November 16, 2023

Meanwhile. . .

Murfreesboro, Tennessee passed an ordinance claiming that “acts of” being “homosexual” is considered “sexual conduct” and may no longer be seen in public. The law is also now being used to ban books.

“The decline of local newspapers accelerated so rapidly in 2023 that analysts now believe the U.S. will have lost one-third of the newspapers it had as of 2005 by the end of next year — rather than in 2025, as originally predicted,” Axios reports.

Participation in parent-teacher conferences dropped 40% in New York City last year as the district continued to hold meetings virtually. Some parents like the pandemic-era setup, now part of the teachers union contract, as they don’t have to travel or arrange child care. But others say it leaves out those with limited tech access or language barriers, especially families of the many newly arrived migrant students.

 

Pink gives away 2,000 banned books at Florida concerts

Five years ago this month, Colorado became the first state to change its constitution to ban forced prison labor. But people incarcerated there say their daily lives haven’t changed. Data NPR obtained from the Colorado Department of Corrections indicates that more than 14,000 prisoners have been written up for failing to work since 2019, the year after the amendment passed. Advocates and academics discuss why prison labor is so hard to dismantle — and what that means for people in Colorado and beyond. Read the story and listen to it here

Trouble comes to the Mississippi from prolonged drought

No comments: