December 2015

Last month the Sacred Energy Empowerment Center opened its doors in Murray. There, seven practitioners offer intuitive readings, Angel Card Readings, Akashic record readings, individual sound healing sessions, classes and regular group crystal bowl sou …

The Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD) reminds us that how we handle leftovers is as important as how we cook it. Reheating will not always destroy the culpable bacteria, so listen up. The department’s Andrea Gamble recommends the “2 hours/2 i …

  Three days before the November 13 Paris attacks, Utah Gov. Herbert and First Lady Jeanette Herbert visited Utah’s Refugee Education and Training Center on Salt Lake Community College’s Meadow­brook Campus. Utah is home to an estimated 60,000 ref …

  Imagine you’re homeless. You’ve found a temporary job for the day, maybe you’re going in for an interview, but you don’t have s place to put your belongings in the meantime. One solution hitting Salt Lake streets soon are Hope Lockers. This mobi …

What would you say are your basic values? How did you come to believe what you believe? Where do you think our society is headed? How you answer these questions likely labels you conservative or liberal, as are your friends. But does that solve any of …

— by Sophie Silverstone   Charlie Moulton and Frank Clay, co-owners of Sugarhouse Footwear & Apparel, have had their eyes on Sugarhouse for about three years now; it was just the matter of finding the right spot. The former Piper’s Quilts …

-by Sophie Silverstone Re-Find’s owner, Kristin Harrower knows our society is getting better at recycling, and that we could still use some guidance closing the other side of the loop: purchasing products made from recycled materials, better yet, buyin …

“People should be able to eat healthy regardless of their socio-economic status,” says Beverly Stoddard, general manager of Salt Lake City’s newest natural foods store. Natural Grocers, a Colorado-based chain that operates 103 stores in 18 states, rece …

Have you ever been to Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (north end of Great Salt Lake)? Do you know that it’s an internationally acclaimed work of land art? Yes, historically significant works of art like the Jetty surround us in Utah and the Utah Museum …

Doors of the Marcia and John Price Utah Museum of Fine Arts, on the University of Utah campus, will lock on Monday, January 18. Important renovations include a new state-of-the-art vapor barrier technology to extend the life of the building and an exci …

Michael Hummel, ND, began a general practice residency at Cameron Well­ness Center in Sugar House this fall. Hummel developed a love for herbal medicines and natural health therapies early; in the second grade he completed a survey of local edible …

Sensible precautions—and what to do if you’ve thrown caution to the wind —by Trisha McMillan Parties are great; we get to see our old friends, make new ones, and generally just celebrate being human and alive. However, merrymaking comes with a price: t …

Salt Lake’s GREENbikes program hit a milestone last month, passing the 100,000 ridership mark. The bike rental system, which started in 2013, has nearly 200 bikes at 25 downtown stations. Ridership increased by almost 300% in May when the program gaine …

You might want to let your favorite U.S. senator know how you feel about the GMO anti-labeling bill sneaking its way through the Senate. —by John deJong The bill would prevent individual states from passing, or rather enforcing, laws requiring food com …

The Holly Refinery in Woods Cross was found to be in violation of the federal Clean Air Act and as consequence HollyFrontier Corporation has agreed to pay a $1.2 million civil penalty and to install new equipment on two tanks at its Salt Lake refinery …

In November, Salt Lake County voters turned down Proposition 1 which would have raised sales taxes in order to improve Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus and rail service. – by Amy Brunvand Apparently voters don’t like the way UTA is managed, but even wi …

In 2008 the Utah Legislature established a goal for 20% of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025. – by Amy Brunvand However, the Utah Chapter Sierra Club reports that Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) is proposing a long-term plan that includes n …

In October the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition traveled to Washington, DC to ask President Obama to designate a 1.9 million acre National Monument on Cedar Mesa in San Juan County, Utah. – Amy Brunvad The Coalition is a partnership of Ute Mountain Ut …

As Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT-1) continued his attack on the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a 50-year-old program that dedicates royalties from offshore oil and gas production to purchase n …

Utah’s health(don’t)care system. —by John deJong The other day a friend asked me whether I thought Greg Hughes, the speaker of the Utah House of Representatives, was politically motivated in his refusal to let the Utah House consider accepting $944 mil …

When one door closes, another door opens. Dahlia Room, Buxom, Fellow Shop, Uintah Standard, & CG Sparks. The brick & mortar dilemma The Dahlia Room, sassy adult boutique on Broadway closed their brick and mortar shop on Nov. 20, but will contin …

Wilderness activist Susan Tixier died on October 8, 2015 at the age of 73. Tixier founded the group Great Old Broads for Wilderness in 1989 after Utah Senator Orrin Hatch claimed that elderly people can not access wilderness areas without roads. As Tix …

Given my heightened state of cynicism, some people find it hard to image that I actually was a student of the Bible (12 years Catholic school and 10 years of fundamentalist church hopping) and have two degrees in journalism (from that famous journalism …

Slow Food Utah recently announced the winners of this years Snail Awards. Launched in 2012, the awards are a way the organization recognizes ardent supporters and promoters of local, sustainably produced food. This year’s recipients were: Pete Rasmusse …

That’s the message that pro-development-or-bust state lawmakers gave recently when they caved to local homebuilder and development lobbyists who oppose simple building code changes that could reduce toxic emissions. At the behest of Envision Utah, the …

In September, the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) announced pending construction of the new Central 9th Market, at 153 W. 900 S. The official groundbreaking ceremony occurred on October 28, and last month construction, led by local developers Atlas Architec …

Each day, year and life follows a cycle set by nature. This cycle contains an opening, working and closing. The opening is the natural time to awaken and get present. The working piece is about engaging and movement. Last, the closing time is to slow d …

Carbon sequestration The carbon in biochar remains quite stable when buried, and can remain locked there for decades, centuries or even millennia. While the process is generally accepted as carbon negative, how it is made and the origin of the fuel sou …

Fire transforms—wood into ashes, ice into water and then into steam, raw ingredients into a warming meal. In the Vedas of ancient India, fire was personified by the two-headed fire god Agni. Stemming from the same root as the Latin ignire (to ignite), …

Osho Zen Tarot: Participation, Silence Medicine Cards: Porcupine, Grouse Mayan Oracle: Unity, Hologram, Harmonic Resonance Ancient Egyptian Tarot: Six of Wands, Chariot, The Sun Aleister Crowley Deck: Ace of Wands, Queen of Disks, Futility Healing Eart …

Editor’s note: Diane Olson, a veteran CATALYST staffer, wrote the “Almanac” column for 17 years (1995 to 2012), taking a break after writing A Nature Love’s Almanac: Kinky Bugs, Stealthy Critters, Prosperous Plants and Celestial Wonders (Gibbs Smith Pu …