🥤 Free Swig this weekend

Local media reported Wednesday evening that the ICE detention center planned for the west side of Salt Lake City is officially off the table. Here's what we know, plus the questions that still need answers.

• In a court filing Wednesday, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security wrote that they "no longer intend to convert the Salt Lake Warehouse into an immigration detention facility." Instead, they plan to sell or otherwise get rid of it. There had been previous reporting that ICE was scrapping plans for the SLC location, but this is the first time the feds have confirmed it. [FOX 13, Salt Lake Tribune]
• What was pitched? Earlier this year, ICE bought a massive warehouse on Salt Lake City's west side, with a proposed capacity of up to 10,000 people. They paid $145 million for it — nearly $50 million more than its estimated value. [Utah News Dispatch, Salt Lake Tribune]
• Then, SLC and Salt Lake County took it to court, suing DHS and ICE in June to stop the detention center. The court filing from Wednesday was actually a joint filing with the city, county, and feds to halt that lawsuit. It seems likely that once the feds sell the warehouse, local government will drop the suit altogether. [Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Tribune]
• What do local leaders have to say? Not much. Spokespeople for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson declined to give us comments due to the pending litigation. An attorney from a community coalition that separately sued over the facility celebrated the news, telling KSL: "All I can say is hallelujah." [City Cast Salt Lake, KSL]
• Is this really the end? It's still worth keeping an eye on this story. DHS had previously abandoned a detention center in New Jersey … and then the Trump administration changed its mind. For now, it seems like opponents of the facility are cautiously optimistic about this latest development. [New Jersey Monitor]

‘Minecraft’ Takes Moab

All signs point to the “Minecraft” sequel quietly filming near Moab, where crews built blocky boulders and a portal and even rode mechanical pigs around a campground. Nothing’s officially confirmed, though Jack Black was also spotted in the area. [Salt Lake Tribune]

New Med School

The University of Utah just opened its new $215 million Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, where future doctors will get hands-on patient experience earlier and learn alongside other health professionals. [Deseret News]

SLC Rethinks Neighborhood Rezoning

Salt Lake City is considering new rules that would allow more duplexes, townhomes, and “missing middle” housing across most residential neighborhoods without individual rezones or public hearings. [FOX 13]

Salt Lakers Embrace Golf

Are you struggling to get a tee time in SLC? Stats at the city’s six public golf courses are up 61% since 2019! And one is about to get a cool new feature. [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]