Podcasts about salt lake county

We start with Three Things: Including a new proposal that could ban certain e-bikes from dirt roads in Salt Lake County.  Plus, bear encounters in Utah have doubled from last year. Then — Utah makes culinary history as Monte, inside Beehive Distilling in South Salt Lake, earns the state's first-ever Michelin star. We celebrate National Burger Day (again?) Also: people who confided secrets to ChatGPT are finding those conversations showing up in court. We put AI security to the test. A hot take on why we should all stop eating lettuce. The NFL's new rules on college players that back out of the NFL are shaking things up. In Flock Watch: A police officer was arrested for tracking his ex-girlfriend on Flock cameras over 2,000 times. Don't miss tonight's near-total lunar eclipse!   KSL Brightside streams live weekdays 12–3 PM. The YouTube-exclusive live stream runs from 12–1 PM, then catch us on radio and YouTube from 1–3 PM.   Follow KSL Brightside on social media! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KSLBrightside Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KSLBrightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KSL_Brightside TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ksl.brightside  

We start the show with the three things, including the news that Tim Curry has died at 80 — this comes just one day after Dolly Parton passed away.  Meta just agreed to an $18 billion settlement with 29 states over addicting kids to Instagram and Facebook. What changes now?  Iron County schools approve a four-day school week starting 2027–28. Is this the future for Utah? Listeners weigh in on how they feel about the idea.  News for the 1%: You now need to earn $187K a year to afford a median home in Salt Lake County. We break it down by zip code. In Retail Therapy: Hertz is selling rental cars with a free 100K-mile warranty — would you buy one? And the minivan is back. A new study says at least 1 in 4 NFL players develop CTE. We discuss the details. We close the show with the AI Q of the Day.   KSL Brightside streams live weekdays 12–3 PM. YouTube-exclusive from 12–1 PM, then radio + YouTube from 1–3 PM.

The Hercules Federal First Credit Union Salt Lake County Player of the Week for Week 1 of the 2026 Utah High School football season was Herriman High School running back Filisi Filipe.

//The Wire//2300Z August 18, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: KINETIC TARGETING CONTINUES WITHIN MIDDLE EAST AS HOUTHIS LAUNCH MISSILES TOWARD DUBAI. TONGAN CRIP THREAT REMAINS SIGNIFICANT IN SALT LAKE CITY.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: Iran struck two more ships in the Strait of Hormuz last night, continuing the trend of the past couple of weeks. This morning, the UKMTO retroactively admitted to a merchant vessel being struck on August 15th, with the ship sustaining damage and one crew casualty. This afternoon, Houthi forces conducted a ballistic missile strike on the UAE, with missile warnings being issued in Dubai, for the first time since May. No locals reported witnessing any interception, and government officials stated that one missile splashed down in the Gulf, and another landed outside their territory.Analyst Comment: On the rhetoric front, this morning President Trump continued claiming control of the Strait of Hormuz, posting a graphic which claims the Strait is now U.S. territory. Even though waterways traditionally can't be claimed as land territory, and while this may just be a more lighthearted meme, at the other end of the spectrum this could be more serious. If the White House is indeed serious about making a territorial declaration of some kind, this could be an effort to move the goalposts to allow for the use of more substantial weapons. If Hormuz is America, then the US can claim that Iran is attacking the homeland. Of course, this logic is a stretch at best, but it's exactly the kind of reasoning that would make sense for the White House to rely on at this stage in the war.-HomeFront-Utah: One suspect has been arrested in conjunction with yesterday's events in Salt Lake City. Afuhia Masiu Manatau was arrested for his role in yesterday's shooting at the Tongan funeral in Kearns. During the funeral, a fight broke out among the congregation, between his 17-year-old son, and several others. During the fight, Manatau gave a firearm to his son, which resulted in the son attempting to murder the others. Manatau's son (the shooter) was shot in the chest during the engagement, and Manatau himself has been arrested.Analyst Comment: Concerning casualties, so far one fatality was reported as a result of the funeral shooting. The victim has been identified as Vilisoni (Soni) Angilau, a confirmed Tongan Crip who was recently released from prison after murdering a member of a rival gang in 2013. Soni Angilau's immediate relative, Naisa Angilau, was also recently released from prison for a completely different shooting as well, after he attempted to kill a gas station clerk in 2009. Of note, Soni's brother Siale also met a violent end as he was also shot and killed during a high-profile shooting that took place inside the courtroom during his trial. Siale Angilau was shot and killed by federal Marshals after attempting to stab a witness to death during his trial for racketeering back in 2014. All of these family members have an extensive presence on social media, and all self-identify as Tongan Crips.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: In Utah, additional details are helpful for understanding how serious yesterday's shooting actually was, especially considering the long history of similar murders. Despite assurances to the contrary, Intermountain Medical Center remained locked down throughout the evening last night, as the threats to the hospital remained constant. Many non-essential employees were escorted out of the hospital by SWAT, and patients' medical procedures were canceled due to the security threat. Intermountain Public Relations officials issued statements claiming that everything was fine and that there was no threat to the hospital, however employees within the hospital confirmed that these statements were not true.Intercepted radio traffic from 911 dispatch also confirms that the reason for the overwhelming police response at the hospital, was due to the Tongan Crip Gang attempting to breach the entrance to the Emergency department. At least one employee was assaulted and wounded in the ER, and a large crowd of Tongans also attempted to break through the Emergency Room entrance on the south side of Unit 4. After this breach attempt, local authorities responded in force, with SWAT officers responding immediately to reinforce the hospital and prevent the facility from being overrun. Snipers were deployed to the rooftops, and at least two Bearcat armored vehicles were posted at the Emergency Department to secure a perimeter around the facility.Concerning future threats, the circumstances of yesterday's funeral shooting are still unclear, with much of the eyewitness testimony being verifiably false as gang members seek to cover up the crime. The main question is whether or not this will result in a wider gang war, and right now the answer to that question is not so clear. The Tongan Crip Gang is known to engage in mutual combat within the gang itself, as rival factions settle internal disputes with violence and murder. Funerals are a common way for hostile TCG factions to meet up, and tensions flare. However, the Tongans also have many rivals locally which might also be inclined to stoke up a gang war. The TCG originally had a foothold in Inglewood, California, where the gang achieved it's extremely brutal reputation. After expanding this foothold to Salt Lake City, the TCG became one of the most legendarily violent gangs in the entire nation. Though small in numbers, they make up for their lack of footsoldiers with sheer violence. Even so, many locals prefer to call them "nice" and ignore this brutality, due to the affiliation this gang has within facilities owned by the LDS Church. This gang is known to murder people randomly without a second thought, and despite Tongans being less than one percent of the population of Utah, they make up over 13% of all gang member affiliation in the region. For those who want to make the argument that "not all Tongans" are causing problems, unfortunately in Salt Lake City specifically, this does not appear to be the case based on the case history and preponderance of evidence. During the Tongan Crip funeral murder at an LDS Ward back in January...not a single churchgoer came forward to name the killer. 100% of the congregants at the Ward where the murder took place, refused to speak to the police or provide a statement regarding what they saw. Police set up an anonymous hotline to protect witnesses, but among the hundreds of Tongans that witnessed that shooting, not a single person came forward to testify and the shooters were eventually charged based on evidence of the murder plans being found on their phones.Even the small handful of Tongans who are not documented gang members are extremely loyal to tribal allegiances; quite literally every single Tongan with a social media presence in Salt Lake County has expressed support for their guy who attempted to murder a gas station clerk with a shotgun. No one within this diaspora has condemned the actions of the man who's funeral even resulted in further bloodshed. The Tongan community has not tried to distance themselves from the frequent murders that are conducted within their areas, and most of the Tongan Wards within Salt Lake close ranks around those who commit violent murders.Concerning yesterday's shootings, posts on social media indicate that other family members of yesterday's deceased have been observed flashing Tongan Crip Gang signs and generally confirming their gang affiliation, specifically within the Tongan Wards. On Facebook, most of the Salt Lake Tongans don't wish each other a "Happy B-Day"...they change it to "C-Day" because the letter "B" is too closely affiliated with their arch rivals...the Bloods. This is a callback to their Inglewood origins...many of the TCG's rivals are much the same as in California. The Rose Park Bloods are their main external adversary within Salt Lake, as both gangs have been expanding into each other's turf. In the same area, the Rose Park Taliban (a gang formed from the children of refugees from the Middle East) also maintains some presence, and is allied with the Bloods. Back in March, a Rose Park Taliban member tried to murder a liquor store employee in Taylorsville (near Tongan Crip territory), so gang violence in southwest Salt Lake specifically from these gangs is a constant. As yesterday's "victim" had previously killed a member of the Baby Regulators gang, it's possible that this was a revenge killing that was unrelated to the other Angilau who's funeral was being held at the time.As a result of this complicated web of alliances and relationships between extremely violent gangs, more violence is expected. Despite the grass skirts, barbeques, and disarming smiles, most of these people are killers, and the killing is only likely to escalate. Since one person was killed during the funeral shooting, the funeral for that person will undoubtedly be another opportunity for another shooting, as the cycle of violence and vengeance continues.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z August 17, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WAR IN MIDDLE EAST REMAINS STAGNANT. WHITE HOUSE SIGNALS SHIFT AWAY FROM PACOM AS PRESIDENT TRUMP ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH NORTH KOREA. TONGAN CRIP GANG SHOOTING REPORTED AT FUNERAL IN SALT LAKE CITY.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: The situation remains much the same, no major changes over the weekend. Iran did not conduct any major strikes over the past few days, and the Houthis have also not engaged any Saudi oil refineries since last week. Otherwise the situation remains as before.South Korea: Over the weekend President Trump announced a significant change to the American diplomatic position regarding the Korean Peninsula. Due to South Korea not participating in hostilities during the Gulf War, President Trump has ordered the United States to reduce American participation in ROK military exercises.Analyst Comment: This is a big deal, but one that has been boiling since the Gulf War began. Pinning American diplomatic efforts to whether or not nations supported us during the war highlights the priority the White House is placing on the conflict. Supplies and missile defenses have been taken from PACOM for months now, and this halting of joint exercises with South Korea is the latest development in the de-prioritization of all operational theaters in order to support the war. Similarly, the other effect of de-prioritizing South Korea, is to improve relations with North Korea, which in turn might lead to another round of diplomatic talks soon.-HomeFront-Michigan: More details have come to light regarding a series of small arms attacks carried out a few days ago. On Friday, authorities responded to a private residence in Missaukee County, where a mass shooting had occurred. 3x deceased victims and 1x severely wounded victim were located at the residence, with the suspect having fled the scene. At the scene, the immediate investigation resulted in the discovery of another fatality located at a different residence adjacent to the initial shooting site. The suspect was identified as Chad Hickman, and a large-scale manhunt was conducted throughout the area. Some time later, Hickman's vehicle was located near Whitlock Lake, where the remains of one additional victim and the deceased suspect were discovered.Analyst Comment: So far, no motive has been disclosed for this attack, but right now this looks like a domestic incident. The suspect's sister is reportedly among the casualties, and Hickman had also recently been involved in a messy divorce.Utah: This morning a riot and subsequent mass shooting was reported at an LDS Ward in Salt Lake City. Local authorities initially responded to the 13th Ward in Kearns, after a street fight involving 80+ people broke out during a Tongan cultural event and funeral. At some point during the fray, several people were shot as a state of mutual combat broke out between suspected members of the Tongan Crip Gang, and local rivals.After the initial shooting at the funeral, the wounded suspected gang members were transported to Intermountain Medical Center, where another skirmish possibly broke out in the parking area. Several reports of shots-fired were issued, and the hospital was locked down throughout the afternoon. No details have been provided on this second incident, or the status of the reported shootings at the hospital. However, ambulances are being diverted away from Intermountain Health, and armored police vehicles are reportedly parked at the facility providing security.Analyst Comment: These shootings are directly linked to a different shooting. This was the funeral for Ofa'tangikivaha Angilau, a Tongan man who was neutralized by Good Samaritans two weeks ago. On August 7th, Angilau attempted to purchase alcohol without showing ID at the Holiday Oil gas station in Riverton. After the clerk denied his purchase, he left the store and returned with a shotgun, and attempted to murder the clerk. Before Angilau could bring the shotgun to bear, he was promptly shot dead by two different bystanders in the store. His funeral was this morning, and due to the shooting breaking out during the funeral, this retroactively indicates that Angilau was probably affiliated with the Tongan Crip Gang.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: For wider context, the Tongan community has a major foothold in Salt Lake County, and have been running operations inside LDS Wards throughout the city for some time. The LDS Church has organized several different Tongan Stakes (districts) which serve as the administrative hierarchy solely for immigrants from the Pacific island of Tonga. Around 13,000 Tongans live throughout the Salt Lake County area, which is roughly a quarter of the entire Tongan population in the United States, and as a result the LDS Church has provided substantial resources for this community, including a few dozen cultural centers and dedicated Wards just for Tongans. At these facilities, no English is spoken and even the websites are in the Tongan language. Over time, the Tongan Crip Gang has emerged as a major threat to the local area. In many cases, the Tongan Wards within Salt Lake City are not really houses of worship, but actually safehouses for the Tongan Crip Gang, as demonstrated by gang colors being placed all around these structures, only gang members attending these wards, and the frequent shootings at these facilities. Due to the gang seeking refuge within LDS churches...in the heartland of where the LDS Church was founded...this rarely gets mentioned by local mainstream media sources, which in many cases have either been financially motivated (or even outright ordered) to ignore this major gang threat. Most outsiders are rather shocked to learn that a violent gang can not just occupy houses of worship, but be invited in to use the facilities to continue their criminal enterprises. But that's what's been happening in Salt Lake City for a long time, and as unpleasant as it is, this must be acknowledged as the body count keeps rising.The Tongan Crip problem has become so bad that local police pre-stage at Tongan funerals, because they assess with a high degree of certainty that there is going to be a shootout at some point. This morning's shooting is the second shooting this year involving a funeral for a Tongan Crip Gang member; back in January, nearly the exact same event took place. Tongan Crips were having a funeral for one of their leaders, and a rival gang showed up to conduct a shooting in the parking lot. This morning's shooting occurred under nearly identical circumstances. Also during both shootings, upwards of a dozen officers were already staged at these Wards with rifles, prepared for the active shooting, knowing that a small arms engagement would be occurring at some point.Nevertheless, nobody wants to ruffle any feathers when a faith-based organization is involved, even if that organization is knowingly and deliberately allowing a gang to operate within their facilities, so these shootings (but especially the Tongan Crip angle) will continue to be ignored by local media, politicians, and Church leadership alike. However, both today's shooting, and the prior one in January took place in close proximity to schools, where children could have been wounded or killed by the gunfights in the parking lots, so this is not merely an internal Church problem. Further investigation will be needed to truly determine how widespread the problem is, but this is probably more significant than most people realize, and pretending everything is fine is resulting in clear and present dangers being allowed to threaten innocent citizens.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

A Utah Community Credit Union branch is coming to 3793 W 13400 S in Riverton, bringing the not-for-profit credit union's full lineup to southern Salt Lake County. Residents will have local access to accounts, auto and home lending, and personalized financial guidance. UCCU City: Provo Address: 360 W 4800 N Suite E160 Website: https://www.uccu.com Phone: +1 801 223 8188

This is Derek Miller, Speaking on Business. Based in Riverton and serving Salt Lake County, Legacy Sprinklers specializes in sprinkler repair, irrigation diagnostics and system maintenance. Their team focuses on identifying problems, providing reliable service and offering clear recommendations. Owner, Tyler Davis, joins us with more. Tyler Davis: Most landscaping companies treat sprinklers as an afterthought. It's one service on a long list and it shows. At Legacy Sprinklers, irrigation is literally all we do. We don't mow lawns, we don't plant flowers. We fix, maintain and optimize sprinkler systems and we do it better because it's our only focus. We serve homeowners across Salt Lake and Utah Counties, and in just our first full season we became the top-ranked sprinkler repair company in all of Salt Lake County. This year, we were honored with the Best of SLC 2026 Gold recognition in Sprinklers and Irrigation. When your irrigation system has a leak, a broken sprinkler head, a faulty valve or even a controller that isn't working properly, you don't need a generalist. You need a specialist. That's what Legacy Sprinklers does. Your lawn is our legacy. Call or text 385-483-4402 or visit LegacySprinklers.com to schedule today. Derek Miller: Legacy Sprinklers continues to provide an important service for Utah homeowners, helping keep lawns and landscapes healthy while using water wisely. By addressing irrigation issues early and offering practical solutions, they help customers protect their properties and conserve a valuable resource. I'm Derek Miller, with the Salt Lake Chamber, Speaking on Business. Originally aired: 7/17/26

Salt Lake temps are hitting triple digits this weekend. Host Ali Vallarta and newsletter editor Terina Ria discuss ways to stay cool and ideas for having fun in this heatwave.  Find a Salt Lake County cooling zone near you.   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.  Subscribe to 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

HOST: Heidi HatchGUESTS: Maura Carabello, John Dougall ICE plans to sell warehouse facilities in Salt Lake, six other cities moving back to existing detention space “From day one, DHS has remained singularly focused on removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the United States and is always evaluating the best methods to do so. These heinous criminals, once arrested, should be removed at lightning speed, not housed on American soil at the taxpayer's expense. DHS is moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners.” - DHS Voter Turnout - Thursday 5pm Salt Lake County 20% A new Utah law requires mail ballots to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Previously, ballots only needed a postmark by the day before Election Day. The change comes from HB300, which passed the Legislature last year. Trump on Utah Mail in Ballots Will Utah's new deadlines avoid headlines we are seeing out of California with long delays Utah County Clerk's Office hired a 23-year-old conservative influencer to be the chief deputy clerk Karianne Lisonbee, without evidence, accuses Blake Moore of ‘insider trading' before deleting X post Salt Lake County Allegations Liban Mohamed was escorting voters to the polls- Clerk apologizes Utah Supreme Court Justices approved by Senate Statement from the Utah Democratic Party on the Packing of Utah's Supreme Court “It is not a coincidence that these appointments come as the Supreme Court prepares to hear landmark cases on redistricting and reproductive rights. Across this country, courts are being reshaped not to deliver justice, but to preserve political power. Our state is not immune. Utahns deserve better.” Iran Memorandum of Understanding Both sides agreed to "the immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon." Iran can begin exporting oil as soon as the MOU is signed. Iran "will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa." The U.S. and regional partners will develop a reconstruction plan for Iran worth at least $300 billion. Iran affirms that it "shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons." The two sides "have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpiled enriched material." U.S. sanctions on Iran will be lifted on schedule as a part of a final deal, linked to nuclear compliance. There will be 60 days to sign a final agreement, which the two sides can agree to extend. AMERICA 250 UVU Professor Greg Jackson book release “Been There Done That” Professor Greg Jackson, podcast host of History That Doesn't Suck, proves that while today's political climate may be dark, these aren't as unprecedented times as we may think. COMING UP watching KUTV 2 News for post election results Tuesday Next Friday Post Election discussion Wednesday July 1st Speaker Mike Schultz will be back, he attended the UFC fight night at the White House, walked past the highly debated reflecting pool. _____

Do you know how many parks Denver has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

As residents of Salt Lake County, you may have wondered about your parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta cataloged them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map is a valuable tool, as you now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: you can also find outdoor spaces that meet your needs. But what else can we do with the map? Ali breaks it down for City Cast CEO David Plotz, on this episode of “Your City Could Be Better”.

Do you know how many parks Pittsburgh has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Do you know how many parks Portland has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Do you know how many parks Nashville has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Do you know how many parks Madison has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Do you know how many parks DC has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Do you know how many parks Las Vegas has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

Do you know how many parks Philly has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs. Mentioned on the show: Every Park SLC - The First-Ever Guide to Every Park in Salt Lake County (City Cast Salt Lake) Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We're also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

THE POLITICS OF FIRE  Fires in Utah in full swing this week Tooele County, multiple fires, arson arrest SLC Capitol Hill Fire - State says started by homeless, City says they don't know Mike Lee ignites controversy after adding roadless rule repeal to a wildfire bill 13-year-old girl dies at Pineview after dead tree falls: Would Pineview Reservoir be safer if it were a state park? Not US Forest Service land   Pentagon Classification of Latter-day Saints   Election Day 11 days out - Drama between campaigns ramps up   PAC cash flowing into Congressional races   Trevor Lee Race - voters get video text describing fraud allegations   Senator Dan McCay sends out mailer with endorsement from Senator John Curtis - Curtis said he is neutral on the race    Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, warned states involved in Colorado River disputes could lose access to remaining federal conservation funding if they pursue litigation over water rights.   SLC Council picks new member with a coin flip    SLC, Salt Lake County sue DHS over planned Detention Center   House GOP Vice Chair Blake Moore will host the annual NRCC summer meeting in Utah this weekend

Local versus federal control -- who will win out? Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County are teaming up in a new lawsuit against the federal government over the proposed ICE detention facility on the city's west side. In a bit of an interesting twist, members of the Salt Lake County Council say they were not informed or consulted on the lawsuit, which was ultimately filed by the county mayor. Greg and Holly discuss this new lawsuit and also get an update on agreements between ICE and local law enforcement agencies.

A Democratic primary debate here in Utah is gathering more attention than the typical Democratic events. Four candidates are running to represent the new 1st Congressional District in Utah, which covers much of Salt Lake County and leans more Democratic. Those changes have generated a lot of interest nationally and locally. Inside Sources discusses the latest developments in this race and how each candidate performed in last night's primary debate.

Following her life-without-parole sentence for the aggravated murder of Eric Richins, Kouri Richins' defense team has secured a twenty-eight-day extension to file a motion for a new trial and indicated they intend to retain additional expert consultation.The appellate posture presents several potential issues for review: alleged prosecutorial access to attorney-client privileged communications via monitored jail calls, the timeliness of the Crozier recantation disclosure, the denied change-of-venue motion seeking Salt Lake County jurors, and the sufficiency of circumstantial evidence in a case where the precise mechanism of fentanyl administration was never established by the prosecution.Eric Faddis, a former felony prosecutor and current defense attorney, evaluates each lane on its appellate merits. He examines the implications of a defense that presented no witnesses and a defendant who did not testify — strategic choices that may limit the scope of appellate arguments available.The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts, including aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud, and forgery, following less than three hours of deliberation. Judge Richard Mrazik characterized the defendant as "simply too dangerous to ever be free." Faddis provides a candid assessment of the realistic probability of appellate relief.Footer Links:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#KouriRichins #EricRichins #FentanylMurder #TrueCrime #LifeWithoutParole #UtahMurderTrial #ParkCity #AppealDenied #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeToday

What could the Box Elder County data center look like? Executive producer Emily Means and City Cast Salt Lake contributors Jack Stauss and Cassie Bingham talk about new renderings and what's next in the process. Plus, Salt Lake County's district attorney charged a police officer in a shooting for the first time in more than 10 years, picks for your weekend, and in our members-only segment: why Tan France is leaving Salt Lake City and selling his $7.5 million home. Resources and references: ⁠Renderings show vision for massive data center proposed in Utah, but permits could take years⁠ [Utah News Dispatch] ⁠Utahns will have more chances to weigh in on Kevin O'Leary's data center project. Here's how.⁠ [Salt Lake Tribune] ⁠Salt Lake County D.A. Sim Gill has charged a police officer in a fatal shooting for the first time in more than a decade⁠ [Salt Lake Tribune] 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 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: ⁠TaskRabbit⁠ ⁠The Shop⁠ ⁠Salt Lake Sewciety⁠

Kouri Richins told her three sons at sentencing that she'd appeal her conviction and fight "no matter how long it takes." Her defense attorneys got the deadline to file a motion for a new trial extended from fourteen days to twenty-eight and told the judge they need to retain a new expert. The question nobody in the courtroom answered is whether any of it matters.Eric Faddis breaks down every potential appellate lane — the alleged prosecutorial access to attorney-client jail calls, the Crozier recantation the defense says wasn't disclosed in time, the denied motion to pull jurors from Salt Lake County, and a circumstantial case with no direct evidence of how fentanyl entered Eric Richins' body. He explains which issues survive appellate scrutiny and which die on the page.The defense called zero witnesses. Kouri never took the stand. The jury deliberated less than three hours before convicting on every count. Faddis walks through what waiving the right to testify and presenting no defense actually does to an appeal — and whether sufficiency of the evidence is ever a real argument in a case built entirely on circumstantial proof.Judge Mrazik said she's "simply too dangerous to ever be free." Her oldest son told the court he's afraid she'll come for him if she ever gets out. So what are the actual odds that Kouri Richins ever sees the outside of a prison?Footer Links:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#KouriRichins #EricRichins #FentanylMurder #TrueCrime #LifeWithoutParole #UtahMurderTrial #ParkCity #AppealDenied #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeToday

For the first time in more than a decade, the Salt Lake County District Attorney has ruled a police shooting as 'unjustified.' Now, his team is filing manslaughter charges against a Taylorsville Police Officer involved in a deadly shooting in October 2024. Greg and Holly discuss the rarity of this kind of thing.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office has ruled an officer-involved shooting UNJUSTIFIED...for the first time in more than a decade. Now the Taylorsville detective is facing a manslaughter charge. Joining me live is former Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder.

The Americans who were on-board a Dutch cruise ship where a hantavirus outbreak occurred are now back in the U.S. Those who've tested positive are at the CDC in Atlanta, while those who haven't shown symptoms or tested positive yet are in a secure facility in Nebraska. Federal health officials stress that this is not like the COVID pandemic, so there's very little for everyday Americans to worry about. Emergency room doctor and President of the Black Physicians of Utah Dr. Richard Ferguson joins Inside Sources. 

Topics we will cover on this episode of KSL's Inside Sources include: Residents of new Utah city possibly facing property tax increase of 519%  Woman visits all 511 parks in Salt Lake County; creates new database on amenities  The Atlantic teams up with Deseret News to discuss future of Utah  Utah Supreme Court justice resigns amid legislative investigation  Trump administration launches new website designed to help pregnant mothers 

You'd really have to *try* to visit every single park... 511 of them... in Salt Lake County.  Well... we'd like to introduce you to someone who's done it.  Joining me live is Ali Vallarta..

For two years, host Ali Vallarta has been visiting every park in Salt Lake County — around 500 of them. Now, she's officially done and has a totally unique resource to share. Ali chats with social media manager Molly Miloscia about her journey, the cool things she found, and how our parks could be even better. Check out our Salt Lake parks map!  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 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:  Utah Museum of Fine Arts Red Butte Garden Salt Lake City Arts Council Harmons Tracy Aviary

The podcast is making another visit to Salt Lake County. UIAAA Connection #273 – James Edward, Editor, Prep Sports – Deseret News - is now available. James grew up in Murray, Utah, and moved to Holladay during his sophomore year,discovering at age ten a passion for journalism and a desire to become a sportswriter. A 1994 graduate of Olympus High School, he earned his degree from the University of Utah in 1998, launching his career with The Daily Utah Chronicle. Mentor Lee Benson inspired his early professional growth. Edward describes championship days as the most rewarding, capturing both joy and heartbreak as athletes close their high school careers. His advice encourages coaches and ADs to collaborate with media and promptly respond to pressinquiries for athletes' benefit. This podcast is also available on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox,Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube.

Do some cities want to leave Salt Lake County? A recent bill made it seem so. Host Ali Vallarta, executive producer Emily Means, and City Cast Salt Lake contributor Shireen Ghorbani dig into what's behind the Salt Lake County "divorce" proposal. Plus, summer camp ideas and joyful picks of the week. Resources and references: Help us make a list of the 1,000 things we love about Salt Lake. ICE Buys SLC Warehouse, Heatwave Coming, Cream Cheese Madness [City Cast Salt Lake]  ‘A little frustrating': Gov. Cox says Utah officials were not told of ICE warehouse sale beforehand [Salt Lake Tribune]  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 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:  Canyon View Credit Union Wake the Great Salt Lake Salt Lake Sewciety Salt Lake City Corporation - Wake the Great Salt Lake

The Hercules First Federal Credit Union Salt Lake County High School Players of the Week honors the top boy’s & girl’s prep basketball players each week during the high school basketball season. Our winners this week were Stacia Peoples from Bingham High School and Gavin Lowe from Olympus High School.

Five days of testimony in the Kouri Richins murder trial have produced a credibility war. The prosecution's star witness claims she bought fentanyl for Kouri four times. The defense has exposed her meth use, her immunity deals, and her supplier's reversal. Kouri has maintained composure through it all. Former FBI behavioral analyst Robin Dreeke breaks down who's telling the truth — and how to know.Dreeke served 21 years with the Bureau, including as Chief of the Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program. Reading people in high-stakes environments was his specialty. He understands what behavioral signals indicate reliability despite credibility problems — and what signals indicate performance.Carmen Lauber is the prosecution's key witness. She testified she obtained fentanyl for Kouri multiple times before Eric Richins died. But she was using methamphetamine during the relevant period. She received immunity from Summit County, Salt Lake County, and the federal government. Her own supplier, Robert Crozier, originally told detectives he sold fentanyl — but testified Friday it was oxycodone, blaming his original statement on being "detoxing and out of it."The defense is hammering every inconsistency. The prosecution needs the jury to believe her anyway. Dreeke explains how to assess whether a witness like Lauber is telling the truth despite the baggage — versus constructing a narrative that serves her immunity deal.He also reads Kouri's behavior. Nearly four years of maintaining innocence through investigation, arrest, hearings, and now trial. Sustained composure through testimony describing how she allegedly murdered her husband. What does that level of performance require psychologically — and where do the cracks show?Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#KouriRichins #EricRichins #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimeToday #FBI #CarmenLauber #RobertCrozier #MurderTrial #BehavioralAnalysis #HiddenKillers

The Hercules First Federal Credit Union Salt Lake County High School Players of the Week honors the top boy’s & girl’s prep basketball players each week during the high school basketball season. Our winners this week were Evy Roberts from Bingham High School and Krew Eckman from Alta High School.

The Hercules First Federal Credit Union Salt Lake County High School Players of the Week honors the top boy’s & girl’s prep basketball players each week during the high school basketball season. Our winners this week were Naveah Crosby from West Jordan High School & Samiu Taukiuvea from West High School.

Several former members of the Salt Lake County Republican Party say they are now filing a lawsuit in response to their removal. They say the discipline they received from party leadership was direct retaliation for complaints they lodged against the party.  In this Deep Dive, guest host Heather Peterson gets a breakdown of the situation from Inside Sources co-host Dr. Holly Richardson, who says it's a nuanced problem, but one she finds interesting because of the discipline involved. Two of the members disciplined in the process (Kaye Sanderson and Tracie Halvorsen) also speak out, sharing their reaction to the situation. Finally, county party chair Mike Carey joins Heather Peterson and Midday Executive Producer Andy Cupp to share more insights into the disciplinary process and why several members of the party faced that same discipline. 

Host: Heidi HatchGuests: Maura Carabello, Exoro Group; Curt Bramble, former Utah state senatorHappy Valentine's Day. We're halfway through the session, it's Presidents' Day weekend, and it's the anniversary of Utah women's right to vote. U.S. House approves the SAVE America Act as GOP makes election bill pushUtah Reps. Kennedy, Moore, Maloy, and Owens all voted in favor.Sen. Mike Lee has 49 votes so far in the Senate.UTAH LEGISLATUREUtah lawmaker proposes HB 392, Unlicensed Driver Amendments, heads to the Senate. As described by HB 136 sponsor Rep. Matt MacPherson, R-West Valley City, the bill is aimed at addressing the rising number of crashes caused by unlicensed drivers.Utah wants to remove marriage tax penalties. New bill would limit tax credits for unmarried individuals in an attempt to incentivize marriage. Tax penalties present an obstacle to married households, which threatens the best foundation for kids to have good life outcomes, according to Rep. Melissa Ballard, R-North Salt Lake. Should Utah third graders struggling with reading be held back a year? ‘Constitutional court' three-judge panel bill takes on new amendments. Utah's digital ID program, “digital bill of rights,” could lead the nation in privacy framework. Utah forces Chinese company to sell motorsports park in Tooele County.SIGNATURE GATHERING WINS AND LOSSES• Ben McAdams says he is the first to get the needed 7,000 signatures to make it on the ballot.• Prop 4 repeal signature gathering in 11th hour. Signatures must be turned in by Sunday, Feb. 15.• Salt Lake County tax referendum fails.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hour three of DJ & PK on February 13, 2026 The NBA needs to make serious changes if it wants to prevent tanking David Locke's Thoughts on all the tanking controversy Hercules Salt Lake County Players of the Week Is College Basketball a Better Product than the NBA?

The Hercules First Federal Credit Union Salt Lake County High School Players of the Week honors the top boy’s & girl’s prep basketball players each week during the high school basketball season. Our winners this week were Kylee Falatea from West High School & Gavin Lowe from Olympus High School

The Hercules First Federal Credit Union Salt Lake County High School Players of the Week this week were Jessica Maynard from Mountain Ridge High School and Luke West from Bingham High School.

More than 7,600 older adult households in Salt Lake County rely on public assistance to afford groceries, according to new research commissioned by the Salt Lake County Office of Regional Development. We speak to Afton January, Communications & PR manager for SLCO Aging and Adult Services, about food affordability for seniors and how changes to SNAP may impact them.

The Hercules First Federal Credit Union Salt Lake County High School Players of the Week this week were Grace Gallagher from Hunter High School and Jrue Miller from Rowland Hall.

A Salt Lake County family is suing Roblox. The lawsuit claims a teen boy was targeted and groomed on the gaming platform. Joining me live is former FBI agent Greg Rogers.

The Hercules First Federal Credit Union Salt Lake County High School Players of the Week this week were Munah Doe from Judge Memorial High School and Trey Nicolodemos from Juan Diego Catholic High School.

In this episode of Fostering Conversations, host Amy Smith sits down with Terumi Sagers, TBRI Specialist for Utah Foster Care, longtime foster parent, and adoptive parent. Together, they unpack the foundations of Trust‑Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)—a relationship‑centered, trauma‑informed caregiving approach developed by Dr. Karen Purvis and Dr. David Cross. This conversation is filled with real‑life examples, practical tools, and compassionate insights for foster parents, kinship caregivers, educators, and anyone raising children—because, as Terumi explains, TBRI works for all humans, not just those with trauma backgrounds. Episode Summary Terumi shares her extensive experience fostering, adopting, and training caregivers for over 15 years. She explains the three core TBRI principles—Connecting, Empowering, and Correcting—and why trust must be rebuilt from a “negative starting point” for many children who enter care. You'll hear: How simple, consistent connection builds safety Why correcting behavior isn't effective until trust is established How sensory needs, movement, nutrition, and hydration affect behavior Practical examples caregivers can implement today Clear guidance on where families (foster or not) can access TBRI training This episode is a comforting mix of vulnerability, practical strategy, and hope for caregivers navigating the complexities of trauma‑impacted parenting. Guest Terumi Sagers TBRI Specialist, Utah Foster Care 20 years as a foster parent • Adoptive parent • Trainer and practitioner Key Topics Covered 1. What Is TBRI? A trauma‑informed parenting philosophy centered on trust‑building and relational connection. Originally developed for children with trauma histories, but now shown to benefit all children and even adult relationships. 2. Why Trust Starts Below Zero Children in care often enter new homes with trauma, loss, and disrupted attachment. Caregivers must focus on connection to help kids reach “zero” before growth can begin. 3. The Three TBRI Principles Connecting: Relationship‑building through presence, attunement, and positive interactions. Empowering: Meeting physical and sensory needs (movement, hydration, blood sugar, calm environments). Correcting: Teaching life skills and addressing behavior after safety and connection are in place. 4. Real‑World Examples A withdrawn teen reconnecting through daily small affirmations. A family eliminating after‑school meltdowns simply by offering protein snacks and water right after pickup. 5. Training Opportunities Utah Foster Care's 8‑class TBRI Caregiver Series (20 hours). Community resources including My Healing Home, Raise the Future, and online courses from TCU. 6. Becoming a TBRI Practitioner A rigorous process including 10 weeks of study, an intensive adult attachment interview, and a 5‑day immersive training. Resources Mentioned Books: The Connected Child and The Connected Parent by Dr. Karen Purvis Training: UtahFosterCare.org → TBRI Caregiver Series Community Providers: My Healing Home • Raise the Future Online Learning: TCU's TBRI 101 resources Notable Quotes “When you choose to become a parent, you choose how you spend your time. You can front‑load it with connection—or spend it all correcting.” “Our kids aren't starting at zero. They're starting at negative.” “Even as adults, we can keep using these principles to strengthen our relationships.” Learn More Visit UtahFosterCare.org to explore TBRI trainings, resources, and support opportunities. Transcript Episode 67: Trust-Based Relational Intervention Amy: On today’s episode, we’ll be talking to Terumi from Utah Foster Care about TBRI principles. This is a parenting strategy for anybody, parenting kids with trauma or anyone with kids in the home. Welcome to Fostering Conversations. I’m your host, Amy Smith. Today we have as our guest, Terumi Sagers, who is the TBRI specialist for Utah Foster Care. Welcome, Terumi. Terumi: Thank you. Thank you for having me Amy: . So you are the specialist. You’ve been teaching for a while. Tell us a little bit about yourself. So listeners just have a little bit of background. Terumi: So my husband and I were foster parents for 20 years fostered and did respite for. A long time. We also adopted three of our four children from the foster care system, and I have been with Utah Foster Care for coming up on 15 years now, working on the training team. Amy: so you are more than qualified is what I hear. Terumi: I would hope so. Amy: I love that. That’s amazing. So tell us let’s just start from the beginning. What is TBRI? Terumi: So TBRI stands for trust-Based Relational Intervention and it is a parenting philosophy based out of research done by Dr. Karen Purvis and Dr. David Cross out of TCU. Amy: so I’ve taken the TBR trainings as a foster parent. Something I always wonder, I don’t. Know, so I’m asking is TBRI only for kids with trauma or can it be used to parent any type of child? Terumi: I love that question because when we first learned about it, it was in the context of working with kids that have experienced trauma or have had toxic levels of stress. But as the research has gone on. They have realized this works for all kids. This works in other relationships as well. And I have had families come through TBRI training and say, I don’t have any kids in my home, but I’ve been doing this with my coworkers, or I’ve been doing this with my spouse and this works everywhere. And I love that. The reality is, yes, it works everywhere with everyone. Amy: Yeah. And why is that? Maybe give us like a very small, I know TBRI is very intense and has so many layers, but can you give us like a little bit of a nutshell overview of what the basis of it is for listeners that maybe don’t know what it is. Terumi: So we go back to that name, trust-based relational intervention, that we build trust in relationships, and that helps us have influence on behaviors of others. And when we put that relationship at the forefront and connecting with people on a really basic level, they feel that safety with us, and it allows us to then empower them. It allows us to correct behaviors when we need to because they know they can trust us. Amy: Yeah. Some of the, the basic things that I remember when I took the training years ago or, or is when one of the. activities, during the training is they have a pretend hurt essentially, and you ask, where is your hurt? May I put a bandaid on it? And I, I think it really is so basic. You’re just doing these basic things of like you say. Building trust and with, especially with kids with trauma they don’t have that on any foundational level. And so starting with these really simple bandaid activities, makes them start being more comfortable and being able to trust their caregivers. Terumi: Yeah. When we think about trust, we tend to think starting maybe at zero and going forward, but our kids in care have had traumas to the level that you’re not starting at zero. You’re starting at negative. Amy: Yeah. That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought about that. Terumi: time to get to zero. And so all of these activities, all of the strategic things that were being very intentional about teaching are to get you to zero to then start going forward in that relationship. Amy: Yeah, and I think as a caregiver or a parent, that can be overwhelming because first of all, we want instant results, right? We want kids to just be amazing and trust us and obey and do everything. That would be amazing, but. And that’s just not reality for any child, but I think having that perspective of, you’re trying to even just get to zero, I think that’s a really good perspective for caregivers to think about. I had never thought about that before, so I really like that. Terumi: Yeah, when you have a baby that is born to you from the moment. Even in the womb, you are doing things that they learn to, Hey, this person’s taking care of me. I can trust and I’m safe. When a child just lands on your doorstep, they don’t know you. They don’t know. That you can be trusted in any way. And sometimes we forget that because we think everything that was in the past is in the past. But trauma doesn’t go away the moment they hit your doorstep. Amy: You just added another pile on actually. Terumi: This is an additional trauma Amy: Correct. Yeah. Terumi: now I’m living with. Hopefully if we’re able to find kinship providers, someone I know at least, otherwise, being placed on the doorstep of well-intentioned Total strangers. Amy: know I, when I explain foster care to people, I, I say, think of how many people you have. If you and your spouse were unavailable to take care for your kids. The list is probably long, right? Kids in foster care, literally there’s no list, so they’re coming to a stranger’s house and it is. Like still, to me it’s so mind boggling to think, wow, we have this many kids and this many adults really in the state of Utah and in the country that they have no one. And so their kids are going to strangers when they’re in a terrible situation. That’s really sad. Terumi: Yes. As hard as it is to be in that stressful situation, having someone you can count on helps buffer that stress and these kids. Haven’t had someone that could count on and in fact have been hurt in relationships where they should have been kept safe. Amy: Yeah. Terumi: And so it puts you again at that deficit below zero because moms aren’t necessarily safe or dads aren’t necessarily safe. And now I have a mom and a dad. I have no history that tells me I can trust them. Amy: Yeah. I remember the first night we got our now adopted daughter. She was 14 months and it was the middle of the night and a caseworker brought her in a car seat and I. Came outside, took her out of the car seat, carried her to my couch. She was filthy. I didn’t choose to bathe there right then. I was like, this poor kid is, going through a lot. So we, I just sat and held her, but it was so interesting because, she was tired and it was a lot, but that morning she would not let me hold her. She would let my husband hold her. She would let my kids hold her. But the mom figure it was a no. And it was so interesting, and it took a few days for her to be okay with me holding her. But really these kids do have barriers and things that have happened to them that they can’t trust the adult female figure, or they can’t, they’re scared, and you have no idea why. So it’s crazy. Terumi: And part of what we talk about with. TBRI and a lot of the trainings that we present to foster parents is about attachment and the attachment cycle and that you keep showing up, they will show you what their needs are and you keep showing up. What I love about TBRI is it’s not theoretical about what attachment is and how you build it. It is very practical. Do this, then do this. Amy: Yeah. Yeah, Terumi: And we still cover that overarching idea around attachment, but it’s very hands-on, very holistic, very practical. Amy: yeah. So tell us a little bit about the TBRI training that Utah Foster parents can participate in. Terumi: So we offer what is called the caregiver series, and it is a series of eight classes. They are two and a half hours each, so by the time you finish, you have 20 hours of training there has been a new curriculum that has come out in the last six months, and I love it because it not only takes those principles, but it does widen the audience of who this is available too, and it makes it more user friendly even than it was before. So we have nights where we’re talking about the brain and understanding the basics about , the brain a night about attachment. And then we go into what are called the principles. And there’s three principles of TBRI. We will spend two nights talking about connecting and building those relationships. We will spend two nights talking about empowering, and this is some of the structures that we put in place to help kids calm their bodies and to help our homes be safe and calm places for them. And then we. Spend two nights talking about correcting behavior. Now, if we’ve put in the time as parents, which is what I always tell parents, when you choose to become a parent, you will put in time and you get to choose how you spend your time. You can either front load it with a lot of connecting and a lot of empowering, or you can. Choose to do a lot of correcting. And in TBRI, we look at this as a pyramid that we want that foundation of connecting and empowering. And then the very top is the correcting. And even in that, we break it down into we’re gonna teach the life skills we want. And at the very top is correcting behaviors in that moment. Because that’s the least effective time to Amy: I know. Terumi: actually teach, and we forget that as adults. Amy: Yes. And it’s always, at least for me, it’s always oh, immediately that’s, I’m like, we have to fix that right now. And it’s oh, not the time, it’s it. I don’t know if it’s human nature to just want to go exactly there or if it’s my personality or what, but yeah, it takes a lot of effort. Terumi: wanna fix it. Wanna fix it right now? Amy: Yeah. Terumi: And we are frustrated. And they are frustrated and we use way too many words when they’re not in a space that their brain is comprehending a lot of words. So what we tend to do when we put in time sometimes is we flip back and forth between having the triangle. Or look like a pyramid and having it inverted where we’re spending all our time correcting. We’ll figure out the empowering things and that connection comes last. And I tell parents the way you can tell where you’re at because we all do it and we all flip back and forth between them. Amy: Yeah. Terumi: But if you are frustrated as a parent. If you are feeling like every interaction I have is correcting behavior, my hunch is you’ve inverted that pyramid Amy: Yeah, that makes sense. Terumi: and if you can go, I gotta flip it back, it starts with you as a parent going, I’ve gotta focus on that connection and I’ve gotta focus on positive interactions with my child. I had a child that at one point. Was so struggling with his mental health that he literally did not leave our house more than five times over the course of a year and a half. Amy: yeah. Wow. Terumi: I struggled with that, and I struggled to connect with him because he was so withdrawn. Amy: Yeah. Terumi: There was a time when the most I could come up with was, thank you for showering. You smell really nice today. And that was my feeble effort at connecting with that child. But when I started doing that every day, finding one way to connect with him, Amy: Yeah. Terumi: it flipped that relationship again. And he knew I had his back. I was on his site. And eventually it built where it was not hard to find things to be positive about, and it was easy to continue to build and to continue to empower him towards better mental health. Amy: Yeah. No, I think every parent can relate to that and I always, anytime we’re talking. You know about parenting aspects, I’m always laughing in my head ’cause I’m like, oh, I have this kid who’s really easy to parent and this kid who’s really hard to parent. And it’s a personality conflict for some of us. But ultimately it does. It comes back on us as the parents to find the ways to connect, to find the ways to take a deep breath and try again. And it’s hard. It’s hard as a parent. Terumi: It is we are human and we get frustrated too but remembering, oh, wait, yes, I’m the adult in this situation, whether I wanna be or not right now. Amy: There you go. That’s exactly right. Terumi: I actually am the adult. Amy: Yes. So tell us a little bit if people are not foster parents, is there a way that they can access this type of training Terumi: Yes. There are multiple community resources. My healing home here in Salt Lake County offers it. They offer it statewide. You can look into Raise the Future, offers community classes as well, and. It’s also available online through TCU. So Texas Christian University has A-T-B-R-I 1 0 1 class that you can take there. Additionally, TCU has put out multiple YouTube videos that’ll just give you. Brief glimpses into TBRI and some of these principles we’re starting to spread statewide in the number of what we call practitioners. People like myself who’ve been trained to teach TBRI and so it’s becoming more prevalently available in schools Amy: Oh, that’s awesome. Terumi: and in. Therapy agencies and things like that. So it’s starting to spread, but raise future and my healing home are two that I would recommend Amy: Okay. Yeah. That’s really good to know because I like, I had literally never even heard of this concept until I became a foster parent and. Then even still when I’ve told other people about it, I’ve had, once you become a foster parent, people think you’re like this all-knowing magical being, and it’s no, actually I’m just a human who signed up to do something really crazy, but thank you for that empowering comment. But people will reach out, right? And be like, I have this difficult niece or nephew or, and it’s I’m not. Therapist I, anyways, so I think it’s great to know where we can refer people to, or if somebody’s listening that is not a foster parent, where are these resources that they can access? Terumi: And now that you said that two books I’m gonna recommend, the connected child and the connected parent, and they are both based on TBRI principles by Karen Purvis. Amy: Okay. That’s amazing. Yeah. So that just gives a little bit of a foundation and some options for people to go look at. I would love for you to chat a little bit about what the training’s like. To become A-T-B-R-I practitioner. I’ve talked to a few of the other people at Utah Foster Care who have gone through that, and I think it’s super fascinating. So I don’t know if you have any I know that’s a random question, but I just found it really fascinating who just explained a little bit of what becoming a practitioner for it is and what it entails. And I would love if you’d be willing to share a little bit about that. Terumi: It is rather intense. Apply for the opportunity to do it. I did it late in COVID, so my experience was entirely online, which is not the ideal way and is not the way they do it now. But they have, you do about 10 weeks of. Studying and deep diving into TBRI principles, and then they set up an appointment to do something called the adult attachment interview. I told you earlier, we talk about attachment and different attachment styles with the adult attachment interview. This is a several hour process, one-on-one with an interviewer where they talk, have you talk about your childhood Amy: Oh wow. Terumi: and your parents, and. Their personalities. Your personalities, how, what worked, what didn’t what your memories are like. And then at the end of that, they tell you what your attachment style is with each of your parents, Amy: Oh, okay. Terumi: because that then shows up in how you parent and how you interact. Other relationships, it can show up in romantic relationships. It can show up in parenting relationships. So that in and of itself is very intense. Amy: do we all get one of those? Terumi: They’re very expensive to do. That is not a random thing. You just click on online. Amy: kidding, but how fascinating was it? So eye-opening to you Terumi: very Amy: and slightly horrifying. I think it would be like, Terumi: Also. Amy: wanna know that about myself. Terumi: Yes. And it, it gave me deeper insight into some of the choices that I have made as an adult for good and bad. Amy: Yeah. Wow. That’s really, yeah. That would be so interesting. Terumi: And then after that there is a one week long intensive where you are in a training session with them nine to five for five days, and they move it around the country. I think they have one coming up in Las Vegas and wound up in Washington. Amy: Okay. Terumi: It’s a rather intense process and a lot of self discovery Amy: yeah, I Terumi: in figuring that out. Amy: Wow. I just think that’s, it’s awesome and really neat to hear how intensive it is to become, to train this, because TBRI is not easy to do. It’s not like you’re gonna go into this class and then you’re like, wow, I am a spectacular parent. All of a sudden it, it takes. Effort. It takes a lot of effort and so I think even just becoming an educator in it, like it shows you took a lot of effort and a lot of time and probably a lot of soul searching to become qualified to, to teach it. Terumi: Yes, absolutely. Amy: You’re like, maybe I didn’t wanna do this. Terumi: There were times where I was like, this felt like a really good idea. Amy: Love that. Terumi: It’s a lot. I look back now though, and it has done. A world of good to use these principles with my own children in helping those relationships, in helping my marriage, in helping my relationships with my own siblings and my parents to just put things in context a little differently. Amy: Yeah. Terumi: It’s been amazing. Amy: That’s so cool. I would love if you would be willing to share just one or two successes. You shared about one of the kids that lived with you, that was struggling with mental health, but do you have any other examples that could be mentioned either about your family or people you’ve worked with? Anything? Just beautiful success stories from it. Terumi: So one of the things that. We spend a lot of time talking about is sensory challenges because a lot of our kids in care have sensory challenges of a variety of kinds. They may be seeking sensory experiences, they may be trying to avoid certain sensory experiences. In the empowering principles, we talk about how we help kids calm their bodies, and some of it has to do with these sensory experiences. Some of it has to do with making sure their blood sugar is at a regular level and making sure they’re not dehydrated rated. So it’s fun when I teach these classes and it’s once a week because parents are giving given an assignment. Go try. Something that we’ve taught this week and come back and tell us what worked, what didn’t work, and when there’s five or six of us doing this, we’re getting a whole bunch more ideas from each other. One of the things was the blood sugar and hydration, and I said, make sure right after school they are getting a snack that’s going to help regulate their blood sugar and make sure they’re getting water. Amy: Yeah. Terumi: The next week curls around and a parent comes back and she said, I went and bought high protein snacks instead of the garbage. I’d been Amy: Yeah. Terumi: being out for them to eat. And she said, it’s more expensive, but my kids every day are like, where is our special snacks? Amy: I love it. Terumi: And she said, all of those afterschool meltdowns that we were having went away. When they were getting fed and hydrated right after school because we walked through the process of what does a day look like at school? When was the last time they Amy: It’s true. Terumi: When was the last time they moved their bodies? That’s probably around one o’clock, but they’re probably eating around 11 o’clock and you’re not seeing ’em until three. Amy: Yeah. Terumi: Or three 30. So they have gone four hours and we need to get something in them fast. And so now we have a lot of families that are keeping mini water bottles or their child’s water bottle in the car and some type of snack with them in the car. So as they get in the car, they hand it to them. Amy: Do not speak. Eat this. Terumi: Or anyone can melt down. Please eat this food and drink this water and are coming back going. That was game changing. Amy: And it’s so silly, right? Like I find that all the time. I have one specific child and he’s I’m sorry that I was hangry yesterday. He can’t even think straight. He’s losing his mind. And I’m like, let’s just get you some blah, blah, blah, going crazy. Finally the next day he’s i’m so hard. Sorry that I was hangry. I’m like yes you were. Thank you for recognizing it now. But it is simple, but it really matters. It really does. Terumi: it really does. And families have come back saying, okay, I’ve tried this. Oh, have you tried this particular type of water bottle? And it’s working with kids of all ages just to meet those really basic Amy: Yeah. Terumi: And being aware of those timeframes. Have they moved their body in the last two hours? Don’t make ’em sit down and do homework right after school until you’ve gotten a snack in them and they’ve moved their body Amy: Yeah. Terumi: because. They’ve just been so pent up for so long. Sitting in a classroom, they are gonna struggle unless you get them hydrated, get their blood sugar, get meet those sensory needs if moving their body, it’s gonna go a whole lot smoother after school. Amy: Yeah, and I think that’s what you were talking about with TBRI. There are tangible things to do. Do this, then do this and yes, it’s a lot of things, right? As a parent, we’re like we just wanna snap our fingers and have it magically work. But this is not that there’s no snapping of fingers, but there is actual steps and information and. Things you can do, which I as a parent really appreciate because so many times it’s just do, just be a better parent and they’ll be better, so I really appreciate that aspect of TBRI. Terumi: And I love, I truly, every time I teach it, I’m like, oh, I should try that too. My kids are all young adults now, but I still like. Amy: probably even more reason to try it. Terumi: We should go back and try this, or maybe in that next conversation I have with that child, I can do this to reconnect with them to help have influence. They’re young adults. I’m not gonna be changing their minds on certain things, but I can have influence still, and I’m still using these principles. I’m still. Every time I take it, I learn something new and I try something new. And that’s the other thing that I’ve told parents every time they take the TBRI courses come back, you’re going to learn something new. You’re going to have a new insight with a different relationship. This is going to be helping you with Amy: And relationships are always evolving and changing mean you always have stronger or weaker ones or new ones, so there’s always something that can be worked on with somebody. At least for me, this is just, there’s just so many options really. Terumi: Exactly. Amy: Oh, I love that. I have enjoyed taking the TBRI course. I should absolutely take it again ’cause I’m in new stages of life and new things. But I really appreciate you sharing all of this information. It’s beyond helpful for listeners. Yeah. Terumi: The opportunity. Amy: Yes. No, it really is great. So we will just refer listeners to Utah foster care.org if they want to learn more or to sign up to take one of the courses. Thanks for joining us, Terumi. Terumi: Thank you. Amy: Thanks for joining us for Fostering Conversations. I’m your host, Amy Smith. To learn more, head over to Utah foster care.org.

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

Topics covered on this episode of KSL's Inside Sources include: Manhunt Continues For Brown University Shooting Suspect Too Much? Poll Shows What Americans Think About Trump Immigration Policies  Ballet West Warns of 'Nutcracker' Ticket Scams + Online Red Flags  The Brain’s Secret Superpower: How and When It Rewires Itself

A group of Salt Lake County residents are taking a stand against a nearly 14% property tax hike -- and rallying neighbors to put the decision back in voters’ hands with a referendum. Goud Maragani, one of the residents behind the referendum, joins the show to explain the reasoning. Greg and Holly take live calls and texts about if voters should have a final say on tax increases.

Salt Lake County’s district attorney filed a manslaughter charge in the deadly No Kings protest shooting that killed Afa Ah Loo. They announced that Arturo Gamboa will not be charged, but the peacekeeper who fired and killed Afa Ah Loo will be charged with manslaughter. Greg goes into the details of this case and what we can expect going forward.