Stopping the Presses
Before Salt Lake City became a two-paper town, the scrappy Evening Telegram prided itself on being “the people’s” news.
BY M’LISA DALL AND WES LONG
By M’Lisa Dall
S AP
BOX
“Fast Food,” Feb. 6, 2025 Online
A street with no traffic is an underutilized resource and a waste of tax dollars. No one wants a street to be a parking lot, but if it’s moving most of the time, there is no problem. Main Street in [South Salt Lake] seldom has any traffic to speak of. As a bike commuter, I’m not happy with the lack of bike infrastructure in the area—what few resources are put toward bike infrastructure are often very poorly executed. But this [In-N-Out] restaurant that pays/treats employees far better than most of its kind, and serves food of
much better quality than most of its kind, all at prices that are still very competitive, this simply isn’t the problem. It’s a high-capacity food service location for both dine-in and drive-thru in an area with ever increasing housing density. Yes, many people will drive here, but many will also walk/bike here. In-N-Out probably has the highest percent of dinein patronage of any fast food restaurant in the nation. And it will be far better for this community than yet another car dealership or check-cashing place. This business is investing in this community; a community that has absorbed more than its fair share of social issues for the entire county (jail and men’s resource center) with little to no support from surrounding communities to make up for it. We have to get your tax dollars somehow.
ALDO FERNANDEZ Via Facebook
Surely this [In-N-Out] will cement South Salt Lake as a new cultural epicenter.
IRON_GUT Via Instagram
South Salt Lake
“downtown” is an embarrassment.
ALTAOPIE
Via Instagram
Ah yes, the car-centric-suburb. Every under-exercised antisocialite’s dream!
VITARISING
Via Instagram
“Living Space,”
Feb. 3, 2025 Online
I’m so embarrassed and creeped out by how Utah Republicans obsess over other people’s genitalia. It’s just gross. Bunch of weirdos, honestly. Don’t concern yourself with someone else’s junk, for realz.
MZ_TYRUS
Via Instagram
“Sad that we put focus on legislation based on one person. Also, trans athlete [bans are] based on cases of, like, 2 people. Much bigger issues.
JULIANNEOFTHEMARTINS
Via Instagram
“Separate
But Equal,”
Feb. 3, 2025 Online
Great, now get the people using e-bikes, e-scooters and unicycles to stay out of bike lanes or [to stop] riding against traffic in bike lanes. Many downtown streets are 25 m.p.h. and I’ve seen riders traveling way above the speed limit, through red lights and on sidewalks.
INDIAINK1968
Via Instagram
How will [a bike lane law] be policed? I have to go around at least two cars parked in the bike lane on most 300 South trips.
RANCH2709
Via Instagram
Can we also get cops downtown to start busting people ignoring crosswalk signals and blocking crosswalks?
KDOG11970
Via Instagram
Care to sound off about a local concern? Write to comments@cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media.
THE WATER COOLER
What is your perfect Valentine’s date day/night?
Bryan Bale
I think it’s an ideal time to pause to reflect upon the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Gang violence reminds us that we should never take our loved ones for granted. Treat each moment with them as if it were the last. (This public service announcement was brought to you by the Alliance of Naive Uninformed Simpletons and the Reject Every Common Truth Unless Manufactured Society.)
Alex Springer
For the past few years, my wife and I have converted Valentine’s Day into what we call “Trashy Valentine’s Day” which is basically our way of avoiding all the V-Day crowds that are out and about. Our most notable Trashy Valentine’s Date was going to see a special screening of Titanic—complete with t-shirts and fake boarding passes—and splitting a heart-shaped tray of chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A for dinner. So usually, Trashy Valentine’s Day consists of watching a junk food movie while eating junk food for dinner. It’s lovely.
Kayla Dreher
A couples massage and then making homemade ravioli.
Eric Granato
Romantic dinner, dancing and some quality one on one time with my person.
BY RON YENGICH
OPINION Heartless JustICE
“Your concept of justice would freeze the Mississippi River in a heartbeat if you had a heart.”— The author, to a judge friend years ago at The Cabana Club.
The Cabana Club is long gone (now it’s The Green Pig) and instead of justice meted within, we need only look outside, where Utah has given carte blanche to roving squads of black-outfitted, badge-carrying, weapon-waving, uncontrolled, flying squad cops to protect American justice.
I call it JustICE! Here’s why:
1. A Utah legislator justifies recent ICE roundups saying those people—“Illegal Immigrants”—have already committed crimes by being here illegally. Their arrests and their immediate deportations without due process are righteous.
2. The spokesperson for Mormon Land—to borrow the moniker used by the panderers over at The Salt Lake Tribune—doesn’t object with any degree of conviction to JustICE agents sauntering into Latter-day Saint wardhouses to check the papers of brown-skinned folks who might be worshiping Jesus (who was once, himself, the target of Herod’s JustICE agents at similar hallowed places). And, the Mormon Land brethren also forget how similar bigots killed their own original prophet and drove them out of the land to which they had emigrated in order to find a better and safer existence.
3. A group of JustICE stopped an American citizen of Zion who drove by them and who—seeing their JustICE armored vehicles on the side of a Utah road—offered some advice to the agents using an overused epithet and hand sign as a verb to suggest what JustICE could do to themselves. He was then unlawfully detained for vocalizing an opinion, apparently.
4. Local police officers who were called to assist JustICE employed the same word several times, wondering “why the f--k they were there, why the f--k the citizen was detained and asked out loud who the f--k JustICE thought they were.”
5. A good judge in Ogden bemoaned the tragedy of JustICE showing up in his Justice Court to handcuff and take a man out for deportation on a misdemeanor offense. The judge was already dispensing justice and was going to hand down the same probationary sentence that JustICE demands in similar cases.
Willkommen to the New World of Gutless Governors and Legislators (NWGGL) and Profiles In No Courage American Politicians (PNCAP). Both have joined the chorus of “well, they are here illegally after all and it’s too bad, but some of them are criminals and Make America Great Again (MAGA).” And, oh they forgot about Joseph Smith but “that was different and blah blah effin blah.”
The wafting scents of Agent Orange, packaged with bigotry and injustice in our Not So Just Great State (NSJGS), will turn stomachs before our Utah air is cleansed of hate and bigotry.
Like other problems in Utah, our elected officials are turning to Trump like Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz in a comedic, all-too-real parody of Stalag Utah’s Hogan Heroes. Meanwhile, Trump’s Himmler will continue to drop xenophobic texts and Nazi salutes, pandering to the worst in The American DNA of Know-Nothing Bigotry.
Elon Musk—that trendy, new Eau de Heil aroma that reminds of the halcyon days of 1920s and 1930s, the beer hall putsches and goose steps with a hint of Orange Proud Boy Insurrection. All packaged in crystal bottles to remind everyone of the joys of Kristallnacht. I don’t want to JustBITCH here. I have something to offer in this debate to all Proud Boys and Girls who wear red hats and wave Old Glory around like a rouge painted street walker, to be used only when you want to quickly prove your manhood. Yes, even you, Margie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert.
You claim you need closed borders to America because of Fentanyl and other drugs. You want to reclaim for MAGA the jobs that none of you can or will do. You want to stop those gorging on Fido Pizza and Purée of Miss Kitty.
Never mind that the folks down across the Rio Grande once owned this Zion before Manifest Destiny and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 legitimized our theft of land—including Utah, where Mormon pioneers squatted on land to turn into what The Salt Lake Tribune calls “Mormon Land.”
If all Good Utahns and other Americans stopped packing their noses, arms, mouths and anywhere else they choose to place illegal drugs, those aliens wouldn’t have to leave their homes to avoid the drug cartels that control and savage their homelands, and which have branched across the border. They live as they once did, before my generation and those that followed considered the “Whoa, man, look at the lights!” wisdom of stoners like Cheech and Chong to be a “groovy” idea.
If you want to Make America Great Again (MAGA), put away the hash pipe, the syringe, the tin foil and the bong. Without American drug users, drug traffickers go away. Mexico can go back to Making Mexico Great Again and JustICE can melt away, becoming simple justice again.
But to make America Great, MAGA must do something no American wants to do: We have to clean up our own mess. We just want to blame everyone else. That, sadly, is also American JustICE.
One last thing for The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board: Referring to Utah as “Mormon Land” plays directly into the xenophobic ideal of the Trump-Musk-Cox troika—that we are all homogenous vanilla people, making it easier to blame everything on them: the non-Mormon, the non-Republican and the non-conservatives. Your continued use of the phrase “Mormon Land” is JustBS! CW
Private Eye is off this week. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net
HITS & MISSES
BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele BY
MISS: From Scratch
Utah is all about development and developers. So it’s not crazy to think we soon might have a “city” run by a development company. That’s happening in Summit County, where Dakota Pacific Real Estate is petitioning to incorporate as a “preliminary municipality on 47 acres near the Skullcandy building in Kimball Junction.” Eventually, it could become a new town—in this case “Park City Tech”—and do everything “real” towns can, like establish zoning and land-use policies. The Summit County Council seems supportive, and a few county residents are proposing to put a referendum up for a vote. Of course, this is happening because the Legislature made a law to create this type of “preliminary municipality.” Some citizens are up in arms and trying to overturn the Council. Meanwhile, the state’s supermajority Legislature leans heavily toward business owners, executives, attorneys and those who work in finance or real estate. In fact, the Senate President and House Speaker have backgrounds in real estate development. Citizens are just background noise.
MISS: Content Warning
We wouldn’t want to make anyone “uncomfortable,” would we? Utah already decided women’s rights are totally up to the largely-male Legislature, because they know what they want. Take abortion—they just see it as murder. An abortion ban is on hold while the court considers the implications, but that hasn’t stopped legislators from being horrified by the very thought of abortion. A Salt Lake Tribune report recently noted that Layton Republican Rep. Trevor Lee was upset by an ad in the Legislative Guide, published outside the Legislature and largely funded by independent groups since 2004. The guide has provided the public with information about lawmakers and how to contact them. Far be it from the Legislature to give the public good information. Planned Parenthood has had ads in the guide for many years, but it must have been the big pink ad that so offended Mr. Lee. It won’t be available at the Capitol this year.
HIT: Ripple Effects
While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem helps to round up millions of hapless immigrants, the repercussions of mass deportation are starting to come into focus. A study led by a University of Utah professor warns of the economic threats, but whether Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will care is anyone’s guess. Cox has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, offering up local law enforcement to get those undocumented people gone. “If you commit crimes—I don’t care if they’re violent or nonviolent—you should not be here,” Cox said in December. The U’s study, however, warns of the loss of affordable housing and, of course, the labor that goes with it. The publication Foreign Policy suggests that the effect will be devastating as we send away some 5% of the U.S. workforce from industries like agriculture, construction and leisure and hospitality. CW
MLK in SLC
This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was a bit overshadowed by the inauguration of President Donald Trump. But Salt Lake City still celebrated the civil rights activist and leader—with rallies, marches and a panel of Utah religious leaders hosted by the J. Willard Marriott Library.
While MLK Day was approved as a federal holiday in 1983, Utah was the last state to recognize it, almost 20 years later. In 1985, Terry Lee Williams—Utah’s first African American state senator—introduced a bill for lawmakers to approve changing Human Rights Day to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Others in the Senate refused to even allow a vote.
Coretta Scott King even visited Brigham Young University in 1986 to rally support for the holiday. But it wasn’t until the year 2000 when the late Senator Pete Suazo—Utah’s first Hispanic state senator—reintroduced the bill for a name change that it was finally approved, in March of that year.
But even before MLK Day was formalized in Utah, 600 South was named Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in 1991. Reverend Dr. France Davis, pastor emeritus of Calvary Baptist Church (who was among the speakers for this year’s MLK March and Rally), was a leading advocate for Utah to adopt the federal holiday and served on a commission that advocated for the renaming of 600 South. He marched with Dr. King during the civil rights movement and was present for the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is home to the oldest African American institution in Utah—the Trinity American Methodist Episcopal Church— with roots dating back to 1890. Mignon Richmond Park, named for a local civil rights activist and the first black woman to graduate from a Utah college in 1921 (Utah State University) is also located on 600 South.
American cities began naming streets for Dr. King after his 1968 assassination to commemorate the civil rights movement and King’s fight against social inequality. Most are in poorer and highly-segregated neighborhoods. This is not the case for Salt Lake City.
Sixth South is in a prominent location and runs from 200 West to 700 East. It is a primary connection to the freeway and to luxury hotels like the Grand America, as well as commercial hubs and private residences. It is highly visible for visitors and a common route for city dwellers.
As the country transitions to Trump’s presidency, it is important to engage with Dr. King’s message of equality, equity, and service. King’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III reposted an article on X (formerly Twitter) about the overlapping dates of the inauguration and the day honoring his father, saying, “MLK Day is a reminder to move from reflection to action. My father’s legacy was rooted in service and action. My mother envisioned a ‘day on,’ not off — an opportunity to serve and engage in building the Beloved Community.” CW
ARICA ROBERTS
DÉLICE FRENCH BAKERY AND CAFÉ
Sweetheart Specials
Valentine’s Day event options
including Heber Valley Railroad, paint night, comedy, snowshoeing and more.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw
You’ve purchased the flowers, made your dinner reservation and all the other traditional lovey-dovey trappings of Valentine’s Day. But what if you want to fill out your evening beyond a romantic meal? There are many events and activities in SLC and the immediate vicinity that come with a special V-Day theme; here’s just a sampling of what you can experience.
Heber Valley Railroad Valentine’s Special: The Heber Valley Railroad (450 S. 600 West, Heber City, hebertrain.com) is one of Utah’s most uniquely magical experiences, and you can add a dose of romance to that experience with this one-night-only occasion. Take a seat in one of four vintage coaches for a 90-minute round trip that includes a finger-food charcuterie box, sparkling cider, chocolate and a special gift. Enjoy love songs performed by onboard hosts, or dance in the lounge car to the music of the Midway String Quartet. Departure is at 7 p.m., tickets $60 - $200 per person.
Moonlight Snowshoe Hikes: Multiple locations will be offering the chance for romantic snowshoe strolls in the wintry chill. At Wasatch Mountain State Park (1281 Warm Springs Rd., Midway, stateparks.utah.gov), you can enjoy the backcountry from 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., $7 per person plus $6 for snowshoe rental. The Stokes Nature Center’s Murray Farms Trailhead (logannature.org), the experience is a guided tour from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., $25 per adult (snowshoes included), $10 per child, with hot chocolate to be served to all participants.
The Drag Collective: “Stupid Cupid” featuring Lady Bunny @ The State Room: Loving someone else starts with loving yourself, and you can get a healthy dose of radical self-love from this evening of queer drag and burlesque at The State Room (638 S. State, thestateroompresents. com). City Weekly Best of Utah’s reigning Best Local Comedian, Craig Sorensen, hosts an evening also scheduled to feature Madazon Can-Can, pole dancer Kara Parker and drag legend Lady Bunny. Celebrate the anti-corporate-romance side of this holiday with these great performers. Showtime 9 p.m., tickets $38 general admission, $65 reserved seating.
Valentine’s Sleepover with Jordan and Alexys @ Wiseguys Gateway: Keep the opportunities to laugh away your Valentine’s Day coming in the Rickles Room at Wiseguys Gateway (190 S. 400 West, wiseguyscomedy.com) with comedians Alexys Gee and Jordan Harris. Come in your favorite (public-appropriate) jammies or sleepwear, and prepare for a night of stand-up silliness where you might even get to play spin-the-bottle with the hosts. Tickets $15, showtime 7:30 p.m.
CRAFT Paint Night @ The Leonardo: Take a virtual visit to the City of Lights with a date-night evening at The Leonardo (209 E. 500 South, theleonardo.org) learning a little bit about pointillism, as an instructor guides attendees through the step-by-step creation of an 8 x 10 painting inspired by Georges Seurat’s “The Eiffel Tower.” Drinks, snacks and chocolatedipped strawberries will be available at the bistro for additional charge. Tickets are $35 per person, event takes place 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Ogden Shakespeare Festival’s “Love Bites”: Some of the greatest romantic stories in history came from the pen of William Shakespeare, and you can enjoy performances from several of them at this semi-formal evening at St. Joseph Catholic High School (1790 Lake St., Ogden, ogdenshakesfest.org). Dessert and beverages will be served as Ogden Shakespeare actors offer scenes from the Bard’s beloved love stories, including Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It and more. Showtime is 8 p.m. for the 90-minute event, $25 general admission.
“Nature is For Lovers” @ Ogden Nature Center/Kisses & Fishes @ Loveland Living Planet Aquarium: Is your idea of a relaxing time one that involves all the other critters in this wondrous creation? You’ve got a couple of options at your disposal. At Ogden Nature Center (966 W. 12th St., Ogden, ogdennaturecenter.org), you can spend your evening learning fun and hilarious facts about love and mating in the natural world, accompanied by dessert and hot or cold beverages. Event starts at 7 p.m., $45 per couple. The after-hours event at the Aquarium (12033 Lone Peak Parkway, Draper, livingplanetaquarium.org) is a semi-formal occasion featuring photo booth, romance-
Lady Bunny performs at the Drag Collective’s
themed education stations, sweet and savory bites, live music and cash bar with signature cocktails and mocktails. Admission is $85, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Asylum 49 “Love Bites” Haunted House: Have you always thought of love as just as scary as it is sweet? Maybe the right choice for you is a spooky evening at Asylum 49 (140 E. 200 South, Tooele, asylum49.com). Romance and terror converge for a unique experience featuring cursed lovers, haunted brides and more. Reservations are available 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. both Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15, $20 general admission, $10 more for front-ofline express pass. CW
“Stupid Cupid”
theESSENTIALS
Jim Jefferies: Son of a Carpenter Tour
Comedian, writer and actor Jim Jefferies is multi-talented man who rose from the ordinary while raised in his native Australia: His mother served as a substitute teacher, and his father was a cabinet maker and maintenance worker (hence the cheeky title of his current tour). Jefferies initially studied musical theatre and classical music before dropping out of college to pursue a comedy career—which, he claims, was his goal since age 11. Despite being attacked onstage early on, he managed to persevere and find success with the FX comedy series Legit (which he co-wrote, produced and starred in), his Comedy Central series The Jim Jefferies Show, high-profile festival appearances (the Just for Laughs Festival honored him as Stand-Up Comedian of the Year in 2019), various film roles and 10 stand-up specials, including his most recent, 2023’s High & Dry on Netflix. Nevertheless, he hasn’t forgotten his humble roots. That said, the topics of his monologues are thought-provoking, as well as ironic and unlikely. He ponders the lazy habits of koala bears, the injustice of dealing with male pattern baldness, airplane etiquette, pride in being an atheist, his conceived boredom of spending an eternity in heaven, allowing Satan to have his say and why he believes Swedes are the worst people on earth. Taken in tandem, it makes for curious contestation.
Adam Ray is Dr. Phil Live
Comedian Adam Ray had already established quite a successful career for himself—as a YouTuber, stand-up performer and voice-over actor—when, in 2019, he came upon an idea for an impression based on “Dr. Phil” McGraw for a comedy pilot he was developing. In a May 2024 interview with Deadline, Ray described what he found interesting about the character: “You look at Steve Carell in The Office or Alec Baldwin from 30 Rock, guys that are a little delusional, but also just unapologetic about looking at life through their set of goggles. … I love those guys, where you almost feel bad for them, even if they are a little too cocky at times. They just don’t know any better.”
The persona really took off when Ray continued revisiting “Dr. Phil” during the 2020 pandemic lockdown for YouTube videos with his friend and fellow comedian, Jeremiah Watkins. Ray ultimately decided to develop a live version of the show that he workshopped at Los Angeles’ famous The Comedy Store, and later became a recorded performance that debuted on Netflix in 2024. It was there that a broader audience got to see Ray’s Dr. Phil as a talk-show host conducting celebrity interviews with the likes of Patton Oswalt, Saturday Night Live alum Jay Pharoah … and even the real Dr. Phil McGraw himself.
Adam Ray brings Dr. Phil Live to the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.)—for mature audiences only—on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $55$184.50; visit saltlakecountyarts.org for tickets and additional info. (SR)
Jim Jefferies brings his Son of a Carpenter tour to Delta Hall at the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21 + show cost $30.75 - $90.75 at saltlakecountyarts.org. (Lee Zimmerman)
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical @ Pioneer Theatre Company
In the history of pop music, Carole King’s story stands as one of the most uniquely fascinating. After more than a decade as a behind-the-scenes hitmaker—writing or co-writing some of the most iconic tunes of the 1960s—King became a star in her own right after the 1971 release of her debut solo album, Tapestry, one of the best-selling albums in American music history. Yet the story behind that story is even more compelling, which made it a natural fit for Carole King’s biography to become Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, a jukebox celebration of her legacy. The story opens in 1958 Brooklyn, with a teenage Carole determined to head to Manhattan to try her hand as a songwriter. She eventually meets Gerry Goffin, who becomes both her boyfriend and her professional partner, and the two find themselves among the industry giants in the legendary “Brill Building.” But while their star rises with a series of hits, the couple faces personal tensions that may ultimately separate them, and force Carole to figure out whether her solo voice is enough. Along the way, we get a soundtrack of absolute bangers—from vocal-group classics like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and “Up On the Roof” to the solo hits like “It’s Too Late,” “So Far Away” and “I Feel the Earth Move.” Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical comes to the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre (300 S. 1400 East) Feb. 14 –March 1, dates and showtimes vary. Tickets are $57 - $88 at pioneertheatre.org. (Scott Renshaw)
Few things create that perfectly intimate setting than enjoying good food amidst an inviting atmosphere. As selected by you, the readers, here are some of Utah’s standout locales for those in the mood for love. From elegant urban eats to wooded retreats, these places will satisfy those seeking full stomachs and even fuller hearts.
Soiree Soiree
BEST CRAFT COCKTAIL
Ah, the subtle sophistication of a skillfully prepared cocktail! They’re such a refreshing marriage of old recipes and new ingredients—the former ever enjoying timelessness, the latter never running short of possibility. Lucky for us, there is no prohibition of experts in this intoxicating craft along the Wasatch Front, as the following so abundantly attests.
Next week in the City Weekly's Best of Utah Top 10 Best
Each week, City Weekly will publish, email to our Best of Utah list and post on our socials an expanded version of our beloved Best of Utah issue. With over 400 categories to choose from, we selected our favorites to post from now til the Best of Utah issue in November. Remember, always support local! CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE!
Bear Necessities
Paddington in Peru is a charming reminder that decency isn’t a dirty word.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net
When Paddington 2 made its U.S. theatrical premiere in January 2018, we were a year into a presidency characterized by chaos, cruelty and stupidity. We already knew this incarnation of author Michael Bond’s domesticated bear from 2014’s Paddington, but Paddington 2 took things to another level in terms of wit, charm and energy. It was the kind of movie parents always claim they want for their children, but too rarely support—a story about a protagonist who changed others through his simple, honest goodness, and embraced seeing people as flawed but redeemable. Delivered in the package of a thrilling, hilarious adventure, it was about the power and value of relentless optimism and calling people to be their best selves—and it felt like exactly the kind of movie that was needed in its time.
Well. Here we are again. It has been seven years between installments as Paddington in Peru makes its debut, appearing in an American climate that’s much the same as last time, but worse. And while it might be too much to ask for music video veteran/ first-time feature director Dougal Wilson to match the previous films’ director, Paul King, for sheer filmmaking mastery, Paddington in Peru still provides a kind of balm for the soul—106 minutes of reminder that you’re not completely insane for wanting a world that’s decent.
There may have been a couple of changes in Paddington’s world living in London with Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville) and the Brown family since then—the children are
CINEMA
looks an awful lot more like Emily Mortimer than she does Sally Hawkins—but Paddington himself (still voiced by Ben Whishaw) remains settled comfortably into life as a naturalized English bear, complete with passport. And it turns out he’s going to need it, as he receives word that his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) is doing poorly at her Home for Retired Bears back in his native South America, sending the whole family on a vacation adventure.
Plenty of the appeal of the first two Paddington features came from the effective use of its “guest stars”—Nicole Kidman in the first, Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson in the second—in performances that refused to play down to the idea of “it’s just a kids’ movie.” That tradition certainly continues here, with Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas throwing themselves fully into their ambiguous roles. Both actors have shown their facility for comedy previously—Banderas with his Puss in Boots voice work, Colman most recently in Paul King’s
Wonka—but here they’re really given the chance to be gleefully, earnestly goofy, and it’s a joy to behold. You may not have thought that you wanted to see Colman as a guitar-playing nun in a play on The Sound of Music, or Banderas trying to resist the “gold madness” of his character’s ancestors, but you’ll be glad someone did.
Still, when push comes to shove, the Paddington movies never lose sight of the fact that they’re about Paddington. Whishaw’s voice work continues to be utterly delightful, maintaining a hold on the center of the narrative even when he’s the relatively “normal” character. Dougal’s action sequences are quite well-crafted, particularly the dueling climaxes involving a chase through ancient ruins and a plane in danger, but like King’s, they’re used as a complement to storytelling, not a substitute for it. Everyone involved knows that there’s something sweet and emotional at the core.
That “something” is perhaps best encapsulated by Paddington’s now-familiar “hard stare”—that discomfiting reminder
that someone has forgotten their manners. The lessons from Aunt Lucy that he’s fond of sharing are all about those common-sense values that allow folks to live together in harmony, including an idea as basic as valuing other people more than you value treasure. Paddington in Peru does get a bit muddled in its ideas about family, introducing a notion of parents on the verge of becoming empty-nesters that it doesn’t quite know what to do with. But more than celebrations of found family, these movies are funny, entertaining tales about living with a moral compass. In a world of people in need of a good hard stare, we should treasure how this bear can remind us to be more human. CW
Paddington in Peru
Launched in 1902, the Salt Lake Telegram published for five decades before falling victim to the business machinations of The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News.
STOPPING THE PRESSES
BEFORE SALT LAKE CITY BECAME A TWO-PAPER TOWN, THE SCRAPPY EVENING TELEGRAM PRIDED ITSELF ON BEING “THE PEOPLE’S” NEWS.
BY M’LISA DALL AND WES LONG COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET
To the board of directors governing the Salt Lake Telegram, August 30, 1952 must have been a day of mixed emotions.
“We sincerely appreciate the loyalty of Telegram readers and advertisers, and the support that they have given our staff,” the board announced in the paper’s final edition. “To the public of Salt Lake City, to Telegram advertisers, and to the staff of the Salt Lake Telegram, our sincere thanks.”
After publishing for 50 years— through two name changes and three transfers of ownership—it was time for the Telegram to say goodbye. This holdout in a decades-long competition between Utah’s once-multitudinous daily newspapers would be joining its fellow departed atop the Great Newsrack in the Sky, while the remaining combatants—The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News—were pooling their resources and building a sanctioned duopoly to dominate the local market.
Still, the Telegram’s leadership remained hopeful for the future.
“We have every confidence that evening newspaper readers of this area will continue to receive the best of service and a product of highest quality.”
A page had turned with the loss of this scrappy newspaper, the consequences of which would play out across the decades that followed.
What was the Telegram? And what can its story tell about the journalism profession in days of misinformation, billionaire acquisitions and mass layoffs? After City Weekly staff kept coming across—and relying on—clippings from the now-departed Telegram in their research of the Wasatch Front’s past, we thought it was time to report on the reporting, and retrace the news of the news.
In the Beginning was the Word …
With printing equipment having arrived
in the Salt Lake Valley the year before, the first edition of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ then-weekly Deseret News was released in June of 1850. The News remained the lone journalistic voice in the territory for nearly a decade, when it was joined in 1858 by the Valley Tan, a weekly intended to serve the soldiers at Camp Floyd.
“The economic success of the Tan—or rather, the lack thereof—was part of the reason behind the vituperative, accusatory editorial stance its editors assumed against the Mormons,” historian Richard Saunders wrote in 2000. “The Mormon newspaper ignored the Tan almost totally. This fact ultimately worked against the Mormons, for the Valley Tan was exchanged with newspapers, primarily military post sheets, throughout Colorado, California, and the East. Many of the non-Mormon newspapermen who later came to Utah had their first bitter taste of the intermountain West in the pages of the Valley Tan.”
With battle lines drawn early, the Deseret News had won the first skirmish, but victory wouldn’t last long.
Confrontations and accusations were played out again and again in the newspapers of Utah. Throughout the years, a plethora of journalistic start-ups joined the fight, each choosing sides according to the foremost social divides of the time: Mormon vs. non-Mormon; mining vs. agriculture; Republican vs. Democrat. Weeklies, dailies, monthlies and newsletters all jumped into the fray, some lasting months and others years. By the turn of the 19th century, Salt Lake City had among its major dailies the Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune, the Evening Telegram, the Inter-Mountain Republican and the Salt Lake Herald, all brawling for dominion, yet at the same time losing money. Contractions and mergers loomed on the horizon for each of the participants.
The Herald was the first to merge, going from a venerable Democratic paper
The Salt Lake Telegram was originally distributed as an evening paper for 3 cents per copy, and is credited with popularizing the use of a local or “split” section among Utah newspapers.
to a shill for the Republican Reed Smoot machine in its combination with the Inter-Mountain Republican before its ultimate demise in 1920.
According to O.N. Malmquist’s The First 100 Years: A History of the Salt Lake Tribune (1972), the Deseret News was considered safe because of financial support from the LDS Church. And the same could be said for the Tribune with the deep pockets of mining magnate Thomas Kearns (1862-1918), who had purchased the paper in 1901.
“Despite all the claims of growing circulation and advertising volume,” Malmquist observed, “the obvious fact was that the Salt Lake City newspaper structure was and had for some time been in an economic wringer which had forced the merger of the Herald and Inter-Mountain Republican and which was still threatening to squeeze the life out of one or more of the four survivors.”
“The People’s Paper”
An unlikely victor of the era, the Telegram began in January of 1902 with the purchase of the local Associated Press franchise from the Tribune by Cincinnati’s William M. Butler, who was intent on starting his own evening paper in the Beehive State.
Calling itself
“The People’s Paper,” the Telegram’s editors rejoiced over its first few months of publication in an April 1902 announcement: “What the Salt Lake Evening Telegram has accomplished in the few weeks of its existence, both in growth of circulation and advertising patronage has never been equaled by any other newspaper enterprise launched in the Intermountain States.”
The paper attributed its rapid circulation of 3,500 in a few weeks to its “expert journalists,” its “experienced managers” and its “low price,” at only three cents per copy.
It also was, apparently, rather feisty and innovative, as J. Cecil Alter noted in Early Utah Journalism (1938). Working against the prevailing custom of leaving the “Home News” to the back pages, the Telegram moved the local reporting to the front of its second section— colloquially known as “the split” among newshounds.
“This two-section plan ‘clicked’ with the public,” Alter wrote, “and soon the other Salt Lake papers followed suit.”
Another innovation involved the burgeoning field of radio. In May 1922, the Telegram’s then-owner A.L. Fish and radio enthusiast Ira Kaar started one of the state’s first commercial radio stations: KDYL. Kaar was fascinated with wireless telegraphy and at the time was studying at LDS High School in that field, while Fish was similarly intrigued by the radio stations of Pittsburgh.
“Fish, Kaar and one of Kaar’s professors met at Kaar’s home and mapped together a broadcasting plan that would give Salt Lake City its first broadcast news station,” Carter Williams reported for KSL in 2019. “Once the ability to broadcast signals was completed, Fish offered his newspaper to formulate broadcast content from the home.”
But despite its successes, the Telegram was always near margin and the financial strains of the stock market plunge in 1929 only made matters worse. While it secured bonds to continue operating, the Telegram’s resources were nevertheless exhausted by the end of 1930.
Neither the Tribune nor the Deseret News were then too keen on the idea of buying the Telegram, as the Tribune had been financially strapped since the death of Kearns, and LDS Church president Heber J. Grant was reluctant to expand the church’s business enterprises.
In the end, the Tribune went forward with purchasing the Telegram, combining staff and cutting costs by infusing the former with the skills of the latter. In addition to keeping its name and delivery time after the purchase, the Telegram retained its maverick personality, as could be seen in the closing hours of the Prohibition era.
On the day of the repeal of the 18th Amendment, Utah was set to be the 36th and deciding vote for ratification by the states. A Tribune reporter convinced the delegates that the vote should be delayed until evening, thus giving the morning-delivered Trib a breaking news story and an opportunity to participate in a nationwide radio hook-up.
This plan was “thwarted,” however, by “staff members of the Telegram,” according to Malmquist.
“Don Howard, Telegram news editor, contrived a fake news bulletin stating that Maine, scheduled to vote for repeal the following day, had decided to convene its convention and act immediately and thereby take the role of the deciding state,” Malmquist explained. “The bulletin was shown to some of the Utah delegates who, in a panic, took the decisive action four hours earlier than planned,” which placed Utah in a seat of notoriety and the Telegram ahead of the news.
Three’s a Crowd
By the end of WWII, the dormant rivalry between the Deseret News and the Tribune took another turn under new leadership. Advertising was by then booming and people had money to subscribe to newspapers, but production costs zoomed upward while a paper shortage and newsprint rationing added to the difficulties.
Due to three Kearns family deaths, which necessitated the payment of taxes, the combined TribuneTelegram operation was struggling—this despite earning 80 cents of every dollar spent on newspapers in the Salt Lake Valley.
Whether or not it was spurred on by the celebration of the state Centennial, the Deseret News launched a 1948 campaign to boost business. Substantial funds were earmarked from the LDS Church to pay for a campaign that included increased salaries, newspaper price cuts, and circulation drives within local LDS wards.
And in a one-two punch, ZCMI (then the Tribune’s largest single advertiser) withdrew 13 weeks of ads from both the Tribune and the Telegram
“Under the impact of the intensive drive of the News,” Malmquist wrote, “retailers began giving more space to the News and less to the Telegram TribuneTelegram salesmen, trying to counter this trend, were told, in effect: ‘The town doesn’t need the Telegram. We could best be served if only the Tribune and Deseret News existed.’”
Little did anyone at the Telegram suspect at the time that the final shot in the battle between the big local newspapers would be fired thousands of miles away in the Federal District Court of New Orleans.
It was there that the United States Department of Justice—acting on behalf of a small newspaper, the Item—had filed antitrust charges against the TimesPicayune and its sister paper, the States. The two papers’ system of combined advertising and circulation was functionally identical to that of the Tribune-Telegram arrangement.
Continued on page 21
UTAH HISTORICAL SOCIETY Continued from page 17
The Telegram was purchased by the Tribune and later sold to the Deseret News when the two major papers created the jointly-owned Newspaper Agency Corporation.
Continued from page 19
With the way the wind was blowing, something had to give back home in Utah.
“Massive losses by the Deseret News and disappearing profits, with prospects of insupportable losses, for The Tribune had at long last brought about discussion between the managements of the newspapers of possible solutions,” Malmquist continued.
“One satisfactory to both parties was found in what was known as a newspaper agency operation.”
Thus, the Telegram was sold to the Deseret News and merged into a single afternoon newspaper. Then, business and production operations of the two surviving papers, the Tribune and Deseret News, were set up in a non-profit entity, the jointly-owned Newspaper Agency Corporation (NAC).
The funds obtained from the sale of the Telegram were then used to purchase the interest of Thomas F. Kearns and thereby keep the Tribune ownership within the family corporation.
Now cooperating in a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) through the NAC, the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune shared advertising operations as well as pooled production and distribution costs. It was an arrangement that benefited them both for decades.
An Unholy Alliance
Despite public criticism of joint-agency operations by smaller media outfits, such partnerships continued to be employed by larger competitors. And with the passage of the Newspaper Preservation Act in 1970 by the U.S. Congress, competing local newspapers could continue forming Joint Operating Agreements with legal exemption from antitrust laws. This solidified the Tribune/Deseret NAC as well as similar arrangements by other newspapers around the country.
Although these developments lent stability to the Tribune and Deseret brands within the Beehive State, they also fostered numerous problems for the overall health and quality of the local media ecosystem, as John Saltas explored in his “Unholy Alliance” series for City Weekly back in our Private Eye days of 1990.
“When quality journalism disappears, it intensifies a host of problems—from rising corruption to decreasing civic engagement to greater polarization—that threaten the vitality of U.S. democracy.”
—Rodney Benson and Victor Pickard
An editorial cartoon published in the first edition of the Salt Lake Telegram.
“The real horror of a JOA agreement is not losing a dollar or two to a classified ad [in two newspapers simultaneously],” Saltas wrote in the May 22 installment. “The real horror is watching both papers snivel along the sidings of every man or woman who claims to be a politician. It’s watching everyone with a big dollar and a big promise tear apart the core of a city uninhibited by a mongering press.”
Further installments to the series looked at how the NAC crowded out local community papers as well as their advertising channels, the overall point being to illustrate how artificial the perceived dominance of the two newspapers really was and how it had compromised the public’s awareness of and response to local issues and happenings.
“Our two dailies no longer compete for readers via aggressive, investigative reporting,” Saltas lamented. “Their motivation to build circulation through gained readership is long dead. Their profits are set by the NAC, and you, reader, lose big-time.”
In 2020, the JOA between the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune ended; the following year, both papers ceased daily publication.
In sum, having formed to provide yet another journalistic outlet to the public, the Telegram became collateral damage to the ambitions of two larger rivals, in a venture that ultimately proved ephemeral even to the beneficiaries.
Thinking Outside the Market
While the involvement of mining magnates and ecclesiastical institutions provide a local inflection to this case study, the internecine blindspots and market weaknesses are characteristic of any region that pursues the course that American journalism has been following since the 19th century: consolidated ownership by a few wealthy individuals, families or corporations.
Two years ago, as Northwestern University’s Local News Initiative in Illinois recalled for its 2024 State of Local News Project report, “the State of Local News Project predicted that by the end of 2025, the United States would have lost one-third of its print newspapers over the past two decades. In this year’s report, we found that the country has already exceeded that
mark. A little fewer than 5,600 newspapers remain, 80% of which are weeklies.”
The 2024 report goes on to say that since 2005, there has been a net loss of more than 3,200 papers in the U.S.; that almost 55 million people in the country have limited to no access to local news in areas referred to as “news deserts;” and that newspaper employment, circulation, content and frequency have all declined while large and medium-sized owners control the vast majority of remaining newspapers through acquisition.
“While many of these statistics paint a bleak picture for the local news landscape, there are some encouraging signs from startups, policymakers and legacy media organizations pursuing new strategies,” the report added. “In several cases, startups have been formed with the explicit purpose of filling the void created by the disappearance of a long-standing news outlet.”
Academics Rodney Benson and Victor Pickard second the need for “bold and comprehensive” civic responses to a profession faced with ongoing “systemic market failure” in their Feb. 2024 article for The Conversation. “When quality journalism disappears,” they write, “it intensifies a host of problems—from rising corruption to decreasing civic engagement to greater polarization—that threaten the vitality of U.S. democracy.”
In Benson and Pickard’s view, news outlets need to be able to independently resist destructive market forces, wherein even philanthropic donations do not entirely escape “oligarchic influence.” They write that journalism should be treated on a similar plane to libraries, schools and research universities, or to the robust public broadcasting systems of other countries, which receive earmarked taxes, fees and subsidies while maintaining an arm’s-length relationship from their funding source.
“We have to start thinking outside of the market, and really pushing for a paradigm shift, when we see journalism as not just a commodity whose worth is determined by its profitability on the market, but rather as a public service upon which democracy depends,” Pickard later emphasized in an interview with the national media watch group FAIR.
“We need to separate capitalism and journalism,” he said, “which was always a very troubling union, to say the least.” CW
Fire in the Hole
Utah is battling an underground blaze in the abandoned mines near Kenilworth.
BY BIANCA DUMAS COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET
Throughout the fall and winter months, an underground fire sent billowing smoke out of a fissure in the mountainside above Kenilworth, Utah. The fire, burning in a coal seam in the historic Kenilworth mine, may have been smoldering for a century, or it may have been the product of spontaneous combustion.
“Coal can ignite at pretty low temperatures,” said Steve Fluke, Program Manager for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program, part of Utah’s Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil, Gas & Mining (DOGM). “You can put the fire out, but the rock around it can be hot and reignite it, or the coal itself can be smoldering for a long time given the right conditions.”
The Kenilworth fire was first reported in 2021 and had been smoldering with very little surface expression, so the DOGM didn’t see a need to address the problem at that time. But Kenilworth citizens alerted the agency when heavy smoke was seen coming from a new opening in the mountain, a cleft caused by a cave-in of the underground tunnels.
Kenilworth—population 95—sits high in the Bookcliff Range above Helper. Like many Carbon County towns, it was once a coal-mining and railroad camp. Today, photos and artifacts from the Kenilworth mine can be seen at the Helper Museum, but the mine has been closed since 1968.
In 1961, the Kenilworth mine was merged with the infamous Castle Gate mine by new owner Independent Coal and Coke, creating one mine 10 miles long and with 30 total miles of tunnels. Castle Gate is known for one of the country’s biggest mining disasters—a 1924 methane gas explosion which claimed the lives of 173 married men, who left behind their wives and 417 children.
Another explosion in 2000, when the mine was named Willow Creek Coal, took the lives of two miners and closed the mine for good. But since August, Kenilworth residents have been dealing with heavy, dark smoke coming out of the mountain.
“Coal within the Castle Gate and Kenilworth mines burns easily because it’s so pure,” said Helper Museum director Roman Vega, referring to Carbon County’s widely-regarded “clean” burning coal. “The black smoke comes from the wooden timbers and railroad ties burning.”
The Helper Museum provided maps of the mines to project planners. The historic maps showed the underground workings in great detail, allowing planners to see where coal seams connect and where the original ventilation shafts were placed. They guessed that the ventilation shafts were feeding the fire.
In the early stages of the project, Fluke said the planners had identified five sources of ventilation. The first course of action was to seal those so they stopped drawing so much air.
“The idea is that plugging up these portals and various openings in the mine will have an effect like closing the flue on a fireplace,” Fluke said.
Vega suggested that the Castle Gate Mine’s No. 2 Portal, which had been sealed with cinder blocks, concrete, and dirt after the 1924 disaster, was
providing the major source of air. His proposition was supported by other locals.
“If you go up there, you can just hear it, you can feel the air pulling through it,” confirmed Dean Marchello, President of the Carbon County Historical Society.
Marchello worked at the Carbon Power Plant in Castle Gate for 31 years.
Roman Vega, director of the Helper Museum, has coordinated with DOGM officials to fight an underground fire in the historic Kenilworth mine system.
Smoke escaping from a fissure near the closed mine.
Crews sealed the No. 2 Portal with expanding foam during Thanksgiving week, which reduced the volume of smoke at the main vent above Kenilworth. They continued sealing seven additional vents and openings, and by Dec. 12, the smoke had decreased by two-thirds.
Jan Morse, an environmental scientist and spokesperson for DOGM announced in a public statement that because of the reduction in smoke volume, crews could safely access the west bench to seal another vent spewing smoke above Kenilworth.
During the week of December 8, crews successfully sealed this vent, which largely eliminated the smoke impacting the town and its residents. However, while the crews were conducting work on the portals located to the east of the main vent, they discovered heat at the portal seals, indicating the area where the fire continues to burn underground.
The DOGM suggested that residents avoid the area and stated that they plan to investigate the site further in the spring.
Funding for the project comes from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, a federal agency that regulates coal mining and ensures reclamation of the land around closed mines.
The agency collects a fee on coal production which is saved in a trust for situations like these.
There are currently seven other underground fires burning in Utah. It’s not necessary to put them out, experts say, because they’re not associated with abandoned mines.
“These natural fires can only go so far into the mountain until they don’t have any more air,” Fluke explained. “But with a coal mine, they have a pretty much endless supply of oxygen. So they are more prone to collapsing and can go deeper into the mine workings.” CW
Steamed to Perfection
Taylorsville’s Zhu Ting Ji is destined for soup dumpling greatness.
BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer
Iam trying to branch out and explore places that are not brand-new Chinese restaurants—really, I am. But we just have so much great, dumpling-focused cuisine coming in that I can’t help myself. I was just innocently scrolling through Instagram when I chanced upon the news of Zhu Ting Ji opening its doors in Taylorsville. I was going to scroll on by, but when I saw the plethora of soup dumplings and bao—both steamed and pan-fried—I was practically out the door before I could put my phone away.
I suppose part of my enthusiasm for a place that was prepping such succulentlooking dumplings came from a visit to the internationally-renowned Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung in California. It’s a hot ticket for all things dumplingadjacent, and is particularly well-known for its soup dumplings—it did not disappoint. However, it got me thinking about how much I would enjoy a local restaurant that shared a similar enthusiasm for this famous Shanghai snack. So, when I spotted Zhu Ting Ji and its stacks of bamboo steamers filled with dumplings of all varieties, it became a moral imperative to pay the place a visit.
Zhu Ting Ji has barely been open a
month, but the hype machine is very much on top of this Taylorsville gem.
The place garners a decent crowd on weeknights, and gets rather packed on weekends. I would definitely recommend getting there for an earlier meal as the restaurant will often sell out of its most popular items as the night progresses. I know some people will take issue with this, but at this early stage in a restaurant’s game, it’s a really good sign. The chefs are taking their time with these little babies, which means you’re getting some truly high-quality stuff.
That said, when I did finally get the chance to pop in for some of these steamed beauties, I was duly impressed. Fillingwise, you can get an order of six stuffed with chicken ($11.99) or pork ($11.99). Along with your protein of choice, each dumpling is filled with a lovely chicken broth which works in tandem with the filling to create a perfect savory bite. Of the many different varieties of dumpling on the Zhu Ting Ji menu, these are easily the most successful.
The steamed bao is definitely serviceable; the chashu buns ($6.99 for three) are the ones that will most please hardcore bao fans. The exterior bun texture is soft and pillowy while the interior pork is rich and flavorful. The dessert bao are also great if you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth. I was torn between the custard buns ($5.99 for three) and the chocolate buns ($5.99 for three), though in retrospect I think the custard variation won out in the end.
In the event the restaurant does run out of dumplings, there are a lot of great options to explore on the rest of the menu. Naturally, I tried out an order of the mapo tofu ($12.99) which comes served in a rustic stone bowl. It’s an excellent take—the numbing Sichuan peppercorns are present, and I liked how the broth was a bit on
the thicker, stew-like side. After devouring all that silken tofu and chili broth, I may have used a dumpling or two to mop up the extra sauce—no regrets there.
One of the more spectacular dishes available at Zhu Ting Ji was the fried crispy pork ($15.99). This was something that I spotted on the menu and ordered without really thinking. It consists of two long strips of battered and fried pork belly suspended by hooks in a tall wire rack. It arrives at the table hanging from this apparatus, and it comes complete with some kitchen shears you can use to slice it into more manageable pieces. I loved the presentation, and I have nothing but good to say about the pork belly itself: perfectly cooked, not too chewy and composed of a delightful crisp texture on the exterior. I’m pretty sure the table next to me ordered one after they saw mine arrive in all its fried pork glory.
After I finished up my meal at Zhu Ting Ji, I had to take a moment and reflect on how great the staff was. I considered shelving this review until later so the restaurant had a bit more time to get its sea legs, but I can’t help but gush about how on-the-ball they were despite the myriad obstacles that new restaurants inevitably struggle with.
During those moments when the kitchen was out of something, my server graciously offered alternative recommendations which I appreciated. Also, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the speed and quality at which our food arrived. It was pretty inspiring to see such solid management happening during that all-tootumultuous first month of business. Go check this place out, as it’s shaping up to be something truly great in T-Ville. CW
2 Row Brewing
73 West 7200 South, Midvale
2RowBrewing.com
On Tap: Piney Peaks “West Coast IPA”
Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Bewilder Brewing
445 S. 400 West, SLC
BewilderBrewing.com
On Tap: Belgian Pale Ale, Cosmic Pop IPA, Lord of the Ryes Stout
Bohemian Brewery
94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com
On Tap: Cali ‘Steam’ Lager, ‘BrewSki’ German Pilsner
NEW: ‘I.P.L.’ India Pale Lager draft and ‘Czechulator’ Doppelbock (9% ABV)
Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele
Chappell Brewing 2285 S Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84115 chappell.beer
On Tap: Playground #13 - Hazy Pale with Lemondrop and Sultana
Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Desert Edge Brewery
273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com
On Tap: Ay Curuba! Curuba Sour
Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com
On Tap: 2024 Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stouts
Etta Place Cidery
700 W Main St, Torrey www.ettaplacecider.com
On Tap: Wassail Cider, Pineapple Passion Fruit Session Mead
A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week
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: Friendly Introduction Pale Ale
Kiitos Brewing
608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
Now with a full bar license & draft beer cocktails!
On Tap: Fonio - 100% gluten free beer; Schwarzbier
Level Crossing Brewing Co.
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: 11 rotating taps as well as high point cans and guest beers
Park City Brewing 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com
On Tap: El Jefe - Hefeweizen
Policy Kings Brewery
223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com
Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan Prodigy-brewing.com
On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner
Proper Brewing/Proper
Burger 857 So. Main & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com On Tap: Blizzard Wizard Hazy Pale Ale
SaltFire Brewing
2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com
On Tap: Peach Rice Lager on draft
Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com
On Tap: Winter Amber with notes of Vanilla and Brown Sugar
Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com
On Tap: Scion Fuji La - 8.4% ABV
Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com On Tap: Imperial 8.2%
Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer
On Tap: Fresh Hop IPA (with homegrown local hops)
Shades On State
366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com
On Tap: Six Wheat Under Hefeweizen; Black Cloud Lager
Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George SGBev.com
Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi
3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi, UT StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: Redeemer Rauchbier, God of Thunder Roggenbier
Strap Tank Brewery, Springville
596 S 1750 W, Springville, UT StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: Candy Cap English Mild
TF Brewing
936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com
On Tap: Strata Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Talisman Brewing Co. 1258
2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake
LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Rising Hope White Peach IPA
Level Crossing Brewing Co.,
550 South 300 West, Suite
LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Fresh Hop Little Suss
Moab Brewing
686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com
On Tap: Arnie (Co-Lab with 2 Row brewing): cream ale base with Lychee black tea and fresh pasteurized lemon juice.
Mountain West Cider
425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com
On Tap: Chai Perry
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: Snow God West Coast IPA
Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com
On Tap: Cranberry Sour, London Porter
Squatters Corner Pub –Valley Fair
3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City squatterscornerpub.com
On Tap: Top of Main Brewery
– Coalition Hellfire Chili Pepper Ale
Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ squatters
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co.
– Glinda’s Blackberry Sour
Squatters and Wasatch Brewery 1763 So 300 West SLC UT 84115 Utahbeers.com
On Tap: 20 beers with 12 rotating small batch releases: Black Tea English Porter, Hazelnut Brown Ale, and more! Small Batch Series Release: Back Abbey Double Belgian Ale
BEER NERD
Classy and Classics
A tried-and-true brew or a blast of the new
BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer
Epic - Small Batch Series (Pineapple Express): This new IPA from Epic Brewing weighs heavy with big pineapple character. It features Pineapple Express terpenes along with 200 pounds of fresh pineapple, and was hopped with Citra and Cashmere hops.
The beer pours a clear golden orange color, with a one-finger head of white puffy foam that features a great level of retention. The aroma of the brew is strong with tangerine, and a tropical fruit smell of mango and pineapple. Along with these notes comes a good showing of tangerine hop aroma, mixed with smells of some herbal and floral hops, making it bright and inviting.
The taste begins with a cracker and bready malt flavor that is paired with tons of pineapple and some citrus. Right from the start, there is a nice hop hit of pineapple terpenes and citrus peel. As the taste moves on, the breadiness fades, revealing a crisper malt taste overall. At the same time, the hop flavor transitions into the fresh pineapple before being joined by floral and pine, with a surge in the hops towards the end. A nicely fruity but crisp, balanced and hopped-up taste is left to linger on the tongue.
The body of the brew is somewhat creamy with a typical carbonation level. Mouthfeel is great, allowing all the big flavors to be appreciated.
Verdict: The overall enjoyment is high, as the fruit blends with hops and perhaps offers a drier feel from the pineapple terpenes. It’s not a huge IPA at 7.5 percent ABV, yet assertively hopped
with great tropical and fruit aromatics.
Offset - Just Me (Mt. Hood): The newest entry in Offset’s single-hop lager series features Mt. Hood hops. This is a hop that did a lot of heavy lifting for craft brewers in the 1990s and early 2000s. Released in 1989, the hops were developed as a domestic alternative to European Noble hops. That’s precisely how they’re being used here.
The beer pours a very clear golden color with a one-finger head of foam. The head fades super fast, leaving a tiny trace of foamy lace on the sides of the glass. The aroma of the brew is strongest of a grainy and doughy smell, mixed with a decent showing of an herbal hop aroma. Along with these smells comes a little bit of pine and earth, as well as a touch of grass, leaving one with a somewhat dank and grainy smell.
The taste begins as the nose would suggest, with a big showing of a graininess mixed with a more crackery/bready taste. Up front there is a little bit of a caramel sweetness, as well as a touch of herbal hop. As the taste advances, the caramel fades from the tongue, all while other hop flavors of an earthy and grassy nature come to the forefront.
At the end, a tiny bit of citrus and an increase in the hoppiness hit the profile, leaving one with a grainy and subtly dank, nicely-balanced taste to linger.
The body of this 5.0 percent brew is average to slightly crisp, with a carbonation level that is high.
Verdict: A rather nice pilsner overall, and one I would certainly go back to again—great balance and nuance, but still so drinkable. Each sip of this beer is as satisfying as the last. It’s definitely worth a try, as it balances nicely some lighter, more Noble-like dank hop flavors with a good grainy and bready base.
These beers are popping up at various pubs around SLC and Park City. Of course, Epic and Offset are going to be your best bets.
As always, cheers! CW
the BACK BURNER
BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer
Le Depot Brasserie Opens
Park City recently welcomed Le Depot Brasserie (ledepotpc.com) to its already swanky list of restaurants, and it’s looking like Le Depot is coming in pretty hot. With a menu curated by James Beard Award-winning chef Galen Zamarra, this eclectic French brasserie is shaping up to be one of Park City’s most exciting new spots for dining and drinking. A peek at Chef Zamarra’s culinary experience reveals a plethora of successful restaurants and culinary concepts that have benefitted from his classic French training. Currently, Chef Zamarra has been helming the kitchen at Yuta, housed within Park City’s Blue Sky Resort. His experience with local ingredients and his impressive résumé will be sure to leave a mark at Le Depot.
Galentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day at Flanker
Anyone in need of a Galentine’s Day destination should check out Flanker (flankerslc. com) on Feb. 13. This local restaurant and sporting club will be serving a special menu featuring burrata salad, tuna tataki and braised short rib ragu along with a curated list of champagne and wine. Flanker will also be hopping on Feb. 14 for any Valentine’s Day festivities you’re planning, and the evening will evolve into a nightclub with its Suit & Tie Affair that will feature live music from Pur and a set by DJ Bear. Whether you’re looking for a memorable hang-out with the girls or after something special for you and that significant other in your life, Flanker is the place to be this weekend.
Valentines Tea at The Grand America
Just in case you got skunked on Valentine’s Day reservations, you can still grab some afternoon tea at The Grand America (grandamerica.com) through Feb. 17. As part of The Grand America’s traditional high tea events, the Valentines Tea incorporates all the lush, lovey-dovey themes of our favorite amorous holiday into its cozy confines. It’s recommended to dress as fancy as possible—big hats are a must—and anyone who perhaps missed the mark with Valentine’s Day weekend still has a few days to impress that special someone. Or, if it’s too late and that special someone isn’t so special after all, you can always fly solo and project your heartbreak on tiny pink petit fours.
Quote of the Week: “Each time you love, love as deeply as it were forever.”
—Audre Lorde
Le Depot
Silly Love Songs
For Valentine’s Day, our music contributors share their all-time favorite romantic tunes.
BY EMILEE ATKINSON, LEE ZIMMERMAN, ARICA ROBERTS, MARK DAGO AND BILL KOPP comments@cityweekly.net
Paramore, “The Only Exception” How does one even begin to try to choose a favorite love song? Thousands of incredible ones have held up over the years, and it’s hard to have a definitive answer. I think you have to begin by asking yourself a few questions like: How often do you listen to the song? What strong emotions does the song evoke? Because of those strong emotions, has this song made you tear up and/ or cry? Or made you want to dedicate it to a special person in your life? For me, “The Only Exception” checks all the boxes. Paramore had a chokehold on me in the late 2000s, and to this day, they still end up in my lists of most-played songs each year. 2024’s list had no less than five Paramore songs, “The Only Exception” being among them. This 2009 favorite is equal parts heart-wrenching and hopeful; the lyrics evoke feelings of sadness and longing. Hayley Williams’ vocals are a powerhouse here, especially as she sings, “I’ve got a
tight grip on reality / But I can’t let go of what’s in front of me here / I know you’re leaving in the morning when you wake up / Leave me with some kind of proof it’s not a dream.” Williams is a vocalist who will be remembered for generations to come, and songs like “The Only Exception” highlight the greatness that is Paramore. (Emilee Atkinson)
The Beatles, “I Will”
Love has been expressed in a variety of ways, and while the sentiments sometimes seem redundant, the best songs tend to emphasize emotion succinctly. Consequently, the Beatles’ “I Will”—written by Paul McCartney and appearing on the so-called “White Album”—expresses the optimism and enthusiasm felt in the first flourish of a relationship, and which then hopefully lingers on. “Love you forever and forever / Love you with all my heart / Love you whenever we’re together / Love you when we’re apart.” Surprisingly enough, although the melody came fairly quickly, those simple lyrics took time. McCartney began writing them in India during the Beatles’ meeting the Maharishi in Rishikesh, and while he had some help and encouragement from Scottish musician Donovan, the song remained unfinished until the band began recording in London. Notably, McCartney says that even now, “I Will” remains one of his favorite melodies. Given the sweetness and sincerity, that’s easily understood. (Lee Zimmerman)
Selena, “Amor Prohibido”
One of the most beautiful, yet tragic love stories in pop culture is that of Selena Quintanilla and Chris Pérez. They developed a relationship when Pérez was lead guitarist for Selena y Los Dinos in the 1990s, despite the disapproval of Quintanilla’s father. Their “forbidden love” brought them a stronger sense of intimacy and an “us against the world” mentality until the very end. When Quintanilla was fatally shot and killed in 1995, her music has continued on with a cult following. The still-recognizable hit “Amor Prohibido,” released in 1994, tells the story of forbidden love: “Amor prohibido, murmuran por las calles, / Porque somos de distintas sociedades…” [“Forbidden love, they murmur on the streets / Because we’re from different societies…”]. Quintanilla’s emotional and powerful voice is accompanied by a modernized version of cumbia music with guitars, accordions, bass guitar, flutes, drums and other percussion. Sorta that spunky cumbia that makes you feel like, yes, the love is forbidden, but that is what makes it that more enticing. Posthumously, the song immortalizes the love between herself and Pérez. (Arica Roberts)
Biz Markie, “Just a Friend”
Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” is a renowned hip-hop classic that narrates the story of a man who is hopelessly in love, only to discover that his sweetheart is unfaithful. The track is spare and compelling, the rhymes
fantastic, the tale humorous and the voice unforgettable and real. “Just a Friend” is brilliant in its own way; if it had been calculated to sound as it did, it never would have worked. The practical reason that no one else would show up to the studio to sing the choruses led to Biz doing it himself, and enjoying it full-tilt. You can hear it in the song. His performance was stellar because the expression is perfect. Biz always had that lighthearted braggadocio, reflection and madcap sensibility that made him a true individual talent. And look, if it’s “bad” singing, I never knew it. I still sing right along to this day. (Mark Dago)
Crowded House, “Better Be Home Soon” One of the most popular groups of the 1990s and beyond—outside of the U.S., at least— Crowded House has released an impressive string of critically-acclaimed albums. The New Zealand- and Australia-based group led by Neil Finn has seen two dozen of its singles chart in Australia. And while the group’s biggest hit is 1986’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” it’s arguably Crowded House’s sixth single—1988’s “Better Be Home Soon”— that ranks as the band’s greatest love song. Against a lovely melodic backdrop, Finn sings of lies, deception, pain and nothingness. But in the end, he’s saved by love: “And I know I’m right,” he sings in a plaintive and heartfelt voice, “for the first time in my life. That’s why I tell you: You’d better be home soon.” The song brings a lump to my throat—and a tear to my eye—every time I hear it. (Bill Kopp)
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
BEST BAR IN UTAH!
GREAT FOOD
MUSIC PICK S
Grieves @ Urban Lounge 2/13
Hip-hop is just as exciting as it has ever been—and for it to maintain that creativity for such a prolonged period of time is something else. Artists regardless of genre take inspiration from what went before; Seattle rapper/singer Benjamin Laub—a.k.a. Grieves—understands this better than most. His impressive mix of musical styles and underground sensibilities explores familiar territory while expanding on what can be. “To me, hip-hop as an art form has no boundaries. I was always drawn to that. Musically, it felt like a collage of all the music I grew up on.” Grieves told Thrashermagazine.com. “I was always into music, but had a problem sticking with one style. Hip-hop allowed me to put it all in one place and tell my story the way I wanna tell it. Shit saved my life.” Grieves isn’t just about those origins, though. Since he dropped Irreversible back in 2007, he has continued to innovate his signature sound over several other studio LPs, extended plays and compilations. His growth and maturity are a proper amalgamation of his emotionally raw songwriting. His collaboration with Prof, “Gone Fishin,” goes impossibly hard and needs to be at least three minutes longer. Horror Show, The Street Sweepers and The Messenger open. Catch these artists on the third annual Out Cold tour at the Urban Lounge on Thursday, Feb. 13. Doors at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $22 and can be found at 24tix.com. (Mark Dago)
Abstract x Dylan Owen The Dead Tongues
Grieves
MUSIC PICK S
Arrival From Sweden @ Eccles Theater, 2/15
With an acronymic name based on its four members (Agnetha, Benny, Björn and AnnaFrid), ABBA was one of the most successful groups in pop history. Winners of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest (for their single “Waterloo”), ABBA scored more than a dozen Top 40 singles in the U.S.; in the U.K. and their native Sweden, the group was even more successful. ABBA songs like “Dancing Queen,” “SOS,” “Fernando” and “Knowing Me, Knowing You” remain popular the world over. Though the group’s initial run ended in 1982, their music and legacy endure. There’s a popular ABBA museum in Stockholm; the group has been the subject of numerous documentaries; ABBA’s music was adapted into the successful Broadway and West End musical, Mamma Mia!, later a hit motion picture. So it should come as no surprise that an ABBA tribute group—from Sweden, no less—would be a popular touring enterprise. Founded in 1995 by Gothenburg’s Vicky Zetterberg-Norbäck and Rutger Gunnarsson, Arrival From Sweden features 10 or more musicians playing live (in other words, no backing tapes), delivering the sounds and sights of ABBA for modern-day audiences. Arrival From Sweden comes to the Delta Performance Hall at Eccles Theater at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15. Tickets are $35 and up, available at saltlakecountyarts.org. (Bill Kopp)
Sultan and Shepard @ The Complex 2/15
One fateful night, Ossama Al Sarraf (Sultan) and Ned Shepard met at a dance club in Montreal in the early aughts and forever changed their lives. Shepard gave Al Sarraf a mixtape that night, and the next morning, Al Sarraf called Shepard expressing interest in producing music together. Their combined interest and talent have produced angelic, emotional music, such as their well-known album Forever, Now. Known for their deep and progressive house music, with layers of emotions, they’ve found success (such as their Grammy-nominated remix of Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven”). Shepard describes their sound as “Melodic, uplifting and sad” according to their Forbes interview in 2023. Take, for example, the song “Making Time,” featuring singer Julia Church, which contains the lyrics, “You’re always making time for everybody else but me, / But when you’re fading I’m the only one you need.” It’s a bit of a call-out to the type of people who only reach out when they need something from you. The song “Elenore,” featuring singer Andrew Belle, is even more tragic, with the lyrics, “To hear that you love me when you’re far away, / Is like hearing from Heaven and never to go…” So maybe if you are in the middle of some heartache after a rough Valentine’s Day, Sultan and Shepard can offer some validation. They perform at The Complex on Saturday, Feb. 15. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $30 at thecomplexslc.com. (Arica Roberts)
Sultan and Shepard
&Used VinylReco
MUSIC PICKS
David Gray @ Eccles 2/17
Granted, there are those who tend to consider David Gray to be simply a one-hit wonder, given the fact that his song “Babylon” brought him instant international stardom, and that both it and his debut album White Ladder, on which it appeared, overshadowed every effort that would follow. In reality, it was the first of three successful LPs released over six years in the U.K., and was eventually cited as Britain’s fifth best-selling album of the entire decade. As recently as 2019, it was ranked as that country’s tenth most successful album of the entire 21st century. As a result, his country honored him with a wealth of heady honors, like four Brit Award nominations, including two for Best British Male. Nevertheless, his success wasn’t limited to the U.K.; in the U.S., Gray’s first five albums all reached the Top 20. Those kudos clearly disprove the notion that he has to rest on the laurels of his initial endeavor. Likewise, he also belies the idea that he’s the retiring folkie type he was first made out to be. He rocks in concert, feverishly moving his head in time with the music. He made light of his peculiar posture in the video for the song “Be Mine,” which pictures his head rolling off his body and tossed around at random. Any exaggeration aside, Gray is best considered an artist who possesses multiple musical hues. David Gray brings his Past & Present tour to the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater at Delta Performance Hall at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17. Tickets cost $40 - $199 at saltlakecountyarts. org. (Lee Zimmerman)
Anime Girlfriend, UNSEEN, Ivy Avenue @ Kilby Court 2/18
The emo genre holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Its sincerity and emotionality help you feel less alone, and honestly, there have been some great emo bands who have contributed to music history and will be remembered for a long time. SLC emo band Anime Girlfriend found that this genre resonated most with them as they were figuring out their sound. “I think, at least for me, there’s a sense of vulnerability to emo [as a genre]. It’s in the name, emo. But it’s the type of music where you can still rock out, but also cry a little,” vocalist/guitarist Ada Carter told City Weekly last June. “I know for me, rock music and anything that’s not your typical pop is, like, that was the space that I found to be myself when I was a teenager,” lead guitarist Rosie Moore added. “It feels totally fullcircle to be playing this kind of music. And we hope that we can provide a space for people to be themselves in our music.” Their latest single, “Pretty Boy,” has delightful emo/rock vibes that will have you bobbing your head and tapping your foot right off the bat. You don’t want to miss this one live. Come hang out on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. UNSEEN and Ivy Avenue open. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 and can be found at 24tix. com. (Emilee Atkinson)
David Gray
free will ASTROLOGY
BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Love requires stability and steadiness to thrive. But it also needs unpredictability and imaginativeness. The same with friendship. Without creative touches and departures from routine, even strong alliances can atrophy into mere sentiment and boring dutifulness. With this in mind, and in accordance with astrological omens, I offer quotes to inspire your quest to keep togetherness fertile and flourishing: 1. “Love has no rules except those we invent, moment by moment.”—Anaïs Nin; 2. “The essence of love is invention. Lovers should always dream and create their own world.”— Jorge Luis Borges; 3. “A successful relationship requires falling in love many times, always with the same person, but never in quite the same way.”—Mignon McLaughlin.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
In celebration of the Valentine season, I suggest you get blithely unshackled in your approach to love. Be loose, limber and playful. To stimulate the romantic and intimate qualities I think you should emphasize, I offer you these quotes: 1. “Love is the endless apprenticeship of two souls daring to be both sanctuary and storm for one another.”— Rainer Maria Rilke; 2. “Love is the revolution in which we dismantle the prisons of our fear, building a world where our truths can stand naked and unashamed.”—Audre Lorde; 3. “Love is the rebellion that tears down walls within and between us, making room for the unruly beauty of our shared becoming.”—Adrienne Rich.
GEMINI
(May 21-June 20)
To honor the rowdy Valentine spirit, I invite you to either use the following passage or compose one like it, then offer it to a willing recipient who would love to go deeper with you: “Be my thunderclap, my cascade of shooting stars. Be my echo across the valley, my rebel hymn, my riddle with no answer. Be my just-before-you-wake-up-dream. Be my tectonic shift. Be my black pearl, my vacation from gloom and doom, my forbidden dance. Be my river-song in F major, my wild-eyed prophet, my moonlit debate, my infinite possibility. Be my trembling, blooming, spiraling, and soaring.”
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Cancerian author Elizabeth Gilbert wrote, “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all.” One of those strange jewels in you is emerging from its hiding place. Any day now, it will reveal at least some of its spectacular beauty—to be followed by more in the subsequent weeks. Are you ready to be surprised by your secret self? Are your beloved allies ready? A bloom this magnificent could require adjustments. You and yours may have to expand your horizons together.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
In 2025, the role that togetherness plays in your life will inspire you to achieve unexpected personal accomplishments. Companionship and alliances may even stir up destiny-changing developments. To get you primed, I offer these quotes: 1. “Love is a trick that nature plays on us to achieve the impossible.” —William Somerset Maugham; 2. “Love is the ultimate outlaw. It won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is sign on as its accomplice.”— Tom Robbins; 3. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. Yet each day reveals new constellations in our shared sky.”—Emily Brontë.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Psychotherapist Robin Norwood wrote that some people, mostly women, give too much love and kindness. They neglect their own self-care as they attend generously to the needs of others. They may even provide nurturing and support to those who don’t appreciate it or return the favor. Author Anne Morrow Lindbergh expressed a different perspective. She wrote, “No one has ever loved anyone too much. We just haven’t learned yet how to love enough.” What’s your position on this issue, Virgo? It’s time for you to come to a new understanding of exactly how much giving is correct for you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Are you ready to express your affection with lush and lavish exuberance? I hope so. Now would be an excellent time, astrologically speaking. I dare you to give the following words, composed by poet Pablo Neruda, to a person who will be receptive to them. “You are the keeper of my wildest storms, the green shoot splitting the stone of my silence. Your love wraps me in galaxies, crowns me with the salt of the sea, and fills my lungs with the language of the earth. You are the voice of the rivers, the crest of the waves, the pulse of the stars. With every word you speak, you unweave my solitude and knit me into eternity.”
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Among its potential gifts, astrology can raise our awareness of the cyclical nature of life. When used well, it helps us know when there are favorable times to enhance and upgrade specific areas of our lives. For example, in the coming weeks, you Scorpios could make progress on building a strong foundation for the future of love. You will rouse sweet fortune for yourself and those you care for if you infuse your best relationships with extra steadiness and stability.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
I want you to be moved by intimacy and friendships that buoy your soul, inspire your expansive mind, and pique your sense of adventure. To boost the likelihood they will flow your way in abundance during the coming weeks, I offer you these quotes: 1. “Love is a madness so discreet that we carry its delicious wounds for a lifetime as if they were precious gems.”—Federico García Lorca; 2. “Love is not a vacation from life. It’s a parallel universe where everything ordinary becomes extraordinary.”—Anne Morrow Lindbergh; 3. “Where there is love there is life. And where there is life, there is mischief in the making.”—my Sagittarius friend Artemisia.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Every intimate alliance is unique and shouldn’t be compared to any standard. This is key for you to embrace right now. Below are helpful quotes: 1. “Each couple’s love story is a language only they can speak, with words only they can define.”—Federico Fellini; 2. “In every true marriage, each serves as guide and companion to the other toward a shared enlightenment that no one else could possibly share.”—Joseph Campbell; 3. “The beauty of marriage is not in its uniformity but in how each couple writes their own story, following no map but the one they draw together. —Isabel Allende; 4. “Marriages are like fingerprints; each one is different, and each one is beautiful.”—Maggie Reyes.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Borrowing the words of Aquarian author Virginia Woolf, I’ve prepared a love note for you to use as your own. Feel free to give these words to the person whose destiny needs to be woven more closely together with yours. “You are the tide that sweeps through the corridors of my mind, a wild rhythm that fills my empty spaces with the echo of eternity. You are the unspoken sentence in my every thought, the shadow and the light interwoven in the fabric of my being. You are the pulse of the universe pressing against my skin, the quiet chaos of love that refuses to be named. You are my uncharted shore.”
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Love, intimacy and togetherness are fun, but also hard work—especially to make the fun last. This will be your specialty in the coming months. Four quotes to inspire you: 1. “The essence of marriage is not that it provides a happy ending, but that it provides a promising beginning—and then you keep beginning again, day after day.”—Gabriel García Márquez; 2. “The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret. But those who follow the art of creating it day after day come closest to discovering it.”—Pearl Buck; 3. “Love is a continuous act of forgiveness.”—Maya Angelou; 4. “In the best of relationships, daily rebuilding is a mutual process. Each partner helps the other grow.”—Virginia Satir
PHOTOGRAPHERS WANTED
urban LIVING
Recycle It!
Salt Lake City has a goal of reaching zero waste in our landfill by 2040. That’s good, as it’s expected to be completely full in 60 years.
The good news is the city is recycling close to 50% of waste collected from residents. The bad news is that when the landfill is full, it will have to move to a new location and most likely far away. The farther away the landfill, the higher the costs to residents due to gas, transportation, etc.
Our city is lucky to have a Master Recycling Facility (MRF), which recycles roughly 95% of everything delivered to it through something known as “single stream recycling.” This process allows for everything from paper and plastics and even metals to forego sorting and rinsing. This system doesn’t apply to glass recycling, but the city offers that service as well through a company called Momentum Recycling.
Plenty of countries are great at recycling. Wales has a high level of separate collection systems for materials. Austria has banned certain waste items from landfills.
South Korea has private companies collect the waste and sell it for a profit and has banned PVC, plastic bottles, disposable cups and straws. Singapore is probably the world leader in recycling, as they have very strict trash and recycling programs that if ignored will cost you high fines and even jail time. Germany, too, gets applause, as they recycle almost 70% of their waste.
We could do better with our trash by requiring all recycled packaging that comes into our state to be clearly marked with simple colored dots, such as other countries use: blue for paper and cardboard; yellow for plastic and soft metals; green or brown for organics; and gray for household waste. Also, we could enact laws requiring “polluter pays” policies, where both businesses and households pay for any non-recycling waste we produce.
I remember my childhood days of collecting pop and beer bottles for money—like five cents a bottle. Countries like Germany charge a deposit when you buy bottled or canned beverages, and you can then get this refunded when you return the empties.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. Sioux Falls st.
5. Buddy
8. Sailboat pole
12. Winery city in California’s Inland Empire
14. Scottish inlets
16. *”Yeah, that makes sense”
17. Cat or goat breed
18. “Children of the Albatross” author AnaÔs
19. *Officially kick off, like a host country’s leader at the Olympics
21. Lump of goo
23. The E of QED
24. ___ XING (road sign)
25. In a grave manner, on sheet music
29. False pretense
31. 2024 character that got Ariana Grande her first Oscar nomination
33. “By gosh!”
34. *”2001” subtitle
38. Queue before V
39. “Oh, come on!”
40. Actor Ricci of “28 Days Later” and “Vendetta”
43. Flaky Viennese pastry
47. Ram’s mate
48. Bird’s bill
50. On the level
51. *Portable storage devices
56. “___ Poetica”
57. How neglected things go
58. *1983 Matthew Broderick movie with the quote “The only winning move is not to play”
60. Covered with ice and rain
61. Netflix competition series hosted by Mikey Day
62. “Benevolent” fraternal order
63. Perceive
64. Ivan or Nicholas, e.g.
DOWN
1. Wasp wounds
2. Corrupt
3. “F¸r Elise” key signature
4. Beer barrel
5. Not watered-down
6. Actor Guinness
7. Big spoon
8. Former Secretary of Transportation
Norman
9. 2012 Ben Affleck film
10. Obstruction
11. Like some weekends
13. Bovine mouthful
14. Somali-born Olympic gold medalist track
athlete Mo
15. Made smooth, in a way
20. Places to play pinball
22. Rapper whose posthumous final album was 2000’s “Yeeeah Baby”
26. Suffix after Motor or pay
27. [Not my mistake]
28. Low film rating
30. Close once more
32. Play-___ (modeling clay)
34. Comprehensively
35. Crumbly topping
36. “You ain’t seen nothin’ ___”
37. Kazakhstan, once
38. “Gone With the Wind” character Butler and “Good Mythical Morning” cohost McLaughlin, for two
41. Former Brooklyn field
42. Rough Riders nickname
44. Some Tony nominees
45. “I did it!”
Last week’s answers
When did this practice stop here? I see unsheltered people collecting aluminum cans out of trash receptacles and selling their finds to Wasatch Metal Recycling—but otherwise I have not seen bottle deposits in quite a while. Local brew pubs, however, do recycle glass if you buy jugs of suds and return them empty.
Props to Moab, Park City and Logan, which have banned single-use plastic bags, while other cities have discouraged their use. Given that it’s Legislative season, wouldn’t it be nice to have a statewide ban on plastic bags? I love that Harmon’s grocery stores only use paper bags at checkout (unless you buy meat that must be wrapped in plastic) and
ban
X
Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.
46. Second-rate 49. Fuzzy fruits 52. Subservient 53. Bud holder
54. New York canal
55. “___ Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
59. “Hamlet” division
NEWS of the WEIRD
The Neighbors
In Seminole County, Florida, Alan Davis, 69, is famous for all the wrong reasons, ClickOrlando reported. Davis’ unsightly property has been the bane of his neighbors’ existence for 25 years, and this year, as he celebrates the anniversary of his first county code violation, he’s added another element: a 6-foot-tall fiberglass representation of a human butt. Also in his yard: stacks of scrap metal, steel drums, rusted appliances, tarps, junked vehicles and towering weeds. Davis calls the yard a “political protest” against the county government. “I pile it up intentionally to aggravate them,” he said. As of mid-January, Davis owed the county $5.4 million in fines, with more accruing every day. “I’m not going to pay it,” Davis said. “I do what I want on my property.” Twice, the county has paid to haul away thousands of pounds of junk, but Davis just starts collecting again. “Freedom has a look. This is what it looks like,” he said.
Unexpected Guest
On Feb. 4, a guest at the Boulevard 17 hotel in Vlissingen, The Netherlands, returned to her room after taking her dog for a walk and found a gray seal taking a nap on the floor, NL Times reported. “Fortunately, she didn’t try to touch it,” said Valentijn Damen of the hotel ownership group Pier 7. “She walked up to the restaurant to get help.” The Zeeland Animal Welfare Foundation responded, and with assistance from the Sea Animal Rescue Team Netherlands RTZ, they put the seal in a basket and removed it to the beach. Officials said gray seals “look for a place to rest and sometimes lie in the middle of the terrace or on the road.”
Smooth Reaction
Things got heated at a Wingstop restaurant in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Jan. 28, The Smoking Gun reported. Carnael Irene, 19, who worked at the location, told police that two customers—one a minor—became “loud and disruptive,” and one of them pushed a container of straws off the counter. Irene responded by throwing ranch dressing at them before she went to the kitchen and returned with a bucket of hot grease, which she also threw at the victims. She was charged with aggravated battery and aggravated child abuse, both felonies.
The Golden Age of Air Travel
On Feb. 3, Gloria Omisore of Lagos, Nigeria, was traveling through Nairobi on her way to Manchester, England, when things went a little sideways. Omisore had planned a stopover in Paris, News.com.au reported, but as she checked in, Kenya Airways staff informed her that she didn’t have the correct visa to enter France. They offered an alternative route straight to England, but Omisore wasn’t having it—she flew into a “check-in rage” during which she argued with gate attendants and threw three used sanitary napkins at them. “You will provide me a sanitary towel,” she screamed. “I will speak with the minister of finance in Nigeria, you will see.” An attendant shouted back, “Call the president of Nigeria. You will not fly on the Kenya Airways.” “We strongly condemn such conduct,” Kenya Airways said of Omisore’s tirade. “Our employees deserve to work in a safe and dignified environment.” Omisore was deported back to Nigeria.
Unclear on the Concept
Ashton Mann, 23, of Kearns, Utah, was recently arrested after shooting his unnamed friend in the chest, WAFBTV reported on Feb. 4. On Feb. 2, police were called to a home where they found an unresponsive male. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Mann told detectives that he and his friend had smoked weed earlier in the evening and had started talking about and handling two handguns. The victim reportedly told Mann that he could dodge a bullet; while Mann said the guns were unloaded, after about six rounds of the “game,” one discharged and struck the victim as he tried to “jump out of the way.” Mann was expected to be charged with felony manslaughter.
Sign of the Times
Pennsylvania State Police are working to track the perpetrator of a crime that’s no yolk ... or joke. The Associated Press reported that on Feb. 1, 100,000 eggs were stolen from the back of a trailer in Antrim Township, and no leads have come in. “In my career, I’ve never heard of a hundred thousand eggs being stolen,” said Trooper Megan Frazer. But then, egg prices have rarely been so high. “We’re hoping that somebody knows something,” Frazer said. That would be eggs-cellent.
The Passing Parade
The Harvard Crimson reported on Feb. 6 that a man has repeatedly paraded through the Comstock Hall dormitory on campus wearing nothing from the waist down. Students have seen him entering bathrooms and wandering around the floors. Resident dean Monique A. Roy said the half-streaker “did not appear to be a resident.” She urged students to keep their room doors closed and locked. “The entire staff is totally doing their best to get to the bottom of this, make sure it stops, make sure we’re all safe,” said student Chelsea J. BohnPozniak. Totally.
Inexplicable
A man was captured on video in Palmerston North, New Zealand, using a busy kiddie pool to give himself a bath, News.au.com reported on Feb. 6. The man, who wore swim trunks, had a bar of soap and lathered up his arms and legs before putting his hand down his shorts and vigorously washing his hindquarters. Facebook user Luminus DaGawd let his camera roll as everyone around the pool looked on, commenting, “Bro, it’s not a bath. ... All right, kids, get out of the pool.” People who viewed the video wondered why no one confronted the man, but others defended him, with one noting, “I’ve heard children laughing about taking a p--s in the same pool I watched another child drink from. Who’s really the yuck one?” Another complained, “Whole pool of people and no one there in that video stood up and told him to stop!”
Police Report
Mounted officers of the Jacksonville (Florida) Sheriff’s Office got a taste of the wild, wild west on Feb. 4 when they chased down a man accused in a drug deal. ClickOrlando reported that 25-year-old Jordan Wilson first backed away from the coppers on horseback, then turned and ran. Officer Cassie Haire caught the chase on her bodycam as she encouraged her horse, Nash: “Get him, Nash! Get that bad man!” Finally, Haire and another officer corralled Wilson, who was visibly breathless after his dash.
Wait, What?
Rhiannon Evans, 25, of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, pleaded guilty to sending a series of nefarious selfies to her boyfriend’s ex-partner, the BBC reported on Jan. 30. In the first “inappropriate” video, Evans “proceeds to pass gas by placing the camera on her bottom and passing the gas,” prosecutors said. She followed the first video with several more to Deborah Prytherch in December and January, “her face smiling at the camera. She was smirking throughout, found it hilarious, but the victim didn’t,” prosecutor Diane Williams said. Evans will be subject to a two-year restraining order and was ordered to pay 100 pounds compensation.
Suspicions Confirmed
In Douglasville, Georgia, a routine traffic stop on Jan. 29 resulted in a perplexing mystery, Atlanta News First reported. Douglas County Sheriff’s officers pulled over an unidentified driver who had a dead body in the passenger seat. The deceased, 21-year-old Malachi A. Mitchell, was allegedly meeting the driver to sell him a gun, Mitchell’s mother said, although police say the investigation is ongoing. After questioning the driver, who was cooperative, detectives let him go.
