Katie McKellar

Katie McKellar

[email protected]

Katie McKellar is a senior reporter at the Utah News Dispatch. She is based in Salt Lake City. She has worked in journalism for 10 years, specializing in government and policy reporting. Before coming to Utah News Dispatch, she led state and local political coverage for the state’s oldest newspaper, the Deseret News. She has won multiple awards from the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for her work reporting on city and county councils, the governor, and the Utah Legislature, covering every legislative session since 2014. She has particular expertise in growth and housing issues, and she’s most passionate about keeping Utahns informed about decisions that impact their daily lives.

Moore vs. Lisonbee: What’s at stake in the GOP race for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District
Utah

Moore vs. Lisonbee: What’s at stake in the GOP race for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District

7:03am ET
Katie McKellar
The Republican contest between incumbent congressman Rep. Blake Moore and challenger state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee is entering its final stretch, with by-mail ballots already hitting Utahns’ mailboxes ahead of the June 23 primary. More than any other congressional race this...
Utah school trust lands officials eye selling 50,000 acres in Book Cliffs for nearly $30 million
Utah

Utah school trust lands officials eye selling 50,000 acres in Book Cliffs for nearly $30 million

Jun 09, 2026
Katie McKellar
Utah Trust Lands Administration officials are poised to sell about 50,000 acres of the Book Cliffs area in Grand County — a major swath of a popular hunting and fishing area — to another state agency, the Utah Division of...
Gov. Cox says his Utah Supreme Court picks were the most qualified. Critics disagree
Utah

Gov. Cox says his Utah Supreme Court picks were the most qualified. Critics disagree

Jun 03, 2026
Katie McKellar
After Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday announced his picks to fill two new seats on the expanded Utah Supreme Court — Stephen Dent, a federal prosecutor, and Jay Jorgensen, an attorney for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
Cox makes 2 picks to fill expanded Utah Supreme Court: A church attorney and a prosecutor
Utah

Cox makes 2 picks to fill expanded Utah Supreme Court: A church attorney and a prosecutor

Jun 02, 2026
Katie McKellar
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday announced his appointments for two new justices on the Utah Supreme Court after the Legislature expanded it from five to seven seats earlier this year. Cox picked Jay Jorgensen, who currently works as a...
Maloy, Lyman talk ICE, data centers in debate for Utah’s new 3rd Congressional District
Utah

Maloy, Lyman talk ICE, data centers in debate for Utah’s new 3rd Congressional District

Jun 01, 2026
Katie McKellar
In a polite debate that lacked any fiery jabs, Rep. Celeste Maloy and her Republican challenger Phil Lyman took the stage on Monday to debate issues ranging from high costs of living, the national debt, water, data centers, artificial intelligence...
Utah Senate president calls on Kevin O’Leary to scale back data center by 75%
Utah

Utah Senate president calls on Kevin O’Leary to scale back data center by 75%

Jun 01, 2026
Katie McKellar
Amid ongoing outcry over a massive, 40,000-acre data center campus being planned in northern Utah, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams announced that he’s calling for the project to be scaled back dramatically. “I’ve sent a letter directly to Kevin O’Leary...
New website sheds light on MIDA amid data center controversy. Here’s what it shows
Utah

New website sheds light on MIDA amid data center controversy. Here’s what it shows

Jun 01, 2026
Katie McKellar
Utah State Auditor Tina Cannon’s office has launched a new online dashboard showing financial activity and other publicly available information for the Military Installation Development Authority , the special district behind a controversial proposal to build a massive data center...
More than 5,000 Utah voters need to provide proof of citizenship under new state law
Utah

More than 5,000 Utah voters need to provide proof of citizenship under new state law

May 27, 2026
Katie McKellar
Out of Utah’s more than 2 million registered voters, a tiny fraction of a percent — 27 people — were confirmed to be noncitizens, state election officials announced on Wednesday while sharing the results of a more than yearlong “...
Salt Lake City area ranks among top 10 best places for veterans to live
Utah

Salt Lake City area ranks among top 10 best places for veterans to live

May 25, 2026
Katie McKellar
The Salt Lake City-Murray area is among the nation’s top 10 places to live for veterans, according to a new ranking. The list released last week by Veterans United Home Loans — a mortgage lender for current and former military...
Trump homeless adviser comes to Utah, says blue cities are embracing crackdown strategies
Utah

Trump homeless adviser comes to Utah, says blue cities are embracing crackdown strategies

May 22, 2026
Katie McKellar
Robert Marbut, a senior adviser on homelessness for President Donald Trump’s administration, told a packed room at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City on Thursday that federal officials’ homeless strategy isn’t as partisan as some may believe —...
Corrections officials are building a 180-bed program for homeless Utahns with criminal records
Utah

Corrections officials are building a 180-bed program for homeless Utahns with criminal records

May 20, 2026
Katie McKellar
Key points The Utah Department of Corrections is developing Project ARCH, a 180-bed program in “semi-secure” facilities intended to provide accountability-focused treatment to “high utilizers” of the state’s criminal justice and homeless systems. Project ARCH is supported by a new...
In Utah, still a national hotspot, measles cases hit 663
Utah

In Utah, still a national hotspot, measles cases hit 663

May 13, 2026
Katie McKellar
With at least 663 measles cases confirmed, Utah continues to be a national hotspot — but the state’s outbreak, while still active, appears to be tapering. As of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ last update to the...