Books

The number of bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according the report from free speech group PEN America. Florida had more bans than any other state, followed by Texas and Missouri.

Board member Danny Zeck, a Republican from Leavenworth, alternately cursed, waved books he objected to, and raised concerns about the “Marxist lesbian” in charge of the American Library Association during a Kansas State Board of Education meeting this week, as other board members tried to redirect the conversation.

Books have the ability to take you to another time. This month on Up To Date, author Steve Paul, and BLK + BRWN bookstore owner Cori Smith share the literature that brought them to the 1930s Harlem jazz scene, the 1980s war on drugs, through the twists and turns of the life of a mad genius and more.

Baseball has remained in the American psyche for almost 150 years, but why has it persisted? Joe Posnanski answers that question in his new book, "Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments."

The policy comes more than a year after the Missouri Department of Corrections banned people from receiving paper mail in prison.

Rabbi Michael Zedek outlines his reasoning for embracing the here and now and valuing the gift of life in his new book, "Taking Miracles Seriously: A Journey To Everyday Spirituality."

As troops took to the battle fields of Vietnam, internal fighting among American service members threatened to weaken the Army's ability to wage war. "An Army Afire" explores how commanders confronted the crisis.

A resolution passed by the St. Charles County Council requests the public library cut out “political agendas” from library spending, stop board members from posting political messages online, give up its membership from the Urban Library Council, enforce its dress code and open doors on Sundays.

To comply with a rule from Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, public libraries in the state now require kids as old as 17 to have adult permission to get a library card. The rule also prohibits libraries from buying materials that are "obscene," but librarians say that's dangerously vague.

A new statewide rule introduced by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has librarians concerned for their ability to curate their collections in a way that serves the entire community.

Eric Dorfman has taught at major universities, headed renowned natural history museums, and now, he's leading one of the world's premier science research libraries.

Members of St. Marys five-person city commission, all of whom are members of an extreme Catholic religious sect, have threatened to pull the lease of the public library if they don't remove all LGBTQ+ and other "socially divisive" books from the shelves. Their efforts have drawn a warning from the ACLU of Kansas.