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GOVERNMENT MEETINGS: For the week of June 24, 2024
Agendas are posted 72 hours before meetings so are not always ready by the time this list is published. Check links for more information. Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Courtroom, 2001 Texas 16 North, Llano. On the agenda:. acceptance of a $25,000 donation from the White Family Foundation for...
A Small-Town Texas Librarian’s Big Stand Against Book Bans
Suzette Baker, from unincorporated Kingsland, was feted recently by the Authors Guild in New York City as a “Champion of Writers”—the first-ever recipient of a national award established to honor librarians who fight book bans. Suzette Baker (Beowulf Sheehan) In 2022, she was fired from her job...
Juneteenth closures and history
Government offices, banks, and post offices across the Highland Lakes are marking the Juneteenth federal holiday on June 19. All banks, post offices, state offices, and most city offices will be closed on Wednesday. However, Granite Shoals city offices will close on Friday rather than Wednesday. Burnet, Bertram, and Horseshoe...
A Small-Town Texas Librarian’s Big Stand Against Book Bans
In Llano County, a local librarian fought back against censorship, prompting a federal court fight and national recognition but losing the job of her dreams. Suzette Baker, from unincorporated Kingsland, Texas was feted recently by The Authors Guild in New York City as a “Champion of Writers”– the first-ever recipient of a national award established to honor librarians who fight book bans.
Texas court rules books mentioning ‘butts and farts’ cannot be banned in schools and public libraries
This book ban raised a real stink. Schools and libraries in one Texas region can no longer ban books just because they’re about “butts and farts,” a court has ruled. The case came after parents in conservative Llano County complained about books in the public library system, The Houston Chronicle reported, including “I Broke My Butt!” and “Larry the Farting Leprechaun.” Local officials then ordered them to be pulled from library shelves, along with others they labeled “pornographic filth,” including a memoir about a transgender teen and two books about the history of racism in the US. Man named ‘Optimus Prime’ caught driving...
Texas county removed 17 books from its libraries. An appeals court says eight must be returned.
Eight books dealing with subjects including racism and transgender issues must be returned to library shelves in a rural Texas county that had removed them in an ongoing book banning controversy, a divided panel of three federal appeals court judges ruled Thursday. It was a partial victory for seven library patrons who sued numerous officials with […]
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