After years of anticipation from Cache Valley residents, Target opened its Logan location July 26, adding a new retail option and creating hundreds of jobs in the community.
The store’s opening comes as Logan continues to grow and as Utah State University students prepare to return for the fall semester. Store officials said the location was planned to serve both the university community and residents throughout Cache Valley.
Kate Michael, the store director for the new Logan location, said Target designed the store with the needs of the community in mind.
“We are super excited,” Michael said. “We’re going to be a top-tier back-to-college store, so that means we’re going to lean in pretty heavily to have all the great college dorm essentials and just really cater to the college community.”
The opening has also required Target to build a new workforce in Logan. Ivy Reese, team leader of Open Market Produce, said Target held hiring events in the area and brought on nearly 300 employees before opening.
through the back-to-college period as the store adjusts staffing for the school year.
“We will continue to hire seasonally through backto-college because that’s going to be kind of like a midsummer Q4 for us,” Michael said. “Q4 is our holiday season, so we get to experience it twice in one year, being a top-tier back-to-college.”
Michael said some employees are also college students whose schedules will change once classes begin.
“We do have team members who are in college now, so they’ll be updating their availability and once we get that, we’ll continue to staff for what the business needs are based on their new availabilities,” Michael said.
For students and residents, the store’s opening adds another option for shopping in Cache Valley.
Reese said employees have heard from college students about difficulties finding certain items during the start of the school year.
“We’ve had a lot of college students who are working here, and I’ve heard the same story a lot,” Reese said. “That like all the other stores, when college hits, it’s, like, almost impossible to prepare for how much comes through.”
To prepare for increased traffic, employees have worked on inventory and store operations before opening.
“I’m just happy to be able to help these kids get through school, help them get their education, and I’m just excited to see their excitement for the new store and our brands,” Reese said.
Reese said the store may help fill some of the retail gaps left after changes to the Cache Valley Mall.
Reese said. “We’ve got a really large style department, so I’m just really excited to be filling those gaps that were left from the mall closing.”
The store will also offer a 20% discount for verified college students during the back-to-college season. Students can verify their eligibility through the Target app to receive the discount.
Michael said opening the Logan location has also been an opportunity to become part of the Cache Valley community.
“The culture of the community is very strong, and it is a very happy and family-orientated community, which has made coming in such an easy thing,” Michael said.
“I know the team that I have that is local is just going to continue to connect with the community in a great way.”
During the opening ceremony, Michael thanked the Cache Valley community and those who helped bring the store to Logan.
“We are incredibly honored to be here and grateful for the opportunity to serve this amazing community,” Michael said.
“We found a lot of really great people,” Reese said. “I think I had to hire, like, close to 300 people in like the span of like three or four weeks.”
Michael said Target will continue seasonal hiring
“I know with the mall leaving, I’ve heard that there was a lot of — especially clothing — a lot of people were saying that they’ve had their options on clothing cut down a lot,”
Jayke Martin is a senior studying journalism at Utah State University. She loves to read, watch movies and has a strong coffee addiction.
Target employee cuts ribbon during Target’s premiere event on July 21.
PHOTOS BY Jayke Martin
Customers enter new Target store in Logan during the premiere event, held July 21.
USU students launch careers at Lyric Rep
By Jayke Martin STATESMAN EDITOR
The Caine Lyric Theatre’s recent reopening has restored a historic performance venue in downtown Logan, but for Utah State University theater students, the Lyric Repertory Company offers more than a stage, it provides an opportunity to work alongside professional artists before graduation.
Founded in 1967 by the USU Department of Theatre Arts’ former department head Vosco Call, the Lyric Repertory Company was created to help students transition from college into professional theater. Today, the partnership between the company and USU’s Department of Theatre Arts remains central to that mission.
“When a student graduates from any theater program, not just Utah State, it can be difficult to get those first professional gigs,” said Richie Call, head of the Department of Theatre Arts and artistic director of the Lyric Repertory Company, “so my grandpa in 1967 wanted to create an opportunity where when they graduated from Utah State it felt like they had already worked their first professional gigs.”
Each season the Lyric hires both professional guest artists and USU students. Call said the company begins by identifying opportunities for students before filling remaining positions with outside professionals.
“We really do start with the students,” Call said. “We say, ‘Okay, where can we plug the students in?’”
For Ariana Whatcott, a recent USU graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting, the Lyric became one of the most valuable parts of her education. Whatcott worked four consecutive seasons with the company while completing her degree and said the experience prepared her for a professional acting career.
“My biggest learning opportunities happened while working at Lyric Rep,” Whatcott said.
Unlike university productions, the Lyric operates as a repertory company, meaning performers often rehearse
and perform multiple productions simultaneously while also understudying additional roles.
“That’s a level of discipline that isn’t necessarily integrated in our curriculum at school,” Whatcott said.
“It’s a really great opportunity to experience that kind of discipline in the summer.”
Call said the summer season allows students to fully focus on their craft in a professional environment without worrying about classes or additional jobs.
“It really is everything that they’re learning in the classroom,” Call said. “It’s just in an environment where that’s all they’re doing.”
Whatcott said working alongside professional actors helped her realize there was little distinction between students and experienced performers.
“There wasn’t really a divide in professionalism from students to the equity actors that they were bringing in,” Whatcott said.
She added that the experience also strengthens students’ resumes by connecting them with nationally recognized artists and regional theater professionals.
The collaboration also changes the relationship between students and faculty members. During the academic year, professors serve as instructors, but during the Lyric season, they become colleagues working together on productions.
“I think it’s really awesome to see our professors practice what they preach,” Whatcott said.
Call said that professional work is an important part of being a theater educator.
“To be able to come and see your professor perform is tantamount to reading that new book that your professor just published,” Call said.
Although the Lyric Theatre recently underwent renovations to improve safety, backstage facilities and production capabilities, both Call and Whatcott said the theatre’s character remains unchanged.
“When I look at the front of the Lyric Theatre and I walk in the theatre, it’s still the same feeling, just with more efficient technology,” Whatcott said.
Looking ahead, Call hopes the renovated theatre will create even more opportunities for students and the Logan community. More importantly, he said, the Lyric continues to give students confidence before entering the professional world.
“I think having worked in a professional environment like that is a fantastic way to help them know when they book the next gig at the next place. They’re going to be just fine because they’ve already done it,” Call said.
— jayke.martin@usu.edu
PHOTO COURTESY OF LYRIC REPERTORY COMPANY
Inside the Caine Lyric Theatre, located on Logan Main Street.
New Utah State Softball head coach Kristen Zaleski adds to coaching staff
By Rory McNeill STATESMAN SENIOR REPORTER
Utah State University’s softball team looks to begin a new era in Logan with the hiring of new head coach Kristen Zaleski. After a difficult season in which the Aggies finished 10th in the Mountain West Conference and saw the mid-season departure of head coach Todd Judge, the Aggies look to have a fresh start upon their entry to the Pac-12 with a new coaching staff. Zaleski was announced as the 11th head coach in Utah State Softball history by director of athletics Cameron Walker on June 18. Zaleski has 16 years of coaching experience, being part of four national champion teams. “Kristen is a proven culture-builder and winner,” Walker said in a press release. “She understands what it takes to compete at the highest level, and I’m excited to work alongside her as we build a sustainable, nationally competitive program in Logan while providing a firstclass student-athlete experience.”
Zaleski’s most recent coaching position was as assistant head coach for the University of Texas at Austin, helping to lead the Longhorns to back-to-back national championships in 2025 and 2026. In 2026, under Zaleski, the Longhorns won 53 games and saw three players receive All-American Honors. In 2025, Zaleski helped the Longhorns to a program record 56 wins, with three players earning All-American honors.
Before her time at Texas, Zaleski was part of the 2023 University of Oklahoma coaching staff that helped lead the Sooners to a national championship. She served as head coach of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi from 2021 to 2022. She also spent nine years as head coach of Temple College, where she held a .765 winning percentage as a head coach, winning five league titles and winning the 2018 NJCAA national championship. As a player, Zaleski spent four years with Texas State University, where she earned All-American honors twice, as well as earning Southland Conference Player of the
Year and Hitter of the Year in 2003 and 2004. She also played five seasons of professional softball following her collegiate career.
“I am incredibly honored to join the Utah State family, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to Utah State Vice President and director of athletics Cameron Walker for his confidence in me and the opportunity to lead the Aggie softball program,” Zaleski said in a press release.
“Cameron and I share a clear and ambitious vision for the future, focused on building a championship-caliber program as we prepare for the transition to the Pac-12. ...
We are going to build something special in Logan, and I am excited to get to work.”
In addition to Zaleski, USU has hired Robyn Leighton as an assistant coach. Leighton has spent the past four seasons with the University of the Incarnate Word, where she was part of the program’s third- and fourth-winningest seasons. She also served as an assistant for Eastern Kentucky University for three years.
The third new addition to the Aggies’ coaching staff is assistant coach Jim Bray. Bray has spent the last three seasons as assistant coach for the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he helped the team make large improvements in offense,
including a 25% increase in batting average and hits, and a 21% increase in runs scored and runs batted in. Prior to his time with UTSA, he spent a season as an assistant for Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, where he helped the team to a 51-win season.
Apdiel Vazquez was announced as another assistant coach on Thursday, joining the staff after spending the 2026 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Nicholls. Vazquez has also spent time at various D-II and NAIA schools in different positions, including two seasons at Midwestern State and five seasons at Bethany College, where he served as the head coach for two seasons.
With uneven success in recent years, the Aggies look to begin a new chapter of success as they enter the Pac-12.
Rory McNeill is a sophomore from Rocklin, California studying mechanical engineering. He loves Aggie sports, skiing, golf and writing music. — rory.mcneill@usu.edu
PHOTO COURTESY OF USU ATHLETICS
Kristen Zaleski is named the new head coach of Utah State Softball on June 18.
STATESMAN FILE PHOTO
Utah State Softball players gather around home plate to celebrate a homerun during a game against Nevada on March 21.
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DJ CeCe is broadcasting the songs she would have liked to include on the Voyager Golden Record for the extraterrestrials’ listening pleasure. Listen Fridays at 8 a.m. on Aggie Radio 92.3 FM.
