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Scoop: A Salt Lake City Council member's fight against stopped trains

Trains are getting longer and longer,  with some extending up to three miles.

News

Environmental groups sue Utah over Great Salt Lake's demise

The groups allege the state has failed to reverse the saline lake's decline.

Salt Lake's new 85°C Bakery Cafe is drawing crowds

Here's what to order at the new Taiwanese bakery with the line out the door.

Here's what counts as super rich in Utah

Tech sector growth here could turn today's top 1% into tomorrow's ho-hum yuppies.

Business

String of storms could bring more snow to the Salt Lake Valley this weekend

Hazy conditions are expected to clear out by Friday.

Climate

A set of storms is expected to bring snowfall along the Wasatch Front and help push out smoggy conditions by the end of the week.What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;There&#x27;s pretty strong potential for some significant snow with these storms,&quot; Sam Webber, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, told Axios.

Illustration of a stop sign with a large snowflake on it with smaller flakes falling around it

Natural History Museum of Utah debuts climate change exhibit

This is the museum's first permanent exhibit in more than a decade.

Things to Do

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Natural History Museum of Utah" data-vars-click-url="https://nhmu.utah.edu/" data-vars-content-id="79d466c7-3263-4cef-a25d-4b28488a9813" data-vars-headline="Natural History Museum of Utah debuts climate change exhibit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://nhmu.utah.edu/" target="_blank">Natural History Museum of Utah</a> unveiled a new exhibit last week aimed at inspiring optimism about fighting climate change.Why it matters: Americans, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="particularly youth" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/17/climate-anxiety-global-warming-scientists-research" data-vars-content-id="79d466c7-3263-4cef-a25d-4b28488a9813" data-vars-headline="Natural History Museum of Utah debuts climate change exhibit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/17/climate-anxiety-global-warming-scientists-research" target="_self">particularly youth</a>, are growing increasingly anxious about climate change and the ways it&#x27;s impacting the planet&#x27;s habitability.

Utah's wet year could mean good fall leaves

The wet year could bring a prolonged color season.

Utahns could reap another benefit from the unusually wet year:<ul><li>A long fall season of color display!</li></ul>

Yes, it's safe to swim in the Great Salt Lake

Here's where to go, what to expect, and why the water is safe even though the soil around it may not be.

Amid warnings of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="toxic soil" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/08/22/great-salt-lake-dust-west-side-city-utah-tooele" data-vars-content-id="c97abca6-cb20-40c5-9ebc-648f22ca0f6e" data-vars-headline="Yes, it&#x27;s safe to swim in the Great Salt Lake" 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/2023/08/22/great-salt-lake-dust-west-side-city-utah-tooele" target="_self">toxic soil</a> in the bed of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shrinking Great Salt Lake" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/01/09/great-salt-lake-could-disappear-2027" data-vars-content-id="c97abca6-cb20-40c5-9ebc-648f22ca0f6e" data-vars-headline="Yes, it&#x27;s safe to swim in the Great Salt Lake" 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/2023/01/09/great-salt-lake-could-disappear-2027" target="_self">shrinking Great Salt Lake</a>, swimmers have long wondered: Is the water itself safe?<ul><li>Environmental scientists say yes.</li></ul>

"We're not going to be silent": How Great Salt Lake dust could impact west siders

Historically red-lined communities west of Salt Lake Valley  have long experienced poor air quality.

Dust from the Great Salt Lake&#x27;s exposed lakebed would distinctly impact residents on the west side of Salt Lake City and in Tooele County, per a recent <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="NASA DEVELOP technical report" data-vars-click-url="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230006485" data-vars-content-id="b8d3195b-b960-42c5-9a0d-957dc7d4eb4f" data-vars-headline="&quot;We&#x27;re not going to be silent&quot;: How Great Salt Lake dust could impact west siders" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230006485" target="_blank">NASA DEVELOP technical report</a>.Driving the news: After years of drought and excessive water use, experts say the Great Salt Lake &quot;as we know it&quot; is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="projected to disappear" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/01/09/great-salt-lake-could-disappear-2027" data-vars-content-id="b8d3195b-b960-42c5-9a0d-957dc7d4eb4f" data-vars-headline="&quot;We&#x27;re not going to be silent&quot;: How Great Salt Lake dust could impact west siders" 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/2023/01/09/great-salt-lake-could-disappear-2027" target="_self">projected to disappear</a> by 2027, unless there&#x27;s a surge in water flow, according to a separate report released in January.

A U.S. flag stands in the sand on the dry shore of the Great Salt Lake. 

Humans are starting more of Utah's wildfires after years of mostly-natural causes

Lightning still plays a big role here, but the pandemic turned it into more of a people problem.

An unusually low percentage of Utah&#x27;s wildfires in the past 30 years was caused by humans, according to a three-decade <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="national tally" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/catalog/RDS-2013-0009.6" data-vars-content-id="9d77b60e-3fd4-4ac0-98e8-6de9bd934c88" data-vars-headline="Humans are starting more of Utah&#x27;s wildfires after years of mostly-natural causes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/catalog/RDS-2013-0009.6" target="_blank">national tally</a>.<ul><li>Yes, but: That&#x27;s probably a credit to our vast swaths of uninhabited lands more than our superior fire safety.</li></ul>

Salt Lake City saw record-breaking temperatures in July

Extreme heat can take a toll on our bodies and cognitive function.

Salt Lake City had one of its hottest Julys on record, per the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Weather Service" data-vars-click-url="https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=slc" data-vars-content-id="47257f12-3b54-4f61-9f8f-f6b8442d0c63" data-vars-headline="Salt Lake City saw record-breaking temperatures in July" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=slc" target="_blank">National Weather Service</a>.By the numbers: The average temperature for the month was 85.3°F. It tied July 2017 for the third-hottest July in SLC on record.

Big thunder boom rocks Salt Lake City

We reached out to the National Weather Service to learn what caused the wild thunder clap.

Thursday morning, I was jolted awake by a loud boom.State of play: I knew it was lightning, but the thunderclap lasted several seconds and its intensity was unlike anything I&#x27;d previously experienced.

Lightning hits a mountain range behind red rock formations

Salt Lake City to get $1 million to improve air quality

West side neighborhoods have long encountered poor air quality due to nearby freeways, refineries and other pollutants.

Salt Lake City is set to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="receive $1 million" data-vars-click-url="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-1-million-innovative-climate-pollution-projects-salt-lake-city-area#:~:text=SALT%20LAKE%20CITY%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20the,pollution%20and%20build%20clean%20energy" data-vars-content-id="9bad27b0-3e71-44d5-b265-4fc72e2a63d4" data-vars-headline="Salt Lake City to get $1 million to improve air quality" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-1-million-innovative-climate-pollution-projects-salt-lake-city-area#:~:text=SALT%20LAKE%20CITY%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20the,pollution%20and%20build%20clean%20energy" target="_blank">receive $1 million</a> from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant in an effort to improve air quality in Utah&#x27;s capital city.How it works: The funding, which is pending City Council approval, would allow the city to develop a plan to reduce carbon emissions and air pollution and enhance public health, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said at a news conference at the nonprofit NeighborWorks on Tuesday.

Illustration of the Salt Lake City & County Building with lines radiating from it.

Salt Lake's bad mosquito year could be a one-off

It's a wet and buggy year for Utah — but in the long run, Salt Lake may become too hot for mosquitoes to handle.

Utah&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="record-breaking winter" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/04/05/utah-breaks-winter-snowpack-record" data-vars-content-id="f33818b9-d417-4282-9c40-1e5bed44ab72" data-vars-headline="Salt Lake&#x27;s bad mosquito year could be a one-off" 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/2023/04/05/utah-breaks-winter-snowpack-record" target="_self">record-breaking winter</a> may have worsened Salt Lake&#x27;s mosquito scourge this summer — but in the long run, temperatures here are becoming less accommodating to nature&#x27;s deadliest pests.What&#x27;s happening: The number of &quot;mosquito days&quot; — those with the hot and humid weather the flying insects crave — has trended downward in Salt Lake City over the past several decades, per a new analysis, Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.

A chart shows days with mosquito-favorable temperatures declining.

George Santos introduces expulsion resolution in potential final act in Congress

The House is slated to vote to expel Santos on Friday.

Politics & Policy

Ahead of a vote that could make him the first House lawmaker to be expelled in more than 20 years, Rep. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="George Santos" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/28/george-santos-expulsion-vote-republicans-majority" data-vars-content-id="c7450d99-da7b-4552-a983-4be840a7ed9c" data-vars-headline="George Santos introduces expulsion resolution in potential final act in Congress" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/28/george-santos-expulsion-vote-republicans-majority" target="_self">George Santos</a> (R-N.Y.) is introducing an expulsion resolution on Thursday targeting a House lawmaker from his own state. Why it matters: Santos — who faces an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="uphill battle in a vote" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/28/republicans-george-santos-resign-expulsion" data-vars-content-id="c7450d99-da7b-4552-a983-4be840a7ed9c" data-vars-headline="George Santos introduces expulsion resolution in potential final act in Congress" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/28/republicans-george-santos-resign-expulsion" target="_self">uphill battle in a vote</a> to remove him from office following a scathing House Ethics report — is seeking an expulsion vote on Rep. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jamaal Bowman" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/22/house-ethics-jamaal-bowman-fire-alarm" data-vars-content-id="c7450d99-da7b-4552-a983-4be840a7ed9c" data-vars-headline="George Santos introduces expulsion resolution in potential final act in Congress" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/22/house-ethics-jamaal-bowman-fire-alarm" target="_self">Jamaal Bowman</a> (D-N.Y.), who pulled a fire alarm in one of the House office buildings.

George Santos expulsion spurs rare bipartisanship among House lawmakers

Rep. Robert Garcia encouraged fellow Democrats to support Republicans' expulsion measure.

House Democrats and Republicans finally have something they agree on: booting Rep. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="George Santos" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/30/george-santos-jamaal-bowman-expulsion-resolution" data-vars-content-id="4eec0a24-5338-46c4-8b6e-5526cda73c0f" data-vars-headline="George Santos expulsion spurs rare bipartisanship among House lawmakers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/30/george-santos-jamaal-bowman-expulsion-resolution" target="_self">George Santos</a> (R-N.Y.) from Congress.Driving the news: In an email sent to Democratic congressional offices on Thursday, Rep. Robert Garcia&#x27;s (D-Calif.) office advocated for Republicans&#x27; resolution to expel the embattled Long Islander.

GOP speculation mounts that McCarthy will exit Congress early

Multiple GOP lawmakers expect former House Speaker <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Kevin McCarthy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/12/mccarthy-gop-elections-2024" data-vars-content-id="dbdacc28-b2ed-40c2-a4cb-3bf4792a4d9b" data-vars-headline="GOP speculation mounts that McCarthy will exit Congress early" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/12/mccarthy-gop-elections-2024" target="_self">Kevin McCarthy</a> (R-Calif.) to step down from his seat before the end of the year, Axios has learned.Why it matters: The potential exit of McCarthy — who privately told donors he is looking to &quot;get the hell out,&quot; according to a source familiar with the conversation — could leave the House GOP with an even narrower majority.

Trump unleashes grievances, warnings in wild 24 hours on Truth Social

Trump warned that his indictments have opened up a "very big and dangerous Pandora's Box."

Former President Trump has spent the last 24 hours on Truth Social unleashing a torrent of grievances, vengeful promises and links to online conspiracy theories about his political rivals.Why it matters: Trump&#x27;s online rhetoric has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="frequently dipped into violent extremism" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/04/trumps-words-turn-violent-pressure-builds" data-vars-content-id="4ce9173c-4439-425e-8986-ec54c92037e6" data-vars-headline="Trump unleashes grievances, warnings in wild 24 hours on Truth Social" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/04/trumps-words-turn-violent-pressure-builds" target="_self">frequently dipped into violent extremism</a> since he left office, escalating as his legal troubles have mounted. Public fatigue and the pro-Trump echo chamber created by Truth Social have at times softened the shock value of the GOP front-runner&#x27;s daily musings.

Rep. George Santos expelled from Congress in historic vote

Santos is the first Republican to be expelled from the House.

The House on Friday voted to expel Rep. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="George Santos" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/19/george-santos-republican-congress-biography" data-vars-content-id="235bb126-9767-4b36-a5c3-4560ae03474e" data-vars-headline="Rep. George Santos expelled from Congress in historic vote" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/19/george-santos-republican-congress-biography" target="_self">George Santos</a> (R-N.Y.) over his many fabrications on the 2022 campaign trail and his two federal indictments.Why it matters: The vote makes Santos just the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sixth lawmaker" data-vars-click-url="https://history.house.gov/Institution/Discipline/Expulsion-Censure-Reprimand/" data-vars-content-id="235bb126-9767-4b36-a5c3-4560ae03474e" data-vars-headline="Rep. George Santos expelled from Congress in historic vote" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://history.house.gov/Institution/Discipline/Expulsion-Censure-Reprimand/" target="_blank">sixth lawmaker</a> – and first Republican – to be expelled from the House in U.S. history.

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