City Cast Salt Lake

Last week, President Joe Biden announced a new student loan forgiveness plan, canceling up to $20,000 of student debt per borrower. Sen. Mitt Romney tweeted that it’s just a way to “bribe the voters” and is unfair to those who paid their own way. Others don’t think the plan goes far enough to help those struggling under the weight of their loans. Still, more than 100,000 Utahns may be eligible for this relief, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. One of them is Rachel Adams, a first-generation college student who graduated in 2017. Producer Emily Means talks with Rachel about her experience figuring out how to pay for college, her take on this new program, and if, all things considered, taking out a loan was worth it.Learn more about the student loan forgiveness plan here.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

From “oh my heck” to dropping our Ts, lots of Utahns have a special way of speaking. Lead producer Emily Means talks with theatre professor and dialect coach Stacey Jenson about the origins of the Utah accent and what defines it.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Lead producer Emily Means joins Ali to round up this week’s news. Plus, thrifting! Vacations! And apply to host City Cast Boise here.Call or text the City Cast hotline about your favorite thrifting spots or thrift finds at (801) 203-0137. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Tony Hawk’s Vert Alert is back in SLC. His goal: He wants vert skateboarding to debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But do Salt Lakers even want that? Ali hits up a couple of skate parks to find out. Later, she chats with a non-binary skater named Q about whether skate culture is meeting its promises in the first place.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Boba Tea — the delicious, surprisingly filling, Taiwanese tea with tapioca ‘bubbles’ — is a popular treat in Salt Lake. But where is the best boba? Ali and Maya Fraser, the @bohoeofficial, travel to Maya’s top spot for some afternoon sippin’.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

School is about start in SLC — without a superintendent (or associate superintendent) to lead the district. Ali talks with KUTV reporter Chris Jones about the recent instability at the Salt Lake City School District.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

It's peach season, baby! But Utah's ongoing drought has us interrogating our fruit over how much precious water was used to grow it. On today's show, Host Ali Vallarta and Lead Producer Emily Means head north to talk with Thayne Tagge of Tagge's Famous Fruit and Vegetable Farm about saving water while growing the delicious produce we buy at the farmers market. Find details on the Farm Bureau’s market here. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

Lead producer Emily Means joins Ali to round up this week’s news. Plus, we make a big announcement! Schedule giving blood at ARUP here. The movie tix are for Friday and Saturday donations.Call or text the City Cast hotline about your favorite boba spots or qualities at (801) 203-0137. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

It’s almost time to head back to school, and teachers in our community need more than just pencils and notebooks before that first bell rings. Ali talks with John Arthur, a 6th grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary, about what educators and students really need to succeed this year.Support John’s classroom or another community classroom on DonorsChoose or Clear the List, where there are 198 teacher wish lists from Utah. The Utah Legislature is in interim session! If you’d like to send an email to members of the Education Committee, here is the link.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.

As Utahns, sometimes we just get the urge to walk up a frickin’ mountain. Luckily, there are lots of big hills in and around SLC, and that means there’s probably a local hike to suit almost anyone’s fancy. Ali talks with Olivia Juarez, public lands program director with GreenLatinos and outdoor rec enthusiast, about what makes a great hike.See the proposed recreational fee changes here.Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter here. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSaltLake and Twitter @CityCastSLC.Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.