Leo Weekly, January 29, 2025

THE

MARC MURPHY

NOTES FROM THE ROAD: REVELATIONS OF A LONE LOUISVILLE LYFT DRIVER

BY CHARLIE CY

In this first installment of a two-part series, freelance writer Charlie Cy provides an overview and window into his world working part-time as a Lyft driver in Louisville.

For the last seven years, my entire stint living in this weird and damned Derby City, after moving back to Kentucky from the Bronx in 2016, I’ve chauffeured my share of locals and tourists alike around town to their next destination.

Driving for Lyft, one of several side-hustles I do (or did, as you’ll discover), has provided me with the flexibility to set my own schedule, earn supplemental income and most importantly Get Out and Talk to The Natives, who I might not otherwise have interacted with, to get to know our little sports-obsessed, drug-addled, crime-ridden, real estate developer and private equity run hamlet of haves and havenots nestled on the banks of the former MasonDixon Line that spawned Hunter S. Thompson and Muhammad Ali.

Of note, the lion’s share of these rides I’ve undertaken – mostly due to demand, but also my own selection bias – were spent escorting a motley crew of working-class folks to and from various low-income neighborhoods around town, particularly from the still hyper-segregated enclave of the West End. And it was this eccentric cast of characters who afforded me an intimate view of this city in a way no other demographic could and who I’ve come to romantically view, maybe too idealistically, as proletarian royalty, save for a small but memorable share of degenerates I encountered, who I’ll shed no tears over if I never see again.

Truth be told, beyond their propensity to tip well and connections to influence, I stand guilty as charged, and admittedly a touch shortsighted, for not particularly enjoying tending to the self-important egos within the professional managerial class who reside in the prefabricated suburbs and mega haciendas of the East End. Which is one of the reasons why I stuck to driving predominately in a small radius of neighborhoods circumnavigating downtown, and quit working entirely for Uber, which caters, if ever-so-slightly, to a more affluent stratum.

I spent two decades ministering to elites – as a captain, bartender and sommelier – while working in various posh and pompous, price-gouging, fine-dining restaurants from Palm Beach to San Francisco. And that was enough for one lifetime. I prefer to shoot the shit with common people, mainly because I’m common too. And because we need each other now more than ever as the billionaire class of conmen and nouveauriche tech oligarchs take over. With that said, regrettably, my driving days are in the rear-view mirror. On January 1, my

vehicle, a 2007 gold Lexus sedan, grew too old to drive per Lyft’s policies. And although I’ve taken great care to keep my steed in mint condition, a fact corroborated by the endless compliments I continued to receive from my clientele into the new year, sixteen-years is nevertheless Lyft’s cap, and me and my baby have hit it. And moreover, I don’t plan on purchasing an upgrade because she’s still in her prime, as most Toyotas always are, and the last thing I need is another monthly bill.

In short, this is the end of the line. And therefore, I’d like to share a few words about my time on the road before my road days are completely behind me.

For some time now, I’ve stewed over the idea of creating a Substack newsletter devoted to some of the more colorful situations and

with which they were initially designed and the one which I have no bones to pick with from those using them accordingly). I wish we had an ounce of Europe’s or most of the Global South’s (for that matter) intelligence on this issue. But alas, we don’t.

But I digress.

During my tenure driving, I earned a perfect 5-star rating after transporting thousands of passengers. I don’t mention this to toot my own horn, but instead to showcase how I prided myself on providing a safe, efficient and hospitable service to every walk of life and when necessary, also performing the role of de facto maître d’, dispensing with pro-tips to visitors seeking guidance on points of interest. But my strongest asset was my simple knack at getting everyday folks to share their stories.

“Felt The Fear drilled into my adrenal glands by three wild-eyed female gangbangers; a fright like I’ve never experienced from any male passenger; each was fresh out of prison, high on molly, busy regurgitating stories about women they’d previously stomped or were planning to ground and pound, and who were eager to hole up with their fellas for a big weekend at a fleabag motel off Preston.

personalities I’ve run across, but I never got around to it. This is my limited redress of that oversight.

I’ve witnessed a glut of batshit crazy shenanigans navigating Louisville’s mean streets. Met some remarkable Individuals. Been moved to tears listening to people down and out or on the come-up. Terrified by violent sociopaths. Dumbfounded by how piss-poor Louisville drivers are. And maddened by the sheer number of mammoth-sized and luxury-priced pickup trucks that are growling around town, often with the added bonus of being plastered with antagonistic “Don’t Tread On Me” (which is precisely what they intend to do to you) Gadsden Flags and assault rifle decals.

On this latter point, I’d like to briefly add, the VAST majority of these multi-ton trucks in this town were purchased to merely commute from point A to point Z and custom-engineered to assert dominance, monopolize the road, spew exhaust (AKA “roll coal”), intimidate other drivers (operating smaller more sensible vehicles), and to over-compensate for the owner’s own physical and/or mental deficits, rather than to tow, haul and traverse rugged terrain (the utility

And there was a menagerie of those. I drove hundreds of people suffering with addiction to methadone clinics in Southern Indiana, or to AA meetings at the Icehouse, or to halfway houses and homeless shelters like Wayside Christian, or to score more smack, meth and booze.

I also often drove Louisville’s elderly – my favorite clientele – to and from their Medicarefunded healthcare appointments (the majority of these rides were to JenCare, who contracts with Lyft). Upon arriving at their pickup location, I’d routinely get out, run around the car and offer my hand to assist these seasoned goldmines of history into my backseat, because they were prototypically frail or emaciated or obese or handicapped or even blind. And after stowing their wheelchairs and walkers and canes and various effects in the trunk, we’d cruise and chat lazily like old friends about how their doctors were or were not taking care of them, and about their bodies falling apart, and what it was like to have their hip replaced or a heart attack or an amputation from diabetes or how weak they felt after their chemo or dialysis treatments. We’d laugh darkly about how aging isn’t for

sissies. And they’d reminisce about the old times and the old-timers. About how many of their relatives and loved ones had died and what it’s like to live with so much death and be simultaneously surrounded by so many glowing grandchildren. They’d reiterate again and again about how things were back in their day. What it was like to live through the Jim Crow era. About the crazed and mean-spirited white people and cops they continuously faced. About how things have and haven’t changed in their own neighborhoods. How some things got better, and others got worse. Often, I’d hear: “We respected our elders” and “We lived by a code,” unlike “these kids today who have no sanctity for life,” especially now that things have “gotten so violent in our city.”

On the other hand, on various occasions, I had the opportunity to shepherd the object of their scorn, the gang affiliated juveniles and strapped drug dealers – yes, multiple people got into my vehicle armed with nine-millimeter handguns tucked in their waistbands, and I had to inform them firearms aren’t allowed in Lyft rides, but I drove them nevertheless – to various trap houses or to a studio off Winkler to cut hip hop tracks, or to the Hall of Justice for their pending court dates (I’ll not soon forget the building’s glass façade covered in red-paint palm-prints symbolizing the blood on the LMPD’s hands, smeared all over the windows the first full day of the Breonna Taylor protests). Undoubtedly, I was most conscientious with this younger demographic, because they were, or I at least perceived them to be, the most volatile, and to be fair, the most dangerous. Nevertheless, I always treated them like fellows and probed them as I would anyone else, while remaining meek and making self-deprecating jokes. We’d inevitably get along, and I almost always gleaned some new insight into their world. Some of these jits were barely fifteen or sixteen-years-old and caught up in a vicious cycle of violence; one kid told me his own family members got him into the streets, while explaining how various territories and clans worked, and about how the pandemic produced a whole new set of crews that congealed in ad hoc ways and about how social media was instigating so much of the mayhem treated like sport or performance art and how no matter what, you can’t be perceived as soft.

I too drove their high-achieving peers to prized JCPS magnet schools that no longer bussed these bright black boys and girls beyond their resident school districts, and ferried their teachers, school administrators and parents to and from these same schools, who often surprised me with their two-sided observations about the bussing saga, among other revelations.

I heard anecdotes on multiple occasions that paralleled one another about how it was both JCPS’s fault for “manufacturing” the bussing crisis, but also, according to these insiders from the same neighborhoods where their progeny and students resided, there was a small but troubling cohort of kids who were simply poorly parented and being allowed to terrorize other kids on the bus as well as the bus drivers! And the drivers, who weren’t paid enough to deal with this abusive behavior, began to drop out, which produced one of the underlying causes of why there was a driver shortage (But it should be noted, I have no personal insight into this matter one way or the other, I’m merely regurgitating hearsay, but informed hearsay).

I picked up strippers and prostitutes getting off late night shifts, who gave color commentary about their customers, Johns, bosses and pimps, and transported countless exhausted mothers in the early morning hours to overpriced daycares to drop off their fussy children before escorting them on to their seemingly endless constellation of day jobs that often bled into night jobs. They went to work at all hours of the day, and I drove them. First shift. Second shift. Third Shift. They did ‘em all. Often multiple shifts for multiple employers.

I drove security guards, nurses, cooks, social workers, grocery clerks, Ford assemblywomen and UPS warehouse workers.

I drove JBS slaughterhouse linemen who reeked of pig viscera away from the squealing sows and bubbling tanks of rendered fat in Butchertown, and transported other worker bees, who smelled like molasses and baking spices, leaving the Shively Ferrero cookie factory and Stitzel-Weller rickhouses across the train tracks from one another. Every other person, so it seemed, stunk of skunk weed. And the far limits of the West End, especially in summertime, consistently emitted the fumes of sewage due to city’s neglect of the drainage system in that part of town.

I drove endless proles from aching public housing units to church, to their auntie’s house, to corner stores, Dollar General, a distant Kroger, Indi’s Chicken, White Castle, laundromats, smoke shops, Derby City Casino, the Urban League and the YMCA.

I drove an unbearably large cadre of family members of victims who’d lost someone to gun violence.

Sped 80-miles-an-hour on poorly maintained local roads through red lights to get a baby – clenched up in mid-seizure – to Norton’s Children’s Hospital.

Had a fight pour into my car at the former Days Inn off I-65 (before it became the Arthur Street Hotel, whose admirable mission is to serve the homeless population).

Been exquisitely defrauded by slick conmen. Felt The Fear drilled into my adrenal glands by three wild-eyed female gangbangers; a fright like I’ve never experienced from any male passenger; each was fresh out of prison, high on molly, busy regurgitating stories about women they’d previously stomped or were planning to ground and pound, and who were eager to hole up with their fellas for a big weekend at a fleabag motel off Preston. Each made it clear, when I tried to

expedite our little “joyride,” that I wasn’t going anywhere until WE completed ALL of OUR errands THEY needed to run before I was FREE. Even though they’d not added any official paid stops. I politely obeyed and of course subsequently reported them once they were deposited at their destination.

I drove softspoken UofL football athletes to class, a vicious sheriff, a laconic celebrity chef Edward Lee from his Old Louisville flagship restaurant 610 Magnolia to his new Korean venture Nami (I’ll notate: you MUST try his ginger shaved ice dessert, served with lychee, ginger snaps, black sesame and coconut condensed milk, it’s ethereal, sui generis and atom-bombed with flavor).

I drove Brown Foreman middle management, endless bourbon tourists, loquacious pilots, a rude flight attendant – which should be an oxymoron – who I had to transport from Muhammad Ali International to the Indy airport two hours away, because her assignment got screwed up, and she was late and in the wrong departure city, and she wanted me to drive 100-miles-an-hour so she could make it on time, and huffed and moaned when I informed her I was already driving 85 miles an hour and wasn’t going to drive any faster because it’s not safe and that unlike Kentucky, Indiana is filled with speed traps. And then I slowly began to snap, which I never ever do, posing questions like an antagonistic reporter: “Who is going to pay for the ticket . . . And who is going to pay the cost of my insurance going up (which is already exorbitant with a clean bill of health) . . . And for that matter, who is going to pay for the two hours I have to spend driving back to Louisville once I drop you off?”

I drove belligerent garden variety alcoholics after last call, friendly La Bodeguita de Mimi servers, vets with PTSD going to the VA off Zorn, quirky country boys who loved to chit chat, manicured Omni and 21C hotel bartenders,

hundreds of thousands of dollars tonight at this casino, as he allegedly had played blackjack at other casinos all across the South—and even if he was deranged, I tended to believe him, about his pockets being full come sunrise.

There were also a several common themes and points I’d like to underscore:

The LMPD were either nowhere to be found or all in one place.

Driving along the river on I-64 from Portland to downtown at sunrise never gets old.

“Be safe!” was the default salutation passengers delivered to me as they departed my vehicle. And it wasn’t spoken as a trite colloquialism or just something syrupy sweet you utter to say goodbye. They really meant: be safe!

done-up drag queens set to perform at Le Moo’s drag brunch and Play.

I drove a new hire Humana employee who’d previously worked in a pretrial diversion program at the downtown jail, who spoke at length about how awful the conditions of the facility were and how the guards were brutes who told her she was too empathetic for these animals.

I’ve driven a host of battered women going to or leaving the Center for Women and Families, as well as picking up and dropping off dedicated employees that work at Home of the Innocents.

I drove the peculiar street photographer Vyncex, Courier-Journal journalists who spoke at length about Gannett’s endless downsizing, local barflies and music aficionados going to see shows at Zanzibar. I drove throngs of tourists going to Bourbon and Beyond, Louder than Life and the Derby, as well as local teenyboppers blinged-out in glitter and pink tutus heading to Forecastle, and saucy sorority sisters who’d piled on top of each other in my backseat, dressed in Cards’ swag, clutching cans of beer and laughing and shouting random shit into the ether while heading to tailgate.

And I’ll never forget the mystic-pilgrim-gambler I picked up from the former Greyhound bus station, before the property was bought out by a developer and demolished (as an aside, the new Greyhound locale in a strip mall off 13th and Broadway is a shit show to navigate and chaos personified). But to the point, I transported this mysterious, soft-spoken sage in his 60s, who had distinguished albeit weathered features and was dressed in vagabond’s clothes, across the river to Caesar’s at midnight several years back.

He was headed to play blackjack, said he was affiliated with GOD, or was GOD, I can’t remember which. But even for a nihilist, atheist, cynic like me, there was a strange voodoo aura that emanated off of him that provoked one’s curiosity, as he assured me, he was going to make

The other reoccurring phrase I heard over and over after welcoming passengers by their first name as they entered my vehicle, was: “Oh thank God! You speak English!” As both a Southerner and a cosmopolitan nomad and global-minded citizen, this was not something I particularly enjoyed hearing, but it was indicative of a personal truth that mattered to these passengers—they wanted to be able to communicate with the stranger driving them in their native tongue, and clearly, that was not their experience. I was the exception to the rule.

Too many people are working two or three jobs to stay afloat.

Too many people take their driver’s time for granted and go over the five minutes, which is an ample amount of time they are allotted to show up, once the driver arrives. If you are not ready to go, don’t book the trip until you are.

Driving adolescents wearing black ski masks is terrifying, no matter how friendly or well-behaved the kid is.

Lyft and Uber drivers in Louisville should organize and set up a union or create their own app because they are getting raped by these rideshare companies.

Louisville feels like it’s both at the epicenter of the drug epidemic and the heart of the region’s treatment resources. Which likely is a Catch 22. Dozens and dozens of repeat passengers have told me how they came here from Michigan and Florida and Ohio and Tennessee to get clean. And of those dozens, I’ve spoken to multiple people who got clean and now work in the Big Rehab Industry, and who firmly believe that just as the Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma were preying on people with their opioid products, “some” of the halfway houses and rehabilitation clinics in this town are potentially opportunistically manipulating the local, state and federal government for various subsidies while taking advantage of the most vulnerable populations in the city (this is something I’d like to research further for a future in-depth exposé).

This concludes Part I of our two-part series. You can read more about the second edition online - where Charlie details a specific encounter he experienced escorting a passenger, who distilled some ugly truths about our city, while en route to his home from the UofL ER.

Courtesy photo

ADVOCATES SAY DEATHS AT LOUISVILLE METRO JAIL

EXPOSE SYSTEMIC FAILURES, INEQUITIES AND LACK OF OVERSIGHT

Advocates demand accountability amid rising jail deaths and skyrocketing incarceration costs

BY CALEB STULTZ

In 2024, Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC) faced intense public scrutiny as multiple deaths occurred inside its facility.

While the headlines brought temporary attention to the troubling conditions at the jail, advocates and experts warn that the public focus fades too quickly. They argue the deaths are a symptom of larger systemic failures including chronic neglect, insufficient resources and deeply ingrained inequities.

A Deadly Pattern

The deaths at LMDC are not a new phenomenon. Over the years, people who are jailed have died due to preventable causes such as inadequate medical care, mental health crises and violence. In response, local officials have promised reforms, but critics say these changes often come too late—or not at all.

A 2024 LEO Weekly report revealed that many of the recent deaths could have been prevented if the jail had implemented basic safety measures. However, LMDC remains plagued by overcrowding, underfunding and insufficient staffing.

Kyle Ellison, who formerly worked with the Kentucky Department of Corrections, sees a pattern of negligence.

“The public only pays attention to the jail when people die there and most of what citizens know come from soundbites on the evening news and from politicians promising to lock more people up. Civics classes and most academic faculty ignore incarceration issues. This is not to say that Metro jail deaths are not important. This is totally unacceptable but we need to call attention to a lot more than that. Out of Sight-Out of Mind is where we are now almost all the time.,” he said in an email to LEO Weekly.

The Rising Cost of Incarceration

Rising imprisonment costs in Kentucky underscore the disconnect between funding and outcomes, according to advocates like Ellison. In 1976, the Kentucky Department of Corrections operated on a modest $16 million budget. Fast forward to 2024, and that figure has ballooned to $843

million—a more than 1,000% increase over less than 50 years. Yet despite the dramatic rise in funding, Kentucky’s prisons and jails, including LMDC, remain overcrowded and plagued by high recidivism rates.

“About two Billion is spent on Kentucky’s prisons and jails every year with a 50% to 70% recidivism rate. Public oversight barely exists,” Ellison said in an email to LEO Weekly.

At the local level, Louisville Metro Government oversees LMDC’s budget and operations, but advocates argue that funding alone isn’t enough to address the root causes of the jail’s dysfunction.

Systemic Inequities and Public Apathy

Judi Jennings, a representative of the Louisville Family Justice Advocates,

highlighted the role of systemic inequities in shaping incarceration policies in an email to LEO Weekly.

“Systemic racism and poverty largely shape public opinion, especially when it comes to recent legislature statute on arresting houseless people,” Jennings stated. “I am pretty sure the legislators do not think of themselves as racist or classist but that is who is most directly impacted by their law, which makes it important to include age, race, gender, zip code in reporting.”

Jennings also pointed to the public’s lack of understanding as a barrier to meaningful reform.

“I would say a big barrier to improving our jail is the lack of public understanding (residents, voters, and officials) of the conditions inside the jail and usually pay no attention unless someone(s) die.”

Transparency Efforts Fall Short

In an attempt to increase transparency, Louisville Metro Government launched a new jail population dashboard in 2024. The dashboard provides some data on populations of people who are jailed, but many advocates argue it falls short of true accountability. Community groups, including Louisville Family Justice Advocates, have called for the dashboard to include more comprehensive data to ensure the public can monitor patterns of inequality and systemic failures.

A History of Neglect

The issues facing LMDC are part of a much longer history of neglect and mismanagement. A LEO Weekly analysis of Louisville’s jails traced decades of overcrowding, poor conditions, and underinvestment in rehabilitation programs. Time and again, the facility

has been criticized for failing to meet basic standards of care, even as the population of those in jails across Kentucky has continued to grow.

A major contributing factor is Kentucky’s tough-on-crime policies, which have led to higher incarceration rates but little improvement in public safety. A 2024 Kentucky Lantern report from Ellison criticized these policies as being driven by emotion rather than evidence, emphasizing incarceration over alternative strategies like diversion programs, mental health care, and substance abuse treatment.

Legal Settlements and Accountability

In 2024, Louisville paid over $1 million in legal settlements related to LMDC. These settlements stemmed from lawsuits alleging negligence, wrongful death and civil rights violations. While the payouts provide some accountability, they do little to address the systemic issues that caused the harm in the first place.

Advocates argue that the legal settlements represent only a fraction of the human and financial cost of incarceration. They point to the high recidivism rates and the devastating impact on families and communities as evidence that the current system is unsustainable.

What Needs to Change?

Jennings said she believes that real reform requires a combination of local and statelevel efforts.

“The Director/Chief of LMDC Jerry Collins, the Mayor, Metro Council and the Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission can make many improvements without going to the state legislature, although the state legislature has statutory authority over jails in KY.”

She added that to keep people from being jailed, especially for being homeless, many advocate groups have stepped up.

“The Coalition for the Homeless is working really hard to find shelter for people to prevent them from being arrested,” she stated. “These are just a few examples of the good work that is happening... We definitely need more official and community engagement.”

abin fever is no joke, especially during those long, dreary winter months when being stuck indoors starts to feel like a never-ending cycle. The perfect antidote? A quick, refreshing getaway just for you.

Short vacations offer the ideal opportunity to shake off the winter blues, recharge your batteries, and indulge in a change of scenery—all without breaking the bank or using up all your vacation days. With so many nearby destinations to explore, there’s something to suit every interest and budget, whether you’re craving adventure, relaxation or a mix of both.

If you’re looking for a short vacation idea, here are a few suggestions:

Visit a nearby city or town

Visit a museum or art gallery and experience local shopping in a small town

Go to a concert or sporting event

Visit a nearby historical site

Take a cooking class or wine tasting and try out new restaurants in a different city

Go on a day trip to a nearby amusement park or zoo

No matter what you choose to do, a short vacation can be a great way to break up the winter doldrums and get some much-needed fresh air and sunshine. We’ve provided a list of

just a few options that you may already know about, but maybe hadn’t given a second look or thought.

Closer to home:

Glamping glampinghub.com

Some call it luxury camping. Some call it glamorous camping. It’s like an AirBnb or VRBO, but a bit more rustic. Located all around Kentucky, this kind of vacation might be just what you need to give you the change of scenery you crave to combat the winter blues.

Mammoth Cave www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm

Sure, any local is familiar with Mammoth Cave, but when is the last time you’ve actually visited and taken a tour? Given the fact that the cave stays at a balmy 55 degrees average, it might feel like a taste of spring to you. Several tour levels are available from the wild and adventurous to the laid back and slower paced. Stay for the weekend and visit local caverns nearby - including Hidden River Cave which features off-trail options!

Cooped Up With Cabin Fever In Louisville?

Here Are Some Quick And Easy Getaways For A Weekend Of Relaxation

By LEO Weekly staff

Perfect North Slopes perfectnorth.com

Located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, just a short drive from Northern Kentucky, Perfect North Slopes offers an exciting snow tubing experience. Perfect North Slopes features 14 tubing lanes, each over 1,000 feet long, and four

conveyor lifts to take you back to the top. The tubing lanes are designed for all ages and skill levels, so everyone can enjoy the fun. In addition to tubing, Perfect North Slopes also offers a variety of other winter activities, including skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing - enough to make a weekend trip full of fun.

Red River Gorge www.redrivergorge.com

Everyone always makes the trek to Gatlinburg TN, but Kentucky has its own hidden gem. With lodging ranging from hotels to cabins and treehouses, there is no shortage of things to do to enjoy the outdoors and unique dining and shopping experiences here. Pick a warmer weekend - we know Kentucky will deliver - and enjoy the cooler air on a hike!

Kentucky Horse Park kyhorsepark.com

During the quieter winter months, the Kentucky Horse Park offers a peaceful atmosphere, allowing visitors to explore at their own pace. Spend a day wandering through the park’s museums to learn about Kentucky’s horse history or witness live demonstrations. You’ll have the chance to see famous retired racehorses up close. Take a second day experiencing bourbon and craft beer production, and enjoy guided tastings of the best local spirits.

Northern Kentucky www.meetnky.com

Pick from an extensive list of things to do - Newport Aquarium, New Riff Distilling, Turfway Park Racing & Gaming, Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, or the B-Line Self Guided Bourbon Tour. There is plenty to do and see on a weekend getaway to this area!

French Lick, IN visitfrenchlickwestbaden.com

French Lick Springs and West Baden Springs are two historic hotels side by side, and offer a variety of activities for the young and not-so-young. Big Splash Adventure is a go-to with families and littles as an indoor water park and hotel. And right down the road is Patoka Lake State Park, so you can hit several fun activities in one weekend!

Not too far away:

Columbus, IN columbus.in.us

Columbus, Indiana is a small city with a big reputation for its architecture, art, and attractions. In addition to its art and architecture, Columbus is also home to the Brown County State Park and the T.C. Steele State Historic Site. While you are there, make sure to stop by Zaharakos, providing sodas, sundaes and smiles since 1900, and if you have littles, Kidscommons offers three floors of interactive, hands-on exhibits designed for families.

Bloomington, IN www.visitbloomington.com

Bloomington, Indiana, is a dynamic city that offers outdoor activities, shopping, entertainment, and culture. It has something for everyone! For family fun, check out the WonderLab Museum, a hands-on science museum with exhibits that cover everything from dinosaurs to space exploration. Foodies will love

Dayton, OH www.daytoncvb.com

If you’re looking for a day filled with indoor exhibits that are both educational and fascinating for the kids, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is a must-visit. Home to over 350 exhibits, it’s a perfect blend of learning and spring break fun, regardless of the weather outside. Spend the night and experience the Five Rivers Fountain of Lights at the confluence of the Great Miami and Mad Rivers in Downtown. And you can’t go wrong with the international destination - Jungle Jim’s and a trip to Young’s Jersey Dairy!

Cape Girardeau, MO visitcape.com

Bloomington’s hundreds of incredible restaurants, which offer everything from farm-to-table cuisine to international fare. Music lovers can enjoy live music at one of Bloomington’s many venues, which host local bands and national acts.

Hamilton County, IN www.visithamiltoncounty.com

Located just north of Indianapolis, Hamilton County, Indiana, offers a diverse range of attractions for visitors. With four cities and four towns, each with its own unique character, there is something for everyone to enjoy in Hamilton County. Take a ride on the Nickel Plate Express, check out The Museum of Miniature Houses and Other Collections, or attend a classical performance at the Palladium, a Europeanstyle concert hall. A weekend full of options certain to entertain and please even the pickiest of adventurers.

Nashville, TN www.visitmusiccity.com/ things-to-do-in-nashville

Nashville awaits! Stay warm on the “Homes Of The Stars” Narrated Bus Tour, featuring 30+ celebrity homes. Experience iconic honky-tonks like Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Robert’s Western World, where you might spot up-and-coming artists or even a celebrity. Enjoy themed bars and restaurants owned by country music stars like Garth Brooks, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, and Blake Shelton. Don’t miss The Parthenon in Centennial Park, the world’s only exact replica of the ancient Greek temple.

Cape Girardeau is a small town located about an hour from St. Louis. Visitors can learn about the area’s cultural history at the Trail of Tears State Park, established in 1957 to memorialize the forced march that killed thousands. The park also offers opportunities to enjoy the area’s natural beauty. For those interested in other aspects of Cape Girardeau’s history, there’s a self-driving tour that explores the city’s African American heritage. Additionally, visitors can see the film locations of “Gone Girl” or take a tour that explores the early years of Rush Limbaugh and the history of the Limbaugh family.

Charleston, WV charlestonwv.com

Stop by Mea Cuppa for a coffee and light breakfast. Head over to the Capital Museum, walk to the river and Haddad Riverfront Park. If you enjoy hiking, Kanawha State Forest is the place to go. Or, if you don’t have lots of time, try the Carriage Trail off MacCorkle. Located directly in downtown, but also in a secluded area, boasting nice views of the area.

Robbinsville, NC

tapoco.com

Earning a spot on the vacation destination list is this hidden gem. Since 1930, Tapoco Lodge has been a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, nestled along the Cheoah River in Robbinsville, North Carolina. Their 120-acre campus offers groomed trails for exploration, and they are conveniently located near Nantahala National Forest and the thrilling Tail of the Dragon scenic drive. Whether you prefer relaxing by a riverside fire pit with a glass of wine or embarking on an outdoor adventure, Tapoco Lodge welcomes you home.

National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, OH dayton cv.com

EAT, DRINK AND SEE IN THIS WEEK’S STAFF PICKS

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12

Ian Fisher & Band “Go Gentle” North American Tour

Zanzabar | 2100 S Preston St | $15 | zanzabarlouisville.com/ | 8 p.m.

Listen to the heartfelt tunes of Ian Fisher & Band’s newest album, “Go Gentle,” a cathartic collection written after the loss of his mother. The album is set to release on February 7th, so be sure to check out “Go Gentle,” and their special guest, Australian singer/songwriter Anna Smyrk.

—Ezra Knapp

SATURDAY, FEB. 1

“Tiny Art, Big Heart” Art Show

Revelry Boutique + Gallery | 742 E Market St | Free! | revelrygallery.com/ | 6-9 p.m.

Support local Kentucky artists at Revelry Boutique + Gallery’s “Tiny Art, Big Heart,” art show. Featuring over 100 artist’s miniature works, all $50 or less, this is the perfect place to find personal treasures and perfect gifts alike. Visit on Feb. 1st to meet the wonderful minds behind the art.

—Ezra Knapp

THURSDAY, FEB. 13

“Sing A Love Song” Concert & Auction Gala The Olmstead | 3701 Frankfort Ave | $65+ | givebutter.com/ | 6:30 p.m.

Join the Louisville Chorus for their Valentines concert and silent auction. Dance the night away, participate in the silent auction or dining raffle, and enjoy the cash bar with a lovely musical backdrop. Use promo code LOVESONG to purchase tickets before February 1st for $10 off.

—Ezra Knapp

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12

Hearts In Bloom

Waterfront Botanical Gardens | 1435 Frankfort Ave | $50+ | waterfrontgardens.org/ | 6:30-8 p.m.

Indulge in a night of lovely flavors and lively music from around the world at Waterfront Botanical Gardens. Enjoy French music, Italian cuisine, and divine Turkish desserts all in one romantic evening.

—Ezra Knapp

TUESDAY, FEB. 4

Shane Smith & The Saints “Norther” Tour Mercury Ballroom | 611 S 4th St | $37+ | shanesmithmusic.com/splash/ | 8 p.m.

Enjoy the genre-bending style of Shane Smith & The Saints, joined by Sons of Habit, on their “Norther” tour. Their unique musical blend can be heard on hit show Yellowstone, received an article in Rolling Stone, and a feature on CBS Saturday Morning

—Ezra Knapp

FRIDAY, FEB. 14

Candlelight: Valentine’s Day Special Actors Theatre of Louisville | 316 W Main St | $32+ | feverup.com/ | 8:45 p.m.

Enjoy the gentle glow of candlelight while listening to romantic classics at Actors Theatre of Louisville. The doors open at 8 p.m., so bring your special someone to this Valentine’s Day Special.

—Ezra Knapp

FRIDAY, FEB. 14

Valentine’s Day at Byrdie’s Byrdie’s | 730 E Market St | $75+ | byrdiesky. com/ | 5 p.m.

Experience fabulous French cuisine blended with American soul on Valentine’s Day with Byrdie’s 3-course prix fixe menu. Top of the evening with their house specialty cocktails, curated with local Kentucky liquors.

—Ezra Knapp

SATURDAY, FEB. 8

Vitamin String Quartet

The Kentucky Center | 501 W Main St | $39+ | tickets.kentuckyperformingarts.org/ | 8 p.m.

Join the Vitamin String Quartet for their “Music of Taylor Swift, Bridgerton, and Beyond” Tour. One of the most popular string ensembles in the world, they blend classical and contemporary music into chart-topping hits for all to enjoy.

—Ezra Knapp

NOW - FRIDAY, MAR. 28

Create and Destroy: Art of Skateboard Culture ArtPortal - 1512 Portland Ave - portal-louisville.comFree - Open during events at Portal and by appointment - The exhibit is all ages, but age limits vary per event

Presented by Artportal and Guerillaone, Create and Destroy is a vibrant art exhibit exploring the intersection of creativity and skateboarding. This show features some of the biggest names in skate art culture, many of whom have had a profound influence on fine art, street art and graphic design. Works from the likes of Tim Armstrong (Rancid), Jason Adams, Steve Caballero, Risk/Travis Barker (Blink 182), Todd Bratrud, Spice One, James Callahan, and many more will be on display. The exhibit is free with admission to any event at Portal, or by appointment.

—Jeff Polk

SATURDAY, FEB. 1 AND SUNDAY, FEB. 2

Oddities & Curiosities Expo

Kentucky International Convention Center - 221 S. 4th St. - odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com - $10 adv., $15 day of show, kids 12 and under free - Sat: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - All ages

For lovers of the strange, unusual and bizarre - the world’s largest traveling oddities event, The Oddities & Curiosities Expo, returns to Louisville. Amongst the hand selected vendors, dealers, artists and small businesses, you’ll find all manor of taxidermy, preserved specimens, original artwork, horror/halloween inspired pieces, antiques, handcrafted oddities, quack medical devices, creepy clothing, odd jewelry, skulls/ bones, funeral collectibles, and much more; all legal to own and sustainably sourced. In addition, there will be sideshow performers on stage throughout both days, as well as taxidermy and entomology classes for an additional charge. Truly something weird for everyone!

—Jeff Polk

SUNDAY, FEB. 2

Thou, Young Widows, Null, and Douglas Graham

Portal - 1512 Portland Ave. - portal-louisville. com - $19 - 8 p.m. - All ages

Over the course of their now 20 year career, Baton Rouge, LA’s Thou has often been lumped into the sludge metal genre with other Louisiana bands like Eyehategod, Crowbar, and Acid Bath. However, they feel they share more of a spiritual kinship with 90’s proto-grunge bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden mixed with the aesthetic and political impulses of obscure 90’s D.I.Y. Ebullition Vermiform hardcore punk. Catch them live at Portal and see for yourself. Sharing the bill are Louisville noise rock legends Young Widows, (who’s first new album in almost 11 years, Power Sucker, will be released in March), Birmingham, AL. psych-rockers Null, and Douglas Graham.

—Jeff Polk

SATURDAY, FEB. 8

Vibrolas album release show with Killii Killii and The Char Planet of the Tapes - 640 Barret Ave.planetofthetapes.biz - $8 - 8 p.m. - 21+

Lexington-based husband and wife duo Chris Hosner (guitar, vocals) and Leila Coppala (bass, vocals), along with a handful of different drummers, (Ben Zimmerman being the newest), have been tearing it up as the Vibrolas since 1999 with their brand of car-obsessed, garage punk rock n’ roll. Their high-energy live shows are always entertaining and quite memorable. Although their latest album Two-Lane Blackhole has been out for a few months now, this is the Louisville album release show as the band has not played here since releasing it. Along for the ride are the quirky post-punk, math-rock sounds of Killii Killii, and old-school alt-indie-punk rockers The Char. —Jeff Polk

LISTEN LOCAL: NEW LOUISVILLE MUSIC

LEO now has playlists for Listen Local! Search Spotify for LEO Weekly and have a listen!

BY JEFF POLK

Feral Vices

We Did It All To Ourselves - EP

They have been slowly releasing the five songs that make up this EP as singles over the course of a year and a half, and now they are finally all together in one complete package titled We Did It All To Ourselves , (named after a line in opening song “Karma”). Vocalist/guitarist Alexander Hoagland and drummer Justin Cottner pull off what very few two-piece bands are capable of doing; create a sound as big as, or arguably bigger, than that of a full band. They have found an original, groove-oriented sound somewhere between alt-rock, modern rock, and post-hardcore with a grungy, punk edge to it. This is not a band that fits neatly into any defined genre. Think Queens of the Stone Age, Refused, and Highly Suspect mixed with a little Nine Inch Nails and The Jesus Lizard, and that will get you in the ballpark of Feral Vices’ sound. These are extremely well-crafted songs here, as Hoagland and Cottner are certainly no strangers to writing catchy tunes with big hooks that are easy to get caught up in. And they are able to pull it all off without layering in a bunch of additional guitar tracks or other instruments to fill out the sound, as a lot of other two-piece bands tend to do. This is just straightforward guitar, drums and vocals. No frills or gimmicks here because none are needed. It’s been a long road to get here, but We Did It All To Ourselves is so worth it!

feralvices.com

All That Matters - album

Having been familiar with Grackle’s music for a few years now, I had an idea of what to expect with their third full-length album All That Matters. And I was wrong. Grackle, a 7-piece rock band based in Louisville, have always had an orchestral-driven classic rock type sound. However, their songwriting skills have grown tremendously over the past five years since their last album The Quiet Noise in 2019. All That Matters is a brilliantly executed collection of eleven songs that weave together a tapestry of classic rock, alt-rock, indie, classical, jazz, folk, Celtic, and even bluegrass for a sound that really defies categorization, all played by a master class of musicians. Tracks like “My Disaster,” “Odesa,” “Sanctify You,” and “Heaven on Their Minds” are just downright epic! Comparisons to bands like King Crimson, Emerson, Lake and Powell, Queen, Styx, and even Tool are certainly warranted, but fail to wholly capture the extent of what Grackle presents here. Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals dance alongside piano, violin and cello to create dense, complex, sweeping soundscapes that pull the listener in and hold them there. This is, quite simply, a stunning collection of music that needs to be heard from beginning to end in one sitting without skipping or fast forwarding in order to fully take in the whole experience.

grackleband.com

The Heights - album

Even in a city like Louisville that is bursting at the seams with an exceptional amount of musical talent, Dewey Kincade still manages to stand out from the crowd. Why he is not a superstar is beyond me. With as much heart as he puts into his music, and as much as he’s been through, he deserves it. The 15 tracks that make up The Heights date back to the early 2000’s when Kincade was living in the Washington Heights area of New York City and had just gotten out of a long term relationship, was couch-surfing with no permanent address while working on building a music career, and had begun and ultimately ended a short and somewhat tragic relationship. Love, loss, and deep introspection on Dewey’s part are all common themes here, but all sung with a glimmer of hope and a nod to the future. Of the 15 songs here, not a single one of them are filler. Each of these songs seems to exist because they needed to exist. Kincade recounts the story behind each song on his website’s blog, and is essential reading when trying to understand the depth of honesty and vulnerability in Kincade’s lyrics. It’s not hard to see that each song here holds a small piece of his soul during that period in his life. And musically, aside from his last record Standing on a Rock , Kincade has never sounded better! A combination of roots rock, Americana, folk, and bluegrass throughout make these songs sound downright celebratory. Bottom line, this is absolutely essential listening!

deweykincade.com

Jason Bemis Lawrence

The Grand Routine - album

Jason Bemis Lawrence has been around Louisville for quite some time, and you may know him as the drummer from Fire The Saddle and The Middle Men, or more recently Fool’s Ghost and Charm School. However, you may not know that he is also a gifted singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist. After moving back to Louisville from New York City in 2020, Lawrence went about putting together his sophomore album, The Grand Routine; which is the first solo album since his 2018 debut Another Hotel Hallway Released in July 2024, The Grand Routine is a 10-song journey into Lawrence’s psyche. Themes of loss, clarity, leading, following, lashing out and forgiving run throughout his introspective lyrics. Musically, the majority of these tracks are written more as cohesive band pieces rather than your typical singer/ songwriter fair, and Lawrence is supported by a cast of extremely talented musicians here that include Anthony LaMarca (The War on Drugs, St. Vincent), Andrew Carlson, producer D. James Goodwin (Gosse, Bob Weir, Devo), and Heather Woods Broderick, among others. Comparisons to The Bends/ OK Computer -era Radiohead, early My Morning Jacket, and Wilco are certainly not unfounded. While being firmly planted in the realm of indie rock, Lawrence knows how to tap into Americana, folk, roots rock, and even psychedelic to create amazingly catchy songs with dream-like soundscapes that are easy to lose yourself in. And The Grand Routine is certainly an album you’re going to want to get lost in time and time again.

jasonbemislawrence.bandcamp.com

Grackle

Dewey Kincade

Andrew Montana

“Stained Glass” - single

Listening to Andrew Montana’s music gives one the sense of wonderment as to how these could be the songs of a man born and raised in Southern California. This is the kind of tried and true, good old fashioned traditional Appalachian music you’d expect from someone who’s been immersed in the culture since birth. Although he did summer with his family in North Carolina and lived in Virginia for several years before moving here to Louisville, so it’s not exactly foreign to him. Montana doesn’t sound like someone trying to mimic that Appalachian sound, but rather as it if is part of his very soul. His latest single “Stained Glass” is a perfect example. On the surface it seems like a simple little song about falling in love, but in reality is a very complex, layered arrangement that walks the line between traditional Appalachian, gospel, folk, bluegrass, and classical. Montana’s rich vocals shine as the listener is serenaded by a beautiful western waltz played on acoustic guitar that is brightened by a sparse but lush classical string arrangement that fills out the song wonderfully. This was not by accident, as Montana wrote the music “with the intent of having a song that would not just describe love, but also feel like it.” The production here gives all instruments and especially Montana’s voice a very warm, expansive sound with rich, meaty tones. Andrew Montana has discovered a sound that is uniquely his own, and “Stained Glass” is him at his best.

andrewmontana.com

Quiet Confidence

“I

Miss You” - single

Taking a well-known song and reworking it into your own style is certainly a gamble. You run the risk of drawing the ire of your own fans and souring those who love the original song on your other material. So when I saw that Ryan Lane and his project Quiet Confidence had taken on the angsty but beloved 2004 Blink 182 hit “I Miss You”, I was a bit worried. But Lane did something special here. This isn’t a straightforward cover steeped in early 2000’s emo nostalgia at all, rather Lane has completely deconstructed the song and turned it into something all his own musically, all the while retaining the feel and spirit of the original version. The lyrics stay the same and Lane doesn’t stray far from the original vocal pattern, (yep, “Yead” is still in the refrain). And although there are no dueling vocals here, (which I think is to his advantage), Lane’s vocals come off much more melodic than Mark Hoppus’ melancholic delivery, and far less obnoxious than Tom DeLonge’s, (sorry, but you know it’s true). The music gets a fresh, new, modern makeover into a sound that is akin to The Chainsmokers and Illenium. A much more exciting, upswing drum beat backs layered acoustic and electric guitars and atmospheric keyboards, all highlighted by Lane’s rich vocals. While it is a risk, reworking a cover song into your own style can pay off in spades; in some cases even eclipsing the original, which I feel Lane has done here.

linktr.ee/quiet.confidence

Want to see your music reviewed in LEO Weekly? Louisville and Southern Indiana-based bands/artists, send a link to your music on the streaming site of your choice along with a band/ artist bio, a high-resolution pic of the release’s cover art, and any additional information that may be helpful for the review, (the more, the better), to music@leoweekly.com.

Why DOMS

Just Because - album

“The undisputed tag team champions of Louisville rap, Why Mark & J DOMS, pay homage to the Datpiff era of mixtapes. Just Because, hosted by the unsung hero of the Louisville music scene, Señor Diablo, reprising his role as ‘Dr. Azmentis’ from No Comply 4,” reads the Bandcamp listing. Say no more, I’m interested! Going into No Comply 4, Why DOMS seemed like the odd men out, a rap band playing among punk and hardcore bands. Then they took the stage and any doubts anyone may have had about them were immediately bodyslammed through a table, (both figuratively and literally)! Why DOMS absolutely crushed it and won over an army of fans that night, and rightfully so. And that hard work has obviously paid off, giving them the confidence to take their rap game to new heights, as is evident in the eight songs that make up Just Because. Tracks like “Freak Show”, “Old School” (featuring JettBaby Dada), “Supa Dupa Fly”, and “diff.wav.pt.2” (featuring TRESHINO), hit hard and leave your head spinning. From J DOMS’ heavy-handed, in-your-face type flow to Why Mark’s hyperactive, rapid-fire delivery, the contrasting styles of both rappers complement each other perfectly, and their penchant for pairing 808 drums with rather odd, non-traditional choices for backing tracks, (usually in the Jazz genre), to rap over keep things interesting to say the least. Why DOMS is kicking some of the most ferocious, hardcore, exciting rap coming out of Louisville these days. Make no mistake about it; this is a rap band with the soul of hardcore punk rockers.

whydoms.bandcamp.com

Cadillac Young

The Shively Shitfires & Cadillac Young’s Jug Band Christmas - EP

Yeah, I was as perplexed as you are when I saw the title. I know Cadillac Young is the guitarist for Shitfire, so he is responsible for helping create some of the best punk rock this city has ever heard, but what the hell is this? Is this going to be serious, or some kind of hastily recorded joke EP? I wasn’t sure what to expect. But then I listened to the two tracks that make up this release and quickly discovered that not only was this serious, but also damn good! It seems Mr. Young has quite the musical range. First track “Ain’t No Hole in the Washtub” is a cover of the Jim Henson movie Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas song. Backed by his cohorts in Shitfire and featuring the vocals of Mandy Keathley and John Calvin Fackler, Young and company deliver an upbeat, feel-good bluegrass song that stays pretty close to the original. The second track, an original tune called “Love Lost at a Truck Stop in Texas” takes a bit of a darker tone lyrically with a story about love, theft, and a drug overdose on Christmas set to a traditional country and western/honky tonk ballad. This track sees Young again backed by his Shitfire bandmates, as well as Forty Anderson on banjo, and Alexandria Crosby, Angela K. Berry and John Calvin Fackler on harmony vocals. I’m thinking this may just be the tip of the iceberg of what Caddy is capable of musically, and I’m looking forward to hearing more!

cadillacyoung502.bandcamp.com

LAWS OF MAN FOLLOWS A RUGGED ROAD TOWARD REDEMPTION

Desert noir takes a left turn into Cold War espionage in this action drama.

BY ARIA BACI

Laws of Man opens with a pan down from a night sky to a house on fire. Benjamin Bonney (Dermot Mulroney) steps into the frame. A horse neighs anxiously in the background. The first of many onscreen deaths happens within these first 60 seconds. Written and directed by Phil Blattenberger — his third feature after Point Man and Condor’s Nest — Laws of Man explores the long-term effects of violence on the psyches of the men who engage with that violence.

The story begins in 1963 with U.S. Marshals Frank Fenton (Jacob Keohane, who is also co-producer) and Tommy Morton (Jackson Rathbone) investigating a series of murders in Nevada. In an early moment of near meta-fiction, Frank admonishes Tommy by saying, “This isn’t a cowboy movie,” to which Tommy replies, “Sometimes a cowboy is what you need.” Their exchange not only instantly develops Tommy’s character — we understand

who he is and what he wants faster than a Polaroid picture — but also foreshadows the many gunfights to come.

Appearances by Keith Carradine, Graham Greene, and Forrie J. Smith help punctuate the action with moments of measured drama. But it’s Harvey Keitel, who, at the age of 85, ignites every scene he appears in. An often understated yet always compelling actor, Keitel has played roles as diverse as Sport in Taxi Driver, Judas Iscariot in The Last Temptation of Christ, and the highly quotable Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction. Here, he plays Cassidy Whittaker, an unconventional evangelical, a desert mystic who acts as a spiritual guide to Frank, as Frank struggles to reconcile his past trauma with his present duty. Some of the most memorable moments in Laws of Man are between Cassidy and Frank, particularly when Cassidy activates Frank’s post-traumatic stress during a psychedelic trip.

At times playing like a more emotionally reserved Quentin Tarantino or a less bombastic Guy Ritchie, Laws of Man is a revisionist Western viewed through a midcentury modern lens. Law enforcement agents seek justice in a desert setting, accessorized with classic American sedans, two-button suits with skinny ties, and wood-paneled interiors. Blattenberger takes detours into conversations about moral responsibility and the meaning of justice. Cinematographer Daniel Troyer takes the viewer on a tour of majestic southwestern landscapes, into desolate battlegrounds in World War II-era Europe, and then into nightmarish visions in Frank’s mind. In the third act, the film veers unexpectedly into Cold War espionage territory, but despite these narrative detours, Blattenberger keeps his central theme on the road to redemption. Between action sequences, characters mourn the loss of unambiguous morality

over shots of tequila and unfiltered cigarettes. In the second act, Tommy says to Frank, “There used to be good guys over here and bad guys over there.” But moral ambiguity returns when Frank’s impeccably mannered lawman gets raw enough to actually fight for what he believes is right. In this way, Laws of Man is a study of masculinity, each characterization representing a facet of manhood, from youthful aggression and brazen sexuality, to elderly discernment and gentle strength. Laws of Man was nominated for Best Film at the Newport Beach, St. Louis International, and Santa Fe International film festivals, and won Best Narrative Feature at the Tangier International Film Festival. It is now streaming on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Harvey Keitel as Cassidy Whittaker

Courtesy photo

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of January 29

ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In medieval Europe, beekeepers made formal reports to their hives of significant events in the human world, like births, deaths, marriages, and departures. They believed the bees needed to be continually informed so as to ensure robust honey production. The practice was called “telling the bees.” Let’s make this an inspiring story for you in the coming weeks, Aries. I invite you to keep your community fully apprised of what’s happening in your life. Proceed on the assumption that sharing your plans and changes with others will generate harmony and support. Like the beekeepers, you may discover that keeping your community in the loop will strengthen your bonds and sweeten your endeavors.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A regular guy named Jesse Ronnebaum bought an old painting at a yard sale for 50 cents. For the next ten years, it hung on the wall in his living room. Then he noticed a dim inscription on the painting that suggested maybe it was more valuable than he realized. Consulting an art dealer, he discovered it was an unusual composition that featured the work of seven prominent artists — and was worth a lot of money. Ronnebaum said, “Years of struggling, barely making bills, and the whole time there’s $50,000 hanging over my head, literally.” I am predicting metaphorically comparable events unfolding in your life during the coming months, Taurus. Hidden value will no longer be hidden. You will potentize neglected sources of wealth and finally recognize subtle treasures.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In Namibia’s arid grasslands, fairy circles periodically emerge. They are highly regular rings of bare land encompassed by vegetation. What causes them? Supernatural entities, as believed by the local people? Sand termites or hydrogen-loving microbes, according to a few scientists? As yet, no definitive explanation has emerged. I love that! I cherish mysteries that thwart attempts at rational explanation. In accordance with astrological omens, Gemini, I invite you to specialize in tantalizing and unsolvable enigmas in the coming weeks. Your soul needs rich doses of provocative riddles, mysterious truths, and fun puzzles. Exult in the liberating declaration, “I don’t know!”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Wherever you wander, be alert for signals that remind you of who you used to be. This will stimulate your creative speculation about who you want to evolve into during the next few years. As you ruminate about your history, you will get inspirations about who you want to become. The

past will speak vividly, in ways that hint at your best possible future. So welcome clues from people who are no longer alive. Be receptive to old allies and influences that are no longer a central part of your world.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Crown shyness” is a phenomenon seen among some trees like lodgepole pines. In forests, they grow big and strong and tall, yet avoid touching each other at their tops. This creates canopies full of pronounced gaps. What causes this curious phenomenon? First, if branches don’t brush up against each other, harmful insects find it harder to spread from tree to tree. Second, when winds blow, branches are less likely to collide with each other and cause damage. There’s a third benefit: More sunlight penetrates to the forest floor, nourishing animals and other plants. I propose that you adopt crown shyness as a metaphor for your use, Leo. Express your beauty to the max — be bold and vivid and radiant — but also provide plenty of space for your allies to shine. Be your authentically amazing self, but create boundaries that allow others to be their amazing selves.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Some astrologers assert that you Virgos suffer from an ambition deficit. They authoritatively assert that a fiery aspiration to achieve greatness never burns hot within you. But in the coming months, I will work to show you a different perspective. Let’s start now: Many of you Virgos are highly skilled at being self-sufficient. But sometimes this natural strength warps into a hesitancy to ask for help and support. And that can diminish your ability to fulfill your ambitions. My goal will be to celebrate and nurture your self-sufficiency even as I coach you to be dynamic about gathering all the assistance you can.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Life is not fair. In the coming days, you will be odd proof of this fact. That’s because you are likely to be the beneficiary of uncommon luck. The only kind of karma that will be operating in your vicinity will be good karma. X-factors and wild cards will be more available to you than usual. Your timing will be impeccable, and your intuition will be extra incisive. You may even be tempted to theorize that life is conspiring to bring you an extra supply of meaningful experiences. Here’s the clincher: If anyone in your sphere is prone to feeling envy because you’re flourishing, your charm will defuse it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are three questions to ruminate on: 1. What resources are you afraid you will run out of or squander? 2. What if your fear of running out or

squandering these resources obstructs your ability to understand what you need to know and do so that you won’t run out or squander them? 3. How can you dissolve the fear and feel confident that the necessary resources will keep steadily flowing in, and you will use them well?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Most stars have at least one companion star, sometimes two. Our sun, which is all alone, is in the minority. Astronomers have found evidence that our home star once had a companion but lost it. Is there any chance of this situation changing in the future? Might our sun eventually link up with a new compatriot? It’s not likely. But in contrast to our sun’s fate, I suspect that 2025 will offer you a significant diminishment in your personal loneliness quotient. If you crave more camaraderie and togetherness, the coming months will be a favorable time to seek them out. Your meditation question: What’s the opposite of loneliness?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the coming weeks, your authenticity will be your greatest strength. The more genuine and honest you are, the more life will reward you. Be alert for situations that may seem to demand camouflage when in fact they will ultimately reward your complete transparency. You will be most powerful and attractive as you allow yourself to be fully seen. You can even use your vulnerability to your advantage. Be openly, clearly, unabashedly yourself.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): As I envision your life in the coming weeks, I am moved to compare you to certain birds. First, there will be similarities between you and the many species that can literally perceive Earth’s magnetic fields, seeing them as patterns of shadow and light overlaid on their regular vision. You, too, will have an uncanny multi-dimensional awareness that helps guide your travels. Secondly, Aquarius, you will be like the migrating songbirds that recalibrate their internal compass every day when the sun sets. In other words, you will make steady efforts to ensure that your magical ways of knowing are grounded in earthy rhythms.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In some Polynesian cultures, there is a belief that one’s mistakes, including excessive anger, can cause physical sickness. Hawaiians traditionally have employed a ritual remedy for such ills called ho’oponopono. It includes acts of atonement, forgiveness, and correction. It may even involve a prayer conference where all the people involved talk about their mutual problems with respect and compassion, seeking solutions and restitution. The coming weeks will be a fantastically favorable time for you to carry out your own version of ho›oponopono, Pisces.

Homework: Make two promises to yourself: one that›s easy to keep and one at the edge of your capacity to fulfill.

THE COUNTERFEIT

BY DAN SAVAGE

Hey Dan: I am a 30-year-old cishet woman from the Pacific Northwest. I am reaching out today about faking orgasms. I have been dating this guy for about six months and he is perfect. I love everything about him and part of that is I feel like we have great sex. The caveat is that I have never had an orgasm during sex with him and consistently fake them. I have always had a very challenging time achieving orgasm with partners, whether male or female. As it turns out, thing he loves most about sex is when his partner starts getting loud right before or during her orgasm. He doesn’t just love it: it turns out that it is almost always the thing that makes him come. So, I started faking orgasms when we first started dating and hoped that things would change as we got to know each other’s bodies. Now, six months later, I’m still not having orgasms — which again, is not unusual for me during partnered sex — but I want him to enjoy sex with me, so I’ve kept faking it. Even the few times where I haven’t faked it, he can still cum, but he really ruminates on it. It’s very clear that he doesn’t have as much fun, which, for me, spoils the whole experience. I want to be clear that having an orgasm isn’t the goal for myself during sex. What I love about sex is the physical intimacy, feeling close to my partner, and providing pleasure to someone I deeply care about. That’s why I feel like I still intensely enjoy sex with him, despite the faking. However, as our relationship progresses, the lie is weighing on me. I can see myself marrying this guy, but I just can’t get past the question: Am I going to be faking orgasms for forty years? That seems like a horrid betrayal of him. What do I do? How do I unravel this?

—Future About Keeping Everything Real

There are two things I want you to do, FAKER: First, go see Babygirl — alone — and then watch some gay porn with your boyfriend.

Zooming out for a second…

I’ve advised partnered women who wanted to stop faking orgasms to start faking something else: getting close. After a few months of getting fake close instead of fake there, a woman can say this to her boyfriend or husband: “Something changed with my body when I hit [insert current age] and it’s made my orgasms harder to achieve — it even happens when I try on my own — so it looks like we’re going to have to experiment with some new things to get me there!”

That’s a lie — obviously — but it’s a defensible one. Now, let the record show that I believe “I’ve been faking it” is something a man should be able to hear without falling apart. I also believe straight men should be able to wrap their heads around why women might fake an orgasm with new partners and then feel obligated to keep faking orgasms. (I also think men should admit that we would fake orgasms if we could.) So, while lies are generally bad, I would argue that there’s a difference between a wholly self-serving lie meant to deceive and a partly self-serving lie meant to spare. Some men do feel humiliated — some men

feel betrayed — when they’re told (or they discover) that their partners have been faking orgasms, and if a small lie (“my orgasms have gotten more elusive”) helps a woman back a bigger lie (months or years of faked orgasms) without hurting her partner’s feelings, I will allow it.

But your issue is a little different, FAKER, since your partner sulks when you don’t fake an orgasm — and thinking you’re there helps him get there — which puts you under additional pressure to keep faking it.

Reading your letter made me think of Romy, the powerful CEO played by Nicole Kidman in Babygirl (Anyone who thinks sharing a couple of details from the first two minutes of a movie that’s been out for months — and has been widely discussed everywhere — constitutes a “spoiler” should skip the rest of this response.) The film opens on Romy (Kidman) having sex with her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas). It looks like Romy is having an orgasm — it looks Romy and Jacob are coming at the same time (that happens a lot in movies) — but then we see Romy slip down the hall and into her home office, where she gets herself off while watching porn. The real orgasm we see Romy have by herself (primal, grunting, animalistic) looks and sounds nothing like the fake orgasm we just watched Romy perform for her husband. Later in the film, Jacob is devastated to learn Romy has been faking orgasms the entire time they’ve been together; that revelation does almost as much damage to their marriage as the affair with her hot male intern.

I think seeing Babygirl — alone — will inspire you to level with your boyfriend now, FAKER, instead of waiting until you’ve been together (and faking it) for twenty years.

As for your boyfriend’s issue — he has a hard time coming unless he thinks you’re coming and sulks if you don’t — you need to google “copulatory vocalizations,” share a few articles with your boyfriend, and then sit down to watch some gay porn together.

Copulatory vocalizations are the noises female primates tend to make during sex; sometimes female primates make these sounds — sometimes they howl — because they’re climaxing, sometimes female primates make these sounds because they’re trying to attract other mates, and sometimes female primates make these sounds because hearing them pushes male primates over the edge. (Sometimes it’s all of the above.)

What your boyfriend needs — what’s already working for him — is not your orgasms, FAKER, it’s your copulatory vocalizations. And this is where gay porn comes in.

Now, I’ve encouraged opposite-sex couples who wanna have simultaneous orgasms during PIV to watch gay porn and pay close attention to what the bottoms are doing in scenes where the top and bottom come at the same time: the bottoms are stroking themselves and communicating — verbally and non-verbally — with their tops as their orgasms approach. So, straight men who want their girlfriends or wives to come at the same time they do during PIV need to stimulate their partners’ clits and/or encourage their partners to stimulate their own clits during PIV. (And any straight man who won’t stimulate his partner’s clit and/or discourages his partner from stimulating her own clit isn’t interested in his partner coming.)

But what I want you and your partner to watch for are scenes where the top comes but the bottom doesn’t. If watching gay PIB turns you off — there are a lot of closeups and anal isn’t for everybody — you can close your eyes and listen, FAKER, because it’s actually

what you’re gonna hear that’s important: bottoms getting loud and staying loud even when they don’t come. There’s nothing the least bit insincere about their copulatory vocalizations, i.e. the sounds gay bottoms make when they’re getting fucked. And you can see (if you open your eyes) that the sounds gay bottoms make when they’re getting fucked help push the men fucking them over the edge. And they’re not faking it, FAKER, they’re loving it. (In case you live in a red state where Republicans have made online porn harder to access, I transcribed a short gay porn clip for you: Top: “Your ass feels so good!” Bottom: “Your cock feels so good! Fuck me, daddy! Oh, my God! Yes! YES! Fuuuuuuuck! Fuck me! Come in me, daddy! UH! UH! UHHHH! FUCK, YEAH! YES! YES!”)

Like the power bottoms in gay porn, FAKER, you should be able moan and groan and shout encouragement to your boyfriend without having to pretend you’re coming when you’re not. The only way to avoid having to fake orgasms for the next forty years is by getting your boyfriend to understand that your copulatory vocalizations — even in the absence of an orgasm — are signals of your sexual pleasure and (sigh) his sexual prowess. If straight men can wrap their heads around why women sometimes fake orgasms (and they can wrap their heads around it), your boyfriend should be able to wrap his head around the fact that you’re already giving him everything he needs in the runup to his orgasm; even if he can’t make you come during PIV, he can make you howl.

And that — your copulatory vocalizations — aren’t nothing, FAKER, and it sure beats being lied to and/or having to lie every time you have sex.

P.S. I shouldn’t say men can’t fake orgasms, as some men have faked orgasms. But we’re less likely to, less likely to need to, and less likely to get away with it when we try (an empty condom/hole is a bit of a tell.)

Hey Dan: I’m a middle-aged gay man who has been out twenty years. I have an awesome boyfriend with whom I have an open relationship. Supportive parents and family. Now, a couple months ago, a gay mate of mine messages me on Grindr asking if I’m in town because he saw seen [sic] my profile online. I say no because I’m about 1500 miles away but then my friend sends me another message telling me someone is apparently using my pic on Grindr to catfish and he sends me a screen shot of the Grindr account. It’s not a picture of me. It’s a picture of my twin brother, who is married to woman and has three kids. He’s always been incredibly supportive, just like you imagine a twin would be, but we’ve never talked about him being bi or gay, so this was a bit of a surprise for me, even if it’s an easy leap based on how supportive he’s been of me.

So, given that he hasn’t said anything to me, I’m wondering what to do. Is he cheating on his wife? Is he gay? Is his marriage a sham? Is he bi and only out to his wife and has her consent to meet up with guys? Do I ask him what’s going on? If he’s not ready to tell me — and we share a lot — then how do I support him? He clearly knows I’m fine with his sexuality but knowing and not saying anything is proving hard since I can’t unknow it! What should I do here?

—Outing Unwitting Twin Sibling

I’m gonna take your questions — you packed a lot of them into that last paragraph — one at a time:

1. Is your brother cheating on his wife? He could be!

2. Is your brother gay? He could be!

3. Is your brother’s marriage a sham? It could be!

4. Is your brother bi? He could be!

5. Does your brother have his wife’s consent to fuck around with other guys? He could!

6. Do you ask your brother what’s going on? You should!

If you and your brother were estranged, OUTS, or if your brother was a ranting, raving homophobe and you had cause to fear a violent reaction, I would advise you against asking the dread direct question. But seeing as you two have a good relationship, and seeing as we aren’t required to internalize or mirror other people’s shame about being gay (it’s a question, not an insult), I think you should tell your brother a friend spotted him on Grindr and ask him what’s up.

Zooming out for a second: Posting face pics on Grindr is a little like walking into a gay bar. Guys who are already in the bar are gonna think you’re gay when they see you walk in. And since we can’t know before walking in whether guys we know from school or work or the womb we once shared (!!!) are already in there, to walk into a gay bar is to out yourself. Same goes for posting face pics to Grindr: If someone you know from school or work or womb (!!!) sees your face pics on Grindr, he’s gonna think you’re gay or bi or one of those straight men into dick but not dudes.

The fact that you and your brother share the exact same DNA — and hence the exact same face — gives you more grounds to ask the dread direct question. I’m guessing it’s not a problem when your face appears on Grindr, as you’re in an open relationship and presumably allowed to post face (and other) pics to hookup apps, but the gay world is small. It was inevitable that someone you knew would see your brother’s photos on Grindr and assume they were yours and it would get back to you. If your brother didn’t know that before he uploaded photos of the face you share to Grindr, he’s about to find out.

P.S. This could still be a catfishing situation — someone could’ve swiped photos of your brother off his social media accounts — but Occam’s razor slices toward your brother getting on Grindr for the same reason the friend who spotted him was on Grindr: for the dick. It’s also possible your brother came out to his wife as bisexual after they married — it’s possible he didn’t realize he was bi until after they married — and his wife agreed to him hooking up with other guys on the condition that no one else (you included) would know their marriage wasn’t monogamous. Or your brother and his wife could be in one of those “lavender marriages” that Gen Z — frustrated with modern dating and modern housing prices — are bringing back into style. Anything is possible.

P.P.S. There are straight men on Grindr looking for trans women who haven’t had bottom surgery; those guys are into dick but not dude. There are a smaller number of straight men on Grindr looking for trans men who haven’t had bottom surgery; those guys are into pussy and willing to overlook dude. So, not all guys on Grindr are gay or bisexual. Straight men on Grindr can be problematic — it’s not okay to fetishize the bodies of trans women or mentally disassemble the bodies of trans men — but they’re still straight. Or so I’m told.

Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love!

Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan!

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ALL VEHICLES WILL BE SOLD AT 2402 RALPH AVE, 40216 ON FEBRUARY 6, 2025 AT NOON

• 2012 Ford Fusion with VIN 3FAHP0JA5CR355097 owned by Cfam Financial Services and Yusimit Quinones

• 2012 Hyundai SONATA Hybrid with VIN KMHEC4A44CA039240 owned by Javon V Davis and Navy Federal

• 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander with VIN JA4AD3A32LZ040237 owned by Santander Consumer and Travis Webster

• 2019 Ford Edge with VIN 2FMPK3J99KBB92569 owned Ford Motor Credit and Shawn P & Ashley N Mcneal

• 2018 Nissan Rogue with VIN KNMAT2MV1JP617753 owned by Carmax Business Services Llc and Alexander Edmund Hunt

• 2002 Ford Ranger with VIN 1FTYR10D82PB62115 owned by James Wisby and Ford Motor Credit

• 2016 Dodge Journey with VIN 3C4PDCBG1GT141400 owned by gulf coast fcu and Mitchell Lashunda P

• 1996 Honda Accord with vin 1HGCD5632TA115182 owned by maryanne Juarez

• 2017 Ford Focus with VIN 1FADP3M25HL282033 owned by Tiffany Linton

• 2003 Toyota Camry Solara with VIN 2T1CE22P03C026113 owned by Eninaja Allen

• 2000 Acura RL with VIN JH4KA9653YC011659 owned by Christopher Wilson

• 2011 Honda Civic with VIN 19XFA1F54BE042892 owned by Jacob Bass

• 2017 Volkswagen Jetta with VIN 3VWDB7AJ7HM271042 owned by Adam Long

• 2012 Ford Edge with VIN 2FMDK3JC4CBA68757 owned by Dixie Finance Company and Nashe Aanya

• 2004 Nissan Xterra with VIN 5N1ED28TX4C661975 owned by Cieunise Merzius

• 2011 Chevrolet Traverse with VIN 1GNKREED5BJ125944 owned by Theresa Tompach

• 2003 Ford Escape with VIN 1FMCU02113KE01150 owned by Enrique Rodriguez

• 2012 Chevrolet Impala with VIN 2G1WG5E34C1231183 owned by Maria Lozano

• 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 with VIN 3B7HF13Z9SM142283 owned by Joshua Bargas

• 2011 GMC Terrain with VIN 2CTALWEC0B6422642 owned by Jaylyn Milliner and State Farm Mutual

• 1999 Toyota Avalon with VIN 4T1BF18B6XU301535 owned by Yong Choi

• 2006 Ford Focus with VIN 1FAFP34N86W118158 owned by Shania Dages

• 2004 Pontiac Vibe with VIN 5Y2SL62834Z417975 owned by Albert Amburgey

• 2001 Ford Expedition with VIN 1FMRU15W21LA33446 owned by Adrid Fernandez

• 2011 Ford Fiesta with VIN 3FADP4BJ9BM144954 owned Citizens Automobile Finance and Debbie and Charles Peters

• 2000 GMC Savana with VIN 1GTFG25RXY1240817 owned by Eduardo Vazquez

• 1992 Ford F-150 with VIN 1FTDF15Y6NLA81533 owned by Nicholas Goodwin

• 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 with VIN 1B7HC16Y0VJ553732 owned by Mark Jones

• 2003 Chevrolet Impala with VIN 2G1WF52E039352173 owned by Shannon Surran

• 2009 Toyota Corolla with VIN 1NXBU40E39Z152873 owned by April Matson and State Farm Mutual

• 2010 Dodge Charger with VIN 2B3CA3CV3AH244503 owned by Erica Lowe and State Farm Mutual

• 2011 Subaru outback with VIN 4S4BRCLC5B3381072 owned by Herbalena Davenport and Height Fin Corp

• 1999 Buick Park Avenue with VIN 1G4CU5215X4627022 owned Lloyd Cheak

• 2014 Jeep Cherokee with VIN 1C4PJLCS5EW283350 owned by Dereck Young and United Auto Credit Corporation

• 2007 Chrysler 300 with VIN 2C3KA43R97H800023 owned by Morris Demetrius

• 2010 Nissan Armada with VIN 5N1BA0ND3AN610945 owned by Landon Slawson

• 2005 Chrysler Pacifica with VIN 2C4GF68455R289901 owned by Jamie Valkovci

• 2014 Chevrolet Cruze with VIN 1G1P75SZ9E7459604 owned by State Farm Mutual

• 2012 Hyundai Sonata with VIN 5NPEB4AC9CH409783 owned by Taliyah Henderson

• 2013 Ford Taurus with VIN 1FAHP2E8XDG197626 owned by Ashley Brents and Bristol West

• 2007 Mazda Mazda6 with VIN 1YVHP84CX75M52997 owned by Juilo Romero

• 2013 Ford Taurus with VIN 1FAHP2E84DG106611 owned by Blaney Phillips and Michael Philips and State Farm mutual

• 2014 Chevrolet Cruze with VIN 1G1PE5SB7E7279370 owned by Bwaya Asukulu

• 2015 Dodge Charger with VIN 2C3CDXAT0FH759906 owned by Justice Lee

Grier and State of Indiana dept of revenue

• 2014 Nissan Versa Note with VIN 3N1CE2CP4EL388009 owned by Lauren Bolender and Nissan Motor Accept

• 2011 Ford Taurus with VIN 1FAHP2DW9BG114118 owned by Roche Miguel

• 2012 Ford Taurus with VIN 1FAHP2EW1CG101962 owned by Kato Sanders and One Main Financial

• 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with VIN 1D8HN44HX8B155331 owned by Chesapeake Funding and D.L Peterson Trust

• 2005 Ford Five Hundred with VIN 1FAFP231X5G137425 owned Angela Lambert

Crown Castle Fiber, LLC is proposing to collocate antennas and modify telecommunications equipment on an existing 40-foot overall height small cell telecommunications structure at the following site: 995 Longfield Avenue, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky (38° 11’ 55.4” N, 85° 46’ 37.4” W) at approximate overall heights of 21, 36, 39, and 42 feet above ground level. Crown Castle Fiber, LLC invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Specific information regarding the project may be sent to Environmental Corporation of America, ATTN: Annamarie Howell, 1375 Union Hill Industrial Court, Suite A, Alpharetta, GA 30004 or via email to publicnotice@eca-usa.com. Ms. Howell can be reached at (770) 667-2040 x 108 during normal business hours. Comments must be received within 30 days of the date of this notice. 25-000163 MCM

Leo’s Towing and Recovery, LLC at 715 S Jackson, Louisville, KY 40203 with phone number of 502-727-9503 has intention of obtaining title to a black in color 2015 Lincoln MKZ bearing VIN# 3LN6L2J9XFR607215 registered in the name of Sharon Thompson Bracken, last known address 108 Ladbroke Grove Road, Louisville , KY 40245. Lienholder listed as American Credit Acce, PO Box 4419, Wilmington, OH 45177. Owner or Lienholder has 14 days after the last publication of this notice to object. Objections must be sent in writing to the above address.

A sale will be held on 2/13/25 Noon to 5PM of a 2008 Freightliner Sprinter.  VIN # WDPPF445989358532  Sale location is 1013 Sarah Dr. LOUISVILLE, KY 40219  Phone #502-386-8380 Seller reserves the right to bid.

Imade Putrawan, 104 Amanda CT Radcliff KY, 2703172844 is seeking title to a 2009 Chevy HHR, 3GNCA23BO9S604857 With registered owner William Leo Baugh, Jr 2691 Milam Rd,Wetumpka, AL 36830 and registered lien holder Ally Financial PO Box 8101, Cockeysville,MD 21030. Unless objected to prior to the final date of publication of this notice.

41 ‘‘That’s just wrong’’

43 Arjuna’s skill, in the ‘‘Mahabharata’’

45 Come to rest, as sediment

WORD PROBLEMS

BY EMILY SHARP AND KUNAL NABAR

Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

Emily Sharp, of San Jose, Calif., is an ecologist who does habitat restoration and environmental education. Her partner, Kunal Nabar, is a oftware engineer in Brooklyn. They met when they lived next-door to each other during their freshman year at Vanderbilt. Together they brainstormed this puzzle’s theme answers during a road trip through Oregon last summer. --— W.S. Across 1 Department store department

5 Tater

9 Indian state along the Himalayas

14 Largest organ in the human body

18 ‘‘None for me’’

19 Big name in syrup

Dessert you might top with gummy bears and chocolate

Sky safety org.

Starting point, of sorts

Key above a tilde

31 New York × paper

36 James who wrote the screeplay for ‘‘The Night of the Hunter’’ (1955)

38 Language suffix

39 One answering to a board, for short

40 ‘‘Strega ____’’ (classic chidren’s folk tale)

47 Creature whose narrow waist is called a petiole

49 Encyclopedia filler

51 √generate

54 Food that becomes its own container if you change the last letter

56 Brush wolves, by another name

58 Fixes a hole, say

59 Post-spring cleaning event

63 Essential

64 Heap

65 Nashville neighborhood known for its many recording studios

66 It’s what – you think

71 Theatrical release, typically

72 Many humanitarian grps.

73 Khan

74 Turkish travel stops

75 ‘‘Gimme an A …!’’ e.g.

77 Like the presidency of Martin Van Buren

81 Back, informally

82 (Pixar movie)2

85 Puts on the line

86 Egg

88 Pickleball venues

89 Certain sib

91 Dove calls

92 Something tied with a tongue?

94 ‘‘____ got it!’’ 95 Studio with an iconic lion 97 Pressure, so to speak 99 ∫ workout routine

104 Name that drops ‘‘-jah’’ 107 Burrowing rodent 108 That, in Spanish

Like some parking and poetry

science + brain surgery

work spaces for some

Boondi (yogurt dish with fried chickpea flour)

Subj. for a bio major

121 Winter haven for some small mammals

122 Word with peace or beauty

123 Gridiron positions

124 Throws out

Down

1 Small fly

2 Leaders in Qatar

3 Bad sign for a weary traveler

4 Fishtail, say

5 Aspen, for one

6 Hugo-winning sci-fi author Bacigalupi

7 Coffee container

8 Ding-dong

9 Note in the F minor scale

10 Spanish title: Abbr.

11 Break down

12 Actress Edebiri of ‘‘The Bear’’

13 Transmogrify

14 Staying power

15 It has been called ‘‘the roof of Africa’’

16 Words of defeat

17 Spanish babies

21 Be of (assist)

23 Building manager, familiarly

24 Confront

29 Philosopher Descartes

32 Females 35-44, e.g.

33 English translation of the Irish ‘‘aigéan’’

34 Post-embryo stage

35 Onesie wearers

37 Cross the line

41 Mixed martial arts org.

42 Iconic Warhol subject

44 Letters before ‘‘.gov’’

Advance film copies sent to critics

48 Nature’s fishhook, you might say

50 Tamp down

52 Sleipnir’s rider, in myth

53 Soft rock

55 Pokémon with a catlike appearance

57 Put in power

60 Like about 60 percent of the world’s population

61 One of the ‘‘holy trinity’’ ingredients in Indian cuisine

62 Real pain in the butt?

64 Sitter’s charge

65 Personal approaches, in brief

66 Coins made primarily of copper

67 ‘‘When I was much younger .’’

68 ____-Japanese War

69 S-shaped molding in architecture

70 Cross, as a stream

71 Evergreen variety

75 Bend

76 Gave zero stars, say

77 Nail polish brand

78 What few people know

79 Old-time film studio

80 Things eds. edit

83 Bail

84 ‘‘Semper Fi’’ grp.

87 Ticked (off)

88 Michael of ‘‘Barbie’’

90 Some equipment in hand-to-hand combat

93 Meanspirited sorts

95 This and that: Abbr.

96 Record feature

98 Suffix with kitchen

99 Big Apple purchases

100 ‘‘Visions’’ singer/songwriter Jones

101 Company whose logo is said to resemble Mount Fuji

102 Evergreen variety

103 Cried foul, perhaps?

105 Subtly indicate

106 Pastoral poems

110 Suit

113 Fashion designer Dapper

114 Loud noise

115 Season of 2024’s Jeux Olympiques

116 ‘‘Pachinko’’ author Jin Lee

Answers