City Weekly November 30, 2023 by Copperfield Publishing

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Salt and Water

While the Great Salt Lake dries up in the West, New Orleans faces its own saline crisis in the South. BY THOMAS CRONE

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CONTENTS Cover Story

SALT AND WATER While the Great Salt Lake dries up in the West, New Orleans faces its own saline crisis in the South. By Thomas Crone

Cover design by Derek Carlisle

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OPINION A&E NEWS CW REWIND DINE CINEMA MUSIC COMMUNITY

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SLC FORECAST Thursday 30 40°/30° Cloudy Precipitation: 8%

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SOURCE: WEATHER.COM Saturday 2 37°/39° Snow Precipitation: 58%

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Tuesday 5 45°/33° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 10%

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STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS News Editor BENJAMIN WOOD Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Contributing Editor JERRE WROBLE Music Editor EMILEE ATKINSON Listings Desk WES LONG Executive Editor and Founder JOHN SALTAS

Editorial Contributors KATHARINE BIELE, ROB BREZSNY, KEITH BURNS, BRANDI CHRISTOFFERSON, THOMAS CRONE, MARK DAGO, BILL FROST, MIKE RIEDEL, ARICA ROBERTS, ALEX SPRINGER, LEE ZIMMERMAN Art Director DEREK CARLISLE Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES, CHELSEA NEIDER

Circulation Manager ERIC GRANATO Associate Business Manager PAULA SALTAS Technical Director BRYAN MANNOS Developer BRYAN BALE Senior Account Executive DOUG KRUITHOF Account Executives KELLY BOYCE, KAYLA DREHER Display Advertising 801-654-1393 National Advertising VMG Advertising | 888-278-9866

Salt Lake City Weekly is published every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. We are an independent publication dedicated to alternative news and news sources, that also serves as a comprehensive entertainment guide. 15,000 copies of Salt Lake City Weekly are available free of charge at more than 1,800 locations along the Wasatch Front. Limit one copy per reader. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased for $1 (Best of Utah and other special issues, $5) payable to Salt Lake City Weekly in advance. No person, without expressed permission of Copperfield Publishing Inc., may take more than one copy of any Salt Lake City Weekly issue. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Third-class postage paid at Midvale, UT. Delivery might take up to one full week. All rights reserved.

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X Marks the Spot

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On November 20, X Corp.—the corporate entity through which Elon Musk owns X, formerly known as Twitter—filed suit against Media Matters for America, which styles itself a “progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.” At issue is a recent Media Matters expose claiming that X—contrary to CEO Linda Yaccarino’s promise that advertisers are “protected from the risk” of

having their ads placed next to unsavory content—has been running ads next to “pro-Nazi” posts. In the wake of the Media Matters piece, a number of big players—including IBM, Apple and Disney—decided to pull their advertising off the platform. Musk calls the whole episode a “fraudulent attack” on X. The ads in question do, in fact, appear next to the content in question in the screenshots that Media Matters published. But Musk claims Media Matters engineered a highly atypical “user experience” by reloading posts on X hundreds of times—posts that otherwise had nearly no views or reposts (what used to be called “retweets”)—until they finally saw the pairing of ads and content that they wanted to take those screenshots of. Is that fraud, or is it just exploiting a convenient algorithmic weakness to produce a technically true/valid result? I’m personally more interested in the advertiser response than in the answer to that media question, because it raises different questions:

What is advertising for? Is the purpose of advertising changing? And if so, is that a good thing or a bad thing? At least until recently, the purpose of advertising was to sell the advertisers’ products and services, either directly and one-off (“buy this pair of shoes”) or longterm by inculcating “brand consciousness” in viewers (“when you think of shoes, think of us”). Now, it seems to have become “avoid, at all costs, having it noticed that our ads appear near content that pisses people off.” Those advertising purposes seem incompatible to me. I cannot bring myself to believe that Apple really, truly, deeply cares whether the person who purchases a new MacBook Air—or that Disney gives a flying flip whether someone who uses that laptop to stream Avengers: Endame—is a Republican, Democrat, Nazi, mail carrier, stamp collector or Rotarian. Their money all spends the same. From the consumer point of view, when I check out at the grocery store, I have no idea—and can’t be bothered to care—

whether the cashier or assistant manager might be a devil-worshiper, wine aficionado, pedophile, NASCAR fan or Trump voter. I was there to get my groceries. I got my groceries. End of story. Why would I care one way or another whether the laptop or streaming service I’m seeing advertised is also being advertised to those other people? Yes, such “brand associations” can be weaponized (to use a current buzzword) to power boycotts/buycotts among people with too much time on their hands and too few real worries. But should advertisers play the game of attempting to appease that approach? That seems like poor long-term business decision-making. THOMAS L. KNAPP

The William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism Care to sound off on a feature in our pages or about a local concern? Write to comments@ cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media. We want to hear from you!

THE WATER

COOLER What is your most-used productivity hack or suggestion? Wes Long

Listing out things that I need/wish to do the evening before, so there’s already a plan that can be adapted depending on what can be done each day.

Kelly Boyce

I like to sneak small little workouts in like pushups that distract my brain and get me out of a funk.

Bill Frost

A curated Slayer playlist paired with hourly cans of Rockstar. The resulting word chaos is the editor’s problem.

Benjamin Wood

Set a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Include your hobbies and favorite activites in that schedule to make sure you can recharge before you burn out.

Katharine Biele

It’s pretty simple: If you want people to be productive, you need to be considerate and acknowledge their work.

Paula Saltas

Start saying “no” instead of “yes.” Is that backward?

Derek Carlisle

Picture someone creating a vision board with all their hopes and ambitions taped to it. Then imagine it on fire and smile.

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OPINION BY KEITH BURNS

Meet the New Boss

n Nov. 12, the acting president of the Latter-day Saint church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, M. Russell Ballard, passed away at the age of 95. He’d been suffering from various respiratory challenges and declining vision, the latter of which he noted in his most recent General Conference talk when he expressed difficulty reading the teleprompter. Ballard was a car salesman and business owner by profession, possessing a down-to-earth, relatable image among many doctors, lawyers and academic administrators. As a church leader, Ballard will be remembered for his gentle-mannered, straightforward sermons on topics like family, service and missionary work. The timing of Ballard’s passing has tied part of his legacy to the ballooning controversy surrounding Tim Ballard (no relation), former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad. I discussed the mounting allegations against Tim Ballard and OUR in more detail in a Sept. 28 column. To summarize, OUR is an anti-trafficking nonprofit that conducts rescue missions around the world. In recent years, however, news outlets like Vice and American Crime Journal have meticulously documented OUR’s tendency to embellish and, in some cases, fabricate rescue statistics and anecdotes. Even more serious, a steady stream of women who participated in OUR sting operations have accused Tim Ballard of sexual coercion and assault, including shocking accounts of him manipulating women into sleeping in the same bed and showering with him as part of an undercover “couples ruse.” These controversies ultimately led to his stepping down as CEO earlier this year. When OUR was gaining momentum in the 2010s, Tim Ballard and President M. Russell Ballard formed a friend-

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ship and subsequent business association as partners in an LLC called Slave Stealers. But in September of this year, the LDS church issued a bold public statement condemning Tim Ballard’s “morally unacceptable” behavior and stating that President Ballard “withdrew his association.” However, there remain unanswered questions about the proximity of their partnership, including President Ballard’s role in supporting and promoting OUR. Despite some uncertainty, there is strong evidence that President Ballard was a significant shareholder and beneficiary in Tim Ballard’s business endeavors. Jeffrey R. Holland, Ballard’s successor as acting president of the quorum, is another leader not without controversy. Called as an apostle in 1994, Holland has earned an esteemed reputation across the church for his charismatic, accessible and eloquent sermonizing. He has the remarkable ability to appeal to conservative, orthodox members through impassioned, pulpit-pounding defenses of the faith, while also appealing to progressive sensibilities through his consistent emphasis on inclusion, forgiveness and love. He has also devoted many speeches toward combatting perfectionism and reassuring members that they “are doing better than [they] think they are.” In addition, Holland has courageously spoken out on issues that have traditionally stayed in the shadows, such as his pioneering “Like a Broken Vessel” talk in 2013, which tackled the subject of mental illness with a compassion and sensitivity that only he could embody. Two years ago, however, Holland took many Latter-day Saints by surprise when he delivered an unforgettably controversial speech at Brigham Young University in Provo, lamenting the fading away of BYU’s conservative past and calling on faculty to take up “musket fire” in defense of LDS teachings around heterosexuality and traditional marriage. The address sent ripples of pain, anger and confusion across the church, especially among LGBTQ+ members who felt betrayed by an apostle who had long spoken with kindness toward marginalized groups. Earlier this year, Holland was scheduled to be the spring commencement speaker at Cedar City’s Southern Utah Uni-

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versity, located not far from where he grew up. But the lingering controversy from his “musket fire” address led to widespread student protests that ultimately prevented him from speaking. Not unlike Ballard, Holland himself faces significant health challenges. In his speech at President Ballard’s funeral, Holland candidly described his “recent five-week hospital stay, three weeks of which were spent in an unconscious journey to the doorstep of death.” On top of mounting physical ailments, Holland must also endure the psychological pain of losing his beloved wife, Patricia, who passed away several months ago. Leaders in frail health replacing other leaders in frail health is a phenomenon core to the structuring of power in the LDS church, as apostles serve in their calling until death. This gerontocratic system has attracted significant scrutiny in recent decades, especially in this fast-paced, social-justice-oriented era that moves farther and farther away from the World War II sensibilities of many apostles. Furthermore, some argue that a younger core leadership would lead an increasingly global church with greater effectiveness and vigor. Hugh B. Brown, an outspoken and progressive LDS apostle of the 20th century, advocated for the retiring of all general authorities at age 70. While his efforts were successful for the lesser Quorums of the Seventy—which have since given members emeritus status at age 70—the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles chose not to implement Brown’s suggestion into their governing bodies. Considering that changes to church policies and teachings occur gradually and at the discretion of its senior leaders, the gerontocracy will most likely endure for decades to come. Thus, we can only hope that the newly appointed President Holland, in his tremendous position of power, will focus more on messages of equality and inclusion than on divisive messages that denigrate LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized groups. CW Private Eye is off this week. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net.

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HITS & MISSES BY KATHARINE BIELE |

@kathybiele

BY BILL FROST

MISS: Fait Accompli

A Salt Lake Tribune headline asks what the special congressional election of Celeste Maloy shows about the GOP’s grip on the state. It’s almost funny as we watch Democrats tilt at windmills in the feeble hope that someone might vote for them. The answer is already in for most Utah elections, including the next one for Sen. Mike Lee, who is not up for re-election until a jaw-dropping 2028. Lee, who has accomplished just about nothing in the Senate, is now noted—in the Britannica, no less—for “promoting the debunked conspiracy theory about a Jan. 6 rioter,” for wanting to probe the House’s Jan. 6 Committee, for coming into office via the Tea Party, for opposing “social welfare” programs and so much more. If trying to overturn the 2020 election wasn’t enough, Lee’s flirtation with the celebrated “Jewish space laser” conspiracist Marjorie Taylor Greene won’t make a difference, either. A candidate’s R-rating in Utah means everything. Why then look beyond that stamp?

HIT: Eye of the Beholder

Utah is home to two world-famous expressions of public art—the Spiral Jetty and the Sun Tunnels. But they are a side story to how the state stands in the realm of artworks for everyone. Perhaps we should start by saying that not everyone agrees on what is art. Take the 9th & 9th whale, for instance. Neighbors disagreed on its construction, but since then, it has twice won “Best Public Art” by City Weekly readers and inspired its own 630-lap marathon route. Southwest Contemporary writes that Utah’s Latter-day Saint majority uses public art and monuments to tell their persecution story, while public murals take on a decidedly anti-establishment aura. Now, get ready for the 300-foot Statue of Responsibility— meant as a companion piece to the, well, Statue of Liberty—at the former Utah State Prison site. Commenters haven’t been kind. “Great, another concrete tree,” wrote one. The proposal appears to unite liberals and conservatives in mutual disgust. That’s a win, for sure.

MISS: Traffic Jam

Pat Bagley’s Sunday editorial cartoon says it all—Interstate 15 expansion is a sensationally bad idea, one destined to hurt more than it will help anyone. Looking to move after a lifetime of making a home in America, Mirsada Milicevic sized up the rationale. “Now we have to move again—for what? For somebody in Farmington to come home 15 minutes early from work?” he told KSL 5 TV. Bagley, meanwhile, drew side-by-side depictions of congestion before and after expansion. They looked exactly alike. How can that be? Scientific research makes the counterintuitive point: “Adding more lanes to roads and highways actually increases traffic congestion!” according to the Science Museum of Virginia. The point is that you’re actually encouraging more traffic. It’s a “perpetual cycle of expansion and congestion.” Still, we’re talking science, and that’s not high on bureaucrats’ lists these days. CW

Fingerstache Fever

“M

ovember” is an annual November event wherein men grow mustaches in order to raise awareness of male health issues like testicular cancer, prostate cancer and suicide. It’s meant to remind men to get a medical check-up and prevent avoidable illness and death. As a fashion statement for good, it’s right up there with Barbiecore (admit it: “Hellscape Summer 2023” was way more tolerable with all that pink). But, there was a time when the mustache was a force of evil in Salt Lake City. OK, maybe not “evil,” but certainly “aggressive hipsterism.” In 2003, back when I could call someone a “hipster” without being charged with a hate crime, “fingerstache” sightings in local clubs, coffee shops and microbreweries were on a frightening uptick. If you’re lucky enough to be unaware of the “fingerstache,” it’s just what it sounds like: a small mustache tattooed on the index finger, which could then be held to the upper lip, creating the illusion of facial hair. Pretenders went with a temporary tattoo; the truly committed took the needle. You’re maybe thinking, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of.” And you’re right. The ironic mustache trend of the early 2000s—which still persists today—was dismissable, but this micro-tattoo iteration was as annoying as the proliferation of Yacht Rock fever (which was a whole other thing). Men and women alike thought the fingerstache was the height of sardonic hilarity. You couldn’t toss a PBR can at a Futureheads show without hitting some mullethead in a ski cap and Hawaiian shirt throwing ‘stache signs. I’d say tattoo artists must have been laughing all the way to the bank, but how much money could they have been making off of those tiny splashes of ink? Probably a quantity game. Anyway—what became of the fingerstached youths of the ’00s? Are they now knocking on the door of middle age with a seemed-funny-at-the-time tattoo on their finger? Their child asking, “Mom, what’s that?” To which she replies, “Well, Avril, things happen when you chase Goldschläger with Four Loko in a 7-Eleven parking lot at 3 a.m. Someday, you and your brother Lil Jon will have regrets, too.” The repercussions of the fingerstache tattoo will be felt for decades. Years from now, you’ll see this commercial on TV between Simpsons reruns and Ozempic ads: “If you fell victim to the fingerstache trend between 2003 and 2005, you may be entitled to compensation. But, if you got a fingerstache tattoo after 2005, that’s on you. Our personal idiocy attorneys are standing by.” CW Small Lake City is home to local writers and their opinions.

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The Heber Valley Railroad delights passengers all the way to the North Pole BY BRANDI CHRISTOFFERSEN comments @cityweekly.net

uffing and puffing up the mountain, the steam locomotive rhythmically chants, “I think I can, I think I can.” As it clunks around a bend, the train tracks seem to be cheering the shiny Union Pacific No. 618 along. The classic engine celebrated its 115th birthday this year, and has become a celebrity of the “Heber Creeper” railroad fleet. In fact, the 618 has starred in movies and television shows, and even pulled the 2002 Olympic flame. Of course, the sounds of high-pitched whistles and squeaking tracks are not new to the Heber Valley. Ever since 1899, when the very first train rolled into the Heber station, the chimes of the locomotives have echoed through the air. In its early years, the rail line connected the Heber

Valley through the winding pass to Provo. The 27-mile trek via the narrow twisting canyon, while a huge improvement over the days of horseback, was still cumbersome and clunky. Early passengers jokingly referred to the rail line as the “Heber Creeper,” and the nickname stuck. Today, the railroad provides 90-minute excursions from Heber City to Deer Creek Reservoir and around the Wasatch Mountain Range. Mark Nelson, Executive Director of Heber Valley Historic Railroad says, “This past year [2022] was our biggest ever, and we expect 2023 to meet or exceed that. We will carry over 130,000 passengers and run more than 570 trains this year alone.” It is clear the railroad’s popularity— and revenue—are growing. This is a nice improvement from a few years ago, when passenger train companies were repeatedly going out of business. However, there is a downside to regularly-scheduled, consistent train rides: the regularly-scheduled, consistent maintenance that is required to keep them running. “While we are grateful for our growth and popularity, we continue to face many challenges. Finding skilled labor to help us in our many restoration projects is difficult.” Nelson says.

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All Aboard

COURTESY HEBER VALLEY RAILROAD

A&E Despite these refurbishment blocks, the Heber Valley Railroad keeps chugging along. In fact, new and exciting rides are constantly being introduced. “Trails are coming alongside our tracks in Provo Canyon and all the way into the depot—which will dramatically increase our ridership and popularity. We also have plans to introduce a dinner train service.” For 2023, the “Heber Creeper” has featured adventures such as the Rock-n-Roll Train (classic music, trivia and train history games entertain as you ride the rails), the Monday Night Train (a rowdy fun singalong dance party) and the Chocolate-Lovers Train (a relaxing and decadent evening ride with wonderful chocolate samples, including pieces from local artisans). If you prefer a private event, you can even rent the cozy red caboose. The popular car seats 12 to 14 people, and has a pot-belly stove to keep everyone nice and toasty. However, by far the most anticipated and beloved excursion at the Heber Valley Railroad is the North Pole Express. The holiday train ride magically transports passengers to Santa’s Village from Nov. 22 until the end of December. Elves and Christmas helpers delight and entertain guests, while whimsical cocoa chefs

serve holiday drinks and treats. Once the train pulls into the North Pole depot, Santa Claus hops aboard the locomotive and joins the party for the return trip to Heber City. On the ride back, Santa mingles with the guests and gives each of the children a special gift. For many Utah families, this 90-minute round trip ride has become an annual tradition. However, if rock and roll, Christmas elves or chocolate samples don’t spark your engine, do not fret. The historic railroad offers more traditional rides that provide “a slice of Americana that has otherwise disappeared.” The Lakeside Limited runs along the shores of the Deer Creek Reservoir, offering majestic views of the scenery, while the Deer Creek Express oversees wide open vistas and the beautiful Heber Valley. So whether you’re a history buff, train enthusiast, or just young at heart, riding the rails is an experience you will cherish for a very long time. As Nelson says, “We love keeping this historic train and hospitality alive and available for the public to enjoy.” For full information about train rides, special events and private parties, go to hebervalleyrr.org or call (435)654-5601. CW

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New Broadway musicals in recent years have tended to look towards pop-culture properties like recent hit films for their source material. So it wasn’t exactly intuitive to think instead about a nearly-80-yearold holiday movie like Christmas in Connecticut—in which Barbara Stanwyck played a city-girl writer trying to keep up her published persona as a farmer’s housewife— as something audiences would embrace. According to Patrick Pacheco, who co-wrote the book for the new musical, “For any [musical] adaptation, the important question to answer is, ‘Does it sing?’ … So I watched it, and yeah, it did sing.” Pacheco’s collaborator, Erik Forrest Jackson, added, “We just found such a strong contemporary resonance, in the age of social media, of people presenting perfect snapshots of their perfect families and perfect homes. There was something so comedic and kind of powerful in examining that through this kind of nostalgic lens.” Pacheco and Jackson kept the World War II-era setting and the premise of a military veteran visiting the protagonist’s fake-farm for a home-cooked holiday meal, but tweaked it to create more of a romantic triangle. The tweaking process is ongoing, as the creators develop the show after a premiere at Connecticut’s Goodspeed Opera House in 2022. “As soon as the run ended in Connecticut, we wanted to get right back into it,” Pacheco says. “We were excited, and we had learned a lot.” Christmas in Connecticut comes to Pioneer Theatre Company’s Simmons Memorial Theatre (300 S. 1400 East) Dec. 1 – 16, with performances Monday – Saturday and ticket prices starting at $55. Visit pioneertheatre.org for tickets and additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

BW PRODUCTIONS

PTC: Christmas in Connecticut

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Salt Lake Acting Company: Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We Are in a Play!’

LAURA CHAPMAN

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In one sense, this isn’t Salt Lake Acting Company’s first go-round with the musical Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We Are in a Play!’, based on the Mo Willems book. And in another sense, it really is. That’s because the 2021 production of the show—continuing SLAC’s recent tradition of family-friendly holiday shows—was created and produced for a virtual presentation, as COVID disruptions to live theater lingered on. At the time, however, veteran director Penelope Caywood noted that the creative team wasn’t approaching the staging of the show any differently than had it been exclusively an inperson show. “The whole team agreed, we’re still making a play, and the play is being filmed,” Caywood told City Weekly in December 2021. “So I really didn’t do anything differently, because I wanted to make it feel like kids are coming to the show.” This year, everyone involved will enjoy the payoff that comes from playing in front of a live audience. “I have done a bunch of these shows, but it was a little bit sad to not hear … the oohs, the ahhs, the laughter,” Caywood said in 2021. “And that’s also kind of a gift to those actors for all that hard work. There’s no other audience like a kids’ audience.” Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We Are in a Play!’ runs at Salt Lake Acting Company (168 W. 500 North) Dec. 1 – 30, with performances Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays at noon and 3 p.m., and additional performances during the holiday weeks. Visit saltlakeactingcompany.org to purchase tickets and for the full schedule. (SR)

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Local Authors Day

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Many Utahns could probably name a couple of celebrated Utah writers—and they might make the mistake of thinking that the local writing talent begins and ends with those high-profile names. The purpose of Local Authors Day—sponsored by the League of Utah Writers—is to provide all the evidence necessary to change that perception. According to Bryan Young, a past president of the League of Utah Writers and a City Weekly freelance contributor, “I think a lot of people think writers from Utah and they conjure one of two images, either Brandon Sanderson or whoever wrote The Work and the Glory, but we have such a rich diversity of working writers here in the state. There is everything from romance and horror to science fiction and fantasy. Sure, you’ll get writers who work on religious stories and things of that nature, but you’ll also have authors working in big name franchises and popular work you wouldn’t associate with Utah. The borders of Utah don’t necessarily mean anything for the breadth and quality of writing being produced here, and it’s national—even international, in some cases—in scale.” More than 100 writers are currently scheduled to appear in one or more of the participating library branches and bookstores, including Deseret Book and Barnes & Noble locations, The Printed Garden, The King’s English Bookshop, Legendarium, Marissa’s Books and more. Join in the celebration of Utah writers by visiting the participating Local Authors Day location near you on Saturday, Dec. 2. The full list of participating venues and authors is available at leagueofutahwriters.com/ localauthorsday. (SR)

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For more than 30 years, audiences have known Adam Sander as a massmedia star, beginning with his successful run as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990-1995, and his string of hit comedies beginning with Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore and running through his current “residency” at Netflix. That makes it easy to forget how Sandler started, like many SNL alums, in comedy clubs, doing routines with a bit more wit than is often associated with his outsized TV and movie roles. One classic bit involved his impressions based on NBA star Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point game, including that of Chamberlain’s teammates (“Hey … I’m open, man.”) and the coach of the opposing team (“Um, who’s covering Wilt?”). So it’s great to see Sandler returning to his roots with the “I Missed You” Tour, a two-month long visit to arenas around the country, including Salt Lake City. Based on reviews of previous stops, it includes a lot of the stuff that folks associate with the comedian, including amusing songs and raunchy humor, along with stuff that certainly didn’t apply when he was launching his stand-up career in the 1980s, like dealing with fame, being a parent, and generally being a different person in your 50s than you were in your 20s. All that, plus making fun of Rob Schneider and David Spade, and honoring his friendship with the late Chris Farley. Adam Sandler’s “I Missed You” tour comes to the Delta Center (301 S. Temple) on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $66; visit seatgeek.com for tickets. (SR)

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Adam Sandler @ Delta Center

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The New Orleans skyline, seen from across the Missisippi River, where drought conditions this year led to a “salt wedge” of ocean water moving upriver to the city.

Salt Water

In effect, it’s about not panicking people, or crying wolf, Fontenette said, while still keeping a message of awareness out there in the consciousness. After all, if not this time … “Water is always on our mind, [like] during the rainy season, when there are water boil advisories,” Fontenette said. “The quality of our water is constantly being questioned. We have to take action to actually protect ourselves in our homes.”

and

While the Great Salt Lake dries up in the West, New Orleans faces its own saline crisis in the South.

Cutting Through the Fog

BY THOMAS CRONE comments@cityweekly.net

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Taya Fontanette works for The Water Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that works to create a network of communities striving to make sure the Gulf region is more climate resilient. Within that network, she said, New Orleans is a leader in rights-based water management. Fontanette said the potential of the saltwater wedge “did spark a lot of worry.” And while those worries have died down, particularly in Orleans Parish (Louisiana parlance for “county”), she said areas to the south of the city that extend into the Gulf of Mexico continue to face challenges as saline water creeps inland. “We’re still trying to keep the news alive about what’s happening,” she said. As September turned into October, the northward pace of the wedge slowed. As of press time, the saltwater wedge had stalled about 30 miles south of New Orleans, missing the state’s primary population center.

At the Algiers waterworks, the first of two supplying much of NOLA’s water, crews had been delivering one million gallons of water daily to fight the salinity, brought in by literal barges. If that seems a huge investment, a pipeline proposal that would’ve been sped into existence further upriver, at New Orlean’s key Carrollton water facility, would’ve cost some $250 million to build. In some respects, what’s strange about the local response to the saltwater threat is that … it was never that extreme. Just as Salt Lake residents seem, at times, to be curiously calm about the decline of the Great Salt Lake, the wedge never reached crisis point among the NOLA citizenry. Fontenette attributes that to a certain, battle-hardened population. “We have a very long history in responding to disasters,” she said, “so the methods in which we’ve informed people has become more streamlined.”

Livin’ on the Wedge

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THOMAS CRONE

EW ORLEANS—Hurricane season in Louisiana isn’t a short timeframe, running from June 1 until Nov. 30. But despite 2023 being what a lot of locals described as one of the hottest summers in memory, the positive trend of the past halfyear was the notable lack of a tropical storm finding landfall. By that measure, New Orleans—a city with experience enduring some real beatings from Mother Nature—could breathe a sigh of relief, without a single hurricane bearing down on the city. There’s been a flipside to that, though. It was a dry summer—real dry, far too dry. The past year saw the Mississippi River system—from its Minnesota headwaters down to the Gulf of Mexico—badly affected by a Midwestern drought. And by the time September rolled around, the pressure of water flowing south into the Gulf had ebbed to the point that salty ocean water began doing something only occasionally seen: It flowed back upriver. What was created in that unusual situation was a “saltwater wedge,” a situation that saw, at times, a literal line of fresh and salt waters meeting within the Mississippi, with models suggesting that the river, around the time of Halloween, could become brackish and undrinkable in NOLA. Adding to that, the corrosive effects of the salt were set to affect everything from your local coffeeshop’s brew to the components in dishwashers, sinks and other appliances. As someone who’s lived in Salt Lake City only a year ago, the notion of salt and water conspiring into a bad environmental marriage was something I’d seen firsthand. I regularly visited the Great Salt Lake, hiking the paths around the old Saltair sites, visiting an arid Antelope Island and walking into the exposed Spiral Jetty earthwork sculpture. At times, the weird, chalky residue of the sand along those receded banks seemed oddly beautiful, but these peculiar sights were far from a best-case scenario for the ecosystem of the lake. And it wasn’t the only environmental wrinkle of our time in Utah. Dust storms and ongoing inversions come to mind. But even after leaving the Great Salt Lake behind and moving across the country, the threat of a “saltwater wedge” was a new twist.

While the terms “climate change” and “global warming” might immediately pop up in this discussion, there are other manmade variables at play, according to one researcher and writer. Dean Klinkenberg, a journalist and author based in St. Louis, has written books and articles about the Mississippi River for a wide variety of sources and has traveled the river extensively. Writing under his own name and podcasting as The Mississippi Valley Traveler, Klinkenberg was asked if the Mississippi offers America a chance to observe, up-close, climate change. Is the river, in some respects, a good gauge of how we’re dealing with warming and climate issues, generally? “I’ve been thinking about this issue lately, so your question is timely,” Klinkenberg responded. “I take a more cautious approach than others when it comes to predictions about what impacts climate change will have on this or that, as I don’t think we have a very good track record predicting the future. Most of the troubles we’re seeing these days along the Mississippi have either been caused by or exacerbated by human engineering, not climate change.” Specifically in regards to the wedge, he added that the threat of saltwater creeping up the Mississippi is the result of not just a period of extreme drought, but also prior efforts to deepen the river channel and facilitate navigation, the destruction of vital wetlands that stored water and an artificial concentration of the river’s flow, which causes water to empty out of the main channel more quickly than it used to. “We’ve tried to re-engineer the Mississippi for very specific purposes—bulk transportation and flood prevention—and in the process, we’ve engineered away most of the river’s natural resilience,” Klinkenberg said. “I think what we’ve done to the Mississippi showcases how our attempts to engineer the natural world for narrow purposes has made us more vulnerable to disruptions from extreme environmental events, such as flooding and drought.” That last word, “drought,” has shown itself a problematic thing on multiple, environmental levels in Louisiana, both inside and out of the prime population center of New Orleans. Though the city of New Orleans and its surrounding parishes haven’t suffered the worst effects of the saltwater wedge by the once-predicted Halloween, the season did see a different, drought-adjacent issue; something known as “super fog.”

November 30 7-11pm

Exposed riverbanks in Louisiana reflect the extreme drought conditions that contributed to phenomena known as a ‘salt wedge’ and “super fog.”

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THOMAS CRONE

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The Louisiana news nonprofit The Lens, which keeps an active eye on the state’s environmental issues, noted in an Oct. 26 post by Delaney Dryfoos that a deadly multivehicle crash on Oct. 23—which shut down a major arterial highway into the NOLA region—was caused by a noxious blend of elements. Even the day prior, with festival season rolling into full-swing in the city’s French Quarter, a strange, murky sky enveloped the local skyline. The next morning, the situation was even more dire. And despite authorities suggesting that roadways would be clear for the morning hours, commuters were subject to a thick wall of fog. Wrote Dryfoos: “The immediate cause of Monday’s 168-car collision was ‘super fog,’ formed when thick smoke from smoldering marsh fires mixed with moist fog, the kind that hugs the ground on cool, still Louisiana mornings. Drivers collided, faced with white-out conditions with zero visibility. At press time, the death toll stood at seven. The 22-mile Manchac Swamp Bridge on I-55 also remained impassable.” Dryfoos went on to describe how the region’s drought conditions had exacerbated marsh fires in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. At the time, most of Orleans Parish was categorized as in “extreme drought,” a rating that described much of Utah until the heavy snow and rainfall of the past winter and spring. “Conditions are still arid enough to cause saltwater intrusion, crawfish die-off, crop-irrigation problems, poor air quality and difficult-to-extinguish fires,” Dryfoos wrote.

Since then, the presence of super fog in Louisiana has varied, with a visibly grimy, grainy skyline on some afternoons, coupled with a quirky scent. Again, though, this writer experienced a bit of that in Salt Lake City with the winter inversions of 2021 and ’22, including a deep, yellowish-gray sky on the first day of our arrival, washed away later that January afternoon with torrential rain that turned driving down Interstate 80 into a whiteknuckle experience. And yet, the next day? Clear skies, washed free of the murk.

Loose Ends

Our final equation of “Salt + Water = some SLC/NOLA connection” is this: in 1973, Mike Cassidy used stock footage and other visual trickery to create a film called The Giant Brine Shrimp, in which the titular monster terrorized Salt Lake City’s most-treasured buildings. The film was part of a wave of early ’70s eco-disaster films, though it mostly received local showings (you can watch it on YouTube today). It’s good, campy fun with a message. Meanwhile, in 2023, Tommy Wiseau— the creator of what’s often-considered the worst-made film in modern cinema history, The Room—has returned to the director’s chair with the Big Shark, a long-rumored production that shows, yes, a very big shark terrorizing a flooded French Quarter. The hope down here is that the infamous auteur’s vision is only a fiction, as fanciful as a brine shrimp uprising, today and for a long time to come. CW

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urbanized future and one whose challenges were exacerbated by a statewide housing shortage, localized earthquakes, extreme weather events and a global pandemic. She and her supporters frequently touted an ability to work collaboratively with the state’s Republican supermajority, a claim bolstered by the endorsements of Gov. Spencer Cox and his predecessor, former Gov. Gary Herbert. In her election night remarks, Mendenhall listed off the “opportunities” she intends to pursue in a second term, including the construction of a “Green Loop” linear park downtown, the conversion of Main Street into a pedestrian promenade, the creation of new tiny home communities, expansion of affordable housing, the transition to renewable energy, the creation of an entertainment district anchored by the Utah Jazz and Delta Center and the hopes of hosting a second Olympic Winter Games. “Salt Lake City is a blue island in a sea of red, but it doesn’t mean we have to be alone all the time,” Mendenhall said. “This election is proof that voters want a city government that allies with its partners instead of fighting with them—a city government that prioritizes results over politics, that trades ideas instead of insults.” Among the year’s Salt Lake City Council races, incumbent Councilmember Alejandro Puy was unopposed in the west side’s District 2, while incumbents Dan Dugan and Sarah Young held majority leads in Districts 6 and 7, respectively. In District 4, which includes downtown, challenger Eva Lopez Chavez appears to have ousted incumbent Ana Valdemoros by 5 percentage points, a margin that grows to 6 with the ranked-choice elimination of third-place candidate Clayton Scrivner. Valdemoros conceded the race on Monday, after vote counts were updated, extending her “best wishes” to Lopez and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve District 4 over the last five years. “Though the election results didn’t swing in my favor, I’m proud that in 2019, we shattered the glass ceiling for minority representation on the Salt Lake City Council,” she said. “The table has not shrunk, but grown larger since then.” CW

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Anderson added that while he’s never stopped “raising hell” when he sees things going wrong in the community, his future efforts are unlikely to include his name appearing on a ballot. “I can’t ever imagine running for elected office again,” Anderson said. “It’s become a money game. The establishment basically has its way.” Community activist Michael Valentine, the third candidate in the mayoral race, earned a relatively strong 7% of ballots, or more than 3,000 votes. As Mendenhall appears to have claimed an outright majority, Valentine’s votes will not be redistributed to the other candidates under the election’s ranked-choice structure. In a prepared statement, Valentine said he intends to run again, adding that the “corruption, lies and fraud” exposed by his campaign do not end with Mendenhall’s reelection. He rose to prominence through fierce objection to the sale and demolition of the historic Pantages Theatre on Main Street and has dogged the mayor over her administration’s strategies around housing and homelessness and her family’s private property investments. “Our people’s campaign started as the resistance, and we will continue as the resistance, now even stronger in opposition,” Valentine said. “There is more than one way to bring light, accountability and transparency back to the people. We will not rest.” During the campaign, Anderson was almost singularly focused on the issue of homelessness, with the former mayor frequently describing a city—and downtown in particular—overrun with illegal camping, drug use and other aberrant behavior. He attacked Mendenhall from both the left and right, alternately promising to eradicate homeless encampments from public spaces while also promising to end the practice of abatement, in which the county Health Department orders the forced removal of the unsheltered and their belongings. “Police raids and destruction of unsheltered people’s property, when no alternatives are available, must end,” Anderson told City Weekly in September. The Mendenhall campaign tended to describe a city in transition to a more vibrant,

alt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall all but claimed victory on election night, as early returns showed her with a 24-percentage-point lead—or roughly 10,000 votes—over her closest challenger, former Mayor Rocky Anderson. Describing the race as something of a contrast between optimism and pessimism, Mendenhall said that voters had repudiated cynicism and rejected the politics of fear. Anger, Mendenhall said, is not a strategy for getting results. “The election ends with voters saying loudly and clearly that they want Salt Lake City to keep moving forward together,” Mendenhall said. “Salt Lakers aren’t afraid of our incredible future—we’re excited by it.” Mendenhall maintained her lead in updates to the vote count. On Monday, she celebrated her presumptive win with a press conference at the City & County Building. Anderson—who served as Salt Lake City mayor between 2000 and 2008—trailed with 34% of the vote to Mendenhall’s 58%. While those numbers are not final, Anderson conceded the election last week and on Tuesday said local media was “complicit” through reporting that failed to properly investigate the “lies” and “broken promises” of the Mendenhall administration. “I’ve never liked sore losers, but I also think that it’s really important for people to understand what happened in this election,” Anderson told City Weekly. “You’ve got to have an informed citizenry to have an informed democracy.”

Former Mayor Rocky Anderson served two terms between 2000 and 2008.

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Unofficial vote results show Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall skating to a second term.

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Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall is now assumed to be the victor in her bid for a second term.

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Rewind Volume 15: 1998 to 1999 years of

salt lake

CITY WEEKLY BY WES LONG wlong@cityweekly.net

ith the unveiling of a sculpted arrowhead clock at the Triad Center in the spring of 1999, a countdown of sorts had begun for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. But a few months before, then-KTVX reporter Chris Vanocur broke the story of bribery and fraud by members of the Salt Lake Olympic Bid Committee. The uproar was great among some, but no less vigorous were the damage control and scapegoating. Before long, then-Gov. Mike Leavitt announced a new day had dawned after an ethics panel investigated the affair. But few received scrutiny for their conduct; fewer still faced any consequences. “To decide to pursue the Olympics is to also decide to pay bribes, in one form or another,” wrote David Owen on Feb. 11. “Anyone who didn’t know, didn’t know because they didn’t want to know. It’s bad enough when your only defense against corruption is incompetence, but to be sanctimonious about your incompetence is too much.” Heady excitement, sanctimonious incompetence and greedy corruption. These qualities went hand in hand throughout the 1990s and, on the cusp of a new millennium, the vices and foolishness that bedeviled Utah life—and American living generally— were bearing ever stranger fruit. These were the days of the Clinton impeachment and anti-immigrant hysteria. Utah looked the other way with members of the polygamous Kingston family. Civil rights abuses and low morale brewed under the administration of Salt Lake City Police Chief Ruben Ortega. The environmental impact of the Legacy Highway was shrugged aside. Jordan School District banned veganlabeled clothing, looking to strike a blow against gang affiliation, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services under the Leavitt administration was accused of failing children, typified by the abuse and death of 9-month-old Breanna Loveless. These were fraught times that no amount of juice bars, Furbys and cable television subscriptions could palliate. And covering it all was City Weekly, marking its crystal anniversary by trading in its old red racks for the black, city-approved ones.

Expanding into TV coverage with the help of Bill Frost, producing an Annual Manual for Utah newcomers and experimenting with services like the City Weekly MovieFone and the online “Net Poll,” the paper was adapting to a landscape that was struggling, polarizing and isolating. This year also saw the debut of Christopher Smart’s “Smart Bomb” column and Kevin Cantera taking over the sports beat.

In the voting booth

“Government appears to be consolidating, laying off the public,” Katharine Biele observed of Utah politics on Nov. 12. “Democracy has become the dirty word of the decade—the Red Tide of the ’90s.” This assessment was characteristic of what was happening in the Beehive State, where the incumbent majority feared any competing political party and when citizens’ initiatives were being crippled. For those who bothered to participate in the electoral process, straight-ticket voting was becoming the standby, and many candidates were running completely unopposed. Elected officials were behaving less like public servants, Biele observed, and more like “benevolent masters.” Dick Carter’s Aug. 6 cover story showed how a radical anti-cougar and pro-hunter shift occurred on the Utah Wildlife Board in 1997, issuing hundreds more kill permits and instituting “harvest objective units,” whereby hunting season continued until a certain number of cougars had been killed. To halt any effort to reverse the board’s actions, as described in Carter’s story, Proposition 5 was placed on the ballot to henceforth require any ballot initiative on wildlife and hunting policy to pass by supermajority, with ratification by an increased number of counties. It passed, likely because the voting public had been misled over its purpose. “I’m not sure that everybody really understood what it was all about,” said former Utah first lady Norma Matheson “The ads made it sound like it was all to save wildlife and the environment rather than about the mechanics of the initiative process.”

As then-Libertarian Party head Jim Dexter confided to Katharine Biele, such an arrogant and underhanded political climate augured a more “prolonged campaign on the part of state leadership to get rid of all democratic aspects of state government.” He wondered why leaders had so little trust in the voters. “And one wonders,” Biele added, “why the voter doesn’t care.”

In the screening room

Throughout the ’90s, Mary Dickson provided popular film reviews for City Weekly as its resident critic. It was during this year that the film section acquired a second writer to the film beat with Greg Beacham. Dickson and Beacham each contributed reviews for the motion pictures released in this period. The following gives a taste for their approaches: The Truman Show (Dickson): “This is Kafka for the ’90s, where entertainment and reality merge with creepy effect. It’s a perfect metaphor of the media age on the threshold of a new millennium.” Jack Frost (Beacham): “This sack of schmaltz is only for people who like Very Special Episodes of anything and who bought 25 copies of The Christmas Box to give to everyone at the office this year.” Shakespeare in Love (Dickson): “... intelligence, poetry, playfulness, irreverence, sex, abundant humor and wit, passion, romance and, best of all, those delicious words, words, words. If audiences don’t flock to this one, a pox on all their houses.” The Mummy (Beacham): “Writer/director Stephen Sommers has refurbished the old Boris Karloff classic of the same name with a parade of dizzying special effects and a script that’s more intelligent than we have the right to expect.”

In one quote

“Here in our nondescript offices swathed in beauteous fluorescent light, we think of Blurredvision Utah as a Rorschach test. If our ink splotch doesn’t look like nonpartisan, community partnership working to help you form a long-term vision for

Utah’s future, then we’re a long-term vision for Utah’s future helping you to form a non-partisan, community partnership– or something like that.” (Ben Fulton, in a sendup of Envision Utah’s widely circulated growth survey, dated Feb. 4, 1999)

In the mirror

Appalling violence and hate were an increasing occurrence locally and nationally, from the 1998 slaying of Matthew Shepard near Laramie, Wyoming, to the 1999 shootings at Colorado’s Columbine High School and Salt Lake City’s LDS Family History Library. In letters, editorials and columns, writers sought to understand the “why” of these crimes and what should be done. “Crimes of hate may live in shouts of rage, but they are born in silence,” observed Chris Tucker on Nov. 5. “We are men and women surrounded by the silence of our own fear.” He noted this fearful silence in the whispered jokes, avoided glances and refusal to accept complicity in the cruelties that are routinely directed at those deemed expendable to society. Bruce Baird paralleled this assessment in the Aug. 20 issue, decrying the trend of people becoming “irrelevant to each other’s daily lives and futures,” and of losing a shared destiny or ideals. “Only tragedy or triumph now seem to have the power to create any sense of commonality among us,” he added. “Otherwise, day in and day out, almost all of us live either oblivious to or unconcerned with anything beyond our own little worlds.” Kristen Riedelbach spoke for many when on May 27, 1999, she concluded, “It doesn’t take a genius to see the connections between our increasing disregard for each other and the skyrocketing rates of random violence. If you want to know why our children are killing each other, look in the mirror: Ask yourself how many of your neighbors’ names you know. Have you asked any of them how they’re doing today?” This extends as well, she noted, to the service industry employee, the unhoused and the stranger within our midst. CW

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s it feels a bit like the Utah fried chicken trend is reaching the point of oversaturation, the time has come for me to deliver a definitive list of whose bird is the word. I’ve checked out all of the national chains that I know about, and while I’ve found them to be satisfactory, I just don’t think they are ready to go toeto-toe with the fried chicken scene that our local stalwarts have established. So, if you’re wondering why no national restaurants made the cut, there’s your answer. Before we get into the list, let’s talk about the judging criteria. I focused on spots that do chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches and bone-in chicken. I think chicken wings are a food group of its own, and far too nuanced to include here— plus, I already did a chicken wing roundup earlier this year. [Ed.: Here’s the link for online: https://www.cityweekly.net/ utah/restaurant-roundup-local-buffalowings/Content?oid=20276498] As fried chicken is a fairly straightforward dish, I was after three things in particular. 1) Exterior: Was there something about the breading or seasoning that made the chicken special? 2) Interior: How does the chicken get treated before it gets fried? And 3) the total package: How do the interior and exterior complement

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BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

pickles provide some acidic crunch, and the whole thing can be yours for only $8. It’s rare for a chicken sando to truly have it all, but that’s how they roll at Bok Bok. Best Chicken Tenders: Mr. Charlie’s Chicken Fingers (Multiple locations, mrcharlies.com): Many of us would call chicken tenders the first food we fell in love with. At a young age, something about the simplicity of this classic finger food just spoke to us. If you’re like me, that affection hasn’t really gone anywhere, which is why I’m glad we have Mr. Charlie’s. Their menu has undergone some changes over the past few years, but it continues to be based around their signature chicken finger. I’ve had many people ask how their chicken tenders can be any better than the ones you get at the supermarket deli, but they are leaps and bounds above the competition. It comes down to the quality of their chicken and their fry batter recipe, which is nuanced enough to enhance the chicken’s existing tastiness. When it comes to tenders, Mr. Charlie’s wins every time. Best Bone-in Fried Chicken: Curry Fried Chicken (660 S. State Street, 801924-9188): Any fried chicken list of merit has to include our friends at Curry Fried Chicken. If you haven’t yet experienced one of the best culinary cultural exchanges in town, here’s what you’re missing. First, they treat their bird right here—it’s alway s an incredibly juicy payoff once you bite through that extremely crunchy skin. The exterior has a modest dusting of curry flavor, which goes so well with fried chicken as a dish that I’ve come to expect it every where. Served with a side of curried veggies or lentils, these exemplars of perfect fried chicken are smoky, spicy interpretations of a comfort-food classic. If bonein fried chicken is your favorite, then this place needs to be in heavy rotation on your lunch and dinner schedule. CW

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Despite a wave of national chains, our local fried chicken scene is stronger than ever.

one another? I noticed that my particular favor was swayed by places that struck a good balance among all their elements, but every now and again, a house-made sauce or side would be enough to tip the scales. It was a tough job all in all, but here are my favorites. Best Overall: Pretty Bird (Multiple locations, prettybirdchicken.com): Anyone who has visited Chef Viet Pham’s love letter to Nashville Hot Chicken will agree with me on this one, so it might not be the biggest surprise on the list. I’ve thought long and hard about what sets Pretty Bird apart, and I think it comes down to balance. Chef Pham’s experience in the finedining scene definitely has something to do with this, but the fried chicken itself packs such a flavorful punch that it doesn’t really need any explanation. I have also come to appreciate how the spiciest version of hot chicken brings the heat without sacrificing flavor; most spicy chicken places don’t know how to do this, and it’s a hell of a lot harder than it sounds. With a foundational bird that is consistently tasty, Pretty Bird’s supplementary eats like the slaw and fries just make the party that much better. Best Chicken Sandwich: Bok Bok Korean Fried Chicken (Multiple locations, bokbokutah.com): If you’re just craving a straight-up fried chicken sandwich, it’s hard to do better than Bok Bok. I first visited them at their now-closed American Fork location, but those local to the Granary District can now check them out at Woodbine Food Hall (545 W. 700 South, 801-669-9192, woodbineslc.com), or you can visit their Provo location (1181 N. Canyon Road, 801-691-0921) if you’re in Utah County. Their signature chicken sandwich bests all comers for a few reasons, but chief among them is that house sauce. It’s an impossibly versatile mix of sweet, spicy and savory that just makes that chicken sing. The house slaw and

ALEX SPRINGER

Protect Your Loved Ones

Level Crossing Brewing Co., POST 550 So. 300 West #100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Fruit Bat on Nitro

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week 2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com On Tap: Midnight Especial- Dark Mexican Lager Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Festbier Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

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: 2023 Big Bad Baptist BarrelAged Imperial Stout Variants 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

Chappell Brewing 2285 S Main Street Salt Lake City, UT 84115 chappell.beer Hopkins Brewing Co. On Tap: WarPig - Cascadian Dark Ale 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com Craft by Proper On Tap: Sauvin Blanc Brut 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC craftbyproper.com Kiitos Brewing On Tap: Purple Rain - Marionberry 608 W. 700 South, SLC Helles KiitosBrewing.com

24 | NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: Golden Sprocket Wit Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Wet Hopped - Infused with Cascade and Citra Hops 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: Cached Out Hefeweisen -- Now available to go! Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: Whispers from Krakatoa - Helles Lager with Habanero and Mango Proper Burger: Sour Ranger Blackberry 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 Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Munich Dunkel Red Rock Kimball Junction 1640 Redstone Center Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: TwelveTwentyOne Coffee Stout a collaboration with Midway Coffee 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: Deep Dive Series - Rice Lager Draft 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: Colorado Spruced Glider 6% ABV

Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com On Tap: Pear Pink Peppercorn & Tarragon Cider

Stratford Proper 1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com On Tap: Yacht Rock Juice Box Juicy IPA

Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Slim Shady Gluten Friendly Light Ale | Live Music: Thursdays

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Lil Babs Single Hope Pale Ale

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

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Witches Brew

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 Batch European Vacation Pilsner Squatters and Wasatch Brewery 1763 So 300 West, SLC UT 84115 Utahbeers.com On Tap: Tree Beard IPA w Fresh Spruce Tips and Simcone, Citra & Ekeanot Hops 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.

Top of Main Brewing 250 Main, Park City, Utah saltlakebrewingco.com/wasatch On Tap: Utah Beer - An American Lager 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 Brew Pub 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/wasatch On Tap: Wasatch Salt Lime Cerveza Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

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Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Vienna Style Lager

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esert Edge - Haze Jeebus: Clean and fruit forward, the Bru-1 hops are among the most coveted of all hop varieties—but not every brewer gets to brew with them. The Desert Edge team, however, scored enough of them, along with some Sabro hops, to incorporate them into an IPA that celebrates the hop varieties in a way that few can. As Haze Jeebus treks along, it’s the Bru-1 hops that give the beer its uniqueness, and that all starts with a fruitfilled blend of citrus and stone fruit aromatics. Lightly vegetal and herbal, the enticing scent hovers above a deep, turbid haze of golden orange and a heady froth that stands tall throughout. Its first sip is candied with honeysuckle, shortcake and a juicy, fruit-like maltiness. As the ale opens up on the middle palate, the hops shine with a blend of grapefruit, coconut and underripened oranges before trailing into an apricot, peach and cantaloupe taste. Drying quicker than is usual for the series, the smooth but quick bitterness is decorated with elements of coconut, sun tea and an herbal array of hemp and hay. Medium-bodied at 7.0 percent alcohol, the beer’s juicy character gives way to the drying nature of hops for a refreshing finish, but also one of limited culinary adventure, roundness and any extension of fruit. A medium-length aftertaste of botanical bitterness lasts just beyond the fruit peels and juicy nature overall. Verdict: The melon and citrus combo, combined with hints of coconut, really makes this IPA special. The Bru -1 and Sabro hops do a great job of providing this beer with brilliant flavors that you

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The IPA haze craze shows no signs of slowing down.

may not expect from a hoppy beer. I really enjoyed this one. Beer Zombies - Re-Zombinator: It pours a hazy, pale orange coloration with a medium, fluffy head. It’s milky and thick in the glass—denser than I personally need it to be—and with some obvious oat and yeastiness. Smells of light biscuit malt—along with tropical, citrus and berry hops—emerge, followed by notes of passionfruit, grapefruit and gooseberry. The taste is a great balance of light biscuit malt and fruity, juicy, slightly spicy, dank and resinous hops, with tropical, citrus and berry notes of passionfruit, mango, grapefruit, orange and gooseberry, as well as just a hint of peppery weed and pine. It’s the citrus part of the beer that really shines through into the end. All of the citrus is represented here from the zest, pith and meat, delivering quite a bright flavor. It finishes with a medium bitterness and some passionfruit, grapefruit, gooseberry and peppery weed lingering in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is soft, with a medium/ rich body and medium carbonation. Verdict: While I personally think that these quadruple dry-hopped, triplestrength hazy IPAs are totally pointless overkill, I do have to say that Beer Zombies does them exceptionally well— which cannot be said of a lot of breweries, in my opinion. There’s not a hint of booze, overdone sweetness or overripe fruit notes, and just a hint of hop burn to this. In fact, I think you would be pretty hard-pressed to tell that this is an 8.6 percent ABV brew at all. Overall, this makes for a very well-done, enjoyable brew. These two beers will take a little more effort to obtain, because for the most part, they’re designed to be enjoyed at their establishments. Haze Jeebus can be purchased with lunch or dinner at Desert Edge, or you can buy some to go. Re-Zombinator in SLC is only available at the Beer Zombies bar located at HallPass in The Gateway. Sadly, you can only drink their beers on premises. As always, cheers! CW

Hop

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Utah Cheese Awards Wraps Up Year Seven

The 2023 Utah Cheese Awards recently held its seventh awards ceremony to dole out accolades to the best and brightest in local production. Twenty-seven medals were awarded, with Best of Show in cheese going to Morning Fresh Dairy of Bellevue, Colo. for its white cheddar curd. Aggie Chocolate Factory from Logan snagged the Best of Show in non-dairy products for its Hacienda Victoria dark chocolate, made with cacao from the Dominican Republic. Moving into next year, Utah Cheese Awards founder and director Steven R. Jerman hopes to expand the festival even more, so anyone in the local cheese and dairy production scene is welcome to submit an entry via utahcheeseawards.com

Love Local Holiday Market

Wasatch Community Gardens (629 E. 800 South, wasatchgardens.org) will be hosting its annual Love Local Holiday Market this year on Dec. 2 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. This popup market will feature more than 30 local vendors offering everything from honey to art. In addition to a ton of locally-sourced shopping options, attendees can also check out the community gardens’ decorated tree forest, enjoy a hot beverage from one of the onsite food trucks and get their gifts wrapped at the event’s DIY upcycled gift-wrapping station. Admission is $5, and children 5 and under get in free.

Flower Child to Open Utah Location

We like our healthy options when it comes to dining out, which is one of the reasons Fox Restaurant Concepts (foxrc.com) wants to open Flower Child (iamaflowerchild.com) in Utah before the end of the year. Perusing the Flower Child menu offers a glance at some tasty salads like the ginger miso crunch, and some even tastier bowls like mushroom bolognese. At the moment, Flower Child has set its sights on a Foothill Village location, and hopes to open doors before the conclusion of 2023. I’ll keep an eye on this spot to see when it officially opens; it’ll be interesting to see if their menu tastes as good as it sounds.

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Joel Kinnaman in Silent Night

More Than Words BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

t’s been 20 years since John Woo directed a feature film set in the U.S., and primarily in English—though Silent Night might earn an asterisk as far as continuing that streak. In the opening sequence, Brian Godlock (Joel Kinnaman) runs down an alley decked out in a gaudy Christmas sweater, a jingle bell bouncing rhythmically on his chest, blood coating his hands; the occupants of two speeding vehicles spray gunfire at one another, and it’s not clear whether Brian is running from them or trying to catch them. When one of the cars eventually catches up with him, the driver—a heavily-tattooed gang member—shoots Brian in the throat, leaving him for dead. And though Brian ultimately survives, he’s left without the ability to speak—which emphasizes that the film’s title is double-entendre both referring to its holiday-time setting, and the fact the story, aside from a few snippets heard over radios, isn’t going to be told through words. Woo made his name in Hong Kong cinema with a uniquely stylized kind of action filmmaking, before he jumped to Holly wood in the ’90s with hits like Broken Arrow and Face/Off. It’s easy to understand what might appeal to him about a movie that would require him to rely entirely on visual storytelling, and he succeeds at incorporating at all the things his mov-

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John Woo’s Silent Night has fun with what action cinema can convey without dialogue.

ies have always been best at: exaggerated violence, a dose of melodrama and a willingness to walk the tightrope between absurdity and awesomeness. Nearly 15 minutes pass in Silent Night before Woo and screenwriter Robert Archer Lynn circle back to clarify what set Brian on his Christmas Eve run. A stray bullet from one of those speeding, gangwarring vehicles killed Brian’s 7-year-old son, leaving Brian and his wife Saya (Catalina Sandino Moreno) bereft. Brian spends months in the wake of this event sinking into grief and depression, before he hits on a notion that might give his life purpose: He’s going to enact some vigilante justice on the gangs who robbed him of his son, targeting the Christmas Eve one-year anniversary of his son’s death for his reign of terror, and spending nine months building up his body, his facility with a gun and his skills behind the wheel. A whole lot of Silent Night is dedicated to Brian’s regimen of watching YouTube selfdefense videos, practicing precision turns in his souped-up, armor-plated Mustang and doing weight training while trying to avoid showing us that Kinnaman’s torso is

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already ripped to shreds. These bits start to get a little repetitive after a while, but Woo mixes in scenes showing the disintegration of Brian and Saya’s marriage as Silent Night tries to maintain the emotional stakes for Brian’s planned vengeful killing spree. Woo isn’t shy about amping up the operatic quality as he conveys grief and heartbreak, yet he’s also savvy enough to add his own distinctive touch to such moments, as when a single tear falling from Saya’s eye hits the ground as a shell casing from Brian’s target practice. The entire dialogue-free hook of Silent Night benefits from the fact that Kinnaman has always been most effective as a physical presence, but the script also takes a surprisingly realistic approach to the idea of an ordinary guy trying to turn himself into a homicidal badass in less than a calendar year. Those extended training montages notably don’t involve Brian practicing with another live human, so it’s not shocking that Brian’s first effort at putting his plan into effect goes south fairly quickly. Silent Night kind of depends on maintaining Brian’s humanity amidst all the carnage, so it’s an effective touch

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that the first time he actually kills someone, he responds not with a sense of triumph, but by throwing up. Ultimately, Brian does get to that date circled on the calendar, assisted by a local cop (Kid Cudi), and the ensuing carnival of shootings, stabbings and punchings might have come off cooler if the John Wick series hadn’t spoiled us on how amazing they can be. Still, it’s great to see Woo doing his thing again, and being playful enough to set the movie in a town called Las Palomas—“the doves,” nodding to one of the director’s visual trademarks. American audiences have missed having this guy around, reminding us that there’s no particular language you need to understand when you can let your action do the talking. CW

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FEATURE Local Music Spotlight November 2023 Spice up your library with these songs from locals BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

hether you’re chilling, driving, working or exercising, you need great tunes to listen to. Sometimes you get to the point where your library feels dull, or that you’ve heard everything in it a million times over. Never fear—new music is here. Add these songs as a refresher for your music library, and support great locals along the way. Umbels, “Nightcap”: “Nightcap” is the perfect song for just that—putting on to unwind, loosen up and get those stressful feelings from the day out the door. Mere seconds into the song, you’re greeted with smooth-as-whisky guitar and drums that bring a little funk, but in a low-key way. The reverb and soft vocals make for an interesting journey; a lot of cool sounds are thrown at you, but don’t overstay their welcome. Popping this song on after a long day to relax is a recipe for bliss. Tidelands, “High”: Singer/songwriter Emilee Holgate has always been writing. She started as a kid, but being a young adult fueled more songs, until she eventually created a music project with her husband Thomas. “These days, a lot of my songs are inspired by my journey with mental illness, failed relationships and self-discovery. As a 20-something-yearold, life changes really fast, and I feel like I’m constantly finding new parts of myself. I like to write about that; it helps me

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make sense of it all,” Holgate told Analog Trash in 2021. “High” is one such song— a beautifully done indie-electro tune that immerses you in the soundscape. The sound is full, and the song is very well produced, making you want to listen again and again. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Tidelands, so hopefully they make a return soon to fill our ears with all of their moody princess pop jams. Michelle Moonshine, “Oh So Many Days”: American roots music is music for the soul. Sometimes you need to go to the basics of acoustic instruments and a pretty voice arranged in a not-so-simple way to feel better about the world. You can do that with any of Michelle Moonshine’s songs, but “Oh So Many Days,” is a standout. There’s a reason the track is the most played on her Spotify page—its beautiful, longing, oftentimes heartbreaking sound draws you in and doesn’t let go. The music itself holds so much emotion, but then the vocals come in and really take it to a whole different level. If you’ve ever missed someone you care about deeply, this song will resonate with you, as it has so many others. “Oh So Many Days” comes on Moonshine’s most recent album Sad Spaghetti Westerns, and if you like that one, there’s a good chance you’ll like the rest of the album, so go check it out. Wicked Bears, “Underwater,” “The Darkness”: Some people don’t like to listen to albums as a whole, but in the case of Wicked Bears’ most recent album, you have to listen to “Underwater” before embarking on the rest. It sets the tone, and is just so fun to listen to—especially for Utahns, because it’s a direct shout out to us. Well, Salt Lake City specifically, but the rest of us can enjoy and pretend the Bears are talking to us directly. “Good evening Salt Lake City / We are coming to you live from Underwater!” you hear immediately as you press play on the opening track. With it comes a lively, energetic, punkinspired sound that will have you jumping up and down and headbanging instantly.

Michelle Moonshine

The pop-punk trio released this fun romp of an album earlier this year, and it quickly became the group’s most popular work to date. If you’re someone who needs a dose of high energy music to get you up and moving, “Underwater” will get the engine started while the rest of the album revs it. New Distraction, “She Does What She Wants”: So far, “She Does What She Wants” is New Distraction’s only song— but that’s okay, because it’s a damn good one. The exciting, dynamic song incorporates a variety of sounds in one place; in the three-minute run time, you’ll hear alt/ pop/rock vibes, with some hints of reggae thrown in. On the surface, that may sound like a jumbled mess with no direction, but trust me, people: It works here. The different sounds taken from different genres might take you by surprise as you’re listening, then make you immediately want to play it again so you can catch it one

more time. If you have the aux cord at a party and throw this on, no one will complain. Well, there’s always someone who complains, but most people will probably find something to like in this song. Alicia Stockman, “Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve”: Christmas doesn’t have to be all Mariah, all the time. There’s plenty of good Christmas music out there, including from our very own Alicia Stockman. “Recipe for a Merry Christmas Eve” is a modern holiday tune providing a heartfelt reminder that some traditions never go out of style. Stockman’s folkmeets-Americana style is perfectly fitting for a cozy holiday jingle, but it’s also not something that’s overly “Christmas-y,” so those who aren’t the biggest fan of holiday tunes can get in on the fun as well. Throw this on while you’re wrapping presents, or chilling by the tree with family, and you’ve got yourself a great time. CW

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As we move on from Thanksgiving and creep ever towards the end of the year, it may seem like the concert selections are thinning. But worry not: There are plenty of fantastic locals who are ready and excited to share their new music with you. Young trio Hurtado hit the scene last April with their single “Energizer Bunny,” a moody, introspective track that will have you overthinking in no time. Their most recent single, “Away From Here,” follows suit, offering a slow song with melancholy vibes that can serve as a perfect soundtrack for relaxing and unwinding at the end of a stressful day. It will be exciting to see what the young trio has cooked up with their debut EP at this show. Joining Hurtado are fellow locals Wilbere, who just released a new EP themselves in November. Entitled Quiet Eyes, it’s a fun yet calming indie-rock collection that will fit perfectly in any music library. Also on tahe bill is Nicole Canaan, a well-known indie-pop artist in SLC who is constantly captivating with their enticing mixture of cheerful, thought-provoking tunes. Last but certainly not least on the bill is BLISSTER, who lovingly describe themselves as “punk ABBA.” Their debut EP hit in September, so this will be a perfect chance to hear that new music. Come enjoy this exciting local lineup on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

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SLAMROCKS! Benefit Concert @ Commonwealth Room 12/2

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By Emilee Atkinson

Having access to music resources is important for children and adults alike. SLAM (Salt Lake Academy of Music) does their best to provide lessons on a free to fee sliding scale. Students who enroll have the chance to learn about performing, composition, songwriting and recording. Summer camps are also offered, giving students a chance to learn and perform together. “Whether a student has aspirations in rock, classical, jazz, pop, blues, bluegrass, or electronic music, we believe they deserve access to quality musical instruments, instruction, programs, and opportunities,” SLAM says on their website. Kids, adults and pros are able to access these resources, so you can probably imagine how much it takes in funds to keep these programs going. That’s why you can head out to the Commonwealth Room to contribute to a great cause, while being treated to an incredible show. The show will feature students from 11-18 years of age, as well as staff members involved with the program. This is a complete family-friendly event, and kids get in for free! Adult tickets are $35 each, or $100 for a reserved VIP section. If you’re unable to make it to the show, consider donating directly at SLAM’s website (slamslc.org), or if you have instruments or music equipment that no one uses, you can donate those as well. Head to thestateroompresents.com for tickets. (EA)

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Hiss Golden Messenger @ Commonwealth Room 12/4 The Slackers @ Metro Music Hall 12/5 Clearly, the Durham, N.C.-based band Hiss Golden Messenger deserve their status as today’s top indie contenders, but with their stunning new album, the wholly inspired Jump For Joy, there’s ample reason to suggest they’re ready to take that major leap into the mainstream. Spawned from the creative impetus of singer/songwriter and helmsman M.C. Taylor, it’s another plateau on a path that’s found him coming of age, becoming a dad, dealing with depression and finding his spiritual center. A follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed 2021 album Quietly Blowing It, the new effort finds Taylor adopting an alter-ego, a fictional stand-in named Michael Crows. Taylor adapts to the role by sharing his own personal perspective, and clearly the band are only too happy to join in the journey. When Taylor declares, “I saw a new day in the world” in the song of the same name, that optimism and euphoria can’t help but win over an audience as well. Then again, this is a band that’s found inspiration from the very beginning. An offspring of cult favorites The Court and Spark, they eventually signed with the formidable label, Merge Records, and now claim 15 studio albums to their credit, among them, their 2019 release, Terms of Surrender, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album the following year. That in itself is reason to jump for joy. Hiss Golden Messenger with special guest Adeem the Artist perform a 21 + show at the Commonwealth Room on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $31 - $53 at tix.axs.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

Ska music is like an instant explosive blur of rhythm and message, anger and euphoria, color and culture, great lyrics and smart moves. Since 1991, New York City-based sextet The Slackers have released 15 albums and innumerable singles, and performed thousands of live gigs. The music and the band simply exude fun, irrepressible dance-along fun, more fun than any of the other sounds and acts performing this type of fun. “I remember there being a moment where we had found this vein of truth and goodness. And it had been somehow passed over by the rest of the world. They missed the ska beat, somehow,” vocalist Vic Ruggiero told the Washington Post. “It was our job to be like, ‘We’re going to pick up where those guys dropped the ball.’” Their sophomore LP, Redlight, solidified their iconic sound, and is a must-have. I also find myself either nodding along, shoulder-groovin’ or singing off-key to most of the tunes on Wasted Days. Now, their newest album—Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya, which dropped last year on Pirates Press Records— contains even more infectious music to move to. So break out those white toweling socks and tasseled loafers with perforated uppers; you will be glad that you were there. Los Mal Hablados, Buster Shuffle and Voodoo Glow Skulls open. Catch these acts at Metro Music Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 5 Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $28 at 24tix.com (Mark Dago)

Yetep @ SKY SLC 12/6

RAM VISTA

GRAHAM TOLBERT

Hiss Golden Messenger

L.A.-based future bass producer Inho Hong, known as yetep, has quickly risen as a household name in electronic dance music. His monthly mix series on Soundcloud (his ÿ mix series) helped him secure an online presence with fans across the globe over the past five years that Hong has been active in the scene. For fans of Adventure Club, yetep has similar emotive melodies as part of his signature sound. However, he is unique in his blends of a myriad of EDM sub-genres which have led to releases on prominent labels such as Ophelia, Monstercat, Proximity and Enhanced Recordings. Hong’s debut Monstercat single “First Place” was released in April 2022, with subsequent singles “Daisies” in July 2022 and “Journey” in September 2022. Within a short time, Hong’s career has taken off, and should only continue to grow in success. He is best known for Tritonal’s “Now or Never” remix featuring Phoebe Ryan, as well as the collab with Danny Olson and EASAE “Melting,” both showcasing his emotionally-charged production. Not only does his music connect deeply with the hearts of his listeners, but he connects back to communities as an advocate for humanity, best exemplified by yetep’s benefit festival Common Unitÿ for the nation’s homeless youth and raising mental-health awareness. Check him out at Sky SLC on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at Sky SLC. Doors open at 9 p.m. Earlybird tickets cost $10 and general admission costs $15 at skyslc.com (Arica Roberts)

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ARIES (March 21-April 19)

As a child, I loved to go to a meadow and whirl around in spirals until I got so dizzy, I fell. As I lay on the ground, the earth, sky and sun reeled madly, and I was no longer just a pinpoint of awareness lodged inside my body, but was an ecstatically undulating swirl in the kaleidoscopic web of life. Now, years later, I’ve discovered many of us love spinning. Scientists postulate humans have a desire for the intoxicating vertigo it brings. I would never recommend you do what I did as a kid; it could be dangerous for some of you. But if it’s safe and the spirit moves you, do it! Or at least imagine yourself doing it. Do you know about the Sufi Whirling Dervishes who use spinning as a meditation? Read more at tinyurl.com/JoyOfWhirling and at tinyurl.com/SufiSpinning

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Your power creature in the coming weeks will not be an eagle, wolf, bear or salmon. I don’t advise you to dream of being a wild horse, tiger or crocodile. Instead, I invite you to cultivate a deep bond with the mushroom family. Why? Now is a favorable time to be like the mushrooms that keep the earth fresh. In wooded areas, they eat away dead trees and leaves, preventing larger and larger heaps of compost from piling up. They keep the soil healthy and make nutrients available for growing things. Be like those mushrooms, Taurus. Steadily and relentlessly, rid your world of the defunct and decaying parts—thereby stimulating fertility.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Sagittarian poet Nina Cassian said, “I promise to make you so alive that the fall of dust on furniture will deafen you.” I think she meant she would fully awaken the senses of her readers. She would boost capacity for enchantment and entice us to feel emotions we had never experienced. As we communed with her beautiful self-expression, we might reconfigure our understanding of who we are and what life is about. I’m pleased to tell you, Sagittarius, that even if you’re not a writer, you have an enhanced ability to perform these same services—both for yourself and for others.

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

“Sometimes I get lonesome for a storm,” says Capricorn singer-songwriter Joan Baez. “A full-blown storm where everything changes.” That approach has worked well for her. At age 82, she has released 30 albums and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has recorded songs in eight languages and has been honored by Amnesty International for her work on behalf of human rights. If you’re feeling resilient—which I think you are—I recommend that you, too, get lonesome for a storm. Your life could use some rearrangement. If you’re not feeling wildly bold and strong, maybe ask the gods for a mild squall.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Educator Neil deGrasse Tyson tells us that water molecules we drink have “passed through the kidneys of Socrates, Genghis Khan, and Joan of Arc.” The same prodigious truth applies to the air we breathe: It has “passed through the lungs of Napoleon, Beethoven, and Abraham Lincoln.” Tyson would have also been accurate if he said we have shared water and air that has been inside the bodies of virtually every creature who has ever lived. I bring these facts to your attention, Aquarius, in the hope of inspiring you to deepen your sense of connectedness to other beings. Now is an excellent time to intensify your feelings of kinship with the web of life. Here’s the practical value of doing that: You will attract more help and support into your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

I am saying a prayer for you. I pray to the Fates that you will not accept lazy or careless efforts from others. You won’t allow their politeness to be a cover-up for manipulativeness. I also pray that you will cultivate high expectations for yourself. You won’t be an obsessive perfectionist, but will be devoted to excellence. All your actions will be infused with high integrity. You will conscientiously attend to every detail with the faith that you are planting seeds that will bloom beautifully in the future.

Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

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Virgo journalist Sydney J. Harris offered advice I suggest you meditate on. He wrote, “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” I bring this to your attention because now is a favorable time to take action on things you have not yet done—and should do. If you put definitive plans in motion soon, you will ensure that regret won’t come calling in five years. (PS: Amazingly, it’s also an excellent time to dissolve regret you feel for an iffy move you made in the past.)

Scorpio poet John Berryman said, “To grow, we must travel in the direction of our fears.” Yikes! I personally wouldn’t want to do that kind of growth all the time. I prefer traveling cheerfully in the direction of my hopes and dreams. But then I’m not a Scorpio. Maybe Berryman’s strategy for fulfilling one’s best destiny is a Scorpio superpower. What do you think? One thing I know for sure is that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to re-evaluate and reinvent your relationship with your fears. I suggest you approach the subject with a beginner’s mind. Empty yourself of all your previous ideas and be open to healing new revelations.

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I am falling in love with how deeply you are falling in love with new ways of seeing and understanding yourself. My heart sings as I listen to your heart singing in response to new attractions. Keep it up, Leo! You are having an excellent influence on me. My dormant potentials and drowsy passions are stirring as I behold you waking up and coaxing out your dormant potentials and drowsy passions. Thank you, dear!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

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Cancerian neurologist and author Oliver Sacks worked with people who had unusual neurological issues. His surprising conclusion: “Defects, disorders and diseases can play a paradoxical role, by bringing out latent powers, developments and evolutions that might never be seen in their absence.” In not all cases, but more often than seemed reasonable, he found that disorders could be regarded as creative—”for if they destroy particular paths, particular ways of doing things, they may force unexpected growth.” Your assignment is to meditate on how the events of your life might exemplify the principle Sacks marvels at: apparent limitations leading to breakthroughs and bonanzas.

In contrast to false stereotypes, Medieval Europeans were not dirty and unhygienic. They made soap and loved to bathe. Another bogus myth says the people of the Middle Ages believed the Earth was flat. But the truth was that most educated folks knew it was round. And it’s questionable to refer to this historical period as backward, since it brought innovations like mechanical timekeepers, moveable type, accurate maps, the heavy plow and illuminated manuscripts. In this spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to strip away misconceptions and celebrate actual facts in your own sphere. Be a scrupulous revealer, a conscientious and meticulous truth-teller.

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Gemini novelist Geraldine McCaughrean wrote, “Maybe courage is like memory—a muscle that needs exercise to get strong. So I decided that maybe if I started in a small way, I could gradually work my way up to being brave.” That is an excellent prescription for you: the slow, incremental approach to becoming bolder and pluckier. For best results, begin practicing on mild risks and mellow adventures. Week by week, month by month, increase the audacious beauty of your schemes and the intensity of your spunk and fortitude. By mid-2024, you will be ready to launch a daring project.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

University of Utah Health and the Moran Eye Center will be destroying medical records created prior to 01/01/2002 for all patients. UUH and Moran will also be destroying medical records created prior to 01/01/2014 for deceased patients who passed away prior to 01/01/2014 and who were over the age of 18 at the time of death. If you would like to request a copy of your records prior to destruction, or if you have a legal right to access a deceased relatives medical information and would like a copy of their records, you must contact the facility at 801581-2704 before 01/01/2024. After that date, records will no longer be available.

LHM, Inc. seeks Associate, Strategy & Analytics in Sandy, UT. Ensure accuracy of fin’l results presentd for each entity w/in Larry H. Miller Company. Work w/ team of analysts on stratgic initiativs, qrtrly board reportng & assistng in due diligence rltd to M&A’s. Dvlp & interpret fin’l models to produce reports. Reqts: Bach or equiv in Fin, Acctg, or rltd, & 5 yrs exp in position offered or rltd, incl 5 yrs exp w/: S&P Capital IQ & Hyperion or One Stream; Healthcare M&A, incl deal sourcng, managng due diligence processes, modelng, preppng pitch books & other materials rltd to M&A transactns, equity, & debt fincngs; adv Excel fin’l modelng & analytical skills, incl 3 statement models, waterfall structure, Pivot Tables, conditional formattng, text parsng, index/matchng, & usng structural refs; creatng & overseeng presentations to sr mgmt on potential investmnt opportunities; Medicare & Medicaid payment policies for post-acute care providers (e.g., PDGM, PDPM, UPL); ancillary svcs w/in post-acute care sector, incl medical supply / durable medical equip, specialty pharm, home health & hospice, & other senior livng real estate offerngs such as independent living, assisted living & memory care. Resume to LHM, Inc. at paige.edwards@lhm.com and ref position title in subj.

LIE DOWN

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

DOWN

1. Sp. girl’s title 2. Schreiber of “Ray Donovan” 3. “Take ____ a sign” 4. “Super” campaign fund-raiser 5. “You’re in tro-o-ouble!” 6. San Joaquin Valley city 7. Subway charge 8. “How relaxing!” 9. Most flaky? 10. Transport in a Duke Ellington song

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Water, Water “W

11. “Norma Rae” director 12. “Night” author Wiesel 13. Violeta o dalia, por ejemplo 16. Yes, in Yokohama 21. “Play it cool, man” 23. Had because of 24. Very, dramatically 26. Kid’s choice word 27. Ward of “CSI: NY” 28. Whitney and Manning 29. “The World of Yesterday” author Stephen 31. Winter river blockage 32. Delight in 34. At just the right time 36. Snoozefest 37. One who’s radioactive? 39. Iowa’s state flower 40. ____-kiri 45. Feudal lords 46. Electrician’s tool 49. Campsite warmer 50. A ways away 51. Oscar-nominated 2018 Alfonso Cuarón movie 52. “The Marvelous

____ Maisel” 54. “A line is ____ that went for a walk”: Klee 55. South American monkey 56. “Now, about ... “ 57. “Ignore that suggested edit” 59. B’way buys 61. Opposite of SSW 62. No. on a business card

Last week’s answers

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.

1. Remove, as shoes 8. Cool ____ cucumber 11. Whistle blower 14. British singer with the hits “How We Do (Party)” and “Your Song” 15. Mound built by insects 17. Occupation #1 18. He says “Good night, sweet prince” to Hamlet 19. Colorado NHL club, to fans 20. Mediterranean, e.g. 22. Occupation #2 23. Suffix with ball or buff 25. 902, on a cornerstone 27. “Oh yeah? You and what army?” 30. ____-weenie 33. Cary of “The Princess Bride” 34. White Monopoly bills 35. “Closing Bell” channel 38. Shirk one’s responsibilities ... or something to find four times in this puzzle’s grid 41. “____ just so happens ...” 42. Ja Rule hit that includes the lyric “Wash away your tears” 43. Find charming 44. “The Lord of the Rings” ring bearer 46. Grace, e.g. 47. Brainstorm 48. Fugitive’s flight 49. Occupation #3 53. “Love Story” composer Francis 55. Future profs, often 58. “It slipped my mind” 60. Occupation #4 63. Pharaoh who founded Egypt’s 19th dynasty 64. Jazz saxophonist Coleman 65. Significant period 66. “The birds and the bees” topic 67. “The Waste Land” poet

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38 | NOVEMBER 30, 2023

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ater, water, every where/ nor any drop to drink” is from the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Coleridge. Imagine living with a view of the Great Salt Lake knowing that all the water south of Willard Bay is undrinkable. It might gnaw at you being in such close proximity to the lake, knowing you can’t benefit much from the salty water except relying on it to create the random “lake effect” that boosts some of our storms into mega downpours and helps create the great, powdery snow we enjoy in the winter. The “water, water” phrase might also apply to residents of Summit County, especially those living in Oakley City. The lakes and rivers that surround the town saw massive spring runoff from the Uinta Mountains—due to increased flow from 2022-2023’s massive snowpack—but it’s only now that the area is seeing more water. That’s because, in May 2021, the Oakley City Council was forced to adopt an ordinance titled: “Moratorium on all building permit approvals requiring a new connection or extension of an existing connection to city water and a moratorium on installation of new landscaping that requires irrigation with the city culinary water.” The town leaders had to stop all building permits of land improvements—such as new homes—because the multi-year drought leading up to 2021 created a scary situation for the area, and they wanted to avoid any water scarcity for the city’s current residents. The council also worried that if they did run out of water, there wouldn’t be any way to fight fires in and around the town. Projects that already had permits could continue, but no permits requiring water connections were allowed for six months. The council then had to extend the moratorium longer than expected in order to find more resources. Residents were encouraged to restrict water use to outdoor watering every other day to help ease the demand. Fast forward to November 2023, and the city council has now lifted its moratorium on new development and is allowing new water hookups and permits. How so? It appears that a very deep well has been found, and the city will be able to tap into it come June 2024. Officials believe that this new source of water will quadruple its current supply to the approximately 1,500 residents of the town. The town’s pause in construction was unique in modern-day Utah, but many Western states and towns have also had to restrict building permits, including communities in and around Monterey, California. Luckily, we got a ton of snow last winter and had a good spring, so the drought has ended in much of California, Nevada and Utah—for now. As the locals here say, “Fast and pray,” or pray fast that we have a great snow year! CW

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NEWS of the WEIRD BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Wait, What?

The Saucon Valley School District in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, and The Satanic Temple have recently come to an agreement, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Earlier in 2023, the district had banned the temple from using its facilities at Saucon Valley Middle School to host the After School Satan Club (motto: Educatin’ With Satan). But on Nov. 16, the district agreed to cover the temple’s attorney fees and to give the club the same access to school facilities as “comparable groups.” However, The Satanic Temple noted that they do not run the clubs in districts where there are no Christian-based religious programs; since the district’s Good News Club appears to be defunct this year, the After School Satan Club will be on hold.

Supernatural

Let This Be a Warning to You n Office Christmas parties are on the horizon, so take

Three unnamed men were taken into custody in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 16 after accidentally locking themselves in a city jail known as the Workhouse, KSDKTV reported. The Workhouse, a medium-security lockup, has been empty for more than a year; the trespassers had to call 911 after getting themselves trapped inside. After being sprung, they were arrested for property damage, burglary and stealing.

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Mystery Solved

Residents of Tees Valley in Northeast England have been flummoxed by about 1,000 small blue balls that have washed up on their beaches since mid-November, Metro News reported. The bright blue orbs are made of a rubberlike substance, and many people believe the appearance has to do with storms and strong currents disturbing a deposit of balls on the seabed. As it turns out, the balls are called Taprogge balls, after their manufacturer, and they’re used to clean the local power station’s pipes. Sometimes they get released into the sea, but station officials say there’s been no release lately. “They do this every week, they go through with the balls. It’s a closed system and the balls shouldn’t escape,” said Jacky Watson from the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. “They are natural and will biodegrade but are still a hazard. We put the word out locally if people found the balls, they could let us know.”

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Inexplicable

Tapacio Sanchez, 35, wasn’t even a guest at the La Quinta Inn hotel in Naples, Florida, when she started taking out her aggressions on the fire suppression systems there on Nov. 18, WINK-TV reported. Managers at the hotel asked Sanchez to leave the premises, but instead she tampered with the HVAC circuit breaker, ripping out internal wiring, and damaged eight sprinkler heads. Next, Sanchez took off for the Olive Garden restaurant next door, where she was discovered in the restroom with a dog (not hers). Police said she was speaking gibberish. She was arrested; the dog was returned to its owner.

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this cautionary tale to heart: Alana Bechiom filed a lawsuit last week in Los Angeles Superior Court over a Christmas party that went very sideways last year at a San Pedro, California, Taco Bell, where she worked at the time. KTLA-TV reported that Bechiom’s manager invited her to the potluck staff party, and Bechiom brought a bowl of guacamole. When she arrived, she said, she realized her manager had “covered the windows of the restaurant with wrapping paper” and had covered the lobby cameras. She noted that the supervisor had provided alcohol and some staffers were “overserved.” After stepping outside for a moment late in the evening, Bechiom returned to find a co-worker “having sex with his wife in front of everyone at the party;” the wife was also kissing the manager and another female co-worker. Bechiom said she ran out of the restaurant but went back in to get her guacamole bowl, where she found the manager and co-worker vomiting, one in her bowl. Bechiom reported the incident to Taco Bell, and the manager and co-worker were fired, but since then, she’s been threatened and had her car windows shattered. Bechiom said she has suffered “actual, consequential and incidental financial losses;” her lawsuit names Taco Bell and the franchise owner, who she said “did nothing about the threats.” Taco Bell says they “take these claims very seriously.”

Least Competent Criminals

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According to the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, a number of “witch bottles” that were allegedly created to deter evil spirits, are washing up along Gulf Coast beaches, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on Nov. 20. The bottles are part of old-school spell casting; they contain objects including iron nails, rusty pins, hair and urine. Jace Tunnell of the Harte Institute thinks the bottles likely originated in the Caribbean and South America. “I’ve found around eight of these bottles and never opened one. I have five of them on my fence in the backyard since my wife won’t let me bring them inside,” he said. Tunnell said that the witch bottles are intended to “draw in and trap harmful intentions directed at their owners.”

n Angela Presti of Parma, Ohio, was so excited to bring home her first real Christmas tree and decorate it with her daughter, WKYC-TV reported. But a few hours later, she noticed that her face was swollen and “My cheek was hot and itchy,” Presti said. “My tongue, I felt like I could swallow it, except I couldn’t swallow and my throat started closing and my breathing was wheezy.” Presti called her father, who rushed her to the emergency room. She said medical staff weren’t surprised that it might be the tree; about 7% of the population suffers from Christmas Tree Syndrome, caused not so much by the tree itself as the mold that grows on it in the sales lot. Presti’s doctor suggested she go back to an artificial tree.

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