City Weekly June 9, 2022

C I T Y W E E K LY. N E T

JUNE

9,

2022

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VOL.

39

N0.

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FREE

SALT LAKE

I N D E P E N D E N T N E W S PA P E R

BY CAROLYN CAMPBELL

15 A&E

27 DINING

29 CINEMA

32 MUSIC

CONTENTS COVER STORY

OBSESSED When a stalker wouldn’t stop, one victim found help to get her life back.

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By Carolyn Campbell Cover design by Derek Carlisle

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

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SOAP BOX Amend the Amendment

We are all shocked at the events in Uvalde, Texas, and other tragedies around the country. I would like to propose the following response to the issue of gun control. If a constitutional amendment is not meeting the needs of our society, then we the people can and should change it.

The Second Amendment exists to protect the people from government tyranny. It is there to protect property rights.

It is there to protect us from the unlawful actions of others. It is there to ensure that the people are ready to fight at any moment, because they are familiar with weapons and know how to use them.

I believe we need to accomplish the following: If we “ban” specific types of weapons, then those types of weapons

need to be codified in changes to the Second Amendment. And then we ban them for everyone except the military. No one else, including the police, may have access to them.

The people are not going to accept a country where a protected class (politicians and rich people) get to use these weapons for “protection” or where police get to use them against common people who do not have access to them. That won’t work. If they are banned, then they are banned for use in society. Period.

To ensure our population is ready and able to fight a war if/when needed, the changes to the Second Amendment should also include a requirement that citizens reaching the age of 18 complete a three-year stint in the military. That way, everyone will be trained in how to use

@SLCWEEKLY weapons. In addition to combat training, their enlistment might include public service, such as helping to build things in communities like small, temporary homes for the homeless, helping seniors, cleaning up communities, painting and maintenance, and so on.

The changes to the Second Amendment would include specific mandatory sentences and penalties for anyone using a gun in the commission of a crime. And parole must not be available for these mandatory sentences.

There would also need to be mandatory sentences and penalties for anyone possessing a gun that is banned. Parole could be considered for these sentences.

Any changes to the Second Amendment must preserve the rights of people to protect themselves if another person

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is using a gun to commit a crime against them. The people have a right to protect themselves and their property from others using guns.

I believe these changes would go a long way to solving our nation’s issues while preserving the reasons why the Second Amendment was created in the first place.

Another thing to note is that if the changes to the Second Amendment don’t work for our nation, we the people can always change them again and again until they do.

GREG PRESTON West Valley City Care to sound off on a feature in our pages or about a local concern? Write to comments@ cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media. We want to hear from you!

THE BOX

What makes you nostalgic?

Katharine Biele

I can barely look through old photos, especially of my mother and our ancestral family.

Mike Ptaschinski

Going back to my hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. In addition to recalling stories from every street corner and the three buddies I ran with, I once knocked on the door of my childhood home, introduced myself and asked if I could do a walk-thru. It was one of the highlights of my life, going back to see that crackerbox.

Thomas Crone

Every record I grew up on is turning 25 years old, 30, 35, etc. Yikes.

Benjamin Wood

Biking the Jordan River. It takes me back to rolling around Huntsville and Pineview Dam.

Scott Renshaw

I’m nostalgic for the time when I wasn’t thinking about the imminent collapse of the American republic.

Carolyn Campbell

Old movies make me nostalgic. It’s fun to see actors from the past and hear music from other eras. The dialogue is interesting, too.

Eric Granato

Music from the ’90s, especially West Cost hip hop.

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PRIVATE EY

Gun Blight I

t was so long ago that I hardly remember a thing from my first day of grade school at Copperton Elementary located at the mouth of Bingham Canyon. All I know is that sometime in late 1960, I sat down in a chair next to a left-handed fellow, Jim Wankier, and we immediately began to squabble since his lefty arm and my righty arm kept crashing into each other.

It was a rocky start to what would become a lifelong friendship. Jim up and died a couple of years ago, which was a soul adjustment since he was the best athlete in our class.

Eventually, I’d take English classes at Bingham High School from his mother, Elma, who was a fantastic instructor. His dad, Udell, was a legend himself, coaching the 1960 Bingham Miners to the Utah State Basketball Championship.

A couple of chairs away sat Kent Peterson, another lifelong friend. Like Wankier, both of his parents were educators. His mother, Dorothy, taught at Bingham High while his dad, Jim, traversed schools in the valley. Jim Peterson was my little league baseball coach during all those formative years of learning the game. He was a fantastic fellow.

A few seats past Kent sat Russell Crump. His father, too, was an educator and a coach at Bingham High—notably as the coach of many fine Bingham wrestlers, but also as the school’s tennis coach. If you want to know what a real challenge is, try coaching tennis on cracking cement courts with sagging nets to a student body in which only about six kids could afford a tennis racket. But Cal Crump managed.

Our first-grade teacher was Mrs. English. She had majestic white hair and thus was well into her teaching career by the time we arrived. Our classroom was down the hall of a

building extension that wasn’t there when my mother attended the same school in the 1930s. The classroom itself was standard for the era—blackboards and maps covered the walls along with sundry pieces of student artwork.

Our heat came from the clanking steam radiators. We had no air conditioning. The rear windows were curved and overlooked the grand Copperton Yard where rail cars hauling ore taken from the Kennecott Copper Mine were eating away at the once thriving community of Bingham, Utah.

I think we had a bunch of aquariums along those windows.

Or maybe they were terrariums. Next door to our first-grade class, accessed by a short common hall to the shared restrooms, was the second-grade classroom. It looked exactly the same as ours. Maybe it had the aquariums. No matter now. Second grade was taught by Mrs. Stillman, also a fine teacher, and who, like Mrs. English, had white hair. Or gray.

Mrs. Stillman was not a big woman at all; indeed, she was on the slight side. But I remember both Mrs. English and Mrs. Stillman in the same way. They both reminded me of my grandmother.

Therefore, I can’t imagine in the slightest that either of them could have offered much protection to us had some “fatherless” person intent on doing damage to children and teachers barged into Copperton Elementary with so much as a ball peen hammer, let alone an AR-15 rifle. The only weapons Mrs. English and Mrs. Stillman were trained to use were sharp pointers and snappy rulers.

Ours was a single-entry building with a single long hallway that connected the classrooms, library and auditorium—apparently of the type the GOP is currently hyping as necessary for school safety. There were emergency exits here and there but, if a bad guy got inside, he or she could control the entire school from a single vantage point.

If Copperton Elementary were still standing, and a “bad

B Y J O H N S A LTA S @johnsaltas

guy with a gun” got inside, we’d have been goners. Could Mrs. English or Mrs. Stillman have saved us? Hell, no! Mr. Scott up the hall? No way! We would have been sitting ducks.

And as much as I loved and respected the parents of my firstgrade friends, neither can I imagine the Wankier, Crump or Peterson instructors being expected to arm up in order to engage in their chosen profession as educators. It’s not what teachers are trained to do.

All this clamor by the GOP that we need better doors, fewer doors, more guards and the conversion of science labs into MASH triage units is full-fledged bullshit. In the entirety of my school years, I can think of perhaps three teachers who could or would double as a civil military police force and each of those was a World War II or Korean War veteran. On the other hand, I know plenty of veterans who’d rather not pick up a weapon ever again, so that throws it back into the court of arming Mrs. English and Miss Stillman. How stupid is the GOP, anyway? Don’t answer that. We know.

To ask for constructive dialogue regarding gun control is not a call to take anyone’s guns away. With rights come responsibilities. It’s time to treat certain arms the same way we treat other harmful products or substances. Regulate them and the people using them as the Second Amendment already calls for.

However, you know what’s coming. The GOP will soon recommend we arm priests, bishops, busboys, cashiers and the batter dippers at Hot Dog on a Stick. Like doing all of that stopped armed bank robberies.

Our educators need better from our government, for God’s sake. Theirs is a most honorable profession, and it is not upon Mrs. English or Mrs. Stillman to take gunnery classes because our leaders are too partisan, power drunk and weak-kneed to take the necessary steps to protect them. CW Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

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8 | JUNE 9, 2022

HITS&MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

MISS: The Struggle Is Real

It seems to be the politically existential question of the times, but Google has the answer: “Democrats struggle.”

Wonder no more about why they are less than relevant. Democrats struggle “to find footing on violent crime, to turn outrage into action, with the next tax move, between moderates and progressives,” and on and on. The struggle plays out in Utah politics where the Dems decided against fielding a candidate for U.S. Senate, landing instead on the un-partied Evan McMullin. And if you read The Salt Lake Tribune carefully, you’ll see the struggle highlighted in the primary for state Senate. Incumbent Derek Kitchen faces Jennifer Plumb in the classic liberal vs. centrist debate. It’s about how Democrats position themselves in a Republican-dominated state. The Trib called it a Millennial vs. GenX question, but look beyond age, and you’ll see a firebrand facing someone who wants to take it slow.

MISS: Her Way or the Highway

Be warned, Rep. Kera Birkeland, RMorgan, is on the warpath, and teachers are in her sights. Birkeland would like Utah to be a “Don’t Say ‘Gay’” state and is aiming to stop the “transgender phenomenon” cold. She has already managed to pass a law to keep transgender girls from competing in sports.

And by “girls,” we mean one girl, although Birkeland says (without evidence) that there are a lot more. Now, she has sent a letter on official Utah House letterhead to principals, offering resources and help to navigate the state’s transgender “explosion.” A school board candidate and lawmakers like Rep. Elizabeth Weight, D-West Valley, shared her letter in a righteous opposition. The letter, coming from a group that has sued to shield “children from the impacts of gender identity ideology,” was not authorized, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. While Birkeland hopes to end the “social experiment” of teachers conscripting kids, she instead is injecting her own social experiments on unsuspecting teachers.

HIT: The Fairer Sex

If you can’t laugh, you’ll cry. As ludicrous as the messaging seems, conservative media star Matt Walsh is dead serious about finding out what a woman is. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has an answer: “I’m going to tell you right now what is a woman. We came from Adam’s rib. God created us with his hands.

We may be the weaker sex—we are the weaker sex—but we are our partner’s, our husband’s, wife.” The Deseret News gave some space to Walsh’s question, too, in a perspective piece by Jennifer Graham, the publication’s Ideas and Culture editor. She highlighted Walsh’s newly released film What Is a Woman?, a documentary that looks at the flaws of gender ideology that, he says, threaten to “vaporize ideas about sex and gender.” But there’s good news in his popularity. Amazon employees staged a “die-in” during a Pride event to protest sales of Walsh’s “homophobic” books.

CITIZEN REV LT IN A WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Gun Violence Marches

For some unfathomable reason, Americans are still having to March for Our Lives in the face of ongoing gun carnage. Senate Republicans are determined to leave assault weapons on the table—maybe literally on the dining room table—for anyone to brandish and vanquish the fearful masses because of a curious interpretation of the Second Amendment. President Biden’s pleading is falling on the deaf ears of red-state politicians who valiantly protect machismo over the lives of their constituents. There will be marches throughout the country on the anniversary of one of the country’s deadliest mass shootings—the 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. In the capital city, you can join several including March for Our Lives Utah and March for Our Lives Salt Lake City to show your support for commonsense reforms. MFOL/SLC, 350 S. State; MFOL/Utah, West High School, 234 N. 300 West; Saturday, June 11, 12:30 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/3ajD4ts https://bit.ly/3PZ6Ow4

Candidate Forum For Youth

Do you think Mike Lee has a clear path to the U.S. Senate—even against two primary opponents and independent Evan McMullin? If anything, it should be interesting to see if Lee turns up at the Emerging Leaders Initiative of Utah: Utah Senate Candidate Forum. This forum aims to engage young voters between 18 and 35 years old— you know, the ones who will change the face of politics in the future. They are also the least likely to vote and most disinterested in the toxic politics of the day. Lee did attend a forum sponsored by the Utah GOP, but skipped out on one by the independent Utah Debate Commission. If you can’t pass on the questions first, what’s the point of participating? We’ll see if this forum, presented by Zions Bank, is friendly enough for Lee. Zions Bank, 1 S. Main, 18th floor, Thursday, June 9, 6 p.m. Free/register at https://bit.ly/3x8vrOa

‘Affordable’ Housing

Going, going, gone! Salt Lake City is growing so fast that single-family homes are being razed or squeezed out to make room for multi-unit housing. The question is if those developments are really affordable, and if building them does more harm than good.

This Town Hall Meeting on the Affordable Housing Overlay brings together architects, attorneys, real-estate agents and community activists to answer that question. “The Affordable Housing Overlay represents one of the most far-reaching zoning amendments ever proposed in Salt Lake City and will have significant implications for our single family neighborhoods.” Bonneville Elementary School, 1145 S. 1900 East, Thursday, June 9, 6:30 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/3anJJD5

Anti-Racism Series

Take the “White Privilege Test,” and learn why it’s up to white America to solve the problem of racism. “The Black community is critical in giving whites and other nonBlacks the real history and the Black experience.” At Come Meet A Black Person— Anti-Racism Virtual Series, you’ll hear guest speakers and participate in open conversation. Virtual, Sunday, June 12, 1 p.m.

Free/register at https://bit.ly/3ma2bld

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ESSENTIALS

the

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, JUNE 9-15, 2022

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Grow your own.

Information is correct at press time; visit event websites for updates on possible COVID-related cancellations or re-scheduling

Adams’ acrylic and pencil on canvas piece “Jolt,” or Brent Godfrey’s bold acrylic “Dress in the Water.” And sculptural work by Brian Christensen like “Composition in Lime” almost pulse with the image of a circulatory system.

Summer Solstice shows at “A” Gallery (1321 S. 2100 East) June 10 – July 9, with an artist reception Friday, June 17, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.; regular gallery hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The entire exhibition is also available for viewing online at the gallery’s website. Visit agalleryonline for additional information. (Scott Renshaw)

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As we creep up on the longest day of the year, it’s a reminder of everything that summer can be, especially here in Utah. It’s a time of heat and outdoor adventures, of encounters with the arts and encounters with nature. It’s a time of seemingly limitless possibilities—including the seemingly limitless ways that artists can explore the idea of warmth and light, as demonstrated in “A” Gallery’s Summer Solstice group exhibition.

In some cases, the representations of summer are literal and filled with affectionate nostalgia, like Gary Ruddell’s oil on panel work “Study for Lawn Sprinklers” (pictured), capturing a child at play and reveling in the cooling waters. Other pieces depict the regional landscape as it appears during this season, like Gregory Stocks’ oil on canvas “Blue Sky Fireworks,” Emily Robison’s canyonlands scene “Big Red” and Brian Koch’s images of sheep in the fields in “Ascension.” But there are also more abstract conceptions of warmth and light, as seen in David

GARY RUDDELL

“A” Gallery Summer Solstice Group Show

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ESSENTIALS

the

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, JUNE 9-15, 2022

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Information is correct at press time; visit event websites for updates on possible COVID-related cancellations or re-scheduling

event will include plenty of family friendly “arttivities” and food & beer vendors.

The 2022 Ogden Arts Festival takes place at Historic Union Station (2501 Wall Ave., Ogden) on Saturday, June 11 (noon – 9 p.m.) and Sunday, June 12 (noon – 6 p.m.). Admission is $5 general admission (plus electronic ticketing fees) for adults, free for 18 and under. All entry payments will be digital, including onsite payment, so advance ticket purchases are encouraged. Visit ogdenartsfestival.com for tickets, or text 202-858-1233 for a clickable link. (SR)

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Yes, it’s definitely arts festival season, with downtown SLC’s big event just a few weeks away. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait to start enjoying seasonal showcases of visual artists, music, food and general good times.

This weekend brings the Ogden Arts Festival to downtown Ogden, with two days of events and opportunities to get your art on. More than 100 artists will bring their work to the artist marketplace, including 40 participants never before seen at the Ogden Arts Festival and an “emerging artists” showcase area. Two performance stages will highlight live performances by a variety of local and regional musicians, dancers and other performing artists, including two performances by Grassroots Shakespeare Company. The urban arts area includes live graffiti mural creation and skateboard competition. Additional highlights include a Plein Air competition and silent auction on Saturday in conjunction with Eccles Art Center, plus access to Union Station museums including the Railroad Museum and the Browning/Kimball Classic Car Museum. And as always, the

ERIC CHRISTENSEN

Ogden Arts Festival

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ESSENTIALS

the

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, JUNE 9-15, 2022

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Information is correct at press time; visit event websites for updates on possible COVID-related cancellations or re-scheduling

projects like her podcast The Nikki Glaser Podcast, hosting the HBO Max reality dating series FBoy Island, and the E! reality series Welcome Home, Nikki Glaser? You can get a live dose of Nikki when she stops in at Kingsbury Hall (1395 E. Presidents Circle) on Friday, June 10 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $48.25, with VIP meet-and-greet packages available.

Visit artstickets.utah.edu for tickets and additional event information. (SR)

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JUNE 9, 2022 | 15

Utah law professor and human rights advocate Erika George (pictured); poet/journalist Melissa Bond; entertainment entrepreneur Shaadie; and Stephanie Larsen, CEO of the LGBTQ+ resource center Encircle.

TEDx Salt Lake City comes to Granite Park Junior High School (3031 S. 200 East) on Saturday, June 11 beginning at 9 a.m.

Tickets for the full-day event run from $21.21 - $108.05, which includes lunch from one of several participating food trucks and free parking. Visit TEDxSaltLakeCity.com for tickets and additional speaker and event information. (SR)

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TK

TEDx Salt Lake City “Thank you for coming to my TED Talk” has become a jokey meme for anyone laying out their ideas and philosophy, but like anything that seeps into the popular consciousness, the history is often lost or largely unknown.

The concept that became TED was born nearly 40 years ago, when architect Richard Saul Wurman began to notice unique convergences developing between technology, entertainment and design (hence the TED). And just to give you a sense of how long ago that original TED conference was, they were discussing such then-cutting-edge concepts as “the compact disc” and “e-books.”

Flash forward to 2022, and TED is a worldwide enterprise with satellite conferences taking place in multiple cities annually. This week’s TEDx Salt Lake City conference, like most of those satellite conferences, is an independent, locally-organized event that brings in a variety of speakers to talk about their unique areas of expertise and “ideas worth spreading.” The lineup of 15 participants is scheduled to include Refugee Soccer founder Adam Miles; University of

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It’s hard to believe that Nikki Glaser has already been doing standup for more than half of her life—but then again, you get a pretty good head start on the competition if you launch your career as a teenager. She made two appearances on Last Comic Standing and started making the usual late-night talk show rounds, but television could only do justice to Nikki Glaser so far, because when she decides to get real, it’s not the kind of stuff the FCC would approve of.

That much is clear from her most recent full-length special, the 2019 Netflix show Bangin’, in which she launches right into it with a bit about that moment as a girl when you learn about the concept of performing oral sex on a man. “I knew that sex was a thing, that a penis would go in my vagina some day,” she says. “But … I don’t have taste buds down there. Like, stick whatever you want down there, who cares? But my mouth?

That’s where candy goes. I can’t believe you would put a dick there.”

Like most comedians, Glaser endured a COVID-necessitated performance hiatus, but has come back strong with

LUKE SCHWARZ

Nikki Glaser

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A&E

Identity Matters

In Mestiza, or Mixed, Melissa Leilani Larson digs into her own biracial heritage.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

W

hen I ask playwright Melissa Leilani Larson whether it’s a good or a bad thing to be fielding questions about racial identity when it comes to her play Mestiza, or Mixed, she acknowledges that the question itself gets at the complex relationship she has with her own racial identity. And the play is a way of wrestling with that relationship.

“I feel like I’m in this in-between place,” Larson says. “Because of my mixed identity, I’m coming to terms with being more comfortable identifying myself as a BIPOC person.”

Larson’s own mixed heritage—a white father born and raised in the U.S. in Southern Utah, and a Filipino mother—forms part of the foundation of Mesitza, or Mixed.

The playwright creates a counterpart for herself in the protagonist Lark Timon, a struggling filmmaker whose career, defined mostly by disappointment, could get a big break, but one that forces her to confront questions about her identity.

There’s a bit of irony in the fact that Mestiza appears in the middle of a Plan-B Theatre Company season that artistic director Jerry Rapier has promoted as the first ever by a Utah company entirely consisting of new work by playwrights of color. Rapier

himself had a role in encouraging Larson to create the play at all, she says, when she was talking with him about feeling like she was in that “in-between place.”

“We first started talking about it at the beginning of the pandemic,” Larson recalls. “He said, ‘You should put it in a play, it’ll be great.’ … Sometimes good theater is about being vulnerable. But I was thinking, ‘I’m writing drama, and my life is boring.’”

Crafting the narrative of Mestiza did require her to “create some drama for the sake of drama,” Larson says, but much of it did come from a very personal place. She acknowledges that creating something that was so much closer to her autobiographically—unlike many of her theatrical and screenplay projects, which often involved historical figures—presented unique challenges.

“The cutting of that vein stings a little more when you know the people,” Larson says. “It’s more about me, and do have parallels between me and Lark. But some of [the difficulty] was, ‘that’s my family,’ and that’s really hard. … It’s tricky, because while I think it’s probably okay to write about myself once I get over that, it’s not as easy to write about people who are close to me in the same way.”

It’s important for her to note, however, that autobiography can only be the start of something if it’s going to tell a story that an audience can connect with. Connect everything too much with yourself, as a writer, and you’ve missed a chance to dig deeper.

“When you’re writing a character, the creation of that character is a very personal thing. Sometimes part of the drafting process is asking, ‘What would I do in this situation?’ Sometimes it’s just a place-holder; we don’t want all characters to be me. …

It’s about fleshing out the world, and making everything as real as possible. I tried to take what I felt was real, and go past that place to make something else, and make that experience real for the audience.”

NICK STONE

THEATER

Part of creating a distinct world for Lark in Mestiza was de-emphasizing the playwright’s own identity as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Faith has played a role in many of her other works, including her screenplays for Freetown and Jane and Emma, and Larson has proven adept at approaching the subject of faith in ways that aren’t simplistic or cheerleading for her church. For Mestiza, however, wanted to keep the focus on other elements of her identity. “I think you could make the argument that this family shares my faith,” she says, “but it didn’t affect this story, so it didn’t come up.”

Instead, Mestiza stayed true to its roots in talking about the parts of her identity that aren’t always easy to define simply.

The complexity of lines between races, especially when it comes to people of mixedrace backgrounds, which is why Larson says it sometimes feels simplistic to her when people use the phrase “representation matters” related to artistic works.

“That’s a phrase that’s getting thrown around a lot now, and I am glad we’re seeing more directors and actors of color coming to the forefront and telling stories,” she

Playwright Melissa Leilani Larson says. “Sometimes it feels like, when we’re talking about race, which is so nuanced and complicated for a lot of people, that very complicated issue is boiled down to the simplest common denominator.

“When people talk about representation mattering, I never really expected that, because I don’t see people that look like me. … When I think about my family, I haven’t really seen a family that looks like mine [portrayed in art], so maybe I have to build it myself.” CW

MESTIZA, OR MIXED

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BY CAROLYN CAMPBELL

More than 7 million people are stalked each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Even still, Alexandra Allen, assistant director of the Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic, says that stalking is a crime that’s hard to understand. As a result, it’s hard to prove.

Stalkers are people who are obsessed with another person, Allen said, and while their behaviors are often related to a prior romantic connection, “I’ve seen plenty of cases where there was no real relationship.”

“Stalking crosses all boundaries,” Allen added. “A stalker or a victim could be someone’s boss, coworker, friend, teacher, professor or all sorts of random things.”

Croyle, of South Salt Lake Police, said that involving law enforcement often helps to compel a harasser to back off.

JUNE 9, 2022 | 19

Erica said. “This was her private, personal Instagram account. It let me know that he knew where I worked and knew who I worked with. He had studied my social-media presence and everything public that was out there.”

Stalking can begin with something as simple as a rose left on a windshield. But, the legal definition of stalking requires a combination of incidents that cause concern or fear, explains Danielle Croyle, executive officer with South Salt Lake Police Department.

“The first time something happens, and you know it shouldn’t happen, call us with the date and time,” Croyle said. “Keep whatever is presented—such as flowers or a card. If several incidents occur and are all documented, it makes a stronger case to push

Crossing Boundaries

| CITY WEEKLY |

He added Erica’s email address to his own REI account, even though she had left their relationship in 2016. When the two had been together, they spoke of visiting Norway and Switzerland, then backpacking through Europe.

“Adding me to his account was his way of saying, ‘I’m doing the European backpack trip with someone else,’” said Erica (whose name has been changed here). “His goal is to get me to reach out to him.”

Instead, she hit delete.

Then she contacted REI to remove her email address from his membership account. But a week later, “The Stalker” sent Erica’s deskmate at work a “follow” request on Instagram, using the handle of his side business account.

“I was weirded out—they have no friends in common,”

it toward prosecution.”

Stalkers may follow their victims to work, school, home and social gatherings. In addition, there may be continuous phone calls, texts, emails or social-media harassment and threats, says Kendra Wyckoff, executive director of Peace House, a victim-services organization in Park City.

She adds that a stalker might vandalize a victim’s car, break into her home or leave notes in places where he knows she will find them.

“Abusive partners can also use Apple AirTags or other small GPS devices to track a person by placing them inside of a victim’s vehicle, purse or something they own,” Wyckoff warns.

Erica said that in her case, the stalking behavior had persisted ever since she left the relationship. “There were only occasional periods of reprieve,” she said. “I didn’t initiate formal action until this behavior came to my work.”

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rica S. didn’t buy anything listed on the REI receipt that landed in her email. Instead, it was her stalker who chose the silky sleeping-bag liner, women’s underwear and European plug outlet.

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22 | JUNE 9, 2022

“When you are dealing with a stalker, you need evidence,” says Alexandra Allen, of the Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic.

COURTESY PHOTO

“Many stalkers initially fail to see their behavior as a crime,” she said. “But once they realize they can’t do that or they will get arrested, they don’t do it again.”

Through her own experiences and from reading scientific articles about the types of stalking personalities, Allen believes that stalkers tend to react in one of two ways. “They stop once they realize their behavior is unwanted,” she said, “or they never stop.”

Erica met The Stalker while working in an academic setting where he was a faculty member. They ended up together in a meeting. Twenty minutes after it ended, he contacted her, saying he wanted to know more about the work she did with the homeless.

“We had a great first meeting. We clicked,” Erica said. “But as someone with a background in psychology, he knew exactly what I needed to hear at that moment.”

The Stalker had left a long-term relationship. And soon after their first meeting, he said he wanted to see Erica socially. “I told him I was newly separated, going through a divorce and not in a position to see him,” she said.

At the time, Erica was pursuing a college education that she hadn’t sought earlier because of a troubled home life.

“I ran away a lot and didn’t usually live at home,” she said. “My dad moved to another state when I was a junior. I was on my own often from the time I was 14.”

She adds, “When you live that lifestyle, there is little support.”

Erica found herself couch surfing, sleeping in boats in people’s driveways, in houses under construction and holing up in gas-station bathrooms. “I would hear about a party where I knew I could crash,” she said. “At one such party, I was assaulted.”

Her parents immediately put her into counseling, where she was diagnosed with PTSD. “After receiving that mental-health diagnosis as an adolescent, I learned how to manage it really well,” she said. “It is chronic, something I will live with daily for my entire life.”

Some people, says Erica, use mentalhealth diagnoses to stigmatize others.

She believes her PTSD made her appear vulnerable in The Stalker’s eyes. “He used that as a weapon the entire time we were together,” Erica said. “There were times when he would literally say, ‘I am the psychology professor, and you are the patient.’”

Stalking often co-occurs with intimate partner violence, which can be how a person tries to exert power and control over another individual, says Y WCA Prevention Program Director Jess Burnham. According to Burnham, stalkers seek to control victims using intimidation, making threats and isolating the person or thinking that their victim will be easy to control when they are separated from their support systems.

Burnham recalls a situation in which

a guide at the Y WCA Salt Lake Family Justice Center helped a woman after her neighbor broke into her home. The survivor explained she had already filed a police report for stalking and harassment. And like many stalking victims, this woman knew the perpetrator and lived near him.

The neighbor had followed her while she walked her dog, constantly bumping into her on her walk down the street. Finally, the behavior escalated to his breaking-in and entering her home while she was in the shower.

While the majority of cases involve a male perpetrator and female victim, experts caution that stalking is a form of progressive violence and abuse that spans the gender and racial spectrum. Burnham recalled a male client seeking Family Justice Center services who identified his wife as a stalker, forcing him to get a new phone and move to a different apartment. Although they were separated, the wife threatened to send men to hurt her ex and ruin his business dealings.

No matter the relationship, stalkers can use verbal and financial abuse to manipulate the person they’re targeting, “A core part of stalking is instilling fear,” Burnham said.

“It only becomes more complicated when a person might have children with this individual or be economically dependent on this individual.”

No Turning Back

Five days before Erica and her children moved in with him, The Stalker disclosed that her name wouldn’t be on the house mortgage, nor would she have a lease. “He gave us no protection from being kicked out if he wanted,” Erica’s daughter wrote in a letter.

While they lived together as a couple, The Stalker told Erica there was a gun in the house, but he wouldn’t tell her where it was. And she wasn’t allowed to set up her own computer in their shared living quarters. She recalls him saying, “That’s just taking up more house space.”

At the time, when Erica had the remainder of one semester left to graduate from college, The Stalker would lock her out of their home office, preventing her from completing and turning in her coursework on time, she said. And there were occasions when he parked his car in a way that blocked her vehicle inside the garage.

“I would have to ride a bike to Rose Park, and I would be 30 minutes late,” she said.

When Erica questioned such behaviors, The Stalker would respond that punishment is supposed to be unpleasant. “This

“His love bombing is manipulative and disingenuous. I don’t think there was anything real about the partner I thought was great. The real person is the abuser.”

—Erica

is how you learn,” she recalls him saying. “He punished me so that I would behave in a way he thought was pleasing.”

Erica admits that people might wonder why she stayed in such a relationship for any time at all. She explains that, earlier in the relationship, they would have a big argument once every month or so, “where he would have me crying in a corner.” It would take her days to recover.

Those arguments would be followed by a period of emotional “deprivation,” Erica described, followed by a renewed bout of attentiveness and support. “You grieve the loss of this person,” she described, which would be followed by a sort of honeymoon phase “where it’s like you are in a new relationship and the perfect partner is back.”

“Then they disappear,” she said, “and the monster is there again.”

Over time, Erica said, the cycles became shorter. “There is no longer any false hope that I romanticize anything about him,” she said. “I know his love bombing is manipulative and disingenuous. I don’t think there was anything real about the partner I thought was great. The real person is the abuser.”

Erica spoke with the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, asking for advice on safely leaving the relationship. She outlined her concerns. “I explained that he was uniquely capable of creating a situation where I was incapacitated,” she said. “He would get me crying in a corner very quickly, and I couldn’t do much. Now, I was terrified that I wouldn’t make it out the door.”

But on the day he chased her young son down the stairs and cornered him in his room, she knew there was no turning back.

The Domestic Violence Coalition helped Erica create a strategy where she kept her essential documents—such as birth certificates—in a safe that she kept in her car. She also packed emergency clothes.

She and her children left under the pretense that her relationship with The Stalker would continue and that the furnished home she bought in Southern Utah would be theirs when they both retired. “I left behind my entire investment in the house and almost all of my furniture,” she said. Weeks later, Erica’s father hired movers to help her retrieve the family furniture. After they loaded the truck, he told her ex, “We expect you to stay away from her now.”

But, she adds, “Before we left, my dad reached out to shake The Stalker’s hand, in what looked like a weird gentleman’s agreement.” Despite the shared handshake, the stalking started almost immediately.

Erica moved across the state to get away from her stalker. “I didn’t want him anywhere near me. But he began to think of

Peace House executive director Kendra Wyckoff warns that stalkers can use commercial GPS devices like Apple AirTags to track victims.

| CITY WEEKLY |

JUNE 9, 2022 | 23

Erica eventually felt safe moving back to northern Utah, although she decided not to return to Salt Lake City. She landed a job near the University of Utah and, before long, she saw a woman going through a new-hire orientation whom she had seen hiking with The Stalker.

“It took my breath away,” Erica recalls.

Later, she thought, “That is his girlfriend, and she got a job at my work. He’s here. He found a way. It didn’t matter that I had a police report going back a month and a half.”

The Stalker came to the office, had lunch with his girlfriend and attended events. Security camera footage revealed him milling around Erica’s office door. “He lingered for an uncomfortable time, standing on his tippy-toes looking in,” she said.

“He was there on a visit with his girlfriend and her family.”

Erica talked with her boss, explaining that she was uncomfortable with this person. But she said she had no problem with The Stalker’s girlfriend working there. “I didn’t want to diminish any of her opportunities; I ran on the assumption that she is also a victim.”

Erica’s boss referred her to the Office of Equal Opportunity, which said that it made sense that she didn’t want to work with her former abuser there.

“They said, ‘You can go home when he is there.’ They created a work-from-home agreement,” Erica said. “But I didn’t want to work from home—I didn’t want him at my work.”

She was then referred to victim advocates at the University of Utah, who referred her to the Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic, which provides free legal representation to crime vic-

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Gathering Evidence

tims when victims’ rights are at stake. “We represent victims of crime in criminal cases and protection orders,” says Allen.

Allen felt that Erica had accumulated sufficient evidence to seek a stalking injunction. “When you are dealing with a stalker, you need evidence,” Allen said. “The stories sound scary, and the victim feels crazy.”

But Allen added that Erica is smart and calculated and focused on what could be proven, which bolstered her case.

“Later on, when we were deep into this, it blew my mind even more,” Allen said. “I would think, ‘we could have included this, or we could have included that.’ The more I learned, I knew this man decided to stalk Erica because he had lost control.”

Allen also understood when Erica followed her gut instinct and decided to pursue a cease-and-desist order instead of a stalking injunction because it would be less intrusive than the court process. “A cease-and-desist order, filed with the court, sets a strong boundary,” says Allen.

She explains that it’s easier for a police officer to enforce the law with such an order in place, “because part of their case is already there. There has already been a notice not to contact the person.” As a victim advocate, Allen helped Erica craft her cease-and-desist letter, stating that The Stalker was already informed to stop contacting Erica several years earlier.

Yet, he had ignored this request by contacting her and her children, friends, coworkers as well as the places where she worked. In one instance, after Erica and her current boyfriend marked their remote hiking location on the Strava app, The Stalker appeared there. He approached her daughter at a Bernie Sanders rally. He entered employees-only areas where Erica worked the day he located her office.

The Stalker hired an attorney who sent a rebuttal to the cease-and-desist order. It listed several reasons Erica would not prevail in seeking a stalking injunction against him, such as the idea that their lives would naturally intersect because of their past relationship and the reality that they both work in academia. In addition, the attorney stated that she felt Erica would never be able to prove that any of The Stalker’s actions could cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or suffer emotional distress.

The attorney’s response included a mutual restraining order, which Erica did not sign. Erica explained that The Stalker had admitted in writing to coming to her work more than once and reaching out to her coworkers for “collaborations.”

“Making me and my requests seem crazy is the only way he could keep bulldozing my boundaries and forcing his way into the life I created for myself after I dissolved our relationship,” Erica said.

When his girlfriend’s temporary job in Erica’s office ended, The Stalker continued reaching out to Erica’s colleagues for collaborations. In one instance, Erica had booked an advance appointment for the day after Thanksgiving where she planned to accompany people who wanted to tour her organization.

“I checked and saw that the girlfriend was on the schedule with The Stalker at the same time,” she said, which prompted her to reschedule her appointments.

Allen and others from UCVLC filed documents and gathered witness statements in preparation for a hearing to consider banning The Stalker from the University of Utah. And in October 2020, the presiding officer ruled that evidence showed that The Stalker created a disruptive environment for Erica at her place of employment.

“I believe that you knew or should have known the impact you had on [Erica] ... including entering workspace not open to the general public—particularly in light of the tumultuous history of your relationship with Erica,” the officer stated. A no-trespass order was granted.

Today, Erica fears The Stalker will come back to her if she reveals their real names. She says his behavior was bolder and more overt during the first few instances, with later encounters designed to appear unplanned and accidental.

“Because I refused to ruminate on him or our past, I ignored him and hit delete,” she said. “Then he got clever and started disguising the behavior behind coincidences, honest mistakes and overlapping professional interests.”

Eleven days after The Stalker responded to the cease-and-desist order that UCVLC submitted on Erica’s behalf, her colleague received an invitation to meet with one of The Stalker’s professional associates. “She reached out to two of my colleagues through this partner organization no fewer than four times following the cease-and-desist notice, including once three days after the no-trespass order was issued,” says Erica. “She also asked to be introduced to other employees at my work in one email.”

Another meeting request was sent on the same day that someone smashed Erica’s mailbox.

Erica says she has experienced no further stalking incidents since May 11, 2021. “I am grateful, and I want it to stay that way,” she said. “Like me, I am sure he does not want this terrible experience to define him.”

She says that her family and friends are safest when The Stalker is doing well.

“For our safety and the safety of those around him, I genuinely hope he can move on and live his life healthily and productively. Just nowhere near me, my friends or my family,” she said. “I have a right to a life without this man in it.” CW

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

the house in Southern Utah as ‘our’ house,” she said. “He started showing up with bags of my stuff. A lot of it was broken.”

A photo of a cherished aunt was smashed, which he claimed was an accident while driving. She had also spent a lot of time and money on a vintage bike that was a collector’s item, but, “he stripped it and dropped off the frame,” she said. “When I asked why he did that, he said, ‘Because you weren’t there.’”

Allen, of the Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic, said that while behavior like The Stalker’s when he and Erica lived together could be termed abusive, it wouldn’t be described as stalking until after she left the relationship. But after Erica and her children moved, she said her daughter received a manipulative email trying to arrange a family meeting so he could deliver a gift. Instead, she responded from her mother’s account (with expletives) telling him to leave her mother alone.

Right to a Life

COURTESY PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO

“The first time something happens, and you know it shouldn’t happen, call us with the date and time,” says South Salt Lake Police executive officer Danielle Croyle.

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ALEX SPRINGER

The new Sugar House taqueria De Los Muertos is a must for summer dining.

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JUNE 9, 2022 | 25

AT A GLANCE

PATIO IS OPEN!

| CITY WEEKLY |

t seems like every time I check in and see how Sugar House is doing, there is some great new restaurant to enjoy. My favorites of these new places are those who take advantage of the neighborhood’s walkability and its unique, vibrant culture—those that add more color to the city instead of taking it away.

During my last visit to Sugar House, I swung by the lovely new plaza near the Whole Foods on Wilmington Avenue that contains plenty of casual and patio-accessible dining options. Deciding which spot to try first was difficult, but the stylized candy skull grinning at me from above the doors of De Los Muertos (1215 Wilmington Avenue, Ste. 104, 801-869-1006) ended up winning me over.

Excellent décor aside, De Los Muertos has a lot to offer the casual wanderer of Sugar House’s main drag. A patio filled with colorful chairs and plenty of seating welcomes those looking for some summer lovin’ like birria, mole and cold cerveza with a tequila chaser. Once inside, diners can take advantage of the digital kiosk to make their orders, and then take a table marker wherever they’d like to sit. I’ve been seeing this tablet-based approach more often— thanks, COVID—but honestly, I kind of like it. My social skills have taken a pronounced

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BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

Los Muertos for the first time, this is the best way to break yourself in.

For those looking for more of a grab-andgo kind of burrito, I’d recommend the Los Muertos Carne Asada Burrito ($11.50). It’s packed with carne asada, bacon, tomatillo salsa and a hefty dose of guacamole. This is another one that showcases how talented De Los Muertos is at balancing flavors and textures. I’ve gotten plenty of dry carne asada burritos, but that tomatillo salsa and guacamole really livens the whole thing up.

It’s an excellent entry for Utah’s burrito database.

I also snagged a few tacos while I was in, and they’ve got enough depth and breadth to hang with their burrito cousins. The birria taco ($5.25) is a stellar entry, with its tender beef birria coming at you with a 24hour braise and paired with oodles of melty cheese. De Los Muertos has plenty of great recipes made with Impossible ground beef, so I decided to give the El Rey Mysterio Taco ($5.25) a go. Its chipotle lime crema, shredded lettuce and pico de gallo make this one a much lighter taco option, and the well-seasoned Impossible ground beef does a great job of adding some heft to the taco. Fans of plant-based tacos and burritos are definitely in for a good time at De Los Muertos.

While I am looking forward to spending a bit more time in this Wilmington Avenue dining plaza, I am glad that I started things off with De Los Muertos. Summertime and tacos are two inseparable concepts in my mind, so having a cool taqueria with ample patio seating in the heart of Sugar House is a definite win. CW

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

Dead Sexy

nosedive over the past few years—thanks again, COVID. Once you punch in your order, you can hang out either inside or out—though the patio is a bit more spacious than the interior. At the moment, the menu is quite a cozy affair consisting of just a few appetizers like chips with loaded queso ($10) or creamy guacamole ($11), some traditional melty tacos and a nice variety of overstuffed burritos. De Los Muertos also has a decent variety of cocktails for those in need of some stronger stuff with their traditional Mexican favorites, though the beer and tequila shot ($9) are always a safe bet.

I think the current star of the menu is the Abuela’s Smothered Chicken Mole Burrito ($12.50). It’s the dish that best reflects the ancestral respect that De Los Muertos is trying to capture with its menu, and it’s a hell of a good burrito. For those who have been bewitched by the rich flavors and colorful heritage of mole, this hits all the right notes. The shredded chicken on the inside gets a braise with the mole before being stuffed into a flour tortilla with a few slathers of refried black beans. Then it gets topped with an additional helping of mole, melted cheese and a chipotle lime crema.

The plate is hot when it comes to your table, providing a nostalgic reminder of the mom-and-pop Mexican food spots that I grew up with. The burrito also comes with some pico de gallo, shredded romaine lettuce, pickled onions and sliced radishes for a fresh crunch.

De Los Muertos definitely does right by their mole. It’s a dark, luxurious brew that captures the unique balance of smoky, chocolatey and nutty that makes mole sing.

I’ve had mole burritos that fail to let the sauce do all of the talking, but the mix of shredded chicken and refried black beans inside really complements the mole instead of overwhelming it. If you’re headed to De

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

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26 | JUNE 9, 2022

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2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: Feelin’ Hazy

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: Bougie Johnny’s Rose

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Orange Honey Wheat

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Pina Colada Hard Cider

Squatters 147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Ogden River Brewing 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

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

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: British Mild

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: Veni Vidi BiBi- Italian Pilsner

Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Yelling At Clouds IPA

Red Rock Brewing Multiple Locations RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Mango Lil Shaky IPA

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Fisher Beer

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Blonde, Belgian Blonde

Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Stonewall Sour Saison

SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Mobius Trip Sour aged on Utah Tart Cherries

Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Throwing Smoke Smoked Porter

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Hazy Pale Ale 5% Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Tropic Like It’s Hot (Hawaiian Punch) Sour Ale

Strap Tank Brewery Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Edel Pils Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Kingslayer Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Love Punch Hefe (proceeds to Project Rainbow) Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

The Summer of the Radler

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

MIKE RIEDEL

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The term “radler” originates with a drink called Radlermass (literally “cyclist liter”).

In June 1922, a pub owner by the name of Franz Kugler created a bicycle trail from Munich through the woods, which led directly to his drinking establishment. One day, after being overrun by hordes of cyclists, Kugler decided to mix his house hefeweizen with lemon soda to keep from running out of beer. It was a huge hit with the thirsty bicyclists, and the rest is history. For the 100th anniversary of the radler, Schöfferhofer now has four new versions of the popular low-alcohol beverage, just in time for the heat of summer.

Now before we get lost in the minutiae of the tasting notes, these are not really hefeweizens. Any reviews stating “it’s basically half flavoring” or complaining about how “soda-like” they are ... those criticisms are, for the most part accurate. That being said, in a world of milkshake IPAs and pasty stouts, these are really not that strange. All of these beers are brand-new to Utah, and are a 50/50 blend of hefeweizen and their individual juices.

Schöfferhofer - Passion Fruit: As expected, the liquid is super cloudy, dark yellow to light orange in hue. Pure passion fruit nose, dripping juicy sweetness to the left and right, with maybe a few yeast or lees-like notes, leading you to believe there’s some spicy or earthy elements crushed below all the citrus. It has very nice life, and lingers well. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied, has the extra zip in the carbonation to keep its legs moving on the treadmill and keep the overall experience

fresh.

Schöfferhofer - Pomegranate: The second release pours very cloudy with an attractive purple hue. Pomegranate features very prominently, backed up with lighter wheat-type scents. A very sweet taste with prominent pom includes minimal to no hop bitterness, although there is a bitterness associated with the pomegranate flavor. Some tartness emerges, but it would benefit from more sour to offset the sweet. There’s also a bit of subdued banana, even lighter spice/ clove. It’s not particularly complex, but I do enjoy the quality of the fruitiness.

Schöfferhofer - Juicy Pineapple: The latest addition to the Schöfferhofer lineup debuted weeks ago. Haze is impenetrable near the top, although pastel lemon edges allow some inhibited clarity in spots. The smell is intensely fruity, and this is also the freshest-tasting radler so far. I usually go to hopped-up IPAs for my pineapple, but this smells considerably more authentically fruity. I do sense a touch of the sharp, cutting acidity of the pineapple, but more so I’m reminded of a Starburst chewy candies and Popsicles.

Schöfferhofer - Wild Cherry: I don’t think you have to like cherries to find this appealing. You do taste it, but the beer has a tart cherry flavor in the more general sense. The tartness is cutting, but only as much as it is with a cherry punch. The taste is fine, though I almost wish it left a little more aftertaste. Say what you will, but there’s nothing wrong with this beer. I can see something like this being very popular with a number of crowds, including the masses of Germans who can recognize good beer, appreciate a proper hefeweizen, but prefer it cut with less fruit syrup. This would work well as an “alcopop malternative” with the seltzer crowd.

All of these new Schöfferhofer offerings are not technically difficult to get into; they all deliver on the fruits promised. They dial in at 2.5 percent ABV, which makes them perfect for recreating. These newer brands can also be found in slim 12-ounce cans, and are at most grocery stores in the state.

Also check out Schöfferhofer’s original grapefruit flavor. This is the one that put radlers back on the map in North America.

As always, prost! CW

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Films on Food at Farms Debut

Slow Food Utah (slowfoodutah.org), Plant Based Utah (plantbasedutah.org), Wasatch Community Gardens (wasatchgardens.org) and the Utah Film Center (utahfilmcenter.org) have teamed up to create Films on Food at Farms, a summer movie night that celebrates films, food and—you guessed it—farms. The debut event will feature an outdoor screening of Follow the Drinking Gourd, a 2019 documentary that covers the Black food justice movement. The screening takes place at the new Wasatch Community Gardens campus (629 E. 800 South), and attendees are welcome to bring picnics or order something from Spice Kitchen (spicekitchenincubator.org), which will deliver meals to the gardens.

Zulu Piri Piri Chicken Grille Expands

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One of my favorite Utah County Restaurants, Zulu Piri Piri Chicken Grille (zulugrille.com), recently opened its second location in South Jordan (10709 Redwood Road, 801-913-1155). This location is still in soft opening mode, so it’s only open from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On the other hand, it does have a drive-through, and so far the team has been pretty speedy with their orders. In addition to serving up tasty chicken with fiery piri piri sauce, Zulu Grille donates a portion of every meal sold to their charitable partners in South Africa which help combat human trafficking in that area of the world.

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Though Flourish Bakery (752 W. Center St., Midvale) took a lot of hits and kept standing, the past few years were enough to force this local bakery, sadly, to close up shop. Flourish was an immense force for good in Utah.

It offered paid internships for people who were recently released from prison, and struggling with addiction and other substance abuse issues. These internships helped reduce recidivism and develop the professional skills among its interns and sought to put their needs above the needs of the organization until the very end. We want to thank Flourish for everything it’s done for the community over the past five years.

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FILM REVIEW

Cause and Effect

Benediction wrestles with portraying a life impacted by two large traumas.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

R

deals with Siegfried’s PTSD-before-it-wascalled-PTSD. Davies’ filmmaking gifts are on best display during the sequences when he illustrates Siegfried’s war poems with archival footage of soldiers in the trenches, or as stacked corpses. In theory, the haunting wartime experiences that drove Siegfried to risk being executed as a deserter should drive much of what comes later, except that the middle hour of Benediction finds that idea disappearing almost entirely as the narrative moves through his various lovers on the way towards his eventual marriage to socialite Hester Gatty (Kate Phillips).

That tension between the two driving forces on Siegfried’s psychology grows even more complicated when Davies occasionally flashes forward to Siegfried in the later years of his life (played by Peter Capaldi), including a conversion to Catholicism and a difficult relationship with his son, George (Richard Goulding). The Siegfried that we see during those scenes is deeply unhappy, seemingly incapable of interacting with anyone else, but Davies isn’t particularly keen on connecting the dots to make it clear how much of that unhappiness is connected to war trauma, and how much of it is connected to denying his sexuality.

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Of course, a neat and tidy answer shouldn’t be necessary, and it’s not the only thing going on in Benediction This is a beautifully crafted film, full of sly bits of dialogue as Siegfried interacts with the witty set of Jazz Age England. And the performances are uniformly terrific, notably Irvine’s caddish Novello and Daniels’ kindly doctor. As viewers, however, we long for a sense of understanding the characters who are presented to us, even if that understanding is an oversimplification.

Benediction closes on Siegfried alone on a park bench, collapsing into tears. Is he crying over lost lives? Lost loves? A little bit of both? There are probably no easy answers there, but it’s hard not to want a little more answer of some kind. CW

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continues pursuing his writing, along with fellow poet Wilfred Owen (Matthew Tennyson), and also where he acknowledges for the first time his struggles with “the love that dare not speak its name.”

In a sense, this is Davies’ second version of a very similar kind of film biography— following his 2016 Emily Dickinson biopic A Quiet Passion—about an emotionally isolated poet wrestling with unconventional views on relationships and sexuality. Both could be viewed as ways for Davies to wrestle in his art with his own publicly-stated conflicted views about his own homosexuality, and Benediction spends plenty of time exploring Siegfried’s various relationships, most notably with composer/ actor Ivor Novello (Jeremy Irvine) and his tubercular companion Stephen Tennant (Calam Lynch). Yet neither of those relationships is quite as compelling on screen as Siegfried’s sessions with his therapist, Dr. Rivers (Ben Daniels), during which an unexpected spiritual kinship emerges.

Atypically for Davies, it sometimes feels like he’s running through a checklist of relationships he needs to portray, rather than finding the nugget of the character that is most intriguing.

A lot of that most intriguing material

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eal human lives are more complicated than movie lives; it shouldn’t need to be said, yet it always bears keeping in mind. Movie biographies generally need to reduce, reduce, reduce to create a demi-glace of experience, and in the process can over-simplify everything.

It was all about her relationship with her mother! Or her husband! That one traumatic event defines everything that came afterward for our hero! And so on.

Terence Davies is one of the most talented filmmakers of the past 40 years, yet he’s facing a unique narrative challenge in something like Benediction. In capturing the story of real-life British poet Siegfried Sassoon, Davies was going to have to wrestle with two crucial components of Sassoon’s experience: his time as a soldier during World War I, and being a closeted homosexual. Is it possible to paint a human portrait with enough nuance that it’s clear what part of which of those things shaped who he became?

Benediction opens in 1914, with young Siegfried (Jack Lowden) preparing to head off to war with a casual enough manner that it appears he’s more concerned about the cut and stylishness of his uniform than anything else. Yet eventually Siegfried is moved to make a statement criticizing the British government’s prosecution of the war, and manages to dodge a court-martial only by being committed to a psychiatric hospital in Edinburgh. There, Siegfried

A Journey in Sound

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Nabil Ayers’ magical, musical life included key time in SLC

BY THOMAS CRONE tcrone@cityweekly.net

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t’s said that our years in middle- and high school go a long way to determining who we wind up becoming as adults. If so, Nabil Ayers has Salt Lake baked into at least part of his personality and his beyond-impressive musical résumé.

Then known as Nabil Braufman, Ayers moved to Salt Lake exactly 40 years ago, as the 10-year-old son of a single mom. Born in New York and spending time in Massachusetts, Ayers and his family came to settle here due to his mother’s job transfer with American Express; in time, his uncle, the famed jazz player Alan Braufman, would spend good chunks of his life here, as well.

Attending Wasatch Elementary School, Bryant Middle School and East High School, Ayers enjoyed the ’80s as a true son of Salt Lake.

By the time he hit East, just a few years after the mildly-fictionalized antics of SLC Punk, he was washing dishes at a café, attending punk shows at The Speedway, running cross-country, browsing at the Cosmic Aeroplane and Raunch Records and forming his first “real” band. Typical kid stuff, in some respects, but unique in Ayers’ case.

“I was a 10-year-old, half-black kid from New York City with a single mother, which was really not the norm in Salt Lake City back then,” Ayers says. “I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect.”

On one of the pair’s first nights in town, Ayers and his mom took a walk from their downtown hotel, catching the band Journey at the Salt Palace. The band was riding huge fame at the time, and the night stuck with him, a sort of breakthrough in a new community.

“We flew to Salt Lake to check it out,” he recalls, “and stayed at the Marriott, which was brand-new. I think that [concert experience] was one of those things that allowed me to see that people here were nicer than expected.” Overcoming an initial sense of basic culture shock, the moment, Ayers says, allowed him to find a way in his new town. He’d hooked his wagon to music, which he “attribute(s) to attending that Journey concert.”

That story’s among dozens told in Ayers’ highly-compelling memoir, My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family. The book, as the name suggests, tracks the complicated (to say the least) relationship that the author’s had with his biological father, the legendary jazz vibes player, songwriter and band leader Roy Ayers. Throughout his life, the younger Ayers (who took his father’s surname when leaving Salt Lake for college) sought to establish some connection with his father, attaining a few small breakthroughs along the way. But there was never a longer-term reconciliation between the two.

Ayers recalls going to the courthouse around the time of his high-school-to-college transition, changing his name from Braufman to Ayers. “At the time, he wasn’t famous to me,” Ayers says. “Now this is 1989, and he’s almost 50. He’s a musician, and that’s the little I did know.

“Once I moved to Seattle in the ’90s, he’d had a resurgence and that ramped up consistently, every year for the next 30 years.

There’s no way at the time that I could’ve imagined it. This was a name I could take that made sense, but it obviously connected me to him so much more.”

As the book’s title suggests, Ayers would go on to find family, through both his paternal and maternal sides, locating some of them through articles that he’d published across the web in the somewhat-recent past. Mind you, becoming a published essayist and now author weren’t part of the plan. Instead, and as wonderfully-captured throughout the book, Ayers found himself on multiple musical tracks through his adult life. He’s been a touring drummer in bands signed to major labels. He co-owned a record chain in Seattle when the city was rock’n’roll’s mecca. He owned a respected independent label. And now he’s the president of the

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Nabil Ayers U.S. operations of the Beggar’s Group, an umbrella of several labels, including his youthful fave, 4AD. As a memoir, Ayers’ book has a little of a lot of things, with incredible stories about the grunge scene, about touring in justscraping-by bands, about race, about family, about finding meaning in relationships and growing up around (and in the shadow of) fame. It’s a stellar book. With, as it happens, a nice, little stretch of local, SLC flavor.

“I had Mormon friends and non-Mormon friends, it didn’t really matter,” he recalls. “It was a real great place to live. The ’80s were a fun time to be in Salt Lake.”

Nabil Ayers will discuss My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family with artist, musician and writer Liz Lambson at The King’s English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) on Monday, June 13 at 6 p.m. CW

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Micah Willis

Dual Threat

SLC’s Micah Willis balances acting alongside a burgeoning music career.

BY THOMAS CRONE tcrone@cityweekly.net

M

icah Willis, who spends about a quarter of his time in Los Angeles and the balance in his hometown of Salt Lake City, doesn’t sound the least bit despondent when asked if he has any active acting roles in his world. He doesn’t—at this moment—but he seems perfectly content to let that part of his creative life play out at the pace that it will. And he’s going to Los Angeles regularly as it is, taking part in the other pursuit that he pursues avidly: music.

Co-writing, networking, attending conferences, connecting with musicians— these are all parts of his days when in California. Along with, of course, keeping tabs on acting opportunities.

Much of his music career, though, is nurtured in Salt Lake. It’s the place where he’s got an emerging team of collaborators, cowriters, musicians and supporters of all stripes.

“There’s another kind of energy here,” Willis says. “It’s really unique. There’re a lot of hidden gems. It’s kind of, like, this secret that no one wants to tell people about.

I grew up here and love the Salt Lake music scene. It’s so accepting, and there’re so many different types of music that come out of Salt Lake. I just went to a friend’s show, and they were playing music I didn’t even know we had here. It’s so diverse in terms of musical genres.”

His press kit suggests an artist who’s not afraid to mix-and-match himself: “Influenced by everyone from Miguel and The Weeknd to Fleetwood Mac, Micah seam-

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lessly blends elements of pop, funk, and hip-hop into his high-energy, crowd-pleasing performances.”

To get his music out to the world, Willis is engaged in the form embraced so heavily these days, the single. The 26-year-old’s latest track is called “Tell Me,” now out in the world on all of the usual streaming platforms. The work is part of a project of eight songs that he’s envisioning as a mixtape of sorts. In fact, the title of it is going to be Who The Hell Is Micah Willis: The Mixtape.

One of the tracks on that one—and the cut that’ll likely get some interesting attention—is a song that features his father, Baton Rouge-based Kenny Neal. A noted blues guitarist with a self-titled band that plays throughout the U.S., Neal came into his son’s project to support a track that’s outside of the songwriter’s usual wheelhouse. It’s called “Sunshine.”

“I was coming back home from a gig in Florida,” Willis recalls. “A melody came to me, and I decided to do a voice memo so that I wouldn’t forget the melody. I went ahead and wrote the lyrics on the plane. We went into the studio and quickly laid down a beat on a little sample pad. I sent it over to my dad, and he said that he could do something with it.”

Though the studio work may’ve been happening in a couple of different states, this was, indeed, a collaboration years in the making.

“We’ve done gigs together,” Willis says.

“Whenever he’s been in Salt Lake doing a gig, I would play with him. But this is our first time recording something together.

And I’m super-stoked that it’s such a different song. I don’t do blues or soul, but that day I was inspired. He was the perfect person to be on that track. I’m grateful to be able to do this; not everyone’s able to make music with their parents.”

Willis’ newest single, “Tell Me,” can be found at li.sten.to/micahwillis. His next SLCarea date is slated for July 7 at 7 pm at Kilby Court (741 South Kilby Court) where he’ll be joined by Obeeyay and Dixie Mann. CW

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There’re a handful of key things to know about this local showcase. There will be music, in the form of The Zissous and The Mellons (a band we featured recently with the release of their single and video “What a Time to Be Alive”). The night will also feature a pair of comedic acts, Tanner Rahlf and Sam Poulter. Important to note: There will, in fact, be a chance to enjoy an actual hot dog at this event, as Nana’s Sonoran Hot Dogs will be onsite to take care of that foodie tie-in. The bands/comics thing is something that was sprung onto The Zissous a while back due to a booking snafu; they liked the vibe, and now they’re creating a little tradition. Three cheers to happy accidents and hot dog trucks! This show takes place at Metro Music Hall (615 W. 100 South) on Thursday, June 9 with doors at 7 p.m. Tickets for this 21-up show, $10, are available at 24tix.com.

Calexico @ Commonwealth Room

A genre-hopping band known for both their recording and live performance prowess, Calexico returns to Salt Lake in support of the album El Mirador. The website americanahighways.org says that “Arizona-born band Calexico has always practiced a borderless shade of Americana. Founders Joey Burns and John Convertino have yet to find a sun-baked subgenre they can’t make work for them—cumbia, Cuban son and

Southwestern desert music all find their way into the band’s work. Their 10th studio album, El Mirador, bounces nimbly around all of that and more, backing up songs that are both celebratory and thought provoking, with music that ranges from dark and eerie to hot, sweaty fun.” Calexico play the Commonwealth Room (195 W. 2100 South) on Thursday, June 9 with Twanguero.

Ticket info’s easily found at thestateroompresents.com; hard tickets can be purchased at Graywhale Entertainment, as well.

Black Angels @ Metro Music Hall

Active since 2004, the Texas-based psych band The Black Angels have offered fans a relatively spare catalog of five albums along with a smattering of EPs and singles. That said, they’ve been a regular act on the touring circuit ever since, with fans more than happy to soak tracks from throughout the group’s history. Regarded as a stellar live act, the band’s ability to play droning, dancey psych creates a wonderful, room-wide vibe.

Despite the occasional lineup change, the band’s core has been together long enough to create an audience that’ll come out againand-again, happy to share in a beautiful, moody, communal experience. The Black Angels play Metro Music Hall (615 West 100 South) with Dion Lunadon on Friday, June 10. Doors are at 7 p.m. and tickets are $28, with ticketing and other show info found at metromusichall.com.

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Purity Ring

Purity Ring @ The Depot

The electronic/synth-pop duo Purity Ring (multi-ins trum entalis t /pro du cer Co rin Roddick and vocalist Megan James) have hit the road for an extensive U.S. tour in support of a new EP, Graves, which was released June 3. The website acidstag.com says that the work “balance(s) the tightrope between uplift and elegance throughout the journey of ‘Graves,’ whereby the rising and intensified electronic synths work their way through the soundscape but work in cohesion with the divine pianos to create a stunning soundscape filled with captivation and wonder.” Purity Ring plays The Depot (400 W. South Temple) on Friday, June 10 with Ekkstasy. Tickets can be found at concerts. livenation.com.

Curtis Salgado @ Gallivan Center for Utah Blues Festival

A veteran bandleader and co-founder of the popular Robert Cray Band, Curtis Salgado is a perfect, headline-level performer helping lock down the second day of programming at the Utah Blues Festival. Undoubtedly, the performer will feature songs from his latest album, Damage Control, but he’s got a deep catalog of cuts to choose from; and, as we all know, blues performers can pull from the whole canon to create “songs of their own.”

One of the best in the business, Salgado appears at the Gallivan Center on Saturday,

June 11 along with that day’s other blues performers: the Bennett Matteo Band, Marquise Knox, Vanessa Collier and Ruthie Foster. The Utah Blues Festival will be held at the Gallivan Center (239 Main St.) with performances stretching across June 10 - 11. Ticketing info for Salgado’s show (and the whole festival) can be found at utahbluesfest.org.

Tash Sultana @ Sandy Amphitheatre

Tash Sultana went from a busking lifestyle in Australia to an international pop profile, with 2021’s Terra Firma cementing their reputation as a top-flight, one-person band. Able to juggle multiple instruments and loops.

Britain’s long-standing, taste-making NME says of the album: “Written and recorded over a 200-day period during which Sultana wrestled with touring burnout, the emergence of a global pandemic and bushfires raging through Australia, Terra Firma finds the artist longing for some sort of stability. It’s where the title, Latin for “solid ground,” comes from.

“I need this more than I should,” they sing on the soothing ‘Dream My Life Away.’ The sound of someone finding a fleeting moment of peace, it provides a welcome escape from the constant noise of 2021.” Tash Sultana plays Sandy Amphitheatre (1245 E. 9400 South) on Saturday, June 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets had sold out just at deadline, though secondary ticket sources had individual tix priced between $53-73. If going that route, happy hunting! CW

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Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700. from any location in the US. ARIES (March 21-April 19) is humorously suggesting that his inability to maintain good “It takes a spasm of love to write a poem,” wrote Aries author sleep habits is rooted in civilization’s dysfunctions. He’s right, Senior Product Designer, Erica Jong. I will add that it takes a spasm of love to fix a problem of course! Many of our seemingly personal problems are at least with someone you care about. It also takes a spasm of love to partially rooted in the pathological ways the whole world operwith kindness when you don’t feel kind. A spasm of love ates. Our culture influences us to do things that aren’t always job#ME118: Design & develop actis helpful when you need to act with integrity in a confusing healthy and wise. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because situation and when you want to heal the past so it doesn’t plague now is a favorable time to meditate on society’s crazy-making fintech products & design the future. All the above advice should be useful for you in the effects on you. Now is also a pivotal moment to heal yourself of coming weeks, Aries. Are there any other variations you can those crazy-making effects. think of? Fill in the blank in the next sentence: It takes a spasm systems; create & maintain SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) of love to ________.

Poet Maggie Smith writes, “We talk so much of light. Please design components. Software TAURUS (April 20-May 20) let me speak on behalf of the good dark. Let us talk more of how “The great epochs of our life come when we gain the courage to dark the beginning of a day is.” I offer her proposal as a fertile our badness as what is best in us,” wrote philosopher theme for your meditations. Of all the signs in the zodiac, you Engineer, job#ME129: Build & rechristen Friedrich Nietzsche. When I read that epigram, I didn’t know Scorpios are most skilled at teasing out the good stuff from he was referring to. By “badness,” did he mean the ugly, shadows and secrets and twilight. And your potency in these maintain software for shipping what pathological parts of us? That couldn’t be right. So I read schol- matters is even higher than usual right now. Do us all a favor ars who studied the great philosopher. Their interpretation: and find the hidden redemptions and potential regenerations. believed the urges that some religions seek to inhibit features & products; design Nietzsche are healthy for us. We should celebrate—not suppress—our SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): to enjoy sensual delights and lusty living. In fact, When actors and other creative people in film win Oscars at APIs, libraries & tools. Ref job# inclinations we should define them as being the best in us. I encourage you the Academy Awards ceremony, they come on stage and deliver Bulls to do just that in the coming weeks. It’s a favorable time to short talks, acknowledging their honor. These speeches often include expressions of gratitude. An analysis revealed that & mail resume: Brex Inc; Attn intensify your devotion to joy, pleasure and revelry. over the years, Sagittarian director Steven Spielberg has been by winners more often than anyone else—even more GEMINI (May 21-June 20) HR; 12832 Frontrunner Blvd., It’s an excellent time to correct and uplift your self-image. I thanked than God. Based on my reading of astrological omens, I believe invite you to speak the following affirmations aloud: “I am not you deserve that level of appreciation in the coming weeks. damaged. I am not on the wrong path. I am not inept or ignorant Please show this horoscope to everyone you know who may Suite 500, Draper, UT 84020 or off-kilter. The truth is, I am learning how to live. I am learning be willing to carry out my mandate. Be proactive in collecting

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how to be a soulful human, and I am doing a reasonably good job at that task. I do a lot of things really well. I’m getting to know myself better every day. I constantly surprise myself with how skilled I am at adjusting to life’s constant changes. I am amazed at how much progress I have made in learning how to live.”

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) In the ancient Greek story of Odysseus, the hero leaves his home in Ithaka to fight in the Trojan War. When the conflict is over, he yearns to return to the beloved life he left behind.

But his journey takes 10 years. His tests and travails are many.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) In the Tibetan language, the term nyingdu-la means “most hon- The 20th-century Greek poet C.P. Cavafy offered advice to ored poison of my heart.” Many of us know at least one person Odysseus at the beginning of his quest: “As you set out for who fits that description: an enemy we love to hate or a loved one Ithaka, hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of who keeps tweaking our destiny or a paradoxical ally who is both discovery … Keep Ithaca always in your mind. Arriving there is hurtful and helpful. According to my analysis, it’s time for you what you’re destined for. But don’t hurry the journey. Better if to transform your relationship with a certain nyingdu-la in your it lasts for years, so you’re old by the time you reach the island, life. The bond between you might have generated vital lessons wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way.” As you begin your new phase of returning home, Capricorn, I invite you to keep for you. But now it’s time for a re-evaluation and redefinition.

Cavafy’s thoughts in mind.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) “Don’t pray for the rain to stop,” advises Leo poet Wendell AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Berry. “Pray for good luck fishing when the river floods.” That’s “I have never, ever, ever met anyone who has regretted foluseful advice for you, my dear. The situation you’re in could turn lowing their heart,” writes life coach Marie Forleo. But what out to be a case of either weird luck or good luck. And how you does she mean by “following their heart”? Does that mean interpret the situation may have a big impact on which kind of ignoring cautions offered by your mind? Not necessarily. Does luck it brings. I urge you to define the potential opportunities it require you to ignore everyone’s opinions about what you should do? Possibly. When you follow your heart, must you that are brewing and concentrate on feeding them. sacrifice money, status and security? In some cases, yes. But in other cases, following your heart may ultimately enhance your VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Virgo writer Julio Cortázar (1914–1984) once remarked, relationship with money, status and security. I hope I’ve inspired “How tiring it gets being the same person all the time.” That’s you to meditate on what it means to follow your heart—and surprising. In fact, Cortázar was an innovative and influential how you can do that intensely during the coming months. author who wrote more than 30 books in four genres and lived for extended periods in five countries. It’s hard to imagine PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) him ever being bored by his multifaceted self. Even if you’re Actor and author Jenny Slate testifies, “As the image of myself not a superstar like Cortázar, Virgo, I expect you will be highly becomes sharper in my brain and more precious, I feel less afraid entertained and amused by your life in the coming weeks. I bet that someone else will erase me by denying me love.” That is you will be even more interesting than usual. Best of all, you will the single best inspirational message I can offer you right now.

In the coming months, you will earn the right and the capacity learn many fresh secrets about your mysterious soul. to make the same declaration. Your self-definition will become progressively clearer and stronger. And this waxing superpower LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) The blogger Frogbestfriend says, “One of the biggest problems will enable you to conquer at least some of your fear about not with society nowadays is that I am so, so sleepy.” Frogbestfriend getting enough love.

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48. Angelic, in a way 53. Grammy winner who sometimes sings in Gaelic 54. “Pirates of the Caribbean” star 56. Confident words 57. “Star Wars” bounty hunter Boba 59. Under the weather 60. Geese formation

Last week’s answers

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.

9. Cross-shaped Greek letters 10. Kazakhstan, e.g., formerly: Abbr.

11. “Dear Mama” rapper 12. Grint who plays Ron in Harry Potter films 13. “The things I put up with!”

18. It travels at nearly 300 million meters per second 22. Bicycle wheel part 24. “Maybe even more” 26. George Carlin became the first one in ‘75 27. Acadia SUV maker 28. Outback hopper, informally 29. Wish list items 30. Peak in the Bernese Alps 35. Tests for future OBs 37. Longtime Yankees first baseman Mark 38. Pick DOWN 39. Surg. areas 1. Surfer’s need 41. Enters slowly 2. Arab League dignitary 42. Like computer 3. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Emmy winner language Alex ____ 44. Four-time Pro 4. Et ____ Bowler ____ Samuel 5. Friend of Genie in “Aladdin” 45. ‘08 candidate 6. Title with an apostrophe 46. Took off in a hurry 7. Russian czar known as “the Great” 47. Meting (out) 8. Hybrid bakery offerings

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Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9.

1. Video blogger’s aid 7. Batting avgs., e.g.

11. Grads-to-be: Abbr.

14. Microscopic life form 15. World War I, World War II, etc.

16. “Who woulda thunk ...?”

17. Walk-through on a real estate site, say 19. Bonobo, e.g.

20. Gaelic language 21. Demeanors 22. ____-Ball (carnival attraction) 23. Lead-in to “la-la” 25. The “me” of “Despicable Me” 26. Prompts 27. U.S. moniker for Canada 31. Question of faux indignation 32. Pull-up muscle, for short 33. Material for fine sheets 34. Scam artists 36. Not the ritziest area of town 40. Actress Blanchett 42. Corp. head 43. Something often lent, but never returned 44. Presidential appointments 49. “Sicko Mode” rapper Travis ____ 50. Lawn starter 51. Put a burden on 52. Common knee injury sites: Abbr.

53. Fished for congers, e.g.

55. Norse explorer Ericson 58. “The Confessions of ____ Turner” (1967 Pulitzer-winning novel) 59. What small kids are often told to use at a restaurant or museum ... or what 17-, 27- and 44-Across each have 61. Ascot, e.g.

62. “____ Eyes” (Eagles hit of 1975) 63. Try to make out 64. Conclusion 65. “Constant Craving” singer k.d.

66. Member of the grammar police, e.g.

SUDOKU X

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38 | JUNE 9, 2022

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ummer in the Northern Hemisphere begins on Tuesday, June 21, but many have already begun to enjoy it—heading out to Utah’s great outdoors or else nesting at home in their yards and gardens.

Sadly, the 20-year-plus megadrought of the Southwest U.S. is ongoing. Even with the occasional rainstorms that come our way, we all need to hunker down and commit to conserving water.

Utahns have some of the cheapest water bills in the country, and it’s my humble opinion that if we were charged more for our water, we might get serious about conserving this precious gift of life.

I’ve checked out numerous websites to learn about saving water. One of them—slcgardenwise.com—is my favorite. Here are a few tips from my research: •If you use fertilizer, apply as little as possible on your lawn and gardens to get the job done. Make sure the fertilizer stays on the landscape and doesn’t run off into the gutters and pollute downstream.

• It’s suggested we water our lawns between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.—especially when there’s no wind, because water can be lost to evaporation when it’s windy.

• More harm is caused to plants and grass from overwatering than underwatering.

• Don’t cut your grass too short. Taller grass doesn’t need as much water and tends to have healthier root systems. The longer the blades, the deeper the roots.

• Use the right kind of sprinklers and irrigation systems for your landscape.

• Consider water-efficient landscaping: Plant things that have similar water needs.

Other helpful websites include Utah State University’s cwel.usu.edu to help you plan for water-wise yards. And for tree care, visit www.slc.gov/parks/urban-forestry/ If you have a lawn or are thinking of putting one in, research what type of grass grows well in your zone. We all love Kentucky bluegrass in northern Utah, but there are new seed types that require less water.

Drought-affected cities like Las Vegas have gone so far as to require property owners to remove their turf, patch by patch. We haven’t outlawed lawns in Utah, but Washington County’s leaders are setting waterwise standards on new developments—from indoor appliances and car washes to how much lawn new homes can have.

The county gets most of its water from the Virgin River, which some believe is unreliable. The county has been seeking approval for a 140-mile water pipeline from Lake Powell to rapidly growing Washington County, but that plan is up in the air since the lake is drying up so fast.

To learn how to protect Utah’s water resources and find out about rebates to “flip your strip,” visit slowtheflow.org.

There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for our Western drought. We can all do our part to save water—from simply not expecting water to be served at restaurants unless requested by guests or by consciously trying to not overwater our lawns and gardens and to conserve water where we can. n Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

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What Could Go Wrong? they had been told they needed permits to move the home, but More than 800 New Yorkers age 75 and older are going to get a they went ahead and tried to do it on their own anyway. Both men new friend, The Verge reported. The New York State Office for were held at the Iberia Parish jail. the Aging is distributing robot companions named ElliQ, built

by Israeli company Intuition Robotics, to help with social isola- I’ll Have the Pasta tion—for example, engaging in small talk and helping contact Florida International University recently published a three-year loved ones. “It focuses on what matters to individuals: memo- study of bonefish living off the South Florida coast that might ries, life validation, interactions with friends and families,” said make you rethink your entree order. The fish they studied averNYSOA director Greg Olsen. Intuition Robotics said ElliQ can aged seven pharmaceutical drugs, with at least one containproject empathy and form bonds with users, even cracking jokes ing 17 different substances, ClickOrlando.com reported. Lead researcher Jennifer Rehage said the drugs are entering the fishfor users who tend to laugh a lot. eries through the wastewater systems and include blood pres sure medications, antidepressants, antibiotics and pain relievers, Fine Points of the Law According to the Conrad Public School District in Conrad, among other medicines. Researchers said the drugs could also be Montana, there’s an old law on the books that stipulates that a changing the fishes’ behavior, making them more susceptible to school principal is responsible for feeding and tending a horse if predators, or affecting their reproduction. a student rides it to school. On May 23, WTHR-TV reported, 12 students at Conrad High School put the statute to the test, Suspicions Confirmed riding their steeds up to the school and leaving them in the Marilyn McMichael, 54, of Queens, New York, was reported care of Principal Raymond DeBruycker throughout the school missing in January by two of her foster sisters, Simone Best day. Apparently DeBruycker had no time to comment while he Jones and Sharman McElrath, WPIX-TV reported on May 24. kept his charges watered and fed and (presumably) mucked the They had not seen or heard from McMichael since June 2020, when she called them during the first wave of the COVID-19 parking lot. pandemic, saying she wanted to go to the hospital. McElrath

said they did go to her apartment, but she didn’t come to the Goals A man in Japan identified as Toko has spent almost $16,000 to door. Best Jones said this wasn’t unusual for McMichael: “She make himself look like a collie, fulfilling his dream and depleting wouldn’t talk to us for years, because she didn’t want to. She was his savings in one fell swoop, Wionews reported. Toko con- particular—and peculiar.” When the sisters tried to file a misstracted with a professional company called Zeppet, which makes ing person report in January, officials said they couldn’t because sculptures and costumes for movies and amusement facilities, they weren’t next of kin. And police told them McMichael might to create a costume that is extremely realistic. It took 40 days have “been on vacation.” The sisters asked the building manto build. “I made it a collie because it looks real when I put on,” ager to go with them to the apartment, but when the master Toko said. “Long-haired dogs can mislead the human figure. I key didn’t work, “they never tried again,” Best Jones said. But on April 26, as New York City Housing Authority construction met such a condition and made collie, my favorite breed of dog.” workers did maintenance on scaffolding outside her bedroom window, they saw McMichael’s skeleton on her bed. The sisters Criminal No Longer on the Lam(b) In South Sudan, inmates at a military camp have a new jailbird announced her death on Facebook: “We wanted her to have a to get to know—or maybe that should be “jailsheep.” NBC voice through us, knowing ‘I was here, and I had a life on this Montana reported that a ram was arrested and convicted in Earth,’” McElrath said.

May of murdering an African woman “by hitting her in the ribs and the old woman died immediately,” said police chief Major Bright Idea Elijah Mabor. “The owner is innocent, and the ram is the one who Stephanie Kirchner, 33, a farmer who works at a stud farm near perpetrated the crime, so it deserves to be arrested.” However, her home in Schupbach, Germany, has had to make some changes the owner was also ordered to pay five cows to the victim’s family. since gas prices have climbed in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

Instead of riding to work in her Toyota SUV, she’s now riding a

horse or driving a horse-drawn carriage to her job about 3 1/2 Weird Science The Cambodian Ministry of Environment has taken to Facebook miles away. It makes what was once a 10- to 15-minute commute to plead with the public to stop picking a rare carnivorous plant take up to an hour, the Associated Press reported, but she saves known as a “pitcher plant” for the way it captures insects, Live about $264 a month. She said children like the horses, but Science reported on May 17. The plant, Nepenthes bokorensis, “humanity is hectic and then some people are annoyed if they could be driven to extinction if people continue to harvest it, can’t get past me fast enough.” Another downside: “I can’t put a scientists warn. So why, you might ask, are people, particularly horse in a parking garage.” women, so drawn to picking the plants and having their photos taken with them? While the leaves are still developing, the Honesty Is the Best Policy mouths of the plants resemble men’s genitalia. “If people are After Michael Calvo, 51, of Cape Coral, Florida, crashed his semiinterested, even in a funny way, to pose, to make selfies, with the truck into the back of a Publix grocery store in Haines City on plants, it’s fine,” said Francois Mey, a botanical illustrator. “Just May 26, he didn’t immediately get out of the cab because, he told an officer, he thought he was being pranked for a reality do not pick the pitchers, because it weakens the plant.”

TV show. When the officer was able to remove Calvo from the

truck, Fox13-TV reported, he asked if he had fallen asleep or Lose Something?

Iberia Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s officers were called out at suffered a medical emergency, to which Calvo answered, “I was 3:30 a.m. on May 22 because of a house found abandoned on smoking my meth pipe.” Calvo was arrested on multiple charges, a trailer attached to a truck, KATC-TV reported. The rig was although the deputy police chief did express his appreciation for blocking the road, and signs, mailboxes and trees had been dam- Calvo’s honesty. aged along the street. In addition, power lines and poles had been hit, knocking out power to about 700 customers in the area. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com Deputies arrested Tony Domingue, 46, and Nico Comeaux, 32;

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