Tuesday Update 3/17: Discord Launch Plus, The Biggest Salt Lake Stories This Week, and This Week's Conspiracy Deep Dive Episode

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Transcript

Welcome And A Missed Week

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What is up everybody and welcome back to another Tuesday update. It is me, Eric Nilsen, the host of the Small Lake City podcast. And first things first, happy St. Patrick's Day. Whether you're celebrating with a green beer, a corned beef sandwich, or just wearing green so nobody pinches you, I hope you have a great one today. Now, I'm gonna be real with you right out of the gate this week. I missed last week. There was no new episode, no update, nothing. I barely got the newsletter out. And honestly, I had so much going on that I couldn't really pull it all together the way I wanted to, and I'd rather skip than put something out there that felt half baked. So I'm sorry for that. You deserve better, and I'll do better. But here's the thing: I'm making it up to you this week in a big way. But there's more on that at the end. But trust me, you're gonna want to stick around. But before we get into the news, I have to tell you something I've been working on that I'm really excited about. Today I'm officially launching the Small Lake City Discord channel. The whole idea behind this show has always been to make Salt Lake feel a little smaller, to connect people, highlight what's going on, and remind everyone that this is actually a pretty incredible place to live. And the Discord is the next step in doing exactly that. But hey, what better day to launch a community than St. Patrick's Day? Consider it your little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And here's what you can expect there. I'll be posting the weekly newsletter there every week as well. I'm gonna highlight upcoming local events, I'm going to launch giveaways, we're gonna have deals and discounts at some of my favorite places around the valley, we're gonna have Small Lake City meetups and events, and just a place to connect with other people who also love this city. And here's the thing I'm probably most excited about that we are launching with the Small Lake City Discord, and that is the Small Lake City Book Club. So once a month we'll be getting together in real life to talk about a book and just meet some new people, make some friends, because honestly, making friends as an adult in a new city is hard, and I want this to be a space that makes that a little easier for all of us. All of the book club coordination, the book picks, the meetup details, everything will be happening inside the Discord. So you're going to want to make sure you join and find that channel. The link to join the Discord is in the show notes below, so come hang out with us there. Alright, so let's get into what's been happening in Salt Lake over the last seven days. This first one has a lot of people fired up. The federal government has purchased a warehouse on Salt Lake City's west side and plans to use it as an ice detention facility. And here's the part that really stings. The sellers had reportedly indicated they weren't going to sell it for this purpose. And then they did anyway. Salt Lake City Mayor Aaron Mendenhall came out swinging, calling the plan inhumane and flat out incompatible with the city's values. She said the city is now reviewing zoning and legal options to try and block it, which raises the bigger question everybody's asking. Can Salt Lake City actually stop this? The short answer is maybe, but it's complicated. Federal authority tends to trump local zoning in situations like this, but the city is clearly not going down without a fight. This is one to watch closely. Also, if you live anywhere near downtown Salt Lake City, listen up, because this is going to affect your commute, your weekends, and probably your patience. The downtown Salt Lake Temple is reopening, and the open house could bring the same level of foot traffic as biannual general conference, but every single day for six months. Let that sink in. The Salt Lake City Council is set to vote soon on road closures along South Temple, North Temple, and West Temple as part of the security plan. So if you haven't been rerouting your life mentally, now's the time. And honestly, maybe bring this up in the Discord. I have a feeling people are gonna have some thoughts on this one. The Corey Richens case continues to move forward. For anyone who needs a refresher, Richens is the Utah woman accused of poisoning her husband Eric with fentanyl lace cocktail and then wildly writing a children's book about grief afterward. The trial has been drawing national attention, and locally people are still very much plugged in. We'll keep you updated as things develop. This one is far from over. Here's some actually positive housing news for once. Both Salt Lake City and Ogden are considering loosening restrictions on how many unrelated people can live together in a single household. The idea is pretty straightforward. More roommates allowed equals more affordable living options. In a market that has absolutely not been kind to renters, this feels like a small but meaningful step. And after a little taste of spring cooldown, high pressure is bringing temps back into the 70s in northern Utah and 80s in the south later this week. And forecasters are saying next week could bring a legit heat wave, possibly record temperatures. So enjoy the mild days while they last and maybe go ahead and find where you stored your fans. At least the St. Patrick's Day weather should be nice today. Get outside if you can. Speaking of weather, Salt Lake City may be reinstating its drought contingency plan for the first time since 2022. This year's snowpack is looking pretty rough, and the city is considering asking residents to voluntarily conserve water while also cutting back on watering at government facilities. Nothing mandatory yet, but worth keeping an eye on, especially with that heat wave coming. On the last day of the legislative session, Utah lawmakers cut$650,000 in funding from the Utah Women and Leadership Project, reallocating it to the Utah Forest Restoration Institute. The project's leaders say this could eliminate most of their staff and seriously threaten the future of one of the only research organizations in the state focused on women and girls. Understandably, a lot of people are not happy about this one. And after more than 11 years leading Equality Utah, Executive Director Troy Williams is stepping down.

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E. Gonson, the organization's regional director in southern Utah, will be stepping into this role. 11 years is a long time, big shoes to fill, and we wish both of them the best in this transition. And finally, a sobering one. Okay, here's where I make it up to all of you. This week's episode is something that I've been genuinely so excited about for a long time. We're doing another full Small Lake City deep dive into a topic that is everyone's favorite Salt Lake City conspiracy. Fun time, kids care. If you know, you know, and if you don't know, oh buddy, are you in for a ride? This is one of those stories that feels too strange to be real, and yet here we are. We're going all in the full story, the details, everything. This is the episode I've been wanting to make for a while, and I think you're really going to love it. Honestly, it might be the most Salt Lake City thing I've ever covered on the show. And that drops this week. Make sure you're subscribed wherever you listen and follow us on YouTube so you don't miss it, because it's going to be intentionally best experienced as a YouTube video. So when it does drop, come talk about it in the Discord. I have a feeling this one's going to spark some serious conversations. So that's your Tuesday update this week. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody. Stay safe out there tonight, and I'll talk to you very soon.