GOT WEED?
FREE APR.22.2020
How we are handling COVID-19 life
STIMULUS CHECK BUT NO REPARATIONS? |PAGE 4 6 FAVORITE CONCERTS |PAGE 22
GOV. ANDY FACES STIFF POLITICAL WINDS |PAGE 5 CARRYOUT VEGGIE DISHES! |PAGE 24
LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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ON: MADELINE MCCUBBINS GOV. ANDY, HE CAN DO BETTER, SO CAN WE This is exactly it. Perfectly sums it up! Well done! —Avalon Gupta VerWiebe
He’s been in office for four months, and he’s been dealing with a worldwide pandemic. Ease up. One thing at a time. And I think it’s unfair to lay the entire history of the world and its systematic injustices on Andy Beshear and expect him to right those wrongs in four months. —Elijah Lossner
leoweekly.com A coyote photographed by a motion-activated camera for research by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
DIG INTO LEO’S STORY ARCHIVE FOR GOLD Have some downtime? Looking for something to read? We dug into LEO’s archives to bring you a rotating array of our best long-form pieces. Check our Facebook page for the latest entries. Up now are “Illegal Vapes Hit City: Be Careful With What You Smoke” from Sept. 25, 2019, “Who is the real ‘Lady in Blue’ of Seelbach Hotel?” from Oct. 24, 2018 and “Ghosts of the city: Coyotes, foxes and urban wildlife,” published June 28, 2017.
GOT WEED?
FREE APR.22.2020
How we are handling COVID-19 life
ON THE COVER
DESIGN BY TALON HAMPTON
STIMULUS CHECK BUT NO REPARATIONS? |PAGE 4 6 FAVORITE CONCERTS |PAGE 22
GOV. ANDY FACES STIFF POLITICAL WINDS |PAGE 5 CARRYOUT VEGGIE DISHES! |PAGE 24
LOUISVILLE ECCENTRIC OBSERVER
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I read the article and understand what the author is trying to say, however, it seems premature and/or unproductive to criticize Beshear when he is four months into his term and has been battling a pandemic for over a month. Not to mention that it seems like the legislature is not going to play nice with him. —Tracie Ball Smith Wha-oh... gonna be an unpopular read, LEO!—Nadia Melaisis Damn, read this title and felt my hackles raising, but glad I read the article. Very good points that were very well articulated. Thank you for educating me and helping me take on a new perspective. —Rachael Warren The pushback on this article in the comments suggests that most didn’t read beyond the headline. Beshear is doing a reasonable job and is a welcome voice in Kentucky. The question is: How much is that in direct reflection of his predecessor, who was a rotten person by every metric? And what more can be done? I hope Beshear reads this and employs the same decency that he has shown throughout this crisis, because the suggestions by the author (rent/utility freeze and forgiveness; housing the homeless) are practical and utilitarian steps that can help a lot of people right now, and are all things the governor can enact. —Stodd Flossy ... I will tell you why I think Andy is getting is getting so many accolades. ... We are shell-shocked by this pandemic. He is a lifeline for us, a bright light and, at this point, he makes us feel a bit more secure. ... That being said, look at the numbers in this state. He has definitely done something right. Not to mention the fact he really is a nice guy. We are so, so desperate for someone to simply be nice. —Dolita Murray Dohrman
ON: STATE, CITY VS. CHURCHES
One person or groups liberties do not end at because of another’s fear. The solution is simple. Isolate yourselves from others. —Gary Butts
ON: JOHN YARMUTH, ENDORSING BIDEN
What, he’s charming to people in his same socioeconomic class? Well, never mind my concerns about predatory student loans and medical costs! —Andy Matter LEO Weekly is published weekly by LEO Weekly LLC. Copyright LEO Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Publisher. LEO Weekly is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express permission of LEO Weekly LLC. LEO Weekly may be distributed only by authorized independent contractors or authorized distributors. Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) is a trademark of LEO Weekly LLC.
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
Joe Biden is like a web browser: 19 tabs open, 17 are frozen and ... no idea which one is playing the audio. —Andrew D Marler
VIEWS
EDITOR’S NOTE
PROTESTERS HAVE A RIGHT TO BE IGNORANT By Aaron Yarmuth | ayarmuth@leoweekly.com THE LATEST in the coronavirus pandemic is unrest that has broken out in Kentucky and states across the country where governors were proactive in issuing stay-at-home orders and closing parts of the economy. To those of us doing our part — making personal, professional and social sacrifices in the interest of public health — the protests look like the same selfish, ignorant people who just don’t like to be told what to do, the epitome of the Trumpiest of Trump supporters and Tea Partiers. I recognize that some protesters are not Trump supporters, and that some are apolitical, acting out of genuine fear and desperation. We also now know that these protests are the work of shadowy, right-wing groups organizing “grassroots” protests — groups that Trump has promoted, “including one funded by the family of Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos,” The Guardian reported. Vox reported that “Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks, a right-leaning advocacy group that helped support the Tea Party movement back in 2009, said in an interview that ‘this has the same DNA [as] the Tea Party movement.’” This isn’t the American-Arab Spring during
which truly oppressed people fought for freedom from an oppressive regime. But I can’t figure out what these Kentucky protesters are actually missing. They are still able to gather and refuse to practice social distancing. Bigots and racists still have a right to be assholes, as evident by those who brought Confederate flags and swastikas (I believe the swastikas were in a Michigan protest). Apparently, nothing is prohibiting U.S. Sen. Rand Paul from putting on his libertarian mask and feigning outrage over Beshear’s “totalitarian state.” So, what, you need a haircut that bad? You were going to start using that gym membership you signed up for in January? You don’t want to get unemployment pay? Is that too socialist? But dying is OK, right? In one sense, however, the protesters have demonstrated the critical need to reopen schools as soon as possible. We need to get back to educating our kids, because we can’t afford another generation of protesters who don’t have a clue what they’re protesting about, exemplified by the protester wielding the sign saying “We need Leadership! not Dictarship!!”
Maybe you’re protesting because you had to cancel that elective surgical procedure? Well, Kentucky Senate Floor Leader Damon Thayer is fighting for you! “I’m calling on the governor to work with the Kentucky Hospital Association to get these hospitals open again,” Thayer said last week. “It’s absolutely got them flat on [their] backs.” Beshear’s directive is for healthcare providers “… to cancel all procedures that in the opinion of a physician the delay will not cause harm to the patient or negatively affect the patient’s life expectancy.” This order leaves tremendous leeway for doctors and patients to determine what is elective. While elective procedures refer to scheduled procedures — they might be critical but not urgent — this order is basically saying forget the cosmetic stuff. And contrary to Thayer’s understanding of freedom, hospitals are never obligated to do elective procedures, even during normal times. The other problem for Thayer is that the hospitals agree with Beshear. “We still believe there is some vulnerability out there,” Norton Healthcare CEO Russ Cox said the day after Thayer called out Beshear. Baptist Health earlier this month announced a series of furloughs and
pay cuts. “Baptist Health is striking a delicate balance between maintaining a strong front line of skilled caregivers to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, while grappling with the drain on resources,” said CEO Gerard Colman. I’d love to make the President John F. Kennedy appeal to these protesters, and: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country… ” Now, there is danger in public officials not being proactive to loosen restrictions and reopen the economy where possible. Loosening restrictions where possible will demonstrate that our leaders are discerning between rules critical to stopping the spread of the virus, and those that just aren’t as important. In this way, governors and mayors arguing for maintaining the critical restrictions will be bolstered, more trusted and better followed. As more people grow restless, strained financially or just skeptical of the dangers of the virus, more will be inclined to disregard health guidance of so-called experts. And, as unfair as it is, a small group of selfish protesters has the power to peaceably assemble, increase the spread of the virus and, ironically, cause more death and prolong the economic shutdown. •
UNDERCOVER
MANOFMETTLE.COM LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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RACE, REPARATIONS AND THE ALLEGORY OF THE ROACH By Ricky L. Jones | leo@leoweekly.com
THE QUESTION IS SIMPLE: “The coronavirus is the latest situation that shows how the long history of racism has damaged Black people in America, but when reparations are brought up — crickets. Why?” Crickets, indeed. From Father Divine to Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore to the brilliant Sandy Darity, even reasonable ideas on reparations are never given serious attention when presented. It will remain that way unless America is somehow forced to do otherwise. Why? Because America doesn’t really give a damn about Black people and their suffering. It’s just that simple. COVID-19 has prompted understandable questions about everything from the viability of America’s healthcare systems to financial structures. Maybe the U.S. is (and has always been) a sham, a lie held together with spit and sticky tape. I don’t know if America is broke financially, but I am quite sure it is broken morally. The ongoing effects of the country’s “second sin,” the enslavement and continued mistreatment of Blacks, shines a bright light on that fact. (Note: America’s “original sin” was the robbing, demonization and slaughter of Native Americans). A late 20th century moment that illuminated the width and depth of starkly disparate Black and white American approaches
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Back in the real world, the red racial line to race was the trial and eventual acquittal and animus had always been there for Black of O.J. Simpson. Ezra Edelman’s masterful people. Hyams’ and others’ privilege and 2016 documentary “O.J.: Made in America” supremacy simply afforded them the luxury recounts the white-hot reactions across lines of ignoring the suffering right before their of race when Simpson was freed in 1995. eyes. Despite the fact that Simpson was a race From the Black point of view, the traitor of epic proportions, Blacks were jubicelebrations around Simpson’s victory lant. Whites, by and large, were appalled. and their ever-present rage are completely Director and screenwriter Peter Hyams, explainable. Let us consider my “allegory of who directed Simpson in the 1981 film the roach” to “Capricorn From Father Divine to drive the point One,” didn’t understand it. Yvette Carnell and Antonio home. What if we could talk He opined, “I Moore to the brilliant to roaches and think the Black ascertain their jubilation was Sandy Darity, even feelings about very offensive human beings? and very hurtreasonable ideas on If asked, ful. The news reparations are never “How do you footage of feel about African Amerigiven serious attention humans?” a cans cheering roach would and whites when presented. probably crying, it put a respond, “Are you serious? We fucking hate huge red line across American society.” them! We’re constantly persecuted by them. Hyams’ observation that whites were They kill us indiscriminately. Do you know “hurt,” and the Simpson situation somehow how many of my friends and family memcreated a “huge red (racial) line,” was an bers humans have been crushed underfoot odd assessment. With straight faces, Hyams without a second thought? We try to stay out and others obliviously offered differing verof their way, but that’s impossible. There are sions of, “I had no idea Blacks felt this way too many of them. about us and we didn’t deserve it.”
“Every now and then, one of us can go through a little-known, transformational process so we can pass as human. They leave those types alone for the most part, because they aren’t perceived as threats. Sometimes, like that human O.J. Simpson did, one of us beats the system and gets away. But, that’s rare. “The majority of us are scrounging and suffering. We sneak out at night for food, because we’re starving. Even then, they come, they chase, they kill. We mean them no harm, but they revile us. They act as if we don’t have a right to exist. Sometimes, I think they won’t be happy until they’ve exterminated us all. It has always been this way. And you’re gonna sit here and ask me if I have a problem with humans? You’re goddamn right I do! If you were me, Us — you would, too!” The majority of whites will never be open to reparations for Blacks. It’s not a question of resources and that propositions are untenable because there is no money. They simply feel there is no need for repair or recompense. Why? Because racism and supremacy prompts many whites to see Black folks as an exploitable, human sub-species to labor, entertain and be discarded. Others don’t see them as human at all. Therefore, the generational toll Black people have paid and continue to pay for simply being Black is not a problem that merits their attention. Though all whites benefit from white privilege and supremacy in one way or another, all are not racist or supremacist. That said, there are more than enough who are. In fact, racism and white supremacy run much deeper in America than people are willing to admit. It bears repeating again and again and again — structural racism and white supremacy are long-standing global pandemics that have politically, socially, economically, psychologically, spiritually and physically destroyed millions upon millions of lives. Sadly, there is no vaccine or cure in sight. At the end of the day, reparations will never be paid in a society afflicted by such a plague — for roaches don’t deserve them. • Dr. Ricky L. Jones is a professor and political philosopher with degrees from Morehouse College and UK.
VIEWS
FOR GOV. BESHEAR, THE POLITICS OF CORONAVIRUS ARE TOUGH, AND THEY ARE ONLY GOING TO GET TOUGHER By Al Cross: | leo@leoweekly.com WE FIGURED the ides of April would be the about Beshear a few days earlier and like some others from Republicans, its overfirst crucible of Andy Beshear’s governorship, with a Republican legislature rendering statement illustrated their pent-up eagerness to go after him. It said he had directed its verdicts on the Democratic governor’s “state police to stalk churchgoers and proposals and vetoes. But for a month, turn their information over to government Beshear has faced a much greater test: how agents.” There was no stalking; the police to deal with a deadly pandemic that is tanktook license-plate ing the economy and altering the political His predecessor, Matt numbers so local health departments landscape. And it Bevin, liked to use could send a letter will only get tougher. In the first social media, but he to people who had violated Beshear’s month of the crisis, didn’t like to answer emergency order Beshear’s actions to mass gatherthwart the coronareporters’ questions; banning ings, asking them to virus went largely unchallenged, and Beshear does so daily sign a self-quarantine agreement and his daily Facebook and each briefing report their temperaLive briefings gave daily. him a presence and typically gets more tureBut many Repubreach no Kentucky governor has ever than 300,000 views. licans didn’t let the facts get in the way had, especially in the He has 200,000 of the chance to many parts of the down Beshear. state served by outFacebook followers dress Sen. Matt Castlen of-state TV stations. His predecessor, and the comments on of Owensboro said in the state SenMatt Bevin, liked the briefings show ate’s closing debate to use social media, Wednesday night, but he didn’t like to that many viewers “We have a governor answer reporters’ questions; Beshear are people who didn’t who’s shutting our churches down but is does so daily and vote for him. letting abortion clineach briefing typiics stay open.” cally gets more than Beshear says one church (Maryville 300,000 views. He has 200,000 Facebook Baptist in Hillview) violated his order and followers and the comments on the briefings Kentucky has one abortion clinic (EMW show that many viewers are people who Women’s Surgical Center in Louisville). didn’t vote for him. It’s open despite Beshear’s order banning Such numbers surely concern Repub“non-urgent” medical procedures, because licans who considered Beshear’s defeat medical professional groups do not consider of Bevin a product of the latter’s political abortion an elective procedure and Kentucky ineptitude and easy pickings in the 2023 law bans abortions after 20 weeks – putting election. That was perhaps best demona time limit on a woman’s constitutional strated Tuesday, when the five Republicans right to get an abortion. who hold the other independently elected, But many people think that shouldn’t statewide constitutional offices issued a even be a right, and Republicans, especially statement criticizing the governor’s dealings Attorney General Daniel Cameron, are with the legislature. It was released not by exploiting that deeply held feeling. Two bills the Republican Party of Kentucky, but by Beshear is likely to veto would give Camthe state Department of Agriculture, which eron limited authority over abortion clinics is run by Commissioner Ryan Quarles, a and declare that abortion isn’t a non-urgent likely candidate for governor in 2023. Your procedure under his order. They could tax dollars at work. have passed the legislation April 1, giving The state GOP did make a statement
themselves a chance to override vetoes, but waited until the last day of the session, creating a political exclamation point. In his crucible, Beshear has seemed mostly unflappable, even when protesters led by a Bevin acolyte nearly drowned out a recent Wednesday briefing. But the day before, he got windy and whiny when asked about reports that Republicans were working on a bill to let occupational licensing boards and trade associations set standards for what nonessential businesses would be safe to reopen. Beshear asked, “Do you trust the governor, led by the Department for Public Health and all of our medical officials, or do you trust the legislature and lobbyists that are talking to them each day based on
monetary interests that are out there?” That was Beshear’s first public touch on the heart of the question that will face him and other governors: How much will we value money and how much will we value human life? It is not an either-or question; America and its states are democratic republics that should reflect the consent of the governed. But with a president who talks more about the economy than humanity and sows confusion about a complicated subject when much more science is needed, the virus may outlast our patience and perhaps our real or perceived economic needs – and kill more. In one way, Beshear’s strong measures work against him; flattening the curve of a pandemic avoids a deadly spike but delays the downward curve — and thus the emergence from economic restrictions. Reopening too soon, especially before a lot more testing has been done to understand the virus better, could worsen the winter resurgence that experts think is likely. That’s why the politics of the coronavirus will get tougher. • Al Cross is a former Courier Journal political writer and is professor and director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at UK. He writes this column for the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. Reach him @ ruralj.
LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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NEWS & ANALYSIS
TRADER JOE’S SUED OVER FORMER WORKER’S CORONAVIRUS CLAIMS
THORNS & ROSES
By Danielle Grady | dgrady@leoweekly.com A FORMER TRADER JOE’S employee in Louisville is suing the grocery chain, saying he was wrongfully fired after raising concerns about health and safety conditions while working there during the epidemic. Two weeks before being fired, Kris King, a Trader Joe’s employee of over eight years, created a private Facebook page for local workers to talk without management oversight about safety concerns at the store, according to the lawsuit filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court on April 8. One of King’s posts claimed the store had “no plan” to keep employees safe, and alleged that employees got in trouble for wearing gloves at the cash register. According to the lawsuit, the store or for voicing concerns. Friend-Daniel manager obtained screenshots of the declined to tell LEO why King was post and brought them up twice to King: fired. once during “We’re a meeting in always which he was listening to The lawsuit alleges reprimanded our Crew for making the Members and that after Gov. Andy post and again customers,” as a reason for she said in the Beshear declared a why he was email. “We, state of emergency for including being fired on March 28. at our Kentucky on March 6, those At the first Louisville meeting with Louisville Trader Joe’s store, take management, all concerns management took ‘no seriously and King, who is 37, also steps to promote the always look requested that for ways to the store instihealth and safety of its address them.” tute recomWhen King employees regarding was fired, mended safety measures the spread of COVID- management including a also brought 19.’ And, on March regular sanitaup two tion schedule that 11, management told incidents and allowing occurred in employees to 2019, which employees that they wear personal the lawsuit couldn’t wear gloves protective says were equipment, “unsubstantiwhile on the job. the lawsuit ated.” King alleges. told LEO he A spokeswas written person for Trader Joe’s, Kenya Friendup once for jokingly tossing quinoa at Daniel, said in an email that King was a coworker and again for accidentally not fired for making a Facebook page taking a coworker’s hoodie home with
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
THE WORST, BEST & MOST ABSURD ABSURD: BEVIN NOW HAS 10 CHILDREN?
Kris King.
him. King said he returned the hoodie without prompting. King said he was surprised with how Trader Joe’s has handled the epidemic in its store. “As somebody who has worked for the company for a long time and has been very impressed with how the company has done things, I would assume that they would be a leader in this, but they are absolutely followers and are falling behind when it comes to protection,” he said. The lawsuit alleges that after Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency for Kentucky on March 6, Louisville Trader Joe’s management took “no steps to promote the health and safety of its employees regarding the spread of COVID-19.” And, on March 11, management told employees that they couldn’t wear gloves while on the job. On that same day, King began developing symptoms of COVID-19, including a dry cough and a fever, and he decided to stay home from work. While at home for 10 days, King created the Facebook page. One post he made to the page, on March 15, claimed that a manager asked an employee if they “had to” go home after they said they were sick. On March 21, King returned to work. The store manager requested a sit-down meeting with King, at which he was reprimanded. A week later, King was fired.
Like a “Jerry Springer” show guest on acid, Gov.-reject Matt Bevin made a rumor public by denying on Twitter that he cheated on his wife and fathered a child with his former press secretary. “Let me be perfectly clear... The vulgar and slanderous lies being spread about me and my family and others by the partisan hacks on this Twitter feed are reprehensible and utterly baseless.” He was replying to KPJ @ kypoljunkie’s tweet. Bevin wrote: “My wife and I have been faithfully married to one another for 24 years and counting, and for all of you nitwits to slander her and my family in this way is disgusting... Shame on you!” KPJ claimed to have “pretty solid news from a solid source” and tweeted: “No one is slandering your wife. That makes zero sense.”
THORN: NOT A GOOD DAY FOR GOP LOSERS
Republican state Rep. Robert Goforth, who lost to Bevin in the primary, was arrested on domestic violencerelated charges, including felony strangulation. He was among lawmakers who voted in 2019 to make felony strangulation a crime. In an op-ed, he had pledged he would “restore respectful, responsive leadership that delivers positive results for our state.”
ABSURD: TOO MUCH TOGETHERNESS
You and your rug rats will be stuck with each other 24-7 at least until the next school year. Gov. Andy has asked schools to close for the rest of the school year. No arguing with the reasoning, but... what will you do with the little monsters after you have baked your trillionth cookie with them? Maybe... Kentucky Kingdom has the answer...
THORN: KENTUCKY CORONAKINGDOM?
Some people are hanging on to the belief that this bad dream will evaporate by summer. Kentucky Kingdom says it plans to reopen in June, WLKY reported. “Hurricane Bay water park is a great spot for families to cool off during hot summer evenings,” President and CEO Ed Hart said.
THORN: WASN’T THIS HAPPENING ALREADY? What else is the state doing in the name of the coronavirus? Kentucky is allowing waste haulers to landfill your chicken bones and whatnot with items otherwise set aside for recycling when not superseded by city or county rules. WFPL reports Louisville is not doing that.
ABSURD: ALL GASSED UP WITH NO PLACE TO GO The cruel irony... The average price for unleaded selfserve gas in Louisville was $1.675 a gallon, the AAA East Central says.
NEWS & ANALYSIS
On April 2, The New York Times ran a story that detailed Trader Joe’s efforts to discourage union organizing at its stores. In an interview for the story, King described how he was fired. He also mentioned a proposal for more safety measures at the store that he and other employees planned to give to management. After the story ran, the Louisville Trader Joe’s began implementing “many” of King’s safety recommendations, the lawsuit says. Friend-Daniel denied that Trader Joe’s made changes because of the newspaper article, and she said that the company first announced health and safety guidance for employees in February. Trader Joe’s has added to those safety measures as the situation has evolved. “Over the weeks, and as the situation has called for additional safety measures, we’ve acted quickly,” Friend-Daniel said. “Everything we’ve done has been guided by CDC and other health official recommendations, as well as just monitoring the situation, listening to Crew Members and customers, and our desire to do everything we can to keep them safe. “ On March 2, before Beshear’s executive order, Trader Joe’s locations across the country announced that they would provide ill employees with seven days of additional paid sick leave. They would also stop allowing customers to pick up free samples in stores themselves, and instead would have an employee hand them out. “Soon after,” the company stopped handing out samples and providing coffee altogether, said Friend-Daniel. On March 26, before the Times article, Trader Joe’s announced that it would install clear plastic barriers at every register. And on April 1, the company told employees that it was working on procuring masks for its stores. On April 9, after the Times article ran, Trader Joe’s posted an announcement to its company website, highlighting more safety measures, including increased routine cleanings and gloves for all employees. King is seeking unspecified monetary compensation from Trader Joe’s for his firing based on lost wages and benefits and emotional distress. King said he’s also still fighting for better working conditions at the Louisville Trader Joe’s store for his former coworkers. “It’s because those people in that store, a lot of them are like family to me, and I have very close personal relationships with a lot of them,” he said, “and I am literally worried about their safety and protection, and I feel that they deserve more.” •
IT WAS 4.20 HOW WEED USERS AND DEALERS ARE COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS By Danielle Grady | dgrady@leoweekly.com THE WEED DEALER’S customers were asking for more weed than usual, he said. They told him that they were “stocking up” for the coronavirus. But, sooner than he had expected, they were hitting him up again for more edibles, flower or vape cartridges. “I found that they were smoking more, just because they were sitting at home, so they weren’t really ‘stocking up,’” the dealer, a 29-year-old Louisville business student, told LEO. So, he raised the prices — his carts went up by $5 — and he started requiring customers to buy in bulk, so they wouldn’t come by as often. He wasn’t annoyed by the extra business, but he was trying to be safe during the epidemic — experts recommend avoiding exposure to lots of people. As one of his customers, a 29-year-old laid off restaurant manager, observed, the
coronavirus is restructuring society, changing even the “little things” in life — and weed consumption and access are two of them. It’s creating questions for users that sound similar to health conundrums that the rest of the society is grappling with: Is sharing OK (when it comes to bowls and bongs, that is)? And could smoking or vaping make you more vulnerable to COVID-19? For some, pot is getting harder to find. Others have reliable access but are facing a narrowed selection and elevated prices. LEO spoke to a user with less access than usual who said she is rationing her supply. Those who feel secure are using more. For all people we spoke with, it’s a lifeline — a source of fun in hard times and an important medical salve for anxiety, insomnia and more. We are not identifying them in this story because marijuana use and sales
remain illegal in Kentucky.
INDULGING
The Louisville restaurant manager has mixed feelings about her increased pot use — she’s smoking half an ounce per week instead of her usual quarter. On one hand, she’s lost her job because of coronavirus, and she occasionally feels guilty for spending more than usual on weed at a time when she thinks she should be saving. “But lately,” she said, “I don’t really buy many other things. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke cigarettes, I don’t use any form of medication, so I kind of justify it with, ‘this is my medicine,’ and I’m also using this for, this is my recreational fun.” She smokes weed for anxiety — anxiety that has gotten worse lately, especially on excursions to the grocery store and in those LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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NEWS & ANALYSIS
moments when she worries about how long she’ll be out of work. Her dealer has contacts in Oregon and Colorado, where weed is legal, so she’s not concerned with running out. And he’s set up extra safety measures for customers: They have to come alone, and there are always sanitizing wipes on the table. What she does worry about is whether smoking is compromising her health, leaving her susceptible to complications if she contracts COVID-19. And, her roommate, who she often shares a bowl with, continues to work in a public-facing job — another risk. “You have people like me that overanalyze literally anything and now I’m stuck at home to do that all day long,” she said. Experts, interviewed by SF Weekly and The Philadelphia Inquirer, have also raised these concerns. Definitive answers are few, but sharing is universally frowned upon and research suggests that smoking of all kinds could depress the immune function of lungs. Edibles are considered a safer method of using cannabis.
DEALING
Two weeks ago, the business student dealer made his regular trip to Colorado to collect his cannabis haul.
But the trip he’d been planning for several months was different than usual. Many dispensaries were closed under the state’s stay-at-home order, and the ones that were open were limiting the number of people in their stores. “They may be essential businesses, but it’s pretty hard to get in the doors,” he said. Access to cannabis for everyone is disrupted, whether you’re in an illegal state or not. For the dealer, it meant that he couldn’t go on his usual rounds from store to store in Colorado. But, he had come prepared. His medical cardholder contact had stocked up on vape carts and concentrate for him. The Louisville dealer came alone to Colorado — not typical for him — and stayed only one night to collect what he needed and then leave. For flower and edibles, he had another solution: A friend in Oregon who used to work at a medical dispensary helped him arrange mail shipments. “If I hadn’t been able to go do it, I’d feel pretty bad,” the dealer said. Many of his customers use it for medical reasons, and, although he would have been able to scrounge up some local supply for them, he doesn’t consider it to be as good of quality. As it is, he’s not worried about running
out, but his selection has taken a hit: He has only a few strains of flower instead of 20 to 30, and he doesn’t have as many edibles as usual. Another Louisville dealer, a 27-year-old who works in IT, said that his customers have doubled their usage. “I can’t determine if it’s actually from the quarantine and having to stay home — people are bored, or if it’s more from a nervous factor of people’s anxiety is higher, and they’re trying to calm their nerves,” he said. Prices have also gone up, he says by 5% to 10%, partly because it now costs more to ship cannabis in from legal states. But, it’s still coming in. The dealer has been more careful with how he gets his cannabis to customers. Instead of handing it off, he’ll place it in the seat of his car for them to take. “Outside of that, it’s pretty much like anything else I do once I leave my house: Go out, get it done and come home, wash my hands, pray that I’m safe,” he said.
RATIONING
Not everyone is so sure about where their next ounce is coming from. A 44-year-old IT data analyst said that weed is getting harder to find. Many people
she knows get their cannabis by traveling to legal dispensaries in Illinois, a trip that’s gotten harder to make because of travel restrictions. But, seeing coronavirus coming, the data analyst, who describes herself as an “old hippie” type, stocked up before Kentucky shut down. She doesn’t use much, anyway — just a few hits from her vape to help with her insomnia. In a month, she goes through an ounce. She has a half an ounce left, so she’s being “conservative” with vaping it, eking out as many tokes as she can for every thimbleful of cannabis. “I was like, well, worst-case scenario, I’m going to have to take melatonin again,” she said. Luckily, she stocked up on that, too. If nothing else, she hopes that coronavirus might wake up Kentucky legislators to the benefits of legalization. “I would think, in a situation like this where you have something that A, could be a cash crop and have us come out of this economic recession… Here is an opportunity where if we were ever going to take some guidance and have some time to do our due diligence and do our research, now is a great time to do it,” she said. •
YOU CAN STILL BET ON HORSE RACING, BUT DON’T EXPECT KENTUCKY TRACKS TO OPEN SOON By Scott Recker | srecker@leoweekly.com SPORTS BETTING options are currently thin, leading gamblers down strange rabbit holes such as email-chain NFL draft betting pools or slobbering at the crashed stock market like some sort of Patrick Bateman clones, but if you’re a degenerate looking for live action, never fear — horse racing is somehow still out there happening. Just not on Kentucky tracks, which currently
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have no timeframe of reopening. A recent, quick look at TwinSpires, which is Churchill Downs’ wagering app and accepts bets on various tracks across the world, showed races in Arkansas, Oklahoma and, you guessed it, Florida, a state that basically always seems three weeks away from becoming a scene from “Escape From New York,” even in normal times. Although those tracks are racing without crowds, it’s still proven
NEWS & ANALYSIS
to be a remarkably reckless idea, with a star jockey already testing positive for COVID19… and allegedly he still wanted to race because he was able to run three miles. (I would also imagine that if you fly off of a horse during a race, break your leg and have to go to the emergency room for that during a pandemic, the medical staff is not going to think super highly of you.) Meanwhile, Kentucky, a horse racing capital, has been cautious and smart, keeping tracks closed, something that has caused a bit of political tension, with Kentucky Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer calling for racing to resume, but Gov. Andy Beshear has remained staunchly opposed to gatherings of any kind that could spread the virus. During his April 3 daily update, Beshear was asked if he would consider letting tracks open without crowds, and this was his response. “At least as long as we are seeing an escalation, you would still have groups of people that would have to come together to make that happen. It would be the same thing as the NBA, which is being canceled right now. So, while there might be a point, hopefully when we see cases going down, where that’s something that we could consider. Right now, we shouldn’t be getting people together for any reason whatsoever.” Even the fate of The Kentucky Derby — which was moved from its usual first weekend in May to Saturday, Sept. 5 — is still uncertain. And if it does run, the smart money is that it will happen without fans or very few. In a livestream yesterday, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said this: “We’re going to have to be very careful and very judicious, obviously. Sporting events, any gatherings of large kind, are going to be different from what they were until there’s a vaccine. We’re not going to have a vaccine by the Derby, so there could be some way to run the Derby, we’re just going to be very attentive to what that is. Obviously, they don’t need fans to run the Derby. But, it’s not going to be like prior Derbies. I just don’t know what that’s going to be right now.” A lot of us miss sports, and the debating, gambling, storylines and mathematics that go with it. But, we’re probably not that far out from a phase where sports will resume but in a limited capacity without fans. The mass gathering part could take a while, but gambling will be back soon. So, let’s not push it too hard: How is someone’s life worth our adrenaline rush? •
LG&E imploded the Can Run Generating Station in Louisville four years after the coal plant had been decommissioned. | PHOTO FROM LG&E.
HOSPITAL VISITS DECLINED AFTER SULFUR DIOXIDE REDUCTIONS FROM LOUISVILLE-AREA COAL PLANTS By James Bruggers, InsideClimate News | leo@leoweekly.com BY TAKING ADVANTAGE of a “natural experiment” brought on by the closure of one coal-fired power plant and the addition of new pollution controls at others in the area, health researchers have documented how lowering air pollution improves the lives of asthma patients. Led by Columbia University’s Joan A. Casey, an environmental health sciences professor, the team calculated a 55% reduction in the amount of lung-irritating pollutants in the air over Louisville beginning in the spring of 2015. The reduction came after the closure of Louisville Gas and Electric’s Cane Run facility and the installation of sulfur dioxide scrubbers at its Mill Creek plant and another, separately owned plant in Rockport, Indiana. The researchers found that there were nearly 400 fewer hospital admissions or emergency room visits for asthma attacks in Louisville in the year following the closure and the addition of pollution controls. Tapping into data from an earlier research project, the researchers also found a 17%
drop in the use of inhalers by 207 asthma patients in the month after additional scrubbers were installed at Mill Creek in 2016. The study also included data from a fourth coal-fired plant that added scrubbers in Madison, Indiana, in 2013, also separately owned. Rockport is about 75 miles from Louisville, and Madison is about 55 miles away. The findings come at a time when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been attacking the science used to establish federal air pollution regulations that have helped cities like Louisville clean up their historically dirty and deadly air quality. The research also has implications for the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which amounts to another “natural experiment” where air quality has been suddenly improved — this time, because large sectors of the global economy have shut down. Casey said that there have been numerous studies showing that people who live near coal-fired power plants have more asthma symptoms and other maladies. “But
it’s been difficult to directly attribute those problems to coal-fired power plants,” she said. When tougher air quality rules from the Obama administration went into effect prior to 2015 and cheaper natural gas began to displace dirty coal-burning nationwide, utilities invested in retrofits in the Louisville area and across the nation. “Air quality changed rapidly over a short period of time,” Casey said. That allowed the researchers to make comparisons between groups of people suffering from asthma that were more or less exposed, before and after the changes, she said. As part of the study, the researchers determined that the Cane Run and Mill Creek plants in Louisville and the two nearby plants in Indiana represented the bulk of sulfur dioxide pollution in Louisville at the time. The study found sulfur dioxide pollution across all zip codes in the city. Louisville, a city of about 766,000 people, has had a decades-long struggle with air quality, in a part of the country still LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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NEWS & ANALYSIS
largely dependent on coal for its electricity. Coal plants emit a wide array of different air pollutants across Kentucky. LG&E and its sister company, Kentucky Utilities, have a current energy mix that is 80% coal and 19% natural gas. Indiana was still reliant on coal for 70% of its electricity in 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The team’s paper was published Monday in the peer-reviewed science journal, Nature Energy. The study has 15 authors, including researchers from the University of California, Berkeley; Harvard University; University of Texas; and Propeller Health, in San Francisco. Across the country, electricity generation continues its dramatic shift away from coal. Coal provided 23.5% of the nation’s electricity last year, down from 46% in 2010. This study illustrates one way that change will lead to better public health, but the most important implications are global, Casey said. “In the United States, coal-fired power
plants are going away,” she said. “Other places in the world, we are still building new coal-fired plants and some of them are quite large. This is critical information for those places.” LG&E replaced its Cane Run plant with a cleaner-burning gas plant, also in 2015. Opportunities for studying how rapid decreases in air pollution affect human health, like the one Casey’s team seized in greater Louisville, are rare, she said. Another came after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when China closed factories and limited the use of cars and trucks during the games, she said. A 2012 Journal of American Medical Association paper identified a boost in heart health during that sudden but temporary improvement in air quality. The Louisville study represents a microcosm of what’s likely happening now with air quality and public health around the world, with the coronavirus reducing pollutants, said Ted Smith, a co-author of the Nature Health study and a former city of Louisville innovation chief who launched
the original smart inhaler study. Cleaner air results in healthier people with a better chance to fight off new viruses that attack the lungs, said Smith, director of the Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil at the UofL’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute. In fact, new Harvard University research indicates that the death rate from the new coronavirus is higher in counties with higher levels of fine particulate matter pollution, which also comes from coal-fired power plants. Previously, researchers in Louisville and with Propeller Health used information from inhalers linked to smartphones, along with data on outdoor conditions, to identify the city’s riskiest neighborhoods for people with asthma. That effort began in 2012 and was led by Smith. Louisville, with a mix of chemical and other manufacturing plants, rail hubs and a major cargo hub airport in the center of the city, has well-documented health disparities, dividing neighborhoods along socio-
economic lines. “This is one more piece in Louisville for recognizing the connection between the burden of diseases and environmental factors,” Smith said. Louisville also has its own air pollution control district, and it’s seen local power plant pollution drop sharply. For example, the city’s sulfur dioxide levels decreased from a high of about 149 parts per billion at one monitor near a major power plant in 2014 to 13 parts per billion now, said Keith H. Talley Sr., executive director of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District. He said he “can’t wait” to see the results of Casey’s team’s study. “It will be incredibly gratifying to see those emission reductions translate into improved health outcomes in our community.” • InsideClimate News is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet that covers climate, energy and the environment.
WANT TO REOPEN KENTUCKY? WHAT HAPPENED HERE DURING THE 1918 FLU EPIDEMIC By Keith Stone | kstone@leoweekly.com IF THE PAST is any predictor of future performance, and it is in this case, then we should look at the flu outbreak of 1918 in Louisville before we gather to dance the Coronavirus Jig and reopen businesses. As Gov. Andy has said repeatedly: We do not want to be Philadelphia, which suffered for being relatively slow to enforce social distancing at the outset of the 1918 pandemic that killed an estimated 650,000 Americans. We are now at about 42,000 COVID-19 fatalities in just seven weeks. It was the No. 2 killer from April 6 to April 12, behind No. 1 heart disease, The Washington Post reported. But we also do not want to be St. Louis, which flattened its curve with non-pharmaceutical means. But, then it relaxed those and, oooofff — it had more deaths from the flu than during its first peak. The St. Louis Dispatch reported: “The quarantine was temporarily lifted Nov. 18 but reinstated when the flu roared back in December. By Dec. 10 the flu peaked in the city with 60 deaths in one day. After illnesses declined sharply, the quarantine was lifted just after Christmas.” Or, in more clinical terms, a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of
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America concluded that non-pharmaceutical interventions or NPIs — such as social distancing, barring mass gatherings and closing businesses — had to be in place until a pharmaceutical fix was found or was sufficiently available: “Finally, and this is perhaps the most important observation, no city in our analysis experienced a second wave while its main battery of NPIs was in place. Second waves occurred only after the relaxation of interventions.” And… “In practice, and until emergency vaccine production capacity increases, this means that in the event of a severe pandemic, cities will likely need to maintain NPIs for longer than the 2–8 weeks that was the norm in 1918.” In Louisville, it took about seven months from the first cases at Camp Zachary Taylor until the spring of 1919 before the metro area returned to normalcy. The good news is that for the last two or three months, closures had been lifted, even though the flu persisted. The Influenza Encyclopedia’s essay on Louisville shows this tug of war between those who wanted to keep businesses, churches and schools closed and those who
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wanted them to open. At one point, “Clergy argued that allowing regular religious services would lift the morale and spirit of residents, and thus stimulate their resistance to influenza.” In Louisville, the beginning of the epidemic was somewhere around Sept. 24, when newspapers reported over 100 soldiers at the camp were ill with influenza. By Oct.
7, the state closed “all churches, schools, and places of amusement or assembly until further notice. Louisville Mayor George W. Smith issued a statement endorsing the state order and putting it in full effect in his city.” “As the epidemic gained in intensity, hospitals soon were stretched to the breaking point. The health department interceded by opening a 75-bed emergency hospital at the
NEWS & ANALYSIS
Hope Rescue Mission on Oct.13, under the direct supervision of acting health officer [R. B.] Norment.” “Then, suddenly, the number of new influenza cases started to drop, prompting some to surmise that the epidemic would soon come to an end. On Oct.18, members of the state Board of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, military authorities, and a number of local Kentucky health officers — including Acting Health Officer Norment — met at the Seelbach Hotel to discuss the possibility of lifting the ban, at least in Louisville. Instead, state health authorities not only affirmed the existing closures, but also tightened and extended the restrictions. Effective the next day, the state Board of Health ordered all saloons and soft drink stands to close between 6:30 pm until 6:30 am. Only churches and synagogues had some measure of latitude – the Board permitted churches to open for individual prayer and meditation.” “Louisville’s epidemic continued to abate over the course of the rest of the month. By Oct. 22, the city’s newspapers were happily reporting that influenza’s high mark had been reached on two weeks earlier, and that the number of new cases was on the steady decline. On October 30, state and local health officers as well as representatives from the Red Cross and the Louisville Board of Trade met once again at the Seelbach to discuss the lifting of the bans. Norment stated his belief that the city’s epidemic had
run its course, and that there would be no danger in allowing public gathering places to reopen. Clergy argued that allowing regular religious services would lift the morale and spirit of residents, and thus stimulate their resistance to influenza. The arguments fell on deaf ears, as once again the state Board of Health voted to continue the closure orders, although this time it provided a possible timeframe for when they might be lifted – one week. The problem was not so much with Louisville as it was with the surrounding Jefferson County, which was still in the midst of a serious epidemic. If Louisville were allowed to reopen, some believed that visitors would flock to the city for amusement, thus bringing influenza with them. Until the situation in Jefferson County improved, the bans would remain in place.” “Churches reopened on Sunday, November 10, the first time the pews were occupied for regular service in five weeks. To prepare for the complete reopening of the city and to help stave off a return of the epidemic, the Louisville Boards of Health and Public Safety issued a set of regulations to prevent crowding. All stores were to be fully ventilated at all times and kept at a proper temperature. All employees exhibiting symptoms of illness were to be sent home at once, returning to work only when provided with a certificate from their physician. Stores were to employ enough staff to prevent congestion. For pool halls and bowling alleys, owners and managers were to
grant admittance to those actually engaged in games. Movie house and theater managers were likewise prohibited from allowing crowds to gather inside their establishments. This did not prevent crowds of eager entertainment seekers from forming long lines as people rushed to purchase tickets for the evening’s shows.” “By Thanksgiving, physicians were reporting a slight but nonetheless noticeable increase in influenza cases. Norment remained optimistic that the worst was over, and that, while Louisville would experience elevated case burdens throughout the winter, residents need not fear a return of the epidemic. A little over a week later, attendance at schools in the Crescent Hill neighborhood had dropped by 50% due to influenza. Physicians reported a considerable increase in cases. In fact, a group of concerned physicians petitioned McCormack and the state Board of Health to re-implement the closure order and gathering bans so that the epidemic could be brought under control. The Board refused the request because members hoped that a recently shipped supply of 100,000 doses of influenza serum would soon do the job. In the meantime, the Board asked residents to avoid crowds, cover their coughs and sneezes, and remain in bed if feeling ill.” “On Dec. 12, Health Officer [T. H.] Baker — returned from his medical leave — called a meeting of the Mayor, Norment, and McCormack, as well as representa-
tives of the medical community, churches, schools, fraternal organizations, businesses, and amusement concerns to discuss whether Louisville should implement a second round of closure orders. Of particular concern were schoolchildren. Reviewing the latest data, the group agreed that a second school closure order was necessary. The next day, Baker announced that schools would be closed and children under 14 banned from theaters and other public gathering places effective December 14. To further safeguard youngsters, the city health department stationed inspectors in stores and motion picture theaters to serve as enforcers. Children did not have to wait long before regaining admittance to their favorite places of amusement. Within two weeks the epidemic subsided drastically, leading Baker to reopen Louisville’s schools on Dec. 30. A week later, he announced that children could once again attend movie houses and five-and-10 cent stores.” “Louisville was not quite out of the woods yet, however. In late-February 1919, the health department documented a sudden, third spike in influenza cases that lasted approximately five weeks. The cases were generally much milder this time, however, and thus neither Baker nor the state Board of Health considered issuing a third closure order. It was not until the end of spring that conditions returned to normal.” Let’s not be St. Louis. Or even Louisville. •
WILL IT BE BEERS OR JEERS WITH GOV. ANDY? TUNE IN AT 5 P.M. TO SEE By Keith Stone | kstone@leoweekly.com WILL THEY BE BACK, the 100 or so Pirates of Pandemic, those Scalawags of Scourge who tried to shout down Gov. Andy during his Coronavirus Good Counsel and Singalong Session last Wednesday evening? The next day’s briefing was not disturbed, perhaps because of the cordon of state police and the state health commissioner who declared that protesters can take part in only a “drive-in and drive-through option” to “allow people to use their voices and be heard while protecting the public health.” Maybe that will keep them from being such assholes. Protesters did return that Friday… in vehicles… for a drive-by rally and did not interfere with Gov. Andy’s briefing. Certainly, they are constitutionally
protected to assemble and to free their speech at the good governor, but wouldn’t they have made their point Wednesday just as strongly by protesting less loudly — without upsetting even those who would otherwise have supported them? Instead, this collection of fringe buffoons, libertarians (or is that repetitive) and people who favor the dollar bill over belief in science and medicine brought together a volatile mix of LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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NEWS & ANALYSIS
ignorance, one-upmanship and circus to the wide lawn before the Capitol. Ostensibly, they were organized by the Faceplant group “Kentucky is Open for Business.” Or, maybe it was just one of that group’s organizers, a former Gov.-reject Matt “Pray Me a River” Bevin appointee who made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud when he lost. CJ reporter Phillip Bailey wrote that she was asked about whether the protest itself was potentially spreading the virus. She said: “I don’t know. I can’t control what diseases people have and don’t have. All I know is that people are fed up.” They were fed up, allegedly, with not being able to open their businesses, since Gov. Andy has closed all non-life sustaining enterprises (not including liquor stores or gun shops, but that is another story). Or, were they fed up that churches have been deemed mass gatherings aka Petri dishes for epidemic spread? Or, were they fed up that he is allowing Kentucky’s sole abortion provider to continue its Supreme Court-sanctioned work? Or, were they fed up just with being told what to do by a… a Democrat (otherwise known as Barack Obama syndrome)? All of it. Some of it. Or, were they just cheerleaders of chaos? They reached into the governor’s briefing using a megaphone and even what looked and sounded like a shofar, a ram horn trumpet used in Jewish religious ceremonies and once (and maybe now) as a call to battle. “Open up Kentucky!” “Open up the church!” “Abortion is not essential!” “We want to work!” They had goofy signs: “We are not surrendering our liberty for your false sense of security.” Illiterate signs: “Local Business Discrimatin.” And one funny one: “Who is cutting Andy’s hair.” Through it all, Gov. Andy was stoic and maybe even politically calculating as he remained calm and hardly reacted to the din from outside that often made
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it difficult to hear him speak. As he revealed the latest numbers of cases and deaths (seven more), you could hear the chants of: “You are not the king!” Gov. Andy tried to explain, again, that opening businesses now would be deadly: ”We do have some folks up in here in Kentucky today — and everybody should be able to express their opinion — that believe we should reopen Kentucky immediately, right now. Folks, that would kill people. That would absolutely kill people.” Not long after it was all over, the social media sleuths had figured out who was behind the rally, and they were doxing and keyboard jousting. The “Kentucky is Open for Business” appeared to have disappeared from Facebook. But not before CJ columnist Joe Gerth spied a comment from one person (or Russian bot?) who referenced William Goebel. As Gerth explained, Goebel was the only governor ever assassinated in the United States, winner of a disputed election in 1899 and shot outside the old State Capitol before taking office. (The Kentucky is Open for Business page seems to have been replaced by the private KY is Open for Business page, which claims: “Kentucky small businesses are dying on the vine during the unconstitutional shutdown.”) So, will they be back to berate good Gov. Andy? Will they draw people from even outside of the state, as did the gun rally at the Capitol in January (oh, for those placid times). Will counter-protesters show up? Have we lost our fucking minds because we cannot sell used chairs because doing that might kill us? •
PHOTOS
GLOWING GREEN: CITY LIGHTS UP FOR THOSE LOST TO COVID-19 By Kathryn Harrington | leo@leoweekly.com “Tonight, and every night that I have to report a fatality, it’s a small thing, but we’re going to light the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion green. Green is the color of compassion, it’s the color of empathy. It’s also a color of renewal.” —Gov. Andy Beshear. AND SO ACROSS the state and Louisville, porch lights and business marquees have gone green to mark those who have died from COVID-19. That number stood at 129 on Thursday when these photos were first published online. Four days later, it was 148. The green glow can be seen coming from residential porch lights, strands of green LEDs on storefronts and the entire Lynn Family Stadium in Butchertown. The Waterfront Development Corporation has set the Big Four Bridge’s lights to green. “Green is the color of hope, and during this crisis we want it to be a reminder to everyone that hope is a strong current that binds our city as we work together to mitigate the pandemic,” the agency wrote on its blog. •
City Hall’s clock tower.
The Highlands. Old Louisville. LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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PHOTOS
The Highlands.
Christ Church United Methodist.
Prospect.
The Humana building is one of the many downtown locations to glow green.
Anoosh Bistro on Brownsboro Road.
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PHOTOS VIEWS
The Lynn Family Stadium glows green while its ginormous screen displays messages related to the coronavirus.
The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.
Old Louisville.
The Highlands. The Doo-Wop Shop on Bardstown Road. LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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VIEWS PHOTOS
Jefferson Community and Technical College.
Old Forester in the Bourbon District.
The world’s largest baseball bat at the Louisville Slugger Museum. Taste Fine Wines and Bourbons in Nulu.
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PHOTOS
WE CAN STILL GO OUTSIDE! GET YOUR STEPS AND BURN ON By Kathryn Harrington | leo@leoweekly.com AT LEAST we are not stuck inside during the wintry depths of February. While we’ve been told to limit travel to essential trips, that does not mean we cannot exercise and get fresh air for our physical and mental health. Louisville residents are getting out to walk, jog and cycle while practicing social distancing, which has been made easier in Cherokee Park because vehicles are now banned from the Scenic Loop, making it safer for you to spread out. And with the gyms now closed, many are even strength training in the parks. Take a look. •
Coworkers Kirk Savage and Kendall Holt did body weight squats during a workout in Central Park.
Phoebe Bartlett did resistance training in Cherokee Park with fitness trainer Kristin Padilla.
Kaela Dickerman practiced soccer drills in Seneca Park.
LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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PHOTOS
Cyclists rode around the loop in Seneca Park.
Louisvillians now have more room to social distance in Cherokee Park with the addition of barricades to keep vehicles out.
Golfers played a game in Cherokee Park.
A cyclist took a break in Cherokee Park.
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STAFF PICKS FRIDAY, MAY 1
Farmington’s 58th Annual Plant Sale
Farmington Historic Plantation | 3033 Bardstown Road farmingtonhistoricplantation.org | Prices vary | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For the first time in 58 years, Farmington Historic Plantation is having a “socially distant” plant sale. Order your botanicals by April 24 to pick them up on May GARDENING 1. Workers will load the flowers in your vehicle. The order form, replete with perennials, herbs, annuals and vegetables, is available on Farmington’s website. Print it out, mail or email it, and in one week, your garden awaits. —LEO
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
Comedian Myq Kaplan (Virtual) Zoom | Search Facebook | Free | 7-8 p.m.
Comedians must love this virtual-age of comedy… all laughs and no hecklers. Comedian Myq Kaplan, hosted by Adath Jeshurun, will be doing a one-hour, HAHAHAHA! virtual show to bring good humor into otherwise scary times. Kaplan has performed on major late night shows, including with Conan, James Corden, Letterman and Seth Meyers. He performed a “Comedy Central Presents,” half-hour special and was a finalist on “Last Comic Standing.” He’s got stand-up specials on Netflix, Amazon and has his own podcast and several comedy albums, including “Vegan Mind Meld,” which became an iTunes top-10 comedy album of the year. His album “A.K.A.” is set to release May 8, so get a preview and some laughs on Sunday. —LEO
Some of the beauty from last year’s Farmington Historic Plantation’s plant sale.
FRIDAY, APRIL 24-26
Louisville Orthopaedic’s Virtual Race Weekend Wherever You Want | Search Facebook | Free | Any Time
One of the few times that Gov. Andy EXCERCISE says you should leave your house is when you’re going to exercise alone, e.g., going on a walk, run or bike ride. Why not make it a little competitive? Louisville Orthopaedic Clinic, along with other sponsors, is encouraging locals to get out and run or walk a 5K, half marathon or full marathon — especially if you’re one of those people whose race was canceled because of the pandemic. To enter, RSVP to the Facebook event and post to your page, tagging others whose races were shut down. The day you participate, make another post showing you ran or biked. Ten winners will be randomly selected to receive a prize package from the race sponsors and a $50 gift card to Ken Combs Running Store. —Danielle Grady
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29
Actors Theatre Direct: Let’s Dance Featuring Robert Barry Fleming Zoom | Free | 4-5 p.m.
Looking for theater… without going to the theater? LookTHEATER ing to learn about professional choreography… without leaving your home? Looking for a good workout… but your gym is closed? Join Actors Theatre Executive Robert Barry Fleming, artistic director of Actors Theatre Artistic Director Robert Barry Flemof Louisville. | PHOTO BY JONATHAN ROBERTS. ing as he hosts a virtual choreography lesson. This session is part of the series, Actors Theatre Direct, “multi-channel, on-demand creative content to ensure world-class theatre continues to thrive and to enrich lives.” A link to the Zoom broadcast is available via the Facebook event page, as well as instruction for mobile call-in. —Aaron Yarmuth LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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STAFF PICKS
FUR-EVER
APA Kitty Shower 2020 — Social Distancing Search Facebook
As we look out for those most vulnerable in our community, we can’t forget about the fur. The MEOW Animal Protection Association had to cancel its scheduled Kitty Shower, but the kittens and older cats still need love, support and, purrrrferably, homes. Like Asher, a 1-year-old who came to the shelter at about 6 months old as a stray. “He’s very loving — likes to cuddle with people. And he’s also very playful. He especially likes chasing and wrestling with other shelter kitties. He has the cutest expression: He always looks like he’s smiling,” the shelter said. There are three ways to help the kitties: via PayPal (animalprotectionapa@ gmail.com), its Amazon wish list or Walmart wish list (links available on Facebook event page). —LEO
Asher is waiting to be adopted at the Animal Protection Association.
THROUGH MAY 29
Online Beginners’ And Beginners’ Plus Ukulele Group Class
facebook.com/UofLMTC | $10 per session | 11 a.m.-noon Wednesday and Friday
Have a Love Issue? AskMindaHoney@leoweekly.com
Quarantine has made us into that person, the one who posts photos of their PLAY baking or latest workout. Why not complete the transformation and become that person who plays the ukulele, because, hey, do what makes you happy. UofL’s Music Therapy Clinic is teaching beginners’ and beginners’ plus ukulele lessons online — the plus is for people who have played an instrument but not the ukulele, and the beginners’ class is for those of us who have never picked up an instrument until this pandemic turned us into a Renaissance man of folksy hobbies. Beginners’ classes are on Wednesday and beginners’ plus classes are on Friday. You need a ukulele to participate. —LEO
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Cake Decorating Kits
Sweet Surrender Dessert Cafe | 1804 Frankfort Ave. facebook.com/sweetsurrenderdessertcafe | $30
Mind 20
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
You’ve gotten your takeout pizza and sushi, so how about something sweet and BAKE interactive for your next trip to a local, Louisville restaurant? Sweet Surrender Dessert Cafe is selling $30 cake decorating kits. It provides the piping bags, icing and rainbow sprinkles and a cake base, which comes in chocolate, vanilla or red velvet with strawberry, caramel, chocolate ganache or cream cheese icing filling. You do the decorating. And, it’s your choice to get creative or make your own “drip cake” (see photo). Will it be “The Great British Baking Show” good or “Nailed It!” bad? —Danielle Grady
Sweet Surrender’s cake kit.
MUSIC
MY 6 FAVORITE CONCERTS IN LOUISVILLE FROM THE LAST 6 YEARS By Scott Recker | srecker@leoweekly.com
THE TIME FRAME of in-person concerts returning in any capacity is completely uncertain, and the recent festival cancellations that include Forecastle indicate that getting thousands of people together for live music is probably still a successful vaccine away. For now, we have livestreams and nostalgia. I’ve lived in Louisville and edited the music section of LEO for almost six years, so, while concerts are at a standstill, I figured that now is a good time to remember a few of my favorites. From performances at small bars to massive festivals, many have been great shows, but these stand out for me.
PRINCE
March 14, 2015 • The Louisville Palace Prince asked if we wanted to hear nine hits in a row, and then he delivered. The mezzanine shook from people dancing so hard. At one point, he let fans on stage and essentially turned the Palace into a nightclub. He worked the crowd like he had some sort of comic book-style mind control device. Those are all still vivid memories from when Prince came to Louisville in 2015, playing four shows in one weekend. I was at the 11 p.m. Saturday concert, and it was probably the best show I’ve ever seen, a masterful combination of iconic songs, guitar god solos, pop star swagger and fresh material with a great backing band. Forty years into his career, he still seemed in his prime, and we lost him too soon.
GRLwood at Headliners Music Hall. | PHOTO BY NIK VECHERY.
DR. DUNDIFF & FRIENDS
July 18, 2015 • Forecastle In 2015, Dr. Dundiff made Forecastle a proposition: Add him to the lineup, and he would create a collaborative performance showcasing the talent in Louisville’s hip-hop scene. And that’s exactly what happened. It was completely unique, the sort of thing that makes a festival experience memorable. Dundiff, 1200, James Lindsey, Rmllw2llz, Shadowpact, Touch AC and others were backed by a live band, with Jim James making a guest appearance. It was completely unpredictable. You know when a surprise guest comes on stage during a show, and it creates a curveball that people talk about for weeks after? That was this entire set.
WHITE REAPER
April 8, 2017 • Zanzabar White Reaper hometown shows are always a blast. They’re packed, people are crowd surfing, and the energy is full throttle, but it all seemed to be turned up to 11 for the release show of their second full-length album, The World’s Best American Band. I think that record was a subtle turning point for them, where they went from a band with buzz to a nationwide rock-and-roll staple, and you could see those doors unlock at this show. I had an early copy of that record for a few months, but I still remember walking away from that show thinking LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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MUSIC
that their trajectory was going to skyrocket.
SHEER MAG
Sept. 13, 2017 • Kaiju Seeing a rising, rapidly-evolving band in a tiny venue is one of the greatest concert experiences. When Sheer Mag played Kaiju in 2017, they were touring on their excellent debut Need To Feel Your Love, which followed three rough draft EPs, all of which had a punk snarl and power-pop prowess. Sheer Mag specializes in giant riffs and thunderous vocals, with a sound that’s not far away from ‘70s garage sleeze and ‘80s Camaro rock, but instead of lionizing uppers and bad decisions, the Philly five-piece writes about injustices and revolutions — they have the adrenaline-fueled spirit of Mötley Crüe, but they also have brains. Seeing them on a stage that’s almost on ground level, with a singer as intense and talented as Tina Halladay, felt like we were watching an arena rock band in someone’s living room.
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Nov. 11, 2017 Headliners Music Hall The Jesus and Mary Chain took a 19-year break between studio albums before releasing 2017’s Damage and Joy, a really solid return to form. Even though they were riding high on
that album and had already played reunion shows since 2007, I still worried that their general inactivity since the ‘90s would hinder them in a live setting. But the legendary cult shoegazers transcended nostalgia, producing a set that was heavy on new material but also wove in plenty of classics. We’ve all been to a show where a band with a deep discography plays too much stuff off of the mediocre new record, but the songs from Damage and Joy were a positive for The Jesus and Mary Chain. The present and the past had equal influence and strength on that tour.
GRLWOOD
Aug.16, 2019 • Headliners Music Hall For the last few years, GRLwood has established themselves as one of the best live bands in Louisville, and the release show for their latest album, I Sold My Soul To The Devil When I Was 12, was a peak performance. Their dynamic loud-quiet patterns and sharp sociopolitical perspectives have established the duo as a truly original act, and they’ve continued to get better and better, adding more solid songs to their arsenal. There was something about this show though — probably a combination of the crowd’s excitement and the band’s new songs in a live setting — where it seemed that they had hit another level. The show was also packed with talented local openers — Hazelfire, Mike Bandanna, Belushi Speedball and Wombo also played that night. The atmosphere was contagious, and it had the feeling of something that couldn’t be replicated. •
Sheer Mag at Kaiju. | PHOTO BY NIK VECHERY.
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
FOOD & DRINK
basil atop the roll) and the Selfish Shellfish, part of the new menu (cocktail shrimp, cilantro and fresh avocado on the inside and lobster salad and lime). Meatier options: A friend that eats things with a face recommended: the Japan Fried Tuna (red tuna battered and deep fried with a special dressing) and the kimchi beef tacos (strip steak with sautéed kimchi and Kewpie over a spring mix).
1126 Bardstown Road 208-1626 dragonkingsdaughter.com Specials: Happy hour prices on alcohol all day, and it now offers bags of frozen cocktails to go.
RAMSI’S CAFÉ ON THE WORLD VEG OUT — DINING IN A MEAT EATER’S WORLD
WHERE TO EAT DURING A QUARANTINE: VEGETARIAN EDITION
Jun Kun Stew is roasted root vegetables, broccoli and lima beans served in a Japanese-inspired broth.
By Joe DeSensi | leo@leoweekly.com AS A LOT OF US in The ‘Ville settle into our quarantined, socially distant lives, we still need to eat. Before the world shut down on us, Louisville was an effortless place to find good gluten-free, vegetarian food. The good news is: That is still the case. My wife Hope and I have been trying to eat out three to five times a week to support our favorite establishments as well as to have a governor-approved reason to leave the house. Some places have shortened hours, some have a curbside menu (a little smaller than the eat-in menu), and some have added some great cocktail and drink specials to their takeout options. Here are some places and meals the veggies might enjoy:
WILD GINGER SUSHI BISTRO
Wild Ginger provided me with the healthiest meal that I will eat all week. I used to order some great low-carb sushi there in my quest to lose a little weight before I realized 2020 would not require a beach bod (and then decided to pull the ripcord). Veggies: My favorite roll is the Oshinko roll, featuring a crunchy, vibrant pickled
vegetable, but you can ask for added grilled shiitake mushrooms for savory chewiness. I also order a veggie roll and tamago roll, a fluffy sweet scrambled egg with a cucumber wrap. Meatiness: Carnivores like the bulgogi beef and the chicken katsu. From the meatier side of the sushi menu, the chef recommends the Surf and Turf roll (tempura shrimp, cucumber, avocado inside, and topped with spicy crab meat, torched steak, eel sauce, wasabi mayo, spicy mayo and sweet chili sauce).
1700 Bardstown Road 384-9252 wildgingerky.com Beverages: Bottled beer, wine and sake are available for takeout. Ordering: Call in or order online or curbside pickup. Postmates and Doordash also deliver.
DRAGON KING’S DAUGHTER
Hope and I eat at DKD at least once a week. It has the largest selection of veggie sushi in town, and most rolls can be ordered gluten-free as well. With its all-day alcohol happy hour prices for takeout, it satiates all of our sushi whims and wine pairing needs. In Indiana? There’s a New Albany location as well, although its menu differs slightly. Veggies: We always start with a warm, salted edamame that never gets shared exactly 50-50 between us (we use the “you snooze, you lose” principle of edamame division). I order the Summer Salad Roll (fresh mozzarella, spring mix, red onion, avocado, cucumber and cilantro with a drizzle of spicy mayo) and the Buffaroll (fresh mozzarella, cucumber and avocado). The Summer offers a variety of crunches and flavors pulled together by the rich, mayo drizzle. The Buffaroll has subtler flavors making it perfect for dipping into gluten-free soy with a healthy portion of wasabi mixed in for good measure. Seafood: Hope’s two faves are the Sushi and the Banshis (avocado, cream cheese and roasted garlic on the inside with salmon and
Ramsi’s was one of the first vegetarian -friendly restaurants I found in The ‘Ville over two decades ago. It was also one of the early adopters of farm-to-table and has long been sensitive to many eating restrictions. All of those things are nice, but we ordered from here for the food. With much of it raised at its own farm, you get fine dining at a much cheaper price. Veggie side o’ life: I have a lot of favorites at Ramsi’s when we are able to dine in: Jun Kun Stew (root veggies, broccoli and limas in a Japanese broth), Peanut-ginger Thai Noodles with tofu (make sure to ask for the GF tofu) and the Crispy Petal Salad (roasted Brussels sprout petals with limas, goat cheese crumbles and an almond fig cake with olive oil and a balsamic glaze.) If you are ever unsure which way to go with a side dish, order the limas. During quarantine, I have been enjoying the Faithful Falafel, a Pakistani inspired dish with baked falafel patties served with a vegan, homemade yogurt over sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cucumber and accented with a fresh mint sauce. I usually order a side of the pesto lima beans and dump them right into the yogurt sauce. Things that died: Hope is a creature of habit at Ramsi’s. Unless we are going twice in one week, her order is always: basil salmon sandwich, but she asks them to grill the salmon (instead of fried) and swaps out the potatoes for the pesto lima beans. Some other carnivorous favorites are: the blacked chicken Pollo Nueva Havana (blackened chicken breast, tamarindo LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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FOOD & DRINK
BoomBozz Pizza & Taphouse’s Portobello Bello: portobello mushrooms, fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, garlic olive oil glaze and asiago and fontina cheese.
jalapeño sauce, Boursin cheese served with basmati rice and stir-fried vegetables) and the Z-Man Steak (blackened beef tenderloin, Boursin cheese).
1293 Bardstown Road 451-0700 ramsiscafe.com Beverages: You can order bottles of beer and wine. Ordering: Ramsi’s is serving its entire menu. Call in or go to its website to order for curbside pickup.
BOOMBOZZ PIZZA & TAPHOUSE — HIGHLANDS
BoomBozz has great pizza, lots of veggie options and excellent gluten-free crust. The gluten-free crust comes in only one size, a 12-inch at $2 more, but is still plenty of food
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for two people. Order a starter salad if you are extra hungry, and do yourself a favor and order a side of marinara sauce for crust and starter dipping purposes. BoomBozz’s Hurstbourne location is closed at this time, but its Highlands and Jeffersonville restaurants are still open. Veggie Za: we have two go-tos if we don’t design our own pie — the Portobello Bello pizza (portobello mushrooms, fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, garlic olive oil glaze, asiago and fontina cheese) and the Farmers Market pizza (artichoke hearts, mushrooms, caramelized bell peppers and onions, black olives, spinach, roma tomatoes, feta and red sauce). Both provide smokiness in the grilled veggies, and the black olives and artichokes combine for a great flavor profile in the Farmers Market. Post slaughterhouse options: In case you were thinking, “I haven’t killed anything in a while, but I just can’t decide,” BoomBozz has the dish for you. Its most popular pizza is the All Meats Classic with every kind of red meat it serves (pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, ham and bacon). Another
specialty for people who prefer to use their eyeteeth, the Buffalo Chicken (marinated chicken, buffalo ranch sauce, red onion, asiago cheese, diced celery and hot sauce drizzle and served with ranch dressing).
1448 Bardstown Road 458-8889 boombozz.com/lou-highlands Beverages: It has drink specials, growlers and bottled beer and wine. Ordering: BoomBozz is serving its full menu and uses most of the delivery services. Or, call or order online. It is offering free cheese bread with online orders.
MONNIK BEER CO.
I have written about Monnik a few times over the last year. The first time was because it has amazing vegetarian and gluten-free options. The second time was for the healthy selections for those of us trying to make sure the buttons on our shirts aren’t social distancing. You can still order pub comfort food, but the salad and side options with their varieties of proteins make this a good, healthy stop as well. Veggies: The salads are amazing and unique. I usually order the Harvest Salad (mixed greens, blood oranges, purple potato, mixed olives and edamame, accented with fennel and topped with a hardboiled egg for little protein). If I am particularly hungry and we are not getting a starter, I will get a second egg on top or an order of fried jackfruit. Hope enjoys the Kalette and Brussel Salad (fried kalettes, roasted Brussels sprouts, toasted almond slivers, pecorino, garlic, shallots and the Dijon lemon glaze). She will add a chicken breast for the protein and to ensure I am not grazing on her plate when she’s not looking.
FOOD & DRINK
waffle croutons). Its Crispy Cauliflower appetizer is amazing: nutty and smokey with just a little sweetness. It’s also a generous portion, so more than enough to share (though the thought of sharing it is purely theoretical for me). The Meat: SOU!’s bestseller, the hanger steak, is still on the menu, but the chef also recommends the classic burger. The chef says he puts love into it, but the meat from Black Hawk Farms is really doing the heavy lifting on the taste profile. •
9980 Linn Station Road 614-6499 sou-louisville.com Menu: Order from the curbside menu for takeout.
If you are picking a starter, definitely try the Jackfruit Al Pastor Nachos (eggplant queso, pickled onion, corn pico, pineapple and pepita cheese). This is my favorite appetizer in town at the moment, rich and colorful with a unique flavor profile including the jackfruit tasting like pulled pork. Meatiness: Monnik offers classic Bavarian dishes: Beer Brat (beer poached bratwurst, grilled onions and mustard on a pretzel bun with curry ketchup), Sauerbraten (sour beef pot roast, pickled cabbage, potato dumpling, gingersnap sauce and crème fraîche) and Rouladen (sliced beef, mustard, onions, bacon, pickles, potato fritters and a red wine sauce).
isville restaurants. Chef James Moran has put together a menu catering to the veggies and those with eating restrictions as well as being welcoming to the red meat crowd. Veggie recommendations: SOU! has two amazing salads that can be made gluten-free and vegetarian. The Romaine is heirloom
The Mixed Green Salad at SOU!
carrot, radish, hardboiled egg and Kenny’s Farmhouse (Kentucky) gouda served with spicy buttermilk ranch and crispy potato. My other regular order is the Mixed Green Salad (black pepper pear vinaigrette, Capriole Goat Cheese, pickled currant, gala apple and marcona almond, served with brown butter
Beverages: SOU! has several cocktails available for takeout including the citrusy bourbon punch (which is awesome on a warm day) and top-shelf margaritas, and bottles of wine are available for pairing.
1036 E Burnett Ave. 742-6564 monnikbeer.com Beverages: It offers drink kit specials weekly, canned beer, crawlers (24 ounces) and growlers, and wine by the bottle. Ordering: Online and call in orders. Delivery within five miles.
SOU!
SOU! has been open less than a year and has already made my list of favorite Lou-
The Jackfruit Al Pastor Nachos (eggplant queso, pickled onion, corn pico, pineapple and pepita cheese). at Monnik Beer. Co. LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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101 Many Twitch streamers 103 D and ), in texts 104 Ships 109 Sharp pain 110 Escapee from Miss Gulch’s bicycle basket 112 Moore whom Sports Illustrated called the ‘‘greatest winner in the history of women’s basketball’’ 115 Org. 116 Dinghy thingy 117 Spell the wrong way? 118 Small fry 119 Lead-in to long 121 Snitch
C H A R A D E C O L U M N
S C I S S O R S M I R A G E A T B A T
W A W A H D A Y E A N S R M E S L A C O G P O S E L T E R U T S M E J O E U R L B A L M O N Y S O R I N G T E A H U M R A T E A C E R T A R S
59 ‘‘Do you know who ____?’’ 60 Singer born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin 64 Team-building activity? 65 ‘‘The Wiz’’ director Sidney 66 N.L. Central team 69 ____ Islands, archipelago between Iceland and Norway 70 They give a hoot 71 Kind of deer 72 Explorer Ponce de León 73 Nail polish brand 74 Trees that line the National Mall 79 Asian city with a monument to John McCain 80 Finish 0-0, say 81 Matin’s opposite 83 ‘‘See you later’’ 84 Crass, classless sort 85 Custom auto accessories 86 Excessively promote 87 Pro-____ 88 They usually make the cut 91 French chess piece 92 Got takeout, say 93 Ones concerned with cash flow, for short 96 Man, in Italian 97 More nifty 98 Part of a cash register 99 Destination in the ‘‘Odyssey’’ 100 Render ineffective
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
1 Makes fit 2 Get misty 3 Source of bay leaves 4 Offering in the Google Play store 5 Like ninjas 6 Premier League rival of Tottenham Hotspur 7 Really stand out 8 Onetime label for Radiohead 9 Depend 10 Spreadsheet part 11 Log-in need 12 Make things interesting, so to speak 13 Sounds of satisfaction 14 Be in the works 15 When you might run away from home 16 Info on an invitation 17 Player of Ben Wyatt on ‘‘Parks and Recreation’’ 18 Unnaturally pale 19 Shakespearean affirmatives 25 Trade gossip 28 ____ Men (‘‘Who Let the Dogs Out’’ group) 33 Purely 34 ‘‘You win this hand’’ 36 Valentine’s Day purchase 38 Takes an ‘‘L’’ 39 Constant stress or heavy drinking 41 Popular children’s-book series with hidden objects 42 ____ glance 43 Grazing spots 44 N.Y.C. shopping mecca 48 Optical illusion 49 Showy feather 50 Drudge 51 So-called ‘‘enclosed’’ rhyme scheme 52 It beats nothing 54 Absurd pretense 55 Justice nominated by Obama 56 Your highness?: Abbr. 58 Series of missed calls
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1 Book that’s out of this world? 6 Illuminating point 12 Gilda Radner character on ‘‘S.N.L.’’ 20 Took the plunge 21 Ladies’ men 22 April 22 23 Gray with a tinge of brown 24 Things got off to a bad start when one trainee tripped and . . . 26 ____ on the side of 27 Father on ‘‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’’ 29 Doctor Zhivago, in ‘‘Doctor Zhivago’’ 30 Flock 31 Part of a Parisian address 32 Roofed patio 35 1099-____ (I.R.S. form) 37 Company with a Gigafactory 40 The carton leaked milk everywhere when another trainee accidentally . . . 45 ____ sci, college major related to psych 46 Kitchen bulb 47 Put back in place, as measures 50 Overly sentimental 53 The drip coffee tasted grainy because they . . . 57 Company whose Nasdaq symbol is its name 58 Having colors in blotches 61 Steinbrenner who took over the Yankees in 2010 62 Moves like Jagger 63 Box-score stat 64 It follows more or less 65 Draft choice 67 Nonkosher meat 68 In fact, every cup they served was . . . 75 Writer Rand 76 ‘‘This is the worst’’ 77 Flier for a magic show 78 Internet address, in brief 79 Lifesavers 82 Headed up 83 ‘‘Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be’’ 84 Comfort 85 To make matters worse, the espresso machine . . . 88 Some TVs and cameras 89 Fully 90 Home to many Berbers 94 ‘‘Surely you don’t mean me!?’’ 95 They worried about their jobs — these mistakes were . . .
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No. 0426
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BY JOEL FAGLIANO / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ
102 Snitches 105 Attendee 106 Stereotypical dogs 107 Weak ____ (unconvincing argument) 108 ‘‘Give it ____!’’ 111 Polite title 113 Either weekend day, symbolically 114 Sound from a fan 115 Sure enough, when the boss showed up, everyone . . . 120 Speak grandly 122 Bit of contingency planning 123 Pal of Pooh 124 Soap Box Derby entrant 125 Reporter’s vantage point 126 Adult 127 Critics’ awards
H E R A N I N D M O I S I N A G O T R A I P R E
The New York Times Magazine Crossword BARISTA TRAINING DAY
PHOTO BY RACHEL ROBINSON
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SAVAGE LOVE
By Dan Savage | mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage
BIG MOVES
Q: I was raised in a religious home and didn’t lose my virginity until the embarrassing age of 26. I was told by the church to save it for marriage, and I was a virgin until met the woman who would become my wife at a party. I said to hell with it, we had a one-night stand, and we’ve been together now for eight years. I’m tall and slim, and my wife is short and heavy. Like an idiot I believed it’s what’s on the inside that matters. My wife is the sweetest, most thoughtful person I’ve ever met. I love spending time with her, but I have absolutely no sexual attraction to her. As a result, I’ve all but stopped initiating sex, and on the rare occasion when we do make love, I make her come twice while I’m struggling just to get off. I know it’s shallow and I know beauty is only skin deep, but what am I supposed to do when seeing my wife naked sends me into an anxiety attack? When I’m helping out with laundry, I get bummed because there’s nothing in her wardrobe I find attractive on her. Even when I look at old pictures of us together, I get extremely depressed because I know this is the best she’s ever going to look. It doesn’t help that she finds me handsome and regularly tells me so. It’s gotten to the point where I find any woman who isn’t my wife desirable. (Including, but not limited to, her family and friends.) I should also mention that she has no interest in having an open relationship or threesome because she prefers having me “all to herself.” I don’t want to ask her to change because she’s perfectly happy with herself but I’m becoming increasingly resentful. What do I do? How do I tell her? And is there any way I can come out of this a good husband? In The Shallows I was so relieved to get all the way to end of your letter without learning you had kids. Because that means I can advise you—with a clear conscience—to file for divorce and move the fuck out just as soon as it’s possible to do so. Not for your own sake, ITS, but for your wife’s sake. She deserves better. You say you’re growing increasingly resentful. I hope your resentment is directed at all of the people who victimized you. Your wife isn’t one of them. It’s your parents you should resent, ITS, as well as all the sex-phobic bullshit artists out there masquerading as “faith leaders.” You should be angry with yourself too.
While I know from personal experience how a religious upbringing can put the zap on a kid’s head, you were a grown-ass man when you met your wife at that party. You couldn’t have slept with her that night — you couldn’t have lost your virginity in a one-night stand — if you hadn’t already rejected nearly everything you’d been taught about sex. If you were capable of having premarital sex, you were capable of refraining from marrying the first person you slept with. Your wife is gonna want to know why you’re leaving her — of course she is — but you’re not going to tell her the real reason. You’re going to make something up. You want kids and she doesn’t (or vice versa), you married too young (which is true) and you have unresolved childhood issues (and don’t we all). While you won’t be able to spare your wife the pain of a breakup, ITS, you can spare her the pain of learning the person she’s been sleeping with for eight years is repulsed by her body. You can’t be a good husband to her, ITS, but you can be decent ex-husband. And to do that — to be her decent and loving and supportive ex — you can’t set her self-esteem on fire on your way out the door. And your wife’s body isn’t repulsive. She’s not someone you’re attracted to, ITS, and you’re not obligated to find short and round women sexually appealing. But while “tall and slim” are more closely associated with conventional concepts of attractiveness, ITS, not everyone’s into tall and slim. There are people who are into short and round and people out there who are attracted to all body types and people who are utterly indifferent to bodies. Your wife deserves the chance to find someone who’s sincerely attracted to her. Even being alone would be better than spending decades with someone who recoils from her touch. For the record: What’s on the inside does count. It matters. If you met a woman who was more conventionally attractive — if you were with someone who was your idea of hot — and over time she revealed herself to be an asshole (if she was rude to waiters, if she was emotionally abusive, if she was a Trump supporter, etc.), your attraction to her would wither away. What you want — not what you’ll get, ITS, but the best you can hope for — is some combo of hot on the outside (subjective and personal) and good on the inside. And the longer you’re with someone, ITS, the more important good on the inside becomes. Time is a motherfucking meat
grinder, and it makes hamburger out of us all. If you prioritize you’re idea of hot over all other qualities, you run the very real risk of spending decades with a person who has aged out of hot and was never nice. Q: Long-time reader asking for advice. I’m a med student, I came to the U.S .when I was 18 in order to go to college, and I’m still in the U.S. I’m 25 now ,and I’ve been dating my boyfriend for about three years now. We’re somewhat monogamous and been living together for two years. I’m out as a gay man where we live, but my parents and family back in Brazil have zero idea. As you may know, Brazil has a weird relationship with sexuality. We’re seen and for the most part are very open, but our culture is also very homophobic. My BF has been pressuring me to come out, but I’ve been apprehensive considering how important family is to me. Fears A Massive Implosion Likely, Yet… Gay men don’t come out to our families because they’re unimportant to us. We come out to our families because they are important to us. Family is important to you, and you’re worried you might lose yours if you come out to them. But you’re definitely gonna lose them if you don’t. Because to keep your life a secret from them — to hide your boyfriend from them — you’re going to have to cut them out of your life. It’ll be little things at first, FAM, but over time the amount of things you have to keep from them grows. Lies pile up on top of lies, and the distance between you and your family grows. Before you know it, they don’t know you at all anymore, and you don’t know them. Because you can’t risk letting them know you. So, to avoid their possible rejection, you will have rejected them. You will have lost your family. I know, I know: It’s scary. I came out to my very Catholic family when I was a teenager. I was scared to death. But if they couldn’t accept me for who I am — if I couldn’t rely on their love and support — what was the point of having them in my life at all? P.S. No one likes being someone’s dirty little secret. It hurts your boyfriend to see the person who claims to love him prioritize his family’s presumed bigotry (it’s possible they’ll react more positively than you think) over his feelings and dignity. By not coming out, FAM, you will lose the family you were born into and the one you’ve created with your boyfriend too.
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020
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LEOWEEKLY.COM // APRIL 22, 2020