Lee Benson
Deseret News
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Past articles by Lee:
How two Korean immigrants turned Cupbop into a national sensation
Dok Kwon loved Junghon Song’s “Korean BBQ in a cup” so much, he talked him into taking Cupbop national. → Read More
Despite worries there may not be enough to do, ’93 All-Star Game put SLC, Jazz squarely on NBA map
Dave Allred, then in charge of public relations for the Utah Jazz, recalls hosting a glitchless All-Star Weekend when the game came to the Delta Center in 1993 → Read More
After all these years, the Bread Lady, and her porch, still going strong
Shauna Devenport, called “the Bread Lady,” has been leaving food on her porch at 348 W. 600 North in Salt Lake City for 30 years to help people who are hungry. → Read More
‘Honey’ uses soul and hip-hop to celebrate her Native American heritage
November is Native American Heritage Month, and Salt Lake City rang it in with a unique performance. A homegrown entertainer paid tribute to her Native American and African American roots with soul and hip-hop. → Read More
StoryCorps comes to Utah — to help preserve the heartbeat and history of humanity
At a StoryCorps mobile recording booth, two people who know each other sit down in a recording booth and have a 40-minute conversation about the topic of their choice. Hosted by KUER, Utah’s NPR affiliate, the StoryCorps mobile booth will be in downtown Salt Lake City until Sept. 24 and then move to Ogden from Sept. 26 to Oct. 7. → Read More
Hey! That jerk flying by in the closing lane isn’t hurting, he’s helping
Research shows using all lanes of traffic for as long as possible before merging — aka zipper merging — can increase traffic flow efficiency by as much as 40%. → Read More
They’re auctioning off the past to pay for the future
Mendon’s volunteer fire department needs modern gear, so it’s auctioning off its vintage 1966 American LaFrance fire truck on Municibid to raise money for new gear. The listing number is 38767814. The auction runs until Sept. 3. → Read More
She asked for Robert Irwin’s number and turned into a TikTok sensation
While on vacation in Australia, Megan Grass thought she’d see if she could get Robert Irwin’s phone number. The next thing she knew, she was a TikTok sensation. → Read More
Fishing lifers, tall tales, dinner at the Governor’s Mansion and talk about needing more of nothing
The state’s longest holders of fishing licenses were invited to have dinner with Gov. Spencer Cox and first lady Abby Cox, and tell their fish stories. The five men all bought their lifetime licenses the first day they went on sale in 1984. The lifetime fishing and hunting licenses were discontinued in 1994. → Read More
How a father and son are covering the West in buttermilk pancake syrup
Bob Smith and his son, Jared, handcrafted Uncle Bob’s Butter Country pancake syrup that can be found in supermarkets in the West. It’s in 350 stores including Harmons, Smith’s and Costco. → Read More
Grass-fed beef + food truck keeps this farmer in business
The Grassy Cow food truck in Heber City features beef born and raised on the Zollinger farm right next door. → Read More
The eyes have it: How this Lehi company has taken lie detecting to a new level
Converus, a software company headquartered in Lehi, Utah has developed a way of looking in your eyes to determine if you’re lying or telling the truth. The EyeDetect system uses a computer program that can capture and decipher eye activity down to the millisecond. → Read More
The little Springville ladder that became a safety giant
March, in case you hadn’t heard, is National Ladder Safety Month, and what better place to ring it in than at a made-in-Utah ladder company with the motto, “Preventing Injuries, Saving Lives.” → Read More
Utah Olympians: A small part of a much bigger story
Of the 222 members on the U.S. Olympic Team, 75 to 80 (depending on who’s doing the counting) were either born in Utah, live and train here more than six months out of the year, and/or went to school in Utah. → Read More
The world’s largest and possibly oldest living organism resides in Utah
The Pando Aspen Grove near Fish Lake in south central Utah has been existing, and minding its own business, since at least the last Ice Age. → Read More
Presenting the world’s oldest heli-skier
Mired in grief after the death of his wife of nearly 70 years, skiing legend Junior Bounous’s family rallied to get him back on his feet, and into the Guinness record book as world’s oldest heliskier. → Read More
At Hogle Zoo, the animals (nonhuman) are doing just fine
It’s been a strange, tough year for humans, but the animals at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City have weathered the pandemic in good form. → Read More
Taking on the world, one pancake at a time
Joel Clark’s mother had an idea to peddle her nutritious pancakes to her East Millcreek neighbors, and now Kodiak Cakes can be found on grocery shelves from coast to coast. → Read More
Utah entrepreneur David Neeleman is launching his next airline Breeze
Utah entrepreneur David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue and Azul, has overcome setbacks and downturns and his own ADHD to launch four different airlines. → Read More
Farewell Robert Kirby, thanks for keeping us laughing
After three decades of teasing Latter-day Saints, humor columnist Robert Kirby is hanging up his pen. → Read More