News

Top 5 stories from 2023 in education

Monday, January 1st, 2024

via Dayton Daily News (Ohio)

Here are five top stories from this past year in education.

Book Bans

Owner of Wishing Tree Books works to bring literature to all communities

Monday, January 1st, 2024

via The Spokesman-Review (Washington)

When Janelle Smith worked at the Children's Corner bookstore and Auntie's Bookstore, she enjoyed finding the right books for customers.

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Activists who engage with voters of color are looking for messages that will resonate in 2024

Saturday, December 30th, 2023

via The Associated Press (Wyoming)

Activists who engage with voters of color are finding lackluster enthusiasm after disappointments on some issues such as voting rights and student loan forgiveness during President Joe Biden's term.

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Judge blocks most of Iowa law banning some school library books, discussion of LGBTQ+ issues

Saturday, December 30th, 2023

via Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska)

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked key parts of an Iowa law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues.

Book Bans

Judge blocks most of an Iowa law banning some school library books and discussion of LGBTQ+ issues

Friday, December 29th, 2023

via The Associated Press (Iowa)

A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Iowa law banning some books from school libraries and forbidding teachers from discussin LGBTQ+ issues.

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‘Sister-friend’ of Angelou, Baldwin and Morrison champions their books

Friday, December 29th, 2023

via The Washington Post (Georgia)

Eleanor Traylor, 90, a literary critic and former head of Howard University's English and humanities departments, is fighting book bans and isn't slowing down.

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New laws for 2024: Minimum wage hike, indoor vape ban and don’t worry about that thing dangling from your rearview mirror

Friday, December 29th, 2023

via Chicago Tribune (Illinois)

The new laws will affect everything from education and criminal justice to employee benefits and indoor vaping,

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YEAR IN REVIEW: Data centers dominate Fredericksburg-area news in 2023

Friday, December 29th, 2023

via Fredericksburg.com (Virginia)

The Free Lance–Star staff recaps the top headlines and stories of the year.

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More than 300 new laws take effect Jan. 1 in Illinois. Here’s a look at some of them

Thursday, December 28th, 2023

via Daily Herald (Illinois)

More than 300 new laws will take effect in Illinois on Jan. 1, ranging from a ban on book bans to the regulation of 'deepfake porn' and prohibitions on videoconferencing while driving. Thanks to a...

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Letters: Campaign calls

Thursday, December 28th, 2023

via Orlando Sentinel (Florida)

As another election season rolls around, one letter-writer wants fewer calls and robocalls from candidates seeking your vote.

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This Arlington librarian is pushing back against book bans

Wednesday, December 27th, 2023

via The Washington Post (Virginia)

Library directors typically aren't on the front lines of testy national debates, but with the backing of the county board, Diane Kresh is fighting against book bans.

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Here’s your guide on what Whitmer and the Democratic-led Legislature got done in 2023 ⋆ Michigan Advance

Tuesday, December 26th, 2023

via Michigan Advance (Michigan)

Session may have ended before Michiganders sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, but the first Democratic-controlled Legislature in four decades did tick off a number of boxes on the party's wish list in…

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Here are 50 new Illinois laws hitting the books in 2024

Sunday, December 24th, 2023

via NBC Chicago (Illinois)

According to a search of the Illinois General Assembly's website, at least 318 laws have an effective date of Jan. 1, but of those, which ones could have the biggest impacts on the lives of state…

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Rirkrit Tiravanija: Can Pad Thai Diplomacy Change the World?

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

via The New York Times

The artist's midcareer survey at MoMA PS1 demonstrates the impotence of contemporary art to heal social ills.

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Steve Garvey starts campaigning for U.S. Senate, sort of

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

via CalMatters (California)

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey hit the campaign trail this week, but not many reporters were invited to watch.

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Students, staff and Gov. Maura Healy express grief, disapproval after police searched a Great Barrington classroom for ‘Gender Queer’ book

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023

via The Berkshire Eagle (Massachusetts)

The search by police for the book "Gender Queer" has outraged the school community. Some students feel the pain, and talked about it at a demonstration against censorship at Monument

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New Illinois laws roundup: What you need to know in 2024

Monday, December 18th, 2023

via NBC Chicago (Illinois)

While the new year offers feelings of renewal and an excuse to gather with loved ones and friends, it also means that a slew of new laws will hit the books in Illinois.

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CA health care patients punished by paperwork

Monday, December 18th, 2023

via CalMatters (California)

Medi-Cal patients lose coverage due to paperwork, private colleges tackle nursing shortage, Newsom scolds counties on mental health.

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Chaos, Injustice and Joy: This Year’s College Essays About Money

Saturday, December 16th, 2023

via The New York Times (Tennessee)

Each year, we ask teenagers to send us their application essays about work, money or social class. Here are four, from California to Cambodia.

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