City Weekly April 4, 2024

CITY WEEKLY

Singing Down the Slopes

At 98, skiing legend Junior Bounous is still carving up the powder with a smile.

BY BIANCA DUMAS

S AP

BOX

Spring Cleaning

For many, Easter is a time of renewal and rebirth, bringing springtime festivities and chocolate eggs. In celebrating the resurrection of hope and life, we are reminded of the importance of preserving our planet for future generations.

Just as Easter symbolizes new beginnings, sustainable energy sources represent a fresh start for our environment. There are many energetic individuals working on innovative ways to embrace clean energy, enabling us to power our lives without relying on fossil fuels.

These entrepreneurs have given us electric vehicles, trucks, bicycles and scooters; solar panels; wind turbines cleverly designed to blend into landscapes; and home and utility-scale battery storage. Thanks to their efforts, the technology needed to transition away from fossil fuels already exists. Rapid and widespread adoption of these groundbreaking innovations is achievable through a carbon fee and cashback policy, or the Energy Innovation Act.

With a carbon cashback, corporate polluters pay a fee on their carbon pollution for the damage to our environment. The money is sent back to Americans as a monthly payment that goes into the pockets of millions of hard-working families. This Easter season, reach out to Sens. Romney and Lee and Reps. Curtis, Moore, Maloy and Owens to urge their support for the Energy Innovation Act, legislation that’s already introduced in Congress. Together, let’s get going into a pollutionfree, livable world!

KAREN JACKSON Millcreek

“14 More Assists,” March 28

Private Eye

The military is now reimbursing/changing discharges for members who declined the vaccine because there isn’t science on the effectiveness of them, and the discharges were erroneous.

Have you seen the military’s recruitment shortfalls and manning problems right now? The Army is offering to reinstate retirees, the same people they forced out for not getting the COVID shots.

The vaccine is not required to serve now. The quiet step back is loud if you listen and look. COVID vaccines were horribly rushed. I support [John] Stockton over this viewpoint. [The Private Eye] viewpoint is very biased. I’m disappointed.

TRENTNORT

Via Instagram

After all these years of “Stockton-toMalone,” why can’t they just fade away?

I was never a Jazz fan from the start, and, at work, I always bet against them.

That pissed everyone off in the office, but they never won the big gold ring, and I just kept betting against them and winning.

All those years and untold billions of dollars split up with thousands of folks by now. How many times did any of these people drive by a buckled sidewalk like the one on West Temple that recently killed a mother of five children?

They could make one call, and it would have been fixed.

Mo’ money, mo’ problems—because if they paid to fix it, then someone else will want something, too!

If you’re given much, then give back much. Lots of millionaires in Salt Lake City. Maybe next time, they won’t just pass their riches to each other. But don’t bet on it.

WALLY HARPER

Salt Lake City

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

THE WATER COOLER

If you could get one movie prop for free, what would it be?

Pete Saltas

The only correct answer is The One Ring to Rule Them All.

Scott Renshaw

That’s almost an unfair question. Is Gene Kelly’s umbrella from Singin’ in the Rain out there somewhere?

Eric Granato

It’s a toss up between the cigarette holder and the pearls from Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Wes Long

I’d say Pee-wee Herman’s bicycle, but then I’d have that no-good Francis Buxton to contend with.

Carolyn Campbell

I want an Everlasting Gobstopper from the first Wonka movie. My second choice would be a Batmobile!

Audrey Makris

Jamie Fraser’s kilt from Outlander! (With him in or out of it)!

Kelly Boyce

Michael Jordan’s “Secret Stuff” water bottle from Space Jam. Duh.

Katharine Biele

Considering I don’t need a thing more in my house, I’ll opt for Vulcan ears.

OPINION

KEITH BURNS

Mixed Messages

Despite assertions of immutability and consistency, the positions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saint on sexuality and gender have proven fragile and changeable across time.

Throughout much of the 19th century, for example, plural marriage between a man and multiple women was taught as an “everlasting covenant” that would never be abolished. Under intense scrutiny and pressure from the U.S. government, the church officially abandoned the practice in 1890 and currently teaches that only marriage between one man and one woman is ordained of God.

Another fundamental shift in Latter-day Saint teachings on sex and gender is reflected in its discourse around homosexuality. Since the 1950s, Latter-day Saint elites consistently framed homosexuality as an evil and viral contagion that would destroy individual, familial and societal well-being. They demonized and condemned “homosexuals,” implementing policies that promoted conversion therapy and made identifying as homosexual, gay or lesbian an excommunicable offense. Today, the church allows people to identify as gay or lesbian and engages in far more accepting and inclusive rhetoric, by comparison.

Teachings condemning oral sex, birth control and interracial marriage have also undergone massive changes, if not full reversals, within the past half-century. Simply put, doctrines and policies around sexuality and gender are moving targets that have been clumsily and contradictorily managed throughout the Latter-day Saint church’s 200-year history.

As a result, the modern church anxiously finds itself at a crossroads concerning its LGBTQ stances. Its leaders simultaneously cling to anachronistic theology that asserts the sinfulness of same-sex relationships and gender transitions, while striving to stay culturally relevant in an increasingly social-justice-oriented world.

In navigating this untenable position, modern church leaders have propagated mixed and contradictory messages. On the one hand, LDS President Russell M. Nelson and his first counselor, Dallin H. Oaks, have continued to hammer anti-LGBTQ teachings, declaring that marriage between a man and woman is “irrevocable doctrine.” On the other hand, the church has made a series of moves that show greater acceptance of LGBTQ individuals and allies than ever before.

The recent hiring of Aaron Sherinian as head spokesperson for the church is a powerful example of this tension. Sherinian’s social media accounts are saturated with bold LGBTQ activism, including his personal use and support of inclusive pronouns, unequivocal affirmations of transgender individuals and celebration of the country’s legalization of same-sex marriage. In June 2015, he tweeted: “Way to go #SCOTUS. Gay marriage now legal across all 50 states! #LoveisLove #MarriageEquality.” Sherinian also fearlessly promotes Pride events, symbols and slogans, which directly contradicts the directives of other church leaders.

In a remarkably controversial address delivered at Brigham Young University in 2021, LDS Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland called for “musket fire” directed at those who oppose the faith’s teachings on marriage and sexuality. He spoke derisively of “flag-waving and parade-holding” and warned “that love and empathy [should] not get interpreted as condoning and advocacy.” Recent reporting suggests that Holland’s address will be added to the required reading of all incoming BYU freshmen.

If LDS church leaders continue to denounce same-

sex marriage and LGBTQ activism, why then would the church hire such an outspoken LGBTQ advocate as their head spokesperson?

First, it is likely that top leaders do not act as a monolith and have significant disagreements about LGBTQ-related teachings and policies. While there are several highprofile leaders who refuse to abandon their anti-LGBTQ worldviews, there are others who have demonstrated far more nuanced and compassionate perspectives. Local, congregational leaders also demonstrate this ideological diversity and treat LGBTQ members with tremendous variability, a dynamic that is sometimes referred to by church members as “Bishop Roulette.”

Second, this mixed messaging represents a gradual, yet successful, struggle toward equality within the church— a decades-long battle that courageous LGBTQ individuals and activists have been fighting and even dying for. There are numerous recent examples of same-sex couples receiving callings and taking the sacrament in their congregations, privileges that gay and lesbian members would have only dreamt of in previous years. Furthermore, transgender individuals were given permission in recent years to be baptized, with their preferred name and pronouns acknowledged on the formal membership rolls of the church.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” While it is not inevitable that the LDS church will ever fully embrace LGBTQ relationships and identities, mounting sociocultural and political pressure are at least causing the church to see the damage caused by clinging to its antiLGBTQ teachings. I sincerely hope that their mixed messaging represents a gradual dying of old homophobic and transphobic teachings in favor of steady evolution toward full acceptance of LGBTQ Latter-day Saints. CW

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

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele BY BRYAN YOUNG

MISS: Race to the Bottom

If you’ve seen any of the political commercials hitting the airwaves, you might wonder who Utah’s U.S. Senate candidates are trying to influence. Brad Wilson is taking a sledgehammer to “Biden’s Agenda,” John Curtis is fighting against Biden’s “reckless spending” and Brent Orrin Hatch is trying to out-conservative the rest of the pack. Living in Utah, you know that Joe Biden is a campaign factor only in the “Let’s go, Brandon” world and is that really what voters care about? Riverton MAGA Mayor Trent Staggs buys into that thinking and brought in Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz to call Curtis a weakling in the America First fight. The undertone of many of the Senate campaigns is to bury the Mitt Romney moderation and fire up the Trumpian base. Voters should be paying attention to real issues. Eric Peterson on KUER called out Wilson’s strong ties to development, and Curtis is actually talking about his accomplishments. Do Republicans care?

MISS: Phil the Burn

We don’t think he’ll be the next governor, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore Blanding Republican Rep. Phil Lyman and his pro-beef campaign. He’s been sort of conflicted about signature gathering to get the nomination. He did start collecting names, which he compared to “running an option in a football game,” but then stopped because “to be honest, I don’t believe in the signature path, and I never have. As I said from the beginning, my intent to gather signatures was a backup plan in case there was interference with the caucus.” By that, he means he believes Spencer Cox pulled a fast one during COVID and canceled caucuses. Maybe it’s all good now. Still, he’s using the national GOP playbook, first posting that the Baltimore bridge collapse was a result of DEI, and then saying he didn’t actually post that, but he’s OK with the idea. After all, diversity, equity and inclusion are far from the Utah Way.

HIT: Your Ad Here

Billboards are in the news again, and that’s a good thing if only that people are thinking about them. Traditionally, it’s been scenic byways vs. the billboard industry. Now a Salt Lake Tribune story points to huge billboards blocking the views from luxury apartments. Say it isn’t true! A City Weekly cover story from 2002 recounted the history from the halls of Congress to your backyard, ultimately cementing the industry’s control. “In Utah, more so than any other state, billboard companies are free to move, modify and build newer, brighter and taller signs—for almost any reason. They demand huge condemnation payouts when a sign needs to be moved, cut trees to improve visibility of their signs, promote the ‘segmentation’ of National and State Scenic Byways in order to erect more billboards and contribute huge sums to political campaigns,” Scenic Utah writes. The Trib story is a small speck in an otherwise politically influential campaign spanning decades. CW

Ban Book Bans

During the most recent session, the Utah Legislature decided to continue its manufactured culture war by taking literature out of school libraries. Sure, they claim it’s due to “pornography,” and they’re just “protecting the children.” But if you look at the books getting challenged, the alleged pornography boils down to milquetoast stuff written by and starring marginalized folks.

Sometimes, critics do focus on books that contain depictions of sex—but they ignore the idea that topics like sexual assault are real and how written narratives can be instructive to kids in how they can report, react or feel in such situations if they find themselves in the same, horrific boat.

Adults use literature to learn about the world around us. It’s one of the ways kids learn, too. Robbing them of the ability to understand things that bigots find distasteful—i.e., racial justice, queer identities and the sexual assaults they would rather cover up and ignore—means children will be ill-equipped to deal with the harsh realities of a world that our Legislature keeps making worse.

It’s bad enough that lawmakers are trying this at all, but the new mechanism they have chosen to enact their anti-American measures is insidious and ensures damage to the kids of Salt Lake. They created legislation where if three Utah school districts ban a specific book, then the ban goes into effect in every school district statewide.

It doesn’t matter if the parents in a particular area are for or against it. Now, if the three most conservative districts in the state ban Black Panther comics or When Aidan Became a Brother from their school libraries because of their offensive transphobia and racism, students in Salt Lake will also suffer. It’s not a good thing.

Worse, it makes it more difficult for pro-literature individuals to engage in counterprotest banning. So what if activists in Salt Lake get the Bible or The Book of Mormon banned from school libraries in response? It’s not like they will gain the support of two other districts, will they?

Instead, book bans themselves should be banned. We should let local librarians choose the books they put in their libraries. They’re the trained experts we should trust.

Books open eyes, change minds and help make the world a better place. Those who want to ban books are afraid of a world that doesn’t conform to the pablum they’ve been fed that creates their worldview.

In a statement from the League of Utah Writers condemning the book banning, the organization’s executive committee (of which I’m a member) quoted Ursula K. Le Guin: “A dangerous book will always be in danger from those it threatens with the demand that they question their assumptions. They’d rather hang on to the assumptions and ban the book.”

We should fight. Always. Salt Lake and its school children deserve more than the abuse we keep taking from the state Legislature. CW

Tubi Time

Tubi is free, but that doesn’t mean it sucks. Here are seven series worth a stream.

BY BILL FROST comments@cityweekly.net

Since Tubi is a free streaming TV service (with ads, because everything has ads anymore), you’d probably assume that it sucks. As the saying goes, that just makes an ass out of you and umami. There are indeed plenty of gems to be found on Tubi if you’re willing to put in the work. None of you are—I know my slacker audience—so I’ve rounded up some shows worth streaming on Tubi.

Fastlane (2002–2003): Slick cars, gorgeous women, and an Episode 1 appearance by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst—Fastlane is more early-2000s than a flaming pile of Maxim magazines in a Hot Topic. The flashy cop drama about LAPD detectives Van (Peter Facinelli) and Deaq (Bill Bellamy) working undercover and offthe-books for evidence warehouse operator Billie (Tiffani Thiessen) is deliriously excessive: Each episode cost nearly $3 million. Showrunner McG put every penny on the screen, though, and the series’ mix of action, humor and proto-hipster sleaze has made Fastlane a posthumous cult hit.

Pandemic (2007): Thirteen years before the real thing arrived, Hallmark Channel’s miniseries unleashed a mysterious virus into the world (well, mostly Los Angeles, as per Hallmark’s budget). The four-part series revolves around a CDC doctor (Tiffani Thiessen again) racing to find the cure for a deadly flu ravaging California,

while the governor (Eric Roberts) and the mayor of L.A. (Faye Dunaway) fight over a drug lord’s epidemic-related blackmail scheme—there’s a lot going on here. Pandemic is best viewed as retro nostalgia and quarantine theater that makes 2020’s COVID-19 response look flawless.

Archie’s Weird Mysteries (1999–2000): The live-action Riverdale likely took a few cues from Archie’s Weird Mysteries, a 40-episode animated series wherein the gang investigates supernatural phenomena; it’s the X-Files and Scooby-Doo mashup no one asked for. Also like Riverdale, Archie’s Weird Mysteries becomes more addictively entertaining the longer you stick with it. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, aliens, ghosts and sea monsters all pop up, as do more offbeat threats like a tapioca pudding blob, a monster-creating energy drink and extraterrestrial potatoes.

Blue Mountain State (2010–2011): You’ve rightfully long forgotten about Spike, the male-focused cable channel that eventually became Paramount Network, but the meathead media outlet did produce one worthwhile original: Blue Mountain State

Beneath all of the sex, booze, drugs, more sex, hazing, urine and yet more sex, Blue Mountain State is a smart college comedy— not valedictorian smart, but close enough to pass. Anyone who still secretly enjoys American Pie (on Blu-ray, because you can’t stream it anywhere; thanks, Woke Police) should check out BMS, mostly because critics hated it.

Casual (2015–2018): On the other side of the critical spectrum, early Hulu original Casual won raves upon arrival—it even premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, so posh. Producer/ director Jason Reitman’s (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) low-key comedy about the dating misadventures of newly-divorced single mom Valerie (Michaela Watkins) and her younger brother Alex (Tommy Dewey) is still as fresh and funny as it was almost a decade ago. Casual also features future breakout stars like Britt Lower (Severance), Maya Erskine (PEN15) and Alisha Boe (The Buccaneers).

The Weird Al Show (1997): It was supposed to be the next Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, but The Weird Al Show was doomed from the

A&E

start as a CBS Saturday morning babysitter. Still, Al tried like hell for 13 wild episodes loaded with anarchic animation, bizarro skits and a sprawling guest list (including Patton Oswalt, Fabio, Alex Trebek, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, John Tesh and even producer Dick Clark himself). The show didn’t, however, feature Al’s signature parody songs, because CBS wouldn’t pay the royalties(!). TWAS was also one of SNL alum Victoria Jackson’s last appearances before going full Christofascist.

V (2009–2011): Alien spaceships appear over Earth, and their leader (Morena Baccarin) assures humankind that their intentions are benevolent. (Spoiler: They aren’t.) V is a glossier remake of the 1984 miniseries that leans harder into media manipulation and population delusion. Remove the aliens, and it’s a documentary about 2024 ’Merica. The funniest Easter eggs of V are future Resident Alien star Alan Tudyk as a covert space invader who’s remained undetected on Earth for decades, and the subtle nods to then-President Barack Obama. (Remember the tan suit that destroyed the nation? How did we survive?) CW

ESSENTIALS

Chelsea Handler

Chelsea Handler’s a renaissance woman. A comedian, author and astute observer, she’s made an indelible impression on today’s cultural environs. After making her bow on the reality series Girls

Behaving Badly, she was cast in several network shows before landing a seven-year stint hosting E’s late night talk show Chelsea Lately and its subsequent spin-off After Lately. The documentary series Chelsea Does found her fixated on marriage, drugs, racism and Silicon Valley. And in 2016, she landed her own Netflix series, Chelsea

She’s also starred in several critically-acclaimed cable comedy specials—Uganda Be Kidding Me: Live for Netflix, Evolution for HBO, and Revolution, which brought her back to Netflix. Her extensive stand-up tour, dubbed the “Vaccinated and Horny Tour,” took her to 90-plus cities throughout North America, and brought her ultimate honors when, during the People’s Choice Awards, she was lauded as “The Comedy Act of 2021.”

Likewise, she was included in Forbes Top 100 Celebrity list and, equally impressively, named one of Time magazine’s “100 most influential people in the world.” She’s also written six books, five of which reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, while the recording of her Evolution special reaped a Grammy nomination for “Best Comedy Album.” Whew! Given that her iHeart Radio podcast, Dear Chelsea, offers advice, we’d probably best be advised to tune in.

Chelsea Handler’s “Little Big Bitch” tour comes to Abravanel Hall (123 W. South Temple) Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m., for mature audiences only. Tickets cost $75 - $250; Visit arttix.org for tickets and additional event information. (Lee Zimmerman)

Salt Lake City Performance Art Festival

Really, what is performance art? It’s a worthwhile question for those who haven’t experienced much of it—which is why celebrated Boston-based performance artist Marilyn Arsem (pictured) made “Really, What Is Performance Art?” the title of a lecture she presented at the Salt Lake City Main Library on April 2. It provided a lead-in to the 2024 Salt Lake City Performance Art Festival, a world-class event that showcases local, national and international creators of their own unique stories and performance concepts, presented in intimate spaces.

Arsem will also be one of the performers, with a uniquely individual concept called Teach Me!, in which a single audience member has the opportunity to convey to Arsem their own areas of expertise. Other scheduled performers include Salt Lake City-based Sam Forlenza with Chance Poetry, a spontaneously-created experience based on compiling words and phrased from his previously-created work into brand-new poetry; Dawn Oughton’s You Talk Funny, exploring how we learn to speak; Preach R Sun’s WOKE, described as “a pop-up course collaging Amerikkka’s history of fracture; and Eugene Tachinni’s Concentric, in which earth materials are used to create concentric circles.

The 2024 Salt Lake City Performance Art Festival comes to a new venue, City Academy (555 E. 200 South), on Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. All performances are free, and curator Kristina Lenzi describes the content as appropriate for all ages. The event will also include an action in memory of Utah performance painter Paul Reynolds, who passed away in 2020. For full schedule of performances, visit saltlakecityperformanceartfestival.wordpress.com. (Scott Renshaw)

Lauren Graham: Have I Told You This Already?

It’s one thing for a public figure to consider their life interesting enough to warrant a memoir; it’s another to think that it be interesting enough to warrant more than one. Actor Lauren Graham shared funny, fascinating stories from her life and professional career in her 2016 book Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls and Everything in Between—but apparently, there was still more to share. And thus came Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember.

Graham emphasizes here that the work of becoming a recognizable face in the world of entertainment is, in fact, work. As she said in an interview on Today in November 2023 about launching her career in New York, “I had so many jobs at the same time—and that’s just what I expected. I didn’t expect it to be easy; I didn’t expect it to be as hard as it was at times. But, you have to earn New York’s respect. … It’s a career that can get to a point where it’s not giving you what you want. It shouldn’t be like a bad boyfriend who doesn’t call you; it should be reciprocal to some degree, and I’m lucky it was.”

Touring for the paperback release of Have I Told You This Already?, Lauren Graham visits the Union Event Center (235 N. 500 West) on Wednesday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $45; visit ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets, and visit kingsenglish.com for additional event details. (SR)

MIKE ROSENTHAL

WINSTON INOWAY

CINEMA

Gender Studies

Sub: Two new movies about societal sexism, plus April special screenings

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Girls State BBB½

Filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss open their companion piece to 2020’s Boys State with what initially feels like a cheeky admonishment not to compare the two subjects—until it becomes clear that the differences between them is a huge part of what the film is addressing. Like Boys State, the subject is a week-long camp for high-school students focused on politics and governance—this one in Missouri—with a focus on seven of the 500-plus participants. The 2022 Missouri Girls State is taking place concurrently and on the same campus as the 2022 Missouri Boys State, which inspires some of the young women to question the differences between the programs. It also happens to be taking place just days before the Supreme Court Dobbs decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, and the specter of that impending decision permeates

ticipants share their own beliefs, run campaigns and decide mock court cases. The principal subjects are all engaging and interesting, each in her own way, but McBaine and Moss understandably come to focus on Emily, a conservativeleaning student with a passion both for politics and journalism. Her evolution is subtle but compelling, helping Girls State address not only political divisions and how they can be overcome, but also how Boys State feels like a role-playing game for high-achieving résumé-packers, while Girls State presents its participants with real-world lessons in how for them, active participation in politics could be a matter of life and death. Available April 5 via AppleTV+. (NR)

Wicked Little Letters BB½

Director Thea Sharrock and screenwriter Jonny Sweet lead off their fact-based dramedy with one of those cheeky “this story is more true than you’d think” title cards, which can be a tip-off to a story that knows its quirks might not otherwise be taken seriously. But how seriously this movie wants to be taken is a question that remains unanswered. In the 1920s British seaside town of Littlehampton, spinster Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) begins receiving anonymous vulgar letters—and suspicion naturally falls on her next-door neighbor, tart-tongued recent Irish immigrant and widowed single mother Rose

Gooding (Jessie Buckley). The filmmakers wisely don’t turn this into a whodunnit, revealing the background for the letters at around the halfway point, which allows more freedom to explore the strong performances. There is, however, a disconnect between the clear subtext involving rigidly gendered societal expectations and the often-goofy comedic tone, with inept constables and various broadlyrendered supporting characters. And it feels odd that Wicked Little Letters wants to thrash conservative attitudes toward gender, yet casts a Black actor (Malachi Kirby) as Rose’s lover and a South Asian (Anjana Vasan) as a “woman police officer” while never once directly addressing race. The result is often entertaining, but a story that keeps pulling its punches, like someone who tells caustically satirical jokes then keeps following up with “just kidding.” Available April 5 in theaters. (R)

April 2024 Special Screenings

Tumbleweeds Film Festival: The Utah Film Center’s annual family-friendly film festival returns in 2024 to the Viridian Event Center (8030 S. 1825 West, West Jordan) April 19-20, with two days of programming including feature and short film screenings, workshops on the filmmaking process and special guests. tumbleweedskids.org

Screendance Cultural Tour: The University of Utah’s School of Dance and Tanner Humanities Center present a festival showcasing choreography and the moving body on screen. Programming includes feature-length and short films, animation, panel discussions and more, April 9 – 11 at Broadway Centre Cinemas. dance. utah.edu/screendance-festival-2024

“Cage Match” Nicolas Cage Retrospective: Greatest hits from the 40-year film career of Nicolas Cage come to the Broadway Centre Cinemas on Friday and Saturday nights in April. Titles include Wild at Heart (April 5), Mandy (April 6), Adaptation. (April 12), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (April 13), Con Air (April 19), Valley Girl (April 20), Pig (April 26) and Raising Arizona (April 27). slfs.org

Spider-man series: A two-decade history of the popular Marvel character returns to the big screen this month. Beginning with the original 2002 Tobey Maguire Spider-Man on April 15, local theaters—including the Broadway Centre Cinemas and Megaplex Jordan Commons—will feature all seven Spider-Man features for one night only over subsequent Mondays, including Spider-Man 2 (April 22), Spider-Man 3 (April 29), The Amazing Spider-Man (May 6), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 13), Spider-Man: Homecoming (May 20), Spider-Man: Far from Home (May 27) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (June 3). CW

Singing Down the Slopes

At 98, skiing legend Junior Bounous is still carving up the powder with a smile.

BY BIANCA DUMAS comments@cityweekly.net

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX MAGER

Junior Bounous is simply too cool for words. When the 98 year-old skiing icon walks into the conference room reserved for our interview, he’s dressed in fresh outdoor gear, technical pants, shirt, vest and shoes. His white hair is rather full and sweeps back from his forehead in a merry, self-confident wave. His hazel eyes sparkle, full of life. “Well,” he asks with a big smile, “what do you want to know?”

Bounous then spends the next two hours answering every question in great detail. We only stop because we’re worried about wearing the old man out, but he jokes to his son, Steve Bounous, “I thought you said this would take 15 minutes!”

He’s not tired. He just needs a bathroom break, maybe a little energy bar and then we’re all going skiing.

On the slopes, Junior and Steve discuss each segment of the route. It’s Steve’s job to keep Junior safe, but the biggest danger to Junior isn’t the slopes he knows like the backs of his hands; it’s the other, less experienced skiers, so we take the less-crowded runs or we stop and wait until the traffic clears before we continue.

“He skis better than he walks,” Steve Bounous says. “Get

him on skis, and he’s 50 years old again.”

Filmmaker Alex Mager skis with us, and he discusses his shots with the two Bounous men, then sets up at the bottom of a run or skis backward alongside Junior as he follows the agreed-upon lines. According to Mager, Junior is the most experienced ski actor he’s ever filmed.

He undoubtedly is. Junior Bounous has skied in over a dozen Warren Miller films and has been featured on the cover of innumerable ski magazines. He’s a natural on camera with his beautiful, fluid movements and his willingness to get the shot right.

And he’s a flat-out celebrity on the slopes. When you get off a lift with Junior, you draw a crowd. Even with his goggles on, everyone knows him in his yellow helmet. A group of ski patrollers slide over to say hi. A wide-eyed local gets a selfie. An instructor stops to tell her students they’re meeting a living legend.

An out-of-stater comes up and says, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I just want to say thank you for all you’ve done.”

What’s Junior done? For Snowbird, the answer is just about everything.

Junior Bounous, left, and his son Steve Bounous, catch a ride to the top of a run.

Founding Fathers

In 1971, Ted Johnson called up and asked Junior Bounous to lay out the runs for a new ski area. For 30 years, Junior had been working on ski schools and development at Alta, California’s Sugar Bowl and at Timp Haven-turned-Sundance.

At Snowbird, Junior studied topographical maps until his eyes watered, then hovered over Gad Valley in a helicopter to see how the proposed routes would lay on the land. He made sure that the timber was cut, the boulders were rolled away, the culverts were placed and the gravel filled in so that every run would be thoughtful and well-arranged.

And fun. Because above all, Junior believes that skiing should be enjoyable.

“Skiing should be fun from the first time you put on skis,” he says, noting the philosophy he was trained under: safety, fun and technique, in that order.

When Junior Bounous was born in 1925, his big Italian family slowed down work on their Provo farm just long enough to welcome him into the world. His parents hadn’t agreed on a name for their sixth child, so they left his birth certificate blank. They called their new son “Junior” and got on with business.

According to Ayja Bounous, Junior’s granddaughter and author of the biography Junior Bounous and the Joys of Skiing, it wasn’t until his late 20s, when he needed his birth certificate for a passport application, that Bounous discovered he didn’t have a legal first name.

“He was Junior Bounous on all of his school documents, his driver’s license, even his registration for the army draft,” Ayja Bounous said.

Junior is of a generation that got their start on homemade, barrel-stave skis. He took his first formal lessons from Alf Engen, the famed Alta ski school director, in 1945. Under Engen’s instruction, Junior became a competitive skier, but it was Alf’s teaching method that captivated him and inspired him to teach others, starting with his then-girlfriend Maxine Overlade.

“I’d take a private lesson from Alf, and then I’d go practice [teaching] on Maxine,” Bounous said.

He and Maxine married in 1952 and were together for 67 years. Maxine would become a certified ski instructor, teaching alongside Junior at four ski areas.

“We are the grandchildren of a generation who learned how to ski because of Alf Engen and Junior Bounous,” says Ayja Bounous. “They came at skiing from this ap-

At age 95, Bounous was named the world’s oldest heli-skier by Guinness.

Junior Bounous played a key role in the design of Snowbird’s classic runs.

proach that it was supposed to be joyful and fun. It was kind of revolutionary at the time. And it’s one of the reasons so many people ski today.”

Bumpty-Bump

Other ski areas, notably Sun Valley in Idaho, had hired instructors from the Austrian Alps, and it was going as expected: the Austrians were rigid and demanding. They taught skiing through a strict sequence of steps and expected a student to master one step before they moved on to the next. But that way of doing things can make people lock up.

“The Austrians and Norwegians brought a technique, but they didn’t bring much on the humanistic side of teaching,” says Sal Raio, director emeritus of skier services at Deer Valley.

Raio got his start cutting timber for Junior and became one of his first ski instructors at Snowbird.

“The American technique is student-centered, not instructor-centered,” Raio said. “And Junior was a big part of that.”

Jim McConkey—a good friend and member of the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame who taught for Junior at Sugar Bowl—said of Junior’s teaching technique, “He makes it simple. He’s a very gentle person. He put a nice little ‘bumpty-bump’ in there, and people enjoyed it. They kept coming back year after year.”

Junior is famous for that “nice little bumpty-bump,” which he developed as a method for skiing deep powder. It can be mentally challenging to learn to navigate powder, so after teaching his students the technique, Junior told them to forget everything and just sing a little ditty.

“If there’s tension, and the technique is lost, you have to distract them,” Junior said of his stressed students. “Then, they can have a healthy breakthrough.”

Junior liked to use “The Hearse Song” to train students. Popular during World War I, it’s a morbid tune about what happens to a corpse in the ground: “The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out, They crawl all over your chin and mouth … ”

It’s gloomy, but the funerary beat serves its purpose. If you let go of the lyrics, you get a slow “ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.”

It turns out this is the perfect rhythm to have in mind when skiing powder, according to Junior Bounous. And it puts people in a fun—not funereal—frame of mind. It’s

“Skiing alone [isn’t] as much fun as skiing with a partner.”

—Junior Bounous

An admirer snaps a selfie with Junior Bounous.

“Skiing should be fun from the first time you put on skis.”

—Junior Bounous

said that if you listen closely on powder days at Snowbird, you’ll hear Junior’s students singing their way down the slopes.

“I think his insight into people is really good,” Raio said. “He knows when people are doing well, and when they’re not doing as well. I think he picked up some of that from Alf Engen.”

This gentle, caring nature is not above dishing out some playful abuse to peers. Junior’s love of playing pranks and having fun led to him being known for “Bounousabuse,” which was usually inflicted on instructors who got extra training on the last tram ride of the day.

The Joys of Skiing records a story about one of these times, told by Snowbird Mountain School employee Fran Wikstrom. It showcases Junior’s incredible ski talent, muscular strength and inherent silliness. Often, when the doors of the tram opened, Junior “would take off running, throw both skis down on the snow, jump into them simultaneously, and take off skiing with everyone struggling to keep up,” Wikstrom said.

One day, Wikstrom thought she’d fix Junior, so she rushed out of the tram first. “I skied past him, reached down, grabbed one of his [loose] skis, and kept going.” Wikstrom made it nearly the entire way down the Silver Fox run before she noticed that Junior, not 15 feet behind, was following her on one ski.

Good Old Days

Junior Bounous is also known for jumping off some big stuff, and McConkey—the Canadian hall-of-famer—was usually right there with him. They were the very first people to ski Snowbird’s Pipeline, a 700 vertical-foot couloir that descends into Gad Valley, on the day of Snowbird’s grand opening.

Junior remembers that celebrations were in full swing when he suggested they take a run. Of all the world-class skiers standing around at the moment, McConkey was the one who took him up on the offer. As they rode to the top of the mountain, the Pipeline chute caught their eye.

“The Pipeline hadn’t been skied yet,” Junior recalled. “I called the heli, and they said, ‘I’ll pick you up at the top of the tram in 10 minutes.’ We loaded, and he dropped us at the top of Twin Peaks.”

McConkey, speaking by phone from his home in California, remembered there be ing very little room for the helicopter to land.

“He just kind of set it down long enough for us to get out,” McConkey said.

Junior adds that the conditions were a surprise. “It was 20 feet of vertical rock just to get into it, so Jim and I had to belay our skis down and walk in our ski boots down to the Pipeline.”

Junior has skied the Pipeline 15 times in his life, including twice by helicopter—that first time and his last run down the chute as a celebration of his 80th birthday.

“Those were the good old days,” he jokes, “when I was only 80.”

But when Maxine passed away in 2020, skiing stopped being fun for Junior.

“When she passed away, I was ready to quit,” he said.

Steve Bounous had just retired from his career as director of Snowbird Mountain School, and he had time on his hands. He got Junior hiking in Snowbird’s wildflowercovered hills and gradually got him thinking about skiing again.

“As a carrot, I said, ‘We’ll go heli-skiing at the end of the year,’” Steve says. “Then Ayja found out that it would be a world record.”

So, at age 95, Junior earned the Guinness World Records title of Oldest Heli-Skier. The following season, he was back to his old self and skied 101 days.

Junior knows he’s not the only one who has felt alone in their later years. He’d long before started a senior ski group at Snowbird—Junior’s Seniors—to keep his peers on the slopes. “Talking to seniors, the biggest reason they wanted to quit skiing was social, not physical,” he says. “They had lost ski mates, husbands, wives. Skiing alone wasn’t as much fun as skiing with a partner.”

Although Maxine went on ahead, “he never skis alone,” Steve said. That’s because Junior’s gentle and fun demeanor attracts people to him.

“The man is kind of one in a million,” says Raio.

Ski historian Alan Engen puts Junior in a special category. “In my opinion, the two genuine legends of skiing are my father and Junior Bounous,” he said. He noted that, like his father, Alf Engen, Junior has excelled in every ski discipline and every area of ski development.

“But to me, his greatest attribute is the kind of special man he is inside,” Alan Engen said. “Just like my father.”

When asked the secret to a long and healthy life, Junior credits the high altitude and clean air he’s always enjoyed in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Then he adds a statement he’s known for. “You don’t stop skiing because you get old,” he says. “You get old be-

The annual gathering of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and the International Skiing History Association (ISHA) took place March 20-23 at the Black Rock Resort in Heber, Utah. Several individuals mentioned in this article were honored there.

Alan and Barbara Engen won the ISHA Film Award for Alf Engen: Snapshots of a Sports Icon.

Ayja Bounous won the Baldur Award for Advancing or Conveying Skiing Culture for her book , Junior Bounous and the Joys of Skiing.

Junior Bounous and Alan Engen are members of the Hall of Fame, as are Alf Engen and his brothers, Sverre and Corey Engen.

A celebrity on the slopes, Junior Bounous’ gentle and fun demeanor attracts people to him.

Bounous spent decades as a ski instructor and resort planner.

Huck Yeah

Salt Lake’s Huckleberry Grill takes its fast-casual concept nice and slow.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

Fast-casual restaurants have come to occupy an integral part of our dining scene and I’ve been around the block enough times to see fast-casual takes on just about everything. What I haven’t seen—that is, until I checked out Huckleberry Grill—is a fast-casual take on good, old-fashioned home-cookin’. At first, one might question the logic behind combining two seemingly disparate concepts, but after a few visits, I think they might be onto something.

The recently-opened storefront in Salt Lake City comes after Chef Eric Westover evolved his catering company into a local food truck known as the Huck Truck. Westover’s take on dishes that you might find on Sunday dinner tables throughout Utah and Idaho gave his concept enough clout to open a brick-and-mortar store this year. After I spent some time scrolling through Huckleberry Grill’s vibrant Instagram account, it wasn’t long before I needed to see this place for myself.

Huckleberry Grill occupies an unassuming spot in the strip mall next to the downtown SLC Costco—which, fun fact, I just learned is the biggest Costco in the whole world—but once you enter, you can’t help but feel whisked away to West Yellowstone. From the bigfoot memorabilia to the wood paneling, the ambiance at Huckleberry Grill serves wall-to-wall rustic vibes. Said vibes complement the

hearty menu filled with myriad proteins and root veggies, all of which appear much more composed than one would expect from a fast-casual operation.

Dishes at Huckleberry Grill center around one of Chef Westover’s signature proteins and two sides. The choice that best distills everything that makes Huckleberry Grill special is the huckleberry pork tenderloin ($16.49). This nicely seasoned pork tenderloin comes sliced and drizzled with a fresh huckleberry sauce, evoking a classic sweet/savory combo that works particularly well with pork tenderloin.

The whiskey peppercorn meatballs were an unexpected hit, with a sauce that really sends the meatballs to another level. I was surprised to find whole peppercorns sprinkled throughout this rich gravy. The initial concern was that they’d explode with overpowering black pepper flavor, but they lose a lot of their raw oomph through the cooking process; they add just enough perk to contrast with the smoky whiskey flavor.

Perhaps the most indulgent protein on the menu is the tri-tip ($19.49), which gets smoked and then sous vide before hitting your plate. It’s extremely tender, and the port reduction ramps up the flavor of the meat with each bite. Regardless of what you order, once it’s placed, it can be hard to believe the speed at which such lovely plates of food get to the table—especially since they taste every bit as good as they look.

When considering side dishes to back up your proteins, it’s really tough to go wrong. My favorite side is the crispy brussels sprouts, which takes the familiar awesomeness of roasted brussels and tosses it with some chipotle honey mustard sauce and candied bacon. The honey mustard sauce is the real MVP here; it’s subtle enough to let the delightful flavors of the vegetable shine through while leaving a little, sweetly acidic kiss on the

back end.

Of course, you wouldn’t want to pass up an opportunity to sample the Mormon classic that is funeral potatoes. Yes, Huckleberry Grill has a signature take on this icon of Utah culture, corn flakes and all. Huckleberry’s funeral potatoes run more on the au gratin side of the spectrum, but they are cheesy, gooey and go well with just about anything.

Those who visit Huckleberry Grill with a particularly large appetite will want to kick things off with one (or more) of the restaurant’s appetizers. At the moment, they serve a shrimp cocktail ($6.99) with jumbo tiger prawns, a plate of spicy fried cauliflower ($6.99) and buffalo stuffed mushrooms ($6.99). The stuffed mushrooms are an intriguing addition to the menu; they arrive looking a bit like eggs Benedict thanks to the hollandaise-adjacent foyot sauce. Beneath this luscious layer, you’ve got a mix of ground bison and pork sausage stuffed into some large button mushroom caps.

For dessert, the huckleberry chocolate mousse ($6.49) is the obvious choice. Its crown of chantilly cream sitting atop a layer of tangy huckleberry sauce and rich chocolate mousse is a delicious interpretation of the restaurant’s namesake berry. The créme brûlée ($6.49) is also a tasty way to wrap up your meal if you’re after something a bit on the lighter side, offering the velvety interior and crisp sugar crust that are exactly what you’d want from créme brûlée.

As I made my way through the menu at Huckleberry Grill, it became clear that Chef Westover’s experience with catering and operating a food truck is on full display. He and his team know these recipes backward and forward, which is why each order comes out fast and full of flavor. Fans of fast-casual dining with a rustic twist will want to check out Huckleberry Grill ASAP. CW

ALEX SPRINGER

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

Avenues Proper

376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com

On Tap: Midnight EspecialDark Mexican Lager

Bewilder Brewing

445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com

On Tap:  Irish Lager

Bohemian Brewery

94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

On Tap: Boho Extra Dry Lager

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 chappell.beer

On Tap: Liquid Lunch - IRANW India Red Ale

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

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Sinday - Pale Ale

Level Crossing Brewing Co., POST

550 So. 300 West #100, SLC

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Down the Road - West Coast IPA

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab

TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap:  Bulliet Bourbon barrel-aged Brown

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC

MountainWestCider.com

On Tap: Orange & Cardamom Resolutions Cider 6.9% Abv

Offset Bier Co

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

Ogden Beer Company

358 Park Blvd, Ogden

BEER + PIZZA = <3

SUN-THU: 11am - 10pm • FRI-SAT: 11am - 11pm

550

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

On Tap: Gungan Sith LordDark Lager

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com

On Tap:  La Playa-Mexican Style lager

Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Horchata Cream Ale!

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com

On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers!

Grid City Beer Works

333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Cask Nitro CO2

Helper Beer

159 N Main Street, Helper, UT  helperbeer.com

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Wolf Moon Amber Ale

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

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

Red Rock Kimball Junction

1640 Redstone Center

Redrockbrewing.com

On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier

RoHa Brewing Project

30 Kensington Ave, SLC

RoHaBrewing.com

On Tap: Great White Buffalo Stout

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations

RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Cyclops Irish Stout

SaltFire Brewing

2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake

SaltFireBrewing.com

On Tap: Juicy Pale AleDraft

Salt Flats Brewing

2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: Luau Rider - Coconut Chocolate Milk Stout

Scion Cider Bar

OgdenRiverBrewing.com

On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Park City Brewery 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com

On Tap: Jalapeno Ale

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

Prodigy Brewing

25 W Center St. Logan Prodigy-brewing.com

On Tap: Cached Out Hefeweisen -- Now available to go!

Proper Brewing/Proper Burger

857 So. Main & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com

Proper Brewing: SLC Pilsner

Proper Burger: Salted Caramel Porter - Porter Brewed with Caramel and Salt

Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com

On Tap: YRJB - Juicy IPA

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

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

On Tap: Wasatch Apricot Hefeweizen – Fruited Wheat Beer

Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi, UT StrapTankBrewery.com

On Tap:  Easy Rider: Blackberry Amber Lager collab with Proper Brewing

Strap Tank Brewery, Springville 596 S 1750 W, Springville, UT StrapTankBrewery.com

On Tap: Flyin’ Shoes: Rye Kellerbier

TF Brewing

936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com

On Tap: Kiss From a Gose

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

916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com

On Tap: Shacksbury Yuzu

Ginger - 6% ABV

Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com

On Tap: Heather Tip Cyser - Cider/Mead Hybrid with Heather Tips

Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake

ShadesBrewing.beer

On Tap: Foggy Goggle Winter Lager

Live Music:  Thursdays

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

On Tap: Hellion Blonde Ale

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:  Salt Lake Brewing Co’s Spank Dank! Rotating IPA

On Tap: The Griffen- Citrus Wheat Ale in collaboration with the 419th at Hill AFB

Top of Main Brewing

250 Main, Park City, Utah topofmainbrewpub.com

On Tap: Top of Main’s Utah Beer – An American Light Lager

Uinta Brewing

1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com

On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG

2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com

On Tap: Golden Grant 5% ABV.

Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Wasatch Brew Pub

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

On Tap:  Top of Main’s Coalition Hellfire Chili Pepper Ale Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

Zolupez

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

Un-Lager-Like Lagers

These aren’t your typical coldfermented beers.

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Bewilder - Big Crispy: IPAs still rule the craft beer scene around the world, but the universal appeal of pilsners continues to grow among craftbrewing audiences. Taking all this into consideration, brewers are creating hybrids to bridge the two styles and create greater appeal. Our first beer this week is one of those beers, and stylistically is referred to as a West Coast Pilsner. It pours a very pale straw color with a rocky white head, featuring vigorous carbonation with small, medium and larger bubbles. The beer is essentially clear, but it may have a very faint haze. The nice aroma for me presents the impression of a lager with a definite IPA vibe; I get dank notes with peach, mango, pineapple and some strawberry as well. There’s also some herbal perfume, and a subtle, toasty malt profile in the background.

The taste proves interesting, in that there is a lot of citrus character, but it’s not juicy; it’s more about the pithy, rindy, bitter nature of the citrus, bringing a lot of aromatics. There is some juiciness, but not a lot. The beer is pretty simple in its flavors, and everything works well together; it’s a dry, crisp lager with lots of hop character. There’s a good deal of bitterness here, but it does not linger long on the finish. A subtle peach sweetness comes through from the toasted malt, especially after the quick finish from the hops subsides. The beer also has a touch of juicy acidity, which is nice. It’s light- to mediumbodied, nicely carbonated with a clean, crisp, dry finish. Very drinkable and refreshing.

Verdict: It can be hard to tell the dif-

ference between a West Coast Pilsner, an India Pale Lager (IPL) and a Cold IPA. I had previously thought that IPL and Cold IPA were very similar; now, I think that a West Coast Pilsner and a Cold IPA are even more similar. What distinguishes the West Coast Pilsner is that it has a bit more malt balance coming through. It’s very drinkable and refreshing, and would be amazing on a hot day.

Red Rock - Swan Lake: This rum barrel-aged Baltic porter was brewed to celebrate Red Rock’s 30th Anniversary. Baltic porters have many qualities of an imperial stout, but with smoother and more refined lagered qualities.

We’re looking at a pitch-black lager with a moderate amount of bubbles. A big two-finger tan head slowly fades into a thinner creamy layer. It starts off with a rich, roasty, and sweet dark malt-driven aroma, with good hints of chocolate, coffee and rum. You also get dark-roasted barley malt with big hints of dark chocolate, coffee, cream, vanilla, toast, biscuit, caramel and toffee. Hops, however, are pretty light.

Like the nose hints at, you get a nicely rich, roasty and sweet dark, malt-forward taste with notes of chocolate, coffee and rum. Dark roasted barley comes next, with rich notes of dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla and toffee, along with notable barrel notes of rum and oak. Dark fruit undertones with notes of fig and prune also emerge. It’s full-bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Some boozy heat is detected, but it feels smoother than expected.

Verdict: There aren’t many rum barrel Baltics porters out there, so this is a very tasty treat, with loads of rum barrel character. It’s a nice offering from the 30-year-old brewery, as there’s some solid complexity going on here. Overall, a great brew.

Red Rock’s 20th Anniversary Ale is still being made, so I suspect this Baltic porter will be, too. You can find it at all Red Rock locations in 16-ounce cans. Big Crispy will likely be around through the warm-weather months—and from what I understand, it will be eventually showing up at DABS stores in addition to Bewilder Brewing. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

MIKE RIEDEL

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Conte de Feé Goes Online

This Japanese-inspired bakery in Midvale (7695 S. 700 East) is the latest establishment to shutter its storefront in favor of online service. According to a social media post, the Conte de Feé team announced that they would close the store after Easter Sunday to keep up with the increased capacity of online orders they’ve been receiving (contedefeebakery.com). Though we’ll all miss the cozy, welcoming vibes of their storefront, it’s nice to know that we’ll still be able to order crepe cakes, nama chocolate, rainbow cakes and all the other tasty baked goods that have made us fall in love with this place over the years.

Burger Night at Central 9th Market

If the breakfast sandwich game at Central 9th Market (161 W. 900 South) is any indicator of their culinary chops, then we all have reason to rejoice for burger nights. Every Monday night at Central 9th Market, the culinary team will be whipping up gourmet burgers starting at 6 p.m. On top of that, visitors can bag their burger up for a short trip over to nearby Scion Cider Bar (916 S. Jefferson Street) for some libations. I also hear that Laziz Kitchen (912 S. Jefferson Street) will be contributing their famous fries to the occasion. There may be a better way to celebrate the culinary aptitude of Central Ninth, but I am sure having a hard time thinking of what that could be.

The Peppered Vine Opens

The Union Park shopping center in Sandy has added yet another reason to visit. It’s a new restaurant called The Peppered Vine, and it’s got a rotating menu of multicultural dishes that shifts gears every day. For example, on Mondays, it’s all about traditional meatloaf and some Portuguese piri piri chicken, but Tuesdays favor lomo saltado and chicken marsala. In addition to the rotating menu, Peppered Vine has a few evergreen sides and desserts like the slow-cooked chili, sweet potato corn chowder and an orange cardamom olive oil cake. I’m a fan of the rotating daily menu and I’m excited to take a look at what this place is whipping up.

Quote of the Week: “Burgers are a love letter to all things savory and delicious.”

–Andrew Zimmern

BY WES LONG

“It was a momentous occasion last deadline, when City Weekly publisher John Saltas called a mandatory impromptu meeting,” editor Enrique Limón informed readers on July 14, 2016. “The whole staff congregated in the meeting room, Saltas spoke about the paper’s storied history and recalled all past editors one by one, leading up to ‘... and now, Enrique.’ Smiles erupted, backs were patted and ouzo flowed like manna.”

No stranger to alternative media outlets, Limón considered his CW stewardship as the “ultimate prize,” particularly given the company he was now keeping.

“This paper, and most others like it,” he wrote, “are put together by a slim staff of some of the most dedicated individuals you’ll ever share a war-torn commercialgrade carpeted room with. Folks that have missed anniversaries, birthdays and many other family functions, but never a deadline. People that hold our industry’s core values true and will continue to do so from their cold, ink-stained hands. I consider myself lucky to be around them.”

We were indeed lucky to have such unique talents writing, producing and distributing CW during its 33rd year. Dylan Woolf Harris and Stephen Dark covered the John Swallow trial, Annie Knox reported on the Legislature and local music was handled by the likes of Randy Harward, Kimball Bennion, Bill Kopp, Brian Staker, Alex Springer and Lee Zimmerman. Carolyn Campbell followed the long-delayed justice brought to the murderer of Carbon County resident Loretta Jones (1946-1970).

Jordan Floyd reported on burro deaths under the Bureau of Land Management, while Colby Frazier’s coverage of the Unified Fire Authority led to the resignations of chief Michael Jensen and deputy chief Gaylord Scott after hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses and benefits were discovered. And this doesn’t even get to our special issue on State Street or Ryan Cunningham’s cover story on seagulls!

Apartments were going up, along with the rent, leaving developers sitting pretty but others out in the cold. Homelessness was a particular sticking point, as illustrated in the protracted debate over Rio Grande’s homeless population and the planning of shelters scattered around the city.

Questions on police brutality surrounded

the shooting of Abdullah “Abdi” Mohamed, the state school board was hiring nonteachers as educators, the anti-vaccination movement was on the upswing and an algal bloom was afflicting Utah Lake. But not to worry, for legislators busied themselves declaring pornography a public health crisis and finangling to undo the Bears Ears National Monument. And lest anyone feared that state officals were out of touch, Utahns had the reassurance of Gov. Gary Herbert openly declaring himself “Available Jones” to those with deep pockets.

These were days when lies were rebranded as “alternative facts,” when white supremacists were emboldened and when the 2016 presidential election cleaved ever further into the national psyche. Dark times, but if the demonstrations for refugees and women’s health, the rise of Black Lives Matter and Navajo efforts against San Juan County’s racial gerrymandering were any indication, there appeared to be plenty of people unwilling to acquiesce to such ruinously ascendant shadows.

Such were the themes that our staff devotedly sought to bring to readers both near and far and under deadline. To do so was hardly ever boring and always demanding, but with this kind of company around, the work remains a prize in itself. “So what do you say?” Limón asked in his editorial. “Let’s face this new chapter together and ruffle some feathers along the way.”

Remembering Vol. 33: In the voter booth

With the accession of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, great consternation was felt inside and outside of the country. Bert Johnson, interviewing locals in Mexico City for an Aug. 10 cover story, frequently encountered comparisons between Trump and other dictators. “Some likened [Trump’s] campaign to a stunt, instead of a serious attempt to win the White House,” Johnson noted. “Lots of people described his campaign as a joke—but not a funny one.”

Trump’s rhetoric against immigrants and climate change, his treatment of women and the poor, and his penchant for inciting violence were causes of concern and only compounded with his entry to power. Jan Chamberlin resigned from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when the choir accepted an invitation to sing at Trump’s inauguration, rubber bullets and chemical spray were

unleashed on protesters in Washington D.C., and even here in Salt Lake City, there was a demonstration of hundreds to register disapproval of the new administration.

“It feels a little too late, but it’s what we need to do now,” protestor Rebecca Barker told Dylan Woolf Harris for the Jan. 26 issue. “We just want to show that the people have the power still. We want to be heard.”

For John Saltas, the election brought back memories of the first time he had cast a vote in 1972, behind the patriotic drapes of a booth at the Copperton Lions Club. Shortly after departing, his ballot still waiting to be counted, Saltas recalled hearing the radio announcement that Richard Nixon had won re-election, defeating George McGovern in what Saltas and subsequent political historians considered a “massacre.”

“Every cause I believed in was shredded,” Saltas wrote. “I didn’t matter. My friends didn’t matter.” Not only did he feel like his vote didn’t count, but it seemed the world was coming to an end. “But it wasn’t,” he added.

“Today, many people fear for their very being,” Saltas continued. “But, here’s the deal: If you give up, it’s game over. If you remain afraid, it’s game over. If you don’t do something positive, it’s game over. We need to know we’re not alone—but protests alone won’t move the needle. Especially pointless is raging that all of the 60 million people who voted for Donald Trump are a bunch of inbred, toothless, dimwitted, racist, guntoting idiots. Some are, but not all.”

Saltas reminded his readers that many Trump voters had more in common with them than said voters had with their candidate, and that the election could very well have been more of a Kafkaesque example of Hillary Clinton losing than Trump winning.

Operations like City Weekly had been obliged to increase security because of the hostile rhetoric that Trump normalized against the press, but such an atmosphere shored up a needed sense of resolve. “We will not let our love of the First Amendment be taken from us, we cannot abrogate our responsibility to solace the weak and to strengthen the bold,” Saltas concluded. “We have learned to trust more in words, truth, honor and action—and less in people. It’s the best we can do. If we fail, it won’t be because Trump did it to us. It will be because everyday people took us for granted and never learned how and why we got here.”

In the water

“Before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejected an easement that would allow the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) to cross under [North and South Dakota’s] Lake Oahe, I was at Standing Rock alongside the water protectors,” reported Lori Wagner on Dec. 22. “Standing Rock defies classification. There were, as far as I can estimate, 10,000 people from 70 tribal nations in the largest native gathering in history, all with a common goal of peacefully, soberly and prayerfully, protecting the Earth and, especially, the first medicine—water.”

Since the spring of 2016—when four states finalized the DAPL project without adequate environmental reviews—Native Americans from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe had been petitioning against the 1,100-mile-long pipeline’s defiling of their water supply and sacred burial grounds. They set up camps in opposition and, by the fall, had been joined by tribes and allies from around the country. The gathering was met with a militarized police response, as captured on film by students from Salt Lake Community College.

Wagner’s December account described a landscape of teepees and tents, of prebreakfast prayer circles, bareback horse riding, hip-hop concerts, circling helicopters and the distribution of incoming food and clothes. “One elder says he had a vision that the Black Snake from Sioux prophecy, which is believed to be the pipeline, can only be defeated by prayer,” Wagner recorded. “He states that all people are one. We love each other. We must pray and be peaceful. Tears are running down the faces of many, even mine; not just this time but many times around the fire as message after message of love and support are delivered.”

After a prolonged standstill, the departing Obama administration halted completion of DAPL, and the Army Corps agreed to explore diverting options for the pipeline.

“The situation at Standing Rock is not just about a pipeline,” Wagner concluded her account, “it’s about regaining our lost connections with community and nature, and forging an honest, modern society.”

DAPL was advanced once more by Donald Trump and completed in the spring of 2017. It continues to operate despite an ongoing environmental impact study, slated for completion in late 2024. CW

Music Mailbag

April 2024

New music by Jay Ssandri, Pepper Rose, Tomper, bellagrace, The Draught, Columbia Jones

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

There’s a lot that you can already say about 2024 even though we’re only a few months in, but one thing you can’t say is that there’s no good music coming out—especially from locals. Here’s some new stuff you need to check out this month.

Jay Ssandri, When It’s Cold Out: Singer/songwriter Jay Ssandri has released a couple of new singles so far this year, set to culminate into a new EP titled When It’s Cold Out. Ssandri is back with more beautifullydone acoustic tracks that will simultaneously tug at your heartstrings and give you feelings of hope. Plus, the title is fitting for the fake spring/back to winter cycle we’ve been stuck in. All your problems are easily forgettable when you sit down to listen to Ssandri’s stunning vocals paired with poetic songwriting. If you’re in need of songs for a calming playlist, these tracks are a perfect fit.

Pepper Rose, “Stop Breaking Your Own Heart”: If you’re familiar with the local rock scene, there’s a chance you’ve come

across the powerful presence that is Pepper Rose. She’s the front-woman of the incredible Spirit Machines, but also has some great songs under her belt as a solo artist. Her latest single, “Stop Breaking Your Own Heart,” has all of those Pepper Rose qualities we love so much: dynamic lyrics, strong and impactful vocals and a certain magic that comes with all of her performances. This new track is a powerful ballad that will draw you in from the first note and keep you hanging on with the lyrics: “Stop breaking your own heart / Waiting in the rain / Addicted to tragedy / You never know / When to call a spade a spade / I need some space / Praying for grace.” A relatable song if I’ve ever heard one. Find “Stop Breaking Your Own Heart” on BandCamp.

Tomper, “Call In”: Dynamic duo Tomper (Tom and Piper) are back at it with a new, fresh single that brings jazz, pop, indie, R&B and soul to one place. “Call In” is one of the smoothest tracks you’ll hear this year, featuring dreamy keys, a driving drumbeat and groovy effects woven throughout the four-minute journey. “Call In” has all of these smooth, cool, funky vibes, but then it also takes it up a notch with its coolness by weaving in voicemails from people who decided to “call in” to the number the duo posted on Instagram back in February. You’d have to try really hard not to enjoy this song. It creates an amazing atmosphere that you want to escape to all the time. “Call In” is streaming everywhere now.

bellagrace, “love is cruel”: If you’re a fan of the emo/pop/punk vibes of the early ’00s and ’10s, you’re gonna want to listen to bellagrace. She’s dubbed

herself an “emo princess,” and rightfully deserves the title. Her music is energetic and fun, but at the same time has those emotional and “emo”-type lyrics that make you want to scream them from the top of your lungs while you rock out in your living room. And maybe do a hair flip for old time’s sake. “love is cruel” is bellagrace’s latest entry, and worthy successor to her 2023 hit “father.” It’s all about that heartstopping feeling when love gets to be too much and you reach your breaking point. bellagrace also posted a short lyric video of “love is cruel” over a scene from Gone Girl where Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) is disguising herself after faking her own disappearance, with the caption: “How this song makes me feel.” IYKYK. Be sure to crank this one up to 10. “love is cruel” is streaming everywhere now.

The Drought, Live at Kilby Court: The best part of live albums is being able to relive a show where you had the time of your life. Or, if you couldn’t make it, it’s a great chance to put yourselves in the shoes of those who were there and imagine the great time you could have had. In a fun way, not in a sad way. The Drought have been going through changes with their band over the last couple years while honing in on their sound, which is what you get a big taste of on this live EP. They open with “Seance,” which feels like they’re calling upon the spirits of the crowd to communicate. The Drought sound fantastic live, and listening to the EP makes you feel like you’re standing right in front of them at Kilby. The EP is only three songs, so it makes you sad when the ending comes quickly, but it’s easy to press play again and embark on the journey just one more time. The Drought’s Live at Kilby Court is streaming everywhere now.

MUSIC

Columbia Jones, Songs In An Empty House: Columbia Jones’ newest album is a perfect listen for when you’re sitting in your house, which hopefully isn’t empty. The blues/roots-rock artist is back with a body of work that will leave you feeling like you just went on the bluesy/folksy journey of a lifetime. Through Songs In An Empty House you’ll find mystery, intrigue and musical elements that will make you feel like you’re trudging through the desert on your trusty steed. Fans of the genre, look no further—Columbia Jones has your back with this one. CW

Kill The Noise @ Sky SLC 4/4

A true veteran in the EDM scene, Kill The Noise—AKA Jacob Stanczak—has been producing music since 2004 from The Big Apple. What has been his secret to longevity in the genre? The drum ‘n bass, dubstep and house producer hasn’t been afraid to take risks and collaborate outside electronic dance music. Back in 2011, Stanczak produced and was featured on “Narcissistic Cannibal” and “Fuels The Comedy” from Korn’s tenth studio album, The Path of Totality. He’s also contributed to film scores, like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” in 2014 with the song “Shell Shocked” featuring fellow producer Madsonik and vocalists Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign. Stanczak’s long-standing career in EDM never stands still: his EP Circles was released just seven months ago, and is of his signature dystopian vibe, while he shows his softer side in his EP Moonlight with melodic dubstep producer, Seven Lions. You’ll find more of the same on his even more mellow EP Paper Moon from a few months ago. V2 PRESENTS is bringing Kill The Noise to Sky SLC for Therapy on Thursday, April 4 at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $20. Go to tixr.com (Arica Roberts)

THURSDAYS

FRIDAY, APRIL 5

SATURDAY, APRIL 6

SHARK SUNDAYS POOL TOURNEY HOSTED BY TANNER

MONDAYS

REGGAE MONDAY WITH DJ NAPO TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE

Blue Rain Boots, Nicole Canaan @ Kilby Court 4/5

If you haven’t been keeping up with local indie rockers Blue Rain Boots, what have you been doing? Probably a lot; the world is busy. If you haven’t checked in on them in a while, though, it’s time you did. They’re getting millions of streams for their delightful, upbeat and immersive tunes. Some of their most popular tracks are “2023,” “Oh My God You Are Fine,” “Good Old Days” and “Look Like People,” so if you haven’t listened, those are great places to start. Not on the aforementioned list, but a personal favorite of mine, is their 2023 single “Night Out.” It personifies that feeling of walking out the door and going somewhere special. That special place is different for each of us, so that’s what makes listening to the song so enjoyable—you get to imagine where you’re heading on your night out. It’s upbeat and has an exciting solo, and as the song progresses and slows down, you enter into an orchestrated section without knowing how you got there, but are glad to be there. Joining Blue Rain Boots is fellow indie creator Nicole Canaan. If you’ve been part of or paid attention to the local indie scene, there’s a good chance you’ve come across their work; their pop/ indie vibes are contemplative, immersive and exciting, and it’s easy to get lost in their songs. Catch these great local acts on Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

MxPx @ The Depot 4/6

Tooth & Nail Records led the Christian punk movement in the ’90s, with their most prized band MxPx in the forefront. The band was formed in 1992 by childhood friends Mike Herrera, Yuri Ruley and Andy Husted, and over the span of the band’s 32-year existence, they’ve released an impressive amount of music and are considered one of pop-punk’s most influential groups. Their latest LP, Find A Way Home, celebrates their long illustrious career and still encapsulates their DIY punk ethos. “I don’t wanna say it’s more important than it really needs to be. But that’s why we do this,” Herrera told Alternative Press. “We do this for people to have something in their lives, not just today. I mean, music, and everything, these days online really kind of seems fleeting. But songs—good songs—aren’t.” All in all, their 11th LP is solid. I do like this album, and I love that it’s cheeky and fun, but sentimental at the same time. It has a ton of personality, and still has enough smarts to keep it from being generic. Opening this show are The Ataris, whose 2003 cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” was an actual mainstream hit, and is still played on terrestrial radio from time to time. The very fact that it was heard by the masses makes it the 800-pound gorilla of punk covers. Catch these acts at the Depot on Saturday, April 6. Doors at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $87.05 and can be found at livenation.com (Mark Dago)

Wheatus (Acoustic) Dirtbags Across America @ Urban Lounge 4/7

It’s hard to think of the early aughts without Wheatus coming to mind. Heck, it’s hard to think of 2024 without Wheatus coming to mind. With popular trends online using their 2000 hit “Teenage Dirtbag,” Wheatus have firmly cemented themselves as culturally relevant across multiple decades. Over the last few years TikTok has made many songs explode, old and new. Back in 2022, the “Teenage Dirtbag” trend was everywhere on the app. Folks take the sped-up version of the song and show actual teenage pictures of themselves, doing something silly or cool; the trend really knows no bounds. Wheatus are heading out on a huge tour, visiting all 48 contiguous states, but it might not be exactly what you were expecting. For the first time in their decades-long career, Wheatus are putting on a full acoustic set to perform their hits. If you want to revisit some of their hits before the show, they re-released their self-titled debut album in a version that features some extra goodies. In support of Wheatus is singer/songwriter Gabrielle Sterbenz, who has done a lot of backing vocals for Wheatus, but has a great library of solo work. Come check out this early ’00s staple on Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $18 in advance and $20 day of. Grab them at 24tix.com. (EA)

The Veronicas @ The Complex 4/9

If you were a young teen like me in 2007, nothing had a grip on you harder than The Veronicas’ “Untouched”— probably. Many of us who were young at the time, and are creeping towards our 30s now, still go absolutely feral upon hearing the opening violin chords at the beginning of the song. It’s a catchy and quick tune, and the lyrics come at you fast, so when you nail it while singing, you feel like a pro. The Veronicas have had several hits since then, including their cover of Scandal’s 1980s pop gem “Goodbye to You,” and 2021’s “In My Blood.” The twin sister duo made up of Jess and Lisa Origliasso is back again with Gothic Summer, an album chockful of alt rock/pop vibes perfect for the spring. According to the duo, this album is them finally fully being themselves. “The only regrets we have are the times that we haven’t listened to that inner voice, and we’ve been like, ‘OK, we’ll do it,’” Jess Origliasso told The Guardian last month. “And, like any career after that long, there have been quite a few of those times.” Don’t miss The Veronicas with guest Jesse Jo Stark on Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $32.50 for general admission, while the VIP soundcheck experience comes in at $102.50. Grab tickets at thecomplexslc. com. (EA)

JOSHUA SHULTZ

MxPx

Wheatus

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Aries author Eric G. Wilson claims, “Darker emotional states—doubt, confusion, alienation, despair—inspire a deeper and more durable experience of the sacred than contentment does.” I disagree. I know for a fact that an exquisite embrace of life’s holiness is equally possible through luminous joy and boisterous triumph and exultant breakthroughs. Propagandists of the supposed potency of misery are stuck in a habit of mind that’s endemic to the part of civilization that’s rotting and dying. In any case, Aries, I’m pleased to tell you that in the coming weeks, you will have abundant opportunities to glide into sacred awareness on the strength of your lust for life and joie de vivre.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Will humans succeed in halting the decimation of the environment? Will we neutralize the power of fundamentalism as it fights to quash our imaginations and limit our freedoms? Will we outflank and outlast the authoritarians that threaten democracy? Sorry I’m asking you to think about sad realities. But now is an excellent time for you to ponder the world we are creating for our descendants—and resolve to do something in loving service to the future. Meditate on the riddle from Lewis Carroll’s book Through the Looking Glass: “It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

The genius polymath Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) contributed much treasure to science and engineering. One encyclopedia sums up his legacy: “He was the father of observational astronomy, modern-era classical physics, the scientific method and modern science.” Unfortunately, many of Galileo’s ideas conflicted with the teachings of Catholicism. The church fathers hounded him for years, even arresting him and putting him on trial. The Vatican eventually apologized, though not until 350 years after Galileo died. I expect that you, too, will generate many new approaches and possibilities in the coming months, Gemini—not Galileo level, of course, but still: sufficiently unprecedented to rouse the resistance of conventional wisdom. I suspect you won’t have to wait long to be vindicated, however.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Now would be a perfect time to prove your love. How? You might begin by being extra considerate, sensitive, sweet and tender. I hope you will add sublime, scintillating touches, too. Maybe you will tell your beloved allies beautiful truths about themselves—revelations that make them feel deeply understood and appreciated. Maybe you will give them gifts or blessings they have wanted for a long time but never managed to get for themselves. It’s possible you will serenade them with their favorite songs, or write a poem or story about them, or buy them a symbol that inspires their spiritual quest. To climax all your kindness, perhaps you will describe the ways they have changed your life for the better.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Leo naturalist and ornithologist William Henry Hudson (1841–1922) said, “I am not a lover of lawns. Rather would I see daisies in their thousands, ground ivy, hawkweed, and dandelions with splendid flowers and fairy down, than the too-well-tended lawn.” I encourage you to adopt his attitude toward everything in your life for the next few weeks. Always opt for unruly beauty over tidy regimentation. Choose lush vitality over pruned efficiency. Blend your fate with influences that exult in creative expressiveness, genial fertility and deep feelings. (PS: Cultural critic Michael Pollan says, “A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule.”)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

I praise and celebrate you for your skills at helping other people access their resources and activate their potentials. I hope you are rewarded well for your gorgeous service. If you are not, please figure out how to correct the problem in the coming months. If you are feeling extra bold, consider

these two additional assignments: 1. Upgrade your skills at helping yourself access your own resources and activate your own potentials. 2. Be forthright and straightforward in asking the people you help to help you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

I don’t regard a solar eclipse as a bad omen. On the contrary, I believe it may purge and cleanse stale old karma. On some occasions, I have seen it flush away emotional debts and debris that have been accumulating for years. So how shall we interpret the total solar eclipse that will electrify your astrological house of intimate togetherness in the coming days? I think it’s a favorable time to be brave and daring as you upgrade your best relationships. What habits and patterns are you ready to reinvent and reconfigure? What new approaches are you willing to experiment with?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

At your best, you Scorpios are not invasive manipulators. Rather, you are catalysts. You are instigators of transformation, resurrectors of dead energy, awakeners of numb minds. The people you influence may not be aware that they long to draw on your influence. They may think you are somehow imposing it on them, when, in fact, you are simply being your genuine, intense self, and they are reaching out to absorb your unruly healing. In the coming weeks, please keep in mind what I’ve said here.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

In my astrological opinion, it’s prime time for you to shower big wild favors on your beautiful self. Get the fun underway with a period of rigorous self-care: a physical check-up, perhaps, and visits with the dentist, therapist, hairstylist and acupuncturist. Try new healing agents and seek precise magic that enhances and uplifts your energy. I trust you will also call on luxurious indulgences like a massage, a psychic reading, gourmet meals, an emotionally potent movie, exciting new music and long, slow love-making. Anything else, Sagittarius? Make a list and carry out these tasks with the same verve and determination you would give to any important task.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The coming days will be a favorable time for you to wrestle with an angel or play chess with a devil. You will have extraordinary power in any showdown or collaboration with spiritual forces. Your practical intelligence will serve you well in encounters with non-rational enigmas and supernatural riddles. Here’s a hot tip: Never assume that any being, human or divine, is holier or wiser than you. You will have a special knack for finding compassionate solutions to address even the knottiest dilemmas.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Your featured organ of the month is your nose. This may sound beyond the scope of predictable possibilities, but I’m serious: You will make robust decisions and discriminating choices if you get your sniffer fully involved. So I advise you to favor and explore whatever smells good. Cultivate a nuanced appreciation for what aromas can reveal. If there’s a hint of a stink or an odd tang, go elsewhere. The saying “follow your nose” is especially applicable. PS: I recommend you take steps to expose yourself to a wide array of scents that energize you and boost your mood.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

When is the best time to ask for a raise or an increase in benefits? Can astrology reveal favorable periods for being aggressive about getting more of what you want? In the system I use, the time that’s 30 to 60 days after your birthday is most likely to generate good results. Another phase is 210 to 240 days after your birthday. Keep in mind that these estimates may be partly fanciful and playful and mythical. But then in my philosophy, fanciful and playful and mythical actions have an honored place. Self-fulfilling prophecies are more likely to be fulfilled if you regard them as fun experiments rather than serious, literal rules.

Business Information Analyst

(BIA-XZ) in Midvale, UT. Resp for dvlp & deploy enterprise grade platforms that enable datadriven solutions. Automate & maintain scalable infrastructure.

Telecommuting within the area of intended employment. MS+1yr exp. Send resumes to Zions Bancorporation at ZionsCareers@zionsbancorp. com. Must reference job title & code in subject line.

Watch for Potholes

In the past six weeks, I’ve had three flat tires from driving around downtown. And each time, my hero, “Joey,” at Burt Brothers Tire & Service has pulled a long drywall screw out of my tire.

These flats are due to the massive amount of construction going on downtown. Between the awful potholes and the detritus on the streets from all the city construction going on, I might want to tell you all to avoid driving in the downtown area!

One construction project you are likely aware of is the Latter-day Saint Temple renovation. The east and west sides of Temple Square are congested, allowing ingress and egress of supply trucks, cranes and myriad workers.

ACROSS

1. Chain store with a cat-and-dog logo

6. Archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean

13. Collectively

14. Animated movie based on a Neil Gaiman novel

15. Actor Kevin of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Trainspotting”

17. Added fuel to, as a fire

18. Style of jeans with extra space around the thigh

20. Cast out from the body

21. Mario Party item

22. Home of Benny Beaver

24. Subj. with lab work

27. Grazed

28. Small sample

29. Aykroyd of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”

32. Played in turn

36. Advice to one holding tension

37. Library archives that may be in storage

Fall in Love with a New Rental Home!

Both visitors’ centers at Temple Square have been torn down. The space where the North Visitors’ Center was located will be turned into a peaceful, quiet garden with a view of the temple. The South Visitors’ Center will become an all new above- and below-ground facility for new guest experiences.

Travel a block east, and you’ll see that the Lion House is fenced off, as it is also receiving upgrades to address structural deficiencies, preserve aging finishes and replace outdated mechanical systems. It’s been closed since 2020, and the Beehive House will close April 8. The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is also undergoing similar work. All three buildings will re-open in 2025. The Church Office Building Plaza and neighboring Main Street Plaza are also being fluffed up, though Main Street Plaza recently reopened for pedestrians.

The Beehive House (with its beehive sculpture atop the building) was built in 1854 as Brigham Young’s primary residence. The same year the Beehive House was finished, Young began construction on another home next door where he installed a 1,200-pound stone sculpture of a lion (thus the name).

City construction goes far beyond Temple Square. Other streets scheduled to go under the bulldozer this summer include: 300 North (from 300 West to 1000 West), 2100 South in Sugar House (from 700 East to 1300 East), Virginia Street (from South Temple to 11th Avenue), West Temple (from North Temple to 400 South) and 1300 East (from 2100 South to 3300 South).

Most of those streets need ADA ramps, better bike lanes as well as new curbs, gutters and sidewalks. I’m not sure how the city will update Virginia Street as it’s pretty narrow, but the plan is to have a continuous sidewalk on the west side, uphill bike lanes, traffic calming elements and improved bus stops.

Finally, remember, it’s spring in Utah! That means you can golf or bike one day in sunny weather and the next day be headed up to the ski slopes for fresh powder. Spring brings out the worst potholes throughout our city, and until they are filled, we will all be cursing at the damage they do to our cars and bikes. For about three weeks each spring, the city works to repair these street hazards during its annual “pothole palooza.” n

38. Trout fishing lure

39. ___ loss

40. Super Bowl LIV halftime performer

41. “Animal Farm” structure

42. Gym classes, briefly

43. Dutch astronomer with a namesake “cloud”

45. Sauce for crab cakes, maybe

49. Cereal brand with a High Protein version

53. Hostess offering

55. Skyhook Foundation founder, familiarly

57. Focus of a Royal Canadian centennial on April 1, 2024

58. Apres-ski setting

59. Gets comfy

60. Squirrel away

DOWN

1. “Mr. ___ Passes By” (A.A. Milne play)

2. Env. stuffer

3. Wild-caught octopus, in a sushi bar

4. Awards in the ad biz

5. Historic building in Baton Rouge, LA or Springfield, IL

6. 1994 Eurodance hit based on an old American folk song

7. Los Juegos Olimpicos prize

8. TikTok offerings involving pencils, maybe

9. Couturier Cassini

10. Vehicle

11. Unpleasant obligation

12. Back-to-school mo.

14. Series with a short-lived “Cyber” offshoot

16. Manga featuring high school student Light Yagami and a mysterious black book

19. What Project Gutenberg offers, in e-book formats

23. When hands are up and down

24. Gargamel’s prey

25. What extreme Dutch sportspeople try to jump with a pole

26. 1967 Stevie Wonder title lyric that’s followed by “If you leave me sad and blue”

29. Places that may have a lot of kicks and trainers

30. ___-garde

31. Current events-related

33. Letter after ka in Spanish

34. Kraken org.

35. 3-D screening

44. What Balatro’s “arcana packs” are themed around

45. “I’m not ___”

46. “Sweet,” in Jamaica

47. Shared mine?

48. Shoe insert

50. ___-Chee All Season Portfolio (retro school folder)

51. “___ and the Swan” (Yeats poem)

52. Root beer dispensers

54. Positional start?

56. “I’ve seen better”

Last week’s answers

Wait, What?

Deputy chief physician of pediatric neurosurgery Dr. Li at Hangzhou Children’s Hospital in China shared a video on social media on March 11 after a baby boy was born sporting a 4-inch-long tail, WION reported. The doctor suspected a condition called a tethered spinal cord, which means the spinal cord is abnormally connected to surrounding tissues, typically at the base of the spine. Doctors advised against removing the tail, as doing so might result in irreversible damage.

Precocious

Three boys, age 11, 12 and 16, were taken into custody on March 19 after they robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Houston on March 15, KTRK-TV reported. The kids handed a threatening note to a bank teller; the Harris County Sheriff’s Office believes they were armed, but they did not present a weapon. After the FBI released surveillance footage, parents of two of the boys identified them. The “little rascals,” as they’ve been dubbed, are facing second-degree felony charges. “The age of the younger two, that’s unusual for a bank robbery,” noted Mike Schneider, a retired juvenile district court judge.

Repeat Offender

A 23-year-old Frenchman will get to stay a little longer in Norway than he anticipated after racking up 25 speeding tickets in just 19 days, Yahoo! News reported. The Oslo district court called the speeder a “danger in traffic” and sentenced him to 24 days in prison, which was reduced to 21 days when he pleaded guilty. Most of the infractions were caught on fixed speed cameras, which the driver was unaware of. He was also relieved of his driver’s license.

Great Art

Mexican artist Chavis Marmol, 42, carved a giant head from stone, inspired by the carvings of the Olmec people, and then lowered it onto a used Tesla 3 using a crane, France24 reported. The art installation, in a vacant lot in Mexico City, was intended to “troll Elon Musk,” said the artist. “Look what I do to your lousy car with this wonderful head. This is bigger than you and the rampant technologies.” Tesla has recently announced a plan to build a factory in northern Mexico. “It’s the wonderful thing about art, it allows you these atrocities,” said Marmol.

Family Values

n Alyssa Langley and Timothy Stephens, both 27, were arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 16 after they both passed out on the beach, leaving their two children to wander to a nearby hotel pool, ClickOrlando reported. When the Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy asked where the children were, Stephens walked toward the ocean, calling for them, and saying “They’re at the beach.” He later tried to run away but fell on the beach and appeared unconscious. He faces charges of child neglect, alcohol possession and attempt to escape custody; Langley faces child neglect charges. The kids were unharmed.

n Police in Riverside, California, arrested Samuel Davalos Pasillas, 47—who claimed to be a pastor in Victorville—in late March for hiring two men to kill his daughter’s boyfriend, ABC7-TV reported. The hitmen surveilled the victim for months before the shooting, which took place on Oct. 21, 2023. As the victim sat in his car, they drove up next to him and shot him, wounding him. Police also arrested Juan Manuel Cebreros, 55, of Long Beach; they are still looking for Jesus Abel Felix Garcia. The church’s real pastor, Rafael Porras, told reporters that Pasillas was a volunteer, not a pastor.

Florida

The World Health Organization reported that leprosy is on the rise, particularly in Florida, Newsweek reported on March 22. The number of infections has more than doubled in the last 10 years, and the disease is often associated with exposure to ... armadillos. About a fifth

of the U.S. cases were reported in Florida. “People may become infected from other people with untreated leprosy or from the nine-banded armadillo, a natural host of the bacteria causing the disease,” said Francisca Mutapi, co-director of the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh.

Bright Idea

An employee of Chilthern Railways in the United Kingdom is marking the 125th birthday of the Marylebone station—and her own 20th anniversary with the railroad—by changing her name to Rehana Marylebone Khawaja, Metro News reported. She said she would have made it her first name if her children not objected. “The station itself is not big. But it’s got a soul,” she said. “It’s warm and welcoming. Not every London station is like that.” Khawaja started in a ticket office and now works in security.

Oopsie

A woman who just wanted to watch a livestream of a funeral became a viral sensation after she accidentally left the camera on while she took a shower, the Daily Mail reported on March 21. The Zoom broadcast was also being shown on a big screen to in-person mourners at the church in North London. The funeral was for a father of three who had died of cancer. Even worse, the woman apparently turned up at the wake later with no idea what she had done—until “ten minutes later crying her eyes out,” as one mourner said.

Compelling Explanation

Michelle Young, 46, of Burlington, Iowa, thought she was at a friend’s house on March 19, but the friend didn’t answer the door. So Young allegedly lit items on fire on the front porch, KWQC-TV reported. She told police she saw a sign that said “Witches Welcome,” and she’s a witch, so she set a fire—but she wasn’t going to hurt anyone or let the fire get out of control. The homeowner, who identified Young from her surveillance camera, said she did not know her. Young was charged with reckless use of fire and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Least Competent Criminal

When Daniel Allegretto Jr., 19, nearly struck a parked police car with his Honda Accord in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on March 15, he set off a chase that ended with his arrest—and not just for bad driving, WBRE-TV reported. Investigators found Allegretto, of Freeland, Pennsylvania, was allegedly carrying 2,200 individual doses of fentanyl, 250 grams of methamphetamine, illegal steroids, cash and materials used to process and package drugs. He was held on a $125,000 bail.

Fine Points of the Law

If you’re going to cheat on your spouse, maybe move to New York. The Associated Press reported on March 22 that the seldom-used law against committing adultery may be overturned in the New York Legislature. Only about a dozen people have been charged with the misdemeanor crime in New York since 1972. “We’ve come a long way since intimate relationships between consenting adults are considered immoral,” said Assemblyman Charles Lavine. “It’s a joke.” Heads-up: Adultery is still a felony offense in Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Ewwwww

On March 20, a 34-year-old man went to the hospital in Quang Ninh Province, China, with severe abdominal cramps, Oddity Central reported. He was in too much pain to talk, so doctors took an X-ray and an ultrasound, where they saw something unusual in his abdomen. During surgery, they discovered a nearly foot-long live eel. The patient was unable to explain how the eel might have gotten into his abdominal cavity, but doctors surmised that it entered his body through his anus and bit through the intestine. The patient is doing fine.

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com