People arrive to vote at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
From an eventful legislative session to a major election, 2024 proved an eventful year for the launch of Utah News Dispatch. And it was those stories that drew the greatest interest from our readers.
Even in a deep red state like Utah, we saw steady interest in election issues not just for the state’s primaries, where many races are essentially decided, but well through Election Day in November.
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Readers also came to Utah News Dispatch to learn about issues and decisions in the state’s capital city, from changes to the Delta Center to accommodate a new professional hockey team to the future of homeless services as caring for unhoused Utahns remains a painful crisis.
Here are some of the issues that rose to the top for Utah News Dispatch readers.
Utah News Dispatch’s voter guide
Ahead of the November general election, Utah News Dispatch reporters contacted candidates running for Congress, as well as those running for statewide offices including the Governor’s Office, the Utah Attorney General’s Office and more.
The candidates were invited to tell Utah voters, in their own words, what they saw as Utah’s biggest needs, their priorities if elected, and how they will serve all of their constituents — even those who didn’t vote for them.
Most — but not all — were eager to share their responses with Utahns.
Our voter guide led the top news stories read on Utah News Dispatch this year as Utahns, ballots in hand, reached out to get to know the candidates seeking to represent them. Results in those races also ranked high, particularly for readers wanting to know more about the makeup of the 2025 Utah Legislature.
A familiar face in Utah’s open Senate seat
Readers also sought out coverage of the race for Utah’s open seat in the U.S. Senate as Mitt Romney departed, choosing not to run again. That started with Utah Rep. John Curtis’ primary victory in June, besting three other Republicans vying for the job.
That included defeating Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs at the polls, even though he was GOP delegates’ choice at the party’s nominating convention. Curtis secured his spot on the primary ballot through signature gathering.
Curtis went on to handily win the seat in November over Democratic environmentalist, athlete and influencer Caroline Gleich.
How 2 proposed constitutional amendments were voided
Leading up to Election Day, Utahns followed a rollercoaster of news about one and then two controversial proposed constitutional amendments that were printed on their ballots, but ultimately ended up voided.
The first to fall was Amendment D, which would have effectively invalidated a Utah Supreme Court ruling that found the Legislature’s power to amend certain initiatives has limits, and the Utah Constitution protects “government reform” initiatives from being overridden by lawmakers without a compelling government interest.
A 3rd District Court judge and then the Utah Supreme Court ruled the wording of the ballot question — which called on Utahns to “strengthen” the ballot initiative process — was misleading and the lawmakers who put it on the ballot failed to give sufficient printed public notice in newspapers statewide.
Challengers of Amendment A, which would have removed the state’s constitutional earmark that reserves income tax revenue for public and higher education and services for children or people with disabilities, followed the same playbook. That question was also voided over public notice issues.
With amendments A and D voided, Utah News Dispatch readers studied up on amendments B and C, which ultimately passed.
The ballot questions were written by Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, under a new law that assigned them the duty of writing the ballot language constitutional amendments rather than nonpartisan legislative attorneys.
Developments in downtown Salt Lake City
With support from the Utah Legislature and an endorsement from enthusiastic fans, the Smith Entertainment Group, owned by Ryan and Ashley Smith, secured a new professional sports franchise for the state.
The NHL team dubbed the Utah Hockey Club in the interim (and formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes) now plays in the Delta Center, and Utah News Dispatch readers followed updates about how the home of the Utah Jazz will be renovated to seat about 17,000 fans without compromising the basketball experience.
Meanwhile, we also reported this year on the ongoing negotiations over the redevelopment of a west-side Salt Lake City neighborhood and previous industrial zone, presumably with an MLB stadium at its heart.
That is, if Utah eventually secures a pro baseball team.
When homelessness is more than a downtown issue
The persistent and painful issue caring for unsheltered Utahns is being felt outside Salt Lake City amid an ongoing push to see homelessness as a statewide concern rather than a downtown one. Readers this year have followed updates on the search for a new 1,200 bed homeless shelter and a 30-acre site to place it, along with a centralized campus offering services.
Among those stories, Utahns were particularly interested in an update on where state officials could end up deciding to put that shelter and services campus, even as residents in Davis County swarmed multiple public meetings to protest efforts to put together “winter response” and “code blue” plans meant to provide temporary places for people experiencing homelessness when temperatures drop.
Other top stories:
- Former Utah AG staffer makes plea deal, accused of pulling down skirt she deemed too short
- Utah dropping front license plate requirement. When can drivers ditch them?
- Utah auditor slams transgender bathroom law as 10,000 hoax complaints flood his office
- Utah Sheriffs say new OSHA rule would ‘cause a mass exodus’ of search and rescue staff volunteers
- Radio diaries: Poor indoor air quality? This Utah teen blames a popular breakfast food
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