AGP Executive Report

Faith & Dialogue: Salt Lake City is hosting the first U.S. G20 Interfaith Forum, bringing religious, civic and political leaders to the historic Tabernacle and University of Utah. Downtown Plans: Smith Entertainment Group and city leaders unveiled an updated vision for a sports and entertainment district, as plans for a separate Salt Lake entertainment district raise hopes and questions in Japantown. Arts & Identity: A Utah play about an excommunicated gay Latter-day Saint returns with questions of faith, family and acceptance; meanwhile, women are building a publishing scene around costumed fan events. Winter Culture: Tickets are on sale for The Snow League’s Park City debut, Jan. 21–23, featuring elite snowboard and freeski competition in a newly upgraded halfpipe. Community Legacy: Utahns are remembering Pamela Atkinson, the longtime advocate for people experiencing homelessness and poverty, who died at 93.

Books & Fandom: Utah women are building a publishing scene around clean romance, Regency stories and fan events, from costumed balls to library tea parties. Latina Leadership: Sen. Luz Escamilla and Rep. Angela Romero told Weber State students that confronting inequity and injustice helped draw them into public service. Schools: Woods Cross High School used state trust funds for tutoring, summer credit recovery and student advocates, lifting graduation among English-language learners from 92% to 100%. Higher Education: BYU’s new School of Medicine has received preliminary accreditation and plans to launch in July 2027. Salt Lake City: Smith Entertainment Group and city leaders have shared updated plans for a downtown sports and entertainment district. Fall Plans: Harvest festivals, Halloween events and Midway’s Fall Fest offer seasonal outings across Utah.

Downtown Vision: Salt Lake City has released its first renderings of a proposed three-block sports, entertainment, culture and convention district between the Delta Center and City Creek Center. Smith Entertainment Group and a city sales tax increase would fund the multibillion-dollar makeover. Community Harvest: Heber City’s free Harvest Festival returns Oct. 23–24, with family activities and a potato harvest benefiting local food banks. Arts & Giving: Nerd HQ’s first “Music Is Medicine” concert at Salt Lake City’s Capitol Theatre raised more than $100,000 for mental health services, enough to fund over 500 therapy sessions. Utah Stages: A new guide surveys the state’s 2026–27 arts season, from Tuacahn and the Utah Shakespeare Festival to Salt Lake City’s Tabernacle Choir and unconventional productions. Evermore Update: Utah author Brandon Sanderson and partners are buying the former Pleasant Grove theme park site, but he says the buildings are too degraded to reopen. On Screen: Herriman singer Johnnie Kapua earned turns from Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah on “The Voice”; his next goal is singing at a BYU football game.

Faith & Culture: Salt Lake City’s Historic Tabernacle will host the first U.S. G20 Interfaith Forum on Thursday, bringing leaders from seven faith traditions together with the Tabernacle Choir. Local Business: Mount Pleasant bookseller Serenity Kimball is preparing to open CuriosiTea Bookshop in a restored historic building, with help from a Utah program for women entrepreneurs. Arts & Books: John Green brought his “Hollywood, Ending” tour to Salt Lake City, joined by Brandon Sanderson for a conversation about fame and the business of creativity. Community: Salt Lake County leaders signed a pledge to foster understanding and combat hate, as local Jewish leaders described the added security now needed for worship and community events. Utah Living: A new statewide quality-of-life report finds housing affordability has become Utahns’ biggest concern; 91% of renter households can’t afford a median-priced home.

Public Safety: A Utah family is mourning after a father and four children were found dead near the Idaho border; authorities suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Utah Food Scene: Salt & Straw opens its first Utah shop Friday at Riverton’s Mountain View Village, with a sugar-cookie flavor inspired by dirty soda. Community: Pamela Atkinson, a longtime advocate for people experiencing homelessness known as the “Mother Teresa of Utah,” has died at 93. Faith & Heritage: Elder Ronald A. Rasband dedicated the Ephraim Utah Temple, honoring the faith and sacrifice of local pioneers. Arts & Education: Civic Ballet will stage a gothic-romance double bill of Dracula Oct. 23–24, while Carbon School District is expanding preschool hours to help children prepare for kindergarten.

Community & Safety: Five members of a Richmond family, including four children, died in suspected carbon-monoxide poisoning; alarms had sounded before neighbors entered the home. Faith & Heritage: Elder Ronald A. Rasband dedicated the Ephraim Utah Temple, honoring pioneers’ faith and sacrifice. Education & Inclusion: A Jordan School District peer-tutoring program is building friendships across special-education classrooms; one pair’s homecoming story reached millions online. Arts & Local Makers: St. George hobbyist Holly Rhodes turns vintage finds into lamps, clocks and keepsakes. Outdoor Utah: Severe flooding forced organizers to stop the Moab 240; runners and volunteers were safely evacuated. A Life of Service: Pamela Atkinson, a longtime advocate for Utahns facing homelessness and poverty, has died at 93.

Sacred Places: Elder Ronald A. Rasband dedicated the Ephraim Utah Temple, linking the new Latter-day Saint house of worship to his pioneer ancestors and the town’s history. Art in the Landscape: Powder Art Foundation is turning 8,000 acres of Powder Mountain into an outdoor sculpture park, carrying Utah’s land-art tradition into a new setting. Outdoor Life: Severe rain forced organizers to cancel the Moab 240; about 70 runners and volunteers stranded overnight were safely evacuated. Youth Voices: Utah teens are sharing what America means to them through a Salt Lake Tribune project featuring their stories, photos and videos from across the state.

Faith & Heritage: Elder Ronald A. Rasband dedicated the Ephraim Utah Temple on Sunday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 223rd dedicated temple. Outdoor Utah: Storms and flooding forced organizers to cancel the Moab 240, but runners and volunteers stranded overnight near Bridger Jack were safely evacuated. Community Legacy: Utah is remembering Pamela Atkinson, a longtime advocate for people experiencing homelessness and families in poverty, who died at 93. Growth & Water: Iron County planners advanced proposed data-center rules despite residents’ and tribal leaders’ calls for stronger water safeguards and more time to review them. Affordable Living: A Plain City development is offering 275 starter homes under $450,000, with smaller garages and lots helping keep prices down. Fall Traditions: North Logan’s Pumpkin Walk returns Oct. 15 with an “All American Pumpkins” theme.

Food Safety: Spanish Fork-based Gardeners Basics recalled broccoli sprouting seeds sold online after a supplier lot was linked to a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 32 people in six states. The FDA warns that home sprouting can let bacteria multiply. Public Health: Utah has reported 535 measles cases this year as U.S. cases top 4,000, the highest total in decades. Utah Community: Pamela Atkinson, a longtime advocate for children, people experiencing homelessness and Utahns in poverty, has died at 94. Her work helped shape local services, including a clinic for people without housing and the state’s homeless trust fund. Arts & Outdoors: Utah Opera’s first production of Héctor Armienta’s Zorro is running at Capitol Theatre through Oct. 18. And while weather canceled the Red Bull Rampage men’s final near Virgin, St. George rider Jaxson Riddle had landed a standout run before the event was called. Accessible Adventures: Five southern Utah national parks now offer free all-terrain wheelchairs, with limited availability; visitors should contact parks ahead of time.

Cultural Discovery: Utah’s new Community Quest passport encourages residents to explore cultural celebrations, neighborhoods and businesses across the state, highlighting Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, European and Black communities alongside Utah’s pioneer heritage. Reading & Education: Utah Valley University’s annual For the Love of Reading conference brought educators, families and librarians together to share ways to inspire lifelong readers. Accessible Outdoors: Southern Utah nonprofit Adaptive Outdoor Adventure is creating recreation opportunities for people with disabilities and their families. Arts & Things to Do: Utah Opera’s production of Zorro runs through Oct. 18 at Salt Lake City’s Capitol Theatre, while fall calendars point to concerts, markets, festivals and museum events around Utah.

Books Beyond Bans: Ogden Pride and the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce are expanding access to books removed from school libraries through a mobile library and a campaign partnering with independent bookstores. Cultural Heritage: Conservation groups are suing over a proposed oil-truck route through eastern Utah’s Gate Canyon, where blasting could destroy historic inscriptions, including carvings by Buffalo Soldiers. Young Explorers: St. George Children’s Museum opens a hands-on space exhibit today, with a lunar lander and mission-control activities inspired by NASA’s Artemis program. Arts in Provo: BYU celebrates 100 years of fine arts education as alumni visit its new Arts Building, which opened this fall. Local Traditions: Grantsville’s Utah Honey Harvest Festival brings beekeeping demonstrations, local vendors and live music to Clark Historic Farm. Onstage: Utah Opera’s Utah premiere of Héctor Armienta’s Zorro runs Oct. 10–18 at Capitol Theatre.

Arts & Education: BYU’s new Arts Building hosts a Saturday celebration marking 100 years of the university’s fine arts college, which has grown from about 100 students to roughly 3,300. Opera: Utah Opera’s Utah premiere of Zorro opens today at the Capitol Theatre and runs through Oct. 18. Campus Community: The University of Utah is investigating an alleged racial assault after students reported being targeted with slurs and one was punched. Family Outings: Southern Utah’s free Scarecrow Walk returns nightly at Red Hills Desert Garden through Halloween. Local Culture: Logan’s Cache Valley Star Alliance is rallying residents to protect dark skies and reduce light pollution. Attractions: Lagoon has unveiled J3 Grand Prix, a new U.S.-first Hot Racer coaster planned for 2027.

Arts & Outdoors: Springdale’s inaugural Zion Canyon Art Festival brings artist demonstrations, galleries, live music and a sunset labyrinth to town Saturday, with a self-guided walk celebrating local creativity. Health & Family: Utah breast cancer survivor Dani Kurtz is urging women to keep up with screenings after a normal mammogram failed to reveal seven tumors later found through additional tests. Parenting: Utah dad Alan Gilliam is earning praise for talking with his young sons about consent, including respecting someone who says no to a hug. Food & Community: Venezuelan restaurant owners Sandy and Fidel Arrieta say immigration fears have driven customers away and cut their workforce, forcing them to close three of Arempas’ six locations. Indigenous Voices: Ahead of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a Utah essay calls for restoring Indigenous authority in efforts to save the Great Salt Lake, a place of spiritual and cultural significance to Shoshone, Ute, Goshute and Paiute peoples.

Cultural Heritage: Conservation groups are suing over plans to blast cliffs in eastern Utah’s Gate Canyon for a truck route, warning the project could damage historic inscriptions, Native rock art and habitat. Community Arts: Ogden’s annual Interfaith Concert moves to a historic meetinghouse Sunday, with free admission and a lineup focused on local performers. Family & Youth: Ken Garff employees donated 100 new bikes to Utah children in foster care, with each child choosing a ride. Arts & Events: Día de los Muertos celebrations are planned in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Park City, St. George and other Utah communities. Local Lifestyle: Smith’s Ballpark will trade baseball for climbing walls Oct. 16–18, hosting an international competition with Olympians. Utah Food Scene: Crumbl, founded in Logan, is facing store closures and declining visits nationwide; its St. George location on Red Cliffs Drive has shut.

Education & Technology: Utah districts are taking different approaches to classroom AI: Canyons allows Gemini for high school students and staff, while Provo is still developing its policy. Latino Culture: Ogden, Salt Lake City, Park City, St. George and other communities are preparing Día de los Muertos events, with altars, music and dance celebrating loved ones and Mexican traditions. Community Support: Utah’s new ARCH Project will offer reentry and other support to people cycling through homelessness and the justice system. Local Traditions: New Harmony’s apple festival returns this weekend, with proceeds supporting the all-volunteer fire department. Growth & Environment: A statewide survey found nearly 76% of Utahns oppose building more data centers, amid concerns about water and energy use. Faith & Culture: A new Latter-day Saint video series follows young adults from seven countries exploring the renovated Salt Lake Temple ahead of public tours next year.

Sundance Shift: The festival is moving from Park City to Boulder, ending a nearly 50-year Utah chapter and giving Colorado a new statewide arts event. Books & Schools: Davis School Board candidate Jane Neal says she would push for more transparency in book challenges and work to stop bans, arguing students have a right to read and learn. Local History: Spring City’s “After Dark” hayrides pair Halloween outings with stories of the town’s past and visits to its historic cemeteries. Outdoor Life: Cedar City has opened a new bike park, giving riders of different ages and abilities a place to tackle hills and jumps. Culture & Faith: Salt Lake’s annual Luz de las Naciones celebration returns in November, adding African and African American performances for the first time alongside Latin American traditions. Family Life: Utah childcare subsidy cuts have blindsided thousands of families, sharpening concerns about the rising cost and availability of care.