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.

Utah offers ‘unprecedented’ 0% loans for farmers amid difficult drought, wildfire year
Utah

Utah offers ‘unprecedented’ 0% loans for farmers amid difficult drought, wildfire year

Sep 11, 2026
Katie McKellar
Citing an “exceptionally difficult” year for Utah farmers due to drought, wildfire and animal disease, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food officials said they are taking an “unprecedented step” to give financial relief to producers with active department of agriculture...
Utah Supreme Court justice recused from 2 cases challenging constitutionality of new 3-judge panel
Utah

Utah Supreme Court justice recused from 2 cases challenging constitutionality of new 3-judge panel

Sep 10, 2026
Katie McKellar
A Utah Supreme Court justice now won’t participate in two cases — the first dealing with gerrymandering and another on abortion — that are each challenging the constitutionality of the Utah Legislature’s newly created rotating three-judge “constitutional court” specifically meant...
Utah housing market remains among most expensive in U.S., with 91% of renters priced out
Utah

Utah housing market remains among most expensive in U.S., with 91% of renters priced out

Sep 09, 2026
Katie McKellar
The latest pulse reading on Utah’s housing market is out — and it shows home ownership remains out of reach for many Utahns, especially first-time homebuyers. Despite some slight fluctuations in early 2026, Utah is still among the nation’s top...
Developer of Delta data center announces ‘revolutionary’ tech to turn natural gas into water
Utah

Developer of Delta data center announces ‘revolutionary’ tech to turn natural gas into water

Sep 09, 2026
Katie McKellar
Creekstone Energy, the company behind a huge data center campus being built near Delta in Millard County, has announced that it’s in the process of patenting a “revolutionary technology” that can turn natural gas into water. The new technology —...
Concerns swirl over a developer’s push for a Tooele Valley data center, but plans are on pause
Utah

Concerns swirl over a developer’s push for a Tooele Valley data center, but plans are on pause

Sep 03, 2026
Katie McKellar
Tooele County residents concerned about a developer’s proposal to build a large-scale data center near the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake turned their frustrations and demands to put a stop to the proposal on the Utah Inland Port...
Utah becomes 1st state to fully launch digital apostille program for international documents
Utah

Utah becomes 1st state to fully launch digital apostille program for international documents

Sep 01, 2026
Katie McKellar
Utah has become the first state in the nation to fully launch a digital apostille program — enabling Utahns to use an electronic platform to get international authentication for important legal documents for adoption, marriage, missionary service, education abroad or...
Democrat drops out of Utah Senate race, leaving Forward Party incumbent to face GOP challenger
Utah

Democrat drops out of Utah Senate race, leaving Forward Party incumbent to face GOP challenger

Sep 01, 2026
Katie McKellar
Democrat MacKenzie Miller has dropped out of the race for Utah Senate District 11, leaving a two-way race between the Utah Legislature’s only currently elected third-party lawmaker and her GOP challenger. Now incumbent Sen. Emily Buss — a Forward Party...
Utah clerks don’t expect lawsuits over Trump’s mail-in voting rule to impact elections this year
Utah

Utah clerks don’t expect lawsuits over Trump’s mail-in voting rule to impact elections this year

Aug 27, 2026
Katie McKellar
Though recent federal rulings have cast uncertainty over voting by mail with Utah’s November general elections around the corner, clerks — at least for now — are preparing for business as usual. “Any dramatic change at this point really is...
Longtime Utah homeless cleanup nonprofit on brink of bankruptcy, issues ‘urgent’ call for help
Utah

Longtime Utah homeless cleanup nonprofit on brink of bankruptcy, issues ‘urgent’ call for help

Aug 27, 2026
Katie McKellar
Key points Advantage Services has been struggling financially due to unexpected operating cost increases, higher insurance premiums, and its largest contract, with Salt Lake City’s Urban Services Division, being cut roughly in half. If emergency fundraising is unsuccessful, by October...
Utah’s state parks see 12 million visits for 3rd year in a row. Here are the most popular
Utah

Utah’s state parks see 12 million visits for 3rd year in a row. Here are the most popular

Aug 21, 2026
Katie McKellar
For a third year in a row, Utah’s state parks recorded more than 12 million visits between July 2025 and June 2026, Utah State Parks announced in a blog post Wednesday. That marks the parks’ third-highest year of visitation on...
After data center debacle, Gov. Cox says MIDA has had ‘mission creep’ and needs ‘major reform’
Utah

After data center debacle, Gov. Cox says MIDA has had ‘mission creep’ and needs ‘major reform’

Aug 20, 2026
Katie McKellar
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah elected leaders have delegated much of their land use and taxing authority to the non-elected Military Installation Development Authority — the powerful independent state body that went from obscurity to infamy this summer after...
Utah governor says he’s ‘deeply troubled’ by Flock cameras, calls for review to protect privacy
Utah

Utah governor says he’s ‘deeply troubled’ by Flock cameras, calls for review to protect privacy

Aug 20, 2026
Katie McKellar
Amid growing apprehension around license plate cameras across the country — especially those that are part of the Flock Safety network — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters he shares concerns around privacy and whether those cameras are being misused...