Axios Salt Lake City

September 04, 2024
Good Wednesday morning.
- Today's weather: Patchy smoke with a high in the low 80s.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Salt Lake City member Michelle McDaniel!
Today's newsletter is 911 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Harvey Milk Boulevard gets more pride
Utah's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization is moving from downtown to 900 South, also known as Harvey Milk Boulevard.
Why it matters: Equality Utah wants more visibility in the deep-red state — in one of Salt Lake City's most LGBTQ-friendly neighborhoods.
What they're saying: "Most big cities have a gayborhood, and 900 South has certainly been a welcoming area for our community, with several LGBT-owned stores," Equality Utah executive director Troy Williams told Axios about the nonprofit's move to Milk Block, an upcoming mixed-used development.
Zoom in: The new location will feature office space and a rooftop deck at 416 E. 900 South, said Milk Block developer Kathia Dang, who donated the cost of the new buildout.
- "We felt that in order to support this community that we wanted to build, it was important for us to show support of Equality Utah," Dang told Axios.
Dang is deeply familiar with the area. She grew up a few blocks away after her family moved to Utah in the 1970s as Vietnamese refugees.
- Other future tenants in the development include the Wasatch Cooperative Market and Mozz Artisan Pizza.
Between the lines: Equality Utah has not advertised its location for safety reasons, Dang said, noting that its address is not listed on its website.
- The nonprofit has spent the past two years at the Shop workspace.
Flashback: The city in 2016 renamed 20 blocks of 900 South after civil rights icon Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man in California to be elected to public office.
- Since 2016, the street has welcomed a mural of Milk and the arrival of Milk+, a gay bar and restaurant.
The latest: The Salt Lake City Council recently approved funding for art installations honoring Milk and Salt Lake City's LGBTQ community at 900 South.
2. 🍸 Keep an eye out for these 10 new bars
Fall is set to bring a flurry of new nightlife to Salt Lake.
Driving the news: Here are eight anticipated bars and clubs we're keeping an eye on — plus two that opened in recent months.
🍸 Bar Martine: With a projected opening Nov. 1, the bar plans to revive the opulent space behind the historic red rock facade at 22 E. 100 South, per state records.
- It used to house Martine Cafe, which closed in 2020.
🍹 Campfire Lounge/ACME/Remora: The former Campfire Lounge at 2100 South and Windsor is under renovations and will stay closed until at least November.
- It likely will return as a more developed version of the experimental ACME tiki bar, operated by the team behind the James Beard-nominated Water Witch and Bar Nohm.
🍧 Sugar House Station: The much-anticipated "bar hall" on Highland will be a 21+ food court, allowing customers to carry their drinks around the space.
- Scott Evans, who owns Pago and Finca, has lined up 10 restaurants to operate inside, reviving some SLC faves like Aristos and Canella's, Gastronomic SLC reports.
- The opening date(s) haven't been announced.
😎 Melancholy: Presently listed as "coming soon" to downtown's Post District apartment development, the wine and cocktail bar secured its liquor license in June and appears to have a finished storefront.
⛪️ Sunday School: Another Post District spot, Sunday School, is set to open as the downtown corollary to Sunday's Best brunch spot in Sandy.
- Last week, the owners reported opening was expected "before winter."
🎨 My Art's Place: After a flurry of construction in spring, the new Magna night club received a liquor license in July, with a projected September opening.
- Yes, but: Its Facebook page still reports the bar is "under construction."
3. Fry Sauce: Authors called to "repent" at Utah capitol
An 8-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a loaded gun he found in his family's car while parked outside of a Lehi gas station. (KUTV)
📚 A coterie of public officials, conservative activists and religious leaders celebrated the banning of 13 books from schools statewide at an event organized by a state lawmaker at the Utah State Capitol. (Salt Lake Tribune)
ICYMI: Margaret Atwood mocks Utah for banning her book in schools
🚨 Police said they are searching for a man who worked as a "healer" at a West Valley City business after two clients said he sexually assaulted them. (KSL.com)
- The women said he topically applied a liquid; one said she lost consciousness after being sprayed with the substance.
🌱 Lake Powell's native plants are recovering in canyons that are emerging as climate change causes the water to recede. (KUER)
4. Chart du jour: Interest rates vs. your home payments

You can probably see why many Salt Lake City homeowners who secured those low interest rates during the pandemic are reluctant to sell their homes.
The big picture: A percentage point can translate to thousands of dollars saved or spent on your mortgage.
By the numbers: Homeowners who locked in a 3% interest rate on a $549,000 home with a standard down payment spent an estimated $1,852 on their monthly mortgage.
- Homeowners with an 8% interest rate on their mortgage paid about $1,371 more.
5. 📸 Show us your Canyonlands
Canyonlands National Park was established 60 years ago next week — and we want to share your favorite views!
📬 Tell us: Hit reply to this email and send us photos you've taken and memories you treasure in Utah's fourth national park.
- Did you join the sunrise scrum at Mesa Arch? Get lost in the Needles? Capture the perfect starry night? We'd love to share your desert magic with our other readers!
- Share your misadventures, too. We'll all gladly laugh at your expense!
Our picks:
🙄 Erin is considering a boycott on TV shows that take two years to release a new season, forcing her to study old episode recaps like a homework assignment.
- She can't even remember what was happening in her own life two years ago.
🔥 Kim said farewell to summer by getting a major sunburn.
This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell.
Sign up for Axios Salt Lake City






