IN THE REARVIEW
CITY WEEKLY LOOKS BACK, AND FORWARD, ON THE BIG LOCAL STORIES OF 2024.
BY
CITY WEEKLY STAFF
CIFUENTES, CHELSEA NEIDER
S AP
BOX
“Desert Rose,” Dec. 5 Cover Story
Thank you to M’lisa Dall for shedding light on the development history of my neighborhood, Rose Park. It was interesting to learn how this part of the city came to be—some of which I knew already; other parts not so much. I need to take issue with the portrayal of Rose Park as a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood. It is also a misleading editorial choice to caption the photo of Professor Alessandro Rigolon with his quote about “pre-industrial neighborhoods” out of context so it seems to me
like he is talking about Rose Park. To me, walkable neighborhoods are places where most needs can be met— with a variety of choices—within a 10or 15-minute walk or public transit ride from home. While I agree that many of the houses in Rose Park are desirable as solidly built and modestly attractive, and there are beautiful trees and sidewalks everywhere, it is not actually easy or even possible to walk from most parts of the neighborhood to any kind of variety of shopping, services or social and artistic venues. I frequently joke that there should be one of those “No Services” signs at the highway exits off of I-15 and I-215.
The biggest obstacle to walkability I see is the very lack of mixed-use zoning. Both 600/700 North and 1000 North would benefit from extensive development of streetfront businesses and retail with multi-story apartments above. These two corridors could be reimagined as destinations and public spaces. Neighborhood-wide, there is almost no available small-business space—small
grocers, restaurants, electronics, bikes, hardware/home/garden, clothes, toys, books, music, fitness … small home businesses are even prohibited in our title deeds.
Rose Park residents, especially renters, are bearing the brunt of the current unregulated, inflationary, gentrifying housing “boom.” Longterm families are being evicted to drive rents ever higher.
We barely afforded our mortgage several years ago, and would not have been able to do so if we had waited even three weeks to purchase. We are subjected to junk mail and posters from profiteering house-flippers offering to buy our homes for cash on a weekly basis. We need a better-regulated housing market to protect residents from opportunistic inflation due to new development.
I think it’s also worth noting that “newlyweds and those with one child” are not the only demographic groups who might want access to small homes and mortgage equity. People wanting that might have rented for some time, or might be single professionals, same-
sex couples or multigenerational extended families.
Finally, when will we simply stop touting “The American Dream” as a reference to owned single-family houses and automobiles? It could equally mean stable and clean rental housing and walkable public spaces, allowing folks of all kinds to pursue their professional and creative ambitions without being saddled with lawnmowing and time-consuming, polluting commutes. Don’t get me wrong—given at least one car, Rose Park is a pretty pleasant place to live. We even have received better bus service into town in the last couple years and soon, redesigned traffic flow on 600/700 North. But to call Rose Park “walkable” and “multi-use” at this stage is just laughable.
LOREN
CARLE 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
What’s your favorite bad (or good) Christmas movie that you watch every year?
Larry Carter
My favorite Christmas movie I watch a couple times each holiday season is Jingle All the Way
Scott Renshaw
I can’t waste any more of my life on movies I already know are bad. But I do watch the 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street annually. It’s an amazing combination of a movie that’s fancifully sentimental and one that builds its entire happy ending on people acting out of naked self-interest and political opportunism.
Wes Long
Miracle on 34th Street (1947). It’s a remarkably balanced and timeless mixture of sincere warmth and sharp observation that never ceases to be relevant.
Bryan Bale
I haven’t consistently watched any movie every year, but if I were to start a tradition, I think Die Hard would be a strong Christmas contender.
Benjamin Wood
I always make sure to watch Die Hard, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation and, of course, the greatest Christmas movie of all time—The Muppet Christmas Carol
PRIVATE EYE
BY JOHN SALTAS
The Grand Chasm
Just over a month ago, most Democrats, many Independents and a blessed few of our fellow Republicans awoke to the news that Donald Trump had won the 2024 presidential election. To say the least, there was much fingerpointing, fearmongering and dismay felt among that voting bloc, all of which was pointless because the world did not come to an end, as was commonly predicted.
A month later, as we approach and immerse in the Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Pagan and all other religious and cultural celebrations that abut our lives at the end of each calendar year, we can look back and be grateful that the world, indeed, did not end. Such trepidation—some might even the say childish behaviors and the bitter reactions of sore losers—was premature. Hand-wringing and finger-pointing aside, our world did not self-combust. It was just the end of a dream and we can create new dreams. In the ensuing weeks, perhaps you will dream or reflect upon what can be right and what can be wrong for America. Now is the time that we—all Americans—can look back together in unity, hug our family members (except for the cult-crazy ones), leave jelly or cookies with our neighbors (except for the ones who flew insulting flags up to election day) and join hands at the places of worship of our choice (until such time as it is recognized that reconciling of morals and ethics comes with a higher price tag than reconciling a shopping list).
Now is a good time to look positively into 2025 and admit that a not-quite-50% minority of Americans nationwide—election losers by the narrowest of slivers—may
have overreacted just a tad. We were wrong. The end of the democratic society we once adored and took for granted is actually January 20, 2025, another month hence.
Whew! But for the sake of all Americans—and I sincerely mean this—let’s pray that on Inauguration Day, the biggest crowd ever, larger than the crowds of all Taylor Swift concerts of the past two years combined, show up to cheer on Donald J. Trump as he is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Lord knows that man cares more about crowd size and ratings than he does Americans who don’t live on a golf course. Meaning you.
It is well-known he can be an angry, petty and vindictive individual. So I think it best for everyone that he be given a great big jar of ego sugar on that day.
I’d be there myself if I could (he lied). I’m pretty sure Utah will be well-represented, however, and will of course be led by Gov. Spencer J. Cox, (both versions of him). I hear he’s good at praying and such.
In my life, I’ve used up most of my “Dear Lord” coins. So for now I’m going to just pray to the next best thing— Utah’s Lord and Savior, Spencer J. Cox. Here goes.
Dear Lord Spence: Wow. You did it! Thank you for interceding with your timely prayers that Donald Trump may learneth to Disagree Better™ and that he may himself healeth from his wounds and in turn healeth our great nation. I am truly blessed you share Utah’s scarce water and dirty air with a fool such as I.
This note shall bear witness to the great wisdoms that Donald Trump has borne our fractured land, evidenced by his calm demeanor, fair treatment of our neighbors north and south, his welcome, kind words to immigrants and people of every color, and for his deep passion of doing the right thing (for his own kind).
I humbly ask, what other wise man could have chosen such a collectively talented, varied and eclectic fellowship of future ambassadors, cabinet members and heads
of government agencies? It was you, Lord Spence, who brought this wondrous body of mostly Crayola-fleshtone-crayon men to lead us. Thank you, thank you. My mind cannot conceive of the damages wrought, nor how bad it could have been if not for your magical intercession. Yours in service and humbleness, Signed, John the Copper Digger (not my real name, but who cares?)
Enough praying for now. I’ll leave that to the experts. I’m not bragging or anything, but nearly everyone in Utah is better at praying than I am.
I’m pretty good at remembering, though. I think now is a good time to actually give serious thought to something that has been easily mocked these past years: MAGA.
I was introduced to MAGA back in 2016 when a longtime and respected acquaintance produced—sheepishly, actually—her newly-purchased MAGA hat. I didn’t care. I just shrugged. When I pointed out that the hat was Made in China, she just shrugged.
In that moment, I knew we had chasmed apart—jumped the shark in opposite directions, so to speak—each of us on either side of the Grand Canyon. From our separate vantage points, we marveled at the same scenery—the dancing shadows playing beneath us, the abundant corners of life and survival everywhere—but each deriving from our viewpoints two entirely different experiences.
To this day, neither of us has reconciled why we became different, only that we are. We barely speak and the gap between us has not narrowed. The Colorado River running far below cuts us both equally.
I never understood MAGA—not because I didn’t understand the sellable sentiment, but because America is already great. But neither am I a fool despite all the “research” that says otherwise. So I honestly wonder if it will be great much longer. Faithfully yours, John.
Send comments to john@cityweekly.net
HITS & MISSES
BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele
MISS: The Voting Dead
Utah can’t even win when it’s winning. Take our election system, for example. There was righteous indignation over a recent legislative audit that suggested dead people had been voting. Well, it didn’t actually say that. It said two—count them, two!—dead people voted. Of course, dead people can’t vote, but the audit did find that voter rolls contained 1,400 deceased voters, of which two mailed ballots apparently were cast. Maybe it was a mistake or maybe deliberate, but do the math. Of the 1,400 deceased, 700 were marked as active voters and sent ballots. Two ballots were returned—two out of the more than 2 million total Utah voters. This really worried House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, who now says mailed ballots can’t be trusted. UVU’s Herbert Institute takes exception. They determined that, “Utah’s election laws and procedures (make it) exceedingly unlikely that any appreciable level of election fraud could go undetected.”
MISS: Crude Oil
If Donald Trump’s pledge to “Drill, Baby, Drill” becomes a reality, all that oil presumably will need to be transported somewhere. So it makes sense that the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing in on how to make it easier. It is hearing a case over the Uintah Basin Railway, which on the surface is about 88 miles of freight rail lines. In fact, the lawsuit is about bureaucratic overreach and whether an agency can consider effects beyond the 88-mile line itself. “The fossil fuel industry and its allies are making radical arguments that would blind the public to obvious health consequences of government decisions,” said Sam Sankar of Earthjustice. It’s hard to know how the court will rule, since the justices appeared critical of both sides, a Trust Project story said. For sure, environmental health is on the line.
HIT: Safe at School
While Gov. Spencer Cox commits to help the Trumpian mass deportation effort, the Salt Lake City School Board has reaffirmed that it will support and protect all students, regardless of their immigration status. It’s not a new commitment. When Trump last took office, the school board passed its Safe Schools Resolution. That means student privacy is sacrosanct and that federal intervention in a school would be disruptive, to say the least. Trump apparently intends to rescind a policy that prevents federal officers from entering schools, KUER reported on Dec. 11. That is one reason that families—especially in Salt Lake County’s west side communities—are fearful of what’s coming. And despite a 1982 high court ruling that students can’t be denied admission to public schools based on immigration status, there are examples of schools misleading students. For now, Cox might want to channel his good-guy image and honor the school district’s resolution.
Strength in Numbers
Audre Lorde profoundly stated that caring for oneself is not an act of self-indulgence, but rather a crucial practice of self-preservation—a form of political resistance. She viewed self-care as a powerful way to defy societal expectations and take ownership of one’s own well-being.
For Lorde, self-care was intrinsically linked to the struggle against oppressive systems, recognizing that personal well-being cannot be separated from the needs of the broader community. It wasn’t about bubble baths or indulging in chocolates—it was about ensuring that we have the strength to fight together, like putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others.
In today’s deeply polarized political climate, finding and cultivating a supportive community is more important than ever. As we face increasing division, the act of connecting with like-minded individuals who share our values, struggles and aspirations provides not only emotional resilience but also a collective strength that amplifies our ability to push for change.
My own chosen family serves as my sanctuary, where I find my solidarity, understanding and validation, counteracting the isolation that often comes with confronting societal injustices. It is within these spaces that we can exchange ideas, strategize and support each other’s wellbeing—reminding us that we are not alone in our fight for justice and equality.
I think of Lorde’s words as we reflect on the 2024 election results and prepare for the upcoming Utah legislative session. Montana lawmakers recently sent a clear message to Republicans nationwide, signaling that they are choosing to prioritize more pressing issues over attacking transgender people. I wonder if Rep. Kera Birkeland is listening, as she seems determined to waste our taxpayer dollars and time by once again targeting trans individuals this session.
Regardless of who won the 2024 election, our work was always going to be far from over. One outcome may have made more progress toward securing human rights, but the fight for justice continues.
The 2025 legislative session begins on January 21st. Make sure you know who your local representatives and senators are. When they don’t hear from you, they assume your consent. Reach out—email, text, call—and stay informed about the bills that affect you and the people you care about. I long for the days when our efforts were focused on issues like clean air, not defending basic rights—rights that should never be in question. But know this: you are not alone. We are in this together and there are many passionate advocates—especially angry mothers like me—ready to continue the fight alongside you. CW
BY CAT PALMER
Merry Arts-mas
Books, tickets, gift cards and more for the arts-lover on your list.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw
I
’ll go out on a limb and do a little profiling: If you’re reading this column, you’re someone who cares about the arts, and who cares about supporting the local community. While other folks are ordering from The Online Monolith, you realize there are better ways to spend your holiday dollars while still getting the folks on your list things that are meaningful.
The good news is that there are many ways to make that possible. Here are just some of the options for you as you head into your final week of Christmas shopping to keep those gifts artsy and local:
Buy Books from Local Bookstores: It’s wonderful to see options for buying books locally not just survive, but continue to thrive and grow. Whether it’s a bestselling beach read, literary fiction, non-fiction about hot-button topics, biographies, cookbooks or anything in between, there’s a Utah-based spot where you can get it. For general-interest titles, head to The King’s English (1511 S. 1500 East, kingsenglish. com), Marissa’s Bookstore (3302 S. 900 East, marissasbooks.com), The Printed Garden (9445 S. Union Square, Sandy, theprintedgarden.com) or Weller Book Works (607 Trolley Square, wellerbookworks.com). Specialty titles, especially those focused on the Mountain West, are available at Ken Sanders Rare Books (209 E. 500 South in The Leonardo building, kensandersrarebooks.com). For the lover of romance fiction, there’s Lovebound Library (145 E. 900 South, Instagram: @ loveboundlibrary); fantasy, science-fiction and horror at Legendarium (349 E. 900 South, legendariumbooks.com); and LGBTQ titles at Under the Umbrella (511 W. 200 South, Suite 120, undertheumbrellabookstore.com). And to really level
up in your support of the local literary world, buy books by local authors, including those in the League of Utah Writers (leagueofutahwriters.com).
Support Local Visual Artists: From paintings to drawings and from sculptures to mixed media, someone’s personal space could always get a boost from original visual art. No list of individual artists to consider supporting from could possibly be complete; the community is simply too full of amazing talent. However, a good place to start is with the local galleries that participated in the December holiday Gallery Stroll (gallerystroll.org/current. htm), many of which are featuring group holiday shows with work by multiple represented artists.
If your budget is a bit more limited, consider perusing the gift shop at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (410 Campus Center Dr., University of Utah, umfa.utah.edu). You can also find work from independent artisans on the shelves at The Hive Market in Trolley Square (602 E. 500 South #D109, thehivemarketslc.com), including
clothing, personal care items, jewelry and more. An additional way to connect folks with the wide variety of options in the local arts scene is to send them to the 2025 Utah Arts Festival (uaf.org) by purchasing gift tickets at a special reduced rate.
Give Arts Experiences: If the person you’re buying for doesn’t necessarily need any more “stuff” in their lives, you can give them something that’s always the right size, fits in a stocking and will leave great memories. Whether it’s theater at venues like Pioneer Theatre Company (300 S. 1400 East, pioneertheatre.org) and Salt Lake Acting Company (168 W. 500 North, saltlakeactingcompany.org), a comedy performance at one of Wiseguys Comedy’s three Utah locations (wiseguyscomedy. com) or the small organization of your choice, you help keep the community’s artistic heart beating with your purchases.
If you’re not quite sure what your gift-ee might be most interested in seeing, there are options there as well. ArtTix (saltlakecountyarts.org)—the ticketing agency for Salt Lake County arts venues including
gift cards in any denomination, allowing users to consider from a wide range of options including touring Broadway shows, concerts by national acts, Utah Symphony and Opera performances, Ballet West and much more.
Send Them to the Movies: Plenty of people have turned entirely to streaming and digital viewing for movies, but you could give folks a date night that also connects them with some of the greatest new work in cinema. The Salt Lake Film Society (slfs.org) allows you to purchase both individual screening tickets and annual memberships for movies at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; you can also get gift cards from Megaplex Theatres (megaplextheatres.com) for more mainstream releases. And while the long-term location of the Sundance Film Festival (festival. sundance.org) remains up in the air as of press time, you can still get festival passes or branded festival swag for your favorite cinephiles. CW
Abravanel Hall, the Capitol Theatre, Rose Wagner Center and Eccles Theater—offers
Salt Lake Film Society Broadway Centre Cinemas
theESSENTIALS ENTERTAINMENT PICKS,
Complete listings online at cityweekly.net
DECEMBER 19-25, 2024
David Koechner/ The Office Trivia Competition
For 30 years, David Koechner has put together a wide-ranging résumé as a comedian and actor, from his one-year stint as a Saturday Night Live cast member, to his role as blustering sports reporter Champ Kind in the Anchorman films, to his comedic partnership as The Naked Trucker and T-Bones with Salt Lake City’s own Dave “Gruber” Allen. But undoubtedly, he achieved his greatest recognition with his recurring role on the beloved sitcom The Office as Todd Packer, the extremely politically-incorrect traveling salesman and pal of Michael Scott. And his behindthe-scenes knowledge from The Office will highlight a weekend of appearances by Koechner in Salt Lake City.
For four performances, Koechner will bring his stand-up act to the stage, showcasing an off-kilter sensibility that might drift back to his small-town Catholic-school upbringing. But on Saturday afternoon, Koechner will also be hosting a special 90-minute The Office trivia competition, with teams competing to prove their knowledge of the show interspersed with Koechner’s own anecdotes from the show’s filming. Contestants will even have to show off their best impressions of The Office characters and their acting chops while re-creating scenes for the big prizes. For fans of the show, it is sure to be a one-of-a-kind opportunity.
David Koechner performs his stand-up on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21 at Wiseguys Gateway (190 S. 400 West) at 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., with tickets $30. The Office trivia takes place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, with tickets $35. Visit wiseguyscomedy.com to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)
Complete listings online at cityweekly.net
The Sting & Honey Company: This Bird of Dawning
Back in 2008, Sting & Honey Company founder Javen Tanner created a Nativity-themed holiday play that he believed at the time would be a one-time fundraiser. Nearly 15 years later, This Bird of Dawning … is still going strong—including showings of a recorded performance at Megaplex Theatres locations—in part because those who love the annual tradition don’t want to let it go away, particularly the students at Waterford School, where Tanner teaches. “Some students do it all four years,” Tanner told City Weekly in 2021. “And every year, the students who did it the year before, they’re introducing it to students who are doing it for the first time.”
Employing theatrical mask, This Bird of Dawning … tells the Nativity story in a way that draws from theater’s ancient connections to religious ritual. “I’m fascinated by how theater all over the world … evolved out of ritual, out of religious practices,” Tanner said. “One of the things that’s so fascinating is how close this piece gets to that. The audience just connects to it. ... I’ve never been interested in it as a proselytizing piece, but I am interested in how deeply it connects with an audience, even people who are not Christian or not religious.”
This Bird of Dawning plays at the Regent Street Black Box (144 Regent Street) of the Eccles Theater for three performances: Friday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission; visit saltlakecountyarts.org for tickets and additional event information. (SR)
CITY
annual shop-small initiative is an easy one. It’s the season of Black Friday deals, cyber Monday discounts and so on.
As you do so, remember that dollars spent locally by and large stay local. Jeff Bezos doesn’t need your money. Those holiday dollars mean so much more to your neighborhood mom and pop shop.
Check out the shops in this year’s Gift guide, support City Weekly advertisers that keep this paper free and always Shop Local!
theESSENTIALS
Brick Fest Live
“Building blocks” is a common term for the essential elements that add up to good health, success, satisfaction and all the things that enable people to achieve their life’s goals. It’s hardly surprising, then, that Brick Fest Live has become the world’s most popular building block experience, one that fosters imagination and creativity while also offering a playtime experience like no other. With over a million toy bricks on display, it’s allowed youngsters to create and collaborate on designs spawned from their dreams.
It’s little wonder, then, that for the past 10 years, Brick Fest Live has delighted LEGO enthusiasts of all ages with enticements that include a Guinness World Record Challenge encompassing a massive floor mosaic, a giant brick pit, life-size models from around the world, brick derby races on 35-foot tracks, a glow-in-the-dark building area, hands-on building zones with interactive stations, opportunities to meet stars of the hit TV show LEGO Masters, photo ops and rare LEGO merchandise. Presented by the Family Quest Entertainment group, a leader in touring entertainment attractions, it’s an ideal offering for any future artist, architect, engineer or simply building-block enthusiast. With apologies to Pink Floyd: All in all, these are more than just bricks in the wall.
Brick Fest Live comes to the Salt Palace Convention Center Saturday, Dec. 21 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) and Sunday, Dec. 22 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.). Tickets for Saturday cost $24.99 - $34.99, Sunday $16.99$34.99; free for children two and under. For tickets and info, go to brickfestlive.com; save 30% with promo code BFL30.past. (Lee Zimmerman)
The Mane Problem
Mufasa: The Lion King only turns CGI photorealism into a slightly-less-bad idea.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw
Director Jon Favreau’s 2019 CGI remake of Disney’s beloved 1994 animated hit The Lion King was a terrible idea—but it’s hard to convince a corporation that an idea was a terrible one when it also grossed $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office. It was a terrible idea because we’d all had 25 years to see the way in which conventional animation worked better for this story— allowing the animal characters to have personality and facial expressions when singing the classic songs, and softening the conflicts between lions so that they didn’t feel like outtakes from a particularly brutal National Geographic documentary. CGI was the wrong tool for the job and we all knew it, because we’d seen the result of using the right tool for the job.
The inevitable prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, is at least in theory a less-terrible idea than simply remaking The Lion King, because it doesn’t force that direct point of comparison. It throws elements from direct-to-video sequels like The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride and The Lion King 1-1/2 into a blender with The Ten Commandments and emerges with the origin story—told in flashback by Rafiki (John Kani) to Simba’s cub, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter, scion of Beyoncé and Jay-Z)—of the revered grandfather Kiara never met.
We learn that Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins as a cub, later Aaron Pierre) was separated from his parents during a flash flood and
rescued by Taka (Theo Somolu, then Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), son of the lion king Obasi (Lennie James). There Mufasa is raised as an adopted brother to Taka, with whom he eventually flees into exile when a marauding band of white tigers (led by Mads Mikkelsen’s Kiros) invades their territory.
The set-up leads to plenty of adventures in which the lion brothers gather a misfit band of familiar characters, including a young Rafiki (Kagiso Lediga), future lion queen Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) and fussy bird Zazu (Preston Nyman), interspersed with the framing narrative that also includes Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and Timon (Billy Eichner) as Kiara’s babysitters. The connections with the original story are always evident—they create a running joke from not-quite-naming the character Taka will eventually become—and underlined at regular intervals. And in the way of such things, the nudges tend to become kind of exhausting. Sure, it’s slightly less expected to get a reference to Julie Taymor’s stage musical of The Lion King, but must we get a parade of “ah, so that’s how Rafiki got his walking stick” and “oh, that’s how Pride Rock was formed?”
(Answer: Yes. Apparently, we must.)
The shame of it is, Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay has a perfectly solid idea at its core, though it takes most of the twohour running time to get there. Bailing on the idea of bloodline patrilineal monarchy, Mufasa suggests that being a leader is earned, as we see our hero rally different animals into a coalition against predators. The allegory to contemporary politics might be obvious to some grown-ups—I’ll be shocked if some grumpy conservative commentator doesn’t refer to it as Antifa: The Lion King—but it’s still a nice idea to convey to young audiences that there are different strengths that make one worthy of being followed.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that photorealistic CGI animals for a family-friendly story remains a profoundly terrible creative choice. Director Barry Jenkins does impressive things with the story’s action elements, crafting some exciting chases, escapes and battles, but he’s still stuck with what this creative format does to the characters. No attempt at giving these critters human smiles can evoke the same personality as hand-drawn or
even stylized CGI animation, and while the new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are good ones with his distinctive sound, the musical numbers all fall flat when the animal mouths uttering them can’t show us real emotion. And if you can tell the difference in certain scenes between the character design of Sarabi and the character design of Mufasa’s mother, well, good eye, I guess. So maybe Mufasa: The Lion King will rake in another billion-plus. If so, Disney will probably continue to take away the lesson that audiences care about this art form, rather than that audiences care about these characters as introduced in another, much better art form—one where they felt more real than photorealism can possibly duplicate. CW
MUFASA: THE LION KING BB ½
Aaron Pierre Kelvin Harrison, Jr. Tiffany Boone Rated PG
Mufasa: The Lion King
IN THE REARVIEW
CITY WEEKLY LOOKS BACK, AND FORWARD, ON THE BIG LOCAL STORIES OF 2024.
love Salt Lake City in the wintertime. Sure, it’s freezing cold outside and the air is often poisonous. Sure, the days are short and dark. And sure, the one-two punch of November’s election and January’s Utah legislative session is a special kind of shit sandwich.
But my heart can’t help but grow three sizes when I see the Walker Center tower blinking through the smog, the holiday decorations on Main Street or the quaint snow-globeification of our trails and neighborhoods when a dusting of lake-effect powder eventually descends.
Winter is a time for hot chocolate at Hatch, ice skating at Gallivan Center (or Millcreek Common—hat tip), for riding TRAX and Frontrunner, for dog-sledding on the Jordan River Parkway (wait, is that just me?) and for the once-a-year pilgrimage to the now-partiallyreopened Temple Square to see the lights and displays while elbowing through throngs of suburban tourists.
Deck the food halls! Ring out, Liberty Wells! Visions of Sugar House dance in our heads! Let it snow!
This December, in lieu of our typical editorial Gift Guide, City Weekly is checking in on some of our biggest stories of the year. In the pages that follow, our writers and partner contributors round up the notable developments to hit Utah and its capital city in 2024, updating with the latest twists and turns, when applicable, and looking ahead to the coming months, when possible.
There’s nowhere near enough space to include everything of note, so allow me a moment to shout out some of the other great work published in our newspaper this year: Carolyn Campbell’s features on cold-case DNA testing, dating counselors and supernatural encounters; Bianca Dumas’ profile of local skiing legend Junior Bounous; Eric S. Peterson’s police and government watchdogging through the Utah Investigative Journalism Project; our annual Pride Issue, guest-edited this year by state school board member Sarah Reale; Jared Blackley’s eye-opening analysis of radon dangers; Zak Podmore’s book excerpt on the changing face of Lake Powell; M’Lisa Dall’s trips down memory lane in Rose Park and to the mining town of Eureka; Arica Roberts and B.I. Empey’s deep dive into the local EDM scene; and the analyses of Utah’s anti-pornography efforts by Michael Dean McGrady more—remain available at cityweekly.net.
And I would be remiss to end this introductory message without a reminder and invitation to shop locally this holiday season. Studies show that a larger share of each dollar spent at independent retailers recirculates in the area economy compared to that spent at big-box and chain stores. This is known as the local multiplier effect, and it means more benefits to both you and your neighbors when you proactively support homebred Salt Lake City businesses and entrepreneurs.
Pro tip: Start with the amazing advertisers you see in this and other issues of Salt Lake City Weekly, whose ongoing support, along with donations from our community of readers (see the button at the top of our home page!), has made it possible for us to deliver hyperlocal content, free of charge, every week of the year for the last four decades (see page 36!). For additional gift inspiration, find the recent Best Of Utah issue at our partner distribution locations or on our website, where you’ll find the winners in more than 450 categories, chosen by locals.
However you celebrate the season, may the new year find you in good health, in good company, with a good beverage in your hand. Cheers!
— Benjamin Wood
CITY SLICKERS
BIG CROWDS, BIG MONEY AND BIG PROJECTS DOMINATED SALT LAKE’S GOVERNMENT IN 2024.
BY JOSI HINDS comments@cityweekly
From the masses of ceasefire advocates who swarmed Salt Lake City Council meetings to a divisive mayoral pay raise and the creation of new districts upon new districts, Salt Lake experienced its fair share of buzz and controversy this year. Here’s a recap, in case you forgot.
Calls for Ceasefire
Over a span of several months last winter, dozens of residents appeared at City Council meetings calling for a resolution in support of a ceasefire to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“We do not want our so-called ‘representatives’ at any level of government to continue to be passive,” Liz DeFriez told the Council in January.
As more and more people made comments like DeFriez’s, Council meetings started lasting up to four hours. But the Council did eventually respond to the demonstrators, passing a “resolution for peace” in February and later ending the same Council meeting early after disruptions from ceasefire advocates.
“Thank you for taking the first step in passing the resolution, though it’s clear it only meant to appease us,” Ryeleigh Hewlitt said at that meeting. “We will be relentless until you do the bare minimum and pass a permanent ceasefire.”
Living up to their promise, the commenters threw chants and insults at the Council as they were escorted out of the building. At the next meeting, the Council announced changes to its general comment policy, limiting the cumulative time for comments to one hour.
“Today we’re updating our general comment policy to preserve our ability to effectively conduct city business and maintain a safe and welcoming public forum for all constituents,” Councilmember Chris Wharton said.
At the Council’s March 27 meeting, fewer than 10 people commented on a ceasefire. By April, ceasefire advocates had largely stopped attending Council meetings.
Pay Raise for the Mayor
But the Council wasn’t left unoccupied for long. As winter turned to spring, the Council turned to adopting its new annual budget. Unsurprisingly, nothing got people talking about the budget quite like Mayor Erin Mendenhall recommending a raise for herself.
“This compensation adjustment addresses a pay disparity both in comparison to cities and towns in the state and within Salt Lake City Corporation,” Andrew Wittenberg, the mayor’s spokesperson, explained via email in June.
Mendenhall recommended a 26%—or $44,000— raise for herself, increasing her annual salary from roughly $168,000 to $212,000.
“I’m completely opposed to this [raise] because in the real world that we all live in, we get pay increases according to our performance, and her poor performance has been abysmal at best,” Julia McGonigle said during a City Council meeting in June.
Per city policy, council salaries were adjusted in proportion to the mayor’s, jumping from roughly $42,000 to $53,000. Plus, members adopted legislative intent to further discuss Council compensation.
As of now, the Council has discussed conducting an external evaluation of pay levels and whether to Continues on page 22
The Salt Palace, the Delta Center and Japantown are expected to see significant change under a subsidized redevelopment plan negotiated between Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County and the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG).
award stipends for Council leadership positions. According to a staff report, the Council is considering a $3,000 stipend for the Council chairperson, a $2,000 stipend for the vice-chair and stipends for Redevelopment Agency leadership.
But that wasn’t all the budget had in store for us. Salt Lake City residents also got an increase in utility fees, garbage container fees and property taxes.
Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention District
Speaking of tax increases, Salt Lakers also got a 0.5% sales tax increase thanks to the proposed Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention District. The tax could last up to 30 years, and it subsidizes Smith Entertainment Group’s (SEG) development of the district.
The district is planned to cover three downtown blocks from the Delta Center on 300 West to the Salt Palace at West Temple. It could include 600-foot-tall buildings, a revitalized Japantown neighborhood on 100 South and the rerouting of 300 West underground to create a pedestrian plaza that connects the basketball and hockey arena with its neighboring block to the east.
The plan received its fair share of pushback, with critics taking aim at the sales tax increase being used to subsidize private development, despite SEG’s notorious wealth, and the district’s rushed timeline, which was mandated by state law. But, the development also received support from other stakeholders like the Downtown Alliance, the University of Utah, the Utah Restaurant Association and more.
“The success of our city is intrinsically attached to our downtown,” Councilmember Alejandro Puy said at an Oct. 3 Council meeting. “A dying downtown will mean a shrinking tax base, a lack of an anchor, a failure to ensure safety, not enough resources to pay for our growing population—our downtown dying means the death of all of our dreams, really.”
Continued from page 20
Continued from page 22
Now, SEG has 10 years to complete development of the new district before Salt Lake City hosts the 2034 Olympic games. Construction is slated to start this coming spring.
Power District
The year wrapped up with considerations for another district, this time on Salt Lake City’s west side. The Power District is planned to span more than 90 acres of dilapidated land at approximately 1500 W. North Temple and would be developed by the Larry H. Miller Corporation.
It’s slated to include mixed-use development, access to the Jordan River Parkway (including construction of a commercialized “riverwalk”) and a potential new Major League Baseball stadium.
The district opens the opportunity for needed economic development and investment on the west side, but it’s also made some worry about the implications for existing residents. The Council adopted an agreement for the district last week, at its final meeting of the year.
“I am really proud of what we’ve done, even though I’m still nervous for those spaces where we’re going to have to relinquish control,” Council chairperson Victoria Petro said. “We’re all stumbling through this together, but I do think this one is set up for success.”
The agreement encourages efforts to draw a new Major League Baseball team to Salt Lake City, requires a certain portion of residential units in the district be family-sized and affordable, mandates at least 9.5 acres of open space and permits buildings up to 400 feet tall. Construction on some of the outlying and adjacent areas to the Power District has already begun and will continue into the new year. CW
The Power District hopes to bring a Major League Baseball stadium to the banks of the Jordan River in Salt Lake City.
A bill to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) passed the U.S. Senate in March, but stalled in the House.
LIVING DOWNWIND
UTAH’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION MUST ACT FAST TO PROTECT THE VICTIMS OF NUCLEAR TESTING.
BY MARY DICKSON comments@cityweekly.net
The decades-long fight to strengthen and expand a federal program that compensates victims of exposure to radioactive fallout from nuclear testing has been fraught with challenges and controversy. Now, the program has officially expired, leaving many Utahns without the help they need and dealing a blow to the many communities who hoped to finally be included.
In 1990, Congress enacted the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) that was championed by Utah’s Sen. Orrin Hatch, supported unanimously by both parties and signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush. The program provided partial compensation to so-called “downwinders,” whose cancers were presumed to have been caused by radioactive fallout from atmospheric testing during the 1950s and 1960s.
But it never went far enough.
Since RECA’s passage in 1990, evidence has shown how far radioactive fallout from aboveground testing spread, how the uranium industry endangered workers, and how nuclear weapons production and waste harmed other U.S. communities.
To date, RECA has compensated some 42,000 Americans at a price tag of $2.7 billion over the last 34 years—709 claims are still pending. The program covered only 10 counties in southern Utah and 12 in Nevada and Arizona. Communities along the populated and heavily-impacted Wasatch Front were excluded not because they lacked exposure to radiation, but because they were on the wrong side of arbitrary county lines.
Advocates in Utah and other states have made great strides to correct that injustice. Things were looking hopeful last March, when the U.S. Senate voted 69-30 to pass a bill expanding RECA—a bipartisan vote nearly unheard of in a bitterly-divided Congress. That was one month after City Weekly pub-
lished “Ticking Clock,” my report on the need for congressional action and the negotiations surrounding expanded protections.
The Senate bill proposed to add all of Utah, Arizona and Nevada as well as four other western states and Guam, additional categories of uranium workers and communities elsewhere in the country harmed by radiation from weapons production and waste storage. It also would have extended RECA for another 19 years and adjusted compensation to help make up for the dramatic increase in the cost of cancer care.
But advocates’ hopes were dashed. The Senate bill stalled in the House of Representatives after Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring it to the floor for a vote, saying it cost too much. While he waited, the entire program expired in June.
According to press reports, Johnson said he wouldn’t bring the bill to the floor unless he had buy-in from the Utah delegation. Utah was the most heavily impacted state and eligible Utahns have filed the most claims. But our delegation hasn’t stepped up. Sena-
tors Lee and Romney both voted against the Senate bill and not one of our House representatives supported it, echoing concerns that the projected $50 billion price tag was too high even as the government plans to spend $1.7 trillion upgrading its nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years.
Enter a workable compromise rolled out November 20 by the bill’s sponsors.
It keeps the additional geographic areas and compensation increase, but it would cap claims at $5 billion over the next 5 to 6 years. Anything beyond that would have to be reauthorized by Congress.
The lame-duck session of Congress ends December 20, and it’s unlikely that downwinders will see any last-minute action before the end of the year.
If the expansion doesn’t make it through this session, the last hope is to get it through the new Congress early in March. In that case, it’s up to the Utah delegation and Congress to finally bring justice to affected communities after all they’ve suffered at the hands of their own government. CW
CLINT
GAME, SET, MATCH
A YEAR OF RELOCATION, RESURRECTION, DISAPPOINTMENT AND DEBUTS FOR UTAH SPORTS.
BY CONNOR SANDERS comments@cityweekly.net
This year was one of both new beginnings and farewells in Utah sports.
Fans welcomed Utah Hockey Club into the market with aplomb. Brigham Young University and the University of Utah reignited their rivalry, playing for the first time as Big 12 Conference opponents. The Utah Royals returned to action after a four-year hiatus.
On the other hand, the Salt Lake Bees played their final game in the city and are heading out west to start a new era in South Jordan.
Before we close the book on 2024, let’s take a look back at what may turn out to be one of the most important chapters in Utah sports history.
Hockey Is Here to Stay
The Arizona Coyotes’ near-overnight exodus to the Beehive State this spring marked a massive development for the future of sports (and land use) in Salt Lake City.
The Wasatch Front market has long been characterized as one that couldn’t support more than one major sports franchise, but the response from Utah Hockey Club fans settled any doubts on that front.
Even with obstructed-view seating and no concrete details about the long-term branding, UHC is clearly the hottest game in town, with tickets commanding almost twice the price, on average, compared to Utah Jazz games.
The squad has yet to really get cooking on the ice, but has shown some encouraging signs early on. After the club’s 4-1 win over Colorado last week, UHC was sitting in 5th place in the NHL’s central division with 31 points as of Dec. 12, right on pace with the Coyotes’ 30 points through 29 games last season.
There’s a lot of season left to play, and UHC is in striking distance of making the playoffs. But they’ll have to leapfrog five teams to do so.
Bees’ Past and MLB’s Future?
The 30th year of Triple-A baseball in Salt Lake City was the last one for the Salt Lake Bees,
who will be moving to Daybreak Field in South Jordan in 2025. However, there was plenty of excitement about the future of baseball in Utah’s capital this year.
Rumors about Major League Baseball’s interest in Salt Lake City as a candidate for its expansion plans ran wild this summer, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan writing in July that while where and when it’ll occur are still up in the air, expansion “is an inevitability.” Add that to the Oakland Athletics’ brief flirtation with Salt Lake City as a temporary home next season?
There was a whole lot of smoke about baseball in the Beehive State, but no fire as of yet. And expansion “is unlikely to happen until the early 2030s,” Passan wrote.
As far as the on-field product? The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim—the Bees’ affiliate— have lived up to their reputation as one of the worst franchises in baseball once again.
The Angels not only have baseball’s second worst farm system, according to MLB.com’s rankings, they also finished second-to-last in the American League with a 63-99 record in 2024. No good MLB players and no good prospects? It could only be the Angels.
After a promising start, Real Salt Lake struggled late in the season and was eliminated during the first round of the MLS playoffs.
On top of that, the team teased fans about a potential injury rehab assignment at Smith’s Ballpark for former MVP Mike Trout in July, only to bench him after a couple of innings in center field and a strike out at the plate. Best of luck in South Jordan.
RSL’s Promising Season Falls Short
For most of the first half of the season, Real Salt Lake looked like a serious contender in Major League Soccer. The attack was electric. Striker Cristian Arango led the league in goals and looked like the frontrunner for MVP. That all changed when the team sold Colombian winger Andrés Gómez to French club Rennes for a club record $11 million. After a so-so first season with RSL, Gómez put up an absurd 13 goals and 7 assists in 23 matches before he jumped across the pond. Nothing was quite the same without him. Arango dealt with injuries and faded as the season went on. The squad limped into the playoffs and got knocked out in the first round by Minnesota United. Both matches went to penalties and RSL lost both shootouts.
Continues
The Utah Royals were back in action after a four-year hiatus.
On the bright side, coach Pablo Mastroeni led one of the youngest squads in MLS to the playoffs once again. Diego Luna, Emeka Eneli and Braian Ojeda all had excellent seasons and will form the core of the team going forward.
The Royals’ Second Inaugural
After a four-year hiatus, the Utah Royals returned to action in 2024. The road is always tough for an expansion team in its first season, and the Royals took their lumps early. Head coach Amy Rodriguez started with a 1-9-1 record and was let go on June 30.
Jimmy Coenraets was hired as one of Rodriguez’s assistants on June 7 and took over the role on an interim basis 23 days later. The Royals’ offense finally came to life under Coenraets, though the midseason arrivals of Japanese international Mina Tanaka and Spanish youth international Ana Tejada certainly played a big role as well.
The squad scratched its way out of the bottom of the table and finished 11th out of 13 teams in the National Women’s Soccer League. Coenraets was named the head coach on a permanent basis on October 24.
All things considered, the Royals look well positioned to improve in 2025. Forward Ally Sentnor notched 3 goals and 4 assists, got her first USWNT call up and was a key figure for the U.S. at the U-20 World Cup this summer. Sky’s the limit for her.
Tejada’s a special player too. She won the U-17 and U-20 World Cups with Spain and earned her first cap with the senior team in 2022. Soccer sickos will weep with joy at her percentiles on Football Reference.
Will the Jazz Ever Be Good Again?
Yes, but not for a good long while.
The Jazz are clearly in tank mode, and it’s probably a wise move given how stacked the Western Conference is this season.
The 2025 Draft features some intriguing players as well, including Duke star and known cold-ass white boy Cooper Flagg. Danny Ainge might give both his kidneys to draft Flagg.
It’s hard to be too disappointed in the front office, though. Small market teams have no other option than to bottom out and rebuild through the draft. Thankfully, some of the young guys have looked promising early in the 2024-25 season, with Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier securing spots in the rotation.
Taylor Hendricks’ brutal leg injury put a real damper on this season. Right when it looked like he was turning the corner, he’s out for at least a year. Tough season for Jazz fans. CW
Continued from page 28
ONE MORE SONG!
MUSIC FESTIVALS AND CONCERT VENUES FLEX AS THE WASATCH FRONT BECOMES A MUST-STOP SPOT FOR ACTS BIG AND SMALL.
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JOSH SCHEUERMAN comments@cityweekly.net
Utah’s music scene is one of the best-kept secrets, and its rise to national attention is a testament to the dedication of local artists, promoters and music fans who have supported it for decades. The state’s unique combination of underground music culture, passionate local following and the emergence of large-scale music festivals has created a perfect storm for Utah’s music scene to thrive.
In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, when the Warped Tour came to town, it opened the door for many local bands to experience national exposure. However, despite the popularity of national acts, the local scene continued to grow quietly beneath the surface, fueled by local venues like Kilby Court, which has long been a cornerstone for indie music in Salt Lake City. These grassroots spaces provided a platform for bands to hone their craft, build local fanbases and get their music heard, leading to a steadily growing reputation for Utah as a place where new, authentic talent could be nurtured.
Fast forward to the present, and we’re seeing the fruits of this underground scene with the emergence of major festivals like Ogden Twilight,
the Twilight Concert Series and Red Butte Garden’s amphitheater concerts. These events not only bring top-tier national acts to Utah but also give local artists the opportunity to perform alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. The Kilby Block Party in particular has become a defining event, showcasing the diversity and creativity of the local music scene while also pulling in crowds from across the country.
What makes Utah’s music scene so unique is its blend of genres and the growing crossover between indie, rock, electronic and even hip-hop acts. With the state’s rapid population growth, more young people are coming to Utah from all over, bringing with them new musical tastes and further expanding the cultural fabric of the scene.
The continued success of these festivals and concerts signals that Utah’s music scene is far from a passing trend—it’s a movement that will only gain momentum as more and more artists find their footing in the local scene and venture out into the wider national market. With strong promoters, a growing fanbase and an abundance of talented musicians, Utah is poised to continue its rise as a key player in the national music landscape. CW
Courtney Barnett performs at Kilby Block Party
Killer Mike at Ogden Twilight
100 Gecs at Kilby Block Party
The Beach Boys at Red Butte Garden
Santigold at Kilby Block Party
NOFX at Punk in Drublic Festival
Grouplove at The Depot
Shakey Graves at Red Butte Garden
Interpol at Kilby Block Party
Michael Nau at The State Room
BOMBS AWAY
LDS CHURCH’S ENSIGN PEAK IS STILL INVESTING—A LOT— IN NUKES.
BY TAYLOR BARNES COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET
Last June, City Weekly and Inkstick published “Cracks in the Sin Screen,” an exposé about the until-recently secret investment manager for the LDS church holding stock in nuclear weapons contractors. Their latest filings reveal they’re still betting on swords rather than plowshares.
In August, a few peaceniks and an ex-Mormon gathered for a vigil to mark the 79th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their meetup point?
The 22-story World Trade Center Utah next to the City Creek mall where—according to an address you can dig up in Securities and Exchange Commission filings—the secretive investment manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has its offices.
One demonstrator approached the concierge desk and asked to be buzzed up to the fund, Ensign Peak, a request the security officers swiftly denied. The protestor had wanted to deliver a postcard to Ensign Peak’s staff, calling on them to repent for investing tithe-payers’ mites in nuclear weapons manufacturers like Northrop Grumman—which is producing the Air Force’s new intercontinental ballistic missile in Utah—and other mainstays of the military-industrial complex, like Lockheed Martin, RTX (Raytheon) and so on.
The former Mormon, Eric, told me that he’d paid plenty in tithes during his time in the church. He’d heard about the vigil on an evening radio show, grabbed a piece of cardboard, and joined the Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons on that hot Friday morning. His cardboard sign read “Sword of Laban?” a reference to a story in 1 Nephi, the first book of the Latter-day Saint Book of Mormon.
In it, Nephi slays a powerful man named Laban in 600 B.C. Jerusalem by using the latter’s own sword. Nephi, according to the scripture, had been “constrained by the Spirit” to kill Laban. He then brought Laban’s gold-hilted sword to the Western Hemisphere, where it was regarded as sacred among the Nephites. Eric told me the story is sometimes allegorized in LDS circles to justify military force.
Why is the Utah-based faith’s stance on weapons of mass destruction noteworthy? For one, the state occupies a crucial node on the
American map of nuclear weapons production, a history that dates back to the early days of the Cold War, when a scout for the Thiokol Chemical Corporation set out to find “cheap, unproductive land” where it could conduct “explosive” operations to produce missiles for the Air Force. The desert lands of Promontory fit the bill.
The six mile-long plant, nowadays owned by Northrop Grumman, will churn out more than 600 new intercontinental ballistic missiles in the coming years. They’ll then be loaded with warheads and dropped into silos across the American West, on continuous alert for launch orders to shoot over the North Pole and reach Russia or China in about 30 minutes.
Another reason the church’s take matters is because, in a rare moment in which the United States backed down from the nuclear arms race, Mormon leadership contributed to a favorable political climate for disarmament by issuing an extraordinary dissent against nuclear weapons.
Through Ensign Peak, the LDS church invests millions of dollars in weapons manufacturers.
That occurred in 1981, when then-church President Spencer Kimball and his advisors wired a statement directly to the Reagan administration opposing the MX missile, a mobile nuclear weapons program that the Air Force wanted to deploy to Utah.
Does the church still oppose what Kimball called “a mammoth weapons system potentially capable of destroying much of civilization”? If Ensign Peak’s lack of a “sin screen” for nuclear weapons speaks for church positions, then nope.
Two public disclosure deadlines have passed since our first exposé on how the fund is a rare faith-based investor holding stock in nuclear weapons contractors, and SEC filings show that Ensign Peak continues to hold more than 1 million shares of the top 11 companies identified by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Those stocks are worth, according to the SEC, about $289,430,858.
We’ll keep watching those disclosures for any signs of soul-searching. CW
CLINT BURLAP
TAYLOR BARNES
Northrop Grumman is producing weapons for the Air Force at its properties in Utah.
Demonstrators outside Ensign Peak.
Northrop Grumman’s missile plant.
FOLK TALES
THE PAST IS GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, AS CITY WEEKLY CELEBRATES 40 YEARS IN PRINT.
BY WES LONG WLONG@CITYWEEKLY.NET
One tends to experience a wide array of emotions upon turning 40—everything from nostalgia to regret to pride. Also, some back problems.
Those emotions were in rich supply as we embarked upon a year-long celebration of the people, events and stories that bridge the Private Eye newsletter of 1984 to the City Weekly of today.
As a means of marking its 40th year in publication—and to keep Wes Long and Benjamin Wood out of mischief—City Weekly commenced its extended birthday party with a special “Rewind” feature in August of 2023.
“Over the next 40 weeks,” wrote Wood for the inaugural installment, “we’ll be counting down (up?) the years, one City Weekly ‘volume’ at a time—checking in on old friends, old fights and old fads, all leading up to our grand ruby anniversary in 2024.”
And so we did, digging through boxes of 40 years’ worth of back issues to revisit notable stories, celebrate countless contributors, explain milestone developments for the paper
and to provide a glance—as only City Weekly can—at Utah history as it was unfolding.
Whether it was the comics, the venue listings, the advertisements, the comings and goings of our own personnel or the momentous happenings of pandemic and war, every facet of being a community paper was given some degree of attention.
And then there were the stories.
From investigations of public figures to rich profiles of unheralded locals, from cultural reviews to penetrating editorials, countless writers brought forth color, depth, style and soul to the happenings around Salt Lake City and beyond. Whether one was a veteran reporter or an aspiring writer making their debut, all such stories constituted the expansive oeuvre that both Private Eye and City Weekly have showcased from the beginning.
“We had no friends in the protected class that other media danced around, so we weren’t afraid of losing a lunch date if we did a story on the mayor or a banker,” founder John Saltas recalled at project’s launch. “We were doing things far differently in the storytelling, and that’s part of being an alternate newspaper.”
City Weekly’s “Rewind” series wrapped up in May, printed alongside collected messages from former staff members and contributors, a celebratory proclamation from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and a summary evaluation of the paper’s future by Wes Long.
“Are [the present media and social conditions] daunting? Absolutely,” Long acknowledged. “Is the path ahead assured? Absolutely not. Such has been our tortuous journey since our founding, but thanks to the assortment of rebels and dreamers who kept this paper alive by producing it and reading it, the path forward remains open for further traveling.”
years of salt lake CITY WEEKLY
Since the weekly Rewind concluded in May, the anniversary celebration has continued online at CityWeekly.net with our ongoing “Flashback” series, which republishes cover stories, news reports and opinion columns selected from 40 years of archive material— many of which have been introduced to public eyes for the first time since their original preinternet publication.
The Flashbacks constitute only a sampling Continues on page 38
DEREK
John Saltas founded Salt Lake City Weekly in 1984 as the Private Eye, a newsletter for Utah’s private clubs.
of countless works on any number of subjects to carry the Private Eye/City Weekly banners.
Looking ahead, the cover stories and retrospectives that constituted the “Flashback” series will be printed in a souvenir book along with special retrospectives from Private Eye/City Weekly alumni and other additional features relating to this paper’s history. Updates and details on purchasing a copy can be obtained by contacting marketing@cityweekly.net.
It has been said, in a sentiment popularized by the Presbyterian minister Ernest T. Campbell, that the two most important days of a person’s life are the day on which they were born and the day on which they discover why they were born.
Well, the summer of 1984 remains a special time for us here at City Weekly,
and the past year has been a fascinating journey to dig into all that has transpired for us as a paper, as Salt Lakers, as Utahns and as Americans.
But with every issue we publish and with every year that goes by, we are continually reacquainted with our other important day: this day.
In this era of fascism, fear and greed, to be able to talk to people across the entire community, to connect readers with resources and fun, to report on the corruption and celebrate the good that people do, is the reason we do what we do and why we came into being.
And no matter how old this paper gets—whether we make it to our 80th, our 100th or even our 150th— this day remains the one that counts.
Maybe it’s true that life really begins at age 40. CW
CARLISLE City Weekly ’s original name, Private Eye, lives on in a weekly opinion column.
NYC By Way of WJC
After relocating from its Murray location, Enrico’s Deli & Pizzeria is ready to serve West Jordan.
BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer
While I have a lovely, romanticized version of New York deli culture whipped up in my head, I can safely say that I am no travelogue-worthy expert in that field. Any authenticity that I may have mustered has come to me by way of Feldman’s and Caputo’s—though you could do much worse as far as culinary teachers go—so I can’t really nitpick about the ways Enrico’s Deli & Pizzeria meets the traditional standards. What I can tell you is that most everything about this West Jordan deli is prepared to comfort-food perfection.
Enrico’s current location in West Jordan comes on the heels of a speedy relocation from its original spot in Murray. It’s taken over the space that previously belonged to Mr. Fries Man, which also happens to be a primo spot in front of the West Jordan Cinemark. I’m beaming about the concept of grabbing some New York-style pizza by the slice or a thick slab of a deli sandwich before a night at the movies. Enrico’s has made excellent use of the space; the dining room is spacious and the walls are packed with Big Apple memorabilia.
As both a deli and pizzeria that has clad itself in the culinary garb of New York City, Enrico’s has set a pretty high bar for itself. One of the most unique as-
pects of its sandwich menu is that all of Enrico’s pastrami is imported from New York. Pastrami fans who want to get the most out of this ingredient will want to check out Enrico’s take on the classic Reuben ($14.99). Based on appearance alone, this is a textbook Reuben— the toasted rye bread, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, Russian dressing and pastrami are all piled in thick layers. The pastrami has a rich, sienna-colored cure to it, and it’s sliced just thick enough to stay tender with each bite.
I know enough about the deli ecosystem to know that a place touting New York sensibilities serving up a Reuben sandwich is a pretty huge gauntlet to throw down. As I thoughtfully scarfed my way through the Reuben at Enrico’s, I could tell that I was experiencing something special. The Reuben is such a classic in the world of sandwich craft that I’ve had plenty of inferior iterations, but a good Reuben knows how to rein in a trio of big-talkin’ ingredients like pastrami, sauerkraut and Russian dressing. That’s exactly what is happening here.
True pastrami enthusiasts will want to sample The Rico ($20.99), which comes with one whole pound of Enrico’s imported pastrami. It gets a little dressed up with spicy mustard and Swiss cheese, but just in case you’re simply skimming this piece, it comes with an entire pound of pastrami. That’s one. Pound. Of pastrami. I only rarely get ravenous when it comes to pastrami, but when that particular full moon rises above the horizon, I will be making a beeline to Enrico’s.
Sauntering over to the pizza side of the menu was exciting. Enrico’s has all its pies delectably arranged near the cashwrap counter, and they all look tempting in their own ways. I went with the white pizza ($4.99 per slice, $19.99 per pie), which was a good call considering I had just put away a giant Reuben. In true New York pizza fashion, the pies
at Enrico’s are painted on the canvas of a thin, foldable crust. Instead of marinara sauce, the white pizza has a base of garlic and olive oil. You’ve got the classic mozzarella to start with, but it’s also got some tiny dollops of ricotta cheese and sprinkles of pecorino romano. Though Enrico’s has more bodacious pies—like the Peary NY ($4.99 per slice, $21.99 per pie) that mixes alfredo sauce with prosciutto, grilled lemons, pears and balsamic vinegar—the white pizza is an excellent introduction.
Though I wasn’t anywhere close to hungry when I finished these first two items, I was compelled to get a hot dog. The NY Street ($3.99) is the basic dog, made with a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog sliced lengthwise and topped with chopped tomato, onion, mayo, mustard and ketchup. I told myself I wasn’t going to eat the whole thing—really, I did— but the doggo was gone before I knew it. Obviously, the hot dog component was excellent, and I loved the wide range of sauces and veggies onboard, but the bun was what really caught my attention. It’s extremely soft and topped with a bit of cornmeal. I’m guessing this is a New York hot dog secret that I am just now discovering, but I loved it.
At the rate that good New York deli food is showing up in Utah, I feel like I’m getting a decent primer to the traditional spots that pioneered deli food back East. I will always honor the masters of New York deli, but from an objective standpoint, I can say with confidence that Enrico’s is making really damn good food and deli fans of any background will want to check it out. CW
73 West 7200 South, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com
On Tap: Piney Peaks “West Coast IPA”
avenuesproper.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye
Bewilder Brewing
445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com
On Tap: Belgian Pale Ale, Cosmic Pop IPA, Lord of the Ryes Stout
Bohemian Brewery
94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com
On Tap: Cali ‘Steam’ Lager, ‘BrewSki’ German Pilsner, Munich Dunkel NEW: ‘Czechulator’ Doppelbock (9% ABV)
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: Playground #13 - Hazy Pale with Lemondrop and Sultana
Craft by Proper
1053 E. 2100 So., SLC properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Desert Edge Brewery
273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com
On Tap: Ay Curuba! Curuba Sour
Epic Brewing Co.
825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com
On Tap: 2024 Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stouts
Etta Place Cidery
700 W Main St, Torrey www.ettaplacecider.com
On Tap: Wassail Cider, Pineapple Passion Fruit Session Mead
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: Friendly Introduction Pale Ale
Kiitos Brewing
608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
Now with a full bar license & draft beer cocktails!
On Tap: Gluten Free Peach Bellini Sour
Level Crossing Brewing Co.
2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Rising Hope White Peach IPA 20% Off all gift cards for holidays
Level Crossing Brewing Co., POST
550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Fresh Hop Little Suss 20% Off all gift cards for holidays
Moab Brewing
686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com
On Tap: Arnie (Co-Lab with 2 Row brewing): cream ale base with Lychee black tea and fresh pasteurized lemon juice.
Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com
On Tap: Cranberry Rosemary Hard Cider
Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ On Tap: DOPO IPA
Ogden Beer Company
358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenBeerCompany.com
On Tap: 11 rotating taps as well as high point cans and guest beers
Park City Brewing 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com
On Tap: Tiny Kickturn - Hazy pale with Mosaic, Strata, Cashmere, and Chinook
Policy Kings Brewery
223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com
Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan
Prodigy-brewing.com
On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner
Proper Brewing/Proper Burger 857 So. Main & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Blizzard Wizard Hazy Pale Ale
Red Rock Brewing
254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Gypsy Scratch
A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week
Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Munich Dunkel
Red Rock Kimball Junction 1640 Redstone Center Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier
RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com
On Tap: Task Manager CTRL+ALT+BEIR
Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com
On Tap: Roosters Piney Pale Ale
SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com
On Tap: 10 Ton Truck West Coast IPA
Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com
On Tap: Winter Amber with notes of Vanilla and Brown Sugar
Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com
On Tap: SCION MOSH PIT (Hopped) - 8.4% ABV
Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek https://secondsummitcider. com On Tap: Pear Rosemary 6.5%
Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Fresh Hop IPA (with homegrown local hops)
Shades On State
366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com
On Tap: Hellion Blonde Ale; Black Cloud Lager
Silver Reef
4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George SGBev.com
Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co.
147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/
squatters On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co.
– Funky Cold Adeena SMASH Lager
Squatters and Wasatch Brewery
1763 So 300 West SLC UT 84115 Utahbeers.com
On Tap: 20 beers with 12 rotating small batch releases: Black Tea English Porter, Hazelnut Brown Ale, and more! Small Batch Series Release: Back Abbey Double Belgian Ale
Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi, UT StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: Lonesome Shadow (Schwarzbier); Fish Tank (Collaboration Munich Dunkle w/ Fisher Brewing)
Strap Tank Brewery, Springville
596 S 1750 W, Springville, UT StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: The Gambler (Mango Kolsch); Caught in the Rain (Pineapple Sour)
TF Brewing
936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com
On Tap: Strata Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com
BEER NERD
No Hops, No Problem
Two beers that don’t rely on hops
BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer
Saltfire Mount Naomi - Cab Franc
Pilsner: This is a collaboration with Mt Naomi Vineyards in Cache Valley, Utah. This wine and beer hybrid boasts a 49% blend of Marechi Foch and Corot Noir grapes and 51% Pilsner Malt.
The beer is served with a deep Cabernet color, full of ruby and purple hues. Very little foam survives the pour from the draft faucet, with a trace of lace on the sides of the glass. The aroma of the brew is rather light overall, and consists mainly of dark grapes and some harvest fruits. Along with these aromas comes a little bit of a cracker smell and a hint of floral hop and hibiscus.
The taste begins with a crisp grape and cracker flavor, with some other light harvest fruit flavors mixed within. There is a rather decent showing of Cabernet, which grows slightly more intense as the flavor advances. With a little bit of herb and more flowery flavors coming at the end, one is left with a nice and clean floral red wine flavor to linger on the tongue. The body of the brew is super light and crisp, with a moderate carbonation level.
Verdict: This is a rather easy-drinking wine/beer hybrid. Though it’s primarily a beer, you really get little of the pilsner base beer, which is to be expected from such a light lager. Overall, a nice semi–crisp beer and wine hybrid.
Bewilder Lord of the Ryes: I often talk about hops and how complex blends can create the most brilliant fruity flavors in IPAs. Today, we have a masterclass in malt, and how it can be just as effective in creating flavors that can transcend the typical flavors of beers as well.
This stout pours a small bubbly but thick mocha-colored head, with good retention that doesn’t seem to fade, messy lacing, almost pitch-black beer and nice legs. The nose brings a pleasant wave of dark chocolate and cocoa, which transitions into caramel. Next, vanilla and nougat round out a very enticing aroma. The rye malt here really transformed the generally roasty cocoa notes you’d expect from a stout; I’d almost mistaken it for fudge.
The taste brings more of everything from the nose: big nougat out front, with some cocoa flavors as well. Nice espresso bitterness comes through next, with spicy rye malt notes enhancing the overall impressions of the stout. At midpalate, dark chocolate cocoa and fudgy characters emerge, along with some caramel and more roasted malt, followed by mild roast coffee and then raw vanilla bean notes with a little rye whiskey. There’s no whiskey in this stout, but the rye malt combined with the 6.66% alcohol gives that impression. As we got toward the end of this flavor rollercoaster, I experienced a hint of baking spices, fudgy cocoa and layers of cookie dough. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, rich, creamy and almost chewy, with medium to lighter carbonation but on point, with just a touch of alcohol.
Verdict: Beer like this is why I love rye malt so much. Less than 20% of this stout is rye, but the enhancement it provides takes this from a standard American stout to a complex year-round stout that can be enjoyed even when you’re not in a dark beer mood. There’s so much excellent malt character here, you owe it to yourself to try some.
Bewilder tells me that Lord of the Ryes will likely make it into Bewilder’s regular lineup, but until it’s official, I’d grab some for the holidays or just to have on hand. It’s in 16-ounce cans at Bewilder. The Mount Naomi - Cab Franc Pilsner is 5.0% ABV, and only available on draft. No word yet on if this will be available for growler fills, as it’s a very smallbatch beer.
As always, cheers! CW
the BACK BURNER
BY AIMEE L. COOK
Get your drink on at Melancholy Wine & Cocktail Lounge
Melancholy Wine & Cocktail Lounge, now open in Salt Lake City’s Post District, is co-owned by the women-led team behind local favorites Good Grammar and new coffee/bar fusion creation Coterie. Fallan Keyser and Shaleen Bishop offer a fresh twist on the classic wine bar experience at Melancholy.
The menu, crafted by bar manager Morgan Michel and sommelier Natalie Hamilton, takes bold flavor to the next level—from cocktails like the spicy “Dirty Work” with locally-distilled Waterpocket gin to “Kalimotxo,” a sippable mix of Grenache, Averna, Campari and house cola syrup. Hamilton’s wine selections feature standout biodynamic picks from around the globe that pair with the snackable food offerings like house-made pickled veggies and a selection of tinned fish.
“I want to bring a global spectrum of wines from regions that might be a little more unique and perhaps less mainstream,” Hamilton said. “I want this to be a spot where people can come and try something you haven’t tried before, especially in the Utah market, focusing on smaller production.”
The interiors are adorned with greenery, antique accents and cozy seating across two stories. A vibrant all-seasons patio is set to open soon, making it the perfect spot for community events like book clubs, which they recently launched and “booked” up quickly. The reimagined post office space is a great place to gather after a long day, or as the start to a weekend of shenanigans.
Enjoy creative drinks, curated wines and welcoming European pub vibes at Melancholy Wine & Cocktail Lounge (556 S. Gale Street).
Holiday Music Gift Guide 2024
Gift ideas for the music-lover in your life
BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl
Holiday gift-giving can be pretty tough—but never fear. City Weekly is here to ease your worries about what to get for your loved ones for Christmas. Well, if they’re a music-lover, anyway. Here are some ideas if you’re stuck on what to give the musically inclined in your life.
Home décor: It’s hard to go wrong with home décor; it’s a great way to make a person’s space feel more cozy and helps them express their personality. Searching up “music-themed décor” comes up with all sorts of treasures from wall decals, to picture frames for vinyl records, to rugs that look like cassette tapes straight out of the ’90s. Websites like Aesthetic Roomcore and Uncommon Goods have fun gifts, while places like Etsy offer more customdesigned options—plus, you’re able to buy from small businesses there.
Support locals with BandCamp Fridays: If your loved one is in a band or puts out music in some capacity on the BandCamp website, a great way to support them is to buy their music on BandCamp Fridays. These are designated days during the month where BandCamp waives their revenue share, so that all the funds go directly to artists. Since 2020, more than $120 million has been sent to artists during these events. BandCamp Friday for this month has already passed, but keep an eye out for their schedule for 2025, and make that a late Christmas gift for your musi-
cian friend. Or, buy some of their music throughout the year on BandCamp Fri days, because that’s awesome, too.
For those who love games and music: Most people have more than one interest and hobby, so for those who love music and gaming, there are several fun options. Uncommon Goods has a gorgeous play ing card deck that features fantastic art of some of the biggest names in music, from Jimi Hendrix to Dolly Parton to Madonna. These would be excellent to bust out dur ing a night with friends, or even just flip ping through the cards to admire the art. Similarly, if you have a person who loves music and facts about music, you can get them a trivia game to test their knowl edge. Ridley’s Games features trivia card games for the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s that will have you digging through the filing cabi nets in your brain for the answers. Last but not least, if you have someone who loves puzzles, they may want to check out the 1000-piece puzzle with art from James Mellett that features rock stars and pop icons from the 1950s to the present.
LEGO sets: There’s probably a LEGO set for every type of person. They have endless sets for your favorite pop-culture fran chises, sets for those interested in ento mology … there are even plenty of plant and flower sets for those who can’t keep real ones alive. Music fans can also find a set that they’ll love. Some sets can be a bit pricey, like the Jazz Quartet or Grand Piano sets, but if you’re looking for something on a smaller scale (and something that will be easier on your wallet), you can grab the Retro Radio, Retro Record Player or Fender Guitar sets. There’s even a BTS set for the K-Pop lovers out there. LEGO sets are fun to build and look awesome on display, so consider getting one for the music-lover in your life.
MUSIC
Ticket stub diary: For the show-goer in your life, a ticket stub diary might just
Power bank: Speaking of avid concertgoers, one thing they may appreciate is a power bank to help charge their devices while they’re out on the go. There’s nothing worse than having your phone die when you’re out at an event. Not only are you deprived of taking photos, but you’re also missing a safety line if something goes wrong. Power banks typically cost anywhere from $20-80, but your average concert-goer won’t need anything too fancy. A $20-30 one will do just fine
places like StubHub, Live Nation or Ticket Master to help drive the cost of those tickets down a little. Similarly, giving them gift cards for their favorite streaming service is always great. You can gift subscriptions of Spotify Premium and Apple Music for a whole year or a few months, but either way, your audiophile person will appreciate it.
There you have it. Hopefully this gave you some good ideas for gifts, but if not, thanks for hanging out anyway. CW
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE
BEST BAR IN UTAH!
GREAT FOOD
MUSIC PICK S
Adventure Club @ The Marquis 12/20
It can be difficult to rally the weekend before all the New Year’s festivities, but if there’s one group worth rallying for, it’s the Canadian electronic music duo Adventure Club (Christian Srigley and Leighton James). The two have been friends since high school, evolving from punk/hardcore musicians to their now signature sound which includes melodic, sensual, high-pitched female vocals with house and dubstep synths. It’s been a popular staple of their music since their well-known 2011 remix of “Crave You” by Flight Facilities, which amassed over 34 million streams on SoundCloud. Often considered among the pioneers of dubstep, Srigley and James have mastered the art of the melodic genre of dubstep and continue to keep it alive and thriving. Adventure’s earlier work in 2012, like the remix of “Lullabies” by Yuna contain deeply romantic lyrics: “Forever in my mind, only you / The pieces in my life go away with you / Forever in my mind, only you / The pieces in my life run away with you / You’re my first love …” From their song “Rise and Fall” with Krewella, to the Grammy-nominated remix “Undercover” with Kehlani, their 2020 single title “High Like This,” to their newest 2023 single titled “You Found Me,” the duo showcase their emotive buildups and explosive drops. Bundle up this weekend to see Adventure Club perform at The Marquis in Park City on Friday, Dec. 20. Doors open at 9 p.m.; tickets cost $35 at tixr.com. (Arica Roberts)
AND 2 EACH 3 BUTTON KEY FOBS
MUSIC PICK S
Cannibal Queen, Bad Luck Brigade, You Shall Know Our Velocity @ Kilby
Court 12/20
The last few weeks of the year are always kind of a blur. Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, it kind of makes life feel like the Wild West: Kids are out of school, adults are off work, and sometimes you want to do something other than stay in. If you’re looking for fun things to do in this weird in-between time, come catch this trio of excellent locals. At the top of the bill is Cannibal Queen, a music project of singer/songwriter Aubrey Auclair. “I closed a lot of doors and opened so many new ones. I’m the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, and I feel that’s what I make music about,” Auclair wrote on her Spotify profile. “I’ve never been good at biting my tongue, and I’m brutally honest when I write my songs. My music isn’t meant to fit a genre, I just hope you find something that pleases you.” Her latest release, “Hostage,” is tragic, sad and beautiful all at the same time. It’s stunningly produced and will have you thinking about it long after it stops playing. Bad Luck Brigade and You Shall Know Our Velocity also take the stage at this all-ages show on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)
Holiday Pops Extravaganza @
Abravanel Hall 12/20-21
Christmas week ushers in the top of the pops to you and yours via the Utah Symphony’s annual holiday offerings, this year featuring the Holiday Pops Extravaganza at Abravanel Hall. These days, it’s hard to gauge what “fun for the whole family” actually means when you’re trying to appease a rambunctious toddler, an angsty teen and your mother-in-law all in one swing. Luckily, a night at the symphony bridges these divides seamlessly, offering Christmas classics everyone can join in on (“Sleigh Ride,” anyone?) while also providing a serving of Nutcracker suites. Plus, Santa Claus himself is guaranteed a visit! So, let the season’s greeting wash over you as the dazzling musicians of Utah walk you through a winter wonderland, or simply enjoy the hour-or-so odd minutes of guaranteed silence you are graciously granted from your family as you sit rapt within the power of music. Maybe
even let bygones be bygones and sing along! The festivities take place on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range in price and can be found at utahsymphony.org. (Sophie Caligiuri)
Loom @ The State Room, 12/21
Improvisation is music’s wild card. At its worst, it’s a noisy train wreck. In a better form, it can still sometimes come across as insular, the musical version of an inside joke that only the players get. At its best, however, improvisation energizes the musicians and engages the audience, creating a never-before (and, by definition, a never-again) experience. The latter is the target at which SLC-based Loom aims. Combining a dizzying array of musical styles—country, disco, funk, jazz, rock and world—Loom seeks to weave a sonic tapestry that works for listening as much as it does dancing. The group’s aesthetic is squarely focused on the here-and-now, creating auditory atmospheres that cele -
MUSIC PICK S
brate those shared experiences, breaking down perceived barriers between band and audience. The band—Billy Rogan (guitar), Vince DiMichele (bass), Tyler Troy (keyboards) and Carlos Bible (drums)—fashions original material, but Loom also applies its musical character to existing and well-known songs, endeavoring to make cuts like The Meters’ classic “Cissy Strut” their own. While improvisation (or jamming, if you prefer) is Loom’s specialty live onstage, in the studio (as showcased on “What I Mean”) the quartet takes a tightly focused approach to its craft. The 21+ show takes place Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 at axs.com. (Bill Kopp)
The Shake Up! @ The Green Room 12/21
All that matters is what’s in the grooves—and Rockin’ Robin has you covered. Artist/illustrator/vinyl DJ Robin Banks’ nom de plume (or is it a nom de guerre at this point?) brings The Shake Up to Utah’s only hi-fi listening bar that is right here in Salt Lake City.
The Shake Up! is an event where they play all ’60s wax, from soul to garage rock, bubblegum and psych pop. Bands you can expect to hear are Marvin Gaye, the Kinks and Nancy Sinatra, along with deeper cuts like the Music Machine and Don Gardner. If you have heard Robin’s radio show, Gee Whiz! (Tuesdays from midnight – 2 a.m. on KRCL 90.9FM), then you know what you are getting into. Same sense of chaos with a new sense of style. Endlessly shifting chords, splendid harmonies and sublime bridges and that stuck ‘aum.....bobdittit’ that’s emblematic of the fun and innocence of the time. If you’re out to create special moments, a singular experience or even if you just want to get on out there and strut about, you should know that Robin also plays film clips of go-go dancing, weird cartoons and advertisements from a projector. It’s not so much avant-garde; it’s just a big hit with the crowd. The audience is almost as big a part of the show. Catch all of this at the Green Room (17 E. 400 South in SLC) on Saturday, Dec 21 at 8 p.m. Admission or the 21+ event is free. For more information please check @ thegreenroom.bar on Instagram. (Mark Dago)
Holiday Pops
free will ASTROLOGY
BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
If you worked eight hours per day, seven days a week, it would take you 300 years to count to the number 1 billion. I don’t recommend you try that. I also discourage you from pursuing any other trivial tasks that have zero power to advance your long-term dreams. In a similar spirit, I will ask you to phase out minor longings that distract you from your major longings. Please, Aries, I also beg you to shed frivolous obsessions that waste energy you should instead devote to passionate fascinations. The counsel I’m offering here is always applicable, of course, but you especially need to heed it in the coming months.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
In 1951, minister and author Norman Vincent Peale was working on a new book. As he wrote, he would regularly read passages to his wife, Ruth. She liked it a lot, but he was far less confident in its worth. After a while, he got so discouraged he threw the manuscript in the trash. Unbeknownst to him, Ruth retrieved it and stealthily showed it to her husband’s publisher, who loved it. The book went on to sell five million copies. Its title? The Power of Positive Thinking I hope that in 2025, you will benefit from at least one equivalent to Ruth in your life, Taurus. Two or three would be even better. You need big boosters and fervent supporters. If you don’t have any, go round them up.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
I love how colorfully the creek next to my house expresses itself. As high tide approaches, it flows south. When low tide is on its way, it flows north. The variety of its colors is infinite, with every shade and blend of green, grey, blue and brown. It’s never the same shape. Its curves and width are constantly shifting. Among the birds that enhance its beauty are mallards, sandpipers, herons, grebes, egrets and cormorants. This magnificent body of water has been a fascinating and delightful teacher for me. One of my wishes for you in 2025, Gemini, is that you will commune regularly with equally inspiring phenomena. I also predict you will do just that. Extra beauty should be on your agenda!
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Just 81 billionaires have commandeered half of the world’s wealth. Even worse, those greedy hoarders are usually taxed the least. That’s hard to believe! How is it even possible that such a travesty has come to pass? I also wonder if many of us non-billionaires have milder versions of these proclivities. Are there a few parts of me that get most of the goodies that my life provides, while other parts of me get scant attention and nourishment? The answer is yes. For example, the part of me that loves to be a creative artist receives much of my enthusiasm, while the part of me that enjoys socializing gets little juice. How about you, Cancerian? I suggest you explore this theme in the coming weeks and months. Take steps to achieve greater parity between the parts of you that get all they need and the parts of you that don’t.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Anthropologist Robin Dunbar theorizes that most of us have limits to our social connections. Typically, our closest circle includes five loved ones. We may also have 15 good friends, 50 fond allies, 150 meaningful contacts, and 1,500 people we know. If you are interested in expanding any of these spheres, Leo, the coming months will be an excellent time to do so. In addition, or as an alternative, you might also choose to focus on deepening the relationships you have with existing companions and confederates.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century. It was written by a Virgo, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her story about the enslavement of African Americans in the U.S. was not only popular, it awakened many people to the intimate horrors of the calamity—and ultimately played a key role in energizing the abolitionist movement. I believe you are potentially capable of achieving your own version of
that dual success in the coming months. You could generate accomplishments that are personally gratifying even as they perform a good service for the world.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
According to my reading of the omens, you will be teased with an abundance of invitations to grow in 2025. You will be encouraged to add to your current skills and expertise. You will be nudged to expand your understanding of what exactly you are doing here on planet Earth. That’s not all, Libra! You will be pushed to dissolve shrunken expectations, transcend limitations and learn many new lessons. Here’s my question: Will you respond with full heart and open mind to all these possibilities? Or will you sometimes neglect and avoid them? I dare you to embrace every challenge that interests you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Scorpio-born Rudolf Karel was a 20th-century Czech composer who created 17 major works, including symphonies and operas. His work was interrupted when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied his homeland. He joined the Czech resistance, but was eventually arrested and confined to Pankrác Prison. There he managed to compose a fairy-tale opera, Three Hairs of the Wise Old Man No musical instruments were available in jail, of course, so he worked entirely in his imagination and wrote down the score using toilet paper and charcoal. I firmly believe you will not be incarcerated like Karel in the coming months, Scorpio. But you may have to be extra resourceful and resilient as you find ways to carry out your best work. I have faith that you can do it!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
What is the perfect gift I could offer you this holiday season? I have decided on a large square black box with nothing inside. There would be a gold ribbon around it bearing the words, “The Fruitful Treasure of Pregnant Emptiness.” With this mysterious blessing, I would be fondly urging you to purge your soul of expectations and assumptions as you cruise into 2025. I would be giving you the message, “May you nurture a freewheeling voracity for novel adventures and fresh experiences.”
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
One of my paramount wishes for you in 2025 is this: You will deepen your devotion to taking good care of yourself. You will study and learn more about the sweet secrets to keeping yourself in prime mental and physical health. I’m not suggesting you have been remiss about this sacred work in the past. But I am saying that this will be a favorable time to boost your knowledge to new heights about what precisely keeps your body and emotions in top shape. The creative repertoire of self-care that you cultivate in the coming months will serve you well for the rest of your long life.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
To fulfill your life mission, to do what you came here to earth to do, you must carry out many tasks. One of the most important is to offer your love with hearty ingenuity. What are the best ways to do that? Where should you direct your generous care and compassion? And which recipients of your blessings are likely to reciprocate in ways that are meaningful to you? While Jupiter is cruising through Gemini, as it is now and until June 2025, life will send you rich and useful answers to these questions. Be alert!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Mysteries of the past will be extra responsive to your investigations in 2025. Persistent riddles from your life’s earlier years may be solvable. I encourage you to be aggressive in collecting previously inaccessible legacies. Track down missing heirlooms and family secrets. Just assume that ancestors and dead relatives have more to offer you than ever before. If you have been curious about your genealogy, the coming months will be a good time to explore it. I wish you happy hunting as you search for the blessings of yesteryear—and figure out how to use them in the present.
Pamper Yourself
Jeuveau and Xeomin
Marketing Analyst. FT. Big Mouth Street Food LLC (DBA Hero Hotpot), 3390 State St, #33, Salt Lake City, UT 84115. Resp for: Dsgn’g & implmnt’g online systs for mkt data collect’n. Cndct mkt rsrch to anlyz competitors & mkt conds using qualitative & quantitative mthds. Dvlp & deliver reprts on bus mktg perf. Proficient use of range of analytical tools & s/ware for data anlys. Req Bachelor’s in Mkt Rsrch Analyst, Digital Mktg Specialist, or rltd field & 6 mos of relevant exp as Mktg Analyst or similar role. No supervisory duties req’d. Fam w/ analytical tools & s/ware for data anlys. Expertise in using mkt rsrch tools & s/ware is essential. Salary: Competitive. Send resume & cvr ltr to Jakedowey@hotmail. com.
Wide variety of job opportunities from Logan to Springville
Good pay: every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
University of Utah Health and the Moran Eye Center will be destroying medical records created prior to 01/01/2002 for all patients. UUH and Moran will also be destroying medical records created prior to 01/01/2014 for deceased patients who passed away prior to 01/01/2014 and who were over the age of 18 at the time of death. If you would like to request a copy of your records prior to destruction, or if you have a legal right to access a deceased relatives medical information and would like a copy of their records, you must contact the facility at 801-581-2704 before 01/01/2024. After that date, records will no longer be available.
Need a New Hive?
urban LIVING
Arrg! Pirates!
According to security.org, online purchases generate about 22 billion packages each year—or more than 60 per person. The website also reports that porch pirates stole $12 billion in packages in the past year, with 58 million Americans having been victims in the past 12 months.
Apartment dwellers experience package theft at double the rate of those who live in homes. And yet, 14% of Americans take no precautions to prevent this kind of theft.
Does installing security cameras help keep the bad ones away?
They can certainly catch the thief’s photo, but the image can be blurry or unidentifiable when they hide their face and features. Some pirates won’t approach a property where there are visible cameras, whether the cameras are phony or not.
Trust me, the cops are not going to make a priority of investigating your package theft and catching the person who stole from you. But they may be able to bundle your camera’s evidence with other robberies in the area that can eventually nail the criminal(s).
If you are planning on sending packages during the current holidays or in the future, use tracking services from UPS, FedX and USPS, and even require a signature upon delivery. There are now safe delivery boxes in our major Utah cities—like the red “Amazon Drop Boxes” you find at many convenience stores—to use as an alternative delivery place for your goods.
It’s estimated that the average value of a stolen package is $204 and that 25% of Americans have had a package stolen at least once in their life. Security.org also suggests that nearly $3 billion in e-commerce merchandise was swiped just this past summer, with the West and Northeast having the most packages stolen, and the Midwest proving a safer destination for parcels.
At our home, we opted for a small sign on the ground by the front door mat. It says “Please leave packages in box to the right of the door” and roughly 98% of delivery people follow the instructions. They don’t like getting yelled at for missing packages— providing them a place for our deliveries helps them too.
We went to Lowe’s and got a threeby-three-by-three-foot garden storage box for tools and hoses with a waterproof lid. It holds plenty and you can’t tell if there’s anything in it. So far, no pirates have attacked!
If you’re headed out shopping, know that the No. 1 crime is theft. Car breakins suck because they often leave expensive damage like a broken window in the aftermath. Do not leave your car unlocked but, even more important, don’t leave valuables in your car. If you have a trunk, use it.
There’s nothing worse than coming out of a Jazz game to find your car has been broken into. But thieves know you are gone and can hit in less than a minute. Worse would be having the car stolen, as that crime is also up.
Happy holidays to all. Stay safe and be mindful! ■
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. Swedish automaker
5. Long-lasting style
9. Fighting words
14. Experienced
15. WWII opponent
16. Specialized market
17. British elevator that flat-out doesn’t work?
19. Does a vet’s job
20. Greek vowel
21. “___ be here soon”
22. Move briskly
23. Movie star known for silly and bumbling characters?
27. Rubber squeakers, e.g.
30. A in German class
31. Floating out there
32. California’s La ___ Tar Pits
33. Med. insurance option
36. “This event totally reminds me of a traveling carnival”?
41. Musical aptitude
42. “___ Calm and Carry On”
43. Cuba libre garnish
44. Served as
45. 2015 Emily Blunt crime film
48. Two focuses of a Grateful Dead-themed vegan restaurant?
52. Company found at many airports
53. “South Pacific” Tony winner Pinza
54. Rubber duckie’s home
57. ___ Sark (scotch brand)
59. Group that reports on a single Greek island?
61. “Ignore that last comment”
62. “What’s Hecuba to him, ___ to Hecuba”: Hamlet
63. “Because of the Times” group Kings of ___
64. Cares for
65. General ___ chicken
66. Office furniture
DOWN
1. Out of trouble
2. Touch upon
3. “Dark Angel” actress Jessica
4. Arthur of “The Golden Girls”
5. Minuscule
6. Napoleon and Peron, for example
7. Rummage (through)
8. Ariz. setting all year long
9. Contacts
10. Go quietly (around)
11. Snowman accessory
12. “Stop kidding around!”
13. Avian homes
18. Napoleon Dynamite’s uncle
23. Trading card figure
24. Soft ball substance
25. “Mon ___!” (French cry)
26. ___ empty stomach
27. Go out with
28. Accident-preventing org.
29. Equipment
32. Fast jazz subgenre
33. “Aquarius” musical
34. Rogers once married to Tom Cruise
35. Cookie that partnered with Coca-Cola
37. Furniture retailer with a blue and yellow logo
38. Recognized
39. Get out the message?
40. TV chef Bobby
44. Broken beyond belief
45. Defiant challenge
46. Van Gogh bloomers
47. Nile snapper, for short
Last week’s answers
the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to
No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving
48. Implied
Egg cell 50. Feel at home
Razzes
Swing support
Unusual crafts
NEWS of the WEIRD
BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL
Awesome!
A Laysan albatross named Wisdom, who lives at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, laid what experts believe to be her 60th egg recently, her first in four years. Wisdom is 74 years old, the Associated Press reported on Dec. 6. Laysan albatrosses mate for life; Wisdom’s mate, Akeakamai, has not been seen for several years, and Wisdom started stepping out with another male. “We are optimistic that the egg will hatch,” said Jonathan Plissner, supervisory wildlife biologist at the refuge. Eggs typically incubate for about two months.
Fake Santa
Visitors at the Great Hall in Winchester, Hampshire, England, are demanding refunds after the quality of the Santa stand-in was not up to their expectations, The Guardian reported on Dec. 10. Comments included that he had a “blatantly fake beard” and “cheap red suit” and called the whole experience a “shambles.” “He wasn’t very talkative at all—he didn’t seem very jovial. It ruined the experience,” said Matthew Fernandez, 38, who brought his three children. His children were “in tears regarding the situation and said they knew he was a fake.” The Hampshire Cultural Trust said this year’s experience is different from last year’s and they would offer refunds to customers who had not visited yet.
Sign of the Times
An unnamed woman in Chongqing, China, landed the grand prize of $1,380 after she managed to avoid using her mobile phone for ... one hour, MSN reported on Dec. 3. A local business organized the “public welfare challenge” aimed to spotlight the issue of smartphone addiction. The winning participant showed up in her jammies and had to lie perfectly still, without benefit of distractions like books or movies. Out of 10 contestants, she was the only one who prevailed.
That’s
Commitment
And you thought your commute was tough. International student Guangli Xu, 28, currently in his final semester at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, went viral in early December after posting a video on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) documenting his weekly commute. That is, his weekly 5,468-mile commute. Xu told SBS Mandarin that the trip from his hometown of Dezhou in China’s Shandong province to Melbourne and back—a journey he made 11 times between August and October—costs about $1,500, which ends up being comparable to what his cost of living would be if he stayed in Melbourne full-time. “But I think the money is better spent [in China],” Xu said, “because the overall cost here is lower.”
Claus Canceled?
The debate about a War on Christmas may be something of an annual tradition in right-wing American news media, but a recent letter from Vitaly Borodin, the head of Russia’s Federal Project on Security and Combating Corruption, names Santa Claus himself as the key figure in an international Christmas conflict. According to Newsweek Borodin’s letter to Russia’s Prosecutor General, which was first reported by the Russian news outlet Meduza, calls St. Nick a “foreign agent” and expresses concern that the jolly old elf is replacing Father Frost (also known as Ded Moroz), the country’s traditional Christmas-time figure. Borodin has at least one notable supporter in Mikhail Ivanov, deputy of the Bryansk regional parliament, who told the Russian outlet Life that, “Santa Claus has become not so much a symbol of Christmas as a symbol of commerce and mass production.” Ivanov has called for Santa Claus merchandise to be replaced with that of Ded Moroz all throughout Russia. Someone’s getting coal for Christmas.
Bad Habit
A mafia investigation in Italy yielded 24 arrests, but one suspect stands out among the rest: Sister Anna Donelli. The BBC reported on Dec. 4 that a sting operation by the Italian police caught the nun using her position as a volunteer at a prison, which gave her “free access to the penitentiary facilities,” to relay messages and info between the notorious ‘Ndrangheta mafia and its incarcerated members. Donelli will surely have company as she awaits trial; the police operation, which involves hundreds of officers, is ongoing across northern Italy.
Issss That You Ssssnoring?
Here’s news to help replenish your stock of nightmare fuel. The Indian Express reported that a man in Stellenbosch, South Africa, found a surprise under his bedroom pillow when he returned home in late November: a live Cape cobra. The man immediately called Stellenbosch Snake Removals, who posted a video clip on Nov. 24 on Facebook of the removal by expert snake wrangler Emile Rossouw. The company called the highly venomous snake “by far our most dangerous cobra,” and said “with the Black Mamba it accounts for the majority of fatal snake bites in South Africa.” Sleep tight.
Saving Santa
Ho-ho-ho-no: One of Santa’s helpers had to be rescued off the side of a building, reported USA Today on Dec. 10. Firefighters were called to the scene of the Holiday Extravaganza in Norwalk, Connecticut, when a man dressed as Santa Claus got stuck 60 feet off the ground. The man was rappelling down the 13-story building when part of his costume became entangled in the rigging. The rescue crew pulled him to safety through a 6th-floor window; no injuries were reported. (Had it been the real Santa, of course, the reindeer would have flown to his rescue right away.)
Eyes
All Over
Ever feel like you’re being watched? Someone in Bend, Oregon, has been putting googly eyes on public artwork in local roundabouts, reported The Sacramento Bee on Dec. 8. At least eight statues and sculptures have been “enhanced” so far, and city officials are none too pleased. “While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art,” read a Dec. 4 post on the city’s Instagram page. It seems the adhesive used by the googly bandit can damage the artwork; the city claims to have spent $1,500 on repairs so far. However, the comments on the city’s post were decidedly pro-whimsy: “These googly eyes give me the hope to move forward each day,” read one. Others included: “Let us have some fun,” “Googly eyes keep my mental health in a good place,” and the hard-to-argue-with “LONG LIVE GOOGLY EYES!”
Yay, Science!
A Chicago middle schooler brought some goose droppings to science club—and landed in the middle of a biomedical breakthrough. The club is supervised by researchers from the University of Illinois as part of an initiative to “involve young learners in the search for new antibiotics,” reported ScienceAlert on Dec. 5. Students were instructed to “explore their neighborhood for new bioactive compounds.” Hence, goose poop from a local park. With the help of the pros, the student safely isolated a bacterium from the droppings that showed antibiotic activity—an incredibly rare and important feat, say the experts. Not only that, but the bacterium also produced a never-before-seen natural compound which, in lab tests, slowed the growth of certain cancer cells. The student is now listed as a coauthor of the peer-reviewed paper on the discoveries.
