City Weekly April 6, 2023

CLOSING COST

Utah whistleblower takes aim at mortgage lenders that sidestep consumer protections put in place to prevent a housing crash.

BY CATHY MCKITRICK

Utah

SLC FORECAST

By Cathy McKitrick

Cover design by Derek Carlisle

SAP

BOX

Regulated Militias

The Second Amendment requires a “well regulated Militia” to be gathered out of a citizenry clearly empowered to own civilian guns. It does not require the nation to legalize individual ownership of militarystyle weaponry and allowing unstable Americans to act like totally unregulated, one-person militias in their private lives.

Not in your wildest dreams is that what the Second Amendment is about.

Throughout most of the history of the Western world that the founders were familiar with, militia members were sup-

plied with military-style weapons only out of public armories and only after they were mustered into action.

Do not let Republicans and the gun industry continue to pull the wool over your eyes. They are blinded by greed, ignorance, rage, power—and did I mention greed?

KIMBALL

SHINKOSKEY

Woods Cross

“Cancel Hate” March 30 Opinion

Latter-day Saint leaders need to walk the walk if they are going to talk the talk.

Somewhere in the process, the church has lost its way—more interested in the money than the children of their flock and not being the shepherd that Jesus would want them to be.

TRISH MARTIN

Via Facebook

“Take a Hike,”

Online News

March 31

The people have spoken: Build the gondola!

VINCENT S GREEN

Via Facebook

After this winter, the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola is 100% needed—either that or do away with tourism.

No one will be coming to wait for hours with cars running trying to get up to the cantons. There are too many other places better equipped for tourism than Utah.

MARIAFERLAND

Via Instagram

The Utah Department of Transportation ignored the safety of adjacent communities, regional plans and myriad concerns beyond the limited scope prescribed by the state Legislature, which is only concerned about increasing the revenue of the ski industry, no matter the monetary and social costs.

A perfect example of structural asymmetry—privatizing profits and socializing costs.

ERIC KRAAN

Via Facebook

The gondola makes as much sense as a monorail.

PETER J BROWN

Via Facebook

Most of the people in the state of Utah do not want the gondola and sure as heck do not want to pay for what will only benefit the ski resorts.

A smaller and smaller number of residents ski every year. Do not subsidize the ski resorts.

We are already subsidizing lazy politicians. Enough is enough.

MIKE SCHMAUCH

Via Facebook

Are you telling me the plan to reduce driving congestion during peak ski times only focused on serving people who congest the roads during peak ski times? Diabolical!

JAKE GARN

Via Facebook

Our first world problems are insane

MARCELLMESQUITA.DJ

Via Instagram

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

THE WATER COOLER

If you hosted a podcast, what would it be about?

Scott Renshaw

I already co-hosted one for three years about Disney movies, and that’s really the only thing that makes any sense for me. Which means I think my podcasting days are behind me.

Katharine Biele

Not me, but when [my son] Ray Howze was around, he and Harry Plumer had one called Utah Unfiltered. It was topical and funny. I always thought CW should have picked it up.

Benjamin Wood

I hosted a local news podcast for a hot minute when I worked at a different media outlet in town. I’ve got ideas for a City Weekly project, but podcasts are incredibly time consuming (to do right).

Kelly Boyce

How to take the perfect butt picture in nature. I would interview locals in different areas asking for pointers, best locations and best angles.

Bill Frost

I do co-host TV Tan Podcast, which is about TV shows and cocktails. I mean, it’s a true-crime murder podcast—subscribe now!

Carolyn Campbell

It would alternate between unsolved murders and compelling real life stories.

Druggie Abuse

Ihave no idea what the drug fentanyl looks like. I imagine the legal versions of it look similar to the same types of painkillers that I’ve often been prescribed after surgery. Depending on the surgery, I’ve been prescribed the painkillers oxycodone or hydrocodone—both in the opioid family, same as fentanyl.

The times I’ve been prescribed such pain relievers were for post-surgery recovery of shoulder, hip and knee replacements. I’ve also had painkiller prescriptions for neck disc fusions and a variety of other minor and major surgeries.

Except for the pain that seemingly lasted forever after my right knee was replaced (and during which time I also had a lateral release procedure), I’ve never finished a prescription of painkillers. With my knee, I needed to refill the painkillers quite a few times. It was the worst. All I can say about it is, “Mom, Dad—if you love your kids, don’t let them play high school football.”

About a year ago, I looked in the cupboards and realized I had gobs of painkillers just sitting there. I looked them up online and figured out that if I sold them on the street, I’d have made off with about $3,000.

Despite a brief moment of imagining myself reclining in a first-class cabin seat on a one-way trip to Greece, I decided that was a terrible idea. So, I looked up the preferred method of disposing of them (not down the toilet) and did so.

Had I wanted to sell them, I wouldn’t even have known how to find a buyer. But somewhere out there, even on this snowy Utah Tuesday, I’m certain somebody nearby does know how to sell them and to whom. Maybe it would be at what is thought to be our presumptive place of drug use— among the “druggies and homeless” who converge around Pioneer Park or who reside in tent clusters all over the near west side of Salt Lake City. They get blamed for everything.

BY JOHN SALTAS @johnsaltas

But logic defies that. If I had $3,000 worth of pills in my cabinet, and I’m just one patient, how many more tens or hundreds of thousands of pills are available in medicine cabinets all over this state?

Well, certainly far more than could be purchased by just the perceived abusers who reside at the bottom of our society’s ladder.

That means, then, that my neighbors are using the stuff. Maybe the cop. Maybe the religious leader. Maybe the stayat-home mom. Maybe the construction guy. Maybe the schoolteacher. And to complicate it all, whether it be a person in pain or an addict, those who can no longer access legal subscriptions turn to illicit sources.

As a result, they too often learn the hard way that their seller has provided a counterfeit drug that is composed of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. And fentanyl can be made to visually mimic or partially substitute into a variety of common drugs like Xanax, not just opioids.

Who doesn’t like Xanax? No one I know, so it’s not hard to imagine that more than a few fentanyl overdose deaths are directly linked to a person thinking he’s just calming his nerves before said first-class seat to Greece, but who soon discovers his high is far beyond regular cruising altitude. In Utah, one person each day dies from opioid, heroin or synthetic-opioid (fentanyl) overdoses—those OD deaths sometimes coming in combinations, with illicit drugs mixing with any number of other legal drugs into a lethal cocktail from which one does not awake.

The fastest-growing category of overdose deaths is directly attributable to fentanyl, which is mostly manufactured in Mexico using chemicals derived of Chinese sources. It’s easy to whip up a fervor about illegal drugs coming over our borders.

It’s a favored talking point of nearly every high-profile Republican these days. Trouble is, so many of them just spout off without basis—some citing an uptick in border

seizures of fentanyl as proof that the Biden administration is soft on stopping fentanyl flow into the United States.

The Biden administration would say otherwise. It must be especially galling to them that some politicians make audacious claims that he—and thus his administration and, by extension, all Democrats—favors letting illegal drugs into our country, or that he cares about Ukrainians more than Texans.

This is nonsense. It scores political points and may give solace to those who choose to direct their eyes from reality, but it is patently false.

Long before Joe Biden became president, the fentanyl and opioid crisis was already killing Americans. Nearly 200 Americans deaths, daily, are attributable just to fentanyl— forget other opioids or sundry drugs. But we can’t forget them, especially here in Utah.

It is not just at Pioneer Park or down some shady urban alleyway where Utah drug and fentanyl overdose deaths are a problem. It’s rural Utah, where the crisis is most pronounced, yet barely spoken about, where it has risen fastest. It is seriously hard to get my head around what would be the driver for a resident of some idyllic central or southern Utah county to find such pain or circumstance that leads them to opioid abuse.

All of Utah’s rural counties are represented by Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate. Most, if not all, are represented at the local levels by Republicans. Our Utah Senate and House are overwhelmingly Republican, and we bear a Republican governor.

So, all my Republican friends, fentanyl abuse is your dog. Quit carping about what is going on in El Paso when you cannot find compassion in yourselves nor funding in your government offices to create a Utah where opportunity and hope are the drugs of choice, not fentanyl. CW

Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

KATHARINE BIELE |

MISS: Everything But Guns

Utah’s ideological umbrella is obvious—the Second Amendment and any business interests that bring money to the state are really all that matter. While we play at caring about kids and families, the decisions made at the highest levels defy logic. Utah tries to protect kids by eliminating the critical thinking process and closing off the pathways to a broader world. Utah protects kids in well-to-do families, while squeezing out public money for others.

But as The Salt Lake Tribune reported, “that impulse to ban dangerous things for children did not transfer to firearms during the 2023 session. Firearms surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.” Instead, the Legislature banned transgender care for the very few kids it would impact and then delighted in the national attention they got for social media restrictions on minors—something that will surely draw lawsuits. Not only did they not address gun violence, they passed several bills that will likely encourage it. It took a personal tragedy experienced by the lieutenant governor to get a “lethality assessment” in domestic violence cases. An editor’s letter in The Week said this: “The worship of weapons. Sacrificing children so that anyone can own an AR-15.”

HIT: Land Grabs

Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson calls it “legislative cronyism.” She’s not wrong—the question is about that “local control” thing and how the Legislature overrides it to help developers, like Dakota Pacific Real Estate. Senate bill 84 superseded local landuse authority in a way that could “allow Dakota Pacific to build a high-density, mixed-use development without county approval—despite the existing development code and strong community opposition,” the Park Record writes. The county has been working for years with owners of a tech center at Kimball Junction, but the Legislature thinks it knows best what their needs are. The county calls that unconstitutional and is suing, although the law could go into effect in May.

MISS: Chipping Away

A question often asked is whether our democracy can survive if most Republicans think the government is illegitimate. A Washington Post writer tried to answer that, and the result was not hopeful. “The foundations of American civic culture have been gradually weakening for decades,” Pippa Norris wrote. A Deseret News op-ed noted that less than one-third of Americans born after 1980 think democracy is vital. It’s true that the Legislature approved more spending for civics education in the state, and that is a positive trend. But there is increasing pushback about diversity and equity education, as well as a focus on “values” rather than the nuts and bolts of the American system. This is why the Federalist Society’s precepts are ingrained in Utah civics. It’s leftists, they say, who encourage political advocacy. The message is to just be nice.

Fandomonium

Salt Lake received a lot of attention recently due to the season finale of the post-apocalyptic television series The Last of Us being set in the city. Despite a few funny anachronistic elements, the panoramic view of a deteriorated downtown SLC—shown from the viewpoint of the Triad Center on 300 West—was fantastical and breathtaking. It just goes to show that our city is beautiful both before and after a cataclysm.

But The Last of Us is just one of several examples showing a mutual loveaffair between Salt Lake and science fiction. The semi-annual Fan X convention is a well-known tour de force, easily one of the Top 5 pop culture and comic book conferences in the country. There, roaming the halls of the Salt Palace, you can find enough people cosplaying as Klingons or Mandalorians to form an army.

The fandom also bleeds into the city itself, whether intentional or not. I’ve always thought that the signage at Ken Garff Honda on Main Street and 900 South looks a little like the Starfleet insignia from Star Trek . However, I’ve since learned the real history is bit less wondrous: it’s just a relic from the 1960s of the old Safeway that preceded the dealership.

I was pleased to finally come across a Star Wars reference in the city a few months back when I passed by an auto service station on 1000 North and 1400 West in Rose Park (above photo). No doubt, the spray-painted stormtrooper is long gone from the shop by now, so be on the lookout for it patrolling the mean streets of SLC.

But of all the science fiction shows, the seemingly never-ending British television serial Doctor Who is my favorite. Even non-observers of the series are able to easily spot the Doctor’s ubiquitous spaceship, as the bright blue English police box is very out-ofdate nowadays.

I’ve come across two instances of it in SLC: as a cute Little Free Library on Beverly Street near 2700 South (below left) and within an empty storefront in Trolley Square near 700 East and 600 South (below right). No doubt more exist—in both space and time—so keep your eyes peeled! CW

A spray-painted stormtrooper at a service station in Rose Park illustrates Salt Lake’s love affair with science fiction.

spaceships

Civics Lessons

Actor Laura Jordan explores an evolving understanding of What the Constitution Means to Me

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

In Heidi Schreck’s autobiographical 2017 play What the Constitution Means to Me, the playwright juxtaposes two periods in her life, and how it affected her perspective on America’s foundational document: as a high-school student earning scholarship money from competitive presentations about the Constitution; and as an adult, having developed a more complex perspective on where the Constitution has succeeded and failed. For actor Laura Jordan—who plays Heidi in Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of What the Constitution Means to Me—her own experience represents a similar evolution in understanding American history.

“I remember in first or second grade, having a ‘Pilgrims and Indians’ feast for Thanksgiving,” she recalls. “You know, making construction-paper feather headdresses, or Pilgrim hats. And that was a real thing that happened. The holiday was definitely presented to me as a child as, “What a wonderful time this was for everybody; the Pilgrims were so grateful and definitely didn’t do anything shitty to them in return.”

Developing a complex relationship with a document that many Americans revere almost as divinely-inspired is at the center of What the Constitution Means to Me, and Jordan relates to the way people’s perspectives on the Constitution can be impacted by their experience. “I grew up in mid-Michigan, at that time a fairly purple area, though now it would be very red,” she says. “I was taught what I was taught, and believed what I believed: ‘Yay, Constitution!’ Since then, I have been other places, moved other places. You can’t be in this career unless you’re willing to learn certain things and open your mind, and I can see where a lot of this document doesn’t work anymore for a lot of people, or what does work about it came about very late. People in my hometown wouldn’t even want to hear this discussion.”

That evolving understanding for Jordan continued with her work on the show itself, where some of the historical

A&E

different perspectives also provides the foundation for one of Schreck’s unique dramatic conceits within the play. At each performance, the show concludes with a debate— between Jordan’s character and an actual local highschool student—during which each participant, based on flipping a coin, must argue either for or against the idea that the Constitution should be abolished and started over from scratch. According to Jordan, that more extemporaneous segment has forced her to see that question as one without a single obvious, clear-cut answer.

“I deal with both sides of this issue,” she says. “I have my arguments for keeping, and my arguments for abolishing. I have become very immersed in seeing both sides of the issue.

“I do ultimately, at the end of the day, think it’s necessary to have a working knowledge on both sides of many issues. The truth is, very few things are black-and-white. As much as today’s discourse tries to tell you there’s only one right answer, there really isn’t. It is very helpful to be able to argue effectively for both sides.”

That ability to see both sides, Jordan believes, fits well with her own perspective on where we now stand, in a country with a conservative Supreme Court and many concerns about the direction of the country. “I am by nature kind of an optimistic person, oddly. I’m cynical in a lot of ways, but in general I tend towards optimism. So I get frustrated when people say, ‘If such-and-such happens, I’m moving to Canada.’ Please don’t get me wrong, this country has a lot of problems. But this country is not like any other country that has existed, in terms of diversity, how it was created, how long it’s lasted. This experiment is revolutionary, and I think that’s worth supporting and helping.

information and personal anecdotes shared by the playwright force a recognition that the Constitution has not always been a force for unequivocal good—particularly given the propensity for ideologies to shape interpretations of its text.

“There are some hard statistics that come up, some Supreme Court decisions that come up, that in a very privileged way that I wasn’t aware of, that are really devastating and shocking,” Jordan says. “There’s the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law, and even though the intent of this is really different, you’re going to push it in this direction.”

The ability to view this one document from some very

“I do get discouraged, of course I do, but I think the level of engagement of regular citizens feels much higher than I ever remember it feeling before. Protesting felt very ‘over there’ when I was younger; now I think people are much more aware of what’s happening and being engaged. I think there’s a lot worth saving and working towards.” CW

WHAT

THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME

Pioneer Memorial Theatre 300 S. 1400 East April 7 – 22 Monday – Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. $35 - $51 pioneertheatre.org

BW PRODUCTIONS

Laura Jordan in What the Constitution Means to Me

theESSENTIALS ENTERTAINMENT PICKS,

Easter fun

It does no disrespect to the religious significance of Easter weekend to note that it’s also a time when parents are looking for fun activities for the whole family. Utah boasts plenty such events from one end of the state to the other, allowing for plenty of opportunities to celebrate secularly.

Multiple municipalities host local Easter-egg hunts, most of them on Saturday, April 8. Draper’s event kicks off at Galena Park (12500 S. Vista Station Blvd.) at 10 a.m., with staggered starting times for different age groups, all free for children under the age of 12; Easter Bunny photos will accompany the event. Cottonwood Heights invites guests to Butler Park (7500 S. 7200 East) beginning at 9 a.m. for food trucks, balloon artists, an Easter bunny visit and age-grouped egg-hunting starting at 10 a.m., all free to the public. West Jordan starts its free egg hunt at 9 a.m. at the Youth Soccer Complex (7965 S. 4000 West), with candy and special prizes for those who find the golden eggs. North Salt Lake’s event at Hatch Park (50 W. Center St.) kicks off at 9 a.m. with a hunt for filled eggs including candy, toys and prize tickets. Additional events can be found in multiple other towns, so check your location’s website for more options.

If you’re looking to add a little extra to your egg hunts, check out the Easter Eggstreme at Thanksgiving Point (3003 N. Thanksgiving Way, Lehi), which includes more games and springtime activities. Or visit Gardner Village (1100 S. 7800 West, West Jordan) for the annual Easter Bunny breakfast and other Easter “hoppenings.” (Scott Renshaw)

ESSENTIALS ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, APRIL6-12, 2023

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Broadway at the Eccles: Hairspray

Filmmaker John Waters has always been a provocateur, but there was something particularly cheeky about using candy-colored early-1960s nostalgia as the delivery system for his 1988 film Hairspray. From the clear-eyed look at the era’s racial segregation to the casting of Waters’ muse Divine as the mother of heroine Tracy Turnblad, the story was a bracing bit of progressivism in a retro package. And when it was turned into a musical in 2003, the songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman added even more sparkle to its messages of inclusion—which somehow feel even more relevant as the show celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The current touring production hits town, staged once again by original Broadway director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. It still follows the adventures of plus-size 16-year-old Baltimore resident Tracy, whose circa-1962 dream of dancing on the popular local Corny Collins program collides with the realization that her Black friends aren’t allowed on the show except for the segregated “Negro Day.” Set to great songs like “Good Morning Baltimore,” “I Can Hear the Bells” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” the narrative tracks Tracy’s evolution from a girl longing to fit in and be popular, to someone who discovers a more important calling in helping to create justice.

Hairspray runs at the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) April 11 – 16 for seven performances only: April 11-13 at 7:30 p.m.; April 14 at 8 p.m.; April 15 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and April 16 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $79 - $119; visit arttix.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

Salt Lake Acting Company: Yoga Play

In Dipika Guha’s 2017 satirical work Yoga Play, a successful yoga apparel company gets caught up in a scandal involving sweatshop labor, necessitating the arrival of a new CEO to pull the company out of its public-relations tailspin. According to the playwright in a video interview for the premiere production, “I had been thinking about California and the ‘quest for peace’ … and the desire for both authenticity and wealth. And yoga seemed to be at the nexus of that. … I hope there’s a space to look at appropriation, to both question it and laugh at it.”

For Penelope Caywood, who directs Salt Lake Acting Company’s Utahpremiere production of Yoga Play, the play offers a chance to investigate “the intersections between spirituality, capitalism, and self-improvement. By using wit and humor to explore a serious topic, the play creates a space for audiences to reflect on the ways that corporations and businesses can take something as deeply personal and spiritual as yoga and turn it into a commodity. … By examining how these ideas can become intertwined, the play forces us to confront our own understanding of what it means to be truly ‘well’ or ‘enlightened.’”

Yoga Play runs at Salt Lake Acting Company (168 W. 500 North) April 12 – May 6, with performances Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. & 6 p.m., plus select additional dates and times, and special accessibility performances throughout the run. Tickets are $34 - $44; visit saltlakeactingcompany.org for tickets and additional event information. (SR)

Closing Cost

Utah whistleblower takes aim at mortgage lenders that he claims sidestep consumer protections put in place to prevent a housing crash.

BY CATHY MCKITRICK comments@cityweekly.net

The following story was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Salt Lake City Weekly.

As Utah’s real estate market sizzled during the COVID pandemic, Matthew Borsodi, a compliance officer at one of Utah’s largest mortgage lenders, filed a federal complaint alleging that his former employer skirted rules aimed at protecting consumers from a repeat of the 2008 housing crisis.

In his May 2021 complaint to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, Borsodi claimed Intercap Lending failed to follow federal appraisal independence requirements established by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. Among the evidence and allegations put forth in the complaint:

— Borsodi said Intercap’s appraiser lists—compiled before he was hired on—had been assembled with input from sales staff who stood to benefit from higher home prices.

— Borsodi also cited an email from a branch manager asking him to call an appraiser for a property value before the appraiser had completed the job. Borsodi felt this also constituted a federal rule violation.

— Borsodi said that Intercap’s president—an attorney by profession—ordered him to follow through with that branch manager’s request.

— After that happened, Borsodi said the work environment became toxic, prompting him to quit. Even though he said he was convinced into staying on with the promise that appraisal lists would be dismantled and redone, he continued to feel that “no one understood the rules.”

Borsodi believed Intercap was not alone, that other mortgage lenders were also sidestepping these rules, but it was his former employer he felt obligated to call out. Borsodi said he feels exasperated as he has heard no response to the complaint he filed in 2021 and refiled in the summer of 2022 after he ultimately exited the company.

But Intercap president Brock Worthen is not surprised that nothing has come of the complaint because, he said, Borsodi’s allegations are without merit.

“I was surprised to hear that a complaint was filed in 2021, but I’m not surprised that no action was taken by the CFPB—the most active regulatory body in the country—because they’re not real issues,” Worthen said of Borsodi’s allegations against Intercap.

According to UtahRealEstate.com, in June 2022 the median price of single-family homes sold in the Beehive State hit $594,000, up an astonishing 19.5% over the previous June. And the median number of days on the market before the sale still hovered in single digits.

But by November 2022, median sales on single-family homes had dropped to $525,000 and median days on the market had risen to 39—indications of a significant cooldown due to several factors, including higher interest rates and decreased demand.

Borsodi managed the appraisal desk at Intercap Lending from late 2019 until June 2022, when he quit his job there for what he said was his third and final time after two earlier near-exits.

However, he and Intercap’s top executive often disagreed over how appraisal independence requirements (AIR) should be interpreted—a schism that appeared to deepen as the housing market heated up.

As Intercap’s appraisal desk manager, Borsodi viewed his role as providing a clear separation between appraisers and commissioned staff who could benefit from higher appraised values, by vigilantly enforcing appraisal independence rules.

He described how cozy relationships between appraisers, real estate agents, lenders and other commissioned parties in the industry continued to flourish and influence how appraisals got assigned.

His concerns mirror noncompliance issues raised by Fannie Mae in a January 2021 letter.

A leading source of mortgage financing in the United States, Fannie Mae had found that 25% of its lenders were cited for noncompliance of appraisal independence rules.

“Lenders must have the appropriate guardrails in place to foster appraiser independence and prohibit influence in the development, reporting, result, or review of an appraisal, not just the ordering of an appraisal,” the letter said.

Worthen not only denies the company did anything wrong but said if there were any alleged violations, Borsodi “did not raise those with us.”

Moreover, Worthen alleged that Borsodi threatened to badmouth Intercap in the press unless he was paid $1.5 million. Borsodi in turn accused his former employer of trying to buy his silence through a lucrative severance and nondisclosure agreement.

“It feels like he’s trying to create this narrative that shows he’s the hero that was trying to get us to stop doing illegal, bad things,” Worthen said. “But it’s just not true.”

Caught in the Wave

Intercap’s business boomed in 2020, as the pandemic opened the door for remote workers who found housing in Utah much more affordable than in California and other densely populated areas. With Intercap processing close to 1,200 appraisals per month, Borsodi feared he could be personally liable for substantial civil fines if the company was cited for violations.

He also worried that artificially inflated home values could negatively impact homeowners who could be “left holding the bag again.” The housing bubble meltdown of 2008 had affected him personally.

“I became one of 2,500 underwriters looking for a job in Tampa, Florida,” as massive layoffs reverberated through the mortgage industry, Borsodi said. He lost his job, then his house—and ultimately moved across the country to find work and get reestablished.

But it wasn’t easy settling in at Intercap and, in fact, Borsodi named three times he resigned during his three years there. But he kept coming back with hopes that things would change.

Borsodi said his repeated efforts to enforce appraisal independence rules brought pushback—and even anger— from branch managers and executives within the company. Part of the problem, Borsodi believed, was that employees had not been adequately trained in federal requirements regarding appraisals. And in the midst of a surging real estate market, those rules felt like a clog in the system.

Borsodi quit the first time in August 2020 after he discovered the appraisal panels he’d been hired to oversee had been set up—prior to his joining the company—with input from commissioned sales staff. But he agreed to stay on with the promise that those panels would be dismantled and set up differently. That panel restructuring finally happened in July 2021, Borsodi said.

Borsodi’s second resignation came in May 2021. He cited a January 2020 email from an Intercap branch manager as just one example of employee behavior that brought him to that point. The manager had asked Borsodi to quickly set up an appraisal panel consisting of four specific appraisers.

The email noted that this short list would be for “our Non-QM origination (for the time being),” referring to riskier mortgages that homebuyers might not be able to pay off.

An Intercap executive emailed him later that day regarding the same transaction, asking him to make sure the appraisal got ordered “correctly” for this particular project. By then, Borsodi believed the so-called independent process had been totally compromised.

“Sales cannot recommend either an appraiser or an appraisal management company. That was basically my job,” Borsodi said.

The final time Borsodi quit his job at Intercap occurred in June 2022. “The president of the company ordered me to call an appraiser to get value on a property prior to the appraisal being completed, which is an [Appraisal Independence] rule 5 violation,” Borsodi said.

The buyer had requested that value midstream to possibly switch the transaction from a purchase to a refinance.

But Borsodi said that decision should be made long before the appraiser heads out to the property.

Wild Ride

Worthen took the helm of Intercap Lending in October 2017 and oversaw the intense growth that erupted in 2020.

“It was absolutely a wild two years in terms of the strain and demands put on everyone in the industry to either help people save hundreds of dollars per month in their mortgage payment or help people get into homes,” Worthen said in an interview. “For most of our team, it was six- to sevenday work weeks for 100 weeks straight.”

Intercap initially launched in 1978 and Josh Romney—son of Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah—purchased the business in 2016, relocating its headquarters to Utah in early 2017. The younger Romney declined to comment for this story.

“I talk to Josh, but he’s not hands-on in terms of day to day,” Worthen said. “(Josh) is involved in strategic planning, but he’d be the first one to tell you that he’s not a mortgage expert.”

In March 2022, National Mortgage News listed Intercap among the top 50 mortgage companies in which to work.

“We have the best team in the industry,” Worthen said at the time. “We care about each other’s success and exceeding the expectations of our customers.”

The company holds licenses in 42 states and employs about 430 people.

In an August 2022 phone interview, Worthen described the link to Romney as special motivation to “do things the right way.”

“We try to be better than our competitors with compliance because we understand that because the Romney name is associated with Intercap, it’s a news story,” Worthen said.

And Worthen said he often disagreed with Borsodi on how appraisal independence rules should be interpreted.

“The problem is the rules are not the way Matt always sees them. I don’t think we’ve done anything wrong,” Worthen said. “I’m confident that we used a higher variety of appraisers than anyone in this valley—that’s what goes to the heart of AIR compliance.”

Worthen, for instance, disagreed with allegations from Borsodi about the incident where a branch manager pushed to get a property value before the appraisal’s completion. Borsodi saw it as a clear violation, but Worthen said it was commonplace in the industry.

“Again, never to influence value but to help a borrower understand if the best course of action is to close the trans-

action as a refinance or a purchase—because they have that option,” Worthen said.

And Worthen balked at any allegations that the company repeatedly used the same small pool of appraisers to achieve a certain result, citing over 300 appraisers used in the past several years.

“So any allegation that we’re in bed with like five appraisers is just false.”

Plus, he added, an inflated value is more of a red flag than an opportunity for illicit gain. “If a value comes in inflated, all it means is that our borrower is underwater. Why would we ever want that for our customer?”

Peter Christensen, a Montana-based attorney who focuses on real estate valuation services, said there is an incentive for mortgage lenders to chase higher values during the heat of the market.

“They can get the loan if they can get the value that they need,” Christensen said.

He added that while federal appraisal independence requirements strictly adhere to the letter of the law, the flip side is no one is really enforcing that law.

“It’s possible there could be regulatory examination … telling lenders they need to do a better job,” Christensen said. “But as far as chasing down violators, I haven’t seen that happen. I think they’re just not interested.”

Flawed Systems

Mike Carter has more than three decades of experience in the mortgage industry—as a banker, mortgage lender, head of a title company and, since 1996, a certified residential appraiser. Carter owns VERSAppraise with offices in South Jordan and Lehi. In a recent interview, Carter defended Intercap, saying he has enjoyed a good working relationship with the company and hopes it can continue.

“Have they been perfect? No,” Carter said. “But as far as some of the other companies I’ve let go over the last three years because of their lack of ethics, Intercap is head and shoulders above those.”

He then described his work and what he viewed as a somewhat flawed process. “What you do as an appraiser is develop an opinion of value,” Carter said. “It’s based on factual data, but what you’re preparing and providing to your client is an opinion—that’s all it is.”

To be credible, Carter said, that opinion should be based on weighted percentages for location, along with similarities in utility, function and dates of sale.

But as demand for homes outpaced supply, a snowball effect kicked in. In recent years, Carter said he saw a sharp uptick in purchase contracts where a buyer agreed to pay as much as $50,000 above the appraised value.

“I came in low on plenty of deals because the values just weren’t there. People were willing to pay more than the property was worth—and that’s their choice,” Carter said.

But those higher sales prices then become the comparables for subsequent appraisals. “The inflated sales price becomes the fact,” Carter said. “That’s … how that whole thing went so rapidly out of control.”

With recent indications that the market is slowing down, Carter foresees a bumpy road ahead and is concerned that some recent buyers could find themselves upside down in their loans. By last summer, Carter said in a phone interview, “We have more loans nationwide ready to foreclose than we did in 2007 and 2008.”

For Borsodi, the stakes of a housing collapse like 20082009 are exactly why he was so adamant about following the rules—and also why he tended to be unpopular at work.

One May 2021 incident—detailed in a series of emails— involved a branch manager who was eager to arrange an appraisal himself rather than waiting for Borsodi’s independent process to accomplish the task.

“I can call the listing agent if need be, and schedule anything,” the branch manager told Borsodi by email. Borsodi replied, “No, please stay out of the scheduling. It is against the rules and multiple laws.”

Another incident, also documented by emails, involved a branch manager who recommended appraiser options for a Bear Lake property.

ERIC S PETERSON

The pandemic years were sizzling hot for Utah’s housing market. In a federal complaint, a former employee of a Utahbased mortgage lender airs his concerns about companies taking short cuts around the rules.

The branch manager’s supervisor ended up scolding Borsodi, saying the branch manager was only trying to help and “didn’t need to be torn apart for it.”

Borsodi replied that “if my tone was … stern, it’s because she is asking us to break the law.”

For Worthen, the incident was a classic overreaction by Borsodi. The branch manager simply recommended an appraiser who lived in the area because it was hard to find one who would be willing to drive all the way to Bear Lake, Worthen said.

In March 2021, a branch manager in St. George bristled at an appraiser who submitted two appraisals that came in lower than expected—one by $15,000 and the other roughly $65,000 below the purchase price.

“He is a menus [menace] to the appraisal community,” the manager emailed Borsodi. “His job isn’t just to do a fast evaluation and use the safest comps available … his job is to evaluate if the sale price agreed upon by both buyer and seller is a fair and just price. He does nothing to try to prove this in any way!”

Borsodi then replied that Intercap had to comply with Dodd-Frank and applicable state laws. That email exchange included Worthen, who had become Borsodi’s third and final supervisor.

If Worthen had to put himself in between Borsodi and a branch manager, he said it wasn’t to pressure Borsodi to break the law but usually just to intercede because Borsodi had been too aggressive and brusque with branch managers. “I had to mediate hurt feelings,” Worthen said.

Worthen defended the way Intercap conducts business, describing Borsodi’s role at Intercap as making sure that appraisers were vetted.

“No one coerced him into adding someone to a panel,” Worthen said.

Borsodi’s complaint to federal regulators, however, included two email exchanges from different situations where a top executive at Intercap, who also was a branch manager, had recommended panels of appraisers to Borsodi and copied the emails to the company’s chief operating officer.

For Borsodi, having a top executive on the sales side making recommendations and looping in the chief operating officer amounted to undue pressure. Worthen disagreed, however, and said those two individuals had valuable input to offer.

“There’s a difference between saying I want Jane Doe to appraise this property and saying Jane Doe is a highly respected appraiser,” Worthen said.

Also, he didn’t think it happened very often.

“I think I would have heard from [Borsodi] if it did,” Worthen said. “He would have let me know loudly.”

The chief operating officer included in those emails has been lauded on Intercap’s website, where she was praised as a “driving force behind Intercap’s quick rise in production of over 3,500% since 2017.”

The website noted how an industry report credited her for the company’s “reputation of closing times that are half the time of Intercap’s peers.”

In a recent interview, Worthen was less troubled by the emails than by the fact that Borsodi had kept the emails against company policy.

“Matt loves the rules, unless he wanted to break them— and that’s the challenge,” Worthen said.

Exit Interview

Worthen and Borsodi’s biggest disagreement concerns Borsodi’s departure from the company—and what took place in his exit interview.

“When Matt resigned, he said ‘Pay me $1.5 million or I’ll go to all the media outlets and raise all these alleged violations’,” Worthen said.

Borsodi described the incident very differently.

Worthen’s initial plan, Borsodi said, was for him to stay on and work out a way for Intercap to transition from having its own independent appraisal desk to working with an appraisal management company.

“Then they’d give me a severance package of six months and let me go,” Borsodi said.

He said he declined that offer, and also refused to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

At that point, Borsodi said Worthen asked for his “number”—which Borsodi took to mean the amount it would take to keep quiet.

Borsodi said he responded flippantly with $1.5 million, an exorbitant number he knew wouldn’t be accepted and which was never meant as a serious request.

He said the company was trying to buy his silence and when it didn’t work, they took the flippant remark and are now using it to try and discredit him.

Worthen described Intercap’s policy of providing severance to employees as routine. “That’s what we do,” Worthen said. “If someone is leaving, and it’s not 100 percent their decision, then we give them a severance.”

But in their final meeting together, Worthen said, Borsodi confronted him with an absurd ask in exchange for his quiet exit.

“That’s when he said it’s $1.5 million—or he’d go to the press and also make complaints,” Worthen said, adding that he had no idea at that point that Borsodi had already filed a federal complaint.

Worthen said that others familiar with the conversations could corroborate his account, identifying Rick Silva, a seasoned appraiser used by Intercap. Silva told the Utah Investigative Journalism Project that Borsodi mentioned the $1.5 million figure to him prior to his final meeting with Worthen, but Borsodi denies this.

“It was a spur of the moment situation that happened that day,” Borsodi said.

Borsodi stands by his allegations against Intercap even though he knows it will mean the public airing of Worthen’s claim against him and the possibility it will cost him his current job.

Borsodi said he believes the complaints are serious but is uncertain whether they’ll be addressed.

“This law was set up to protect the general public,” Borsodi said, “and nobody seems to want to enforce it or adhere to it.” CW

“This law was set up to protect the general public, and nobody seems to want to enforce it or adhere to it.”

MATTHEW BORSODI

Renegades of Brunch

Welcome springtime to Utah with these tasty brunch alternatives.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

Easter is this weekend, which means those of us who worship at the altar of food and dining will be finding ways to enjoy a sumptuous brunch on Sunday. There are all kinds of fancy brunch buffets open around town, and I think each one of them is delightful in their own way. But there is something about the brunch crowd—you know, the people who “do” brunch instead of eat brunch—that just rubs me the wrong way. That said, this year I decided to compile a list of alternative brunch ideas from tasty restaurants around town to help aid those of you who share my social anxieties but still want a hearty Easter breakfast.

To start things off, let’s talk about Anny Sooksri’s local favorite FAV Bistro (1984 E. Murray Holladay Road, 801676-9300, bestthaifoodinutah.com). Yes, it’s an amazing Thai-fusion spot for lunch and dinner, but if you’ve never hit this place up for brunch you are totally missing out. This place is perfect for those who still crave a brunch vibe—FAV is a darling space with plenty of natural light and a full range of cocktails—but want something a little bit different on the menu.

I myself fell in love with the kow tom—a traditional chicken and rice soup that’ll chase your hangover away—many brunches ago. The concept of soup for

breakfast is still a bit alien to our little part of the culinary landscape, though I always wonder why. Whether the morning finds you recovering from a bit too much to drink or possessed of your full faculties, a hot bowl of flavorful kow tom is a great morning jumpstart. The chicken broth brings the savory and the sharp ginger brings the acid, creating a unique balance of flavors with each bite.

If you want something sweet from FAV, you must try the coconut pancakes. They’re light, fluffy and served with a silky-smooth coconut cream sauce with a bit of chai butter for slathering. When I am particularly famished, a bowl of kow tom followed by a stack of these delights is one of the best combos I’ve ever tried.

Those that like to start their day with a vibrant shot of flavorful curry will want to visit one Saffron Valley’s (saffronvalley.com) locations for a dosa or two. The dosa is a thin, crepe-like creation made from a fermented rice-and-lentil flour. It’s usually fried to a golden brown crisp and then wrapped around anything delicious. The flour imparts a bit of sourdough flavor to whatever is lucky enough to be captured in its embrace, and they’re usually gigantic. At Saffron Valley, you can get dosas stuffed with chicken tikka masala, but if that’s a bit too awesome for brunch, there are a few other options. If we’re talking brunch, I’d say the paneer spring dosa is a good call; it’s got cubes of paneer cheese mixed with some veggies and potatoes, which evokes omelet vibes without being basic.

I also think the lassi is an underutilized brunch item. It’s kind of the perfect way to start off a day for smoothie fans—you’ve got your fruits like strawberry or mango for vitamin C, and your yogurt for protein and probiotics. A veggie and paneer dosa chased with a mango lassi is a power breakfast that we don’t talk about enough. Since we’re addressing Easter brunch

specifically, I think that we need an option that features eggs in some capacity. In that case, let’s talk machaca. This is a classic Mexican dish that scrambles up some eggs, shredded beef and veggies into a hearty pile of stick-to-your-bones goodness. If you want your brunch togo, a machaca burrito from Rancherito’s (rancheritosmexicanfood.com) is a great way to experience the wonder of this breakfast combo, and it will likely keep you full for most of the day. The machaca mixture evokes the finest meat-lover’s omelet you’ve ever had, and wrapping it all up in a portable burrito package makes it all the more special.

If you’re looking for a brunch destination with your mind on machaca and machaca on your mind, then you’ve got to try it out at Red Iguana (rediguana. com). Their Monterrey Plate features a heaping helping of their machaca, which is made with some slow-cooked shredded beef that is to die for. It comes with some refried beans and tortillas, so a brunch spent making little machaca tacos and sipping on margaritas is a brunch wellspent. Of course, while you’re here and considering your options, their huevos rancheros and huevos motuleños are excellent choices as well.

If you’re really set on breaking conventions this year, I think the ultimate show of brunchtime rebellion would be to head on over to Donut Star (213 E. 12300 South, Ste. H1, 801-790-2615, donutstarcafe. com). No, not just for a dozen doughnuts; that would be too easy. Instead, ask for the OG Breakfast Sandwich—a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sando slapped between two grilled glazed doughnuts. The way the sugar caramelizes on the panini press, and the two extremes of sweet and salty bash themselves together in your mouth, is a totally valid way to welcome springtime to Utah—if it ever stops snowing, that is. CW

ALEX SPRINGER

Anny Sooksri of Fav Bistro

2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com

Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC

avenuesproper.com

On Tap: Blizzard Wizard - Hazy Pale Ale

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC

BewilderBrewing.com

On Tap: Gluten Reduced Kolsch

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

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com

On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Chappell Brewing

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

Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC craftbyproper.com

On Tap: That’s a KnifeAustralian Cold IPA

Desert Edge Brewery

273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com

On Tap: Out of Office Pale Ale

Epic Brewing Co.

825 S. State, SLC

EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Peach Cream Ale

Fisher Brewing Co.

320 W. 800 South, SLC

FisherBeer.com

On Tap: Rotating up to 17 Beers!

Grid City Beer Works

333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

Helper Beer 159 N Main Street Helper, UT 84526 helperbeer.com/ Hopkins Brewing Co.

1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Raspberry Gose

Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Vienna-Style Lager Trivia: Mondays at 6pm

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap: Bourbon & Blonde (Bulleit Bourbon Barrel-aged Blonde Stout)

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

On Tap: Pomme Paloma

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

Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com

On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

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

Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan

Prodigy-brewing.com

On Tap: It’s Complicated Sour

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC

ProperBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Cloud ChaserKölsch with Strawberry and Watermelon

Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191 Moab, Utah 84532

On Tap: Angus McCloudScottish Ale

Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com

On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com

On Tap: Munich Dunkel

Red Rock Kimball Junction Redrockbrewing.com

1640 Redstone Center

On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com

On Tap: Flash Flood Belgian Pale Ale

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Identity Crisis Session West Coast Hazy Cold IPA –the name says it all!

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

On Tap: Heavy Metal Parking

Lot - Black American Lager

Salt Flats Brewing

2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: Save the Lake Pilsner - 5% of sales donated to local non-profits to support preserving our Great Salt Lake

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

On Tap: South Hill Baldwin (NY) - 8.3% ABV

Shades Brewing

154 W. Utopia Ave, S. Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer

On Tap: Tap & Tarot Live Music: Thursdays

Shades On State 366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com

On Tap: Mexican Lager

Karaoke: Wednesdays

Silver Reef

4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George | StGeorgeBev.com

Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ squatters

On Tap: Dog Lake Pale Ale

Squatters & Wasatch Brewery 1763 So 300 West SLC UT 84115 Utahbeers.com

On Tap: Top of Main Ginger Beer, 5% ABV

Strap Tank Brewery Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com

Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter

Stratford Proper 1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com

On Tap: Yacht Rock Juice Box - Juicy IPA

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com

On Tap: Edel Pils

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com

On Tap: The Patriot- Session IPA

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com

On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG

2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com

On Tap: Lovely Lady Nitro Stout Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Wasatch

2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/wasatch

Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

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

Spring Fever

Unique flavors characterize these two spring beers

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Uinta - Alpenweizen (Mountain Berry Rush): This new beer from Uinta is a wheat beer at its base, with a medley of berry flavors surrounding it. It pours a crisp, frothy head of an offwhite color over a pale amber body, with moderate haziness and lots of sediment in tow. Soft carbonation is visible; retention is below average, and there is no visible lacing. Strong aromas of sweet, vague berry extract emerge up front, with subtle notes of orange peel over a pale and soft wheat body with a moderate sweetness. Light raspberry tartness predicts a wider range of berry flavors, accompanied by a low hop profile and low bitterness.

The flavor starts and ends with lingering berry extracts, softly sweet but very potent in flavor. Chewy wheat malts and light pale syrups make for a sufficient malt profile, whereas hop flavors and bitterness are nowhere to be found. The little bit of balance that this beer has comes from a subtle inclusion of orange peel, which doesn’t contribute much to the flavor and isn’t quite enough to balance the berry syrup fruitiness. The fruit profile isn’t as startling and over-the-top as fruit syrup beers—Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat and Wild Blue come to mind— but the lack of balance is still notable. The 5.0 percent AVB texture is slightly chewy, smooth and lightly dry. Carbonation is moderate, generating a medium frothiness and a moderately crisp finish. Body is medium+ for the style, shy of medium overall; balance is moderately sweet over bitter. Alcohol presence is low and there are no off characters.

Verdict: Berries are an endearing fruit, and can be one of the more challenging flavors for breweries to work

with—which is why many, many breweries resort to berry extracts over the actual fruit. I won’t knock this beer for its flavorings; it just comes across too much as Smarties candies and less like a fruited wheat.

Bewilder/Lucky13 – Lucky’s Red Tractor Reserve: This collaboration with SLC’s beloved pub Lucky13 is actually a blend of Bewilder’s Double ESB and Barrel-Aged Mole Porter. The result comes across very much like it is described on the label: “Barrel-aged Imperial ESB.”

It pours a nice, deep brown color with amber highlights, with a good quarterinch thick head at first which falls fast due to the barrel-aging. Whiskey and wood are most prominent in the aroma. The can suggested that a caramel sweetness should be registering, but other than a slight citrus tone with a massive amount of malt, nothing was noticeable.

This 6.7 percent beer sits mediumlight on the tongue at first sip, and the sweet dry hops immediately give way to the promised caramel sweetness, with a pleasant pineapple/orange overtone. It’s much sweeter than I expected; after a moment, the malts really hit you. Some chocolate and light whiskey backs it all up. Even if you aren’t fond of barrel-aged beers, you might enjoy this; someone with a more refined palate that likes things malty/fruity should love it.

The taste after a moment or two is very wooden/hoppy, but outside of that, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The candied accent is a nice touch, which greets you warmly before the hops smack you in the face. There’s a very long aftertaste to the beer.

Verdict: The crew over at Bewilder blended a very strong offering which was true to the description: a bitter Red Ale-style beer that has just the right amount of kick to get you squealing, but sweet enough to have you going back for more. I was glad that I tried this, and would gladly have some again.

You will only find Lucky’s Red Tractor Reserve at Bewilder and Lucky 13 in 16-ounce cans. Alpenweizen will be a major offering this spring and summer, and is about to be everywhere that sells beer. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

MIKE RIEDEL

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Empanada Fest at Square Kitchen

Square Kitchen (751 W. 800 South, squarekitchenslc.com) is hosting its annual Empanada Fest on April 8. Square Kitchen co-founder Ana Valdemoros has a special place in her heart for the savory stuffed goodness of empanadas, which is why she kicked off this celebratory festival back in 2021. This year, the festival will feature plenty of empanadas from several local vendors, along with some tasty brews from Fisher Brewery. It’s a great way to support local businesses, while also celebrating one of the finest culinary creations known to man. Whether you’ve never tried an empanada before or are a longtime fan, Empanada Fest will have something special waiting for you.

Salt & Season: Live at the UMFA

The Salt & Season book club is a great little group that is open and welcoming to anyone interested in brushing up on their culinary craft. On April 12, Salt & Season will be hosting an epic event focused on touring artwork that depicts food at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (410 Campus Center Drive, umfa.utah.edu), capped off by a selection of handmade chocolates prepared by Chef Romina Rasmussen, who continues to wow us despite the closure of her bakery Les Madeleines. The event will take place at the UMFA from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; register at slcpl.org.

Libertango Opens

The Argentinian steakhouse Libertango (10395 S. State Street, 801-448-6449, libertango.us) has been building some solid early buzz after its recent opening, and it’s definitely caught my eye. Its format offers steak a la carte, which lets you combine your protein and sides with a bit more freedom than other steak joints. On top of that, we’re talking some serious meats here: Wagyu beef, lamb chops, ribeye and short ribs are all there for the taking. Libertango also boasts a decent selection of pasta and fish for those after some lighter fare. This is one that I will be visiting in the very near future.

Quote of the Week: “To eat steak rare represents both a nature and a morality.” –Roland Barthes

Selling Point

Air delivers some breezy entertainment, but is it about anything else?

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

How important is it that you understand what a movie is about? I’m not necessarily talking about some avantgarde anti-narrative exercise in pure cinema, because even then you understand its purpose. Nor is this really a reference to genre films that clearly are “about” nothing more substantial than delivering a specific visceral reaction: laughter, excitement, suspense, etc. No, the matter at issue here is a movie that seems intended to convey some thematic idea, but as to the nature of that thematic idea … well, your guess is as good as mine.

That’s the vibe that seems to permeate director Ben Affleck’s Air, a period-piece comedy-drama centered around the way Nike landed NBA rookie-to-be Michael Jordan in 1984, and subsequently launched a basketball-shoe phenomenon. The focus is on Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the company’s basketball scout, who becomes convinced that Jordan is the legend-in-the-making that Nike needs to provide an identity for its floundering basketball-shoe division.

There are just a couple of obstacles in the way of that goal. Nike CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) can’t wrap his head around paying Nike’s entire annual basketball licensing budget to one guy before he’s ever played a single pro game. And Jordan himself apparently has no interest in signing with a company lagging far behind industry leaders Converse and Adidas.

What follows has a little bit of a Moneyball dynamic in its story of a visionary man trying to win against the big boys while

dealing with a tight-fisted owner and an industry that believes things must be done a certain way. Damon has loads of fun with his performance, leaning into Sonny as a doughy basketball geek with a combative streak and a gambler’s irrational confidence, best exemplified in a conversation with Jordan’s agent, David Falk (Chris Messina). First-time screenwriter Alex Convery can’t match the rat-a-tat pacing of a Steven Zaillian/Aaron Sorkin script, but there’s an energy to the sheer forward momentum of all the Nike employees— including marketing exec Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) and shoe designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher)—sweating out the process of recruiting Jordan to Nike.

Beyond that stuff, however, is it clear there’s a bigger point to any of it? It certainly feels for a while like Affleck’s primary goal is to remind viewers that “it’s 1984 now,” beginning with an extended montage of the year’s cultural touchstones—Beverly Hills Cop! Ronald Reagan! Rubik’s Cube!— and continuing through a soundtrack that must have blown through the quivalent of Nike’s annual marketing budget to get the

music rights. Sure, it’s one thing to needledrop Alan Parsons Project’s “Sirius,” the instrumental that became the theme song for the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls. With every subsequent hit single, though, it starts to feel like Air somehow wants to be about 1984 as a concept.

That, at least, could have been something clear, albeit trivial. The problem is that Air keeps suggesting that there’s something more substantial at play here than what amounts to a corporate caper comedy. During one late sequence when the fate of Nike’s pitch remains in doubt, Affleck cuts to multiple co-workers of Vaccaro’s whose livelihood seemingly hangs in the balance of Jordan saying yes or no, so perhaps the notion is that all of these shenanigans have potential real-life consequences—except that Air seems to spend more time worrying about Phil Knight and whether a failure will result in his ouster by the Nike board. Air and its recentlyreleased cousin Tetris have caught flak for crafting heroic narratives around corporate business deals, and it is sometimes hard to get a handle on whether this movie

has anything of substance to say about the way business should or shouldn’t be done (including the somewhat off-hand reference here to the company’s overseas production practices).

Maybe none of that should matter if a story delivers entertainment, and we certainly do get some of that in Air, including Affleck’s amusing performance as the koan-spouting Knight. There’s just a structural problem in everything that points towards bigger ideas. One of the more creative conceits in Air’s execution is that Michael Jordan himself is practically invisible as a character, emphasizing the mythical quality Nike wants to build around him. It’s obvious that Air isn’t about Michael Jordan. Maybe it’s about something else. Maybe. CW

Matt Damon Jason Bateman Ben Affleck Rated R Available April 5 in theaters

AND DRAGONS HONOR AMONG THIEVES JOHN WICK

Matthew Maher, Matt Damon and Jason Bateman in Air AMAZON STUDIOS

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS DJ FRESH(NESS)

SATURDAYS POKER @ 2PM DJ DELMAGGIO

SHARK SUNDAYS POOL TOURNEY HOSTED BY JARED AND TANNER

MONDAYS REGGAE MONDAY WITH DJ NAPO

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE

Release the Creative Madness

Provo trio Poolhouse on some of their best work yet

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

Have Poolhouse lost their minds? One of their latest singles, “Tape Machine,” was speed-written just two days before recording, and takes the band so far into uncharted territory that it’s hard to gauge whether they’re trail-blazing or aimlessly wandering. Vocoder, screaming, horns and brain-teasing guitars combine for a track so experimental you might wonder if they’ve lost it completely.

Tape Machine is the title of Poolhouse’s latest EP, as well as the lead-off track on the new release. According to the band, Tape Machine is a direct look into the chaos of a creative mind. “After spending weeks or even months to carefully craft our previous songs, I was curious what would happen if we just let the creative juices flow without judgment. I never expected it would become the EP title track,” said lead guitarist Jonny Steed.

As the trio sat down to start work on the EP, they intended to record something else, but the producers Poolhouse were working with just weren’t feeling it, so they shifted gears. “We’re like, ‘Okay, we have a couple of days, we’ll see if we can just pump something out, not make it perfect,’” Steed added. “It ended up being just a pretty polished demo, honestly. All the ideas were there. All the parts were there.

It just flowed super-well.”

That ease and comfort shines through on the track; it’s cheerful, lighthearted and has a delightfully engaging indie-rock sound that can appeal to a wide audience. On top of that, the production on the entire EP is minty. It sounds professional as hell, and is an easy listen—it has plenty of dips and swells, leading you on an intriguing adventure. After each track you’ll be left wanting more, and then you’ll want to put it on repeat to hear it all again.

Poolhouse enlisted some great help to assist on putting the EP together including Grammy-nominated producer Nick Pyfer and mixing engineer Chris Coady, who has worked with the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Beachhouse.

While “Tape Machine” was written quickly, not all tracks from Poolhouse are written in a mad dash. “Employee of the Month” was a little more difficult. “We worked on it for a month and then quit because we kind of just gave up,” Steed explained. “Then we came back to it a yearand-a-half later, and then it took a couple of months still to finish that one up.”

The title track for the EP also has a charming music video to keep the good times rolling. It was shot by local photographer Angel Decker, making this her debut into videography. With a mix of camcorder, fisheye and drone shots, their video follows the song’s theme of searching for meaning in something familiar.

Half of the video takes place in frontman Jake Buckner’s bedroom, which was decorated specifically for the project. “It was my bedroom, and it was just blank walls, bed and we just got a bunch of stuff to cover the walls,” he said. “And now I have a pretty cool room.”

The other half takes place outside in the glorious Utah winter, snow and all. The trio said it was a blast to film despite the cold, and it does look like they’re having fun in the video, adding charm to the already lively song. What’s more, the video does indeed feature a rad and retro tape

deck to go with the song and EP. Despite the hard work that goes into making a music video, the band is keen to do more in the future.

Tape Machine isn’t quite complete yet; there’s still one single yet to come. Due April 26, “Think About Me” will round out the current four song collection. It has lyrics a little more on the melancholy side, but has bits of the music that add flair so you won’t be too sad listening through. The track lends a welcome balance to the EP, and will give a sense of completion to the songs currently available.

The trio are based in Provo, so that means they’ve spent many nights hanging

out at Velour, watching their favorite local acts. “I remember when I was growing up and I’d go to shows there and I just thought, ‘This is so sick,’” said bassist Lucas Olivier. “It’s cool to just be able to be the one who’s actually playing there, because I remember really looking up to everyone who played there when I was growing up.”

Aside from working on music videos, Poolhouse are keen to get out and tour this summer. They won’t be skimping on releases either as they’ve got another EP in the works. Coupled with goals of playing tons of shows this summer, it’ll be exciting to see what additional creative madness Poolhouse has to offer. CW

Strangelove @ The Commonwealth Room 4/7

Tribute bands can be great fun as long as everybody is on the same page; the best of the best subtly acknowledge that it’s clearly a ridiculous concept, but we love these songs, you love these songs, so let’s do this! The more overblown and pompous the originals, the better this works. Los Angeles-based Strangelove is so great at Depeche Mode live that I would call them an essential band, full stop. Don’t merely toss them in the retro-kitsch bin. Strangelove, The Depeche Mode Experience, consists of Leo Luganskiy as “Ultra Dave,” Brent Meyer as “Counterfeit Martin,” Julian ShahTaylor as “Oscar Wilder,” James Evans as “Inthefletch” and Chris Olivas as “Chris-Tain O-gner.” “A good cover band plays songs in the way they would normally play,” ShahTayler told Westword. “A good tribute band will emulate the band they are tributing.”

Not mere imitators or copycats, Strangelove will take you back to the days when DIYpunk revolutionaries played synth-rock ballads that an ’80s Molly Ringwald character would listen to. Depeche Mode are one of a handful of artists who still fill arenas worldwide when they tour, and they’ve had a massive influence on pop music for decades, not to mention influencing many other music pioneers. Strangelove does not disappoint with the classic Depeche Mode sound, look and dynamic stage presence. Also, “Just Can’t Get Enough” is an almost perfectly constructed song. Catch this show on Friday, Apr 7 at 9 p.m. General admission tickets for the 21 and over show are $31 and can be found at AXS.com (Mark Dago)

Data

Analyst(American Fork, UT) Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software. Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software. Identify business problems or management objectives through data analysis. Prepare & present evaluation and predictive reports. 40hrs/wk, Bachelor’s degree in Statistics or related required. Resume to Nutricost Fulfillment, LLC Attn. KIM, Saemi, 351 E 1750 N, Vineyard, UT 84059

MUSIC PICK S

By Emilee Atkinson

An Evening With: Vanessa Carlton @ Urban Lounge 4/7

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard Vanessa Carlton’s “1000 Miles” at least once in their lives; the singer’s hit single from 2002 has over 6 million streams on Spotify alone. Not only that, but the song has made many appearances in pop culture over the years; anyone who has seen 2004’s White Chicks knows what I’m talking about. While Carlton is probably tired of people referencing this one song from two decades ago, it’s undeniable that it made her career—and what a long one it’s been. Carlton never really stopped putting out music, and her most recent album, Love is an Art, dropped in 2020, with a deluxe version following the next year including some extra demos to dive into. Listeners expecting to press play and hear similar sounds from 20 years ago definitely won’t get the same experience. Instead, they’ll be greeted with soothing-yet-cool indie-pop vibes showcasing Carlton’s beautiful vocals, accompanied by interesting synth sounds that are easy to get lost in. If listeners want to truly relive the nostalgia from “1000 Miles,” you can always go back to visit that, or the remix of the track from last year. It’s slowed way down and has reverb added to it, and I’m not quite sure this version was totally necessary, because it takes away the high energy that listeners loved from the song to begin with. Anyway, come catch Carlton and some of her great tunes from the last few years on Friday, April 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $25 before, and $30 at the door at theurbanloungeslc.com.

(Emilee Atkinson)

Vanessa Carlton

VEVO

By Emilee Atkinson

Southbound, Red Tide, Peaked in High School @ Boardwalk Sound 4/8

New to the music scene, country boys Southbound are bringing their southern flair to an epic lineup of locals at Boardwalk Sound. The Provo group jumped into the scene late in 2022, and their first song, “She’s Dancing With Someone New,” appeared earlier this March. It’s got everything country fans are looking for: melancholy subject matter, a deep, sultry voice and a calming steel slide guitar in the background. This new single can easily fit on your playlists of country tunes from big names, and hopefully we see more from the group later this year. Joining the southern act are hard rockers Red Tide, from the same part of town. In addition to their own ripping tracks, Red Tide are known to do some great covers, like “Rooster” by Alice in Chains and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. It’s safe to say these guys can hold their own while rocking out. Completing the lineup is Peaked in High School, another newer group on the scene. Proclaiming, “Ladies and gentlemen shut your legs, and open your mouths PEAKED IN HIGHSCHOOL is finally here to give you the time of your life! Coming to a stage near you,” on their Instagram last November, the group have been playing exciting shows around town since forming. Don’t miss this great chance to see a fantastic lineup of locals on Saturday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. Grab tickets for the all-ages show at theboardwalksound.com. Tickets are $10 before the show and $12 at the door. (EA)

Andi, Taylor Beckett, Carrington Zane Sklar @ Kilby Court 4/9

TikTok has brought a lot of interesting trends into the zeitgeist, and even though congress has no idea how the app works (or even how Wi-Fi works, for that matter), it’s made careers for many content creators, including Andi Mitchell. The singer/songwriter hit the music scene in 2020 as the world was falling apart. Like many, she came to TikTok, and instead of lurking and laughing at hilarious fails on the app, Mitchell started sharing her music—and many began listening to it. The singer now has over a million followers and even more likes on her profile. Because of her following, she’s been able to steadily release singles over the past couple of years, leading up to debut album Runner Up. Mitchell’s sound is vocal-based chill pop, as she put it to Our Era magazine. A lot of her songs focus on relationships and other personal experiences that many can relate to. “My music is reflective of what I’m feeling and going through in the moment that I write it,” she said. “The message of each song is different, but I think overall my message is that heartbreak hurts and sucks really bad but it’s not the end of the world, and you can find a positive in any situation. The feeling I want people to feel when they listen to my music is one that helps them get through tough times.” Catch the viral singer with openers Taylor Beckett and Carrington Zane Sklar at Kilby Court Sunday, April 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 and can be found at kilbycourt.com. (EA)

Billy Idol @ Eccles Center 4/12

Billy Idol could be considered the epitome of punk. Gruff, belligerent and conveying an eternally antagonistic attitude, he built his reputation on a decidedly defiant stance. After initiating his career with the prefab British band Chelsea, he achieved further fame with the glam rock group Generation X before going solo in the early ’80s. He subsequently scored a series of hits that made him a darling of the then-burgeoning MTV: “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Eyes Without a Face” and the insurgent anthem “Rebel Yell.” At the same time, he created a striking visual persona, courtesy of his close-cropped blond hair and a muscle-rippling, bare-chested physique. He withdrew from the limelight during much of the ’90s, but slowly attempted a comeback towards the latter part of the decade with a series of projects that afforded him renewed visibility, including his 2014 best-selling autobiography (titled, naturally, Dancing With Myself ), a public service campaign for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection dubbed “Billy Never Idles” and a series of headlining tours alongside various other former punk provocateurs. Then, last January, he was accorded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, proof that even as a senior citizen— aged 67, no less—this rebel yells as loud as ever.

Billy Idol and longtime guitar foil Steve Stevens join Adam Reader, the Professor Rock, to discuss the stories behind the songs and share an acoustic performance at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12. Tickets cost $110.50 - $230.50. Go to parkcityinstitute.org. (Lee Zimmerman)

COURTESY

Billy Idol

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Aries-born René Descartes (1596–1650) was instrumental in the development of modern science and philosophy. His famous motto, “I think, therefore I am” is an assertion that the analytical component of intelligence is primary and foremost. And yet, few history books mention the supernatural intervention that was pivotal in his evolution as a supreme rationalist. On the night of Nov. 10, 1619, he had three mystical dreams that changed his life, revealing the contours of the quest to discern the “miraculous science” that would occupy him for the next 30 years. I suspect you are in store for a comparable experience or two, Aries. Brilliant ideas and marvelous solutions to your dilemmas will visit you as you bask in unusual and magical states of awareness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

The dirty work is becoming milder and easier. It’s still a bit dirty, but is growing progressively less grungy and more rewarding. The command to “adjust, adjust and adjust some more, you beast of burden” is giving way to “refine, refine and refine some more, you beautiful animal.” At this pivotal moment, it’s crucial to remain consummately conscientious. If you stay in close touch with your shadowy side, it will never commandeer more than 10% of your total personality. In other words, a bit of healthy distrust for your own motives will keep you trustworthy. (PS: Groaning and grousing, if done in righteous and constructive causes, will continue to be good therapy for now.)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

“’Tis the good reader that makes the good book,” wrote Gemini philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. “In every book, he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear.” In the coming weeks, a similar principle will apply to everything you encounter, Gemini—not just books. You will find rich meaning and entertainment wherever you go. From seemingly ordinary experiences, you’ll notice and pluck clues that will be wildly useful for you personally. For inspiration, read this quote from author Sam Keen: “Enter each day with the expectation that the happenings of the day may contain a clandestine message addressed to you personally. Expect omens, epiphanies, casual blessings and teachers who unknowingly speak to your condition.”

CANCER

(June

21-July 22)

Traditional astrologers don’t regard the planet Mars as being a natural ally of you Crabs. But I suspect you will enjoy an invigorating relationship with the red planet during the next six weeks. For best results, tap into its rigorous vigor in the following ways: 1. Gather new wisdom about how to fight tenderly and fiercely for what’s yours; 2. Refine and energize your ambitions so they become more ingenious and beautiful; 3. Find out more about how to provide your physical body with exactly what it needs to be strong and lively on an ongoing basis; 4. Mediate on how to activate a boost in your willpower.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

I won’t ask you to start heading back toward your comfort zone yet, Leo. I’d love to see you keep wandering out in the frontiers for a while longer. It’s healthy and wise to be extra fanciful, improvisatory and imaginative. The more rigorous and daring your experiments, the better. Possible bonus: If you are willing to question at least some of your fixed opinions and dogmatic beliefs, you could very well outgrow the part of the Old You that has finished its mission.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

The Supreme Deity with the most power may not be Jehovah or Allah or Brahman or Jesus’s dad. There’s a good chance it’s actually Mammon, the God of Money. The devoted worship that humans offer to Mammon far surpasses the loyalty offered to all the other gods combined. His values and commandments rule civilization. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because now is an excellent time for you to deliver extra intense prayers to Mammon. From what I can determine, this formidable Lord of Lords is far more

likely to favor you than usual. (PS: I’m only half-kidding. I really do believe your financial luck will be at a peak in the coming weeks.)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

It’s an excellent time to give up depleted, used-up obsessions so you have plenty of room and energy to embrace fresh, succulent passions. I hope you will take advantage of the cosmic help that’s available as you try this fun experiment. You will get in touch with previously untapped resources as you wind down your attachments to old pleasures that have dissipated. You will activate dormant reserves of energy as you phase out connections that take more than they give.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

“The best revenge is not to be like your enemy,” said ancient Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius. I’m tempted to advise every Scorpio to get a tattoo of that motto. That way, you will forever keep in mind this excellent advice; as fun as it may initially feel to retaliate against those who have crossed you, it rarely generates redemptive grace or glorious rebirth, which are key Scorpio birthrights. I believe these thoughts should be prime meditations for you in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Sometimes love can be boring. We may become overly accustomed to feeling affection and tenderness for a special person or animal. What blazed like a fiery fountain in the early stages of our attraction might have subsided into a routine sensation of mild fondness. But here’s the good news, Sagittarius: Even if you have been ensconced in bland sweetness, I suspect you will soon transition into a phase of enhanced zeal. Are you ready to be immersed in a luscious lusty bloom of heartful yearning and adventure?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

What shall we call this latest chapter of your life story?

How about “Stealthy Triumph Over Lonely Fear” or maybe “Creating Rapport With the Holy Darkness.” Other choices might be “As Far Down Into the Wild Rich Depths That I Dare to Go” or “My Roots Are Stronger and Deeper Than I Ever Imagined.” Congratulations on this quiet but amazing work you’ve been attending to. Some other possible descriptors: “I Didn’t Have to Slay the Dragon Because I Figured Out How to Harness It” or “The Unexpected Wealth I Discovered Amidst the Confusing Chaos.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

It’s sway-swirl-swivel time for you, Aquarius—a phase when you will be wise to gyrate and rollick and zigzag. This is a bouncy, shimmering interlude that will hopefully clean and clear your mind as it provides you with an abundance of reasons to utter “whee!” and “yahoo!” and “hooray!” My advice: Don’t expect the straight-and-narrow version of anything. Be sure you get more than minimal doses of twirling and swooping and cavorting. Your brain needs to be teased and tickled, and your heart requires regular encounters with improvised fun.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

When I was growing up in suburban America, way back in the 20th century, many adults told me that I was wrong and bad to grow my hair really long. Really! It’s hard to believe now, but I endured ongoing assaults of criticism, ridicule and threats because of how I shaped my physical appearance. Teachers, relatives, baseball coaches, neighbors, strangers in the grocery store—literally hundreds of people—warned me that sporting a big head of hair would cause the whole world to be prejudiced against me and sabotage my success. Decades later, I can safely say that all those critics were resoundingly wrong. My hair is still long, has always been so, and my ability to live the life I love has not been obstructed by it in the least. Telling you this story is my way of encouraging you to keep being who you really are, even in the face of people telling you that’s not who you really are. The astrological omens say it’s time for you to take a stand.

ACROSS

1. Tests, at a winery

5. Beanstalk climber in a fairy tale

9. Squeeze together

14. Risk territory that borders Siberia

15. ____ all-time high

16. Left, on un mapa

17. Gram alternative

18. Emmy-winning comedian Love

19. Traveling in a Winnebago, perhaps

20. “... don’t forget the sulfur!”?

23. Sportage automaker

24. ____ buco

25. Obedient puppy’s reward

28. “No Scrubs” group

29. Phillipa who was the original Eliza in “Hamilton”

30. Doomed from the start, for short

32. “Independence Day is good for me!”

38. At an end

39. Museum-funding org.

40. Cinco de ____

41. Fantasy creature that’s very much alive?

46. Comedian Vulcano of “Impractical Jokers”

47. Nov. honoree 48. We’re in the Phanerozoic one 49. “I rock!”

51. Seating that might be L-shaped 53. Catch in the act 56. “Don’t shoot!” (or this puzzle’s theme) 59. Israeli desert

62. Pitching staff, figuratively

63. Teri’s “Young Frankenstein” role 64. Stevenson of ‘50s politics 65. Clear, as data

10. Bank that everyone hopes won’t fail

11. “____ was saying ...”

12. Part of a range: Abbr.

13. Tent holder

21. Massage deeply

22. Tweeter’s “That said …”

26. “What ____!” (“Bummer!”)

27. City whose name is an anagram of Kyoto

28. Banks of fashion

29. Without a date

31. John Irving’s “____ of the Circus”

Last week’s answers

Sears Lake

There’s a big hole in the ground in Salt Lake City on State Street between 700 South and 800 South. The pit will be transformed from a pool of water and mud into a new hospital, but so many of us old farts have memories of the Sears that stood there that it was hard to see the diggers and dozers pull down the building this winter.

Richard Sears was a railroad station agent in Minnesota who came up with an idea to sell modestly priced watches by mail order. Soon, he partnered up with Alvah Roebuck and clothing merchant Julius Rosenwald to create a mail-order firm that catered to rural areas that lacked department stores through rail and mail delivery.

Their original catalogs sold everything from buggies to bicycles, sewing machines to fishing poles, clothes, shoes and—of course— watches. Many credit Sears with teaching Americans how to shop.

The Sears—and later, Craftsman— line of products became a high standard of reasonably priced items, and the annual catalog was treasured by every kid who could look at photos of the newest bikes, trikes, dolls and banjos and could circle the ad to let Santa know what they wanted.

Director, Software Engineering @ Finicity Corporation (Salt Lake City, UT) F/T Build and lead mltpl engg tms tht shp frqntly, blnce spd to mrkt wth oprtnal excllnce, and cnsistntly ht thr committed dts. Cndct and cmplt prfrmnc rvws, one-on-one mtings, prfrmnc imprvmnt cnvrstns, and ad-hoc coachng dscussions. Req Mstr’s dgr or frgn eqvlnt in Infrmtn Systms, Cmptr Scnce, Sftwr Dvlpmnt, Sftwr Engg or a rltd fld and 5 yrs of exp in jb offrd or as Snr Applctn Archtct, Sftwr Engnr or rltd. Altrntvly, emplyr wll accpt a bchlr’s dgr and 7 yrs of prgrssvly rspnsble exp. Qlfyng exp mst incld at least 1 yr wth ech of the fllwing: React, Node.js, JavaScript, Spring (MVC and Spring Boot), SOAP/ REST, MySQL, RedisCache, Swagger Open API, JWT & JWE, Agile (Scrum and Kanban), Unix, Docker, Kubernetes, HTTP, HTTPS, TLS/SSL. Emplyr wll accpt any suitble cmbntion of edctn, trning and/ or exp. Optn to wrk frm hm-bsd offc exsts. Mst rsde wthn Slt Lke Cty, UT metropolitan area. Trvl is reqrd abt 2 wks per year to spnd time on site with remote teams in Mumbai. Send resume to Luz Lara, Luz.Lara@mastercard.com, 434 Ascension Way, Salt Lake City UT 84123. Ref MC13-2023.

1. Rishi ____, British P.M. beginning in 2022

2. Farsi speaker

3. Black-and-white vegetarian

4. Big chunk

5. Guadalajara is its capital 6. They bond

7. “Oh, yeah? Watch me!”

8. Make bootees, maybe 9. Tight braid

X

SUDOKU

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

From 1908 to 1940, Sears sold more than 70,000 houses through its “Modern Homes” program. The company designed 447 different housing styles—from the elaborate, multistory Ivanhoe with its elegant French doors and glass windows, to the simpler Goldenrod, a quaint, three-room and 0-bath cottage for summer vacationers. (An outhouse could be purchased separately for the Goldenrod and similar cottage dwellers.) Customers could choose a house to suit their individual tastes and budgets.

Sears was not an innovative home designer but, instead, an able follower of popular designs with the added advantage of modifying according to buyer tastes. Individuals could even submit blueprints to Sears, which would then ship off pre-cut and fitted materials, putting the homeowner in full control. Customers had the freedom to build their own dream houses, and Sears helped realize these dreams through quality custom design and favorable financing.

The Salt Lake City store, built in 1947, was a big, boxy thing of “Mid Mod” design. Sears lost a lot of customers in the 1970s to competitors like Target, Kmart and Walmart, and it was eventually bought out by Kmart in 2005 for $12 billion. Sears then filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018, and Salt Lake City’s store closed the same year.n

NEWS of the WEIRD

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Creme de la Weird

Already this year, representatives of a fictional country called the United States of Kailasa have participated in two meetings at the United Nations, Oddity Central reported. Founded by Indian fugitive and “supreme pontiff of Hinduism” Nithyananda Paramashivam, the virtual nation claims to be a sovereign state for Hindus who have been “persecuted for over a decade.”

In January, Kailasa suggested it had been officially recognized by the United States of America through a sister-city agreement with Newark, New Jersey, but U.S. authorities later rescinded the arrangement. A U.N. representative explained the country’s access by saying the meetings are open to the public.

Awesome!

How did your bracket hold up? If it busted, here’s some other basketball news that might cheer you up. Sporting goods company Wilson is reinventing the basketball, Oddity Central reported on March 13, with a new prototype that doesn’t require inflation.

The Wilson Airless Prototype uses a “research-grade” polymer material to achieve the necessary bounce; the surface is a lattice design that keeps the traditional binding pattern so players can grip the seams of the ball more easily. There are still kinks to work out, including how to manage small objects that can get inside the ball.

Florida

A woman named Ashley Cream went before the Boca Raton Planning and Zoning Board on March 2 with a pressing concern: She suggested March 10 should be designated Sugar Daddy and Mommy Appreciation Day. WFLA-TV reported that Cream, accompanied by an elderly man in a wheelchair, started by telling board members they were “looking absolutely fabulous, a little bit serious.” She went on to say that sugar daddies and mommies are “responsible for college educations, cars, homes, rents, jets, Birkin (bags) and the occasional body enhancement”—though she claimed to be “all natural” as she gestured toward her chest. Councilman Arnold Sevell replied that her idea is “a city council issue,” and she and her companion left the meeting.

Least Competent Criminals

Nothing went right for a carjacker in East Memphis, Tennessee, on March 10, WREG-TV reported. An unnamed 22-year-old victim pulled into his own driveway that night, only to have a man yank the driver’s door open and point a gun at him. He asked for the

victim’s wallet and keys to the 2006 Honda Element, then tried to back out of the driveway, but as he did so, he rolled down the window. That’s when the victim noticed the thief’s gun didn’t have a barrel, so he reached in and punched the carjacker in the face, causing the car to clip the side of the house and run into a pole. The carjacker jumped out and ran away; police were able to gather prints from the car and a recovered phone, but no arrests have been made.

Oh, Canada

Fans of our favorite rude gesture, rejoice! Flipping the bird is a protected, “God-given” right in Canada, NPR reported, after Judge Dennis Galiatsatos ruled on Feb. 24 that “offending someone is not a crime.” The decision stemmed from a court case between two un-neighborly neighbors in a Montreal suburb. “The complainants are free to clutch their pearls in the face of such an insult,” Galiatsatos said. “However, the police department and the 911 dispatching service have more important priorities to address.”

Suspicions Confirmed

On March 20, police officers were called to a home in Mill Creek, Washington, on a report of items stolen from the house, Fox13-TV reported. As they investigated, they discovered someone was living in the home’s upstairs loft—with a bed, drug paraphernalia and half-eaten food. The oblivious homeowners did say they had noticed the smell of cigarette smoke. Police suggested the homeowners wait until the person returned, and it didn’t take long: On March 21, they arrested Daniel Tomoiaga, 24. In his possession, they found the stolen items, along with meth and fentanyl. No word on how long he’d been staying at the home.

The Tech Revolution

Artificial intelligence has infiltrated television news in China, Oddity Central reported. Ren Xiaorong, a virtual news anchor, was introduced on March 12 to viewers of People’s Daily. “For 365 days, 24 hours, I will be reporting the news for the whole year, round the clock, without rest,” Ren told viewers. “Whether at news sites or back in the studio, you will always see me.” She has absorbed the talents of “thousands of news anchors” and will continue to evolve based on feedback. Ren can answer many questions, but her answers are all within the parameters of the Chinese Communist Party’s rhetoric.

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com

Network Engineer. Collab. w/ team to dsgn. & implmnt. infrastructure to improve existing svcs. & provide spt. to end user client. Dsgn., deploy, maint., & spt. wired & wireless data netwk., voice sys., firewalls, physical security devices, & VPN. Coord. & implmnt. netwk. software & hardware upgrades; maint. all netwk. enterprise sys. in patched, secure, & stable state. Provide Palo Alto Firewall Admin. (Security policies, routing, NAT, Panorama, Site-to-site IPSEC tunnels,VPN). Admin. LAN/WAN security, antivirus, & spam control measures & ensure overall security of netwk. Admin. Cisco Nexus 9K & 3K infrastructure in Primary & backup DR Datacenter; wk’ing. knowl. of Cisco UCS netwk’g. arch. Provide Citrix Netscaler (ADC) Admin. Admin. growing vCloud Director hosting environ. utilizing VMware NSX-T. Pos. is eligible for insurance, PTO & optional hybrid telecommuting per co. policy, must live w/in normal commuting distance of our Salt Lake City loc. to attend necess. meetings & collabs. Req. Bach. or foreign equiv. in Software Engr’g., Comp. Sci., INfo Sci., or closely rltd field. & 6 yrs. exp. in netwk. engr’g., architecture & dsgn. in live prod. environ. Cert. in one or more ind. leading certs. such as CCNA, CCNP, PCNSA, PCNSE, CCIE. Send resume to: CU Prodigy LLC, 420 E South Temple, Ste. 520, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, awilcken@cuprodigy.com.

Must reference job title & code in subject line.