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Paighten Harkins

@paighten.bsky.social
495 followers 130 following 180 posts

Business reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune. I also have interests outside of work.

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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 25/09/2026
Utah has become a hotspot for data center development. There are more than 40 centers already operating, and dozens proposed or under construction — from Washington County to Emery, Duchesne and Box Elder. You can help us track them all.
sltrib.com
Utah data center map: Track new developments across the state
Utah has become a hotspot for data center development. There are more than 40 centers already operating, and dozens proposed or under construction — from Washington County to Emery, Duchesne and Box Elder. You can help us track them all.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Utah has quickly become a hotspot for data center development, thanks to its vast fiber infrastructure and available cheap land and fuel. New proposals are cropping up fast. It’s hard to keep track — but we're trying: www.sltrib.com/news/2026/09...
sltrib.com
Utah data center map: Track new developments across the state
Utah has become a hotspot for data center development. There are more than 40 centers already operating, and dozens proposed or under construction — from Washington County to Emery, Duchesne and Box E...
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I just wrote about Solvi, Utah's only dedicated niche perfume store. It just re-opened in a larger building in downtown SLC, and sometimes it's had lines out the door. Why is it so popular? Well let me tell you...
sltrib.com
‘If everything is terrible, at least you can smell good’: This Salt Lake City store is fueling Utahns’ perfume obsession
FragranceTok is fueling a perfume boom, and Utahns are lining up to smell something new at Solvi, Salt Lake City’s only dedicated niche perfume shop. The store on Pierpont Avenue has recently expanded...
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
National Press Foundation @nationalpress.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NPF has selected Cerys Davies of the LA Times and Paighten Harkins of the Salt Lake Tribune to attend the Oct. 19-21, 2026, Wharton School of Business seminars. . nationalpress.org/award-story/npf-s…
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 10/09/2026
How exactly is Creekstone Energy going to “make” water at its Delta data center campus? By capturing condensation that forms from burning massive amounts of fossil fuels on site.
sltrib.com
Developers of the ‘largest data center campus in the world’ in Utah say they’ll do something unprecedented — make water
The company behind the massive Delta Gigasite data center campus in arid Millard County claim to have invented a technology they say will create "vastly" more water than the campus consumes.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
A dispatch from the "Golden Age of Travel": No ticket? No problem. The Salt Lake City airport has joined a TSA pilot program that allows gateside hellos and goodbyes
sltrib.com
New program at SLC airport might change LDS missionaries’ homecomings and your friends’ long layovers
Salt Lake City International Airport is one of 14 airports chosen for the Transportation Security Administration’s new “Gateside by TSA PreCheck” program, that allows eligible non-travelers to go beyo...
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
Courtney Tanner @courtneyltanner.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Longtime campus food truck operators say the University of Utah ‘pushed us out.’ Here’s what we know. www.sltrib.com/news/educati...
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 20/08/2026
The Department of Homeland Security may have scrapped its Salt Lake City warehouse plan, but Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he still wants an ICE detention center in Utah. Read more: www.sltrib.com/news/2026/08/19/salt… 
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This piece is great, and I'm not just saying that because I was one of the business reporters lucky enough to work with Bill earlier this year. He may have fucked up on day one, but he made me a better reporter every day after.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
“REPUBLICANS DON’T RAISE TAXES.” But this year, Utah lawmakers did — passing a tax meant to rein in Big Tech and targeted digital advertising they say is harmful. The tax faced an opposition campaign, with messaging like the above. Now, Utah's taxpayers association is arguing the tax is illegal
sltrib.com
In rare move, Utah lawmakers decided to tax large tech companies. A new lawsuit argues it’s illegal.
The new tax is meant to target ads “intentionally designed to addict our minors,” a lawmaker said. In a new lawsuit, the Utah Taxpayers Association says it violates federal law.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Fun fact: In the course of this reporting I learned that there are 813,909,323,331,759,027,911,655,544 flavor combination options at Swig
sltrib.com
Swig wants to be the Starbucks of dirty soda. Does the ‘quirky Utah’ drink have national appeal? Here’s what its CEO said.
“I think people thought dirty soda was a fad,” he told The Salt Lake Tribune.
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
Courtney Tanner @courtneyltanner.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Utah has the fewest nurses per capita of any state in the nation — an undesirable distinction it’s held for two years in a row. Now, a new nursing school is set to open in this major Salt Lake City suburb, hoping to change that statistic. www.sltrib.com/news/educati...
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Feeling unnecessarily destabilized by the Gilmore Girls leaving Netflix news
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Wherein I dig into the fascinating world of fiber to better understand why Utah has more recently become so attractive to data center developers. It begins with a decision state leaders made decades ago to increase connectivity on Utah's roadways ahead of the winter Olympics:
sltrib.com
There’s a key reason data center developers are increasingly drawn to Utah — and it lies underground
Utah’s vast fiber network dates back to the 2002 Olympics. Now, it’s luring in developers looking to cash in on the insatiable demand for more computing power.
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 12/06/2026
A vegan coffee shop in downtown Salt Lake City that was once a full-service plant-based restaurant will remain closed, after shutting down in October.
sltrib.com
‘The end of an era’: Salt Lake City vegan coffee shop, once a restaurant, to remain closed
A vegan coffee shop in downtown Salt Lake City that was once a full-service plant-based restaurant will remain closed, after shutting down in October.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Much of the pushback against the Stratos data center campus has pointed to potential environmental impacts on such a rural, arid area near the Great Salt Lake. But proponents say data centers are necessary to satisfy the U.S.’s ever-increasing desire for compute. Could the answer be in the sky?
sltrib.com
As Utah debates data centers on Earth, these companies are looking to space
Companies including Blue Origin are exploring orbital data centers they say could someday complement computing facilities on Earth, like the one proposed in Box Elder County — and perhaps replace them...
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 10/06/2026
The drones will be able to deliver orders within about 30 minutes, Walmart says, using a tether to "gently lower packages directly to a customer’s yard or driveway."
sltrib.com
In Salt Lake City, you can soon get your groceries delivered by drone, Walmart announces
The drones will be able to deliver orders within about 30 minutes, Walmart says, using a tether to "gently lower packages directly to a customer’s yard or driveway."
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 10/06/2026
Companies including Blue Origin are exploring orbital data centers they say could someday complement computing facilities on Earth, like the one proposed in Box Elder County — and perhaps replace them.
sltrib.com
As Utah debates data centers on Earth, these companies are looking to space
Companies including Blue Origin are exploring orbital data centers they say could someday complement computing facilities on Earth, like the one proposed in Box Elder County — and perhaps replace them.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
DEAR UTAHNS: Do you use any loyalty/rewards programs for local(ish) restaurants? What are your favorites?
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Did you hear the good news? @sltrib.com is now FREE. If cost ever stopped you, give us another try. Plenty of great stuff to read today and everyday, but I'm partial to this profile on a local drone prodigy as he starts a new chapter at 28 — building attack drones to fight in this new era of war
sltrib.com
This Utah ‘boy wonder’ is now a prominent defense-tech founder, making attack drones by the thousands in a Bluffdale warehouse
George Matus was in high school when he created his first drone company. Now, amid a lawsuit and rising global conflict, he's received millions in government money to build low-cost, expendable drones...
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Big things happening soon 👀
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
Andy Larsen @andyblarsen.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
A bill suggesting a new process splitting Salt Lake County into two passed the Legislature — but was voted on too late. How realistic would the split have been under HB212? I built a tool to play around with. www.sltrib.com/news/2026/04/30/salt…
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 28/04/2026
A Utah landscaping firm is asking a federal judge to sanction a prosecutor, alleging investigators used false or misleading evidence in a failed human trafficking case that cost the company millions and damaged its reputation.
sltrib.com
Did investigators mislead judges? Utah company pushes for sanctions after human-trafficking case collapses
A Utah landscaping firm is asking a federal judge to sanction a prosecutor, alleging investigators used false or misleading evidence in a failed human trafficking case that cost the company millions and damaged its reputation.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
In Nov. 2023, as OUR founder Tim Ballard was facing allegations of sexual assault/misconduct, then-Utah A.G. Sean Reyes — who was close with Ballard — announced a big human trafficking case against a local landscaping firm. That case has fallen apart. Here's what happened since that announcement:
sltrib.com
Did investigators mislead judges? Utah company pushes for sanctions after human-trafficking case collapses
A Utah landscaping firm is asking a federal judge to sanction a prosecutor, alleging investigators used false or misleading evidence in a failed human trafficking case that cost the company millions a...
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Imagining a not-so-distant future where me and my adopted tortoise are roaming the Mojave à la Fallout: New Vegas. I've attached a laser to its head. Diet Cokes are currency now.
sltrib.com
Utah wants you to adopt a Mojave desert tortoise, as long as you don’t live in this county
If you’re looking for a lifelong best friend, Utah has a solution for you.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
On am whim, just now, I exited all my tabs/windows and cleared my taskbar of 1,000 PDFs and I have never felt more alive
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 09/04/2026
After more than two years of stalled contract negotiations, ProPublica journalists went on strike Wednesday. At the heart of the dispute: How much of ProPublica’s work can be off-loaded to AI.
washingtonpost.com
ProPublica journalists go on strike partly over use of AI
Newsrooms around the country have struggled to set rules for AI. At ProPublica, which specializes in investigative journalism, the issue is especially fraught.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Recent ICE moves in/around Salt Lake City: • January: Enters into a $10.4M contract w GEO Transport to transport detainees in SLC-area • March 11: Spent $145.4M on huge warehouse to convert into a detention facility to hold 7,500 people • March 30: Filed RFI for office space in West Valley City
sltrib.com
ICE is now looking for office space in West Valley City. Here’s what we know.
After purchasing a large Salt Lake City warehouse to convert into a detention center, ICE is considering leasing coworking space in West Valley City.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Soon after news broke that ICE bought a huge SLC warehouse to convert into a detention center, the agency touted its economic benefits: 9,893 jobs, $1.1 billion to GDP and $238.7M in tax revenue. I asked how they arrived at those figures. ICE never responded. Here, I tried to check their math:
sltrib.com
ICE says its SLC detention center would be an economic boon. They won’t show their math — but we tried to check it anyway.
ICE says its planned SLC detention center will bring in 9,893 jobs and add $1.1 billion to Utah’s GDP. But the agency won’t show how it calculated those figures, and local leaders and experts are skep...
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Very interesting pitch this morning. I thought every month was stress awareness month????
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
For six generations, the Daynes name has adorned Utah’s only Steinway piano shop. The family of England-born LDS converts arrived in Utah in 1862 with a small organ they hauled across the plains in a covered wagon. They’ve been sharing music with Utahns ever since. That all ends soon. Here's why:
sltrib.com
This beloved Utah company was founded before statehood. It’s closing in a few weeks.
After six generations and more than 160 years, Daynes Music — Utah’s longtime Steinway dealer and a hub for pianists across the state — is closing its doors. The family business helped shape Utah’s mu...
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Gasoline prices in Utah have risen about 45 cents per gallon since last week, and diesel jumped more than 65 cents. www.sltrib.com/news/2026/03...
sltrib.com
Utah’s gasoline prices surge 16%, and that may spill over into inflation elsewhere
If gasoline and diesel costs stay high, analysts say, Utah consumers may see prices increase for many more goods.
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 06/03/2026
Measles cases continue to climb across Utah, with more than 350 infections reported since June. Health officials say many underestimate how severe the virus can be.
sltrib.com
‘It’s not a mild virus, it’s a severe illness,’ Utah health officials warn as measles cases keep climbing
Measles cases continue to climb across Utah, with more than 350 infections reported since June. Health officials say many underestimate how severe the virus can be.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
To retain their rights, unmarried fathers must sign up on Utah's Putative Father Registry. How many men would you guess appeared on the registry last year?
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
A sweeping reform bill is sailing through #utleg right now and would significantly change Utah's adoption laws to thwart unethical cases of "adoption tourism" — which critics say Utah has become a haven for bc of its lax laws. The bill, however, doesn't address unmarried fathers' rights. Read more:
sltrib.com
‘Your kid is gone’: How Utah adoption laws can cost fathers their parental rights
He planned to be at the hospital when his daughter was born. Instead, he got an email saying she had been placed for adoption. His case sheds light on Utah’s strict — and largely unknown — putative fa...
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
Robert Gehrke @robertgehrke.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
WILDEST finish to Prop 4 repeal! GOP-led repeal group has met the statewide mark & qualified in 25 of 26 required Senate districts. But they're 8 sigs shy in SD7. Davis clerk says he has THREE packets left and "a pretty good bunch" of removal forms. www.sltrib.com/news/politic...
sltrib.com
8 signatures shy: Push to repeal Prop 4 appears in peril as final signatures are counted
The Republican push to repeal Prop 4 and restore the Legislature's power to gerrymander political districts is on thin ice, but signature counting continues.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Brighter Adoptions closed today, as #utleg seems poised to pass a reform bill that would significantly alter Utah's adoption laws to curb "adoption tourism." The director told families waiting for adoptions to go through: "I am truly sorry for the stress and financial impact this may cause you."
sltrib.com
‘I am truly sorry’: A Utah adoption agency closes suddenly
A 10-year-old adoption agency has closed down, as Utah legislators appear inclined to approve a bill that would rein in some of the industry's most-criticized practices.
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 24/02/2026
The 50-year-old Utah man, Robert "Bobby" Edwards, who co-founded Squatty Potty, has been indicted on a federal charge of receiving images depicting child sexual abuse.
sltrib.com
Squatty Potty creator arrested in Utah on charge of buying child sexual abuse material
The 50-year-old Utah man, Robert "Bobby" Edwards, who co-founded Squatty Potty, has been indicted on a federal charge of receiving images depicting child sexual abuse.
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
For 50 years, Intermountain Health has sponsored pension plans, which provide retirees a guaranteed payout. That's an outlier in this (relatively) new world where 401(k)s have proliferated. After this year though, Intermountain's pensions are going away for good. I tried to explain why this matters:
sltrib.com
Utah’s largest employer is freezing pension contributions for more than 22,000 workers
Intermountain Health will freeze its pension plan in 2026 and shift fully to 401(k)s, affecting more than 22,000 Utah caregivers.
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
Courtney Tanner @courtneyltanner.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Utah has never had a plan to support Native American students—despite decades of data showing they are left behind. In districts here w/ the most Indigenous students, only 1 in 10 are reading on grade level. Now the state could be required to step up. www.sltrib.com/news/educati...
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Thinking about Braum's today
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Say goodbye to the well-loved rows of blue chairs 👋
sltrib.com
You’ll want to sit down for this: Changes are coming to Broadway Centre Cinemas
Changes are coming to Broadway Centre Cinemas. The old blue chairs are being removed and will be replaced with such features as 'loveseat seating' and side tables for snacks
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
I'm always just asking you all for things. That's kinda rude :( What do you want from me?
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
How about any longtime Intermountain employees who have (somewhat) recently retired? Trying to talk to someone who retired *with* pension benefits so I can better understand what that looks like
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 13/02/2026
A 25-year-old man was working as a driver for people with disabilities when three men he had left alone in his vehicle were found dead — and he’s now been charged with murder. www.sltrib.com/news/2026/02/13/utah… 
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 11/02/2026
The prison expansion push is raising concerns among some advocates and attorneys — particularly given a push for spending cuts statewide. www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/0…
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
After 2026 Intermountain's pension plan will be canceled. It's the largest employer in Utah, and I'm looking to talk to people who are impacted by this — who were counting on pension benefits but won't get them in the way they thought they would. Is this you or someone you know?
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
We asked readers a few months ago about their experience looking for work. We heard from many frustrated people, and we saw a pattern: Tech workers are going a long time without work. I talked to some of them and experts to figure out what's going on. Yes, AI is a factor, but it's not the only one:
sltrib.com
Months of searching, mounting stress: Why Silicon Slopes hiring feels like it’s at a standstill, and why experts say there’s hope
Artificial intelligence is a factor, but so is overhiring, higher interest rates and more cautious employers — all as displaced Utah tech workers grow frustrated and increasingly desperate.
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Reposted by Paighten Harkins
The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 30/01/2026
Students walked out at Clayton Middle School as part of the day of anti-ICE demonstrations. (Video courtesy of The Tribune’s @paighten.bsky.social) Read our coverage here: www.sltrib.com/news/educati...
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Paighten Harkins @paighten.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
The journey for Utah's oldest gay bar to unionize and make history yet again was a long, arduous one. It didn't start in September, when its workers announced the union, but pre-statehood. Here's why the move was so significant and what it could mean for labor in the state going forward:
sltrib.com
In Utah, here’s why experts say it took nearly 130 years for any bars to unionize
Utah’s longest running gay bar made history again in November as the state’s first unionized bar. It happened in a state where organized labor has long struggled to gain a foothold in the service indu...
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