Midday with Maria Shilaos

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show April 9th, 2026

Since the war in Iran began 6 weeks ago, the world has seen a huge spike in the cost for a slew of things, including gasoline, diesel, plastics, and fertilizer -- all things that relied heavily on the Strait of Hormuz being open. The biggest cost most Utahns have seen is with gas and diesel. And with the amount of goods transported thanks to gasoline and diesel, the costs have or will trickle-down to almost everything we use every single day.

In this Deep Dive -- The Cost of Conflict -- Maria Shilaos looks at the costs of the War in Iran on American families, Utah small business owners, and the job market as a whole.

She's joined in this discussion by:

• Liz Pancotti, managing director of Policy and Advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative
• President Mary C. Daly, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
• Cory Stahle, economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab

April 9th, 2026

April 9th, 2026

April 9th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show April 8th, 2026

April 8th, 2026

April 8th, 2026

April 8th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show April 7th, 2026

As more kids are gearing up for outdoor summer sports, a new program is aimed at encouraging their parents to help them to "eat like a champion." The program is a partnership between Get Healthy Utah, and Utah Recreation and Parks. 

Alysia Ducuara, Executive Director of Get Healthy Utah, joins Maria Shilaos to explain more about the goal of the program, which encourages healthier snacks for kids participating in youth sports.

April 7th, 2026

April 7th, 2026

April 7th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show April 6th, 2026

A program aimed at empowering disabled veterans to start their own businesses is coming to Utah in a few weeks. And today, the director of DAV Patriot Boot Camp is putting out the call for mentors who specialize in areas like product development, marketing and finance.

Matt Feldhaus is the Director of Patriot Boot Camp for Disabled American Veterans. He joined Maria Shilaos to talk about the three-day bootcamp, which will be held June 10-12.

Volunteer mentors can apply at https://patriotbootcamp.org/become-a-mentor/. 

April 6th, 2026

April 6th, 2026

April 6th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show April 3rd, 2026

April 3rd, 2026

April 3rd, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show April 2nd, 2026

Students, teachers, and staff with the Salt Lake City School District's continuing education program are voicing sadness and frustration today in response to news that the program would end in June.

The program, which is open to local residents and focused mostly on adults, has been running for more than 50 years at East, West, and Highland High Schools. During that time, it's featured a wide variety of classes open to the public for a small fee, including classes on real estate, dance, languages, welding, music, finance, and so much more.

In this segment, we hear from those affected by the program's discontinuation, including Swedish teacher Martina Sprague, long-time student Hank Parry, and community center supervisor at West High School Mariela Miranda.

A resolution from the Utah State Board of Education is ruffling some feathers today. The separation of church and state -- called into question at this morning's state school board meeting. The language in the resolution is meant to echo the sentiments of America's founding fathers, at least that's what board members say. But many community members feel like the resolution instead calls non-religious people immoral. And many of those folks showed up in full force at the board meeting today to make sure board members knew how they felt.

In this Deep Dive, Maria Shilaos discusses the resolution and the response to it with KSL NewsRadio's Heather Peterson. 

Fewer and fewer young men are working full-time, and it's contributing to issues not only among men, but within families, society, and among women as well. That's part of the finding of a new report, which puts in plainly: men without work, purpose, or a family to provide for tend to flounder. And when men flounder, the women in their lives suffer and their communities suffer -- the wreckage is shared.

An op-ed in the Deseret News dug into this idea of young men being "demoralized."

In this segment, Maria Shilaos discusses the findings of the report and ways we can all help young me. She's joined by Michael Toscano, Senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and one of the authors of this report.

April 2nd, 2026

April 2nd, 2026

April 2nd, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show April 1st, 2026

The family of Laura Aime, a Utah teen found murdered in 1974 finally have some closure today. After wondering who killed Laura, investigators in Utah County announced a DNA confirmation that she was killed by infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. For years, the family believed Bundy was responsible for her death, but the case was never closed. Technological advancements in the more than 50 years since the murder gave investigators a chance to finally crack the case.

In this Deep Dive, Maria Shilaos hears from Laura's sister, Michelle Impala, who spoke at the announcement today. She recounts her memories of Laura, a young girl simply enjoying life in the 60s and 70s. Maria also discusses the case and its impacts with Dave Cawley, investigative journalist and executive producer/host of the podcast "COLD" from KSL Podcasts.

April 1st, 2026

April 1st, 2026

April 1st, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 31st, 2026

Celebrations and concerns... both outcomes from a major Supreme Court ruling today on conversion therapy. The high court ruled in favor of a Christian counselor who offered conversion therapy services in Colorado. The majority ruling (8-1) said that Colorado's conversion therapy ban violated the free speech rights of the therapist.

While religious groups applaud the decision, many in the mental health community are worried the decision could lead to a revival of the more dangerous practices of traditional conversion therapy, like electro-shock therapy and using nausea medication in trying to help someone change their gender identity or sexual orientation.

In this Deep Dive, Maria Shilaos gives voice to several sides of the issue and tries to understand how it could affect us here in Utah (where we also have a law banning conversion therapy). Throughout this special, she's joined by or hears from:

• Bridger Beal Cvetko, KSL.com political reporter
• State Rep. Mike Peterson
• Professor Robin Wilson, law professor at the University of Illinois
• Marina Lowe, Policy Director at Equality Utah
• Justin Utley, a survivor of conversion therapy
• Elena Kopel, licensed professional counselor candidate from Colorado

March 31st, 2026

March 31st, 2026

March 31st, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 30th, 2026

Health Matters on Midday, where we dig into health topics you might be curious about. 

Allergies have come on with a vengeance early this year! You've probably been sniffling or sneezing yoursef and if not... someone around you has. It's all a result of the warmer temperatures and the earlier bloom time for many high pollen plants.

In this segment of Health Matters on Midday, Dr. Richard Ferguson, President-Black Physicians of Utah joins Maria Shilaos to discuss ways to provide some much needed relief to allergy sufferers.

March 30th, 2026

March 30th, 2026

March 30th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 27th, 2026

March 27th, 2026

March 27th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 26th, 2026

We're getting more reaction from mental health counselors and therapists today, following a landmark verdict against social media companies Meta and Google. A California jury found that the two companies harmed young users by designing their apps to be addictive.

So how are therapists and other mental health professionals reacting to the ruling? Maria Shilaos spoke with Gregory Noel, LMFT, the clinical director of Two Brothas Counseling in Ogden. He says the decision is welcomed by the mental health community, who've been warning of the addictive nature of social media for years now.

--------------

RESOURCES:

Digital Brain Fog: How Tech Is Rewiring Your Focus and Mood (Dr. Tracey Marks):

https://youtu.be/JU3h-qzmeXk?si=7Elbb2rqIukHGqL9   

Technology-induced ADHD/ digital brain fog

Mechanism 1: Attention residue (residue of the 1st task lingers even after switching from one task to another)

Mechanism 2: Dopamine hijacking (brain starts craving a quick burst of novelty, overstimulated and undersatisfied)

Mechanism 3: Default mode network disruption (time when the brain is at rest, consistent tech access keeps this offline)

Mechanism 4: Prefrontal cortex overload (this has limited fuel; tech is rapidly draining this)

Strategy 1: Set digital boundaries

Strategy 2: Attention training (focus sprints)

Strategy 3: Notification triage

Strategy 4: Transition rituals

March 26th, 2026

March 26th, 2026

March 26th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 25th, 2026

Chances are good you know someone who's looking for a job. Chances are also good... that they're becoming increasingly frustrated in looking. Less than a third of American workers think right now is a good time to find a job, and it's especially bleak for college grads. In fact, they haven't been this down on the job market since 2013. The results come as government data shows overall hiring is at its weakest level in more than a decade, and holds true with what economists call the "low hire, low fire" job market. 

In this Deep Dive, Maria Shilaos speaks with Julie Bauke, a career strategist and managing partner at The Bauke Group, to found out how people looking for a job can better market themselves. They also discuss the unique situation in which college students find themselves looking for their first full-time job.

March 25th, 2026

March 25th, 2026

March 25th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 24th, 2026

March 24th, 2026

March 24th, 2026

March 24th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 23rd, 2026

Medical misinformation is causing more and more parents to not only refuse vaccines, but also routine preventative care.

A new study published by the American Medical Association shows the number of parents refusing routine Vitamin K shots for their newborns doubled between 2017 and 2024. 5.2% now decline the shots due to possible risks.

Maria Shilaos turned to a board-certified pediatrician for some answers, Dr. Jonathan Williams with Ogden Clinic.

Read more at KSL.com.

March 23rd, 2026

March 23rd, 2026

March 23rd, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 20th, 2026

March 20th, 2026

March 20th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 19th, 2026

Much of Utah is seeing record-breaking heat right now and will continue to do so for at least another week. While the temperatures themselves might not be the hottest we've ever seen, temperatures this high this early are pretty extreme. In fact, the warm weather has forced several ski resorts to end the season early and has local water districts and municipalities considering water restrictions.

In this Deep Drive, Maria Shilaos discusses this historic heatwave with meteorologists and water managers. She also hears from Governor Spencer Cox as he outlines his thoughts on the lackluster winter and the warm weather right now. The conversation finishes up with a look at how you can conserve water before restrictions go into full force.

Guests:

• Devan Mascuilli, KSL Meteorologist
• Governor Spencer Cox
• Darren Hess, Assistant General Manager for Weber Basin Water Conservancy District
• Kelly Good, Director of Community Engagement at Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District

March 19th, 2026d

March 19th, 2026

March 19th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 18th, 2026

March 18th, 2026

March 18th, 2026

March 18th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 17th, 2026

March 17th, 2026

March 17th, 2026

March 17th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 16th, 2026

March 16th, 2026

March 16th, 2026

March 16th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 13th, 2026

March 13th, 2026

March 13th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 12th, 2026

A major development could take place in a high profile, death penalty case in Utah tomorrow, and the odds are good we won't know exactly what's happening. It's a story that may sound familiar to KSL listeners and fans of the Cold podcast: the murder of Joyce Yost by Doug Lovell.

It's a lot to unpack, though, so Cold podcast host Dave Cawley explains the situation to KSL NewsRadio's Becky Bruce. He provides context on the whole situation, along with the background on the murder, kidnapping and rape of Yost more than 40 years ago.

Utah's housing shortage was part of the affordability crisis discussed during the 2026 Legislative General Session that just wrapped. It's been a problem for several years -- many Utahns getting priced out of their neighborhoods... unable to secure long-term permanent housing. The governor says he's committed to building 35,000 starter homes, but many have said we're far behind that goal.

On this Deep Dive, guest host Heather Peterson discusses Utah's housing crisis and how lawmakers tried to make things better during the session. She's joined by Steve Waldip, Senior Advisor to Governor Cox for Housing Strategy and Turner Bitton, Founder and Executive Director at Wasatch Advocates for Livable Communities.

March 12th, 2026

March 12th, 2026

March 12th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 11th, 2026

March 11th, 2026

March 11th, 2026

March 11th, 2026

Midday with Maria Shilaos Full Show March 10th, 2026