Community Corner
🌱 How Utah Gas Prices Compare + Reporters To The Rescue In Ogden
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Salt Lake City.
Hey, people of SLC, Joseph Peterson here with a fresh copy of the Salt Lake City Daily. Let's dive in!
First, today's weather:
Cold with plenty of sun. High: 33 Low: 18. Sunset 6:29 PM.
Here are the top three stories in Salt Lake City today:
- Like elsewhere across the country, gas prices in Utah are spiking, with the average cost of a gallon of fuel up 62 cents from just a month ago. Gas prices were already on the rise as the economy recovered from pandemic-influenced behaviors but the current jump is more notably influenced by the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. Compared to other states, however, Utah's spike in gas prices hasn't risen as much. According to AAA, the price increase at the pump is the 8th smallest in the nation. (24/7 Wall St. - Salt Lake City)
- Sometimes journalists become part of the story they cover. That was the case when two Utah reporters arrived at a 9-vehicle crash in Ogden and intervened to give medical care to a 3-year-old girl pinned in the pile-up, critically injured. "Please be careful on the roads. Shara Park of KSL TV later tweeted. "My hands are smeared with a child's blood and I'm shaking. Please, slow down," she said. (Salt Lake City Patch)
- Gaylen Dean Rust didn't get away with it. The former owner of Rust Rare Coin in Salt Lake City, perhaps better known for being the man who swindled investors out of $200 million in one of Utah's largest Ponzi schemes, has now been sentenced to 19 years in prison. According to a press release, it's one of the biggest consumer harms the Utah Department of Commerce has ever seen. Rust has also been ordered to pay back more than $153 million. (KSL.com)
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Today in Salt Lake City:
- Tracy Aviary presents Birds and the Bees. Enjoy an after-hours party with games, food, and drink, all while learning about all of the unique and elaborate bird mating rituals that happen at the aviary and in the wild. Tonight at Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park. (6:00 PM)
- Head down to the Gateway and see PARCELS In Concert. The Australian electropop five-piece is headlining tonight at The Depot, downtown. (7:00 PM)
- DF Dance Studio presents Kizomba 101, a 10-week course. Kizomba is both a genre of music and a sensual dance originating from Brazil focused on connection between you and your partner. Anyone can join. No partner is required. Make sure you shower and wear deodorant because you will be very close to another person. The first class is tonight at DF Dance Studio in South Salt Lake. (8:00 PM)
From my notebook:
- "When a snow squall hits, visibility can drop to almost nothing in an instant. There is no safe place on a highway during a snow squall, but what if you get stuck on the road? Reduce your speed, turn on your headlights, and don't slam on your brakes." (US National Weather Service Salt Lake City Utah)
- "Our Child Nutrition Director is joining his colleagues from across the nation in Washington D.C., where they are meeting with senators and representatives and advocating for school breakfast and lunch programs." (Salt Lake City School District)
- "This sounds cool! Once a month, join HawkWatch International at the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum for Reading with Raptors! Meet one of HWI's Raptor Ambassadors while reading a storybook that matches the bird they've just met. Included with admission to the museum, no registration is necessary!" (The Blocks SLC)
- "Meet Grumpy. His favorite activity of the week is volunteering at one of our mobile pantries. Due to limited mobility, his job is directing traffic. "Last week was our second anniversary [of this mobile pantry opening]. The first weekend we had 30 families, and last week we had a little over 600."Grumpy isn't new to service – as an Army veteran, he considers it a privilege to serve. "Every week, I see people come through with tears in their eyes saying, 'Thank you, I didn't know where I was going to get my next meal.' That touches me; it's a good thing to help. Even if it was just one person, it makes it all worthwhile." (Utah Food Bank)
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Events:
- NOVA Chamber Music Series: Songs of Play (March 13)
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Check out these Salt Lake City area pets who need a home. Awww. Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! See you all tomorrow for another update.
— Joseph Peterson
About me: Joseph is a writer and marketing communications strategist with a degree in Mass Communication and Public Relations from the University of Utah. He's keen on city life, public libraries, national parks, and promoting events that build community.