City Weekly October 12, 2023

Men at WORK

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SLC FORECAST

Cover Story

By Eric S. Peterson

Cover design by Derek Carlisle

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“Right-wing Reckoning,” Sept. 28 Opinion

After reading this laughable column by Keith Burns, I’m now going to poke “holes” in his theories. So here we go:

Mr. Burns first talks about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s “conservative positions in opposition to ‘handouts’ they felt disincentivized work and increased dependency.”

Why put out this huge lie when the LDS Church feeds the homeless itself! Come on, man, seriously? I was here in Salt Lake City back in 2017 and saw a lot of home-

less people then who are still homeless to this day and being fed by the LDS church.

Then, throughout Mr. Burn’s politically incoherent rants about the “right-wingers” and “ extremists,” he fails to realize that human trafficking is very real in the U.S., especially close to the Mexico border.

[Operation Underground Railroad founder] Tim Ballard was doing something that the LDS church, the far left and you, Mr. Burns, have turned a blind eye and deaf ears to—kids and adults being kidnapped and sold as sex objects to the highest bidder.

I, myself, have worked closely back East in Tennessee to help shut down human trafficking and bring these sickos to justice. In all, Mr. Burns should keep religion separate from the state and let the real grownups handle this.

I give Mr. Tim Ballard two thumbs up for sounding the alarm of human trafficking and an “F” for failure to Mr. Burns and the LDS church.

PATRICK RAMSEY Salt Lake City

With regard to your recent opinion piece on the distancing of M. Russell Ballard and the Latter-day Saint Church from Tim Ballard’s organization, I just wanted to affirm (as a pro-abortion-rights, anti-death-penalty, pro-guncontrol, secularist Democrat) that one does not have to be a rightwinger to oppose what only its advocates represent as “LGBTQ+ civil rights.”

It is pretty much a defining characteristic of the LGBTQ+ to want things that are bad for them. And their legitimate rights in relation to their LGBTQ-ness are generally a matter of protection from what they demand protection of.

Nor is that alphabet soup a monolith—there are plenty of atheist lesbian socialists who are horrified by “trans rights.”

LOUIS EPSTEIN Carmel, New York

“... Milley shows the real meaning of patriotism,” Oct. 4 Online Opinion

I was pleased to read this column about General Mark Milley tonight. The column was written succinctly and accurately when referencing the General’s distinguished service and leadership.

Unfortunately, irresponsible comments by former President Donald Trump were made toward General Milley that were disappointing and disingenuous. I also find it both sad and ironic that the disrespectful comments made by the former president appeared to be an attempt to discredit a true, lifelong military hero.

There was little purpose for the remarks and that in itself is ludicrous, especially when made by an individual whose “bone spurs” prevented him from serving his country.

Thank you for doing “what is rigth” and recognizing a true American—General mark Milley.

JIM LAHOSKI Bellevue, Ohio

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THE WATER COOLER

What’s been your favorite Halloween costume you’ve had

Katharine Biele

I don’t really costume up, but I still have photos of my son when he was a baby in a pumpkin outfit—my fave.

Wes Long

The vampire served me well for a number of years, especially one time when we accidentally spilled the fake blood all over the front of my shirt and that gory look won me a prize at a neighborhood event.

Kelly Boyce

Ru-fi-ooooooo! from the Peter Pan movie Hook . Every bar/party I would show up to, people would start doing the chant. Made me feel like a real lost boy. Could’ve just been the booze though.

Eric Granato

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle way back in the early 90s. I had a blow up shell that was the same size as little me.

Bryan Bale

I have two: I’ve dressed as Buckethead a couple times, and I dressed as Professor Severus Snape a few years ago.

Kayla Dreher

A cow.

Paula Saltas

Cruella Deville. I wanted to wear the wig every day after Halloween.

Hard Rain Gonna Fall

Well, I’m back home after a month in Greece with the City Weekly Greece Trip 2023 (now taking applications for 2024, btw). The first thing I noticed were the hard-to-miss extraordinary fall colors we are experiencing this year. So, I took a ride up Butterfield Canyon this past weekend to take a look.

Not many folks in Salt Lake Valley have even a clue where Butterfield Canyon is. But for those of us who grew up on the south and west ends of the valley—or in the Oquirrh Mountains themselves, like I did, in Bingham Canyon—Butterfield Canyon was our not-so-secret kegger getaway. It was mostly a dirt road back then from just past what used to be the Nicoletti property (where they raised sheep and goats and kept the Italians and Greeks of the area in full supply of cheese) all the way over the pass at the top where the road connects to Middle Canyon on the Tooele County side.

At the pass, you could continue up to the top of Sunshine Peak or head down Middle Canyon and into Tooele. Today, some people drive up and make it their base to hike to the taller peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains.

Although I grew up in the Oquirrh Mountains, steep and craggy as they were, I can only think of a handful of times I walked out the door to intentionally take a hike. My hikes were often of the type that included bringing home chokecherries or elderberries for my jam-making grandmother. I don’t understand the attraction of hiking for the hell of it.

We did, however, ride our bikes all over the hills for recreation. I don’t think I’d last three minutes today on any bike trail that has more than a 2% grade, but back then we rode them everywhere—even the kids who had Sting-Ray handlebars. None of us had more than three gears, and I

BY JOHN SALTAS @johnsaltas

can only think of one kid who had hand brakes. If you have never had your foot kicked off a pedal brake going downhill like a bat out of hell without a trail, you can’t call yourself a mountain biker.

We predated the mountain biking explosion by at least 20 years. We were pretty good, especially given our equipment. Alas, we were the sons and grandsons of miners and by damn, miners we shall be. And nearly to a person, we were, if even for just one summer or three, working as supplemental help on track gangs composed of all those sons in order to pay for a college education.

I worked alongside future doctors, lawyers, dentists, accountants, salesmen, educators, businessmen and pool sharks. We were mostly all from Bingham Canyon. We all believed our small corner of the canyon was the best small corner, be it Lead Mine (my home), Copperton, Carr Fork, Frogtown, Copperfield (which lent its name to the parent company of this newspaper), Highland Boy, Dinkeyville, Heaston Heights, Freeman, Markham Gulch or even Lark, which wasn’t in the canyon, but was still regarded as a part of our little world.

All of our small corners were shaped by the growing open-pit mine that we worked inside. Little by little, day by day, our work not only sent copper and other ores to the Magna smelters, but also overburden and waste rock to the dumps that mostly faced the Salt Lake Valley. We dug away our own homes.

Bingham Canyon proper is buried under hundreds of feet of waste rock. Thus, I can’t see my favorite old haunts. The dumps above Copperton and Lark are growing ever higher— the old crags and gullies of the east-facing Oquirrh Mountains have been replaced by mine dumps that are not only growing horizontally (to where the property lines end) but

vertically, too, as overburden from the pit is stacked higher and wider. They say you can see the mine from outer space. Big deal.

Only two things can happen now: Those dumps will grow to set new Oquirrh Mountain elevation levels or, one day, it will rain like all hell broke loose, and the whole sumbitch will come slagging down, burying Copperton and half the Salt Lake Valley for good measure.

In Greece, our group drove through Thessaly just a week after the region got two years’ worth of rain dumped on it in just 48 hours. Imagine Salt Lake and Utah counties with a 4-foot-deep puddle. When I drove into Butterfield Canyon to see the colors, the lurking mine dumps were an imposition impossible to ignore.

When I was a kid riding my bike in the Oquirrhs, I remember seeing a pipe burst above a dump, washing tons of material down to nearly the canyon floor not very far from Lead Mine.

At nearly the same time, we future miners learned of a terrible mine dump disaster at Aberfan, England, that killed 144 people, mostly kids. At Aberfan, a flawed holding dam burst that then swept the muck into the village.

There’s no dam atop the Oquirrh Mountains. But I did see the carnage in Greece resulting from a once-in-1,000-years storm. I’m not so sure those Kennecott dumps are going to stay in place if 2 feet of rain falls on them in 24 hours, as it did in Thessaly. I’d bet against them staying put.

You never know—we could be in year 999 of that 1,000year storm that will one day park its ass on those mine dumps. So, if I were you, I’d buy my next home with a mountain view of greenery, not of the pee-colored dumps that will become your backyard.

Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele BY WES LONG | WLONG@CITYWEEKLY.NET

MISS: A View to a Spill

It’s hard to know if the comments were serious. A Deseret News story detailed ongoing problems with Citation Oil & Gas Corp. following a spill that reached Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. In the last 35 years, the company had 20 spills near the border of the monument, and it didn’t report all of them. “Bacteria and the sun really are good at breaking it down,” said one commenter. “Crude oil is a natural organic material. This is not a big deal,” said another. And then there was “Let’s get rid of regs altogether.”

A Southern Utah Wilderness attorney noted there’s “no incentive from the operators’ perspective to shut down these nominally producing wells. And that’s very problematic because they’ve been allowed to operate in this manner now for decades.” Leasing fees are low even if there’s not much production. But it kind of looks like that production is being wasted by spills and discovered by hikers.

MISS: Housing Crash

It’s a campaign issue, and probably should be. Despite some efforts, however uncoordinated, to create 197 deeply affordable housing units in Salt Lake, millions of dollars went unspent or were inaccessible until a developer first began work without a permit and then threw his hands up in surrender. The city needed legal assurances that permanent housing would result, but for some reason that didn’t happen before the deal. There was little if any oversight or coordination as the spokes of the wheel all moved in different directions. Here’s what the mayor told The Salt Lake Tribune: “For the other million, I’m grateful to have flexibility to be responsive with what needs come up almost every year that were not anticipated but are urgent regarding people needing shelter and service provision and public safety.” Whatever that means.

HIT: What’s up, Docs?

The Legislature is getting exactly what it wants. “New OB-GYNs are making career decisions based on the states’ reproductive laws,” The Salt Lake Tribune reports. It seems that doctors don’t want to work in a state where their decisions are based on something other than the health of the patient. The findings are based on a study by the Guttmacher Institute, which found Utah’s abortion laws “restrictive” and uncertain as the Utah Supreme Court considers whether to activate a “trigger law” making the state among the “most restrictive.” The study’s data came from the University of Utah School of Medicine, which surveyed more than 300 residents. One in five said they changed their intended destination after the Dobbs decision. “This is going to dramatically impact patient outcomes,” Dr. Alex Woodcock told Fox13. “I predict that I just uncovered kind of the tip of the iceberg.” What does it mean? For women, longer wait times and increased morbidity and mortality. For the Legislature, a win for those spirit babies waiting to be born. CW

Still Standing

Salt Lakers have likely seen it a thousand times wandering around Main Street. Across from the Eccles Theater—between the Kearns Building and Edinburgh Castle Scottish Imports—stands the Beerhive Pub. Some might have even downed a pint within its walls, but what they may not know is that this structure has been standing in Salt Lake City since 1889 and is among the few remaining works by one of this city’s earliest architects, E.L.T. Harrison (1830-1900).

Elias Lacy Thomas Harrison came to Utah in the early 1860s. Trained as an architect and skilled in writing, he collaborated with his friend Edward Tullidge (1829-1894) on the Intermountain West’s earliest magazines, like Peep O’Day, Utah Magazine, and the Mormon Tribune. He also taught the first architecture lessons in the valley.

It was Harrison who designed the interior of the Salt Lake Theatre—a legendary cathedral in the desert—as well as the Walker Opera House. And Harrison was responsible for the William S. Godbe House (formerly 543 E. 100 South), an “unbelievably elaborate” specimen of Gothic Revivalism in adobe and wood, according to architect Allen Roberts. “[Harrison’s] architectural works clearly reflected a commitment to the best of ‘high styles,’” Roberts wrote in 1976, “styles which emphasized ornamental and picturesque qualities of design.”

Most of Harrison’s works have been demolished, but there are two notable examples of his buildings to seek out, if for no other reason than to admire their beauty and to appreciate the importance of historical preservation.

The Beerhive building at 128 S. Main—originally known as the Daft Block—is in remarkable shape, its exterior having changed little since Salt Lake’s building boom of the 1880s and early 1890s. A lovely example of Richardsonian Romanesque design in brick and sandstone, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the mid-1970s and remains Harrison’s only structure to do so.

His residence, on the other hand, is another story. Found at 10 W. 300 North (near the Utah State Capitol) and nicknamed “the Castle,” the Harrison house enjoyed an enviable view of the valley. Built in 1873, this twostory asymmetrical structure was a home for Harrison, his wife Jennie and their daughters Caroline and Florence. Having exchanged owners since the daughters’ deaths in the 1940s, this building has been in varying states of disrepair ever since.

At present, the Harrison residence has not received historical protection and has been bereft of tender loving care. I hope that may change someday and invite interested citizens and preservation groups to consider what can be done.

“Watch an old building with an anxious care,” exhorted John Ruskin. “Count its stones as you would jewels of a crown.” This city has many architectural jewels, and their makers deserve appreciation. For starters, raise a glass to Mr. Harrison in thanks. CW

Big Shiny Robot

Requiem for a Starcruiser

The glory of Disney’s immersive Star Wars hotel experience, and why it didn’t last

BY BRYAN YOUNG comments@cityweekly.net @swankmotron

The first time I set foot inside the queue for Star Tours at Disneyland, it was January of 1987. I was six, and thought I’d walked right into a galaxy far, far away. The sights and the sounds were overwhelming; I was beyond giddy. There were Artoo and Threepio! How could things get better than this?

When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, I figured they’d have special Star Wars things planned for their theme parks— and they did. Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland in May 2019, and I was invited to a press preview where the feelings of my six-year-old self returned. The immersion was so much better than anything in the queue at Star Tours. I didn’t just go to a room in Star Wars; I was in an entire city. Standing there, as a 39-year-old man, I was transformed with awe and wonder. I thought it couldn’t get better than that.

There was, however, still one more ace up Disney’s sleeve: The Galactic Starcruiser, a ship named the Halcyon

As the project developed, there were lots of rumors and misinformation about what it would be. Would it just be “the Star Wars hotel?” Was it just like Galaxy’s Edge, but on a spaceship for the rich? Was it going to

A&E

be some sort of LARP? Some combination of the three?

I found out for myself on Feb. 21, 2022. As I stepped aboard the ship, it made Galaxy’s Edge feel small, and Star Tours feel like child’s play. I was aboard an actual starship—a luxury liner that had been around for 250 years—and every member of the cast was in on the production. The story played out with me as the lead, and I’ve never had a better time in my life.

My wedding was scheduled for Feb. 22, 2022, and my wife and I decided instead of cancelling, we’d get married on the ship; we were the first to do so, but certainly not the last. I can’t imagine a more fitting or memorable place to get married than in space.

What was it exactly that made it so amazing? Imagine the most lavish liveaction roleplaying experience you’ve ever encountered. Actors are everywhere helping guide your story. Everything—from meals to shore leave—is part of the adventure. And for three days and two nights, you live inside Star Wars. There are fights between good and evil, chases, escapes, heists, seedy cantinas, travel to distant worlds and cameos from some of your favorite heroes. But in every case, you’re the star of the story.

It’s difficult to put into words how amazing an experience it was. I spent dozens of hours of podcast time (the Full of Sith podcast, if you’re interested) trying to document what it felt like, but still I never felt I did it justice. Suffice to say, the experience was one of the best in my life. And it was the most amazing thing Disney’s ever done. Don’t let anyone kid you about how worth it the experience was.

So how could something so amazing fail to the point of closure as of Sept. 30?

By all accounts, there were enough people filling the voyages, so demand

wasn’t necessarily an issue. I’ve heard rumors that Disney was concerned that they weren’t filling the voyages far enough in advance, but if they’re being filled—regardless of the timeframe—that seems like an inadequate answer. I wondered if the experience was too niche, too aimed at hardcore Star Wars fans, but I’ve talked to too many people who weren’t huge Star Wars fans who had the time of their life. Ultimately, I wonder if it came down to marketing and public perception. Though the experience was expensive, it wasn’t inordinately so—on par with a Disney Cruise, which is very much what it was like. Everyone who went on the Halcyon seemed to think the price was worth the experience, but those who hadn’t been, seemed to think it was some sort of playground for the wealthy and the elite. I would guess some people never even bothered to check the prices for themselves be-

cause of the churn of internet outrage.

So, what’s next for the Galactic Starcruiser? No one knows yet.

After spending all that money on a whole-ass spaceship, it seems like it would be silly to just bulldoze it. Best-case scenario, they leave it closed for the length of the tax write-off, then open it back up when they realize the beauty of the thing they had. The next-best case might be opening it up for smaller experiences at a lower price point.

No matter what they do, however, I hope more people get a chance to experience even a taste of what I was able to. Because it was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

So, I’ll raise a glass to the Starcruiser and offer the traditional cheers of the Anzellans who designed the ship: “Ta’ bu e tay!” It means “cherish the moment.”

And I know I’ll cherish every moment I ever had aboard the Halcyon. CW

BRYAN YOUNG

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Utah Opera: La bohéme

Jonathan Larson’s beloved 1996 musical Rent famously took as its inspiration the 1896 Giacomo Puccini opera La bohème, transferring the story of the loves and tragedies of aspiring artists from 1830s Paris to 1990s New York City. The enduring story—itself based on the 1851 Henri Murger story collection Scenes de la vie de bohème—recognizes that there’s always something compelling about the high passions of those who dedicate themselves to the creation of art.

The story concerns four impoverished men—poet Rodolfo, painter Marcello, musician Schaunard and philosopher Colline—who share a chilly Parisian garret for which they can rarely afford to pay the rent. Along the way, romance complicates their lives, in the form of Rodolfo’s first-love with seamstress Mimi, and Marcello’s tempestuous on-again/ off-again affair with singer Musetta. And not surprisingly for both the setting and the world of classical opera, tragedy also inserts itself. “La bohème is one of the best examples of truth in opera,” says Garnett Bruce, director of Utah Opera’s production. “Audiences wanted honest reactions, during an honest time, with everyday people.”

Utah Opera’s production of La bohème concludes this weekend with performances Friday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. at the J. Q. Lawson Capitol Theatre (50 W. 200 South). Ticket-holders are invited to an “Opera Talk” with Utah Opera principal vocal coach Carol Anderson one hour before each performance time to learn more about the production in the theater’s Capitol Room. Tickets start at $29, with student and under-30 discounts available. Visit utahopera.org for tickets and additional event information. (Scott

Renshaw)

DANA SOHM

Vintage Signs of Utah Walking Tour

There’s an understandable nostalgia associated with signage, reminding us of the places from a bygone era that we associate with fun activities, great meals and time with family and friends.

Utah attorney and local historian Lisa Michele Church tapped into that sensibility in her 2022 book Vintage Signs of Utah, Vol. 1, turning her personal interest in wandering the state and finding vintage signs into a beautifully photographed book full of historic images capturing giant bowling pins, spinning ice cream cones and more.

Fortunately for locals, Church has chosen to take her interest into the real world, with a walking tour of Sugar House that will explore both the vintage signs that still exist, and the places where they used to be. Church will share the stories behind the businesses that used to—or still—host the signs, as well as the unique craft and artistry behind their creation.

The event, sponsored by Preservation Utah, begins with a lecture at the Fiddler’s Elbow restaurant (1063 E. 2100 South #2349) at 10 a.m., covering the stories behind the businesses including a wider range of metropolitan Salt Lake City; copies of Vintage Signs of Utah, Vol. 1 will also be available for purchase at that time. The tour begins at approximately 11 a.m., and is scheduled to last between 60 and 75 minutes, with a focus on the Sugar House area. Participation is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested. Visit kingsenglish.com for link to RSVP, and additional event information. (SR)

Solar Eclipse in Utah

Some of us like to think that we’re advanced, scientifically-minded people—not inclined to buy into superstition—yet something still strikes us in our primitive monkey-brains when confronted with the scope of the universe. We’ll see evidence of that phenomenon as the first annular solar eclipse in more than a decade crosses North America, including parts of Utah, on Oct. 14— and there are many ways and places to experience it.

The most complete eclipse will occur in Southern Utah, with 90 percent eclipse at approximately 10:30 a.m. Bryce Canyon National Park (nps.gov/ brca). Several of the most popular overlook points will be serviced by shuttles from the Visitor Center beginning at 6 a.m.; expect heavy crowds as a result of this event. Visitors can also take advantage of guest lectures from NASA Lunar Scientist Dr. Barbara Cohen (Friday night, Oct. 13) and CalTech postdoctoral fellow Cameron Hummels (Saturday night, Oct. 14). Scenic Byway 12 between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef will also provide viewing opportunities.

If you opt to stay closer to the Wasatch Front (where we’ll get a less complete eclipse), Hutchings Museum Institute in Lehi (jonhutchingsmuseum.org) will host a Solar Eclipse Festival on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m., including a NASA Eclipse Ambassador; the event is free, but registration is required. The Leonardo (theleonardo.org) also hosts a viewing event, including family-friendly crafts and activities, from 10 a.m. – noon, with viewing glasses for the first 75 visitors; museum admission is required. And at The Gateway plaza (atthegateway.com), Clark Planetarium invites guests for a viewing party 9 a.m. - noon, with viewing glasses available for purchase while supplies last. (SR)

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Heel-ing Stories

Highlights from the 2023 Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

This year, the Utah Film Center marks the 20th anniversary of the Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival, running Oct. 12 – 15 for in-person screenings and Oct. 15 – 22 for virtual screenings. Here’s a look at a few of the highlights from the feature lineup; for full schedule and ticket information, visit damntheseheels.org

Kokomo City

There have been other recent documentaries about the trans experience, about trans sex workers, and about the experience of trans people of color, but none of them have provided this combination of aesthetic creativity and fascinating insight. Filmmaker D. Smith does profile several Black trans women sex workers—including Daniella Carter, Dominique Silver and Koko Da Doll—all of whom share anecdotes that range from funny to alarming to deeply disturbing. But Smith also gives a voice to some of the men who seek these women out, sharing perspectives that range from completely self-accepting to only grudgingly willing to acknowledge they could find a trans woman attractive. As a result, Kokomo City provides a completely unique look at the intersection of Blackness, transness and masculinity, wrestling with the particular attitudes within the Black community that can make it so difficult to for Black trans people to come out, and difficult in a different way for those who are attracted to them to acknowledge it openly. And to top it all off, Smith employs her black-and-white cinematography for arresting images that allow her subjects to be presented as vibrant and beautiful. You may come away with crucial fresh insight—about why some kinds of sex work exist, about those who live in their truth and those who don’t, and about the complexity of a community that can see gender with the same kind of blinders with which the rest of American society sees race.

Milkwater

While the potential for quirky-character-comedy overload is written all over the premise for writer/ director Morgan Ingari’s debut feature, it evolves instead into a charmer filled with real emotion, largely thanks to a terrific lead performance. Molly Bernard plays Milo, an over-educated and under-employed New York 30-something who meets single gay 50-something Roger (Patrick Breen) at a bar—and when she learns of his difficulties being able to have a baby, she semi-impulsively offers to serve as his surrogate. Ingari folds Milo’s choice into her sense needing a purpose, but also into a character study of a woman shaped by family tragedy into someone a bit emotionally stunted by neediness. And while that could have made for an unlikeable central character, Bernard gives Milo’s vulnerability a winning charisma, avoiding the potential weirdness of her friendship with Roger seeming like a manifestation of daddy issues. Milo’s own burgeoning romance with a handsome musician (Ade Otukoya) never quite feels as effectively developed as Milo’s interactions with her mostly-gay friend cohort, and in a sense the arc of the narrative feels somewhat predetermined. It helps when a formula has strong ingredients, and a protagonist whose restlessness plays genuinely interesting, rather than irritating.

The Mattachine Family

The spouse team of director Andy Valentine and screenwriter Danny Valentine draw from personal experience for a somewhat sentimental but still affecting story of all the different ways queer folk can now think about creating families. L.A.-based photographer Thomas (Nico Torotella) and his actor husband Oscar (Juan Pablo Di Pace) are still recovering from having their year-long time as foster parents end with their foster child returning to his birth mother—and while Oscar is away filming in another state, Thomas wrestles with what he wants next, and if that involves fatherhood. The Valentines populate their tale with a charming supporting cast—including Emily Hampshire and Jake Choi as Thomas’s best friends—while nodding to rom-com history with a surprising number of When Harry Met Sally … touchstones. It’s all very openly emotional and occasionally too literal in handing Thomas voice-over monologues about his life and the lives of his cohorts, but The Mattachine Family finds something genuine in exploring a generation of gay Americans confronting choices that their predecessors (as exemplified by the title’s reference to the pioneering Southern California gay-rights group The Mattachine Society) could never have imagined possible. CW

Men at Work

Women decry harassment and toxic culture at St. George auto dealership.

BY ERIC S. PETERSON

Charity Ann’s nearly decadelong work at the Stephen Wade Auto Center in St. George ended in tears.

When she’d been hired there in 2014 as a receptionist, it started with jokes—though not welcome ones. Stuck at her desk answering the phone, she was immersed in a raucous frat-house vibe from the predominantly male sales staff.

On one occasion, she recalls a salesman pretending to have sex with her desk—in front of her coworkers and even customers.

“There were so many other people there that were OK with it, or didn’t say anything,” Ann said.

It was enough to make her question herself. “Am I just being oversensitive?” she wondered.

She moved up in the company and became the manager of the Business Development Center at the Toyota store. She maintained the customer relations management system and de-

veloped strong relationships with the dealership’s customers.

Still, the jokes didn’t stop. One salesman would greet her and the women in her department by telling them: “Good morning, ladies, remember, couches pull out, and I do not.”

It was constant and grating, she said. In one of the dealership stores, a door sign used to read “Accounting” until someone removed the A, one C and the O, leaving a vulgar word.

In hindsight, Ann’s not surprised that things escalated far beyond jokes: the salesman who would follow a re-

ceptionist home at night; another who tried to lure a young receptionist to sneak out of her house; a male boss who offered a female subordinate money to send him pictures exposing herself.

Ann also said she was not surprised that she was fired after she started advocating for women at the company.

The Utah Investigative Journalism Project spoke with 11 current and former dealership employees about the company’s work culture, which all but one described as troublesome, even toxic.

Margaret Ertel, a lead receptionist at the dealership’s Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram store said she has not seen anything troubling in her decade of work.

“My managers both have a military background, so if there’s a problem they nip it in the bud pretty quick,” she said.

Another employee said harassment problems were not common across the entire company—just at some of its locations. Stephen Wade has nine different stores dominating the south end of St. George, selling everything from Mercedes to used vehicles.

Jared Wade, the dealership’s chief operating officer—and son to company founder Stephen Wade— said in a recent interview that the company pushes hard against the stigma of other dealerships. It even runs a foundation giving back to Washington County charities.

“We’re a family-owned business and do a pretty good job of being boots on the ground,” Wade said.

Still, he said problems arise when managing nearly 700 employees. That means disagreements flare up like Ann’s, but Wade stated her claims “are without merit” without going into detail.

The following story was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Salt Lake City Weekly.

A Man’s World

Ann said she and other female employees were warned at the outset that they worked in “a man’s world.” She said she was told to go to the bathroom if she needed to cry.

For the women, that meant sticking together as best they could. Ann encouraged another receptionist, “Jessica,” to report to a manager when she felt unsafe in 2015. Jessica, who asked her real name not be used out of fear of harassment, also described a toxic work environment.

One salesman began leaving teddy bears and flowers on her car. Then, she said, he started to follow her home from work. She was so scared she would have a friend walk her to her vehicle.

She said that when she reported this to her manager, all he would do was have a talk with the salesman. Eventually, the salesman began sending vulgar text messages to her and propositioning her sexually. With the texts as evidence, he was eventually fired.

“I’m pretty sure they didn’t want to do anything until I forced [their] hand with the actual messages he was sending,” Jessica said.

Ann said that after the man was fired, she heard a manager warning other salespeople about the reception desk, saying: “Be careful around reception because they like to complain.”

“Ellen,” who asked that her real name be withheld to protect her privacy, started as a receptionist at the dealership in 2020 when she was 17 years old. One night, she received numerous text messages from one of the dealership’s middle-aged salesmen.

He wanted her to sneak out of her parent’s house to meet him. When Ellen replied that she would get in trouble, he suggested she lie to her parents: “Say you’re going to talk to a girlfriend or something.”

His texts were insistent, demanding even. After the third time she had told him that it could wait until tomorrow, he texted: “I want to tonight ’cause no one will be around.”

Ellen reported the incident to the company’s hu-

man resources department. In an interview, human resources manager Gloria Bertram said she let the man know that Ellen was not interested.

In Bertram’s experience, receptionists can bring this attention upon themselves. “Receptionists start being social with our sales guys, inside and outside of work they start interacting, sometimes they date, sometimes they don’t date at all, but then the lines become kind of fuzzy,” Bertram said.

Bertram said she will tell salesmen to leave receptionists alone. “And if they don’t understand,” she said, “they will lose their job.”

The sales manager in Ellen’s case was not fired. Bertram said he did experience consequences but she declined to discuss them.

Ellen said the man was suspended for two days on a weekend and back to work the following Monday.

“You don’t change, especially if you just get a slap on the wrist,” Ellen said.

Bets Between Friends

“Marcia” was only one of a handful of female sales employees at the company. She too asked her real name be withheld to protect her safety.

Work was good at first, Marcia said, and she started playing golf with her boss after hours. It was a friendship that seemed innocent enough to Marcia, until it suddenly wasn’t.

Before Marcia was to leave on a trip to Las Vegas, Marcia said her manager told her he would pay her money for all the liquor she drank. He would also pay her if she kissed any men on her trip or slept with them—but she had to send pictures as proof. These were supposedly friendly “bets.”

Marcia was beyond uncomfortable. Later before taking another trip to New York City, she recounted, her supervisor suggested she expose her breasts in Times Square and send him a picture as proof so he could pay her.

Marcia did none of that, but after the latest “bet,” she went to HR.

The manager called Marcia into his office the next day and wept, telling her that he felt he deserved a third chance, she said. Marcia described the tears as manipulative. She said her manager had told his wife about the incident and that his wife had told him he was too “friendly” with people. Marcia didn’t buy it.

“I can’t think of any wife who would hear that their husband is telling their employees to kiss and have sex and send pictures for money and would be like ‘Yeah, you can’t be so friendly with everyone you know,’” she said.

In the end, the man was suspended briefly before being brought back on the job, she said. Marcia eventually was so frustrated with how it turned out that she quit at the end of 2022.

Wade, the dealership CEO, got involved because he didn’t want Marcia to quit. But the company ultimately concluded the relationship was “consensual.” Wade said a variety of solutions were offered, including moving Marcia to a different position, but that didn’t satisfy her.

“We asked her point blank, because it was the two of them together, ‘Do you feel safe? Should we fire this individual?’ Her answer was ‘no.’”

For Marcia, the “compromise” offered her was a move back into business development, a significant demotion from sales. And, as for asking what to do about her boss, she felt she was put in an impossible position when that was not her decision to make.

Ann would shortly thereafter be put in the exact same position.

Bad Precedents

In the fall of 2021, Charity Ann reported to HR about a recent encounter in the Toyota building with a salesman who had previously been fired for undisclosed sexual harassment allegations and then rehired several months later.

Ann was one of few employees to speak out against rehiring him and brought forward complaints against him on behalf of other female employees.

The Stephen Wade dealership includes nine locations in St. George.

A employee said her complaints about coworker Roderico Armando GarciaRodriguez went unheard. He was later convicted of a sexual assault outside the workplace. ERIC S. PETERSON

WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Thank you voting! for

Ann said the salesman said to her, loudly across a crowded showroom, that: “Your knees are dirty, but don’t worry—everybody knows why.” She reported the demeaning comment to HR and was also later asked by Wade if she wanted the salesman fired. “If I say, ‘Keep him employed,’ then it looks like it wasn’t a big deal. “Or if I say, ‘Fire him,’ then I look like a vindictive bitch,” Ann said.

She said he should be fired.

Cheryl Thompson is the founder and CEO of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement and worked 30 years in the automotive industry. Her organization provides training for industry groups on equitable workplaces.

When asked if it was appropriate for victims of harassment to be asked if a harasser should be fired her response was: “Hell, no. We should never put that responsibility on the person being harassed.”

The company “should have a solid HR policy in place and there should be zero tolerance and that should be communicated ahead of time so people understand expectations,” Thompson said. “If a person is not fired for crossing the line, it just sets a bad precedent, and everyone else feels like they can get away with it.”

Ann said the salesman was suspended and then brought back to work within weeks. Ann tried to move on, and she said the grudge between her and the salesman had calmed down over the course of the following year.

It was in late 2022 that she went on a few dates with a coworker. And while this was not uncommon at the company, it resulted in her being fired in January 2023.

She was told she was terminated for an inappropriate relationship and for providing the salesman she dated with company sales leads. She denied the allegations of favoritism.

Wade acknowledged in an interview that interoffice dating happens a lot with so many employees. When that happens, he said, a couple will “be moved to a different store” to avoid negative perceptions. For Ann, the relationship meant a termination.

And providing sales leads to the coworker she dated? She said that could easily be verified by checking the computer database, but that evidence was never provided to her.

‘Persistence Breaks Down Resistance’

“Helen,” another former employee, worked in a dealership office in 2018, where she said her supervisor— a man in his 50s—would swat female employees on their buttocks without warning and then rationalize it by explaining that he used to be an athletics coach. Helen and other women reported this behavior to human resources.

“He got suspended for like two weeks, but then he came back with a vengeance,” Helen said.

The man was more verbally abusive than ever, telling Helen she was “fat” and “easily replaceable.” She quit because of the treatment.

“Nancy” is another former employee, who spoke on condition her name be withheld to protect her privacy. She noted how complaints would go unheeded, such as those against former salesman Roderico Armando Garcia-Rodriguez.

Ann recalled an occasion when Garcia-Rodriguez sat uncomfortably close to her on a couch and told her “persistence breaks down resistance,” in front of a manager. She said the manager just made a joke about it.

“[He] was actively bothering staff, and it didn’t end until he was brought to local court,” Nancy said, on an assault charge that took place outside of work.

In June of 2022, Garcia-Rodriguez was charged with forcible sexual assault after driving a woman home from a date and assaulting her. He groped and bit the woman and told her “this is how it feels to be dominated,” according to court documents. He was convicted and later deported.

Bertram was unsure if Garcia-Rodriguez had complaints from other employees in his file but said she would check. She never responded to follow-ups about complaints against him. Wade noted that his

crime happened outside of work. “This allegation had nothing to do with our business,” Wade said.

Ultimately, Wade said, the company works hard to defend its reputation and treats its employees and customers well.

“We don’t do a lot of third-party sales like KSL, it’s all word of mouth, so yes, it is very important that we have a good reputation,” Wade said.

Alexis Jones was one customer, however, who said she faced harassment from a salesman when she and her husband bought a car in January.

Jones said the salesman made inappropriate remarks in front of her husband, then texted her repeatedly after the car was sold, even inviting her by text to come over to his place for a “beer, massage and a hot dog.”

The couple returned the vehicle and complained, but she said a manager angrily denied the allegations. “There’s already a stigma that women get treated differently at dealerships,” Jones said. “I never imagined that would happen going into it, definitely not when my husband was sitting there.”

Wade argues the company is welcoming and rewarding to female employees.

“We wouldn’t have a [Business Development Center] manager for our No. 1 and No. 2 stores be girls, that started as receptionists, if we didn’t treat women right,” he said.

Charity Ann was one of those former success stories who went from answering calls to giving orders. But she bristles at the claim that this is proof that the company treats women right.

“Me being vocal about sexual harassment was pivotal to me being fired,” she said.

And yet she felt it had to be done, pointing to a 2017 survey in which 65% of women in the auto industry reported having received unwanted sexual advances.

“I want women to be comfortable speaking up and knowing that there are people listening,” she said.

For her, that means Stephen Wade also has to change.

“Instead of punishing the women, punish the people who are actually the problem,” Ann said.

CW

“If I say, ‘Keep him employed,’ then it looks like it wasn’t a big deal. Or if I say, ‘Fire him,’ then I look like a vindictive bitch.”—

former employee

Charity Ann

“Receptionists start being social with our sales guys ... sometimes they date, sometimes they don’t date at all, but then the lines become kind of fuzzy.”

—Gloria Bertram, human resources manager

“We’re a family-owned business and do a pretty good job of being boots on the ground.”

—Stephen Wade Auto Center CEO Jared Wade

ERIC S. PETERSON

ERIC S. PETERSON

ERIC S. PETERSON

Continued from p. 23

years of

CITY WEEKLY

BY WES LONG wlong@cityweekly.net

“If ever there was an area that needed a strong alternative voice in the news media,” wrote managing editor Tom Walsh in April 1992, “it’s the Wasatch Front. That’s why the Private Eye exists.”

In its eighth year, Private Eye embraced its mission of highlighting the underreported and filling neglected niches even as it further refined its operation and engaged with the community. This would be its final publication cycle before switching to a weekly format, a format which has remained in place ever since. With a reported circulation of 26,000 in August 1991, there was evidently a demand for the kind of reporting that Private Eye sought to provide.

And what a wide range of stories to cover! There were national controversies over the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, the police brutality upon Rodney King, the effects of MTV and the ongoing effort to criminalize abortion. On the local front, there was the consultant-led decline of local television news typified by the dismissal of KTVX anchor Phil Riesen; the rise of soon-to-be-Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini (19442015); and the political activities of such LGBTQ groups as Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) and Queer Nation.

Quoting Wilbur Storey of the Chicago Times, Walsh stated that it was “a newspaper’s duty to print the news and raise hell.” What follows are some glimpses of this paper in the course of its duty.

Remembering Vol. 8: In the air

Writing in the June 11, 1991, issue, Gode Davis recounted a stagnant period of bad air that stewed in the Salt Lake Valley during the winter of 1976-77 caused by automobile emissions and leading to the respiratory failures of hundreds of people.

“Fifteen years later,” Davis reported, “a potentially lethal situation has become much worse.”

To address this disaster of environment and infrastructure, plans for a combination of light rail, extra freeway lanes and expanded UTA bus service were then on the minds of many. For others, adding lanes and creating “guided” bus routes would suffice. Still others preferred what heavy rail trains had to offer.

Coverage, capacity and cost were the perennial points of debate, but one particular measure seemed to have potential: the multi-modal Option 11.

“Option 11,” wrote Davis, was “one of 12 major transportation ‘options’ that have been considered since the early 1980s by downtown and ‘State Street corridor’ businesspeople as well as local transportation and government officialdom.”

Including a light rail component and projected to be ready in 1998, Option 11’s fate at the polls was considered to be a bellwether for the prospects of future mass-transit planning.

Utah Transit Authority opened its

first Trax line between Salt Lake City and Sandy in 1999, with other lines and transportation methods unfolding in the subsequent years. As of September 2023, UTA estimates an average of 111,607 riders systemwide.

In the ads

Contained within the Sept. 3, 1991, issue was a notice about the upcoming visit of President George H.W. Bush to Salt Lake City. He came to rub elbows with Utah’s fat cats and meet in a closed-door gathering with the Golden Elephant Club, a Republican fundraising group.

“Come peacefully, join with others in showing George Bush how we feel about his administration’s record regarding peace, justice and environmental issues,” beckoned the ad. “Please bring a drum or protest sign.”

Ultimately, between 800 and 1,000 protestors showed up, representing groups as diverse as the Rain Forest Action Group and Planned Parenthood.

In the gang

On Labor Day of 1991, 40 neo-Nazis gathered at the State Capitol in a march to the Federal Building. The white supremacists were met, however, by a crowd of counter-protestors that vastly outnumbered them. No violence occurred, and no arrests were made, but the shouting match extended to well over an hour.

“Hey, hey, go home, racism has got to go!” chanted protestors. Ten days before this much-publicized confrontation, as Ben Fulton reported in the Sept. 17 issue of Private Eye, members of Utah’s United White Working Class (UWWC) had been trying to add to their paltry numbers by gathering outside the “Rock Against Racism” benefit at the Pompadour and “actively recruiting its most tender prey: young people.”

A week after that effort and just prior to their Labor Day march, UWWC numbers suddenly doubled in size by an infusion of visiting brownshirts from Las Vegas.

Lest anyone console themselves with the notion that “it can’t happen here,” Fulton reminded readers that there were then 45 regular members of the UWWC, along with another 60 at the periphery. Not all of them were evidently willing to reveal themselves to public view.

According to then-Sgt. Ken Hansen of the Salt Lake Area Gang Project, local white supremacists had been responsible for half a dozen recent assaults on African Americans and gays as well as vandalism to the Jewish Community Center.

“Skinheads are really out-of-thecloset racists,” Hansen observed at the time. “There are other racists in this valley who prefer to keep their swastikas hidden.”

Ron Yengich was among the group protesting the Nazi march. He observed that despite calls to underplay the presence of white supremacist groups, his mind couldn’t help returning to recent gay bashings in Idaho and Washington and the 45 million humans murdered during the Holocaust.

“I remembered the fact,” he noted, “that in Hitler’s Germany, not only were Jews exterminated but along with the Reichstag, books were burned, jazz music was considered black music and was censored, and even Mickey Mouse or Michael Maus (as Germanized) was banned as a ‘dangerous foreigner.’”

This begs the question of whether the much-feared epithet of “woke” has become today’s acceptable replacement for “dangerous foreigner.” It also invites us to consider how best to respond to such ancient evils.

“The racism and hatred so prevalent today is far less obvious and possibly even more stubborn than what the UWWC and the American Front represent,” concluded Fulton. “Anyone can point to a swastika and yell. But if, as [some white supremacists claim], peace comes from chaos and war, we must provide an appropriate response. Namely, that peace is born out of empathy and knowledge.”

In the rhythm

J.P. Gabellini–a nom de plume of John Paul Brophy–was kept busy this year writing for Private Eye’s music beat,

with many events and festivals taking place. Perhaps most notable among them was the annual Utah Jazz and Blues Festival at Snowbird. It featured the R&B of the Tempo Timers, blues from Catfish Keith, jazz by the Ray Brown Trio and gospel courtesy of Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. Headlining the event that year was “the Queen of the Blues,” Koko Taylor (1928-2009), who gave “an understated, smoldering performance,” wrote Gabellini in the Aug. 6, 1991 issue.

Later, in a special insert for April 30, a music supplement provided a thorough guide to navigating the tough musical climate of the Beehive State.

“The majority of our music is heard in private clubs that remain inaccessible to the masses,” read the introduction. Thankfully, there were many artists who play ‘and play well.’”

In the way

“Austin Walker takes a labored breath and looks out his window to the west where [his family home] sits,” wrote Tom Walsh in the April 16, 1992, issue.

“At first glance, it looks like a rundown farm, but it’s actually our future colliding with our past.”

Walker (1903-1992)—lungs deteriorating and strength failing—was forcefully butting heads with the developer Hermes and Associates over the historic Jehu Cox home, an 1849 adobe structure in which the Walker

family had resided since the start of the 20th century. Hermes wanted to expand the Family Center strip mall to the south of the Cox home and develop another 160,000 square feet.

Thanks to a county commissioner vote to amend the area’s master plan for commercial zoning, the old homes and barns of the Fort Union area south of 7200 South were now an impediment in Hermes’ way. Much of that was through Hermes’ own doing, according to local resident Susan Hale.

“So, they’ve come and bought different pieces of property here and let them go to blight,” Hale told Private Eye at the time. “Now, they want a blight study so we can bring in redevelopment, condemn the property and take it away, using taxpayer dollars.”

What’s more, Hermes was then pushing for a tax contract that would have guaranteed up to 60% of its tax revenues going back to them. At their own request, Hermes’ proposed site plan was kept from public eyes until after county commissioners had already changed the area’s zoning for commercial development.

“Let me tell you a couple of things those suckers did,” Walker said of Hermes. “They sent one of their men out to my son John’s house in West Jordan and told him to take control of the land away from me, become administrator, so John could sell. It was a ruse to create a division in my family, and it didn’t work.”

Residents were proposing a historical park around the Cox home while Hermes favored the bulldozer. Walsh noted that a committee of local residents and representatives for Hermes were expected to meet within the coming month to find a compromise.

“Austin Walker is waiting to see how this public policy issue plays out,” he concluded. “Meanwhile, he’s suffering through a bout of pneumonia.”

“I’ll stay here ‘til I die,” Walker said.

The response to Walsh’s story was very positive, with subsequent reader comments congratulating Private Eye for its reporting.

“I have never seen a better researched article and as well written,” wrote H. Reed Black.

Marion G. Cox (1921-2017), a descendent of Jehu Cox and Austin Walker’s neighbor, was also effusive: “Boy, I want to thank Tom Walsh and [photographer] Michael Shoenfeld for the great job they have accomplished.”

A nonprofit group was formed to buy the Jehu Cox home and preserve it in the months following publication of this story.

While the effort to save the building ultimately failed with the home’s demolition in 1994, a replica of the Cox home was built a few blocks away from the original location.

It can be found on a plot of grass at 7188 Union Park Ave., in the midst of the vast Fort Union shopping center development. CW

Wild Things

Get a healthy dose of kitsch, steak and tiki cocktails at Casa Salvaje.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

As fond as I am of our landlocked desert state and its surrounding mountain ranges, I feel like I’m missing out on a boozy, surrealistic tiki-bar experience. You know, a place with an alligatorshaped bar serving drinks in unwieldy wooden mugs made to look like the moai on Easter Island.

While I’ll keep looking—I’m sure we’ve got something akin to this just waiting to spring on me—I did come very close to basking in this vibe at Casa Salvaje, a bonkers Colombian joint in Murray. Casa Salvaje roughly translates to Wild House, and I found its interior charming beyond words. Walls are covered in artificial, jungle-green foliage, faux flowers hang from the ceiling and there is no shortage of neon lights. They’ve got a gold-tiled wall for birthday photos–clever use of social media staging–and at the moment, the place is dolled up with spooky Halloween decor. Just FYI, there is a demonic dog puppet hiding in the doghouse in the entryway, and it will jump out at you, causing you to drop your phone, about two minutes after you walk in. I found this out the hard way.

The wild house vibe also translates to the menu; their caveman mascot is a nod to the restaurant’s penchant for grilled

meat, and lots of it. Casa Salvaje is a Colombian restaurant, and Colombia has a heritage for grilling and barbecue that has spanned for decades.

For starters, you’ve got your traditional roster of arepas de chocolo ($5.99), patacon con hogao ($5.99) and empanadas de carne ($3.49). They’re all bangers and you’d be quite happy with any or all of these bad boys starting you off. The arepas are similar to the Venezuelan cachapa—sweet corn flour rolled into a grilled pancake and then topped with cheese—and the crispy empanadas showcase the restaurant’s ability to season a protein, even if it’s getting stuffed into an empanada.

You can work your way up to the steak menu with a few tasty non-steak items that also demonstrate Casa Salvaje’s grilling aptitude. The Picada Salvaje ($12.99) is an excellent sampler that comes with pork ribs, crispy pork chicharron, roasted potatoes, plantains, beans and tortillas. With all that goodness in a dish, it’s hard to decide where to start. If tortillas are involved, I will always try to make my own little taco by scooping as much of everything on the plate into the tortilla while trying to hold it all together for each mouthful. You can’t really go wrong there, but it’s worth checking out the pork ribs and chicharron individually. I may have enjoyed the ribs slightly more—they’re a textbook sample of smoky barbecue wizardry—but it’s a tasty plate that captures Colombian food culture on one plate.

The grill game at Casa Salvaje is a whole spectrum of meaty wonderment. Their burgers range from the demure Sencilla ($10.99) with its simple assembly of a juicy beef patty, crispy bacon and some melty cheese, to the monstrous Colombiana ($17.99). The latter is truly a feat

of burger logistics, as it manages to contain a beef patty, barbecued pork, chicharron, chorizo, bacon and guacamole, and that’s before a velvety deluge of melted cheese gets dumped on top of the whole thing. This is a Mount Everest situation for burger fans, and should ideally be shared by at least two people.

I’ve always been a hot dog guy, and the Choriperro ($15.99) is the hot dog equivalent of the Colombiana. It’s a grilled chorizo topped with a tender chopped brisket and draped in melty cheese before getting hit with ketchup and mayo. This is a chorizo that I will remember for a long time: perfectly grilled, nice snap and just a little bit spicy. It’ll be hard to go back to conventional hot dogs after giving this beast a whirl.

The steaks at Casa Salvaje are no joke, and anyone craving a prime cut of beef will want to check this place out. I think their Churrasco ($27.99) is a solid choice—lots of bang for your buck here. The T-bone ($37.99) and ribeye ($37.99) steaks ramp things up a bit with both size and flavor, but if you really need to satiate your protein bloodlust, you gotta get the tomahawk ($84.99). Yes, it’s the most expensive thing on the menu, but it’s a comparatively decent price for a tomahawk steak around these parts.

Whether Casa Salvaje becomes the kitschy tiki and steak joint of my dreams has yet to be decided, but I’m already thinking about my next visit. Fans of traditional Colombian food, a good steak—or both—will want to hoof it over to Murray for this gem of a restaurant. CW

TWO LOCATIONS

chappell.beer

On Tap: Harvest - Fresh Hop Collaboration with TableX

Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC craftbyproper.com

On Tap: Purple Rain - Marionberry

Helles

Desert Edge Brewery

273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com

On Tap:  La Playa-Mexican Style lager

Epic Brewing Co.

825 S. State, SLC

EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Pumpkin Porter

Fisher Brewing Co.

320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com

On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers!

Grid City Beer Works

333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Cask Nitro CO2

Helper Beer 159 N Main Street, Helper, UT  helperbeer.com

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: The Hunter Kölsch

Kiitos Brewing

608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Philly Fruit Bat

Level Crossing Brewing Co., POST 550 So. 300 West #100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Rising Coast West Coast

Pale Ale

Moab Brewing

686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap: Golden Sproket Wit

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com

On Tap: RasPerry - Raspberry Cider honoring Breast Cancer Awareness

Month

Portions of proceeds to build awareness for BCAM

Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/

On Tap: DOPO IPA

Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com

On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan Prodigy-brewing.com

On Tap: Tranquili-Tea HefeweizenEpic Collaboration

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC

ProperBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Whispers from Krakatoa - Helles Lager with Habanero and Mango

Proper Burger: Sour RangerBlackberry and Lemon Sour

Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191 Moab, Utah 84532

On Tap: Angus McCloud- Scottish Ale  Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com

On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week

Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com

On Tap: Munich Dunkel

Red Rock Kimball Junction Redrockbrewing.com

1640 Redstone Center

On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com

On Tap:  Bing Bong Saison

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Identity Crisis Session West Coast Hazy Cold IPA – the name says it all!

SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, S. Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com

On Tap: Lupulin Dew - Wet Hopped Ale

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: Oktoberfest Vienna Lager

Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com

On Tap: Snowcapped Harrison - 6.5 ABV

Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek https://secondsummitcider.com

On Tap: Pear Pink Peppercorn & Tarragon Cider

Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer

On Tap: Hellion  Huckelberry Sour Ale

Live Music:  Thursdays

Shades On State 366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com

On Tap: Hellion  Blond Ale, an ode to Ellie, manager at Shades on State Karaoke: Wednesdays

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/squatters

On Tap:  Salt Lake Brewing Co’s

Bronze Age India Pale Lager Squatters and Wasatch Brewery 1763 So 300 West SLC UT 84115 Utahbeers.com

On Tap: Squatters & Kiitos Collab: Ginger Rye Lime Sour, 5%

Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi, UT StrapTankBrewery.com

On Tap: Three on the Tree’ Hoppy Lager Collaboration with Proximity Malt and Roy Farms Hops.

Strap Tank Brewery, Springville 596 S 1750 W, Springville, UT StrapTankBrewery.com

On Tap: Three on the Tree’ Hoppy Lager Collaboration with Proximity Malt and Roy Farms Hops.

Stratford Proper 1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com

On Tap: Yacht Rock Juice BoxJuicy IPA

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com

On Tap: Oktoberfest Märzen Lager

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Witches Brew

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com

On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com

On Tap: Golden Grant 5% ABV.

Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Wasatch Brewery 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/wasatch

On Tap: Wasatch Pumpkin Ale Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

BEER NERD

Yeast Meets West

Two IPAs that are not taking sides

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

If you’re an IPA lover, you likely belong to one of two camps: West Coast Style or New England Style. The West Coast styles are generally clear, more malty, with pronounced citrus and pine bitterness; the New England style tends to be cloudy with low bitterness and sweet tropical flavors. Our beers this week, however, don’t care about the war between east and west. They’re playing it neutral, and bringing the best of both worlds into your pint.

Desert Edge - The Haze Between: It pours a beautifully clear, deep goldenamber hue, topped with two fingers of creamy off-white head with fair retention. A short collar of lace is formed as the head recedes, and some lazy streaming bubbles are visible—very much a Desert Edge beer out of the gate. Pale grainy malt and just a touch of caramel sweetness supports big hoppy aromas of white grapefruit, Meyer lemon, tangerine and fresh grass.

Malts begin with some clean grainy and slightly sweet caramel notes, which serve their purpose to support resinous hops. Notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pine, dank hop oils, a bit of grassy/leafy whole cone hop, and a touch of melon/ earthiness emerge Getting into the finish, the fruity parts subside, and this beer gets pithy and piney. The beer is medium to light in body, and isn’t sticky, sweet, cloying, thick or syrupy by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a clean, crisp base, but both the 5.0 percent ABV and the medium bitter punch lend the perception of weight, allowing this ale

to be super chuggable. Not a chugger? Then it’s not a problem. Great effervescence, and natural pithy, dry finish.

Verdict: This is the kind of the beer I wanted this session IPA to be. It’s a really lovely brew, melding together classic old-school malt structure with oldschool hops, and then both boiling the hell out of it for big bitter resins, while using modern hopping methods to coax out some more fragrant, fruity notes. It’s just fantastic.

Uinta - Trop Nosh XXXperimental IPA: This is a hazy double-IPA that is nowhere near as turbid as some of the murky bombs you’ll find out there. Instead, it’s only slightly cloudy, to the extent that you can nearly read through it. Solid head production and retention. On the nose, it’s difficult to tell where the hop expression ends and the orange begins—but in a good way. Very complementary notes of citrus and pineapple pair with peach and mango. It’s quite fragrant, as the aromas were very prominent even as I poured the beer into my glass.

This one proves more bitter than most in the “hazy” crowd, but dialed back perhaps a touch from the Hop Nosh series. It also lacks some of the soft malt sweetness of Uinta’s other IPAs, but this beer, while very good in its own right, isn’t nearly as nuanced and delicious. There’s a nice, slightly tangy sharpness from the natural-tasting orange notes, and lighter tropical and stonefruit notes adding to the citrus-forward mix. It’s supremely drinkable, given the 9.0 percent ABV, but it does drink much closer to a “hazy” IPA than it does a West Coast-style IPA.

Verdict: This is a delicious beer, and very refreshing despite the monster ABV. It’s one of Uinta’s easiest drinking Double IPAs, one that will likely please both sides of the aisle.

You’ll find Uinta’s Trop Nosh in 16-ounce cans, which should be making their way into DABS stores very soon.

The Haze Between is only on draft at Desert Edge in Trolley Square. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

MIKE RIEDEL

the Old world flavor in the heart of Salt Lake

Save the Cups Fundraiser at Swig

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and all Swig locations (swigdrinks.com) are hosting the soda shop’s fourth annual Save the Cups fundraiser in solidarity. Over the course of the fundraiser’s first three years, Swig has managed to raise over $500,000 for those contending with breast cancer. The event is close to Swig founder Nicole Tanner’s heart, as she herself struggled with breast cancer in 2009. She received much-needed financial help during her struggle, and the Save the Cups fundraiser is her way of helping those also in need. Anyone interested in participating need only visit a Swig to purchase any fundraiser-featured items, or donate money onsite.

Ghost of Gibson at Grand America

The hospitality team at the Grand America Hotel (555 S. Main Street, grandamerica.com) has transformed the cozy Gibson Lounge into an old-school haunted speakeasy for the month of October. The pastel chic and throwback decor at Gibson always evokes a sense of romantic nostalgia, but having the place decked out with faux cobwebs and black lace creates just the right vibe for spooky season. The kitchen is serving signature dishes like Monster Meatballs, Rigaboney, while the bar presents drinks such as the tequila-and-activated-charcoal cocktail known as the Gravedigger. Whether you just want to pop in for a pre-Halloween party cocktail or make an evening out of your visit, the Gibson Lounge is conjuring a spooky good time.

Fall Harvest Dinner at Mar Muntanya

BACK BURNER Sehr Gut!

For a less spooky but equally tasty night out, Chef Tyson Peterson of Mar Muntanya (170 S. West Temple, mar-muntanya.com) will be hosting a Fall Harvest Dinner as a third installment of his Supper Series this weekend. The inspiration for this upcoming menu comes from the mountain ranges of Catalonia and Northern Spain’s Basque cuisine. Chef Peterson is always fond of sourcing ingredients locally, and this event will feature plenty of local flavor. Attendees can either dine in the lush confines of the indoor restaurant space, or reserve one of Mar Muntanya’s outdoor dining globes that offer excellent views of downtown SLC. The Fall Harvest Dinner will take place on Oct. 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Quote of the Week: “A good restaurant is like a vacation—it becomes a lot more than just about the food.” –Philip Rosenthal

Music Mailbag October 2023

New music from Soultown Revivalists, Simba Sax, The Gontiks, Scott Lippitt and Stella Standingbear

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

Soultown Revivalists, “Love Has a Way”: Soultown Revivalists made their memorable debut earlier this summer with a larger-than-life sound. The R&B/neo-soul group just released the third single from their forthcoming debut album Burning Daylight—and man, is “Love Has a Way” a good one. It’s a soft, slow yet cheerful tune that still has the smoothness of the other tracks, but lets you take it in more gradually. If you don’t consider yourself a fan of R&B or soul, or haven’t heard much, this is a great introduction—especially if you’re interested in supporting local talent. The song will have you believing in love again if you’re jaded, or maybe start to believe in it if you didn’t before. It has the smooth soul feeling as mentioned before, but the production is so well done that it adds an extra layer to that buttery feeling. Three down and many more to go until we hear the rest of Soultown Revivalists’ new album, but we’ll have to be patient until then. “Love Has a Way” is streaming everywhere now.

Simba Sax, self-titled debut: “As a lover of both electronic and live music, I wanted to create a familiar yet fresh sonic experience for the listener,” Simba Sax, AKA Evan Flemming, said about their new album. “Punchy drums, deep bass lines and syncopated grooves set the album’s foundations, while organic melodies and instruments provide a unique respite from the current landscape of the tech-house dominated club scene. Music has the power to awaken our imagination and it’s

my hope that these songs act as a vehicle to experience a world from within your headphones.” I recently stated that I didn’t realize how much more saxophone I needed in my life, and that sentiment is further confirmed after listening to Simba Sax’s new album. It’s not just the sax, though; Flemming’s unique brand of “exotic-electronic” is so addicting and impossible to hold still while listening to. It incorporates so many interesting sounds and technical skills that you’ll want to dive in and get lost in the album for days. This sophisticated take on electronic music is great for already fans of the genre, or those wanting to branch out. This album is a must-add to your collection. Simba Sax is streaming everywhere now.

The Gontiks, “Today, Tonight,” “Afraid”: These two new singles from locals The Gontiks are an indie rock fan’s dream. The band always creates a dreamy, melodic journey with their music, but these new releases in particular are some of their best work yet. They’re releasing two new singles on Friday, Oct 13, and they’re a must-listen for fans of good old-fashioned indie rock. You get electric guitar that’s not too crunchy but still has great effects, along with echoey vocals and mellow drums. “Today, Tonight” has these elements, and it’s a song peaceful enough that you could drift off to sleep to, or even cranked up driving down the freeway having a main character moment. “Afraid” takes a more high-energy approach, meant for dancing and playing air guitar. If you lean more towards heavier rock, this is a track for you. You get louder and heavier guitar effects here, but also some delightful electronic elements that will catch your attention. Neither of these new songs will leave you feeling like you’re listening to just any old indie band—you know you’re listening to The Gontiks. “Today, Tonight” and “Afraid” will be streaming everywhere Oct 13.

Scott Lippitt, “Scene-By-Scene”: Autum brings many delicious treats: pumpkin spice, apple cider, cookies and new singles from indie-pop artist Scott Lippitt. Well, perhaps not every autumn in the latter cae, but as we settle into cool weather and spooky season, Lippitt gives

us a new single to snack on. ‘“Scene-byScene’ takes listeners into an introspective yet catchy world of synths, drum machines, soft vocals and comfortable pillows of acoustic guitar panned in each ear,” according to the singer/songwriter. “Reminiscent of an impossible but wouldbe-awesome Beach House x Elliott Smith collab, this song strikes a warm chord.” Like a tasty treat, the latest single from Lippitt is a great comfort. He has a soft and gentle voice that never gets old, plus he incorporates electronic elements with acoustic instruments in a way that feels fresh, but still has warmth, like hugging a good friend. “Ever since Beach House released Bloom in 2012, I’ve been so attracted to arpeggiated, soft, and reverby synths,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve explored creating those sounds for myself.” “Scene-By-Scene” is streaming everywhere now.

Stella Standingbear, Crossing Over: Altrap extraordinaire Stelling Standingbear is back with a brand-new EP featuring six

fresh and original tracks. 2023 has been a busy and productive period for Standingbear, this being her second EP this year. If you’re a fan of rap/hip-hop, Crossing Over is mandatory listening. I am by no means an authority on these genres, but it doesn’t take an expert to know that what Standingbear is doing is excellent. Originally from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Standingbear now resides in SLC where she shares her powerful and uplifting messages that resonate deeply with audiences. Her growing influence is sure to grow even larger with this new EP— considering its off-the-charts production, beautiful vocals and strong lyrics, you’ll wonder why you didn’t give her a listen sooner. From the high-energy, bass-heavy beats of “Too Fly” to the moody, alternative vibes of “I Don’t Mind,” the EP promises a captivating musical journey that explores varying emotions and experiences. The EP is a testament to her artistic prowess and her ability to connect with audiences on a profound level. Give Crossing Over a listen—you won’t regret it. CW

Stella Standingbear DALTON BUCKMAN

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS DJ FRESH(NESS)

SATURDAYS

POKER @ 2PM DJ DELMAGGIO

SHARK SUNDAYS POOL TOURNEY HOSTED BY JARED AND TANNER

MONDAYS

REGGAE MONDAY WITH DJ NAPO

WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE

TUESDAYS

By Emilee Atkinson

Arsenic Addiction, Seeking Tragedy, Sacrelegion @ Urban Lounge 10/12

Nothing quite goes with fall more than metal music. Well, lots of things go with fall, but let’s roll with this. If you’re a fan of goth/black metal, and you haven’t heard of locals Arsenic Addiction, you’ll want to remedy that immediately. If you’re a fan of bands like Cradle of Filth, Behemoth, In This Moment or Arch Enemy, you’re going to thoroughly enjoy Arsenic Addiction. Their 2019 release XIX is an epic, heavy and spooky journey that feels fresh each time you listen to it. You’ll encounter ripping guitar solos, loud vocals and witchy vibes propelling you into a beautifully crafted metal world. “This album is the longest we’ve spent writing and recording any one album, as we decided to focus on its quality rather than putting out an album for the release of an album’s sake. Five years of hard work, late nights, band lineup changes and dedication,” the band said of XIX. “We think that people who have been our fans since the beginning will see the massive growth we have accomplished as a band. We think some fans will love and appreciate this growth while others may see it as too much of a departure from our previous albums. We are okay with both as we will continue to grow and evolve in a way that is fitting for who we are now and not who or what we were.” Catch Arsenic Addiction with Seeking Tragedy and Sacrelegion on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $10, and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Wasting

By Emilee Atkinson

LSDREAM @ The Great Saltair 10/13

A live set from LSDREAM is genuinely a healing experience. Not only is it an explorative, psychedelic audio and visual adventure, but it is also a safe space for self-love no matter where you are on your personal journey. The producer of LSDREAM, Sami Diament, was previously a heavy trap producer known as Brillz. However, in 2018, he announced a new project to create more trippy and liquid bass music. It was at a time that he was struggling with sobriety and mental health issues, and this new project gave fans an insight into his soul-searching journey. Listeners of LSDREAM are asked to question the nature of their reality and invited to reconnect with their authentic selves. His best-known song, “HIGH VIBRATIONS,” includes the lyrics, “Imagination, Exploration, Inspiration, Elevation, Infocation / Affirmation, Destination, Transmutation / Revelation, Devastation, Simulation, Termination / Activation, Illumination. I radiate with a high vibration.” These simple, yet powerful lyrical messages are accompanied by wobbling bass tones, hip-hop beats and spacey synths that bring the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions. Diament’s heart and soul make him stand out as a performer, as he prioritizes the community of fans and brings inclusion and acceptance to all. Check out LSDREAM’s “The Radical Audio Visual Experience Tour,” and expect profound introspection and inner exploration while in the company of a fun-loving community. LSDREAM performs at The Great Saltair on Friday, Oct. 13. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 at v2presents.com. (Arica Roberts)

Polyphia / DOMi & JD Beck @ The Complex 10/13

Prog is a fairly open-ended genre. If I were creating a kind of mindmap of “progressive rock” you’d find Yes, Genesis and King Crimson dead center, while stuff like Rush, Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream would be their own nodes leading in different directions. When it comes to the Plano, Texas genre-fluid instrumental act Polyphia … well, there really isn’t anyone else quite like them at all. “We’ve always been an outlier, and I definitely thought of it as a negative,” guitarist Scott LePage told Kerrang! in May. “For years, I was like, ‘Man, this is gonna fuck with us for a long time.’ But I didn’t want to start writing shit that fit anyone else’s type of style.” Polyphia comes with a style that falls somewhere between blistering fast guitar hero virtuoso and bass-heavy trap. The live outing is nothing short of master class. The keyboard and drum duo DOMi and JD BECK dropped their debut album Not Tight in 2022 on Blue Note Records. Now, the pair of gifted jazz musicians seem well on their way to becoming a household name. The songs on the LP are strong and memorable, and the entire opus flows from beginning to end. After a few listens of Not Tight, I attributed the “dry” sound as sort of a wink to the Rudy Van Gelder dead room sound of other classic Blue Note records. If this is how future jazz sounds like, count me in. Catch these acts at the Complex on Friday, Oct. 13. Doors at 7 p.m.; show at 8 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $37 and can be found here thecomplexslc.com (Mark Dago)

Headbangers Ball @ UAA Community Art Garden 10/13

Spooky season is in full effect, and what better way to celebrate than going to the Headbangers Ball. Come out and hang with like-minded party people, mashing to a gang of sounds that wouldn’t be allowed within a thousand feet of a radio station. The DIY punk/hardcore/crust/what-have-you is still keeping it real enough and there is a total of no less than six live acts on this bill. Let’s break down the artists playing: GRGL comes loud, distorted and slow, covered in chlorine, arsenic and COVID. Their squealing feedback should give way to the band’s propulsive riffing—this is the sound of the future. Mortigi Tempo rocks a beautifully, haunting noise that fits into the fastcore genre, with solos that have a veneer of psych and post rock. Social Stigma brings the SLC hardcore with some tasty metal riffs and punchy double bass drum. Mauled is a classic death metal band heavily influenced by Decide and Slayer with a home base modern twist. Sutures are a mix of modern skramz and midwest emo with harder vocals—they’re blisteringly angry, immediate and have something of import to say. And of course, the out-of-towners, Lilith, will blow your skull back. In addition to the musical performances, the event will host vendors, food trucks and a costume party as well. Catch these acts on Friday, Oct 13. Doors at 6 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 and can be found at eventbrite.com.

(Mark Dago)

MUSIC PICK S

Molly Burch @ Kilby Court 10/18

With nods to Kate Bush and sounds that evoke everything from ABBA and Ariana Grande, you never know what you’re going to get with Molly Burch’s music. Throw in a hefty amount of indie rock, and you’re in for a good time. You can find any of the sounds listed above in Burch’s music. Thanks to the steady growth and change since her debut in 2016, you can’t always know what you’re getting yourself into with her new albums—and that’s great. In her 2021 album Romantic Images, you can hear Burch’s love for pop shining through. Her most recent release, Daydreamer, carries on with the pop sound, but draws on feelings of change and nostalgia, adding a more serious element to the music. “I decided, through songwriting, to look back at formative life moments, to connect with the reasons why I’ve dedicated my life to music and also try to heal old and still open wounds,” Burch told UPROXX in September. “This album is dedicated not only to my 13-year-old self, but the 13-year-old selves that still linger within all of us.” Nostalgia plays into the album with how Burch has crafted the lyrics, and how she looks into her own past as she’s grown into an adult. On another level, the album has strong ’80s vibes that will scratch your itch for something that sounds familiar, but will freshen up your music collection. Catch Molly Burch at Kilby Court Wednesday, Oct 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $18 in advance and $20 day of. Grab tickets at 24tix.com. (EA)

Polyphia Molly Burch

By Emilee Atkinson

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

The Indigenous Semai people of Malaysia have an unusual taboo. They try hard not to cause unhappiness in others. This makes them reluctant to impose their wishes on anyone. Even parents hesitate to force their children to do things. I recommend you experiment with this practice. Now is an excellent time to refine your effect on people to be as benevolent and welcoming as possible. Don’t worry—you won’t have to be this kind and sweet forever. But doing so temporarily could generate timely enhancements in your relationship life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Taurus author Shakespeare reshaped the English language. He coined hundreds of words and revised the meanings of hundreds more. Idioms like “green-eyed monster” and “milk of human kindness” originated with him. But the Bard also created some innovations that didn’t last. “Recover the wind” appeared in Hamlet but never came into wide use. Other failures include, “Would you take eggs for money?” and “from smoke to smother.” Still, Shakespeare’s final tally of enduring neologisms is impressive. With this vignette, I’m inviting you to celebrate how many more successes than flops you have had. The time is right for realistic self-praise.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

I hope beauty will be your priority in the coming weeks. I hope you will seek it, celebrate it and commune with it adoringly. To assist, I offer five gems: 1. “Whatever you love is beautiful; love comes first, beauty follows. The greater your capacity for love, the more beauty you find in the world.”—Jane Smiley. 2. “The world is incomprehensibly beautiful—an endless prospect of magic and wonder.”—Ansel Adams. 3. “A beautiful thing is never perfect.”—Egyptian proverb. 4. “You can make the world beautiful just by refusing to lie about it.”—Iain S. Thomas. 5. “Beauty isn’t a special inserted sort of thing. It is just life, pure life, life nascent, running clear and strong.”—H. G. Wells.

CANCER (June 21-July

22)

I read a review that described a certain movie as having “a soft, tenuous incandescence—like fog lit by the glow of fireflies.” That sounds like who you are these days, Cancerian. You’re mysterious yet luminous; hard to decipher but overflowing with life energy; fuzzy around the edges but radiating warmth and well-being. I encourage you to remain faithful to this assignment for now. It’s not a state you will inhabit forever, but it’s what’s needed and true for the foreseeable future.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

The work of Leo author Thomas de Quincey fills 14 volumes. He inspired writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, Nikolai Gogol and Jorge Luis Borges. Yet he also ingested opium for 54 years and was often addicted. Cultural historian Mike Jay says de Quincey was not self-medicating or escaping reality, but rather keen on “exploring the hidden recesses of his mind.” He used it to dwell in states of awareness that were otherwise unattainable. I don’t encourage you to take drugs or follow de Quincey’s path, Leo. But I believe the time is right to explore the hidden recesses of your mind via other means. Like what? Working with your nightly dreams? Meditating your ass off? Having soul-altering sex with someone who wants to explore hidden recesses, too? Any others?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Virgo journalist H. L Mencken said, “The average person doesn’t want to be free. He wants to be safe.” There’s some truth in that, but I believe it will be irrelevant for you in the coming months. According to my analysis, you can be both safer and freer than you’ve been in a long time. I hope you take full advantage! Brainstorm about unexpected feats you might be able to accomplish during this state of grace.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Libran philosopher and writer Michel Foucalt aspired to open up his readers’ minds with novel ideas. He said his task was to make windows where there had been walls. I’d like to borrow

his approach for your use in the coming weeks. It might be the most fun to demolish the walls that are subdividing your world and keeping you preventing free and easy interchange. But I suspect that’s unrealistic. What’s more likely is partial success: creating windows in the walls.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

More and more older people are transitioning to different genders. An article in The Guardian (tinyurl.com/GenderMeaning) describes how Bethan Henshaw, a warehouse worker, transitioned to female at age 57. Ramses Underhill-Smith became a man in his 40s. With this as your starting point, I invite you to re-evaluate your personal meanings of gender. Please note I’m not implying you should change your designation. Astrological omens simply suggest that you will benefit from expanding your ideas. Here’s Scorpio singer Sophie B. Hawkins, a mother who says she is omnisexual: “My sexuality stems from an emotional connection to someone’s soul. You don’t have to make a gender choice and stick with it.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.

21)

Sagittarian author Mark Twain said that in urgent or trying circumstances, uttering profanities “furnishes a relief denied even to prayer.” I will add that these magic words can be downright catalytic and healing—especially for you right now. Here are situations in which swearing could be therapeutic in the coming weeks: 1. when people take themselves too seriously; 2.when you need to escape feelings of powerlessness; 3. when know-it-alls are trying to limit the range of what can be said; 4. when people seem frozen or stunned and don’t know what to do next. In all these cases, well-placed expletives could provide necessary jolts to shift the stuck energy. (PS: Have fun using other surprises, ploys and twists to shake things up for a good cause.)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

In Roman mythology, Venus was goddess of love, desire and beauty. Yet modern science tells us the planet Venus is blanketed with sulfuric acid clouds, has a surface temperature of 867 degrees Fahrenheit and is covered with 85,000 volcanoes. Why are the two Venuses out of sync? Here’s a clue, courtesy of occultist Dion Fortune. She said the goddess Venus is often a disturbing influence in the world, diverting us from life’s serious business. I can personally attest to the ways that my affinity for love, desire and beauty have distracted me from becoming a hard-driving billionaire tech entrepreneur. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. How about you, Capricorn? I predict that the goddess version of Venus will be extra active in your life during the coming months.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Thousands of heirloom food species are privately owned and hoarded. They once belonged to Indigenous people but haven’t been grown for decades. Descendants of their original owners are trying to get them back and grow them again—a process they call rematriation—but they meet resistance from companies and governmental agencies that commandeered the seeds. There has been some progress, though. The Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin has recovered some of its ancestral corn, beans and squash. Now would be a good time for you Aquarians to launch your own version of rematriation: reclaiming what was originally yours and that truly belongs to you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

I like Piscean poet Jane Hirshfield’s understanding of what “lies at the core of ritual.” She says it’s “the entrance into a mystery that can be touched but not possessed.” My wish for you right now, Pisces, is that you will experience mysteries that can be touched but not possessed. To do so will give you direct access to prime riddles at the heart of your destiny. You will commune with sublime conundrums that rouse deep feelings and rich insights, none of which are fully explicable by your logical mind. Please consider performing a homemade sacred ritual or two.

Translator (Lehi, UT)

Translate from English to Portuguese and Portuguese to English. High School Diploma or equivalent required. Must be fluent in English and Portuguese. Mail resume to U of You, Attn: HR, 835 W. Charlotte St., Lehi, Utah, 84043

Data Engineer (DE-SK) in Midvale, UT (Telecommuting permitted from anywhere in U.S.) Resp for definition, dvlpmt & testing of processes & programs to extract data from operational db/files & deliver to desired target envir. MS+2 yrs rltd exp or BS followed by 5 yrs prog rltd exp. Send resumes to Zions Bancorporation at ZionsCareers@zionsbancorp. com. Must reference job title & code in subject line.

pioneer with the hit “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)”

38. Done, in Dijon

39. Cause a social media storm ... or a direction to black squares in four areas of this puzzle?

42. Skedaddles

43. Zigs or zags

44. Taurus, Virgo, Libra, etc.

45. Site for trivia night

46. Shabu-shabu noodle, often

47. ____-free water bottle

48. Liqueur in an Alabama Slammer

50. Bird with a forked tail

52. “... need I go on?” abbr.

55. Cause of great annoyance

56. Whiz

57. Bad way to go

58. Summer ____

61. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” codirector

63. Eva Perón’s maiden name

64. 68-Across, to fans

65. Put one’s John Hancock on

66. Possible candidate for a Razzie Award

67. W-2 collector

68. A 2022 World Cup photo of him set a record for most likes ever on Instagram

1. Deer friend of Thumper

2. Labor organizer’s group

3. Wrap up by

Are You Thriving?

You might have heard the term “thriving in place” as of late when it comes to Salt Lake City. What does it mean, and how does it impact you and me?

To do a deep dive, skip ahead and visit thrivinginplaceslc.org, and you can get the 411 on how the Salt Lake City Council and citizens are attempting to analyze and understand gentrification and displacement in various neighborhoods. The goal is to create a plan of action just as many other cities in the country experiencing similar housing affordability issues are attempting to do as well.

4. Type of salamander

5. “____ live and breathe!”

6. Like some breakfast cereals

7. “Easy on Me” singer, 2021

8. Supporting

9. Place where people lived in “How the Other Half Lives”

10. Purchase at a real estate auction, perhaps

11. Cornerstone abbr.

12. Rum ____ Tugger (cat from “Cats”)

13. “Odds ____ ... “

14. “The tongue of the soul,” per Cervantes

19. Adopted son of Claudius

23. Oktoberfest containers

25. “Black Panther” villain Killmonger 27. Choosing from a lineup 28. Tablecloth fabric 29. Ramps up or down?

46. Lorre’s “Casablanca” character

47. “La ____” (NBC drama series)

49. Critic who finished his final blog post with “I’ll see you at the movies”

50. ____ Tots

51. Reverberations

52. Furry C-3PO worshipers

53. Their bark is silent

54. “Kinky Boots” lyricist Lauper

57. Juvenile outburst?

58. Suffix with fluor-

59. ____ Lock (PC key)

60. Confucian “way”

61. Inventor Whitney

62. Logic game with matchsticks

Last week’s answers

City officials have worked in phases. Phase 1 included learning from constituents about their experiences of gentrification and displacement, documenting community assets such as cultural resources and special places, and identifying people, groups and organizations that contribute to the area. Phase 2 involved taking the data and working up priorities and potential actions for addressing things like displacement, and creating long-term solutions that can help residents and communities remain in place.

What has been learned thus far? The obvious: When growth happens and new development doesn’t keep pace with demand, housing prices go up, and renters and homebuyers can’t afford to live where they had called home. Buildings are torn down, and large apartment complexes go up in their place with rents double or triple what lessees had been paying before.

When people are forced to move out of their neighborhoods, the result can be cultural displacement. Lower income households are often immigrants and people of color, and when developers bring in new homes, it’s mostly white people who can afford to rent or buy. Small businesses like salons and bodegas disappear, and multinational corporations like Starbucks move in.

SUDOKU X

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers

1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

The studies here so far have found displacement in SLC is significant and getting worse. There are no longer any “affordable” neighborhoods where lower-income families can move once displaced. We have too few housing units overall, especially those geared for low-income families. Over half of our renter households are spending more than 30% of their income on housing.

Salt Lake City is learning that there are no magic fixes, no matter what the mayor touts in her reelection speeches. We can learn from cities like Portland, Oregon, which operates a Rental Services Office that provides training for landlords and help and resources for tenants. Salt Lake City could have a center of its own by 2024.

To advance the priority of helping lower-income renters build equity, the city is considering a partnership with Utah’s Perpetual Housing Fund and has proposed investing $10 million to help capitalize their work in support of renters. I encourage readers to visit the Thriving in Place website and read the 69-page report of what’s happened and what’s planned, because this affects all of us in the city and state. n

Low-Speed Chase

Los Angeles Police Department cruisers were dispatched in pursuit of a fleeing suspect wanted for assault with a deadly weapon on the evening of Sept. 24. But rather than the typical high-speed chase through bustling L.A. streets, officers found themselves following a shirtless and shoeless man in a stolen golf cart, with a dog on his lap. KCAL News reported that the low-speed chase began around 9:10 p.m. and went on for much longer than expected, due to the ineffectiveness of spike strips the police laid out in several failed attempts to slow the suspect down. The chase topped out around 19 mph before the suspect pulled into a parking lot around 9:45 p.m. and abandoned the cart, though he continued to carry the pooch. In short order, the barefoot suspect dropped the dog and was detained by police. The man was treated for unknown injuries; his unwitting canine accomplice was returned unharmed to the suspect’s family.

Choking Hazard

Everyone knows the dangers associated with texting while driving, but a man in Henderson, Kentucky, recently served as a reminder that eating while driving can be hazardous as well. WLKY News in Louisville reported that the unnamed driver pulled out of a McDonald’s drive-thru after receiving his order and almost immediately began choking on a french fry. The passenger in the car attempted to offer assistance, but the driver lost consciousness and the car crashed into an Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The passenger and driver were taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. As for the risks of eating on the run, witness Patricia Grossman told WLKY, “I do it, and I’m sure a lot of people do. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about, but now will definitely think about it more.”

Sign of the Times

An electronic construction sign in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas, offered the opposite of helpful advice to passersby when it was hacked on Sept. 25, reported KTRK-TV. “Due to weather,” the first message, was harmless enough, but it was followed immediately by “Go ---- yourself.”

A city inspector was able to turn the sign off; representatives for Houston Public Works said their department does not operate the sign, and city officials have been unable to find the sign’s owner.

Let It Go

If you’re dealing in illegal drugs, it seems likely that cops are the last people you would want to see. But Eric Thomas, 33, actually called for police assistance on Sept. 22 in Largo, Florida—where, mind you, it is illegal to possess marijuana with intent to sell. When officers arrived, Thomas “stated he was selling marijuana, and someone stole $10 from him while (he was) attempting to sell it.” The Smoking Gun reported that the cops were inclined to believe Thomas’ story, because he was holding 11 baggies of marijuana, totaling 40 grams, as he told it. Thomas, who has been convicted of marijuana, cocaine and battery counts in the last year, was charged with two drug felonies and booked to the county jail. The thief who stole Thomas’ $10 apparently remains at large.

Next Time, Borrow a Dollar

Tacos are arguably the most delicious and convenient fastfood item in existence, but stealing one at gunpoint is, and always will be, a crime. On Sept. 8, Antonio Murray Jr., 19, approached an employee at Lilly’s Panaderia in St. Louis, Missouri, pointed a gun and demanded the taco the employee was in the process of making. The employee handed over the taco, and Murray left without paying. KSDK-5 reported that police located Murray nearby, and that when confronted, he informed them he was carrying a BB gun in his waistband. Murray admitted to the incident and has been charged with one count of first-degree robbery.

Later, Gator

Take me out to the ballgame, but leave your alligator at home. The AP reported that Philadelphia Phillies fan Joie Henney of Jonestown, Pennsylvania, was turned away from Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 27 when he tried to enter with WallyGator, his emotional support alligator. Henney has owned WallyGator for several years—legally, it should be noted—and the reptile really is certified as a support animal. Henney has taken his leathery friend to schools and camps for educational presen-

tations, according to a 2022 Washington Post story about the gator. He even visits a local nursing home in his red “support animal” vest. But the Phillies game seems to have been a bridge too far. The stadium’s policy on support animals states, “Guide dogs, service animals, or service animals in training are welcome. All other animals are prohibited.” Sorry, Wally. We’ll save you some peanuts and Cracker Jack.

99 Bottles of Rum in the Wall ...

Calling Capt. Jack Sparrow, and all other rum-loving scallywags: If you ever give up on a life at sea, this might be the place for you. MSN reported that Cathy and Roy Aukamp were still settling into their newly purchased New Jersey house when a massive rainstorm hit, flooding the finished basement. When the couple began removing the damaged sheetrock, another flood began: this time, of empty Captain Morgan rum bottles. In a viral video of the discovery, Roy scoops up dozens of the bottles while Cathy is heard laughing and saying, “Thirsty? It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!” Interestingly, the previous homeowner saw the clip and got in touch with the Aukamps. “The person who did it ... said there are hundreds more” bottles in the walls, Cathy said. “But also that he is now three years sober.”

Unexpected Diversion

Flamingos have landed in Wisconsin—the first recorded sighting in state history, according to WISN-ABC. Five of the tropical birds were recently spotted on Lake Michigan, understandably drawing the attention of hundreds of people in the decidedly untropical region. Jerry Lorenz, Ph.D., an expert with Audubon Florida, speculated that the flamingos were flying between Cuba and the Yucatan, but were diverted by Hurricane Idalia in late August. (Another theory: They’re Packers fans.) Lorenz encouraged the locals to “enjoy their presence” but give the flamingos plenty of space: “These birds are stressed right now. They just went through a terrible ordeal, no matter how you look at it.” Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources said there are currently no rescue plans in the works, and that the flamingos’ instincts would prompt them to head south again when temperatures drop.

Dude, Where’s My Cud?

Sometimes humans consume special brownies. And apparently, sometimes sheep consume special grass. NPR reported that a herd of sheep seeking refuge from recent storms in Magnesia, Greece, found shelter in a greenhouse and, naturally, began munching on the grass they encountered there. Unfortunately, the “grass” turned out to be almost 600 pounds’ worth of medical marijuana. Farm owner Yannis Bourounis told a local radio producer that the sheep were “jumping higher than goats,” which apparently “never happens.”

Roll Up Your Sleeves

What would you do if you tried to check in at a hotel and no employees were to be found? A trio of friends found themselves in such a predicament at a Nashville La Quinta Inn & Suites after a night out, so they just ... managed the hotel for several hours on their own. They greeted customers, took phone calls and even served breakfast to guests. “So, instantly we’re like manager mode. We run businesses back home,” one of the friends explained. “Manager mode kicks in, alright, let’s see what we can do.” A manager eventually arrived and gave the trio a room key so they could finally check in, but upon entering the room, they found it occupied by a woman in the buff. Exasperated, they reached out to a different hotel and were awarded three suites and a free breakfast.

Made You Look

Attention, ghost hunters! WCVB-5 in Boston reports that a Millsbury, Massachusetts, funeral home recently went up for sale, with a yard sign reading “Probably Haunted.” Real estate agent Erika Kristal Eucker added the warning (or is it a selling point?) to the property’s “For Sale” sign and pointed to the building’s age—it was built sometime around 1850, or nearly 175 years ago—as justification. “Not sure if it truly is haunted, but given the age, I suppose it’s a possibility,” Eucker said. Built in the Greek Revival style, the funeral home was originally a residence before being converted to its more morbid purpose. Last sold in 2001 for a mere $100, the property’s value stands at $514,000 today.

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