Utah

Inside Voices: The perspectives you read most in 2024

Published

2 years ago

December 21, 2024

Inside Voices: The perspectives you read most in 2024

Happy Saturday, and welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.

Happy Saturday, friends. As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for subscribing to Inside Voices and reading along each week. My hope was to create a forum for opinions you won’t find elsewhere and to share your own experience without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms.

I’m especially grateful to those of you who have shared your perspectives, analyses and ideas. To celebrate that, I’d like to take a look back at some of The Salt Lake Tribune’s most read Voices pieces from 2024:

LDS women should join me in skipping church on Sunday | Kierstyn Kremer Howes
If Ryan Smith can’t afford his own entertainment district, I have no choice but to assume he is poor | Brian Higgins
‘Heretic’ brings back scary, suffocating memories of my LDS mission | Beth Adams
After three decades of being a Utah Jazz fan, I can’t do it anymore | Bryan Griffith
Christ put his trust in women, why won’t more LDS men? | Rosemary Card
Glen Canyon Dam has created a world of mud | David Marston
The Utah Jazz need to stop giving Karl Malone a platform | Ben Dowsett
For millennial women like me, LDS garments carry a complicated symbolism | Annie Mangelson
Natalie Cline bullied our child, and she should be impeached | Al and Rachel van der Beek
Weber State is embracing change in our approach to serving students. As its leader, I welcome scrutiny. | Brad Mortensen
I grew up in Park City, and I don’t recognize the place it’s become | Fletcher Keyes
Utah, it’s OK to go outside without winning | Brian Higgins
As a parent, I hated sending my kids to school so early. As a sleep researcher, I know how damaging it is. | Wendy Troxel
It’s time to step away | Paul Huntsman
I’ll be at my LDS church this weekend, pushing for change | Amy Watkins Jensen
Why Utah teachers say they’re leaving the profession | Tribune Readers
After six weeks on SLC public transit, I can’t give up my car quite yet | Elise Armand
I’m a Latter-day Saint and a horror expert. Here’s what ‘Heretic’ gets right — and where it went wrong. | Michaelbrent Collings
I’m in Oslo. But I see a big case of Stockholm syndrome in Salt Lake City. | George Pyle
As a former Republican senator in Utah, I’m embarrassed | Stuart C. Reid
Ogden has a rare piece of history. It shouldn’t sit around and gather dust. | Dana Parker
My LDS family adopted an American Indian child in the 1970s. It was wrong, and the church should apologize. | Thomas DeVere Wolsey
The University of Utah can’t ignore us — its staff and faculty — forever | Kristina Lynae
It’s time for Utah chefs to get off their gas | Victoria N. Stafford and Edwin R. Stafford
Liquor store refrigerators boldly usher Salt Lake beer-lovers into the mid-20th century | Brian Higgins

Thanks for sharing and for reading! If you’re interested in contributing an op-ed or Letter to the Editor in 2025, please take a look at our guidelines — which include several helpful prompts — and reach out to me at sweber@sltrib.com.

Utah Voices

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune)
CEOs and their families check out what organizers are calling the world’s largest cardboard fort at the Gateway, during the official launch on Thursday, August 6. The rooms of the fort are dedicated to educate visitors on how to build mental wellness. According to the press release nearly 40% of people say their company has not even asked them how theyÕre doing since the pandemic began, making these people nearly 40% more likely to experience a decrease in mental health. Utah ranks 48 out of 51 for its high prevalence of mental illness and low access to care, according to Mental Health America and in 2019, we had the 5th highest suicide rate in the nation. The fort, called Òroom HereÓ will officially open to the public on Friday, August 7 from Noon to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020.

The following excerpts come from op-eds recently published in The Tribune.

Health insurance

“Too often, we’ve seen treatment denied because patients aren’t deemed ‘depressed enough’ by insurance standards, yet as I sit across from them, I see them suffering to the point of suicidal ideation,” writes Utah psychiatrist Alex Mageno. Read more.

Housing

“Utah has the space to provide support for the unhoused and suburban communities have a chance to lead this charge,” writes Chandler Whitlock, a master’s student at the University of Utah. “Society thrives when we support each other. We can utilize existing resources to support one of our community’s most vulnerable populations.” Read more.

Education

“In an era where people are concerned about controversial groups and bad actors infiltrating education, shared governance gives a name and a face to the people who are influencing education at the local level,” writes Utah teacher Sarah Nichols. “Parents consistently express trust for their child’s teacher and their own local schools. Removing teachers from the decision-making process will only weaken community influence on public education.” Read more.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

“The legislators who presented HB261 said that student clubs were to remain untouched, but this did not happen. Instead, this ‘anti-discrimination’ law has undercut some of the most important anti-discrimination organizations in the state,” writes Michael Lee Wood and Jacob S. Rugh at BYU. “We believe the Utah Legislature can correct their mistake and stay true to the aims of anti-discrimination, rooting out racism and interracial support by repealing HB261 in the next legislative session.” Read more.

Transgender rights

“Anti-trans laws are being proposed and passed almost every day in America. Federal lawmakers are condoning and/or encouraging violence against us. As a teacher and a trans person, my livelihood is in jeopardy,” writes Kiley Campbell. “My question would be: What does de-escalation do to help any of this?” Read more.

Share Your Perspective

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday December 17, 2024.

I’m gathering predictions ahead of the new year. What do you see happening — or what would you like to see happen — in Utah in 2025?

From Bagley’s Desk

I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.

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Utah

Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

Published

11 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.

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Utah

Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

Published

23 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.

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Utah

Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2026

Press Room

Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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