skip to main content

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

play newscast audioPlay

Alabamans urge a grocery tax reduction, a tape shows Trump knew about a classified document on Iran, Pennsylvania puts federal road funds to work and Minnesota's marijuana law will wipe away minor offenses.

play newscast audioPlay

Democrats say a wealth tax would help alleviate some national debt, lawmakers aim to continue pandemic-era funding for America's child care sector, and teachers say firearms at school will make students less safe.

play newscast audioPlay

Oregon may expand food stamp eligibility to some undocumented households, rural areas have a new method of accessing money for roads and bridges, and Tennessee's new online tool helps keep track of cemetery locations.

Maine Librarians Fight Bill to Ban Books Considered 'Obscene'

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 14, 2023   

School librarians in Maine are fighting a bill that would ban
schools from providing students with books considered "obscene," saying it could potentially criminalize educators. Proponents of the legislation say they are merely protecting children from inappropriate material but educators say the definition of the word obscene remains unclear.

Heather Perkinson, Maine Association of School Libraries president, said librarians are being singled out and harassed, finding their names and phone numbers posted online.

"We are all worried about whether books that we have in our libraries are going to be challenged and whether it's going to get us into some kind of trouble," Perkinson said.

Perkinson added the bill is similar to other GOP-driven measures across the country and is part of a larger attack on public education. The American Library Association reports
more than 1,600 attempts to ban titles in 2022, the highest number in decades.

Most of the titles garnering complaints from parents and lawmakers deal with LGBTQ relationships or gender identity, including the title, "Gender Queer," a graphic memoir by Maia Kobabe.

Perkinson said the book speaks to many students in Maine who question their own identities.

"Unless you read the whole book, if you just see those images, then you're not getting the whole context and the whole narrative," she said.

Perkinson added librarians work hard to purchase appropriate materials with school district money, considering reputable review sources, book awards and the school's particular curriculum. When one parent attempts to take away the rights of students to read a specific book, they are infringing on the rights of all parents, she said.


get more stories like this via email

Human rights advocates point out in 2023, North Dakota adopted nearly a dozen laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Human rights voices are calling attention to new North Dakota laws deemed hostile toward LGBTQ+ individuals, saying it is part of a movement led by …


Social Issues

play sound

In eastern Kentucky, advocacy groups are expanding summer learning opportunities for families. Isolation and learning loss plague many rural …

Social Issues

play sound

In 1968, Congress passed a law requiring the Food and Drug Administration to minimize people's exposure to wireless radiation, but the agency dropped …


The owners of Dokkaebier in Oakland said they have thrived after participating in a business accelerator program called the ICA Fund. (Mikey Maher)

Social Issues

play sound

Traditional business lending is tight these days following a series of recent bank collapses but one program is helping small businesses grow…

Environment

play sound

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulates carbon dioxide pipelines, and is holding a two-day conference in Des …

The BLM manages over 48 million acres in Nevada, which equates to about 67-percent of the Silver State. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Nevadans will have the opportunity to learn more and weigh in on a proposed public lands rule that shifts the Bureau of Land Management's focus to pri…

Social Issues

play sound

The moment Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping elections bill into law last week, several voter-advocacy groups filed lawsuits against it…

Health and Wellness

play sound

An Indiana licensing board has fined a local physician $3,000 and handed her a letter of reprimand after she went public about a 10-year-old Ohio pati…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021