The airport can be, and often is, a distressing place, Meg Walter points out in her latest column. But there's something special about our Salt Lake City airport that can bring reprieve to the weary traveler: sign-holding families.
These welcoming committees, Meg writes, are likely bigger, louder and more frequent than in any other airport partly because of the number of young adults that depart on missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and because of the size of our families.
And the best part? Whether or not you are the intended subject of a group's cheers, applause and smiles, you still get the feeling of being welcomed home.
‘Utah is ripe for it’: Jazz owner Ryan Smith on bringing NHL to the Beehive State
Ryan Smith is quickly becoming a household name in Utah, particularly in sports-loving homes.
The founder of Qualtrics, a wildly successful customer experience platform, recently became the owner of the Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake and is now looking to channel his business and sports acumen into building a breakout NHL franchise in the state.
Smith has made no secret of his interest in adding a hockey franchise to his Smith Entertainment Group holdings, and both he and NHL executives have referenced recent meetings to discuss how that might come to pass.
At the moment, speculation is churning about the Arizona Coyotes relocating to Utah, an idea that is being powered at least in part by Arizona voters rejecting a proposal for a new Tempe hockey arena for the team in May.
When asked on a podcast about the prospects of a Coyotes move to Salt Lake City, Smith kept the doors of possibility wide open without weighing in on how close such a deal may, or may not, be.
Smith also underscored his faith that “Utah is ripe for it” when it comes to its readiness to host a successful future NHL team and cited evidence he sees of pent-up demand for a hometown take on professional hockey.
“We’re already the winter sports capitol of the world,” Smith said. “The Olympics are coming back, seven million people are coming here every year for winter sports and almost every single winter sport is headquartered here in one way or another.
Read more about potential deals to bring a National Hockey League team to Utah and Ryan Smith's role in brokering them.
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Former BYU star Ashley Hatch left off United States World Cup roster (Deseret News)
Just how soon will the IOC pick the next Winter Olympics hosts? (Deseret News)
2030 Winter Games bidders include undeclared ‘sixth country,’ IOC says (Deseret News)
'One of my best swings ever': Bees' Jo Adell homer sets an all-time record (KSL)
The Salt Lake City metro area continues to be among the top housing markets in the U.S. to see the most dramatic yearly declines in home sales since high interest rates chilled the market.
However, home sales also appear to be picking up steam heading into the summer with a seasonal 20% increase in home sales over April, as well as an 8.7% rise in new listings, according to RE/MAX’s May National Housing Market Report.
While home sales are still down 18.7% from last May, “solid demand amid tight inventory” is helping push home prices up slightly.
Of the 51 markets included in RE/MAX’s survey, the Salt Lake City metro area was among the top five markets with the biggest year-over-year declines in closed transactions in May. The month closed out with 1,113 transactions compared to 1,575 in May 2022, a 29.3% drop.
However, the Salt Lake City metro’s median sales price was up 7.1% in May from the previous month, hitting $525,000, RE/MAX reported.
Read more about how Salt Lake City housing prices have fluctuated over the last year.
FROM OUR SPONSOR JON M. HUNTSMAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill hugs Betty Sawyer, Project Success director, during a Juneteenth celebration at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City on Friday. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
Read more about what Utah community leaders did to celebrate Juneteenth.
That's all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!