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Megan Banta on Muck Rack

Megan Banta

Verified
(She/Her)
Salt Lake City
As seen in: The Salt Lake Tribune, MSN, USA Today, Yahoo News, U.S. News and World Report, Detroit Free Press, The Mercury News, The Seattle Times, Yahoo Sports, The Oregonian, Yahoo and
Covers:  I use data to cover issues facing people across Utah, from child care costs to homelessness to housing.
Doesn't Cover: I generally don't cover entertainment
Data reporting for @sltrib. Midwest transplant via Oregon and @registerguard. Data, public records and accountability nerd. Often hiking when not working.

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Megan Banta’s Biography

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I'm a Hoosier by birth but now a Utahn (and formerly a Michigander and Oregonian).

I graduated from Franklin College (Go Griz!) in 2014 and reported on government and politics for close to three years. After covering the 2016 election, I switched to marketing for a little more than a year to help with family medical issues, but my love of journalism pulled me back to newspapers.

I covered a little bit of everything -- ongoing issues at Michigan State University related to former sports medici…

Megan Banta’s Journalist Portfolio

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'People are frustrated': Eugene residents think city moving in wrong direction, survey finds

'People are frustrated': Eugene residents think city moving in wrong direction, survey finds

People generally like living in Eugene and feel a sense of belonging, but they don't like the direction the c…

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Eugene 'gained some ground,' 'made some impressions' with enhanced downtown enforcement

Eugene 'gained some ground,' 'made some impressions' with enhanced downtown enforcement

For John Codner and other people living on streets in Eugene’s downtown, it’s been a challenge to find a plac…

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Eugene 'bailing out Titanic with a teacup' helping people living in vehicles and addressing impacts

Eugene 'bailing out Titanic with a teacup' helping people living in vehicles and addressing impacts

Eugene officials and staff say new parking rules are making a difference as the city seeks to help people exp…

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Effort to build baseball stadium for Emeralds at Lane Events Center spurs delight, concerns

Effort to build baseball stadium for Emeralds at Lane Events Center spurs delight, concerns

From animated to aggravated, residents in the Jefferson Westside neighborhood have a range of opinions and co…

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MSU finds 8 people who failed to report Larry Nassar or former dean William Strampel

MSU finds 8 people who failed to report Larry Nassar or former dean William Strampel

LANSING - Michigan State University identified more than 40 people and members of a university advisory counc…

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Articles

As most people struggle, Utah’s luxury housing market keeps on humming. Here’s how the wealthy are spending their money.

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By Megan Banta Verified
| The Salt Lake Tribune Verified
Price is king for the typical Utahn looking to buy a home, but luxury homebuyers are focused on locations that fit their lifestyle — and in Utah, the high-end housing market is doing well.
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Here’s what could replace two of the downtown SLC businesses torched in last year’s fire.

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By Megan Banta Verified
| The Salt Lake Tribune Verified
A four-story building might replace two businesses destroyed by a fire last year, if owners can get some help from the city. The owner of the former sites of Los Tapatios and London Belle is requesting a $2 million disaster relief loan through Salt Lake City’s Community Reinvestment Agency to help restore and add on to the fire-damaged buildings. The Mexican restaurant and bar were part of a vibrant stretch of the city’s Main Street that burned in a fire last August.
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City Council member’s pride flag doesn’t violate Utah law, state auditor finds

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By Megan Banta Verified, Jeff Parrott Verified
| The Salt Lake Tribune Verified
A small pride flag that Cheylynn Hayman sets near her nameplate during Centerville City Council meetings doesn’t violate the law, Utah’s state auditor found. Hayman, a lawyer who’s served on the council since 2024, has displayed the flag for more than a year to protest the law that made Utah the first in the nation to ban the rainbow-striped flags from government spaces. The auditor’s office, which is responsible for enforcing the law, investigated the display after residents complained.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

Covering state government as a college student in Indiana. Check out TheStatehouseFile.com – it competes in SPJ at the professional level.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

I haven't, but I would LOVE to for a story where I'm not on a tight deadline.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Sloan Sabbith from The Newsroom. Smart and driven but awkward as hell? Hello, mirror