The Christmas lights came on in downtown Salt Lake City's Temple Square after being closed off to the public for years due to construction and renovation.

I had a real blast shooting the Utah Jazz / Los Angeles Lakers game last night. And judging from the crowd, it was almost a home court advantage for the Lakers. They clearly have a ton of Utah fans.

Plus, it's always fun when it runs right down to the buzzer. The Lakers kept their slight lead, 105 - 104.

The Dallas Mavericks rained three-pointers in the first quarter to establish an early lead that the Utah Jazz could never pull ahead of. While I know Jazz fans are not happy, it did make for some great photos!

In my journey to understand hockey, I learned last night that it becomes sudden death when you go into overtime. 

The Utah Hockey Club fell to the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3, just a few minutes into overtime at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City Friday night.

Two friends and part-time teachers opened a new romance-only bookstore in Utah - Lagg Romance Bookstore. 

“I grew up Mormon and was always trying very hard to be a good girl,” Allen said. “What I really like is the idea of that being expanded.” 

As teachers, the pair are aware that a few of the titles on their shelves were recently banned from public schools statewide, including some books by fantasy romance author Sarah J. Maas. They say they aren’t worried, though.

“I know people get afraid of the sex in books, but in my opinion,” Allen said, “the safest way to first experience sex is in a book. You’re completely in control. You can close the page at any time, you can walk away. You have 100% consent.” 

Check out the full story by @pjayswalwrites at https://buff.ly/4i7DZLQ

As you wait for the turkey, here's some mouth watering dishes I've photographed recently. If only you could smell photos....

If you're a foodie and would like to learn more about these local restaurants and other great spots in Utah, check out https://buff.ly/4ePqvS8 to follow along as our food reporter brings you all the savory details. 

Have a great Thanksgiving!

It's been so much fun shooting photos for AP these past few weeks. Here's some highlights from the NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night.

15 years ago, Jim Jones crawled into Utah's Nutty Putty cave. 

However, he never came out. 

Read more about Jim, his family, the rescuers who tried to save him, and the millions of complete strangers who still can’t forget about the now-sealed cave at https://buff.ly/3B8Lh1f

I've never been a hockey fan. So I'm learning a lot this season as Salt Lake City has its first NHL hockey team. I knew that the sport had a reputation for fighting. But I never knew that there were rules that *allowed* for fighting...

This weekend, the BYU Cougars lost to the Kansas Jayhawks - the first season defeat for BYU. And you could tell that the Jayhawks were *very* proud of themselves for stopping that winning streak.

Despite the freezing temperatures, it was a pretty exciting, and a down-to-the-wire game between the Utah Utes and the BYU Cougars earlier this month.

I had such a blast photographing the Thieves Guild Cidery in Salt Lake City. It is a new fantasy themed cider bar that gives fans of fantasy culture a place of their own!

It’s election night!! I’m covering one of the democratic watch parties here in Salt Lake City. Bummed I’m missing out on the pizza tradition.

I'm definitely getting the hang of this hockey stuff....

I'd say shooting my first ever game of hockey was a success. I cannot believe they were able to retrofit the Delta Center with a hockey rink so fast. And to think that in 24 hours, it's the Jazz season opener....

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson speaks during an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune in her office at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. 

In September, the FBI intercepted a “suspicious” letter addressed to her office last week that contained white powder and was signed by the “United States Traitor Elimination Army.” 

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the second woman in Utah’s history to hold the position, stepped into the office overseeing the state’s elections at a fraught time for the public servants working to uphold America’s voting systems. She was sworn in on Jan. 4, 2021 — two days before the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

To read more of her interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, check out https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2024/09/30/facing-threats-gop-election/

Within one month this summer, Utah saw three cases of small children getting hold of a firearm and shooting themselves. In two of those cases, the child died. 

Several months earlier State Rep. Matt MacPherson proposed a bill in the Utah Legislature that would have offered a tax incentive to people who buy safety devices for their firearms. 

It aimed to give Utahns a tax credit of up to $50 for a device with a deactivating mechanism or a locking storage system — like a firearm safe, cable lock or lock box — and was limited to one per household. The proposed credit started at $300, before being whittled down amid budget constraints. 

While lawmakers passed on the bill this year, MacPherson said he plans to run the bill again in the 2025 legislative session in hopes of preventing future tragedies like the accidental shootings of this summer. 

To read more, visit https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2024/09/27/will-legislature-reconsider-gun/

The BYU Cougars had a dominant performance against the Kansas State Wildcats in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. #BYU #Cougars #KansasState #Provo

Fresh Donuts & Deli has developed quite the fan base from their store at the corner of State Street and 2700 South in South Salt Lake for the past 25 years. 

In 2023, Fresh Donuts & Deli was included on Yelp’s list of Top 100 U.S. Donut Shops, and ranked 26th. It was the only shop from Utah to make the list. 

To read the full story, visit https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/food/2024/09/30/some-say-fresh-donuts-deli-makes/.

Discover the significance of Lake Powell throughout the West in my latest video with The Salt Lake Tribune. Watch now! 

https://buff.ly/4dvBNKH

Students at the University of Utah recently protested against the collaboration with the University of Haifa in Israel during a rally on campus last month.

Utahns have a new five-mile trail in Park City with the opening of the Bonanza Loop Trail, giving more access to the popular Bonanza Flats.

A sign celebrates both the 2002 Olympic Games and the upcoming 2034 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024.

I have a really cool job. But sometimes, my assignments are extra cool. This week, I discovered that once again. 

At FanX, I photographed cast members from The Lord of the Rings- including Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd and John Rhys-Davies. 

As a LotR fan of more than two decades, I was pinching myself throughout the entire assignment. Have to admit, I have the coolest job! 

#fanx #lotr

Tonight, I photographed the Sandhurst Fire as it spurred evacuations and threaten homes and infrastructure just north of the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City. The fire has since been contained although mandatory evacuations are still in effect for 40 homes in the area. 

#sandhurst #utah #saltlakecity #fire #wildfire #wildfireseason #naturaldisaster #slc #wildfires #smoke #fires #firefighters #helicopter

Today, for the first time since its founding in 1870, the newsroom of The Salt Lake Tribune has organized to form a union! I am so proud to be part of the supermajority of more than 70% of reporters, photographers, web designers and artists who asked for voluntary recognition. 

This is a great step forward for Utah and journalism as a whole. I am hopeful that management will support our efforts and, in turn, the journalism that Utahns have come to expect from this flagship institution. 

#saltlakenewsguild

So proud to share that I won three awards at the Utah Society for Professional Journalism banquet a few weeks ago. 
2nd place in Sports Action Photojournalism 
2nd place in Feature Videography (group award)
3rd place in Sports Videography 

It truly is an honor to both be able to do the work that I love but also have that work recognized by my colleagues. Never forget that journalism matters. As this turbulent election year continues, never forget that a strong free press is a fundamental cornerstone to this democracy that we hold dear.

Last night, I photographed the primary election party for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rep. John Curtis who won his party’s nomination. Curtis will be running in November to succeed Senator Mitt Romney who chose not to run for re-election. 
#photojournalism #election #elections #utah #politics #journalism #utahpolitics #provo #primaryelection

Today I was able to put to use all of my time in Yellowstone photographing bears. I woke up to reports of a black bear in a tree in North Salt Lake. Law-enforcement and Utah’s Department of Natural Resources responded, trying to catch the bear in a bucket truck after it was tranquilized. 
Unfortunately, the juvenile black bear did fall from the tree and hit the pavement. However, officials are hopeful that the bear did not suffer any injuries. The bear is going to be released today away from the city, people and campgrounds. 

#saltlakecity #utah #bears #bear #wildlife #wild #wildanimals #saltlakecityutah #photojournalism #photography #news #nature #utahwildlife

It was so much fun to get to actually go to Pride this year! Normally I am working through the weekend but I actually had it off this year. And while I didn’t officially work it, I couldn’t help but take my camera. 

Happy Pride everyone! 

#utah #saltlakecity #pride #pride🌈 #pridemonth #gaypride #prideparade #photography #photooftheday #offdutyphotographer #lgbtq #lgbtq🌈

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