

How to watch: "Cassandro" will be released on Amazon Prime Video this year.

A still from "Fair Play." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: The financial thriller centers around a secretly engaged couple, Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich), who work at the same cutthroat hedge fund.

Yes, but: After Emily gets a promotion over Luke, their relationship unravels and underlines the power dynamics and gender roles in a post-#MeToo world.

How to watch: Netflix secured the film's rights in a $20 million deal, per Deadline.

A younger Brooke Shields sitting on a stool with a blank stare.

A still from "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: This two-part documentary spotlights the life and career of model and actor Brooke Shields and the sexualization she experienced as a child star.

How to watch: It will stream on Hulu this year.

A group of teenage mariachi players performing on stage.

A still from "Going Varsity in Mariachi." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: This documentary follows the highs and lows of Edinburg North High School's Mariachi Oro as the students try to win an upcoming state championship.

Of note: A buyer for the film has not been announced.

A still from "Eileen." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Details: This psychological thriller, based on the 2016 book of the same name, centers around a young woman, Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), pursuing a friendship with her new coworker Rebecca St. John (Anne Hathaway) at a youth prison. 

Things take a turn when her friend implicates Eileen in a crime.

Our favorite movies from the Sundance Film Festival

Find out where to watch or stream these Sundance films.

A still from "Cassandro." Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

Movies

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2023 Sundance Film Festival" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/12/07/sundance-film-festival-reveals-2023-lineup" data-vars-content-id="b9c3fbf6-60a7-4f0f-bd36-43ee23a34f34" data-vars-headline="Our favorite movies from the Sundance Film Festival" 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/2022/12/07/sundance-film-festival-reveals-2023-lineup" target="_self">2023 Sundance Film Festival</a> wrapped on Sunday, but that doesn&#x27;t mean your chance to take in the movies is gone.Here&#x27;s a list of our top five festival films. Most will be streamable or in theaters later this year.

Kim Bojórquez

Featured stories

Utah's new multi-language driver's tests are in demand

Beyoncé's "Renaissance" tour skips Salt Lake City

Pro women's soccer team may make a comeback in Utah

Utah Senate passes domestic violence threat assessment bill

Our favorite movies from the Sundance Film Festival