Salt Lake City

blue

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Salt Lake City with Kim Bojórquez and Erin Alberty.

Axios Salt Lake City

Standard

Salt Lake City Alerts

Alert

Get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in Salt Lake City

Axios Salt Lake City Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Axios Salt Lake City Partners

Salt Lake City Members

Membership

Group founded by Tim Ballard gets big contract for immigration work

Ballard resigned amid misconduct allegations. Its new CEO is an ex-ICE agent.

News

The Trump administration has awarded more than $244 million in a no-bid legal services contract to Our Rescue — formerly<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" Operation Underground Railroad" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/09/20/tim-ballard-sound-of-freedom-mormon-senate" data-vars-content-id="4d2aabc6-b876-4676-827c-3ec6f98d3a62" data-vars-headline="Group founded by Tim Ballard gets big contract for immigration work" 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/2023/09/20/tim-ballard-sound-of-freedom-mormon-senate" target="_self"> Operation Underground Railroad</a>, the nonprofit whose founder, Utah celebrity activist Tim Ballard, resigned <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="amid sexual misconduct allegations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/09/28/tim-ballard-sexual-misconduct-trafficking-our-sound-freedom" data-vars-content-id="4d2aabc6-b876-4676-827c-3ec6f98d3a62" data-vars-headline="Group founded by Tim Ballard gets big contract for immigration work" 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/2023/09/28/tim-ballard-sexual-misconduct-trafficking-our-sound-freedom" target="_self">amid sexual misconduct allegations</a>.Why it matters: The contract appoints Our Rescue to represent vulnerable migrant children under a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="federal law" data-vars-click-url="https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-bill/7311/text" data-vars-content-id="4d2aabc6-b876-4676-827c-3ec6f98d3a62" data-vars-headline="Group founded by Tim Ballard gets big contract for immigration work" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-bill/7311/text" target="_blank">federal law</a> requiring legal counsel for unaccompanied minors who came to the U.S. without a parent.

Utah's wildfire season reaches historic extremes

As of Wednesday, 838 fires had burned more than half a million acres in Utah in 2026.

Utah&#x27;s wildfires are scorching woodlands and forest at an unprecedented pace, according to a new University of Utah <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/utahs-historic-fire-season-of-2026/" data-vars-content-id="7e7e0634-69c8-4bbd-8ce6-0fc3ee189d05" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s wildfire season reaches historic extremes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/utahs-historic-fire-season-of-2026/" target="_blank">analysis</a>.Why it matters: We&#x27;re only halfway through the state&#x27;s wildfire season, leaving time for more potential blazes exacerbated by Utah&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="poor snowpack" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/02/11/storm-brings-hope-utah-snowpack" data-vars-content-id="7e7e0634-69c8-4bbd-8ce6-0fc3ee189d05" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s wildfire season reaches historic extremes" 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/2026/02/11/storm-brings-hope-utah-snowpack" target="_self">poor snowpack</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="blistering temperatures" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/07/29/salt-lake-city-heatwave-weather-temperature-weekend" data-vars-content-id="7e7e0634-69c8-4bbd-8ce6-0fc3ee189d05" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s wildfire season reaches historic extremes" 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/2026/07/29/salt-lake-city-heatwave-weather-temperature-weekend" target="_self">blistering temperatures</a>.

Salt Lake City's unemployment rate dipped to 3.6% in June

Utah's capital added 22,900 jobs since last June, according to new federal data.

Salt Lake City&#x27;s unemployment rate declined to a seasonally adjusted 3.6% in June, matching national trends, new federal data shows.Why it matters: Half of the cities and metro areas tracked in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="jobs report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.nr0.htm" data-vars-content-id="c9543578-8bd6-4571-9b9a-917f230fcce7" data-vars-headline="Salt Lake City&#x27;s unemployment rate dipped to 3.6% in June" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.nr0.htm" target="_blank">jobs report</a> posted higher unemployment rates, but Salt Lake City&#x27;s low figure suggests its labor market remains solid.

Utah might miss the "biggest stargazing night of 2026"

The weather isn't looking good for stargazers.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Perseid meteor shower" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/07/30/meteor-showers-utah-perseids-alpha-capricornids-delta-aquariids" data-vars-content-id="6ad007b0-e1a6-472a-b427-859e372dc0ff" data-vars-headline="Utah might miss the &quot;biggest stargazing night of 2026&quot;" 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/2025/07/30/meteor-showers-utah-perseids-alpha-capricornids-delta-aquariids" target="_self">Perseid meteor shower</a> will peak this week in perfect moonlight conditions — but the show might be clouded out in Utah.The big picture: Outside magazine is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="calling" data-vars-click-url="https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/advice/perseid-meteor-shower-2026-how-to-watch/" data-vars-content-id="6ad007b0-e1a6-472a-b427-859e372dc0ff" data-vars-headline="Utah might miss the &quot;biggest stargazing night of 2026&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/advice/perseid-meteor-shower-2026-how-to-watch/" target="_blank">calling</a> Wednesday &quot;The Year&#x27;s Greatest Stargazing Day,&quot; thanks to the meteors&#x27; optimal timing with the darkness of a new Moon.

Yes, there still are rules on the lands removed from Utah's national monuments

Many sites are still protected — but the Trump administration is looking at changing those rules.

Environment

When President Trump <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="decimated" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/07/13/trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments-utah" data-vars-content-id="d80645ac-1120-4147-895b-04c47fddf4ee" data-vars-headline="Yes, there still are rules on the lands removed from Utah&#x27;s national monuments" 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/2026/07/13/trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments-utah" target="_self">decimated</a> Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, he left behind a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="patchwork" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/07/15/map-trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments" data-vars-content-id="d80645ac-1120-4147-895b-04c47fddf4ee" data-vars-headline="Yes, there still are rules on the lands removed from Utah&#x27;s national monuments" 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/2026/07/15/map-trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments" target="_self">patchwork</a> of protected designations whose rules for recreation vary — and aren&#x27;t always well-known. Why it matters: Some critics and supporters of Trump&#x27;s cuts have inaccurately characterized the removed lands as a free-for-all, where four-wheelers may roam at will and mine shafts will soon pock the landscape.

Report: Trump admin knew monuments allowed recreation

Trump said "You can virtually not even walk on it." Utah leaders had told him that wasn't true, per the New York Times.

The New York Times reports that the Trump administration received briefings this summer from Utah officials who explained that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bears Ears National Monument" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/09/28/tribes-urge-biden-restore-bears-ears-monument" data-vars-content-id="789fdb0e-02f4-4ce4-ac41-d4c1e12de47c" data-vars-headline="Report: Trump admin knew monuments allowed recreation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/09/28/tribes-urge-biden-restore-bears-ears-monument" target="_self">Bears Ears National Monument</a> allowed recreational access.Why it matters: When <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump drastically reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/07/13/trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments-utah" data-vars-content-id="789fdb0e-02f4-4ce4-ac41-d4c1e12de47c" data-vars-headline="Report: Trump admin knew monuments allowed recreation" 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/2026/07/13/trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments-utah" target="_self">Trump drastically reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante</a>, he said it was to protect recreation that he inaccurately claimed was banned within their boundaries.

Utah's suicide risks spike with hot, smoggy days, study finds

When heat waves combine with bad air, suicide risk went up nearly 50%.

Recurring <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="triple-digit temps" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/07/29/salt-lake-city-heatwave-weather-temperature-weekend" data-vars-content-id="c860effd-deff-4bc9-95ae-c20e3f71e2d5" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s suicide risks spike with hot, smoggy days, study finds" 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/2026/07/29/salt-lake-city-heatwave-weather-temperature-weekend" target="_self">triple-digit temps</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="worsening air quality" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aqi.in/us/dashboard/united-states/utah/salt-lake-city/historical-analysis" data-vars-content-id="c860effd-deff-4bc9-95ae-c20e3f71e2d5" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s suicide risks spike with hot, smoggy days, study finds" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aqi.in/us/dashboard/united-states/utah/salt-lake-city/historical-analysis" target="_blank">worsening air quality</a> could be jeopardizing Utahns&#x27; mental health, per a recent study.The big picture: The findings could help health experts adjust suicide-prevention efforts in ways that will likely become increasingly important as climate change makes <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="temperatures rise" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/05/28/salt-lake-city-summers-hotter-climate-central-temperature" data-vars-content-id="c860effd-deff-4bc9-95ae-c20e3f71e2d5" data-vars-headline="Utah&#x27;s suicide risks spike with hot, smoggy days, study finds" 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/2025/05/28/salt-lake-city-summers-hotter-climate-central-temperature" target="_self">temperatures rise</a>.

Here's why Utah's wildflower season was a dud

Maybe you don't need to pick a whole bouquet for Instagram.

Drought and visitor traffic made wildflower season early and short in Utah&#x27;s mountains.The big picture: This year&#x27;s premature snowmelt prompted early buds, and drought stress is causing petals to fall quickly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="in the Mountain West" data-vars-click-url="https://www.vaildaily.com/news/colorado-wildflower-season-drought-color/?fbclid=IwY2xjawTQpPdwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWd0WjhTZFNubTRQUW8zUThzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEetGIJoYZ-DiHnziFZh3bAFnqmZZh563_9QtougV27vQUDGyw2-0kZM2MTtp0_aem_ZZh0vgrmzzD9N1ipBkGuhg" data-vars-content-id="5d5fe10d-09d7-4bce-abf1-1d4538ca7bf0" data-vars-headline="Here&#x27;s why Utah&#x27;s wildflower season was a dud" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.vaildaily.com/news/colorado-wildflower-season-drought-color/?fbclid=IwY2xjawTQpPdwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWd0WjhTZFNubTRQUW8zUThzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEetGIJoYZ-DiHnziFZh3bAFnqmZZh563_9QtougV27vQUDGyw2-0kZM2MTtp0_aem_ZZh0vgrmzzD9N1ipBkGuhg" target="_blank">in the Mountain West</a>.

Wildfires tank summer tourism in southern Utah

BUT — you can get some screaming deals on vacation lodging.

<figure><img alt="Two hikers wade the Virgin River Narrows at Zion National Park on Monday. Photo: Courtesy of Jason Darrah" height="1567" id="4e3e37d3-82cd-474d-8f13-4963a3414d73" src="https://images.axios.com/bdO5mmpOUsKvOML3tFaB0XNRHwc=/2026/07/15/1784144656160.jpg" width="1178"/><figcaption>Two hikers wade the Virgin River Narrows at Zion National Park on Monday, during what is normally peak tourism season. Photo: Courtesy of Jason Darrah</figcaption></figure>Tourism is cratering in southern Utah after massive wildfires made national headlines.The intrigue: People are canceling trips weeks in advance due to fires that will almost certainly be gone by the time they arrive, one business owner <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tells ABC 4" data-vars-click-url="https://www.abc4.com/news/southern-utah/businesses-tourism-hit-cottonwood-fire/amp/" data-vars-content-id="d1e87cc9-0390-411f-ad77-c9a2f462a6cf" data-vars-headline="Wildfires tank summer tourism in southern Utah" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.abc4.com/news/southern-utah/businesses-tourism-hit-cottonwood-fire/amp/" target="_blank">tells ABC 4</a>.

Mapped: Trump's cuts to Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments

We also mapped other protections and places of interest so you can see what's in and out.

Many beloved landscapes and hikes have lost federal protections under maps that show <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="President Trump&#x27;s drastically-reduced boundaries" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/07/13/trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments-utah" data-vars-content-id="91507991-8fa9-4183-9d4b-efcc67c462c0" data-vars-headline="Mapped: Trump&#x27;s cuts to Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments" 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/2026/07/13/trump-cuts-grand-staircase-escalante-bears-ears-national-monuments-utah" target="_self">President Trump&#x27;s drastically-reduced boundaries</a> of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears.How it works: Axios obtained the maps from the White House on Tuesday, less than a day after Trump ordered cuts to more than 90% of both of the Utah monuments.<ul><li>We overlaid those new boundaries — to our closest approximation, based on the j-pegs provided, other boundaries, roads and geographic features — with the larger boundaries declared by previous presidents, and dozens of places of interest within them.</li></ul>The intrigue: We also included maps of Wilderness Study Areas, Instant Study Areas, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, designations that offer protections apart from national monument status.<ul><li>That shows which places of interest are left without protection.</li></ul><div><iframe alt="Google Maps Embed" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1dx2cgi-4jQrW3HvbIf3hBHVR02JJrE0&amp;ehbc=2E312F" data-vars-category="google-maps" data-vars-sub-category="undefined-embed" data-vars-content-id="91507991-8fa9-4183-9d4b-efcc67c462c0" width="100%" height="480" allow="fullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" class="gtmView" referrerPolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe><div style="display:none"></div></div>The big picture: Grand Staircase-Escalante (GSENM) is the bigger of the two, and is generally more thoroughly explored — so we found many more sites excluded from protections there.<ul><li>Yes, but: Bears Ears was singled out for monument designation in large part because of its bounty of archeological sites — many of which researchers have avoided publicizing to prevent vandalism and theft of artifacts. BLM records occasionally cite those places of interest without giving their location, so we can&#x27;t map them.</li></ul>What&#x27;s inside: The best-known attractions at Bears Ears — House on Fire, the Butler Wash ruins, Sand Island Petroglyphs and Mule Canyon kiva, for example — remain within Trump&#x27;s boundaries.<ul><li>Same goes for the most scenic western stretch of Burr Trail Drive, Calf Creek Falls, Lower and Micro Death Hollows and Phipps Arch at Grand Staircase-Escalante.</li></ul>Meanwhile, many popular sites at GSENM are in Wilderness Study Areas.Those aren&#x27;t permanent, and the Trump administration has placed them under review — but the lands are protected for now.<ul><li>Among them are: Devil&#x27;s Garden, Peekaboo-Spooky-Brimstone slot canyons, Cosmic Ashtray, Bighorn Canyon, Cottonwood Narrows, Toadstools and Wahweap hoodoos.</li></ul><figure><img alt="A desert arch in afternoon sun" height="2221" id="4cf09a8a-bc4a-4622-bbac-e75e919af643" src="https://images.axios.com/6FfKUykMPwAjZe7_3yVYo0U6qNE=/2026/07/15/1784084822489.jpg" width="3600"/><figcaption>Grosvenor Arch, shown here in 2017, falls outside of Trump&#x27;s GSENM boundaries and is not within another protected area. Photo: 2017: Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>What&#x27;s outside: Grosvenor Arch, Sunrise and Sunset arches, Cedar Wash Arch, Chimney Rock, Dance Hall Rock, the historic Watson Canyon, Inchworm Arch, the Lamp Stand and the Nautilus are all among the sites left unprotected funder Trump&#x27;s GSENM boundaries.<ul><li>At Bears Ears, North &amp; South Six Shooter Peak are excluded, along with three campgrounds in the Indian Creek area.</li></ul>Between the lines: In some cases, renowned destinations still have some protection, but the trailheads or routes to access them are unprotected.<ul><li>Some examples are: Zebra slot canyon, Willis Creek, Round Valley Draw in GSENM and Monarch Cave in Bears Ears.</li><li>The iconic Buckskin Gulch and Jacob Hamblin Arch were never within the monuments — but their most common trailheads were, and are also unprotected under the new maps.</li></ul><figure><img alt="A hiker in a red rock slot canyon " height="5100" id="3e961e7b-b0b0-448a-96ac-c07357313614" src="https://images.axios.com/368N38XvwoDFS6jz5El5iZSAYkI=/2026/07/15/1784085138574.jpg" width="3404"/><figcaption>Buckskin Gulch, south of Grand Staircase-Escalante. Photo: Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>

Trump cuts nearly 3M acres from 2 Utah national monuments

Utah's biggest national monuments have been the object of political football for years.

Politics & Policy

President <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="dcc125dd-9ebe-4b03-a7b2-329b3cb90bae" data-vars-headline="Trump cuts nearly 3M acres from 2 Utah national monuments" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Trump</a> is decimating both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments.Why it matters: Monday&#x27;s orders reduce protections on nearly 3 million acres in southern <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Utah" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city" data-vars-content-id="dcc125dd-9ebe-4b03-a7b2-329b3cb90bae" data-vars-headline="Trump cuts nearly 3M acres from 2 Utah national monuments" 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" target="_self">Utah</a>, affecting more than 90% of each monument&#x27;s area.

Utah firefighters say they're getting threats and abuse over fireworks restrictions amid wildfires

The angry calls are targeting a fire department in a city that didn't actually ban fireworks.

Firefighters in Weber County say they&#x27;re getting abuse and threats from residents who are angry over fireworks restrictions.What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;Calling the fire station to yell at, use of abusive language toward, or threatening our firefighters is unacceptable. Our firefighters were not involved in making this decision, and they should not be subjected to harassment while serving our community,&quot; The South Weber Fire Department <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="posted on Facebook" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/SouthWeberFire/posts/pfbid0KNGKd3ZXzi8YKsxALTCtgoAJPZ6NQSiRrdHY95wbHXKX6Uq1H3ckp1Ki8AhyUPP5l" data-vars-content-id="391a6aca-5feb-4be6-a764-90970579b1a5" data-vars-headline="Utah firefighters say they&#x27;re getting threats and abuse over fireworks restrictions amid wildfires" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/SouthWeberFire/posts/pfbid0KNGKd3ZXzi8YKsxALTCtgoAJPZ6NQSiRrdHY95wbHXKX6Uq1H3ckp1Ki8AhyUPP5l" target="_blank">posted on Facebook</a>.

Latinos and Pacific Islanders most worried about the Great Salt Lake's collapse

Both groups face greater exposure to harmful Great Salt Lake dust.

Latinos and Pacific Islanders in Salt Lake County are more concerned about the shrinking Great Salt Lake than white residents, according to a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="study" data-vars-click-url="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00139165261455133?__cf_chl_f_tk=ZeH3TXQ7UiSR5GJZtXL8M7ZY59BY9_ZbMm_.VMtkRKg-1782747035-1.0.1.1-v8doQec0GssNwy_gbigno59SinJdm1hP.5l2x.UZNAc" data-vars-content-id="a8728293-df68-49a6-8bf0-8700de1df574" data-vars-headline="Latinos and Pacific Islanders most worried about the Great Salt Lake&#x27;s collapse" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00139165261455133?__cf_chl_f_tk=ZeH3TXQ7UiSR5GJZtXL8M7ZY59BY9_ZbMm_.VMtkRKg-1782747035-1.0.1.1-v8doQec0GssNwy_gbigno59SinJdm1hP.5l2x.UZNAc" target="_blank">study</a>.Why it matters: Both racial and ethnic groups <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="face greater exposure" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/10/great-salt-lake-dust-disproportionately-impacts-latinos-pacific-islanders" data-vars-content-id="a8728293-df68-49a6-8bf0-8700de1df574" data-vars-headline="Latinos and Pacific Islanders most worried about the Great Salt Lake&#x27;s collapse" 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/2024/07/10/great-salt-lake-dust-disproportionately-impacts-latinos-pacific-islanders" target="_self">face greater exposure</a> to Great Salt Lake dust.

Rattlesnake bites are spiking on Utah's trails

Blame the weather. And don't pet the wildlife.

Utah&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="warm, dry winter and spring" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/03/26/warm-weather-early-mosquito-season-salt-lake-city" data-vars-content-id="b4ca10e7-d236-413c-bfeb-f42786355101" data-vars-headline="Rattlesnake bites are spiking on Utah&#x27;s trails" 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/2026/03/26/warm-weather-early-mosquito-season-salt-lake-city" target="_self">warm, dry winter and spring</a> have prompted rattlesnakes to linger near water sources earlier than usual this summer, state wildlife officials tell Axios.Why it matters: Hiking trails tend to follow the same streams, putting more people in the path of their venomous neighbors.