Utah's final Sundance Film Festival is scheduled to kick off Jan. 22, 2026, organizers announced yesterday, ending a four-decade run.

Why it matters: The Utah-born independent film festival — set to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027 — will show appreciation for the Utah community, honor cofounder Robert Redford and feature archival screenings and special events.

What to expect: Next year's festival will showcase more than 90 feature films and over 50 shorts. The lineup will be released later this year.

• Park City's Main Street will again become pedestrian-only.
• At-home screenings will be available Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2026.

What they're saying: "This year will mean so much for so many reasons," Eugene Hernandez, director of the festival and public programming, said in a letter. "Our focus is making the 2026 festival ... one to remember, a celebration full of gratitude and joy."

Between the lines: Venues in Park City include: the Eccles Theatre, Holiday Village Cinemas, Library Center Theatre, the Ray Theatre, Redstone Cinemas and the Yarrow Theatre.

• Salt Lake City venues include Broadway Centre Cinemas and Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

The intrigue: Park City's iconic Egyptian Theatre, an emblematic venue for the festival, will not host screenings this year.

Catch up quick: Sundance announced it was moving to Colorado in March after a competitive bidding process to select a new host city.

• News of the resettlement disappointed local and state leaders, including Gov. Spencer Cox and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, who accused the festival of "using politics" as a "convenient excuse" for its move in a Los Angeles Times op-ed.
• Festival leaders have maintained that the state's conservative politics did not drive them away.

By the numbers: Out-of-state visitors spent $106.4 million during this year's festival, drawing over 72,000 in-person attendees, per an economic impact report.

• The event's total economic impact was estimated to be $132 million and produced about 1,730 jobs for Utahns.

What we're watching: Moviegoers can take advantage of free screenings of films that premiered earlier this year on July 17-19 in Salt Lake City and Park City.

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'Tis the season for lemonade stands — an enterprise for which Utah kids enjoy special protections.

The big picture: Utah is one of more than a dozen states that exempts kids' lemonade stands from business licenses or permits, according to Lemonade Day, a Houston-based nonprofit that promotes kids' entrepreneurship.

Catch up quick: Reports of children's businesses being shut down over licensure go back decades — typically prompting public outcry.

• In 2011, for example, county officials in Maryland walked back a $500 fine against a family whose kids' lemonade stand fundraised for cancer patients.

Flashback: In 2017, Utah lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in support of a law to ban local governments from regulating pop-up businesses operated by minors.

• Those protections were expanded in 2023 to exempt kids from the food-handling rules that apply to prepared food sold at farms and markets.

Zoom in: In their foray into capitalism, my kid and her friend turned our Witch House into a bakery and gourmet mocktail bar this weekend. It was like a lemonade stand on roids. One of the drinks involved serviceberry-tarragon syrup.

• After a Momvestment of ingredients and plastic cups, they made more than $100 — though the first attempt was more about learning food-service basics, like remembering a garbage can and refreshing ice in the water jug.
• Next time, they'll focus more on profit margins and marketing.

The bottom line: It was a lot of work, but they learned a lot — including that they can't get busted by Johnny Law.

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⚠️ The sinking of Kennecott Copper Mine's polluted tailings pond is prompting worries that it may have contaminated the Great Salt Lake. (Salt Lake Tribune)

• Rio Tinto, Kennecott's parent company, told the Tribune it doesn't pose an environmental risk.

⛷️ Brian Head Resort wants to add more than 1,600 acres of the Dixie National Forest to its ski area, nearly tripling its size. (KSL NewsRadio)

• The U.S. Forest Service is accepting public comment for 45 days, starting today.

🥡 Longtime SLC restaurants Shanghai Cafe and El Asadero are closing at the end of this month due to new building developments at their locations. (FOX 13)

🔥 The National Park Service is facing scrutiny for allowing a wildfire to burn for days near the Grand Canyon's North Rim before it spread rapidly last weekend, destroying more than 70 buildings, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. (AP)

Immigrants make up about 9.4% of hospital workers in Utah, below the national average, according to census data analyzed by KFF.

Why it matters: The health care industry is facing a double challenge — a White House immigration crackdown that could translate to worker shortages, and the "big, beautiful bill," which pulls back federal health care spending.

• Meanwhile, an aging population will require more care.

By the numbers: Nationwide, 16% of hospital workers are immigrants — roughly in line with the share of the workforce that's foreign-born.

• More populous states have higher numbers — 32% in California; 29% in New York and New Jersey, and 27% in Florida.

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The true crime comedy podcast "My Favorite Murder" is bringing its quirky public safety takes to the Eccles Theater.

Why it matters: The podcast is wildly popular, with billions of downloads since launching.

What we're watching: Which Utah crimes will get the spotlight.

The latest: Tickets go on sale today.