40 Years of City Weekly—Volume 38: 2021 to 2022 

"'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the state / Utahns gathered at school boards, boiling with hate," Benjamin Wood penned in December of 2021. "The books and the lesson plans, assembled with care / Were piled on kindling, as smoke filled the air. / The children were huddled under desks, behind doors / With visions of gunfire and deafening roars. / Mom cheered, 'Let's go Brandon!' Dad donned a red cap, / While the unsheltered outside took a long winter's nap."

Far from describing a visit by St. Nick, Wood was surveying the sights and sounds taking place during our 38th year. Books were being banned, manufactured panic over Critical Race Theory was rampant and paranoia over vaccines continued apace. No vision of sugar plums here.

Salt Lake City was dinged for the worst air in the country and the second worst in the world by IQ Air—and Utah could also boast of having one of the highest rates of COVID infection. Mounting to this poisoned sky like dry leaves in a hurricane went the rhetorical boosterism of lawmakers, who reduced the inland port's board to five members of their choosing.

To our wondering eyes, West Jordan lawmaker Steve Christiansen appeared, calling for audits of ballots and attacking vote-by-mail under the pretense of "election integrity." The Legislature tried yet again to limit public records and introduce school vouchers while enacting another tax cut and passing both a gerrymandered redistricting plan and bans on mask mandates and trans athletes for good measure.

State school board member Natalie Cline freaked out over a Pride flag at an LDS seminary and sought to ban words like "equity," "empathy" and "racial justice" from schools. Entrata CEO David Bateman, meanwhile, was issuing antisemitic emails against "the Jews" for the COVID pandemic.

But before we turn on our heels and give a "sad whistle," as Wood wrote, seeking to flee these environs "like a missile," we should also note other local stirrings. It was during this time that downtown's old Utah (Pantages) Theatre came down and the 9th and 9th whale rose up. A historic wave of wildcat strikes were taking place across the country, citizens were responding to ongoing drought by "flipping" grass turf to xeriscaping and Little Free Libraries were springing up around the city.

During our 38th year, we paid tribute to longtime friend Thomas "Tom" Barberi (1943-2021) and enjoyed the contributions of both Thomas Crone as music editor and Kara Rhodes on the listings desk. As for the visions dancing about our writers' heads, Chris Vanocur excerpted his book on the life of his father—journalist Sander Vanocur (1928-2019)—while Wes Long explored the buildings of Salt Lake architect Richard Kletting (1858-1943). Eric Peterson investigated the state's haphazardly-metered water use and Taylor Hartman covered suspicious donations funneled from the anti-trafficking nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad to the Utah Attorney General's office.

Yes, much was deemed upside-down, both afar and 'round here / 'Twas hard for Utahns to e'en speak of good cheer. / But e'en as we've lingered on 38's sights, / we have more to see—more alt-y delights!

Remembering Vol. 38: In the 'hood
"It was December 2019, and I was on Google Maps trying to figure out where I wanted to eat," Bryant Heath related to Benjamin Wood for a Sept. 30, 2021, cover story. "I started zooming in and out of different regions and thinking how I'd been here and not been there, or maybe I'd driven down that main street but none of its side streets."

Having lived in Salt Lake City for 10 years and yet having missed out on three-quarters of it, Heath got to thinking. "I like to run and this would be a good activity," he said, "like a New Year's resolution." So it was that Heath ran every mile of Salt Lake's public streets. "When you're in a car, you're mostly concerned with getting from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible," Heath observed. "Even riding a bike is a little bit like that—you're still doing those mental calculations, and you're not necessarily noticing the environment unless you're on a leisure ride."

Whether in Westpointe, The Avenues, Poplar Grove, Fairpark or East Liberty, Heath was struck by sculptures, pocket parks, shops and the familiar sights of people living their lives. "There's so many people—and I was like this myself—who go to work, go home, go eat at XYZ restaurant, go to ABC park, and that's their bubble," Heath concluded. "Even if you can take a different route home, or maybe you ride your bike a little more often in a new area, I guarantee you'll see different things and experience different things that will be positive and beneficial"

In the hot seat
"I have a couple of doozies representing me," John Saltas remarked of U.S. Reps Chris Stewart and Burgess Owens in May 2021. "I use that term loosely since neither actually does represent me. It wouldn't be half so bad, but neither Owens nor Stewart has ever spoken as to what they can do for the people of Utah; rather, each speaks broadly of the evils of persons who are not members of the under-siege GOP."

Tuning into a telephone town hall with Owens, Saltas described himself to be unimpressed by the selective, softball questions the representative deigned to answer while ignoring less rhetorically useful inquiries. "So here's another deal," Saltas announced. "Each week, we will publish a question for Burgess Owens. Right here."

With the prize of a $25 gift certificate to the City Weekly Store and eligibility into a weekly drawing, the newspaper received an assortment of questions that readers wished to pose to the divisive (and QAnon-friendly) politician. Below is a sampling:

—"Why did you vote to overturn the last election—the same one where you won by a very small margin—breaking your oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution?" (Richard Write via Twitter)

—"Do you actually believe the stupid shit you say? Or are your statements just new 'shiny objects' to distract people from realizing you're a moron who deserves to be recalled while continuing to suck $200,000 a year from the American taxpayer so you don't need to unethically suck money from a charity for children to make a living since you have no discernible skills?" (Jerry Schmidt)

—"It is a campaign law violation to be paid to run for office. Early looks into your Utah job running a rehab program were suspect. It appeared to be funded by a right wing political organization in Indiana. Was this ever investigated or resolved?" (Tom Lietko)

—"Who is Burgess Owens?" (Alison Ecks via Facebook)

In the sea
"A breakup can be as significant as a divorce," dating counselor Loni Harmon told Carolyn Campbell, "especially in Utah, which places high value on happy families and relationships that work out." Speaking with Campbell for a Feb. 10 cover story, Harmon observed that her clients have gone so far as to change their social circles and avoid particular stores to keep from seeing a former significant other.

"Even if you see a breakup coming," Harmon said, "you still miss the person afterward. It's called 'the loss of the ideal.' You hoped and prayed and wished that this [relationship] would come together, and now you're grieving the fact that it didn't."

Campbell explored the differing avenues involved with starting over, getting serious and moving on through a series of touching interviews with Utah couples and therapists. From navigating "avoidant-attachment" behaviors and the phenomenon of "hybrid dating" to overcoming the grief of ending a marriage, Campbell's portraits offered both wisdom and hope, whatever one's experience may be. "Although it's possible to break up with someone and start swiping an app again that same night," Campbell summarized, "it's appropriate to give it some time to settle."

Harmon reminded readers that a person is worthy of love and belonging, even if they could do with introspection into what may have contributed to a faltering relationship. "My philosophy is that dating isn't a game, but a strategy that we need to learn," she told Campbell. "Ask yourself who you would be suitable for and who would be good for you. There is a lot of information and resources to learn from—both self-help and therapy—so that you can rebound and be healthy again."