The company historically doesn’t confirm new stores until they’re about to open.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The new Trader Joe’s in Sugar House, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Another store, the seventh in Utah, is apparently in the works.
| May 29, 2025, 9:57 p.m.
Another Trader Joe’s grocery store likely is coming to Utah.
Utah’s liquor commission, in its monthly meeting Thursday, approved an off-premises beer retailer license for a Trader Joe’s in Holladay.
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The new store will be located at 1895 E. Rodeo Walk Drive, according to its liquor license application, said Michelle Schmitt, spokesperson for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services.
The location is part of a development being built on the site of the former Cottonwood Mall, which was demolished in 2008.
What’s not known is when the new store will open. The company historically does not confirm or deny rumors of new store locations, and only announces openings shortly before they happen.
Nakia Rohde, a spokesperson for Trader Joe’s, said in a statement that “at this time, we do not have a location confirmed in Holladay.”
Rohde’s statement said that the company is “actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year.”
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The statement is nearly identical to one Rohde issued in December, after the mayor of Riverdale announced that a Trader Joe’s store was coming to that Weber County town this summer. The opening date for that store is not listed yet on the company’s website.
The last Trader Joe’s store to open in Utah was in Sugar House last October. The grocery chain also has stores in Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Orem and near downtown Salt Lake City. The Riverdale and Holladay locations would bring the total of the company’s Utah stores to seven.
A surging wildfire ripping through eastern Utah wilderness over the weekend triggered a rare “firenado”, unleashing a terrifying mix of wind and flames that left one home and several other outbuildings severely damaged.
The Deer Creek Fire had already burned several thousand acres just north of La Sal on Saturday when the column of flames and hot gases began spinning, creating the surreal sight of a firenado.
“One of our firefighters captured this unusual phenomenon of a fire vortex tearing through pinyon-juniper woodland on the Deer Creek Fire, just outside of La Sal,” said officials with the Utah Bureau of Land Management.
The firenado did significant damage as it wreaked havoc on a neighborhood caught in the blaze. The National Weather Service estimated that wind speeds inside the twister reached 122 mph – strong enough to rate an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
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What’s worse, instead of typical tornadoes that may only spend moments to seconds blasting a neighborhood as the storm blows through, this firenado was nearly stationary, spending 12 minutes swirling its flame-infused fury.
On Saturday, July 12, a fire-induced tornado developed within the Deer Creek wildfire near La Sal, Utah. National Weather ServiceThe tornado was on the ground for approximately 12 minutes from 1:03-1:15 PM MDT and remained nearly stationary. Dwellings and outbuildings in the area sustained a mix of fire and wind damage. National Weather Service
“Dwellings and outbuildings in the area sustained a mix of fire and wind damage,” said NWS meteorologists in Grand Junction, Colorado, who later surveyed the damage. “Many of the affected structures burned after the tornado occurred, but wind damage sustained by the remaining structures resulted in the tornado being given an EF-2 rating.”
Luckily, residents had already evacuated with the approaching wildfire and no one was injured, NWS officials said.
Fire whirls or “firenados” are spinning columns of hot air and gases rising up from a fire, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. When the air and gases rise, they also carry up smoke, debris, and even fire, as seen in the vortex of fire in the video.
Dwellings and outbuildings in the area sustained a mix of fire and wind damage. National Weather ServiceMany of the affected structures burned after the tornado occurred, but wind damage sustained by the remaining structures resulted in the tornado being given an EF-2 rating. National Weather Service
The vortices can be as small as under one foot wide to over 500 feet wide, the NWCG said. Fire whirls on the larger side can be as strong as a tornado, as evidenced on Saturday.
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One of the largest and most destructive fire whirls occurred in 2018 during the Carr Fire in Redding, California, the National Weather Service said. It had wind speeds of about 143 mph, equivalent to those found in EF-3 tornadoes.
Tornadoes in any form, be it thunderstorm or wildfire-driven, are rare in Utah.
The firenado was only the second twister to be given an EF-2 rating in Utah since the Enhanced Fujita scale was implemented in 2007. Prior to that, only nine other tornadoes had been rated at least an F2 on the original Fujita Scale since 1950.
Meanwhile, firefighters are still battling the Deer Creek Fire, which had burned more than 15,600 acres as of Thursday morning’s update. The blaze is about 7% contained. It’s one of eight large wildfires burning in Utah that have scorched over 60,000 acres so far this summer.
A Utah family narrowly escaped after driving into the Snake River Monday afternoon. | Courtesy Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office
IDAHO FALLS — A newly released video shows the dramatic rescue of a Utah family whose van ended up in the Snake River after veering off the road.
Officials responded to the incident around 12:20 p.m. Monday after the driver called for help, advising they rolled into Snake River downstream from the Fall River Campground, about 45 miles from Idaho Falls.
RELATED | Utah family rescued from Snake River after vehicle veers off road
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The driver said his wife and four children were still inside the van floating downstream, and they were having difficulty getting out while water was filling up inside.
The Swan Valley Fire District posted a video of the rescue to their Facebook page Tuesday, saying they were able to save the family of 6 after the van floated 100 yards and landed on top of a high gravel bar.
“One by one they were safely extracted from the vehicle and brought back to land,” says the Facebook post. “This was an extremely lucky accident for them all to walk away unharmed and we couldn’t have asked for a better outcome!”
KSL TV reports Susan Richardson saw the van in the water and recorded the rescue.
“I always get nervous about that,” Richardson said about driving the narrow road through the Fall Creek area. “It’s scary sometimes.”
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Richardson told KSL that she and her husband were relieved that the family made it out safely.
“We feel like they were very fortunate that things didn’t take a more serious turn.”
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The MLB draft wrapped up Monday night after 20 rounds and 615 picks.
Four local players were selected, including two from the University of Utah, one from Salt Lake Community College and one from BYU.
Utah’s Core Jackson was the first local player off the board, selected by the New York Yankees in the fifth round with the No. 164 pick.
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Jackson starred at Utah for two seasons at shortstop, earning first-team all-conference selections in the Pac-12 and Big 12. He batted .364 in 2025, hitting 12 home runs, driving in 44 runs and hitting 19 doubles.
Nine rounds later, another Ute came off the board in pitcher Merit Jones, who was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the No. 419 pick.
Jones started 14 games for Utah, posting a 6.95 ERA and a 4-6 record. He struck out 58 batters during his 79 innings pitched this season for the Utes. He ended his time with Utah ranking No. 10 in career strikeouts with 175.
Pitcher Jaxon Grossman from Salt Lake Community College went 56 selections later to the Texas Rangers. Grossman, who began his career at Utah in 2023, had a 5.15 ERA over 50.2 innings pitched, with 55 strikeouts. He allowed just two home runs this season.
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BYU pitcher Garrison Sumner rounded out Utah ties in this year’s MLB draft after being selected with pick No. 598 by the Boston Red Sox.
Sumner, who pitched at Utah in 2023 and Salt Lake Community College in 2024, had an 8.32 ERA and went 3-3 in 2025 for the Cougars. He struck out 60 batters in 61.2 innings pitched for BYU this season.