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CONTENTS

Cover Story

Anti-Trafficking, Incorporated

Tim Ballard’s fall from grace hasn’t stopped big money flowing through Our Rescue’s disputed charity work. By Michael McGrady Jr.

Cover art by Clint Burlap

6 10 15 18 23 29

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2 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

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SLC FORECAST Thursday 22 68°/50° PM storms Precipitation: 56%

Friday 23 56°/42° Rain Precipitation: 82%

SOURCE: WEATHER.COM Saturday 24 56°/42° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 6%

Sunday 25 60°/44° Sunny Precipitation: 5%

Monday 26 61°/44° Sunny Precipitation: 3%

Tuesday 27 60°/43° Mostly sunny Precipitation: 14%

Wednesday 28 61°/46° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 7%

STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS News Editor BENJAMIN WOOD Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Associate News Editor WES LONG Associate A&E Editor STEFENE RUSSELL

Editorial Contributors EMMALY ANDERSON, ROB BREZSNY, MARK DAGO, BILL KOPP, MICHAEL MCGRADY JR., TOM MERRILL, MIKE RIEDEL, ARICA ROBERTS, BRYAN YOUNG

Executive Editor and Founder JOHN SALTAS

Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES Developer BRYAN BALE

Circulation Manager JOSH LAMBROS Associate Business Manager PAULA SALTAS Account Executive DOUG KRUITHOF Marketing & Events Coordinator KAYLA DREHER Delivery Drivers WYATT AMES, CHRIS CHRISTENSEN, ANDREW EARLY, JESSICA ECKMAN,DON LANIER, MELVA LANIER, DEBBIE LONGSHAW, KADEN REESE Display Advertising 801-654-1393 National Advertising VMG Advertising | 888-278-9866

Salt Lake City Weekly is published every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. We are an independent publication dedicated to alternative news and news sources, that also serves as a comprehensive entertainment guide. 16,000 copies of Salt Lake City Weekly are available free of charge at more than 1,000 locations along the Wasatch Front. Limit one copy per reader. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased for $1 (Best of Utah and other special issues, $5) payable to Salt Lake City Weekly in advance. No person, without expressed permission of Copperfield Publishing Inc., may take more than one copy of any Salt Lake City Weekly issue. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Third-class postage paid at Midvale, UT. Delivery might take up to one full week. All rights reserved.

City Weekly is Registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Copperfield Publishing Inc. | John Saltas, City Weekly founder

Phone 801-654-1393 | Email comments@cityweekly.net Office address: 75 E. 400 South, Ste. 204, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

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4 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

S AP BOX @SLCWEEK LY

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Port in a Storm

@SLCWEEK LY

The Utah Inland Port Authority is subsidizing industrial development at a rate far exceeding population growth. Growth will continue to slow as we destroy our lake, our land, our health, our children’s hope and, ultimately, our home. We know the catastrophic consequences of a parched lakebed. Unbelievably, state leaders are appropriating millions of taxpayer dollars to UIPA, which are then passed to private profiteers to pave over enormous swaths of pristine land, decimate wetlands and encroach on the lake.

UIPA’s 17 inland port projects encompass 101,000 acres, more than half the area of New York City. Projects have been rammed through at lightning speed without a single dissenting vote from the board, catching local citizens entirely unaware. Tragically, by the time they were alerted, it was too late. UIPA is eagerly increasing air, water and noise pollution in exchange for a few thousand jobs. I wonder why UIPA hasn’t boasted about opportunities far beyond warehouse and data center jobs. Utah will need more lung, heart and eye specialists, as well as neurologists, infertility specialists and obstetricians specializing in high-risk pregnancies. We will need trauma and suicide prevention therapists, teachers for children with developmental delays, grief counselors for those who lose children. What about nurses for cancer wards, intensive care units for fragile newborns, rehabilitation centers, memory care facilities and hospice agencies? Don’t forget to add coroners, morticians, and cemetery groundskeepers.

Not one of these jobs can be performed by artificial intelligence. They all require humans caring for other humans in need. Then there are the construction jobs, a perennial favorite of legislators, many of whom are developers themselves. No one can guess the number of construction workers required to build new hospitals, clinics, rehab centers and mortuaries. Perhaps some of UIPA’s manufacturers can produce surgical masks, oxygen tanks, walkers, wheelchairs and inhalers. Our elected officials will try to lure people to Utah to fill these jobs. But who will come and risk their very lives? UIPA’s relentless development makes us all pawns in a lethal game. ANN FLORENCE Murray

“Clean Up on Trail 6,” Oct 15 Soap Box

When I first saw Adam Meister’s letter responding to “Clean up on Trail 6” I immediately thought it was about the irresponsible dog owners who don’t clean

up. As a devoted dog person, I get ticked off big time by them. So much that I often grab it because it causes a negative attitude against all of us. But Mr. Meister can also thank me for the cleaning up I do of all the trash left everywhere by the many adults and children that are not “property-respecting individuals.” I hate that also and they are just as numerous or more. As to “people [who] think their pets are humans,” that would be an insult to my pets. They are far superior, bringing joy to many people every day with their love and happiness. Just look what humans do to each other instead. And most dogs can tell the people who don’t want to be touched in any way. I’m always sad for those that can’t experience the pleasure our happy, loving dogs offer. Mr. Meister would be blessed if she wanted to touch him. DAVID HORN Salt Lake City Care to sound off about a local concern? Write to comments@cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media.

THE WATER

COOLER What Halloween movie character would make the best (or worst) coworker? Or what is a memorable Halloween costume? Stefene Russell

I have seen people threatening to dress up as the “SLC Scammer Guy,” and I hope they do. I love a good topical Halloween costume, and it’s not every year that we get the gift of a really great Utah-specific one.

Scott Renshaw

If you had to take the elevator to your office, probably Pinhead from Hellraiser. Things get really awkward with that guy in tight spaces!

Elizabeth Converse

David S. Pumpkins answers zero questions and is hilariously aggravating. Working with him would be the worst.

Paula Saltas

It would be politically incorrect nowadays, but when I was a teenager, my BFF and I were conjoined twins with striped pajamas on and our heads bandaged up together. I am now ashamed I did that.

Benjamin Wood

Gale Weathers, Courtney Cox’s journalist character from the Scream franchise, could conceivably work in our newsroom. But she’d have to fight Zach Abend for the small-town-murders beat.

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PRIVATE

EYE BY JOHN SALTAS

Are You Ok?

awoke just after 7 a.m. in Athens, Greece on September 25. Then, after putzing around while sitting on my hotel balcony, viewing the start of a new day, I felt a little push of air. Not much, just an oddity. I thought nothing of it and left to meet other members of this year’s City Weekly Greece Trip for breakfast. At some point—perhaps when I was pulling my spoon from a bowl of thick Greek yogurt piled high with sour cherry preserves—some members of the group asked me if I felt the earthquake, or had heard the loud noise. I had not. Knowing that there’s only so much feta in the day, we simply left the hotel for a quick walk through some highlights near our lodgings. It wasn’t too long before the first text from home arrived. “Are you OK?” it read. “Be safe.” Several variants of that message continued to arrive, with some of our group receiving their own versions as well. One mentioned “explosions in downtown Athens.” Another said that “officials were looking for the people who did it.” Yet another linked to breaking news saying Greece was ripe for terrorism. The only evidence of terror we saw was on the faces of people hustling out of the way of maniacs on motorbikes. We walked to Syntagma Square, where the Evzone guards stand their rigid and sacred watch, honoring the memories of hundreds of wars and thousands of lost souls who died fighting every societal malfeasance spanning about 3,000 years—most recently communists and fascists. We walked through the Athens National Garden and

exited at a point above Hadrian’s Arch, where observers are treated to a street-level view of 1,700-year-old Roman baths, right in the middle of the sidewalk. At some point while taking selfies with an ancient plumbing backdrop, someone asked, “Hey, why are all those cops over there?” Yep, those were cops alright. Lots of them. Firemen, too. And because I could see my favorite Greek monument in the background—the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, also a favorite of a most notable Philhellene, the British poet Lord Byron—I knew they were near the bottom of the street of the same name. And I knew why. At 7:30 a.m. that morning, a gas explosion had ripped through an old building, killing six persons inside. Just a few years earlier, former City Weekly editor Jerre Wroble had stayed at the boutique hotel right next to it. Yikes! The distance from the explosion to our hotel was around 550 yards—about the same as a par-five golf hole. With so many streets and alleys between, we could see nothing. But our itinerary passed the area all the time and lo, about an hour hence, we were gathered at the Lysicrates monument for a group photo, the fallen building just yards away, not even the trinket sellers missing a beat. Our friends and family back home were genuinely concerned, of course. But underlying those messages of “Are you OK?” was the sense that somehow in a city of four million people, we were amidst a great wave of terror! That’s how those reports first entered the public forum: explosion equals terror, so watch out for terrorists. This is especially true of modern American media, which quickly feeds their audiences the possibilities that best fit their agendas or the whims of ownership. The reality that day was that there was a gas leak—a flame and a boom large enough to pancake a three-story building. That may have been the end of it, but long before that morning and for many more days after, I was already being asked, “Are you OK?” A couple of weeks prior, I shared the hotel elevator with

a couple from Germany. As soon as they learned I was an American, the gentleman asked, “Are you OK?” I knew what he meant. He wanted to know both if I was crazy enough to support Donald Trump, or if I was OK having suffered through him, because “Germans still remember.” When he exited, he asked, “Has America lost its mind?” Well, yeah. But hey, I’m on vacation, so maybe we can take this up later? Actually no, because soon enough, sitting in a random bar, I asked a young woman if I could borrow a bar stool. She said, “Oh, you’re American. Are you OK?” I asked where she was from and she replied, Nuremberg. We both laughed. After plenty of jabs and giggles I bought her an ouzo and left. Auf weidersehen, I said. She said, yes, they will be waiting. An Englishman on the island of Tinos held court for several minutes disparaging Trump while asking what is wrong with America, followed by the perfunctory, “Are you OK. Really, are you OK?” Then it was the taxi driver from Ukraine. Another from Georgia. The Irish family on Skopelos who mocked the USA like there was no tomorrow still wanted to know, “Are you OK?” It was the same with the Canadians (Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!), Serbians, Bulgarians, Italians, Spaniards and all the rest—don’t even ask what the Danes were saying! During 30 days in Greece I met not a single foreign tourist with gracious words for the current American government. Americans, yes. Trumpland, no. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been the case on another side of town, but I have forever made it a point in my life to live, dine and breathe with the most common of people. So, I asked the common Greeks what they thought. After laughing inside, then smiling (a Greek pattern given 3,000 years of battling, supplicating to and defeating monsters), the replies came back, “He’s your problem.” At least the Greeks are OK. For now. CW Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

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HITS & MISSES BY CW STAFF

MISS: ARCH Support

Gov. Spencer Cox’s newly-announced ARCH project aims to address homelessness and recidivism with a healthy dose of Republican cruelty. Under last legislative session’s HB110, the state was empowered to take direct control of the lives of the chronically homeless by way of parole supervision. Cox plans to utilize his new power in the forced detention of nearly 200 homeless individuals in the immediate future—and closer to 2,000 in the long-term—in a remote homeless “campus” outside of the city. While KUTV is happy to parrot facts outlined in Cox’s press release, any moderately-shallow dive into the topic unearths a much more nuanced debate over homelessness in Utah. The state’s own Office of Homeless Services found that 93% of individuals offered permanent supportive housing either retained that housing or graduated to their own permanent options. That approach would undoubtedly go further in homeless alleviation and societal reintegration than Cox’s labor camp.

MISS: Distinctive Criticism

The Atlantic recently sought to answer an age-old question: Are Mormons losing their edge? Despite framing the article as Mormonism’s descent into “Easter Catholic” mundanity, their investigation centered around a much more salient topic—young women in the church. Perhaps the article would be better titled, “Is The Atlantic losing its edge?” given the report’s willingness to echo the sentiments of a few BYU students and congregation leaders with virtually no comment from former members who choose to disaffiliate. Why are young women fleeing the LDS church in record numbers? Why might they reject its strict moral standards and socially prescribed lifestyle of swift marriage and procreation? Whatever you do, don’t look to The Atlantic for the answer.

HIT: Mr. Wonderful

Amidst the TikTok-ified slop of “Woke 2.0” liberalism, Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update brought a familiar face to the stage. The sketch comedy’s representation of Shark Tank star and data center enthusiast Kevin O’Leary hit the talking points Utahns have been protesting since a massive Box Elder county project was announced earlier this year. The proposed mega center could require more than 1,800 acre-feet of water, or enough for 5,000 homes. Newer permutations of the design allege no net drain on the Great Salt Lake, a likely impossible promise under current technological restraints. As SNL’s fake O’Leary said, “all I want is to buy up 40,000 acres of God’s untouched splendor and replace it with a very loud computer that steals your job.” CW

BY TOM MERRILL

Environmentally Healthy

hen people talk about a “healthy built environment,” our minds often turn to large, structural elements that encourage healthier ways of living. Intermountain Health is orienting the front doors of its forthcoming downtown hospital toward the 600 South Trax station, to both facilitate and encourage public transit access. Salt Lake City, meanwhile, has long sought to make the city more walkable by restoring and incentivizing midblock passageways. But there are many built environment opportunities under our very noses that can be more immediately impactful. For example, I’ve written before about how living in a small downtown condo brought unexpected benefits to our little family, like the peace and efficiency of always having my children within the sound of my voice. But one recent night, I experienced something a bit different, something even more personal. It was a school night, so I was anxious that my kiddos get to bed on time. When I emerged from the bathroom after getting myself ready to sleep, I was slightly annoyed to see my daughter standing beside my son’s elevated bed, just chatting it up. “Hey, what are you doing?” I barked, only half-joking. “Get to bed and let the boy sleep!” My daughter’s response surprised me. “I’m just saying good night,” she said, “like I always do.” Because I see them together so much, I had never registered that my children had a nightly ritual. “You always say good night?” I asked. “Yes!” she replied. “Like at Mom’s house, or here?” I asked. “Or both?” “Not at Mom’s,” my daughter clarified, “just here.” That’s when it occurred to me—at their mom’s house (a traditional, single-family, suburban home), my children have completely separate bedrooms. But in our downtown home, their “spaces” are separated by only a sliding glass wall, which they almost always keep open so they can interact. In other words, the built environment of our condo promoted seminightly rituals in a way that doesn’t happen at their mom’s place. (I should note they have other lovely rituals at their mom’s place that they don’t have at our place downtown, so no shade.) This interaction made it really clear to me that once safety, cleanliness and other basic needs are met in our physical home environment, there are additional opportunities to promote individual health—in this case, healthy social interactions among siblings. At a time when so many struggle with loneliness, and family relationships are strained by distracting technology, political divisions and the stresses of daily life, anything we can do to bring our families closer together seems worthwhile, even if it means rethinking the built environments in which we live. CW

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Short and Sweet The new era of short-form content might be a gateway to rediscovering classic short films. BY BRYAN YOUNG comments@cityweekly.net

ttention spans are shrinking. For many folks, entertainment is no longer books and films; it’s short-form nonsense and skits that proliferate across social media like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Reels and many more. Hell, even YouTube is on it with a shorts tab. The content is punchy and quick, designed to be viewed on a phone, as one is mindlessly scrolling from one video to the next, looking for that easy hit of dopamine. If you can believe it, the shorts and reels being produced look pretty similar to how cinema started, which makes me wonder if we can somehow reintroduce people to longer-form narratives the same way the dawn of cinema did, blossoming into a new art form. At the beginning, way back in the late 1800s, it was a struggle to project film to an audience. The best that Thomas Edison (that bastard) could do was the Kinetoscope—essentially a cabinet with a single loop of film in it that you put a coin into and watched through a viewfinder. The films in these Kinetoscopes were novelties: small skits, slice-of-life things, very short. In other words, they were pretty much like our social media feeds these days, but in an arcade cabinet. When projection came around, shop owners realized people would sit for that communal experience, and storefront theaters popped up everywhere. The problem

was that these theater owners weren’t sure those attention spans would last longer than five or ten minutes. Soon, films in the five-to-20-minute range became the standard, with theater owners resisting calls for longer films and, in some cases, flat out refusing to show anything longer than two reels, which was about 20 minutes. Eventually, audiences gained a thirst for more sophisticated stories than the shorts could offer. By the mid-1910s, theaters were forced to abandon their intransigence and start booking longer fare. From this short-form storytelling rose stars like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Roscoe Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, Mabel Normand and more— and those were just the ones in the world of comedy. Westerns, dramas and more thrived just as steadily. I can’t help but think that some of the YouTube personalities and “influencers” are merely pale shadows of these all-time greats. I certainly feel that way, watching an influencer make a short where they’re dancing or doing stunts or throwing ping pong balls or playing cards into increasingly more difficult situations. You realize there’s no story to them. They feel mindless, like those early Kinetoscope shorts, before the time when they even credited the talent involved in a film. It’s been fascinating to see these old shorts pop up on social media. Or even clips of longer shorts—there’s so much Chaplin and Keaton spread around all these sites in small one-gag bursts. People seem to love them. My hope is that maybe this means some of these folks who are tuned into scrolling on their phones might be open to the idea of putting the phone down and slowly building their attention spans back up, using these 100+ year old classics to do it. I don’t recommend going back to start

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Big Shiny Robot

A Trip to the Moon with the Kinetoscope reels, per se, but rather with the next step up: Watch Mack Sennett comedies from 1913 in that fiveminute length, and see how much better gags work when they’re framed around a story, no matter how thin or contrived. Then, once you’ve fallen so far down that rabbit hole, you should be able to increase your dose. Go look up some silent films of greater length. Or, better yet, go see them at the Organ Loft on Edison Street, accompanied by Blaine Gale and the Mighty Wurlitzer organ. Find what sort of silents you like, and go to town. If you want recommendations, I’d start with some of the older stuff, like Vitagraph’s first animations by J. Stuart Blackton—The Enchanted Drawing (1900) or Princess Nicotine (1909). And then some Georges Mèliés (everyone should know him; everyone has seen 1902’s A Trip to the Moon, right? And if not, you no doubt remember his appearance in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo,

played to perfection by Ben Kingsley.) Then try Sennett’s A Bandit or Peeping Pete, (both 1913). After that try Barney Oldfield’s Race for a Life (1913), which is the basis of so much comedy you already like. Then move to the work of Arbuckle and Keaton when they were a team. And Mabel Normand and Chaplin, during their time at Keystone Studios. After a steady diet of those, you might be ready for a feature, a short one, perhaps. Try Chaplin’s The Kid, which was edited at the then-Hotel Utah (now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building) and first played right here in one of the once-ubiquitous theaters along Salt Lake City’s Main Street. By the time you try Normand’s Mickey, you’ll be begging for it. Whatever you do, it can’t be worse than mindless scrolling, chock full of soulless AI slop. And you might just build your media literacy muscles back up. I’ll tell you, our society needs that desperately. CW

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If your defining images of ballet are simply tutus and sweetness, you might need to expand your horizons a little. Just in time for the Halloween season, Ballet West offers the return of Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, a version of the Bram Stoker classic that thrilled audiences during productions in 2021 and 2023. And it’s got quite a bit more kick than the aforementioned stereotype, featuring flying effects, pyrotechnics and more show-stopping stagecraft. Yes, the dancing is still lovely and athletic, and gorgeous music still fills the theater thanks to a score drawn from Franz Liszt themes. It’s just something a bit different to sink your teeth into. This production also marks the final Ballet West performances for Principal Artists Jenna Rae Herrera and Tyler Gum, who will retire after the Halloween night closing. “Both Jenna and Tyler epitomize everything I strived to develop in artists during my tenure,” said artistic director Adam Sklute. “They are hard-working, deeply committed artists with unmatched theatrical instincts and sparkling techniques. Most of all though, they are kind human beings who support their colleagues and find joy in everything they do. I will miss them dearly. But I am thrilled for their next chapters.” Ballet West’s production of Ben Stevenson’s Dracula comes to the Capitol Theatre (50 W. 200 South), Oct. 23 – 31. Tickets begin at $39. Visit saltlakecountyarts.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

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salt 18: Amor Muñoz

UMFA

The salt series of exhibitions at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts has been a showcase for exciting new artists. For the series’ 18th installment, UMFA presents the first ever solo museum exhibition for Amor Muñoz, a Mexico City-based artist who explores the intersection of technology and modern lives. She turns to corn (also known by the Nahuatl name elotl, or elote in Spanish) as the building blocks for KaleidescopElote, an installation addressing the ancient relationships between agriculture, architecture and celestial observation. The work is activated with embodied movement— both inside the sculpture and through spatially-mapped sound in the gallery—marking UMFA’s first exhibition of interactive digital art. In notes on the exhibition, Emily Lawhead, UMFA Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, observes, “What if we consider intelligence across a continuum—one that includes the logic of plants and animals, the adaptive systems of landscapes and the patterns and forces of the cosmos? … [Muñoz’s] work invites us to reconsider technology—not as a recent digital phenomenon, but as an ancient one. … Using corn as a building block, Muñoz’s installation brings the organic and the computational together. Here, intelligence is not entirely artificial or fully human. It unfolds through interactions between people and systems that shape how we understand and experience the world.” The salt 18 Amor Muñoz exhibition comes to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (410 Campus Center Dr.) Oct. 24 – June 6, 2027, with an opening reception Friday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (RSVP recommended). Visit umfa.utah.edu for regular museum hours and for additional exhibition information. (SR)

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OCTOBER 22, 2026 | 13

The title alone might be enough to grab one’s attention, but in case you’re not in the loop, BUTTTOOTKING is a portmanteau for the three headliners of this drag extravaganza: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 alums Lydia B Kollins and Kori King, along with their friend, Suzie Toot. Their national tour comes to town this week, including costumes encouraged (and a costume contest at every stop). And they’ve made it clear that visiting “red states” is no problem. In an interview with Tracy E. Gilchrist, Kollins said, “We were in Florida last year as well, and there’s a lot of volatile energy that surrounds red states. And I feel like it’s not to the fault of the queer communities there. … The energy when we were in the red states was sort of like, ‘We’re here too. And thank you for coming and seeing us because it’s not our fault. We’re trying our best.’” Additionally, each show features a drag artist from the cities they visit as an opening act, providing a big stage to showcase local talent. In Salt Lake City, that honor goes to Charlie Rose Toy, a rising local drag artist and nightlife personality known for bold fashion, high-energy performances and a playful, club-kid-inspired approach to drag. BUTTTOOTKING comes to The Complex (536 W. 100 South) on Sunday, Oct. 25, show at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $47.31 - $52.49, with pre-show meetand-greet VIP upgrade available for $178. Visit thecomplexslc.com to purchase tickets and for additional event information.

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BUTTTOOTKING @ The Complex

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14 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

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Wildwood BBB1/2

It’s essentially a naughty fable—and even if it’s one that can’t quite settle on the ideal balance between the “naughty” part and the “fable” part, it’s still mostly good-natured and amusing enough to be satisfying. It’s set in a “once upon a time”-ish, geographically-non-specific pre-industrial village, where the townspeople are all identified exclusively by their occupation and/or relationships to one another. Fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) is a subject of mockery for her spinster status, and as a result commissions Basket Weaver (Peter Dinklage)

Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story BBB1/2

If this were literally nothing but a compendium of comedian Maria Bamford’s work as a performer—standup, television, even commercials—it still would have been a terrific watch, since Bamford is simply one of the funniest humans still walking this planet. But in digging through Bamford’s personal history, directors Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley also provide an important perspective on what does (and, more importantly, doesn’t) necessarily form the foundation of mental illness. Bamford herself certainly hasn’t been shy about making her struggles with OCD and suicidal ideation part of her work, and the film presents a lot of that material, which becomes gaspingly hilarious in her inimitable style. There’s also a deep dive into Bamford’s family history, which explores the mentalhealth issues experienced by both of her parents, yet also makes it clear that she didn’t have anything resembling a traumatic childhood; these are things that happen to people when there is no person to blame. Sure, there are more pro forma bits like fellow comedians singing her praises, though even that trope gets a twist when many of them learn on camera about one of her unique methods for testing out new material. But as the film shares how she’s living in the present—including living through an actual tragedy like the Altadena fire— there’s a deep sense of how many different things it can take to help someone be mentally healthy. Available Oct. 23 via Netflix. (NR)

Paralyzed by Hope

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Wicker

Wicker BBB

Wildwood

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Sometimes, a distinctive vision can be enough to make a cinematic fantasy sing, even if it doesn’t necessarily feel like the story is breaking new ground. This stop-motion adaptation of the illustrated novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis from Laika boss Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) takes two Portland, Ore. tweens—Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Curtis (Jacob Tremblay)—on an adventure into a nearby enchanted forest, into which Prue’s infant brother Mac has been kidnapped. The story draws from any number of fanciful childhood tales, from The Chronicles of Narnia to satirical stuff like Lewis Carroll, with a subtext that doesn’t stray far from coming-of-age material and a bit of a poke at helicopter parenting. But it’s also decidedly not kid stuff, earning every bit of its PG-13 rating with plenty of character deaths, a major plot point involving ritual sacrifice and a climactic battlefield sequence that packs a visceral punch. Mostly, though, it’s just remarkable to watch on a moment-to-moment basis, from the tactile character design to high-energy chase sequences to just enough silliness based on animal characters, like a watchdog that’s a bit too easily distracted by his own tail. Leave it to someone else to worry how to market something that treats animation as a stylistic choice that isn’t just for children, but for anyone who appreciates a magical approach to movie-making. Available Oct. 23 in theaters. (PG-13)

FATHOM ENTERTAINMENT

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net

CINEMA

BLACK BEAR PICTURES

From magical realms to the real world, strange visions fuel three new features.

to make her a sentient wicker husband (Alexander Skarsgård). Co-directors Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, adapting a short story by Ursula Wills, have fun with their world-building, including the town’s unique marriage rituals, gestures of superstition and peculiar terminology for common concepts (such as that for one’s “time of the month”). They also want to offer a lesson in marital equality that seems pretty self-evident from a contemporary standpoint, but does provide a framework for how dissatisfaction in one aspect of a person’s life—like the desire by Tailor’s Wife (Elizabeth Debicki) to be more than a housekeeper and mother—spills over into treatment of others. And the performances are strong, particularly Skarsgård behind his wicker visage providing the image of an ideal partner that pisses off everyone who falls short. Yes, the filmmakers want to have their wicker-dick jokes and their “moral of the story,” too, and it’s to their credit, I suppose, how often they’re successful. Available Oct. 23 in theaters. (R)

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Dark Fantasies

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16 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

ANTITRAFFICKING, INCORPORATED Tim Ballard’s fall from grace hasn’t stopped big money flowing through Our Rescue’s disputed charity work. BY MICHAEL MCGRADY JR.

CREATIVE COMMONS

The following article was developed in collaboration with The Kansas City Pitch. Companion reporting can be found at thepitchkc.com.

espite his fall from grace in 2023, the anti-trafficking charity Tim Ballard founded—Operation Underground Railroad, now known as Our Rescue—remains a prolific force on the political right. From before Ballard’s ouster and his excommunication from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the tenure of the organization’s current chief executive officer, Derek Benner, Our Rescue has continued to serve as the central node within a network of strange bedfellows. It is that network—covered in greater depth for The Pitch—that brought Benner and Our Rescue its largest infusion of funds ever: a no-bid contract valued at $158.1 million from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an office of the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contract, which has the potential to grow to over $244 million, is for Our Rescue to provide legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children currently in the care of the government. But Our Rescue has little prior experience in that field, and critics have warned that its new revenue stream comes at the costly expense of legitimate aid networks specializing in such legal representation. “I think it’s clear that the priorities of this presidential administration are to deport as many people as possible,” said Stephanie Richard, director of the Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative and a visiting associate clinical professor at Loyola Marymount University Law School in Los Angeles. “Threatening the legal services for youth, who are some of the most vulnerable, shows the administration’s commitment to that.”

Tim Ballard founded Operation Underground Railroad—now known as Our Rescue—in 2013. Our Rescue was contacted several times for comment on this story. No response was given by press time. A Government Accountability Office report found that children who are classified as unaccompanied migrants are, in part, placed in that condition amid the actions of agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This includes the detention of parents and guardians and is a direct result of the Trump-era family separation policy for undocumented immigrants at the country’s international borders and the extension of the administration’s “zero-tolerance” enforcement approach into the interior of the United States. Richard said she was alarmed when she heard the announcement of Our Rescue’s federal contract. She explained that the children Our Rescue is now paid to represent are also the children who face the greatest risk. “What I can say is that if these kids are not provided appropriate legal services and support, it is more likely they will end up trafficked,” she observed. Traffickers prey on vulnerabilities, Richard said, and lack of immigration status is one such vulnerability. “These minors are also particularly vulnerable because they’ve been identified as without a lot of the proper support systems that prevent trafficking, which includes a stable family life.”

Raid and Rescue The federal contract awarded to Our Rescue simply scratches the surface, as City Weekly and The Pitch traced a major financial and influence network made possible by revolving doors of lobbyists, activists and politicians. Focusing squarely on Utah’s ties to this network, the post-Ballard Our Rescue is led by Derek Benner, the current chief executive officer of Our Rescue, who previously served as the executive associate director of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division of ICE during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. When he held that position, Benner was instrumental in “sting operations” to mass-arrest immigrants. He occupied the role during a highly controversial HSI sex trafficking sting, Operation Asian Touch, which was an effort to probe illegal conduct at Asian massage parlors in Arizona. Reporting by a team at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism in 2020 found that the operational flaws in the sting included HSI agents who actually paid for and received sexual acts, then arrested the workers. Building on months of previous research, I was contacted by sex workers’ rights activist and academic researcher Tara Burns. Burns explained that she was investigating a rash of arrests categorized as

“human trafficking” and made at Asiano massage parlors across Alaska, wheret she is based. t Several of the women caught up ina the sting operation self-identified asw sex workers, Burns said, not as victims of human trafficking. f “I read their press releases andu watched their press conference andp compared those to the charges filed,”t she said. Burns released her research findingsr in June 2026 through her Substack pub-d lication, The Sex Work Policy Newsletter, inl a digital report titled “Beyond the Presst Release: A Case Study of Alaska’s Aprild 2026 Asian Spa Raids.” She reported oni “illegal massage business” (IMB) raids at five parlors in Anchorage and Wasilla. As a result of law enforcement raiding these establishments, 11 women were held as trafficking victims, while three sex workers were arrested and charged—either held on no bond or up to a $100,000 bond. The women are all Asian, suggesting a racial profiling dimension. “Throughout [law enforcement’s] press conference, they referred to sex trafficking victims and gave the federal definition of sex trafficking (force, fraud, coercion or minors),” Burns said.i “But there were no charges like that.i Instead, sex workers and those theyi hired for security were charged with sexs trafficking [violations] under Alaska’sa

for “support and supplies”; $120,000 for “training support”; and the 2024 sum of $95,927 for “training and capacity building support”). Our Rescue disclosed that it “sponsored dozens of trainings through the Human Trafficking Training Center,” as of June 2025. Financials for 2025 have yet to be released. The co-founder of HTTC, former Missouri State Trooper Dan Nash, declined to comment. Our Rescue’s post-Ballard story, however, is less about reform than continuity. Money still is flowing into a network that helps shape aggressive anti-trafficking policing. When a private group influences tactics that risk treating sex workers as victims—or criminals—the question is no longer just whether “rescue” works, but who pays the price when it doesn’t. In ongoing reporting for The Pitch, I examine how HTTC remains a partner to Our Rescue and how the aforementioned influence and financial network of multi-state politics makes much of this possible. Find more at thepitchkc.com. McGrady is an investigative journalist and essayist in Missouri. His reporting covers sex workers’ and LGBTQ+ people’s freedoms of expression on the internet, Christian nationalism and far-right extremism.

OCTOBER 22, 2026 | 17

“The lies they spin are easy to believe, and many believe the lies themselves.” Through her work with support organizations for Asian migrant workers, Shih said she hears “time and time again” about people being wrongly labeled as being trafficked. “I think that an incredibly successful target of anti-trafficking groups is to place focus on Asian massage businesses as sites of human trafficking,” Shih explained. “It really is the perfect issue for them. […] This type of framing wraps it up as rescuing them so nobody questions what happens after police raid these businesses.” Both Burns and Shih alluded to the fact that law enforcement agencies regularly receive material help and funding from the private sector, including the nonprofit space, to train and engage in such “investigations.” For example, there is a for-profit company based in Missouri that has partnered with Our Rescue and received funding from the nonprofit that teaches these flawed and controversial tactics. Meet the Human Trafficking Training Center (HTTC). Burns noted connections between HTTC and Our Rescue in her report. By reviewing Form 990s that Our Rescue files with the Internal Revenue Service every year, City Weekly and The Pitch found that Our Rescue granted HTTC total funds of $264,037 ($48,110 in 2022

| CITY WEEKLY |

Dr. Elena Shih, associate professor of American studies and ethnic studies at Brown University, in Rhode Island, said that anti-trafficking efforts are often sold to the public as a fight to stop modern-day slavery. She told me that she views raid-andrescue tactics as an extension of longestablished police doctrines that are grounded in carceral colonialism and explicit white supremacy. Groups like Our Rescue, Shih said, work within a specific emotional register in the United States, which capitalizes on the broad-based guilt surrounding the transatlantic slave trade. “One of the things that anti-trafficking groups are notoriously known for is that these classes of groups ally the political left and the right,” Shih explained. “It’s a very masterful way of framing this through a humanitarian promise that then convinces most people to get on board.” Shih is an organizer with Red Canary Song, a nonprofit that supports Asian massage workers and sex workers. The group challeges what it sees as the unfair policing of Asian massage parlors and misleading claims that law enforcement is “rescuing” workers from these businesses. “That’s why it’s so hard for all of us to write against harm and abuse that is alleged in these spaces,” Shih continued.

COURTESY PHOTO

Guilt Tripping

Stephanie Richard said that migrant youth in government custody are at high risk.

overly broad sex trafficking statute for things like taking out the trash with intent to promote prostitution, ordering a sign and responding to a call for help with a difficult customer.” After analyzing arrest records, Burns found that the law enforcement officers used tactics that are standardized for police departments and agencies across the country. This is where Our Rescue appears: raid-and-rescue procedures and tactics documented by Burns. Often attached to law enforcement agencies, field operatives for Our Rescue are either on site during raids or on standby in the vicinity for any response needs. Evidence of success and effectiveness—such as arresting and detaining suspected survivors of trafficking— shows the opposite effect and is often presented in the media as conspiracies linked to organized crime. While there are genuine cases of this that are deeply investigated and prosecuted, many human trafficking cases involving sex workers and raid-andrescue-style tactics are found to be overblown and byproducts of militarized over-policing practices. Burns explained that Alaska charged independent sex workers with trafficking themselves in the past. After activists helped narrow the sex trafficking statute, sex workers who work together are still charged with sex trafficking.

Tara Burns researched sex worker arrests that were misidentified as trafficking cases.

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“The lies they spin are easy to believe.”—Dr. Elena Shih, organizer with Red Canary Song.

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The Bright Cider Life Scion celebrates National Cider Month—and the resilience of local farmers. BY STEFENE RUSSELL srussell@cityweekly.net

here are 7,500 known varieties of apples in the world; Scion Cider’s pommelier and head cidermaker Rio Connelly estimates it may be closer to 10,000. “There’s just so much diversity in the apple genome,” he said. “They just do crazy, crazy things.” About 2,500 of those varieties are grown in the U.S., and Etta Place Cidery, in Torrey, Utah, has 81 in its orchards, including Brown Snout, Catshead and Opalescent. This time of year, co-founders Ann Torrence and Robert Marc bring apples to Salt Lake City for tastings at Scion Cider Bar. But like most of Utah’s fruit growers, they lost everything in their orchards during a late April freeze. “Things were going relatively smoothly until the freeze impacted certainly our orchardist, but a lot of other people in the industry,” said Scion co-founder Elisabeth Osmeloski. Their orchardist, Jordan Riley (a fourth-generation owner of Grammy’s Fruit & Produce farmstand in Willard), grows a lot of apricots and peaches, “and that’s something we lost this year,” Osmeloski noted. “We make a house-made apricot lavender cider, and we could not use his, as we traditionally do, so that was unfortunate. “What saved all of us this year is sourcing apples from outside of Utah. As much as we want to rely on local only, it’s just not realistic, because most of Utah’s orchards are culinary or dessert apples,” she further explained. “So they’re not always the best cider apples. You can do some fun things with them. But sometimes you just want an heirloom apple or a single varietal apple that has a really

unique taste. So we have to source that elsewhere anyway.” When Scion opened its doors back in December of 2022, it became Utah’s fourth cidery. Now there are eight, including Etta Place, Dendric Estate, The Hive, Hobbled Dog, Second Summit, Thieves Guild and Mountain West. They are a tight-knit collaborative group, which is one reason Osmeloski feels optimistic going forward, despite the bad apple year. What could have been a depressing October—National Cider Month—has become a celebration of local cideries’ resilience and creativity, including a full month of events hosted at Scion. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 6 to 9 p.m., Gidon Coll from Hudson Valley Apple Project (and Original Sin Cider) will lead the annual heirloom apple tasting, in lieu of Etta Place. “He’s going to bring us 40 to 50 different varieties from the New York orchard, things we’ve never tried before, so we’re just as excited as anyone else,” Osmeloski said. “My favorite one last year looked like an Italian plum on the outside, and safety yellow inside,” Connelly added. “Such an interesting apple. So yes, I’m very excited to see what we have this year.” Then on Oct. 25, it hosts a Utah Cider Showcase from noon to 6 p.m. “This is the first time all eight of us are pouring together,” Osmeloski said. “It’ll be in our alleyway, and people can buy a $20 ticket to get eight two-ounce pours, just to try. Then of course, there will be more things to try on draft, and in bottles. We’ll have food trucks and art vendors. It’ll be just a really fun Sunday in the fall.” On Halloween proper, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (costumes for both people and pets are not just okay, but encouraged), Scion hosts its fourth Apple Press Day, with fresh-press demos led by Riley. “He brings in just an amazing selection of fruit,” Connelly said. “Anything that he can’t farm, he brings in from farmers that he knows and trusts. And he will bring apples. We crush the apples. They go through what’s called a spratter, or a crusher. And then we put it in a couple of presses that we have. He manually presses them the old-school way, and we sell fresh juice right off the press for drinking. We use

DINE

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SAVE ON DINING ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTLIFE |CONCERTS

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18 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

The taps at Scion Cider Bar

516 E 300 S, SLC UT 867 E 4500 S, Millcreek UT 7640 S State, Midvale UT

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Noodle and Dumpling

some of that same juice and it goes into some coffee urns, and we’ll do hot and cold cider with our house recipe spices. We also sell the cold-press cider to go.” Because Utah’s cider community is so tight-knit, Osmeloski said, all eight collaborate and share resources. “We work with Mountain West Cider and Thieves Guild and Second Summit to kind of share the cost of those shipments and those deliveries, and we piggyback.” In return, Scion highlights other Utah cideries with guest taps and bottle selections in addition to the national and international selection they stock. Osmeloski said they want to show people that cider can be as kaleidoscopic and varied as the apple genome—not just heavy, sweet and high ABV. She notes Utahns can now buy local ciders at state liquor stores. “You can get hopped cider, pepper cider … there are so many different things to try,” she said. On Father’s Day, Scion released Smokeshow, a smoked cider meant to evoke camping trips; for the holidays, it will release a fruitcake cider. Another special release is Cold Blooded, made with fruit foraged from Emigration Canyon, including chokecherries, elderberries and Oregon grapes. “We aged it in a wood barrel, so this will be a reserve label format in a winebottle size,” Osmeloski said. “Rio has become the certified pommelier—there are only three in Utah now—and part of that is being able to identify apples, but that program is in its infancy. The idea is to be like a sommelier is for grapes. True master sommeliers can tell you what bank on the river in France [the grapes] came from, and in what season, and what year. So we have a long way to go in terms of maturity in the cider industry,” she said. But being part of that evolution is exciting, whatever the stage. “We want to be a one-stop shop for cider, both local and international,” Osmeloski said. “We’re trying to be a cider bar on par with the best in the world.” CW

SCION CIDER BAR 916 S. Jefferson St. 801-326-0349 scionciderbar.com

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A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week 2 Row Brewing 73 West 7200 South, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: Piney Peaks West Coast IPA

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Basic Witch Pumpkin Pie Stout

Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com On Tap: Drop Top - English summer ale (collaboration with Salt Flats)

Kiitos Brewing Sugar House Bar 1533 S. 1100 East, SLC KiitosBrewing.com On Draft: Bourbon Amber Ale (Limited Release)

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Spicoli Pils West Coast Pilsner (both locations)

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com NEW Releases: Kölsch, Dusseldorfer “Alt” Bier Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale Chappell Brewing 2285 S Main Street, SLC chappell.beer On Tap: Pie Hole - Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Edge’s Special Bitter ESB Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Munich Mayhem Märzen Lager Etta Place Cidery 700 W Main St, Torrey EttaPlaceCider.com On Tap: Cherry Saison Cider; Peach Tea Session Mead Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers! Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com In a Can: Extra Pale Ale Heber Valley Brewing 501 N. Main Street, Heber City hebervalleybrewing.com On Tap: Golden Boy (German Inspired Lager) 5% ABV Helper Beer 159 N Main Street, Helper helperbeer.com

Level Crossing Brewing, POST 550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: “Dunkleosteus” German Dunkelweizen Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: “Big Drop” West Coast Pilsner Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Island Orchard Punch (Strawberry and peach infused 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: Oktoberfest Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St., Logan Prodigy-brewing.com On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner Proper Brewing/Proper Burger 857 & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com On Tap: Concerning Hops West Coast IPA Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com On Tap: Concerning Hops West Coast IPA

Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Gypsy Scratch Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Grand Bavaria Red Rock Kimball Junction 1640 Redstone Center Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Bramble Brown Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Polygamy Pale Ale SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, SLC SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Real Ginger Beer 5% on Draft Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: OPEN ROAD SERIES #3 - Barrel Aged Grand Cru Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com On Tap: Koala Shorts 6.3% ABV Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com On Tap: Oktoberfest Brown sugar and Sinimar semi-dry cider Shades Brewing 1388 S. 300 West, SLC ShadesBrewing.beer New Batch: Raspberry Pistachio Sour Ale

Squatters Brew Pub West Valley 3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City squatterspubs.com On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Acapulco Gold Mexican Lager Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC squatterspubs.com On Tap: A Necessary Evil Black IPA w/ Centennial Hops Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi StrapTankBrewery.com On Tap: “Virgil the Guide” (Italian Pilsner); “Smiles und Sunshine” (German Leichtes Weizen) Strap Tank Brewery, Springville 596 S 1750 W, Springville StrapTankBrewery.com On Tap: “Orange Hopsicle” Hazy Pale; “Trouble” American Sour with Mango and Passionfruit TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Twelve taps and high point cans available. Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: OMG Becky! Oh my gourd.. - Blonde Pumpkin Ale 5% New Can Drop: 16 oz. The Sour Rabbit - Fruited Sour 7% Thieves Guild Cidery 117 W. 900 South, SLC thievesguildcidery.com On Tap: Scorching Ray Sweet pepper cider with a beam of habanero spice | 6.5%

Shades On State 366 S. State Street, SLC On Tap: Six Wheat Under Hefeweizen

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

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

UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Bar Down IPA

Squatters Brew Pub Sugar House 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC squatterspubs.com On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Big U Pilsner

Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

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Big South Opens in Sugar House

Beyond the Barrel Six Epic takes on a whiskeyenhanced classic. BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net

Maven SLC Potluck + Recipe Exchange

On Friday, Nov. 6 from 6–8 p.m., Maven SLC and the Wastatch Food Co-op host a potluck and recipe exchange, encouraging people to bring a dish they love, even if it’s not Instagrammable. (Most comfort food is not the most photogenic, after all.) They’re also encouraging people to think about stories they associate with that dish, and print out a recipe to share with others, if possible, for an “evening of shared recipes, good food and meaningful conversation.” The organizers emphasize that this event, which is free, should be fun, as well as filling: “No pressure. No perfectly plated dishes. Just good food, shared stories and a welcoming table. Come hungry. Leave with new recipes, new conversations and maybe even a few new friends.”

Spirits Around Town—the Drinking Kind

High West’s Midwinter Night’s Dram, described as a “cult whiskey” by no less than Forbes, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with the release of Act 14, HW’s Rendezvous Rye whiskey aged in both port barrels as well as Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The distillery has also shaved down the price per bottle to $124.99 (last year’s version was $25 more). Find it at the High West General Store in Old Town Park City, The Distillery in Wanship and at Utah state liquor stores. On Saturday, Oct. 24 from 2–3:30 p.m., Outlaw Distillery (552 W. 8360 South, Sandy) hosts The History of Rum, with that story unpacked during a distillery tour. Tickets are $36.37 and include rum tastings. Finally, on Nov. 5 from 7– 9 p.m. at Barrel & Stave (33 Federal Ave., Logan) you can round out your spirit-ual education with The Art of Scotch: A Guided Tasting Experience. The $53 ticket includes tastings led by certified whiskey and bourbon specialist, Sean McNamara, who will share his knowledge of Scottish single-malt and blended whiskeys.

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OCTOBER 22, 2026 | 21

hen Epic Brewing rolls out another round of Big Bad Baptist variants, you can generally expect big flavors, plenty of whiskey character and imperial stout indulgence in spades. But what makes this annual exercise so much fun isn’t simply the barrel-aging or the high-octane malt profiles. It’s seeing how far the brewery can push the boundaries of its beloved stout while giving each variation a personality of its own. This year’s lineup delivers six distinctly different interpretations, ranging from cocktail inspiration to smoky Scotch whisky territory, as well as a few downright delicious surprises scattered in between. Big Easy Baptist kicks things off with a clever nod to the Sazerac cocktail, bringing rye whiskey barrel character into the Big Bad Baptist equation. Citrus opens the show, supposedly leaning toward lemon peel, although I got more of an orangey impression. That bright introduction gives way to some excellent rye whiskey notes, which play beautifully with the coffee and roasted malt. There’s a wonderful sweetness running through the malt profile, followed by a whiskeyforward finish that ties everything together. It’s a thoughtful interpretation of a classic cocktail, and one that doesn’t lose sight of what makes a great imperial stout. (12.9%. ABV) The Godfather II continues Epic’s Godfather-inspired series from 2025, taking a more restrained approach that lets the whiskey barrels do the talking without relying on additional ingredients. This is arguably the most straightforward expression of the bunch, amplifying the original Big Bad Baptist character rather than reinventing it. Roasted malt provides the foundation, while coffee and a measured dose of barrel character add depth without overwhelming the experience. The result is a beautifully balanced imperial stout with satisfying malt sweetness, a robust roasted profile and complementary coffee and whiskey notes. Sometimes, you don’t need to gild the lily. This is a reminder that a well-made stout, given the right barrels and enough attention, can be a spectacular thing all on its own. (13.5%. ABV) Celebrating a decade of decadence, Big Bad Baptista 10 Year Anniversary brings

vanilla, cinnamon, cacao and houseroasted Mexican coffee to the party. What makes Baptista such a crowd-pleaser is that unmistakable horchata-inspired character. A subtle touch of cinnamon and a creamy impression, without lactose, create an inviting backdrop for the coffee, chocolate and whiskey. Everything feels rich and wonderfully integrated, with the barrel character adding another layer of complexity. At nearly 13% ABV, this is no shrinking violet. It’s a delicious beast of a beer, packing enough flavor and warmth to make its anniversary feel like a proper celebration. (12.9%. ABV) Irish Baptist takes a different route, featuring vanilla bean and an enhanced coffee bill. The vanilla makes an immediate impression on the nose, accompanied by a hint of whiskey. Then comes the coffee. Whoa! This variant brings more coffee intensity than any other Big Bad Baptist expression in this year’s lineup. That bold roast gives the Irish cream-inspired character a sturdy foundation, and prevents the vanilla and creamy sweetness from becoming cloying. The whiskey complements the Irish cream profile beautifully, adding depth and warmth. Less coffee might have pushed this toward dessertlike territory, but the assertive roast keeps everything in check. (12.9%. ABV) If you want something genuinely distinctive, Big Bad Baptist Beehive might be the sleeper hit of the lineup. Featuring local Utah honey and cacao nibs, this version skips the coffee entirely, allowing the honey to shine. The whiskey makes its presence known right away, but the palate is where things get interesting. It’s soooo smooth! The sweetness is substantial without becoming heavy, with the honey rounding off some of the sharper roasted edges and bringing a beautifully mellow quality to the stout. The cacao adds another dimension without stealing the spotlight. This is one of my favorites of the bunch. (12.9%. ABV) Finally, Scottish Baptist ventures into smoky territory with coffee, cacao nibs and peat-smoked barley. The peaty aroma arrives first, backed by whiskey notes that immediately suggest Scotch whiskey. The smoky character is unmistakable, bringing to mind High West’s Campfire Whiskey, where different whiskey styles converge in one intriguing package. Coffee follows, accompanied by lighter roasted-toffee flavors that keep the smoke from dominating the entire experience. It’s an unconventional take on Big Bad Baptist, but a very cool one. (13% ABV.) Big Bad Baptist remains a heavyweight for a reason and this year’s variations give fans plenty of reasons to raise a glass. As always, cheers! CW

For the past two years, Damio Huddleston of Big South has served up Southern and soul food from his truck, usually from a parking spot in South Salt Lake, though the truck has traveled as far as Ogden. Two weeks ago, he announced via Instagram that “Big South will be open for take-out in Sugarhouse VERY SOON!” but didn’t include an address. He did post a photo, though, and speculation about the new location ran rampant. On Sunday, Oct. 11, Big South finally unveiled a brick-and-mortar location: 2030 S. 900 East in Sugar House, in the shopping center next to Just Organic Juice and Hoshi Hoshi Ramen. “I didn’t even know it would get this big,” said Huddleston in an Instagram reel posted on Oct. 13, looking elated as he stood out in front of the new location, despite the gray, drizzly weather, and announced a grand opening for Friday, Oct. 16. Based on the banner hung on the facade, Big South will be adding barbecue to the menu along with its classics: smoked ox tail, mac ’n’ cheese, collards, cornbread, smoked meatloaf, fried catfish, wings, smothered pork chops, fried shrimp, candied yams, dirty rice and Cajun corn. Latest updates can be found on its Instagram @bigsouthslc.

22 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

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Friend Circle Temple of Friends for Peace in the Universe elevates the small, local venue.

MUSIC

BY EMMALY ANDERSON comments@cityweekly.net

show, but with the production value of a formal venue with a cover charge. While donations are encouraged to support both artists and the venue, participation in the Temple’s congregation of creative community spirit is not cost-prohibitive; no one will be turned away if they’re unable to pay. This egalitarian approach aligns with The Temple’s overarching ethos— the belief that every person has inherent creative power that can be tapped into and shared with a community of friends. “Providing a place for people to come share their creative gifts with people that they can call friends or people who they aspire to be friends with is, I think, truly one of the most important things that we have. … The more everyone could sincerely do that and support others in doing that … the world would be a better place,” he says. “If there can be a place where people can come together to explore and share their talents with other people … then we will be doing good for the world.” It is V A’s hope that all attendees leave feeling uplifted and with the realization that they, too, have the power to make a

difference in their community through creative expression. “Maybe your creative power is scaring up a shitty little PA and setting it up somewhere and mic’ing your friends’ vocals and then having a show,” he explains. “That’s a beautiful gift you can give to your community, and it’s not nearly as hard as people think.” Long-term, V A’s aspirations for The Temple are that it may persevere and inspire other DIY venues and promoters to grow this community for experimental art, as well as serve as a launching pad for artists who will go on to play bigger venues. He mentions Kilby Block Party performers who’ve recalled their first small shows at Kilby Court, years before they made it big. “[It’s] a dream to last as long and be a springboard in the same way that other small, independent venues before me have,” he says. CW

TEMPLE OF FRIENDS 777 S. 1300 West templeoffriends.com Gong Slayer, $10, Oct. 23 7 p.m.

he says. “You can’t really book a bar show for three-band bill of all noise artists … those types of artists typically have to be DIY; house shows, living room shows, in people’s basements, in the woods.” V A mentions Gong Slayer, who will be performing at the Temple on Oct. 23, as an example. Aptly named, the artist from Albuquerque, NM creates “ritual drone sound healing” through playing a series of gongs—the exact type of innovative yet misunderstood art the Temple would host. Other local artists, venues and promoters often pass artists along to V A to book at the Temple. “Basically all of [the shows] have been collaborative,” he notes. “it’s never been just me alone, it’s all been a community effort.” V A has spent the last two years curating and refining the venue’s atmosphere and production quality. “Just because it’s DIY doesn’t mean it’s low quality,” he says, mentioning the investments in the lighting, sound and stage. For artists and attendees alike, the Temple of Friends offers the best of both worlds—the welcoming comfort and charm of a DIY backyard

NICKY V A

Temple of Friends

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or local musician Nicky V A—of Nicky V A and the Four Locos, GRGL, Castilleja, Jill Whit, and more—hosting and playing DIY shows isn’t just a thrill; it’s critical to his spiritual wellbeing. “Our capacity to share our creative endeavors with other people … is the closest [thing] I’ve found in my time on earth to feel really, truly enlightened and spiritually uplifted,” he says. Through the nonprofit church and venue Temple of Friends, V A now plays an instrumental role in creating such spiritual experiences for others in his own backyard. V A first “caught the bug” for throwing DIY shows after the first Far Out Fest—a now-recurring showcase of local artists who have released music via the Far Out Cassette Club, a small-batch record label he founded in 2019. The festival’s fourth iteration revealed to him the true potential of his own property to become a meaningful gathering place, a home for the art and community that has long meant so much to him. With a desire to safely and sustainably host events there long-term, and with saws, crowbars and hammers in hand, V A and a group of friends cleared away the existing “rundown shack” to make space for what would become the Temple of Friends. The Temple of Friends serves as a home for artists on the fringes, for whom it may be a challenge to book a gig at a bar or more conventional venue. “I’ve thought less so about what I want to avoid as much as I have the types of art or communities I feel are underserved,”

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24 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

MUSIC PICKS

SEHER SIKANDAR

Too $hort

Too $hort @ Sky SLC 10/23

What you see is what you get with Oakland, Calif. legend Todd Shaw, a.k.a. Too $hort— just him, in a single fat dookie gold rope chain and jeans. The look, and his favorite word (Biiiittttchhhhh), have served him well for over four decades now. Earlier this summer, at 60, he dropped his 23rd record, Sir Too $hort Vol. 2: Drink & Smoke. Been there, and still doing it. “Who laid the rule down that in hip-hop you gotta stop at 40? Every milestone they said was old. First it was 30, then it was 40, then it was 50. Now we got senior citizen rappers, and this ... is real,” Short told APNews.com. “Hip-hop is entering the place where jazz, blues and R&B have older artists who are still performing and recording. We should too.” Too $hort is one of the most innovative rappers of his generation, a masterful storyteller with a unique delivery. He started by selling cassette tapes out of his trunk back in 1983 (“ten dollars, and you’ll straight get blessed / a rap all about you, called the special request”) and he pioneered a sound before the suits knew there was one. The debate about age in rap is played out. What’s next, a Too $hort residency? That would be music to my ears. Bangarang opens. Catch these acts on Friday, Oct 23, doors at 9 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $41.67 at tixr.com. (Mark Dago)

UPCOMING SHOWS 10/22 ROFL: A Night of Comedy & EDM 10/23 Fiig / Electricide Record Release Show 10/24 The Crooked Rugs 10/29 The 3rd Annual Monster Bash 10/30 Halloween Pizza Party VI 10/31 FREE! DJ Dance Party

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Svdden Death

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MUSIC PICKS

Get Freaky @ The Great Saltair 10/23 – 10/25

Utah’s biggest Halloween rave, Get Freaky, is back. While it has been at the Utah State Fairpark the past few years, the festival returns to the Great Saltair this month. The Neon Nightmare theme will include a huge lineup of the biggest electronic dance music artists in the industry. On Friday, you can see artists like Wax Motif (Danny Chien) and his bass house and G-house, as well as Svdden Death (Danny Howland), known for his heavy, experimental dubstep and riddim. Then, on Saturday, the lineup shifts to include hard techno from artists like Alyssa Jolee. Sunday will be bass-heavy again, with artists like LevelUp (Sonya Broner) and the wonky beats from Subtronics (Jesse Kardon). Troyboi (Troy Henry) is also headlining on Sunday, and will play the hybrid trap and world fusion music for which he’s renowned. Local artists include Mvdness b2b Dysmember (Friday); Carley Maehem and Freakuency (Saturday); and Homesixck, Ok.Mads and Spencer Delava (Sunday). Show up early to support our Salt Lake City DJs and producers. This is an 18+ show. The festival happens Friday Oct. 23, 7 p.m.–2 a.m. and Saturday Oct. 24 and Sunday Oct. 25 from 6 p.m.–1 a.m. Check the website for items allowed inside the venue. General Admission is $281.39, with single-day tickets priced at $105.20 (Friday) and $111.14 (Saturday and Sunday). To purchase, go to tixr.com. (Arica Roberts)

Life is Better on the patio!

Live Music FRIDAY, OCT. 23 FAT PAW

SATURDAY, OCT. 24 KIRK DATH & THE BRUISERS

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28 EARL ON EARTH

THURSDAY, OCT. 29 COUNTRY RAMBLE W/ MORGAN SNOW

THURSDAY, OCT. 22 MEL SOUL AND THE HEARTBEAT

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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21 SARAH DEGRAW

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OCTOBER 22, 2026 | 27

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The Paradox

The Paradox @ Metro Music Hall 10/25

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The fact is, three Black brothers in Detroit—David, Bobby and Dannis Hackney, a.k.a. Death—basically invented American punk in the very early ’70s. And yet, few Black punk bands broke after that, Bad Brains and Pure Hell being the exceptions. Enter The Paradox: Formed in Atlanta in 2024, the pop-punk band rocketed to success by reaching fans digitally first, snagging 130,000 followers within three weeks of posting its six-song EP, NSFW, online and going viral on TikTok. In January, “Get the Message,” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart—the first time that’s happened for an all-Black band. Made up of Eric Dangerfield (vocals/guitar), Christopher “Xelan” Bernard (lead guitar/vocals), Donald Bryant (bass), and Percy “PC3” Crews (drums), the band now boasts more than two million followers on social media. “In videos, the band looks gleeful as they jump and rage through youthful bedrooms, suburban house parties, playgrounds, quick-e-marts and downtown settings, pulling off chaotic shenanigans with ease,” TheGrio.com wrote. “With multicolored locs and lyrics about doomed relationships or feelings of ennui interlaced with AAVE, they’re bringing a subtle and refreshing nuance to the genre.” Currently touring on its newest EP, Proceed With Caution, The Paradox has sold out every show so far, including its Oct. 25 show, originally booked at Kilby Court—probably due to high ticket demand, it’s been moved to Metro Music Hall. You can find General Admission tickets, starting at $35, via 24tix.com. The show starts at 7 p.m.; Bunii opens. (Stefene Russell)

SUNN O))) @ First Baptist Church 10/25

For those musicians who spend their disposable time and income on pedals and amps in pursuit of the heaviest, most aggressive and distorted tones, SUNN O)))’s reputation as genre-defying innovators precedes them. Nearly three decades ago, Seattle’s Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson first joined forces to push sonic and creative boundaries, and through countless collaborations have crafted a mesmerizing blend of drone, doom, noise and ambient uniquely their own. The duo is now touring in promotion of their tenth full-length record—their debut on the iconic label Sub Pop. SUNN O)))’s name serves as homage to vintage Sunn amplifiers, known for their gargantuan volume and extreme lowend power. On stage, a wall-to-wall formation of amplifiers towers over the duo, draped in black robes and obscured by fog as attendees brace themselves for a sonic experience like no other. Argued to be the loudest band of all time, SUNN O)))’s performances are characterized by frequencies extreme enough to rattle the organs and bones of the crowd (my firsthand experience confirms this claim). The beauty of SUNN O)))’s atmospheric soundscapes combined with such intense physical sensation pulls revelers into a trance. Hypha Productions presents an immersive haunting you’ll never forget at the First Baptist Church on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this communion with music at its most extreme are $47 and available through tickpick.com. (Emmaly Anderson)

Dinosaur Jr. @ The Complex 10/26

Though they began as a hardcore punk trio, Massachusetts-based Dinosaur Jr. soon evolved into an impressive and influential indie-rock band, one that drew from classic rock influences but delivered them in a style that never felt like homage or throwback. Initially featuring guitarist J Mascis, drummer Murph and bassist Lou Barlow, Dinosaur Jr. became a vehicle for Mascis’ songwriting when Barlow was dismissed. (The bassist went on to form like-minded bands Sebadoh and Folk Implosion.) Dinosaur Jr. combined various textures from hard rock and pop to craft their unique sound, releasing seven well-regarded albums during their initial run (1984-97). After the breakup, Mascis oversaw reissues of the band’s material, and that project eventually led to a one-off partial reunion—which in 2005 led to a full-fledged reunion including Barlow, a new record deal and new tours. Dinosaur Jr. has remained together since that time, releasing six albums over the last two decades. The band’s latest, 2026’s There Near, was met with near unanimous critical praise, peaking at No. 6 on the U.S. Indie Store Album Sales chart and charting in eight other countries. With support act Stef Chura, Dinosaur Jr. comes to The Grand at The Complex on Monday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets for this all-ages show are $47.31 and available from axs.com. (Bill Kopp)

free will ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

The 18th-century Aries watchmaker John Harrison solved one of the great scientific problems of his time: how to determine longitude at sea. Many learned astronomers failed to crack the puzzle, yet Harrison, largely self-taught, persisted for decades to refine the method. His breakthrough transformed navigation and enhanced the safety of sea journeys. I nominate Harrison to be your inspirational role model in the coming weeks, Aries. Persistence combined with ingenuity and a trust in your hunches will be more important to your success than your mastery of the way things have always been done.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

I admire your ability to stay outside conflict and offer detached, incisive commentary. I respect your preference for avoiding small-minded camps and partisan skirmishes. But in the coming days, I hope you’ll step directly into the muck and bring the passionate contributions of a devotee who’s invested in the outcome. Put grand ideas aside and stir up good trouble in service of practical justice. Clever sidestepping won’t do; what’s needed are honest tests of what actually works. Be a pragmatist who makes soulful things happen through tender focus on the concrete tasks.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

A greenhouse can coax flowers to open ahead of their natural timetable. I recommend applying a similar approach to the fears taking root in you. Rather than letting them spread gradually and feed you a stream of low-grade dread, push them toward an immediate peak. Let every concern become enormous and fully formed as quickly as possible. Invite the anxieties to arrive all at once. Then meet them in a decisive confrontation, exhaust their drama, and clear space for adventures that will give you deep, sweet pleasure. Set a date for your worrygasm, the grand finale of your fretting, for no later than 48 hours from now.

Are there parts of the past you’re in bondage to? Maybe some shackles are even beloved to you, like a comfortable old belief, a protective habit, or a story about who you are that once helped you but now confines you. If you’re like most of us (me included!), you have fond memories that unfortunately impose limits on your future. Whatever they may be, dear Scorpio, now is an excellent time to disengage from their hold on you. To begin, make one small but potent gesture of liberation. As you do, say this aloud: “I am no longer chained to outdated versions of myself.” Alternate version, if you’re feeling extra fiery: “I am no longer &^%$@# chained to any *%#@&+ outdated versions of myself.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Many celebrated chefs insist that acidity is an underestimated element that transforms good food into memorable food. A squeeze of lemon or splash of vinegar awakens other flavors already present. Consider what the equivalent might be in your life. What’s the seemingly simple ingredient that could enliven everything else? More playfulness or more walking? More music, more honesty or more sleep? The astrological omens are clear that now isn’t the time to overhaul your entire existence. Instead, identify one or two subtle additions that make your existing gifts brighter.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Nothing is the same as what it appears to be, but neither is it the opposite of what it seems to be. Life isn’t fair, yet we’d be wrong to say it’s unfair. Be on the lookout for the words that are not being said. Assume that every question has a hidden complication. Be skeptical if anyone tells you the current mysteries are unsolvable and be eager to discover the deeper riddle buried inside each superficial riddle. But now here’s the good news. The maddening complexities will ultimately prove to be fun and helpful if you’re diligent in untangling them. The key to success: Be tender as you explore uncomfortable thoughts and frustrating feelings.

Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

OCTOBER 22, 2026 | 29

Renaissance astronomer and astrologer Tycho Brahe spent decades collecting precise measurements of planetary motion. He never developed a final theory to explain the data, and he harbored mistaken theories about how the solar system worked. But his observations enabled his assistant Johannes Kepler to discover the laws of planetary orbits. You could play a similar role, Virgo. Your careful attention to details can lay the groundwork for important realizations, whether by you or someone working in collaboration with you.

In 2029, I predict you’ll get nanotech implants to fight the aging of your body, ensuring that you’ll live well past 100. In 2032, you’ll begin downloading your nightly dreams into a digital medium, allowing you to study them at length and bolster your ability to learn from their coded messages. In 2037, you and a loved one will be able to take advantage of technology that allows you to merge telepathically. In 2043, you’ll take a vacation on the moon, where you’ll dance exuberantly in low lunar gravity. But in 2027, your task will be simpler. You’ll learn to love yourself better and treat yourself with more tender kindness than ever before. Now’s a great time to get started!

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In at least one way, Leo, you’ll be coming home during the coming weeks. Perhaps you will discover a sanctuary that brings out your best: a power spot where you feel unguarded and authentic. Or you may gather (or stumble into) the community you’ve always imagined, or link up with a web of allies and resources that once felt out of reach. You might dream of journeying to the land where your ancestors loved and labored for generations, or consider a pilgrimage to a storied place that holds the key to a mystery you’re hungry to resolve.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

A N E W D AY S PA

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Cancerian dancer and choreographer Anna Halprin lived to 100 and danced to the end. She taught the idea that movement could heal. Our bodies, given permission to move freely and expressively, know how to release grief, summon joy and restore wholeness. She once danced through her own cancer diagnosis as a form of medicine and lived for decades longer. Her lesson for you: Your body has its own intelligence, and you can enhance your ability to access it. In the coming weeks, let it lead. Dance, stretch, walk, sway. Trust what your flesh knows that your mind hasn’t figured out yet.

The Supreme Ministry of Astrological Myth has agreed to my request to temporarily give you a new designation. For the next four weeks, you are authorized to refer to yourself as Contemplative Adventurer, Meditative Rambler or Pensive Pathfinder—or all three, if you like. In bestowing these titles, I’m encouraging you to free up heroic energy for use in your inner realms. One good way to capitalize on this blessing will be to relax in a comfy chair and negotiate truces with your demons. Another recommended activity: Ask the spirits of nature and the songs of birds to heighten your intuition about your future as you take long walks.

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Gemini-born physicist Richard Feynman was famous not only for his brilliance but for his refusal to pretend he understood things he didn’t. He routinely asked childishly simple questions in rooms full of experts. “But why does that happen?” was one of his favorites. Those naïve inquiries often cracked open problems the specialists had stopped seeing. He distrusted jargon and prized the ability to explain a complex idea in plain words. If you can’t explicate it simply, he suggested, you don’t really understand it. I invite you to adopt this as your strategy in the coming weeks, Gemini. Your superpowers will be to pose obvious questions everyone else is too proud or numb to ask, and to insist on answers you can actually understand.

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Broker, Urban Utah Homes & Estates, urbanutah.com

Bye Bye, Hogar

any folks are excited that the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) is planning to lead a multibillion-dollar redevelopment of the three-block area between the Delta Center and Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City. Just this past week, Ryan Smith released his rough drafts of what the massive project will include, from a 6,000-seat Live Nation concert venue hosting between 80 and 120 concerts each year to a new hotel, museum, convention center, residences, shops, retail and offices. Abravanel Hall will be renovated, but not torn down, and a new pedestrian promenade will connect City Creek to the Delta Center. It’s all promised to be complete by the 2034 Olympic games. We’ll have to wait and see what happens to another piece of Golden Age history in this area. Built in the mid1880s, the Hogar Hotel building is located just behind the Salt Palace at 126 S. 200 West, next to a high-rise apartment building for seniors and the Buddhist Temple. This two-story brick building was originally the home of financier Lewis S. Hills, the president of Deseret National Bank. It was built in a High Italianate architectural style with big bay windows and a lacy woodwork porch. It was sold in 1928 and became the Hogar Hotel, a boarding house and meeting place for the Basque community that had migrated to Utah to work in the sheepherding industry. More recently, it was an antique store. The Basques came for jobs from the mountains between Spain and France, as there was massive political unrest in their mother countries in the late 1800s. There were very few jobs available and poverty was rampant. Utah was an ideal climate and geography for sheep grazing, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints promoted it as a stable industry after financial panic in 1893 hit the mining, railroad and agriculture industries hard. Many locals made a fortune creating jobs in herding, breeding, shearing and selling wool. Preston Nutter had herds estimated between 25,000 and 30,000 head of sheep, which roamed from the Book Cliffs to the Grand Canyon during that time. The Hogar Hotel building is currently vacant and boarded up. The owner has said he wants to relocate it, and the buzz downtown is that there have been several meetings to move the structure, but few companies left that will actually do that kind of work. The cost to relocate an historic building is insane. I’ve heard it could be more than $2 million, if a mover could be found. I also heard from a city staffer that the Amish community was contacted, but they turned down the project. The Amish are well known for moving entire buildings with little to no machinery using teamwork, levers, jacks and rollers. The Hogar Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places. But if a mover can’t be found and funding for relocation can’t be secured, the Hogar will likely fall. ■ Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Y’KNOW, LIKE MICHIGAN BY MATT JONES

ACROSS

1. Agglomerate 5. It flies around a rink 9. Frequent “Wait, Wait ...” panelist Poundstone 14. A thing ___ itself 15. Worker protection agcy. 16. Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy” 17. “___ Academy” (2026 sci-fi series with Holly Hunter) 19. It’ll come back to you 20. Spinning that will just make you more weary? 22. Airport shuttle vehicle 23. Demolishes 24. Prefix for puncture 26. Block housing? 30. ___ polloi 31. Seafood stew for young dogs? 36. “Eighth Grade” star Fisher 37. West end? 38. “Heard, chef” 42. Group of women who roam about? 45. Singer with the 2015 #1 hit “Cheerleader” Harvey 48. “Our Flag Means Death” (and real-life) 10. Get ___ start (not begin on time) pirate ___ Bonnet 11. Metallica drummer Lars 49. Letters before a stage name 12. Classic French film “PÈpÈ ___” (which 50. Charges inspired the cartoon skunk name) 53. Plummet 56. Optimal instruction not to be questioned? 13. Trickster god of African folklore 18. Approver of new meds 62. “Ad ___” (2019 film) 21. Lacking depth, for short 63. It may cover Watergate, but not 24. King Kong or Magilla Gorilla Waterloo 25. ___-de-sac 64. Do the dishes, maybe 27. Belgian treaty city 65. Upright wall timber 28. “Royals” singer 66. Golf goal 67. Mammal whose males can reach nearly 29. Possessed 32. “Smiling Friends” main char10,000 lbs. acter ___ Pimling 68. Non-feral 33. “___-haw!” 69. Minecraft collection 34. Shakshouka ingredient 35. King of Cannes? DOWN 39. Stage opening? 1. Have to 40. Kind 2. Oppositionist 41. Airport screening gp. 3. Seed money seekers 43. Italian sparkling wine town 4. More peeved 44. Colorful algal bloom that’s a 5. Screed beach concern 6. The “U” in EULA 45. Jerry who played Det. Lennie 7. “Clueless” heroine Briscoe 8. Bruce Lee’s role in TV’s “The Green 46. Cereal and fruit mix Hornet” 47. Arched foot part 9. “American Splendor” comic book writer

51. Backpack component 52. “A Bell for ___” (1944 John Hersey novel) 54. Sigur ___ (Icelandic post-rock band) 55. Lawn care brand 57. Oxidation indication 58. “øDÛnde ___ la biblioteca?” 59. Pal 60. Perry Mason creator ___ Stanley Gardner 61. Bread aisle choices

Last week’s answers

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

Oversee data security controls/ privacy on MacOS system. Support SOC 2/GDPR compliance initiatives. Manage core identity & collab systms. Design, document & improve IT & automation. Ensure data integrity & compliance. Develop IT security pols & risk assmnts. Req: MSIS, 1 yr exp., w/ Bash, Entra-ID, Bitwarden, Gitlab, Unifi & MS Exchange admin, Box, Jamf, ClickUp, Daylite CRM, iWork, MacOS & Apple Business Mgr. Resumes to: maquelle@passivelogic.com

urban LIVING

SUDOKU X

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30 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

IT/Data Protect Sp. (SLC, UT):

NEWS of the WEIRD BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

More Bang for the Buck

An Austin, Texas, resident got a little more than they bargained for after purchasing a few boxes at an estate sale. The Houston Chronicle reported that on Oct. 12, the buyer opened the boxes to discover grenades and called the police, who confirmed via X-ray examination that the grenades were live and active. As seen in a photo shared on social media by the Austin Police Department, police cordoned off portions of the neighborhood with yellow caution tape and safely removed the grenades. “No crime here, just a great reminder,” the Austin Police Association said in the social media post, “If you ever come across old military ordnance (grenades, shells, mortar rounds, etc.), even if you think it’s inert, don’t touch it, don’t move it, and call 911. Let the experts handle it.”

Locked In

Least Competent Criminals

Silly Old Bear

Babs De Lay

Broker/Owner 801-201-8824 babs@urbanutah.com www.urbanutah.com

Mission Impossible

In a move straight from Mission: Impossible, four thieves were arrested in France after conducting literal highway robbery, AFP reported on Oct. 6. The robbers leapt onto trucks in transit, going at speeds as high as 56 mph, and threw $225,000 worth of electronics to a trailing vehicle before jumping back in their getaway cars. Surveillance video and detective work led French authorities to the thieves, who were hiding out in Angers. The four are charged with aggravated theft, criminal damage and criminal association and could face up to seven years in prison.

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People With Issues

A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship—a 44-year-old Salvadoran woman—was rescued after spending roughly 20 hours in Greece’s Ionian Sea, CBS News reported on Oct. 14. The woman jumped from the ship early on Oct. 9 and later told rescuers she did it because she wanted to disembark. A Greek coast guard patrol found her early in the morning the next day, while it was still dark, floating in an orange life ring. The woman went to a hospital for treatment and has been ordered by a local prosecutor to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Dangling Opossum

A person visiting South Fork Trail in Lincolnton, North Carolina, spotted an opossum dangling from a tree by a fishing hook and called the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center, reported WWAY 3 on Oct. 7. Upon arrival, a manager from the wildlife center climbed the tree to save the marsupial. After an exam and X-rays, the opossum was found to have a fishing hook embedded beneath its tongue, and the fishing line was still attached. The animal was emaciated and dehydrated, leading experts to believe it had been trapped in the tree for more than 24 hours. The wildlife center shared in a social media post that the hook was removed and the opossum is now safe.

New Neighbors

A family of barn owls has taken up residence in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the Associated Press reported on Oct. 15, much to the delight of New Yorkers, ornithologists and owl enthusiasts alike. Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist, says that there hasn’t been a docuemnted barn owl nest in Manhattan in ... well ... ever. “Having one barn owl is a rarity, but it’s not national news. Having a family, for the first time ever, breeding in Manhattan in recorded history, that’s special news,” local birder David Barrett said. Visitors have been flocking near Central Park, where the owls have made their home in a water tower. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation says that New York is at the very edge of the barn owl’s known habitat range and that its population has been declining, making this owl family’s move into the neighborhood even more surprising. Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com

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OCTOBER 22, 2026 | 31

A library in Mammoth Lakes, California, is going viral after sharing their video of a bear ambling among the books, KTLA reported. Security footage from Oct. 14—coincidentally the 100th anniversary of Winnie-thePooh, whose first collection of stories was published on the same date in 1926—shows the bear wandering in before the library opened or any staff arrived. It took a few moments to peruse the stacks before leaving the premises. Authorities are unclear how the bear got into the library, but it was long gone by the time staff clocked in.

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■ Maki J. Davis, 22, of New York might want to revisit his hiring practices for getaway drivers. NJ.com reported on Oct. 13 that Davis robbed a Marshalls in Paramus, New Jersey, by stuffing about $2,200 worth of clothes in three large rolling suitcases and attempting to flee the store with them. As police approached, the man took off running, leaving the stolen goods behind. He fled through the parking lot toward a green Dodge Charger, presumably his ride, but before he could hop in, the driver took off, leaving the shoplifter in the dust. He was arrested and charged with theft, resisting arrest and trespassing.

STAR TREK

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■ A man who shattered the window of a Tempe, Arizona, business around 2 a.m. on Oct. 4 took off from the scene with dozens of Mac Mini computer boxes that turned out to be empty, Fox 10 Phoenix reported. The computers themselves were located right next to the boxes. “They stole empty boxes. Everyone was laughing about it,” employee Curran Rose said. “I’m just glad no one was hurt.” The company filed a report with the police, and the business owner is offering a $1,500 reward to anyone with information that leads to the identification and arrest of the person, who can be seen in security footage.

Three men who were wearing masks and women’s pajamas allegedly arrived at a bank in India by ambulance and proceeded to break into an ATM, reported Gulf News. The robbery took place at about 1 a.m. on Oct. 11 at a State Bank of India in Gandhari. CCTV footage shows the suspects forcing open the ATM with cutting equipment and then making off with cash. Police are working to identify the three suspects and investigating if the ambulance was part of the ploy or if it was authentic.

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Tia Chandler of Keene, New Hampshire, called 911 after being locked in an urgent care facility, WMUR reported on Oct. 13. Chandler was seeking treatment for an asthma attack and received a steroid shot. The staff member who administered the shot said they would be right back, but never returned. Chandler left the exam room hoping to find even a cleaning crew, but the office was empty. When she tried to leave the building, she inadvertently set an alarm off. She ended up calling her husband, who called the police to let her out. “I can’t believe this just happened to me,” Chandler said, “because literally when I was thinking in my head ... ‘They would never lock me in there. That’s crazy talk. That only happens in movies or on a show, not in real life.’” A spokesperson for the urgent care says they have apologized to Chandler and “taken steps to ensure this won’t happen again.”

There’s a Lot Going on Here

I sell homes to all saints, sinners, sisterwives and...

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32 | OCTOBER 22, 2026

Don t wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait ! PAULA METOS SALTAS

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