The Utah Inland Port Authority unveiled its new branding yesterday as part of its latest effort to overhaul its operations, image and focus.

Catch up quick: The move comes after UIPA faced a board restructure, leadership changes and two legislative audits criticizing the port authority for a lack of transparency and accountability over its no-bid contracts in the last year.

• The port authority also announced last September it was pausing all major capital projects, including a proposed trans-loading facility in Salt Lake City, until its Northwest Quadrant Master Development Plan is advanced to help determine whether the project fits market needs.
• The hiatus came on the heels of a separate study commissioned by port opponents, that expressed doubt about the project's ability to generate revenue and limit supply-chain emissions.
• "The proposed UIPA facility will have a difficult time securing a substantial amount of business," the study's author Robert C. Leachman, a professor of industrial engineering and operations research at UC Berkeley, wrote.

What they're saying: "We've increased transparency, and now we're benefiting from the increased accountability and trust," said UIPA Chair Miles Hansen at the state Capitol yesterday.

Since last year’s audits, UIPA executive director Ben Hart said changes have included clarifying the procurement process and increasing meetings with community members.

The latest: In recent months, the port authority's priority has shifted to small, intermodal sites proposed in at least nine communities across the state, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

• "What we're trying to create are facilities that are the right size for the community,” Hart explained, per the Tribune, “instead of establishing something that’s huge, and hoping and praying that people will use it.
• Hart noted yesterday the port authority's focus was not on building a port, but "building a better statewide logistics system."

Details: Hansen added that providing rail access through inland ports is central to the mission.

• The port authority will also double down on efforts to "strengthen the shipping and logistics community in the state," he said.

Go deeper

The Salt Lake City International Airport opened five new gates this week ahead of what's projected to be a busy Memorial Day weekend.

The intrigue: The gates, on the east side of Concourse A, are the newest additions to the revamped airport since October 2020.

What they're saying: "We have been working nonstop since opening Phase 1 — more than two years ago — to get to this point. To be here today took a lot of demolition work, a lot of steel and a lot of paving," Salt Lake City Department of Airports executive director Bill Wyatt said in a statement.

What's next: All gates in the concourse, including 19 new restaurants and shops, are set to open by Oct. 31.

🚨 An Ogden man received probation for accidentally shooting and killing a 14-year-old in May 2022 while he was moving the slide on a handgun. (KSL.com)

• Meanwhile, residents in Genola say they've found bullet holes in their houses and sheds and rounds in their yards, apparently fired by target shooters.

🗳️ Salt Lake residents may vote online through May 25 for proposals to redesign the Ballpark neighborhood after the Salt Lake Bees decamp for a new stadium in South Jordan in 2024. (SLC.gov)

⛰️ Several trails and trailheads in the foothills around Salt Lake will be renovated this summer, with new signs, paved parking and trail repairs. (Salt Lake Tribune)

• ICYMI: Four best foothill hikes for spring in SLC

Utah has the nation's least road-ragey drivers, according to a new analysis of tweets about traffic.

• Yes, but: We have some concerns about their methodology.

Driving the news: The trucking management company Fleet Logging collected each state's geotagged tweets about traffic and ran them through a language analysis tool to determine how stressed the author was.

• Utah had by far the lowest percentage of stressed-out traffic tweets: 23.7%, a full 6 points below Iowa, the second-lowest score.
• Rhode Island topped the list, with more than 62% of traffic tweets conveying stress.

Reality check: An analysis of tweets might miss a few things.

• A lot of people aren't on Twitter, and it's illegal to tweet while driving in the first place.
• The language analysis tool, TensiStrength, appears to detect extra stress in cuss words — and this is hecking Utah, gosh darn it.

The bottom line: Utah is a great state to drive around, but when a traffic-stress analysis shows drivers are calmer in Massachusetts than Montana — take it with a grain of salt.

Share with a short-tempered friend

✔ Check out our Local Job Board.

1. Vice President of People and Culture at CHG Healthcare.
2. Senior Manager, Laboratory (QC) at Athletic Greens.
3. Director, Strategic Initiatives, SLTC at Salt Lake Community College.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

From Congolese snacks and Navajo beadwork to Irish dancing and Chinese kite-making, the Living Traditions festival will bring a world of delights to downtown SLC this weekend.

What's happening: The annual event hosts performers, films, crafts and a global cornucopia of food at Library Square and city hall Friday evening through Sunday.

• Admission is free.

The food: Vendors will sell East African spicy chicken, Greek lamb, Thai potstickers, Italian cannoli, Tongan noodles, Bolivian salteña (baked empanadas), Tibetan dumplings, Serbian meat stew and much more.

The art: The craft market includes Japanese bonsai, Mayan weavings, Belarusian wood carvings and Burundian baskets.

• Learn to make piñatas, leis, kites and paper flowers at free workshops.

The shows: Three stages will feature scores of performers including the Scottish folk band Pennyland, Hopi dancers and Brazilian Capoeira.

• Short film screenings will feature Indigenous artists and Sundance selections Saturday and Sunday afternoons in the library auditorium.

The latest: This year the festival is adding panel discussions on regalia and apparel in cultural identity, how people inherit cultural traditions and advocacy in traditional arts.

Details: A full program and map are available online.