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Blake Apgar

Local/Communities Editor

Blake joined The Tribune in March 2022 to cover city and county government before becoming an editor in 2024. He is a University of Minnesota graduate who started his journalism career in Las Vegas, where he covered local government, state politics and the depletion of the Colorado River. He is dad to a Golden Retriever named Woodward.

(Jeffrey D. Allred | Pool) Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson speaks during the Salt Lake County mayoral debate at the University of Utah’s Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson wins reelection in bid for second full term

By Blake Apgar | November 9, 2024, 1:14 a.m.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Then-Salt Lake City mayoral candidate, former Mayor Rocky Anderson, gives remarks during an election night party in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.

Former SLC mayor backs down in fight against sales tax for Ryan Smith’s sports district

By Jordan Miller | Blake Apgar | October 4, 2024, 11:13 p.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, left, meets with U.S. Sen. candidate Rep. John Curtis during an election watch party in Provo on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

Spencer Cox and John Curtis win in Utah’s two biggest 2024 GOP primary elections, early results show

By Paighten Harkins | The Tribune Political Team | Blake Apgar | June 26, 2024, 4:50 p.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A plane takes off at Salt Lake City International Airport on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.

SLC airport is attracting more flights, but it may not get you to Cleveland any cheaper

By Jordan Miller | Blake Apgar | June 23, 2024, 12:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mayor Erin Mendenhall listens as Smith Entertainment Group's Mike Maughan speaks to the Salt Lake City Council during a meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

SLC Council faces wave of public worry as downtown sports district gets first airing

By Jordan Miller | Blake Apgar | May 22, 2024, 11:00 p.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Hockey fans celebrate the introduction of Utah's new NHL team during an event at the Delta Center on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

Watch here: SLC Council to hold public hearing in downtown sports district plan

By Blake Apgar | May 21, 2024, 10:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mike Maughan of Smith Entertainment Group takes notes, listening to the Salt Lake City Council speak on the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. He is flanked by Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, left, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

S.L. County Mayor Jenny Wilson weighs in on Abravanel Hall. Here’s what she said.

By Blake Apgar | May 15, 2024, 9:54 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mike Maughan of Smith Entertainment Group speaks to the Salt Lake City Council about the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. At right is Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

Ryan Smith’s ownership group pledges $3B to SLC sports district, but big questions remain

By Blake Apgar | Andy Larsen | May 8, 2024, 2:34 a.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Evie Gaisford, 9, pitches during baseball practice at Oak Hills Ball Diamonds in Salt Lake City in March 2024. Youth leagues are expected to get a break on rates for field rentals.

SLC little leaguers, dogged by soaring baseball field rental fees, will get some relief

By Blake Apgar | May 7, 2024, 2:00 p.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Delta Center during an introduction of Utah's new NHL team on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. On screen are team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith.

Ryan Smith wants control of 3 city blocks — and a whole lot of public money — for his proposed SLC entertainment district

By Blake Apgar | May 6, 2024, 3:15 p.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Hockey fans celebrate the introduction of the Utah NHL team during an event at the Delta Center on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. What began as an arena relocation, the owners of Utah's new hockey franchise, Ryan and Ashley Smith, are planning a major renovation to the Delta Center, and a multiblock sports and entertainment district in Salt Lake City’s downtown.

What we know about the $1 billion plan to keep hockey — and the Utah Jazz — downtown

By Andy Larsen | Blake Apgar | Kevin Reynolds | Robert Gehrke | April 29, 2024, 6:20 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gabriel Romero gets spun around by sister Dioseth Romero alongside their dog, Eevee, while playing at 17th South River Park on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Salt Lake City sees more parks as a way to make the community more family-friendly.

What Salt Lake City is doing — and could do — to be more family-friendly

By Blake Apgar | April 22, 2024, 3:05 p.m.

Arizona Coyotes' Dylan Guenther skates past fans as players warm up for an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

What we know about where Salt Lake City’s new NHL team will play — and how it could change

By Blake Apgar | April 21, 2024, 1:48 p.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Crews load debris from the demolished Sizzler restaurant near Sugar House Park into trailers in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

So long, farewell and thanks for the memories, Sugar House Sizzler

By Blake Apgar | April 17, 2024, 6:26 p.m.

(Ryan Smith via X) Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith posted this rendering of the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district on X in February. The city and Smith are moving forward with plans for the district, including an NHL arena.

With NHL arena as a goal, Ryan Smith and SLC charge forward on new sports district

By Blake Apgar | April 17, 2024, 1:35 a.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson signs a memory book for her father, former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson, at Salt Lake City Hall on Monday, April 15, 2024.

From kindness to toughness, the lessons former SLC Mayor Ted Wilson left behind

By Blake Apgar | April 16, 2024, 1:15 a.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Passengers wait for flights at Salt Lake City International Airport on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

See how SLC compares to other airports for on-time takeoff and landing

By Megan Banta | Blake Apgar | April 10, 2024, 5:10 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Family members gather at Salt Lake International Airport to welcome Latter-day Saint missionary Kaysen Sperry home from a two-year mission to Peru, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023.

Tell us what would make Salt Lake City more family-friendly

By Blake Apgar | April 5, 2024, 8:50 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Salt Lake City Council goes into a closed session at City Hall on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

Read all of the text messages The Tribune received from Salt Lake City on Utah’s MLB ballpark deal

By Blake Apgar | April 5, 2024, 11:30 a.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Central Tunnel at Salt Lake City International Airport on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Here’s when that long walk at SLC airport will get shorter, and what you’ll see when you take it

By Blake Apgar | April 3, 2024, 10:25 p.m.

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