

City Cast Salt Lake
City Cast
City Cast Salt Lake is SLC’s daily news podcast. Join host Ali Vallarta and a bevy of smart and entertaining locals for conversations about the issues that matter most. City Cast Salt Lake will celebrate the city’s triumphs, explore its history, (try to) solve its mysteries, and it’ll help you feel more connected to the Wasatch Front – whether you’ve lived here for six months or six generations. Learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter at saltlake.citycast.fm.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 12, 2026 • 22min
‘The Pitt’ Is Back! Here’s How a Local ER Compares.
Everyone's favorite medical drama, "The Pitt," is back for season 2 tonight! Each season is an intense depiction of one 15-hour shift in a downtown emergency room. Salt Lake emergency medicine Dr. Aly Smith tells host Ali Vallarta how the cases and the institutional issues compare to a real local ER.
This episode first aired April 30, 2025.
Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
Brickyard Boxing
Canyon View Credit Union
ICO

Jan 9, 2026 • 28min
4 Trips to Plan From SLC This Year (Sponsored by Flights From Home)
Flights From Home is sponsoring this episode, and they gave host Ali Vallarta her dream assignment: Plan four vacations for executive producer Emily Means using real Flights From Home deals out of the SLC airport. Here’s what to eat and see abroad on a shoestring budget in 2026 — take notes!
Explore this week’s free travel deals with Flights From Home, the sponsor of this episode.
Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.

Jan 9, 2026 • 35min
15% Tax Increase Challenged, Sewer Smells, Wine School
Could Salt Lake County's 15% property tax increase be overturned? Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and City Cast Salt Lake contributor Andy Larsen talk about the citizen-led effort to put it to voters. Plus, the Poplar Grove "BioTower" and joyful picks of the week.
Resources and references:
Resident-led referendum on Salt Lake County tax increase qualifies for signature process [KSL]
Salt Lake City pauses BioTower project after Poplar Grove community backlash [Fox 13]
Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Shop

Jan 8, 2026 • 12min
2 People Dead After Shooting Outside LDS Church in SLC
Two people are dead and several are injured after a shooting outside an LDS church in Salt Lake City Wednesday evening. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means share what we know so far.
Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.

Jan 7, 2026 • 26min
Your Bartender Needs a Therapist, Too.
SLC bartenders listen to everyone’s problems, even on holidays. But who is taking care of their mental health? Host Ali Vallarta asks One Small Miracle founder Matt Pfohl about a new program to help solve that problem in Utah.
Text Matt about One Small Miracle at 801- 419-7165.
Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Shop

Jan 6, 2026 • 36min
New Utah Laws, 2026 Predictions, Cage Week
Twenty-five new laws went into effect in Utah on Jan. 1. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means break down the biggest (and strangest) ones, so you stay out of trouble. Plus, our local predictions for 2026, heated Olympians, and the 9th annual Cage Week!
Here are 25 new Utah laws that went into effect on Jan. 1 [KSL]
Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:
The Shop
Cozy Earth - use code COZYSALTLAKE for up to 20% off

Jan 5, 2026 • 57min
What U.S. Cities Will Be Talking About in 2026 (Including Salt Lake)
Nobody understands a city’s pulse quite like a City Cast host — and that makes them the best predictors for 2026’s biggest local stories. City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta joins CEO David Plotz and the other 12 hosts from across the network to talk about the big changes coming to our cities, from political shifts to data centers.
Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (801) 203-0137 Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode
The Shop

Jan 2, 2026 • 33min
Your Guide to January 2026 in Salt Lake
New year, new ideas for making the most of Salt Lake City. Host Ali Vallarta, producer Ivana Martinez, and Hey Salt Lake editor Terina Ria assembled a guide to January in the valley, from an inspired new bar to a $20 facial and ways to get a little more involved. If you’re wondering why we know bars so well, it’s because we’ve been to all of them.
If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Salt Lake community.
For even more tips on how to make the most of January in Salt Lake, check out Hey Salt Lake’s take on what to do this month.
City Cast Salt Lake is made possible by our awesome sponsors, Woodward Park City and Live Crude. We’re also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more about how to become a member of City Cast Salt Lake.
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Check out our options.
Reach us at saltlake@citycast.fm.

Dec 30, 2025 • 28min
Are You Falling for This Local Propaganda?
There are a host of weird and uniquely Utah things that our community tries to normalize, but have you fully adopted any of them? Host Ali Vallarta, newsletter editor Terina Ria, and executive producer Emily Means share their takes on Utah propaganda we’ve been sold and which ones we refuse to buy into.
Get more from City Cast Salt Lake when you become a City Cast Salt Lake Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.
Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode
Woodward Park City
Live Crude - Use code CITYCASTSLC to try CRUDE's Oil Cleansing Starter kit for Free

Dec 29, 2025 • 26min
Weirdest SLC Projects That Got Away
Salt Lake City is no stranger to construction and development, but there were so many projects to change the city that never even got off the ground. If those projects had been a success, how different would our city look today? Wendi Pettett, co-host of the Demolished Places podcast, joins host Ali Vallarta to share her picks for the craziest Salt Lake projects that never came to fruition.
Become a member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we are around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to Hey Salt Lake, our daily morning newsletter. You can also find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.
Learn more about the sponsors of this episode
Woodward Park City
Live Crude - Use code CITYCASTSLC to try CRUDE's Oil Cleansing Starter kit for free


