JACKSON HOLE’S ALTERNATIVE VOICE | PLANETJH.COM | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
fear the reefer As the nation’s cannabis laws become more rational, Wyoming is bucking the trend.
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JACKSON HOLE'S ALTERNATIVE VOICE
VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 4 | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
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12 COVER STORY FEAR THE REEFER As the nation’s cannabis laws become more rational, Wyoming is bucking the trend. Cover photo by Esteban Lopez
16 DON’T MISS
5
18 MUSIC BOX
THE NEW WEST
6 DEMO IN CRISIS
20 CULTURE KLASH
8 THE BUZZ
25 50 DISHES
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BY METEOROLOGIST JIM WOODMENCEY
Of the four winter months, December through March, February is usually the driest, averaging the least amount of precipitation and snow. Average precipitation in town is 1.14 inches and the average snowfall is 14 inches. The snowiest February on record was in 1978, when 33 inches of snow fell in Jackson. Nearly all of that fell in the first two weeks of the month. The wettest February ever was last February, when we received 5.75 inches of water in February 2017.
The long-term average low temperature this week is in the single digits, sitting at around 7-degrees. Much cooler than we have experienced the last two weeks. The record low temperature this week is minus 48-degrees, from February 9th, 1933. This is also the coldest day ever recorded in the entire month of February in Jackson. The high temperature on February 9th,1933 also set a record when it only made it up to minus 6-degrees. A record cold maximum for that date.
LOWS
THIS WEEK
NORMAL HIGH 31 NORMAL LOW 7 RECORD HIGH IN 1951 56 RECORD LOW IN 1933 -48
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION: 1.14 inches RECORD PRECIPITATION: 5.75 inches (2017) AVERAGE SNOWFALL: 14 inches RECORD SNOWFALL: 33 inches (1978)
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Jim has been forecasting the weather here for more than 20 years. You can find more Jackson Hole Weather information at www.mountainweather.com
THIS MONTH
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 3
The average high temperature this week is nearing the freezing mark, at 31-degrees. Recently, daytime high temps have been a bit above that mark. But don’t get too used to the spring-like temps just yet, as we are barely halfway through February. The record high temperature this week is 56-degrees, which occurred on February 10th, 1951. The low temperature on that day was 37-degrees, which also a record warm minimum temperature for that date.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
JH ALMANAC HIGHS
FEBRUARY 7-13, 2018
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4 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
FROM OUR READERS Trumped Up Treason “Somebody said ‘treasonous.’ I mean -- yeah I guess, why not. Can we call that treason? Why not. I mean, they certainly didn’t seem to love our country very much.” --Donald Trump on Democratic Senators and Congress members who didn’t clap for him in his State of the Union speech. Really? We have a temporary resident of the White House whose definition of loyalty to the United States of America is loyalty to, and expressed enthusiasm for, his boneheaded ideas and false claims of greatness? We would expect such autocratic monomaniacal pronouncements from Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, Rodrigo Duterte, or any other egomaniac warlord. Hitler and Stalin were such demented oppressors. Saddam Hussein, Augusto Pinochet— the anti-democratic autarchs are easy to name. If the new definition of treason is being willing to not clap for Trump’s utterances, I hereby formally and publicly admit to treason. If we still live in a democracy, I charge Trump with treasonous statements. If there were one united value embedded in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, it is the right to dissent, politically and publicly, without fear of reprisal. Let the views contend in our public discourse. Instead, this is how a country slides from democracy toward dictatorship, one thought control episode, one veiled threat, after another. We are on a very
slippery slope here and the signs are not good. We have zero guarantees of the future of democracy in the US. Indeed, Freedom House, a nonpartisan think tank which measures and ranks all countries on Earth every year in the aggregate values and indices of democracies, has us sliding downward. They analyze both the US role in promoting democracy worldwide and practicing it at home. They note that this slide began slowly in 2010—the year the Republican rightwing gained control of the House-and is accelerating dramatically since Trump took office. Meanwhile, we see the strongman sort of government using Trump’s tactics now and in history. In Cambodia in September, dictator Hun Sen trumped up charges of treason against a candidate for office, Kem Sokha, who dared to call for peaceful changes toward more democracy and more human rights. Sokha faces 30 years in prison, where he has been since his arrest five months ago. In Venezuela in August, despot Nicolas Maduro engineered a path to charge political opponents with treason, targeting Julio Borges and other opposition leaders with potential arrest and imprisonment. Borges is out of office as of last month. This is a slippery slope toward tyranny. Trump is the most treasonous occupant of the White House since Richard “Break-and-Enter” Nixon. He too deserves a swift exit from power for his foul rule, his abdication of
JH SNOWPACK
responsibilities to defend democracy and right to dissent, and his lies about collusion with Russian government operatives to steal our election. - Dr. Tom H. Hastings, PeaceVoice Director and on occasion an expert witness for the defense in court
Rebuild Our Depleted Military The Budget Control Act of 2011 necessitated budget cuts for the Defense Department which had a huge negative effect on the readiness of our military. I quote from Alan Dowd’s article in the February 2018 issue of The American Legion Magazine. “In 2011, the Air Force had 333,370 active duty airmen. By 2017, it had fallen to 310,000. In 2013, 31 squadrons stood down. In 2014 500 planes were to be eliminated. Just 12 percent of America’s aging bomber fleet will be able to penetrate and survive enemy air defenses.” “In 2011, the Army’s active-duty end strength was 566,000; by 2016, it had fallen to 476,000. Only 25 percent of the Army’s combat aviation brigades are ready to deploy. Of the Army’s 58 brigade combat teams, only three could be called upon to fight tonight.” “Before sequestration, the Marine Corps fielded 202,100 active-duty personnel; by the end of 2016 there were only 184,000 Marines. By the end of 2016; only 41 percent of Marine aircraft were able to fly. “ “Today’s Navy has only 277 active deployable ships. According to former CNO Adm. Jonathan Greenert, we need a Navy of 450 ships. Fifty-three percent
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BY LISA VAN SCIVER
Over the weekend, strong winds buffed dense snow across the mountains. Slopes flattened and grauple rolled to the bottom of cliff bands, forming cones several feet tall. The smooth slopes became wide, flat and perfect for skiing and riding. In the valleys and up to 7,500 feet, rainfall saturated the pack and caused thin snow depths to become even thinner. In many areas, the deep persistent problem still exists, as do other layers of faceted snow crystals even closer to the snow’s surface. The most recent snowfall added significate weight to the snowpack, stressing all these persistent weak layers. The creeping load of several inches each day has slowly been adding weight. Over 6 inches of water was added to the snowpack From January 19 to February 5.
The month of February started nicely with 20 inches of snowfall and 3 inches of water from February 1 to 5. The constant light snowfall has deepened the snowpack and with 90 inches for the height of snow in Rendezvous Bowl, ski lines are getting fat. The added loads tipped the strength to stress scale and caused a significant natural avalanche cycle. On the night of February 4, strong winds and rapid loading triggered many natural D3 and D4 avalanches. Some of these slide paths avalanched earlier this season, like the Ullrs path on 25 Short in the Grand Teton National Park. As spatial variability continues to grow, so does the snowpack’s complexity. We can only watch and wait to see how the February weather changes it.
of Navy aircraft cannot fly. “ We need to fund the Defense Department with adequate budgets, probably on the order of $700 billion to $750 billion per year to rebuild our military and meet our national security requirements. President Trump is on board with the funding needs. - Donald Moskowitz, Londonderry NH
Submit your comments to editor@ planetjh.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line. All letters are subject to editing for length, content and clarity.
USFWS, LORI IVERSON
By law, management of elk feedgrounds like the National Elk Refuge are supposed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act.
Wild Backcountry America’s most important environmental acronym is now under a fierce attack On January 1, 1970, Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act which compels land managers serving the interests of the American people and charged with protecting environmental health, to be accountable, transparent, to make decisions based on science and to not do things by the seat or their pants or be corrupted by political pressure. Prior to NEPA, many land management decisions were focused primarily only on short-term economic considerations. The 48-year-old law gave the public a voice in scrutinizing decisions, says Timothy Preso, a nationally-noted environmental attorney who works for EarthJustice in Bozeman, Montana. Preso notes it is a law intended to reflect all major sides of an issue he points out that the timber industry invoked NEPA to challenge protection of roadless lands. “Public involvement through NEPA is a right Americans have that has been hard won,” he adds. Today, efforts underway in Congress to weaken or gut key provisions of NEPA and if those attempts are successful, experts say, it will result in resetting the clock backward on environmental protection. It’s safe to say that President Trump has little grasp or interest in what NEPA is, or how and why it came on the books. A key NEPA provision calls upon citizens who value nature and clean environments to get involved and that it was Congress itself that welcomed such
involvement: “The Congress recognizes that each person should enjoy a healthful environment and that each person has a responsibility to contribute to the preservation and enhancement of the environment.” NEPA has been attacked by some lawmakers who receive campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry as being excessively onerous, riddled with red tape requirements, too costly and burdensome to agencies having to comply. And yet two of the greatest things hobbling NEPA compliance is lack of adequate staffing to conduct reviews and cutbacks to science and research. Not only is this president’s overt environmental illiteracy, disdain for science and regulation well known, but it is shared with some members of Congress who are advancing bills that never would have passed muster when moderates held sway on Capitol Hill. Having a clean and healthful environment, for people and wildlife, is not a mere privilege, Preso notes. It is a right and when NEPA was written, Republicans and Democrats saw its provisions as an important part of representative democracy. PJH Todd Wilkinson, founder of Mountain Journal (mountainjournal.org), is author of “Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek” about famous Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear 399 featuring 150 photographs by Tom Mangelsen, available only at mangelsen.com/grizzly.
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 5
concern and simply pray something bad won’t happen. Or as a more recent phenomenon: greenlighting the proliferation of recreation uses without actually knowing what the impacts will be for sensitive wildlife and habitat security, especially as said uses swell in number of participants, intensity and conflicts. Claiming ignorance is not acceptable. It makes as much sense as a climber rappelling with a fixed length of rope yet not knowing if, while descending a cliff, it will deliver you safely to the next mountain ledge. The mandate to make the precautionary principle a priority did not come about by accident, but by historic trial and error—and a record of environmental destruction. In the West there are tens of thousands of river miles sullied by hardrock mining wastes because the precautionary principle was never applied. There are underwater aquifers that have been contaminated. There are huge stretches of public lands that, while management is supposed to theoretically be “multiple use,” are actually single use because one activity — one special interest — actually trumps the rest. The tenets of the precautionary principle were codified when a group of politically moderate lawmakers came together and placed a forward-thinking law on the desk of a Republican president.
@bigartnature
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
hen navigating the wild backcountry, do you think it prudent to look before you leap? In federal public land management decisions, this concept is also known as the precautionary principle and it is all about assessing risk in order to avoid injury. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem — the wildest complex of public lands in the Lower 48, distinguished for its large wildlife populations that are found nowhere else — it means fully understanding the consequences of particular actions. Part of the precautionary principle involves asking important questions and expecting those in charge of permitting actions to answer them — to acknowledge what they know and what they don’t know. If a company, for example, desires to cover tens of thousands of acres of public land with hundreds or thousands of natural gas wells, roads, pumping stations, pipeline and other infrastructure, will it be detrimental for, say, public wildlife such as pronghorn, sage-grouse, mule deer, elk and other animals? Or suppose a state agency applies for a permit from the Forest Service to operate controversial wildlife feedgrounds for, let’s say elk, and knowing the well-documented risk for spreading deadly diseases to wildlife. The precautionary principle suggests it isn’t smart to dismiss the
BY TODD WILKINSON |
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THE NEW WEST
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6 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
BOB WICK, BLM
DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS
Sage-grouse are seen as an “umbrella species”—meaning when its populations are in peril, so too are more than 350 other species that share their habitat.
The Dirt on the Bird How the battle of a bird is shaping environmental policy in the west BY NICOLE VULCAN |
F
or those in the West, “the bird” is the Greater sage-grouse and a “listing” refers to the threat of the bird being added to the Endangered Species list. Recent moves by Trump-appointed Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke could signal changes to the extensive work aimed at helping “the bird” across 10 western states. These were once words loaded down with angst on all sides. But by 2015 a broad bipartisan group, including conservation groups and ranchers, had created a series of Sage-Grouse Action Plans in those 10 states. Under the plans, ranchers would receive funding and support to improve sage-grouse habitat on their lands. Meanwhile, the BLM amended dozens of land-use plans to further enhance habitat for sage-grouse. Many described it as a win-win—“what’s good for the bird is good for the herd.” These days, though, those stakeholders are wringing their hands once again, exploring new “what ifs” centered around Zinke’s Secretarial Order 3353, “Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation and Cooperation with Western States.” In June 2017, the Department announced the opening of a public comment period on sage-grouse plans. The idea, the Department alleged, was to “improve sage-grouse conservation by strengthening collaboration among states and the federal government.” The comment period ended Dec. 1, 2017. Zinke, a former college football player and Navy SEAL who rides his horse around Washington, D.C., who called recent controversy over his travels by helicopter “bullshit,” and has called Hillary Clinton the “antichrist,” is in
many ways the perfect Trump appointment: A macho, mineral-extraction enthusiast who has little patience for environmentalists or the implications of the “bird” and its potential listing. Sage-grouse are seen as an “umbrella species”—meaning when its populations are in peril, so too are more than 350 other species that share their habitat. In other words, when “the bird” is threatened, it’s a signal the entire ecosystem is threatened too. But it could also put numerous burdens on landowners and ranchers, and on public agencies tasked with carrying out the tenets of those protections. In some areas, a listing could bar grazing, farming, mining or other activities altogether. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), representing eastern Oregon in the U.S. House, applauded the reopening of the comment period. “Oregon’s ranchers and landowners have done great cooperative work to improve sage grouse habitat, and this is a chance for their firsthand knowledge to be incorporated into the planning process,” wrote Walden in an Oct. 6 release, adding that it signals a desire to work with rural communities rather than “just burdening them with rules from Washington, D.C.” Dan Morse, conservation director for the Oregon Natural Desert Association, disagrees with Walden’s assessment of a top-down hierarchy. “You could not be a rancher in the eastern half of this state in the last five years and not have some knowledge that sage-grouse is declining,” Morse said. “It’s obvious, ranchers as individuals take this serious. That’s clear,” said John
@ nicovee1
O’Keefe, then-president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, “The end game is to be sure we don’t have a listing, so we can continue to have the flexibility to do the projects that are going to make a difference,” said John O’Keefe, then-president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, The two sides are often painted as “grazing versus grouse.” But ranching may not be the biggest threat. Energy and housing were bigger threats by far. And the oil and gas industries are big players in many of the states where stakeholders adopted sage-grouse plans in 2015. In August, the watchdog group, Western Values Project, released a statement regarding a leaked document involving the oil and gas industry trade group, the Western Energy Alliance. According to WVP, a memo from the WEA acted as the basis for Secretary Zinke’s current sage-grouse review. WVP says WEA made 15 recommendations to the Interior Department’s sage-grouse review team; 13 of those requests were used in Zinke’s report, according to WVP. This summer, WVP filed a Freedom of Information Act request to see correspondence between oil and gas industry representatives and Interior Department staff. “We’re now going on our third month without a response from the Department of Interior,” Jayson O’Neill, deputy director of WVP said, noting that WVP has since filed suit for information regarding those emails. “Now as we’re winding down our public comment period, the public has really still been kept in the dark about why these amendments and
these revisions came forward.” On the Department’s appearance of caving to oil and gas lobby pressure, ONDA’S Morse says: “It’s a little disappointing frankly, that they’re so susceptible to this, and just so unsophisticated to saying yes.” O’Neill says, “We went through 10 years of these discussions and coming to common ground, and then to have them essentially change in such a short time frame without knowing the full motivation behind that has been really troubling for a lot of folks across the West.” Also added to the mix: the Interior Department’s October decision to withdraw the application to prevent surface mining in critical sage-grouse habitat areas. The previously proposed move to prohibit mining in certain sage-grouse areas would have limited opportunities to expand mining operations on BLM lands, as well as private lands. “This is a clear signal from the Secretary of the Interior just how willing he is to put mining companies above the needs and wishes of Oregonians, westerners, and the farmers and ranchers he claims to support,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said in a statement. “If the sage grouse population continues to decline, we have not done our job for that species and that ecosystem,” says ONDA’s Morse. “If that ecosystem continues to decline, the way of life—the livelihood, the economy, the people of these landscapes—are going to be hurt.” PJH
Nicole Vulcan is editor of the Source Weekly in Bend, Oregon, where this story originally appeared.
REDNECK PERSPECTIVE SATIRE
Buddhist retreat in Hog Island
S
A LOCAL LISTICLE
BY PL ANE T JACKSON HOLE S TAFF
THE 6 LEAST-EXPENSIVE HOMES FOR SALE IN JH
6. $299,000: Two bedroom, two bathroom unit; 824 square
feet. That amounts to $363 a square foot.
5. $313,000: One bedroom, one bathroom unit; 608 square feet. That amounts to $515 a square foot. 4. $345,000: One bedroom, one bathroom unit; 1,334 square feet. That amounts to $567 a square foot. 3. $450,000: One bedroom, one bathroom unit; 608 square feet. That amounts to $337 a square foot.
2. $479,000: One bedroom, one bathroom unit; 774 square
feet. That amounts to $619 a square foot.
Pro tip: Just buy a home in Victor. Or Driggs. Or Casper. Or literally anywhere else other than Jackson.
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 7
1. $549,000: Two bedroom, one bathroom unit; 1,008 square feet. That amounts to $545 a square foot.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Later that day, in casual conversation with my nephew Little Clyde involving the theoretical physics as well as practical methodology of lighting intestinal gas without causing burns, I mentioned the retreat. Little Clyde, who despite being only 17 years old, has already finished his sophomore year of high school, performed some quick calculations and came up with the figure of $466 a day for the retreat! I decided right then to start the Hog Island Blessed Soul Retreat, where divine programs can help one discover their whole self in a setting of enlightenment among the single wide trailers of the spiritual Mecca of Hog Island. Like Tibetan monks, the Hog Inland transcendent leaders are famous for chanting, especially after a night of mystic seeking when, like the ancients who used peyote to expand their awareness, Jim Beam is consumed in quantities that allow visits to new reality. Philosophical ideals such as, “we shape the clay into a cup, but it is the emptiness inside the cup that holds Bourbon,” are discussed and expanded upon. The metaphor that the cup is the vessel of consciousness, what is true of a cup is also true of the mind-it works best when filled with Bourbon. Hog Island’s enlightened men — many sporting beerbellies worthy of the Buddha — crack open, heal, and expand the heart space. We are trained to console and expand love and loving and intimacy through our own style or erotic meditation known in Sanskrit as Viny-ass-tangayah, a word that roughly translates as “to please in a special way.” All meals will be catered from Bubba’s w it h an emphasis on biscuits made with natural flour and shorting, bacon created from free-thinking pigs, and ribs slowsmoked to allow time for the eternal harmony to seep into every bite. PJH
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usie stopped by my trailer all excited. “I’m going to Inversion Yoga’s Sacred Heart Retreat!” She was so excited her voice quivered. “I get to celebrate Love and Bhakti at a Holistic Spa in Baja.” “You have to go to a fancy resort to practice love and … what is Bhakti anyway?” I asked. ‘Bhakti means like, you know, emotional devotionalism to really deep spiritual ideas,” she said. “Anyway, it only costs $2,800 per person for an ocean view suite single for six nights and includes three healthy, organic, homemade meals each day, and a temazcal sweat lodge with our very own shaman! We chant, do yoga and philosophy all day beginning at 6:30 in the morning with meditation and breathing!” “You have to wait to 6:30 to breathe?” I asked. “No silly,” she said. “You get to breathe whenever you want, and for no extra cost, but we get a full hour of guided breathing each day!” I was happy for Susie; well ok, I was happy for me. When Susie returns from these retreats where she is surrounded by eternal peace that provokes quest ions probi n g t h e depths of deepness and the in and out methodolog y of breathing, she is filled with an animal hunger, a hunger I am happy to feed!
BY CLYDE THORNHILL
ANY NUMBER OF
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| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
8 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
MATT SHIFFLER
THE BUZZ According to the report, the dearth of available “affordable” housing is due in part to those who already own it holding on to it for dear life.
Housing Hell New report reiterates what most Hole-dwellers know — the price is too damn high BY FW BROSCHART |
A
report issued recently by The Jackson Hole Report confirms empirically what a lot of people in the valley already knew; available housing is getting harder to find, and it’s practically impossible to find any housing if you don’t have at least a half-million dollars to spend. The report, compiled from data about every free-market property sale in the valley in the year 2017, showed that the available housing stock in the valley is at the lowest point in decades, and the amount of housing available under $1 million has decreased to perilous numbers with only 79 homes under $1 million having sold in 2017. Only five of those were priced under $750,000, according to the report. The number of property sales are down 31 percent compared to the time prior to the great recession, and inventory levels are down 23 percent since then. The lack of supply has caused prices to spike to an average sale price of $1.3 million, a near-record level. For those who work in Jackson but live out of the area and must commute long distances during the Teton region’s severe winter weather, the data show that there is little hope indeed of a family earning the median wage in Teton County ever purchasing a home in the valley. “The under $1 million market is slowly slipping away, representing only 34% of all home sales in 2017,” the report read. “This segment continues to reflect brisk activity and the ever-intensifying appetite for properties priced below $1 million: When a well priced [sic] home hits the market in this segment, a bidding war is sure to ensue within 72 hours.” At the time the report was compiled, there were 14 single-family homes for sale in the valley under $1 million. Five of those were priced under $750,000. According to the report, the dearth of
available “affordable” housing is due in part to those who already own it holding on to it for dear life. Prior to the 2007 economic downturn — which was fueled in large part by a collapse of a housing market bubble — many local residents in the valley looked at their home as part of their retirement portfolio, the report said. To build up their retirement nest egg, many residents of the valley would upgrade their housing every 3-5 years. “they may have owned a two bedroom condo and traded up to a three bedroom house with a small backyard,” the report said. “Then they would trade up again to a home with some acreage, and a larger or newer home.” This time around, however, it seems those who own some of the more modestly-priced housing in the area — at least by Jackson standards — are not so ready to gamble with the value of their homes and are staying put. The report said some homeowners cite the lack of housing they can upgrade to, as well as fears of overextending themselves on a larger mortgage payment as reasons they were holding on to what they have. For many, the losses in equity they suffered during the great recession is still fresh in their minds, the report said, convincing many to not rock their financial boat by taking on more debt. The report also cited a lack of new construction as a factor limiting housing options, and it also noted that exploding construction and materials costs have also contributed significantly to the valley’s housing shortage. “This combination of factors has created a limited supply, and prices have accelerated to the point where most local buyers can no longer afford to enter our market,” the report read. That analysis was backed by sales data. In 2005, there were 1,122 annual sales in
@broschartfred
Teton County. Of those, 429, or 38 percent, sold for under $500,000. In 2017, only 604 properties sold in the county. Of those, 90 properties sold for under $500,000, a paltry 15 percent of the total properties sold. The Housing Affordability Index, or HAI, for Teton County places it among the least affordable places in the nation for a typical person earning the median area wage to buy a house. The HAI is calculated using an area’s mean home price, mean income and mortgage income requirements. An HAI of 100 indicates a family earning that area’s mean wage can afford a mortgage at that area’s mean home cost. A number over 100 indicates housing is more affordable. A number below 100 means housing is less affordable. Teton County’s HAI is estimated at 53, according to data analysis by ESRI, a California-based analytic software company. The share of income to mortgage, the amount of the area’s median wage that would be consumed by the area’s median mortgage payment, was 47 percent. Nationally, the HAI for the final quarter of 2017 was 159, according to the National Association of Realtors. Because of pent-up demand for homes under $1 million in the valley and the lack of available properties, the Jackson Hole Report predicts prices for those properties will go up during 2018. A lack of availability is not only affecting “cheap” homes in the valley, according to the report. Based on the number of properties for sale over the course of 2017, the year will go down as the one where property was the scarcest for 30 years, with a 17 percent decrease in available inventory over 2016. Single-family homes saw a 7 percent increase in average sale price, and a 15 percent spike in median sale price. In the valley, the median list price for a single-family home was $1.3 million, and the
median list price was $2.65 million, which the report said was the “highest median list price ever.” Condos and townhouses saw sales across the valley increase by 1.5 percent, coupled with a median sale price decrease of 3 percent, to $575,000. According to the report, condos and townhouses under $500,000 accounted for 33 percent of 2017 sales, but with only eight sub-$500,000 properties listed, the report warns that a price increase in condos and townhouses is to be expected. At the time the report was published, the cheapest single-family home in the valley was a two-bedroom, 1388-square foot home in Hoback Junction that was listing for $575,000. The most expensive was an 11,500 square foot 4-bedroom house with a private golf course for $28 million. The lowest priced condo or townhome was a 608 square foot home for $345,000, four-and-a-half times Teton County’s median household income of $75,594. According to the formula used to calculate HAI, the housing affordability index for that condo for a family making Teton County’s median wage would be 102.4. For the cheapest house available, the HAI would be 61. “With current interest rates holding at all-time lows, mortgage payments can still be less than monthly rent,” the report said. “If you can afford a 30% down payment and have a good credit score, you should buy a condo and start building equity.” For a $345,000 condominium, a 30 percent down payment would be $103,500. According to a 2017 study by the Economic Policy Institute, the average savings of a family with a head-of-household aged 31-37 is $31,644. The median savings for such a family is $480. PJH
January 2018
St. John’s Calendar of Events Most events are free unless otherwise noted.
Health & Wellness
Support Groups Cancer Support Group for Patients Survivors, and Caregivers Led by cancer nurse Beth Shidner, RN, OCN, and social worker Lynnette Gartner, MSW, LCSW Thursday, February 1 Thursday, February 15 4-5 pm Professional Office Building Suite 206
For information, call 307.739.6195
Grief Support Group Led by St. John’s Hospice social worker Oliver Goss, LCSW Drop-ins welcome, but please call ahead Wednesday, February 14 Noon – 1 pm Wednesday, February 28 Noon – 1 pm Professional Office Building Suite 114, 555 E. Broadway, Entrance C
Call 307.739.7463
Teton Mammas For new babies and their families Wednesday, February 7 1 – 2:30 pm Moose Wapiti Classroom St. John’s Medical Center
For information, call 307.739.6175 For those suffering from persistent memory problems; family members and caregivers welcome Thursday, February 8 Noon – 1 pm
For information, call 307.739.7434
Teton Parkies (For those affected by Parkinson’s Disease)
tetonhospital.org/calendar
Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Group in Spanish In Spanish! ¡En Español! Zumba with Elvis. Family friendly. Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30 pm Moose-Wapiti Classroom St. John’s Medical Center
Suffering from back pain? Learn prevention and treatment options Dr. Christopher Hills, orthopedic surgeon Thursday, February 8 5:30–6:30 pm Four Pines Physical Therapy 46 Iron Horse Drive Alpine, WY
For information, call 307-654-5577
Dr. Bill Mullen, cardiologist Thursday, February 22 5:30–7 pm Pinedale Medical Clinic 625 East Hennick St Pinedale, WY
For information, call 307.367.4133
Spine Classes Information for people considering or scheduled for spine surgery Tuesday, February 6, 3-4:30 pm Monday, February 12, 1-2:30 pm Tuesday, February 20, 3-4:30 pm Monday, February 26, 1-2:30 pm Physical Therapy Room St. John’s Medical Center
Please register by calling 307.739.6199
For information, call 307.739.7678
Joint Classes
Auxiliary Monthly Luncheon “Healthcare for Families in Our Community,” by guest speaker Berit Amundson, MD, St. John’s Family Health & Urgent Care Thursday, February 1 Noon Boardroom
New Physicians and other providers from St. John’s Medical Center Wednesday, February 7 5–6:30 pm Short program at 5:45 pm Refreshments provided Wort Hotel 50 Glenwood
Information for people considering or scheduled for joint replacement surgery Thursday, February 8, 8-9:30 am Tuesday, February 13, 4-5:30 pm Thursday, February 22, 8-9:30 am Tuesday, February 27, 4-5:30 pm Physical Therapy Room St. John’s Medical Center
Please register by calling 307.739.6199
For information, call 307.739.7517
625 E. Broadway, Jackson, WY
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 9
Tuesday, February 27, 5:30 pm Featuring Dr. Mark Bromberg, St. John’s Medical Center Neurology Jackson Whole Grocer Community Room Contact Elizabeth at 307.733.4966, 614.271.7012, or epgerhard@gmail.com
For information, call 307.739.7634
For information, call 307.739.7466
Keeping your Heart Healthy
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Gather for mutual support, discussion of disease and therapies, and more. Monday, February 5, 2-3 pm “Power Up for Parkinson’s” A movement and voice exercise class taught by Teton PT & Rehabilitation $4 seniors, $7 under 65 Senior Center of Jackson Hole
Open to everyone interested in weight loss and those considering (or who have had) bariatric surgery Thursday, February 15, 4 pm Professional Office Building Suite 206
Jazz Improvisation, Musical Creativity, and the Brain featuring researcher and surgeon Charles Limb, MD Friday, February 2 noon – 1 pm Teton County Library Free, but ticketed. Available at gtmf.org
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
Memory Loss Support Group
Weight Management Support Group
Lunchtime Learning in collaboration with the Grand Teton Music Festival
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
10 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
THE BUZZ 2 PET SPACE
GREG SHINE, BLM
Pet Space is sponsored by Animal Adoption Center Photo by Karissa Akin with Apres Events
Overturned regulations include those protecting the health of federal lands used for grazing, and the repeal of rule increasing public stakeholder input on their use.
Regulatory Repeal
LEGO
My name is Lego and I am certain that one of you is my purr-son. I am a 9 month old, female, Domestic Short Hair. I am a sweet, petite juvenile that is just an extra small tiger. I am social, yet respectful of people’s and other animal’s space. My eyes will pierce your soul and you won’t regret bringing me into your home. Adopt your own Valentine! To meet Lego and learn how to adopt him, contact Animal Adoption Center at 739-1881 or stop by 270 E Broadway
270 E Broadway, Jackson WY 739-1881 animaladoptioncenter.org
Regulation changes could spell trouble for Teton County and Wyoming BY FW BROSCHART |
C
andidate Donald Trump in December stated one of his goals as president would be to shrink the Code of Federal Regulations — the rules established by federal executive agencies and departments — down to the size it was in 1960. And it appears he’s well on his way to curtailing, cutting, rolling back or otherwise gutting a trove of regulations, and is delivering on his promise to launch the nation back on the path to prosperity and simpler times when rivers routinely caught fire due to industrial pollution and it was normal for corporations to dump toxic chemicals on the ground in their factory’s back yards, then sell the land to local school boards for cheap so they could construct elementary schools on them. Many of the rules and regulations thus far targeted by the administration are aimed squarely at benefitting the carbon fuel industry, and stripping away at the Obama administration’s push for renewable energy development. According to the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University Law School, the administration has thus far attempted to overturn or alter 88 regulations or federal rules aimed at the environment. The Emmett Clinic Policy Initiative at Harvard University’s school of law, which focuses on environmental regulation changes
@broschartfred
specifically, has identified 41 proposed regulatory rollbacks or attempts to overturn. Many of the changes to regulations, whether proposed or actual, would likely have effects in Wyoming and the Teton County area. In October 2017, the EPA announced that a series of rules known as the Clean Power Plan which were put forth in 2015 did, in the agency’s understanding under the Trump administration, “exceeds the EPA’s statutory authority and would be repealed.” The rules instructed states to reduce carbon dioxide production and emission at existing fossil fuel plants. Wyoming was one of 27 states that sued the federal government to block implementation of the plan, and its demise was met gleefully by many lawmakers in the state as well as the coal energy industry. In Wyoming, the plan would have required coal-fired power plants to reduce their CO2 output from 2,300 pounds per megawatt hour generated, to 1,305 pounds per Mwh. Natural gas emissions would similarly have been curtailed from about 900-1,000 pounds per megawatt-hour to no more than 771 pounds per MWH. Another regulatory rollback with a nexus in the Cowboy State is a Bureau of Land Management rule enacted in 2016 that would task the agency with
ensuring that hydraulic fracturing operations taking place on land owned by the BLM or on Native American reservation land did not have a negative impact on drinking water. Before the proposed rule came into effect, industry groups and Wyoming sued the BLM seeking to block its implementation. Wyoming won its case and was granted a preliminary injunction in September 2015. Litigation over the rule was still ongoing when Trump was inaugurated, and soon thereafter, the BLM informed the 10th circuit court of appeals in Denver that it was proposing to void the rule. Because of that, the court dismissed the suit as moot since the BLM signaled it would rollback the rule. The rule was formally rescinded by the BLM in December 2017. Several states, including California, have sued the BLM for rescinding the rule. Grazing on federal lands, long a contentious matter in the Western states, has also faced some regulatory changes since the advent of the Trump administration. Livestock grazing occurs across thousands of acres of publically-owned lands in Wyoming. But a 2016 study showed that some 30 percent of public lands licensed for grazing use were not meeting land health standards, with significant damage caused by livestock grazing.
OVERTURNED
BLM
• Rule prohibiting new coal leases on federal lands
• Rule protecting drinking water on federal and Indian lands permitted for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. • Regulations to limit leaks or venting of natural gas into the atmosphere on federal and Indian lands.
BLM
• Regulations to protect the health of federal lands used for grazing.
News That Sounds Like a Joke
NEWS OF THE
WEIRD
In Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, drivers of black cars are facing high costs to repaint their cars white or silver after President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov banned black vehicles because he thinks the color white brings good luck. Police began seizing dark-colored vehicles in late December, and owners have to apply for permission to repaint and re-register them. The average wage in Ashgabat is about $300 a month (or 1,200 manats); one Turkman told Radio Free Europe that he was quoted 7,000 manats for a paint job, but was told that the price would rise within a week to 11,000 manats. “Even if I don’t spend any money anywhere, I will be forced to hand over pretty much my entire annual salary just to repaint,” the unnamed man said, adding that his black car had already been impounded.
Bright Idea
Noting that “nobody else has done it,” on Jan. 4 Nebraska state Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus proposed a novel constitutional amendment with the goal of stimulating growth in western Nebraska: Delegate complete or partial sovereignty over a designated, limited and sparsely populated area. “If I were a major business, I would not want Omaha or Lincoln ... telling me what to do,” Schumacher said. The Lincoln Journal Star reported that the senator believes his concept would attract businesses looking for no state or local taxes and no state or local regulations. It presents the opportunity to “have your own state,” he explained. The Nebraska legislature must approve the resolution before citizens get a chance to vote.
Public Safety
BLM
• Repeal of rule increasing public stakeholder input on the use of BLMmanaged lands.
BLM
My Kingdom for a Burrito
Tampa, Florida, resident Douglas Jon Francisco, 28, was arrested for DUI after he mistook a Spring Hill bank drive-thru lane for a Taco Bell. On Jan. 17, around 5 p.m., the bank branch manager noticed a driver passed out in a blue Hyundai sedan in the drive-thru lane. When the manager went out to the car and banged on the window, Francisco woke up and tried to order a burrito, according to the Tampa Bay Times. After being set straight about the bank not serving Mexican fast food, Francisco drove around to the front of the building and parked, where deputies found him and administered a field sobriety test, which he failed. “He made several statements that were differing from reality,” a Hernando County Sheriff’s deputy reported.
Take That!
Richard the 15-year-old pony, of Bridgton, Maine, has had a rough winter. He was suffering from cancer of his penis and infection when temperatures plummeted to negative 25 degrees, which caused frostbite. As a result, part of the animal’s flesh broke off while he was being examined, the Associated Press reported. The Animal Rescue Unit in Bridgton has taken responsibility for the pony and has raised more than $4,000 for his care, including reconstructive surgery. Brogan Horton of Animal Rescue Unit said the goal is for Richard to live out his life pain-free.
Cliche Come to Life
Outdoorsman Sergey Terekhov, 64, had just let his dogs out to run before a January hunting outing in Russia’s remote Saratov region when one of the dogs bounded back to him and clawed the trigger of Terekhov’s double-barreled shotgun, shooting the man in the abdomen. The Telegraph reported that his brother rushed Terekhov to the hospital, but he died less than an hour after the shooting.
Road Rage
Distracted driving caused long backups and at least one minor traffic accident on Jan. 20 as a man wandered along I-95 in Philadelphia—in the buff. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the stripped-down man walked along the shoulder and in and out of the right lane around noon, throwing items at cars before being taken into custody by police. His name was not released.
Compulsions
Bradley Hardison, 27, of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, achieved minor celebrity status in 2014 when he won a doughnut-eating contest sponsored by the Elizabeth City Police Department. (He ate eight glazed doughnuts in two minutes.) At the time, police had been looking for Hardison as a suspect in break-ins going back to 2013, so they arrested him, and he received a suspended sentence that ended in October 2017. But a doughnut habit is hard to break: The Virginian-Pilot reported that Hardison was charged on Jan. 18 with robbing a Dunkin’ Donuts store on Nov. 21.
Fooled Ya!
Montreal, Canada, machinist and cabinetmaker Simon Laprise, 33, took advantage of a recent snowfall to carve a DeLorean DMC-12 (the “Back to the Future” car) in the snowbank in the street in front of his home on Jan. 16. “I decided to do something out of the mountain of snow, to do a little joke to the snow guys,” Laprise told Vice. In a “stroke of luck,” Laprise found a windshield wiper across the street, which he placed on the snow-car’s windshield. He missed a visit from the Montreal police, but others, who snapped photos, caught them looking perplexed at the “car” parked in a no-parking zone. In the end, they left Laprise a “ticket” that read, “You made our night.” Sadly, the snowplow drivers weren’t as generous, and Laprise’s snow-car was reduced to the junkyard of history.
Update
If you’ve been wondering whatever happened to Barney the Dinosaur, the Daily Mail has the answer for you. David Joyner, 54, romped inside the big purple suit for 10 years on the 1990s “Barney & Friends” show on PBS. Today, he’s a tantric sex guru in Los Angeles who says he can unite his clients’ body, mind and spirit through tantric massage and unprotected sex. Joyner credits his tantric training with helping him endure the 120-degree temperatures inside the Barney suit. While “surprised,” Stephen White, former head writer on the show, said he sees Joyner’s new vocation as the “’I love you, you love me’ deal, but different. I don’t judge or anything, but that’s a side of David I didn’t know.” Send tips to weirdnewstips@amuniversal.com.
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 11
In Dresden, Germany, police reported that two men were injured on Jan. 15 after hitting each other with their cars in consecutive accidents. The first man, 49, pulled into a handicapped parking spot, then saw his mistake and backed out, accidentally hitting a 72-year-old man walking behind the car. The two men exchanged information for a report, then the older man got into his car and reversed out of his parking spot, hitting the younger man. Both men suffered only slight injuries, according to the Associated Press.
For the Love of Animals
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
• Amendment of land use plans intended to preserve populations of Sage Grouse
Tennessee’s legislature has a newly renovated home in the Cordell Hull building in Nashville, so Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Beth Harwell have been busy outlining some new rules. “Hand-carried signs and signs on hand sticks” will be strictly prohibited because they pose a “serious safety hazard.” Animals, too, will be turned away at the door, reported The Tennessean on Dec. 21. But in a dizzying twist of irony, McNally and Harwell will continue a policy they enacted last year, which allows holders of valid gun permits to bring their weapons into the building.
BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL
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The BLM’s permitting procedure was strengthened to better protect public lands. However, under a new rule promulgated during the first year of the Trump administration, future grazing permits would permit livestock owners much more flexibility in choosing which public lands their animals graze upon, and the degree to which they do so, weakening the BLM’s ability to protect federal lands from overgrazing or other damages associated with livestock grazing. Far from affecting Wyoming alone, several regulatory and rule rollbacks or rescissions proposed or enacted by the administration would not only affect Wyoming and Teton County residents, but would have a broad impact across the nation. Rules limiting the effluent discharged into rivers by power plants, including toxic heavy metals like arsenic, lead, mercury, selenium, chromium, and cadmium were proposed to be rolled back by Trump’s EPA after a series of lawsuits by corporations seeking to have them overturned, as well as environmental groups. Another rule enacted in 2011 limiting the amount of mercury being emitted into the air by industrial and power plants came under legal challenge by the industry. Under the Trump administration, the EPA appears to have stopped defending the case in court, with the court effectively removing the case from its docket. Under the Trump administration, Corporate Average Fleet Efficiency Standards — rules in place since the 1970 that require car manufacturers to achieve a fleet average mileage — were rolled back. Under the Obama administration, CAFE standards were expanded to include rules about how much greenhouse gas their cars can emit. That rule fell during the first days of the Trump administration. Most famously, however, the Trump administration recently withdrew from the Paris Agreement, a series of agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions and spur growth in renewable energy for signatory countries. Of 195 countries in the world, 194 and the European Union signed the Paris Agreement. Of those, 173 ratified the agreement. However, on August 4 of last year, the Trump administration announced its intention to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement as soon as it is legally able to do so in November 2020. PJH
Rules, regulations directly affecting Wyoming being overturned or rolled back. Data from Emmett Clinic Policy Initiative Harvard University Environmental Law Program and Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
12 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
fear the reefer As the nation’s cannabis laws become more rational, Wyoming is bucking the trend. BY ANGELICA LEICHT @writer _ anna
It wasn’t much pot — there was only about $40 worth of the premium strain “Girl Scout Cookies” stowed in the center console of Gabby’s* car as she crossed the state line from Colorado into Laramie in early November 2017. She’d tucked it away next to some gummies in a childproof pack — each 10 mg piece carefully packaged in an individual blister pocket and stamped with THC — she’d purchased legally across the border.
C
areful to avoid speeding, Gabby grew more paranoid as she drove along I-80 on her way home. In a state notoriously underpopulated and low numbers of law enforcement, it sure felt like there were patrol cars everywhere. She eyed craggy crevices and sparse growth where she would stash her cannabis if she got pulled over. As her paranoia continued to creep up, so did the speed of her car. Higher and higher it went — unnoticed — until right outside of Laramie it happened. The flash of lights, an officer, and a drug bust. Gabby, an occasional cannabis user and marathon runner who stopped at a dispensary on her way back from a race in Colorado, is now facing some pretty stiff penalties for her “crimes” in Wyoming. “Looking at it now, it’s so ridiculous,” Gabby said, half-laughing. “I rarely even smoke. I was the kid who didn’t touch alcohol until I was 21. I grew up in a really religious family and it just wasn’t something I thought about.” Gabby, a veritable teetotaler, is facing misdemeanor charges for that small amount of weed — legal just 20 miles over the border — and it could ruin her burgeoning career in banking. At 24, she can’t afford for that to happen.
In the Cowboy State, Gabby is hardly alone in her plight. Across the nation, the attitudes and policies geared toward marijuana prohibition are continuing to evolve. There are currently 38 states and the District of Columbia that have laws broadly legalizing marijuana in some form. Eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use, creating enviable economies and industries out of the post-prohibition era. Those industries, in turn, have helped rake in the tax dollars. The cannabis tax, license and fee revenue raked in by Colorado in 2017 was a whopping $247,368,473, according to colorado.gov. That number is up exponentially from the $67,594,323 the state collected in 2014. Oregon collected a total of $108.6 million in state and local cannabis taxes between Jan. 4, 2016, and Aug. 31, 2017, and state officials announced in Oct. 2017 they would pay out $85 million in marijuana taxes for schools, public health, police and local governments. Nevada’s state tax officials stated in Sept. 2017 that the state brought in more than $3.5 million in tax revenue during its first month of recreational cannabis sales.
In San Francisco — where one of the newest recreational markets is up and running — District Attorney George Gascón office announced in early February that it would review, dismiss and seal an estimated 3,000 misdemeanor marijuana convictions dating back to 1975. The office also intends to review and resentence many past felony convictions. The DA’s move is in line with the state’s 2016 voter-approved marijuana law, which included provisions to allow those with past marijuana convictions to petition the court for expungement. Legal petitions are costly and time-consuming, though, so Gascón said it made more sense to do it this way, and “wipe out convictions en masse.” “This example, one of many across our state, underscores the true promise of Proposition 64 – providing new hope and opportunities to Californians, primarily people of color, whose lives were long ago derailed by a costly, broken and racially discriminatory system of marijuana criminalization,” California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement in early February. The numbers — and the freshly-wiped criminal records — don’t lie. The legal cannabis industry is seeing massive success, and the majority of the nation
appears after decade upon decade of prohibition to be embracing marijuana madness. Wyoming, however, is another story.
Irrational Wyoming
Wyo lawmakers’ refusal to compromise on cannabis makes little sense, given the overall support for sensible cannabis laws, medical or otherwise, by Wyoming residents. A poll taken in late 2016 showed that 81 percent of Wyoming residents supported medical marijuana, and 72 percent opposed jail time for possession of small amounts. Those numbers are well above the majority. The hard-nosed anti-cannabis stance in Wyoming isn’t just puzzling, though. It’s also incredibly costly. While the exact cost of fighting cannabis in Wyoming isn’t clear, we do know that enforcing marijuana prohibition nationwide costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually and results in the arrest of more than 600,000 individuals per year. That number is far more than the total number of arrestees for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, according to NORML.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 13
At a time when the rest of the nation is moving to loosen the grip on cannabis, Wyoming is bucking the trend — and not in a good way. State lawmakers are pushing to tighten the reins on cannabis, pushing for laws that will further penalize, not decriminalize, cannabis use. It’s a puzzling move by state lawmakers, given the overall climate regarding cannabis in Wyoming. Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year. More than 14 million do so regularly despite laws against its use, according to NORML. About Those Edibles It seems a bit counterproductive to continually As odd as it may sound, Gabby actually got lucky lobby to further outlaw cannabis, given that Wyoming during her minor pot bust. Based on the weight of has some of the strictest cannabis laws in the nation. her cannabis products, Gabby was carrying a hefty In Wyoming, possession of under three ounces amount of edibles — i.e. those gummies, which also of cannabis is a misdemeanor that can be punished come in pot brownies, cookies and other confectionwith up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine; possession of ary delights — and under Wyoming law, they are over three ounces is a felony. technically not illegal. Well, they’re sort of not illegal. Marijuana intoxication is also a crime — a misIt’s complicated. demeanor — and is punishable by up to six While cannabis plant material is severemonths in jail and a $750 fine. Get caught cul“I know I got lucky,” Gabby ly punished under Wyoming law, edibles tivating any amount of marijuana, and you’re are another story. Edibles were until the said. “I mean, I know that now. facing a misdemeanor that can earn you 6 last few years prosecuted like plant forms months in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. I didn’t know about the loophole. cannabis, but a couple of cases set preceThe felony charges are much harsher. A Who does? It’s not something that’s of dent when the judges decided that because person in possession of more than 3 ounces advertised.” the state’s marijuana laws are confined to of marijuana faces a potential 5-year prison the plant form, they had to throw out felony sentence and a $10,000 fine. Those same penalties apply to the sale or distribution of any amount Wyoming, which is illegal under current law. Not one charges against anyone caught with edible pot. of the bills advanced before their deadline, leaving In one case, a Laramie County judge dismissed of marijuana. The harshest penalties for marijuana involve chil- Wyoming’s extremely-limited medical cannabis pro- charges against a man stopped with about two pounds of edible marijuana in his vehicle. dren. An adult who distributes marijuana to a minor gram to stagnate. There has been some push toward legalization by “I know I got lucky,” Gabby said. “I mean, I know faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. A marijuana conviction within 500 feet of a school is Wyoming residents and advocates in spite of lawmak- that now. I didn’t know about the loophole. Who does? ers’ prohibitive stances, although none have been It’s not something that’s advertised.” subject to an additional $500 fine. Rather than charge her for the gummies — two Wyoming does allow in very limited capacities terribly successful. Late last year, Wyoming NORML the use of medical CBD oil — or in layman’s terms, pushed for a legalization initiative that would have packages — the officer who pulled her over cona non-psychoactive oil derived from cannabis — but appeared on the 2018 ballot, but the petition lacked fiscated them instead. Her charge stems from the the law is extremely limited and provides no legal enough signatures to become a ballot measure for the plant matter alone — not the edibles. A lucky break, 2018 mid-term elections. considering how hard Wyoming is trying to fight to means of in-state access. Numerous marijuana policy reform bills were criminalize edibles too. The law only recognizes certain seizure disorders The challenge with edibles, crime lab analysts to be treated by CBD oil — inexplicably categorized as introduced during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2017 “hemp extract” — that cannot contain more than 0.3 session, which ended on March 3. A decriminalization have said in the past, is that it’s difficult to test the percent of THC. To qualify, they must have a written bill sponsored by Rep. Mark Baker (R-Sweetwater) amount of THC they contain. There is equipment that recommendation from a certified neurologist who failed a committee vote despite bipartisan support, does the testing, but it’s not cheap, and Wyoming as has tried other treatment options that have proven and an effort he led with Rep. James Byrd (D-Laramie) a whole can’t afford it — they cost about $175,000, ineffective. Minors can use CBD oil, but the law holds to amend the constitution to legalize marijuana was David Delicath, Wyoming deputy attorney general, not considered. said in 2015. their parents or guardians responsible for that use. In 2016, an initiative that would have legalized Without the equipment it’s hard to separate THC Only 2.5 percent of registered patients in Colorado and less than 1 percent of patients in Arizona list sei- marijuana in Wyoming for recreational purposes was from ingredients such as butter, sugar, cocoa and zures as their qualifying condition, making a law like attempted but did not garner enough signatures to flour. Given the financial hurdles, lawmakers have this effectively useless for the majority of Wyoming make it on to the November 2016 ballot. Another bill been working to close the edibles issue by widening that would have decriminalized marijuana posses- current law regarding pot instead. medical patients. Since 2015, Wyoming lawmakers have presented Should a medical patient qualify under Wyoming sion (again sponsored by State Representative James bills in each legislative session to essentially treat edilaw, chances are good they’ll need higher levels of Byrd of Cheyenne) failed for the third year in a row. bles as plant matter. Those attempts have all failed. THC than currently allowed anyway. CBD therapy
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is with many seizure sufferers more effective when there’s a higher THC to CBD ratio, but Wyoming law won’t allow it. But, should there be a Wyoming resident who may benefit from CBD-only oil, the law doesn’t provide for legal route to obtain it. The law prohibits patients from growing their own marijuana or producing oil for their personal use and does not allow a way for patients to procure hemp extracts. Instead, medical patients are forced to procure their medicine from other legal states or risk purchasing CBD oil from online sources — a legal, but mostly unregulated route of obtaining the oil. Given the relative uselessness of Wyoming’s CBD oil law, efforts have been made recently to expand the program, but to no avail. Last year, three bills were proposed that would have expanded the program. The first, HB 265, was sponsored by Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (R-Laramie) and would have allowed doctors to recommend low-THC medical cannabis — which is illegal under current state law — but the bill did not set up dispensaries. The second — HB 81 — would have expanded the existing CBD bill to include dependent adults and any medical conditions, which would have given more medical patients with conditions outside of seizures legal protections under the law. The third — HB 247 — would have allowed outof-state patients to legally possess their medicine in
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
14 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
Out of the total of 15,881 persons detained in a county detention facility in Wyoming during 2016, marijuana was involved in 12.22 percent of all custodial arrests. (Graph via the Alcohol and Crime in Wyoming Executive Summary - 2016 released by the The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police)
“This is not a huge problem,” Frank Latta, director of Wyoming NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said in 2015. “We’re not talking about a violent crime.” Ninth District Judge Norman Young of Fremont County said in 2015 that plenty of people were getting caught in Wyoming with edibles after crossing the border from Colorado, but judges and prosecutors weren’t sure how to handle charging them, considering the weight of the non-psychoactive ingredients — butter, cocoa and the like — played into the equation. “It’s a hole,” Young said. ”It’s a very significant hole right now, given the way things are in Colorado.” And therein lies the problem. Without the proper equipment, Wyo prosecutors have two choices: Let it go — as they did recently with Gabby — or attempt to charge someone caught with edibles by the weight of the product, not the amount of THC in it. Wyoming’s state crime lab says it can’t measure for THC, and the THC levels listed on labels counts as hearsay and is inadmissible in court, which means it’s nearly a guarantee that prosecuting edibles cases means the state or county loses. “The fundamental problem is whether you want to charge someone as a felon for bringing a 16-ounce, THC-laden drink back into the state of Wyoming,” Democratic state Rep. Charles Pelkey told Wyoming Public Media earlier this year. Pelkey said the legislature has wasted too much time on the issue and should move to decriminalize Wyoming’s marijuana laws instead. “I haven’t spent this much time listening to people pointlessly talk about weed since I was in high school,” he said.
Brownie “Burdens”
Considering Wyoming’s harsh stance on plant product, it seems unlikely that the Equality State will swing toward decrim anytime soon. But the state inexplicably still continues this push to outlaw edibles, despite their three-time loss track record. Earlier this month, lawmakers in the state’s Joint Judiciary Committee again voted to advance two cannabis bills to the 2018 budget session, both with
the explicit goal of increasing penalties for non-plant forms of marijuana — i.e. those pesky edibles. One of those bills would have potentially devastating effects on cannabis users, as it would widen Wyoming’s 3-ounce limit to include edibles, topicals, drinks like Dixie Elixers’ THC-infused drinks and other products, even if the THC content is far less than one would find in 3 ounces of plant product. What that means is that any edible — a cookie, a bag of THC-laced chips or some weed truffles — that weighs over 3 ounces would be felony territory. The second bill would categorize cannabis products into several categories. 3 ounces of edible marijuana would be a felony, and possessing more than 36 fluid ounces of a cannabis beverage would also constitute a felony charge. The felony weight of cannabis oils, on the other hand, would drop from 3 ounces to only 3 grams, making the punitive component of being caught with cannabis oil in Wyoming much, much heavier. Wyoming Attorney General John Knepper said the strict proposals reflect the dangers of marijuana edibles. According to Knepper, people frequently eat a higher dose of edibles than recommended and experience “extreme psychological effects” which cause them to end up in the emergency room. “One of the things that the edible marijuana industry has taught us is that if you want to sell a psychoactive substance, a really effective way is to bundle it with chocolate because that’s something people like,” Knepper told Wyoming Public Media earlier this year. Knepper did not site statistics for that information, and perhaps for good reason. In reality, edible “overdoses” — if one can call them that — are rare. To be fair, it is certainly possible to consume too many edibles — often caused by novice or uneducated imbibing — but while ingesting too many edibles is miserable because the abundance of THC in your system can cause anxiety and paranoia, the remedy in most cases is to just wait it out. You won’t die — you might just feel like you are. Still, despite the relative harmlessness of edibles, Wyoming’s lawmakers and Knepper are determined to outlaw edibles for good in 2018.
Scary, and Nearly Nonexistent, Stats
Even if the push to close the edible loophole in Wyoming in 2018 is successful, is it really necessary? That’s the 20 million dollar question in this equation. Out of the total of 15,881 persons who were arrested and subsequently detained in a county detention facility in Wyoming during 2016, marijuana was involved in 12.22 percent of all custodial arrests, according to the Alcohol and Crime in Wyoming Executive Summary - 2016, a report released by the The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police. The counties with significantly higher statistics of marijuana-related arrests in 2016 were Platte – 33.61 percent; Carbon – 26.58 percent; and Converse – 22.09 percent. The statistics regarding cannabis are much lower than other substances like alcohol, which was involved in 57.01 percent of all custodial arrests during the same period in 2016, making alcohol the prevailing substance issue across Wyoming. But that’s about where the clear marijuana-related stats end for Wyoming. If you want to dig any further into the who, what, when, where and why of cannabis crimes in Wyoming, good luck and Godspeed. Wyoming as a whole doesn’t break down drug arrests and incarcerations into specific categories, meaning that any and all arrests and incarcerations for cannabis-related crimes are counted alongside drugs like methamphetamine and heroin. The closest we can get to understanding marijuana arrests in Wyoming comes by looking at the overall drug statistics. In the third quarter of 2017 — the most recent statistics available — 690 men and 351 women were arrested in Wyoming for drug-related charges, including sale/distribution, manufacturing and possession, according to the Uniform Crime Report. Possession of what — again — isn’t clear. The statistics for the year 2016 showed that 2,784 adult males and 1,179 adult women were arrested for drug-related charges in Wyoming, according to the Uniform Crime Report. It would be interesting to see what percentage of those arrests were
A single Dixie Elixers Fruit Punch (left) would be a felony charge under proposed changes.
WYOMING PRISON POPULATION OVER TIME
The number of incarcerated in Wyoming has grown steadily since 1980. (Graph via Sentencing Project)
Behind Wyoming’s Bars
The Real Cost
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 15
The real kicker here is that while Wyoming continues to take aim at cannabis, the state is is serious financial trouble, slashing budgets left and right — up to and including funds for higher education. Those cannabis taxes — or at least the money spent busting cannabis users — sure would come in handy right now. The University of Wyoming lost four times as many faculty members in the past year than it has in recent years, thanks to massive budget cuts and a voluntary severance program. The severance program was part
of $10 million in university cuts, and accounted for 43 of the 86 professors, researchers, lecturers and other instructors who left iin 2017. Resignations accounted for the other 43. The university completed a $42 million budget reduction during the most recent biennium, and the biennium budget for fiscal years 2019-2020 is still being ironed out. University officials requested roughly $376 million for the biennium in December — an amount significantly reduced from biennium requests made before the state financial crisis, which began in late 2015 — but whether this will be the end to budget cuts isn’t clear yet. If Wyoming were to, say, stop trying to close loopholes regarding edibles and loosen those cannabis laws, the potential pot tax revenue would certainly help to fund the university. In fact, tax revenue from a legal cannabis industry could bring in somewhere close to $16 million, according to researchers. That sure would help fund some programs or professor salaries. But it seems for now, Wyoming is content to eschew the trends and dump money into prosecuting low-level cannabis crimes instead. If fourth time is a charm for those edible laws — 2018 brings new eyes and new debates — personal cannabis users like Gabby could end up in jail for a decade for getting caught two packages of gummies. That’s a high price to pay for everyone in the state. “I’m on the hook for like, $1,000 if I don’t get out of this,” Gabby said. “I guess it’s better than jail time, but when you add up what I’ve spent on attorneys to try and keep this thing from landing on my record, it’s a lot of money.” And for people like Gabby, it’s hardly just about the money. She could be fighting a blemish on her criminal background checks — par for the course in the banking industry — for years to come. “I’m not sure why Wyoming thinks a small amount of weed is worth a ruined life,” she said. “But it appears they do. The cost to us and to the state with more people in jail for nonviolent crimes just doesn’t seem worth it.” PJH
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Incarceration rates in the state of Wyoming have increased significantly over the past twenty years, according to the ACLU of Wyoming, which has resulted in an overburdened criminal justice system. In 2015, the number of people incarcerated in Wyoming — both in jail and prison — was 3,887, according to data compiled by the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit working for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system. The number of incarcerated in Wyoming has grown steadily since 1980 when there were just 534 people locked up across the state. One of the most significant factors contributing to this trend is the increasing number of state laws establishing new crimes and the move toward longer, harsher penalties, according to a Nov. 2017 report released by the ACLU of Wyoming. That trend of adding crimes and increasing punishments is exactly what lawmakers in Wyoming ware intending to do with the edibles legislation. “Over the course of the past four years alone, the legislature has passed 28 bills establishing new crimes or increasing penalties for crimes which already exist,” according to the ACLU report. “By contrast, a mere five bills have passed removing crimes or decreasing
penalties, only two of which deal substantively with criminal issues such as drug use or juvenile crime.” The last ten years in Wyoming weren’t much better. Wyoming legislature established over 70 new crimes and increased punishments during that decade, according to the ACLU. One in every 130 Wyoming residents is incarcerated, and one in every 58 is under some form of criminal justice supervision, whether in prison, in jail, or on probation or parole. The number of people kept in jail pre-trial has nearly quadrupled since 1993, resulting in higher costs to local governments and thousands of individuals being incarcerated despite not having been convicted of a crime. The ACLU said Wyoming lawmakers should be working toward improving the overtaxed justice system by implementing legislative fixes like probation and parole reform, a boot camp program for women, and — you guessed it — revisiting drug laws that are responsible for sending people to prison for crimes that could be dealt with through citation or probation. “The ‘tough on crime’ tactics of the past are ineffective, have filled our jails and prisons to capacity, and have failed to make our state any safer,” Sabrina King, ACLU of Wyoming policy director, said. “The legislature has the power the responsibility to reduce incarceration rates, keep our communities safe, and ensure our state is fiscally sound.” Rather than doing that, though, it appears Wyoming lawmakers will be continuing to try and push more cannabis laws in 2018 instead.
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
cannabis-related, but again, those stats aren’t readily available. Officials at the Wyoming Department of Corrections aren’t much help, either. They can’t say how many prisoners in the Wyoming system are being held on marijuana convictions because, well, they don’t keep track. “Unfortunately our data system right now does not allow us to specifically pull up inmates by their crime to that detail,” DOC spokesman Mark Horan told WyoFile in 2016. As with the Uniform Crime Report, the data kept by the DOC lists “statutory offenses” such as delivery and conspiracy to deliver. Whether or not the number of marijuana-related statistics can be determined, one thing is clear: Wyoming — the least populated state in the country — has a serious incarceration problem, for drugs and otherwise.
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
16 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
DON’T MISS
n Toddler Gym 10 a.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Story Time 10 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Baby Time - Youth Auditorium 10:05 a.m. Teton County Library, n Open Hockey - Weekday Morning 10:15 a.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n Public Skating - Weekday 12 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $8.00, (307) 201-1633 n Art Association of JH - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, n Winter Wonderland Ice Skating on Town Square 4 p.m. n Warm Après Flow and Chill Yoga Series 4:15 p.m. Teton Yoga Shala, $14.00 - $19.00, 307-690-3054 n Living in the West 6 p.m. JHHSM Education Center, Free, 307-7332414 n Open Gym - Adult Basketball 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Live Music 7 p.m. Warbirds Cafe, Free, n U-Foria 9 p.m. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Free, 307733-2207
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8
n Books & Babies Story Time 10 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Storytime - Youth Auditorium 10:30 a.m. Teton County Library, n Story Time, Victor 10:30 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Public Skating - Weekday 12 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $8.00, (307) 201-1633 n Open Gym - Adult Basketball 12 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n App Time - Study Room 4 2 p.m. Teton County Library, n Prenatal Yoga Series 3 p.m. Teton Yoga Shala, $14.00 - $19.00, n Eli Williams, The Cougar Fund - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, n Winter Wonderland Ice Skating on Town Square 4 p.m. n Bike Maintenance Clinic 5 p.m. Peaked Sports, n REFIT® 5:15 p.m. First Baptist Church, Free, 307-6906539 n Papa Chan and Johnny C Note 6 p.m. Teton Pines Country Club, Free, 307 733 1005 n Beginning Pilates Reformer Workshop 6 p.m. Dancers’ Workshop, $100.00, 307-7336398 n Open Gym - Adult Soccer 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center,
SEE CALENDAR PAGE 17
© ERIK BOOMER, INTO TWIN GALAXIES – A GREENLAND EPIC
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Three National Geographic “Adventurers of the Year” tow white water kayaks to the Greenland Ice Cap to reach the most northern river ever paddled in Into Twin Galaxies – A Greenland Epic.
Badass Banff Outdoor film festival still focuses on honoring the storytelling behind the film BY KELSEY DAYTON |
T
wenty-five years ago a representative from the Banff Mountain Film Festival approached Phil Leeds, owner of Skinny Skis, and his business partner, at a trade show. The festival, held each fall in Banff, Canada, was at the time one of the only events of its kind, featuring and honoring stories about the outdoors, Leeds said. The promoters were looking for communities to host a traveling event that would feature some of the festival’s best and award-winning films. The festival now tours across North America. The films are seen in hundreds of communities. Technology has dramatically changed the look of the film in the festival, Leeds said. Digitization in filmmaking and photography allows for incredibly sharp images. The sound is crisper. Technology has even impacted the types of stories that can be told and shown, by creating more portable equipment that allows filmmakers into areas they couldn’t reach hauling gear before, Leeds said. “Every year it is more and more fantastic,” he said. But what hasn’t changed is the storytelling, he said. Banff Mountain Film Festival remains one of the preeminent mountain film festivals in the world. It features stories that spread across the outdoor genre, from action, high-adrenaline movies to films exploring mountain culture, to documentaries on important conservation issues, Leeds said.
@kelsey_dayton
Skinny Skis is bringing the festival back for its 25th year in Jackson this week. It starts at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the Jackson Hole High School Auditorium. Tickets are $12, or $20 if you want to go to both nights. Each evening features different films. The event almost always sells out in advance, Leeds said. You can buy tickets at Skinny Skis, Hungry Jacks or Valley Bookstore. You can purchase tickets at the door if any are available. Teton County students and teachers can buy tickets for $10. Each evening offers about two hours of films and an intermission where the Jackson Hole High School Mountaineering Club will sell refreshments as a fundraiser. Each year Leeds works with festival staff to create a screening lineup that will resonate with Jackson viewers. On Thursday night, adventurers Sarah McNair-Landry and Erik Boomer will introduce a film in which they are featured, Into Twin Galaxies – A Greenland Epic is an award-winning film about “an insane kayaking mission in Greenland,” where three National Geographic “Adventurers of the Year,” tow white water kayaks to the Greenland Ice Cap to reach the most northern river ever paddled. As always, both evening will feature a breadth of films, Leeds said. An edited version of Planet Earth II — Mountain Ibex, dives into the world of one of the few animals that survive in the world’s highest mountain ranges. My
Irnik is about a father who falls in love with the northern way of life and works to pass on the native traditions and cultures to his son as he learns them himself. Ben Page learns traveling across the Canadian Arctic isn’t as romantic as a Jack London novel in “The Frozen Road.” Killian follows famed mountain runner Killian Jornet as he attempts to ski and run the seven summits of Romsdalen in a single day. Freediver Johanna Nordblad dives under the ice to find a calming environment that helps her heal in the film Johanna. Chris Sharma takes it to another level while deep-water soloing on the island of Mallorca in Above the Sea. “There’s a lot of adrenaline films people will enjoy, whether its mountain biking or skiing and it will open people’s eyes to other mountain cultures and conservation issues,” Leeds said. “People come to the festival for different reasons, but they come away from it having been exposed to some things they had never thought about.” PJH
For the full lineup visit http://skinnyskis. com/event/banff-mountain-film-festival/.
Banff Mountain Film Festival will be held at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Jackson Hole High School Auditorium. The ticket price is $12 or $20 for both nights. Tickets are available at Skinny Skis, Hungry Jacks or Valley Bookstore.
THIS WEEK: February 6-13, 2018 n Arc’tryx Backountry Academy Kick Off: Key note speakers: Michelle Parker and Greg Hill 6:45 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, n Me Too Healing Circle 7 p.m. Jackson Holistic Healing Center, Free, 307-690-5308 n Pat Chadwick Trio 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939 n U-Foria 9 p.m. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Free, 307-733-2207 n Arc’tryx Backountry Academy presents: Live Music with The Canyon Kids 10 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre,
SEE CALENDAR PAGE 21
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10
n Physical Comedy Master Class with Aitor Basauri 10 a.m. Dancers’ Workshop, $25.00, 307-733-6398 n Bridging the Gap Performance Clinics 10 a.m. Jackson Hole High School, $10.00, 307-734-9718 n Library Saturdays - Youth Auditorium 10:15 a.m. Teton County Library, n Winter Wonderland Ice Skating on the Town Square 12 p.m. n App Time - Study Room 4 2 p.m. Teton County Library, n The People’s Market, A Winter Farmers Market 2 p.m. Teton County Fairgrounds Building, Free, 206-715-9039 n Chanman - SOLO 4 p.m. Teton Mountain Lodge, Free, 307 201 6066 n Open Gym - Adult Soccer 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Arc’tryx Backountry Academy presents: Jackson Hole Exposed Photo Showdown 6:45 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, n Moose Hockey Game 7 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n Chanman Roots Band 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939 n Jazz Foundation Big Band Fundraiser 8 p.m. Snow King Ballroom, Free, n Orgone at Pink Garter Theatre 9 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, n U-Foria 9 p.m. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Free, 307-733-2207
n Winter Wonderland Ice Skating on the Town Square 12 p.m. n Wyoming Concealed Carry Class 8 a.m. Homewood Suites by Hilton, $99.00, (866) 371-6111 n Open Gym - Adult Volleyball 4 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n The Otters 7 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12
n Open Hockey - Weekday Morning 10:15 a.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n Toddler Gym 10 a.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Public Skating - Weekday 12 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $8.00, (307) 201-1633 n Movie Monday - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, n Movie Monday 3:30 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Open Gym - Adult Basketball 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n U-Foria 9 p.m. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Free, 307-733-2207
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13
n Public Skating - Weekday 12 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $8.00, (307) 201-1633 n Mardi Gras @ Snake River Brewing 11 a.m. Snake River Brewing, Free, 3077392337 n Open Gym - Adult Basketball 12 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Tech Time 1 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n App Time - Study Room 4 2 p.m. Teton County Library, n Mommy & Me Yoga Series 3 p.m. Teton Yoga Shala, $14.00 - $19.00, 307-690-3054
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 17
American skier Aaron Rice sets out to ski 2.5 million, human-powered, vertical feet in the backcountry and set a new world record in 2.5 Million.
n Elephant Revival at Pink Garter Theatre 8 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, n U-Foria 9 p.m. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Free, 307-733-2207 n Arc’tryx Backountry Academy presents: Mandai 10 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, n Fader McGavin and the Risky Livers 10 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, Free,
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
© TYLER WILKINSON-RAY, 2.5 MILLION
Chris Sharma takes it to another level while deep-water soloing on the island of Mallorca in Above the Sea.
n Toddler Gym 10 a.m. Teton Recreation Center n Open Hockey - Weekday Morning 10:15 a.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n All Ages Story Time 11 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Public Skating - Weekday 12 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $8.00, (307) 201-1633 n Fun Friday - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, n Film Friday Victor 3:30 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Winter Wonderland Ice Skating on Town Square 4 p.m. n Open Rehearsal with Aitor Basauri, Contemporary Dance Wyoming and Erin Roy 5 p.m. Dancers’ Workshop, Free, 307-733-6398 n Open Gym - Adult Soccer 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Arc’tryx Backountry Academy presents: Keynote Speaker, TGR’s Todd Jones & Film: TGR’s Rouge Elements 6:45 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, n Moose Hockey Game 7 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n FREE Public Stargazing 7:30 p.m. Center for the Arts, n Chanman Roots Band 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939
Compiled by Cory Garcia
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
© ADAM CLARK, ABOVE THE SEA
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9
MUSIC BOX
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
Slick Holograms, Bro Timberlake’s Super Bowl performance just wouldn’t be complete without a wee bit of controversy
18 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
I
STOP PAYING FULL PRICE FOR LUNCH!
BY CORY GARCIA |
t wouldn’t have been a true Justin Timberlake Super Bowl Halftime Show without some amount of controversy, although I have my doubts that anyone picked “Prince, but a hologram” as said controversy ahead of time. For those of you who don’t live your lives on Twitter — you lucky, lucky people — the long story short of it is that news came out that Justin would be performing with a hologram of Prince, people rightfully freaked out, Sheila E. said the hologram wasn’t happening and then Justin performed in front of a video of Prince projected onto a giant sheet. “Beyonce debuting ‘Formation’ live” is was not, but in the realm of halftime shows it was pretty inoffensive, or at least it would have been minus the whole Prince thing. A production as large as the Super Bowl Halftime can change overnight, but you tell me which you think is more plausible: that Justin was prepared to perform with a Prince hologram and practiced all week under the assumption that it was going to happen only to change things with less than 48 hours on the clock, or someone saw him performing with
@cfaust
that giant sheet thing and jumped to the wrong conclusion? Neither is a particularly great look considering Justin took multiple shots at Prince while he was still alive; it also says a whole hell of a lot that he’d rather include a Prince tribute in his set than another song from Man of the Woods, but maybe Chris Stapleton was busy Super Sunday — “Say Something” is really the only song worth a damn from that album, and “Filthy” is maybe the worst song ever played at halftime. Prince had his reasons for not wanting to be hologrammed, and they should be respected, but if I’m being honest I don’t feel like we should stop with Prince. Ever since Tupac showed up at Coachella 2012 looking like something straight out of Def Jam: Fight For NY, enterprising concert promoters have been trying to figure out a way to make hologram tours a thing, thankfully unsuccessfully. Rumors have swirled for a while about the dead hitting the road again, and every time I’ve heard the idea floated it has made my skin crawl a little. I’ve been to shows with holograms before, one featuring a hologram of a
PLANET PICKS
LIVE ACTS
WEDNESDAY
Elephant Revival
U-Foria The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
THURSDAY
The Canyon Kids Pink Garter Theatre
FRIDAY
Elephant Revival Pink Garter Theatre
Orgone
SATURDAY
Orgone Pink Garter Theatre
SUNDAY
The Otters The Silver Dollar Showroom Tinsley Ellis
MONDAY
U-Foria The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
XXXXX
Tinsley Ellis Mangy Moose
#selfiekid, Ryan McKenna, the kid who sparked a thousand memes, was the real star of JT’s performance.
JACKSON HOLE 2017 BDHL CHAMPIONS
FE B RUARY 9-10 VS
D N A L E V C LE NSEN BUCK JE
OPS @ 7:30PM R D K C U P • M P 7 MUSIC AT NTE R S & EVE NTS CE T R PO S G IN K SNOW - $5 LTS - $10 KIDS U D A NO BACKPACKS E.COM OR DUFFEL BAGS WWW.J H MOOS
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 19
starts off the performance with, “I’m Freddie Mercury and I’m dead now, but I hope you enjoy the show all the same” I don’t want to see it, even if it would likely be better than Queen + Adam Lambert. So yeah, if current superstars want to guarantee that their estates continue to bring in money beyond just record sales, and they make it very clear that they know exactly what they’re getting into, I could maybe be O.K. with holograms in that case, but I’m not sure that it’s something that I would pay for, and I don’t think I’m alone. As Hollywood struggles to get people to pay $10 a ticket to see a regular movie, how confident can anyone be that people will be willing to fork over at least $40 for a ticket, $20 for parking, $30 for a shirt and whatever ridiculous pricing beer goes for these days just to see a fancy cartoon move along to some songs? Tribute bands exist for a reason, and while most of the time they won’t be as good as the source material at least they have that human element that makes going to a show so much fun. No matter how slick the hologram, those zeros and ones won’t understand that. PJH
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
singer that is still alive and another featuring a… so, I don’t have enough words to explain vocaloids here, so just trust me when I say it was an animated personality from Japan. And I must admit, the technology has come a long way since that Coachella performance; I’ve seen a hologram Carrie Underwood that looked so realistic I was a little awestruck. Of course, Carrie Underwood is still alive, so she was readily available to have herself filmed for the purpose of being turned into a hologram, which I’m sure goes a long way to avoiding the video game look (although Carrie Underwood in Def Jam: Fight For NY would be pretty dope). My point is, doing holograms with people who are still living but not available for a tour makes sense, and could even be seen as an improvement on the standard “play a video of the person singing on the screen at the back of the stage” move. Living performers have the luxury of opting into this if they’d like; the dead have no such power. Maybe Freddie Mercury would have thought that holograms were the best and would love to become one, but unless his hologram
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
TUESDAY
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
20 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
CULTURE KLASH This Week at The Wort THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8 PAT CHADWICK TRIO FRI & SAT, FEB. 9 & 10 CHANMAN ROOTS BAND SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 THE OTTERS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 FAT TUESDAY PARTY WITH JACKSON 6 Full music schedule at worthotel.com 50 N. Glenwood St. • 307-732-3939
Join June Glasson at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7 for an artist talk and tour of her Teton Artlab residence studio.
Strong Stories Artist June Glasson portrays women as they really are — strong, active and in control BY KELSEY DAYTON |
T
he women in June Glasson’s paintings aren’t passively reclining on a couch or shyly looking at the at the viewer. “I like active, strong women that are presenting themselves to the world and have something to say and have a story to tell,” the artist said. Glasson, a multi-media artist from Laramie and a founder of the Wyoming Art Party, is in Jackson as a resident at Teton ArtLab this month. She’ll work in the studio, seek inspiration in the community and offer an artist talk and studio tour at 6 tonight at the Teton Artlab. Glasson works across a variety of mediums, from painting with oil on paper, to creating installations and sculptures, but always returns to portrait painting. “There is something very intimate and personal about painting a picture of someone,” she said. Painting a portrait is not like taking a photo. A portrait will never be exact and only just a likeness. “I can always come back to portraiture because I’m always challenged by it,” she said. Glasson works from photographs she creates in photo shoots. She often requests models bring props, a tradition that started after a session in her 20s where Glasson’s friends played dressup for the camera. It makes the images more interesting, but also allows the models to share something about themselves and gives them agency
@kelsey_dayton
in telling their story in the painting, Glasson said. It’s also a practice that has changed Glasson’s artistic style. Glasson grew up in New York and lived in Berlin and Bangkok before her partner received a residency offer, which eventually turned into a fulltime job for him, at the University of Wyoming in 2010. The models at one of Glasson’s first photo shoots in Laramie unexpectedly brought guns, antlers and western costumes as their props. Western themes trickled into her paintings without Glasson consciously deciding to create work about the West. Today the West, and its history, permeate her art, particularly in her paintings. “There are these popular images and iconic ideas about the American West — like there’s this narrative of the lone cowboy on the empty landscape, but we know the landscape was never empty,” she said. “It’s not that the cowboy isn’t an important story, but I’m also interested in what stories aren’t being told. History is much more complicated and messy than what we initially see when we talk about the West.” While at a residency in Pinedale, Glasson spoke with women working at the Museum of the Mountain Man about western expansion and the romantic notions that still surround the idea of the mountain man. There are even “tests” today where people can “become an authentic mountain man,”
she said. That museum visit inspired work that explored authenticity and white western masculinity. It’s the first time in her career her work is place-based, Glasson said. And even though she’s lived longer in Wyoming than any other place in her adult life, her work still has an outsider’s lens. “Wyoming is home in so many ways, but it’s also exotic, so there is a little bit of that tension for me as an artist,” she said. Glasson wants her work to tell a story, whether it’s about an individual, a place or a landscape. She often paints women and likes her work to challenge notions on how women should be seen and behave. She tells her models to act “unladylike,” which really means she wants them active and powerful. Glason also wants her work to empower other people to make their own images and tell their own stories, she said. Glasson plans to focus on painting while in Jackson, but she is often working on multiple projects at the same time. She’ll show her studio and talk about her work tonight at Teotn Artlab. PJH
June Glasson, Teton Artlab artist in resident, 6 p.m. artist talk and studio tour, Teton Artlab
IOC MEDIA
KICKING & STREAMING
Curling, a cult classic of Winter Olympic sports, is considered essential viewing.
Olympic Buildup Don’t let Buzzfeed’s gifs ruin the winter games for you; stream it online instead @cfaust
Bobsledding
Short Track Speed Skating Regular speed skating is graceful, beautiful and boring as all heck. Short
Curling The OG Winter Olympics cult classic, curling is the most fun you can have sweeping. Maybe more than any other event in the Olympics, curling makes one ponder, “how did this develop into an organized sport and, more importantly, how did that sport become some powerful it has a place in the Olympics.” Don’t tell me: the answer can’t possibly be as cool as I hope.
Skeleton Luge for people with self-destructive impulses. How else can you explain jumping on sled and going down a course fast face first? It’s sheer lunacy, but bless the hearts of all those who participate in it for our amusement. We salute you.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14
n Story Time 10 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Baby Time - Youth Auditorium 10:05 a.m. Teton County Library, n Open Hockey - Weekday Morning 10:15 a.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n Public Skating - Weekday 12 p.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $5.00 - $8.00, (307) 201-1633 n Art Association of JH - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center
FOR COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS VISIT PJHCALENDAR.COM
Biathlon I’m always a bit surprised that biathlon isn’t more popular with the casual American viewing audience? This is a sport where you ski a bit, then pick up your gun and shoot at stuff. To me, that sounds way more American that dancing to classical music on the ice while wearing fancy outfits. Sure, sure, figure skating has artistry and all that, but biathlon has guns, and you can’t get more American than that. Win or lose, won’t it be nice to maybe not have to think about nuclear war for a few days? Unless this is all a ploy to distrno, no, I’m not going to go there. PJH
Come check out your favorite NFL/College team on our 10 HD tvs! •••••••••••
HAPPY HOUR
1/2 Off Drinks Daily 5-7pm
••••••••••• Monday-Saturday 11am, Sunday 10:30am 832 W. Broadway (inside Plaza Liquors)•733-7901
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 21
To answer the obvious question, yes, Jamaica is sending a team to bobsled this year; their women’s team qualified for this year’s game. Bobsledding rules because it’s one of the few events most of us feel like we could compete in, since other than the driver the main requirements seem to be running, pushing, sitting and wearing a skin-tight suit. Most of us couldn’t do it well, and it probably wouldn’t look pretty, but we could do it.
track speed skating is kind of like roller derby, but with less cool names. It’s fast, there are occasional complete wipeouts and it doesn’t stick around long enough to wear out its welcome.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
redemption arc, and I’m not buying it, no matter how much I love “Iron Man.” Luckily for all of us, NBC is really good at the online aspect of the Olympics, which means through them you’re able to watch most of the games online, including something approaching full broadcasts of all the events, even the ones that you rarely if ever see in primetime. Now, this is more useful with the summer games, where things like archery and judo get little to know love because there are so many damn events going on, but there are gems in the world of the Winter Olympics too. If you’re going to be sneaking some viewing in while you’re at the office or just planning to stream as much as you can from the comfort of your own home, here are five events to keep on your radar. Not invited to the party: figure skating, because you can get all of it you can stomach in prime time; hockey, because plenty of people like hockey already; and most skiing events, because, well, just look outside.
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
N
ow more than ever, I’m rarely jealous of the entertainment options of those living outside the U.S. Back when movies like Ghostwatch and Battle Royale were less easy to come by, I might occasionally entertain thoughts of picking up a region free DVD player, but these days if I want to follow new seasons of The Great British Bake Off or Japanese game shows I know they’re only a Google search away. That said, there is still one global entertainment spectacle that our country regularly drops the ball on: The Olympics. You know how it goes: after weeks of buildup, the opening ceremony arrives, except that it’s on a delay until prime time here in the states, which means if something interesting happens it’ll be tweeted out as a gif by Buzzfeed hours before it reaches U.S. TV screens. After that, we’ll get hours of coverage on NBC’s family of networks, some live but a lot of chopped up, and really an afterthought to what they show in prime time. That prime time broadcast is a mix of figure skating with other events thrown in, which makes sense, and human interest features, which are the worst. Not to sound overly callous, but I don’t need to know every single sob story for every single athlete in the games. I’ll root for the Americans — in as much as it can be said I root for anyone who I’ll forget about in less than a week and won’t watch their medal ceremony — because they’re American, not because the struggle is real. I mean, I saw that Super Bowl ad that wants me to believe Shaun White needs a
BY CORY GARCIA |
n Theatre with Nicole Madison - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, n Winter Wonderland Ice Skating on Town Square 4 p.m. n Aaron Davis 4 p.m. Ascent Lounge at Four Seasons, Free, n REFIT® 5:15 p.m. First Baptist Church, Free, 307-6906539 n Teton Literacy Center Volunteer Training 5:30 p.m. Teton Literacy Center, Free, (307)7329242 n Teton Valley Book Club 6 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Sass Class 6:15 p.m. Dancers’ Workshop, $20.00 - $55.00, 307-733-6398 n Tinsley Ellis 6:30 p.m. Mangy Moose, n Open Gym - Adult Volleyball 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Foundational Training: Shoulder & Spine 6:45 p.m. Medicine Wheel Wellness, n Cabin Fever Story Slam: Help 7 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, Free, n Fat Tuesday with Jackson 6 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307732-3939 n U-Foria 9 p.m. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Free, 307733-2207
BEST
BE VOTIN’! #bojh18| bestof jh.com
GO TO BESTOFJH.COM AND CAST YOUR VOTE IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES PEOPLE & LIVING Best Nonprofit
THANK YOU JACKSON HOLE FOR LETTING US HELP YOU REACH YOUR PEAK • TRX • BOOTCAMP • YOGA CLASSES • NUTRITION COUNSELING • PERSONAL TRAINING 1230 N Fall Creek Road, Wilson WY, 83014 (307)699.7667 n peakptjackson.com
FIRST CLASS FREE! 1260 Huff Lane Jackson, WY • 307.690.4302
CAMPAIGN YOUR VOTERS HERE EMAIL SALES@PLANETJH.COM OR CALL 307-732-0299
CAMPAIGN YOUR VOTERS HERE EMAIL SALES@PLANETJH.COM OR CALL 307-732-0299
CAMPAIGN YOUR VOTERS HERE EMAIL SALES@PLANETJH.COM OR CALL 307-732-0299
Best Charity Event Best Teacher Best Lawyer Best Dentist Best Nurse Best Banker Best Athlete Best Athlete (Under 17) Best Real Estate Agent Best Elected Official Best Elected Official Who Doesn’t Hold Office Best Boss Best Librarian Best Dressed Best Interior Designer (Individual) Best Knee Doctor Best Physician Best Yoga/Fitness Instructor Best Alternative Medicine Practitioner Best Physical Therapist Best Massage Therapist Best Architect (Individual) Best Hair Stylist Best River Guide Best Mountain Guide Best Blogger Best Reason to Drive to Driggs/Victor Best In Uniform (Fire/EMS, Law, etc.)
GOODS & SERVICES Best Hotel Best Full Service Spa
22 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
YOU
Relax, rejuvenate, reset. Jackson’s most luxurious way to heal your mind, body, and spirit. (307) 240-2726 | 250 Scott Lane Suite 105
GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN PLANET JACKSON HOLE ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21. Escape Room
Your SUPPORT brings OUR CRAFT to LIFE. Thank you!
WWW.EXITUSJH.COM
Downtown Jackson 55 N. Glenwood | (307)-734-4472
VOTE FOR EXITUS FOR BEST NEW BUSINESS
VOTE
Jackson Parlour
for Best Hair Salon and Jenny Bragg for Best Hair Stylist
Best Hair Salon Best Shop for Dropping Obscene Amounts of Cash Best Rafting Company Best Snowmobiling Company Best Fishing Outfitter Best Gear Shop Best Bike Shop Best Veterinary Clinic Best Yoga Spot Best Specialty Fitness Studio Best Pet Supply Store Best Cleaning Company Best Place to Buy Booze Best Florist Best Produce Best Bank Best Eco-friendly Business Best Customer Service Best Place to Buy Drugs Best Shop to Buy Bling Best Resale Store Best Local Website Best Radio Station Best New Business Best Clothing Store
Trust your taste buds. Vote best pizza! 20 W Broadway
307.201.1472
pizzeriacaldera.com
Best New Restaurant Best Chef Best Wait Staff Best Bartender Best Local Food or Drink Producer Best Chinese Restaurant Best Mexican Restaurant Best Thai Restaurant Best Italian Restaurant Best “Under the Radar” Restaurant Best Sports Bar Best Teton Valley Restaurant Best Take-out Food Best Breakfast Joint Best Lunch Spot Best Coffee Shop Best Place to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Best Baked Goods Best Breakfast Burrito
Best Smoked Wings, Happy Hour, Lunch, Sandwiches, late night Hang out...
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Vote for us for Best BBQ Joint
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
FOOD & DRINK Best Restaurant
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 23
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
24 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN PLANET JACKSON HOLE ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21. Best BBQ Best Sandwich Shop Best Soups Best Vegetarian Offerings Best Burger Best French Fries Best Salsa Best Sushi Best Pizza Best Wings Best Food on the Fly (fair/festival/event fare) Best Locally Roasted Beans Best Pint of Locally Brewed Beer Best Brewing Company Best Margarita Best Place to Apres Best Happy Hour Best Bar
SPORTS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Best Cover Band Best Annual Event Best Band Playing Original Songs Best Musician Best Classical Musician Best Teton Valley Musician Best Church Choir Best Club DJ Best Live Entertainment Venue Best Outdoor Concert Series Best Local Sports Team Best Shake-a-Day Best Art Gallery
daily roots offers local, organic probiotic-rich fermented vegetables and other goods that keep gut health in mind. CSF (Community Supported Fermentation) shares available.
FIND DAILY ROOTS AT THE JH PEOPLE’S MARKET THROUGHOUT THE WINTER AND SUMMER MONTHS. WWW.WYDAILYROOTS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
CAMPAIGN YOUR VOTERS HERE EMAIL SALES@PLANETJH.COM OR CALL 307-732-0299 Best Local Artist Best Photographer Best Illustrator Best Actor/Actress Best Place to Get Your Groove On Best Late Night Hangout Best Theater Production Company Best Filmmaker Best Ski Run Best Liftee Best Golf Course Best Question We Left Out
1325 S HIGHWAY 89 | JACKSON HOLE, WY 83001
975 ALPINE LN SUITE #3 (307) 264-1750
Vote for us for Best Pizza Voted best Za in JH since 2011 Best wings, late night, food on the fly, lunch deal wings...
HELEN GOELET
50 DISHES
Layered and savory, Picnic’s Biscuit Board is served from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m, and will put you back around $8.
#48, the Biscuit Board at Picnic
www.mangymoose.com
BY HELEN GOELET
W
sandwich, but even more delicious than you’ve conjured up in your head. First up on the board: the housemade cheddar scallion biscuit. Biscuits are one of those things that are not all that hard to make, but far too often end up dry and tasting a bit like baking soda. The Picnic biscuits are the antithesis of that. They have the perfect flaky, buttery and rich-yet-sharp flavors, which create an excellent base layer for any sandwich. A thick layer of whipped pimento cheese is smeared onto the hot biscuit, which accentuates the creamy flavors of cheddar cheese, and the scallions cut through it to give balance to the rich
ELY U Q I N U PEAN EURO
R DINNEAGE I H LUNCTETON VILL I T S IN FA BREAKE ALPENHOF AT TH
AT THE
307.733.3242
LOCAL & DOMESTIC STEAKS SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK @ 5:30 TILL 10 JHCOWBOYSTEAKHOUSE.COM 307-733-4790
FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT PIZZAS, PASTAS & MORE HOUSEMADE BREAD & DESSERTS FRESH, LOCALLY SOURCED OFFERINGS TAKE OUT AVAILABLE Dining room and bar open nightly at 5:00pm (307) 733-2460 • 2560 Moose Wilson Road • Wilson, WY
A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 25
F O H ‘ E TH
flavors and texture. What really elevates the sandwich though is the prosciutto and egg soufflé it’s topped with. While most egg sandwiches are accompanied by either thick ham or crispy bacon — both of which are delicious; I won’t argue with that — the incorporation of the delicately cut prosciutto, both crispy and salty, is really what makes the dish top notch. The prosciutto is just perfect; it’s not overpoweringly thick, yet it has a very present, delicate texture and flavor that compliments the airiness of the egg soufflé beautifully. The soufflé itself is an outlier when compared to most early morning meals
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
hen reviewing the best dishes in the valley, it would be remiss of me to overlook some of the excellent breakfast options we have. Breakfast is, like any other meal, subjective, but there are standouts that everyone can agree on, quite like the biscuit board at Picnic. (To be fair: It was a toss-up between the biscuit board and their famous breakfast burrito, but I’m confident in my choice here.) The biscuit board is so balanced and accessible that it lends itself as a popular choice for most palates, which is precisely why I love it. The biscuit board is pretty much what it sounds like: it’s a biscuit breakfast
Reservations at (307) 733-4913 3295 Village Drive • Teton Village, WY
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
The 50 Best Dishes in Teton County
Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally FRESH FOOD at reasonable prices, is a always a FUN PLACE to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel RIGHT AT HOME and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit.
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
26 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
Featuring dining destinations from breweries to bakeries, and continental fare to foreign flavor, this is a sampling of our dining critic’s local favorites.
ASIAN
TETON THAI Serving the world’s most exciting cuisine. Teton Thai offers a splendid array of flavors: sweet, hot, sour, salt and bitter. All balanced and blended perfectly, satisfying the most discriminating palate. Open daily. Located at 7432 Granite Loop Road in Teton Village, (307) 733-0022 and in Driggs, (208) 787-8424, tetonthai.com.
HELEN GOELET
THAI ME UP Home of Melvin Brewing Co. Freshly remodeled offering modern Thai cuisine in a relaxed setting. New tap system with 20 craft beers. New $8 wine list and extensive bottled beer menu. View our tap list at thaijh.com/brews. Open daily for dinner at 5 p.m. Located downtown at 75 East Pearl Street, (307) 733-0005, melvinbrewing.com.
CONTINENTAL ALPENHOF
in our valley. Classic egg options can be found on every breakfast menu — scrambled, fried, poached, sunnyside up, easy-over; you know the drill — but the soufflé, or at least one like this, isn’t. It has the texture of a well made frittata, airy and light yet flavorful. It’s a result of the eggspert (sorry) kitchen at Picnic. All their egg options are served as a soufflé, and they are whipped, seasoned and delivered to perfection. It’s also a pretty affordable option
for breakfast, clocking in at $8 or so. It’s served between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., which means the biscuit board is available for both early and late risers for breakfast, brunch or lunch. It will fill you up without pushing that “overly full” envelope, and will and keep you going for hours, or until you can head back to Picnic for a post-biscuit board snack. PJH
Serving authentic Swiss cuisine, the Alpenhof features European style breakfast entrées and alpine lunch fare. Dine in the Bistro for a casual meal or join us in the Alpenrose dining room for a relaxed dinner experience. Breakfast 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Coffee & pastry 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Aprés 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Dinner 6 p.m.-9 p.m. For reservations at the Bistro or Alpenrose, call (307) 733-3242.
THE BLUE LION A Jackson Hole favorite for 39 years. Join us in the charming atmosphere of a historic home. Serving fresh fish, elk, poultry, steaks, and vegetarian entrées. Ask a local about our rack of lamb. Live acoustic guitar music most nights. Open nightly at 5:30 p.m. Reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome. 160 N. Millward, (307) 733-3912, bluelionrestaurant.com
PICNIC Our mission is simple: offer good food, made fresh, all day, every day. We know everyone’s busy, so we cater to on-the-go lifestyles with quick, tasty options for breakfast and lunch, including pastries and treats from our sister restaurant Persephone. Also offering coffee and espresso drinks plus wine and cocktails. Open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on weekends. Located at 1110 Maple Way in West Jackson, (307) 264-2956, picnicjh.com
ELEANOR’S
Free Coffee with Pastry Purchase Every Day from 3 to 5pm 1110 MAPLE WAY, SUITE B JACKSON, WY 307.264.2956 picnicjh.com
Enjoy all the perks of fine dining, minus the dress code at Eleanor’s, serving rich, saucy dishes in a warm and friendly setting. Its bar alone is an attraction, thanks to reasonably priced drinks and a loyal crowd. Come get a belly-full of our two-time gold medal wings. Open at 11 a.m. daily. 832 W. Broadway, (307) 733-7901.
LOCAL Local, a modern American steakhouse and bar, is located on Jackson’s historic town square. Our menu features both classic and specialty cuts of locally-ranched meats and wild game alongside fresh seafood, shellfish, house-ground burgers, and seasonallyinspired food. We offer an extensive wine list and an abundance of locally-sourced products. Offering a casual and vibrant bar atmosphere with 12 beers on tap as well as a relaxed dining room, Local is the perfect spot to grab a burger for lunch or to have drinks and dinner with friends. Lunch MonSat 11:30am. Dinner Nightly 5:30pm. 55 North Cache, (307) 201-1717, localjh.com.
LOTUS ORGANIC RESTAURANT Serving organic, freshly-made world cuisine while catering to all eating styles. Endless organic and natural meat, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. Offering super smoothies, fresh extracted juices, espresso and tea. Full bar and house-infused botanical spirits. Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner starting at 8am daily. Located at 140 N. Cache, (307) 734-0882, theorganiclotus.com.
MANGY MOOSE Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally fresh food at reasonable prices, is a always a fun place to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel right at home and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit. Teton Village, (307) 733-4913, mangymoose.com.
MOE’S BBQ Opened in Jackson Hole by Tom Fay and David Fogg, Moe’s Original Bar B Que features a Southern Soul Food Revival through its award-winning Alabama-style pulled pork, ribs, wings, turkey and chicken smoked over hardwood served with two unique sauces in addition to Catfish and a Shrimp MoeBoy sandwich. A daily rotation of traditional Southern sides and tasty desserts are served fresh daily. Moe’s BBQ stays open late and features a menu for any budget. While the setting is family-friendly, a full premium bar offers a lively scene with HDTVs for sports fans, music, shuffle board and other games upstairs. Large party takeout orders and full service catering with delivery is also available.
VIRGINIAN SALOON
Come down to the historic Virginian Saloon and check out our grill menu! Everything from 1/2 pound burgers to wings at a great price! The grill is open in the Saloon from 4 p.m.-10p.m. daily. Located at 750 West Broadway, (307) 739-9891.
SNAKE RIVER BREWERY & RESTAURANT
TREAT YOUR SWEETY!
America’s most award-winning microbrewery is serving lunch and dinner. Take in the atmosphere while enjoying wood-fired pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts. $9 lunch menu. Happy hour runs from 4 - 6 p.m., including tasty hot wings. The freshest beer in the valley, right from the source! Free WiFi. Open 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Loacted at 265 S. Millward. (307) 7392337, snakeriverbrewing.com.
ITALIAN CALICO
®
Large Specialty Pizza ADD: Wings (8 pc)
$ 13 99
(307) 733-0330 520 S. Hwy. 89 • Jackson, WY
THE LOCALS
FAVORITE PIZZA 2012-2016 •••••••••
$7
$5 Shot & Tall Boy
LUNCH
SPECIAL Slice, salad & soda
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••
TV Sports Packages and 7 Screens
EL ABUELITO
Serving authentic Mexican cuisine and appetizers in a unique Mexican atmosphere. Home of the original Jumbo Margarita. Featuring a full bar with a large selection of authentic Mexican beers. Lunch served weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nightly dinner specials. Open seven days, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Located at 385 W. Broadway, (307) 733-1207.
PIZZA
DOMINO’S PIZZA
Hot and delicious delivered to your door. Hand-tossed, deep dish, crunchy thin, Brooklyn style and artisan pizzas; bread bowl pastas, and oven baked sandwiches; chicken wings, cheesy breads and desserts. Delivery. 520 S. Hwy. 89 in Kmart Plaza, (307) 733-0330.
PINKY G’S
The locals favorite! Voted Best Pizza in Jackson Hole 2012-2016. Seek out this hidden gem under the Pink Garter Theatre for NY pizza by the slice, salads, strombolis, calzones and many appetizers to choose from. Try the $7 ‘Triple S’ lunch special. Happy hours 10 p.m. - 12 a.m. Sun.- Thu. Text PINK to 71441 for discounts. Delivery and take-out. Open daily 11a.m. - 2 a.m. Located at 50 W. Broadway, (307) 734-PINK. Jackson Hole’s only dedicated stone-hearth oven pizzeria, serving Napolitana-style pies
160 N. Millward • Reservations recommended Reserve online at bluelionrestaurant.com
using the freshest ingredients in traditional and creative combinations. Five local micro-brews on tap, a great selection of red and white wines by the glass and bottle, and one of the best views of the Town Square from our upstairs deck. Daily lunch special includes slice, salad or soup, any two for $8. Happy hour: half off drinks by the glass from 4 - 6 p.m. daily. Dine in or carry out. Or order online at PizzeriaCaldera. com, or download our app for iOS or Android. Open from 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. daily at 20 West Broadway. (307) 201-1472.
Local is a modern American steakhouse and bar located on Jackson’s historic town square. Serving locally raised beef and, regional game, fresh seafood and seasonally inspired food, Local offers the perfect setting for lunch, drinks or dinner.
Lunch 11:30am Monday-Saturday Dinner 5:30pm Nightly
HAPPY HOUR Daily 4-6:00pm
307.201.1717 | LOCALJH.COM ON THE TOWN SQUARE
FEBRUARY 7, 2018 | 27
733-3912
1155 S HIGHWAY 89 JACKSON, WY 83OO1 | OPEN DAILY: 7AM - 1OPM | 3O7-733-O45O | JACKSONWHOLEGROCER.COM
MEXICAN
PIZZERIA CALDERA
Open nightly 5:30pm
LAMARCA PROSECCO 20% OFF
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Under the Pink Garter Theatre (307) 734-PINK • www.pinkygs.com
Heart Shaped Rib Eye with Wild Caught Maine Lobster Tail for Two
| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |
for an extra $5.99/each
Medium Pizza (1 topping) Stuffed Cheesy Bread
A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965, the Calico continues to be one of the most popular restaurants in the Valley. The Calico offers the right combination of really good food, (much of which is grown in our own gardens in the summer), friendly staff; a reasonably priced menu and a large selection of wine. Our bar scene is eclectic with a welcoming vibe. Open nightly at 5 p.m. Located at 2560 Moose Wilson Rd., (307) 733-2460.
| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
28 | FEBRUARY 7, 2018
EARLY RISER? Planet Jackson Hole is looking for a Wednesday morning delivery driver to start immediately.
SUDOKU
Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.
CONTACT PETE@PLANETJH.COM | (801) 413-0936
L.A.TIMES SUBSTITUTE MEASURES By ED SESSA
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2018
ACROSS
1 Hindu “sir” 5 Beaucoup 11 Engineer’s details 16 Shortening letters 19 Abba not known for singing 20 From the top, to Tiberius 21 “Yes __”: 2008 campaign slogan 22 Boomer’s kid 23 Measly treat for Polly? 25 Marinade used in Spanish cooking 26 __-Magnon 27 Lizard-like amphibian 28 Latin trio word 29 Breakers in semis 31 Ceremonies 32 Work required to raise kids? 35 Decked out 38 Sextet in the Senate 39 Levelheaded 40 Math useful for cooks 41 Advantage in kickboxing? 47 Fragrant compound 48 Ancient jewelry staples 49 Be an incredible speaker? 50 President Taft’s birthplace 51 Not dressed for swimming, generally 52 Small 27-Acrosses 53 Snake oil hawker, say 56 Wing 57 They’re heard in herds 59 Straight 60 2012 presidential candidate 62 The buying power of cash? 67 Like much folk music 69 Face or race 70 Mad king of the stage 71 One in a golfer’s bag 72 Certain winner 74 Some ’Vette roofs 77 Musical ending 81 Divided sea
Crowded-room atmosphere Longtime name in catalogs “The Exorcist” actor Max von __ 86 Cub soda? 90 Former mid-sized Chevy 91 “A creel of __, all ripples”: Sylvia Plath 92 Fruit pastry 93 Reddened, perhaps 94 Polished pearls? 99 Barbecue brand 100 Popular type 101 Cleanup hitter’s stats 102 Milk choice 107 Non’s opposite 108 Popular type 110 Bad snippets of Miss Muffet’s memory? 111 Topper for Rumpole of the Bailey 112 Thicket of trees 113 Persevered in 114 Traveler from 76-Down 115 Sign before Virgo 116 Lugged 117 Treatment for some causes of backache 118 Puts to bed 83 84 85
DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
More than just asks Start of a magical chant Canaanite idol Certain singles bar frequenter, in theory Spot charges Showed bias How many boxed sets are recorded Blackjack table gratuity Puts too much in the fishtank On behalf of Hindu title Organ part
13 14 15 16 17 18 24 28 30 33 34 35 36 37 38 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 52 53 54 55 58 59 61
Coral reef, e.g. Hailed wine? Cool, colorful treat Reign supreme Land at Orly? Dracula repellent Key with three flats Shells on Omaha Beach Good, in Guadalupe Painting and dancing Preserves holder Trojan War god Mrs. on a spice rack Germany’s von Bismarck Suckling’s milk source How many are chosen? Ground grain Muscle-bone connection Belgian treaty city 4-point F, for one Word with Ghost or Grail First lady before Mamie Tally-keeping cut Wine label word City NW of Marseille Pelican St. acronym Mayberry tippler Little one Marvin Gaye classic subtitled “The Ecology” 62 Gluten source 63 Texas Hold ’em declaration 64 Mustang sally? 65 Tokyo dough 66 Hurdle for Hannibal 67 “More than I can list” abbr. 68 Actress Hatcher 73 Ad-libbed 74 Unwraps excitedly 75 Political asset 76 Home to 114-Across 78 One-eyed Norse
deity 79 Ready to eat 80 Lots (of), as cash 82 ’90s daytime talk show 84 Brief quarrel 85 Unrivaled 87 Bring to life, in a way 88 From the past 89 Ones affected by bad weather, briefly 90 First word in France’s motto 93 Opposite of pass 94 One might elicit a nervous “Nice dog” 95 “Taxi” dispatcher 96 La Paz paisano 97 Belittle 98 Nettled 99 Single-minded about 103 Little snorts 104 Berkshire school 105 Socially awkward one 106 Sounds of disapproval 109 Jack, jill or joey 110 One of a pair on a rack
COSMIC CAFE Your Future Self Will Thank You Are you up for an experiment? BY CAROL MANN
A
GET EXCITED
THE SCIENCE
Everyone has an average of 60,000 thoughts a day, and incredibly, 95 percent are the same thoughts repeated every day. According to researchers, an average 80 percent of those habitual thoughts are negative. Since we are all part of one interactive global matrix, this information points to how we are all invisibly and unknowingly co-creating a negative energy field for our bodies and for the world.
CLARIFYING ONENESS The findings about how everything in the universe is interconnected is sometimes referred to as “oneness”. This can be misinterpreted to imply that then everyone is exactly the same and we should love everyone and everything. Not so. Oneness includes infinite diversity. We are all connected and we are all unique.
OUR BODY IS ONE AND DIVERSE The human body is a perfect example of the paradox of oneness and diversity. We have trillions of cells, which differentiate to form blood, skin, bones, muscles, tendons, joints, nerves, organs and organ systems. All our cells and all organ systems have their own unique
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OUR SOUL IS ONE AND DIVERSE This incredible body then is the perfect vehicle for the soul to pair with in order to experience itself in the physical world reality we all share. Here’s the paradox again. We have the soul factor in common and yet each soul brings in its own unique history, natural talents, and learning lessons. This is the richness of the sameness and the infinite variety in creation. The center of any paradox, like the eye of a storm, is where it is all true and therefore there is no conflict. Think about it.
A REMINDER AND A TIP The experiment of purposefully directing your thoughts, feelings, attitudes, beliefs and actions in a more inclusive and kind direction, is not about perfection. When you catch yourself in old negative thought patterns, be kind to yourself and skip the self-criticism. When you need help to get back on track, a random act of kindness guarantees to do the trick. PJH
Carol Mann is a longtime Jackson resident, radio personality, former Grand Targhee Resort owner, author, and clairvoyant. Got a Cosmic Question? Email carol@yourcosmiccafe.com
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It’s exciting to grasp the importance of two scientific discoveries, which can directly upgrade everyone’s well-being and put us in the driver’s seat of our collective evolution. One scientific finding is that our consciousness is so powerful that the energies of our thoughts, emotions, beliefs and actions directly impact both our individual wellbeing and the quality of the entire matrix of life on Earth. The second finding, directly related to the first, is that we are all part of one interconnected, interactive living matrix on this Earth. Therefore
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specialties and functions. They even look different from one another. They are in constant communication with each other and combine together as one cohesive unit working collaboratively for the greater good of the one body. If and when something in the body is out of balance, other body systems automatically come in to help. Together all the cells combine to create something greater than the sum of the individual parts. The body works miraculously as one entity made up of incredible diversity. Not only are all physical bodies made of the same elements (we are all one), but at the same time, each body is totally different from the next.
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Let’s start right here and right now. It is so exciting and so empowering to know that we are fully capable of redirecting our thought and feeling patterns for our greater good and for the greater good of everyone. Are you willing to make this difference in your life? Then, imagine this great feeling times billions of people in the world being kind-hearted.
everything alive and the quality of everyone’s energy is influencing everything on our planet all the time. (For those who enjoy thinking big, the entire universe is one interactive matrix.) At the very least, the implications of these two findings give every person the “wow” (we really are that powerful) and the “how” (change the energy of our thoughts) to upgrade our lives and evolve life on Earth
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re you up for an experiment? How about agreeing that for the month of February (Valentine’s Day is next week) we make it a daily mindful practice to choose love over fear, inclusion over separation, collaboration over competition and compassion over judgment … as consistently as possible. This applies to how we treat and respond to others and to ourselves. Let’s discover what kind of difference this makes in how we feel as individuals, as family members, as friends and as a community. We all know how welcoming and warm it is to walk into a room where people are kind and non-judgmental.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
BY ROB BREZSNY
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Charles Nelson Reilly was a famous American actor, director, and drama teacher. He appeared in or directed numerous films, plays, and TV shows. But in the 1970s, when he was in his forties, he also spent quality time impersonating a banana in a series of commercials for Bic Banana Ink Crayons. So apparently he wasn’t overly attached to his dignity. Pride didn’t interfere with his ability to experiment. In his pursuit of creative expression, he valued the arts of playing and having fun. I encourage you to be inspired by his example during the coming weeks, Aquarius. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) According to ancient Greek writer Herodotus, Persians didn’t hesitate to deliberate about important matters while drunk. However, they wouldn’t finalize any intoxicated decision until they had a chance to re-evaluate it while sober. The reverse was also true. Choices they made while sober had to be reassessed while they were under the influence of alcohol. I bring this to your attention not because I think you should adhere to similar guidelines in the coming weeks. I would never give you an oracle that required you to be buzzed. But I do think you’ll be wise to consider key decisions from not just a coolly rational mindset, but also from a frisky intuitive perspective. To arrive at a wise verdict, you need both.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) When he was 32, the man who would later be known as Dr. Seuss wrote his first kid’s book, And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. His efforts to find a readership went badly at first. Twenty-seven publishers rejected his manuscript. On the verge of abandoning his quest, he ran into an old college classmate on the street. The friend, who had recently begun working at Vanguard Press, expressed interest in the book. Voila! Mulberry Street got published. Dr. Seuss later said that if, on that lucky day, he had been strolling on the other side of the street, his career as an author of children’s books might never have happened. I’m telling you this tale, Taurus, because I suspect your chances at experiencing a comparable stroke of luck in the coming weeks will be extra high. Be alert!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The candy cap mushroom, whose scientific name is
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1939, Scorpio comic book writer Bob Kane co-created the fictional science-fiction superhero Batman. The “Caped Crusader” eventually went on to become an icon, appearing in blockbuster movies as well as TV shows and comic books. Kane said one of his inspirations for Batman was a flying machine envisioned by Leonard da Vinci in the early 16th century. The Italian artist and inventor drew an image of a winged glider that he proposed to build for a human being to wear. I bring this up, Scorpio, because I think you’re in a phase when you, like Kane, can draw inspiration from the past. Go scavenging through history for good ideas! SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I was watching a four-player poker game on TV. The folksy commentator said that the assortment of cards belonging to the player named Mike was “like Anna Kournikova,” because “it looks great but it never wins.” He was referring to the fact that during her career as a professional tennis player, Anna Kournikova was feted for her physical beauty but never actually won a singles title. This remark happens to be a useful admonishment for you Sagittarians in the coming weeks. You should avoid relying on anything that looks good but never wins. Put your trust in influences that are a bit homely or unassuming but far more apt to contribute to your success. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A Chinese man named Wang Kaiyu bought two blackfurred puppies from a stranger and took them home to his farm. As the months passed by, Wang noticed that his pets seemed unusually hungry and aggressive. They would sometimes eat his chickens. When they were two years old, he finally figured out that they weren’t dogs, but rather Asian black bears. He turned them over to a local animal rescue center. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because I suspect it may have a resemblance to your experience. A case of mistaken identity? A surprise revealed in the course of a ripening process? A misunderstanding about what you’re taking care of? Now is a good time to make adjustments and corrections.
Go to RealAstrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.
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CANCER (June 21-July 22) While serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Don Karkos lost the sight in his right eye after being hit by shrapnel. Sixty-four years later, he regained his vision when he got butted in the head by a horse he was grooming. Based on the upcoming astrological omens, I’m wondering if you’ll soon experience a metaphorically comparable restoration. My analysis suggests that you’ll undergo a healing in which something you lost will return or be returned.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) The U.S. Geological Survey recently announced that it had come up with improved maps of the planet’s agricultural regions. Better satellite imagery helped, as did more thorough analysis of the imagery. The new data show that the Earth is covered with 618 million more acres of croplands than had previously been thought. That’s 15 percent higher than earlier assessments! In the coming months, Libra, I’m predicting a comparable expansion in your awareness of how many resources you have available. I bet you will also discover that you’re more fertile than you have imagined.
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GEMINI (May 21-June 20) A survey of British Christians found that most are loyal to just six of the Ten Commandments. While they still think it’s bad to, say, steal and kill and lie, they don’t regard it as a sin to revere idols, work on the Sabbath, worship other gods, or use the Lord’s name in a curse. In accordance with the astrological omens, I encourage you to be inspired by their rebellion. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to re-evaluate your old traditions and belief systems, and then discard anything that no longer suits the new person you’ve become.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A grandfather from New Jersey decided to check the pockets of an old shirt he didn’t wear very often. There Jimmie Smith found a lottery ticket he had stashed away months previously. When he realized it had a winning number, he cashed it in for $24.1 million—just two days before it was set to expire. I suspect there may be a comparable development in your near future, although the reward would be more modest. Is there any potential valuable that you have forgotten about or neglected? It’s not too late to claim it.
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ARIES (March 21-April 19) British athlete Liam Collins is an accomplished hurdler. In 2017, he won two medals at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in South Korea. Collins is also a stuntman and street performer who does shows in which he hurtles over barriers made of chainsaws and leaps blindfolded through flaming hoops. For the foreseeable future, you may have a dual capacity with some resemblances to his. You could reach a high point in expressing your skills in your chosen field, and also branch out into extraordinary or flamboyant variations on your specialty.
Lactarius rubidus, is a burnt orange color. It’s small to medium-sized and has a convex cap. But there its resemblance to other mushrooms ends. When dried out, it tastes and smells like maple syrup. You can grind it into a powder and use it to sweeten cakes and cookies and custards. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, this unusual member of the fungus family can serve as an apt metaphor for you right now. You, too, have access to a resource or influence that is deceptive, but in a good way: offering a charm and good flavor different from what its outer appearance might indicate.
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