The O'Colly, Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Gajewski says it’s OK Maxwell isn’t at OSU

‘My only disappointment for Kelly is that she went to OU

pitcher to its biggest rival. Gajewski went from upset and angry with the decision to disappointed, but he’s putting it behind him and accepting that it’s OK Maxwell isn’t part of the program anymore.

Braden Bush Sports Editor

It’s OK that Kelly Maxwell doesn’t play at OSU anymore.

That was the message OSU softball coach Kenny Gajewski’s delivered Thursday night to those in attendance at “A Night With OSU” in Oklahoma City. Maxwell spent five seasons as a pitcher for the Cowgirls and sits near the top of almost every statistical category at OSU

Now she’s the enemy, aka, a Sooner.

Maxwell transferred to three-time defending national champion Oklahoma in July – a worst-case scenario for many OSU fans, losing the program’s ace

“I didn’t feel like that at fi rst. I’ll just be very honest. I was upset like most of you guys were upset,” Gajewski told the crowd.

Then Gajewski spoke frankly.

“But if you don’t want to be here, go away. I don’t want you here if you don’t want to be here and wear this logo and represent this school.”

Times are different. The world is smaller. Players know everybody on other teams, many are friends with opponents, and the rivalry component of college sports has lost some of its fierceness. The transfer portal normalizes transferring within a conference and even between longtime rivals, which was once unheard of.

See Gajewski on 3

See Gajewski on page 4

Some cities pushing for rent control

Robbie Sequeira Staff Reporter

With rents soaring since the COVID-19 pandemic tightened the housing supply, more local governments are considering rent control to keep increases in check and, ideally, protect struggling tenants whose incomes haven’t kept pace.

At the same time, some states are enacting measures to prohibit cities from adopting rent control, a policy that has long divided economists and housing experts. Some policy analysts say restrictions exacerbate the housing crunch by keeping tenants in place longer than they’d otherwise stay. And some research has raised questions about whether the true beneficiaries are renters with low incomes or those with high incomes.

Rent regulation policies — known as rent control or rent stabilization — dictate how often and by how much a landlord can increase rents.

More than 200 local governments have a rent control policy in place, according to the National Apartment Association, an industry group.

More local governments are working to join the list.

Late last month, Maryland’s Montgomery County — one of three Maryland counties to adopt rent control ordinances this year

and the state’s largest at more than a million residents — capped annual rent increases at 6%.

In Massachusetts, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the City Council are struggling to push legislation that would exempt the city from the state’s 30-year-old rent control ban.

And in Seattle, the City Council in July debated a rent control proposal; but at an Aug. 1 meeting — amid chants of “housing is a human right” — the proposal failed on a 6-2 vote. The bill would have created a trigger law that would go into effect in the event that Washington state’s 42year ban on local rent control is overturned.

Council member Kshama Sawant, the bill’s main sponsor, said during the vote that the bill was necessary to prompt the state legislature to repeal the law.

Housing shortages

In 2020, Montgomery County responded to the pandemic by passing an emergency rent control act that capped annual rent increases at 4%. When regular rent increases resumed in August 2022, rents in the county — where 40% of residents are renters — skyrocketed and more people were evicted, said Natali Fani-Gonzalez, a Democratic member of the Montgomery County council who introduced the rent control measure.

See Rent on page 6

of OSU

OSU making efforts to protect wildlife on campus

Jaycee Hampton Assistant News & Lifestyle Editor

Following the completion of a $118,000 project, Oklahoma State University is now one of the first major research universities in the U.S. to prioritize the reduction of bird-window collisions.

“Advancing on past research on the bird-window collision

issue, we began intensive research here at OSU, identifying characteristics of buildings and their surroundings that lead to high numbers of collisions, as well as identifying particular times of the year when we see more of these collisions happening,” said Dr. Scott Loss.

It is estimated that windows are the largest source of bird collisions in North America. More than 300 species are

affected annually, as up to a billion birds are killed. The Noble Research Center and the Gallagher-Iba Arena were determined to be the two most dangerous buildings on campus for bird collisions after Corey Riding, a former graduate student, conducted collision surveys at 17 OSU buildings from April 2015 to Oct. 2017.

See Wildlife on page 5

File Photo

Kelly Maxwell transferred to OU in July after five seasons with the Cowgirls, where she was the ace pitcher.

Courtesy

Ron Jones of Film Solutions SRQ installs Feather Friendly window tint at Noble Research Center at Oklahoma State University on

Position Previews: Who’s ready to step up in OSU’s secondary?

elsewhere, but Taylor is with the Los Angeles Rams now after maximizing his time in Stillwater.

Sports Editor

The OSU secondary has many questions heading into this season, but not a lot of answers.

Losing players like safety Jason Taylor II, safety Thomas Harper and cornerback Jabbar Muhammad is less than ideal. That’s putting it lightly, too. So, who’s going to replace those guys?

Well, it’s unclear.

But when you consider how many former Cowboys hit the transfer portal, the secondary didn’t get too beaten up. Yes, Harper and Muhammad headed

Despite missing key pieces from last year’s squad and weakened star power heading into this season, there is one key attraction: Kendal Daniels. The redshirt sophomore from Beggs is heading into the season tabbed a preseason All-Big 12 safety while coming off a 71-tackle, threeinterception season where he won Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. In new defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo’s 3-3-5 scheme, Daniels will be the leader of the defensive backline.

Is Daniels going to be able to handle being the only star now? Heck, will Nardo’s scheme even translate to the Big 12 (not to mention Division I football as a whole)?

Once again, the answer to those questions is unclear.

This backline surrounding Daniels is made up of a mixed bag

of players. On the one hand, there are older players like cornerback Korie Black, safety cornerback Trey Rucker, cornerback Kenneth Harris and safety Ladarius Webb Jr., who are far from the Taylor-HarperMuhammad level. Black had 25 tackles and zero interceptions last season in 13 games; Rucker only saw action in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Wisconsin last year; Harris started 18 games in three seasons at Arkansas State and is in his first year with the program; and Webb Jr. was a big-time JUCO player, an NJCAA All-American at that, but who knows if he’s ready for Big 12 ball. Are those guys legit and ready to turn their game up a notch? They may be good veterans, sure. But on the field, are they going to fill the void?

On the other hand, someone like redshirt sophomore cornerback Cam Smith will presumably see most snaps on the field this season. As a freshman,

Smith joined Daniels as the only other freshman to start a game on defense after a slew of injuries to the OSU defense. Not to mention, if another wave of injuries comes this season or if one of the older guys isn’t working out, Cameron Epps and D.J. McKinney are just two players waiting in the wings to be called upon.

Are any of these young guys ready?

It’s not a fun answer, but only time will tell.

Any time a unit has this many questions surrounding it, answers can only come when the lights are on and the seats are full. Until then, the Cowboy faithful may have to cross their fingers for a star like Daniels to keep them afloat until Nardo and Co. know who’s ready to step up.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Chase Davis

As the only star member of the secondary, Kendal Daniels has quite the burden heading into the 2023-24 season.

Ashton Slaughter

Assistant

5 takeaways from OSU’s Spanish exhibition trip

Parker Gerl Staff Reporter

OSU got an early look at its 2023-24 men’s basketball team against real competition last week.

The Cowboys traveled overseas to play three exhibition games, defeating the Cape Verde senior national team and falling to the Embassy All-Stars and Barcelona All-Stars, respectively.

Here are some takeaways from OSU’s Spanish exhibition tour.

Quion Williams could have a large role

Coming off a season where he wasn’t consistently a part of the rotation, Williams could see a much larger role in 2023-24. He started every game and had an all-around impressive trip, averaging 11.3 points across the week with a 19-point performance in OSU’s 86-79 win over the Cape Verde senior national team.

Williams finished efficiently around the rim and was effective defensively in passing lanes. His perimeter shot isn’t there right now, but he continued to let the 3s fly. Assistant coach David Cason said the coaching staff loves Williams’ aggressiveness and confidence but wants him to find a balance for it.

Brandon Garrison used as initiator

Albeit just three exhibition games, it seems Cowboys coach Mike Boynton is going to use Garrison as one of the offense’s engines. During the trip, OSU ran sets that started with the freshman big man catching a pass in the high post that turned into dribble handoffs or Garrison hitting a teammate coming off another action.

Garrison’s post game is still a bit raw, but he converted at a decent rate on his inside looks and found some easy buckets off rim-running and offensive rebounds. His most impressive outing was a 12-point,

12-rebound double-double against the Embassy All-Stars.

Boynton got his wish

Following the 2022-23 season, Boynton said OSU needed more playmaking. Well, East Carolina transfer Javon Small is playing right into Boynton’s wish.

In his first look with the Cowboys, Small’s playmaking stood out right away. In the first two games he dished out a combined 11 assists and controlled the pace and half-court offense effectively over the three-game slate.

Freshmen had an impact

Alongside Garrison having a good trip, freshmen Eric Dailey Jr., Justin McBride, Connor Dow and Jamyron Keller also made an impact in their minutes.

Dailey Jr. was the lone Cowboy to average double-digit points (11) over the entire trip and showed early signs of his point-forward skills. Dow drilled four 3s in OSU’s win, McBride

dropped 14 and 17 points in the first two games, and Keller showed he can handle both on- and off-ball duties.

Isaiah Miranda is a wildcard for now

Miranda joined OSU after spending a year at NC State in which he didn’t appear in any games. He’s inexperienced, and it showed a bit during the tour. Opposing bigs were able to easily move the 7-footer around, leading to some buckets inside.

Overall, Miranda displayed rim-protection and a comfortability to shoot a 3 and mid-range jumper, but it could be some time before he’s an integral part of the Cowboys’ lineups.

Exhibition tour results

Game 1: OSU 86, Cape Verde 79

Game 2: Embassy All-Stars 82, OSU 78

Game 3: Barcelona All-Stars 85, OSU 73

@sports.ed@ocolly.com

Mary Elizabeth Cordia/OSU Athletics

Freshmen, such as Justin McBride (21), played big minutes for the Cowboys in Spain. McBride combined for 31 points in OSU’s first two games.

Gajewski...

Continued from page 1

Former OSU pitcher Kale Davis transferred to OU. Sooner pitcher Ben Abram spent his final season in Stillwater. Cowboy defensive end Trace Ford will chase down quarterbacks in a crimson jersey this year. That Bedlam back-and-forth all happened in just the past two athletics seasons.

Gajewski said it’s frustrating but warned fans that’s going to become the new normal. In Maxwell’s case, Gajewski doesn’t know if athletes see a full picture of what a transfer decision like hers means in the long run.

“I think the biggest thing that

we’re dealing with now with these young kids – and they’re still kids, they’re still young – is that they just can’t get out and kinda see 10 years down this road,” Gajewski said. “They kinda see what’s under their feet.”

Maxwell’s decision came shortly after pitching coach John Bargfeldt retired, which could have factored into the move, but Gajewski points to himself as part of the problem for that mindset. He said he always tells his team to be present where their feet are at.

“But if you don’t think that making that choice is going to affect how we all think, something’s broke,” he said.

The Maxwell decision was the last thing Gajewski brought up in his 15-minute address. His main focus was on his 2023-24 team. He said with returners and a top-five recruiting class

on the way, it could be the best team he’s had in his time at OSU.

The Cowgirls also dipped into the portal, picking up catcher and two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Caroline Hudson from Liberty and Mississippi State infielder Macy Graf, to name a couple. That comes a year after gaining All-American infielder Rachel Becker from Purdue in the portal.

“We have benefitted very much out of the portal, as well,” Gajewski said. “So, it’s probably time we took a little bit of our own medicine, but we’ll be just fine.”

So Gajewski said he’d not mad at Maxwell, like he was for a short moment. He’s appreciative of everything she did for the program, and he watched her build a legacy at OSU for five seasons: four Women’s College World Series appearances,

746 strikeouts, a career 1.58 ERA, two All-American seasons, 2022 Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.

Gajewski’s anger and frustration over Maxwell’s decision looks more like regret for where she went. He’s made peace with Maxwell and her decision. It’s OK that she isn’t in Stillwater anymore, but her being in Norman is hard to shake.

And carries consequences.

“My only disappointment for Kelly is that she went to OU, because now she’s lost everything here that she’s ever done,” Gajewski said. “And as long as I’m here, it’ll be hard for her to come back here. That’s just the way it is.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

OSU softball coach Kenny Gajewski said it’s OK that pitcher Kelly Maxwell isn’t part of the program anymore, but it’ll be hard to have her ever come back around after transferring to OU. “That’s just the way it is,” Gajewski said.

Wildlife...

Continued from page 1

“We often associate bird collisions with big city skyscrapers, but more birds are dying at smaller buildings in communities all over the country,” said Dr. Tim O’Connell. “Corey’s work helped us determine which

buildings on campus were killing the most birds and what parts of those buildings were most dangerous.”

Recently, OSU has installed Feather Friendly window markers on two buildings. The markers are small white dots placed in 2-inch x 2-inch increments, allowing the birds to recognize that there is an object in their way. OSU bus shelters had a previous study that followed the same markers, which estimated they reduced

collisions by 64%.

Riley Lawson, a graduate student, will now track bird collisions at the buildings containing the markers and the ones without, thus evaluating how effective the markers are.

“I think this project is just one of many examples of how OSU and the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management are really pioneering research like this in so many ways, especially with wildlife and environmental conservation techniques,”

brownsshoefitstillwater

browns.stillwater

Lawson said. “There are few other institutions that have committed to this type of project on such a huge scale.

I think it shows how unique OSU is in its commitment to helping conserve bird populations.”

Dr. Scott Loss, professor in the OSU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, and Dr. Tim O’Connell, associate professor in the OSU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, are two experts

on the matter of bird-window collision and are available for interviews related to research and inhibitory measures. To learn more about bird collision prevention and how to reduce collisions around homes and communities, visit the websites of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society.

Ron Jones of Film Solutions SRQ installs Feather Friendly window tint at Noble Research Center at Oklahoma State University on Monday, July 17, 2023. (Photo by Mitchell Alcala/OSU Agriculture)

Rent...

Continued from page 1

“This huge push for rent stabilization across city government is one of the consequences of the pandemic,” Fani-Gonzalez said.

The measure approved in July, which passed on a 7-4 vote, takes effect in October.

Fani-Gonzalez told Stateline that the new ordinance was “controversial” and contentious among the 11-person board but that she believes it will help ensure short- and long-term housing affordability.

“The heart of the whole piece of legislation is the cap for renting prices. ... But managing to do so — that was a happy medium for renters and investment in our real estate,” she said.

“I saw this as an antirent-gouging effort, and during the pandemic, we had a measure in place that acted as rent control,” she added. “But it was temporary and when it ended, rent rose, and it put a burden on our residents.”

But Council member Gabe Albornoz, a Democrat who voted no, said he worried that it would disrupt the housing marketplace. Democratic Council member Marilyn Balcombe feared the bill would end up reducing the housing supply, pushing up prices. State laws

In 2019, Oregon became the first to pass a statewide rent control law, capping increases at 7% a year plus inflation. Later that year, California followed by capping rent increases at 10% per year.

Both states have seen actions to expand rent control.

In Oregon, renters were stunned when last year’s high inflation led to legal rent increases of more than 14%. In response, lawmakers this

year amended the law to cap rent increases at either 10% or 7% plus inflation, whichever is lower.

In California, voters could change the scope of rent control if they pass the Justice for Renters Act proposal in 2024. The ballot initiative would repeal the CostaHawkins Rental Act, a 1995 law that exempts single-family homes and condominiums, plus post-1995 construction, from rent control.

Dan Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, said California’s rent regulation policies are “oppressive” on the rental industry, with many momand-pop landlords hamstrung by rising costs of managing properties.

Yukelson said one of the harms in a possible repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Act is the elimination of vacancy decontrol, which sets the rent amount at market or near market levels when the unit is vacant. He says the act helps smaller landlords compete in a tight California housing market.

“Smaller owners who just can’t deal with these layers of regulation are getting out of the (rental) business,” Yukelson told Stateline. “There’s a complete misunderstanding on the side of elected officials on what it takes to operate rental housing. So, either the government needs to run all the rental housing, or there needs to be some easing up on these regulations.”

At least 30 states preempt local governments from adopting rent control laws. Five states without statewide rent regulations — Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York, along with Washington, D.C. — allow rent control at the local level.

The National Multifamily Housing Council tracked 23 states that had measures related to rent

control enactment in the works heading into 2023, but none has led to a statewide measure or repeal.

However, a few states were successful in strengthening preemption laws this year.

In March, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on a bill preventing local rent control.

Montana enacted a rent control ban on private and commercial property. State Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, a highranking Republican in the Legislature, told Stateline that rent control measures could discourage landlords from investing in the state’s real estate market.

“This was a way for us to fill some of the gaps in our previous laws, where a particular cap measure could be implemented on certain property,” Fitzpatrick said.

So far this year, efforts to repeal these preemptions have fallen short.

Legislation that would have repealed Colorado’s 4-decade-old ban on local rent control died in a committee. Similar bills in Georgia, New Mexico and North Carolina also failed to advance.

Little consensus on rent regulation

Economists and housing experts disagree on whether rent control is effective. One challenge is that rent regulation differs so greatly from city to city, according to Jen Butler, a spokesperson for the National Low Income Housing Coalition, an advocacy group.

“This diversity in rent stabilization policies has resulted in mixed evidence as to the impact of them on the rental housing supply and rents,” Butler said in an interview. “These policies protect renters currently in homes covered by the policy from unaffordable rent increases — but they can also encourage these same renters to remain in place longer than they typically would, while

renters in homes not covered by the policy are left without similar protections.”

Proponents of rent control, among them Rutgers University economist Mark Paul, say arguments against rent control lack empirical evidence.

“I think it’s important to note that rent control does not say landlords can’t profit off their property. That’s not the point of rent control,” said Paul. “Rent control is limiting the ability of landlords, or corporately owned property owners from raising the rent by 6, 8 or 12% a year and pricing people out of their homes.”

A 2021 University of Minnesota study published by the university’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs suggests that rent control policies increased housing stability, and there is little evidence that those policies negatively impacted new construction — which is dependent on localized economic cycles and credit markets.

That same study, which reviewed rent control policies of four cities (Oakland, California; Newark, New Jersey; Sacramento, California; and Portland, Oregon) pointed out that there is debate on whether most rent regulation benefits are going to the neediest renters.

When Minneapolis floated the possibility of rent stabilization earlier this year, a study requested by the city council advised against it, suggesting it would not offer much help to city residents.

Rising rents

The No. 1 driver of long-term U.S. homelessness, housing policy experts and advocates said recently during a joint press call with media members, is rising rents.

“For 75 years, the longterm trend has been that the cost of modest rental housing has been going up faster than modest income,” said Steve Berg, chief policy officer for

the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Between 2019 and 2021, median rents went up by 12% for renters in households making less than $15,000, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank.

Those increases, said Peggy Bailey, vice president of housing and income security for the center, “were not met with corresponding increases in income” and disproportionately affected Black and Latino renters.

According to 2017-2021 census data, more than 19 million renters in the United States are considered rentburdened, spending more than 30% of their income on rent. In New York City, renters on average spend more than 68% of their income on rent, according to a January Moody’s Analytics report.

There also is a dearth of affordable rental housing. Low-cost rentals fell by 3.9 million units over the past decade, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ State of the Nation’s Housing report.

In Indiana, which prohibits local rent control, Indiana University McKinney School of Law professor Fran Quigley has had his law students working closely with tenants in Indiana’s eviction court. Rent control, Quigley believes, could change housing outcomes in the Hoosier State, where evictions surpassed historical average levels in March 2022.

“I think rent control momentum is going to continue to build, because we have 44 million rental households in this nation and that’s a really powerful political block,” said Quigley. “Folks get mobilized, speak out, and rent control on the ballot does very well. ... That works in the favor of momentum going forward.”

Opinion: “The Summer I Turned Pretty” portrays the ups and downs of teenagehood

Summer is coming to an end, and with that, the hit show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is following its path.

The second season debuted on July 14 and episodes have been coming out every Thursday night. Tomorrow, we will see the last of these characters for a while. Season three is confirmed, but with SAG strikes, the production is delayed.

The show is a hit among teenagers and adults, with 30-year-old women posting tik toks claiming the show makes them feel like a teenager again.

The last seven episodes have been a roller coaster. When the season started, all characters were in a development phase. It was still a mystery how the characters would deal with Susanah’s death, and there was uncertainty about how that would be addressed. But throughout the episodes, we can see grief being dealt with differently by each character.

The show’s main focus is the love triangle between the brothers,

Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), and Belly (Lola Tung), their childhood friend. But the show goes above and beyond, it shows the relationship between different family members, it shows the importance of family and it does a fantastic job in portraying the loyalty among people who truly care about each other.

I knew this season would be wonderful, and I was not wrong. It is important to address the fact it is a show about teenagers, so sometimes, adults might get frustrated with the confusion and indecision. The positive to that is channeling your inner teenager, remembering how it was like when we thought the world would end if we didn’t end up with the person we were in love with, or how intense feelings are.

I have read a lot of hate comments toward Belly’s character mainly related to her confusion and crush for both brothers. I for once, think if you are paying close attention to the show, it is clear she is not a mean person, she is just human. She makes decisions based on what she thinks its best for

the moment, she doesn’t know there’s a book about her life and there is an ending to her story. And she is a teenager. That is the time to make mistakes, fall in love and even be a little stupid.

The show does a fantastic job showing what the teenage years are really like, and sometimes it’s cringe, dumb and painful. But it is also full of innocence, joy and hope. There’s still this magical aura around them, one that goes away when you are an adult.

The show allows us to watch them slowly turn into adults, and I believe we will be surprised with season three, and we see the characters in a new phase of life.

The relationship between Taylor and Steven took the spotlight this season and the actors’ chemistry was mesmerizing. I caught myself anxiously waiting for their scenes together.

Skye (Ellie Fisher), was a hilarious, impressive, heartwarming new addition to the show. Watching her form a relationship with not only her cousins but their friends, was entertaining to watch. Keeping her next season would be the right thing to do.

Laurel’s (Jackie Chung) scenes are always heartbreaking. She lost her soulmate, sister and best friend and Chung can make us feel her pain through the screen. You see her learning with her kids and apologizing for her mistakes. To me, she deserves all the awards.

As for the love triangle, I have no words. The dynamic has so many layers and the writing is on point. It is complicated and painful to watch. It is wrong and it is right.

While the internet goes crazy fighting to decide between Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah, I will remain Team Belly. It warms my heart to watch a girl become a woman, making mistakes, allowing me to feel her emotions and falling in love so purely.

The show is a 10/10 and the soundtrack is 1000/10. If you don’t enjoy teenage love stories, at least listen to the show’s soundtrack. You will not waste your time.

The final episode comes out tomorrow on Amazon Prime at 7 p.m.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

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Lola Tung, Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno in a scene from season two of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” (Erika Doss/Prime Video/TNS)

Luisa Clausen Editor in Chief

We traveled

2,000 miles to see Lana Del Rey in concert at Outside Lands

festival gigs except one. Her 2018 date at Target Center has been her only Twin Cities concert in the 12 years since her breakout single “Video Games.”

SAN FRANCISCO — As the high-energy boom and buzz of the Foo Fighters faintly echoed from the other side of Golden Gate Park, Lana Del Rey lay still and sullen on the stage and sang with a matching flatness, “I’m pretty when I cry.”

It was the fifth or sixth slow, dour song in a row by the mysterious pop star in her co-headlining set Saturday at the three-day Outside Lands Festival. She seemed to let the gloomy layer of fog and mist that crept in over the park set the tone for her performance.

As she sang “Pretty When You Cry,” I thought to myself: We traveled 2,000 miles, fought a crowd of 75,000 people, and paid $100 extra per person for access to flush toilets — and skipped the Foo Fighters — for this?

Such is the unusual allure of Lana Del Rey and her elusive ways. I certainly don’t regret getting sucked in, though.

The “we” in this case included my two daughters, a teen and tween. They turned me from a curious admirer to a full-blown member of the Cult of Lana in recent years. When I asked them what they most wanted to do this summer, their only answer was, “See Lana in concert.”

Easy enough, right? Wrong. The singer, 38, has played only five U.S. dates since the pandemic ended, all

Del Rey’s reluctance to tour likely explains why her T-shirts vastly outnumbered Foo Fighters wear at Outside Lands on Saturday — why one in three young women in attendance seemed to either be wearing bows in their hair or heart-shaped red sunglasses (Lana trademarks), and why more people selected Lana on their Outside Lands app schedule than the Foo (about 20,000 vs 15,000).

The bulging crowd size and palpable excitement around the festival’s woods-lined Twin Peaks stage as she hit the stage Saturday reminded me of Coachella in 2019, when I saw a then-cultish Billie Eilish unequivocally steal the show from Tame Impala as the Saturday night headliners.

Unlike with Eilish, though, there were no madcap bursts of excited dancing or raised fist-pumping in Del Rey’s set Saturday. Fists stayed clenched throughout this one, reflecting the angsty romance and desperate drama of songs like “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” and “Young and Beautiful.”

“Will you still love me when I’m not young and beautiful?” she and the crowd sang in miserable unison.

The wildest that Lana’s 75-minute set got from a physical-outburst standpoint was either when the singer — wearing a tufted white dress and dangling curled locks like a young Priscilla Presley — casually pushed

herself around on a swing in the title track to her latest album, “Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” the night’s dramatic finale. Or when she let a couple of male dancers carry her around ever so slowly and gently in “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have — but I Have It.”

So why was it still a rather thrilling performance that seemed worth going the extra 2,000 miles?

For starters, it was unlike any other festival headlining set I’d seen. The mellowness was somehow intense. The songs’ nonstop emotional calamity sounded beautiful. The writhing vocal delivery — hers and the crowd’s — ended up being inexplicably fun.

Lana judiciously picked songs from throughout her career, going back to “Video Games.” But she hardly picked any that were up-tempo or required her longtime drummer Tom Marsh to break a sweat. Even her cover of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man” — channeling her oblique and much-debated approach to feminism — was slowed down compared with the original.

Mostly, though, we just got a kick out of actually seeing Lana in the flesh, after she’s become so enigmatic and shifty. She came off surprisingly content and down-to-earth between songs, too, talking about friends in attendance and “how many years we’ve been doing this together.” She even made a shoutout to her pastor (who has a writing credit on her new album).

“It’s been an interesting few

years,” she said at show’s end. “It’s not lost on me how lucky I am today.”

Of course, it’s probably easier for a singer to really feel grateful and enjoy themselves on stage when all they do is perform at a few festivals per year.

Deemed worthy enough by Lana, Outside Lands also proved to be a festival well worth planning our vacation around. Other performers Saturday included the far cheerier “Light On” hit-maker Maggie Rogers, vibrant Canadian rock band Alvvays, clever Atlanta electro-R&B upstart Mariah the Scientist, and another downer dramatist like Lana, her “Let the Light In” duet partner Father John Misty.

Like Lollapalooza in Chicago and the Austin City Limits Festival, San Francisco’s big bash is held in a scenic, centrally located city park and not some giant field in the boonies. Unlike just about every other major music festival, though, it doesn’t come with blazing heat or fear of a sunstroke.

And more than most fests, Outside Lands strongly reflects its host city’s cultural history. Its 15th year saw a fun, new all-LGBTQ stage and trippy visual nods to San Francisco’s flowery psychedelic past, which combined literally kept the grounds shining rainbow-bright even when the weather — and the performers — turned glumly gray.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Tribune Content Agency

Lana Del Rey performs during the Mita Festival at the Jockey Club of Rio de Janeiro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 27, 2023. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Chris Riemenschneider Star Tribune

Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy!

Located on 121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater

The best selection of beer, wine and liquor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”

Murphy’s Department Store

815 S Main, Downtown

Open 10-6

Monday thru Saturday

Houses for rent

Spacious 1100 sq. ft

2 bedroom home. Recently remodeled, CH/A, wood

floors, nice yard. 2214 E. 6th Ave., Scarlett Bus Route. 405-372-7107.

Guaranteed Parking!

$100 for year!

Salem Lutheran Church, Corner of Duck & Elm

Monday-Thursday 9-Noon 405-372-3074

Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black

Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (08/16/23). Fortune emboldens professional ambitions this year. Disciplined, coordinated collaboration builds shared wealth. Autumn creativity, communication and connection open doors for a beneficial winter Adapting around a creative challenge next spring leads to an exciting summer explo ration. Take your career escalator to the top.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most chal lenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — Enjoy yourself. Stir up some romance.

This Leo New Moon begins a two-week family, fun and passion phase. Get creative. It’s all for love.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Realize domestic visions with upgrades over a two-week New Moon phase. Get creative. Improve the beauty and functional ity of your home. Nurture family.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Express, share and connect. Profit through communications over two weeks. Possibilities spark in conversation with this New Moon phase. Creative projects flower. Write your story.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 9 — Begin a lucrative New Moon phase. Discover fresh markets and rising prosperity. Strengthen financial foundations for growth. Rake in and preserve a healthy harvest.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 9 — Pursue personal dreams. Expand talents, capacities and skills over two weeks, with the New Moon in your sign. Grow and develop. Shine your light.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 6 — Insights, breakthroughs and revelations sparkle in tonight’s New Moon. Dreams seem within reach. Enjoy a two-week creative, imaginative and organizational phase. Imagine possibilities.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Connect for shared support and bigger results. This New Moon phase benefits team efforts. Grow through friendships, social networks and community participation. Have fun together.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — This New Moon illuminates professional opportunities. Develop interesting projects over the next two weeks. Pursue exciting possibilities. Your career, status and influence rise.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Educational opportunities arise after this New Moon. The next two-week phase favors study, investigation and exploration. Consider new perspectives. Make connections, contributions and discoveries.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Find creative ways to grow your family nest egg. A lucrative two-week phase dawns with this New Moon. Launch valuable initiatives with your partner.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Collaboration comes naturally over two weeks following the Leo New Moon. You’re on the same wavelength. Take your partnership to the next level.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 9 — Energize your physical moves. This New Moon initiates two weeks of growing work, health and strength. Put your heart into your actions. Practice makes perfect.

Solution

MaryEllen Uthlaut

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit