KSL's Inside Sources

 

Andy Farnsworth and Val Cameron, hosts of the KSL Movie Show, break down the big release of the week: By Any Means, opening today. The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a young Black FBI agent and Mark Wahlberg as real-life mafia hitman Greg Scarpa, teaming up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in 1966 Mississippi. Plus, Andy and Val ask a fun listener question: What movie features your biggest fear — sharks, heights, spiders or something else entirely? 

 

Greg Peterson, President of Salt Lake Community College, joins us live to talk about the new school year at Utah's largest open-access institution. We ask him about his vision for SLCC this fall, his message to new students, and how the college is preparing graduates for a job market being reshaped by artificial intelligence. Plus, with tuition costs making national headlines, President Peterson makes the case to families along the Wasatch Front: why community college might be the smartest financial move a family can make right now. 

 

Two striking pieces paint a picture of a culture going quiet. The Washington Post explores the "Gen Z stare" — a viral social media phenomenon — alongside research showing Americans are speaking roughly 300 fewer words per day with each passing year, a 28% decline from 2005 to 2019, especially among people under 25. Meanwhile, The Atlantic declares "the end of reading is here," arguing we've entered a postliterate age. We connect the dots between screens replacing conversation, shrinking attention spans and what it all means for how we communicate, connect and consume information. 

 

New York City has announced the nation's broadest generative AI moratorium in schools, banning student-facing AI tools from pre-K through eighth grade for the 2026–27 school year. We discuss how it works. Then, what do students lose when they stop writing? As AI reshapes how kids learn and think, we explore what's at stake for critical thinking, creativity and the next generation's relationship with the written word. 

 

Heidi Cannella, Communication Director with the Utah Food Bank, joins us to talk about National Food Bank Day and September as National Hunger Action Month. With one in six Utah kids facing food insecurity, we'll also highlight UVU's free cooking classes aimed at teaching students to stretch a meal and fight food insecurity from the kitchen up. Learn how you can help and where to find resources. 

 

In a unanimous decision Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court blocked a Republican-drawn congressional map from being used in this November's midterm elections, ordering a statewide referendum on the maps instead. We break down what it means for the national redistricting battle and the midterm impact.  

 

A new Pew Research Center study finds that 37% of Americans now say it's not likely the U.S. will elect a woman president in their lifetime — up from 26% just three years ago.  We dig into what's driving that growing skepticism, what the last several election cycles have revealed about gender and the presidency, and whether there's reason for hope. 

It's the unofficial last weekend of summer and people are already heading out on the road! Cormick Bone from the KSL Traffic Center joins us with a live look at what's happening on the roads right now — plus what drivers should expect heading into today and Monday as Labor Day travelers hit the highways. We'll also round up the top things to do across Utah this weekend and share key safety and weather reminders so you can make the most of the long weekend without any surprises.