State transportation officials are one step closer to receiving $1.3 billion in federal funding that would allow FrontRunner to run more frequently — including on Sundays.

Why it matters: The funding would double-track 11 sections of the commuter rail line, enabling FrontRunner to run every 15 to 30 minutes, instead of every 30 minutes to one hour.

• The commuter train does not currently run Sundays, which has been a major source of frustration for riders.

Driving the news: The Federal Transit Administration approved the FrontRunner 2X project last week, advancing it to the engineering phase of its Capital Investment Grants program.

Yes, but: The FTA had not signed "a single new agreement under the program" since President Trump began his second term, the New York Times reported in late July, leaving major transit projects awaiting federal funding, including FrontRunner 2X, which was slated to begin construction this year.

What they're saying: "This milestone is a major step forward for Utah," state transportation department commissioner Carlos Braceras said in a statement last week. "Utah is growing quickly, and preparing for that growth requires a balanced transportation system that goes beyond highways."

The big picture: There's urgency among state leaders to finish the project ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

• The funding would also install a station in Bluffdale, and add 10 trainsets. The railway line spans 83 miles from Ogden to Provo.
• The project's total estimated cost is about $2.3 billion as state leaders seek other funding options.

By the numbers: Since FrontRunner launched in 2008, Utah's population has grown by more than 700,000 residents.

• The state's population is expected to double by 2060.

What's next: Construction is expected to begin next year, with state leaders eyeing completion by 2030, depending on the federal grant process.

Tell a commuter

The Perseid meteor shower will peak this week in perfect moonlight conditions — but the show might be clouded out in Utah.

The big picture: Outside magazine is calling tomorrow "The Year's Greatest Stargazing Day," thanks to the meteors' optimal timing with the darkness of a new Moon.

• It's also, coincidentally, the same day as a total solar eclipse.

Meanwhile, Utah is an astronomer's paradise, with desert weather, vast rural or undeveloped expanses — and the world's highest concentration of certified "International Dark Sky Places."

Yes, but: Forecasts for 12-4am Thursday — when the meteor shower is at its best — call for about 50-75% cloud cover across the state, per Weather Underground.

Zoom in: The chance of rain tomorrow night and Thursday morning in Salt Lake was 50% as of yesterday.

Erin's thought bubble: For most of summer, the only clouds in the sky are airplane farts and wildfire smoke. We obviously need rain.

• But after the total lunar eclipses in May and November of 2022 were overcast, and Ol' Man Winter rolled over the big Blood Moon eclipse in 2025, it'd be nice if the weather could be a bit more cooperative.

The other side: Forecasts aren't written in stone.

What's next: A partial lunar eclipse will darken almost all of the full Sturgeon Moon on Aug. 27, so grab your umbrellas!

• The reddish hue will max out at 10:12pm.

Tell a glass-half-full stargazer

💨 Driver Andy Green is returning to the Bonneville Salt Flats today in hopes of breaking his own 20-year-old record of 350mph in a diesel-powered car. (KSL)

• The retired British Royal Air Force fighter pilot is also the only person ever to break the sound barrier in a car.

🔥 The entire town of Henefer was ordered to evacuate Monday afternoon due to a growing wildfire nearby. (FOX 13)

😤 It's taken three years for state officials to install eight air quality monitors first announced in 2023 to measure dust from the dry Great Salt Lake bed. (Utah News Dispatch)

• The DEQ director said he didn't want to discuss the reasons for the delay, but noted that funding in 2025 was key to getting the project off the ground.
• Researchers say the monitors are crucial to understanding the health risks of lakebed dust as more of the salt pan is exposed.

The rates of robbery and aggravated assault in Salt Lake City saw noticeable dips in the first half of 2026, according to preliminary data reviewed by Axios.

The big picture: An Axios analysis of the Major Cities Chiefs Association's (MCCA) survey of 66 large U.S. communities found drops in violent crime in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.

By the numbers: Robberies in Salt Lake City dropped nearly 28%.

• Aggravated assaults fell 12%.
• Homicides and rapes remained statistically unchanged.

Context: The decline in some violent crimes comes more than a year after Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall unveiled a plan to curb crime amid pressure from state lawmakers.

• She also appointed Brian Redd as police chief, replacing former chief Mike Brown.
• In March, the Salt Lake City Police Department said it was honing in on 114 people believed to be responsible for a disproportionate share of the city's violent crime, Utah News Dispatch reported.

Share this story

Salt Lake's newish pizzaria Via Veneto sells pizza "by the slice" — but not in the Brooklyn sense.

The intrigue: When I saw Via Veneto's online menu a couple of months ago, I had sticker shock — $100 for a pizza?! — but that's not representative of what you pay in the restaurant at 511 E. 900 South, across from Liberty Park.

Reality check: The Roman-style "pizzarium" prepares big sheets of gourmet pizza, and you decide how much you want.

How it works: You show the server how big of a rectangle to cut, and it's priced by the pound.

• My family of three filled up on about $50, including tip.

What's inside: Topping combos range from a classic margherita to "tonno cipolla" — tuna with onions, yellow cherry tomatoes, tomato sauce and mozzarella.

The bottom line: Each delicious piece had lots on top, and filled us up faster than we expected.