Axios Salt Lake City

June 05, 2024
Good Wednesday morning, Utah!
- Today's weather: ☀️ Sunny, with a high of 89.
Today's newsletter is 838 words, a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Utahns headed to Paris Olympics
The 2024 Summer Olympics are fast approaching, and several athletes with Utah ties are qualified to compete for the U.S.
Why it matters: Utah will get a chance to showcase its athletic talent on the global stage, especially as the state's capital city is more than likely to be the host of the 2034 Olympic Winter Games.
Between the lines: There's still a slew of Olympic trials this month that could add more former or current Utahns.
Here are the athletes who have earned their spot so far:
🏀 Basketball
Jimmer Fredette, a former BYU basketball star, will join the USA men's 3x3 basketball team.
🚵 Cycling
Haley Batten, of Park City, first started mountain biking when she was 9. She made her Olympic debut at the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021.
- "In Tokyo, I was so focused on just attending, but for Paris, I have a different mindset," she told Salt Lake Magazine last year.
🏃 Track and field
Conner Mantz, from Logan, qualified to compete in the Olympics marathon after placing first in the February Olympic marathon trials in Orlando, Florida.
Clayton Young, of American Fork, finished second in those trials.
The intrigue: Both runners, who share a yearslong friendship after meeting at BYU, have run over 10,000 miles together, per the New York Times.
- "When I think of the reason I stuck by Conner in the Olympic trials, it's because I knew I would be better in Paris with Conner by my side," Young told the Times. "Not just in the Olympics, but in training."
🧗♀️ Sport climbing
Many climbers reside and train in Salt Lake, where USA Climbing is headquartered. They include:
Piper Kelly, who is the first women's speed-climbing champion.
Natalia Grossman, who qualified for the Summer Games after winning gold at last year's Pan American Games in Chile.
Jesse Grupper, who also qualified after securing a gold medal at the same event in the boulder and lead competition.
2. 🤘 Keanu Reeves's band is coming to SLC
Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar announced yesterday it will perform at Salt Lake City's Union Event Center as part of its Summer Vacation Tour 2024.
Why it matters: Bassist Reeves has rapidly ascended the Dolly Parton Scale of universal likability for American celebrities.
Catch up quick: It's a revival of the group Reeves co-founded in 1991, which toured with Bon Jovi and opened for David Bowie before breaking up in 2002, Blabbermouth reports.
Zoom out: The North America tour includes more than two dozen stops with music from the group's latest album, "Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees" — its first in 23 years.
What's next: Limited ticket presales begin 10am today, with local presale starting 10am tomorrow.
- General ticket sales open 10am Friday.
- VIP packages, including a meet-and-greet, will also be available, per a news release.
3. 📬 Look out for your ballots
County clerks across the state have begun sending out mail-in ballots for the June 25 primary elections.
State of play: This year's high-profile GOP primaries feature races for Utah governor, attorney general, U.S. Senate and Congress.
- Gov. Spencer Cox will compete against state Rep. Phil Lyman (R-Blanding).
- In the U.S. Senate primary, a crowded field of Republicans — U.S. Rep. John Curtis, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, businessman Jason Walton and former House Speaker Brad Wilson — are vying to replace Sen. Mitt Romney.
- Candidates Derek Brown, Frank Mylar and Rachel Terry are running to succeed attorney general Sean Reyes, who announced he would not seek another term last year amid controversy tied to embattled anti-sex-trafficking crusader Tim Ballard.
The big picture: Given Utah's GOP lean, Republicans are likely to win statewide and federal races in November.
Deadlines to know: Mail ballots must be postmarked by June 24 or left at a dropbox before polls close on election day at 8pm.
- June 14 is the last day for voters to register in time for the primaries and receive a mail ballot.
- Early, in-person voting will be available from June 11-21 at the Salt Lake County Government Center.
- Check your local county clerk's office for in-person voting locations on June 25.
4. Fry Sauce: Two more road-rage deaths
🏘️ The former Salt Lake City Public Safety Building downtown will be converted into apartments for mixed-income residents after it sat empty for a decade. (Building Salt Lake)
- More than half will be family-friendly, with multiple bedrooms.
🚨 Two Utahns died Monday after what police described as road-rage fights: one in Clearfield and one in Lehi.
🌱 Volunteers are reintroducing native species at Utah Lake after spending 13 years removing invasive plants. (FOX 13)
🍱 Check out the directory of all the schools serving free summer meals along the Wasatch Front. (KSL.com)
5. Pic du jour: Sugar House vines
Climbing roses can be beastly to train, but they soften everything they touch — even commercial parking lots on 2100 South.
Zoom in: Near the 900 East intersection, Got Beauty managed to establish a fantastic vertical display on wires from the roof on the east side of the building.
- Roses and wisteria were blooming this week.
Pop by for a cottage-like treat.
🌊 Erin is trying to find a decent film version of "The Odyssey."
📺 Kim plans to watch "In a Violent Nature."
This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by Caitlin Wolper and Aurora Martínez.
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