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Logan Planned Parenthood Temporarily Closed

The Logan location of Planned Parenthood is temporarily closed. It was Utah’s only abortion clinic outside of Salt Lake County, and in 2022 served over 2,000 patients. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood said the clinic closed due to “medical staffing issues” but expects it will reopen Aug 1. [Salt Lake Tribune]

• Related: We’re approaching the one year anniversary of when Roe v. Wade was overturned. In the aftermath, we had former County Councilmember and Community Health Director Shireen Ghorbani on the podcast to help make sense of it all. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

The Future of Allen Park

Salt Lake City is seeking public input for the preservation and use of Allen Park. George Allen (one-time president of a Utah zoological society), created the private residence turned public park almost 100 years ago. Back in the day, the tiny homes and cabins housed students, artists, and professors. Feedback submissions will be accepted through September. [KSL]

Utah’s 0.05 BAC Law

DUI deaths in Utah are at an all-time high. When our blood alcohol level law changed to 0.05 in 2017, lawmakers hoped it would decrease the number of DUI-related deaths. Instead, the number has increased by nearly 70%. Additionally, the number of arrests for people coming in under the old limit of 0.07 has gone up (nearly 2,100 arrests), while the number of arrests for people with higher BAC has decreased. [Salt Lake Tribune 🔒]

The State of Opioid Overdoses in Utah

In 2012, Utah had the second highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the nation. But according to the Deseret News, we are now 40th. On today’s episode of City Cast Salt Lake, host Ali Vallarta talks with Democratic State Sen. Jen Plumb about how we did it, what there is to learn, and what new threats are brewing. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

This week in Hey Salt Lake comments …

On Moose Sightings

“I remember when myself and my immediate family went on vacation to Warm River in Ashton, ID in the early 2000s. My mom and I decided to go for a walk below our campsite. As we were going around the bend, I could smell something. There was a huge female moose by the side of the road in a pond eating cattails. We slowly back up. I'm telling her, ‘It's okay, we won't hurt you.’ My mom's freaking out. The moose is still looking at us. Eventually she took off and went up the mountain but it was definitely cool.” - Sunshine C.

On the Best Pho

“Tamarind! So yummy, especially the pho and the kimchi tater tots.” - Brittany P.

“My favorite pho is Little Saigon.” - Jen W.

On What the SLC Airport Needs

“I wanted to add one item for what the SLC airport needs: A tunnel to get to long term parking! The lot is really close to the terminal, but there is no way to walk to your car. You have to take the shuttle that takes far longer than walking would, especially when the shuttle has a line so you need to wait for multiple buses. We normally take the Trax, but the one time we drove our car it was maybe 200 yards from us, but we had to get on the shuttle and it took 40 minutes.” - Robert B.

• Related: Our team rates the SLC Airport. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

As always, my inbox is open and I love to hear from you.

Opioid Deaths Are Down. Could a New War on Drugs Be Next?

A decade ago, Utah had one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. Now, while the rest of the country experiences an increase, the Beehive State has reversed that trend. Democratic State Sen. Jen Plumb, the founder of Utah Naloxone, tells host Ali Vallarta how we got to this point and what’s worrying her now.