City Weekly June 20, 2024

CITY WEEKLY

UTAH'S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER

Salt Lake City’s $2 billion budget includes higher taxes for residents, new public restrooms and a pay raise for the mayor and Council.

By Josi Hinds

CITY WEEKLY STORE

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BOX

Not So Fast

Barry Hecker again asks the Utah Department of Transportation to change its traffic controls (“Traffic Trouble,” June 13 Soap Box), having previously complained about these in December 2022. What Mr. Hecker considers to be a common sense solution to short green turning arrows has unintended consequences: Longer green arrows means longer red lights, with longer reds providing more incentive to run them.

Through traffic running red lights means longer waits before taking green

arrows, leaving the problem unresolved or perhaps worse than before—and certainly more dangerous.

I have two suggestions: First, the Utah Department of Transportation should abandon traffic lights altogether. The best traffic flow I experience in Salt Lake City is when traffic lights are out of service.

Despite how horribly Utahns drive (at least in Salt Lake City), they all seem to know how to wait their turns at four-way, uncontrolled intersections.

Traffic may be slow (which helps to eliminate speeding), but the wait times are shorter and, as we say back East, at least traffic is moving.

My other suggestion is for Mr. Hecker:

If you fear for your life trying to turn left onto 45th South from State Street or Van Winkle, or onto Van Winkle from 9th East, then please avoid those intersections.

If you fear making left turns in general, then it’s time either to stop driving or to see a psychiatrist.

KENNER SIEBUS

Murray

“Cracks in the ‘Sin Screen,’”

June 6 Cover [Latter-day Saints] are god’s-wrath-fearing-patriotic-U.S.-americans; and what’s more American than war profiteering? The irony is that after its people were poisoned by U.S. nuclear testing, they now invest in and profit from that same death cult of capital. A peculiar people, indeed.

UNSETTLING_MORMONISM

Via Instagram

Go Latter-day Saints! You all live up to the name!

CHANCE_STROOT Via Instagram

War = Money-making business. Stop funding genocide if you all want a healthy planet and people. Plain and simple.

ADIIDADII Via Instagram

Did The Salt Lake Tribune take over Salt Lake City Weekly?

TROYRUSHTON.UT

Via Instagram

In other words, LDS church invests millions into the local economy and creates thousands of jobs. But yeah.

ZACHARYLEROY Via Instagram

What’s this? Another PR blunder for the Cult of Mammon? Every month they step on a new rake and I’m here applauding it.

CURSE_MY_METAL_BODY Via Instagram

Anyone who is a native Utahn knew this was going on, but just like y’all are keeping quiet on who you are voting for. We all know who you are voting for, too.

JANEYUTAH

Via Instagram

I don’t know, seems like most tithe-payers are very pro-destruction.

VIVACARINA Via Instagram

Care to sound off about a local concern? Write to comments@cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media.

THE WATER COOLER

What is your favorite way to keep cool during the summer heat?

Katharine Biele

As of today, it’s standing in a swimming pool playing cards with friends on a floating table with plastic cards. I know, it sounds ridiculous. But it’s pretty cool.

Carolyn Campbell

I like to wear sunglasses, drink lots of ice water and go to water aerobics.

Scott Renshaw

I’ve gotten myself a membership to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium. It’s turned into a wonderful place to get my steps in and to chill out (both literally and spiritually).

Sabina Lowe

My favorite way to cool off in the summer is to play with my dogs with the hose. They love running around and being sprayed with the cool water! And it’s great exercise for them!

Paula Saltas

I limit my physical activity both outdoors and indoors, all year long. It seems to be working.

Eric Granato

Lots of water and my cool towel.

Kayla Dreher Hot yoga! Exposure therapy works.

PRIVATE EYE

BY JOHN SALTAS

I’m MAGA

My first job was cleaning the floors and toilets in the Moonlight Gardens tavern in Lead Mine, up in Bingham Canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains. I was 12.

Today, Bingham Canyon is no more and Lead Mine is abandoned. I think of Lead Mine all the time, as it was nearly the perfect place to grow up—ethnically and religiously diverse, blue collar, the entire mountainside as a playground and we had our own creek (the “crick”): an open sewer across the way. America was great then.

My second job was in Riverton. One day, our Bingham High School counselors announced some part-time work loading chickens into the newly built chicken coops at about 12600 South and 2700 West. Myself, Jeff Tibolla and what seemed like all of our Mexican buddies jumped at the chance to earn a couple bucks an hour.

Imagine a fire drill with chickens and you have it— thousands and thousands of chickens passed hand to hand, then crammed into tiny cages where they would lay eggs till they died, never seeing sunlight again. That job led to some of us hiring on to build even more chicken coops and soon there were more chickens living in a couple of acres in Riverton than there were residents of nearly every city in Salt Lake County. America was great then, too.

Riverton was part of our backyard—our playground, full of sugar beets and cornfields crisscrossed with dirt roads that were the perfect places to do all sorts of dubious things. Cold beer, loud music, rowdy boys and not-soshy girls were often involved. But Riverton has changed

and I barely recognize the place.

The current Mayor of Riverton—a cliché, family-values, handsome fellow by the name of Trent Staggs—is running for U.S. Senate. He was born about the time that the greatness of Riverton began dying down.

I’ll bet right now that I knew, as a percentage, more of Riverton’s residents back then than he ever will. Heck, if you knew the Becksteads, Butterfields and Hamiltons, you knew half the town. If I were Staggs, I would have run on the Save the Chickens platform.

Staggs has accepted an endorsement from our former president and recently convicted felon, Donald Trump. Staggs, lacking any substantial policy or worldview position, has taken to believing that endorsement is the fuel that will deliver his cold NIMBY spine to Washington. He’s not at all like the Riverton friends I once knew (and of whom some are surely on Team Staggs, may God bless them anyway).

Still, none of my friends fall to the measure of other Staggs endorsers, like accused child sex abuser Matt Gaetz, pronounced vaccine double-dribbler John Stockton, sad sack wannabe Kari Lake or perspicacity-deprived Tommy Tuberville. Add in the likes of Rand Paul and Vivek Ramaswamy and Staggs has the Seven Deadly Sins of modern American politics filling his sails.

It won’t matter. John Curtis will crush him like a bug in the upcoming Republican Senate primary race, because— and I do believe this—most Republicans are normal and not as cynically entitled as Staggs. I also believe that myself and most Republicans have the same sense that despite all the yahoo-ing, those same years that bookmark my own non-great timespan (starting with the Trump escalator ride in 2015 to the post-COVID year of 2022) would not be considered their greatest era, either.

Trouble is, most Republicans won’t stand up to the chaos created by the former president and are wont to share the blame in being a part of it. They allow themselves to derisively be called RINOs when it is they who are the true Republicans, not the low achievers like the

unashamed Sen. Mike Lee who usurp the name Republican but fear identifying their ilk as who they really are: Members of the Trump Party.

On that measure, only true Republican John “Frugal” Dougall can honestly claim to be a person of high ethics, faith and morality, for it’s he alone who has renounced anything to do with Donald Trump. But dang, he’s running for State Auditor, not for a seat in D.C.

I wish he were—perhaps even for the seat currently held by Rep. Celeste Maloy who, despite being a Southern Utah Cedar City native, is somehow my Second Congressional District Rep in northern Salt Lake City. I thought Maloy had her primary locked up, being not only the incumbent, but also knowing her opponent, Colby Jenkins, was given a betrayal endorsement kiss on the mouth by Mike Lee. Ick!

I figured Lee’s involvement would send Maloy to the top—but nope. This week, Maloy accepted the endorsement of Donald Trump. They say politics makes strange bedfellows, but Lordy, I never expected that from Maloy.

I believe in the United States court system and our rules of law. I also believe that any woman who stands with a serial sexual abuser will never have my respect or support. I’m voting for the Democrat anyway.

You may sense, reading this, that I’m a bit angry today. I am.

As I type, I’m looking out the window where our dear family companion, Gracie the wide-eyed chocolate Labrador, lies warming in her final morning sunrise. She is the loyal epitome of what we humans will always envy: she loves without judgment.

Lymphoma has her. She will die today. It can be tempting to forgive Maloy and the rest for their Trump dance on certain matters, but not for hating dogs.

America was great when I lived in Bingham Canyon. It was great when I worked in Riverton. America has always been great. Anyone who disagrees is lying about that. I do believe in MAGA though: Make America Gracie Again. CW

Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele

MISS: Feel the Burn

No, Utah is not Florida II, but we sure are acting like it. And by acting, we mean “snitching.” It’s not enough to criminalize reading and pooping—we have to make sure no one’s doing it without official permission. Let’s start with books, the kind that apparently have made children into sexual deviants—or worse yet, Democrats. Never mind that there is no evidence that books have deleterious effects on young minds. Utah wants “good” parents to tell school boards they’ve seen these horrible tomes that the state school board is so ready to destroy. “So I don’t care if it’s shredded, burned, it has to be destroyed one way or another,” board member Brent Strate told his colleagues at a recent meeting. It’s all the Utah Way, as the law also incentivizes snitching on anyone suspiciously mis-gendered who might use a bathroom.

MISS: Women on the Run

Lawmakers may not care about the facts in their book-banning frenzy, but they might want to look at the numbers for abortions in the state. Women are fleeing Idaho for Utah abortions, while some—probably more than 18 weeks pregnant—are flying to other states. Abortions were up 35% last year compared to 2019, according to the Guttmacher Institute. That probably represents medication abortions, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld—at least for now. “Overall, more than 171,000 patients traveled to another state for an abortion last year nationwide, according to the new data—with outof-state travel more than doubling across the country in 2023 compared to 2019,” Fox 13 News reported. The Utah Supreme Court is still considering what to do about a trigger ban making abortions almost impossible in the state. And if Trump wins, the “Christian right” will push for further restrictions. But no matter what happens, desperate women will find a way to get the care they need.

HIT: What Goes Around

Hypocrisy ‘R’ Us—a new slogan for the Republican Party. It’s hard to ignore many Republicans who once denigrated the former president and now suck up to him. But there’s more. Gov. Spencer Cox is righteously indignant that Denver has been busing migrants to Utah. It’s unacceptable, he says, because our resources are depleted. Apparently, so are the resources in Denver, which got an influx of migrants from Texas. The red-state-to-blue-state transit is just a way to make a statement, the GOP insists. But not the other way around. The blame game goes on and on as Congress, at the behest of Mr. Trump, has refused to do anything about the border crisis. And so the busing—and bitching—continues as America experiences mass schadenfreude. It’s the kind of delight that exemplifies a divided country. CW

BY BRYANT HEATH

Much ADU About Nothing I

f you are a tenant renting an apartment or a prospective home buyer, you don’t have to be reminded that housing costs in Salt Lake City have been out of control the last few years.

The internet is littered with thinkpieces espousing the various reasons for why that is the case and odds are, if you are a property owner, there is someone, somewhere who thinks you are the problem.

That’s why finding a solution to this affordability crisis is so difficult. There isn’t a singular bogeyman that can be slain by a golden-bullet solution, but rather a series of smaller issues that need to be addressed, collectively, to have any real impact.

Prime examples of recent smallscale solutions are the city lifting restrictions on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and legalizing 4-plexes in residential zones.

Although not as dramatic as a downtown tower adding 400-plus units in one go, these changes to add gentle density in existing neighborhoods do make a difference. Every tenant in a newly-created ADU in Highland Park is one less person competing for existing housing stock, after all.

But for every action, there is an opposite reaction. And for folks living in predominantly wealthy eastside enclaves, the pushback has been—to put it nicely—creative

The current weapon of choice is hijacking the historical preservation process to popularize “historic district overlays.” These overlays demotivate anyone who may be interested in converting their property into a 4-plex or in adding an ADU, by implementing a series of additional, burdensome requirements for renovations and new constructions.

The most extreme example of this strategy being employed can be found in Yalecrest, where it is borderline self-parody: there are as many historical districts designated in this tiny neighborhood (8) than there are in the rest of the city combined.

Furthermore, these districts are housed within another regulatory area called the “Yalecrest Compatible Infill Overlay”—cue the Xzibit meme: “Yo dawg, I heard you like historic districts …”

What’s astonishing, though, is the justification these neighborhoods are now using for restricting housing supply this way, boldly arguing that historic preservation helps with housing affordability—something that academic literature has consistently and emphatically debunked. If only we could build houses out of red-tape, we’d have plenty of places to live in neighborhoods like Yalecrest— barring approval from the historic landmark commission, of course. CW

Community Theater

Utah Shakespeare Festival mounts an epic season while maintaining a human focus.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

When you’ve got two new faces in key roles, it would be easy for an artistic organization to get caught up in the logistical details. As Utah Shakespeare Festival welcomed Michael Bahr as Executive Managing Director and John DiAntonio as Artistic Director in September 2023, there was a lot to do, including diving right into finalizing the plan for the 2025 season. But in the midst of all that, there was an understanding that they needed to focus on the human side of their mission.

“[John] comes in in November and says, ‘Okay we’re going to do a strategic plan— while we were putting everything else together,” Bahr recalls. “Who are we, who are we serving, what do we value. … We all came out as a team.”

Over the course of a 45-minute conversation, DiAntonio repeatedly insists that there’s nothing “groundbreaking” about the things he wants to keep at the center of Utah Shakespeare Festival. He namechecks the festival’s late founder when he notes that he wants to maintain a “deep connection with the audience in that spirit of Fred Adams. … The people here talk a lot about the ‘repertory machine.’ If you looked at our calendars, your head would explode. But we have to look for the human

in the machine. We want a theater where you know everyone’s name, [where] you fall in love with the company members. … Every day, we’re going to intentionally make space to connect. The plays are only part of the puzzle here.”

For DiAntonio, one of those ways to connect is not just to oversee the season’s productions as an observer, but to place himself in the middle of one. DiAntonio will be playing Petruchio in Utah Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, opposite his wife, Caitlin Wise, as Kate. He notes that the decision was in part a function of the director’s vision for casting a real-life couple as Kate and Petruchio, but also part of that same desire to foster connections.

“The biggest pro was expediting the process of having the audience get to know me,” DiAntonio says. “The audience just latches on, especially to the actors, in such a beautiful, wonderful way. Number two, my style, for better or worse, [is that] I’m an ‘in the trenches’ guy. I want to be there with the team as much as I can. Because I’m not a past company member of USF, I knew it would be valuable to experience the intensity of the process from the inside. And boy have I learned it first-hand, the pressures that are on it.”

For Bahr, personal relationships are also essential to his management style. A veteran of more than 25 years with Utah Shakespeare Festival, including as Education Director, he briefly departed the organization to become a school principal before returning in his new role. And he believes there’s a strong philosophical connection between those roles.

“Essentially, I’m kind of a principal—a facilitator making sure John has the resources to do his art,” Bahr says. “Did I know what the job of executive managing director was [before taking it]? I did. It’s

a principal. And leaning into the personal of it is how you maintain your humanity.”

That kind of personal focus is essential, Bahr believes, not just for relationships within the organization, but in terms of understanding what the audience wants.

Bahr is honest about the struggles that USF, like so many arts organizations, faced in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, trying to find the sweet spot of programming shows that are artistically excellent and sell tickets, allowing the organization to flourish.

“We had reserves and a relationship with the university that had us in kind of a safer place,” Bahr says. “But those reserves disappeared very quickly. And that runway for change is very short. Our audience is an older demographic; we have to make sure we stay relevant to the new audience that’s coming up. … We’re doing Henry VIII in 2024. Why are we doing that? Because it’s relevant. You’ve got to thread a needle with that—tell the story in a way that’s still accessible, still relevant, and speaks to the audience and the artists.”

It’s a challenging landscape, both DiAntonio and Bahr acknowledge, but there’s a sense that it all comes down to the reasons Shakespearean plays themselves have endured: exploring truths of our shared humanity. And watching those stories in a communal way is part of that same understanding of the importance of connections. “For me,” DiAntonio says, “it’s connected to Shakespeare: Watching actors portray humans who aren’t that different from ourselves—even if they’re kings or queens—make mistakes. And then they’ll pivot. … And all that, with some of the greatest poetry ever written.

“At our core, most humans have this need to gather, to be together in a space, and to hear a story. To experience a story live. And that’s what theater is built on. No matter how tempting Netflix might be, it doesn’t scratch that itch.” CW

UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Venues in Cedar City Season runs June 17 – Oct. 5 Bard.org for full calendar of productions

theESSENTIALS

Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition

For nearly 50 years, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation—founded in honor of the great Greek-born pianist who was a regular performer with the Utah Symphony under conductor Maurice Abravanel—has sponsored outreach programs in music education, introducing thousands of children to the power of music. But its centerpiece program remains the annual International Piano Competition, which brings some of the world’s best young pianists to Utah for an amazing showcase of classical talent.

Beginning June 16, 33 participants between the ages of 19 and 32—narrowed down from more than 300 applicants representing more than 40 countries— began the quarterfinals, vying for their share of more than $100,000 in prize money and the competition gold medal. Those participants will each perform twice in the quarterfinals based on random draw, with 12 of those participants selected to perform in the semifinals (through June 25), playing a new original composition by Gabriela Frank. The three finalists will then move on to play with the Utah Symphony, once each night, over two nights on June 28 – 29 to determine the gold medalist.

The quarterfinals and semifinals of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition run through June 25 at the Rose Wagner Center (138 W. 300 South), with performances daily (except for Sunday, June 23) beginning at 1 p.m.; tickets are $15. The finals at Abravanel Hall (123 W. South Temple) are 7 p.m. June 28 –29, with tickets $15 - $35. Visit bachauer.com for additional event information, and arttix.org to purchase tickets. (Scott Renshaw)

The Eric André Show Live

Eric André defies description—or at least any any single descriptor. It’s not only his multiple talents as a comedian, actor, musician, television show host, writer, producer and influencer that allow him to avoid typecasting in terms of his talent; the opinions he shares often find him courting controversy. Born to parents of a mixed heritage—his American mother was an Ashkenazi Jew, while his father was AfroHaitian—he identifies as both Black and Jewish, which, in turn, inform his personal perspective.

He’s had plenty of opportunity to showcase his skills as well, especially in his multiple roles as creator, host and cowriter of the Adult Swim sketch/candid-camera comedy series

The Eric André Show, not to mention the various network shows in which he’s played a part as well as his numerous film appearances. Nevertheless, given that he describes himself as an “agnostic atheist” and subscribes to some specific views on sex and gratification (“I think everyone is bi,” he once said. “There’s no such thing as sexual orientation, or race, or gender. Those are all obsolete man-made concepts.”), he can be as elusive as he is fascinating.

On his website, André hints this tour may be his final fling as far as live performances are concerned—which is all the more reason to enjoy an opportunity to witness this remarkable, astute and multi-faceted individual in person while one still can. The Eric André Show Live comes to The Depot (13 N. 400 West) at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 21. Tickets for the 21 + show cost $64 - $81.50 at concerts.livenation.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

National Jump Rope Championship

Many of life’s skills are first learned on school playgrounds: navigating social groups, avoiding the gaze of authority figures, pretending you don’t want to be caught by someone you actually hope will catch you. But you may not have realized that one of those skills—jumping rope—could be turned into an exciting competitive sport. That’s exactly what Utahns will get a chance to see when the National Jump Rope Championship comes to town this week.

The American Jump Rope Federation hosts this showcase of gifted athletes, including many who were part of the 2023 World Championships team, with locally-based competing teams from Logan and Kaysville. Competitive jump roping showcases two disciplines—single rope and Double Dutch—as events within each discipline test athletes’ agility, creativity and teamwork. Speed events challenge athletes to complete as many jumps as possible within a set time frame, while freestyle events feature choreographed routines that showcase incredible gymnastic ability and creativity. “There’s really nothing like it,” said Brian Hsu, AMJRF President. “I’ve been involved with jump rope for over 20 years, and the constant innovation and the supportive community have kept me in it for so long. It’s truly a lifelong sport.”

The National Jump Rope Championship takes place June 25 – 29 at the Real Salt Lake Training Academy and Facility in Herriman (14787 S. Academy Parkway). Tickets are just $10 per person per day for preliminary rounds June 25 – 28, and $20 for the finals June 29. Visit amjrf.sportngin.com to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

Salt Lake Acting Company: SLAC Summer Show: Close Encounters in the Beehive

The world is a strange place, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t get any stranger. Olivia Custodio—returning for a third year to cowrite Salt Lake Acting Company’s annual Summer Show already believes in that strangeness, launching her in the direction of Close Encounters in the Beehive, about alien visitors deciding the fate of the world based on interacting with Utahns.

“As anyone who knows me can attest, I vehemently believe in aliens,” Custodio says via email. “It’s just absurd not to. My favorite TV show growing up was The X-Files. I’ve always followed UFO news and sightings, and … all of that had me thinking, ‘God, I really hope the aliens come soon and blow us up before this next election,’ which then led to a more serious thought about what it would be like if aliens landed in SLC and tried to understand humanity, but through the lens of an LDS family.”

While there are certain common elements to these summer shows, Custodio also firmly believes in taking those elements, including musical parodies and satirical humor, and developing them into something new each time. “I never want to just plug a story into a certain format; that doesn’t feel like art to me,” she says. “Inevitably it ends up being a combination of what I know SLAC audiences love to see and bond over, while leaving room for experimentation and playing within the idea of the storyline.”

SLAC Summer Show: Close Encounters in the Beehive runs at Salt Lake Acting Company (168 W. 500 North) June 26 - Aug. 18. Tickets are $40 - $50 at saltlakeactingcompany.org. (SR)

Follow the Money

Salt Lake City’s $2 billion budget includes higher taxes for residents, new public restrooms and a pay raise for the mayor and Council.

BY JOSI HINDS | comments@cityweekly.net

Salt Lake City residents will pay higher taxes and service fees while funding larger salaries for the mayor and city council under a nearly $2 billion budget approved on June 11.

The budget, which sets spending for the 2025 fiscal year, includes new funding for Capital Improvement projects and services for the unsheltered, including additional public restrooms, with a series of fee and property tax increases aimed at addressing inflationary pressures on departments like public utilities, garbage collection, parks and libraries.

According to a breakdown of the budget posted to the City’s website, the annual impact for a resident living in an average single-family home is projected to be $413.19.

“Enterprise funds operate as businesses,” Ariana Williford, policy and engagement coordinator, explained. “Their revenue source comes from the fees that they charge to provide that service—not taxes, or permits or anything like that.”

Each public utility operates under its own enterprise fund, Williford said, which is why residents see separate costs listed on bills.

“Inflation and population growth, especially—that has a big impact on our utilities. And it’s not just Salt

Lake City residents; we have a lot of people coming from outside of the city who come in and use some of our city services,” Willford said. “As inflation increases and increases, the demand and the cost of providing utilities, especially, increases pretty significantly, so they have to raise the fees in order to recoup the cost of operating.”

Utility fee increases include a 4% hike for water and sewer and a 10% increase for stormwater and streetlights. The public utilities department is also proposing a stabilization fee for water and sewer, which has seen a slowdown in funding due in part to residents using less water in response to drought conditions.

“A significant impact to revenues in the water utility budget have been the significant water conservation trends that we’ve seen,” Laura Briefer, director of public utilities, explained to the Council at a work session on April 16. “We expect that our community is going to be continuing to sustain our conservation trends at that level, which is a really good thing—just not as good for our revenue using usage-based rates.”

Because of this trend, water utilities have fallen short of their expected revenue in the last few years. The stabilization fee will help cover this gap in revenue and go towards operating costs, and will vary per household depending on the size of a particular home’s water meter.

Briefer said the rate change for stormwater and streetlights will be less than a dollar each month for the average resident. For stormwater, Briefer anticipated a change of 72 cents per month, and for streetlights a monthly change of 41 cents.

The Department of Sustainability also requested a fee increase for

garbage containers. For a 40-gallon container, monthly fees will increase by $2 dollars, with an increase of $3 for a 90-gallon container.

The City Library likewise requested an increase in property taxes. Noah Baskett, the library’s executive director, said the increased rate would mean a change of about $39 a year for the average Salt Lake resident.

“We are asking for a $5.3 million tax increase—$2.2 million to fund immediate needs of the library for the forthcoming fiscal year and the remainder to restore some of the fund balance used for the roof renovation and really to ensure the long-term financial viability and sustainability of the library,” Baskett explained to the Council at May 7 work session.

The Library earns 95% of its revenue from property taxes.

“We really are being very mindful of the myriad of increasing expenses that is hitting Salt Lake City taxpayers’ wallets,” Baskett said. “We’re definitely being attentive to

Property tax increases will generate $5.3 million for the Salt Lake City Library.

Continued from page 17

Advocates for the unsheltered pushed for spending on new public restrooms.

that, and we are confident that the added value proposed in this library’s budget really does provide a great return on this additional investment.”

The Metropolitan Water District also requested a small property tax increase to address infrastructure concerns.

The City offers Project Water Assist for residents who may struggle financially with paying their utility bills. A resident’s income must qualify at 150% of the poverty level to utilize the program.

According to the 2024 Utah Poverty Guidelines, this means a household income of $46,800 for a family of four. Otherwise, if a customer has a family member aged 60 or older or a disabled family member, or qualifies for the Salt Lake County Tax Abatement Program, they would also qualify for assistance through Project Water Assist.

Public Restrooms

In their deliberation process, the Council made several adjustments to the Mayor’s proposed budget. One of these adjustments addressed the lack of accessible public restrooms available to Salt Lake residents, specifically those experiencing homelessness.

“Homelessness is so much more than not having a home,” John Hall, an unsheltered man, told the Council at their meeting on June 4. “It’s utter despair, and you can help us by giving us restrooms, a place where we can keep clean. I had my foot amputated because I couldn’t keep the wound clean.”

Hall is one of several homeless Salt Lake residents who spoke on the need for accessible public restrooms, showers and laundry facilities at recent Council meetings. These speakers were brought to City Council meetings by the Nomad Alliance, a non-profit organization built to help the chronically unsheltered in Salt Lake.

“We believe that the people that need to be pushing change when it comes to, you know, the biggest human rights crisis we have going on right now—which is our homeless crisis—needs to be the people that are experiencing the terror of living on the streets,” Kseniya Kniazeva, founder of Nomad Alliance, explained.

This advocacy led the Council to allocate $500,000 to a holding account intended to fund “near-term delivery of more restrooms,” a staffing document from the Council’s June 11 work session reads.

Council Chairperson Victoria Petro and Councilmember Alejandro Puy led the push for this funding. While a $100,000 study on public restrooms was recommended for funding as part of the Capital Improvements Program (or CIP), Petro and Puy emphasized the need for a quick solution to the lack of public restrooms, a situation from which unhoused communities specifically suffer.

“The study is for the totality of our population,” Petro explained at a Council work session on June 4. “But we also know that there’s a specific hygiene crisis for our unsheltered neighbors. So, the study in no way answers the urgency or even, maybe, the level of appropriateness of response to that.”

At that same work session, Puy seemed to express disappointment at the Administration’s lack of initiative in solving this problem.

“The administration also heard the concerns from the community as we did, and we didn’t see that in the current budget,” Puy said. “So, you know, this is an approach the administration could have also taken, much like with the micro shelter community last year. This is basically a pilot program to see if we can move the needle on this issue.”

Council members floated the idea of using this money to create mobile hygiene facilities in the work session and in conversations with Kniazeva.

“Initially, [Chairperson Petro] was talking to me about the feasibility of purchasing decommissioned UTA buses and renovating them into each of those three hygiene items,” Kniazeva explained—the three hygiene items being bathrooms, showers and laundry. “I know that the City Council has expressed their desire for this to be a mobile service so we can rotate around to different neighborhoods where people congregate, but it’s up to the mayor now.”

Now that the budget has been approved, the Administration is responsible for proposing a plan with the allocated funding.

Salary Increases

One of the most contentious items in the new budget was a salary increase of 26%—or $44,000 per year—that Mayor Erin Mendenhall proposed for herself. This means her salary now sits at $211,765.

“I think it’s disgusting that the mayor asked for a 26% wage increase for herself,” Kniazeva said. “To ask for that in the face of the worst human rights crisis that we’ve seen in our city with people dying.”

Kniazeva wasn’t alone in her opposition. Scores of public comments, written and received live at City Council meetings, were highly critical of the proposed salary increase. Jaycee Miller, a Salt Lake City resident, said she doesn’t just disagree with large pay raises but also with the way the City Council’s salaries are dependent on the Mayor’s.

City code states that salaries for Council Members must be 25% of the Mayor’s compensation. This means the Council, too, will see a pay raise with this new budget. Their salaries will increase from $42,017 to $52,941.

“The existing salaries for Council members are not a living wage alone in this city, which creates barriers as to who can afford the privilege of running for and sitting on the Council, and who can dedicate their focus to serving the community they are elected to represent,” Miller shared via email.

She argued that while the City considers holding a position on the City Council to be a part-time job, Council Members more often than not have to work more than 20 hours a week. Their pay should reflect that, Millser said.

“My issue with the proposed budget is the de jure linking of the salary changes for elected positions that are already orders of magnitude different because it disproportionately benefits the Mayoral position,” Miller explained.

Continued on page 21

Noah Baskett, Salt Lake City Library executive director.

City Councilmember Alejandro Puy

City Council Chairperson Victoria Petro

The mayor and City Council will receive a 26% salary increase.

Continued from page 19

Over the past several years, the mayor and Council have seen small pay raises with each new budget. In the 2024 fiscal year budget, the Mayor’s salary rose by about $6,000 and the Council’s by about $2,000.

“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, shared over email. “This position has not received a market rate adjustment in at least 10 years. Among SLC Corporation director and cabinet-level positions, the current base pay for the position of mayor is near the bottom, at 16 of 17.”

Wages for city employees of all levels are evaluated and adjusted yearly as a part of the budget process. There are several categories of salary adjustments. This year, all city employees saw a pay increase of at least 5% to compensate for higher costs of living.

Some positions also saw market-based adjustments, which are “for employees who lag local market pay rates by 2% or more as reported by the Citizens Compensation Advisory Committee or CCAC annually,” Salt Lake City budget analysts explained over email.

Wittenberg said that even with the pay increase, there will be six city department directors earning a higher salary than the Mayor.

The General Employee Pay Plan adopted alongside the budget every year includes a table of salaries corresponding to city positions of different ranks. The top salary category ranges from $123,566 minimum to $400,887 maximum.

Thirteen city positions fall into this highest pay ranking, including the City Attorney, Executive Director of the City Council Office and the Chief of Staff in the Mayor’s Office.

According to data from Transparent Utah, from 2015 to 2022 (excluding data from 2018 that is not available) the Executive Director of Airports earned the highest wage of all city employees. In 2022, the position earned $329,011.

“This proposal would bring the mayor’s pay to 9th among Salt Lake City’s own cabinet and to 9th among other city leaders in Utah,” Wittenberg said.

Capital Improvement Projects

Every year, the Council approves funds for the Capital Improvement Program, or CIP, as part of the budget adoption process. Later this summer, the Council will allocate CIP funds to specific projects after receiving public comments and conducting deliberations throughout July and August.

The Council must adopt project-specific funding by September 1. The CIP fund this year stands at $58.1 million, which is $18 million more than was allocated last year. City departments and constituents can submit CIP project proposals.

“This year, the Finance Department did put a focus on assets that already existed that needed improvements versus brand new assets,” Jenny Bonk, a member of the Community Development and Capitol Improvement Program Advisory Board, or CDCIP, explained.

The city will study whether to shift EV charging to a private contractor

That board, composed of Salt Lake citizens, reviews project proposals and recommends funding for individual projects. The Mayor then receives the board’s recommendations to consider when constructing the budget proposal.

“We received 72 applications this year,” Rachel Molinari, CIP manager, said during a June 6 budget briefing on the program. “Thirty-two of those were internal, 40 of those were [proposed by] constituents.”

Out of the 72 applications submitted to the CIP board, 31 have been recommended for funding, with 9 of the recommended projects submitted by constituents. Many of the recommended projects focus on maintenance.

Some of the larger projects recommended for funding include a Jordan River bridge reconstruction across 400 South, which was given $4 million in recommended funds.

Another project called Complete Streets Reconstruction 2025 was recommended for $3.5 million in funding.

“This annual program funds the vital reconstruction of deteriorated city streets,” the project’s description reads, “including street pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalk, drainage improvements as necessary, and appropriate complete streets bicycle and pedestrian access improvements.”

Streets that might see reconstruction under this project include 1300 East between 2100 South and the southern city border, and 600/700 North between 800 West and Redwood Road.

The Council also added $2 million in CIP funds to be allocated to the Livable Streets Program, which is focused on traffic calming on residential streets. This program was not recommended for funding by the Mayor or CDCIP Board.

Another $15 million was added to the CIP fund thanks to a budget amendment for fiscal year 2024 that the Council adopted in early June. These funds will be allocated to deferred maintenance projects.

Legislative Intent

The Council adopted a handful of legislative intentions, or statements that direct department action, to pursue in the upcoming fiscal year. One of these is to study the options for shifting electric vehicle charging stations from a free city service to a paid service run by a contractor.

Councilmember Dan Dugan explained how he thinks the shift would relieve the City of some financial burdens, like paying for the electricity that runs the charging stations. The saved money could then be used for maintenance projects.

“I drive an EV car and I’m very appreciative of the free charging stations that the city provides across the city. They’re wonderful,” Dugan said during a council work session on May 30. “I’m at the point where I think we should no longer provide the free charging and turn it over to a third-party contractor who runs it.”

The Council also approved an intent to assess the water quality of the Jordan River. They appointed the Sustainability Department to facilitate conversations about the river with other local, state and federal agencies. CW

City Councilmember Dan Dugan

REVIEW CINEMA

Submission: Impossible

Thelma finds fun and complexity in the idea that you’re never too old to be an action hero.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

In an early scene from writer/director Josh Margolin’s Thelma, 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) and her 20-something grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger) watch Mission: Impossible – Fallout together, and marvel at Tom Cruise’s energetic action work as he dashes across the rooftops of Paris. It’s a sly set-up for the rest of the movie, which becomes a kind of homage to espionage/action thrillers, only with the nonagenarian Thelma as the protagonist—and not, as it turns out, to make the idea look ridiculous. “I don’t feel old,” Thelma insists to Daniel, and Thelma the movie feels absolutely driven by that idea, in complicated and sometimes bittersweet ways.

The inciting incident involves Thelma receiving a phone call suggesting that Daniel has gotten into serious legal trouble, and requires $10,000 in cash to bail him out. As it turns out, the call is a scam, which Thelma only discovers after putting the money in the mail. But she’s determined to get her money back, and sets off on an electric scooter journey across Los Angeles—accompanied by old friend and fellow retiree Ben (the late Richard Roundtree, in his final performance)—to find the thief.

The ensuing adventure is generally light-hearted, and built on a deep affection not just for Thelma as a character, but for the genre tropes it’s bending at a

cockeyed angle. Thelma’s attempt to steal Ben’s scooter turns into a variation on a car chase, even though the theater of action is limited to the hallways of his retirement home. An attempt to steal a gun from an old friend finds Thelma required to do little more than climb a flight of stairs and stand on a bed, but Margolin shoots it with the vertiginous danger of Cruise scaling the outside of the Burj Khalifa. When Thelma and Ben reach the home base of their target, they communicate like secret agents through the hearing-aid apps on their phones. It’s a lively and charming way to play with movie clichés, right up to and including the ever-popular “slow walk away from an explosion in the background.”

If Thelma had been nothing more than a golden-years riff on the M:I franchise, it still might have been plenty of fun. But Margolin is interested in why Thelma herself undertakes such an enterprise, even as she gradually realizes she may have bitten off more than her dentures can chew. In one particularly effective scene, Thelma begins calling friends in an attempt to find assistance for her predicament, only

to find that most of them have died; later, she encounters that aforementioned gunowning friend living alone in a way that suggests she probably shouldn’t be. Thelma recognizes the emotions involved in the gradual realization that you’re no longer the same vital person that you once were, even as there’s a part of you still convinced that you’re able to do all the same things you once could.

Margolin ties that idea into Thelma’s relationship not just with Danny, but with her daughter Gail (Parker Posey) and sonin-law Alan (Clark Gregg), and it’s here that Thelma loses its focus a bit. In part, the problem is that Gail and Alan are so much more broadly drawn than Thelma, practically stereotypes of anxiety rather than individual characters in their own right, existing solely to fret over Thelma’s disappearance. In theory, Thelma should have been able to fold the concerns of adult children over their senior parents—and the resulting tensions over when living circumstances might need to change— into Thelma’s hero journey, but it generally feels like a distraction. There’s much more of a unique dynamic in the relation-

ship between Thelma and Daniel, which is wonderfully loving and clearly personal to the filmmaker (as a mid-credits bit of video involving Margolin’s own grandmother makes clear).

Still, Thelma works best when the center of attention is Squibb, making the most of this leading role. She captures a feistiness that never feels like a caricature of a sassy old lady; Thelma’s drive is built on her determination to see herself as capable, even as she begins to realize she should accept some of the help that’s offered to her. She might not be able to sprint across rooftops, but Thelma is a character who finds the funny, messy intersection at the time of life when part of you wants to kick back, and another part of you still wants to kick ass. CW

THELMA

B***B***B*** June Squibb Fred Hechinger

Parker Posey

Rated PG-13

Available June 21 in theaters

Summer Side Up

Frankie & Essl’s offers more than a few reasons to get up early.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

The Liberty Park area is a lovely spot

to spend a summer day. It’s in close proximity to Herman Franks Park, there are always cool markets popping up along its avenues and you’ve got Tracy Aviary and its accompanying botanical gardens for when you need to chill out with your avian friends.

For those early risers who like to spend their mornings at this great local park, you may find that you need a grab-andgo breakfast to match the unique summer energy in this part of town. If that’s the case, look no further than Frankie & Essl’s. Located right across from the southwestern corner of Liberty Park, this cozy nook of a restaurant specializes in breakfast sandwiches, locally-roasted coffee and cold-pressed juices.

Though Frankie & Essl’s is all about whipping up a quick breakfast that can easily be transported along with you, its internal dining area is bright and welcoming. I swung by on a breezy summer morning while I was out and about, and the experience was a lovely oasis in an otherwise hectic day of running errands.

I tend to seek out a good breakfast sandwich when my own internal batteries are feeling undercharged; I get a much-needed burst of positive vibes no matter when I scarf one of these down. As my current knowledge of Frankie & Essl’s was based on following their Instagram account for candid pics of their well-curated menu of breakfast sandos, I knew that they would offer the pick-meup that I needed.

Frankie & Essl’s offers a lean menu that features five core sandwiches. Each of them comes served on a locally-baked brioche bun that has been sliced, buttered and toasted to a light crisp before getting stuffed with the good stuff. I tend to judge a breakfast sandwich on the quality of its sausage, so I started out with the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich ($9.49). I suppose I use sausage as my baseline because it’s a hard protein to mess up, which means it’s even harder to make it stand out. After allowing a few bites of this masterwork of flavors and textures to really permeate my palate, I knew that Frankie & Essl’s was on to something. The full name of this sausage is “spiced honey sausage,” and that’s exactly what you get here. There’s a real temptation to make breakfast sausage into a mammoth

DINE

salt bomb, but Frankie & Essl’s has taken its time with this one. Texturally, it’s a perfect breakfast sandwich protein—it melts in your mouth right along with all that creamy egg yolk. Yet, its flavors are refreshingly subtle, which is hard to do with a breakfast sausage. The sage notes of a classic sausage patty are there, but to a more muted degree. This makes room for the caramelized sweetness of the honey to come through, creating that epic savory/sweet combo that makes us want to dump maple syrup all over our breakfast meats. The supporting cast of American cheese and arugula perform admirably, and it’s clear that Frankie & Essl’s is the real deal when it comes to the nuances of breakfast sandwiches.

Both the bacon, egg and cheese ($9.49) and the Canadian bacon, egg and cheese ($11.49) showcase the porcine magic of these cured meats. While I’d probably make the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich my go-to at Frankie & Essl’s, both of these sandwiches are excellent for when you absolutely need to munch on some hot bacon with your eggs.

For something meatless, the understated eggs and cheese ($6.99) makes you remember that quality eggs, butter and toast don’t have any right tasting as good as they do. The same goes for the egg, tomato, avocado and cheese ($7.99) sand-

wich, which swaps American cheese for gouda and incorporates a luscious avocado spread into the mix. Again, it’s hard to reckon with how good some freshlysliced tomato and fried eggs taste when they’ve been prepared with a bit of sea salt and love.

Those after a caffeinated kick with their breakfast can enjoy the work of both Later Days Coffee and locally-based La Barba. Frankie & Essl’s also has a fridge fully stocked with Happy Moose Orange Juice. Their Valencia blood orange is super tasty, so regardless of whichever drink you like to kick your morning off with, they’ll have something tasty for you.

Between the well-curated menu of breakfast sandwich classics and the rotating menu of locally-baked seasonal pastries, Frankie & Essl’s kind of snuck its way into being the casual, neighborhood eatery that Liberty Park needed. It’s one of those spots that needs to be near a park, and vice-versa. There’s just a summery vibe that kisses everything at Frankie & Essl’s, and it’s the kind of place where you leave feeling sunny side up. CW

2 Row Brewing

6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com

On Tap: “Dos Filas” Mexican Lager

Avenues Proper

376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com

On Tap: Midnight Especial- Dark Mexican Lager

Bewilder Brewing

445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com

On Tap:  Cerveza De Mayo for Bewilder.

Bohemian Brewery

94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

On Tap: California Steam Lager

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com

On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Chappell Brewing

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

On Tap: Crispy Boi - cerveza-ish Cream Ale

Craft by Proper

1053 E. 2100 So., SLC properbrewingco.com

On Tap: Gungan Sith Lord - Dark Lager

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: HOPEulent IPA (A portion of proceeds are donated to Project Rainbow)

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: HOPTOG Steam Beer (collab with UTOG)

Kiitos Brewing

608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

On Tap: Tropical Haze IPA - HBC

1019 Hops with Heavy Notes of Peach

Level Crossing Brewing Co.

2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Helles and Kolsch!

Live Music every Sunday, 5 to 8pm

Level Crossing Brewing Co.,

POST

550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Down The Road West Coast IPA

Live Music every Saturday, 3 to 6pm

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: Mango Pride Cider and Ruby’s Gay

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: Mastero of None Italian Pilsner

Park City Brewery 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com

On Tap: El Jeffe Hefeweizen

Policy Kings Brewery

223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan Prodigy-brewing.com

On Tap: Golden Hour Belgian Sour

Proper Brewing/Proper Burger 857 So. Main & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com

Proper Brewing: SLC Pils - Pilsner

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

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

On Tap: YRJB - Juicy IPA

Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com

On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

A

of

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: Steamy Boi California Common (A collaboration with Heber Valley Brewing)

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations

RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Pineapple Sour Seltzer

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

On Tap: Pride Beer - Rainbow Cult Kettle Sour with Blackberries

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Luau Rider - Coconut Chocolate Milk Stout

Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com On Tap: Colorado Cider Co Spruced 6% ABV

Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek /secondsummitcider.com On Tap: Watermelon Basil

Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Spring Fever Grapefruit Radler

Shades On State

366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com On Tap: Salud Mexican Lager, Six Wheat Under Hefe

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

Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ squatters On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Lucky 7’s IPA

Squatters and Wasatch Brewery 1763 So 300 West SLC UT 84115

Utahbeers.com

On Tap: Holy Haze IPA 5% Love Local new release April 26

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

On Tap: ”Let’s Gose” [Gose with smoked salt, pineapple and lime]; “Yojimbo (The Wandering Ronan)” [Japanese Toasted Rice Lager with White Tea].

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

On Tap: My Beer My Choice (Dry Hopped American Sour w/pink boots blend), Cream Ale

TF Brewing

936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Chamomile Wit Bier

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

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

Top of Main Brewery

250 Main, Park City, Utah topofmainbrewpub.com

On Tap: Top of Main Brewery Blue Corn Lager

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG

2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Golden Grant 5% ABV. Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Wasatch Brew Pub 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ wasatch

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

Zolupez

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

BEER NERD

Sweet and Puckering or Dry and Crisp

Crafting summer beers for every palate

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Bewilder - Rice For the Cure: Bewilder Brewing will be donating 10 percent of the proceeds from this “new school rice lager” to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Rice lagers are a fairly simple concept, as rice is used as an adjunct, adding some unique Koji flavors along with a very crisp and dry profile.

The new lager pours a very pale straw yellow color. It’s brilliantly clear, with maybe just the faintest chill haze. There’s a steady stream of very tiny bubbles rising up the glass. That stream generates/maintains a very thin rim of head. Upon pouring, there was a very rocky white head that crumbled pretty quickly. A nice nose of subtle floral and citrus notes also features a hint of white grape and pear, as well as some soft, earthy Noble hops. A soft, cracker-forward malt base emerges as well.

This is very tasty and super drinkable—definitely on the light side in terms of flavor and heft, but it’s a 4.9% ABV beer, so that is to be expected. The flavors mimic the nose very much. Up front, you get some nice floral and fruity flavors, along with pleasant toasted cereal grains. The finish has a moderate bitterness that sticks around for a while, then fades away and ends dry and crisp on the palate. The body is very light, highly-carbonated and crisp.

Verdict: Very light and easy to drink, but still has a good flavor. I would say that the bitterness is more than I anticipated from this beer, yet it definitely works well here as a contrast to the

super-light and floral/fruity profile upfront. It’s hard to say which part of the flavor profile I enjoy more; the floral and the fruity parts both come off so well. Either way, give me some sushi or ribs with this beer!

Shades - Blueberry Cheesecake: Shades is at it again with another confection-themed sour ale. The Blueberry Cheesecake has a thin, bubbly, bright white cap of froth topped with a pinkish-tinged, light amber body. Tiny dots of lacing trickled along the glass initially, but they as well as the head soon disappeared. The aroma was really crazy—super punchy and sweet, with potent berry notes along with lots of graham cracker. The blueberry came across as very candy-like. Some crisp, tart Kveik yeast was noticeable as well, with a touch of citrus-like acidity. If you’ve ever had cheesecake, just close your eyes and take a sip, and it is exactly as described: Blueberry, followed by a restrained cheesecake taste. The flavor profile also features many of the same qualities as the nose, but the adjuncts served more as accents here than as the stars of the show. Vanilla and graham crackers are also noticeable, with wheaty notes coming through in the center. It’s moderately sour and acidic, as more blueberry, vanilla and lingering lemony tartness pop up on the back end and the finish. The liquid contained a fine, fairly aggressive carbonation that frothed up as the beer moved along the palate, for a somewhat spritzy mouthfeel. At 6.3 percent ABV, this super thick smoothie—full- to medium-bodied for the style—has a texture that’s creamy, probably from the lactose.

Verdict: This is an amazing addition to Shades’ Kviek Series, and close to their many other pie-themed beers. If you are really into the “smoothie beer” movement, this ranks up there as one of the best that Shades has made in a while—worth a six pack or two for sure.

You can find Blueberry Cheesecake at both Shades locations in 12-ounce cans. Rice For the Cure is available in 16-ounce cans to go and on draft at Bewilder Brewing. As always, cheers! CW

the BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Eat Drink SLC Tickets Going On Sale

September will be here before you know it, which means Eat Drink SLC is right around the bend. Eat Drink SLC is one of Salt Lake’s preeminent culinary events, and tickets are scheduled to go on sale June 24 via eatdrinkslc.com. Those eager to check out this year’s event can join an email list to see when sales go live—because it’s not uncommon for this event to sell out quickly. A collaboration between the creative minds behind Tracy Aviary and SB Dance, Eat Drink SLC is a celebration of Utah’s unique perspective on the culinary arts. If you’d like to attend this year’s event, it’s always best to snag your tickets as soon as they go on sale.

Spotlight on North American Cider

Utah’s first and only certified pommelier, Matthew Ostrander, will be hosting a spotlight on North American ciders at Scion Cider Bar (916 S. Jefferson Street) on June 25. The event will focus on the ciders of the United States and Canada from a historical and cultural perspective, supplemented by a tasting menu of ciders curated by Ostrander himself. If you’ve ever been interested in the cultural impact that cider making has had on North America—or if you’d just like to have an expert show you the ropes—Ostrander’s classes will have plenty to offer. Registration for these classes can be completed via the University of Utah’s Lifelong Learning program at continue.utah.edu.

Como en Casa Opens

We’re starting to see plenty of regional South American spots open their doors; fans of arepas, lomos, cachapas and empanadas have had it quite good as of late. I recently got wind of a spot called Como en Casa (5578 S. Redwood Rd, SLC), which looks to be housing all these monsters of South American cuisine under one roof. Their menu includes a wide range of traditional arepas, along with Colombian classics like bistec encebollado, Peruvian lomo saltado, Ecuadorian seco de carne and Venezuelan lomo con papas. It’s definitely shaping up to be the kind of place that requires multiple visits, but I’m not going to complain about having all those great dishes available in one place.

Quote of the Week: “Today’s restaurant is theater on a grand scale.” –Marian Burros

THE BEEHIVE

Band on the Run

Blue Rain Boots evolves from a single writer’s songs to a fullfledged touring outfit

BY BILL KOPP COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET

Afive-piece group based in Salt Lake City, Blue Rain Boots makes pop music that doesn’t fit easily into any one genre. A vehicle for the songwriting talents of singer and guitarist Simon Griffen, the band recently released its first full-length album, The Grand Idea. But between touring commitments, the group is already busy on its next album, one that looks to take the music in a very different direction.

The earliest Blue Rain Boots release, “Good Old Days,” predates the actual group. At that point, Griffen was a freshman in high school. He had been writing songs since middle school, but that song was his first serious foray into the world of recording and releasing music. In addition to composing and singing the song, he played guitar and drums on the recording. “My dad played bass for me,” he adds. “Good Old Days” took off on streaming services, and currently the song has more than 2.2 million plays on Spotify.

Griffen met bassist Simon Palo in 2018, when both were still in high school. Shortly after they met, the pair found a drummer and launched Blue Rain Boots as a three-piece band. Today, the group has five members: Griffen and Palo plus lead guitarist Carter Sears, drummer Jackson Price and Courtney Lane on keyboards. The current lineup has been together for a year.

Griffen is the band’s primary lyricist, but he’s careful not to take all the credit. “I [write] most of the lyrics, but I get help from my partner Simon if I’m in a rut,” he says. “I write the chord structures and the music, but then everybody else comes in

MUSIC

and makes it sound good.”

“One of the things that I really want to do with this iteration of the band is make sure that everyone is as involved as they can be,” Griffen says. He emphasizes that he aims to make the album-in-progress a truly collaborative endeavor. “I want to give up as much control as I can,” he explains, “and make sure everyone [in the band] feels like it’s their album.”

Blue Rain Boots is in the midst of a burst of productivity. The current recording sessions follow closely on the heels of The Grand Idea. “That album took us three years to complete; I’m still in school,” Griffen relates. “And until we’re [as popular as] Taylor Swift, we will all have day jobs.”

While there are up-tempo songs on The Grand Idea, its overall character is subtle, displaying jazz influences. The next album, however, will be a departure. “It’s [going to be] a lot folkier, a lot more inspired by country music,” Griffen says. “But at the same time, it’s inspired by pop that’s coming out right now.” Chuckling inwardly at the apparent contradiction, he

adds, “So we’ll see how that turns out.”

Griffen feels that he has come a long way as a songwriter. “When we started, I was 15,” he emphasizes. At that point, making music was for him simply a means of trying to fit in. “Music was a really good ‘Hey, look at me,’” he admits candidly. “I feel like that’s how a lot of people start in music.” Today his lyrics focus on the things that he finds important, “like love, the things that ground me … and uncertainty. Uncertainty is a big driving force for my lyrics,” Griffen says.

While Blue Rain Boots has cultivated a strong following in and around Salt Lake City, the band has also taken their music on tour, wowing audiences as far away as Toronto, Canada. “We played there last summer,” says Carter Sears. “It was great. It was crazy to see people who were enjoying our music, who knew who we were even that far from home.” That tour found Blue Rain Boots playing 17 shows in 28 days, with dates in Kansas, Nashville, Philadelphia and New York, with additional dates in the Midwest on the way back home. En route to the Canada gig, Sears drove

the vehicle that was towing a trailer with the band’s gear. He says that getting through the border check was “a little bit nightmarish. But other than that, it was super fun.” He mentions that at the bar where they performed, Griffen shot a game of pool with a local guy. “That guy tried to give us drugs to take back across the border,” Sears says with a hearty laugh. “We had to say no.”

Touring is a gamble; one never knows quite what to expect. But that’s part of the excitement. “It’s interesting jumping from place to place,” says Price. “We’re like, ‘We have no idea how many people we might be performing in front of. A thousand? Two?’” But all of the band members enjoy touring. “One of the most fun things is how many friends we’ve made,” says Palo. Griffen smiles as he names the biggest surprise that Blue Rain Boots has encountered as the group plays in cities across the country. “It’s great when people [in the audience] sing our songs,” he says. “Especially when it’s in a town that we’ve never been to before. That’s the best feeling in the world, truly.” CW

THURSDAYS

FRIDAY JUNE 21

DJ CELLY CEL

SATURDAY JUNE 22

DJ NO FILTER

SHARK SUNDAYS

POOL TOURNEY

HOSTED BY TANNER

MONDAYS

REGGAE MONDAY WITH DJ NAPO

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE

Cage The Elephant @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater 6/20

Let the metal bars rattle and rumble: Cage The Elephant is making a break for it right here in Salt Lake City on June 20 at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater. Known most predominantly for their tour de force on the indie/alternative scene in the 2010s with the release of Thank You, Happy Birthday and Melophobia, Cage The Elephant is one of the rare bands of that era that boasts a still consistent and euphonious discography. Even up to their most recent May 2024 release, Neon Pill, the band has stayed true to the sound that made them famous, although not without some sonic innovation to keep them palpable for an everchanging audience. Formed—perhaps surprisingly—in Kentucky sans the country twang, the band is characterized by their garage-esque guitar sound, slightly beach-punk inspired bass, and the easily distinguishable vocals of frontman Matt Shultz, Cage The Elephant is a show not to be missed for nostalgic and modern music aficionados alike. See Cage the Elephant on Thursday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show can be purchased at livenation. com for various prices, beginning around $40. (Sophie Caligiuri)

MUSIC PICK S

Get Funky @ The Great Saltair 6/21-/22

This week, Salt Lake City is Funkytown! The Great Saltair will host two nights of House music, featuring electronic music powerhouses Kaskade and Wax Motif on Friday, and a special back-to-back from Tchami and Malaa on Saturday. The lyrics of DJ and producer Wax Motif (Danny Chien), “Yeah, it’s a vibe up in here,” sum it all up! Get Funky is the vibe. Kaskade is a Utah favorite and will woo us over with progressive house and melodic techno grooves. Tchami and Malaa will bring the bass house energy with their No Redemption project. Come early to catch all the fun sets from Kyle Watson, XIE, Dave Summer. You can also support local DJ Branden Estrada on Friday and Chris Lorenzo, Wuki, Anabel Englund, Gudfella and Nosay on Saturday. Dance along in the warm summer air to some groovy beats! Get Funky is put on by V2 Presents and takes place at The Great Saltair on Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22. GA for one-day passes cost $70 and two-day passes cost $125. For tickets, go to v2presents.com (Arica Roberts)

WEDNESDAY,

THURSDAY, JUNE 20

Chali 2na with House of Vibe @ Granary Live 6/22

Street art trustfully and intimately invites us to sit down and feel our own emotions and soul. Hip hop is the voice of the unheard, the marginalized and the oppressed. These elements of the culture go hand in hand, and Charles Stuart (AKA Chali 2na) gets busy with both. You see, he’s a painter who can rap, not the other way around. He’s one of the founding members of L.A.-based rap collective Jurassic 5, who created the group’s logo (the circle with the J and 5 on the inside). “When I was introduced to graph writing, I thought, ‘Oh man, this is what I’m supposed to do. This is me,’” 2na told KEXP.org. “Later, writing poetry and lyrics mirrored graffiti-writing to me, the attention to detail and patience you need to paint the picture just right.” His music is much more than a paintby-numbers retro affection, however. With several solo EPs in addition to a couple long-plays, he boasts previous work with J5 and other fresh collaborations and guest appearances (see Ozomatli, Breakestra, etc.). Chali 2na’s old-school ethos pushes the envelope in any medium. Seriously, check out the tune “Comin Thru.” It’s on the streamers, so there’s no excuse for not giving it a spin. KBong & Johnny Cosmic, AURORAWAVE and the top-billed The Movement perform as well. Catch these acts on the Ways Of The World 5th Anniversary Tour at Granary Live on Saturday, June 22, with doors at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $35 can be found at tixr.com

(Mark Dago)

Chicano Batman @ The Depot 6/24

James McMurtry @ Commonwealth Room 6/25

The style of music known as “psychedelic soul” enjoyed an all-too-brief heyday in the late 1960s. Deftly fusing elements of Black American soul and the dreamier end of psychedelic rock, the genre was exemplified by music from artists including Sly & the Family Stone and The Chambers Brothers. In the 21st century, Southern California-based Chicano Batman has developed its own distinctive, modern and original musical personality, based in large part on the influence of psychedelic soul. Their sound borrows timeless elements from music’s past; songs like “Friendship (Is a Small Boat in a Storm)”—a standout track on the group’s third album (2017’s Freedom is Free)—draw upon the music that the group members’ parents and grandparents loved. And while Chicano Batman is not explicitly politically-focused, there’s no mistaking some of the lyrical messages in the group’s music. The group takes an upbeat and positive approach to addressing social issues, with a goal of encouraging togetherness and driving away fear. Onstage, Chicano Batman cuts a memorable and striking visual image, with members often attired in matching ruffledshirt tuxedos. But at its core, the band remains primarily focused on the music. Their fifth and latest album Notebook Fantasy was released in March. Chicano Batman plays June 24 at The Depot; tickets are $45 and up at livenation.com (Bill Kopp)

Populism has always thrived within the realms of popular music, beginning with such esteemed folk laureates as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and their guitar-strumming brethren. In more recent times, the mantle’s been carried by another breed of folk hero— musicians like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and John Fogerty, each one an artist-as-Everyman who was able to sum up the feelings and frustrations of ordinary individuals and turn them into anthems that anyone, regardless of social standing, could appreciate and enjoy. James McMurtry is only the latest to follow in that tradition. In a sense, he comes by that ability naturally, being the son of the legendary western novelist Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove). His storytelling skills are clearly in his genes—or jeans, if you will—as evidenced by the niche he’s carved out over the course of his career. The music is uniquely his own: impassioned, anecdotal and flush with iconic imagery. His songs offer tales of hard-luck heroes and ne’er-do-wells forced by fate to find their own way in a world where the odds are clearly stacked against them. McMurtry’s most recent album, The Horses and the Hounds, offers yet another striking example of that time-tested template, an edgy, overcast set of songs as affecting as they are enticing—a clear combination of honesty and insight. Irascible to a degree, but proficient and profound, James McMurtry is an artist to be reckoned with. McMurtry performs a 21+ show at the Commonwealth Room at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25. Tickets cost $45 GA at thestateroompresents.com

(Lee Zimmerman)

Chicano Batman

James McMurtry

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

I love being logical and reasonable! The scientific method is one of my favorite ways to understand how the world works. I am a big fan of trying to ascertain the objective facts about any situation I am in. However, I also love being intuitive and open to mystical perceptions. I don’t trust every one of my feelings as an infallible source of truth, but I rely on them a lot to guide my decisions. And I also believe that it’s sometimes impossible to figure out the objective facts. In the coming weeks, Aries, I suggest you give more weight than usual to the second set of perspectives I described. Don’t be crazily illogical, but proceed as if logic alone won’t provide the insights you need most.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

In their book Your Symphony of Selves , Jordan Gruber and James Fadiman propose a refreshing theory about human nature. They say that each of us is a community of multiple selves. It’s perfectly natural and healthy for us to be an amalgam of various voices, each with distinctive needs and forms of expression. We should celebrate our multifaceted identity and honor the richness it affords us. According to my analysis of astrological omens, the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to exult in your own symphony of selves and make it a central feature of your self-understanding.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

In the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2013, you launched a journey that will finally culminate soon. What a long, strange, and interesting trip it has been! The innovations you activated during that time have mostly ripened, though not entirely. The hopes that arose in you have brought mixed results, but the predominant themes have been entertaining lessons and soulful success . I hope you will give yourself a congratulatory gift, dear Gemini. I hope you will luxuriate in a ritual celebration to commemorate your epic journey. The process hasn’t been perfect, but even the imperfections have been magical additions to your life story.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

I suspect you may have metaphorical resemblances to a lightning rod in the coming weeks. Just in case I’m right, I urge you not to stroll across open fields during thunderstorms. On the other hand, I recommend that you be fully available to receive bolts of inspiration and insight. Put yourself in the presence of fascinating events, intriguing people and stirring art. Make yourself ready and eager for the marvelous.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

“It’s hard to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going,” said experimental filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. He’s implying that there’s potential value in getting lost. Unexpected discoveries might arrive that contribute to the creative process. But that will only happen if you first have a clear vision of where you’re headed. Jarmusch’s movies benefit from this approach. They’re fun for me to watch because he knows exactly what he wants to create but is also willing to get lost and wander around in search of serendipitous inspirations. This is the approach I recommend for you in the coming weeks, dear Leo.

VIRGO

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Does any person or institution own a part of you? Has anyone stolen some of your power? Does anyone insist that only they can give you what you need? If there are people who fit those descriptions, Virgo, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problems. According to my understanding of life’s rhythms, you can summon the ingenuity and strength to reclaim what rightfully belongs to you. You can recover any sovereignty and authority you may have surrendered or lost.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

In Greek myth, Sisyphus was a forlorn character punished by the gods, required to push a boulder to the top of a hill. But each time he neared the peak, the big rock, enchanted by the crabby god Zeus, slipped away and rolled back down the hill. The story says that Sisyphus had to do this for all eternity. If there have been even minor similarities between you and him, Libra, that will change in the coming months. I predict you will finally succeed—is this your fifth attempt?—in finishing a task or project that has, up until now, been frustrating.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Is it possible to reap spiritual epiphanies while having sex? Can intense pleasure be a meditation that provokes enlightened awareness? Can joy and bliss bring learning experiences as valuable as teachings that arise from suffering? Here are my answers, Scorpio, especially for you during the next four weeks: yes, yes and yes. My astrological ruminations tell me that you are primed to harvest divine favors as you quest for delight.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Your animal magnetism and charisma could be wildly potent in the coming weeks. I’m worried that you may be susceptible to narcissistic feelings of entitlement. You will be extra attractive, maybe even irresistible! But now that you have received my little warning, I hope you will avoid that fate. Instead, you will harness your personal charm to spread blessings everywhere you go. You will activate a generosity of spirit in yourself that awakens and inspires others. Do not underestimate the electrifying energy pouring out of you, Sagittarius. Vow to make it a healing medicine and not a chaotic disruptor.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

I’ve had thousands of crucial teachers. There would be no such thing as me without their life-changing influences. Among that vast array have been 28 teachers whose wisdom has been especially riveting. I feel gratitude for them every day. And among those 28 have been five geniuses who taught me so much so fast in a short period of time that I am still integrating their lessons. One of those is Capricorn storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade. I offer you these thoughts because I suspect you are close to getting a major download from a guide who can be for you what Meade has been for me. At the very least, you will engage with an educational source akin to my top 28.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

In one of my previous lifetimes, I was a bricoleur—a collector and seller of junk who re-used castaway stuff in new ways. That’s one reason why, during my current destiny, I am a passionate advocate for recycling, renewal and redemption—both in the literal and metaphorical senses. I am tuned in to splendor that might be hidden within decay, treasures embedded in trash and bliss that can be retrieved from pain. So I’m excited about your prospects in the coming weeks, Aquarius. If you so desire, you can specialize in my specialties.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Some people imagine that being creative means having nonstop spontaneous fun. They think it’s primarily exuberant, adventurous and liberating. As a person who prizes imaginative artistry, I can testify that this is accurate some of the time. More often, the creative process involves meticulous organization and discipline, periods of trial-and-error experimentation and plenty of doubt and uncertainty. It’s hard work that requires persistence and faith. Having said that, Pisces, I am happy to say you are now in a phase when the freewheeling aspects of creativity will be extra available. You’re more likely than usual to enjoy spontaneous fun while dreaming up novel ideas and fresh approaches. Channel this energy into an art form or simply into the way you live your life.

(SLC)

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urban LIVING

No Mortgage?

Did you know that the root words for “mortgage” are the French mort (meaning death) and gage (pledge)—which literally means a death pledge? Wouldn’t it be nice to not have a mortgage payment each month? For seniors, it’s possible with an FHA-insured Conversion Mortgage for Purchase, or H4P as it is known in the lending industry.

Many of my friends and/or their parents are wanting to downsize from the large manse in which they reared their kids to a smaller, more manageable property that could offer singlelevel living, like a condo. However, if they were to sell their home, they may not have enough equity to pay cash for the new purchase and may have to apply for a mortgage.

Often, parents are retired and living on a fixed income—so having any type of mortgage payment could not work financially for them and keeps them stuck in a large home, owing little or nothing with a ton of what we call “frozen equity” in the home.

The age of the senior and the current mortgage interest rate both point to how much the senior would have to put down on a purchase. For example, if they sold their home and walked away with $300,000 in profit and put it all down on a $500,000 condo, they’d have to get a traditional mortgage for the remaining $200,000. With rates hovering around 7% for a 30-year loan, the payment would be around $1,600 per month for interest, taxes and insurance, plus the monthly HOA fee.

With the H4P loan, there is no mortgage payment. The lender will add in what the monthly payment for the mortgage should be to the principal balance of the loan. If the senior wants to sell later on to move in with family or to assisted living, they will have to repay the mortgage.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

1. Wall St. buys, for short

5. Type of name or voyage

11. Disney dwarf

14. After-bath powder

15. Live (as opposted to “test tube”)

16. “Tic-Tac-Dough” winning line

17. The most charitable U.S. state four years in a row, per a WalletHub analysis

18. “Mr. Buscemi, meet this Muppet rat” introduction?

20. Respite from the nine-to-five

22. Marino or Pedro preceder

23. Fishing equipment

24. Flock-related

26. Fencing weapons

28. Municipality that’s been cooked in a well-oiled pan?

33. Grainy milk source

34. Hauntingly strange

35. Undomesticated

39. College basketball’s Runnin’ Rebels

41. Campground units

43. Passage marker?

44. Bath salt scent

46. Brewpub option

48. “Mazel ___!”

49. The further biography of a family in a

1985 Anjelica Huston crime comedy?

52. First words of a search for a tutorial, maybe

55. Provide meals for

56. “Dies ___” (Latin requiem)

57. Atlanta-based cable network

60. Light-sensing eye part

64. Army led by the “30 Rock” character who’s friends with Dot Com?

67. West of “Batman”

68. Battleship call

69. Pleasure trip

70. Sport for Ludvig Åberg and Jordan Zunic

71. Griddle sound

72. “You’re still wrong”

73. Give a bad review to

DOWN

1. Poker variety

2. “See ya”

3. Warriors star Thompson

4. Current German chancellor Olaf

5. Puts the Vs in the Bs, maybe

6. Formic acid maker

7. Singer Burl

FHA guidelines for this product ensure that borrowers don’t have to pay back to the bank more than the full loan balance or 95% of the home’s appraised value once they sell, whichever is less. If the loan balance is higher than what the property is worth, FHA mortgage insurance will cover any shortage for the senior—or their heirs if said senior has passed.

This loan product can also be used to purchase a home, as I’ve had several clients use this “reverse mortgage”type loan to get into new digs with no mortgage payments and frankly, it may have extended the life of many of these folks to be able to move into a home or condo with no stairs, roll-in showers and a small yard or no yard to deal with. Have the talk with your parents or grandparents, as there is no age limit to this loan, beyond being the required 62 or older. n

8. Operatic icon

9. “Be that as it may ...”

10. “... neither the time ___ the place”

11. Construction vehicle

12. Exuded slowly

13. Puts in the fridge

19. Crease undoer

21. Throw off

25. Cherry red

27. Initials for conservationists (and not wrestlers anymore)

28. Basketball infraction

29. Rajah’s spouse

30. “___ be a cold day in hell ...”

31. “Agreed”

32. Anger

36. Circular cracker

37. All-encompassing phrase

38. Name on jeans labels

40. Exxon ___ (ship in 1989 headlines)

42. Id’s opposite, to Freud

45. 1955 merger with the AFL

47. Lemon, for one

50. Like bad sleeping spells

52. Big numbers for a meteorologist

53. Fragrant root used in perfumes

54. Sticks around

58. Have-___ (those in need)

59. Alkaline ___ (punk band)

61. Worshipped figurine

62. “The Lion King” heroine

63. Letters on a radio switch

65. Ending with proto

66. Anderson Cooper’s network

Last week’s answers

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

9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

51. Baggage tie-ons

NEWS of the WEIRD

Vacation Goals

Headed to Arizona this summer? Motor on over to Williams and drop into the Poozeum, the new permanent location for George Frandsen’s extensive coprolite collection. (Coprolite is fossilized animal feces, United Press International reported.) Frandsen earned a Guinness World Record in 2015 with his collection of 1,277 fossils—but now, the Poozeum is the permanent home of 8,000 specimens. “Several years ago, I noticed a glaring absence of coprolite representation in mainstream sources and museum exhibits,” Frandsen said. “The world’s premier dinosaur poop museum” offers free admission—but don’t bypass the gift shop!

Questionable Judgment

At a McDonald’s in Booval, Queensland, Australia, a customer caught an employee using a french fry heat lamp to dry a dirty mop, Yahoo! News reported on May 20. The customer said the mop had just been used to mop the floors; she heard another employee say, “I don’t think you should be doing that as it could be a safety issue as it can catch on fire,” but the first worker just “laughed it off.” A spokesperson for McDonald’s Australia called it an “isolated incident” and said the staff had undergone “retraining” on food safety procedures.

Awesome!

As a 32-year-old man and his 66-year-old father argued on May 28 in Commerce City, Colorado, the father allegedly shot several times at the son, CNN reported. The father was believed to be intoxicated. While his aim was right on, a fluke saved the younger man’s life: A .22-caliber bullet lodged in the 10-millimeter-wide silver chain link necklace he was wearing at his throat. The victim escaped with just a puncture wound; his dad is charged with first-degree attempted murder.

Oops!

n The website for the Republican National Convention features a photo of Milwaukee, Wisconsin—where the convention will be held on July 15—on each of its pages. At least, it was supposed to. On June 4, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the website section called “News and Updates” highlighted a photo of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam—not Milwaukee. According to an internet archive, the errant photo had been in place on the page since February. The RNC declined to comment.

n The South China Morning Post reported on May 27 that a 26-year-old man from Naringgul, Indonesia, was hoodwinked into marriage after dating his “wife,” Kanza, 26, for a year. Just 12 days into their union, the man, who goes by AK, became suspicious when his bride continued to wear her headscarf at home and avoided intimacy. After doing a little sleuthing, AK discovered that Kanza was actually a man who had been crossdressing since 2020. The scoundrel later told authorities that he married AK to steal his family’s assets. He was arrested and could face four years in prison.

Weird Science

Scientists in Japan are at it again, Oddity Central reported on May 31. The Japanese tech company Kirin Holdings has released the new Elecispoon, a metaland-plastic, battery-powered spoon that will improve human taste buds’ perception of salt, thereby allowing them to use less salt in their foods. Overconsumption of salt is a health issue in Japan. The tip of the spoon’s bowl transfers an electric charge to the food it touches and generates an electric field around the tongue, which causes sodium ions to bond together. The spoon, which sells for $128, has four intensity settings.

Um ...

Neighbors in Palm Beach Country Estates in Florida are upset about the noise levels they’re enduring from I-95 and the Florida Turnpike, which run side by side through the area, WPTV reported on June 5. Resident Greta Foriere, who lives two houses from the turnpike, said it’s like being tortured 24 hours a day: “You can’t go outside.” She and other neighbors are lobbying for a sound wall to muffle the noise, which she has recorded as reaching 146 decibels. Neighbor Gary Johnson said he wouldn’t have bought his house if he’d known about the noise level. Fun fact: The highways have been in place for 60 years.

Crime Report

Six Bricks & Minifigs stores across southern California have been targeted by Lego thieves, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 5. The popular figurines lifted from the Lego resellers amount to about $100,000 worth of merchandise. Katie Leuschner, who owns the store in Whittier, said that on May 3, burglars broke glass to enter the store, then filled trash bags with the booty. “They’re not stealing big box sets,” she said. “They’re stealing minifigures, and those individual guys go for $500 to $600 apiece, so they’re easily stolen and resold for a quick profit.” Other cities have been hit, too, by what one website calls a black market for Lego items. Leuschner and other owners are modifying their storefronts to be less vulnerable to the thieves.

Recurring Theme

Constance Glantz, 74, was receiving hospice care at a Waverly, Nebraska, nursing home when she seemed to pass away on June 3, The New York Times reported. The nursing home contacted the funeral home, and she was transported there. But as a mortician began the process of preparing her for burial, they discovered she was still breathing. Paramedics were called, and Glantz was taken to the hospital, where she actually died later the same day. “This is a very unusual case,” said Chief Deputy Ben Houchin noted. “At this point, we have not been able to find any criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing.”

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