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

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 Alerts

Alert

Salt Lake City Members

Membership

Utah anti-gerrymandering repeal effort loses more support

Retracted signatures in another district shows how GOP lawmakers made ballot initiatives difficult.

News

A defeated GOP effort to effectively legalize gerrymandering in Utah has missed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="another" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2026/03/26/utah-gerrymandering-prop-4-repeal-fails" data-vars-content-id="c3294ab8-bb3b-4dcf-9f5d-9c0e525a1907" data-vars-headline="Utah anti-gerrymandering repeal effort loses more support" 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/utah-gerrymandering-prop-4-repeal-fails" target="_self">another</a> petition requirement.Why it matters: Republican lawmakers may have flummoxed themselves by making citizen initiatives harder to enact in recent years — an effort that the GOP has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="undertaken nationwide" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/us/politics/republicans-citizen-initiatives.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZVA.qFoW.1pP0CkU1d1ac&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share" data-vars-content-id="c3294ab8-bb3b-4dcf-9f5d-9c0e525a1907" data-vars-headline="Utah anti-gerrymandering repeal effort loses more support" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/us/politics/republicans-citizen-initiatives.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZVA.qFoW.1pP0CkU1d1ac&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share" target="_blank">undertaken nationwide</a>.

St. George's growth surge outshines Salt Lake City

St. George, long known as a retirement town, is among the fastest growing U.S. metros.

St. George, long known as a quiet retirement haven and tourist hotspot in southern Utah, is having a moment.The big picture: It was the only metro area in the West to make the top 10 fastest-growing regions in the country, according to new census data.

How to navigate Utah's surrogacy laws

In a national patchwork of laws, Utah enforces surrogacy agreements— but with multiple restrictions.

Health

Without a federal law, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="surrogacy in the U.S. is governed by a patchwork" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/29/surrogacy-state-law-different" data-vars-content-id="8ef7a184-7fd4-4acd-9926-5c490698353d" data-vars-headline="How to navigate Utah&#x27;s surrogacy laws" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/29/surrogacy-state-law-different" target="_self">surrogacy in the U.S. is governed by a patchwork</a> of state regulations.Why it matters: As more Americans turn to surrogacy to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="build their families" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/02/future-of-fertility-demographics" data-vars-content-id="8ef7a184-7fd4-4acd-9926-5c490698353d" data-vars-headline="How to navigate Utah&#x27;s surrogacy laws" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/02/future-of-fertility-demographics" target="_self">build their families</a>, varied local rules can determine everything from whether agreements are legally binding to who is recognized as a parent at birth.

KRCL breaks ground on community hub

The renovated space will transform the grassroots station into a public-facing space for emerging musicians and listeners.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="KRCL" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/11/22/krcl-federal-grant-award-community-radio-station-anniversary" data-vars-content-id="9790afe8-e057-4066-971d-336002d32742" data-vars-headline="KRCL breaks ground on community hub" 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/2024/11/22/krcl-federal-grant-award-community-radio-station-anniversary" target="_self">KRCL</a> is launching a $7 million overhaul to transform the longtime radio station into a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new community hub" data-vars-click-url="https://krcl.org/nextgeneration/" data-vars-content-id="9790afe8-e057-4066-971d-336002d32742" data-vars-headline="KRCL breaks ground on community hub" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://krcl.org/nextgeneration/" target="_blank">new community hub</a> on the west side.Why it matters: The renovation will expand the grassroots station, founded in 1979, into a public-facing space for emerging musicians and listeners, bringing new energy to an area that&#x27;s historically seen less investment.

Study: GOP losing ground among Latter-day Saints

The faith is one of the only groups that hasn't become more Republican since 2007.

Politics

<figure><img alt="A chart showing change in partisan composition of major religious groups in the United States from 2007-2009 to 2023-2025" height="816" id="1943d0e0-cb61-4bf3-9ea8-9b235b06d16a" src="https://images.axios.com/fiouo1-i7yPlPmvmhrJJevzV_nY=/2026/03/30/1774909221416.png" width="1220"/><figcaption>Chart: Courtesy of YouGov</figcaption></figure>In a study showing a nationwide conservative lurch across demographics, Latter-day Saints stand out as one of the few groups that have gotten <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="more Democratic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/08/07/mormon-voters-harris-trump-arizona-utah" data-vars-content-id="20341487-7b65-414e-b610-0824ea8c6c18" data-vars-headline="Study: GOP losing ground among Latter-day Saints" 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/2024/08/07/mormon-voters-harris-trump-arizona-utah" target="_self">more Democratic</a> in the past two decades.Why it matters: The shift, reported in a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="YouGov analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/54389-two-decades-of-partisanship-in-the-cooperative-election-study" data-vars-content-id="20341487-7b65-414e-b610-0824ea8c6c18" data-vars-headline="Study: GOP losing ground among Latter-day Saints" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/54389-two-decades-of-partisanship-in-the-cooperative-election-study" target="_blank">YouGov analysis</a> released last week, could reshape politics in GOP-controlled Utah if it continues.

Major SLC streets will close for months during LDS temple open house

More than 20,000 visitors are expected downtown each day of the open house.

<figure><img alt="A map of Salt Lake City downtown near Temple Square shows road closures marked in red and yellow." height="1560" id="ea5d7aed-0ba8-4b99-af86-899046589548" src="https://images.axios.com/6qiTm7AyhRuo5bHnqm6B0Id_i6Y=/2026/03/25/1774459937483.png" width="2108"/><figcaption>Road and lane closures approved around Temple Square for March–October 2027. Image: Courtesy of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Salt Lake City" data-vars-click-url="https://webdme.slcgov.com/OrdinancesResolutions/DocView.aspx?id=8389995&amp;dbid=0&amp;repo=SLC&amp;cr=1" data-vars-content-id="20dfbab8-05a6-4f17-8d1b-a96b966aacb8" data-vars-headline="Major SLC streets will close for months during LDS temple open house" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://webdme.slcgov.com/OrdinancesResolutions/DocView.aspx?id=8389995&amp;dbid=0&amp;repo=SLC&amp;cr=1" target="_blank">Salt Lake City</a></figcaption></figure>Some major thoroughfares in downtown Salt Lake City will close for six months next year to accommodate crowds for the open house at the renovated Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple.Why it matters: The closures, approved Tuesday by the City Council for March–October 2027, will mostly affect travel to and from Capitol Hill.

Most Utahns don't support Christian nationalism

Christian nationalism is deeply entrenched inside today's Republican Party, according to the survey.

Less than one-third of Utahns <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hold Christian nationalist beliefs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/03/11/utah-republican-christian-nationalism-view-politics" data-vars-content-id="5158a0e6-9106-40b5-811a-a886eb215a81" data-vars-headline="Most Utahns don&#x27;t support Christian nationalism" 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/2024/03/11/utah-republican-christian-nationalism-view-politics" target="_self">hold Christian nationalist beliefs</a>, according to a sweeping 50-state survey by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.Why it matters: The once-fringe ideology holds that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed according to strict fundamentalist Christian values, even as the country becomes <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="less religious" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/26/great-unchurching-america-religiously-unaffiliated" data-vars-content-id="5158a0e6-9106-40b5-811a-a886eb215a81" data-vars-headline="Most Utahns don&#x27;t support Christian nationalism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/26/great-unchurching-america-religiously-unaffiliated" target="_self">less religious</a>.

Mormon church returns ancient rock art to Indigenous custody

The boulder has been displayed outside a Tremonton chapel for about 80 years.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has returned a boulder containing 1,200-year-old Fremont <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="petroglyphs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/10/27/nine-mile-canyon-guide-utah-petroglyphs" data-vars-content-id="8e3ed061-c93e-409c-81d8-2b7b9327e072" data-vars-headline="Mormon church returns ancient rock art to Indigenous custody" 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/2025/10/27/nine-mile-canyon-guide-utah-petroglyphs" target="_self">petroglyphs</a> to its original site in northern Utah, about 80 years after members removed it and put it on display at a chapel.Why it matters: The location is a sacred gathering place in the mountains for the Northwest Band of the Shoshone Nation, the band&#x27;s vice chair, Brad Parry, said in a church <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="statement" data-vars-click-url="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-works-with-shoshone-band-to-preserve-sacred-petroglyphs" data-vars-content-id="8e3ed061-c93e-409c-81d8-2b7b9327e072" data-vars-headline="Mormon church returns ancient rock art to Indigenous custody" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-works-with-shoshone-band-to-preserve-sacred-petroglyphs" target="_blank">statement</a>.

How Juanita Brooks' history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre changed Mormon views of the past

75 years ago, a revolutionary history book exposed who was to blame for the 120 deaths of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Seventy-five years ago this month, a new book drastically changed how Latter-day Saints viewed their own history: Juanita Brooks&#x27; &quot;The Mountain Meadows Massacre.&quot;<ul><li>This is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Old News" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" data-vars-content-id="a4d5517a-95d5-4402-b950-89ce0665f662" data-vars-headline="How Juanita Brooks&#x27; history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre changed Mormon views of the past" 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/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" target="_self">Old News</a>, where we recount the history of Utah history.</li></ul>Why it mattered: It was the first historical work that offered convincing evidence that the Mormon Militia had slain 120 California-bound settlers in a 19th-century attack long blamed primarily on Indigenous people in southern Utah.

When Mark Hofmann's deadly bombs left SLC in terror

Forty years ago, a forgery scandal led to a series of deadly bombs.

Forty years ago, Salt Lake was reeling in terror as multiple bombs exploded in deadly attacks around the city, stemming from a forgery spree involving purportedly historical Mormon documents.<ul><li>This is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Old News" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" data-vars-content-id="cd2e9802-df85-42f3-8428-6adb94dc30f6" data-vars-headline="When Mark Hofmann&#x27;s deadly bombs left SLC in terror" 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/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" target="_self">Old News</a>, where we process patterns of trauma and healing in Utah&#x27;s past.</li></ul>

Latter-day Saints' leaders urge forgiveness after shooting

The attack last week killed four and wounded another eight.

Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called on members to be &quot;peacemakers&quot; in the aftermath of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="deadly mass shooting" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/michigan-church-shooting-multiple-victims" data-vars-content-id="84757293-7c5f-450c-b6b1-f090131a16ea" data-vars-headline="Latter-day Saints&#x27; leaders urge forgiveness after shooting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/michigan-church-shooting-multiple-victims" target="_self">deadly mass shooting</a> a week ago against one of the faith&#x27;s chapels in Michigan.What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;We realize that our hearts are mourning loss, and some feel uncertainty caused by violence or tragedy throughout the world,&quot; Gary E. Stevenson, a member of the church&#x27;s leading Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said Saturday at the faith&#x27;s semiannual General Conference.

Latter-day Saint leaders announce temple construction "slow-down"

The announcement comes after a flurry of new temples announced under the late church president Russell M. Nelson.

For the first time in years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced no new temples at its semiannual General Conference this weekend in Salt Lake City.Why it matters: Expanding the number of temples globally was a signature initiative of church President Russell M. Nelson, who <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="died a week ago" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/09/28/russell-m-nelson-latter-day-saints-president-dies" data-vars-content-id="cc7e8868-0b65-4b79-9167-f031f686b0d0" data-vars-headline="Latter-day Saint leaders announce temple construction &quot;slow-down&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/2025/09/28/russell-m-nelson-latter-day-saints-president-dies" target="_self">died a week ago</a>.

Russell M. Nelson, Latter-day Saints president, dies at age 101

As a leader in the Mormon faith, he oversaw new temples, new branding and new policies on sexuality and gender.

Politics & Policy

Russell M. Nelson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Saturday, less than a month after his 101st birthday.The big picture: The church&#x27;s president is also revered as a prophet in the Mormon faith, which means he has enormous sway over the direction of the church and its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="17 million members" data-vars-click-url="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics" data-vars-content-id="05ce6de4-072f-4b74-b350-250e422122f7" data-vars-headline="Russell M. Nelson, Latter-day Saints president, dies at age 101" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics" target="_blank">17 million members</a> worldwide.

Utahns pound pumpkin spice lattes amid shifting Mormon norms

The once-coffee-averse state is now one of the nation's top PSL orderers, per DoorDash data.

Utah — UTAH! — is ordering more <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pumpkin spice lattes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/13/pumpkin-spice-latte-starbucks-dunkin-fall-menu" data-vars-content-id="bc63b44f-48c8-437f-824e-3a1ef577ed57" data-vars-headline="Utahns pound pumpkin spice lattes amid shifting Mormon norms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/13/pumpkin-spice-latte-starbucks-dunkin-fall-menu" target="_self">pumpkin spice lattes</a> than almost any other state, according to new DoorDash data.Why it matters: Utah is widely known for culturally eschewing coffee in accordance with the teachings of Mormonism, the state&#x27;s dominant religion.

Axios Latino

A choropleth map of U.S. states showing the share whose views align with Christian Nationalist beliefs. Agreement with those beliefs is based on respondents' answers to five questions about Christian Nationalism. Overall, 32% say they agree. The share ranges from 54% in Arkansas to 15% in Massachusetts.


Share whose views align with Christian Nationalist beliefs

Data: PRRI; Note: Map shows the share who were classified as "adherents" or "sympathizers" based on their responses to five questions; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals