KSL News Daily

When firefighters and paramedics respond to emergencies in Salt Lake City, a specialized mental health team is often there too—providing immediate support for family members, witnesses and others affected by a crisis. In this episode, Host Maria Shilaos explores the subject with KSL NewsRadio's Don Brinkerhoff.  They look at how this innovative program is making a difference in the community.

Plus, first responders in Sandy are stepping into the shoes of people living with dementia through immersive training designed to build empathy and improve emergency care. We also cover the day's top headlines, including a weekend of triple-digit heat, a proposed $100 million bond for new parks and recreation projects in Salt Lake County and the return of Snowbird's annual Oktoberfest.

Utah's wildfire season is already rewriting the record books, with multiple fires topping 80,000 acres and new research suggesting the trend is far from over. University of Utah professor Dr. Phil Dennison joins Maria Shilaos to explain what's driving larger, more destructive wildfires and what the future could hold for the state.

Plus, Governor Spencer Cox tours fire-ravaged communities, more women are entering the welding profession, a new study reveals a dignity gap in America and Sandy's Hot Air Balloon Festival returns to fill the morning sky with color.

Utah’s search for new, reliable sources of electricity takes center stage on KSL News Daily. Maria Shilaos speaks with Chris Hayter about a new partnership between Fulcrum Point Holdings and Rodatherm Energy Corporation and their plans to develop a next-generation geothermal power project in the Brigham City area. Also, a steel beam from the World Trade Center’s South Tower makes a stop in Utah, recent rain fails to ease the state’s drought concerns, and campers stake out their places along the Days of ’47 Parade route. Plus, Heidi Byington of the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium explains why sharks deserve our respect—not just our fear—during Shark Week.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos examines a major new investment in rural Utah. The state has received nearly $196 million in first-year federal funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, and new grant opportunities are now rolling out. Krisann Humphreys, who leads the program for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, explains how the money could expand access to care, strengthen the rural health workforce and support local providers. Maria also looks at a new food security grant offering up to $9.3 million for projects that increase the production, processing, storage and distribution of Utah-grown food in rural communities.

Plus, Tooele County considers rules for future data centers, Utah cities welcome local control over fireworks restrictions, and hundreds of 388th Fighter Wing airmen return home after a 10-month deployment to Japan. Before You Go, Utah first lady Abby Cox brings her literacy campaign to children at a family shelter operated by The Road Home, where CEO Michelle Flynn explains why the visit matters for families experiencing homelessness

Flash flooding continues to impact communities across Utah, with Beaver County hit hard by rising waters that damaged homes and forced emergency mitigation efforts ahead of more storms. Maria Shilaos speaks with Beaver County Commissioner Brandon Yardley about conditions on the ground and what's next as another round of heavy rain threatens the state. Plus, search and rescue teams remain on high alert after dangerous flood incidents, including a family swept away in Wayne County. We also cover updated fireworks restrictions ahead of Pioneer Day, the opening of the Days of '47 Rodeo, and the annual Longhorn Cattle Drive through downtown Salt Lake City.  

Layton and Heber have banned cryptocurrency kiosks following reports that scammers are using the machines to take thousands of dollars from victims, particularly older adults. Maria Shilaos speaks with Stewart Young of the Utah Attorney General’s Office about how crypto ATM scams work, why the machines are difficult to regulate and the warning signs consumers should recognize. Also: an urgent call for blood donors, Ogden’s push to improve kindergarten readiness and a student-created opera that uses blueberries, brine shrimp and a disappearing lake to inspire action for the Great Salt Lake.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos follows Utah’s water crisis from the Great Salt Lake to the Colorado River reservoirs that help power and supply the West. Ben Hart of the Utah Inland Port Authority explains how property tax dollars from west-side development are being directed toward shoreline preservation and wetland conservation, and why the lake’s health is now an economic issue as well as an environmental one.

Then the show turns to Lake Powell and Lake Mead, where combined water storage is hitting historic lows and experts warn the region is running out of time to solve a crisis built around drought, power generation, water rights, tourism, and the future of fast-growing communities in southern Utah and across the West.

Plus, Kevin O’Leary and Fox News Media respond to a defamation lawsuit tied to claims about Utah data center critics, the state joins a multi-state push against robocalls, agritourism becomes a bigger lifeline for Utah farmers, and Before You Go heads to Iron County, where one missing zero briefly sent a public meeting back to the year 226.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos goes inside the disturbing attack at Valley Fair Mall, where a kiosk worker was stabbed and bystanders jumped in to stop the suspect. Reporter Adam Small breaks down what the video shows, what police wrote in arrest documents, and why prosecutors may look at the case as a possible hate crime.

Then Imam Shuaib Din explains why an alleged anti-Muslim attack does not just affect one victim, it leaves a wider community feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

Plus, new funding is aimed at Great Salt Lake shoreline and wetland conservation, Weber School District looks at early-out days to help students and teachers handle triple-digit heat, a preliminary hearing begins in the case of three disabled men who died in a running van, and Before You Go asks whether Salt Lake City’s trees are getting the deep drink they need during the summer heat.

On today’s KSL News Daily, record-breaking heat and extreme fire danger are raising the stakes across Utah. Maria Shilaos talks with KSL 5 TV’s Tyrese Boone about why University of Utah Health and Salt Lake City fire officials want families to prepare a 96-hour emergency kit before a wildfire threatens their neighborhood. KSL NewsRadio’s Heather Peterson explains how quickly hot pavement, hiking trails and parked cars can become deadly for pets after a Great Pyrenees died during a hike in Kane County. Plus, car enthusiasts brave the heat for imports and drifting at the Import Spring Showoff at the Utah State Fairpark.

On today’s KSL News Daily, triple-digit heat is testing Utah’s people, power grid and water. Maria Shilaos talks with KSL-TV’s Alex Cabrero about why boats are leaving the Great Salt Lake marina, why one excursion company says business is down 50%, and what the lake is really like once you get away from the shoreline.

Eric Cabrera explains how Rocky Mountain Power monitors the grid around the clock and what customers can do to reduce demand.

Plus, producer Jenny Ament asks people around City Creek and the Capitol how they’re handling the heat.

HEAL Utah’s Carmen Valdez explains why environmental advocates are urging the state to slow down, asking tougher questions about safety, waste, cost, public health, security, and whether nuclear can realistically power data centers anytime soon. Then Maria visits the University of Utah’s nuclear reactor lab, where Dr. Ted Goodell explains what the campus reactor actually does, why nuclear energy is so powerful, and why the next big question may not just be whether nuclear can be safe, but whether it can be safe, affordable, transparent, and ready in time.

Plus, new research links extreme heat and pollution to increased suicide risk, Rocky Mountain Power shares tips for cutting costs during triple-digit temperatures, Salt Lake’s Buddhist community marks the 90th anniversary of the Obon Festival, and Before You Go looks skyward with Patrick Wiggins, the Utah astronomer who just discovered his tenth supernova.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos takes on one of Utah’s most complicated energy questions: should nuclear power be part of the state’s future? With data centers, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, and population growth driving up electricity demand, nuclear energy is getting new attention, including proposals involving smaller reactors.

Maria talks with John Kotek of the Nuclear Energy Institute about why supporters say nuclear can provide steady, clean power, how newer reactor designs address safety and water concerns, and what still has to happen on nuclear waste. Then she hears from a downwinder and thyroid cancer survivor who says Utah’s history with radiation exposure should make the state far more cautious before embracing another nuclear future.

Plus, a Davis County commissioner is removed from his role as chair after allegations of verbal abuse, Intermountain Health marks its 100th epilepsy implant surgery, music fills Utah State University for the Fry Street Chamber Music Festival, and Before You Go heads to the Provo River Delta, where BYU students are helping track bird habitat that could reduce bird strikes near the Provo Airport.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos goes inside the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing political influencer Charlie Kirk. The courthouse has been packed with national media, tight security, and intense public interest as prosecutors work to show enough evidence for the case to move toward trial.

The episode looks at the prosecution’s effort to build a timeline through surveillance video, the defense’s objections over what evidence should be admitted, and the challenge of covering a high-profile case where access is limited and online speculation is moving fast.

Plus, Utah law enforcement leaders meet to discuss emerging gang trends, an AI prescription tool raises questions from pharmacies, South Salt Lake breaks ground on a new veterans clinic, and Before You Go visits the State Capitol, where a massive model previews a planned bronze monument honoring American history ahead of the 2034 Olympics.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos takes Utah’s data center debate to the place where the questions are no longer theoretical: Loudoun County, Virginia, also known as Data Center Alley. Investigative reporter Daniella Rivera joins the show after visiting communities where massive facilities now sit near homes, and where residents say they wish they had paid closer attention before construction moved in.
The conversation puts Utah’s proposed Stratos Project in sharper focus, from 24/7 noise and neighborhood impacts to water, power, emissions, air quality, and the need for clear answers before projects break ground. This is not a simple yes-or-no fight over the cloud. It’s a look at what communities should know before data centers become part of the landscape.

Plus, the Tyler Robinson preliminary hearing enters day two, the Utah Jazz wrap Summer League at the Huntsman Center, triple-digit heat is closing in for the weekend, and Before You Go brings wildflowers to downtown Salt Lake with a public art activation connecting Main Street to the Wasatch Wildflower Festival.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos looks at what Utah’s smoky summer air may be doing beyond the scratchy throats, burning eyes, and haze many people can already feel. Dr. Brenna Kelly explains University of Utah research on wildfire smoke, fine particulate pollution, ozone, and preterm birth risk, including why the air quality index may not fully capture the danger when more than one pollutant is elevated at the same time.

Plus, the preliminary hearing begins for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing political influencer Charlie Kirk; West Nile virus is showing up earlier than expected in mosquitoes; Eureka residents fill sandbags as fire-scarred hillsides raise flood and debris-flow concerns; and Before You Go heads to Real Salt Lake, where Eric Carrera takes listeners inside the World Cup watch-party energy turning soccer into a loud, joyful culture moment for Utah super fans.