Axios Salt Lake City

Picture of the Salt Lake City skyline

It's Thursday!

  • Today's weather: Snow and rain, with a high of 43°.

Today's newsletter is 908 words — a 3.5-minute read.

1 big thing: Local business accused of violating child labor laws

Standard Restaurant Supply's storefront. Photo: Kim Bojórquez/Axios

A Salt Lake City restaurant supply company was fined $16,595 by the U.S. Department of Labor after federal investigators found it violated child labor laws.

Details: The business, Standard Restaurant Supply, allowed 22 minors between ages 14 and 15 to work up to 46 hours a week and past midnight, the Labor Department announced this week.

  • Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 14- and 15-year-olds cannot work more than eight hours per day or more than 40 hours a week when school isn't in session.
  • During the academic year, 14- and 15-year-olds are prohibited from working more than three hours a day on a school day or more than 18 hours a week when school is in session. During the school year, they cannot work past 7pm.

Between the lines: Ellery Kingston is the company's president and Eric Kingston serves as business director, public records show.

Of note: Standard Restaurant Supply and the Davis County Cooperative Society did not return Axios' requests for comment.

What they're saying: “Our investigators continue to see an increase in child labor violations in several industries," Kevin Hunt, district director of the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division, said in a statement. "We will take vigorous action whenever we discover young workers’ safety and well-being are being jeopardized by employers who fail to follow the law.”

The big picture: The penalty comes nearly a year after the Labor Department's Southwest Region Division announced it would boost enforcement efforts in Salt Lake City.

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2. Uber's new EV hailing service expands into SLC

Image courtesy: Uber

Starting today, Uber is providing Salt Lakers the ability to request an electric vehicle to get to their destination.

Details: Called Comfort Electric, the price point is between that of an Uber Comfort and Uber Black.

  • Ride-share customers can expect to get picked up in Teslas, Polestars or a Ford Mustang Mach-E, Uber says.

Flashback: The latest service offering comes less than two years after Uber announced a partnership with Hertz to provide 50,000 Teslas exclusively for its drivers to rent by 2023.

The big picture: The expansion of the EV service into Salt Lake City, and 13 other North American cities, is part of the company's push to become emission-free in the U.S. and Europe by 2030.

Be smart: Uber is offering a 25% discount — up to $10 off — for riders who request the Comfort Electric option between April 11–30, with the code: GOELECTRIC**.

💭 Kim's thought bubble: Although public transit is my first choice, I'd feel slightly better about hailing an electric car to avoid the hassle of finding parking in SLC's growing downtown area.

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3. Recognizing Trans Day of Visibility

Illustration of a child in silhouette holding a transgender pride flag over their shoulders like a cape

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Tomorrow is Transgender Day of Visibility, and there are lots of events to acknowledge and celebrate the day:

Pride Plaza

The University of Utah is hosting a market with LGBTQ+ and ally vendors, along with live music.

When: 11am–5pm today

Where: Main ballroom, Union

Cost: Free

A Run for More

The Utah LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free screening of the documentary.

When: 7pm tonight

Where: The City Library

Cost: Free, but RSVP for tickets.

Queers Revolt concert

Hear bands including Shecock with a Vengeance, Somebody/Anybody, DoomCupcake and &Knuckles.

When: 7pm tonight

Where: Aces High Saloon, 1588 S. State St.

Cost: $5

Trans D&D

Play Dungeons & Dragons and donate to Genderbands, which helps fund gender-affirming health care for trans people.

When: 6pm–10pm Friday

Where: The Legendarium, 349 E. 900 South

Cost: Donations welcome

Rally and march

The Utah Pride Center is organizing a march with speeches and a youth open mic.

When: 5-7pm Friday

Where: Utah State Capitol to City Creek Park

Cost: Free

4. Fry Sauce: Feast on these headlines

Illustration of a utahraptor holding french fries.

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

🚨 False alarm: More than a dozen Utah schools, including West High, were targeted by an active shooter hoax yesterday, just days after Nashville's deadly school shooting.

  • The unfounded threats caused multiple Utah schools to go on lockdown. Police said the calls came from an individual outside the U.S. (KSL.com)

🏀 Former L.A. Lakers assistant coach Mark Madsen is leaving Utah Valley University for the University of California, Berkeley's basketball program. (Salt Lake Tribune)

⛷️ More candidates are expressing interest in hosting the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games, but the International Olympic Committee won't say who. (Deseret News)

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5. Our 2023 James Beard finalist

Illustration of a first place ribbon with a gold plate at the center.

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

Ali Sabbah, chef and owner of the Middle Eastern eatery Mazza in Salt Lake City, was named a James Beard Award finalist yesterday.

  • Sabbah is competing for the best chef honor in the mountain region among four others in Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming.

Why it matters: The James Beard Foundation each year celebrates the top restaurants and culinary talent across the country. The honor could elevate a chef's profile or drive more foodies to an eatery.

Catch up quick: 11 Utah restaurants and chefs, including Sabbah, were named as 2023 James Beard Awards semifinalists in January.

  • What's next: Winners will be announced June 5.

Share with a foodie

🌮 Kim is going to try Cafe Rio's new birria offering and tell you all about it.

🍪 Erin is pounding the Samoas she bought from her Girl Scout daughter.

This newsletter was edited by Gigi Sukin and copyedited by Natasha Danielle Smith.