DIRT CHEAP
UDOT ignored contamination risks in Cottonwood gondola property deal with politically-connected sellers.
BY ERIC S. PETERSON
S AP
BOX
“Shrinking Man,” July 16 Opinion
Mucho kudos for [John Saltas’s] life’s work. To say that City Weekly changed the landscape and the vibe of SLC (and its environs) for the better would be a gross understatement. I believe that your superpower was the ability to attract, nurture and retain a hyper-talented group of staffers over the years. Thanks for speaking truth to power and making the City of Salt a much better place to hang your hat.
SAM MILLWARD Via Facebook
John Saltas has informed us, challenged us, entertained us and occasionally made us feel uncomfortable, in all the right ways. The honor of a lifetime achievement award couldn’t have found a more deserving recipient and I hope he never underestimates the importance of his work or the impression he’s made on all of us. Thank you, John.
WMM PAR Via Facebook
Congratulations on a job well done for so many years!
PEGGY GONZALES Via Facebook
Such an amazing accomplishment. You changed the landscape of Salt Lake City with your publication. It’s been such an important instrument for change over the years. You have provided a perspective the community needs and appreciates. I’m so proud that I got to be a part of that. Congratulations.
SUSAN THOMAS MITCHELL Via Facebook
Congratulations to John and the City Weekly crew for keeping it real, truthful, fair and entertaining. Cheers!
WENDIE BUTTARS Via Facebook
Congratulations John! I am appreciative to have continued truth sayers in our city, and you brought that to us. Thank you!
JENNIE VASQUEZ Via Facebook
Congratulations John! A well deserved award. Go Miners!
JOE STILINOVICH Via Facebook
Congratulations. I can’t think of anybody that deserves that award more than you. You’ve done such an incredible job.
ROXANN VREDENBURG Via Facebook
Huge congratulations to John and his talented team.
KATHRYN LEPPERT Via Facebook
Congratulations, John. Your work is indispensable and recognition deserved.
JOANNE SALTAS Via Facebook
Congratulations John. A well deserved honor for all you have done for journalism and free speech.
ALAN WALDRON Via Facebook
Congratulations! It was great to be there in person for the award presentation.
GEORGE M. DRATELIS Via Facebook
Truly deserved, my friend!
RANDALL CARLISLE Via Facebook
Glad to hear this. You have done a great job over the years. Proud to be your friend
KENT PETERSON Via Facebook
Write to comments@cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media.
THE WATER COOLER
You have 30 minutes to evacuate your house, what are you grabbing? (Minus humans and pets.)
Sofia Cifuentes
My emergency backpack, camping gear, food, my computer and art supplies.
Paula Saltas
Jewelry. Passport. My cardboard cutout of George Clooney.
Terri Anderson
Cameras, meds, wedding albums.
Zach Abend
Besides humans and pets, I’m grabbing my laptop, my external hard drive, and the manuscript for my rock opera about Neil Diamond in Aramaic.
Elizabeth Converse
Meds. Marriage license. Art.
Eleni Saltas
I’m just answering so I can come back to this post later for ideas of what to bring, because I’m zero percent prepared for anything. But maybe ... my passport and some snacks!
Bryan Bale
I have to admit that I’m not well prepared for this scenario. The best I can do is my laptop in a backpack, and a few other things mentioned in Adam Sandler’s “Phone Wallet Keys.”
BY MATT PACENZA
OPINION Plot Twist
Iread the romantasy novel A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas this summer. In this thriller, a human woman, Feyre, seeks refuge with Tamlin, a faerie lord. Magic, violence and intrigue fester; sparks fly, battles are fought and the sexy couple lives to fight another day.
Thorns and Roses has been banned in Utah public schools. No school can stock it in its library, and no teacher can include it in their curriculum. Maas’ novel is not alone: As of a few weeks ago, 36 titles were banned from all public schools in Utah.
I don’t care. You shouldn’t either. The outrage that drives book banners and their fierce opponents is the worst kind of pointless, political theatre. It serves only to provoke furious gestures, disconnected from real crises.
Let’s start with the obvious: The people who fight to get these titles out of Utah public schools deserve mockery. I can barely comprehend why anyone would find Thorns and Roses offensive.
Yes, Feyre and Tamlin eventually do bone. Maas offers us a page-and-a-half description of intercourse, charged but chaste, unless the words “sheathed” and “thrust” are a gateway drug to crippling pornography addiction and lifelong misery.
So, these concerned, doofus parents—who need productive hobbies like Pilates or pickling—pressured their allies on Capitol Hill to pass a law in 2024 that if three school districts (or two districts and five charter schools) ban a book for containing “objective sensitive material,” all public schools in the state must remove the book.
Of the 36 titles banned statewide, several are great. I’m an English teacher at a private Salt Lake high school,
and before it was banned, I taught Oryx and Crake, an unhinged Margaret Atwood eco-thriller that portrays future humanity as corrupt, shallow and savage, addicted to synthetic drugs and violent Internet pornography.
What Atwood unblinkingly describes is offensive—and that’s her point. Oryx and Crake (and its terrific sequels) may not be appropriate for all teens, but it’s a profound warning to all of us from one of our greatest writers.
Teens should be free to borrow these texts from school libraries. However, if you actually care about children and teenagers reading challenging texts—or, reading at all— book banning is a tiny, negligible factor that is grabbing headlines just as fewer Americans, and especially teenagers, are reading any books at all.
The depressing statistics get worse every year. On any given day, the proportion of Americans who read for pleasure has gone from 28% in 2004 to 16% in 2023, according to the National Endowment for the Arts. These steep declines are true in all groups, young and old, regardless of education or gender.
But they are most stark among children and teens, the very population ostensibly affected by school book bans. In 1984, 35% of 13-year-olds reported they read for fun every day. By 2023, that number crashed to just 14%, according to federal data.
The fervor over book bans presumes that the bans make a difference. Whether you fight for them or dash off a letter to the editor when they happen, you assume that the government has just kept a kid away from a text.
But has it? The data is clear: Fewer kids and teens are reading books of any kind. Not that many kids borrow books from libraries, but if they do, it’s rarely school libraries. Teens do go to public libraries—attendance is up—but they use the free WiFi, study and hang out, according to the American Library Association.
So, not that many young people read. Of those, even fewer borrow a book from a library—and fewer still from a school library.
Getting mad because a teenager can no longer borrow a banned book at a school library is like worrying about
your tan during a hurricane or complaining that the WiFi is out while your local coffee shop burns down.
The sheer unlikelihood that book bans are limiting our kids’ reading is also why they are ineffective. Love them or hate them, book bans are a distracting frenzy.
Local media everywhere, but especially in Utah, are happy to fan the flames. The Salt Lake Tribune has covered book bans breathlessly, churning out dozens of news stories since the state began banning books less than two years ago. The paper wrote stories about the first 13 books banned, dutifully adding new articles as the list has grown.
And it’s not just the Trib: There are more news stories from any news outlet in recent years about book bans in Utah than there are about homelessness or opioids in our state, according to a Google News search.
Truly grappling with our reading crisis is hard. It resists easy narratives and news stories with cartoonish villains and heroes.
Why are fewer people reading? Why are kids and teens the least likely to read?
Smartphones are the number one factor, but so are the parents who overprogram their kids’ lives, the teachers and schools who are significantly less likely to require students to read books, and the TV, film, short videos and video games that all compete for their attention. And a dozen other factors.
We know what we need to do: Read more to our kids, slow down our kids’ lives, make sure that they have access to good books, sharply limit their screen time and support schools and any other institutions that take their screens away.
But guess what? That’s all hard, whether you’re a state legislator spewing about smut or a parent who passionately opposes censorship.
We need to be all in this fight together—a fight to take back our time, our attention and our eyeballs. A fight to nurture our inner lives, to build empathy and to allow ourselves to be bored, to daydream and, yes, to read a great novel. CW
EVENTS IN DRAPER, UT
CORNER CANYON HALF MARATHON, 5K & 10K
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More info at www.DraperUtah.gov/Half
HITS & MISSES
BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele BY BENJAMIN WOOD
MISS: In the Zone
Gates: 7:00 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
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July 31, August 1, 3, 6, 7, 8
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There’s no question that Salt Lake needs more housing. The issue is how, where and when. The latest is a 15-story midrise building across from Trolley Square. And when they say “midrise,” they mean something smaller than the Empire State Building. The building would house condos, which apparently has created great glee from the City Council. The problem is what exactly that means. One housing advocate, Cindy Cromer, was disgusted, partly because the city would have to change both zoning and the master plan. “There’s no sense to work on a master plan if the language is just completely ignored,” she said. An Instagram comment noted the “increasingly frequent habit of developers asking for zoning exemptions and master plan changes for individual owners and specific ... parcel zoning.” And while the Council seems thrilled with the tower’s ownership component, for-sale units often go to buyers who then rent them out to other tenants. “The city is naïve,” Cromer said, adding that, in her opinion, there’s no predictability, no protection for view corridors and no assurance of affordability.
HIT: Night at the Museum
It’s that time of year again, when the community remembers Julia Reagan, the grand dame of the billboard industry who passed away in 2024. Of course, it’s hard to miss her and the many billboards she graces. Now, in another monument to her and the iconic remembrance, Pioneer Day welcomed the Salt Lake Art Museum, which “positions itself as a guardian against cultural erasure by focusing exclusively on Utah artists,” reported City Weekly’s Arica Roberts. Housed in a historic Jewish synagogue, the museum greets visitors with a special exhibit on Reagan, who has inspired reverence, satire and Halloween costumes. Chris Jensen, the executive director, wants to add to the few art museums in the state. “It’s sort of a shame that Utah produces these world-class artists and they have to go elsewhere to become recognized in their craft,” Jensen said.
MISS: Baby Boom
Dare we ask where all those unborn souls are while awaiting members of Utah’s predominant faith? We know Sen. Mike Lee is really, really worried about the nation’s declining birth rates, although he hasn’t taken the personal solution route that Elon Musk has. The New York Times took notice in a recent article. “Utah is a leading example of a demographic transformation that is sweeping the United States and other rich countries, as young women increasingly delay childbearing.” There are lots of reasons, high among them is the lack of housing. In anticipation, the Salt Lake School District is preparing to close elementary schools, and now Salt Lake County has completed its transition away from licensed day care centers. For whatever reason, the county thinks giving free access to recreation centers will help, but for infants? Maybe there just won’t be any. CW
Pound Foolish
The Salt Lake City Council made a budget decision last month that will hurt taxpayers, but is likely to be misunderstood. To illustrate the problem, imagine the following scenario: A family is offered an investment opportunity in which they pay $1 at the start of each month, but receive $5 at the end of each month. On top of that direct return, their monthly utility bill is lowered by $10.
Sounds pretty good, right? When that family falls on hard times, wouldn’t that $1 expense be the last thing they should cut from their household budget? While admittedly oversimplified, that’s essentially the scenario the City Council faced with the Hive Pass. In a difficult budget year, the Council decided to save costs by ending the decade-old transit program and, in doing so, will face even higher costs related to transportation going forward.
A recent third-party analysis found that every dollar invested in the Utah Transit Authority generates $5 in economic activity. At the same time, national estimates suggest that for every dollar a person spends on driving— gasoline, insurance, maintenance, registration, etc.—the taxpayers shoulder a burden of more than $9.
Think about that—when a single driver spends $50 to refill their gas tank, they also commit the taxpayers to $450 in costs related to that person’s driving. Multiply that by every driver on the road and by every dollar they’ve spent on driving … pretty soon we’re talking about real money.
Simply put: drivers do not pay for the roads—taxpayers do, and the costs go far beyond just road maintenance. The money a driver contributes to the system is akin to the person who goes out to dinner with friends, orders a $50 steak and contributes $30 after the bill is split equally.
You might think, “it can’t possibly be that bad.” But the effects are clear to see, if you’re willing to look. The Utah Department of Transportation recently testified at an interim legislative hearing that the state’s bridges are falling apart. Why? Because we can’t afford to maintain the roads we currently have, yet we keep building more anyway. And throughout the state, cities and counties are hiking property taxes and exploring new “road user fees,” desperately seeking revenue to dig themselves out of gaping budget holes borne of driving-related costs.
Critics scoffed at the low number of Hive Pass holders—between 350 and 400. But each of those people represented a net benefit to the city’s coffers. While some will continue to rely on buses and trains, it is inevitable that many of their combined 13,000 monthly transit trips will shift to private vehicles, tearing up the roadways, polluting the air, worsening congestion, injuring pedestrians and generating taxpayer costs far higher than what was spent on the Hive program. Every dollar spent getting people out of cars pays for itself, and then some. Unfortunately, this is a lesson that our mayor and City Council failed to learn, and one we’ll all end up paying for. CW
Raiders of the Lost Archives
As physical media disappears, a lot of our creative culture disappears with it.
BY BRYAN YOUNG comments@cityweekly.net
Silent films are a delightful rabbit hole into which to descend, and lately I’ve fallen right into Wonderland. A wealth of films has been preserved over the years, but far more have been lost. Charlie Chaplin, the biggest star in the world at one time, was wealthy enough to archive almost all of his films, and only one film from his career is truly lost to time, 1914’s Her Friend the Bandit. It was made during Chaplin’s days at Mack Sennett’s Keystone Studios, and he starred as the love interest of Mabel Normand, who was then an even bigger star than he.
Buster Keaton fared just as well, losing only a single film that paired him with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle in 1917; the preservation of Keaton’s films was the work of a 1950s era film collector and distributor named Raymond Rohauer, who partnered with Keaton to reissue his films. It also didn’t hurt that actor James Mason moved into Keaton’s former mansion and found cans of old films thought to be lost forever just sitting around, ready to go up in smoke.
Sadly, Chaplin and Keaton were the exceptions, not the rule. Normand and Arbuckle, two of the most important stars in Hollywood history, didn’t fare as well. Only about half of Arbuckle’s films survive, and just less than half of Normand’s do.
The picture is even more grim for silent films in their totality. The archivist and film historian for the Library of Congress estimated in a 2020 report that about 75% of original silent-era films have been lost, though occasionally one is still found and resurrected. He further estimated that half of all sound films made in the U.S. from 1927 to 1950 have been similarly lost.
If we’d known then what we know now, I hope we’d have made a more concerted effort to preserve these
A&E Big Shiny Robot
tions, and I fear they’re going to lead to the same place as all of the lost media I keep salivating over every time I read about a new-to-me lost film from the past. What happened? Recently, after a licensing deal expired, Sony simply erased more than 500 films from the accounts of PlayStation users. It didn’t matter that those users “bought” those films. The license was up, so Sony robbed them of their access.
This caused most of us to say, “Don’t rely on these companies to honor their agreements.” They’re going to do anything they can to milk pennies out of consumers and twist the nature of what “ownership” and “purchasing” and “bought” actually means.
So we all go back to physical media, and then Sony says, “Hold it right there!” On the heels of their first betrayal, they announced that they’re phasing out physical media for their games and systems, making physical media completely obsolete when it comes to Sony.
films. Could you imagine Georges Méliès burning his original negatives as they tore down his theater, or selling his distribution prints to be recycled into boot heels if he’d realized how important they’d be to history or the preservation of cinema?
On my trip through silent cinema, I discovered that the earliest movie serials were actually women’s adventures, with young women breaking from the patriarchy, embarking on missions of derring-do in long-running titles like The Perils of Pauline, The Mysteries of Myra or The Adventures of Kathlyn. In fact, the first movie tie-in novelization was of that last title; I even tracked down a copy. We have the books and story preserved, but every print of these highly popular films simply vanished.
It’s a warning from history that it seems we’re determined to repeat.
I don’t know how else to read Sony’s most recent ac-
As it stands, video games are facing a similar fate as silent films through planned obsolescence and lack of support from the companies that commissioned them and the fly-by-night studios that made them. There are countless films, video games and television shows that are heading the way of works from the silent film era. For the studios, it doesn’t even seem as though money will persuade them, and paying them isn’t enough, because they’d rather see all this material disappear unless you pay them ever-increasing amounts, on every different platform, over and over again.
I see a future where we’re lamenting the loss of contemporary media just as much as these silent films. Like Lon Chaney’s London After Midnight, a silent horror picture whose last copy was destroyed in the 1965 fire that consumed MGM’s vault. Or Mabel’s Bear Escape, a 1914 comedy starring Mabel Normand and two bears that Moving Picture World called, “The best picture of its kind” and “truly a scream” that “no ordinary human being could help laughing over.”
If you’ve ever seen a Mabel Normand picture, it’s easy to close your eyes and imagine its hilarity, then get even angrier at what’s been lost—then more pissed at companies like Sony for purposely driving us off the cliffs of lost media. CW
theESSENTIALS ENTERTAINMENT PICKS,
Good Company Theatre: Waiting for Godot
Like many people who encounter Samuel Beckett’s 1953 absurdist masterpiece
Waiting for Godot, Mark Fossen—who directs Good Company Theatre’s current production—has found his perception of it shifting over time. “At first, I was really struck by the quote-unquote absurdity of it, that nothing quite makes sense, … that it was this strange, abstract philosophical piece.” But as for his current sense of Godot, Fossen says, “It’s just funny. Beckett loved the silent film comedians. When we read it, it feels so dry and philosophical. When you hear it coming out of people’s mouths, it feels more normal.” Fossen says he initially felt intimidated by the prospect of tackling this story of two characters waiting for someone who might never arrive, saying “it holds a place of significance in my theatrical life.” He approached it, though, by latching on to Beckett’s affection for classic silent comedy, to provide the entertaining spark to a tale about the grand question of, as he describes it, “if life doesn’t give you purpose, what are you doing? … It doesn’t feel like ‘theater vitamins’ to me; it’s ‘Laurel and Hardy get dropped in the Backrooms,’ this liminal space. You can chew this script to death, but at the end of the day, you can just enjoy people hitting each other with their bowler hats and falling down.”
Springville World Folkfest / Pacific Island Heritage Month
Now more than ever, it feels incredibly important to recognize that our country is built on many rich cultural traditions, and that celebrating those cultures can lead to greater understanding. This weekend, you’ll have multiple opportunities to experience those cultures, both as they exist in Utah and as they exist around the world.
The Springville World Folkfest returns at Spring Acres Park (70 S. 1300 East, Springville) for a full weekend of dance and music from around the world. The main event takes place July 30 – Aug. 1, with gates open at 5:30 nightly, and performances by more than 200 dancers representing countries including Slovakia, Bolivia, Korea, Belgium and France. The family-friendly event also includes immersive educational opportunities, including meet-and-greet experiences with the participating artists, as well as hands-on activities and vendor and food booths representing a wide range of cultural traditions. Programming begins at 6:45 p.m. nightly. Individual day tickets are $7 - $18, with family passes available good for up to six people, and senior discounts. worldfolkfest.org
Waiting for Godot runs at Good Company Theatre (2404 Wall Ave., Ogden) July 30 – Aug. 16, with performances Fridays 7:30 p.m., Saturdays 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Sundays 4 p.m. Tickets are $18 - $30; visit goodcotheatre.com for tickets and additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)
The Wish Exchange Place @ Downtown SLC
The idea of a wish being a magical thing is tantalizing, but the things we most desire have concrete effects on our own well-being, in addition to taking on more power when they’re expressed into the world. Most of the time, we keep our wishes as secrets, and as a result, we can feel isolated in the sense that no one has the same desire. A wishing well as a public space is a manifestation of how many people feel the pull of such potential “magic,” and two artists have created a unique expression of that idea that turns wishing into a communal experience.
This week, Exchange Place in downtown Salt Lake City becomes The Wish Exchange Place, thanks to a public art installation by Alejandro Moya and Kathy Tran. Visitors write a personal wish on a slip of paper, tuck it into a capsule, and deposit it into the seven-foot sculptural wishing well. Upon a visitor’s crank, the well releases a wish left by a stranger. “A wish is one of the most vulnerable things we can make public,” said Tran. “And when you read a stranger’s wish, you realize we’re all longing for the same things.”
The Wish Exchange Place activates 9 p.m. on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, Aug. 1, at Exchange Place (365 S. Main Street), with the opening weekend featuring projection on the nearby buildings and music on the plaza. The wishing well sculpture remains on the plaza through Oct. 31. The opportunity is free and open to all; for more details about project timelines and events, visit theblocksslc.com/co-create. (SR)
The 14th annual Utah Pacific Islander Heritage Month kickoff takes place on Saturday, Aug. 1, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. at the West High School Field House and South Lawn (241 N. 300 West). The free community celebration welcomes 5,000 – 8,000 guests every year, with live cultural performances, food, family-friendly activities, vendor booths and other events. New for 2026, experience the “cultural passport” which provides a free backpack for visitors who get stamped at each island’s booth to learn about Pacific Islander cultures. Visit pik2ar.org for full schedule of the month’s events.
August 2026 Special Screenings
SLFS Summer Showdown continues, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, “Back To Hogwarts,” Monty Python and the Holy Grail and more.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net
SLFS Summer Showdown continues: We’re hitting the home-stretch for Salt Lake Film Society’s annual head-to-head weekend competitions of classic features at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (111 E. 300 South). Upcoming battles include Jojo Rabbit and Isle of Dogs (July 31 – Aug. 1); surrealist freak-outs Naked Lunch and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Aug. 7 – 8); 1980s coming-of-age stalwarts Stand by Me and Pretty in Pink (Aug. 14 – 15); vigilante justice thrillers 13 Assassins and Coffy (Aug. 21 – 22); and Being John Malkovich and Seven (Aug. 28 – 29). slfs.org
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 55th anniversary: Shout out to all my fellow Gen X-ers who grew up with this edgy performance by Gene Wilder as Roald Dahl’s strange chocolatier from one of the scariest things in their childhood. The 1971 feature film adaptation gets a Fathom Events presentation at local theaters including Megaplex and Cinemark locations on Sunday, Aug. 2 and/or Wednesday, Aug. 4. megaplex.com, Cinemark.com
Climate Future Film Festival @ Whitmore Library: If you’re not even more concerned about our climate future after this summer, you’re not paying attention. Whitmore Library (2197 E. Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights) hosts an evening showcase of 10 award-winning short films on climate-related issues. The free event
8 p.m., with seating on a space-available basis. events.slcolibrary.org
Monty Python and the Holy Grail @ Woodbine Food Hall: The list of the most quotable comedies in film history is a short one, and everyone has their favorite, but it’s hard to deny that a generation’s offkilter sense of humor was shaped by Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and by the British comedy troupe’s feature films, particularly the 1975 tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Utah Film Center and Woodbine Food Hall (545 W. 700 South) team up for a one-night-only outdoor screening on Friday, Aug. 7 at dusk (approximately 9 p.m.), with general admission lawn seating opening at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 at utahfilmcenter.org.
Little Shop of Horrors @ Pioneer Park: Before they became the musical team that launched the “Disney Renaissance” of the late 1980s and early 1990s with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman found unlikely material for a stage musical in the Roger Corman cult film about a mild-mannered flower shop
worker who becomes caretaker to a plant from outer space with a taste for human blood. Enjoy the 1986 film adaptation starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin for a free screening at Pioneer Park (350 S. 300 West) sponsored by Utah Film Center on Saturday, Aug. 8, with screening at dusk (approximately 9 p.m.) and seating beginning at 8 p.m. utahfilmcenter.org
The Spirit of ’76 @ Brewvies: There have been many ways to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, but here’s a uniquely weird late opportunity. This 1990 satirical comedy finds time travelers from the year 2176 trying to recover key historical documents destroyed in a disaster, and attempting to travel to 1776—but ending up instead in 1976 for a skewed look at mid1970s American culture. Directed by artist Lucas Reiner (brother of Rob and son of Carl), it features Reiner family members plus David Cassidy and the bands Devo and Redd Kross. Catch it at Brewvies (677 S. 200 West) on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 3:30 p.m., as an unofficial pre-party for the Melvins concert at Union Event Center (featuring former Redd Kross/current Melvins bassist Steven McDonald). brewvies.com
King Coal @ Utah Film Center: This 2023 Sundance documentary from director Elaine McMillion Sheldon turns her closeness to the subject of life in America’s Appalachian coal country into a profile that’s lovely and respectful while still recognizing the problematic side of a life dominated by the extractive fossil-fuel industry. It’s a fascinating snapshot, capturing the many ways that southwest Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky indoctrinate their residents into a celebration of miners and the mining life, with stunning cinematography. Utah Film Center (375 W. 400 North) presents a free screening on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m., with post-film moderated discussion. utahfilmcenter.org
“Back to Hogwarts” Harry Potter marathon @ Megaplex Theaters: Look, I’m not your mom. J.K. Rowling is a bigoted asshole who also happened to create a beloved pop-culture property (see also: Roald Dahl, above). What you choose to do with that information, as it pertains to Megaplex Theatres bringing the 2001 – 2011 film series back to the big screen—for both individual showtimes beginning Aug. 21, and an epic marathon session Aug. 14 – 15—is between you and your conscience. megaplex.com
Little Shop of Horrors
DIRT CHEAP
UDOT ignored contamination risks in Cottonwood gondola property deal with politically-connected sellers.
BY ERIC S. PETERSON comments@cityweekly.net
The following story was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Salt Lake City Weekly.
The Utah Department of Transportation’s decision to buy the property of a former top lawmaker in May for $8 million raised more than eyebrows.
Some residents and elected officials raised their voices against the sticker shock of buying the property that could eventually be the base station for the controversial Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola project. Cottonwood Heights Mayor Gay Lynn Bennion challenged that the property was worth about half the purchase amount. UDOT defended the appraisal process and said it was an investment that would be much cheaper than going through eminent domain in the future and kicking homeowners off the property. The payment went to the property owner, Quail Run Development LLC, a company managed by Chris McCandless, a former longtime Sandy City councilmember and his partner, Wayne Niederhauser, the former president of the Utah Senate.
While UDOT considered the purchase a wise investment, what wasn’t fully explained was how the state decided that coming up with the $8 million figure meant ignoring the risk of environmental contamination of the property.
The Utah Investigative Journalism Project obtained a copy of the property appraisal from UDOT through an open records request. The document contains what are called “Extraordinary Assumptions,” in the lingo of professional appraisers. The assumptions state that the property “was part of a superfund program to clean the soil of arsenic and lead,” but that “an assumption of the appraisal is that the subject land is free from contaminants.” But the appraisal also cautioned that: “The use of any extraordinary assumption or hypothetical condition may have affected the assignment results.”
In an interview, a top UDOT official stated such assumptions are very normal and stressed that the “area was deleted from the EPA’s Superfund program’s National Priorities List on July 27, 2018.”
Devin Weder, UDOT’s project manager for the Cottonwood Canyons, also said it was cleared by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
“Who would we get to evaluate the site to see if there’s any contaminated soils that’s better than the EPA and UDEQ?” Weder asked in a recent interview.
Neither agency, however, said the area was free of contamination. In fact, UDOT’s own environmental impact study includes a letter from UDEQ warning that sites deleted from the National Priority List “may contain contaminated material and future construction activities associated with this project may encounter hazardous substances.” EPA information, likewise, said the property is not ready for development and may still be a human health risk.
Extraordinary Assumptions
UDOT said the appraiser followed their own standards and was not instructed by UDOT to
make that assumption. The appraisal also said “An environmental assessment report was not provided for review.”
UDOT said an assessment was not provided because the site had been removed from the EPA’s priorities list and had been remediated.
McCandless, one of the real-estate developers who sold the property to UDOT, said everything about the gondola project has been clouded in rumor and misinformation. He said he commissioned an environmental study in 2020 that determined that since the soils were remediated there was not “a significant environmental concern on the subject property.”
“The EPA and the state have given us a clean bill of health,” McCandless said. “Everything people are saying about that is just false.”
While soils were remediated to a depth of 18 inches and a clean cap placed on the ground, the EPA has not
The state recently paid $8 million for a property that could be used for the Cottonwood gondola.
“Who would we get to evaluate the site to see if if there’s any contaminated soils that’s better than the EPA and UDEQ?”
— Devin Weder
given the site a green light for development, or even determined that it is protected against human exposure to harmful contaminants.
At the time of the appraisal, the EPA Superfund site stated that because of updated lead guidance, there was insufficient data to show the site was free of lead-contaminated soil and there would not likely be enough data to make that determination until 2029. The Superfund site even warned residents near the property to consider having children tested annually for lead exposure.
The EPA site also classifies that the sitewide area is not ready for anticipated use, meaning there may be unacceptable risks for development. While that big, possibly toxic, question mark hangs over the development, UDOT shared no environmental assessment with the appraiser, but the appraiser felt it necessary to still acknowledge the uncer-
tainty of the position by declaring the “extraordinary assumption” in the appraisal document.
Bill Garber is the director of international growth and strategic relations for the Appraisal Institute, the nation’s largest association of professional appraisers.
He said “extraordinary assumptions” often help appraisers protect against legal liabilities by disclosing that “we are just assuming this is correct, with what information we have today, as we understand it.”
He said the appraiser wouldn’t likely have the environmental expertise to make an assessment like that, but the buyer could get an expert to provide that kind of report to the appraiser to figure into their calculation. Such an arrangement is typical with many real estate deals.
“A lender would look at that and ask ‘Is there a need for remediation? And how much does that cost?’” Garber said.
McCandless, when shown information from the EPA’s Superfund site, said he had never seen it before. He questioned the concerns raised on it given the study his company had paid for in 2020, although this was also before the EPA updated its lead exposure guidance in 2024.
He admitted if the land was contaminated it would hurt property values. He said that if he had not sold the parcel to UDOT and had planned instead on developing it into homes he would commission a new environmental report.
“I would do additional research like any normal person would,” McCandless said.
This was not UDOT’s thinking.
UDOT project manager Weder, however, said if the gondola project does receive funding the agency could then investigate further.
“That’s when we would really do the site investigation to find out if any other remediation was necessary,” Weder said.
While UDOT didn’t conduct an environmental review, they did have some research to reference. McCandless said he provided them the 2020 report his company paid for during the negotiation.
While the Superfund site information says it’s uncertain how toxic the ground is on the property, what is certain is that at the time of UDOT’s appraisal the easily accessible EPA Superfund site said the area was not ready for development and was instead encouraging nearby residents to test their young children for lead exposure.
Fair Market Value
UDOT project manager Weder stressed that the appraisal is just a tool when it comes to purchasing properties for future transportation projects. It’s about reaching an amicable deal now to avoid a contentious eminent domain battle in the future.
“This isn’t a negotiated sale,” Weder said. “We don’t go into this and say ‘Hey, we’re trying to get the number as low as possible.’”
For Bob Douglass, with Friends of Little Cottonwood Canyon, there’s a problem with that deal. The buyer in this case, UDOT, is using someone else’s money—namely, the taxpayers.
Had Quail Run developed the property as homes, every home would have to disclose to potential buyers that digging below 18 inches would mean contact with toxic soil, which would likely result in the developers paying for more cleanup to sell the homes, Douglass noted.
But what would be a red flag for an average buyer, wasn’t for UDOT.
“So the end result was that Quail Run got an extremely good price for a piece of land that would have cost them a lot of money to develop on their own,” Douglass said. “Excellent deal for them, not a very good deal for the taxpayers.”
While agreeing that buying properties now to avoid costlier acquisitions in the future is smart, he also pointed out that the law for using these preservation funds states the fund is for “high priority transportation corridor preservation projects.” But the Utah Transportation Commission does not list the area as one of its designated high priority corridors.
UDOT said in a statement that “The gondola is not on the separate High Priority Corridors list because the Little Cottonwood Canyon project proceeded through its project-specific Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision process.”
McCandless said the deal with UDOT was meant to help the gondola project. He’s a full throated supporter of the project because he believes it’s safest in providing another exit from the canyon during emergencies, will address congestion to keep up with Utah’s explosive growth and be the most environmentally friendly option.
McCandless also said the UDOT deal was not meant to improve values of his nearby development. While he has developed a neighborhood with 13 homes near the recently sold parcel, he points out that three are under contract and the rest have been sold.
The last one will be off the market years before a gondola is ever built. “The gondola is not going to be built until 2040,” McCandless said. “By then I’ll be in a hole in the ground.”
For Douglass, UDOT simply seems to be bending over backwards to accommodate the gondola project and the politically connected developers who champion it while shirking meaningful investments in enhancing bus service.
“It seems like it’s enriching a few powerful people who were already rich rather than solving the problem to the best of the taxpayers’ pocketbooks,” Douglass said. CW
UDOT Cottonwood Canyons project manager Devin Weder.
Home Plates
Nomad Eatery’s new ballpark location puts some good flavors into family-friendly eating.
BY STEFENE RUSSELL comments@cityweekly.net
On a bright Sunday afternoon—98 degrees, to be precise—people ambled into the Ballpark at America First Square. It was a home game, the Salt Lake Bees facing off with the Reno Aces. It wasn’t a bad showing for an uncomfortably hot day, but then, the stadium’s barely a year old, and people love it: There’s dirty soda to drink, grass to sit on, mini-golf to play, a tiny trackless train to ride. And though it has fewer seats than the old Smith’s Ballpark, the stadium itself is built to major league standards.
Right outside the ballpark gates sits the new Nomad Eatery, the highly anticipated sister restaurant to Nomad East (1675 E. 1300 South), which is known primarily for its wood-fired pizzas. Nomad Eatery carries those pies over to this location, including the much-beloved Betty White ($18, topped with garlic cream, mozzarella, fontina, arugula and pickled golden raisins), but it’s expanded its menu to include sandwiches, tacos, and shareable small plates.
We sat on the patio, an enclosed space with concrete floors and floor-to-ceiling windows that’s so close to the stadium you can see the big red Bees sign and watch that wee train chugging along its elevated track. The patio is slightly less formal than the main dining area, which features deep blue and gold walls and black-and-white fine art photographs. Though the patio is clearly built for heavy traffic, and for kids—the floors are concrete, forgiving to soda spills and accidentally dropped pizza slices—it’s still stylish, outfitted with sleek Eames-style wooden chairs and tables.
We started with a plate of marinated Italian olives ($7), which included bright
green Cerignola and tiny Taggiasca varieties. We paired that with the roasted and pickled beets ($15), which felt more like a salad, with a bed of red and golden beet chunks, goat cheese, and granola covered by a generous serving of arugula, dressed with olive oil. Of all the dishes that hit the table, this felt like the most successful. The spiciness of the arugula, the sourness of the pickled golden beets, the earthiness of the red beets, the sweetness of the granola and the creamy goat cheese all came together to create a complex— but never cacophonous—flavor. Pickled veggies can sometimes be eye-watering in their sourness, but the beets had just the right amount of tartness. The splash of flavorful olive oil finished this dish off, making it just right.
Rather than Nomad’s famous pizzas, we opted for a sandwich and tacos, since those are new to the menu. The smoked turkey club ($16) is two slices of toasted sourdough filled with a generous serving of smoked turkey breast plus shredded lettuce, bacon, Jack cheese, pickled zucchini slices and house-made barbecue potato chips. It’s dressed with Duke’s, an extra-umami Southern mayo made with apple-cider vinegar.
The sandwich, though not as pitchperfect as the pickled beets, successfully mingled a range of flavors. The pickled veg wasn’t overpowering or vinegary, adding the perfect bright tone to the smoky meat and creamy cheese. And those barbecue potato chips! Thumbs up. They add an interesting texture and flavor, as well as some fun nostalgia. (If you don’t remember sitting in the school lunchroom emptying your bag of chips onto your sandwich to give it some extra flavor and crunch, you missed out on one of childhood’s greatest culinary joys.)
My only complaint was structural: the sourdough slices were cut a bit thin, which made it challenging to keep the sandwich intact. Of course, this is not factory-perfect commissary bread, thank God; the sourdough itself was crispy, buttery and delicious, so this is a minor complaint. The accompanying fries were crispy and paired nicely with a very creamy, tangy, house-made fry sauce.
The pork belly tacos ($17) consisted of three four-inch flour tortillas filled with pork, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, avocado cream, Cotija and pickled red onions. Though flavorful, this dish wasn’t as successful. Because pork belly naturally varies in texture, the third taco, which hid slices of pork belly with a nicer meat-tofat ratio, was much tastier than the first, which was filled with meat that was a bit dry and chewy. The tacos were also overdressed with wet ingredients, which didn’t negatively impact the flavor, but did make them slightly soggy and hard to eat. The house-made vinegar chips, served on the side, did go a long way to make up for that—they were supernaturally thin, crisp and seasoned with an expertly light hand.
Too much pico aside, Nomad Eatery has only been open a month. Considering the overall experience, I have faith they will continue to dial things in, based on the thoughtful touches we encountered throughout the meal. Our server was attentive but not badgering; the water was served in a glass bottle, sans ice, European style. Though the sandwiches came out on tin trays and the sides scooped into those red checkered paper boats, the ingredients tasted like farmer’s market produce rather than something shaken out of a SYSCO pouch, and yet the food was reasonably priced. I was also delighted to see that Nomad Eatery offers a retail pantry where one can buy their delicious, creamy fry sauce and those perfectly pickled zucchini slices to take home.
Best of all, even though this is a selfproclaimed “family restaurant,” it didn’t feel like one, in a good way—no talking animals, no ball pits, no gimmicks. It’s just a place where people go to eat delicious food, and some of these people happen to be children. CW
2 Row Brewing
73 West 7200 South, Midvale
2RowBrewing.com
Canned: Pie-oneer AleCherry Pie Sour
Avenues Proper
376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com
On Tap: Drop TopEnglish Summer Ale (collab with Salt Flats)
Bewilder Brewing
445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com
On Tap: Pink BootsPink Pony Pilz
Bohemian Brewery
94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com
NEW Releases: Kölsch, Dusseldorfer “Alt” Bier
Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele
BonnevilleBrewery.com
On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale
Chappell Brewing
2285 S Main Street, SLC chappell.beer
On Tap: Pie HoleStrawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale
Desert Edge Brewery
273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com
On Tap: Edge’s Special Bitter ESB
Epic Brewing Co.
825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com
On Tap: Pie & Beer Day Cherry Pie Ale
Etta Place Cidery
700 W Main St, Torrey EttaPlaceCider.com
On Tap: Orange Creamsicle Session Mead
Fisher Brewing Co.
320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com
On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers!
Grid City Beer Works
333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com
In a Can: Extra Pale Ale
Heber Valley Brewing
501 N. Main Street, Heber City hebervalleybrewing.com
Freshly Canned: East RidgeBelgian Tripel 8% ABV
Helper Beer
159 N Main Street, Helper helperbeer.com
Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com
On Tap: The Hunter: Kölsch
Kiitos Brewing
608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
On Draft: Bliss IPA (Extremely Small Batch)
Kiitos Brewing Sugar House 1533 S. 1100 East, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
On Draft: Bliss IPA (Extremely Small Batch)
Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Nitro Sinday Pale Ale
Level Crossing Brewing, POST 550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Helles Munich Pale Lager
Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com
On Tap: “Big Drop” West Coast Pilsner
Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com
On Tap: Island Orchard Punch (Strawberry and peach cider)
Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ On Tap: DOPO IPA
Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenBeerCompany.com
On Tap: 11 rotating taps as well as high point cans and guest beers
Park City Brewing 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com On Tap: Smooth OperatorCream Ale on Nitro
Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St., Logan Prodigy-brewing.com On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner
Proper Brewing/ Proper Burger 857 & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Concerning Hops - West Coast IPA
Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Concerning HopsWest Coast IPA
A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week
Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West
RedRockBrewing.com
On Tap: Gypsy Scratch
Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Grand Bavaria
Red Rock Kimball Junction 1640 Redstone Center Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier
RoHa Brewing Project
30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com
On Tap: Bramble Brown
Roosters Brewing
Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com
On Tap: Hibiscus Sour
SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, SLC SaltFireBrewing.com
On Tap/Canned: Monachus Adriatic Pilsner 5%
Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com
On Tap: OPEN ROAD SERIES #3 - Barrel Aged Grand Cru
Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com
On Tap: Smokeshow 9% ABV
Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com
On Tap: Honeycrisp Single Varietal
Shades Brewing 1388 S. 300 West, SLC ShadesBrewing.beer
New Batch: Raspberry Pistachio Sour Ale
Shades On State
366 S. State Street, SLC Shadesonstate.com
On Tap: Six Wheat Under Hefeweizen
Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George SGBev.com
Squatters Brew Pub Sugar House 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC squatterspubs.com On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Big U Pilsner
Squatters Brew Pub West Valley 3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City squatterspubs.com
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Acapulco Gold Mexican Lager
Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC squatterspubs.com
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Emigration Amber Ale
Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: “Virgil the Guide” (Italian Pilsner); “Smiles und Sunshine” (German Leichtes Weizen)
Strap Tank Brewery, Springville
596 S 1750 W, Springville StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: “Orange Hopsicle” Hazy Pale; “Trouble” American Sour with Mango and Passionfruit
TF Brewing
936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com
On Tap: Twelve taps and high point cans available.
Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com
On Tap: Pucker? I Berry Know Her! (Lemon blueberry sour); The Baskin (Tigers blood seltzer)
Thieves Guild Cidery
117 W. 900 South, SLC thievesguildcidery.com
On Tap: Scorching RaySweet pepper cider with habanero spice | 6.5%
Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com
On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer
UTOG
2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com
On Tap: Bar Down IPA
Vernal Brewing
55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com
Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com
BEER NERD
The Out-ofTowners
Peeking over the fence to see what the neighbors are up to.
BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net
We’re all about the local flavor here at City Weekly’s Beer Nerd column. This week, however, I thought it might be nice to check out some of the newer regional breweries offering their beers in Salt Lake City. As our craft beer scene continues to grow, it’s always exciting when acclaimed breweries from outside Utah finally make their way into the hands of local beer nerds.
Outer Range - Sendy: Outer Range Brewing Co., hailing from Frisco, Colo., has built an outstanding reputation for producing world-class hazy IPAs alongside excellent Belgian-inspired ales. Nestled in the Rockies with an unmistakable après-ski vibe—and even operating a second location in the French Alps—the brewery has become a destination for hop-lovers around the globe. Sendy New England IPA is a perfect example of why Outer Range has earned such a loyal following. At first glance, it pours with the classic hazy, golden appearance you’d expect from the style, topped with a creamy white head that promises plenty of juicy goodness. The hop combination is about as foolproof as it gets: Citra and Mosaic have long been one of craft beer’s most dependable duos, delivering waves of bright citrus and tropical fruit. But the addition of Nelson Sauvin elevates the experience to another level. The aroma bursts with fresh berries, juicy citrus and hints of ripe melon, creating an inviting bouquet that practically begs for the first sip. On the palate, those same flavors shine through beautifully. Sweet citrus leads before notes of mixed berries and honeydew melon emerge, all wrapped in a silky, pillowy mouthfeel. The soft malt backbone allows the hops to remain centered without becoming overly sweet or heavy. Bitterness stays restrained, lending just enough structure to keep every sip balanced and refreshing.
Verdict: At 6.8% ABV, this is exactly what a modern New England IPA should be: intensely flavorful, remarkably smooth and dangerously drinkable. Outer Range continues to prove why it’s considered one of the premier hazy IPA producers in the country. If this is your introduction to the brewery, prepare to become an instant fan.
Lumberbeard - Japanese Rice Lager: Our next “out-of-towner” comes from Spokane, Wash., where Lumberbeard Brewing continues to build a reputation as one of the Pacific Northwest’s gems. This family-owned brewery offers a wide and inventive craft beer lineup.
Served in a well-chilled glass at nearicy temperatures, the first sip reminds one why lagers deserve every bit as much attention as hop bombs and barrel-aged monsters.
The carbonation is wonderfully bright, lifting every flavor across the palate with lively precision. The aroma is subtle and inviting, offering just a whisper of fresh lemon zest from the hops without overwhelming the delicate malt profile.
On the palate, everything is beautifully restrained. Soft grain sweetness appears briefly before giving way to a remarkably dry finish that leaves the mouth feeling refreshed and ready for another sip. That faint citrus character lingers just long enough to add personality without distracting from the beer’s crisp, clean foundation.
Verdict: It definitely delivers on what I’ll call that “big crispy energy.” Every sip cools you down, refreshes your palate and somehow encourages the next one even more than the last. Lumberbeard has crafted a 4.8% Japanese-style lager that’s bright, super dry, endlessly drinkable and exactly what you want when the temperatures climb. This one put a smile on my face from the very first pour, and that’s about the highest compliment a summer lager can earn.
Lumberbeard Brewing has been in Utah for over a year now and is in wide distribution throughout the state’s system; better craft beer pubs and restaurants are your best bets in finding their wares. Outer Range debuted two weeks ago at all Slackwater locations, and will be making their way into the broader market any day now.
As always, cheers! CW
Protect Your Loved Ones
the BACK BURNER Your
COMING JUNE2026
BY STEFENE RUSSELL
It’s midsummer, which means we’re heading into peak food festival season in Utah. Sadly, our snowless winter and April freeze means zero Utah-grown peaches, pears or cherries at our OG harvest fests. But there are plenty of other food events to hit, including fests centered around delicious produce that survived the frost because it doesn’t grow on trees.
On Aug. 1, St. Bernard’s (12000 Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Building 5, Suite B, Brighton) kicks off its Dinner & Wine Pairing series at Solitude Resort with a “Harvest Dinner” focused on seasonal fruits and vegetables. Tickets are $140, with an additional wine pairing for $60. Monthly dinners run through October. solitudemountain.com
Bear Lake Raspberry Days runs Aug. 6 – 8, with events centered around Heritage Park in Garden City (579 Buttercup Blvd.). A full calendar, from the (raspberry) pancake breakfast to the raspberry pie-eating contest, is available at gardencityutah.gov/raspberrydays
August 8 – 9 marks the final installment of the Fire & Flavor Festival in Park City (Silver Lake Lawn, 7600 Royal St., Park City), with a menu inspired by Kansas City-style barbecue, created by chef Ryan Arensdorf. Admission is free with purchase of a lift ticket. Drinks and a la carte food are available, including a $25 plate with samples from each culinary station. deervalley.com
Head to Liberty Park on Saturday, Aug. 15, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. for the Seventh Annual Indian Food Fair. Organizers promise a range of regional dishes, including “butter chicken, fragrant biryani, and golden samosas to regional specialties and sweet treats.” indianfoodfairs.com
National Ice Cream Month is almost over, but Blue Moo Ice Cream (9035 Temple Dr., West Jordan) is in the running to be named America’s best ice cream by The 64, a public voting site. To help Blue Moo win the tournament against 64 other ice cream shops across the U.S., cast your vote at The64.com through Aug. 2.
Finally, a shoutout to Misty at the “Utah’s Best Kept Secrets” Instagram account for letting the cat out of the bag—or the fry sauce out of the udder—by posting a reel of Utah’s only “Condiment Cow,” located at Oliver’s Place (125 S. 2000 West, Pleasant Grove). There are other condiment cows in the U.S., but apparently this is the only one in the world that dispenses fry sauce. oliversplaceut.com
Alt Pops
Endearing sounds on new albums from Drunk in June and Ambedo.
BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net
Drunk in June, self-titled album: Not only does Drunk in June have a delightfully unique name, they also just released their second full-length album, released in—you guessed it—June. The alt/indie/ emo group noted on BandCamp that “[The album] fully encapsulates us as a band.” The album came during a busy time for Drunk in June; it was recorded over many late-night sessions, the band went on their first tour in May, and they even played their first large festival this year as well. “Looking back, it felt like an amazingly transitional time/era of the band (and our lives),” they continued. “This record feels like it is ‘more’ of everything that we want to be releasing, it feels more diverse and cohesive at the same time, idk give it a listen.”
Drunk in June’s sound is heartfelt and endearing, and it’s obvious from the beginning with the opening track “Loving Headsman.” As the guitar fades in and vocals start, you’re transported to this world where you’re listening to someone who feels in over their head and ready to give up. You may envision yourself in the lyrics, because who hasn’t felt that way at times? “Wouldn’t matter if I tried / the judge is here, all rise / come on and lead me to the gallows / I never thought I could be so callous / Trading places infinite / It’s over now when you said when / When, when, when,” vocalist Nick McCullagh sings.
Other tracks like “Great Basin” seem pointed at our state specifically. With lyrics like “When the bitter smell lasts just long enough / it burns away my common sense and leaves a shallow cough / the sky turns yellow as my patience grows thin / and the lake bed I grew up on drains the color from my skin,” one has to draw parallels to the abysmal air quality in the Beehive State, as well as the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake. Those listening out of state might not quite get it.
Drunk in June brings an addicting emo/alt/punk sound that allows fans of any of those genres easily to get into their music. This new album is a great encapsulation of who they
Figuratively An Artist in the Most Literal Sense
are as a group, achieving that cohesiveness they mentioned on BandCamp. If you haven’t heard Drunk in June before, their new self-titled album is a great place to start.
Ambedo, Figuratively An Artist in the Most Literal Sense: Ambedo, noun: a poetic term describing a melancholic trance where you become completely absorbed in vivid sensory details. Ambedo started as a solo music project from singer/songwriter Brandon Keith years ago, but has since evolved into a full band with two studio albums, Figuratively being the latest. “Figuratively An Artist in the Most Literal Sense is an album about finding yourself through music and community, and learning to smile while the world is on fire,” the band noted on BandCamp.
It’s hard to come up with a single word to describe an album, but one word does come to mind for this one: whimsy. From the album cover (featuring a disheveled hand puppet character) to all of the music elements you hear in the songs, there’s a sense of whimsy there. There definitely isn’t as much of it in the world as there should be, so you have to take it where you find it.
The opening title track starts with voices stacked on top of each other speaking at the same time, leading to the ending line that says, “Music makes me really happy, and if I really think about it, also you make me happy.” It’s
such a warm welcome to have it feel like the album itself is not only greeting you, but telling you that you make it happy. The whimsy!
Ambedo’s alt/indie/rock sound goes easy and gentle on the ears. The lightly-toned electric guitar, soft electronic effects and Keith’s happy-go-lucky vocals all add up to something that feels cheerful and comfortable, truly encompassing that idea of finding yourself in a place where you’re safe that the group mentioned in the album description. One recurring thought while listening to this album is that it sounds colorful, which obviously doesn’t make a ton of sense, but maybe I’m a little crazy. Things get a little crunchier and more upbeat on tracks like “Morgan,” which boasts some awesome electric guitar soloing and sounds more along the lines of what you’d expect from an indie rock group. Recorded voices talking are used continuously throughout the album, giving you some insight behind the scenes—like in the track “Hodgman Was Right,” where the recording is talking about changes to be made (presumably) to the song in which the voice is speaking. It adds an extra layer of interactivity; the album is telling you a story through song, but also spoken word.
Figuratively An Artist in the Most Literal Sense is a cute, sweet, fun and delightful album that can potentially offer comfort during a tough time. The whimsy alone is worth a listen, but there’s so much more to it than that. CW
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
MUSIC PICK S
Odd Mob @ Granary Live 7/31
Summer is in full swing with this second official show for Mutiny Music Collective’s Granary Open Air summer series, as Australian DJ and producer Odd Mob (Harry Hope) is bringing his high-energy house and tech house to Salt Lake City’s coolest outdoor venue. Hope’s music production is made for the dance floor, from his 2014 breakthrough track “Is It A Banger” (it was) to newer music like “Strut” and “Left to Right” released in 2022, which was played by all the industry giants from Diplo to John Summit. The song takes bits from Soulja Boy’s cult classic “Crank That,” and the original artist even gave it the nod of approval himself. While Hope is a bit genre-defying, he does best when he leans into the melodic and euphoric elements, such as his track “Never Alone.” Now in 2026, Hope has been playing around with U.K. Garage music that upends early 2000s and ’90s anthems like his club remix of “Get Busy” by Sean Paul. But also listen to some of his latest releases like “Coming Up (It’s Dare),” which includes his familiar, funky vocal hooks. Show up early to catch the set from Portuguese tech house producer Marco Strous. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show ends at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 31. Tickets cost $64.93 and are selling quickly, so get them now. Go to eventim.us to purchase tickets and for further event information. (Arica Roberts)
UPCOMING
SHOWS
7/30 7/31 8/1 8/2 8/6
8/7
Austin TV
Lesser Moose
MC Chris Babybaby4ever
May She Reign
Weeb-core: J-Core
Vocaloid & Anime Rave
MUSIC PICK S
MC Chris @ The DLC at Quarters 8/1
The early aughts of Adult Swim really was a haven for the wonderfully bizarre. Cartoon Network’s extreme after-hours block of adult programming proved that animation wasn’t as constrained as live action; it offered more chances. Jack-of-all-trades Chris Ward (a.k.a. MC Chris) worked for Adult Swim as an animator, producer, writer and voice talent. He provided several distinct voices for characters on several different shows, and was there from the jump. “I thought no one was going to watch Adult Swim. And that’s kind of how it was in the beginning,” Ward told In Music We Trust. “The MC side of things has just kept on growing alongside it. The cult following thing is a little weird, completely unexpected, and a really nice surprise that has made my life ten times more tolerable.” The artist who brought us “I Want Candy” (as MC Pee Pee Pants) and “Fett’s Vette” returns to Salt Lake with his latest LP, King in Black (now available for preorder). While hip-hop is perhaps the genre most obsessed with comics and cartoons, this Marvel-inspired record boasts more than the commonplace Biff! Bam! Pow! (from what I’ve heard). Don’t tug on the cape too hard, True Believers! Chris is a proper showman who just has this natural charm and infectious energy. Swell Rell opens. Catch these acts on the MC Chris 2026 Summer Tour at The DLC at Quarters on Saturday, Aug. 1. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $23.17 and can be found at 24tix.com. (Mark Dago)
CITY WEEKLY
UTAH BEER FESTIVAL
MUSIC PICK S
The Plastic Cherries @ Kilby Court 8/2
Summer is flying by—and along with it, The Plastic Cherries are blasting off into the stratosphere and taking Salt Lake City away into a night of psychedelic rock music. With the support of locals The Caraways and Colorado natives Funscreen, you can join them at Kilby Court on Sunday, Aug. 2 for an evening full of stars, love and ethereal guitar riffs. What first began as a living-room project by couple Shelby and Joe Maddock has now become one of Salt Lake’s latest obsessions. Comprised of the Maddocks, Natalie Hamilton, Wayne Burdick and Stephen Cox, the band has been performing together for more than four years, bringing funkadelic waves back to your favorite local venues. From the ballads of “Tomorrow” and “Lovers on the Run,” to the rock-out sessions of “On The Moon” and “Twister,” The Plastic Cherries combine the sounds of glam and shoegaze that takes you from the horizons of the ocean to the vastness of the universe. If you enjoy the likes of the B-52’s, David Bowie and Elliott Smith—an unlikely mix— then the Cherries might be just the thing for you. So celebrate the final weeks of summer with them at Kilby Court on Aug. 2. Show starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $12.50 ahead of time and $14 at the door. Get them at 24tix.com. (Laney Hansen)
MUNA @ Civic Center 8/4
As part of the annual Salt Lake Twilight Concert Series, MUNA takes the stage on Tuesday, Aug. 4 with support from Annie DiRusso and local artist Nicole Cannan. After the release of their fourth record, Dancing On The Wall, the trio has taken off as one of queer music’s most influential modern icons with their eccentric dance beats and intimate musicianship. Comprised of members Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson, the project began with electronic-pop as a focus within the dorms of USC, and has now become an independent endeavor. From tracks like “Dancing On The Wall” and “Eastside Girls,” the band is taking
the project to new heights with anxiously exciting storytelling at the forefront. From the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, waiting in your bedroom for a first date to the summers of flings and sun-filled afternoons, MUNA’s discography is the perfect soundtrack to celebrate it all. Whether you’ll attend with a partner or a group of friends, this concert was made for screaming the lyrics in a circle with the people you love most as the sun sets and the lights come on, shining on you. The show starts at 5 p.m., and tickets are currently sold out, but are being resold at the Fan Marketplace. You can find them now at 24tix.com. (Laney Hansen)
Stray Cats @ Sandy Amphitheater 8/4 Popular music goes through cycles; what was old often becomes new again, and generations who missed out on trends the first time around enjoy sounds and styles of the past with a fresh, new perspective. The rockabilly revival of the late 1970s and early 1980s was an outgrowth or subset of the punk scene; musicians and listeners alike found the common ground between the visceral energy of punk and the stripped-down, no-frills aesthetic of early rock ‘n’ roll. Into that scene came Long Island trio Stray Cats. Like many other American artists before them (e.g. Jimi Hendrix), they had to go to the U.K. to get noticed, but once there, Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (upright bass) and drummer Slim Jim Phantom took off like wildfire. Record companies came calling, and the band signed. Success in the U.K. led to a U.S. label compiling material from two albums to make 1982’s Built for Speed, featuring classics like “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut,” which eventually went Platinum. The band has continued on and off, with new albums and tours helping keep the updated spirit of 1950s rock alive and well for generations of new listeners. The Stray Cats will rock the town when they play the Sandy Amphitheater on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $60.85 and up from ticketmaster.com. (Bill Kopp)
The Plastic Cherries
free will ASTROLOGY
BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Aries artist Vincent van Gogh lived in Arles, France, for 15 months in 1888 and 1889. It was the most prolific time of his career. His buoyant genius overflowed, pouring out over 200 paintings, including the lavish Sunflowers series. I suspect you will enjoy your own surge of splashy productivity in the coming months. It may not be as manically generative as van Gogh, though. I think your creativity will be rather relaxed and deeply healing. Start planning now for how you want to channel all this imaginative exuberance.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
I invite you to clear out every fixed idea your mind carries about where you are “supposed” to be. Once you have made that inner space wide and uncluttered, begin a fresh inquiry into the nature of your real home. Use questions like these to navigate: 1. What’s the first place you think of when you come across the word “sanctuary”? 2. Which environments reliably bring out your brightest, truest qualities? 3. Do you have what you would call power spots? If so, how do they make you feel in your body and psyche? 4. Which locations on Earth fascinate you, even if you have never visited them? 5. Could there be a future dwelling that offers a more peaklevel experience of home than the familiar place where tradition now soothes you?
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
The brain doesn’t literally multitask. It rapidly shifts attention between tasks, creating the illusion of simultaneity. For many people, each interchange costs mental energy and reduces efficiency. But some brains can switch faster with a lower energy cost, making them better at sustained task-switching. I’m sure you can guess the identity of the zodiac’s number one task-switcher: you, of course! And the good news is that in the coming weeks, you will be even more adept than usual in wielding your superpower. One implication is that you will know when not to overdo it and when not to use it trivially. You will be a master of seamless, effective and meaningful transitions.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Astronomers know that many stars don’t travel alone. Binary stars orbit each other for eons, their mutual gravity shaping each partner’s destiny. I propose we make this your featured metaphor in the coming months. It will be a favorable time to de-emphasize the notion that strength and creative power require complete autonomy. I suspect that flexible, spirited interdependence will generate far better results than lonely self-sufficiency. Which alliances and relationships will expand your orbit rather than shrink it? Invest in them.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Neurologists say that when you vividly imagine performing an action like shooting a basketball or playing piano, your brain activates many of the same networks it uses in real practice. In other words, mental rehearsal can measurably improve your actual performance. Many athletes use this trick. But here’s an interesting twist: Such visualizations work for emotional and social skills too. We can enhance our resilience and better regulate our moods if we practice doing so in the privacy of our imaginations. I bring this to your attention, Leo, because you’re in a period when your fantasy life has extra-robust practical power. I invite you to rehearse being who you want to be in the theater of your mind.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Your assignment: Compose a vigorous prayer in which you ask life for something you fear you don’t deserve or are not supposed to want. What is the blessing, healing, or freedom that feels “too much,” “too selfish,” “too late” or “too impossible” for you to yearn for? Name this prize and how you imagine it might allow you to give more, love more, or live more honestly. You could begin your appeal with these words: “Dear Great Mystery, I’m nervous about asking for this, but I will ask anyway,” and then let your heart speak without editing. Do this at least once every day for ten days.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
In 1848, a Libra-born carpenter named James Marshall discovered a few glittering flakes of gold floating on the American River in California. His find ignited the Gold Rush, which went on to draw hundreds of thousands of people westward. Alas, Marshall himself never became rich from the discovery, though many other people did. I’m hoping and predicting a different outcome when you locate treasure in the coming weeks, Libra. In this instance, you will share in the spoils.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
The lyrebird can imitate almost any sound, including chainsaws, car alarms, camera shutters and other birds’ songs. But they don’t just mimic sounds randomly. They compose elaborate performances, weaving a variety of imitations into complex acoustic tapestries. In a sense, they are remix artists. During the coming weeks, Scorpio, I hope you give yourself permission to resemble a lyrebird. Sample freely from everything you’ve absorbed. Weave your influences into new configurations. Express your imaginative concoctions of repurposed ideas and enchantments. The voice isn’t less yours because it borrows from other voices. Originality is in part about arrangement, not just source material.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Astronauts who have orbited Earth describe the “overview effect.” Viewing the entire globe from high above triggers rich epiphanies and cognitive shifts, providing a visceral sense of the planet’s fragility and unity. Borders dissolve. Conflicts seem absurd. I surmise you are ripe for a similar blessing, Sagittarius. You’ll be able to see your current dramas from expansive vantage points that make their true scale and significance obvious. Armed with these perspectives, you will naturally clarify your priorities and allow petty concerns to fade away.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
You are the result of an ancestral crowd: two parents, four grandparents and eight great-grandparents. Without these 14 lives weaving together in the precise ways that they did, your unique destiny would never have taken shape. Their choices and challenges helped sculpt your gifts and your rough edges, your cravings and your turn-offs. The coming weeks will be a ripe astrological moment to get more intimate with this lineage. As you delve into your family’s stories, you may uncover vital clues for refreshing your views on dilemmas that have dragged on for a while. Are you daring enough to let your sense of “where I come from” evolve—and, with it, your sense of what kind of future you want to create?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
According to my investigations, there’s a place where you need to go, but fear or timidity is holding you back. Where is it? Is it a physical location, a creative risk, a complicated conversation, or a spiritual threshold? Visualize it. Who would you be if you appeared there in your full glory? What do you worry might happen if you do? What interesting future might never bloom if you don’t? I hope you formulate a feisty plan. To begin, write these words: “If I decide to go there anyway, acknowledging my fear but not being controlled by it, what first step will I take and what help will I seek?”
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Professional athletes sometimes talk about “winning ugly.” That’s when they achieve a victory even though they haven’t played their very best. I foresee you using that phrase for yourself soon, after you notch a less-than-pretty but undeniably real success. There’s another expression that you might also exemplify, too: “ugly ripe.” Officially, it’s the name of luscious heirloom tomatoes whose lumpy, offbeat forms contrast with the smooth, bland specimens stacked in most supermarket bins. In the coming weeks, it will describe the nonstandard yet succulent flavor of your life.
Architectural Related Professionals:
Ent. Lvl to Sen. Lvl Architects are needed for our Sandy, UT Office. Must be willing to travel to set up systms to various clients at unanticipated locs across the nation. Send resume, Cvr Ltr., & Sal. Req. to Think Architecture, Inc at 7927 S. High Point Pkwy, Ste 300, Sandy, UT 84094.
Senior IT Auditor (ITGC & Compliance) (inContact, Inc.; Sandy, UT): Plan and perform testing of Information Technology General Controls (ITGCs) aligned to Service Organization Control 2 (SOC 2) and other recognized frameworks (ISO/ IEC 27001, NIST CSF/800‑53, and COBIT) to validate alignment with regulatory and industry standards. To apply, send resume to marian. alvarado@nice.com. Ref: 00093291.
Lead Software Engineer (inContact, Inc.; Sandy, UT): Work as a member of an agile team to enhance and improve software. Telecommuting permitted pursuant to company policy. To apply, send resume to marian.alvarado@nice.com. Ref: 00087665.
EMPLOYMENT
IHC Health Services, Inc. (dba Intermountain Health) seeks a Movement Disorder Neurologist in Murray, UT. Apply at https:// imh.wd108.myworkdayjobs. com/IntermountainCareers or email resume to mary. hansen@imail.org. Salary: $250,000.00 - $350,000.00/yr.
BOTOX Jeuveau and Xeomin $8 a unit
urban LIVING
Housing Update
Utah’s Pioneer Day (aka Statehood Day or “Pie and Beer” Day) has passed for another year. The floats with tin foil pioneers have been dismantled, the sweat-drenched band uniforms hung up and the streets cleaned of horse poop. We can look forward to one more month of summer until fall begins. It’s a typical time of year for parents to buy homes in neighborhoods where they want their kids to go to school so they can enroll them ASAP. Currently there are almost 30,000 active real estate listings in Utah, per Realtor.com, up about 5% over last year. Depending on the area, average days on market can be anywhere from 50 to 70 days, and although we’re not quite in a buyer’s market yet, buyers are getting more options when looking for a home or condo.
While some buyers are holding out, homes in hot neighborhoods still sell fast and sometimes with multiple battling offers. Higher mortgage rates affect affordability, keeping many buyers out of the market, as interest rates climbed past 6.5% for a home loan last week. For example, Zillow.com reports that the average home value in Utah is $541,692. And if you put 10% down at that rate, your payment—including principle, interest, mortgage insurance and property taxes—would be $3,677 per month.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. They’re often exchanged
5. Created, as a spiderweb
9. Arranges by category
14. “___ Have Nothing” (1970 Tom Jones album)
15. Ding Dong alternative
16. 1970s veep Agnew
17. According to Autoweek, 1978’s “first American-made front-wheel-drive econobox”
20. Crushing defeats
21. Diminutive Italian suffix
22. California wine, for short 23. Reuben ingredient
25. Pig’s place
26. Apt to meddle
27. +, on a battery
28. “Swan Lake” wear
31. Super Bowl of 2007
33. 1970s-’80s TV planet
34. Kitchen fixture
36. Apartments
40. “Either you do it ___ will”
41. Notes that appear here and nowhere else in the solved grid
43. Little kid
44. Sleep aid brand
46. ___ speak (as it were)
47. ___ Lanka
48. “The ___” (Diana Ross musical)
50. Mezcal bottle addition
52. Labor Day day, for short
53. MGM mascot
56. Solar wind particle
58. Lovers’ secret meeting
60. “Walk-___ welcome”
61. Fiscal yr. part
62. “This Is How You Lose Her” author Diaz
64. Home of the Blues
Different real estate groups predict that appreciation will slow on housing in Utah this year, with inventory and foreclosures rising and 58% of homes selling below list price. Yet we are still a hot market for jobs and people are still moving here, which impacts both housing sales and rental inventories.
Nationally, though, I’m worried about our economy and have seen several videos from different experts and predictors this month stating that the U.S. and world economy is going to crash in the next two years. Given how much money is going to fight an undeclared war in the Middle East (Pete Hegseth says $37.5 billion so far, and has requested two to three times that from Congress), the war in Ukraine, Trump-imposed tariffs starting to kick in, rising inflation and an extremely tight job market, the trickle down to the average consumer is grim.
Warren Buffett stated this month that the U.S. stock market is significantly overvalued. Mortgage rates are influenced by investor behaviors, Treasury yields, the Federal Reserve and the Bond Market, and as Buffett is one of the most successful investors in our country, he’s one I watch.
He doesn’t put money into things he doesn’t understand, like AI. He bought into Alphabet last year and said he liked them because of their dominant ad and cloud businesses, but believes that AI stocks in general are grossly overpriced.
If you’re thinking of buying, talk to a lender like Julie Brizzee at Intercap (her ad is on the other page) and make a plan, sooner rather than later! ■
6. Cooking vessels
7. “Lemme think ...”
8. Like a perfect game in baseball
9. Antidepressant, for short
10. Nail polish brand
11. Muppet rat
12. Three, to Trudeau
13. Bono who didn’t lead U2
18. Boot from office
19. Dark form of quartz
23. Silverware drawer piece
24. Fret
25. Setting time?
26. Diarist Anais
29. PC port type
30. Muscle twinges
69. “Lemon Tree” singer Lopez
70. Electric resistance measures
71. Horse’s pace
72. “This is ___ happening!”
73. Gritty film genre
74. Little imp
DOWN
1. Kind of pass or treatment
2. Nocturnal raptor
3. Words from the cautious
4. “We are,” in Argentina
5. Closed off
32. Drag along
35. High-fat, low-carb diet
37. Words from the next?
38. Barcelona bulls
39. Job duration
41. Actor Mahershala
42. On the pro side
45. Possess
49. Baked pasta dish
51. Range components, briefly
53. Shopping memos
54. Opening lines
59.
66. Conductance measure, once (and reverse of one of 70-Across)
Last week’s answers
Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending
55. “Do Ya” country singer K.T. 57. “Citizen Kane” director Welles
Questlove’s band, with “The” 61. Go cold turkey
62. “Purple Haze” rocker Hendrix
63. “Back in the ___”
65. Sean ___ Lennon
67. Pooh’s friend
68. “Addams Family” cousin
NEWS of the WEIRD
Doo the
In his quest to retrieve a bottle of Mountain Dew, a Kansas City, Missouri, man fell into a portable restroom toilet tank and was stuck there for eight hours—with the lid closed!—before being rescued. According to Fox 4 News, on July 14, a driver with Patriot Portable Restrooms was trying to collect the structures that had been set up for a World Cup watch party when he encountered the trapped occupant. The driver flagged down a nearby police officer, who helped him unlock the door. “When we opened the door and didn’t see anybody, we honestly thought we were talking to a ghost, and then his head popped up out of the tank like a game of whack-a-mole, or Oscar the Grouch coming out of his can,” a company representative said. KCFD had to cut the man out of the toilet and then blasted him with the fire hose to rinse him off. “In the portable restroom business, you kind of expect the unexpected,” the representative said. “But in six years, I never thought I’d find someone alive inside one of our units.”
In the Heights
In Wilmington, Illinois, a man was rescued after being stuck on a gas station sign for several hours on July 21. The man, a maintenance worker, used a special lift to get up to the 130-foot-tall sign to do some work on it. The lift, however, would not come down, leaving the man stranded until emergency personnel were able to procure a crane from nearby Joliet. ABC7 reported that the man appeared to be in good spirits and refused medical treatment.
Clothing Optional
■ Witnesses in northeastern Colorado were met with a startling image on July 16—a man surfing a moving Union Pacific locomotive ... while in the buff. Daniel Ray Ballance of Arizona allegedly broke a window to get into the train and climbed to the top while it was moving, Fox News reported. Ballance faces misdemeanor and felony charges, and authorities have not released a motivation for Ballance’s antics or whether anyone was injured in the process. “Daniel is spending some time at an allexpenses-paid stay in jail, where he is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s O ffice said in a social media post.
■ Authorities in Ellisville, Mississippi, are also stumped as to why Katelyn Maxwell, 22, was operating a vehicle— in this case, a 2017 Dodge Challenger—while she was wholly unclothed. The Smoking Gun reported that, on July 12, Maxwell was pulled over during a traffic stop after officers observed the car driving erratically; police reported that she appeared to be inebriated and that the vehicle smelled strongly of pot. They also discovered five firearms and a bag of marijuana. Maxwell faces felony and misdemeanor charges and is in jail on a $35,000 bond.
The Legend of Jimothy
A raccoon has become a viral sensation after videos of him scurrying around Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood hit the internet this summer. However, this isn’t your typical trash panda. On July 17, UPI reported that Seattle resident Kiana Hall spotted the critter, who has a hunched back and round form. “I got very confused at what I was seeing,” Hall said. “I just have never seen any other animal like it.” She even gave the creature—who has drawn comparisons to mythical creatures like a cryptid or a yeti—a name. “He looked like a Jimothy,” Hall said. Marcie Logsdon, an associate professor at Washington State University’s Veterinary Hospital, says Jimothy’s unusual appearance could be related to a spinal deformity. Despite his appearance, he is actively moving around, and Logsdon says Jimothy appears to be otherwise healthy.
Eyewitness News
An Odessa, Texas, man is reeling after learning that the odor that had been emitting for weeks from a clothes donation box in his neighborhood belonged to a dead body. “I never knew where it came from, I just smelled it,” Juan Enriquez said. “But I thought it was a trash can, you know how it smells during the summertime.” KOSA reported that police found the body on July 17 and are working to identify the deceased, but authorities say there is no evidence of foul play.
Police Report
During a stop, police in St. Petersburg, Florida, arrested a driver for a window tint violation ... and the passenger for several bags of fentanyl that kept falling from her person. The Smoking Gun reported on July 17 that when Yoneshe Smith, 26, stepped out of the passenger side of the car, officers noted baggies on the seat and near the ground. Then, while walking to the police van, another bag “fell from her buttocks area,” according to the police report. But wait, there’s more—while Smith was being booked into custody, officers confiscated two more baggies “from the defendant’s vaginal cavity ... and right breast area.” Smith faces charges of drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance in a detention facility.
The Tech Revolution
Humanoid robot surgeons have successfully completed two gallbladder removals on large animals, paving the way for human surgeries to be performed by robots. Metro News UK reported on July 14 that engineers and surgeons at the University of California San Diego performed the procedures—during one, a human surgeon was assisted by a robotic one, and in the other, two robot surgeons made up the surgical team. The humanlike robots are about five feet tall; they also weigh less and take up less space than current robotic surgery machines. “Remotely operated and autonomous humanoid robots have real potential for expanding access to critical surgeries that patients would otherwise not receive,” said Michael Yip, one of the researchers.
Small World
It sounds like the plot of a thriller: You go on vacation and stay at a rental where you’ve never been before. Inside, you admire a framed beach photo on the wall ... only to recognize yourself and several family members in the picture. That’s what happened to Utah sisters Libby and Aubrey Birrell, who were visiting Oceanside, California, with extended family for their grandfather’s 80th birthday, Fox News reported on July 18. “I will say we were creeped out,” Aubrey, 26, said. “Did they know we were coming?” The sisters posted a video to social media, and the host informed them that the decorator of the rental is a local photographer who sells aerial beach prints to vacation rental hosts; when the sisters’ video went viral, several commenters agreed that they had seen the same photo in different rentals. Judging by their swimsuit styles in the photo, the family believes the picture was snapped during a trip they took about 10 years ago to a nearby beach. Now the sisters find the incident funny and are working to obtain a print from the photographer.
Animal Antics
The summer heat isn’t only getting to the humans. Just ask Katie Cole. On July 16, KDVR reported that she found a black bear cooling off in her kiddie pool. While the pool is actually for her dogs, Cole said she was glad the bear had a chance to go for a dip and cool down since the weather in that area has been so hot and dry. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that compared to last year, there have been 1,000 more bear sightings, which they attribute to drought.
