City Weekly November 13, 2025

CITY WEEKLY salt lake FREE Tax and Spend

Salt Lake County mayor calls for 20% tax hike in the face of major projects and criminal justice reforms.

BY GRACE X. MAYA

S AP

BOX

No Idling

I do not want to hear it, Salt Lake City. I don’t ever again want to hear “Turn the key, be idle free” or any other dogma suggesting that those of us who live or work along the Wasatch Front are not doing our part to help with our air quality. I will not hear your words after this past Sunday, when I spent a half hour stuck behind a train on 9th West, next to Red Iguana II. Around 40 other drivers and I slowly went insane after watching this train stop, back up, stop, go forward, stop—presumably adding a car with each

maneuver, or “building” the train on a busy city street. Many peeled out and took off as others joined the pile. None of us wanted to turn off our engines, because the train could make up its mind at any moment. I sped off and went down to Redwood, adding several miles to my trip even though I was a few blocks from home.

If we were just one group of vehicles waiting for this one train, I cannot imagine the smog this phenomenon adds valley-wide. I am certain enforcing against interstate commerce is a sticky wicket—to say the least—but I will not accept that it is impossible.

STEVE WHITE Salt Lake City

“The Runaways,”

Oct. 30 Soap Box

I can no longer sit quietly and read Salt Lake City Weekly, like I have for the last 40 years. It’s time that I speak my mind about some of the insane comments I read in the Soap Box.

I’m a native Utahn and a very proud American who would die for this country if asked to. My father fought in WWII against the Japanese in the South Pacific, and my mother was the quintessential Rosie the Riveter, working for Remington Arms during the war. I’ve got first cousins who were decorated officers during the Vietnam War.

My point is, I love this country as much or more than any MAGA filth that ever kissed Donald Trump’s fat ass—and I can’t stay quiet when I hear these idiots belittle someone who has chosen to move to Canada.

Sadly, I have thought about doing the same thing. Because the way I see it, it’s no different than those individuals who had the foresight to leave Nazi Germany while they still could—before the borders were closed and they were sent to the ovens—because that’s exactly where we are headed. And these MAGA (Maggots) applaud this. Unbelievable!

I hope you’re still applauding when Trump’s SS (ICE) kick in your door and seize your home and property and rape

your wife and kill your children in front of you. If you think it can’t happen here, guess again! It’s already started.

SCOTT BARKER

Salt Lake City

“SLCSD Report Card,”

Oct. 23 Online

Considering Utah considers “too low enrollment” to be 23 or less per class, this doesn’t surprise me that they plan to close more schools and cram more kids together, and then wonder why bullying and school violence continue to rise.

HEATHER N DUPAIX Via Facebook

What is causing the massive [enrollment] drop? Is it few kids in society, or is it a massive shift to alternative schools, like charter or home school?

BRADLEY BURKHART Via Facebook

Write to comments@cityweekly.net or post on our social media. We want to hear from you!

THE WATER COOLER

What are your hobbies and how did you get into them?

Kayle Dreher

Acrobatics. I am a retired cheerleader and I needed something to do with my handstand capabilities.

Wes Long

Writing, as shocking as that may be. I’ve always loved it and can even remember a couple fledgling spy stories I wrote in grade school, wherein the hardened protagonists drank only root beer in social settings.

Katharine Biele

I’ve long played bridge and started with my parents. But I have to say, I’m still in the learning stages.

Scott Renshaw

I started cooking and baking because I was living in a co-op house in college, and it was part of the requirement for living there. It was a bit complicated once I left and I had to learn how to convert recipes that I was used to making for 100 people.

Bryan Bale

I got into playing music in a beginning band class in Jr. High school in 7th grade. I wanted to play baritone saxophone, but my arms were too short to reach all the keys, so they started me on alto. My dad also got me my first guitar when I was 12.

OPINION

BY CHRISTOPHER SMART

‘Sandwich Guy’ Acquitted “N

ot guilty” was the verdict handed down by a Washington, D.C. jury on charges that John C. Dunn assaulted a federal agent with a submarine sandwich. The misdemeanor charge alleged that the 37-year-old man had hurled the salami sub at “pointblank” range.

Dunn, who didn’t deny throwing the sandwich, said it was in protest of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the nation’s capital. Jurors viewed a video of the sandwich being thrown and Dunn’s statement after the arrest: “I did it. I threw a sandwich.”

The agent, Gregory Lairmore, testified that Dunn also hurled expletives at him outside the Subway restaurant before he was hit with the projectile. “The sandwich kind of exploded all over my uniform,” he said. “It smelled of onions and mustard.”

Lairmore added that he had condiments on his bulletproof vest and an onion hanging from his radio antenna. Federal prosecutors had tried to indict Dunn on a felony count of assault. A grand jury, however, refused to go along with the footlong felony allegation. The acquittal is an embarrassment for Attorney General Pam Bondi and for U.S. District Attorney Jeanine Pirro after their monthslong effort to convict the “Sandwich Guy.”

Dunn told reporters: “I am so happy that justice prevails, in spite of everything happening.”

“Deep Church” Conspiracy Led to Tim Ballard’s Demise

The crazy saga of Tim Ballard just keeps getting crazier. Ballard, who founded Operation Underground Railroad— an organization that purported to hunt sex traffickers— has gone public with allegations that unnamed Mormon officials in the “deep church” conspired to destroy his

reputation and led to his excommunication. He’s threatened to sue the LDS Church if it does not retract defamatory statements originally reported in VICE News.

Ballard was riding high in 2023 when the movie Sound of Freedom—based loosely on Ballard’s life—was a box office hit. Donald Trump even urged him to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Mitt Romney.

But then everything went south when five women filed suit against Ballard alleging sexual misconduct. He denied the allegations.

The women also alleged that LDS Church officials provided Ballard with tithing records in order to fundraise off of wealthy Mormons. The church denied the allegations. Nonetheless, Ballard scrapped plans for a Senate run and was forced out of Operation Underground Railroad.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes’ association with Ballard had grown quite close. Ballard’s organization donated $1 million to the A.G.’s Office, and Reyes was pumping up Ballard’s Senate candidacy.

Reyes was the subject of a criminal fraud investigation due to his ties to Ballard. He was not charged. Birds of a feather flock together.

Millionaire Athletes Get Pocket Change From TV Ads

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes makes $45 million a year. That’s totally insane, but get this—he also does a lot of TV commercials.

So Wilson, why does he do so many of those ads? He’s in at least 15, including State Farm, Oakley sunglasses, Amazon Web Services, Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket, Bose earbuds and Head & Shoulders shampoo.

The commercials alone bring in millions. According to Forbes, Mahomes makes between $3 and $5 million a year from State Farm alone. What in the world does he do with all that money?

Former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning’s net worth is about $250 million, according to various sources. To put that into perspective, the median U.S. household income in 2024 was $83,730, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Like Mahomes, Manning has been in a ton of TV ads,

including Nationwide Insurance, Michelob ULTRA, Bud Light, Subway, Gatorade, Bush’s Best baked beans, MasterCard, United Way and ESPN. Those national TV spots earn him mucho dinero.

Of course the biggest sports contract is that of Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese phenom signed a 10-year, $700 million contract—$70 million a year—with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He doesn’t speak much English and we haven’t seen him in any commercials yet. But as Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.”

Postscript—Another historic week is in the books here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of Trump’s golden $300 million Great Gatsby ballroom so you don’t have to.

Trump has bragged that it’s being built with private money. Surprise! The known donors have $279 billion in federal government contracts and some are under investigation, according to a report from Public Citizen, a nonprofit watchdog group.

At least half of the big-bucks donors are alleged to have engaged in unfair labor practices, deceiving consumers and harming the environment.

The great thing about the corruption permeating the Trump administration is that it’s pretty obvious and nobody seems to care. Trump’s net worth increased by some $3 billion in the last year, according to Forbes. The double dealing is endless. Trump is, no doubt, the most corrupt of the 47 presidents.

The hits just keep coming: Trump pardoned 75 people involved in the effort to overturn the 2020 election. Among the recipients are Trump’s one-time lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former chief of staff Mark Meadows.

The pardons are symbolic, because none of them face federal charges. However, some face state charges that the president cannot pardon.

Trump continues to claim he won the 2020 election, part of his ongoing effort to rewrite history. “Who controls the past controls the future”—George Orwell. CW

Private Eye is off this week. Christopher Smart writes the weekly “Smart Bomb” column, available at cityweekly.net

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele BY ANDREA G. HARDEMAN

MISS: Cradle to Grave

And we call ourselves a pro-life state? Not likely. The Salt Lake County Council just pushed through two measures that beg the question of “when” life matters. The first seeks to close four county-run day care centers because they are expensive to operate. “This is not a statutory duty of the county to provide daycare,” said District 3 Councilmember Aimee Winder Newton. She’s pretty sure parents can find other options, even if they’re more expensive or unavailable. Parents raised a ruckus, and now the council is reconsidering. But just like its party-line vote on day care centers, the Council voted to shut the 10th East Senior Center—even after it has spent $3 million on renovations. The county budget is blind to human needs. Whatever the statutory duty is for the county, it doesn’t appear to include caring for young or old lives.

MISS: Waste Not

Been there, done that. We’re talking radioactive waste, the kind that former Gov. Jon Huntsman kept out of the state. He didn’t want Utah to become the world’s dumping ground. But that was then, and this is now. There is a growing acceptance of nuclear energy, although no one has figured out how to handle the waste, low-level or not. A new proposal would bring in waste from foreign countries to be stored about 100 miles from Salt Lake City. Of course, it has to get here first—by rail. And how reassuring is it to hear that the Utah Department of Environmental Quality has rules to “minimize” public risk. HEAL Utah doesn’t trust the decision-makers. “Many contaminated sites were deliberately chosen to be near populations lacking political and economic power to resist their designation,” it writes. Whatever the rules are, they are made to be broken, and that is bad news for Utahns near those sites.

HIT: SNAP Decisions

Utah likes to follow the rules, even if they make no sense. That’s what’s happening with the delay in SNAP benefits to some 87,000 families. Some states have figured out clever ways for distributing their food stamp benefits, but Utah is plodding along while the courts play catchup. The state has pledged $4 million to the Utah Food Bank, but it’s not enough. A Tribune letter to the editor describes Gov. Spencer Cox as participating in “the Trump hunger games,” as he and the state Legislature refuse to call a special session to fund SNAP. It seems that Utah’s “rainy day fund” only kicks in if it’s raining. The good news is that several businesses, listed by The Salt Lake Tribune, are offering free food to fill the gaps. While government fails, Utahns depend on the kindness of strangers. CW

Soulful Night

Imagine sitting next to a fire, snuggled under your favorite blanket. That’s what being at SoulCity Open Mic is like. When you walk through the doors, the energy of the space wraps you up in a warm hug after a long day.

Launched in February of this year by Jamera NaQuai, Afia Chin and Adam Roberts (DJ Adamantium), SoulCity has quickly outgrown the downstairs area of CityHome Collective at 645 E. South Temple—though for SoulCity, it will always be “home.”

I recently attended—and full disclosure, performed a poem—at SoulCity’s recent Halloween event. Chin energized the crowd with a hearty “SoulCity Family welcome” and although they were raised up north, I felt like I was back home in the South.

Ground rules were shared to help us co-create a safe and welcoming space: respect every identity; words have impact; no tolerance for hate and violence; consent and boundaries matter; accountability is love.

Refreshments are always available, of course. But on the night I attended, attendees were treated to the delectable wares of locally-owned Parfé Diem (try their OG Banana Pudding— the wafers are homemade, y’all).

For the first performance of the night, a 6-plus-foot-tall Darth Vader walked up to the mic. Luke Skywalker’s voice from the Star Wars films emanated from DJ Adamantium’s speakers, and the audience heard Luke’s final confrontation with Vader, followed by the instrumental of Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me,” whereupon Darth sang some Star Wars-themed lyrics.

We joined in on the post-chorus, which remained unchanged. I was momentarily transported back to driving around with multiple CD cases in my pewter ‘02 Camaro, the windows down and the music loud.

Around half the SoulCity audience was in costume that evening. Now, I don’t hate Halloween; I simply don’t care about it. I love that I was able to attend in jeans and a hoodie without feeling judged or out of place.

Typically, the open mic ends with a featured poet, but there was a special costume contest with a grand prize the night I attended. You might be thinking that Darth Vader, with his modulated voice and breathing sounds, was the clear winner. He made the top three, but another participant’s homemade Speedy Gonzales costume took the cake. My inner 80s child was ecstatic.

If you are looking for a queerfriendly space with diverse people, SoulCity Open Mic is the place. You can sign up to perform when you arrive or simply watch, snap and cheer in the audience.

Head over to their Instagram @ soulcityopenmic to grab your tickets to their next event. Bring a friend or come solo—you will be welcome either way! CW

Dream On

Immersive art exhibition Dreamscapes stays optimistic despite rocky past and uncertain future.

BY CANNON TAYLOR comments@cityweekly.net

Adreamer walks into a bar. The bartender is wearing robotic goggles that make him look like a Daft Punk reject. One of his hands is skeletal, just like the rest of him; the other is a pirate hook. The menu includes libations like “Starry Night” (a cocktail of whiskey, yellow paint and jaundice) and “Tell Tale Heart” (a refreshing mixture of “What?”, “This isn’t real” and “No no no no no…”).

This nightmarish dive bar is just one of many surreal sights you’ll find at Dreamscapes, an immersive art exhibition at The Gateway. But just as Dreamscapes takes visitors on a journey, the exhibition has been on a journey of its own since its inception in 2017. Over the past eight years, it has moved four times.

Dreamscapes began as a free pop-up at Utah Arts Alliance’s “ILLUMINATE” light art festival in 2017. It was a small, speedy buildout, but Derek Dyer, founder and executive director of Utah Arts Alliance, estimates that around 8,000 people walked through Dreamscapes in that two-day period.

Utah Arts Alliance opened a bigger location at The Gateway in spring 2018. The Alliance conceptualized this as another pop-up, but they soon realized that Dreamscapes could serve as a consistent revenue source to sustain their free events and festivals. During that time, Dreamscapes established relationships with local convention centers, the Hale Centre Theatre and Habitat for Humanity ReStore for a steady stream of materials to repurpose

as elements of their dream world. Visitors might recognize a plane cockpit from Discovery Gateway, a relic that’s been around since the children’s museum was housed in the old Wasatch Warm Springs building. Another room is decorated with acrylic rose petals created for a 2019 Hugh Jackman concert at the Delta Center.

While Dreamscapes’ first iteration at The Gateway was a success, they were forced to move in fall 2020. Their lease was short-term and cancelable, and a prospective tenant was offering market rate for their space. They moved into a space across the street, but were forced to move for the same reason the following November. Because there were no available spaces at The Gateway, Dreamscapes moved to the Shops at South Town in Sandy in 2022.

Two years later, Smith Entertainment Group purchased the mall to develop a practice facility for the Utah Hockey Club. Most stores were unaffected, but Dreamscapes’ space was in the path of demolition, and they were booted. Making matters worse, Dyer explained, was the fact that Dreamscapes hadn’t recouped costs of the Sandy buildout, which included upgrading fire safety measures of their space, originally designed as a store and now being used as an assembly occupancy.

So Dreamscapes moved back into The Gateway in February 2025. They were forced to let go their front-of-house staff during the rebuild, and took even further cost-cutting measures to stay afloat.

Although their third residence in The Gateway has gone smoothly thus far, Dyer said that having their lease canceled a fourth time is “absolutely” a concern.

“We would love to stay at The Gateway if that’s the best option, but we’re continuing to try to figure out how we can build a permanent Dreamscapes location that we can not have to worry about relocating every year or two,” he said. “We don’t do this temporary location thing on purpose. It’s just the only way we can make [Dreamscapes] happen right now.”

As you walk through Dreamscapes’ cur-

rent iteration, you’ll find a forest of gray, furry, avocado-shaped creatures, hanging from the trees with their lanky arms, their single black eyes seeming to mock you. You’ll meet a spacecraft crew made up of polar bears, and have the option to help them fix their ship with an interactive video game, one of many coded by Neumont University students. Eventually, you’ll find yourself in a hall of mirrors. Around every corner, you’ll be confronted with a stare, perhaps from your reflection, or the blank face of a chrome mannequin trapped behind a pane of glass.

Dyer intentionally designed self-confrontation into the experience. He structured the narrative of Dreamscapes on the hero’s journey, aiming to make each guest the main character in their quest of self-discovery. The foe they face is The Dwindling, an eater of joy and devourer of dreams, the effects of which you first notice in a little town inhabited by stuffed

animals. Elsewhere, splotches of black and white dot the colorful room, representing the crushing weight of the world destroying childhood dreams.

“We want everyone to walk away knowing that they are a completely unique individual with a completely unique gift,” Dyer said. “Pursue your dreams. Talk about your dreams. Write them down. … It’s important for humanity that we all play this role that we’re here to play, and every single person’s role is different.”

There are plenty of secret spaces, tidbits of lore and emotionally affecting poems by RJ Walker to find in any room. But, Dyer notes, if you’re just here to take your Instagram photos, that’s fine, too.

Dreamscapes is open every day except Monday, their volunteer day. If you’ve visited before, it’s worth coming back; the exhibition is “a living thing,” as Dyer puts it, and changes every few months. CW utaharts.org/en/dreamscapes

theESSENTIALS ENTERTAINMENT PICKS,

NOVEMBER 13-19, 2025

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Richard Thomas in Mark Twain Tonight!

When you’re talking about a legendary figure, there are opportunities for different interpretations, even when one of them becomes iconic. In this case, it’s all about Mark Twain, an essential American author, humorist and literary icon, that serves as the conduit. When the late actor Hal Holbrook brought Twain to life in his original one-man play, he inhabited his subject so convincingly for more than 60 years that their personas were all but inseparable. Now, Richard Thomas—an Emmy Awardwinning actor and Theater Hall of Fame inductee best known for that other indelible American institution

The Waltons—has stepped into that role, not only maintaining the legacy established by his predecessor, but also tapping into his own brand of singular stage experience.

Notably, Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform  Mark Twain Tonight!  since the play’s original incarnation. Mark Twain’s wit and wisdom still remain consequential at a time when common sense and an Everyman attitude are sorely lacking. The New York Times referred to Twain as “the nation’s one true comic genius,” while Time Magazine praised Thomas’ portrayal as “funny and pungently wise.” Given the connection between the two, it belies a take on that old expression, “Never the Twain shall meet.”

Richard Thomas stars in Mark Twain Tonight! at the Covey Center (425 W Center St., Provo) on Fri, Nov. 14 at 7:30 pm. Tickets cost $39 - $99 at covey.provo.gov. (Lee Zimmerman)

Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, recovering from an injury or surgery, or just looking for a safe, effective treatment to improve your quality of life, SoftWave Therapy can help.

GET STARTED WITH SOFTWAVE THERAPY TODAY!

MONDAY - FRIDAY 10AM TO 6PM SATURDAY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 801-441-6916 | INFO@GLIFEWELLNESS.COM | SANDY

theESSENTIALS

Bachauer Concert Series: Passages

There are pieces of classical music that are so iconic that you know them even though you don’t realize you know them. For example, if I asked you whether you know Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35, you’d probably give me a blank stare. But if hummed the first few bars of its third movement—the Funeral March, with its ominous “DUM-DUM-deDUM” opening notes—you’d realize it has become a kind of go-to musical reference to death, even in cartoons. They’re the background score of our existence, suggesting how inextricably we link them to certain kinds of events.

Chopin’s Funeral March headlines the program of the Bachauer Concert Series offering Passages, featuring celebrated pianist, Bachauer Gold Medalist and University of Michigan faculty member Arthur Greene (pictured), lauded as “a profound musician” by the Washington Post. In addition to the Chopin, the evening is scheduled to include Liszt’s meditative Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude and Beethoven’s emotionally expansive Piano Sonata No. 31. As the title of the program might suggest, it will be an evening of work that takes you on a journey through faith, joy and despair—and yes, even into the contemplation of death.

Bachauer Concert Series’ presentation of Arthur Greene and Passages comes to the Rose Wagner Center (138 W. 300 South) for one night only on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for students, $35 for keyboard-side seating, and $25 for all other seating. Visit saltlakecountyarts.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

Voodoo Theatre Company: The Moors / Sentinel Theatre: Circle Mirror Transformation

Here’s how you know the Utah theater scene is amazingly rich: You can cover it for a living, as I do, and still find many smaller companies doing fascinating work on the margins. This week offers just two of many examples. Since its opening season in 2022, Salt Lake City-based Voodoo Theatre Company has been dedicated—as assistant artistic director Jack Cobabe shared—to plays that “performers want to perform in, and audiences want to see. … We wanted to do more shows where actors came to us asking, ‘I’d like to do this play.’” Their current production is Jen Silverman’s The Moors, a dark comedy spinning off from the kind of environment familiar from Gothic fiction like Wuthering Heights, and focused on the strange circumstances when a nanny arrives at an isolated mansion expecting to begin a new job, only to find two spinster sisters and no child to care for. The Moors runs Nov. 14 – 23 at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center (2525 Taylorsville Road, Taylorsville), with tickets $12.50 - $25. Visit saltlakecountyarts.org to purchase tickets and for additional information.

Down in Utah County, Sentinel Theatre continues its debut season with Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation, the 2009 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, developed at the Sundance Institute. It’s the story of four students in a community-center-based drama class whose personalities emerge through a variety of theater exercises. Circle Mirror Transformation runs at the Hive Collaborative (290 W. 600 South, Provo) Nov. 14 – 22. Tickets are $15 - $25 at sentineltheatre.org. (SR)

Putting It Together

Three new films offering varying perspectives on the need for others in life and work.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Now You See Me:

Now You Don’t BB1/2

The Now You See Me movies, like heist capers, appeal to audiences with the idea that they’ll fool you into watching the right hand while the left hand is getting up to all kinds of business. This third installment is a reminder that this series has always been more about bombastic showmanship than cleverness. It reunites the semi-estranged Four Horseman illusionists—J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco)—as they team up with three younger magicians (Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa and Ariana Greenblatt) to take down a South African diamond merchant/money launderer (Rosamund Pike). Pike, to her credit, absolutely understands the assignment of playing the equivalent of a Bond villain, and Eisenberg’s Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer takes over behind the camera with an eye towards making it feel like that kind of international action-adventure. That approach does underline, however, the way these movies generally build towards their big reveals hoping you’ll be distracted by the sheer volume at which their centerpiece sequences are pitched, rather than concocting slick surprises. And while this one might sell its big tricks the best of all three, it still feels awfully busy along the way, made even busier by how many characters it juggles. It serves its purpose as light-hearted distraction, as long as you keep your eye on how it’s not nearly as smart as it wants you to think it is. Available Nov. 14 in theaters. (PG-13)

Come See Me In the Good Light BBB1/2

The 2025 Sundance Festival Favorite Award-winning documentary certainly feels exactly like the kind of movie that wins such awards—crowd-pleasing moments, tear-jerking moments, even a few big laughs— but its central subjects are so compelling that it adds up to more than the simple logline would suggest. Those subjects are Colorado Poet Laureate/spokenword artist Andrea Gibson and their partner, poet/ writer Megan Falley, as director Ryan White (Good

Night Oppy) follows them for several months while they deal with Gibson’s diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer. White isn’t particularly creative or subtle when it comes to finding the visuals to accompany Gibson’s recited poetry; he cuts to nearly every item referred to in Gibson’s appreciation of “The Little Things,” for example. Yet it’s hard to imagine what he could do to completely spoil all of the emotions wrapped up in this couple’s journey, both together and individually: Gibson evolving from genderqueer kid who attempted suicide to someone desperate to hang on to life; watching the dynamic of care and support between Gibson and Falley; exploring the rollercoaster of waiting every three weeks for blood test results. The final hour spills over with lump-in-the-throat moment, leading up to Gibson preparing for (perhaps) her final public performance like an athlete training for the big game. As a celebration of what loving partnership looks like at its best, a showcase for beautiful writing and a reminder of the fleeting preciousness of life, it’s simply exhilarating. Available Nov. 14 via AppleTV. (NR)

Nouvelle Vague BBB

Hard on the heels of his Lorenz Hart micro-focused biopic Blue Moon, director Richard Linklater offers up a friskier companion piece artist profile: Where Blue Moon was about an artist watching his creative form change without him, this one explores an artist watching his creative form change because of him. It’s set in 1959, as Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) laments how he’s the last of his Cahiers du Cinéma colleagues to make a feature film, and prepares his debut Breathless with his previous collaborator Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) and skeptical American star Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch). The opening act establishes Linklater’s attempt to mimic the black-and-white aesthetics of the era, and goes heavy on both the name-dropping—dozens of characters are introduced literally staring into the camera while their name appears below them— and insider references for movie buffs. The energy bumps up several notches, though, once the narrative starts to focus on the 20-day shoot of Breathless, and the attempts by the cast and crew—and particularly Godard’s exasperated producer, Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfürst)—to understand the method in the rookie filmmaker’s madness. Marbeck’s performance walks an interesting enigmatic line, with his omnipresent sunglasses hiding the possibility of self-doubt in his eyes, and perhaps it all plays better for hard-core cinephiles, but there’s still an appeal in watching how hard it is for everyone to play a game while the rules are being made up as they go. Available Nov. 14 via Netflix. (R) CW

TAX AND SPEND

SALT LAKE COUNTY MAYOR CALLS FOR 20% TAX HIKE IN THE FACE OF MAJOR PROJECTS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS.

BY GRACE X. MAYA comments@cityweekly.net

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson turned heads last month when she announced her proposed budget for 2026. If adopted, Wilson’s recommendations would fund large public projects and criminal justice reforms, but with the caveat of a nearly 20% increase in property taxes.

Officials say that infrastructure needs and budget deficits are putting pressure on the county’s property tax receipts, which currently amount to 37% of all county revenue.

The proposed rate hike—specifically a 19.63% increase—is estimated to generate $48.9 million, and would be the first rate hike of its kind in six years, if approved by the County Council.

“Property taxes don’t grow with inflation,” said Deputy County Mayor Darrin Casper. “Every year, we lose purchasing power. This budget is trying to focus on the basics.”

The Mayor’s Office emphasizes that county levies account for only 17% of a property owner’s total tax bill. An average homeowner could expect to pay roughly $90 per year in new county taxes under the higher rate, which Casper argued is worth it for the childcare, senior care and public safety services the county provides to its residents.

“We’re giving back to the community daily with services and resources,” Casper emphasized. “We want to continue to do so at the level the community expects.”

Still, the mayor’s budget and associated tax increase may be far from the final form. The Salt Lake County Council will spend the next month combing through the budget for potential cuts and adjustments, which could decrease the demands on the property tax.

“That’s what we were elected to do. That’s our primary function,” District 1 Councilmember Jiro

Johnson said. “We haven’t addressed tax issues since 2019. There are a lot of new needs to address.”

Some argue that cuts do more harm than good. Last week, the Council came under fire amid a Republican push to close four daycare centers, a cut that equates to saving each county homeowner roughly 23 cents on their annual property tax bill.

“It’s just absolutely wrong,” Johnson said. “We can all chip in 23 cents a year for these families to have affordable [childcare] and for them not to worry how they’re going to take care of their kids.”

Systemic Investments

Wilson has spoken candidly about the ongoing need for criminal justice reform. In her initial budget presentation, Wilson said that a “staggering” 74% of the county’s General Fund is spent on criminal justice-related costs.

“If we get this right, we can do better for taxpayers and for those caught in the system,” she said.

The proposed budget allots funding for opioid treatment, public defenders and pretrial diversion programs that exchange prosecution for rehabilitation services. Indigent legal services, which covers public defenders for adults and juveniles, will receive $1.3 million to hire 13 new personnel, including four attorneys.

Still, the budget remains focused on prosecution. Under the current mayor’s budget recommendations, the District Attorney’s office would receive $5.3 million in funding to hire 17 new attorneys and 14 support staff, and to expand anti-recidivism services. The County Council seeks to reduce that amount by more than $1 million.

District Attorney Sim Gill explained his initial $10 million request before the Council last week.

“It’s a systemic investment that we need to make in our public safety and in our institutions,” Gill said. “This gives us the ability to start to make some impact on our workloads.”

In a separate interview with City Weekly, Gill spoke on the unique challenges of his team. His office is one of just 51 in the nation to manage a jurisdiction of more than 1 million people, and it screens approximately 20,000 cases a year with 64 attorneys, close to four times the caseload of district attorneys in other cities like Seattle.

“We haven’t really had any resources given to us for almost six years,” Gill said. “We are no longer a sleepy little flyover town or county. Our demographic changes over the last decade contribute to the type of work that we have. Other counties just don’t have the number of homicides and sex crimes that we do.”

Gill hopes that county funding will allow his office to divert 10% of all case screenings into pretrial diversion programs, particularly for those experiencing mental health issues and homelessness.

This could mean as many as 2,000 low-level cases a year being shifted away from traditional prosecution and incarceration and toward rehabilitation programs.

The county hopes to further capitalize on that success with assistance from the Leifman Group, operated by former Florida judge Steve Leifman. Leifman’s program was reported to be highly successful in Miami, reducing the felony recidivism rate for program graduates from 75% to 6% and lowering the pre-trial incarceration rate to the point that one of that county’s three jails was closed entirely.

“This project benefits everybody,” Leifman said. “It’s not a partisan issue. If you do it the right way,

“Every year, we lose purchasing power. This budget is trying to focus on the basics.”

—Salt Lake County Deputy Mayor Darrin Casper

“If we get this right, we can do better for taxpayers and for those caught in the system.”

—Salt

you can improve public safety, save taxpayers lots of money and you can help people have a life of hope and recovery.”

Gill said it’s the kind of model that the county should be investing in.

“People get the help they need,” he said. “They transition. They don’t go deeper in the system.”

Palace Intrigue

Both the Mayor’s Office and County Council have expressed ongoing support for revitalizing the Salt Palace Convention Center, a midway point between the Delta Center and SLC’s downtown core on Main Street that hosts conventions and events for organizations like the America Outdoors Association and FanX.

This project is advancing in conjunction with the private Smith Entertainment Group’s (SEG) renovations of the Delta Center. And in April, the County approved the $55 million sale of a portion of Salt Palace land (currently used for parking) to Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth sports teams.

The pending sale will facilitate the construction of a new pedestrian plaza over 300 West, while also providing a cash infusion for the county to kickstart work on the convention center itself, which is estimated to cost as much as $1.5 billion to rebuild.

“We’re partners in this endeavor, but with different responsibilities in that partnership,” Casper said of the county’s work with SEG. “We sold the land to SEG for what was tantamount to fair market value. We think we’re going to get a convention center that’s newer, more functional, something we can market better than our existing facility. From our perspective, this represents a win-win.”

The Salt Palace lies in Councilmember Johnson’s district. As a Japanese-American, Johnson expressed hesitation over the planned reconstruction adjacent to the 101-year-old Japanese Church of Christ, one of the last remaining structures in Salt Lake City’s historic Japan Town.

“I am very concerned with the level of development anticipated,” Johnson said. “In the past, when these opportunities have been presented, it has whittled away Japan Town. Growth has to be informed by the cultural ties that existed before.”

While plans are still fluid, ongoing infrastructure upgrades are expected to finish in 2031 and will include a second ballroom for hosting conventions as well as a central, mixed-use pedestrian corridor that would help to better connect City Creek Center to the Depot District, well in advance of the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Cloudy Skies Ahead

Increased tax revenue may be more pertinent than ever. In a mid-October presentation by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, director Natalie Gochnour cited “uneasy and cloudy” economic conditions ahead.

Federal trade and immigration policies continue to create unrest, influencing consumer and employer behavior.

While Salt Lake County continues to enjoy higher-than-average employment and job growth rates, Gochnour cautioned against overly optimistic revenue growth projections.

“Take care of yourself and your people,” Gochnour said. “There’s nothing telling our consumers, ‘now’s the time to buy; now’s the time to make a big financial commitment.’”

The proposed tax increase would be the only change to county levies, but Salt Lake City may be close behind.

During debate over the city’s 2026 budget in June, Mayor Erin Mendenhall expressed that while this year’s budget avoided property tax increases, the capital city would likely need to increase its property taxes in the near future to account for growing maintenance costs.

At the moment, the proposed county budget has no impact on those plans, according to Andrew Wittenberg, Mendenhall’s spokesman.

“The budget process is unique year-to-year and it’s too early to speculate on what may happen over the next seven months ahead of the mayor’s [next] budget presentation,” Wittenberg said. “However, Mayor Mendenhall has been clear about the potential for future adjustments due to long term economic forecasts.”

Salt Lake County residents will be able to provide comments on the budget during Council meetings on Nov. 18 and Nov. 25.

The council is expected to cut several sections of the mayor’s recommendations and vote on a preliminary budget on Nov. 25.

After the preliminary vote, the county will hold a Truth in Taxation hearing on Dec. 9, with residents able to ask the county questions and provide feedback before the budget is finalized.

All meetings take place at the County Council’s government center on 2001 S. State Street and can be attended virtually.

“It matters that people show up, give their opinion to us,” Johnson said. “This is a public process. Everyone needs to talk to us so we can do the best we can.” CW

Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson

Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute director Natalie Gochnour has warned county officials about “cloudy” economic conditions.

Fall Flavors at Laurel Brasserie & Bar

Chef Christian Ojeda debuts a cozy autumn menu.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

There are a lot of things that I love about fall—it’s peak soup season, after all—but one of my favorite things about this seasonal change is when restaurants unveil their autumn menus. A new season means new ingredients, and those that often find themselves featured on a fall menu are consistently among my favorites. For the team at Laurel Brasserie & Bar, the fall menu is also a chance for the restaurant’s new executive chef Christian Ojeda to throw down his culinary gauntlet and show Laurel diners what he can do.

As well-traveled as Chef Ojeda is, his Provo heritage makes him a true blue Utahn. Throughout the tenure of his career, he’s found inspiration everywhere from his grandmother’s empanada business in Denver to the street markets of Valparaíso, Chile, where he frequently visited relatives. Ojeda’s career has seen him working with legendary chefs such as Hubert Keller and Joel Robuchon at Michelin-star restaurants in Las Vegas. He also spent nearly a decade at Park City’s Montage Deer Valley (as Chef de Cuisine and, eventually, Executive Chef).

I recently had a chance to preview a few dishes from Laurel’s fall menu, and each one offers a unique insight into the culi-

nary mind of Chef Ojeda and his vision for the restaurant. The menu kicked off with a few autumnal small plates, like roasted pumpkin & smoked parmesan arancini ($12), and flatbread topped with prosciutto and caramelized pear. The latter was a smaller version of one of the restaurant’s pizzas ($21) that also features goat cheese and a fig glaze. Both dishes presented their respective fall flavors well, but it was the prosciutto and caramelized pear flatbread that won me over. Regardless of where you land on the “should fruit be on pizza” spectrum, this is sweet-andsavory at their best.

From there we were served the salt roasted beets and Tuscan greens salad ($16), a jewel-toned collection of pomegranate seeds, shaved carrots and sliced radishes served with red and gold beets. I get that the beets and candied walnuts were here to make the salad autumntinged, but I couldn’t help thinking about how much this dish would slap on a hot summer day. Each component was gorgeously fresh, and every bite had just enough roasted salinity and vinaigrette acidity for all kinds of lovely contrast. It’s the kind of salad that wakes your taste buds up enough to appreciate the entree.

The Scottish salmon ($33) arrived next, a generous salmon filet topped with wilted greens that sits on an earthy bed of gigante bean ragout and a sweet pepper piperade. This was a dish that felt seasonally transitional, with the light salmon and pepper piperade feeling quite summery and light and the bean ragout adding a hearty, stew-like vibe that felt quintessentially autumnal. While I enjoyed the salmon immensely, it was the gigante beans that have kept my mind reeling. Chef Ojeda’s ragout was phenomenal, and I’m now a gigante superfan.

The evening’s main course was a Niman Ranch braised beef short rib served with a carrot puree, wild mushrooms, ci-

pollini onions and a black garlic-truffle reduction. This menu item borrowed a few elements from the Niman Ranch braised pork osso bucco ($34) and the double-cut Western lamb chops ($46). The short rib was decadently tender, which offers an idea of Ojeda’s masterful braising techniques. Crafting a bite with some of the carrot puree, wild mushrooms and cipollini onions simply results in fall on a fork. For dessert, Laurel’s Executive Pastry Chef Xavier Baudinet took the reins with the restaurant’s apple merveille ($9)— Bavarian cream stuffed with spiced apple compote and shaped into a spherical representation of the fruit. A red mirror glaze and white chocolate stem complete the illusion, and it’s one of those desserts that makes you feel a pang of guilt as soon as you carve out a bite with your spoon. I’ve never been the biggest fan of apple desserts, but this was an absolute knockout, as the spiced apple compote and the cool Bavarian cream create a silky dessert experience.

Though Laurel exists within downtown Salt Lake’s fanciest hotel, it continues to be an accessible fine-dining experience. Chef Ojeda sees Laurel as the kind of welcoming place where diners can enjoy the restaurant’s green marble aesthetic and upscale menu without breaking the bank. Service at Laurel continues to be top notch as its knowledgeable service staff and culinary team hold themselves to a high standard. Based upon my recent experience with what Chef Ojeda and his team can do, it feels like Laurel is in very capable hands. CW

Braised beef short rib with carrot puree

2 Row Brewing

73 West 7200 South, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com

On Tap: “Juicequake” Juicy Style IPA

Avenues Proper

376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com

On Tap: Paradise Green Tea Rice Lager

Bewilder Brewing

445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com

On Tap: Pink Boots - Pink 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 Salt Lake City, UT 84115 chappell.beer

On Tap: Pie Hole - Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale

Corner Brew Pub Sugar House 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/wasatch

On Tap:  Top of Main Coalition Hellfire Chili Pepper Ale

Craft by Proper

1053 E. 2100 So., SLC properbrewingco.com

On Tap: I Am The Vvitch - golden ale with pumpkin and spices

Desert Edge Brewery

273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com

On Tap:  Centennial Steamer, California Common Lager

Epic Brewing Co.

825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Six New Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout Variants

Etta Place Cidery

700 W Main St, Torrey www.ettaplacecider.com

On Tap: Imperial Cider, Fig-Tamarind 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

NEW: DK Rice Lager

Heber Valley Brewing

501 N. Main Street, Heber City, UT hebervalleybrewing.com

Fresh Canned ’To-Go’: NZ Choice

IPA - Hazy IPA w/ New Zealand hops (7.1% ABV)

Helper Beer

159 N Main Street, Helper, UT  helperbeer.com

Hopkins Brewing Co.

1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Sauvin Blanc Brut

Kiitos Brewing

608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

On Tap: Dark Check Pilz (cans only)

Kiitos Brewing Sugar House Bar 1533 S. 1100 East, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

NOW OPEN!

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Hefe Goldbloom Hefeweizen

Level Crossing Brewing Co., POST

550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Vienna 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: Forbidden Fruit Pomegranate and Blood Orange Hard 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: Yes Jeff! - Hazy IPA 5%

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

On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner

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

On Tap: I Am The Vvitch - golden ale with pumpkin and spices

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

On Tap: I Am The Vvitch - golden ale with pumpkin and spices

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: Brewers Select: Tipsy Tigress IPA 7.8% ABV

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Peacan Pie Ale

SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Draft: Master Control Program NIEPA

Salt Flats Brewing

2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: OPEN ROAD SERIES #3Barrel Aged Grand Cru

Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com

On Tap: A Raposa 8% ABV

Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek https://secondsummitcider.com

On Tap: Garden Pear 6% ABV

Shades Brewing 1388 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City ShadesBrewing.beer

New Batch: Raspberry Pistachio Sour Ale

Shades On State

366 S. State Street, Salt Lake City

Shadesonstate.com

On Tap: Six Wheat Under Hefeweizen

Silver Reef

4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George SGBev.com

Squatters Corner Pub – Valley Fair

3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City

squatterscornerpub.com

On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Acapulco Gold Mexican Lager Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co.

147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/squatters

On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Strawberry Kolsch

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

On Tap: “Virgil the Guide” (Italian Pilsner); “Smiles und Sunshine” (German Leichtes Weizen)

Strap Tank Brewery, Springville 596 S 1750 W, Springville, UT 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: Witches Brew; One Nut November (Nut brown ale)

Thieves Guild Cidery 117 W. 900 South, SLC thievesguildcidery.com

On Tap: Crossbow - Bright apple forward cider w/orange zest | 5%

Top of Main Brewery

250 Main, Park City, Utah topofmainbrewpub.com

On Tap: Top of Main Brewery Hop Carousel IPA

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com

On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG

2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com

On Tap: Golden Grant 5% ABV.

Vernal Brewing

55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

BEER NERD

The Session Sessions

Beers so good, just one pint isn’t an option.

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Ogden Beer - Munich Dunkel: A Munich Dunkel is a traditional German dark lager, known for its rich, malty character without being overly heavy or sweet. It’s often described as having a deep, bread-like or toasted malt flavor with hints of chocolate, caramel or nuts. Despite its dark color, it’s typically very smooth and easy-drinking.

This lager is a textbook of a crisp autumn day in a glass. From the very first sip, I found it remarkably comforting, starting with its deeply satisfying toasted malt character. This isn’t just a fleeting note; it’s a rich, enveloping “malt blanket” that cuddles the palate, offering a depth that is both inviting and well-executed. The toasted notes are reminiscent of freshly-baked bread crusts, offering a subtle sweetness balanced by a pleasant, biscuity dryness.

Following this initial malty embrace, the noble hops make their entrance. They introduce a good dose of herbal and grassy notes that are neither aggressive nor overwhelming. Instead, these hop characteristics serve to round out the malt profile, preventing it from becoming overly sweet or one-dimensional. The herbal freshness provides a nice counterpoint, adding a layer of complexity that enhances the lager’s toastier aspects, leading to a wonderfully balanced and nuanced flavor. At 5.0% ABV, this lager strikes an ideal balance of flavor and drinkability, making it damn sessionable. It possesses a crisp, clean finish that refreshes the palate, creating the desire for another sip.

Verdict: This beer is truly at its peak now, to be enjoyed in the cool autumn air. It’s the kind of lager that makes you want to sit by a crackling fire, wrapped in a blanket, enjoying the moment. A wellcrafted and thoroughly enjoyable brew

that perfectly complements the season.

Chappell - OZZY: Obviously named for the late Ozzy Osboune, this is the second beer in Chappell’s barrel-aged series of beers called the “D-bag Series.” This beer is a version of Chappell’s Black IPA called War Pig. For this variant, the team at Chappell laid this down for over a year in bourbon barrels from Fray Ranch Distillery. Black IPAs combine the prominent hop-forward characteristics and bitterness of a traditional American India Pale Ale with the dark color and subtle, restrained roast notes of a dark beer, such as a porter.

This barrel-aged session stout presents a bit of a dichotomy, beginning with a surprisingly subtle base black ale that lays a foundation for more assertive elements. Initially, the palate is greeted with a robust presence of roasty malt, reminiscent of dark chocolate or freshly brewed coffee, intertwining with a vibrant wave of piney hops. This combination delivers a classic stout character with a refreshing, slightly bitter edge that prevents it from becoming overly heavy.

However, the true star of this brew reveals itself through the barrel aging. The whiskey barrels introduce an entirely new dimension, imparting a bourbon character that is both pronounced and refined. This is complemented by a tannic oak sweetness, which acts as a counterpoint to the roasted malts and bright hops. The interplay of these flavors creates a complex yet harmonious profile, where no single element overwhelms another.

Verdict: I’m calling this a “session beer,” a descriptor not typically associated with a 7.0 percent ABV ale. Yet, within the realm of whiskey barrel-aged beers, where double-digit ABVs are common, this just feels sessionable. It offers the rich, profound depth usually reserved for much stronger barrel-aged offerings, but in a remarkably approachable and drinkable package. This beer offers careful craftsmanship, balancing robust flavors with an inviting drinkability, making it a standout example of its style.

OZZY comes in 750 ml bottles, and is only available at Chappell Brewing to enjoy there or to go. Munich Dunkel is on draft at Ogden Beer Co. with growlers and crowlers as an option to go.

As always, cheers! CW

the BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

El Paisa Grill Celebrates 25 Years

One of Utah’s most beloved Mexican grills turned 25 this month. It’s a true milestone for El Paisa Grill (elpaisagrill.nicepage.io), which has been providing Mexican comfort food and quality margaritas to the West Valley and Ogden areas. Originally established by the Orozco family, El Paisa Grill is home to a menu of classic Guadalajaran dishes that have become local mainstays over the past few decades. Festivities at the West Valley location have already taken place, but the Ogden location will be celebrating the anniversary on Nov. 22 and 23 with live music, prizes and giveaways. If you haven’t been to El Paisa Grill yet, now is a great time to check it out.

Moab Brewery’s Airport Expansion

The Salt Lake International Airport continues to be a great place to experience a taste of Utah’s food scene, and Concourse B continues that tradition with its own Moab Brewery (themoabbrewery.com) location. The original location of Moab Brewery has been in operation since 1996, and it’s become a must-visit spot for anyone checking out Southern Utah’s national parks. The airport location of the brewery will include the same craft beer and plenty of favorites from the food menu. Weary travelers can lift their spirits with a pint of Dead Horse Amber Ale while enjoying and order of Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos.

Yurt Dining at Hyatt Regency Salt Lake

Those craving an alpine experience without braving the snowy mountain weather will want to check out the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake (hyatt.com) this winter. Starting on Nov. 21, the hotel will be debuting Chalet on Six, a multi-course winter concept that unfolds within a luxury yurt. This unique dining experience takes place on the hotel’s sixth floor terrace and will feature dishes like heirloom beet carpaccio and apple cider-braised short rib. The meal will also feature a wine or cocktail pairing by request. As this promises to be a popular destination this holiday season, reservations are required and can be made via the Hyatt Regency website.

Quote of the Week: “Bread is the staff of life, but beer is life itself.” – English proverb

Down in the Valley

Debra Fotheringham’s Valley of Annihilation captures the pain of a disintegrating marriage.

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

Coming to a crossroads in life can be a difficult yet decisive time. Being faced with hard decisions is something that we all go through, but rarely welcome. Local singer/songwriter Debra Fotheringham came face to face with a difficult crossroads in 2023, and that’s how her new album Valley of Annihilation was born. Her first album in eight years, Valley is an introspective, raw and real body of work, Fotheringham not holding back throughout its runtime. As the story goes, Fotheringham moved to Vermont with her spouse of 15 years, hoping to escape from the chaos of the pandemic and overall craziness of the last several years. They hoped to find a serene country life, but “instead, the isolation stripped away distractions and laid bare the fractures in a marriage already beginning to fray,” according to the album description. “With the relationship crumbling, Deb returned alone to Utah, facing the daunting task of rebuilding a life from the ground up. For the first time in decades, she was on her own—untethered, uncertain, and wide open to possibility. Out of this upheaval, songs began to emerge: fragile at first, then fierce and unflinching.”

Valley of Annihilation takes its listeners on the journey of heartbreak, rebirth, tenderness and ego. The album is powerful and emotional, starting with the title. “Annihilation” is an incredibly strong

word, and introduces the listener to many of these feelings before even pressing play.

Valley opens with “Problem Child,” a mid-tempo track with prominent percussion, keyboard and electronic elements. Fotheringham’s vocals here are soft, but feel powerful in delivery—not in volume, but in sensibility. This track will hit home for people who feel like there’s a part of themselves that won’t go away, despite how difficult that part makes of life.

“I’ve got a constant companion / Her cruelty always hits me like a truck, / like how she says I’m a vampire / cause I suck the life from everything I touch,” Fotheringham sings. The track builds sonically and lyrically before its stark ending.

Fotheringham is a longtime veteran of the local music scene in Utah, known for her passionate vocals and skills on guitar and percussion instruments; she’s also a member of the gospel/folk collective The Lower Lights. You can certainly tell from listening to the album that she’s a pro, but the production is also top-notch, as Fotheringham worked with Scott Wiley at June Audio to bring the album to life.

“He always knows how to make a song better, make it more dynamic, structure it for emotional impact, give it magical moments. He’s willing to try anything new and interesting and weird if it serves the song,” she wrote of Wiley online. “There’s no one that mixes like he does. He’s not just an engineer, he’s a mixing artist.”

These two talented minds certainly came together to create a beautiful and fulfilling album that’s layered and complex. As the album continues, more introspective titles come up, including “Time Machine,” “Protagonist” and “Whole.”

Track two on the album, “Bright Eyes,” is also a standout with its melodic, peaceful yet somber sound. There are a few lines of lyrics at the end of this track that really hit with a gut punch: “It’s not that he gave me what you couldn’t / It’s that he gave me what you wouldn’t,” Fotheringham sings.

With themes of identity, belonging,

MUSIC

resilience, self-discovery and self-compassion, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t relate to Valley of Annihilation. Losing sight of who you are, trying to find where you fit in and trying to be patient with yourself are struggles that speak to most—which is why everyone should give this album a listen, at least once (it’s so good you’ll definitely come back again, though).

“I hope the songs resonate with you in some way and make this hard world a little softer if even for a moment,” Fotheringham shared on Instagram prior to the album’s release. “Just making the album was so fulfilling that sometimes I wish I could just release it and be done with it without all this rah-rah-rah, but then I suppose no one would hear it and I do actually want people to hear it. If a tree falls in the woods…”

Valley of Annihilation ends with “Hiber-

nation,” a folk-tinged tune that wraps the album up beautifully. It’s hopeful and upbeat, sounding light and airy with Fotheringham’s vocals. The lightness of her voice pairs nicely with the grounding beat and steady guitar picking. “Hibernation” ends the track and album nicely with its last few lines of lyrics: “I’m not afraid to feel it all / the pain of losing you / and my role in the fall / I’m not afraid to feel it all / the mystery of life’s end / The fucking breathless beauty of it all.”

When you inevitably reach another major life crossroads, take a page from Fotheringham’s book—or rather a lyric or two from albums like Valley of Annihilation Give yourself some grace and remember you’re not alone. CW

BandCamp: https://debrafotheringham.bandcamp. com/album/valley-of-annihilation

Debra Fotheringham

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

BEST BAR IN UTAH!

GREAT FOOD

MUSIC PICK S

Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Metro Music Hall 11/13

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Anton Newcombe founded Brian Jonestown Massacre in 1990. Over the following three decades-plus, the group’s lineup has undergone countless changes, with more than 30 musicians coming and going (and sometimes returning), but Newcombe is the group’s sole constant. The band has released more than 20 albums, showcasing Newcombe’s distinctive take on psychedelia and alt-rock. The band has been consistent in earning critical praise, but that’s where the predictability ends: wildly erratic in a live setting, Brian Jonestown Massacre can veer from sublime to ridiculous, often within the context of a single performance. The band may be completely together, firing on all cylinders. Or the musicians might erupt in verbal sparring or even fisticuffs, the performance breaking down completely. One night BJM is focused and energetic; another, they’re listless and disinterested. At their best, Brian Jonestown Massacre is a must-see-and-hear act. At their worst, they’re an abject disappointment. In the end, that unpredictability is part of the experience. The Brian Jonestown Massacre comes to Metro Music Hall on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. with Alex Nicol opening. Tickets for this 21+ show are $48.13 and available from 24tix.com. (Bill Kopp)

Coral Grief

Nellie and the YardSwillers

Salt Lake City Indie Night

Date My Mate: Powerpoints to Pitch A Friend

Diles Que No Me Maten

Animals In Exile

MUSIC PICK S

Z-Man, Vocab Slick and True Justice @ Liquid Joes 11/14

The Slap Frost tour is a standout. Reaching 110 cities in 45 states and delivering a decade’s worth of unforgettable shows, this year offers a stacked 10th-anniversary lineup. California’s Z-Man, Vocab Slick and DJ True Justice headline what will be an epic night of culture. The emcees and groups associated with this outfit don’t just come out with a load of rattling hi-hats, repeating simple catch phrases over and over; they value the construction of the writing of rhymes, moving the crowd and including an individual approach to each of their sounds. These true schoolers are disciples of hip-hop’s core values that go way back. “My stage name is actually my real name. My full name is True Justice Allah. I know it sounds cool now but just imagine being a little kid with that name,” True told Spitfire Hip-Hop. “It was no walk in the park. My father hung with the original Black Panthers in Oakland, so I am a product of those times.” Look, that pocket of time was such a formative period in the history of music and the arts, and while the names that typically get bandied about from that era all deserve their kudos—there’s a whole lot of creativity waiting to be discovered, and it needs to be experienced it in real time. Unconventional Loui, The Saltines, The ILL Literate, 3 Wise Men, Granola and Pawz One open. Catch these artists on the 10th annual Slap Frost tour at Liquid Joes on Friday, Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $10 and can be found at liquidjoes.ticketsauce.com. (Mark Dago)

Lumasi @ Soundwell 11/14

After going viral on TikTok by showing the remixes he made for his girlfriend, Lumasi is quickly emerging as a serious bass artist in the electronic music scene. This is a chance to see an artist in a smaller space like Soundwell, before he will absolutely take the world by storm. His songs like the remix of “Lower” featuring ProCause has the bassy, wonky vibe of Liquid Stranger, with whom he toured on the Wakaan Expansion Tour last year. This song was a “flip” of the Flo Rida song “Low” and amassed millions of views. He remixed it to include his own voice and it’s proven to be something much deeper than just playing bass-heavy music. For example, his songs “Transformation” and “Levitate” both set him apart by using frequency to evoke emotion. Lumasi’s music can best be described as a unique blend of ambience, jazz, dubstep and psychedelic over a dub reggae groovy sound. As times are changing and artists find themselves using social media for exposure and community, Lumasi represents the good that can come from that. Remixing popular songs gained him enough attention to then create his own originals for a solid fan base. Now, he’s played at major festivals like Lost Lands and Bass Canyon, and is set to only become a bigger name. Check him out for this new Eclipse Tour on Friday, Nov. 14. Doors open at 9 p.m. with tickets listed at $37.73. Grab tickets at v2presents.com. (Arica Roberts)

Sports., Kerosine Heights, Thoughts on Bowling, Melancholy Club, Tiger Bike @ The Beehive 11/14

The Beehive is a rad little venue in SLC that features talented locals, and has the coolest address ever (666 S. State St.).

The venue’s focus is on offering a safe, sober and inclusive space for showgoers, and it makes for a great atmosphere, especially when stacked with an incredible lineup like the one coming up this weekend. Each of the bands on the bill offers its own excellent take on the emo genre, allowing for a good variety while also creating a fun theme for the night.

The lineup features some cool out-oftown acts like Sports., heading this way from Connecticut, Thoughts on Bowling

out of Arkansas and Kerosine Heights from North Carolina. It’s great to have out-of-towners, but this show also highlights locals Melancholy Club and Tiger Bike. Melancholy Club is a beloved emo/punk/rock act who bring incredible energy each time they perform. They were featured at Kilby Block Party earlier this year, inspiring a headbanging crowd to jam along throughout the set. Fellow locals Tiger Bike have a great emo sound, especially on their standout track “sleep for dinner.” Come rock out and start the weekend right on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $22.39 in advance and $27.60 at the door. Snag tickets at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Lucius @ The Depot 11/15

Lucius, a pure pop duo fronted by singer and songwriters Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe with additional assistance from drummer Dan Molad and guitarist Peter Lalish, make music aimed at countering the difficulties and despair that seem to dominate today’s troubling headlines. Despite the various pressures that have accompanied life recently—politics, the pandemic, distancing and disappointment—not to mention their own experiences of motherhood, divorce and unexpected career catastrophes, they’ve managed to overcome those obstacles over the course of their career. That’s evidenced, at least in part, by positive reviews they’ve received from prominent sources including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Paste, The Village Voice and NPR. Notably too, they’ve contributed vocals to the efforts of such essential artists as Roger Waters, Joni Mitchell, Harry Styles, Jackson Browne, Jeff Tweedy, John Legend, John Prine, Mavis Staples, Lukas Nelson, Brandi Carlile and Brandy Clark. With four well-received albums and a self-titled EP to their credit, their fame has continued to expand exponentially. Likewise, Lucius has made a name for themselves by composing music for multiple film and television projects, in addition to three 2023 Grammy nominations for Album of The Year (In These Silent Days), Record of the Year (“You and Me on the Rock”) and Best Americana Performance (“You and Me on the Rock”). Lucius also had the distinct honor of performing with Brandi Carlile at the Grammys. Consider Lucius luscious indeed. Lucius comes to the Depot at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. Tickets cost $65$107 at ticketmaster.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

The Akan concept of Sankofa is represented by a bird looking backward while moving forward. The message is “Go back and get it.” You must retrieve wisdom from the past to move into the future. Forgetting where you came from doesn’t liberate you; it orphans you. I encourage you to make Sankofa a prime meditation, Aries. The shape of your becoming must include the shape of your origin. You can’t transcend what you haven’t integrated. So look back, retrieve what you left behind, and bring it forward.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to engage in strategic forgetting. It’s the art of deliberately unlearning what you were taught about who you should be, what you should want and how you should spend your precious life. Fact: Fanatical brand loyalty to yourself can be an act of self-sabotage. I suggest you fire yourself from your own expectations. Clock out from the job of being who you were yesterday. It’s liberation time!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

We should all risk asking supposedly wrong questions. Doing so reminds us that truth and discovery often hide in the compost pile of our mistaken notions. A wrong question can help us shed tired assumptions, expose invisible taboos and lure new insights out of hiding. By leaning into the awkward, we invite surprise, which may be a rich source of genuine learning. With that in mind, I invite you to ask the following: Why not? What if I fail spectacularly? What would I do if I weren’t afraid of looking dumb? How can I make this weirder? What if the opposite were true? What if I said yes? What if I said no? What if this is all simpler than I’m making it? What if it’s stranger than I can imagine?

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Cancerian novelist Octavia Butler said her stories were fueled by two obsessions: “Where will we be going?” and “How will we get there?” One critic praised this approach, saying she paid “serious attention to the way human beings actually work together and against each other.” Other critics praised her “clear-headed and brutally unsentimental” explorations of “far-reaching issues of race, sex, power.” She was a visionary whose imagination was expansive and attention to detail meticulous. Let’s make her your role model. Your future self is leaning toward you, whispering hints about paths still half-formed. You’re being invited to be both a dreamer and builder, both a seer and strategist. Where are you going, and how will you get there?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

The Tagalog language includes the word kilig. It refers to the butterfly-in-the-stomach flutter when something momentous, romantic or cute happens. I suspect kilig will be a featured experience for you in the coming weeks—if you make room for it. Please don’t fill up every minute with mundane tasks and relentless worrying. Meditate on the truth that you deserve an influx of such blessings and must expand your consciousness to welcome their full arrival.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Your liver performs countless functions, including storing vitamins, synthesizing proteins, regulating blood sugar, filtering 1.5 quarts of blood per minute and detoxifying metabolic wastes. It can regenerate itself from as little as 25 percent of its original tissue. It’s your internal resurrection machine: proof that some damage is reversible, and some second chances come built-in. Many cultures have regarded the liver not just as an organ, but as the seat of the soul and the source of passions. Some practice ritual purification ceremonies that honor the liver’s pivotal role. In accordance with astrological omens, Virgo, I invite you to celebrate this central repository of your life energy. Regard it as an inspiring symbol of your ability to revitalize yourself.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

The pupils of your eyes are not black. They are actually holes. Each pupil is an absence, a portal where light enters

you and is tranlsated into sight. Do you understand how amazing this is? You have two voids in your face through which the world pours itself into your nervous system. These crucial features are literally made of nothing. The voidness is key to your love of life. Everything I just said reframes emptiness not as loss or deficiency, but as a functioning joy. Without the pupils’ hollowness, there is no color, no shape, no sunrise, no art. Likewise in emotional life, our ability to be delighted depends on vulnerability. To feel wonder and curiosity is to let the world enter us, just as light enters the eye.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Your dreams speak in images, not ideas. They bypass your rational defenses and tell the truth slantwise because the truth straight-on may be too bright to bear. The source of dreams, your unconscious, is fluent in a language that your waking mind may not be entirely adept in understanding: symbol, metaphor and emotional logic. It tries to tell you things your conscious self refuses to hear. Are you listening? Or are you too busy being reasonable? The coming weeks will be a crucial time to tune in to messages from deep within you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

The tour guide at the museum was describing the leisure habits of ancient Romans. “Each day’s work was often completed by noon,” he said. “For the remainder of the day, they indulged in amusement and pleasure. Over half of the calendar consisted of holidays.” As I heard this cheerful news, my attention gravitated to you, Sagittarius. You probably can’t permanently arrange your schedule to be like the Romans. But you’ll be wise to do so during the coming days. Do you dare to give yourself such abundant comfort and delight? Might you be bold enough to rebel against the daily drudgery to honor your soul’s and body’s cravings for relief and release?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The Zulu greeting Sawubona means “I see you.” Not just “hello,” but “I acknowledge your existence, your dignity and your humanity.” The response is Ngikhona: “I am here.” In this exchange, people receive a respectful appreciation of the fact that they contain deeper truths below the surface level of their personality. This is the opposite of the Western world’s default state of mutual invisibility. What if you greeted everyone like this, Capricorn—with an intention to bestow honor and recognition? I recommend that you try this experiment. It will spur others to treat you even better than they already do.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Bear with me while I propose an outlandish-sounding theory: you have enough of everything. Not eventually, not after the next achievement, but right now: You have all you need. What if enoughness is not a quantity but a quality of attention? What if enoughness isn’t a perk you have to earn but a treasure you simply claim? In this way of thinking, you consider the possibility that the finish line keeps moving because you keep moving it. And now you will decide to stop doing that. You resolve to believe that this breath, this moment, and this gloriously imperfect life are enough, and the voice telling you it’s not enough is selling something you don’t need.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

The Inuit people have dozens of words for snow. The Scots have over 100 words for rain. Sanskrit is renowned for its detailed and nuanced vocabulary relating to love, tenderness and spiritual bliss. According to some estimates, there are 96 different terms for various expressions of love, including the romantic and sensual kind, as well as compassion, friendship, devotion and transcendence. I invite you to take an inventory of all the kinds of affection and care you experience. Now is an excellent phase to expand your understanding of these mysteries—and increase your capacity for giving and receiving them.

Camden Court – 1300 South JN Beach, General Contractor, License #14235449-5501, located at 2300 W Sahara Ave, Ste 800, Las Vegas, NV 89102, is hereby soliciting construction bids including Section 3 and MBE, WBE, & DBE subcontractors for ALL TRADES. The project, Camden Court, is located on 390 W 1300 S St, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. This is a federally funded project, with Section 3 requirements only. Estimated start date 02/02/2025. Bids must be submitted by 11/28/2025. Interested bidders must contact Katherine Luzi at kluzi@jnbeach.com for the link to plans and specifications.

Jeuveau

UT 84117 801-272-3900 WWW.ANEWDAYSPA.COM

wait to buy

urban LIVING

Building News

Lots of development plans are swirling around Salt Lake City when it comes to education and housing. For example, Judge Memorial, which is owned by the Catholic Diocese, is actively exploring moving the school to the 14.4-acre property around St. Ann Catholic Church at 2100 South and 400 East.

The school is currently located at 650 South and 1100 East and administrators have a capital campaign to build a complex for all ages under college level. Once the property on 11th East is sold and they’ve raised enough donations, they will break ground on an anticipated three-year project and move to the new location.

Judge, as folks call it, was founded in 1921 and was named after benefactor Mary Judge. It was the original site of Judge Mercy Home, which later was converted to the school.

Interestingly, the Rowland Hall private school down the street also opened its doors in 1921, but it was actually founded in 1867 and is considered Utah’s oldest school.

Originally a religious school run by the Episcopal Church, it has outgrown its older buildings just as Judge has. Their new campus, near Sunnyside Avenue and Guardsman Way, will open its doors next year.

What will happen to the land and properties of these schools once they are sold and they have moved to their new locations? Whatever the new owners have planned, it’ll most likely end up becoming much-needed housing.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

1. Comic Sans lack

6. Gather

11. Taste of tisane, e.g.

14. KitchenAid competitor

15. Dark time

16. Prefix for brow or tasker

17. Social psychology topic

19. Some hosp. staffers

20. “Stath ___ Flats” (Jamie Demetriou Britcom that’s a mouthful to say)

21. Concept derived in part from the “I Ching”

22. It may be light or dark at Thanksgiving

23. Quarter, quaintly

26. The magic word?

28. “___ with the fur”

29. Kal ___ (pet food brand)

32. Secret stuff

33. AMA members

34. Picasso and Braque, for two

36. “The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science” author

41. “Hey Ya!” duo

42. Sounds in a dentist’s office

44. Walk of Fame insignias, usually

47. Joan of Arc, e.g., for short

48. Jail, slangily

50. Barry Manilow’s longtime label

52. “It’s a deal!”

54. Way serious

55. Acting coach Strasberg

58. Lackluster

59. Arced tennis shot

60. Remove a controversial post without warning (thereby removing the resulting discussion)

64. Academic URL ending

65. Sheepish

66. Senior church official

67. Valentine’s Day color

68. Tablelands

69. Vacuum inventor Sir James ___

9. 1993 Salt-N-Pepa hit

10. Initials on a Cardinals cap

11. Least tentative

12. From birth

13. Prop for Yosemite Sam

18. East, in Berlin

22. Organization with a lot of tests

23. “We don’t know yet,” on schedules

24. Vocation

25. Moves furtively

27. Cracker brand with seven holes

30. “I’m on ___” (late-2000s “SNL” song)

31. Late hip-hop phenom Hussle or comedian/game show panelist

Russell

34. Op. ___ (footnote abbr.)

35. Complete collection

37. Like Yggdrasil

38. Nothing but

Both schools are located between the University of Utah and the hot 9th and 9th neighborhood, where property values are high. Hopefully, we won’t be seeing cheap five-story apartment buildings go up on the grounds, but more thoughtful ideas with great architectural features and different price ranges that could compliment the areas where the old schools are located.

I’m sure the neighborhood community councils will have a lot of input as will Salt Lake City’s Planning and Zoning staff and volunteers.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Salt Lake Film Society has announced its renovation plans for the Tower Theatre in the 9th and 9th area, and has filed its plans with the city as to what is going to happen with the site.

According to the submitted designs, the theater’s main auditorium will remain, but there are plans to build a new second-floor event space and small screening rooms in the basement, and possibly a speakeasy.

The original Tower façade is still intact, but hidden, and it will be wonderful to see the castle-style top—built to look like the Tower of London—exposed again on the top of the building. And the original marquee will be rebuilt outside.

The 1920s saw a big building boom in our capitol city, with the original theater opening in 1927.

It was built by Samuel Campbell and is the oldest theater in the Salt Lake Valley—although it’s been closed for five years since COVID hit. ■

DOWN

1. “Casablanca” pianist

2. Longtime U.K. record label

3. Went astray

4. Owing

5. “Truth be told ...”

6. ___ Taylor LOFT (clothing brand)

7. Oven protection

8. Indian tourist city

39. Locations where silt settles

40. Vincent van Gogh’s brother

43. Thesaurus entry, for short

44. Retired NASCAR driver

Elliott

45. Early radio component

46. “Ain’t no rule that says a dog can’t play basketball”

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

movie

48. Made baby food out of

49. By mouth

51. Kicking partner

53. Like 7, but not 6

56. Largest known dwarf planet

57. Sicily’s highest peak

60. Peter DeLuise’s father

61. “That’s correct”

62. Former Notre Dame football player Manti

63. West end?

NEWS of the WEIRD

Saw That Coming

Hillary Martin of Orange County, Florida, has filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld Orlando following an incident that happened in March, ClickOrlando reported. Martin is seeking $50,000 in damages after she was struck by a duck riding the Mako roller coaster. (We didn’t even know ducks like roller coasters.) Martin said the duck flew into the coaster’s path and struck her in the face, causing her to lose consciousness. She claims the park created a “zone of danger” by placing the ride near a body of water. No word on the duck’s condition or injuries.

Compelling Explanation

Karen Dedert, 58, of Seminole, Florida, woke her husband up early on Nov. 4 by standing over him and asking where their son was, WTSP-TV reported. Then she said, “I need to sacrifice and kill you both,” according to the arrest affidavit. She tried stabbing her husband, Richard, with a knife, but he blocked the attack and locked himself in a bathroom. Later, she lunged at him with the knife again, cutting his arm. Richard escaped and called for help; when they arrived, Karen was still in the house. She said she didn’t want to talk but spontaneously offered, “These aren’t the clothes I was wearing when I stabbed him.” She was charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Bright Ideas

■ Bothered by spicy foods? Researchers in China have recently developed an artificial “tongue” that can detect spice levels in foods, the New York Post reported on Oct. 29. The small transparent square is placed on the user’s tongue and can detect spice levels ranging from nothing to beyond levels perceived as painful. It can also detect flavors such as ginger, black pepper, horseradish, garlic and onion. No word on when it will be available to the public.

■ On Oct. 25 in Lille, France, an almost-homeless tech entrepreneur, Dagobert Renouf, married his love, Anna Plynina, People magazine reported. But because of Renouf’s broke status, the nuptials nearly didn’t happen. However, in July, Renouf had a brainstorm: He sold sponsorships for the wedding, with corporate donors getting their logos sewn onto his suit jacket. With Plynina supporting the project, Renouf launched a website, offering spots for $300 up to $2,000, depending on the placement. He promised to wear the jacket in all the wedding photos, which would be shared on social media platforms with 116,000 followers. Twenty-six companies bought in, for a total of $10,000 in advertising revenue. The suit cost $5,200 to make, and Renouf had to pay $2,500 on the income. “I basically got a free suit and $2,000 out of it,” he said. Even better, he got a job: One company was impressed with his ideas and dedication, and “I’ve been absolutely killing it and enjoying it since then,” Renouf said.

I Feel Like I’ve Forgotten Something ...

■ During a virtual hearing in the 36th District Court in Detroit on Oct. 27, police officer Matthew Jackson showed up to testify about a woman who had been charged with drag racing and disorderly conduct. But, WXYZ-TV reported, officer Jackson forgot one important part of his uniform: pants. “You got some pants on, officer?” asked the judge, Sean Perkins. Jackson replied, “No, sir” and moved his camera up so that his bare legs could no longer be seen, and the hearing continued. Jackson was apparently wearing underwear with his uniform shirt. Detroit police apologized and said they would remind all officers about proper etiquette and dress codes for virtual hearings. “It was an interesting day, to say the least,” said TaTaNisha Reed, the defendant’s attorney.

■ Meanwhile, Glasgow (Scotland) City Councillor Hanif Raja dropped into a virtual planning meeting in early November but forgot to turn off his camera when he sat down on the toilet. The BBC reported that another councillor asked Raja if he was “aware that your camera is live,” prompting Raja to explain that he is diabetic and needs frequent “comfort breaks.” “The button was pressed and I didn’t notice,” he said. The council removed the livestream and said it would be uploaded after editing.

Creme de la Weird

Gizmodo reported on Nov. 5 that doctors in the Philippines have documented the case of a woman whose armpits leak milk. Dermatologists writing in the journal JAAD Case Reports said the patient was born with extra breast tissue on both sides of her underarms, which swelled up after she delivered a baby and produced “milky secretions from the overlying hair follicles.” The condition didn’t bother her when she wasn’t pregnant or breastfeeding; doctors said it affects fewer than 6% of women.

Florida

On the morning of Nov. 3 at a Publix grocery store in Miami, a man using the restroom stall was assaulted after Alfredo Brindis, 72, “entered the restroom frantically and began to bang on the stall door,” Local 10-TV reported. When the victim exited the stall, Brindis yelled at him to “hurry and move,” but Brindis was blocking his way. He said Brindis “presented a knife and waved it in front of the victim” and “tried to cut him.” The victim used his bookbag to shield himself. Brindis told police that he “really needed to use the restroom.” He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Wait, What?

A woman in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was expecting a package of medicine that she had ordered, but when the box came, she found something very different inside: two human arms and four fingers. WSMV-TV reported that the woman contacted 911 and the Christian County Coroner, Scott Daniel. Daniel responded to the home and gathered up the unexpected parcel, and the body parts are being dispatched to the correct recipient—but it’s unclear in this case who that was.

It’s a Mystery Police at Purdue University are grappling with a sticky situation on campus, WLFI-TV reported. On Nov. 5, officers received calls about a man walking around covered from head to toe in peanut butter. Witnesses were concerned about safety issues for people with peanut butter allergies. Investigators are unsure whether PB Man is a student and suggested he might be part of a hazing prank.

The Foreign Press

If you missed this year’s Tar Barrels event in Ottery St. Mary, England, make plans to attend next year. On Nov. 5, the BBC reported, selected residents of the town ran through the streets with flaming barrels of tar held over their heads in an “exhilarating” tribute to ... something. Even historians aren’t sure what, but the tradition goes back to 1605, “when bonfires and effigies were burnt and barrels were plentiful,” said Andrew Wade, president of the Tar Barrels Committee. “The barrels used to be rolled, that’s why the people are called barrel rollers.” At some point, the barrels were picked up and carried. A total of 27 are carried throughout the event. Surprisingly, “None of the participants are allowed to drink,” Wade said. “It will carry on as long as there are people in Ottery who want to do it.”

Managed Services Architect for Infosys Nova Holdings LLC in Lehi, UT design/deploy scalable code; design/develop integration; update methodology, framework & standards; conduct training; manage workload & timing of deliverables; lead analysis of business processes & requirements, business process mapping, re-engineering & documentation Option to Telecommute/Work from home available Multiple positions available Bachelor’s in Computer Science + 1 yr exp in job off’d req’d Respond LDRM/Infosys PO Bx 4241 NYC 10163

Salesforce Consultant for Infosys Nova Holdings LLC in Lehi, UT analyze & review requirmnts; design/deploy scalable code; oversee debugging; coordinate source control, pipeline & deployment mgmt; ensure systems are built to be sustainable/scalable; provide estimation & technical solutioning; direct unit testing & Quality Assurance Option to Telecommute/Work from home available Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering + 1 yr exp in job off”d req’d Respond JD/Infosys PO Bx 4241 NYC 10163

Salesforce Consultant for Infosys Nova Holdings LLC in Lehi, UT analyze & review requirmnts; design/deploy scalable code; oversee debugging; coordinate source control, pipeline & deployment mgmt; ensure systems are built to be sustainable/scalable; provide estimation & technical solutioning; direct unit testing & Quality Assurance Option to Telecommute/Work from home available Bachelor’s in Computer Science + 1 yr exp in job off”d req’d Respond TF/ Infosys PO Bx 4241 NYC 10163

Market Research Analyst

Research mkts to assess potential & support mktg strategies. Analyze competition, pricing, dist. methods & web metrics to enhance visibility. Provide insights to drive strategy, product dev. & business growth. Mon–Fri, 40 hrs/wk. Req: 30 mos exp as Marketing Manager, Bus Admin Manager, or related occ. Mail resume to Cavalcanti & Vertamatti Foods, LLC Dba - Gusto Brazil, 850 S 3600 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84014.