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.
It’s been a big week for transportation news.
Efforts to expand I-15 between Farmington and Salt Lake City are moving forward after The Utah Department of Transportation released its final environmental impact study. Opponents have raised concerns about increased air pollution and home demolitions in adjacent neighborhoods.
UDOT says the project will “improve mobility and quality of life for all users of the corridor in the face of rapid growth,” but the estimated $3.7 billion project had several readers eager to share their perspective on our Instagram post on the update.
“Don’t forget about all the carbon emissions in those neighborhoods that are located next to the highway, not to mention the overall air quality of our fish bowl. C’mon, let’s put those [$3.7 billion] towards a light rail system that would make us the envy of every state west of the Mississippi.”
“The public wants MASS transportation. Not more lanes on highways. UTA needs better transportation infrastructure. It’s embarrassing we don’t have a subway network, or actual transit stations with bathrooms … Do more research and listen to the engineers.”
“Adding lanes to already wide highways does not work to reduce traffic. Like at all. Many, many studies have proven this. Use this money to expand public transportation.”
“Begging for 3.7 BILLION to be allocated to public transit. More buses and rail lines, PLEASE. If our public transit was actually viable and decent, more people would use it!!”
Several readers pointed to the Rio Grande Plan, “a citizen’s initiative designed to restore rail service to the Rio Grande Depot and help heal Salt Lake’s East-West divide.”
“We need the Rio Grande Plan!!! Environmentally friendly public transit > more slabs of concrete with gas guzzling cars.”
“Use that money to improve public transit PLEASE. Specifically the Rio Grande Plan 🙌”
Follow us on Instagram to join the conversation. And let me know what you think: What do responsible and effective transportation solutions look like to you?
Utah Voices
(Photos by The Salt Lake Tribune and A24) From left to right: A hiking trail in City Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Mr. Reed presents two missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a life-or-death challenge to their faith in the psychological thriller "Heretic." An aerial photograph of Rim Village townhomes in Moab, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. People walking through the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022.
The following excerpts come from op-eds recently published in The Tribune.
Climate
“[A]s you hike through your corner of the world, or as you tend your home garden, you might spare a moment of gratitude for the reliability of nature that you have experienced in your life. What’s coming is bound to change everything,” writes Pepper Trail, a contributor to Writers on the Range. Read more.
Community
“Our community knows how to gather, to uplift, to hold each other. But I also believe we need spaces where we can fully honor our grief,” writes mental health advocate Taylor Shania Lopez Boodooram. “Spaces where our sadness is valid, our pain seen, and where true resilience is found not in silence, but in the courage to embrace sorrow alongside healing. Because maybe the deepest strength lies not in how well we suppress our grief but in how bravely we let it be felt, acknowledged and shared.” Read more.
“Heretic,” the horror film about LDS missionaries
“I don’t mind that people like things I don’t. But I do mind when talented people take shortcuts that impact their work — inevitably for the worse,” writes author Michaelbrent Collings. “I mind lazy, convenient lies that reduce missionaries to caricatures.” Read more.
“The film puts its finger on the presumptions that underlie a lot of discussion in the church about what it means to believe […] and, in so doing, helps us think through how exactly religion functions in the daily lives of people who go to church today,” writes religion scholar Matthew Bowman. Read more.
Housing
“Short-term rentals offer both residents and visitors an alternative to hotels, often providing more space, privacy and amenities,” writes John Yelland with the Libertas Institute. “Respecting property owners’ rights to use their homes as short-term rentals is vital, as is recognizing the economic benefits these properties bring to communities.” Read more.
Safety
“When we discuss domestic abuse, the focus is often on physical violence. Yet, financial abuse — though less visible — can be just as devastating,” writes Katie Hansen with Altabank’s Cache Valley Region and CAPSA. “It strips victims of their financial autonomy and traps them in abusive relationships, robbing them of the resources needed to escape.” Read more.
“Traditional prevention efforts leave out a vital figure: the person who is causing the harm,” writes Tillie Powell, the graduate assistant at the McCluskey Center for Violence Prevention. “We need to stop our collective overreliance on quick fixes for violence that place the responsibility on potential victims.” Read more.
Share Your Perspective
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Volunteers set up a warming Center inside St John's Episcopal Church in Logan, on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023.
Utahns have expressed frustration with recent announcements about new homeless shelters and warming centers. I want to hear from you: What are your expectations from local leaders with regards to helping Utahns experiencing homelessness? How do you want to be involved?
From Bagley’s Desk
Congestion Question | Pat Bagley
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.
