Behind The Headlines Archives - KCPW

At the last minute, Republican Rep. Burgess Owens pulls out of a scheduled political debate, citing objections to the event’s moderator: Salt Lake Tribune Executive Editor Lauren Gustus. Owens says the newspaper she leads is racist because of a political cartoon it published equating the congressman’s own fear-stoking rhetoric about immigrants to that of the Ku […]

A candidate for Salt Lake County clerk walks back his assertions that the 2020 election was stolen. Drones begin delivering prescription drugs to some Utah homes. A Salt Lake City-raised poet, whose writing explores the Black history of the West, is long-listed for a National Book Award. And a columnist bemoans Utah Attorney General Sean […]

A GOP candidate for Salt Lake County clerk insists that the 2020 election was stolen and called Democrats “Commies” and “Marxists.” Salt Lake City deploys a rapid intervention team to try to prevent the establishment of large homeless encampments. And how a state plan to turn 28,500 acres covering Tabby Mountain into a public wildlife and hunting preserve got […]

A state audit faults the Utah Inland Port Authority for awarding no-bid contracts and for accountability issues. The Salt Lake City Council fast-tracks proposed changes to off-street parking rules, shared housing and tiny homes — in what it says is an effort to address affordability. And Utah guides work to combat sexual harassment on river trips. At 9 a.m. on Friday, […]

Girls are removed from a new offshoot of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints after a federal raid. Critics decry the planned appearance of a controversial former sheriff at a Utah law enforcement conference. And time will tell if Salt Lake City’s Ballpark neighborhood will lose its baseball field. At 9 a.m. on Friday, Salt […]

A mineral company applies to lengthen two of its canals on the Great Salt Lake, worrying environmentalists. Utah Democrats sue to force Joel Ferry, head of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, off the November ballot. New leadership at the Utah Inland Port Authority hits pause on big ticket spending. And a columnist says it’s right and proper for a president […]

The Utah Department of Transportation says it prefers a gondola for Little Cottonwood Canyon — eventually. BYU continues investigating reports that racist slurs were yelled at a Duke volleyball player after video footage appeared to clear the fan originally blamed. We preview the University of Utah football season ahead of its opener against Florida in “The Swamp.” And the Utah Jazz unload Donovan Mitchell, […]

Utah sues over President Joe Biden’s upsizing of national monuments downsized by former President Donald Trump. A lawsuit alleging that Utah’s redistricting process amounted to an unconstitutional gerrymander moves forward. And a deep dive with the Associated Press journalist whose reporting showed that a sex abuse “help line” for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can divert abuse […]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says there were “egregious errors” in a recent Associated Press report on child sex abuse. The federal government says it is “starting the process” to significantly reduce water use in the Colorado River Basin. A judge grants access to police shooting records that West Jordan sought to keep secret. And […]

West-side Salt Lake City council members push for legal homeless encampments to clean up the area around the Jordan River. Dozens of Utah Democrats call for Gene Davis to be suspended following sexual misconduct allegations. And Salt Lake County Council member Dave Alvord faces a backlash after tweeting to Vice President Kamala Harris that fetuses aren’t part of women’s bodies. At […]

Saying that the current mayor “has totally failed,” Rocky Anderson says he’s running for Salt Lake City Mayor again in 2023. A new lawsuit says Utah police intimidated animal-rights activists and violated their free speech rights. Bristlecone pines — the world’s most long-lived organisms — are being killed by beetle infestations. And new subdivisions take the place of well established […]

A K-9 police officer accused of unnecessarily siccing his dog on arrestees sees one of two felony assault charges dismissed. A Utah man faces a second murder charge after random “purge” killings earlier this month. Minibottles move a step closer to returning to the state’s liquor stores after a three-decade absence. And remembering Kitty Pappas, who ran […]

The University of Utah acknowledges that it failed to recognize student Zhifan Dong was in danger before she was killed. A Utah oil field spilled 400 barrels near Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument last fall — and it’s still cleaning up the crude. And the only known photo of Mormon founder Joseph Smith is unearthed by one of […]

Abortion is still legal in Utah after a judge blocked the state’s trigger law from taking effect. Utah doctors are trying to figure out why some kids get diabetesafter contracting COVID-19. Salt Lake City’s widespread gentrification has all but wiped out affordable neighborhoods citywide. And the latest in Utah food and alcohol news — from […]

The Great Salt Lake hits a record low elevation — and it’s not done shrinking. With the race between Sen. Mike Lee and Evan McMullin taking shape, a columnist digs into reader questions about the contest. And the Utah Jazz get a new coach and trade a star player. At 9 a.m. on Friday, Salt Lake […]

A Utah law banning abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy takes effect after the state’s trigger law gets put on hold. A Utah lawmaker aims to expand the available reporting options to provide rape victims legal access to abortion. The Utah Supreme Court sides with the Utah Inland Port. And congressional incumbents win easy victories in primary elections. At 9 a.m. on Friday, Salt […]

The Supreme Court strikes down Roe V. Wade. Local officials ask UDOT to start over with its transportation plan for Little Cottonwood Canyon, calling a proposed gondola a “boondoggle.” Some details emerge about the ritualistic sex abuse allegations the Utah County Sheriff’s Office says it’s investigating. And, during Congressional testimony, Arizona’s House Speaker explains how his LDS faith impelled […]

The Utah Inland Port Authority is paying millions of dollars in rent for a transloading facility that has yet to be built. After a public outcry, the expansion of a trail system in the foothills above Salt Lake City will wait at least another year. And an effort is underway to draw attention to Utah’s history of Black lynchings — by […]

During a C-SPAN appearance, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, embraces baseless claims about fraud in the 2020 election. A Brigham Young University ecologist countersues the backers of a plan to build islands in Utah Lake, saying their lawsuit is an attempt to silence him. The head of the NAACP of Utah asks the Department of Justice to investigate allegations of harassment […]

Utah County Attorney David Leavitt calls on Sheriff Mike Smith to resign, saying the top cop may have tried to implicate him in a “ritualistic” sex ring investigation. Hate crimes against Utah’s LGBTQ community nearly doubled last year, with a big jump during Pride Month. And Iowa House, “an experiment in progress,” offers queer Utahns […]