Deep Dive
Long reads on how Utah pays for things: histories of how its money was raised and spent. The Ledger's audits of city records have their own section.
All deep dives
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Three local tax questions on Utah's Nov. 3 ballot, explained
Snyderville Basin voters decide up to $71 million in recreation bonds, San Juan County votes on a 1% ambulance sales tax, and Washington City votes on a fire and emergency services sales tax. Here is what each measure does, what it would cost and what is not on the ballot.
Long read
Utah’s finances: falling debt, substantial reserves and pressure beneath the totals
Utah has built financial cushions and paid down bonds. A review of its state accounts also finds slower growth in budget balances, a sharp preliminary drop in corporate taxes and financial controls that auditors said needed repair.
Long read
Geneva Steel: a $110 million rescue, then another shutdown
A $110 million federally guaranteed loan helped Geneva Steel emerge from bankruptcy in 2001. Within a year the Utah mill was idle and back in bankruptcy; the government paid $92.1 million on its guarantee, and the equipment was sold to a Chinese steelmaker for $40 million.
Long read
RaPower-3: the solar lenses that sold tax benefits before electricity
A Utah promoter sold plastic solar lenses for $3,500 each with the pitch that buyers could zero out their federal taxes. Courts found the technology never worked, upheld a $50 million disgorgement order and denied investors’ credits, and a receiver has spent years chasing the money.
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At Terrace, archaeology fills in the Chinese community behind a railroad ghost town
Terrace, a Central Pacific repair town in Box Elder County's west desert, declined through the 1890s and lost the main line when the Lucin Cutoff opened in 1904. Excavations in 2020 and 2021 uncovered a small house in its Chinese quarter, and public records show what is known and what is not.
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Utah's invasive mussel defenses: what inspections, dip tanks and a new zebra mussel find show
A live zebra mussel turned up in the Colorado River below Westwater this fall, and lawmakers set aside $4 million for more decontamination dip tanks. Inspection totals show how much work the program does; they do not count invasions prevented.
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Who runs Utah Lake: the authority's powers, its money and what the lake records show
The Utah Lake Authority has managed the lake since 2022, with federal money, a carp bounty and a nature center in the works. State law bars it from water rights and water quality rules, and the lake's own records show progress on carp and PCBs but not on clarity.
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Utah's search and rescue teams: what the records say about workload and money
Washington County's rescue team reported more incidents and many more people rescued in 2025. State records show a reimbursement formula under review and a new grant for rural counties, but no statewide measure of whether teams can keep up.
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Little Cottonwood's avalanche towers: what changed, and what the records don't yet show
UDOT installed 16 remote-controlled avalanche towers on Mount Superior in 2024 to cut back on artillery over Alta. Public records confirm the equipment change; none reviewed measure its effect on road closures.
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The tiny eggs behind the Great Salt Lake's brine shrimp harvest
The 2026-27 brine shrimp harvest opened Oct. 1. The latest state data pair a cyst count in lake water with cumulative raw pounds harvested, two measures from different dates that answer different questions about the lake.
Long read
UTOPIA’s next bond and the older debt behind Utah’s fiber network
UIA has proposed up to $25 million in new bonds for the fiber network it shares with UTOPIA. This guide explains how the two agencies’ books differ, what the records show, and what remains unconfirmed.
Long read
How Salt Lake paid for the 2002 Olympics
Salt Lake’s organizing committee ended the 2002 Games with a surplus that funded venue upkeep, but governments paid for security, transport and other services outside its books. Dated, scoped figures show why.