CITYWEEKLY MAY 23, 2024

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Just For Kicks

It’s graduation time in America! By which I which mean: It’s “problematic” university commencement speech time in America!

For a couple of days, the big story (if commencement speeches can really be said to constitute news) was the Duke University student walkout during comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s talk, less because of anything he had to say than because they regarded him as too “pro-Israel.”

But, as we’ve seen over the last five years, the Kansas City Chiefs almost always find a way to win.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s speech at Benedictine College took place the day before Seinfeld’s outing, then methodically marched down the news cycle field to score.

While I’ve browsed an account or two of Butker’s speech—in summary, he seems to think women belong in the kitchen, LGBTQ people belong in the closet and Joe Biden belongs somewhere other than in the White House—this is one of those rare opinion pieces where studying the material misses the point.

I don’t care what Harrison Butker thinks about politics. I don’t care what Harrison Butker thinks about religion. I don’t care what Harrison Butker thinks about women or gender and sexual minorities. I’d rather not even know what he thinks about those people and things.

Harrison Butker’s job involves kick-

ing a football through a goalpost to score points in a game. He’s good at that—very good.

He saved the Chiefs’ bacon in several games last season and kicked the winning field goal in Super Bowl LVIII, after a Super Bowl record kick (57 yards) earlier in the game. He boasts the secondbest career field goal percentage of any kicker in NFL history.

That’s all I want from the guy. If he runs around babbling nonsense at college graduates in the off-season, that’s his business, so long as he avoids injury and comes back this fall to kick more footballs through more goalposts.

I watch movies featuring actors whose politics and/or personalities I might find odious (Sean Penn, James Woods and Kevin Spacey come immediately to mind). Why? Because I love good movies and great acting.

In the mid-1990s, I saw REM live in concert at Sandstone Amphitheater

(now Azura) outside Kansas City. The band’s singer, Michael Stipe, vocally supported gun control, which I oppose. I bought the ticket and enjoyed the show anyway. Why? Because they were hands-down the greatest American band of the time, that’s why.

If I engaged with Harrison Butker on political or social issues, I’d care about Harrison Butker’s deep thoughts on political and social issues.

But I engage with Harrison Butker as a Chiefs fan watching a Chiefs player kick footballs (and opponents’ rear ends). And he delivers the goods.

Thus endeth the lesson.

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 Top 3 favorite film soundtracks?

Scott Renshaw

That’s not even a fair question to ask a film critic. Plus, there’s a difference between the music that works best specifically in the context of watching the movie, and music that you can just put on and listen to all on its own. I will say I’ve requested that James Horner’s The Rocketeer theme should be played at my funeral, so take from that what you will.

Krista Maggard

500 Days of Summer, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Drive—this whole time period (2009-2011) produced some great soundtracks. I still listen to all of these.

John Saltas

A Hard Day’s Night, American Graffiti, Super Fly. Bonus instrumental: Dr. Zhivago.

Kelly Boyce

Space Jam. Lord of the Rings. Gladiator.

Chelsea Neider

The Lion King, Titanic and The Nightmare Before Christmas

Eric Granato

Return of the Living Dead, Labyrinth and Love and a .45

Carolyn Campbell

My favorite soundtracks are Footloose, Ghostbusters and The Sound of Music.

PRIVATE EYE

BY JOHN SALTAS

Muy Bien!

Iwish I could say it feels like yesterday that this newspaper printed its very first issue back in 1984. But I can’t— it actually feels like a different lifetime ago.

In 1984, I was single, a bartender and a pretend songwriter. I’d spent my college years and beyond as if I were in retirement, golfing when I wanted, working if I wanted, hanging out anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted.

One day, I woke up and went, “Oh, crap! All my friends have kids and mortgages, and I don’t even have a decent job.” So, I created this one. I’d never worked at a newspaper before, never made a page dummy, never sold an ad, never built an ad, never solicited columnists, never edited copy, never knew how to send an invoice or billing statement.

The 8-hour days became 12-, then 16-, and along the way, I learned how to make the best with no resources and accumulated many good friends and an alliance of boosters. They spent little money with us, but they were great at boosting!

Those alliances made with external communities and with co-workers—along with lots of band-aids and tissues—became the secret sauce of what evolved into City Weekly. We were blessed to be ignorant enough to not know the pitfalls in front of us, young enough to enjoy it all, scared enough to keep fighting, ambitious enough to do better, innovative enough to stay in front of the competition, brazen enough to spit in anyone’s eye and selfish enough to surround ourselves with people just like us, and only just like us. We had lots of drinks. We made lots of friends. We made a few enemies. We had a blast most often.

I’m sometimes asked about what might have been my favorite City Weekly story. I’m asked about who among the hundreds of employees to find expression or employment with us I favored (or dis-favored) most. I’m asked what is my, or the paper’s, proudest moment. I’m asked if I would do it again. I’m asked to be George Bailey, the protagonist of It’s a Wonderful Life, and wonder what Salt Lake City would be like if there were no City Weekly.

I’ll start with the last one. Salt Lake and half of Utah would suck if there were no City Weekly. That is not immodesty—it’s true and anyone who’s honest about it and knows our history and that of our city also knows it’s true. From fighting city hall, to helping “liberalize” Utah’s liquor laws, to advocating for any and all marginalized communities and voices, to being an early ally of a movement that enables so many Pride flags to fly high these days, to giving unwavering support to locally owned businesses and to stand with our David readers against the behemoth Goliaths, City Weekly has made a big difference in Utah.

We extracted a special pride when hounding those rascally, pious hypocrites and scoundrels, who somehow still find their ways into prominent positions of power here, both in business and politics. From the early days, we were never kind to those folks, because frankly there was no reason to be, and we couldn’t buy them off with free drinks. Ron Yengich, Richard Barnum-Reece, John Harrington, Tom Walsh and Christopher Smart comprised most of the early voices of what some people regarded as us being radicals. Today, Katherine Biele among others fills that role. We just called BS. Nothing more, no agenda—we just don’t like creeps.

My favorite story was Stephen Dark’s cover story in 2007, titled “The Things We Carry,” honoring the 40-year anniversary of the three “Boys From Midvale” who grew up together and then were killed within three weeks of each other in Vietnam in 1967—Tom Gonzales, Jimmy Martinez and LeRoy Tafoya. I’ve known their families my

entire life. That one hurt. I’m so proud of Stephen Dark, who so delicately told their story so full of open wounds. There were many others, as there should be since we published nearly 2,000 cover stories in our time. Our most important period was back in the 1990s, when Lynn Packer revealed Utah’s ugly underbelly with his yearslong series on the Bonneville Pacific scandal, which begat the CityGate scandal, which begat the Olympics scandal. If you’re wondering where all the scandals are these days, they remain in plain sight. It’s just that today’s citizens are more prone to ignore news of such in favor of deathscrolling perpetual bad news dished out to them by the likes of baseless, incompetent, anti-patriots and shameless liars like Utah’s own Sen. Mike Lee.

Speaking of which, Lee’s mentor Donald Trump was barely in his puberty years of creepiness in 1984, having just helped kill the U.S. Football League—which he shamelessly barged into, but which taught him to be ever more brazen when it comes to public thievery. If there’s anything 40 years on that I and this nation can do without, it’s Donald Trump.

That leaves one more item. Thank you to everyone who ever worked on the newspaper in any fashion. Each of you left a positive imprint. Today, I fondly recall Bien Hoang. He spent more than 10 years with us after leaving his native Vietnam in a bit of a rush, one might say. He was a poet, artist and beatnik, and he followed his muse to become our art director and production manager.

Everyone loved Bien. Jerre, Jim, Christa, Susan or Ben could fill you in on my feelings for Bien, as he was City Weekly in the flesh. He’s gone now.

Merci pour tout mon cher ami Bien. Khi chúng

Next week, we do it again. CW

Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele

MISS: Port in a Storm

Weber County residents are being told to sit down, shut up and listen to their superiors. So what’s new? The Legislature, which always knows what’s best, created the monster before you. It’s the Utah Inland Port Authority—emphasis on “authority”—which was born in 2019. Apparently it’s not enough that the inland port has already encroached on the Great Salt Lake wetlands with its massive import-export hub. UIPA is now banking on mini-hubs from places like Tremonton, Spanish Fork, Tooele and now Weber, where the county commission is all agog over the jobs that could be coming. The Weber project has already grown from 900 to about 9,000 acres near the lake and the Weber River. Residents have sent a petition of 250 names, and another from out of the county with 1,639. Notices and public comment have been quick and slick. “We have now learned that the format this Thursday will be more like, ‘Citizens can ask questions and then we get to listen to propaganda by the Port Authority,’” said Hooper resident Rhonda Lauritzen. This week they rally at the Capitol. But hey, the thinking’s been done.

MISS: Uni-vision

Well, tell us it ain’t so. Surely, none of our representatives are collaborating with the enemy. By enemy, of course, we mean those socialistic liberals bent on destroying the nation through the guise of a bicameral democracy. But if you ever listen to Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, you’ll know it’s happening—the “uniparty,” where “Democrats and Republicans are working together and against the interests of the American people.” Sen. Mike Lee told the Deseret News he uses the uniparty insult often, mostly on spending bills. Greene used it to smear her House speaker when she called for his ouster. Lee likes to say he’s fighting for the people against those Washington, D.C. insiders, because we all know voters no longer trust the bureaucracy that has worked for them for hundreds of years. Apparently, Republicans can still unite—just not with Democrats.

HIT: Imaginary Voters

If you think the uniparty “unicorn” is silly, then how about all those illegal aliens voting in elections? Indeed, Sen. Mike Lee (again) has been raising the issue like it’s something real. Even House Speaker Mike Johnson just knows it’s happening. “We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections. But it’s not been something that is easily provable,” Johnson said at a news conference. It isn’t? “This is complete nonsense and is a misconception that comes when people don’t understand the actual process,” former Utah County Clerk Josh Daniels told The Salt Lake Tribune. The Brennan Center for Justice calls illegal immigrant voting “vanishingly rare.” And of course, it’s a crime.

Let It Go

On Easter Sunday of this year, the Fifth Ward Meetinghouse at 740 S. 300 West was partially torn down on orders from some shadowy LLC. The demolition was stopped before the entire building was flattened because the property owners, whoever they are, didn’t get a permit.

Then, people began losing their minds over a 1910 structure they hadn’t thought about or even noticed in decades. “How dare some greedheads raze this historic landmark I wasn’t even aware of until I saw the carnage on Instagram?”

Actually, partial carnage: Only the front entryway was ripped down— the back portion of the building still stands. According to legalities floated around by various local news outlets, Greedhead LLC could be responsible for restoring the facade, but that’s never going to happen. The rest of the meetinghouse is eventually coming down, but not before more hand-wringing from overnight architecture experts. I walked through that entryway dozens of times in the ’90s when it was a live music venue called The Pompadour. I saw Nirvana (right before “Smells Like Teen Spirit” blew up), Smashing Pumpkins (when Billy Corgan had hair) and Denver legends Warlock Pinchers (one of the wildest shows I’ve ever attended) there, among many others during the Rise of Grunge.

I also played at the venue myself with a band at the time—the sound was even worse onstage than it was in the room. The Fifth Ward Meetinghouse’s acoustics were not accommodating to the devil’s music.

But, barring a unicorn legal ruling against rich developers, the building’s still coming down to make way for a new apartment building with an IPAonly brewery, a vintage Crocs boutique and a pet psychic on the ground floor. Oh, and a dirty soda shop—there’s always a dirty soda shop.

This is fine: Old bricks have to come down to make way for new bricks that future NIMBYs will zealously guard against newer, future-er bricks. You know what you get when you sustain a city strictly on creaky, leaky buildings constructed 11 centuries ago? You get Ogden (love ya, O-Town). The Fifth Ward Meetinghouse stood for more than 100 years—just let it go already.

Senior structures aren’t worth romanticizing. Does anybody really miss the Sears at 800 South and State? The block has been reborn as the Great Sears Lake with waterside taco carts— now that’s progress. CW

BY BILL FROST

Scene and Herd

A family feeling follows the Soldier Hollow Classic sheepdog competition to new dates on the calendar.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Over the course of its 20-year existence, the Soldier Hollow Classic sheepdog competition has experienced some changes, and a couple of pauses. But as it returns to Midway in 2024 on a new weekend, the event remains the same in some key ways: the nature of the competition itself, and the community that has emerged around it.

In 2023, as the venue at Soldier Hollow underwent renovations, the organizers of the Soldier Hollow Classic—showcasing the art of working with dogs for gathering sheep—took the year off from its traditional Labor Day weekend timeframe. That hiatus provided an ideal opportunity to move the event to Memorial Day weekend, a shift that had long been under consideration.

“It was so hot, in the high 90s and into the 100s, in 2022, the last time we held it [on Labor Day Weekend],” says Judy Klautt, Event Coordinator for the Soldier Hollow Classic. “It impacts animal behavior, human behavior. [Spectators] don’t stay as long.”

Competition Coordinator Carol Clawson—who is herself a dog handler—adds, “The prior years, I ran my dog in 100 degrees. And I was nervous about it. Every

day, all you heard on the radio was this ‘heat dome.’ … And this venue is incredibly beautiful in the spring.”

Not surprisingly, it required a little bit of research to make sure the move would be logistically possible. There was the matter of making sure the venue was available (it was, after a previously-planned event was willing to move), the sheep were available (“It’s really hard to do a sheepdog trial without the sheep,” Clawson says with a laugh), and that the competitors were available. And it required checking in with all of the regular vendors, many of whom had been with the event since its inception. Klautt recalls that one such vendor—the Greek restaurant 8th Street Catering—was devastated upon realizing that a scheduling conflict would not permit them to participate this year.

“He literally cried when he realized he couldn’t come,” Klautt says. “The loyalty of the folks who have given their time and their expertise and their passion to return year after year, is really incredible. It’s a family. This event is a family.”

It’s easy to understand how those kind of connections develop when people have been working together for so long. Both Klautt and Clawson have been working with the Soldier Hollow Classic, in various capacities, since day one; now, they jointly manage the LLC that has taken over operations of the event. Clawson in particular discovered a new passion when she became a hander herself—despite having been an owner of the sheepherding-specialist border collies all her life.

“They were just pets,” Clawson recalls. “Then during the Olympics, at the ski jump, they had an agility demonstration on the snow. The last border collie I got was, quote ‘my son’s dog,’ but you know how that goes. Soon after that, I started

agility with [champion handler] Shauna Gourley. They had a little 3-acre field they worked in, and she said, ‘Come out and see what we do.’ I just looked at her and thought, ‘If I can have a dog that can do this, I can die happy.’”

Over time, and after working with her own dogs, Clawson grew in her appreciation for the skills required to handle a champion dog. “A great dog is probably born, but you have to have the right combination, the right team,” she says. “And as with any sport, you realize the top ones have the mental game down. Sheep change, weather changes, time of day changes—there are so many variables you work through. Those with the mental game know, if you miss an obstacle, you just move on to what’s next. You have to be able to let it go.”

Despite the intricacies of the sport, both Klautt and Clawson believe that the event is one that lends itself well to spectators who might never have watched a sheepdog trial before. The festival atmosphere provides plenty of family-friendly activities. The venue itself is ideal for spectators, Clawson notes, in the amphitheater-like views afforded by the hill surrounding the field; the Soldier Hollow renovations have also created additional viewing areas. And

the event’s announcer “really helps you understand what the elements are, and what they’re being judged on,” Clawson says.”

Those who are new might just find they appreciate all the connections—between the people running the event, and between the handlers and their animals.

“One thing that really stands out about this sport, at least for me, is the magic,” Clawson says. “Every time I send a dog, whether 400 yards (like Soldier Hollow) or sometimes almost twice that distance — they know the job. They know that if you ask them to go, there are sheep they need to find and bring back to you. … And then, they let you guide them as well—the handler (or shepherd) can communicate with these dogs at great distances and be [in] a partnership. There is something magical that happens there with these incredibly intelligent dogs.” CW

SOLDIER HOLLOW CLASSIC SHEEPDOG COMPETITION Soldier Hollow 2002 Soldier Hollow Lane, Midway May 24 – 27 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily Soldierhollowclassic.org

A handler and his dog competing in the Soldier Hollow Classic

theESSENTIALS

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Ziegfeld Theater: Company

Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 musical Company holds a unique place in musical theater history for a variety of reasons. Part of it comes from the critical success of the show itself, as it earned a then-record 14 Tony Award nominations, with six wins including Best Musical. Part of it comes from its unique association with the D.A. Pennebaker documentary Original Cast Album: Company, shot during a marathon recording session and providing insight into a usually-behind-thescenes component of the musical theater world. And part of it involves the way the show—focused on a bachelor named Robert and his circle of friends—was a product of its time, acknowledging the growing realities of divorce and other relationship complications as the 1960s turned into the 1970s. But for my money, its real significance is including the greatest song ever written for the American musical theater: Robert’s climactic anthem “Being Alive.” It’s a song about the risks we take and the world that opens up when we decide to share a life with someone. Relationships are messy, they cause us pain and they’re never a sure thing—but “Being Alive” reminds us why they’re still worth it. Ogden’s Ziegfeld Theater (3934 S. Washington Blvd.) offers a chance to experience that song—and plenty of other memorable numbers, including “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Getting Married Today” and more—with a production running May 24 – June 2, performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday – Saturday, plus an additional 7:30 p.m. show Sunday, June 2. Tickets begin at $24.95; visit zigarts.com to purchase tickets and for additional event info. (Scott Renshaw)

Scandinavian Heritage Festival

With all the Jensens, Christensens, Hansens and the like who populate the state of Utah, it can sometimes feel like the Venn diagram of “23 & Me reports of Utahns with Scandinavian heritage” and “inhabitants of Scandinavia” is a single circle. It’s certainly true that folks with roots in Sweden, Norway and Denmark are a big part of the state’s makeup, and every year, the city of Ephraim brings a focus to that reality with its biggest-of-its-kind-in-theAmerican-West Scandinavian Heritage Festival.

This Memorial Day weekend is no different, with two days of entertainment, information and general merriment. Events include the annual Heritage Conference with history talks, art exhibitions, car show, chalk art and demonstrations of vintage trades like leather-making and blacksmithing. Live performances feature storytelling, traditional Scandinavian music from Madeline LeBaron, dances from the BYU International Folk Dancers, and music headliners like Glen Phillips (lead singer of ’90s band Toad the Wet Sprocket). A Scandinavian Village offers plenty of crafts to peruse and purchase, while dozens of food vendors provide sustenance for visitors. If you’re feeling particularly participatory, you can even sign up for the pickleball tournament, tennis tournament or—I am not making this up—a wife-carrying contest.

The 2024 Scandinavian Heritage Festival takes place in various venues—including Snow College campus (150 E. College Ave.) and Pioneer Park (42 N. 100 West)—on Friday, May 24 (approximately noon – 9 p.m.) and Saturday, May 25 (approximately noon – 6 p.m.). Events are free and open to the public. Visit scandinavianfestival.org for full schedule and additional event information. (SR)

The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes

If you happened to see actor Cary Elwes during his appearance at the FanX convention a few years back, you might recall that he’s a particularly wonderful storyteller about his experience filming director Rob Reiner’s beloved 1987 adaptation of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, in which Elwes played the lead role of Westley/The Dread Pirate Roberts. He has enough such stories that he turned them into a full-fledged memoir, 2014’s

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of “The Princess Bride.” And many of those stories revolve around the larger-than-life—in physical presence and in personality—Andre the Giant, who played the lovable “Brute Squad” member Fezzik. There’s never a bad reason to watch (or re-watch) The Princess Bride and enjoy its humor, swashbuckling adventure, romance and big heart. You’ll get a chance to watch the movie this weekend, while also getting a dose of those anecdotes from Elwes himself, who has been touring the country with The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes. This moderated conversation offers fresh insight into the making of a quotable classic, direct from the source.

The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes comes to the J.Q. Lawson Capitol Theatre (50 W. 200 South) on Saturday, May 25. While tickets are extremely limited at press time for the 7 p.m. presentation, there is greater availability for the 1 p.m. performance—so perhaps make it an inconceivable afternoon, instead. Tickets start at $29; visit arttix.org to purchase tickets and for additional event info. (SR)

4 years

And so we reach the conclusion of a 40-week-long reporting project. It’s been a long haul, folks, quite literally requiring decades to take shape and then—at least for my small part—months to put together. Reading four decades of a weekly newspaper’s archive and attempting to summarize a full year of content each week can certainly leave its impressions on a person. Every worthwhile subject will do that, of course, but this experience warrants special elaboration. For a moment, I step out from my reporter’s posture and offer what has struck me through the course of crafting our City Weekly Rewind series, which ends with a final installment on page 22.

To begin with, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to everyone who has worked with me in seeing this project through, from our editors and art department to the Saltas family generally:

Full Circle

City Weekly’s in-house historian reflects on the past, present and future of Utah’s 40-year-old alternative newspaper.

BY WES LONG wlong@cityweekly.net

your suggestions, support and vision made each component of the series better than it would have been were I to have forged ahead alone. I can also happily state that I was given great latitude and freedom in choosing what to do with each installment—there were neither thumbs pressed to the scale nor directives on what memories to dredge up or on who I should and should not speak to. I’m thankful for the guidance as well as for the trust.

And then there’s our alumni. I consider it one of the honors of my life to have met so many individuals connected to this paper. I tried to cast as wide a net as possible, acknowledging that there would be all too many whom I would fail to reach. Whether writers, salespeople, artists, interns or technical specialists, City Weekly has seen many people come and go. To all those I missed, please know that it was not my intention to leave

you out or to create an impression that you did not also have a hand in this 40-year legacy. You did, you do and such shall ever be the case.

Editors leave their invisible mark upon stories with which they are seldom credited; marketers photograph events at which they are seldom noticed; printers and delivery people ensure the arrival of new issues and are seldom thanked; and countless people both on and off staff provide leads to stories about which none of us would have known had someone not spoken up.

To all of the above as well as to you, our City Weekly readers, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your support has meant the world and no matter what content brings you to our pages—whether hard-hitting news or as a reference for which music venue to attend and which restaurant to try out—we hope to continue serving this community for decades more.

An Alternative Community

Some definite recurring themes leapt to my attention. Foremost has been the impression that no matter the era—from City Weekly’s early Midvale days and the scrappy camaraderie in the shadow of the Port O’ Call to our peak operations on Main Street and the tenuous times of pandemic scarcity—a passionate sense of mission has kept this paper going when so much else has been in flux.

“We were the underdogs and often reporting on things that people didn’t like,” former editor Rachel Piper summarized in a recent interview.

Piper added that even when the occasional critic dismissed stories with labels like “rag” or “yellow journalism,” there remained a palpable sense of providing a true alternative to the public that could not be replicated anywhere else in the valley.

“When we reported on something,” she said, “there was this extra scrutiny.”

Recalling his work with the paper, former editor Tom Walsh remarked on the good, hard-working people who devoted their time and talents.

“I was impressed,” he said. “We were there to challenge ourselves.”

A willingness to grow and a creative hunger to stay attuned to the lived experience of the community has been a saving grace despite anything else we may have lacked. A venture like City Weekly lives or dies by its people, by the honesty of its

Left: An in-house adverstisement from 1985 promoting the reach of Private Eye, which at the time published as a monthly newsletter for Utah’s private clubs.

Center: Former editor Ben Fulton in New Orleans during the Association of Alternative Newspapers’s 2001 conference.

Right: Private Eye/City Weekly founder John Saltas and former Publisher Jim Rizzi at the 2010 Best of Utah party.

did was for

[Walsh],

around a downtown community and trying to figure out what it meant to live there with poverty, crime and drugs. We spent a lot of time editing the cover and interestingly, it accidentally went to press without the edits.

Lindsay Larkin (CW Alum) City Weekly still means ‘community’ to me— it’s such a special part of my life. I made lifelong friends.

Jen Seals (Reader) Back in the mid- to late-90s, my friend Joey and I would meet up at Bill and Nada’s after a late night shift for a plate of fries, a slice of pie and some people-watching. We’d grab a Private Eye/City Weekly, laugh over the personal ads and the comics and enjoy a brief but always pleasant chat with Bill about the latest local news. The city was so much ours at 2 a.m. with our paper in hand, surrounded by other folks that didn’t quite fit into the Utah Mormon Rockwell picture.

Annie Quan (CW Alum) Some of my closest friends came from that office. I met my partner through Paula

reporting, by the support of local merchants and with the benefit of good luck. Papers like ours reach both the powerful as well as the forgotten, the upstanding as well as the criminal and, hopefully, it has something of value to provide every reader, wherever they fall within our vast and complicated community.

“This newspaper has always facilitated connection,” former writer Stacy Steck remarked. “Humans need connection; it’s a great thing.”

Alternatives and community—these words are often difficult to define and can even come into cross purposes. Does “community” only refer to smaller subgroups or does it embrace an entire landscape? Does “alternative” necessarily equate to a rejection of all established and majority elements in thought, belief, taste, or practice? These are questions without easy answers, and perhaps their ongoing negotiation provides a paper like our own with the vitality it requires to keep going.

Minding the Gaps

Utah is hardly lacking for the complexities inherent in hosting numerous communities (and communities within those communities). We find ourselves in a land inhabited—as reporter Katharine Biele described in 1994—by many groups which all legitimately “identify themselves with minority status,” all seeking dominance or feeling

[Saltas]. City Weekly was pretty incredible for our lives. It was instrumental in creating who we are today.

John Harrington (Private Eye/CW Alum)

We were always kicking somebody’s ass. That was sort of the atmosphere around the office—like the Wild West. We really took the gloves off. We’d get lawyers’ letters threatening us all the time. It was great. I think that kind of journalism, in the age of the internet, gets lost in the informational glut.

Matt Petterborg (Reader) I thoroughly enjoy the annual Dining Guide. I love finding new restaurants to try.

Jerre Wroble (CW Editor)

I love City Weekly. I love that Salt Lake City has that kind of paper. I want it to survive; I want it to be a paper that has impact. I would say that the day I got to City Weekly was when my teenage dreams came true.

Gov. Spencer Cox (via formal declaration)

Whereas, City Weekly has provided a vehicle for writers, tradespeople, artists and everyday Utahns to speak, work and live together with greater frankness, humor and curiosity; Whereas, City Weekly has been serving the citizens of Salt Lake and Utah at large for 40 years; and, Whereas local journalism

ill at ease for not enjoying that dominance. “It’s too much headwork,” as a local psychic once remarked to Marty Foy.

It can be easy to label this as a kind of unbridgeable divide, stereotypically with all Mormons on one side—due to the historic prominence of their church here—and everyone else on the other. Power-seekers and commentators too often exploit or misconstrue these perceived tensions for their own purposes and too many of us, to our detriment, go along with their characterizations.

“In the end,” former editor Ben Fulton once wrote, “Salt Lakers are over everyone’s heads— including our own.”

Indeed, while this paper facilitates exploring all areas of our shared culture and reports on issues often sensitive to those with power, we ourselves have likely been guilty on occasion of exacerbating less important divisions by reaching for lowhanging fruit—though not as often as our more ardent critics would suggest. We have, from time to time, taken legitimate problems in our state and used them as vehicles to bludgeon Mormonism writ large. That was the concern raised by reader Paul Jones in a letter to the editor from 2000.

“The real problem, as I see it,” he opined, “is that the City Weekly has made the Mormon church the paper’s bête noire, thereby alienating a good share of potential contributors. Now, certainly the church wields enormous power in the state and

is the lifeblood of an informed democracy, Now, therefore, I, Spencer J. Cox, governor of the state of Utah, do hereby recognize June 2024 as the 40th anniversary of City Weekly

Nicole Enright (CW Alum)

City Weekly was the most fun and awesome job I have ever had in my life. It was the wildest point for me personally, and I suppose a little professionally as well.

Shane Johnson (CW Alum)

Back then, I would have killed or died for that paper. I thought that that paper was so important as an alternative to the dailies and local press. I think that the journalism

that it has done [over the years] has outpaced the dailies by leaps and bounds.

Kathy Mueller (CW Alum) Thanks for so many good years and congratulations on 40 years of making sure Utah knows what’s up!

Jackie Briggs (CW Alum) I came from the northwest. [City Weekly] felt like a key to the city. We’re lucky to have this voice that’s been so impactful. Not only has it represented the culture of Salt Lake but it has shaped it, too. That’s such a cool part of Utah and the Salt Lake story.

Throughout

40th year, City Weekly collected memories, reflections and tributes to the paper from our newspaper family, be they former editors and reporters, longtime readers or the

(CW Contributor)

GREEN PIG PRIDE BLOCK PARTY!

FRIDAY, MAY 31 9pm Red Shot Pony SATURDAY , JUNE 1 9pm DJ Geovante

BLOCK PARTY! SUNDAY, JUNE 2

INSIDE

NOON 3PM 6PM

OUTSIDE

NOON 3PM 6PM

Eight local developments to expect when City Weekly turns 50 in 2034

8.

NHL team Wasatch Sasquatch celebrates 10 years in Utah with a Stanley Cup win at Dragonfly Wellness Arena.

7.

Swig & Smoke opens its 38th combo dirty soda shop/marijuana dispensary in South Jordan.

6.

Hologram news reporter Ben Winslow posts about his latest Best of Utah win on dmstrFYRE, the internet’s lone remaining social media site.

5.

Netflix becomes an exclusively “All Weird Mormon Cult Documentaries All the Time” streaming service.

4.

The crowd at a Red Butte Garden concert spontaneously combusts due to regular summer temperatures of 175+ degrees, and they still won’t shut up.

3.

Thanks to a corporate sponsorship deal, all local restaurants are Olive Gardens. On the upside, each location also contains a State Liquor Store.

2.

Apartments in Salt Lake City go for $4,500 a month, but tenants have 650,000 empty units to choose from.

1. City Weekly’s EditorBot 5000 requests a golden anniversary Ocho from Gov. Bill Frost, now a floating brain in a jar.

Continued from page 14

Left: In 1994, a countdown clock on State Street hyped the host announcement for the 2002 Olympic Games.

Above: Kat Topaz, Adam Howard, Bien Hoang, Susan Kruithoff and Rocky Lindgren at a City Weekly event.

Top right: Olympic organizers required press passes, so Bill Frost made one.

Right: John Saltas flips through the firstever Best of Utah edition in 1989.

it’s a fair target. But the constant haranguing of Mormon beliefs and teachings seems to have beggared the paper’s overall quality and editorial imagination.”

From personal observation, such a state of affairs has neither been the intention nor governing force of either this paper or its founder. Being a community alternative, we house a plethora of voices, styles and perspectives, and that is both healthy and desirable. The problem is when the “juvenile” attitude Jones described becomes the ruling sentiment among either readers or writers on any given subject, which breeds both a boring paper as well as a community unable to really see one another on account of the ever-growing chips on our shoulders.

“We can sneer at those who do things or believe things we’d never possibly do or believe,” A&E editor Scott Renshaw once wrote, “because it’s uncomfortable to think about personal compasses that point in different directions than the north we know is true. Lack of imagination is a disease—a gaping psychic hole where a broader, fundamental compassion for the spectrum of human experience should be.”

As a paper and as a community of communities, we would all do well to avoid this lack of imagination and narrowness of soul. It leaves us open to both flawed journalism and to the very ills that have beset Utah for over 40 years now.

Tom Walsh (Private Eye Alum)

longer you’re in the business, the more you appreciate the long-form.

(Reader/Contributor)

I relied on City Weekly to connect with a city that was new to me, where I could read about restaurants and performances and movies and events I’d b e interested in. I grew to use and enjoy City Weekly f or years as a constant and reliable resource for plugging into the community. When I wanted to try

A New Utah

“We live in a beautiful state where we should all get along and plan a sane future together,” reporter John Harrington once wrote. “Instead, we pave what we can and pollute the rest at an alarming rate. Neighbors are encouraged to spy on neighbors and call police if someone in the house next door appears ‘to be keeping irregular hours.’ Public officials hide critical information from you to make their financial benefactors, friends, families and themselves wealthy at public expense. In response, Utahns have stopped voting in huge numbers. They have decided to simply follow a dead-end path, whining or not caring while they get ripped off, their futures brokered away in back rooms.”

This splintering of communities over decades has had devastating effects, as John Saltas commented in 2005, leaving each of us as lonely and isolated “fodder” for whichever politician most effectively stirs us against each other while they help themselves to the public fund.

“We talk about ‘society’ or ‘community’ as if we are a part of it, but we are not,” Saltas opined. “We merely view what passes as society while our leaders talk wearily about ‘building bridges.’ If you build a town, a city, a community, you don’t have to build a bridge.”

I would assert that it is neither religion nor non-religion, neither age nor youth, neither race, sexual orien-

my hand at writing offbeat restaurant reviews City Weekly gave me a chance to share and grow my voice. They were one of my first bylines and I’m still so proud to have written for them.

Jenny Poplar (CW Alum)

I thank my lucky stars that Ben Fulton welcomed me into the City Weekly family in 2005. I have nothing but love for a local institution that has enhanced my life and the lives of Utah readers for four decades.

Rachel Piper (CW Alum) I

Jamie Gadette (CW Alum)

Thanks to City Weekly I learned how to put it all out there, take risks, risk humiliation and admit when I messed up and couldn’t take it back because it was laid bare in print. I’d do it all over again. No notes.

Bruce Baird (CW Alum)

I wouldn’t want to think about where Salt Lake would be without City Weekly. It made it harder for the mainstream press to ignore something.

Jesse Fruhwirth (CW Alum)

You couldn’t trust any other news outlet to see someone labeled ‘perpetrator’ and have their story told in which their profound victimhood—or at least their complicated humanity—shines through. You’d have to come to CW for that. Throughout

Topaz (Private Eye Alum) It was a pivotal moment in my life. There’s no reason [John Saltas] should have hired me; I was this stuck-up designer from New York. The second I [started working at the paper], it just blew my mind. It was totally different from everything I had done. I could make a difference; that for me was the beginning of the lights going on.

Mary Dickson (CW Alum) Local papers are so important to the community. There are always people doing wrong things, always issues to report on. Politically, this state should be reported more, and City Weekly is our alternative. It’s part of the community. The more media we have, the better off we are.

VOTED SLC #1

Down at the Port O’Call

BY CHRISTA ZARO COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET

The Port O’Call was the most iconic Utah bar and home to City Weekly’s own social club. At the end of a work day, employees leaving the building en route to their homes would have to walk past the large glass front windows of the Shubrick Building. In the far east corner of the bar was “our” large circular wooden captain’s table—an eight top—and John Saltas sat at the helm. There would be a knock on the glass window and a motion to come in or a nod to sit down around the table and share the day with John and coworkers. We all walked past the bouncers because they all knew us to be in our own private club. We smoked lots of cigarettes and ran up John’s bar tab. We shared tales and knew when it was about to get serious—John would ask the waitress to bring a bar napkin to jot down notes.

Some talk of the day: conservative Gayle Ruzicka calls us porn; scrambling for advertiser checks every Friday; Deedee Corradini’s Bonneville Pacific scandal; District Attorney Neal Gunnarson throws out a rack of our papers; a restaurant owner physically threatens dining critic Ted Scheffler over a critical review; crying over the dead Zephyr; day-drinking without alcohol meters because of power outage from the ‘99 tornado; exposing 2002 Olympic corruption. Resistance was futile, the smoke still lingers, and the bar conversations will never fade. CW

Continued from page 16

Above: City Weekly staff, family and friends at the 2012 Artys Awards.

Above right: Michael, Paula and Eleni Saltas at the 2016 Best of Utah party.

Right: Publisher Pete Saltas poses with Lilly for a cat adoption feature in 2014.

tation or any other point of difference at the root of our woes in this world.

The true dangers are the antisocial lusts for power and gain, for these vices can wear whatever custom or costume and utilize any language or justification required to reach their selfish ends—dissolving any ties that stand in the way and convincing victims that such is both natural and normal.

Through this, we have observed a quirky, flawed, ethnically- and historically-rich state like Utah transform since the 1980s into a hotspot for affinity fraud, bigotry and virtuous selfishness, its citizens frequent dupes of many a local/national charlatan seeking political office or payouts.

“In the midst of all of our daily lives,” John Saltas wrote in 2013, “in the midst of our select history and right under the ridges of Utah’s grandest peaks, a new Utahn emerged: the corrupt, pocket-lining, lying scumbag.”

And yet, as reader “Steve” reminded us in a 2013 letter, many great people remain throughout the Beehive State. Such persons “are those who couldn’t care less what your religious or anti-religious beliefs are. They are open to everyone and don’t get all uppity and defensive if they are invited to church or if they are invited to a club or bar. They are kind and genuine. They are Mormon and non-Mormon.”

These are the people who embody us at our best, people who are not well-served by either our current one-party political environment or by sweeping generalizations from our fractured (and company-owned) media.

ers even when he got crotchety, had to sell ads, found himself railing about the dailies getting it wrong, under-representing the underdog, and bowing to conglomerates that perpetually put the almighty dollar before the truth. As a writer, I cut my teeth on theater reviews for John and at other alternatives in the valley and will always be grateful for those opportunities.

Shane McCammon (CW Alum)

I don’t think its impact can be overstated. Personally speaking, I wouldn’t be the same person that I am if I didn’t

Yes, much in Utah has changed for the worse in 40 years, but many things have also gotten better, largely thanks to the continued presence of the people so applauded by observers like “Steve.” Their profiles and actions have filled our pages in refreshing ways from the beginning and should be treasured by all.

Cutting Through the Fog

Over the history of this paper, as reporter Ellen Fagg Weist related recently, “you could really tell that readers were involved in what was breaking; there was a core group of readers who gave a response.” In recent years, however, our communities are less often reading the same things for their information, and consequently, “the conversation isn’t the same.”

How will our changed population and the generations that follow them further affect the alt-weekly model now that we all struggle to find ourselves on the same page?

This remains a vital question for us as we compete with the “sea of crapola” that inundates every platform, in reporter Shane Johnson’s estimation.

“I think that the absolute waterfall of outlets has perverted the importance of the journalism City Weekly did and [does],” he said. “The saturation is too much and too easy at the click of a button.”

Rather than venture into the shallows for the sake of clicks and circulation, the media needs to be creative in how we tell our stories and assiduous in bringing others along with us. There are more gifted writers and report-

Carl Rubadue (Private Eye Alum)

I want to say thanks for the courageous journalism and the vision that John [Saltas] had when he started the paper. The patrons that he has maintained and brought on, etc. It’s obvious that there was and still is a space for it.

Scott Renshaw (CW Editor)

City Weekly’s John Saltas is one of them. … He was generous with his writ-

In a short

of time, it changed my life for the better. I think it has changed lives in the Salt Lake Valley for the better, too.

A paper like City Weekly matters in a different way here. This paper is important to people who want to know that they’re not crazy. Having a clearly progressive-thinking publication in a place where there are so many people who think it’s evil, matters. I feel very lucky and proud to work for more than 20 years in a place that aligns with my principles and values. Very few people get to do that.

Daniel Moss (Reader) Pre-internet it was the best—if not the only—way to find out what was happening in the valley. Restaurant reviews were almost always spot on.

Alex Springer (CW Contributor) Thanks for keeping Utah cool for the last 40 years, City Weekly Here’s

Josh Loftin (CW Alum)

Saltas

Left: Demonstrators gather downtown in 2002 to protest against the Iraq War.

Continued from page 20

and reporters, longtime readers or t he occasional politician.

Gavin Sheehan (CW Alum)

To the readers: thanks. You didn’t have to [read us]; you chose to. Thanks for supporting us in what we did.

Kathleen Curry Griffin and Geoff Griffin (CW Alumni)

John Saltas’ stroke of genius was that this news and entertainment weekly was built to absorb and even highlight the way Salt Lake City has grown, both literally and figuratively. Here’s to 40 more years!

Ryan Bradford (CW Alum)

You could gauge how cool a city was by the quality of their alternative weekly. There [are] few cooler than City Weekly.

Paula Saltas (First lady of Private Eye/City Weekly) City Weekly has taken a toll on our lives. But in the end, this has all been worth it. Our family is always working non-stop. It isn’t an 8 hour day—this is a 24/7 career. We are the last ones to take a check, if at all. It has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears for sure. But for the most part, it has been a joy to grow with our co-workers, we are all family, we all would help each other at the drop of a hat. No matter what. We have employed so many people and it is wonderful to see them grow into careers after us too. Past employees have made lifelong friends and some have married each other too—a few that I even set up!

Carolyn Campbell (Private Eye/CW Contributor)

I think it’s a wonderful community outlet. When I publish stories, all my friends—whether liberal or conservative—seem to appreciate the worth of City Weekly It’s been a wonderful part of my life, and I’ll always be grateful for the day that John Saltas approached me to write for them. I’m always thankful to have assignments for it.

Ross “Rocky” Anderson (Private Eye/CW Lawyer)

It offers so much that is crucial to this community. Entertainment, arts and culture are vital and of importance to the audience, but for me the fundamentally crucial element of City Weekly is the investigative work that is done. If CW didn’t publish these pieces, nobody would know the information. There’s also an irreverence that I find refreshing, even when I was the target.

Deena Marie Manzanares (CW Alum)

My contributions and press clippings from City Weekly are tied to the most incredible, fun and golden years of my life. Long live the CW!

Larry Carter (CW Alum)

Left: A 2011 cover feature chronicled the first forays into coffee culture by A&E editor Scott Renshaw, City Weekly ’s longest-tenured employee.

Above: A City Weekly delivery van doubles as the paper’s float in the 2008 St. Patricks Day Parade. Above right: Kolbie (Stonehocker) Peterson, Eric Peterson, Rachel Piper and Colin Wolf pose for the 2013 Dining Guide.

Right: During a period of economic recovery, a controversial campaign in 1988 raised eyebrows by labling Utah as “a pretty, great state.”

ers out there than any of us realize, who are very well informed about their communities and spheres of life, whether politically, culturally, etc.

We can strive to get more of our citizens engaged with our long-form approach, for rare are the public platforms that offer them anymore; rarer still with the freedom and latitude City Weekly encourages. What’s more, that perennial funding question continues to bedevil us and similar outfits around the nation, often impeding our most important function: investigative journalism.

“If I had a desire for City Weekly, it would be that somebody rich would endow it with a good chunk of change for the sole purpose of investigative journalism,” columnist Bruce Baird said. “It takes resources, it takes balls, it takes sources. And we need it, because whenever you’re in a one-party state, there’s corruption and stupidity way beyond what anybody knows about.”

Editor Jerre Wroble spoke along similar lines during our interview, stating that investigative journalism was our most important element, if also our biggest challenge. “I want to read in-depth stories about the people and events at the heart of Salt Lake City,” she stressed. “I want to know who are the people pulling the levers and

whether they are doing a good job, and that’s hard with the limited investigative resources for any paper.”

Are these concerns daunting? Absolutely. Is the path ahead assured? Absolutely not. Such has been our tortuous journey since our founding, but thanks to the assortment of rebels and dreamers who kept this paper alive by producing it and reading it, the path forward remains open for further traveling.

Where will that path lead us, I wonder. Will it lead us to become better informed and better acquainted with one another? Will it lead to changes in how we choose our leaders, how we honor our past, how we plan our cities, and how we value life itself?

We’ve contributed to these very outcomes in our reporting over the years, and there’s no reason why this cannot continue far into the future.

“When the Stranger says: ‘What is the meaning of this city? / Do you huddle close together because you love each other?’” queried T.S. Eliot’s chorus in the pageant play The Rock. “What will you answer? ‘We all dwell together / To make money from each other’? or ‘This is a community?’”

Now that’s what I call an alternative. CW

My fondest moments were the parties. I loved the parties and John’s speeches were the best. To the readers: Just keep believing. Keep believing in CW and what they stand for. Throughout our 40th year, City Weekly collected memories, reflections and tributes to the paper from our newspaper

Ron Atencio (STREET Ogden Magazine Publisher/Private Eye Alum)

Good for you, John! I told you you were crazy, but you did it.

Ellen Fagg Weist (Private Eye Alum)

I always loved longform journalism and Private Eye gave me an opportunity to do that when I was between jobs. … I’m thrilled that there is a City Weekly and I’m thrilled that there are people who are still fighting for it.

Ron Yengich (Private Eye Alum)

Great journalists—and I honestly count John Saltas as one of them—are not necessarily “equipped to bring ‘grace and measure’ out of the chaos of man on earth” (James Thurber), but are

fully equipped to see injustice for what it is; find a way to articulate what lies behind the mainstream journalists’ lack of courage; and expose the lies of those who need to be held accountable for the chaos they bring to this life’s journey. I honestly think John had that vision long ago and it has continued unabated at the City Weekly these past four decades. I am happy I was there in its infancy.

Greg Foster (Reader)

It’s legitimately kept [me] in the know about what’s going on since I was in college. Concerts, new restaurants, festivals, etc. Hell, it’s how I learned about Wednesdays at Ah Sushi, which has kept me fed and drunk for years.

Stephen Dark (CW Alum)

Partly a voice for the underdog, partly the voice for retailers who struggle—[the paper’s] reflective of a swath of community that sees themselves as outsiders [or] independent. [And yet] it’s also read by members of the church as well. It was a privilege to write for the paper and have those pages to fill. If you let someone do a longform story, that’s a deep dive into who they are; it’s a big undertaking for the subject and the writer. On that basis, [City Weekly] is reflective of an element of trust that has built up over the years since John Saltas started Private Eye

Stacy Steck (Private Eye Alum)

Thank you for working hard enough to keep it alive and relevant. For me, it was a wonderful experience.

Bill Frost (Private Eye/CW

I guess someone needs to be somewhat of a countercultural voice around here. It’s nice to have something like City Weekly that’s at least a little on the edge. It gave me a career when I had no prospect of one.

Mason Rodrickc (CW Alum) City Weekly still has a precious place in my heart. It’s part of Salt Lake, and as long as they are able to do what they do, they will keep being part of the heart of Salt Lake.

I think you guys are a

Utah and an absolute disgust to the nation.

Throughout our 40th year, City Weekly collected memories, reflections and tributes to the paper from our newspaper family, be they former editors

Contributor)

“Super” Dell Schanze (Reader comment from July 12, 2007)

disgrace to

Volume 40: 2023 to 2024

Asalt lake

CITY WEEKLY Rewind

years of

BY BENJAMIN WOOD bwood@cityweekly.net

s the calendar flipped to 2024, City Weekly was fast approaching its 40th anniversary since debuting in 1984 as a monthly newsletter. Inside and outside the newsroom, the milestone rang with echoes of the past and preludes to the future.

New offices in the historic Plandome Hotel building brought the CW newsroom back to 400 South— a stone’s throw from its original downtown home. Salt Lake City was stepping confidently out of the shadows of the COVID pandemic, with residential and commercial demand driving a strong downtown recovery. And around the state, renewed Olympic fever rose with the likelihood of a 2034 hosting selection, promising a new decade of investment, change, scandal and controversy.

Inside the pages of the newspaper, dark skies were a recurring point of friction, as Heber Valley residents saw their governing bodies bend over backward to accommodate the wishes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in lighting its new temple. Conservatives boycotted Bud Light over its collaboration with

a transgender influencer, while Utah lawmakers lost their lids over a Utah Transit Authority bus decorated for the annual Pride Parade.

“Think of it: If children saw that bus, they could turn into drag queens,” japed Smart Bomb writer Christopher Smart. “OMG! The ‘woke’ ideology is stamping out good conservative discrimination and pushing the notion that even freaks have rights.”

Every week seemed to bring news of professional and collegiate sports, with the on-and-off-and-on-again relocation of the Bees to Daybreak and the leasing of Sunnyside Park for a new U of U baseball facility. And by the end of the 2024 legislative session, state lawmakers had signed off on nearly $2 billion in taxpayer subsidies to clean up areas of downtown and the west side with the aim of luring two professional sports franchises to Utah’s capital city.

But state investment may prove— as always—to be a double-edge sword, with the subsidization tied to new land use authorities outside city control and burdensome reporting requirements levied against Salt

Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, ostensibly to “protect the investment” into downtown.

Amid a wave of book bans, classroom gag rules and other efforts to make political hay out of public education, Connor Sanders interviewed Cathy Bigler, Salt Lake City School District’s teacher of the year. Bigler described the toll that relentless attacks and controversy can take on educators and how those conversations miss what’s happening with children in a post-internet, postCOVID learning environment.

“They just know a lot more about current events than I ever did when I was younger, or my students [did] back in the ‘80s,” Bigler said at the time. “I think kids grow up way faster than they did back when I first started teaching. And I think that can really challenge them with their mental health.”

Bianca Dumas, meanwhile, reported on tectonic shifts at Utah’s liquor agency, which changed its name to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (née “Control”). After long conducting itself as a punitive morality police, the moniker was

meant to reflect a new institutional philosophy of actually trying to help bars, restaurants, breweries and distilleries survive, if not thrive.

“No longer will the department be hyperfocused on controlling every thought and action of those who sell and/or consume alcoholic beverages, leaders say,” Dumas wrote.

The new DABS took steps to aid retailers through the licensing process and to put local spirits on a morelevel playing field with national brands. It also began installing refrigerators in State Liquor Stores to sell what was previously unthinkable: cold beverages.

“The goodwill is there, and it is something we’ve never seen. What they’re doing is putting customers first,” said Michele Corigliano, executive director of the Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association. “They’re not putting the ‘control’ as the focus, and they have been really great to work with. All my members have been ecstatic with what they’ve seen so far.”

Despite being virtually unknown in state politics, Celeste Maloy won the primary election to replace Rep.

Continued from page 24

Chris Stewart, who resigned midterm from his heavily-gerrymandered congressional seat after a decade of passively kowtowing to the far-right elements of his party. And in city politics, former two-term Mayor Rocky Anderson emerged from a 15-year hiatus to mount a third run at City Hall, focusing his campaign on the issue of homelessness. But voters opted to stick with incumbent Erin Mendenhall, who easily won reelection over Anderson by a margin of more than 20 percentage points.

Mendenhall suggested that city voters were excited about the opportunities for Salt Lake’s future, while Anderson chided the local media for failing to adequately inform citizens of the issues at stake and suggested he was unlikely to ever pursue elected office again.

“It’s become a money game,” Anderson told City Weekly. “The establishment basically has its way.”

But the biggest recurring theme of City Weekly’s 40th year in print was, fittingly, City Weekly’s 40 years in print, as Wes Long (with an occasional assist by news editor Benjamin Wood) dove into the archives, Scrooge McDuck style, and exhaustively cataloged Salt Lake’s highs and lows, as chronicled by the state’s

finest and longest-lasting alternative newspaper.

From its first days as a scrappy bulletin serving the members of over-regulated private clubs to the no-holds-barred weekly publication containing these very words, Long guided readers through a time capsule of the events, debates and notable figures that built what would become our shared history.

“When it comes right down to it,” Long wrote on August 24, “Salt Lake City Weekly owes its existence to three things: a parched landscape for Utah’s fourth estate, bizarre liquor laws and John Saltas needing a job.”

Remembering Vol. 40: In the Submissions

In 2024, the broader news industry is in shambles and many fine publications have closed up shop while not-so-fine publications remain perched on a knife’s edge of oblivion. While City Weekly has held on in spite of significant challenges, there’s no denying the reduction of its masthead to a skeleton staff.

But we get by with a little help from our friends, and are proud to distribute quality reporting and commentary that might otherwise go overlooked by mainstream outlets. Through membership in the

Continued from page 22

Association of Alternative Newspapers (AAN), City Weekly brought the annual Project Censored Top 10 list and Foilies Awards on government transparency to Utah readers. Plus, we’ve sought out local partnerships and outside freelancers to bolster our coverage, particularly in the timeconsuming and specialized area of investigative reporting.

Taylor Barnes and Inkstick Media shared their investigation of worker deaths at Utah’s Northrop Grumman plant, exposing workplace safety failures and a lack of accountability at one of the nation’s largest defense contractors. Michael Lacey—founder of the Phoenix New Times—sounded an alarm over the presidential candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., while Michael Dean McGrady Jr. contextualized the First Amendment ramifications of Utah’s attempts to regulate pornography out of existence.

City Weekly also featured several cover stories produced by Eric S. Peterson’s Utah Investigative Journalism Project, like an examination of nearly $20 million in local police misconduct settlements reported in partnership with Erin Alberty and Kim Bojórquez of Axios Salt Lake.

“Critics question whether settlements increase accountability, since they don’t come directly out of police budgets but are generally paid out by municipal insurance,” Peterson, Alberty and Bojórquez wrote. “Access to justice is another issue, because challenging departments is not an easy legal proposition and not many attorneys will take on these cases unless they are high profile enough.”

In the Streets

Construction on 200 South, 900 South and 300 West created headaches for readers, merchants and City Weekly founder John Saltas, who compared the 2nd and 2nd area to “downtown Baghdad” during a gas pipeline replacement that coincided with construction of the state’s new tallest building, the Astra.

“Several businesses there have said they won’t survive or must move, which won’t matter a whit to city officials,” Saltas wrote. “They know that when construction ends, a new business will take those spaces over. It doesn’t matter to a city who pays the taxes, just that someone does.”

In another column, Saltas drew a distinction between city plans for

Continued from page 26

pedestrian, cycling and transit connections and the private utility work that stalled work zones for weeks and months at a time, well beyond the projections that businesses had been told to plan for.

“Most everyone is sick of it all and point figures in every direction,” Saltas wrote. “Currently, most fingers point at the city.”

With the departure of Bryant Heath from his popular On the Streets column, Benjamin Wood attempted to fill Heath’s shoes for several weeks, taking a sharper tone against areas of demonstrable government failure, like South Salt Lake City’s handling of the S-Line/Parley’s Trail and Salt Lake City’s longstanding prioritization of driving over all other modes of transportation.

“Walking is a very good thing— the more people who do it, the better literally everything works,” Wood wrote. “But if you want people to swim, you have to build a pool, and if you want people to walk, you have to build a decent sidewalk. Utah’s sidewalks, generally, suck ass.”

On the Streets eventually gave way to Small Lake City, a new column featuring a rotating stable of writers.

Throughout the rest of the year, the space featured local takes on Utah’s obsession with fast-food franchises, transgender representation at the Utah Pride Festival, school dress codes, the proposed Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola and the emerging, highly-addictive street drug known as “Pickleball.”

“I’m all for elders having other activities to enjoy besides writing paper checks at Maverick or spamcalling me to ask if I’m voting for (insert psychopath R-candidate here),” wrote Bill Frost on Oct. 19.

“Unfortunately, my people—Gen X— have flooded the pickleball courts, and they’re bringing the younger Gens with them.”

In One Quote

“The more we can courageously open our lives to others, the easier it is to dispel the cynical myths and stereotypes that some people hold … Humans are wired to make genuine and meaningful connections with people. We suffer when we are disconnected and isolated.” (Equality Utah executive director Troy Williams, as reported by Carolyn Campbell in the Pride Issue on June 1, 2023)CW

Photo Credit: Nina Tekwani

TICKETS ON SALE

DINE

Block Rockin’ Eats

The best things I ate at this year’s Kilby Block Party.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

It seemed like this year’s Kilby Block Party at the Utah State Fairpark was the unofficial flashpoint of Salt Lake’s festival season. It was the first weekend that didn’t give us weather whiplash as 75-degree temperatures became blinding blizzards overnight, and it helped all of us collectively put the final nail in winter’s coffin. In addition to the stellar lineup and on-site festivities, Kilby Block Party was home to several great examples of festival food that I’m sure we’ll be seeing at outdoor events for the rest of the season. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Namash Swahili Cuisine (135 E. 1300 South, 801-680-3202, namashswahili. com):

Though this up-and-comer from Spice Kitchen Incubator (spicekitchenincubator.org) has a storefront, its mobile operation continues to have its finger on the pulse of downtown’s events. It’s a common fixture at farmers markets, outdoor festivals and food truck roundups, and that’s because their food is awesome. It’s been a little bit since I’ve indulged in Namash’s East African-inspired menu for a bit of curry and sambusas, but that’s exactly what I did after getting a doublefisted dose of classic alt-rock from Dinosaur Jr. and Belle & Sebastian.

They keep their festival menu nice and sparse, so there’s no need to dilly-dally

in between acts. I got the curry chicken combo ($20) that came with a small salad, their signature curry chicken, plenty of rice and a beef sambusa. When you’re at a festival, you’re always looking for a good bang for your buck, and this combo is exactly that. Not only do you get goodsized portions, but you’re also getting some restaurant-quality Swahili cooking. The curry chicken is perfectly cooked, and then tossed in Namash’s homemade curry sauce, which is heavy on the smoky, black pepper-y flavor. The sambusas are huge, and the seasoned ground beef within packs a nice herbaceous punch. The combo comes with their pili pili sauce, which is great for a sambusa dip or just for dumping all over the combo for some added freshness. If you see Namash out and about while you’re enjoying your outdoor festivities this year, it’s always worth checking out.

Delicius (353 W. 200 South, Ste. A, 801502-3243, webdeliciusstore.com): Arepas are the perfect festival food—you can eat them with your hands, they’re packed with great flavor and something about them just screams “party food.” Thanks to arepas’ street food pedigree, they have a long history of being part of outdoor community events. Though arepas are among my most beloved sandwiches, I have to admit that Delicius was a relatively new addition on my radar. Their festival menu was straightforward; they had a small selection of their arepa menu, along with some sides like tequeños. After Belle & Sebastian wrapped up their set, I grabbed some Pepeada Queen arepas ($17) for my brother and me for some pre-Death Cab for Cutie tailgating.

The Pepeada Queen stuffs their crispy arepas with a creamy combo of avocado, melty cheese, mayo and shredded chicken. This option was perfect for the event, since it’s on the cooler and creamier side

of the arepa spectrum, and it was getting a bit toasty at the fairpark. Like all highquality arepas, the fillings within the Pepeada Queen really push the boundaries of the arepa; you can expect to lick your fingers upon submitting to this queen. If you happen to be at an event where Delicius is whipping up arepas, they’re definitely worth checking out.

Vegan Daddy Meats (569 N. 300 West, Ste. K102, 385-315-2177, vegandaddymeats.com): After reading Amanda Rock’s profile of plant-based innovators in this year’s Dining Guide, I’ve been curious to try out Vegan Daddy Meats. I am a complete sucker for any place that is doing plant-based versions of junk food, and Vegan Daddy’s menu of plant-based fried chicken and poutine caught my eye while I was reeling from the goth-funk vibes that Yves Tumor threw down during their set.

When visiting Vegan Daddy, the thing you really must try is the Varby’s Veef and Cheddar ($11). Though I typically only visit Arby’s when I’m feeling a special sort of self-destructive, I can’t deny the sweet, savory and dare I say buttery appeal of their classic beef and cheddar. Vegan Daddy has deftly recreated the Arby’s flavor combos: Thick swathes of gooey cheddar? Check. Onion bun? Check. A sweet and smoky but mostly sweet barbecue sauce? Check. Thinly sliced roast beef? Check. This sandwich proudly declares, “We don’t have the meats” but it’s every bit as tasty as the Arby’s original— if you’re into that sort of thing, which I really am.

They were also offering some prewrapped, gigantic pink frosted sugar cookies ($5) from Sweet Hazel & Co. that revived my affection for these nostalgic cookies. This was plant-based comfort food at its finest, and I’ll always be on the lookout for Vegan Daddy when I hit up events this year. CW

1048 E 2100 S Sugar House

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:  Cerveza De Mayo for Bewilder.

Bohemian Brewery

94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

On Tap: California Steam Lager

Bonneville Brewery

1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com

On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Chappell Brewing

2285 S Main Street Salt Lake City, UT 84115 chappell.beer

On Tap: Crispy Boi - cerveza-ish Cream Ale

Craft by Proper

1053 E. 2100 So., SLC properbrewingco.com

On Tap: Gungan Sith Lord - Dark Lager

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: Chasing Ghosts IPA

Fisher Brewing Co.

320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com

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

Grid City Beer Works

333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Cask Nitro CO2

Helper Beer

159 N Main Street, Helper, UT  helperbeer.com

Hopkins Brewing Co.

1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Bishop to Hopkins - American Lager

Kiitos Brewing

608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

On Tap: Tropical Haze IPA - HBC 1019 Hops with Heavy Notes of Peach

Level Crossing Brewing Co.

2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Sun Slope Sour (on Nitro too!)

Level Crossing Brewing Co., POST

550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Bat Country Blonde Ale

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap:  Bulliet Bourbon barrel-aged Brown

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

On Tap: Pomme Paloma- Grapefruit & Hopped Cider collab with Pink Boots Society

Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ On Tap: DOPO IPA

Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenBeerCompany.com

On Tap: 1851 Premium Lager

Park City Brewery 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com

On Tap: Cinco por Ciento Mexican Lager. Also now available in 16oz cans!

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

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

On Tap: Golden Hour Belgian Sour

Proper Brewing/Proper Burger 857 So. Main & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com

Proper Brewing: SLC Pils - Pilsner

Proper Burger: Salted Caramel PorterPorter Brewed with Caramel and Salt

Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com

On Tap: YRJB - Juicy IPA

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

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: Moon Flower San Diego Pale Ale and Shoreline Hazy IPA

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations

RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Pineapple Sour Seltzer

SaltFire Brewing

2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com

On Tap: Ginger Lemon Saison

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: Luau Rider - Coconut Chocolate Milk Stout

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

On Tap: Snowcapped Lavender Lemonade 6.9%

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

On Tap: Pineapple Jalapeno

Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt

BEER NERD

Shades of Summer

A bright outlook for summer is reflected in these beers.

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Helper - Power Coupling: This new West Coast pilsner has brilliant clarity, and pours the most common hue for beer—that golden-yellow with a hint of brass to it. Two fingers of white foam perch on top, with good clarity underneath it. A nice mix of hops push forth a perfume of faint resin, melon, orange peel, hints of tangerine, pineapple and berries.

The taste is uniquely complex. It starts with lemon zest, herbs, grass and gooseberry, followed immediately by an herbal bitterness and slight grape fruitiness against a mild malt backbone. You get a great yeast influence as well; you can actually taste the lagering effect in this 6.4 percent beer. It’s not some neutral hop profile, emerging as relatively pronounced, but still not a match for that beautiful deluge of new hop varieties. At this point, I’m questioning whether the hops might be even better-suited to an IPA. One thing is for damn sure: It works in both of them quite well. This also has some weed like notes to it, so earthy, light and crisp against the malt base, with the bitterness helped along quite nicely by those New Zealand-like hops. It all works in harmony here, and provides a nice, dry bitterness.

Verdict: What a brilliant lager. I was just having a different WC pils yesterday and thinking, “Yet more proof that I’m in love with this style.” This is everything a WC pils should be—just a clean showcase for tasty malts and hops.

Proper - Bermuda Blonde: This fruited American-style blonde ale starts off with a straw-blonde pour that produces two fingers of eggshell white head with a milky/cream consistency and texture. Strong glass-consuming effervescence rises within a light, unfiltered strawcolored body. Head retention is longlasting, with a nice amount of lace coverage on the vessel. In the aroma, you get sweet, freshly-sliced juicy lime. Other strong citrus notes were wet and lively, but soon settled to a softly dry barley grain and dry lemon-peel finish. You really have to get a good whiff the second this hits the vessel, because the aroma doesn’t stay dominant for long, only for a few brief moments.

Flavor of tart lime kicks things off, along with fresh barley grains—dry, with a nice bite of lemon and dry citrus following. A touch of grain sweetness sneaks in briefly for balance, with an overall good deal of soft, dry hop bitterness per the style and some straw on the fade. There’s a wheaty mouthfeel, nearing mid-body depth with a good resistance when swirled on the tongue. It boasts a frothy texture and good carbonation rate, bittering and dry on the swallow.

Verdict: While I wished the hops lasted a bit longer on the nose, this did follow within the guidelines per the style of an American blonde. A nice, soft dry grain base includes bittering more typical of the style, but lightly dry, and a body that was a bit fuller with a pretty decent rate of drinkability. While I’m not necessarily a big fan of this style, I am slowly progressing. While some folks might be expecting a big burst of lime and hops, this is more focused on traditional style with that softly dry bittering, and not meant to be a straight-up fruit beer. Overall, pretty decent per style.

Bermuda Blonde is going to be part of Proper’s summer line-up, and you’ll find it in stores and pubs all over the Wasatch Front. Helper’s Power Coupling will be slightly harder to seek out if you’re outside of Helper, Utah. I found it at The Bayou, but look towards Beer Bar and Slackwater as well. As always, cheers! CW

BEER + PIZZA = <3 SUN-THU: 11am - 10pm • FRI-SAT: 11am - 11pm

the BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Pacific Islander Foodie Fest

The Utah Pacific Islander Chamber will be hosting its first annual Foodie Fest to help give this year’s AAPI Heritage Month a proper sendoff. This food-centric event will be gathering a wide variety of restaurants, food trucks and caterers to showcase the very finest in Pacific Islander cuisine. We’ve got a decent bunch of Pacific Islander eateries in town, so if you’ve never had the chance to try some of their vibrant offerings, now is your chance. The event takes place on May 25 in the northeast parking lot of the Delta Center (301 S. Temple) starting at 10 a.m.

Afro Paradigm Sunday Brunch

Local art, culture and performance collective Afro Paradigm have a champagne brunch planned for this weekend at Varley (63 W. 100 South). Not only will attendees be able to sample a tasty brunch menu prepared by the team at Ivy & Varley, but the event will feature performances from Bangarang and DJ Logik. Afro Paradigm is all about creating community connection through performing arts, community events and music, and this brunch event promises to deliver only good vibes for the weekend. Ivy & Varley have generated all kinds of hype for their hip menu and well-curated menu of craft cocktails. It’s all going down on May 26 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Varley.

Girl Dinner LLC at Publik

If the words “immersive food and art pop-up cooked and curated by girls” sounds anywhere up your alley, you’re going to want to check out Girl Dinner at Publik Coffee Roasters (975 S. West Temple). It’s a celebration of Utah’s best female chefs who will be on site whipping up some of their signature dishes. On top of that, the event encourages attendees to go full Warholian Factory with their outfits—plenty of Instagrammable set pieces will be on display. Then, if you’re still feeling artsy, you can get a new piercing or tattoo from some local body artists. This is happening on May 24 at 6 p.m., party people.

Quote of the Week: “Breakfast is a meal, but brunch is a culture.” –Matt Basile

REVIEW CINEMA

To the Max

Furiosa continues a completely unique blockbuster series.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

When Mad Max: Fury Road appeared in the summer of 2015, it emerged into a cinematic world where it felt like a unicorn. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other fantastical franchises in full flower, writer/director George Miller had revived a series from a time before CGI, without its iconic star in the role that launched his career. It would be built almost entirely on practical effects, on pure action choreography and crazed spectacle. And it was gotdam awesome.

Miller had nothing left to prove at the age of 79 in returning once again to that world with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, offering an origin story of the prostheticarmed road warrior originally played by Charlize Theron. Maybe it could only possibly be less revelatory by comparison. But it still feels like a gift, a reminder that the continuation of a big-screen series doesn’t have to feel like a “the beatings will continue until morale improves” situation, as long as there’s an actual guiding sensibility involved.

Miller and his Fury Road writing collaborator Nick Lathouris take us back to the childhood of Furiosa (Alyla Browne), living in a hidden, near-idyllic community in the Australian outback while the rest of the world has devolved into factions battling for precious resources. One such faction— led by the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth)—captures the girl, believing she can lead them to the “place of abundance,” especially if they’re willing to torture and kill her mother. But as she grows to adulthood

(Anya Taylor-Joy), Furiosa keeps her secret, dreaming only of a way to get back home.

That path, we know from Fury Road, will eventually lead Furiosa to the Citadel of rival warlord Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, taking over from the late Hugh Keays-Byrne), and much of Furiosa is constructed around establishing the ecosystem of power in “The Wasteland”—a delicately balanced triangle of food/water (The Citadel), fuel (Gastown) and weapons (The Bullet Farm). Hemsworth makes for a dynamic central antagonist, not just as an imposing physical presence, but as the kind of sociopathic ruler who swivels on a dime between suggesting benevolence and murdering anyone in the way of his plans.

Taylor-Joy doesn’t appear until around an hour into the film, allowing her distinctive face to do a lot of the work of her performance, as Miller similarly sidelines his theoretically central character for a long stretch in much the same way that he did with Max Rockatansky in Fury Road.

That’s because the real star of these movies is the universe Miller has concocted, both in its physical environ-

ments and its action aesthetics. The mix of desert landscapes, pasty-faced-andsilver-mouthed “war boys,” rusted-out industrial architecture and jerry-rigged vehicles—like Dementus’s chariot drawn by three motorcycles— creates the perfect backdrop for Miller’s dynamic set pieces. The central sequence, just like in Fury Road, involves an extended attempt to hijack Immortan Joe’s “war rig,” one that features flame-throwers, exploding javelins and plenty of crunching metal and catapulted bodies. Yet this one feels in its own way completely distinctive, adding motorcycle-drawn parasails and other flying apparatus to the attack. It all plays out as wonderfully, brutally physical, pulling off the kind of action moments that leave you grinning with silly incredulity that Miller managed to pull it off.

Furiosa also attempts to establish a key sorta-romantic relationship for its protagonist—with her kindly mentor, Praetor Jack (Tom Burke)—and it’s never entirely convincing, nor is it particularly necessary from a narrative standpoint to give Furiosa additional motivation in her pursuit of De-

mentus. While it may be interesting theoretically to show the emotional journey that led Furiosa from a focus on a quest for vengeance to Fury Road’s righteous rescue of Immortan Joe’s captive “brides,” it’s also not as dramatically compelling. This movie is also nearly 30 minutes longer than Fury Road, and there’s definitely a thin line between “more of a good thing,” and simply “more of a thing.”

The “thing” in this case, though, is a thing you just don’t get very much of anymore: Movies that feel like they’ve emerged fully-formed from a single creative vision, rather than a corporate mandate to extend intellectual property. Furiosa remains a unicorn sighting, one that will be glorious as long as George Miller is prepared to keep riding them.

Anya Taylor-Joy Chris Hemsworth Tom Burke Rated R

Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Expanding the Scene

Sky SLC Rooftop Series provides mentorship opportunities for young DJs

BY ARICA ROBERTS

Imagine watching the sun setting behind Salt Lake City’s renowned mountains on a warm, summer night while listening to groovy house beats. As the day shifts to night, you sip cocktails and dance with friends while overlooking the city. This is the vibe of the rooftop music series at Sky SLC, which began in early May and will continue throughout the summer every Thursday to Sunday, with the finale to the series on Oct. 6. This is a unique experience in downtown SLC, curated with great attention to detail by local DJ Bangarang (aka Ryan Chisholm) and his team with the unified goal to provide a quality experience for the city.

Bangarang is a well-known, friendly face in the SLC music scene. Along with being a DJ himself, Bangarang is also the talent buyer for the ever-expanding entertainment company LNE Presents.

Because Bangarang is a DJ, he offers valuable personable skills for LNE. “Since I’m one of the more seasoned DJs, I was absorbed into it as someone who could foster the relationships with the DJs. I book DJs within all these rooms for the company,” he said.

This ensures cohesion and flow throughout a night of music. “I’m able to look at somebody and say, based on hearing them play, that I think you would be better-fitted to play in this room. Like, you wouldn’t put an EDM (electronic dance music) DJ in an open format/hip-hop

room,” he added.

Utah is quickly becoming fairly wellknown as a hotspot for genres EDM, as well as hip-hop, though it has unique challenges. Bangarang points out that “Utah’s not an attractive market for many artists, whether it’s hip-hop or electronic. I would say the biggest challenge has been convincing people that hey, there’s a culture out here that, you know, supports your movement. If you come out here, people will show up.”

Despite this challenge, Bangarang has successfully secured booking several top artists, including NBA-legend Shaquille O’Neal, known as DJ Diesel during his EDM performances. “I can’t tell you how many times we book an artist and [they] are like, ‘That shit was fun.’ Even Shaq was like ‘Yo, I wanna come back,’” said Bangarang.

The Utah EDM scene is young compared to other markets, which presents an opportunity to curate and have an impact and influence on the next generation. At this point in Bangarang’s career, he is taking on a mentorship role.

“There’s a lot of younger DJs beneath me who are hungry,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to travel and meet DJs in different markets. Taking my experience from my travels, I’m like, this is how you get there but more importantly this is how you operate on a local level in order to get there. Especially now with social media and the importance of building a brand and being known for something.”

The mentorship opportunities are a valuable aspect for local DJs playing the rooftop series. Each night has been curated with different vibes and subgenres: Thursdays are eclectic and soulful, with DJs like Andy Doors and Spaz, whereas Fridays are for house music, with DJs like Silent Reign, Nate Lowpass and OBAŸASHI. Saturdays are open format and include Bangarang DJing himself. Sundays are for Melodic House and Latin house for a more chill and mellow atmosphere, with DJs such as Audeamus and Benny.

Bangarang has purposely designed a se-

MUSIC

ries with DJs from different walks of life.

“There’s a lot of younger DJs in there because I believe mentoring is important to get them used to how professional nightlife is …especially nowadays, there’s a lot of DJs. Everyone wants to be a DJ, but they don’t know the logistics, so what I want to do is get the DJs to a point where they know everything, so the talent as a whole, the city as a whole, can rise,” he said.

While this is the second year for the rooftop series, the changes and improvements extend beyond the pristine lineup of DJs and include visual changes as well. Bangarang wants to keep the element of surprise and encourages everyone to check it out themselves. All he will reveal is a few clues.

“Think Bungalow in L.A., that type of experience. The DJ’s there, but the experience will be more about the people you’re with. Instead of the DJ being the focal point, it will be more like, ‘I want to get a table up there,’” said Bangarang.

LNE Presents already provides top-tier concerts and events in Utah, Florida, Nevada and Maryland with mid-to-largescale concerts and festivals. Therefore, the future of LNE Presents is directly connected to the future of music in SLC. “Between Ivy & Varley, Granary Live, Soundwell, Sky ... even some of the things we’re doing in Park City, there’s a lot of opportunity for growth. We have a lot of great team members who are all on the same page about it. I would say our future is bright,” according to Bangarang.

Check out the LNE Sky SLC Rooftop Series all summer long Thursdays-Sundays until Oct. 6. Doors open at 9 p.m. and is free with RSVP before 10:30 p.m. Go to lnepresents.com for RSVP/tickets, VIP tables and monthly fast passes as well as all other event information. As the sun and lights go down on the rooftop each weekend, you can look forward to shows filled with great music and chill vibes. CW

Bangarang

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS HIP HOP WEEKENDS

SHARK SUNDAYS

POOL TOURNEY HOSTED BY TANNER

MONDAYS

REGGAE MONDAY WITH DJ NAPO

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE

MUSIC PICK S

Lane Lines, Josaleigh Pollett, Runestomper @ The DLC 5/23

Mandi Kimes’ music has moments and harmonies in it that will stop me in my tracks. Seattle singer/songwriter Kimes (a.k.a. the music project Lane Lines), continues to develop a brilliant body of work with her sophomore album, Lucid Dreaming. The quality is second to none, as her newest effort is filled with honest, vulnerable lyrics. “Most of the topics I sing about are subject items that take up mental space, whether necessary or not, and my release is to sing about them,” Kimes told Bored City. “Maybe someone somewhere is experiencing the same thing I am.” Lucid Dreaming expands upon her debut Canceled Plans while contracting on the melodies that defined her sound at first, and actually frees up Kimes to really spread her wings. It’s the kind of album that feels like an album, you know? You feel like you’ve traveled to another place by the time it’s over. Opening the show is Runestomper and indie DIY juggernaut, Josaleigh Pollett. Pollett has kept busy performing and writing since 2023’s In The Garden, By The Weeds. They are learning how to collaborate long-distance, since producer Jordan Watko has moved to a new country. Pollett’s process is workman-like, and in the last few years, they have tried to make the creative process a consistent practice that isn’t so dependent on inspiration hitting. They’re a genuine talent, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Catch these acts at The DLC on Thursday, May 23. Doors at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $10 and can be found at quartersslc.com (Mark Dago)

Life is Better on the patio! Live Music

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 SIMPLY B

SATURDAY, MAY 25 CORY MON BAND

THURSDAY, MAY 23 A ARON GOLAY AND THE ORIGINAL SIN

SUNDAY, MAY 26 MICHELLE MOONSHINE

FRIDAY, MAY 24 THE ELDERS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29

ACOUSTIC COUNTRY RAMBLE WITH MORGAN SNOW

MUSIC PICK S

Anne Akiko Meyers @ Abravanel Hall 5/24-25

The classical music world is quite different from the pop milieu, but both have their leading lights. And in the classical realm, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers is without doubt a rock star. Meyers burst onto the national stage at the tender age of 11 with a bravura performance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. More than 40 years later, the preternaturally youthful Meyers is still at the top of her game. Along the way, Meyers has amassed a sterling pedigree. She’s a trustee of the Juilliard School, and a Grammy Award nominee for 2023’s Fandango with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Didamel. Featured on more than three dozen albums, Meyers is a world-class violinist—playing historic Guarneri and Stradivarius instruments—and that rare artist who manages both critical acclaim and large-scale commercial success. Her May 24 and 25 dates with the Utah Symphony under the direction of conductor Giancarlo Guerrero will feature a performance of Arturo Márquez’s acclaimed Fandango, a concerto for violin and orchestra in three movements. The program also includes two other works. First up is Jennifer Higdon’s Fanfare Ritmico, a single-movement orchestral composition from 2000. The program also features Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3, the acclaimed American composer’s final major work that includes the popular “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Tickets for this concert begin at $21 at saltlakecountyarts.org. (Bill Kopp)

Anne Akiko Meyers

Zeds Dead @ Rice-Eccles Stadium 5/24-5/25

If one-night stands aren’t your thing, perhaps a twonight stand with your favorite DJ duo sounds better. The event, 2 Night Stand, takes place over Memorial Day weekend, with top electronic act Zeds Dead. Hailing from Toronto, DJ and producers Dylan “DC” Mamid and Zachary “Hooks” Rapp-Rovan are taking over the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium for a two-day all-ages event. Their hundreds of millions of streams, dozens of Top 20 Billboard hits and multiple JUNO Award nominations speaks to the popularity of their music. They’ve been in the game since 2009 and have dozens of singles, remixes and EPs. For example, the album Northern Lights, released in 2016, features fellow musicians Diplo, Twin Shadow and Pusha T, and the album was nominated for Dance Recording of the Year at the 2017 JUNO Awards. While they have their annual DeadRocks headlining show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver (which sells out every year since launching in 2014), you don’t have to travel out of state for a full Zeds Dead experience. Doors open at 4 p.m. both Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25. You can purchase one-day, allages passes for $45 or a two-day pass costs $85. Check out full line-ups and get your tickets from v2presents. com. (Arica Roberts)

Stevie Nicks @ Delta Center 5/ 27

Given her popular image as a whirling, swirling sorceress of sorts and flower child in full bloom, it’s all too easy to identify singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks by her former role in the front line of Fleetwood Mac. On the other hand, having established a career that can easily be confined to her solo work, she transcends any earlier identity, including the part she played as half of Buckingham Nicks. That duo not only came to define the Mac in the 1970s and 1980s, but also take them to their greatest commercial success. With her singular singing style—a gritty yet compelling vocal that conveyed both sad and celebratory circumstance—she later compiled an impressive list of chartworthy records on her own: “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” (in the company of Tom Petty), “Leather and Lace,” “Edge of Seventeen” and “Stand Back,” among the many. With the fate of Fleetwood Mac seemingly on hold given the passing of her singing sister, Christine McVie, Stevie’s solo survival nevertheless remains assured, given her own irrepressible approach and the ace band she employs to back her up. To paraphrase the titles of two of those aforementioned hits, there’s no reason whatsoever for Stevie herself to ever stand back, much less stand down; her attitude and her efforts assure that she’ll be dragging our hearts around with her for quite some time to come. Stevie Nicks performs at Delta Center at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 27. Tickets are $100 - $398 at ticketmaster.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

Bat Brain, Pepper Rose XO, Skumbudz @ Urban Lounge 5/29

Memorial Day week is usually a time for people to head out and enjoy the lovely weather and take a break from the grind. If you don’t have particular plans, you may want to head to this talent-packed local show. You’ll get to see Bat Brain, a “jammy, grunge-pop four-piece garage band,” as described on their Instagram page. The young group has energy to spare, and puts on live shows that are unforgettable. The band is working on crowdfunding their debut album, so if you like their sound, find the link on their Instagram (@batbrainband) and throw a couple bucks their way. Also joining the fun is singer Pepper Rose, the enigmatic powerhouse vocalist from Spirit Machines who also has incredible solo work as Pepper Rose XO. Her most recent release, “Stop Breaking Your Own Heart,” is a must-listen for those who have a habit of setting expectations too high and ending out bummed in the end. And, who can’t relate to that? Last but not least, Skumbudz will be bringing their signature brand of rock ‘n roll-meets-reggae. Their most recent self-titled album is an incredible journey full of excitement, high energy and addicting sound. You’ll easily find yourself headbanging and swaying to the beats on this one. There’s zero doubt that this show will be one of the most fun you’ve been to in a while. Catch these fantastic locals on Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $10 each and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Zeds Dead

Stevie Nicks

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

In the coming weeks, you will experience uncomfortable weirdness if you do the following: 1. Meander without focus or purpose. 2. Give yourself permission to postpone, procrastinate and engage in avoidance behavior. 3. Ignore the interesting though challenging truths that are right in front of you. 4. Hang out with people with mediocre ambitions. But you will experience healthy, uplifting oddness if you do the following: 1. Trust your instincts and intuitions. 2. Authorize your spontaneity to invigorate and guide you. 3. Take the straightforward path that gets you to the destination most efficiently. 4. Be crisp and nimble.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Mysterious energies will soon begin healing at least some of the wounds in your financial genius. As a result, I predict new powers of attraction will awaken in you, making it likely you will add to your wealth in the coming months. To synergize these happy developments, I recommend you give yourself permission to have joyous fun as you lust for more cash. More good news: I will supplement your good fortune by casting a benevolent spell to boost the flow of riches into your bank account.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

When I first got my job writing a horoscope column, I wasn’t looking for it. It found me. My bike had been stolen, and I was looking for a new one in the classified ads of the Good Times the local Santa Cruz newspaper. There I serendipitously spied a “Help Wanted” ad. The publisher of the Good Times was hiring a new astrology writer to replace Robert Cole, who had just quit. I quickly applied for the gig and got it. Ever since, Robert Cole has been a symbol for me of an accidental and unexpected opportunity appearing out of nowhere. I mention this, Gemini, because when I meditate on you lately, I see the face of Robert Cole.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

In myths and legends, the consummate spiritual goal has various names: the Holy Grail, philosopher’s stone, pearl of great price, nirvana, alchemical gold, key of life and many others. I appreciate this profusion of sacred symbols. It encourages us to not be too literal about identifying the highest reward. The old fables are equally equivocal about where the prize can be found. Is it in an empty desert or dark forest? In the deepest abyss, on a mountaintop, or in the backyard? I bring these thoughts to your attention, Cancerian, because the coming months will be an excellent time to conduct a quest for the marvelous treasure. What do you need most right now? What’s the best way to begin your search?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

I have good news for any Leos who are devoted to pragmatism and rational analysis. Just this once, my horoscope will offer no lyrical teasers or mystical riddles. Your pressing need for no-nonsense grit has moved me to offer straightforward, unembellished counsel. Here it is, dear: Cultivate connections that will serve your passionate ambitions. Make vigorous use of your network and community to gather information that will serve your passionate ambitions. Meditate on what course corrections might be necessary to serve your passionate ambitions.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

For many of you Virgos, your health seems chronically unsettled. You may be constantly hyper-vigilant about the next glitch that could possibly affect your well-being. There’s a problem with that approach: It may intensify your fear of frailty, which in turn saps your vigor. But I’m happy to report that in the coming months, you will have an enhanced power to break out of this pattern. To get started, try this: Every morning for four minutes, picture yourself overflowing with vitality. Visualize every part of your body working with joyful heartiness. Send streams of love and gratitude to all your organs. Do this for the next 21 days.

LIBRA

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Many people regard the word “faith” as referring to delusional hope or wishful thinking. I ask you to rethink its meaning—and consider the possibility it could be an empowering force in the coming months. Imagine a faith that’s earthy and robust. You actually feel it vibrating in your heart and gut. It literally alters your brain chemistry, fortifying your talents and attracting needed resources. It liberates you to feel pragmatically excited as you pursue your goal of fulfilling your soul’s code.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

When I was born, my parents gave me the name “Robert.” It’s derived from an Old North French word meaning “shining” and “bright with glory.” In Middle English, though, “robert” was a “a wastrel, a marauder, a good-for-nothing.” I use this dichotomy as a reminder that my own nature is a mix of brightness and darkness. A lot of me is shining and inspirational, but there’s also a part that’s ignorant and confused. What’s true about me is true about everyone, including you: We are blends of the best and the not-so-best. Now is a good time to draw strength and wisdom from meditating on this reality. Your shadowy aspects have important and interesting truths to reveal to your brilliant aspects—and vice versa.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Here are some meditations on emotions. They are as key to our intelligence as our thoughts! But it’s crucial that we distinguish between emotions generated by delusions and emotions that are responses to true perceptions. Let’s say I get angry because I imagine a friend stole money while visiting, but later I put on my vest and find the supposedly stolen cash in the vest pocket. That is a delusional emotion. But if I am sad because my friend’s beloved dog is sick, that is emotion based on an accurate perception. I bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because I believe it is essential that in the coming weeks you discern between the two types.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

As an adjunct to the Ten Commandments, I have formulated the Ten Suggestions. Here’s No. 1: Wash your own brain at least three times a year. I’m speaking metaphorically, of course. What I mean is that like me and everyone else, you are always accumulating junky thoughts and useless feelings. Some are generated by our old, conditioned responses, and some pour into us from the media and entertainment industries. And it’s best to be proactive about the toxic build-up—not allow it to become monumental. In my astrological opinion, now is an excellent time for a regular mind cleanse.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

So many writers have said terrible things about our existence on planet Earth. “Life is a disease,” wrote George Bernard Shaw. “Life is a bad dream,” declared Eugene O’Neill. Life is “a vast cold junkpile,” according to Stephen King. There are thousands more of these unnuanced disparagements. Why? Here are the facts, as I see them: As tough as it can be to navigate through problems and pain, being alive in our miraculous bodies with our dazzling awareness is a sublime gift. We are all blessed with a mysterious and fascinating destiny. In accordance with the astrological omens, Aquarius, I invite you to celebrate being alive with extra gratitude and ebullience. Begin the jubilee by feeling amazement and awe for your mysterious and fascinating destiny. Second step: Identify five sublime gifts in your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

In the coming weeks, I ask you to refrain from indulging in extreme nostalgia. On the other hand, I encourage you to explore the past and sift through memories with the intention of clarifying what really happened back then. Pluck new lessons from the old days that will help you forge smart decisions in the near future. Use your history as a resource while you redefine the meanings of pivotal events. For extra credit, create a new title for the book

write about your life story.

IHC Health Services, Inc. (dba Intermountain Health) seeks a Data Architect – Operations in West Valley City, UT. Position may telecommute from any state in the US except CA, WA, NY, NJ, and HI. Apply at https://imh.wd5.myworkdayjobs. com/IntermountainCareers or email resume to mary.hansen@imail.org. Salary: $137,500.00 – $142,500.00/yr.

urban LIVING

BABS DELAY

Broker, Urban Utah Homes & Estates, urbanutah.com

Buying New

The National Association of Home

Builders chimed in on what homebuyers really seem to want.

In their most recent national survey of builders involved in erecting homes—not condos—the data showed that smaller home construction is the norm (fewer square feet), which became obvious in 2023 and is continuing this year in an effort to make the buying process more palatable. We all know that as mortgage rates creep up, more buyers fall out of dreaming of purchasing a home.

I’ve recently sold new construction at Daybreak and at a townhome project for Garbett Homes and know firsthand how much buyers want to be able to choose how their homes look inside, including things from doorknob finishes to larger steam showers in the primary bedroom suite. Builders will usually have a base price with standard features, and anything different that varies from these designs will cost for each and every upgrade requested.

The design centers for our major builders in Utah are astounding and offer displays of flooring, counters, lighting, carpeting, luxury vinyl flooring types, appliances, paint colors and fixtures. Once a buyer signs a new construction contract with a builder, they then will go to the design center to pick out their options. Many are free (paint colors, for example), and many more can be upgrades.

What have builders learned about what buyers need and want in their new homes these days? Here are just a few that I wrote down on my last visit to one of these design centers: added storage shelving in garages, Energy Star appliances/HVAC, solar panels and battery storage, electric vehicle charging stations in garages, programmable thermostats, video doorbells and energy management systems for home that can be controlled on owners’ cell phones, outdoor fireplaces and outdoor kitchens, built-in security cameras, two-head steam showers and a laundry room near the primary bedroom.

Most new-construction homes don’t offer a finished basement in the initial asking price, but there are great options offered at an additional price (of course) for a permanent movie theater with stadium seating, built-in screen and surround sound and/or a smaller electronic gaming room.

Buyers want to personalize their new home from the get-go, which isn’t always possible on used inventory unless you run into an investor/owner who will work with you on updating an older home for sale.

Be aware that when you do purchase new construction and want upgrades over the standard features, you’ll have to have cash upfront to pay for at least 25% of the cost of those new features. That’s in addition to the required earnest money (each builder is different).

Now is a great time to look at building a new home, as developers are offering many financial incentives, such as paying for buyers’ mortgage closing costs or throwing in extra features like partially finishing a basement. n

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

1. It’s a long story

5. Pal in Pamplona

10. High school class

13. Hokkaido sashes

14. Repeat performances?

16. Wish undone

17. 1982 horror flick

19. “___ bide my time”

20. North African condiment

21. Belief held by Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain

23. Pressing needs?

24. Sunday dinner slow-cooker option

27. Dreyer’s, east of the Rockies

28. Paid athlete

30. M&M color introduced in 1995

31. Shift neighbor

33. Commander’s commander

34. Faddish mental health proponent

39. It’s all wrong

40. Thompson who’s still on “SNL”

41. Verifiable

42. Use a needle and thread

43. Drier than dry

47. Most courteous

51. At a good clip

52. “Love ___ you need”

53. Scanned black-and-white patterns

55. “The Brady Bunch” daughter

57. Georges Seurat, for one

59. Estadio Diego Armando Maradona cheer

60. “The Woman In Me” autobiographer

61. Fox’s home

62. “___ the season to be jolly”

63. Young’s partner in accounting

64. ___ occasion (never)

DOWN

1. Singer-songwriter Ellis-Bextor

2. “All ___!”

3. California’s “Garlic Capital of the World”

4. Actors John and Sean, for two 5. Airport postings, briefly

6. Prefix used by some state lotteries

7. Anger

8. Musical notation pioneer

9. Beginning

10. Monaco’s royal house

11. Actor Brynner

12. Nickname for two Spice Girls

15. Make a slight move

18. Squiggly letter

22. 1924 Pulitzer Prize-winning Edna Ferber novel

24. Swanky to the max

25. Makes an appeal

26. Pitched shelter

28. TP layer

29. Rooftop accessory

31. Georgia, formerly, e.g.

32. Fine-tune

33. “___ voyage!”

34. Arrested suspect, informally

35. Three-layered cookie

36. Nutty confections

37. Suffix for cities

38. Scientific principle

43. NASA lunar program

44. Angular measure, in math

45. Isolates due to extreme weather, maybe

46. G.I. Joe villain whose name is one letter short of a synonym for “obliterate”

48. Bar lineup

58.

Last week’s answers

1 to

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

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.

49. Get married secretly

50. Craftier

51. Knee injury site, briefly

53. Fiscal yr. divisions

54. Robbie who played Cousin Oliver

55. Scribble (down)

56. Oscar-nominated role for Smith

Photographer Goldin

NEWS of the WEIRD

Great Art

Rajacenna van Dam, an artist in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, is capturing the attention of the art world with her ambidextrous approach to her work, AFP reported. The 31-year-old said she originally taught herself to paint with both hands, “to go quicker.” When someone challenged her to try painting with her feet, she accepted. Her social media fame has come from painting 10 pictures at once using both her hands and feet. “Doing all this at the same time gives me a sort of feeling of meditation,” van Dam said. Her paintings sell for up to $13,000, and she says only she can tell which ones were painted with which limbs. Her talent is more than a party trick; neurologist Onur Gunturkun revealed that a brain scan showed “the left and right sides of her brain are three times more connected than average.”

Now That’s Commitment

On May 7, at least one voting precinct in India had 100% turnout, AFP reported. Banej, in the protected Gir forest, is the home of Mahant Haridas Udaseen, a 42-year-old Hindu monk and its only inhabitant. India is trying to reach every voter, so 10 people were required to travel for two days from Gujarat—along unpaved roads through the last remaining habitat of the endangered Asiatic lion—to collect Udaseen’s vote. Although he showed up before lunchtime, rules required the election workers to stay until the evening. “In a democracy, every single person is important,” said Padhiyar Sursinh, the election officer in a town 40 miles away. Udaseen was an enthusiastic voter: “I am loving the attention that I am getting as a lone voter in the forest,” he said.

Awesome!

When a pair of 18k gold diamond earrings from jeweler Cartier popped up on the Instagram feed of Rogelio Villarreal, 27, of Tamaulipas, Mexico, he couldn’t resist: They were priced at just $13. “I swear I broke out in a cold sweat,” Villarreal said, according to The New York Times . He ordered two pairs, but within a week, Cartier started trying to cancel the order. A Cartier representative called him and said the earrings “were not at the correct price ($13,000) ... and that because of the inconvenience, they would give me a gift,” he said—a bottle of champagne and a leather Cartier item. Instead, Villarreal complained to Mexico’s Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer. Ahead of a scheduled hearing in early May, Cartier contacted Villarreal and said the earrings would be delivered.

News That Sounds Like a Joke

The Drive reported on May 8 that when Joshua Lee, a member of Hertz’s President’s Circle, returned his Tesla to the rental agency after a weekend in Los Angeles, he noticed an extra charge on his bill: $277.39 for refueling. When Lee made the reservation, he chose the “Skip the Pump and Save Time” option—so even if his rental had been gas-fueled, he shouldn’t have been charged. But Lee returned the Tesla with a 96% full battery, and the maximum fee for not refueling is $35. Hertz initially stood firm, stating that the “contract is closed,” but has since relented and “will refund this erroneous charge.”

Family Values

A 41-year-old mom in Newtown Township, Pennsylvania, was charged with DUI on May 6 after she ran into her 7-year-old son in the parking lot of a Little League baseball field, WPVI-TV reported. After backing into the boy, the mom told police she didn’t realize he wasn’t inside the car. He suffered injuries to his ankle. Police said the mom had a “strong odor of alcohol” and “slurred speech.” She was taken into custody and later released.

Fail

n When Rhonda Deaver realized she had left her credit card at Smith’s Cafe in Kinston, North Carolina, in early May, she headed back to get it. Unfortunately, a Smith’s employee was right on top of things and posted the front and back of Deaver’s card to a Kinston Facebook group, with all the numbers visible, WRAL-TV reported. Deaver’s family got in touch with her when they saw the post, but it was too late—more than $2,000 in charges had already hit her account. “I couldn’t believe they did that, but I might be responsible for all those charges,” Deaver said. There were “a whole lot of declines but a whole lot that went through.” She’s still disputing the charges; the Smith’s owner had no comment.

n The U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified the Akron (Ohio) Police Department’s SWAT team that the body armor plates they recently purchased are counterfeit, WJW-TV reported on May 8. “We became part of a bigger investigation,” said Capt. Agostino Micozzi. The gear was purchased from China and sold to law enforcement agencies, DHS said. The Akron City Council approved immediate replacement; Micozzi said there might be a chance to get restitution on the counterfeit plates.

New World Order

Belgium for the prostitutes’ rights win! The European country is the first in the world to approve a labor law for employment contracts for sex workers, Yahoo! News reported. To wit: Health insurance, pensions, unemployment and family benefits, holidays and maternity leave are all covered. A pimp can ask for intervention by a government mediator if a prostitute refuses a client more than 10 times over six months but cannot fire the worker. Pimps must have a registered office and apply for approval before they can offer the benefits. Sex workers must also have an alarm button in the room where they ply their trade and can refuse to use Amsterdam-type windows. “With this model, Belgium is really demonstrating that it aims to protect sex workers, regardless of any moral judgments about the profession people may have,” said Daan Bauwens, a spokesman for the sex workers’ union in Belgium.

Anger Management, Pork Edition

George Sandoval was arrested on May 2 at a Subway restaurant in Madeira, California, after he assaulted the store’s manager, KMPH-TV reported. Monique Larios said she was called in to the store after a customer complained that there wasn’t enough ham on his sandwich. “I did not expect this. He comes around the corner, and I go, ‘What are you going to do, hit me over ham?’ and he hit me,” Larios said. “I still can’t feel half my face. I’m 4’11”, and this guy was 6’5”, almost 400 pounds,” she said. Sandoval was charged with battery.

Bright Idea

Contractors working on the Family Fare grocery store in Midland, Texas, in late April discovered an extension cord on the roof, the Midland Daily News reported. They followed the cord to the large sign at the front of the roof, where they discovered a 34-year-old “Rooftop Ninja,” as they dubbed her, living inside. Midland Police Department Public Relations Officer Brennon Warren said the woman had lived in the sign for about a year. She had flooring, a small desk, a pantry of food and a houseplant. She was not charged, but she was evicted from her rooftop home and offered housing assistance.