City Weekly November 12, 2020 by Copperfield Publishing

C I T Y W E E K LY. N E T N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 2 0 | VO L . 3 7 N 0 . 2 4

Breaking It Down This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s election analysis in tasty little bites. By Benjamin Wood

CONTENTS COVER STORY

ELECTION 2020: BREAKING IT DOWN Is it possible that Utah is becoming slightly more blue? By Benjamin Wood

Cover illustration by Syarifah Fitriana

5 PRIVATE EYE 14 A&E 17 DINE 22 MUSIC 28 CINEMA 29 COMMUNITY

2 | NOVEMBER 12, 2020

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OPINION

Check out weekly columns Smart Bomb and Taking a Gander at cityweekly.net. facebook.com/slcweekly

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STAY INFORMED! Want to know the latest on coronavirus? Get off Facebook and check out these three online resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov World Health Organization: who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 Utah Coronavirus Task Force: coronavirus.utah.gov

STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS Executive Editor JOHN SALTAS News Editor JERRE WROBLE Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Music Editor ERIN MOORE Listings Desk KARA RHODES

Contributors KATHARINE BIELE, ROB BREZSNY, MIKE RIEDEL, ALEX SPRINGER, BENJAMIN WOOD Production Art Director DEREK CARLISLE Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES, CHELSEA NEIDER

Circulation Circulation Manager ERIC GRANATO Business/Office Technical Director BRYAN MANNOS Developer BRYAN BALE Display Advertising 801-716-1777 National Advertising VMG Advertising 888-278-9866

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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“Be Our Guest” Nov. 5 Cover Story

Keep in mind, folks: We [servers] don’t get insurance benefits or paid sick leave. 100 percent of our livelihoods depend on your patronage. @FROGLEGSLISS via Instagram We also need to look into [restaurant] ventilation alternatives. These situations could be remedied if fresh air were brought in and not leaving the same air to blow around. @KRISTINMC6 via Instagram Local businesses can use the support right now. To see which businesses have taken the “Stay Safe, Stay Open” pledge, visit business.stayopenutah. com/list @STAYOPENUTAH via Instagram

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“KBYU Rising” Nov. 5 Private Eye Column

I liked John Saltas’ article on KBYU. In fact, I loved it. We talk a lot about divisiveness in our world. I think the media is a large part of it. I don’t think it hurts your cause at all to see the good in something from the other side. I need to do the same thing. This is an important sentence from your article: “For me, that path led me to KBYU today, a place I’d never been.” I’m glad you went to a place you haven’t been and found something good. I confess that I read City Weekly from time to time, and I often find something good (and I’m a dumb Utah County/BYU person!) MARTY OAKESON Heber City

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Pillow Hitting the Radio

Bravo! First, for giving resonance to the respite I’m feeling. I’ve been avoiding the TV since Monday night, but I turned it on in a nearby room Tuesday while I cooked dinner just to enjoy—from a distance—the absence of McAdams/Owens BS. I feel the pillow hitting the radio. Second, for explaining the job of writer. Thank you. It’s grunt work, but your writing voice has done its 10,000 hours, and I can count on you to say something worth my time to read. That list: growing up Greek, Bingham Canyon—all that. Please keep meeting those Tuesday deadlines. I look forward to finding KBYU this morning. PAM HOLMAN Salt Lake City

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Those Were the Days

Talk about synchronicity. I’ve been listening to KBYU for a while now. The FM radio that used to be is gone, as in, mostly dead. KBYU is calm, refreshing and nice to listen to instead of all the political crap—and a pleasant change of pace. I’ve always had a soft spot for classical music. I could suppose that’s from the exposure we received way back in the day when we school kids got to go to the Tabernacle and listen to the Utah Symphony. The schools provided the tickets and a ride to Temple Square for the Saturday performances. Those were the days. Good to hear I’m not alone in listening to the KBYU. DON NASH Salt Lake City

THE BOX

If you could be a fly on the wall, who would you want to listen in on and why? Sofia Cifuentes If I could be a fly, I’d probably be on top of a cake! I’m not interested in other people’s business, ha ha ha ! Without a doubt, my answer is different than it would have been a year ago ... but 2020 came, and it changed everything Scott Renshaw I kind of want to hear what Trump’s kids say about him when they’re alone. It would help prove my theory that no group of blood relations has ever despised one another, or themselves, more. Eric Granato I would love to hear what the NHL is really thinking for the 2021 season but would settle for Melania and her divorce attorney. Mike Ptaschinski I’d love to be a fly on wall inside of Trump’s fridge. In a way, he has put a bottle of spoiled milk on the shelf, and he’s looking in on it everyday to see if it’s gotten any better. Kelly Boyce Whoever is responsible for creating and/or rigging betting lines on sports. It’s more fun when you win at gambling. Larry Carter Biden! Because I want to know he has a surefire plan to resolve all the issues cast over the past four years. I’d want to know is it even possible and what’s his projection. Cody Winget Mitch McConnell or some other high ranking GOP, to hear what they really think of Trump. I bet it’s juicy. Paula Saltas Melania Trump as she is talking to her best friends so I can hear what her escape plan is on January 21. Inquiring minds wanna know. Be Best Melania, Be Best. Run!

4 | NOVEMBER 12, 2020

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@johnsaltas

ing COVID-19—Utah was winning, and that was in large part due to decisive actions taken by mayors in Salt Lake and Summit counties requiring safe measures to prevent virus spread. Yet instead of staying that course, Utah let off the gas. In cities like Salt Lake and Park City, businesses that are particularly sensitive to the whims of seasonal tourist travel have just been whacked all over again, right as new COVID restrictions are enacted. They don’t get brownie points for being smart these past months—and nearly all have been—all the while begging Gov. Herbert to take action. Scores of eateries and clubs will not reopen. They would have had a chance to if the government would have backed them up, but as always, cowtipping is more important to a certain group of Utah lawmakers. With the new edict, clubs and restaurants can finally not just ask for compliance, but demand it. It’s about time. They are basically the only business category that was asked to comply but with strictly limited occupancy numbers. They will take one for the team again with a 10 p.m. restriction on alcohol sales— despite the fact that the same “state of emergency” stresses that most of the community spread is happening in our homes. Is it OK to drink at home? There remains $440 million dollars of CARES Act funds left unspent in Utah coffers. Do one more thing, Gov. Herbert. And you, as well, Governor-elect Spencer Cox. Help the hospitality industry and help them fast with that money. When you asked people to do the right thing, the hospitality industry did. The hospitality industry is taking it on the nose—but there are few bars in Utah County, for instance, so why is the spread off the charts there? Our leaders are kicking Utah’s gift horse and are fully blind to that fact. Masks don’t cover the eyes. Do something. CW Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

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s COVID-19 counts rose at more alarming rates— not coincidentally, timed with school re-openings—Utah Gov. Gary Herbert never buckled up. He instead became more the kindly uncle who taps your head at the family Thanksgiving meal, asks your name and gives you a quarter for being a good boy. His call to action did not lead with unflinchingly strong directives, but instead simply suggesting Utahns be respectful of one another, and by golly, to wear a mask, because you should. He never got to the point of requiring mask wearing in public settings nor did he set any tough standards to stop the spread of COVID. Be nice, Utah, be nice. Uh, huh. Uh, huh. That changed this week when Herbert issued “state of emergency” measures aimed—finally—at slowing the spread of the virus. College or university students who either live on campus or take at least one in-person class per week on campus must be tested weekly. Restrictions were announced for extracurricular sports and activities at Utah high schools. Bars and restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m. The core of his directive is that masks be worn at all Utah businesses, both by employees and customers. A business that is noncompliant will face fines. What finally got to Herbert? The cynical answer is that the governor was in cahoots with the Trump administration and their anti-science ways. People who hang the familiar Gregorian and Julian calendars, or especially those who mark time with the very accurate Solar Hijri calendar quickly noticed that just two days after Trump was declared the loser in the recent election Herbert delivered his COVID orders. Not all Utahns rejoiced at the coincidence.

For instance, as of Nov. 10, there are over 672 Utahns who died during their own “state of emergency” and never got the memo. It’s not exactly fair to lay all those wreaths at the feet of Gov. Herbert. Soon to be Gov. Spencer Cox, our current lieutenant governor, was head of Utah’s COVID task force, a team known for not doing anything noteworthy. He carries some responsibility here, for sure. Primarily anonymous big-business persons who hold sway in Utah advocated for Herbert to go slowly, lest they lose a buck. So did the Republican leaders on Utah’s Capitol Hill lest they lose a vote. Rounding out the “advocates for a deadlier Utah” team, those assuring that there will more sad endings to Utah’s coronavirus tale are the rural Utahns who religiously oppose anything that’s good for the greater number of Utahns, the anti-maskers who consider masks as the mark of Satan himself, and, of course, the Freedom Fighters who seemingly believe open-carry sidearms are protection against germs and the persons who respect them. All told, they add up to the equivalent of living second-hand smoke. They make sure some of our fellow Utahns won’t spend Thanksgiving with that crazy uncle. They’re the smoker who gambled he wouldn’t get cancer—and didn’t—but who didn’t give one flick of cigarette ash to the notion his actions killed others. That’s what they are. Second-hand killers. That said, the question is whether to forgive them or not. If it were turned around, I know what they’d do to me if I lit up in one of their hallowed halls (and I don’t smoke). I know what they’d do if I cranked down a pint of vodka and played a game of human bowling down along State Street—they’d find me and lock me up, then they’d find the person who sold me the vodka and lock them up, too. But, ask them to put on a mask to help lessen the number of their fellow Utahns who sicken daily? Hell, no! Utah’s leaders knew the score in April and May regard-

BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

Miss: Zoning for Tiny Homes

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Officials are trying to gloss over the dearth of affordable housing in Salt Lake County while continuing to build for a generation with means. The latest strategy appears to deflect, putting the onus on individual homeowners to share their lots, building tiny homes and maybe earning income, too. “The zoning changes are meant to encourage additional units and new types of housing such as cottages, row houses set at an angle and tiny homes tucked into the existing neighborhoods— mostly by reducing the land area per unit,” The Salt Lake Tribune reports. When you talk about existing neighborhoods, costs are likely astronomical for permitting, hookups and amenities— unless you just want a cubbyhole for the poor to live in. Cynical commenters ask if developers aren’t in charge of this plan—because someone will be making money, and affordability will be the victim.

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HITS&MISSES

Hit: Love for Our Great Lake

Yes, save the Great Salt Lake! Like the Dead Sea, it’s drying up from droughts and diversions, according to the Deseret News. A recent study holds hope after looking at four water districts and determining that a drop of about 50 gallons per person would help and delay the need for projects like the Bear River Development, which would pump water to fast-growing populations. But water conservation just doesn’t sit well with Utahns. Look at what’s happening with the Lake Powell Pipeline. Conservationists say that water conservation could alleviate the need for this “extravagant” project. The Southern Nevada Water Authority established a turf replacement program, according to the St. George Spectrum. Conservation works and avoids the band-aid solutions that will still result in a barren wasteland.

Miss: Greasing the Rails

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As Utah Business magazine hails the recovery of the oil and gas industry, you have to wonder at what cost and for how long it will last. The Uinta Basin Railway is proposing to connect Utah’s oil to a national rail network, taking those dirty trucks and tankers off the roads. Sounds intriguing at first, but wait. “This oil railway will inflict grave damage on rural communities, wildlife and water, and it should never be built,” Wendy Park, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, told The Salt Lake Tribune. The rail is expected to cost $1.4 billion in a controversial mix of private and public funding. The Environmental Impact Statement doesn’t analyze the impacts of increased drilling, either. Why should it? The rail line is a means of stoking the troubled oil and gas industry while looking the other way at the environmental costs and still not addressing the inevitable death of the industry.

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

How About Those Monuments?

This is not about Robert E. Lee or the Confederate flag, but it’s just as problematic. Monuments to the past are often tone-deaf to their real symbolism—racism, murder and treason, to name a few. And while Utah has few little if any Civil War imagery, it’s time that the debate moves to the American West. “Imagery of American Indians is widespread in the American West, and often not questioned,” say organizers of Monumental Racism? “This panel of historians and political scientists will discuss the history and meaning of statues like that of the Pokanoket Massasoit, displayed on the grounds of the Utah State Capitol, for today’s reckoning with racism and colonialism.” Moderated by the University of Utah’s Edmund Fong, the event features history professors from Wake Forest University, Babson College and the University of Minnesota. Virtual, Monday, Nov. 16, 2-3 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/3evLhc9

Pandemic Transformation

“Our current individual and collective suffering is real.” That’s one of those no-duh messages as people hunker in their homes, mask up when going out and fight the invisible enemy called COVID-19. As the pandemic, climate change, polarization and racism converge, personal suffering emerges. How to deal with it all is what “Opportunities for individual and collective transformation in our current convergence of pandemic, protests, and politics” hopes to address. “Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own attitudes and behaviors that intersect with the great challenges that face humanity today,” organizers say. Join this hour of experiential learning through dialogue and reflection. Virtual, Thursday, Nov 12, noon, free. https://bit.ly/36czFXK

Poll-Apolluza and What Went Wrong

Whether the elections have been decided or are still in limbo, the one sure thing is that pollsters didn’t get it right. That doesn’t mean they were exactly wrong, either, but it does mean there’s a lot to digest. At 2020 Election Polling: A Postmortem, you’ll hear about how race, gender and generation not only affected the vote, but also the many polls that took place leading up to the final days. Panelists include Amy Walter, national editor of The Cook Political Report; Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Global Migration and Demography Research, Pew Research Center; and Vincent Hutchings, University of Michigan diversity and social transformation professor, Hanes Walton Jr. collegiate professor of political science and Afroamerican and African Studies. Virtual, Friday, Nov. 13, 2-3:30 p.m., free https://bit.ly/32ldCgb.

Health Care and the Election

Now that we are moving out of the campaign season, it’s time to focus again on the nation’s health care. What are the lasting impacts of the pandemic on health-care policy, what are the priorities and what are the strategies— short- and long-term—to address inequities in the system? The Alliance for Health Policy’s Post Election Symposium features experts to discuss how the election results could influence the health policy agenda in 2021 and beyond. Virtual, Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov. 17-18, time TBA, https://bit.ly/3k5wTIP

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merica is facing many long, dark, bitterly divisive weeks between now and Inauguration Day. The outgoing president has signaled his intent to defy gravity until the bitter end, democratic institutions be damned! Loyalists like Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes are committed to going down with the ship, stretching the limits of logic and reason in an attempt to bend the universe to their will. Control of the U.S. Senate will be determined by the state of Georgia in January, meaning the campaign season will extend into extra innings. And, oh yeah! There’s still a pandemic to contend with, its deadly spread currently surging at home and abroad. By comparison to the nation, Utah’s Election Day passed in a refreshingly genteel and decisive fashion, but not without its areas of intrigue. Some drama remains in the perpetually contested 4th Congressional District, but so far,

The Big Picture

Federal Shifts

Utah’s election results didn’t shock—except that the Beehive might be slightly more blue. BY BENJAMIN WOOD enough to tip the scales if they had instead been cast for the major-party contenders. The Libertarian candidate, John Molnar, initially filed to run as a Republican but says he felt “driven out” by the party’s internal machinery and contradictory priorities. “There’s a lot of people who probably look at it as me helping Ben McAdams win,” Molnar said. “The way I see it is that Republicans just shot themselves in the foot.” Molnar pointed out that most of his 7,000 votes come from Salt Lake County, where the bulk of McAdams’ support lies in the district. He doesn’t believe he cost Owens the election, and now that it appears Biden will win the presidency, Molnar said a Democratic congressman will be in a better position to get things done in Washington. “I’m a little hopeful that [Biden’s win] will encourage McAdams to go ahead and make some reforms on marijuana laws,” he said.

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of the Utah vote, the worst showing of a Republican candidate in recent memory. Much of that can be explained by the candidacy of independent Evan McMullin, which gave Trump-skeptical conservatives an acceptable alternative to spare them the moral shame of voting for a liberal candidate. But that skepticism clearly evaporated over the last four years. Faced with a more typical binary choice in 2020, Utah Republican voters returned to their party’s nominee. As of this writing, Trump had secured 58% of the Utah vote, a swing of 13 percentage points in his favor. Democrats looking for a silver lining in those numbers might point to Trump’s still-below-average support compared to past Republican nominees (George Bush earned 71% of the Utah vote in 2004). And the minority party added more than 65,000 voters to its registration rolls between November 2018 and November 2020, an increase of 31.5% compared to 21.3% growth for the still-much-larger Utah Republican Party. Elsewhere in the water-is-wet category, incumbent congressmen Chris Stewart and John Curtis secured their reelections, and Republican Blake Moore claimed the 1st District seat previously held by Rob Bishop. But in the solely competitive 4th Congressional District, Democrat Ben McAdams once against spent days neck and neck with his opponent, Burgess Owens. Despite some back and forth between the two, McAdams is predicted to benefit the most from late-arriving votes. Interesting, though, is the presence of two third-party candidates in the 4th District race who won a collective 11,000 votes, more than

Left-leaning observers hoping for a Democratic wave washing across the nation—their dreams fed by polling and electoral college models projecting a roaring victory for Joe Biden and his party—ran headfirst into the harsh reality of Nov. 3. Far from a sweeping liberal mandate that both repudiates the toxic politics of Donald Trump and launches a new progressive era in America, Democrats won the White House but otherwise saw their majority in the House shrink and a Republican Senate poised to return in January, bringing Senate President Mitch McConnell and his salt-theearth obstructionism with him. In Utah, there was little question that Trump would carry the Beehive State. But the relative strength of his performance here would impact down ballot races and reflect his broader prospects in the nation. In 2016, Trump earned only 45.5%

Breaking It Down

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Utah’s minority party appears to have expanded its legislative presence in the state by two state House seats, and it is within spitting distance of two more. Following similar gains made in 2018, the Utah Democratic Party is inching ever-closer to piercing the GOP’s supermajority in the Legislature. Crossing that threshold would be a tectonic shift, giving the often voiceless Democrats a critical bargaining chip in disputes between the legislative and executive branches— which are common—and frustrating the majority’s penchant for veto-proof (and referendum-proof) legislation. But if flipping seats were easy, they would have done it already. Races that the Utah GOP won by razor-thin margins two years ago remained out of Democratic reach on Election Day, and in some cases, slipped more comfortably into the incumbent Republicans’ hands. Republicans were as dominant as ever in statewide races, with Governor-elect Spencer Cox skating to victory and the state offices of auditor and treasurer filled by GOP candidates running effectively unopposed. Meanwhile, at press time, U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, the lone Democrat in Utah’s federal delegation, is scraping and clawing for a second term, and he may owe a debt of gratitude to a third-party spoiler if the final tally goes his way. Utah Republican Party Chairman Derek Brown said the party is pleased with the results of the election and the high level of voter participation. “The issues our candidates focused on were varied—from clean air to education funding,” Brown said, “and showed that they are responsive to the issues that voters care about.” Brown also complimented Cox and his opponent, Chris Petersen, for releasing a joint advertisement on civility and respect, a very Utahn 30-second spot that caught national attention after it was released last month. “As a party, we will follow the lead of Governorelect Cox on those issues,” Brown said, “and look forward to his leadership of our state.”

the public statements of Rep. Ben McAdams and his Republican challenger Burgess Owens have been well-meaning and sportsmanlike. (You may recall that after losing the seat in 2018, Republican Mia Love sorta-conceded in a seething rant that warned Utahns would pay a cost for electing “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Classy.) To quickly state the necessary caveats: Utah’s election results will not be officially finalized until the canvas of votes later this month. And nationally, battleground states are working through myriad electoral challenges that could delay or potentially alter the declaration of 2020’s winners. That said, a survey of the landscape as it currently stands suggests that 2121 will see a new, Democratic occupant in the White House and a Beehive State that is an ever-so-lighter shade of blue than before, albeit without easy answers for how either ended up that way.

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State Your Case

Members of the Utah Legislature went into the 2020 election with a bit of a black eye. After spending a significant amount of political capital overturning ballot initiatives on Medicaid and medical marijuana, lawmakers saw their proposed overhaul of the state’s tax code go up in flames (twice) in the face of public pushback. A bill raising the tax on food sales passed and then was hastily repealed earlier this year—in part to avoid a ballot referendum that could energize anti-incumbent sentiments. But the stink of defeat lingered into the campaign season, with reports of attack ads that disingenuously sought to punish Democrats and moderate Republicans for not doing enough to stop the tax bill. Whether that dynamic helped push Democratic challengers over the top in two Salt Lake County legislative seats can’t be definitely stated. But in something that feels like irony, two of the threatened incumbents— Reps. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, and Jim Dunnigan, RTaylorsville—had broken with their party to oppose the tax bill last year. Eliason made a priority of suicide prevention legislation in the Legislature, while Dunnigan is a former member of House leadership who spearheaded the chamber’s work on health insurance and who has a personal affinity for fireworks deregulation (his bills legalized aerial sales in the state and prohibit cities from fully banning pyrotechnic displays within their boundaries). The leftward shift in their districts was not universal for Salt Lake County’s competitive seats. Two other Re-

publican lawmakers—Robert Spendlove and Cheryl Acton—were elected with only plurality support in 2018. But while their races show narrow margins, they do not appear to be in danger as the last votes roll in. The Democratic gains have the effect of pushing the state’s GOP majority further to the ideological right and away from the state’s urban core. But the minority party can hardly be blamed for going after the few seats they have a chance of winning. “I’m pleased with the pickups we got,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake. “Having more [Democrats] is more likely to result in somewhat better policies coming out of the Legislature.” After the election, Woods Cross Republican Sen. Todd Weiler publicly mourned the possible loss of his GOP House colleagues on Twitter, crediting them with being among the hardest working and most bipartisan legislators on Capitol Hill. In a since-deleted followup, Weiler said they were more deserving of reelection than he was, and that their swing-district constituents had cast votes based on distaste for Trump’s presidency. “They are long-standing veterans who are well liked and cross party lines,” Weiler wrote. “It’ll be devastating if we lose any of them.” Wendy Davis, who currently leads Eliason by fewer than 400 votes, described Weiler’s comments as “insulting.” “It’s really unfair to me as a candidate,” she said. “I’ve worked really hard. We had a solid campaign.” Davis—a first-time candidate who described education funding and the Legislature’s rejection of publicly approved initiatives as motivations for her run—said that without traditional campaign events during the

Minority Leader Rep. Brian King: Pleased with wins by Democrats

LIZABETHVERSE

COURTESY PHOTO

Should he lose, Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, will be sorely missed by Sen. Todd Weiler

Knocked on 1,500 doors: Presumed Representativeelect, Wendy Davis UTGOV.COM UTGOV.COM

Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy: Likely to lose a close race against Wendy Davis

UTGOV.COM

Jim Dunnigan

COVID-19 outbreak, her team relied on “brute” doorto-door politicking. “We knocked 60,000 doors. I personally knocked on 1,500 doors,” she said. “I talked to hundreds and hundreds of voters.” Only time will tell what lessons, if any, lawmakers learned from the debates over ballot initiatives and food taxes. The two men primarily responsible for those actions—House Speaker Brad Wilson and Senate President Stuart Adams—were re-selected for their leadership positions last week without opposition. And to further muddle a description of countywide and statewide political trends, Democrats solidified seats they flipped in 2018 and expanded their footprint in the Legislature. But Democrats also failed to secure a majority on the Salt Lake County Council or expand their presence outside the Interstate 215 Belt Route— two key goals of the minority party. In Weber County, where Democrats hold one legislative seat, two House races narrowly won by Republicans in 2018 were comfortably claimed by the GOP incumbents this year. At the same time, the open Weber County seat in Senate District 19 saw its Republican advantage cut in half compared to 2016, a trajectory that, if extended, would present a tossup race in 2024. Underlying of all the forecasting is the looming cloud of redistricting, which will begin in earnest next year. There’s no reason to expect the districts of tomorrow to look much or anything like the districts of today. And the GOP supermajority is positioned to draw the maps as they see fit—a voter-approved independent commission on redistricting was diminished by lawmakers earlier this year—staging the next decade of politics in the state. (Continued on page 12)

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Odds ‘n’ Ends Headed to First-class Territory In Utah County, voters clung to their commission form of government, rejecting a proposed move to a county mayor and council. While the change would have seen councilmembers elected to represent geographical districts, elections for the commissioners are held countywide, all but shutting out the possibility of minority representation. The commission’s three-person structure also bestows a thumb of Ceasar to whomever sits at the panel’s ideological center, a tipping-point power that has stymied various policy discussions. Proponents of a new government model argue that a mayor and council are better suited for the increasingly urbanized county, which has seen explosive population and development growth in recent years. Utah County is knocking on the door of being designated a “county of the first class,” a wonky bit of governmental legalese that, in plain terms, allows the state to single out Salt Lake County. A dam of state rules and regulations is poised to burst and flow over Point of the Mountain once population numbers there hit the first-class threshold.

My Split With Utah’s GOP

(continued from p. 10)

It’s Not Me, It Was You

Amended, and Approved Seven constitutional amendments appeared on Utah’s ballots this year, and voters in the Beehive State approved them all. The content of those amendments range from the mundane (changing the start date of the annual legislative session) to the symbolic (repealing slavery as a form of punishment and updating to gender-neutral terminology) to more ideologically dubious changes. With Amendment G, 54% of Utahns voted to end the earmarking of income tax revenue for public education, the effects of which may not be fully felt for decades. Despite Utah’s last-in-thenation ranking for school spending, lawmakers routinely use budgetary techniques to pull money out of education to spend in other areas, which they can now do with no restriction. Voters also approved Amendment E by a commanding margin, enshrining the right to hunt and fish with constitutional protections. It’s a solution in search of a problem, doing little more than jabbing the ribs of gun regulation proponents. It’s hard to fathom a scenario where Utah would restrict hunting and fishing. But hobbyists can presumably rest easier in the knowledge that their sport is elevated to the level of speech, religion and assembly. Perhaps constitutional protections for lacrosse, or needle point, will follow.

Dear Utah Republican Party, It may be hard to believe, but I miss you. I miss the sense of civic pride I got from voting in your primaries, attending your caucus meetings in college and representing my neighbors as a state delegate to your convention. Your love of this country is inspiring. Your love and caring for each other and the community you provide is right, good and important. I still see the party I grew up supporting in my friends and family, and in the countless public servants who keep this state afloat. I see it in most of the fine people who run for public office and, yes, I see it in quite a few of the ones who win. The ones who treat me and the profession I’m part of with respect. The ones who look me in the eye and answer the questions that need answering. The ones who aren’t afraid of honesty, or truth, or the burden of responsible governance. And that’s why I can’t ignore the rot that I’ve seen inside the party. There are some who would say it has overtaken you, but I refuse to believe that. I believe the toxins are superficial, that those who revel in division and anger remain on the fringes. Perhaps that’s me ignoring reality, perhaps I got that from you. But I believe it all the same. I see the rot in leaders who look us in the eyes and lie with a smile on their face. Leaders who turn up their noses at accountability, who force the press and their constituents— occasionally one and the same—to chase them down hallways like wasps. The ones who believe that to the victor go the spoils, and who act accordingly.

I can’t explain what happened over the last four years. Only time will tell whether it was an aberration, or a bellwether. But I know that I was scared, nearly every day, in a way that I had never felt scared before. And I know that there are many people who felt that fear exponentially more acutely than I did, and for whom those fears were made manifest in painful, sometimes fatal, ways. After I left you, I didn’t join your rival. I’ve attended some of their meetings, mostly in a professional capacity. They’re very welcoming. I can see the appeal. On balance, I suppose I cast my votes for their candidates more frequently than I do for yours, but not overwhelmingly. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. Many of our most pressing challenges are outside partisan control. There is still much to fear. But since Saturday, I haven’t been scared. Not like before. I’m waiting to see what you do. I’m anxiously waiting. I know there’s a version of you that is essential—a check on the passions of your rivals that together make us what we are as a nation, as a people, as Americans. That’s why the changes within you create change within all of us. For good or for ill. So, I’m still scared, but not as much as before. Please, don’t scare me again.

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“The play is like a handbook on being Black,” Williams says via press release. “I play a Black teenager who is still learning how the world works. For me, it’s been an incredible experience relearning what it means to be Black in America.” Something to Cry About runs Nov. 13-30 via the company’s website (anothertheater.org), available to stream 6 p.m. – 11:59 p.m. nightly. While tickets are pick-your-price for as low as $1 or even free through the company’s Play-ItForward program, regular door ticket prices are $15-$17, and those who are able to contribute more are invited to do so. (Scott Renshaw)

This fall, Utah Symphony has been welcoming patrons back into Abravanel Hall for live performances, one of the few arts organizations to do so. But the COVID-19 pandemic still limits the opportunity for people to enjoy those live performances, whether because of folks’ own concerns about being in public, or because of the seating limitations required for social distancing safety. So Utah Symphony is still providing a way for people to connect with some of the world’s most gifted musicians, performing some of history’s greatest music, from a virtual distance. According to USUO president Steven Brosvik, “We are committed to evolving our concert experiences to meet the challenges of our current climate and have prioritized making music as accessible to audiences as we possibly can”—and thus USUO on Demand was born. The new digital platform offers streaming performances on a “pay what you can” basis (minimum $10). Initial offerings include pianist Stephen Hough (pictured)—originally scheduled to perform with Utah Symphony in a Masterworks program that had to be

gests that he prefers to take a humorous view of differences between cultures. He notes an occasion when he met a friend from India at the gym, who remarked, “‘I just lost 13 kilos.’ I said, ‘And you’re smiling about it?’ You lose 13 kilos where I’m from, you better start packing your bags.” Wiseguys shows remain at limited capacity for safe social distancing, with tickets available at wiseguyscomedy.com for $15. Join Mitchell to remind him why moving to Utah was a good idea. (SR)

Genderevolution 2020: Shattering Binaries

cancelled due to pandemic shifts in programming—in a 75-minute recital of works by Bach, Liszt and Robert Schumann (through Nov. 21). New this week and available through Dec. 12 is a 45-minute brass ensemble program featuring Stravinsky’s Pulcinelli Suite and Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E minor. Additional programs will be added regularly, including Utah Symphony’s beloved annual performance of Handel’s Messiah beginning Nov. 26. Visit usuo.org/ondemand to bring some of the majesty of classical music directly into your home. (SR)

Despite a growing voice within the LGBTQ community and increasing visibility in the culture at large, gender-non-conforming people still face unique challenges and struggles. The annual Genderevolution conference was created by the Utah Pride Center’s TransAction program as a way to address some of those issues in an inclusive forum—and this year, Genderevolution 2020: Shattering Binaries is moving to a two-day virtual presentation to allow for the greatest possible safe participation. The theme of “shattering binaries,” according to the event’s official website statement, is “to teach us how to navigate the grey areas, the nuances of life, especially when gender is concerned.” From Nov. 13, 10 a.m. to Nov. 14, 4:20 p.m., Genderevolution presents a lineup of keynote speakers including former Harvard University swimmer and groundbreaking transgender Division-I athlete Shuyler Bailiar; poet, performer and activist Kay Ulanday Barrett (pictured); and autistic disability rights activist Lydia X. Z. Brown. The lineup of more than 30 workshops is still being finalized at press time, but organizers

COURTESY PHOTO

USUO On Demand

In 2019, St. Louis, Mo. native Arvin Mitchell relocated to Utah to join the cast of the long-running BYU-TV sketch comedy series Studio C. But the onetime host of BET’s Club Comic View hasn’t lost his love of standup, as he stops in at Wiseguys Comedy’s Jordan Landing location (3763 W. Center Park Dr., wiseguyscomedy.com) for performances Nov. 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. Yet according to Mitchell as part of his Dry Bar Comedy special, Mitchell actually grew up thinking about not comedy as a dream career, but being a rapper. “Then I came to my senses, and realized I probably wouldn’t be the best rapper with a name like ‘Arvin Mitchell,’” he says. “You’ve gotta have a foolish name to be a rapper. But then you can’t eat at a five-str restaurant, like when the maitre’d calls: … ‘Waka Flocka Flame, party of 30.’” While it might seem like culture shock for an African-American to relocate from St. Louis to Utah, Mitchell’s comedy sug-

BYU TV

TDK

Back in March, Provo-based An Other Theater Company became one of the first local performing arts organizations to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic by presenting a planned live performance online, with the streamed play Odd-Shaped Balls. After a recent drive-in production, An Other Theater Company returns to streamed presentation with the premiere of the original work Something to Cry About. Conceived and co-created by AOTC’s new co-artistic director Shelby Noelle Gist and actor Dorsey Williams (pictured), Something to Cry About casts Williams as a 17-year-old highschool student and basketball player named Donald. In the aftermath of an incident that takes place during one of his team’s games, Donald is required to attend court-mandated therapy sessions if he wants to stay on the team, and not be expelled from school. When his therapist confronts Donald with difficult questions, the youth is forced to face up to emotions and beliefs that aren’t easy to give voice to.

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Arvin Mitchell

An Other Theater Company: Something to Cry About

SIM CANETTY-CLARKE

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ESSENTIALS

the

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, NOVEMBER 12-18, 2020

emphasize that the programming is not just for those who self-identify as gender-non-conforming or trans, but also for teachers, health and medical professionals, social workers, law enforcement and anyone else who might want a better understanding of these issues. Tickets are available via Eventbrite at utahpridecenter.org/education/genderevolutionconf, with prices ranging $20-40. Scholarships are available to allow those with financial need to participate, and those who are able to do so are encouraged to purchase “scholarship tickets” that make an additional financial contribution to support those efforts. (SR)

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A&E

BOOKS

Root Stock

Natasha Sajé finds unique answers to “where are you from” in Terroir BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

“W

here are you from” seems like it would be an easy question for most people to answer. For Natasha Sajé, it’s a bit more complicated than where you were born, where you grew up, or even who your parents are. Sajé—an award-winning poet and professor of English at Westminster College— explores that subject in her new book Terroir: Love, Out of Place. A memoir in the form of eight essays, Terroir finds Sajé investigating how the various places she has lived and traveled have impacted the person she became, from being the child of post-World War II Slovenian and German immigrants in New Jersey, to years spent in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, to relocation to Salt Lake City in 1998. The project that ultimately became Terroir began 10 years ago, initially with a very different shape in mind. Sajé envisioned a “memoir with recipes,” built around her long-time fascination with food and a fellowship at that time in France. “I tried writing … and did produce lots of short pieces centered around food and recipes, for around three years,” Sajé says. “Then I realized somehow, as I was writing some of the short pieces, that they needed more length and depth, and the focus on food didn’t feel truthful. So I set those short

food pieces aside, and started again.” While each essay centers on Sajé’s personal experience, she uses the essays in Terroir to track issues like integration, nationality, family, gender, race and class, particularly her own growing understanding of those subjects. Yet she also understands that memoir is a tricky literary form, one where the writer is always self-aware about the elements of herself that she is revealing. “I think my poems are actually more intimate, because of that aspect of performance [in memoir],” she says. “I was conscious of the self I was offering up. I’ve paid particular attention to books where I thought the narrating ‘I’ was dishonest, or overly self-flattering, or where there were gaps. And of course, there are gaps in any story. But when those gaps are significant to the deeper subject, you feel like, ‘Wait a minute.’” As one who analyzes literature for a living, Sajé is perhaps more aware of such potential pitfalls than many writers might be, and the breadth of her lifetime of voracious reading is evident in Terroir’s many references to and quotes from other literary works. She believes that as much as these essays are about the impact of direct experience on her life, the mediated experience of other writers was crucial as well. “I guess I can’t do it any other way, because I’m such a reader,” she says. “Whatever I write, I’m always integrating what I’ve read. I can’t separate life from literature. Reading provided theory, a framework, a structure for me to understand what was happening to me.” Also evident from the essays in Terroir is Sajé’s fascination with etymology, as she often pauses to note the origins of words. In that sense, the question of “where are you from” is one she asks of language as much as she’s asking it of people. “That’s been my obsession ever since I learned

about it in graduate school,” Sajé says. “It was through Derrida and other theorists that I learned about the history of words. In my earlier college education, I didn’t use a dictionary, no one ever taught me the idea that words have images as roots, and the context changes, but there’s a watermark in the word that glows through.” Since Terroir addresses all of the places Sajé has called home, she definitely touches on the more than 20 years she has spent in Utah. And it would be fair to say that the passages about this place express a complicated relationship with the state: its politics, its religious hegemony, its pollution. She values the opportunity Westminster College has given her to have “a full-time job as a poet and teaching,” while also noting that “I feel very left alone here, so that is both a boon and a hindrance. … There’s this micro-community here of liberals that sort of hangs together, that makes it feel like a small place.” That might not be a surprising point of view from someone who’s not “from” here, and much of Terroir is about how the roots

of a place can’t entirely be separated from the time your life that you spent there, and the people with whom you spent that time. “It is all three of those things, isn’t it?” she says. “And we don’t have control over all of them. So it seems like luck or chance when things click. I guess another argument that I had for the whole book was that environment and other people are more important than family.” CW

NATASHA SAJÉ: TERROIR: LOVE, OUT OF PLACE

Virtual author event via The King’s English Bookshop Friday, Nov. 13 6 p.m. www.crowdcast. io/e/natasha-saje-terroir/register

Kabob Cravings West Valley’s Kabul Kitchen keeps the skewers sharp and the broiler hot. BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer ALEX SPRINGER

their freshly brewed black or green tea is on the house with each order. Rounding out a solid menu of dinner heavy hitters is a solid roster of Afghani appetizers, many of which I hadn’t tried before. The chicken pakawra ($4.99) is a Middle Eastern take on chicken fingers, though these are fried in chickpea batter for a nuttier flavor. It’s great for kids who are leaning hard into their chicken finger phase, much like my daughter. The bulani ($4.99), a pan-fried turnover stuffed with ground lamb or just spiced onions, is a tasty snack in the same vein as an empanada. The surprise dish for me was the mantu ($4.99), which are steamed dumplings stuffed with ground lamb and onion, then topped with yogurt and veggies. Texturally, these are much like the steamed gyoza that I love so dearly, and the toppings add some creaminess to the existing savory flavors. They pack a strange flavor profile that’s a bit on the sour side, but it was something that I found myself wanting more of the more I ate them. I can definitely see diners who like a deft hand and a pure heart when it comes to meat prep taking a shine to Kabul Kitchen. It’s a place that elevates the humble kabob, and the fact that it’s in a well-stocked Middle Eastern market means you can load up on a few essentials while immersing yourself in a pocket of welcoming Afghani culture. CW

AT A GLANCE

Open: Mon.-Sat., 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Best bet: The chicken kabob Can’t miss: The qabuli palaw

expected pleasure on this dish was the side of borani banjan, slices of eggplant stewed with a tasty mix of tomato, onion and garlic and topped with cool yogurt. Its smoky sweet flavor is enough to stand on its own, but it makes a stunning complement to the lamb and rice when the three are combined. Moving on to the chicken kabob ($9.99) and the teka beef kabob ($10.99) feels a bit more familiar, but slightly less exciting. Though they’ve both been prepared and marinated well, the chicken was cooked for slightly too long, giving it a bit of toughness and extra char on the edges. The beef also felt the slightest bit overdone, but the flavors were excellent. Both kabobs are served with more of that lovely palaw, along with a nice cucumber and tomato salad to freshen things up. Each kabob also comes with a small cup of cilantro chutney that hides a considerable jalapeño punch. If you like spicy condiments, add this liberally to your kabob for some added heat. While Kabul Kitchen serves up a plethora of proteins, its vegetarian menu doesn’t slouch when it comes to a satisfying meal. The vegetarian platter ($12.99) serves up a combo of sabzi, an Afghani dish of sautéed spinach with onions, cilantro and dill along with grilled eggplant. If you’re going meatless, however, I suggest you stick with the meal-sized version of borani banjan ($11.99) and rice. I was caught off guard by how much I liked this, especially since I don’t generally dig eggplant. Whether you’re eating meatless or not, every meal comes with some hubcap sized naan, plus

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or many years, I’ve come to rely on Utah’s specialty markets as travel surrogates; you can get a lot of culture by aisle-surfing at your local Indian, Asian or Latino market. There’s something different about visiting these markets now that travel is a bit more taboo, however. Spending so much time at home means opportunities to get outside my bubble are much more potent than they used to be. My decision to check out Kabul Kitchen (2407 S. Redwood Road, 801-952-0786, kabulkitchen.co), located within the recently opened Halal Market in West Valley, was partially motivated by a desire to remember how big the world really is. Owner and operator Baz Khan opened Halal Market earlier this year, and has slowly expanded his business to include Kabul Kitchen. It’s a savvy move, since Khan’s new market focuses on his halal butcher shop—all of their meat has been prepared in accordance with Muslim law. Kabul Kitchen leans into the Afghani tradition of skewered meat kabobs with chicken, beef and lamb getting full representation on the menu. Since the dishes are prepared with product that Halal Market already has on hand, it’s a great place to snag a reasonably priced kabob or two. I started with the qabuli palaw ($9.99)— cubes of bone-in lamb smothered with palaw, an herbaceous mound of rice, carrot strips and raisins. I feel like this is the kabob that really encapsulates what Kabul Kitchen is all about. You’ve got some freshly prepared, extremely tender lamb which tastes amazing with a forkful of that fluffy palaw. The lamb has also been seasoned to perfection, which isn’t terribly surprising considering the experience Khan and his team have with meat-prepping. A truly un-

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BACK BURNER BY ALEX SPRINGER @captainspringer

Celebrat i

International Education Week Starts

The University of Utah’s Office for Global Engagement (global.utah.edu) will be kicking off a whole week of global awareness and appreciation starting on Nov. 16, a big part of which will be some tasty international cooking classes. On Nov. 16, 17, 18 and 19, professional chefs will host cooking demonstrations that highlight the food of Peru, India, Ghana and South Korea. These virtual classes are free of charge, but do require an RSVP—which can be done online on the International Education Week website (global.utah.edu/iew)—as well as a prepurchase of the ingredients on the recipe list. A full schedule for International Education Week is also available online.

Franck’s Expands Dining Space

The Holladay fine dining establishment Franck’s (6263 Holladay Boulevard, 801274-6264, francksfood.com) recently expanded its dining space—and it’s breathtaking. Franck’s has erected a greenhouse-like enclosure as an attachment, complete with glittering chandeliers and art deco metalwork, to its already posh restaurant space. From the photos shared on social media, the area looks designed with classed-up social distancing in mind. With so many restaurants making their own adaptations to continue safe, socially-distant patronage, I’ve yet to see an attempt that looks so gorgeous—who would have thought that keeping one’s distance could be so romantic? This just might be enough to tempt me back to dining in public.

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The Five Alls Reopens

I’m a bit late to the game on this one, but as I was quite devastated to hear that The Five Alls (1458 S. Foothill Drive, 385-5281922, fiveallsrestaurant.com) closed, I’m equally thrilled to hear that it reopened a few months ago. This charmingly kitschy restaurant holds fast to classic recipes like chicken Kiev and filet Oscar and does it all beneath the guise of an old English pub—complete with corsets and copper chargers as far as the eye can see. It built a name for itself over the decades as a classic birthday/graduation/anniversary/prom date destination for slightly nerdy Utah diners, and here’s hoping it sticks around to welcome a new generation of equally nerdy diners into its warm embrace. Quote of the Week: “’Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers.” –William Shakespeare

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onTAP LIVE MUSIC FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS 7-9:30PM PIZZAS 20% OFF 6-8PM

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

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

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Nitro Amber Ale

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Cottonwood 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

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

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Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Epic Badder Baptista Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Red Ale Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

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

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Fresh Brewed UPA

2496 S. West Temple, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com @levelcrossingbrewing

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Coconut Macadamia Porter Hoppers Grill and Brewing 890 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale HoppersBrewPub.com Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Sinday Pale Ale

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

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: Salted Caramel Porter Red Rock Brewing Multiple Locations RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Secale RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Three Deep American Ale (in honor of Veterans Day) Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Frankly Mr Shanklin NEIPA Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Barrel-aged Lowrider - Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Milk Stout Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Peach Cobbler

Strap Tank Brewery Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Straight STRATA Pale Ale Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: 7th Wonder Pale Ale Toasted Barrel Brewery 412 W. 600 North, SLC ToastedBarrelBrewery.com Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Cutthroat Pale Ale UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Hometown Hazy IPA 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

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Overall: The Saltfire crew managed to maintain fresh beer qualities in this one while allowing its time in the gin barrels to shine. Flavors like these tend to be suited towards bigger Belgian styles; here, the selection of Beehive Distillery’s Jack Rabbit Gin, Alpine Distilling Gin and Hammer Springs’ Gin provides a tasty dose of spruce and juniper that works better than I could have imagined with the hops used. Epic - Creamsicle: The smoothie IPA is all the rage, and every brewery seems to be frantically trying to one-up the others with aspects of creaminess, fruitiness, succulence and richness. The brewers at Epic up the ante with an orange-flavored hop bomb with subtle use of lactose, vanilla and orange. Creamsicle IPA pours a mostly clear body with a frothy meringue top that greets the rim, while aromas of citrus and cream tease the senses with exactly those thoughts of orange creamsicle, though with a curiously herbal back note. Juicy and ice cream-like on the front of the tongue, its fruity sweetness teases the taste buds with sherbet, pulled and white. The flavors continue to blossom across the middle palate as its sweetness slowly recedes and its citrus flavor continues to expand. Radiant and ripe flavors of tangerine and orange fuse with secondary flavors of lemon, papaya and mango. As the malts continue to back away, it takes the sweetness away from the fruit impressions and the herbal complement from hops get the opportunity to develop a hemp and overall grassy tone late in the taste. Overall: This 8.5 percent beer’s texture is unwavering. Where IPA normally trends dry, crisp and refreshing, Epic’s Creamsicle continues to bring a creamy fruitiness with green tea and a gin-like spice for a full complement of smoothie taste from front to finish. Though these may not sound very IPA-like, they both manage to retain their base beer’s hoppy qualities. Both of these are making their way into the open markets. Epic’s Creamsicle is popping-up in some DABC locations and, of course, their SLC brewery (825 S. State). Your best bet for Satfire’s Jeniver is at the source, at the brewery in South Salt Lake (2199 W. Temple). As always, cheers! CW

You already have your BURGER JOINT & TACO JOINT Now meet your TERIYAKI JOINT

ven though IPAs are a huge part of the craft beer scene, there’s still a sizable demographic that couldn’t care less about hop-driven ales. In recent years, the New England (hazy) IPAs have opened up markets to those who prefer a less bitter option. However, this week’s selections are all traditional bitter IPAs, with a bit of creative muscle-flexing to augment the flavors. Saltfire - Jeniver: The pour here reveals a typical looking IPA, full of honey and grain hues with a moderate amount of head that fades slowly. The nose is greeted with a big dose of juniper berry, spruce and citrus. It’s not the usual IPA aroma, but the fruity and boozy perfume is pleasing. As the sprucy tang of juniper and gin float just above a fluffy white cap, what waits below are the soft malty sweet taste of toasty malt, laced with honeysuckle and light bread. Juniper berry is the star of the show here, as the berry sweetness dissolves effortlessly on the tongue. An herbal and tea-like presence takes hold of the middle palate, teasing with zesty citrus goodness similar to orange peel and a tangier berrylike tartness from juniper. Sprucy, sappy and minty, the beer rounds into a lightly refreshing bitter lemon lime taste. Blurring the line between beer and cocktail, this 8.0 percent beer offers soft wood tannins as a dry finish begins to take hold.

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Pandemic Radio Pt. 2: Aggie Radio

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or the second part of City Weekly’s college radio investigation, we turn northward, up to Utah State University, the home of Aggie Radio and its diverse group of student directors, who help lay out the whole, complicated nature of running college radio—and living as students—through a pandemic year. Utah State is cozied up in Logan’s picturesque valley, far from other large Utah cities, and that contributes to a distinct music scene that thrives in part because of Aggie Radio, the college’s student-run radio station. “We don’t have a lot of venues, so we’re the people that bring the music to everyone,” says Station Manager Sierra Benson, who’s been with Aggie Radio since her freshman year. “Usually at the end of the year, we do Logan City Limits—we still don’t know if we’re going to be able to do it again this year,” Events Director Sydney Ho adds. “At the beginning of the year we usually do Big Ag Show, and we weren’t able to do it this year.” They have been able to throw one socially-distanced event capped at 50 students so far this school year, where usually they’d already have a big event and a few smaller ones under their belt. “We haven’t been able to bring as many of the bigger bands that we usually [would], or even ones outside of the Cache Valley yet,” Ho says, adding that though there are hopes to do another small event later in the semester, the process is complicated by the school’s event approval process. “We don’t know if we can have events even a month or two weeks before [they’re] supposed to happen, so that’s making everything more difficult.” And though these changes are stressful, Benson notes, “We can’t do a lot of events, [but] at the same time there are upsides because we get to focus a lot more on our content creation.” That’s been the impetus for the Content Creation Committee anyway, which aims for more written content on the website to supplement the 10 podcasts they have in rotation currently. After closing their radio studio over the summer, they’ve found the pandemic transition to be rather smooth. “DJs are usually just in there by themselves, [with] usually no more than two people. So already

Aggie Radio Directors it’s a pretty safe activity; we didn’t have to make too many adjustments,” says Programming Director Darcy Ritchie. “But we used to be able to have as many people as you could fit in the studio come in.” As for what the station’s 40-plus DJs are playing, Music Director Brynn Griffiths relies on social media to keep an eye on bands from Logan, as well as SLC and Provo—where she briefly lived—to keep her thumb on the pulse. “That’s been the biggest thing, is making sure our locals get heard,” she says. “Digital communication has always been a part of music, and I think the music has never stopped, there’s always been the kind of constant influx. Now it’s just a matter of artists really pushing to have it played [on air] because they can’t play it live.” But Griffiths points out that virtual communication isn’t all easy going. “It’s weird not to go to campus every day, see my friends, go to class physically. But also it’s been weird to be like ‘hey we’re gonna have a meeting, over a zoom call.’ Or ‘you’re gonna meet with your committee, over a zoom call.’” she says. Benson agrees, recalling a conversation between herself, Ho and another director about the feeling that “we’re acting this role that’s not real anymore.” Benson in particular has struggled as the station’s leader and its first woman in the role, as well as someone looking out at her future after college. “It’s hard to even find meaning in it,” she says, noting that despite heartening virtual check-ins with the podcasters, DJs and others helping to run the station, she still feels a disconnect. “It’s been a hard week with midterms and everything, to keep thinking that I’m doing a good job as a leader compared to last year, when we had a leader who would meet with everyone, knew everyone’s name, had parties at his house. A lot of imposter syndrome’s coming up for me.” Though bent on event planning or artist management after college, Benson’s now looking at other options as the future continues to look bleak for the music industry. Ho, too, is dealing with the turbulence of changing her major, but finds comfort in Aggie Radio’s survival. “I’m still glad we get to be here,” Ho says. “Being part of the team of directors has helped me get through this semester, where I would have felt completely disconnected from campus if I didn’t have this.” Benson also finds room to be gracious amid all the uncertainty. “We’re doing this through a pandemic. A lot of college radios throughout the nation had to shut down for the summer, had to shut down for the year. I’m just way impressed at what my team has been able to do, on top of what we’ve been able to pivot to,” she says, with all the earnestness of a leader. To get a look at their new fine-polished content, or to listen in, visit radio.usu.edu or tune in to 92.3 KBLU. CW

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Hobosapiens

Hobosapien Releases Self-Titled Punk Debut

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It feels rare these days to find a ripping punk outfit among all the jangly, groovy indie boy bands popular in Utah, but Hobosapien is just that striking, rare kind of band. Active since 2018, Hobosapien just released an EP that proves their status as killer punks. The nauseatingly noisy self-titled debut howls through four wicked tracks, plunging right into the madness with opener “Y.” The song is pure garage rock, played fast, hard, loud—in a word, unbridled. The EP certainly feels like something that this writer hasn’t seen or heard around in the last few years, which is a good thing; despite (or maybe because of) their youth, they have the vim and vigor of a much more established band. Following “Y,” “Maestroo” is the tamest song on the album, lifting off with a feedback-buzzing bassline and snappy drums that last most of the spare runtime, until the last 30 seconds begin to wriggle with a little more unruliness. “Fire Warning” is unhinged, with a tight, surfy little rhythm carrying the song as the vocalist screams like the best of demented frontmen—though whether that’s Thomas Okelberry or Jake Allen taking screaming duties, it’s hard to tell, as it seems they often switch off on the mic. The final song, “A Pinegrove,” is one of the most compelling songs on the album, though it sounds a bit unfinished. Fast as hell, it shimmers sharply with some reverb in the back while subtle basslines and racing drums accompany distorted, phantasmic vocals to the lo-fi explosion that finishes off the song. This is one band that would be killer to see live, and though it seems they’ve been playing a few small shows in the areas outside SLC, here’s to hoping they can play a biggie when the pandemic lifts. Don’t miss out on this fantastic new EP, and go listen wherever you do your streaming.

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If you’re looking for more safe virtual shows, look no further than Beehive Instafest—#7 specifically. The Instagram exclusive day-long streamed fests have been going on throughout the pandemic, featuring a long lineup of local artists every time, and consistently the emo folk punk of Petr Chubak, who helps to organize and promote the events. The monthly-ish fests ask for donations via Venmo or PayPal to the owner of The Beehive, a local hub for important parts of SLC’s underground music scene, and a business that obviously has struggled during the pandemic. Beehive Instafest #7 starts off at 1 p.m. on Nov. 14, streaming from Chubak’s personal page @petr_chubak on Instagram, to then be followed by NIL Ø at 1:30 p.m., Skyler Chubak at 2 p.m., Shane Augustus of the band Problem Daughter at 2:30 p.m., New Orleans-based Rob Taxpayer at 3 p.m. and Portal to the God Damn Blood Dimension at 3:30 p.m. (they are as scary as they sound). Each of these artists will take their turn performing from their own Instagram page, and all of their handles can be found on Petr Chubak’s page, along with the set list and info for donating to The Beehive. After a short break, the fest picks back up again with Matt Pless at 5 p.m., followed by Ash Bassett of Breakfast in Silence at 5:30 p.m., more folk punk from the delightfully named act Chuck A. Brick at 6 p.m. and some ska antics from the large, vigorous group Show Me Island at 6:30. The night is rounded out at 7 p.m. with performances by another folk punker Elliot Pullen and the experimental hardcore of Vantana Row at 7:30 p.m. Keep up with @petr_chubak for details on all these artists and news about future Instafest shows.

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Clayton Smalley Releases Some Country Classics

One golden star in the Utah country scene is Clayton Smalley, an ex-Californian who calls Utah home now. He’s following up his 2019 EP Whiskey Sunrise and a few 2020 singles with yet another EP, Dirt Road Therapy, which takes a few steps forward productionand songwriting-wise compared to the past work. In both releases, Smalley deals in classic country themes, though Whiskey Sunrise was altogether more romance-fueled and a little more melancholy than Dirt Road Therapy, which finds Smalley reflecting inwardly on his past and present. Opener “Two Lane Time Machine” features clever lyrical turns that use an old, totaled truck as the vehicle for reminiscing about a past that’s long out of reach. The fanciful wish for a “two lane time machine” keeps it from feeling like a sad desire to go back to old sweethearts and first cars, though. It’s an interesting spin on the way trucks are usually objects on which country singers project longing, loss, heartbreak and a whole slew of other emotions that somehow find their way out in the vehicle’s cab. “Modern Day Merle” is another homage to classic country totems, by way of referencing famous outlaw countryman Merle Haggard. It seems, in tracks like “Phoenix Rise” and the title track especially, that Smalley craves the freedom of impulse, the kind men like Haggard gave way to, and the kind that’s hard to get for good— which he laments in “Phoenix Rise”—and easy to win at least for a little while on a long drive by oneself (“Dirt Road Therapy”). Finally, on closer “I Never Let a Good Time Get Away,” he admits to his lack of inhibitions when it comes to whiskey, cigarettes and partying, but these admissions to debauchery and partaking of “hair of the dog” are somehow wholesome and not damning, conveying instead the good old-fashioned freedom Smalley wonders at throughout the album. For classic country fans, this is an impressive and heartwarming work to look out for when it drops Nov. 20. It’s also available for pre-order on iTunes.

There’s something to be said about the poise that metal bands in particular exhibit. Whether they’re the kind that go mad with chops or take it slow and easy, good metal sounds like balancing on a thin line amidst chaos. The duo of Kona Ossana and Christian Lucy, who make up Sindar, walk that line well, while also following another tradition of heavy guitar music, in that the mythology of the famous fantasy series Lord of the Rings is referenced in their music. Other bands have famously referred to the series, including Led Zeppelin, Megadeth and Rush. For those not deeply versed in the mythology, it takes some Googling to find that their atmospheric, 10 minute opener and single “Aiunulindalë” is a reference to the Tolkien book by the same name, which functions as something of an origin story for all the tales that come later about Tolkien’s Middle Earth. The track meanders through many different genre expressions, from airy jazz moments to thundering drum crescendos to shoegaze-esque dreaminess. Though the band cites roots in post-black, doom and death metal, their softer sides are quite present, namely the reliance on dense yet hazy atmospherics that shimmer throughout, recalling Sindar’s claimed influences: the doomgazers Alcest and Opeth, and drone pioneers Earth. Over its 12 tracks, the duo cycles among these influences, even expressing some folk tonalities on songs like “Master of Fate.” It’s hard to pick standout moments on a work that’s grand and dramatic at all turns, and with such masterful songwriting that paints vivid imagery even on mostly instrumental tracks, or among signature unintelligible metal screaming (the aptly titled “Rise of the Uruk-Hai” which narrates the “unnatural birth” of the terrifying Tolkien creatures). Released Oct. 21, this is one impressive debut from a local band worth turning to especially for lovers of the gentler variants of doom—and whether Tolkien is your thing or not.

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If you’re terrified of going out after the super spreading event that was Halloween weekend two weeks back, then here we give you the virtual shows of fellow music-trackers Salt Lily Magazine. The locals-only magazine provides a voice to and unique coverage of up-and-coming locals under the radar’s radar. In their Instagram’s signature floral aesthetic, they’ve been posting playlists of favorite local songs and organizing live-stream sets by local artists over the last few months. September featured increasingly popular favorites like local folk hero Branson Anderson and the indie pop bands Fake Nice and Cardinal Bloom, while October’s lineup featured trad punk rock from American Humor, atmospheric pop from Lunar Spirit and the melodies of soloist Cherish DeGraaf. For November’s series, they’ve got just as many talented acts to look forward to watching virtually. After First Daze open it up on Nov. 6, Nov. 11 will feature the high drama of Detzany, whose Oct. 30 single “Cruel World” is catchy right out of the gate and promises much for the artist who’s been dropping similarly dark and dreamy R&B electronica tracks all year. Detzany’s dark side of the moon will be balanced by Angie Petty’s sultry, jazzy pop stylings on Nov. 20—and she’s been just as busy this year, releasing vintage-crackling singles like “Nowadays” and “Feel It All”, which features Jay Warren. Cera Gibson closes out the month on Nov. 27 with her good-girl-gone-goth grooves. She’s been busy, too, with a May single “Idea of Me” complementing an otherwise busy year of live and live-streamed shows. Don’t miss this powerhouse-filled line up, and tune in on Salt Lily’s Instagram or YouTube at 7 p.m. to catch each performance. Follow @saltlilymagazine for updates and more coverage.

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CINEMA

FILM REVIEW

If the Bootstrap Fits

With its author’s rhetoric toned down, Hillbilly Elegy lacks a point of view

n case you have the good fortune and/or good sense not to spend way too much time on Twitter, it’s possible you don’t know that Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance … might not be the most progressive guy in the world. It was a weird tweet about American fertility rates and Daylight Saving Time that inspired the most eye-rolling just recently, but identifying himself first and foremost as a “Christian” in his Twitter bio and using scare quotes when referring to “gender studies” could also clue you in as to where his leanings might be. This extra-textual knowledge might not impact anyone’s reaction to director Ron Howard’s new adaptation of Hillbilly Elegy, but those familiar with the book itself might be surprised at the studiously middle-of-the-road narrative they find in this version. While Vance’s memoir extrapolated a lot from his hardscrabble personal family history to make quite a few generalized observations about who’s to blame for rural poverty—turning the book into a favorite of publications like The American Conservative—the film seems so determined not to offend anyone politically that it hardly seems to have a point. In telling Vance’s life story, Hillbilly Elegy shifts back and forth between two distinct time frames. In the “present” of 2011,

NETFLIX

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso) is a student at Yale Law School, trying to land a crucial summer internship that will help him pay for his tuition. But that quest is complicated by receiving a call that his mother, Bev (Amy Adams), has just overdosed on heroin. While J.D. deals with that immediate crisis, he reflects on his childhood, specifically time as a teenager (played by Owen Asztalos) in blue-collar Middletown, Ohio—where Bev’s own mother, J.D.’s Mamaw (Glenn Close) fled from her Kentucky Appalachian family as a pregnant teen— dealing with Bev’s perpetual volatility. The character core of Hillbilly Elegy lies in the idea of what someone might be running from or running to in search of a better life, and Howard’s direction offers glimpses of how to make that idea compelling. A tunnel at the entrance to Middletown becomes a recurring symbol, initially marking young Mamaw seeing the town as a metropolitan wonderland compared to her backwoods home, and later as a place of shuttered mills, boarded-up storefronts and drug deals. J.D.’s discomfort and sense of shame among his Ivy League classmates drives an early scene at a recruitment dinner, and his primary arc becomes how J.D.

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will come to terms with the family drama that keeps pulling him back in. Mostly that family drama takes the form of Bev’s unstable parenting, which naturally provides an opportunity for a showy performance. Adams gets a lot of big scenes to play—a violent outburst directed at young J.D.; screaming resistance to having her drugs taken away from her; roller-skating through a hospital while doped up on opioids—and it’s hard for those moments not to play as anything but over the top, even if every single moment literally happened. Glenn Close gets the lower-key role, mostly being the tough-love dispenser of folksybut-foul-mouthed wisdom, and Hillbilly Elegy sells the crucial connection between Mamaw and the adolescent J.D. It’s just not nearly as good at conveying enough of Bev’s own upbringing to indicate whether her life is the result of her general environment, her own childhood with abusive parents, her specific mental illness, or some tragic cocktail of all of the above. And that’s where Hillbilly Elegy breaks down as storytelling with anything more to share than one man’s experience. The montage in which we see young J.D. making the pivotal decisions that lead him to-

Glenn Close and Amy Adams in Hillbilly Elegy

wards success plays like a case study in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps— he digs into his homework, helps wash Mamaw’s dishes, goes to work at a convenience store to earn extra money—without asking too many questions about why such an approach didn’t work for his mother. Even if you found Vance’s victim-blaming and perpetuation of “welfare queen” narratives in the book offensive, at least it indicated a specific point of view. In an attempt to tidy up the author’s potentially unpalatable attitudes, Howard turns Hillbilly Elegy into something with a vacuum where its own very specific sense of social morality would be. CW

HILLBILLY ELEGY

BB½ Amy Adams Glenn Close Gabriel Basso R Available Nov. 11 in theaters; Nov. 24 via Netflix

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Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) “Love can’t always do work,” wrote novelist Iris Murdoch. “Sometimes it just has to look into the darkness.” From what I can tell, you’ve been doing that recently: looking into the darkness for love’s sake. That’s a good thing! You have been the beneficiary of the blessings that come through the contemplation of mysteries and enigmas. You’ve been recalibrating your capacity to feel love and tenderness in the midst of uncertainty. I suspect that it will soon be time to shift course, however. You’re almost ready to engage in the intimate work that has been made possible by your time looking into the darkness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) “Who is to decide between ‘Let it be’ and ‘Force it’?” asked Libran author Katherine Mansfield. I mention this because you’re now hanging out in the limbo zone between “Let it be” and “Force it.” But very soon—I’m sure you’ll have a clear intuition about when—you’ll figure out how to make a decisive move that synthesizes the two. You will find a way to include elements of both “Let it be” and “Force it.”

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “I hold a beast, an angel and a madman in me,” wrote Scorpio poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953) in a letter to a friend. That sounds like a lot of energy to manage! And he didn’t always do a good job at TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Author Barbara Kingsolver says, “Don’t try to figure out what it—although he did at times tap into his primal wellspring to create other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to some interesting poetry. I’m going to use Thomas’s words in your say.” That’s always valuable advice, but it’ll be especially useful horoscope, because I think that in the coming weeks you can be a to keep in mind during the coming weeks. You’re probably going subtle, refined and mature blend of a beast, angel and madperson. to feel more pressure than usual to tell others what they wish Be your wisest wild self, dear Scorpio! you would tell them; you may experience some guilt or worry about being different from their expectations of you. Here’s SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) the good news: I’m pretty certain you can be true to yourself Activist and author Rebecca Solnit writes, “The grounds of my without seeming like a jerk to anyone or damaging your long- hope have always been that history is wilder than our imaginaterm interests. So you might as well say and do exactly what’s tion of it and that the unexpected shows up far more regularly than we ever dream.” In my astrological estimation, her grounds real and genuine. for hope should also be yours in the coming weeks. The future is more wide-open than you might think. The apparent limitations GEMINI (May 21-June 20) “The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks,” wrote of the past are at least temporarily suspended and irrelevant. playwright Tennessee Williams. I think that’s a poetic but Your fate is purged of some of your old conditioning and the accurate description of the feat you’ve been working on lately, inertia of tradition. I encourage you to make a break for freeGemini. You’re gently smashing through stony obstructions. dom. Head in the direction of the Beautiful Unknown. You’ve been calling on your irrepressible will to enjoy life as you have outsmarted the rugged, jagged difficulties. You’re relying CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) on beauty and love to power your efforts to escape a seemingly The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa doesn’t stand straight, but tilts at an angle. Why? The soil it was built on is soft on one side. no-win situation. Congratulations! Keep up the good work! So the marble-and-limestone structure began to tip even before it was finished. That’s the weird news. The good news is that the CANCER (June 21-July 22) Cancerian rapper Vince Staples says, “I feel like it’s impossible tower has remained standing for more than eight centuries—and to be completely yourself.” Why? Because ideally we’re always has stayed intact even though four major earthquakes have rolled outgrowing who we have become; we’re moving beyond the suc- through the area. Why? A research team of engineers determined cesses we have already achieved. There is no final, whole, ideal it’s because of the soft foundation soil, which prevents the tower “self” to inhabit and express—only more and more of our self- from resonating violently with the temblors. So, the very factor ness to create. Staples suggests we’d get bored if we reached that makes it odd is what keeps it strong. Is there a comparable a mythical point where we had figured out exactly who we are phenomenon in your life? I believe there is. Now is a good time to and embodied it with utter purity. We always have a mandate acknowledge this blessing—and enhance your use of it. to transform into a new version of our mystery. Sounds like fun! Everything I just said, Cancerian, is an empowering meditation AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Even if you tend to pay more attention to what’s going wrong for you right now. than what’s going right, I ask you to change your attitude for the next three weeks. Even if you believe that cynicism is an LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) “I am my own sanctuary, and I can be reborn as many times as I intelligent perspective and a positive attitude is a wasteful choose throughout my life.” Singer-songwriter Lady Gaga said indulgence, I encourage you to suspend those beliefs. As an that, and now I offer it to you to use as your motto. According to experiment—and in accordance with astrological potentials—I my analysis of the astrological omens, it’s a fabulous time to be invite you to adopt the words of activist Helen Keller as your keyyour own sanctuary. I invite you to rebirth yourself at least twice note: “Every optimist moves along with progress and hastens it, between now and the end of November. What’s the first step while every pessimist would keep the world at a standstill. The consequence of pessimism in the life of a nation is the same as in you’ll take to get started? the life of the individual. Pessimism kills the instinct that urges people to struggle against poverty, ignorance and crime, and VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) The National Football League is a giant socialist enterprise. dries up all the fountains of joy in the world.” It earns billions of dollars of revenue and shares it equally with each of its 32 teams. So, the team in Green Bay, Wisconsin, PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) population 105,000, receives the same payout as the team Researchers in the UK found that 62 percent of the adult popuin Chicago, population 2.7 million. I advocate a comparable lation brags that they’ve read classic books that they have not approach for you in the coming weeks. Just for now, distribute in fact read. Why? Mostly to impress others. George Orwell’s your blessings and attention and favors as evenly as possible, 1984 is the top-rated book for fake claims, followed by Tolstoy’s showing no favoritism toward a particular child or friend or pet War and Peace, James Joyce’s Ulysses and the Bible. I hope you or loved one or influence. Be an impartial observer, as well. Try won’t engage in anything like that type of behavior during the to restrain biases and preferential treatment as you act with weeks ahead. In my opinion, it’s even more crucial than usual even-handed fair-mindedness. Don’t worry: You can eventu- for you to be honest and authentic about who you are and what ally go back to being a subjective partisan if you want. For the you do. Lying about it might seem to be to your advantage in the foreseeable future, your well-being requires cordial neutrality. short run, but I guarantee it won’t be.

DRIVER WANTED

READ THE ROOM

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

1. “The Hobbit” hobbit 2. “What’s the ____ trying?” 3. Swap 4. Greeted from across the street, say 5. Skedaddles, to Shakespeare 6. ‘21 and ‘22, e.g.

History To Go

7. Actor Jack of “City Slickers” 8. They have the shortest gestation (12-13 days) among all mammals 9. Weighty weight 10. Eyewear, informally 11. Kept the books? 12. A country doctor might make one 13. Score a run à la Jackie Robinson in the 1955 World Series 18. Jai ____ 23. Japanese affirmative 25. Didn’t just peek 28. Prefix with -hedron 29. Satellite radio giant 30. Summer romance, perhaps 31. U.S. author credited with popularizing the word “cojones” as a synonym for bravery 32. “Generally speaking ...” 33. Like some Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest 38. Brainstorming diagrams 43. Tracked by air traffic control 45. “Message received” 47. Groundbreaking inven-

tion? 48. Leave out 52. Circumvent 53. “Time in a Bottle” singer Jim 54. Macho guys 56. Munich Mrs. 58. Roll call response 61. Med. care sites 62. “Good” cholesterol initials

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.

DOWN

URBAN L I V I N

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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. “For what reason, though?” 7. Chef’s collection 11. Sighs of pleasure 14. El Al alterntative 15. Individually 16. Foldable bed 17. Ignores 19. Signal to go onstage 20. Waits awhile 21. Part of UNLV 22. Nelson Mandela’s mother tongue 24. Harry Styles’ old group, to fans 25. Without 26. “The Clan of the Cave Bear” author 27. #1 hero on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Greatest Heroes and Villains 31. Good drink for a sore throat 34. Jannings who won the first Best Actor Oscar (1928) 35. ____ Te Ching 36. Brian in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 37. One more than bi39. ____ Lanka 40. Furniture wood 41. Gym surface 42. Overhaul 44. Sitting at a red light, say 46. “No more for me, thanks!” 49. Pixar clown fish 50. Baby carriers? 51. Individually 55. “Good ____!” 57. ____ tai 58. Le ____, France 59. Existed 60. Pick up an audience’s vibe ... or what you can do with this puzzle’s circled words once they’re completed 63. Hollywood title: Abbr. 64. Plucked instrument, to Vivaldi 65. Frozen CO2, familiarly 66. “Affirmative” 67. Red states, once 68. Oppressively heavy

SUDOKU

| COMMUNITY | | CITYWEEKLY.NET |

30 | NOVEMBER 12, 2020

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

It’s the time of year when families traditionally gather. With COVID-19 raging through the country, instead of flying, some of us may be driving to those gatherings, and in so doing, will pass more than one roadside historical marker. Do you ever pull over and read them? These plaques, often seen on rock cairns at roadside pit stops, are pages ripped right out of Utah’s history books. In fact, the Division of State History is tasked with creating and maintaining an inventory of markers and monuments within our borders. The DSH describes them thusly: “Historical markers may contain valuable information about Utah history, but they are also historical artifacts, reflecting the particular point of view of the placing organization. They show how segments of society viewed historical events at the time the markers were placed.” Nowadays, you can even go to the state database and click on a map to read historical facts that appear on the markers which emanate in all directions from our Capitol City: south to Birdseye on Highway 89, where you read about the site of a marble quarry and a Mormon settlement; east to Scofield’s city cemetery where a plaque remembers Utah’s worst mine disaster on May 1, 1900, killing at least 200 men; north to Garland, where a public library was built in 1914 with money donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (there are 2,509 of these in the country); and west on Interstate 80 toward Wendover to Knolls, where a sign commemorates the 81-member Donner-Reed Party and the Cedar Mountains Wild Horse Range. If you want to explore Utah’s off roads, take the old Pony Express Trail in the west desert and discover plaques from the 1940s that highlight stations where riders exchanged horses to speed off on to their next stop. I’ve been on that trail south of Tooele to Wendover, and while accessible by car, it often feels like you’re driving over corrugated cardboard—the trip will jiggle the teeth around in your mouth. Pay attention to the weather if you head that way as there are no gas stations or convenience stores along the route. You’ll feel much like those riders back then whose only companions were wild horses and jackrabbits. The database was originally created in 1996 and is now hosted on a GIS-compatible platform. Even though not all the markers are there, it’s a great resource for information on Utah’s historical and cultural sites. Some of the history is grim: places where lynchings occurred, where whites killed Indigenous peoples and vice versa, and where starvation and even cannibalism were recorded. Other plaques point out architecture and how sites/vistas received their names, and whom/what they commemorate. So, if you’re taking a road trip and need to change out sleepy drivers or simply need a break, pull over at one of these markers or monuments and learn some historical trivia you can share with the folks over your turkey/ tofurky dinner. For more information, visit history.utah. gov n Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

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Crime Report, Lynn Guerrero, 33, was also charged with providing a false name to law enforceHalloween Edition ment after she repeatedly said her name Nathan Garisto, 26, of Largo, Florida, was was “My butt just farted.” Officers were familiar with Guerrero arrested on Oct. 19 on a domestic battery charge. The Smoking Gun reported that Garisto was “heav- from a series of arrests over several years, and her last name is ily intoxicated while engaged in a verbal argument with his tattooed on her back, so. ... They noted she may have been under girlfriend,” according to police. He refused to leave after his girl- the influence of alcohol or drugs. friend asked him to, instead throwing “a pumpkin and all insides of the pumpkin at the subject.” Garisto maintains he threw the The Continuing Crisis pumpkin at the door, not at the girlfriend. He was released on Sure, COVID-19 has been tough on human beings. But don’t discount the effect the virus has had on our aquatic friends. Take bond and ordered to have no contact with the victim. Mikko, a 3-foot-long grouper who lives at the Sea Life Helsinki Sea Lab ocean laboratory, where he had to be isolated because he Sweet Love Sugar Good, 49, who manages a Dunkin’ donuts store in kept eating his tankmates. When the aquarium closed because of Edmond, Oklahoma, knew a good man when she saw one ... the pandemic, Mikko appeared depressed, becoming “more still every morning at 7:15 as he collected his sausage, egg and cheese and distant than usual,” his caretakers told Live Science. “To croissant at her drive-thru. After a year of friendly commercial cheer him up ... the caretakers and other staff had lunch and cofexchanges, The New York Times reported, Good finally got up fee breaks by his tank.” They also had a TV to keep him company, the nerve to hand John Thompson, 45, her business card along but on Oct. 12, Mikko got the ultimate pick-me-up: a 16th birthwith his food and coffee. Two years later, on Oct. 13, Good and day party featuring a salmon “cake.” Aquarium representatives Thompson tied the knot at the place that brought them together: said he enjoyed the party. the Dunkin’ drive-thru. “We knew we wanted to share it with the Dunkin’ family,” Good said. She stood at her spot in the window Election Snafu and Thompson drove up in his red truck, where former pastor Nikolai Loktev, 58, the incumbent mayor of Povalikhino in Colby Taylor was waiting for them. Taylor kept the ceremony Russia, asked the woman who cleans the city hall to add her name short, as other customers were lined up behind Thompson, but to the ballot as a formality, in order to comply with a regulation at the end, Good came outside and Thompson got out of his that elections must have two or more candidates. In a twist of truck for their first kiss as regulars, friends and family cheered fate, however, Marina Udgodskaya received 62% of the vote, them on. “Our story wasn’t glamour,” Good said, “but it was compared to Loktev’s 34%, on Sept. 28. “I didn’t think people would actually vote for me,” Udgodskaya said, according to the true romance.” BBC. But one village shopkeeper explained: “If we could have voted against all we would have done, but we had the option to Bright Idea In Littleton, New Hampshire, a Hillsborough County grand jury vote for Marina, so we did. I think she’ll cope. The whole village filed indictments against Lisa Landon, 33, in early October, the will help.” Loktev is sporting a stiff upper lip: “I’m not upset. Union Leader reported. Landon was scheduled in court for three People voted for her, so let her do her job.” different cases in November and December 2019, involving drug possession and stalking. To avoid going to jail, Landon Family Values impersonated a prosecutor, using the court’s electronic system On Oct. 8, as an Advent Health worker checked visitors’ temperto file fake documents dropping the charges against her. A state atures at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, she noticed a woman forensic officer noticed last November that the charges were removing something from the stroller she was pushing and place dropped and wondered if a scheduled competency evaluation on it in the bushes outside the entrance to the park. The woman then Landon should proceed, which tipped off court officials. While proceeded through the checkpoint and into the park. The witness she was at it, Landon allegedly filed an order on behalf of a rela- alerted authorities, who found a purse and, inside, a handgun. tive to halt guardianship proceedings involving Landon’s child. The woman, Marcia Temple of Georgia, returned to the spot and She’s been charged with one count of false impersonation and six told the officer the purse was hers, but threw her 6-year-old son under the bus: “I had told my son to hold it for me and stand right counts of falsifying physical evidence. here while I go get my brother. He put it down, and messed with the plants and I put them back, but I didn’t know he put it down Cue the Lawyers Nightmares really do come true: On Oct. 24, as Leonard and I didn’t know he left it over here.” Unfortunately for Temple, Shoulders, 33, waited at a bus stop in the Bronx, New York, the security cameras captured her planting the purse in the bushes, sidewalk beneath him gave way and he dropped into a decrepit ClickOrlando.com reported. Orange County deputies said the basement full of rats, Fox News reported. Bystanders alerted firearm was fully loaded, and Temple did not have a concealed authorities, and Shoulders was rescued from the dark hole about weapons permit for either Florida or Georgia. She was charged 30 minutes later, with injuries including a broken arm, broken with carrying a concealed firearm. leg and scraped face. New York’s Department of Buildings said the basement beneath the sidewalk was poorly maintained, and Least Neighborly Neighbor Ryan Ferry and his wife moved into their Clearwater, Florida, the building was closed until repairs can be made. home with great expectations about living in a neighborhood they loved. But their next-door neighbor, Ken Nielsen, had The Meth Made Me Do It Traffic slowed to a crawl and people got out of their cars on a other plans. “He’s threatened to shoot me in the face numerous busy roadway in Chongqing, China, on Oct. 17, hoping to collect times,” Ferry told WFLA. “My wife can’t go out back and sunbanknotes that were raining down from the sky. As it turned out, bathe because he will pull up a chair and take pictures of her.” The the money wasn’t coming from heaven, but from an unnamed final straw came on Oct. 24, when Ferry hung lights on his side 29-year-old man who was tripping on methamphetamine in his of their shared fence for a birthday party that evening. Nielsen 30-story-high apartment overlooking the street. As he show- called police, who asked Ferry to remove the lights. But he called ered passersby with money, police arrived and took him into cus- 911 again, telling the operator, “I’ve got a ton of ... weapons. I got tody, and he was receiving treatment, according to The Guardian. ... hand grenades. I’ll blow them out of the ... ground.” Ferry can take comfort in the fact that it’s not personal: Nielsen assaulted another neighbor in 2016 for power washing while he was trying Florida A woman who would not leave a St. Petersburg, Florida, to watch the Olympics. Mobil gas station was arrested for trespassing on Oct. 14, The Smoking Gun reported. But that’s not the weird part. Melinda Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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