Your Daily Guide

Salt Lake’s 999 bike ride is a Thursday-night tradition, albeit an increasingly complicated one. After a summer of heightened tension between riders and police, city officials, SLCPD, transportation planners, and cyclists sat down Monday night to ask: Can we work together to keep 999 going? Unplugged Wellness hosted.

• What is the 999? It’s a critical mass bike ride that meets every Thursday night at 9 p.m. at 900 South and 900 East. There’s no organizer or set route, hundreds of cyclists simply take off together, in the name of reclaiming Salt Lake City streets.
• The controversy: In June, SLCPD stepped up enforcement after complaints about blocked intersections, riders traveling against traffic, vandalism, assaults, and alcohol use. [FOX 13]
• The city wants to keep the ride. At Monday’s event, Deputy Police Chief Bill Manzaneres said explicitly, “The police department is not looking to stop the 999.” Council Member Erika Carlsen called it a “critical third space,” and Council Member Dan Dugan praised the community it creates. And everyone in the room seemed to share the same goal of making the ride safer.
• So what’s the compromise? Ideas included a published route, volunteers, and traffic control at dangerous intersections. But SLCPD says it doesn’t have the resources to distribute officers at the event every Thursday. Paid police staffing could help fill the gap, but with no official organizer, it’s unclear who would foot the bill. And too much formal organization risks going against the ethos of the 999.
• What’s next? This was the first conversation of its kind between riders, police, and city leaders, and the room was notably collaborative. The challenge now is to keep the spirit of 999 alive. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

Steer Clear of Mountain Goats

Enjoying summer hiking? Watch out for mountain goats. They're particularly territorial this time of year — especially around dogs — because they're protecting their young. If you see them, back away slowly, and definitely don't feed them. [Utah News Dispatch]

Tornado Hits Tooele

A low-level tornado touched down in Tooele last week, according to the National Weather Service. The cyclone damaged property in the area, but no one was hurt. Interestingly (for nerds like me), the weather event happened the same week as the 1999 tornado that hit downtown Salt Lake City. [FOX 13, National Weather Service]

Cox's Approval Rating Falls

A new poll shows Utah voters are turning on incumbents, with Gov. Spencer Cox's approval rating dropping from 51% to 41% since January. The same goes for Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis. Political scientists chock it up to economic pressures and the Iran war. [Deseret News]

Make Your Radio Debut

Calling all singer/songwriters: KRCL 90.9FM is looking for musicians to perform on RadioACTive, the station's public affairs show, on Friday, Aug. 28. Shoot your shot by posting a video on social media of you playing your original song and tagging #krclradio #utahshowcase. Your deadline is Aug. 26. [KRCL]