Burying Downtown’s Rails, Utah Freshman Nightmare, and Bugs a la Carte
The Rio Grande Plan to bury rail lines in Salt Lake City finds surprising support in the Salt Lake County Council. Executive producer Emily Means joins host Ali Vallarta to discuss what it would take to make this dream a reality. Plus, University of Utah students are back to school with nowhere to sleep, bug recipes, and where to watch 40 meteors an hour this weekend.
Resources and references:
- A grassroots plan to radically change train lines through SLC just got a key endorsement [Salt Lake Tribune]
- Could This Plan Revive SLC’s Rio Grande Station? [City Cast Salt Lake]
- ‘They need to do better’: Parents frustrated over University of Utah dorm chaos [Salt Lake Tribune]
- Check out Bugfest at the Natural History Museum of Utah, Aug. 10 and 11.
- Dark Sky places in Utah for viewing the Perseid meteor shower.
Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It’s the best way to support our work and help make sure we’re around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm.
Subscribe to 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:
- Salt Lake Community College
- Salt Lake Sewciety
- Stein Eriksen Lodge
- Utah Department of Health and Human Services
- Embodied Patience
- Live Crude - Get $25 off your facial by mentioning this ad.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Stay connected to City Cast Salt Lake and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
Your Salt Lake Summer Hiking Guide
Hot temps have us looking toward the mountains for a cool escape this summer. Executive producer Emily Means talks with Urban Trails auth...

SLC Library Staff Are Getting Paid To Quit. Why?
When news broke that hundreds of Salt Lake City Public Library were being incentivized to leave their jobs, questions quickly followed. A...

Data Center Outcry Is Working, Ex-Mormons Vote Republican, Fancy Cocktail Rec
Public outcry over the Box Elder County data center seems to be working. Executive producer Emily Means, social media manager Molly Milos...

Your Guide to June 2026 in Salt Lake
June is here, and it's summertime in Salt Lake City. Executive producer Emily Means, newsletter editor Terina Ria, and City Cast Salt Lak...

'Your City Could Be Better': How Chicago's Libraries Meet Community Needs — Presented By City Cast Salt Lake
Where would Salt Lake City be without its libraries? Chicago is opening its 82nd public library branch in June, and loaning out books is...

Trump’s Great Salt Lake Plan, Progressives vs. McAdams, Ogden Croissants
How does Trump want to spend $1 billion to save the Great Salt Lake? Executive producer Emily Means and City Cast Salt Lake contributors...

Tips for Befriending Your Neighbors
How can we beat the loneliness epidemic? Try embracing the awkwardness and actually saying "hi" to your neighbor. Dr. Maria Blevins of Ut...

SLC Library Staff Buyouts, Drought Emergency, Baby Moose
Gov. Spencer Cox declared Utah is in a drought emergency. Executive producer Emily Means, newsletter editor Terina Ria, and City Cast Sal...

Hate the Data Center? Watch Utah’s Courts.
The Utah Legislature has been flexing some muscle over the judicial branch. Executive producer Emily Means talks to Teneille Brown, found...

Officer Charged in Shooting, Data Center Vision, Cushy Seats at the Broadway
What could the Box Elder County data center look like? Executive producer Emily Means and City Cast Salt Lake contributors Jack Stauss an...

