City Weekly February 27, 2025

CITY WEEKLY

SKI

FOREVER

Clubs, classes and alpine comradery are keeping Utah’s senior skiers on the slopes for years to come.

BIANCA DUMAS

S AP

BOX

An Unworthy Man

Donald Trump is wrecking the nation’s economy. He’s turned his back on wartorn Ukraine, has put an egotist in charge and declared himself king.

Do any of our Utah reps in Washington see any problems here? Do any Mormon leaders have any concerns, since a majority of Mormons have voted for Trump three times? Is the Utah governor still in rapture over Trump?

I’m always curious as to how good and decent, temple-worthy Mormons could support a man who shares none of their supposed values.

TED OTTINGER Taylorsville

“Political Paydays,”

Feb. 20 Cover

Story

I wanted to thank City Weekly and the Utah Investigative Journalism Project for bringing attention to the Legislature’s “dash for cash” through their campaign slush funds.

In Rep. Jill Koford’s failed 2022 run for House District 10—just over $138,000 raised—her final expense entry was a Black Friday purchase of $398 at Minky Couture.

Additionally, it’s funny that all those Montana-plated vehicles disappeared from her driveway just after she filed for her 2024 run. The fact that House Speaker Mike Schultz paid $120,000 in dark money for a negative postcard campaign against Koford’s opponent was icing on the cake.

I hope that you will continue to shine the light on this kitchen of cockroaches the State Legislature has become. Thanks again for all you do.

KERRY WAYNE

Ogden

“Credit Unions,”

Feb. 20 Small Lake City

HB267 was passed and signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox. It strips all public unions in Utah of the right to collectively bargain.

The unions are at a disadvantage. Utah is a right to work state.

The 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Janus case states that public union members can opt out of paying union dues at any time—the union still has to represent you.

The agenda of the union-busters is to go back to the days when the boss could fire you at their whim—low pay and unfair treatment; no more blue collar, middle, working class. The wealthy have all the money, power and control. The rest of us have nothing.

MIKE RIORDAN Salt Lake City

Collective bargaining in the public sector is a non-starter, because there is nobody representing the interests of the

taxpayer funding these increases. It’s economic suicide for the city, county or state involved.

Look at Illinois or California, bankruptcies waiting to happen.

But I get that you’re a bit brainwashed into absolute liberalism. I have no problem with unions in the private sector (though I will never invest in a company with union labor).

But if you want to live in a city with efficient government—which luckily we have right now in Utah—then you simply can’t have government unions. People are free to work elsewhere if they don’t like the wages, it’s called a free market economy.

JAMES

GEISTER Salt Lake City

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THE WATER COOLER

If you could learn any new skill, what would it be?

Sofia Cifuentes

Driving a manual car, learning any language easily, AI programming.

Bryan Bale

I’d like to be able to pilot aircraft (both fixed-wing and rotary).

Scott Renshaw

The first time I tried to take guitar lessons, when I was 11 years old, I bailed. When I tried to learn music theory in college, I ended up dropping the class because I had no idea what was going on. So I would love to learn the skill of not sucking at music.

Eric Granato

Engine rebuilding.

Benjamin Wood

I really hope to one day learn Spanish. I speak Portuguese (for the usual Utah reasons) and I can get by in a pinch, but so many of my neighbors are Spanish speakers and I’d like to be able to communicate better with everyone.

Katharine Biele

I have tried to learn various languages but children are much better at it than adults. So my skill would be to have a more flexible brain for languages. For instance, I think that we all need to know how to say “Gulf of Mexico” and “Denali” in Spanish.

OPINION

BY KEITH BURNS

Holland’s Bluff

In light of faculty crackdowns at LDS church-owned Brigham Young University, some Latter-day Saints are wondering how the institution will navigate tension between progressive-minded academia and conservative spins on religious belief. The church’s commissioner of education, Clark Gilbert, has been a major actor in BYU’s retrenchment, implementing in 2022 what amounts to a “loyalty oath.” Faculty members must profess their allegiance to LDS teachings on gender, marriage and family.

Gilbert—under the direction of top leaders—has also made hiring and firing standards increasingly opaque and has stoked an overall atmosphere of fear among professors who publish research or hold opinions out of step with church positions. This moment reminds many Latter-day Saints of a speech given by Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland to BYU faculty in August of 2021. In it, he lauded BYU’s history and chastised faculty for embracing positions that undermine the faith’s 20th century conservative turn. Namely, he called upon professors to take up “musket fire” in defense of LDS teachings on sexuality, gender and marriage.

Holland read from the letters of concerned parents who lamented BYU’s slide from conservatism and professors who “radicalize” their students. Perhaps the most insensitive moment was when Holland individually maligned valedictorian Matt Easton—who courageously came out as gay in his 2019 commencement speech—continuing a decadeslong campaign by top LDS leaders to delegitimize LGBTQ individuals and their activism.

But Holland’s speech is emblematic of a broader struggle between social justice-oriented higher education and conservative religious philosophies. Like other religious universities, BYU finds itself at an anxious crossroads—seeking to remain relevant while attempting to preserve tenets increasingly viewed as anachronistic and discriminatory.

How far is BYU willing to go with policies that discriminate? Near the end of his “musket” speech, Holland offered a bold assertion that BYU must have the will to stand alone. “If at a future time that mission means foregoing some professional affiliations and certifications, then so be it,” he said. “There may come a day when the price we are asked to pay for such association is simply too high, too inconsistent with who we are.”

At least verbally, Holland acknowledged a willingness to die on the hill of heteronormativity and abandon, if necessary, the accreditation and licensure that is crucial to secular education. Extending the logic further, Holland would presumably forgo federal funding and research grants that BYU students and faculty rely on.

Another plausible channel of pressure might come from NCAA athletics, with teams declining to play BYU in protest of discriminatory policies. Hypothetically, the Big 12 could decide one day to oust BYU over its prohibitions on gender transitions and same-sex relationships/marriages on campus. If push came to shove, would Holland’s assertion simply amount to a rhetorical bluff or be reflective of reality?

BYU faced similarly precarious circumstances in the 1960s and ‘70s regarding the church’s odious temple and priesthood ban on members of African descent. As a natural extension of this restriction, BYU actively discouraged Black students for decades and explicitly condemned interracial dating and marriage in its honor code.

In a recent book, Second Class Saints, historian Matthew Harris brilliantly discusses the array of factors that influenced the lifting of the ban in 1978. He specifically describes the pressure BYU endured as a result of dozens of athletic protests, including from Stanford, UTEP and the University of Wyoming. In addition, the Justice Department conducted a thorough investigation of BYU in 1968, concluding that BYU was not in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The conflict of that era provides a framework for how modern LDS leaders might respond to future ultimatums. According to Dr. Harris, the position of church leadership then was mixed. Some—in line with Holland—proposed declining all federal assistance, student aid and research grants. Others took a more pragmatic approach, arguing BYU could not afford to forgo such benefits, including membership in prominent athletic conferences. Ultimate-

ly, the more pragmatic voices won out, as BYU made the necessary changes to comply with the Justice Department, most notably recruiting a series of Black athletes. It seems fair to assume that if the government threatened to withhold BYU funding, or if protests increased in intensity, LDS leaders would make accommodations similar to those made by their predecessors a half-century ago. Moreover, if governing bodies determined that certain BYU programs were undeserving of accreditation and licensing, it is likely they would make any necessary changes.

I believe Holland was bluffing. He, Gilbert and other church leaders of a similar mindset might engage in rhetoric and faculty agitation, but would not actually forgo accreditation, certification and federal funding in the face of legitimate external forces. The church’s image and reputation is simply too embedded in mainstream society to risk being viewed as fringe, extreme or radical, with too much work having gone into shaking that image and assimilating into respectable, middle-class American society.

Nevertheless, until BYU faces mounting pressure, they will continue to defend anti-LGBTQ practices under the guise of religious freedom—especially now, enabled by the Christian Nationalist ideology that undergirds the Trump Administration. The push for LGBTQ equality at BYU will therefore be a slow and gradual effort that will require overcoming significant cultural and political hurdles.

NCAA leaders and other top university administrators need to be open to seeing current LGBTQ discrimination as comparable to past racial discrimination at BYU. They will then need to pressure BYU to adjust policy by boycotting or protesting athletic contests. Likewise, politicians in the federal government will have to create more robust legislation that prevents religious institutions like the LDS church from using religious freedom as an excuse to discriminate.

In order for these important changes to occur, public sentiment around LGBTQ issues will need to shift significantly toward increased acceptance and affirmation. When that moment inevitably arrives, and funding, reputation and respectability are on the line, BYU will be forced to make similar changes to those made over 50 years ago concerning race and provide full equality for LGBTQ students.

Private Eye is off. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele

HIT: Cutting Deep

If you haven’t felt the pain from DOGE, you soon will. Layoffs will be indiscriminate as the wrecking ball of socalled efficiency hits Utah where it hurts. Federal workers have been protesting around the country, and Utah is no outlier. In Ogden—the nexus of the state’s federal workforce—citizens participated in a “Save Our Services Rally,” even as employees received confusing emails asking to detail their work in the last week. The Washington Post offered these answers to a fivebullet-point request from Elon Musk: “This week I accomplished: 100% of the tasks and duties required of me by my position description” and “100% of the work product that my manager and I have agreed to.” The fifth and final bullet said: “I exceeded expectations in the delivery of the above.” In Ogden, 1,000 local IRS employees on probationary status are at risk. Ogden’s Standard-Examiner wrote about a collaborative effort, including job fairs to help federal workers. “Ogden City along with vital community resource providers … remains committed to scaling our response as needed.” At least somebody cares.

MISS: Hunger Games

Lawmakers say they “deeply care” about children, and it just hurts their souls that kids are going hungry. But hey, those kids should buck up, maybe get a job, or tell their single parent not to be so damned needy. That was the message from the House Education Committee as they considered HB100, Food Security Amendments. The bill managed to proceed—for now. It would provide no-cost breakfast and lunch to eligible kids, a problem that came to light because of large school-lunch debts. Food insecurity is a real problem, even in the summer months, and this bill adds about $2 million to stanch the bleeding. Still, there were some lawmakers concerned about creating long-term dependency on the government. If kids starve to death, that won’t be a problem.

MISS: Power Corrupts

Everyone knows that nuclear energy is clean—until it isn’t. Of course, that’s the problem, at least one of them. The other, of course, is the vast amount of water needed. While the state prepares to create a nuclear consortium to educate the public, there are still no plans to store nuclear waste. Meanwhile, energy needs are soaring, particularly with the growth of “large load” artificial intelligence data centers. Various legislative bills are looking at coal and natural gas to power the centers, but they’re still not on board with alternative energy sources. The nonprofit Utah Clean Energy wants to see a combination of clean resources. It looks like renewables don’t qualify. CW

Brigham’s Place

Salt Lake City is a town of delightful contradictions. Nestled between the towering Wasatch Mountains and the salty expanse of the Great Basin, it’s a place where devout tradition and progressive rebellion coexist in an endlessly fascinating dance.

If there’s one thing we can say with certainty, it’s this: Brigham Young would absolutely hate what this city has become. The man who once proclaimed, “This is the place,” would likely be looking for the nearest exit. And that’s precisely why we love it.

For a city designed to be a haven of Mormon orthodoxy, SLC has gone rogue in the most glorious way. Sure, the LDS headquarters still looms large over Temple Square, and the influence of the faith is woven into the city’s DNA. But beyond the shadows of those historic spires, something radical has taken root: a counterculture that thrives on pushing boundaries, questioning authority and celebrating the very things that would have made old Brigham’s corset-laced soul shudder.

Take our craft beer scene—once the stuff of sacrilege, now a badge of honor. Breweries like Fisher, SaltFire, Shades and so many others are crafting ales so good they could convert a teetotaler. Then there’s the LGBTQ scene, which has flourished despite Utah’s conservative leanings.

The annual Utah Pride Festival and the recently-launched SLC Pride are spectacles of joy, defiance and dazzling self-expression, proving that queer culture isn’t just surviving here—it’s thriving. And we must remember, we are nothing without the “T.”

If that wasn’t enough to send Brother Brigham into a celestial tantrum, Black History Month was absolutely slamming this year. From powerful spoken word performances at FICE, art at The Leonardo and poetry at UPC, the city showed up in force to honor Black excellence. Brigham, who infamously retreated into exclusionary policies, would be fuming. What’s more, we have excellent celebrations for Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Speaking of defying expectations, Utah’s Queer Film Festival is another glorious affront to Brigham’s oldschool sensibilities. Celebrating LGBTQ+ stories, for over two decades, on the big screen? Scandalous! But let’s not forget the ultimate irony—Brigham’s own son, B. Morris Young, occasionally performed in full drag as Madam Pattirini. Maybe those pioneers weren’t who we thought they were, after all.

Our City of Salt is not the place ole Brigham envisioned. It is, in so many ways, better. It’s a city that embraces change, innovation and individuality— where our local coffee shops flourish next to church houses, where tattoos outnumber missionary name tags and where the people who might have once been outsiders are now shaping the culture in exhilarating ways.

So here’s to Salt Lake—the city that probably makes Brigham Young roll over inside of his grave. May we continue to make him uncomfortable, one craft brew, drag show and artfully rebellious act at a time. CW

BY CAT PALMER

The Art of Anti-Fascism

Learning to see the lies of tyranny through creative work

BY BRYAN YOUNG comments@cityweekly.net

Aquote from Star Wars: Andor has been ringing through my skull since the second Trump regime began its blitzkrieg against everything from trans folks and education to workplace safety standards and children’s cancer research. Young revolutionary Karis Nemik tells Cassian Andor, “The pace of oppression outstrips our ability to understand it, and that is the real trick of the Imperial Thought Machine. It’s easier to hide behind 40 atrocities than a single incident.”

That’s exactly what’s going on in the world right now. Trump, Elon Musk and company are trying to break so much so fast that we don’t have time to comprehend it, let alone respond. I’m still not quite sure what to do with it, but the writing in Star Wars: Andor certainly helps me understand it.

At their best, stories show us what to look for in our world to proverbially slay the dragons in our own lives, whether those are dragons internal to our psyche, or external like the nightmare currently sweeping over the land. Stories have been used to understand the world around us since the beginning of our existence. They’re meant to tell us of the dangers out there, to build empathy inside us, to warn us of hazards beyond the caves, to show us the way.

Andor is just one great example right now as we cast our eyes about, wondering what to do in the face of fascism wrapped in American flags. I know some folks don’t like seeing “fascism” used in reference to anything outside of 20th-century Europe—otherwise it’s only sparkling authoritarianism—but we have stories and writings about that misconception, too. The great writer Umberto Eco, who personally survived fascists in Italy, explained that the word was a synecdoche: Any part that resembles fascism leads to and describes the whole. In his book The Name of the Rose, he wrote about monks in 1327 who started murdering each other because they were afraid of the immorality of comedy, and how it might spread to destroy humanity. Yeah, he was writing about book-burning by fascists and how they try to control ideas to force everyone

to think like they do.

Every classic fantasy story we know and love is really about how the good people of a land stand up to the evil, authoritarian villains. What would The Lord of the Rings have looked like if instead of taking the One Ring to Mordor, Frodo and the rest of the hobbits put on red hats, said “Make the Shire great again!” and watched idly as Sauron covered all the lands in a second darkness, pretending that this was what was good for them all along? It wouldn’t seem very believable, would it?

It happens every day. It makes it easier to understand Jor-El, Superman’s father, so persecuted for believing in the catastrophe toward which Krypton was heading that he sent his only son to Earth while their leaders refused to save their home. It felt hard to believe until I saw people foolish enough to believe that climate change isn’t real, that vaccines don’t work, and that we need to dismantle any public good that safeguards the people of the United States as well as the entire planet. Superman was sent to Earth to show us what kindness looked like as a superpower, and he had a habit of punching Nazis and racists. Now, Superman would be the enemy, while Lex Luthor is in the White House, running the “Department of Government Efficiency.”

Imagine this: Star Trek offers us a future where there are no billionaires, and everyone in society has what they need. Isn’t that what we should be aiming for? A new American dream. It seemed like we were heading that way for a while, but Trump and his lapdog Musk are trying to bring us to the desert wastelands of Mad Max, jockeying to see who will debase themselves quickest to be Immortan Joe.

But if you watch Star Trek, you know about a thing called the Bell Riots. In Deep Space Nine’s third season (originally aired in 1995—prescient!), Sisko and crew are sent back to 2024, where homelessness and wealth disparity have reached an all-time high and the poor are put in de facto internment camps. People had enough, and riots broke out, leading Americans to a reckoning. They solve the problems that led to such a horrific situation in the first place— namely, unchecked capitalism. These violent outbursts pave the way for a utopian post-capitalist society where everyone gets what they need, obtains the education they want, and explores themselves (as well as the stars) to their heart’s content.

Art shows us the way. We just need to stop following demagogues and fascists off the cliffs of insanity. These works might inspire us to some drastic places, but the worse we let the sickness get, the harder the cure is going to be. CW

theESSENTIALS ENTERTAINMENT

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Josh Johnson

Comedian Josh Johnson’s 2024 provided an amazing example of how many nights go into becoming an “overnight success.” After a decade as a standup comedian and writer— which included a stint on the staff for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon—Johnson became a much more familiar face when he stepped in front of the camera as a correspondent for Comedy Central’s long-running The Daily Show, seven years into his tenure as a writer for that show.

Yet it’s likely his online presence that allowed him to move from a comedy-club stalwart to a theaterfilling headliner. Taking advantage of the need for quick thinking he learned writing topical humor for The Tonight Show and The Daily Show, Johnson started dropping all-new hour-long comedy sets every week, allowing him to hit zeitgeist topics like the presidential debate, the TikTok ban, Luigi Mangione, the Kendrick/Drake feud and much more. But it’s more than just being timely that has given Johnson such a massive fan base; it’s the recognition that he can mix killer punchlines with a thoughtfulness that makes it clear he wants his audience to understand why certain things have blown up in the cultural consciousness, and what those things mean to us. It’s almost unfair to be one of the funniest comics in the world, and the most prolific, and the smartest.

Josh Johnson brings his “Flowers” tour to The Depot (13 N. 400 West) on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets are sold out at press time, but wait-list options may be available at joshjohnsoncomedy.com. Visit depotslc.com for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

theESSENTIALS

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, FEB 27-MAR 5, 2025

theESSENTIALS

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Mad King Productions: Proof

If you’ve followed the history of Salt Lake City’s Mad King Productions in recent years, you’d certainly get a sense for them as focused on irreverence. After all, their productions have included their crowd-favorite “Drunken Shakespeare” (in which audience members vote on cast members to drink throughout the show) and “Spicy Shakespeare” (with intimacy coordinator-managed versions of classic Shakespeare scenes with a sexier twist). Even their first full show production was Heathers: The Musical, which brought tunes to the savagely satirical classic teen comedy movie.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the talented artists at Mad King can’t play it straight—a notion they’re ready to prove with their first full-length dramatic play production, of David Auburn’s 2000 Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning Proof It’s the story of a woman named Catherine who spent several years caring for her father, a celebrated but unstable mathematician. In the wake of Catherine’s father’s death, his notebooks and possible breakthrough proofs become an object of interest for one of his former students, Hal. As Catherine wrestles with the facts of her father’s academic legacy, she also struggles with trying to understand how much of his mind she has inherited—both as a student of mathematics herself, and as someone wondering whether she faces the same fate of mental illness.

Mad King Productions’ Proof comes to the company’s new theater space at The Gateway (167 S. Rio Grande St.) Feb. 28 – March 16, with performances Friday –Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $20; visit madkingproductionslc.com to purchase tickets and for additional information. (SR)

Hubbard Street Dance Dance is not some effete, elitist art form—and that’s a principle that has driven Chicago-based Hubbard Street Dance for decades. Their mission statement includes a goal of “envisioning a dance landscape that is relevant and accessible to all,” and since the company’s founding in 1977, they have put that notion into practice through initiatives including providing education programs for classrooms around the greater Chicagoland area, using the choreographic process to teach problem-solving and collaboration. As a performing entity both in Chicago and around the world, with a 50-year history that includes collaborations with some of the greatest choreographers of the moment, they’re just as committed to bringing dance to audiences. Their current performance repertoire includes a taste of that history: Echoes of Our Ancestors by Maria Torres; Show Pony by Kyle Abraham; Prelude to a Kiss by Lar Lubovitch; and A Duo and return to patience by Aszure Barton. As the New York Times put it, “Hubbard Street Dance ought to bottle itself as a cure for the ills of the era.”

Hubbard Street Dance wraps up its three-stop visit to Utah—after a Feb. 24 performance in Orem—with two more nights of amazing dance. On Thursday, Feb. 27, Hubbard Street stops at Kingsbury Hall (1395 E. Presidents Circle) for a 7:30 p.m. performance; tickets are $10 - $60. And on Monday, March 3, they stop at the Ellen Eccles Theater in Logan (43 S. Main St.) at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $36 - $55. Visit hubbardstreetdance.com for additional information. (SR)

One of the most popular food items in the world at this point, the virtues of pizza are well established. It’simportant, then, that one turns to skilled hands when it comes to this beloved dish. This year’s top vote-getters are all leading lights in Salt Lake’s pizza scene, so don’t hesitate to turn to them when you feelthat all-too-familiar craving coming on!

McDonnell Holdings, LLC DBA Boulder Landscaping, seeks to work in Bluffdale, UT, an experienced Operations Manager to Plan, direct, and coordinate the operations of the company, overseeing multiple departments and general management activities. Duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources, including different functional areas of management or administration, such as personnel, purchasing, or administrative services. Operations Manager will make staff schedules, assign work, and ensure that projects are completed. Will lead, coach, and collaborate with Maintenance Manager, Office Manager, Construction Manager and Shop Foreman. Resumes via mail only to 14764 S Heritagecrest Way, Ste E. Bluffdale, UT 84065. NO CALLS

City Weekly’s Best Of Utah Top 10!

BEST LATTE ART

Coffee culture has officially made its mark on Utah. For many of us, the baristas at our local coffee shops are our first interactions of the day. There’s something about that little added touch in turning simple foam into a rosetta, a heart, or anything else they can whip up that makes you feel an extra moment of joy in the morning.

COFFEE GARDEN

PEAK COFFEE ROASTERS

CUPLA COFFEE

CANYONS COFFEE

the

Alta’s Silver Skis program is geared toward older athletes.

SKI FOREVER

CLUBS, CLASSES AND ALPINE COMRADERY ARE KEEPING UTAH’S SENIOR SKIERS ON THE SLOPES FOR YEARS TO COME.

BIANCA DUMAS COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET

Just one more run. If you’re a skier, you’ve said it. You may have been wincing from the cold and wind at the top of the lift, but by the time you skied to the bottom of the run, you were ready to do it again.

What if that “once more” attitude didn’t have to come to an end? What if you could continue skiing one more run for the rest of your life?

At 66, Linda Rubin enrolled in a five-week Silver Skis class at Alta for just that reason. After years away from the sport and a period of illness, she wanted to get back on the slopes with her husband and friends.

“My goal was to keep skiing,” she said. “Instead of being 70 and saying, ‘I can’t do it anymore,’ I hope to be skiing at 80.”

Like golf, skiing can be a lifelong sport if you go about it the right way. Sure, a skier at mid-life might give up gelande—the jump-hitting, soaring approach to skiing now called “freestyle”—but with a few technical adaptations, you can almost ski forever.

Some skiers, like Fredi Jakob, 91, seem to be Ski Forever poster children. Jakob proudly aims to ski his age in days each year—far more days of skiing than the typical Utah skier or ski vacationer.

“I love to ski. I thoroughly enjoy it,” he said. “I don’t see any reason to quit.”

Senior skiers make up so much of the local skiing population that Alta has begun offering more programming specifically for them. Silver Skis is new this

season, offering instruction for a variety of abilities and interest levels.

“We’re skiing with a lot more adults who are locals,” noted Scott Mathers, Director of the Alf Engen Ski School. “We’ve really targeted these types of programs to build the skiing community at Alta, to connect local people.”

Jeremy Moore, adult program coordinator for the Alf Engen Ski School, remarked that Alta offers other adult programs for those who are focused on aggressive skiing. But Silver Skis is aimed at a different demographic.

“When it comes to skiing as a senior and the ski school’s Ski Forever philosophy,” Moore explained, “the focus is more about skiing efficiently, safely, and being effective with the movements you make—extending your lifetime of skiing.”

At ski resorts today, skiing past age 70 is not as rare as one would think. In earlier years, Alta offered free passes to those who were aged 70 and up, but so many senior skiers took them up on the offer that they increased the freebie age to 80. They offer a discounted season pass for ages 65 to 79 as well.

“The wider skis opened up a whole new world to people who could ski,” said Lori Norman, coordinator of the Ski Forever camp based out of Alta’s Peruvian Lodge. “With the skinny skis, you had to be more athletic, and if you were older you couldn’t go anymore. The wider ones are life-changing.”

And she added another important factor: “The snow at Alta is forgiving.”

Young at Heart

Famed senior skier Junior Bounous, 99, once said that people quit when they no longer have friends to ski with.

“Talking to seniors, the biggest reason they wanted to quit skiing was social, not physical,” he said. “They had lost ski mates, husbands, wives. Skiing alone wasn’t as much fun as skiing with a partner.”

There are plenty of potential ski partners at Alta. One Silver Skis participant made buddies in class and is hopeful the class will serve as “the feeder group to the Wild old Bunch,” a ski club that meets weekdays at Alf’s Restaurant, a mid-mountain, ski-in-ski-out gathering spot.

The club holds court at the round table, purchased specifically for them, just inside the patio doors. Members can also be found on the slopes, wearing the club patch—a blue smiley face in a red knit cap, headwear de rigeur in the days before helmets.

The club borrows its name from Butch Cassidy’s outlaw gang, the Wild Bunch—“old” is snuck in and intentionally kept lowercase, so you don’t notice.

They trace their history back to 1973, when a group of friends made an end-of-season skiing video with an 8mm movie camera.

They were shredders. In the film’s opening shot, someone’s flying off a jump; in the second shot, a group is skiing deep powder on a storm day. They’re wearing sweaters, beanies, and sunglasses and they drop into the Greeley Bowl against a background of era-appropriate 70s music, heavy on the Hammond organ.

Between scenes are cuts to title cards handwritten on poster board. The filmmaker, Rush Spedden, appears at the end of the film in a Butch Cassidy-style bowler hat and is credited as the club’s founder.

Now, 50 years later, the Wild old Bunch club welcomes skiers to join them. There are no meetings, no minutes and no dues. Skiers who might relate to the “wild” or “old” parts of the club name are welcome to show up at the round table and make friends.

Hugh Paik, 83, notes that there are 130 active members, and more who just like to stay on the mailing list. Like many members of the Wild old Bunch, soft-spoken Paik is actually a lifelong adventurer. He has twice walked the 75-mile French route of the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage path through Spain that’s popular with active tourists. Now his adventures are focused on Alta, which is only 20 minutes from his home.

“I enjoy the panorama the most,” he said.

Tom Beggs, 78, is also a member of the Wild old Bunch and a Silver Skis instructor.

“It’s a lot of fun. It has to be fun,” Beggs says of teaching the class. “I have a bucket list every lesson: we’re going to have fun, be under control and learn something.”

Beggs is one of the longest-tenured instructors at the Alf Engen Ski School, in his 32nd season, so he knows the school’s philosophy well. The idea that skiing should be fun goes back to Alta’s founding father, Alf Engen, who transformed ski instruction from the strict and sequential European method to a new form of American instruction, which focused on getting the student to relax and naturally absorb the lesson.

Beggs might drop by Alf’s Restaurant with his students, where they can get to know Wild old Bunch members on a ski break. When the fiveweek classes are over, the students will be part of the Alta scene.

“Alta is a big family,” Beggs observed. “When you’re skiing with the same instructor for five consecutive weeks, you’re part of the in-crowd.”

Living on the Edge

Among the Wild old Bunch regulars who might be found at the round table are Howard and Naomi Karten, both 80, who seem to stay young by living like kids. Each ski season, they come to Utah from Boston and rent an unfurnished apartment, which they appoint with only such belongings as they can keep in a 5x5 storage unit: a mattress, cookware, a handful of hangers and such.

For many years, they simply slept on a mattress on the floor, but when rolling out of the mattress got too hard, Howard built a knock-down bed frame that’s easy to store. Their reason is simple, Naomi Karten explained: “When skiing is your goal, you need very little else.”

Higher-level participants in Silver Skis experience another perk of being part of the Alta community: knowing how and when to cross Alta’s many traverses to find secret slopes and powder stashes that aren’t named on the map or that might seem intimidating since the sidecountry skiing for which Alta is famous is off-limits at many ski areas in the world.

Silver Skis instructor Brent Bowman inducted his three higher-level students into just such secrets. The students were maxing out the groomed routes and wanted guidance getting off-piste, or backcountry.

“We skied all kinds of runs and explored new places,” he said, naming Greeley Hill, the Westward Ho trees, and the Catherine’s Pass area.

As a retiree and transplant to Utah, Bowman gestured to his students, saying “I’m in the same boat as these guys.” He wants to ski ergonomically and make new friends, too.

Steve and June McQuide—age 83 and 79, respectively—are skiing the hard stuff while they can. Just recently, they hiked Catherine’s from the top of the Supreme Lift and made their way down the Back Forty to the groomed runs—expert terrain they also enjoy with the grandkids.

“If you’re skiing a hard trail, you’re not thinking of anything else,” Steve McQuide said.

June McQuide agrees: “There’s a level of accomplishment that you can do it, a little harder, a little steeper.” Then, she posed a question: “How [often] in our lives, after you stop working, do you push yourself to do something harder?”

Dialing it Back

For some, skiing seems to extend life itself. Matt Kindred, 83, says he lives to ski and skis to live. After two bouts of cancer, a stroke and a lifetime of broken bones, skiing is the one athletic activity that keeps Kindred going. He says he skis better than he walks. According to Moore, that’s not uncommon, especially for those who have been skiers for some time. “Skilled skiers can use gravity to their advantage and just slide down the hill,” Moore said. “They can make subtle and gradual movements to create smooth, round turns —which is often the goal on our skis even for younger people.” In his youth, Kindred was drawn to all kinds of extreme sports and adventures. He was a big wave surfer in Waimea Bay, Hawaii. He climbed Yosemite’s El Capitan and raced bicycles—including in 500-mile and 750-mile races—until he was “run over by a pineapple truck on Maui,” which put an end to his bike racing.

Still, he kept going. Kindred has run the Grand Canyon rim-torim in a day—during winter, multiple times—finishing the event by cross-country skiing 45 miles out from the North Rim to the highway. He had to do the adventure with a different friend every time because nobody was willing to put themselves through such torture twice.

Kindred said he needs physical activity to keep living, even if his outings are less intense than they used to be.

“I have to dial it back now,” he reports. “Some of us are talking about when we get older we’ll have to ski one run to get up to Alf’s, and then it’s one and done.”

At the Wild old Bunch club’s weekly Olive Garden dinner, nobody looks at the menu for long. It’s the old skier efficiency at work; everyone already knows what they want.

They place their regular food and drink orders quickly and then they talk skiing, a conversation which includes everyone at the table. They talk about skiing for fun, about skiing with family members who come to visit, about the most memorable runs they’ve taken over the years. When the talk turns to the weather, it’s not placeholder talk, but real discussion about inches and quality of snow and which years were best.

The conversation very naturally turns to the friendship and community they find at the other restaurant, encircling the round table at Alf’s. The whole premise of the Wild old Bunch, it’s said, is that people can just drop in.

And then June McQuide interjects: “Forget the skiing, it’s just the fact that there’s a big round table. It’s there. And if you come …”

“... then you’re one of the family,” Beggs finished. CW

COURTESY PHOTOS

A 2011 clipping from Sunset Magazine

WoBunchers on the slopes

Lining up for a run on Sunnyside

The Bunch’s round table Club patch

It Was 20 Years Ago Today

Re-picking the 2005 Academy Award winners with the benefit of a little distance

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

The Academy Awards are once again upon us, and once again, cinephiles of all kinds will spend the evening of the ceremony and several days afterward complaining about the worthiness of the winners. It’s a frustrating experience, because deep down, we understand that it takes time to appreciate the art that’s truly great, or to free ourselves from narratives like “which actor is due for their lifetime achievement award,” or “what movie happens to have people responding because of a specific cultural moment.”

Recently, I undertook a project to look back at my Top 10 list for 2005, to see how my perspectives have changed with a 20-year-distance, and what other movies might deserve to be there. In that spirit, and because predicting the winners of this year’s awards feels like a tacit endorsement of the system, I thought it would be interesting to look back on the 2005 Oscars winners (for the 2004 movie year), and see what might be worth re-considering.

Best Actor – Winner: Jamie Foxx, Ray Look, we all know by now that doing an impression of a famous person is a fast lane to an Oscar win, and everyone was duly impressed by Foxx acting and playing piano as Ray Charles. But was it truly great work, or simply fodder for the impending parody of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story? The year’s best male lead performance was one that wasn’t even nominated: Paul Giamatti’s would-be writer/wine snob Miles Raymond in Sideways. The movie earned several nominations and an Adapted Screenplay win, but Giamatti remained inexplicably ignored.

Best Actress – Winner: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby. Clint Eastwood’s boxing drama was the big winner of that year (as we’ll see below), and Swank’s second Oscar-winning performance was perfectly solid. But 2004 was an absolutely stacked year for great fe-

male lead performances, many of which weren’t even among the nominees. For me, this would be an extremely close call between two of the other nominees: Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake as the titular part-time abortionist in 1950s London, and Kate Winslet as the free-spirited Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Give the edge to Staunton, capturing a complex character with an utter lack of judgment. As far as those left out of the nominees, Julie Delpy in Before Sunset was just one of the reasons why that sequel was unexpectedly remarkable.

Best Supporting Actress – Winner: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator. Hey look, it’s another celebrity impersonation! Blanchett’s version of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s Howard Hughes biopic was a bit more challenging than mere mimicry, and she was hardly competing against a killer field of nominees. Still, I’d be inclined to honor one of Giamatti’s Sideways co-stars. Virginia Madsen was nominated as waitress Maya, but Sandra Oh’s terrific work as winery worker Stephanie could just as easily have been under consideration, and would have been a worthy winner.

Best Supporting Actor – Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby. It would be easy enough to put this down as one of those aforementioned “career recognition/make up for a previous mistake” Oscars, as Freeman could have and (probably should have) won at least a couple of trophies for earlier work like Street Smart, Glory and The Shawshank Redemption. In this case, however, I think they actually got it right. As tempting as it is for me to name Thomas Haden Church in Sideways to make it nearly a clean sweep, Freeman is indeed fantastic as the veteran boxing coach.

Best Director/Best Picture – Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby Eastwood already had a much-deserved directing Oscar in hand (for Unforgiven, one of the true masterpieces of the 1990s), so this doesn’t really qualify as a “career recognition” win. It also wasn’t the best directing work of 2004, not when that year included the heartbreakingly beautiful, mind-blowing achievement of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-winning script might have been the understandable focus, but Michel Gondry’s sense for unsettling imagery turned this tale of people voluntarily having painful memories erased into a love story that was also a horror story about how much the joy and pain in our lives is inextricable. It shouldn’t have taken 20 years for Eternal Sunshine’s glories to be evident, but maybe this is the kind of re-do we should consider every year. CW

DINE

Comfort Food for Trying Times

Late winter sucks. Here are some dishes to cheer you up.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

Believe it or not, we all made it through February. Even in a year that doesn’t seem as doomed as 2025, February is a difficult month to navigate. Winter tends to leave the Wasatch Front with all the bluster and toxicity of a right-wing podcaster, and it can get rough out there.

Most of the time I can power through the dread, but there are some days and even weeks when I am in dire need of a serious pick-me-up. It’s times like these when I really lean on our local restaurants to provide some much-needed comfort food to keep me going until spring.

We’re fortunate to have a great restaurant scene here in Utah, and I hope the people who operate these eateries know how much they lift our collective spirits when things get hard. If you’re in need of comfort food in these trying times, here’s a list of the dishes that have kept some much-needed fuel in my engine as of late.

Mapo Tofu at Beijing Restaurant (777 E. 2100 South, Ste. A): This classic Sichuan dish has gotten me through more than a few tough times. Its vibrant crimson sauce is packed full of numbing spicy goodness, the silken tofu has a glorious texture, and you just can’t beat a scoop of this over a pile of rice. Lately I have

been digging the mapo tofu at Beijing Restaurant, a new Chinese food spot that has been treating South Salt Lake diners extremely well since it opened. I’ve been gravitating toward this particular preparation because it has a nice balance between the numbing Sichuan peppercorn and the savory flavors imparted by the ground pork. This is the kind of purifying meal that can really take a day from crappy to not-so-crappy in a hurry, and I’ve greatly appreciated it during this long, gray winter.

Tacos al Pastor at El Morelense (Multiple locations, elmorelense.com): I can’t tell you how many tacos I’ve consumed in my life, but I do know it’s enough to make me feel reasonably ashamed of myself. That said, when I try a taco that gives me pause—like the al pastor tacos at El Morelense—I have to take note. El Morelense has been making excellent tacos al pastor in West Valley for years, but I have been a regular at the South Jordan location ever since it opened, as it’s only a few minutes from my house. There is something therapeutic about seeing that enormous rotating trompo carrying massive amounts of marinated pork, because if the trompo can keep spinning, maybe I can too. On a particularly rough day, I’ll get five or six of these diminutive bursts of flavor and hit them with some salsa verde. With a cold bottle of Coke to drink, this is a meal that has pulled me back from the abyss several times.

The Oh Schnitzel! at Deadpan Sandwich (545 W. 700 South, deadpansandwich.com): Sandwiches have been one of my comfort foods ever since I first learned how to make peanut butter and jelly for myself as a kid. As my tastes have evolved over the years, I think the Oh

Schnitzel! at Deadpan Sandwich is truly the closest a sandwich will ever come to perfection. The protein is a thin, crispy pork schnitzel without an ounce of rubberiness; it simply melts in your mouth. On top of that, you get Deadpan’s signature ranch kraut, which is an incredibly flavorful pickled cabbage mix that imparts a good hit of acid to the sandwich. A bit of dill and parsley, a lot of mayo and some perfectly-toasted bread finish everything off. With all this good stuff happening between two slices of bread, you’d think it would be a pain to eat. But, everything maintains enough texture to remain interesting while its construction keeps everything together. Nothing quite restores my faith in humanity like something simple done exceedingly well, which happens to be Deadpan’s specialty.

The Bar Nohm Boiler Maker at Bar Nohm (165 W. 900 South, barnohm.com): In these trying times, it’s not uncommon to find a bit of comfort in a favorite drink. As I’ve gotten a bit more familiar with Utah’s bar scene, I was surprised to find solace in the simplicity of Bar Nohm’s boiler maker. It’s a glass of Sapporo served with a shot of IWAI 45 Japanese whiskey, and it was one of the most delightful ways to kick off a few hours of ordering small plates in an accessible but cool environment. Of course, the most comforting aspect of getting a drink and a bite at Bar Nohm is the izakaya method of a long-form culinary chill-out. Once you’re seated, the service staff and bartenders take excellent care of you. I think the main reason why I take comfort in this particular boiler maker is because it hints at good things to come—and a little extra hope is always welcome. CW

Mapo Tofu at Beijing Restaurant

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:  High Pressure Haze, Hazy Pale Ale

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

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: The Hunter: Kölsch

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. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Kolsch

Level Crossing Brewing Co.,

550 South 300 West, Suite

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Vienna Lager

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: RasPerry Vanilla Hard Cider

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

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: We love LA IPA

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cranberry Sour, London Porter

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

On Tap: Blood Orange Wheat 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: 2 Towns Cosmic Blueberry 8% 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

Squatters Corner Pub –Valley Fair

3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City squatterscornerpub.com

On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Glinda’s Blackberry Sour

Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ squatters On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. – Castaway Coconut Nitro Stout

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

Back Abbey Double Belgian Ale

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 Gibson Ave,

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Golden Grant 5% ABV. Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com Wasatch Brew Pub 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ wasatch On Tap:  Top of Main

BEER NERD

Drinking Buddies

Two beers, nice enough to be called friends

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Red Rock ONO (Coffee and Coconut): This new version of ONO was aged in bourbon barrels for 24 months and conditioned on toasted and raw coconut. Jack Mormon Coffee provided the coffee blend of Typica, Catuai and Caturra coffee beans.

This pours a very dark brown that appears mostly clear in the glass, with two fingers of dense and fluffy dark tan/ brown foam on top. The head lingers for a minute or two and slowly fizzles away, leaving light frothy lacing on the glass. This smells amazing, quite sweet and rather chocolatey up front. Sweet bourbon blends in so perfectly here that I can’t imagine this beer without it. The 10.5 percent alcohol isn’t boozy at all; it works well with the fleshy coconut, smooth vanilla, rich coffee and yellow cake batter. It all adds up to what is definitely one of the best-smelling beers I’ve experienced in a while.

Coffee jumps up front in the taste— medium roasted and a bit astringent. The bourbon plays off the coffee well, just coming on as the coffee starts to fade to the background, almost like a splash of bourbon was poured into black coffee. That bourbon flavor blends off to smooth coconut, vanilla and a mellow nuttiness, finally giving way to the coffee again at the finish. It would have been hard for the flavor to live up to the aroma, but this is really, really good. It’s medium-bodied, but I wish there was a bit thicker feel here to make this ideal. Carbonation consists of fine bubbles, tingly and at a low-ish level. Super smooth, and all of the flavors play off of each other so well, this would make an

excellent dessert by itself.

Verdict: A well made beer with so much going on. The bourbon-barrel note is subtle and so well integrated here with the coffee flavor; it adds to the base beer without overpowering or distracting. The coconut and vanilla flavors are simply outstanding as well, so I’m gonna have to seek out another bottle I guess.

Bewilder - Miami Ice: This cold-style IPA was lagered and hopped with Centennial, Motueka and Enigma. There’s an aggressive pour to this beer. It has a clear goldenrod hue to it, a frothy head that took quite a while to settle down. The aroma has a long malt sweetness, plus some grapefruit in the nose, with melon and berries backing it up.

The dank resin didn’t take long to emerge, but it asserted itself once the citrus flavors softly faded. A somewhat earthy hop presence was the result of these three varieties duking it out for supremacy, but they worked well together, as a slightly piney and melon-like residue was left on my mouth once this went down. The active and bold hop character was a pleasant surprise to savor.

The 7.4 percent ABV is there, but it was only felt or sensed rather than tasted with the range of flavors here. There was a slight 420 feel to all of this on par with something from older West Coasttyle IPAs that really had that California vibe to them.

Verdict: When all was said and done, this was the kind of hoppy beer I’ve come to expect from Bewilder. Not a tropical juice bomb like so many other IPAs or IPLs, this had a lot going for it while standing apart from the norm. It’s another solid brew from them that’s unlikely to disappoint anyone who craves a modern hoppy lager.

You can enjoy Miami Ice at Bewilder’s pub or take it home in 16-ounce cans. No cans for the ONO this time around, though, as Red Rock has chosen to present this special barrel-aged stout in their tried and true 16-ounce bottles. You can find ONO at all Red Rock locations, but if you want them to go, you need to hit the main brewery’s beer store.

As always, cheers! CW

the BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

The Goat Head Opens

With the help of Salt Lake’s Department of Economic Development, Central City recently welcomed a breakfast and lunch spot called The Goat Head (slcgoathead. com). Not only does this new restaurant look like it will be a most welcome addition to downtown SLC, but its receipt of $100,000 from the city’s Economic Development Loan Fund is helping the restaurant get on its feet quickly. The Salt Lake City council approved the loan in the hopes that The Goat Head will revitalize the corner of 700 South and 300 East with its menu of omelets, tacos and waffles.

Old Cuss Coffee Temporarily Closed

Our friends at Old Cuss Coffee (oldcuss.com) recently announced a temporary closure of their South Salt Lake location at 2285 S. Main Street. Old Cuss has become a fixture in the neighborhood for anyone after some good coffee and plant-based comfort food. According to an Instagram post, the plan is to reopen a new downtown location on Pierpont Avenue. While the move is taking place, Old Cuss will be operating a coffee cart at the corner of Pierpont Avenue and 400 West starting at the beginning of March. We’ll keep an eye on the progress of the new digs, and wish the Old Cuss crew the best while they work on this new chapter.

Ramblin Roads to Open Salt Lake Location

According to a Facebook post from the Downtown Alliance, Ramblin Roads Restaurant (ramblinroadsrestaurant.com) has chosen the old Lamb’s Grill space on Main Street as its sixth location. Ramblin Roads has primarily been a Northern Utah staple—with locations in Ogden, Layton and Bountiful—though the restaurant also has a location in Midvale. Billed as a family favorite restaurant, Ramblin Roads is all about hearty breakfasts, classic burgers and dinner entrees that include rustic favorites like meatloaf, pork chops and even liver & onions. I’m not sure when the location is scheduled to open, but I’ll keep an eye on the socials for more updates.

Kill Your Radio Stations

Salt Lake City’s KUAA 99.9 FM is more than music—it’s a sense of community.

BY MARK DAGO comments@cityweekly.net

It’s sad to see the radio die—well, “traditional” radio, anyway. Independent stations once played a huge part in the evolution of music across the country, not to mention helping change the shape and sustaining the identity of their communities. The world is bereft of street-level stations with decent music on them. And let’s be honest: Satellite radio and streaming are sterile and bland as hell.

Brought to you by Utah Arts Alliance, Salt Lake City-based KUAA 99.9FM is a low-powered community radio station that empowers its DJs and on-air hosts to take on the role of curators, allowing them to shape the station’s programming with their unique perspectives, tastes and expertise. This approach creates an experience where audiences can turn to the station not just for entertainment, but for a carefully selected blend of music, culture and information.

“In this day and age, there are thousands of choices at our fingertips when deciding how and what to listen to. But that’s why stations like KUAA are so important because they’re in it for all of the right reasons, not just a profit,” said Chase Loter (Chaseone2), of KUAA’s The Long Walk Home segment. “I personally don’t use streaming services because they do nothing to support the artists they are exploiting. There’s something special about programming being controlled by an actual person, not an algorithm. KUAA

makes listening a personable experience and genuinely cares about the artists we play and will always point you in the right direction of how our listeners can directly support them.”

Tony Glavas—gimme2, of KUAA’s The Sound Department—agrees: “We allow ourselves and our guests to play what we want when we want. We try to foster an open platform. People who show you new music are important. Autonomy should always be treasured. Our show mainly focuses on funk and soul music from the ’70s and ’80s. I’m lucky enough to get regular contributions from my dear friends of 20-plus years—b-sides (Brian Cowles), J-Thurm and Dish Jones.”

For the type of music they are playing and the approach they are taking, KUAA aims to transcend traditional genre boundaries. These methods are grounded in the belief that radio should be more than just the delivery of music; it should be an immersive event-like experience that brings people together, creating a space where the impact of the broadcast is felt long after the show ends and is the exact opposite of the wasteland of formulaic, corporate-owned stations that sound interchangeable regardless of content.

“What sets Family Dinner apart is the emphasis on gathering,” says host DJ Riri. “An ideal situation I envision for my listeners is that they are playing Family Dinner in the background of whatever meaningful gathering they find themselves a part of on Wednesday nights. For my solo listeners, I want them to feel they have a spot at the radio-transmitted Family Dinner table as well.”

Gabriel “G#” Mitchell of KUAA’s Experience Unlimited adds, “I’ve started to lean into my blackness by creating a persona around “G#—‘The G’” Usually, during a break or a bridge, I’ll get on the mic and slip in, ‘G-h-e-t-t-o Music. That’s how we like it on KUAA!’ It can be a bit shocking, I suppose, but it’s meant to underscore that I am not your average Salt Lake radio

MUSIC

personality, because I’m not. I am offering my listeners a window into a culture that they’ve rarely been exposed to. I’m selecting songs that are deep cuts in the African-American canon of music. Most are un-Shazamable!”

Commercial radio has often fallen short when it comes to engaging with locals, but there is still a lot of potential for this “dying” medium to embrace change in a way that prioritizes community and interactivity, while maintaining the soul of music discovery. The repetitive playlists and formulaic programming have become “meh” and uninspiring. There’s just something special about the live, real-time nature of radio—whether it’s the spontaneity of ad-libbed commentary, the energy of live broadcasts or the sense of connection that comes from knowing the show is being experienced by others in the moment.

“KUAA is important because it is accessible,” asserts DJ Jerry D of KUAA’s Salt Lake City Music Reality. “The volunteers who DJ for the station you will see all over

the city in venues, or at events. This allows listeners to integrate themselves with the programming by direct communication.”

DJ Daioujou (co-host and collector/ guardian of thousands of LIVE local recordings) of Music Reality notes, “The real miracle is that the Utah Arts Alliance exists, or has organized their maker spaces and artist studios and events into anything at all. If it didn’t exist, I don’t think anyone would think that it was possible for something like that to exist.”

It’s hard to pin “dying” media in 2025 against the ever expanding world of streaming, but KUAA is here to prove it belongs, and still holds an important place in the community. DJ Riri hopes that comes through to listeners: “KUAA remains authentic to its community. This is a treasure in our ever-increasingly-capitalistic and divided world we live in today. The fact we are not paid hopefully shows the passion that goes into each show. I hope that translates well.” CW

BEST BAR IN UTAH!

GREAT FOOD

MUSIC PICK S

Beeson, Love Audrey @ Kilby Court 3/1

“I can’t believe it’s done. I wrote and wrote and wrote for this body of work. I’ve truly never worked or played harder,” said Jane Beeson, AKA Beeson, of her new EP. “So many long nights and happy mornings getting everything to the finish line alongside my amazing friends and team. These songs are still so fresh and special to me; I got the master back for ‘Keeping Score’ just a couple of weeks ago. How scary, how gorgeous! Thank you for being here my sweet best case girls, boys and theys. I love this perfect little world we’re making.” Beeson’s Ritual is full of expression, emotionality and ethereal sound. Her infectious pop sound and beautiful vocals will make you feel like you’re floating through the clouds. Relatable and engaging, Ritual will have you coming back time and time again for a fresh listen. This SLC date comes at the end of a short tour of acoustic sets from Beeson, and hopefully the setlist includes tracks from this new EP. Supporting is SLC’s Love Audrey, who also released a new album as we left 2024 titled Greetings From Rocket Park. Their mellow indie/rock vibes will pair delightfully with Beeson’s sound. Come jam out on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $16 in advance and $22 at the door. Grab tickets at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Abstract x Dylan Owen

The Dead Tongues

Gregory Dillon

Palamino Band

Mark Lanham

Alive Alone

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

MUSIC PICK S

The Black Jacket Symphony @ The Depot 3/1

There are cover bands, there are tribute bands … and then there’s The Black Jacket Symphony. While the differences may seem imperceptible at first, the latter is a unique entity unto itself—a collective of extraordinary musicians who focus on recreating classic albums and performing them note for note with an assortment of the artist’s greatest hits. Skeptics might question the need for such an ensemble, given that they can always turn to their record collections to sort out their own musical memories. However, a Black Jacket Symphony concert is much more invigorating than pulling out some dusty old platters. The group creates an experience second only to seeing the original band live. Sadly, the opportunity to witness the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Allman Brothers, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Prince, the Police and Tom Petty in concert has long since passed, but the opportunity to hear the musical milestones they left behind is not only possible, but, thanks to the Black Jacket Symphony, very much a reality. We’re not talking about AI, either. These are real people, complete with stunning visual effects that add another dynamic and dimension. We’re particularly excited to hear them lend their talents to the Beatles’ Abbey Road, one of the greatest albums of all time. To paraphrase its closing coda, the love they’ll make will be equal to the love we’ll take. The Black Jacket Symphony presents The Beatles’ Abbey Road at The Depot, Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $37 - $59 at concerts.livenation.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

MUSIC PICK S

GLOW @ Sugar Space Arts

Warehouse 3/1

The theme this weekend is “Bass ‘n Bodypaint.” Creators Brittney Gunn and Adrian Gilyeat attended their first rave in 2021 and fell in love with the community—so much so that they’ve started their own music collective called Fook Muzk. Gunn and Gilyeat explain, “We lean heavily toward bass music, and wanted to create an additional space where bassheads can headbang. The talent in SLC is unmatched, and creating a place where they can be showcased is a big goal.” Along with being a co-creator, Gilyeat is also one of the DJs (GilYEEAT) who will play a mix of trap, dubstep and melodic bass. The lineup also includes some great local talent like RYOUUP? (Ryan Gale) back-to-back (b2b) with Caveo (Cameron Strachan) for some bass house and deep, wonky bass; Salem (Samantha VanFleet) for some experimental and deep dub; and Kenny Pham b2b Ambience (Sage Toafé) for the melodic dubstep to get you in your feelings. Fook Muzk has put a lot of time into creating a unique theme and environment for each show; this time, Sugar Space Arts Warehouse (132 S. 800 West) will be UV-lit, with neon body paint and stickers available to use. It’s sure to be a place where people can come feel safe while dancing their faces off. Come support local talent on Saturday, March 1. Tickets are only $15 for this 21+ show. Doors open at 8 p.m. Go to posh.vip for tickets and event information. (Arica Roberts)

FINNEAS @ The Union 3/2

Finneas Baird O’Connell—perhaps best known for collaborating with sister Billie Eilish—is on an upward trajectory. With Optimist, his debut record, he introduced a strong solo foundation that was built not only on impressive production, but also on a remarkable ability to craft memorable and engaging songwriting—even if it was created in a fortress of solitude. “I made my last album completely alone in a room,” FINNEAS told Rolling Stone. “And that was satisfying to some degree, because I just worked on it until it sounded how I wanted it to sound. But it was really lonely, and I didn’t feel like, ‘This is the best possible way it could

sound, I’m so glad I made it alone.’ I thought I did an OK job. So on this album, I’ve made a point to be hyper-collaborative. Fortunately, most of my friends are producers.” Far from yawnsome, his sophomore LP—For Cryin’ Out Loud!—showcases his ability to capture the complexity of heartache and longing with his words while the energetic rock-pop stylings propel each song forward. It’s an interesting sensibility albeit not really breaking any new ground. Those who find it sonically intoxicating are not likely to be disappointed with this latest effort, even if it takes a few more listens to fully appreciate. Bad Suns open. Catch these acts on the For Cryin’ Out Loud! tour at The Union on Sunday, March 2. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show can be found at vividseats.com. (Mark Dago)

flipturn @ The Complex 3/13

Launched in Fernandina Beach, Florida in 2015, flipturn has gone on to become a popular force in indie rock. Flipturn is noteworthy for a few reasons, which has helped them stand out in the indie rock scene. The group’s sound combines surf and alt-rock, delivered in the form of lush melodies with heartfelt and introspective lyrics, while the band’s spirited live shows emphasize crowd involvement. Early releases like the 2017 Heavy Colors EP and singles like “Churches” (2018) helped build a solid fanbase, as flipturn’s genre-blurring style has led to recognition from critics and fans alike. Released in January, the group’s latest album Burnout Days is highlighted by “Sunlight,” a catchy tune with a very personal subject: lead singer Dillon Basse’s mom’s struggles with alcohol addiction. But what could have been a melodramatic or dour song is, in flipturn’s capable hands, a heartfelt and inspiring work that takes a clear-eyed look at a topic that’s all too familiar. With a well-earned reputation for authenticity and relatability, flipturn’s steadily growing presence on streaming platforms and positive reviews from publications also suggest they’re only just getting started. Flipturn comes to The Complex on Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m.; Krooked Kings open this all-ages show.

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Aries author Anne Lamott articulated a thought that’s perfect for you to hear right now: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” I might amend her wisdom a bit to say “for a few hours” or “a couple of days.” Now is a rare time when a purposeful disconnection can lead you to deeper synchronization. A project or relationship will improve after a gentle reset. Your power mantra: “Renew yourself with quiet inaction.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Beavers are the engineers of the natural world. The dams they fabricate not only create shelters for them, but also benefit their entire ecosystem. The ponds and marshes they help shape provide rich habitats for many other species. Boosting biodiversity is their specialty. Their constructions also serve as natural filters, enhancing water quality downstream. Let’s make beavers your inspirational symbol for the coming weeks, Taurus. In their spirit, build what’s good for you with the intention of making it good for everyone whose life you touch. Ensure that your efforts will generate ripples that nourish your tribe and community.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

I predict that you will soon have reason to celebrate a resounding success. You will claim a well-deserved reward. You may even shiver with amazement and gratification as you marvel at how many challenges you overcame to emerge triumphant. In my view, you will have every right to exude extra pride and radiance. I won’t complain if you flirt with a burst of egotism. In accordance with my spirituality, I will tell you, “Remember that this wonder you have spawned will live for a very long time.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

When you see the stars in the sky, you’re looking at the ancient past. Light from those heavenly bodies may have taken as long as 4,000 years to reach us. So we are beholding them as they used to be, not as they are now. With that as your inspiration, I invite you to spend quality time gazing into your own personal past. Meditate on how your history is alive in you today, making its imprint on all you do and say. Say prayers and write messages to yourself in which you express your awe and appreciation for the epic myth that is your destiny.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

I mourn the growing climate calamity that is heating up our beloved planet. Among many other distortions, it has triggered yellow forsythias and blue gentians to blossom during winters in the Austrian Alps—an unprecedented event. At the same time, I am also able to marvel at the strange beauty of gorgeous flowers growing on the winter hills of ski resorts. So my feelings are mixed—paradoxical and confusing—and that’s fine with me. I regard it as a sign of soulfulness. May you be so blessed, Leo: full of appreciation for your capacity to hold conflicting ideas, perspectives and feelings.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

The quietest place on earth is a room at Microsoft’s headquarters near Seattle. It’s made of six layers of steel and concrete, and its foundation includes vibration-dampening springs. Within it, you can hear your heartbeat, the swishing of your clothes and the hum of air molecules colliding. The silence is so eerily profound that many people become flummoxed while visiting. Here’s the moral of the story: While you Virgos are naturally inclined to favor order and precision, a modicum of noise and commotion in your life is often beneficial. Like background sounds that keep you oriented, minor wriggles and perturbations ensure you remain grounded. This will be extra important for you to acknowledge in the coming weeks.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

To make a Mobius strip, you half-twist a strip of paper and attach the ends—creating a surface with one side and one edge. It’s a fun curiosity, but also has practical applications. Using Mobius strips, engineers design more efficient gears. Machinists make belts that wear out less quickly. There are other concrete functions, as well. Let’s extrapolate from this to suggest that a similar theme might be arising in your life. What may seem like an interesting but impractical element could reveal its real-world value. You may find unexpected uses for playful features. One of your capacities has dimensions you have not yet explored, but are ready to.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Sandra Cisneros is a writer with Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius. She is always in quest of the next lesson and exciting adventure. She also has the Moon, Venus and Saturn in Scorpio. Her attunement to the hidden and secret aspects of reality is substantial. She thrives on cultivating understanding of her inner world. It took her years to master the art of fully expressing both these sides of her character. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because you’re primed to go in quest of experiences that will open your heart to novel amazements— even as you connect with previously unknown aspects of your deep self that resonate with those experiences.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

The Moeraki Boulders are spread along a beach in New Zealand. Many of the rocks are nearly perfect spheres and up to six feet in diameter, providing a visual feast. Scientists know they have steadily grown for the last 4 million years, accumulating ever-new layers of minerals. I propose we make them your symbols of power until July 1. In my astrological estimation, you are in a phase of laying long-term groundwork. What may seem to be a tedious accumulation of small, gradual victories is part of a grander undertaking. Like the Moeraki Boulders, your efforts will crystallize into an enduring foundation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

A Japanese proverb says, “The bamboo that bends with the wind is stronger and more resilient than the oak tree that resists.” That’s true. When storms bluster, oak branches get broken and blown away. Bamboo looks delicate, but is strong and capable of withstanding high winds. It flourishes by being flexible. That’s the approach I recommend to you, Capricorn. Challenges may emerge that inspire you to stay grounded by adapting. Your plans will become optimal as you adjust them. By trusting your natural resilience, you could find unexpected chances for interesting transformation. Your potency will lie in your ability to bend without breaking.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Seattle’s Space Needle is an observation tower—605 feet high. For years, there was a rotating restaurant at the top. In its early days, the movement was so brisk that visitors got dizzy and nauseous. Engineers recalibrated the equipment so it was leisurely to keep everyone comfortable. Your current situation resembles this story. The right elements are in place, but you need to adjust the timing and rhythm. If there are frustrating glitches, they are clues to the fine-tuning that needs to be done.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Octopuses have three hearts, each with a different function. Each of their eight limbs contains a mini-brain. Is there any doubt, then, that they are the patron creature for you Pisceans? No other sign is more multifaceted. No other can operate with grace on so many different levels. I celebrate your complexity, which enables you to draw such rich experiences into your life and manage such diverse challenges. These qualities will be working at a peak in the coming weeks. For inspiration, consider putting an image of an octopus in your environment.

or 900-950-7700.

Regional Digital Marketing Specialist(Provo, UT) Develop & execute digital marketing strategies for Korean market. Create & manage ad campaigns. Conduct market research to identify trends, customer behavior, and competitor analysis, and improve marketing campaigns & activities. 40hrs/ wk, Offered wage: $67,621/ yr, Associate’s Degree in General Studies / Marketing / Business or related, 1 yr of experience as Digital Marketer or related, and Proficiency in the Korean language are required. Certificate of Digital Marketing or related is preferred. Resume to Hall Labs, LLC Attn: David Hall, 3500 S MOUNTAIN VISTA PKWY, #2, PROVO, UT 84606

Marketing Specialist (Draper, UT) Conducting market research to identify trends, customer preferences, and competitive landscape. Developing engaging content for social media, website, email campaigns, and other marketing channels. Organizing and coordinating promotional events, such as food festivals, grand openings, and community events. Optimizing Cupbop’s website content for search engines to increase traffic. Managing pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns to drive targeted traffic to the website. 40hrs/wk, Offered wage: $32,302/yr, Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or related required. Resume to CUPBOP CO Attn. KIM, Yeiri, 12184 S Business Park Dr, STE C, Draper, UT 84020

urban LIVING

In the Zone

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @SLCWEEKLY

Utah has been in a building frenzy for years now. As a result, many planning and zoning commissions and city councils are attempting to change localized rules to accommodate increased density in neighborhoods, because efficient land is scarce (we aren’t building any more land!) and we’re in a housing shortage within our borders.

High-rise construction is obvious when you see apartments reach to the sky, and the new, cheaper “six story stick build” model has popped up virtually anywhere that multi-family units are allowed to be built.

Salt Lake City is where the most diverse zoning types appear in Utah, due to the size of the city’s population. The City Council and the Planning Commission are looking into updating what are called RMF-35 (Moderate Density Multi-Family) and RMF-45 (Moderate/High Density Multi-Family) zoning districts by combining them into a single zoning designation.

It’s complicated to do this. The proposal is controversial to many current home owners, because the change intends to facilitate more “moderate-density housing, while retaining neighborhood character” and requires a massive amount of meetings with community councils and the public. The goal is to simplify and even clarify the spiderweb of regulations, which makes it easier for everyone to understand and comply with in the future.

The last major rezone of this size for Salt Lake City was in 1995, when the city changed the rules for a good portion of its land. The stated intent at the time was to create parcels that could be used for units that are more dense than a single-family home, but less dense than a high-rise apartment building.

Now, the city is looking at easing regulations for things like “flag lots,” where a home could be built behind an existing home, so the new property takes on a flag shape—the driveway being the “pole” and the lot itself as the “flag.” It’s also considering allowing more multi-family units to be built in residential areas that currently don’t permit them.

All sorts of comments are flooding into City Hall from NIMBYs who would prefer that the rules don’t change. These residents are adamant they don’t want a high-rise built on their quiet residential street, but that isn’t what is being proposed. Instead, in the case of Salt Lake City, the goal is to allow more duplexes, quadplexes and rowhouses.

The current RMF35 and RMF45 zones allow buildings to have a height of 35 or 45 feet, respectively, and include rules for how many dwelling units can be built per acre of land in a neighborhood. The proposal to consolidate the zones would reduce the amount of land required to build and alter minimum and maximum lot width requirements.

If this interests you, pay attention to what’s going on by logging onto the City Council and Planning Commission websites. There, you’ll find information about proposed changes, public hearings and ways you can submit your opinions to the staff. n

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

1. ___-building game

5. Part of CD

9. Opposite of flow

12. Notion

13. You are here

14. “___ Land” (2016 musical film)

16. ___ Fein (Irish political group)

17. Old copy machine, for short

18. Like some lattes

19. Behind-the-scenes theater worker’s been specially selected?

22. ___-deucey (backgammon variation)

23. Walker’s Prawn Cocktail snacks, e.g., in the U.K.

24. Fifth U.S. president

27. “___ the Sheriff” (1974 hit song)

29. Hydrox rival

30. ___ Martin (007’s auto)

31. Wall Street index, briefly

34. Pre-owned greeting with a firm grip?

38. Sound of admonition

39. Albertan NHLer

40. Belonging to us

41. Walk with pride

42. Oppose vigorously

44. Peevish

47. “Yeah, I bet”

48. Straight or flush indicating one way to go to hell?

54. Opera highlight

55. Journalist Cornish of CNN

56. 1/12 of a foot

57. Turkey meat preference

58. Pretzel shapes

59. Gospel singer Winans

60. “___ Boot” (1981 film)

61. Part of a skate blade

62. Sharp as a tack

DOWN

1. Talk smack about

2. Make some changes

3. John who’s supposedly tough to see

4. Qantas logo animal

5. How often Wordles get released

6. “Garfield” waitress

7. Instruction

8. “Quickly!”

9. Bring out

10. Is a supporter of

11. Sound of censoring

13. Show host

15. Tacks on

20. “Foucault’s Pendulum” author Umberto

21. “Reversal of Fortune” Oscar winner

Jeremy

24. The majority

25. Natural resources

26. Shirt measurement

27. Dot in the ocean

28. Symbol over an 8

30. Org. that defends individual rights

31. Paint ineptly

32. Gumbo ingredient

33. Toward sunset

35. Observant person

36. No-bake dessert that may be garnished with gummy worms

37. Nostalgic, perhaps

41. Lectures

42. Dice, most often

43. Singer Rita

44. Apple product that debuted April 2010

45. Org. that tracks Santa

46. “Ran” director Kurosawa

47. Bitter feeling

Last week’s answers

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

49. Ilsa’s surname in “Casablanca”

50. Work like ___

51. Leg hinge

52. “Behold!” to Caesar 53. At that moment

NEWS of the WEIRD

It’s Come to This

Visitors to the Chengdu Snow Village in the Sichuan province of China were left with a “bad impression” of the tourist attraction in early February, Reuters reported. Because of unseasonably warm weather, project coordinators had to improvise the “snowy” atmosphere, stapling cotton sheets to the rooftops and scattering white sand, cotton batting and soapy water to simulate snow throughout the property. Snow Village organizers said entry fees would be refunded, and the village has closed.

It’s a Mystery

Investigators in Munich, Germany, are stumped by the sudden appearance of more than 1,000 small stickers on grave markers in three different cemeteries, the Associated Press reported. The stickers feature a QR code that, when scanned, reveals the name of the person in the grave and the location within the cemetery. “The stickers were put both on decades-old gravestones and very new graves that so far only have a wooden cross,” said police spokesperson Christian Drexler. Police are investigating property damage as well, because when removed, the stickers leave discoloration.

It’s Good To Have a Hobby

Clem Reinkemeyer, 87, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has an unusual collection—and now he has a Guinness World Record. United Press International reported on Feb. 17 that Reinkemeyer’s collection of 8,882 bricks includes a Roman brick from 100 A.D. and a sidewalk brick made in a facility where the Pentagon now stands. “What appealed to me about bricks is they have names and you can trace them back historically to places,” he said. Some of the most valuable ones are those with misspellings. “I think Oklahoma has a history for the most misspelled bricks,” he said. “I don’t know why.”

Space Trash

Officials at Poland’s space agency POLSA are examining debris that fell onto the premises of a business in Komorniki on Feb. 19, Reuters reported, to determine whether it originated from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Later that day, a second “identical” container was found about 19 miles away in a forest. POLSA said it has been monitoring the flight of the Falcon 9, which launched on Feb. 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and “will verify the object with SpaceX.” News outlets in Poland reported that flashes were seen in the sky on the morning of Feb. 19.

Recent Alarming Headlines

Residents of Godstone High Street in Surrey, England, may be out of their homes for months after a huge sinkhole opened up on Feb. 17, the BBC reported. Two sections of the road caved in, causing people in 30 homes to be evacuated. “We’ll be looking to completely rebuild the road,” said Surrey County Council’s Matt Furniss. “It’s currently stable, it isn’t growing anymore.” Local business owners are concerned about how the closure will affect them. Shane Fry of DD Services said it would be “a trialling few months for us.”

News You Can Use

The SS United States, which has been docked and deteriorating at a Philadelphia port since 1976, started its 18-day passage to Alabama on Feb. 19, NBC10-TV reported. The ocean liner, in service from 1952 to 1969, holds the record for fastest eastbound and westbound trans-Atlantic crossings, but on this final journey, it will be towed at 5 knots (or about 6 miles per hour). In Alabama, it

will be stripped of its innards—furniture, engine room equipment, cables and flooring—and then will be moved to Okaloosa County, Florida, where it will be sunk offshore and turned into a scubadiving destination. Capt. Joseph Farrell, a shipsinking and reef expert, said the sinking will be “a final chapter for the last all-American-made, American-flagged ocean liner.”

Repeat Offender

For the second time in a month, a teenager in the Bronx has been charged with trying to take a subway train for a joyride on Feb. 18, Pix11-TV reported. Police said the 15-year-old tried to operate the No. 2 train from the Prospect Avenue station. He was arrested in late January with a group of kids who drove the R train in Brooklyn. He was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing.

The Way the World Works

In the aftermath of the wildfires in California, at least two residents have returned to their homes only to find new and unwelcome tenants, the Los Angeles Times reported. Homeowner Sean Lorenzini evacuated during the Eaton fire, and upon his return found a black bear sleeping in the crawlspace under his home and lounging by the pool during the day. The large bear seems to be foraging in neighbors’ trash bins and is probably behind an attack on a neighbor’s pet goat, Lorenzini said. “It’s definitely not moving,” he said. He’s hoping to get the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to help after they relocated a 525-pound bear at the end of January. In that case, the Altadena-area bear was lured into a trap with peanut butter and rotisserie chicken, then moved to Angeles National Forest. The wildlife agency told Lorenzini that after his bear is removed, he’ll need to seal up the crawlspace, as it will probably try to return.

“I know we’re encroaching on their territory,” Lorenzini said of the bear, “so I’m sympathetic to that. But at the same time ... I’m exposed if anyone gets hurt. This is a wild animal.”

Saw That Coming

An unnamed 55-year-old Canadian woman lost both her hands on Feb. 7 when she “attempted to engage” with a 6-foot-long shark while snorkeling in Turks and Caicos, The New York Times reported. The tourist reportedly wanted to take photos of the animal. After she was treated in the Caribbean, she returned to Canada for further medical attention, but doctors could not save her hands.

Conservationist Chris Stefanou said the shark might have mistaken the woman’s phone for a fish. “Sharks, or any predatory animal in the ocean, can confuse that as, like, a bait fish,” he said.

Least Competent Criminals

An observant deputy was credited with foiling the attempts of Jose Francisco Herrera Munoz, 18, and Angel Gonzales Gutierrez, 19, to launch illegal drugs into the U.S. Penitentiary Pollock in Grant Parish, Louisiana, Denver7-TV reported on Feb. 18. Both men are from Greeley, Colorado. Munoz and Gutierrez had planned to use a compressed air cannon, which has a range of 350 feet, to send $112,000 worth of tobacco and $89,500 worth of methamphetamine over the prison wall, but the deputy acted before they could make the delivery. “That much meth would have just been devastating in that population,” said Sheriff Steven McCain. They were charged with attempting to introduce contraband into a penal institution and attempting to distribute meth.