Schools have become the latest culture war battleground. Are public libraries next?
Last fall, nine titles were removed from the libraries of four high schools in Utah’s Canyons School District.
And although it's rare, some Utah public libraries have also seen an increase in requests to have books pulled or moved to different sections in the library.
What's happening?
The Salt Lake County Library received 11 requests in 2021, a “huge uptick” from the previous maximum of around three to five annually, according to librarian Wanda Mae Huffaker.
Most of the books were challenged "for depictions of sex and/or the body," but many of the targeted books also feature LGBTQ characters, Huffaker said.
None of the books were removed, but one book was reclassified to the young adult section.
Read more about the chilling effect book challenges can have.
Jason Perry, director of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics, said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and legislative leaders “have found the mark for Utah” on COVID-19.
Why? According to the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, 77% of Utahns approve of Cox's plan to treat COVID-19 more like the flu rather than as an ongoing emergency.
By the numbers:
18% disapproved of Cox's plan
17% who say their lives are back to normal now
40% believe it will still take a year or more for life to get back to normal from the pandemic
Jennifer Napier-Pearce, the governor's spokeswoman, said Utah is on track to meet the March 31 deadline Cox set for transitioning to private health care providers handling most COVID-19 testing and treatment.
Read more about the state's plan to transition its response to COVID-19.
More in Politics
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Who’s to blame for record inflation? Here’s what we heard in a new poll (Deseret News)
Perspective: How American institutions can win the trust of Gen Z (Deseret News)
The frightening truth behind the ‘big lie’ (Deseret News)
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Faith
President Ballard recalls 46 years of speaking in general conference (Church News)
Obituaries have added zip to his life — and helped with navigating the pandemic (Deseret News)
There’s still a lot of time to get a bead on BYU football recruiting and the class of 2023. It is fair to say, however, that Kalani Sitake’s staff has had a big recruiting boost since receiving an invitation to the Big 12 last September.
His 2022 signing class jumped from 77th in 2021 to 55th in 2022. The 2023 class could be a huge uptake.
It is also fair to say, whatever happens, signing the class of 2023 will be unlike anything before at BYU, Utah, Utah State and any other institution because of name, image and likeness money.
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