Paighten Harkins

‘It’s not a mild virus, it’s a severe illness,’ Utah health officials warn as measles cases keep climbing Measles cases continue to climb across Utah, with more than 350 infections reported since June. Health officials say many underestimate how severe the virus can be.

Measles cases continue to climb across Utah, with more than 350 infections reported since June. Health officials say many underestimate how severe the virus can be.

You'd be right. I was pretty shocked at how low the numbers have gotten recently.

To retain their rights, unmarried fathers must sign up on Utah's Putative Father Registry. How many men would you guess appeared on the registry last year?

‘Your kid is gone’: How Utah adoption laws can cost fathers their parental rights He planned to be at the hospital when his daughter was born. Instead, he got an email saying she had been placed for adoption. His case sheds light on Utah’s strict — and largely unknown — putative fa...

A sweeping reform bill is sailing through #utleg right now and would significantly change Utah's adoption laws to thwart unethical cases of "adoption tourism" — which critics say Utah has become a haven for bc of its lax laws. The bill, however, doesn't address unmarried fathers' rights.

Read more:

8 signatures shy: Push to repeal Prop 4 appears in peril as final signatures are counted The Republican push to repeal Prop 4 and restore the Legislature's power to gerrymander political districts is on thin ice, but signature counting continues.

WILDEST finish to Prop 4 repeal!

GOP-led repeal group has met the statewide mark & qualified in 25 of 26 required Senate districts.

But they're 8 sigs shy in SD7.

Davis clerk says he has THREE packets left and "a pretty good bunch" of removal forms.

www.sltrib.com/news/politic...

‘I am truly sorry’: A Utah adoption agency closes suddenly A 10-year-old adoption agency has closed down, as Utah legislators appear inclined to approve a bill that would rein in some of the industry's most-criticized practices.

Brighter Adoptions closed today, as #utleg seems poised to pass a reform bill that would significantly alter Utah's adoption laws to curb "adoption tourism."

The director told families waiting for adoptions to go through: "I am truly sorry for the stress and financial impact this may cause you."

Squatty Potty creator arrested in Utah on charge of buying child sexual abuse material The 50-year-old Utah man, Robert "Bobby" Edwards, who co-founded Squatty Potty, has been indicted on a federal charge of receiving images depicting child sexual abuse.

The 50-year-old Utah man, Robert "Bobby" Edwards, who co-founded Squatty Potty, has been indicted on a federal charge of receiving images depicting child sexual abuse.

Utah’s largest employer is freezing pension contributions for more than 22,000 workers Intermountain Health will freeze its pension plan in 2026 and shift fully to 401(k)s, affecting more than 22,000 Utah caregivers.

For 50 years, Intermountain Health has sponsored pension plans, which provide retirees a guaranteed payout. That's an outlier in this (relatively) new world where 401(k)s have proliferated. After this year though, Intermountain's pensions are going away for good. I tried to explain why this matters:

The Salt Lake Tribune Inc - Job Opportunities The Salt Lake Tribune Inc Careers Page - View all jobs and opportunities at The Salt Lake Tribune Inc and apply today. | Powered By Paylocity

We do have some job openings! recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/j...

Utah has never had a plan to support Native American students—despite decades of data showing they are left behind.

In districts here w/ the most Indigenous students, only 1 in 10 are reading on grade level.

Now the state could be required to step up.

www.sltrib.com/news/educati...

Thinking about Braum's today

You’ll want to sit down for this: Changes are coming to Broadway Centre Cinemas Changes are coming to Broadway Centre Cinemas. The old blue chairs are being removed and will be replaced with such features as 'loveseat seating' and side tables for snacks

Say goodbye to the well-loved rows of blue chairs 👋

I'm always just asking you all for things. That's kinda rude :( What do you want from me?

How about any longtime Intermountain employees who have (somewhat) recently retired? Trying to talk to someone who retired *with* pension benefits so I can better understand what that looks like

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A 25-year-old man was working as a driver for people with disabilities when three men he had left alone in his vehicle were found dead — and he’s now been charged with murder.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/02/13/utah-driver-faces-3-murder-charges/ 

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The prison expansion push is raising concerns among some advocates and attorneys — particularly given a push for spending cuts statewide. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/02/10/utahs-new-prison-cost-1-billion

After 2026 Intermountain's pension plan will be canceled. It's the largest employer in Utah, and I'm looking to talk to people who are impacted by this — who were counting on pension benefits but won't get them in the way they thought they would. Is this you or someone you know?

Months of searching, mounting stress: Why Silicon Slopes hiring feels like it’s at a standstill, and why experts say there’s hope Artificial intelligence is a factor, but so is overhiring, higher interest rates and more cautious employers — all as displaced Utah tech workers grow frustrated and increasingly desperate.

We asked readers a few months ago about their experience looking for work. We heard from many frustrated people, and we saw a pattern: Tech workers are going a long time without work. I talked to some of them and experts to figure out what's going on.

Yes, AI is a factor, but it's not the only one:

Students walked out at Clayton Middle School as part of the day of anti-ICE demonstrations.
(Video courtesy of The Tribune’s @paighten.bsky.social)
Read our coverage here: www.sltrib.com/news/educati...

Same. You get it.

In Utah, here’s why experts say it took nearly 130 years for any bars to unionize Utah’s longest running gay bar made history again in November as the state’s first unionized bar. It happened in a state where organized labor has long struggled to gain a foothold in the service indu...

The journey for Utah's oldest gay bar to unionize and make history yet again was a long, arduous one. It didn't start in September, when its workers announced the union, but pre-statehood. Here's why the move was so significant and what it could mean for labor in the state going forward:

‘Going without’: Here’s what more than 120 Utahns taught me about getting by this past year More than 120 Utahns wrote to us last year about how they’re navigating this unpredictable economy — from strict grocery budgets to stalled job hunts to moving in with family. I read them all.

I haven't been super transparent about this, but my role @sltrib.com has changed 👀 Meet your new business reporter! I aim to tell people-centric stories about how Utahns are engaging (or not) in commerce. To that end, I bring you this: What I learned when we asked how y'all were getting by in 2025

‘You see this news?’: What Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer told friends after the attack A patchwork of social interactions and a trail of online posts provide a view into the life and beliefs of Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing.

Exclusive: A patchwork of social interactions and a trail of online posts provide a view into Tyler Robinson’s life and his beliefs, a Post examination found.

The Post also reached Robinson, jailed in Utah County, through video calls.

Why customers across the globe are clamoring for this Utah light shop’s unique holiday bulbs Offering LED lights with a carefully replicated vintage feel, Ogden-based business Tru-Tone does no local advertising yet is swimming in online orders from its global fanbase.

Are you yearning for the warm glow of holiday lights of yore? So was David Andora. Now, he and his husband run Tru-Tone, a globally popular light brand, from an Ogden shop brimming with vintage touches. Check out my dispatch from the scene as they scrambled to ship orders during their busiest season

I stg if I click on another ad for pants or shirts I think are cute that are actually children's clothes (for children) I'm gonna... reevaluate my life

How to get into Sam’s Secret Pizza Club and other SLC pizza pop-up tips From Sam's Secret Pizza Club, to Baby's Bagels after-dark and other pizza pop-ups, here's how to get some of Salt Lake City's best (and most popular) slices of pizza.

You trying to uh....get a secret pizza???? I know a guy... www.sltrib.com/news/2025/10...

A slice of passion: How SLC’s pop-up pizza makers are changing the city’s food culture One Salt Lake City chef launched "Secret Pizza Club." Others are turning a bagel shop into a pizza joint. And Utah food fans are delighted with the off-the-wall alternatives to ordinary pizza.

Pizza is a unifier, meant to be shared. The more good pizza in a city, the more people will gather around it, and the better the city will be. At least, that’s what pop-up owners believe.

“There’s the sentiment,” one said, “of wanting to improve Salt Lake City as a whole.”

One slice at a time.

A slice of passion: How SLC’s pop-up pizza makers are changing the city’s food culture One Salt Lake City chef launched "Secret Pizza Club." Others are turning a bagel shop into a pizza joint. And Utah food fans are delighted with the off-the-wall alternatives to ordinary pizza.

Check out my dispatch from inside Salt Lake City's not-secret-pizza clubs and learn about the galvanizing influence of East Coast nostalgia, principles behind managing hype and why and how these small but passionate crews do what they do:

[Spoiler: It's for the love of the (pizza🍕) game]

‘Hustler’ to ‘entrepreneur’: What Utah women learn in prison business school Inmates at the Utah State Correctional Facility got a seven-week crash course in entrepreneurship through a "Shark Tank"-like program that aims to also teach life skills to help build a new life outsi...

The Utah state prison launched a new course to teach inmates how to start a business upon release, using the "transferable skillset" many already have.

This month, I observed the last day of the program. Inmates took this class to hone business skills, but they left, I learned, with hope.

Utah County Sheriff’s Office agrees to work with ICE, but says no to labor raids Dozens of people during public comment Wednesday said they didn’t trust ICE and didn’t support the plan, which Utah County commissioners ultimately approved.

Here's my dispatch from the meeting hundreds attended to speak out against proposals would allow the Utah Co. Sheriff's Office to work more closely with ICE.

For 4 hours, attendees spoke, quoting the Bible and Anne Frank, sharing personal stories and shedding tears. Then commissioners all voted yes