Utah
Advocates react to Utah ban of 13 books in schools and libraries: ‘It’s a tragedy’
Library associations, free speech groups and advocates are expressing outrage and concern after the state of Utah ordered 13 books to be removed from public school classrooms and libraries in accordance with a new state law that passed earlier this year.
“It’s a tragedy,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
“Many of those works are highly praised, some award-winning works of literature, others are books that many read for enjoyment, and none of them come anywhere near to meeting the definition of illegal materials and arguably they have a place on the shelf for voluntary reading for students for whom they’re developmentally appropriate.”
On 2 August, with just a few weeks before students in Utah return to school, state officials released a list of books to be removed from public school classrooms and libraries. The move comes on the heels of Utah’s Republican-controlled state legislature passing a law in February and the state’s governor signing it in March, which free speech organizations say make it the first state in the country to outlaw titles statewide.
The law, which formally took effect on 1 July, states that education agencies in Utah should prioritize “protecting children from the harmful effects of illicit pornography over other considerations”.
The books banned on Friday, which included Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur and Forever by Judy Blume, were banned because they were considered to contain “pornographic or indecent” material.
The banned materials must be “legally disposed of” and “may not be sold or distributed” per the guidelines. Utah’s public school districts are also required to remove books if a book was previously banned in either three districts, or two school districts and five charter schools. (For reference, Utah has 41 public school districts in total.)
Free speech and education advocates across the country and the state are concerned about the possible impact the law may have.
“It really is an effort to allow a minority to dictate the contents of library shelves, and conform what’s on library shelves to their own political, religious and moral values,” Caldwell-Stone said, adding that the Utah law differs from other similar measures across the county because it is the only one (so far) that mandates the removal of books from every public school in the state. Most other bans have been a local district issue.
Caldwell-Stone believes that the law will be used in an “expansive fashion”.
“It will create a chilling effect,” she said, before noting that a vocal minority will now be able to control the curriculum and access to books for every student in the state.
Their definition of “sensitive materials” can often encompass things like gender identity, sexual orientation, race and racism, which has been seen at the local level, Caldwell-Stone said.
She also noted that this could deny Utah students access to reading about these topics, the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, and to learn about the lives and experiences of others, among other things.
Kasey Meehan, the director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, which has been tracking book banning efforts across the country for years, said on Thursday that she was not surprised by the books on the list released in Utah on Friday, as they are books that have been targeted nationally for their content.
“Predominantly, they’re books that are written by females, predominantly they’re books that include depictions of sex as well as sexual assault and violence,” she said. “And we just see a really continued campaign to eradicate those books from public school libraries.”
Like Caldwell-Stone, Meehan is also concerned about the impact on the students in Utah.
“We’ve written about this and it’s been demonstrated, but having information about sex and sexual abuse does not encourage individuals to have more sex, but instead, actually is a valuable tool in preventing sexual assault and sexual violence,” she said. “To see those resources removed just opens up potential harms on students without access to that kind of information.”
The law also places the burden on school educators, administrators and librarians to remove books, taking their attention away from students and educating, she said.
Meehan has criticized the guidelines for disposing of the books, calling them “vague” and stating that the law will “undoubtedly result in dumpsters full of books that could otherwise be enjoyed by readers”.
Peter Bromberg, co-chair of the advocacy committee of the Utah Library Association, echoed Meehan’s concerns on how many of the banned books deal in some way or another with the themes of sexual assault, particularly as sexual assault affects thousands of Utah residents – including many young girls – a year, per government data.
“These books can help teens understand that they’re not alone,” he said. “It might give them the language and the ability to talk about what happened to a trusted adult.”
Bromberg is also concerned that this law is a criminal statute, calling it “very disturbing that this law now puts librarians and teachers and school board members in legal jeopardy just for having highly regarded and award winning works of literature on high school library shelves”.
Advocates expect that the number of books banned in Utah will only increase in the coming months. Many also believe that the Utah law will be challenged in the courts.
Across the country, other states are passing book ban legislation with similar language to Utah’s, including in South Carolina earlier this summer.
In 2023 alone, more books were banned in US schools and libraries than any other year for which records have been kept, the ALA reported.
The Utah Jazz are rolling into a big offseason before they into what’s projected to be a wildly different-looking 2026-27 campaign from what they had just seen this past 22-win season.
But before that season is able to get underway, the Jazz have some priorities to address in the offseason––both in terms of constructing their roster and retaining a few key pieces from last year’s group into next year.
That makes their salary cap situation and everything around it important to be aware of in the next few months. So with that in mind, we’ve put together an offseason cap tracker for a glimpse of what the Jazz are dealing with in terms of cap space, contracts, and any of their own free agents hitting the open market.
Let’s break it down:
Maximum Possible Cap Space: $24.7M
The Jazz are currently projected at just under $25 million in cap headed into the summer. That’s without any additional moves made to the roster from how they’re entering the offseason, and without factoring in any free agents’ pending cap holds.
That number is bound to get smaller once the Jazz hash out their contract situation for Walker Kessler, but it could also see an uptick if Utah were to shed salary with some of their non-guaranteed deals, or any other player they wanted to pivot from.
As of now, it allows the Jazz to make a couple of moves around the edges in free agency, but the main focus will lean on signing Kessler to a long-term deal.
Contracts
A glimpse of the Jazz’s contract values for the 2026-27 season, and when they’re slated to hit free agency from their current deals:
– Jaren Jackson Jr.: $49.0M, ’29 PO
– Lauri Markkanen: $46.1M, ’29 UFA
– Ace Bailey: $9.5M, ’29 RFA
– Keyonte George: $6.5M, ’27 RFA
– John Konchar: $6.1M, ’27 UFA
– Cody Williams: $6.0M, ’28 RFA
– Brice Sensabaugh, $4.8M, ’27 RFA
– Svi Mykhailiuk: $3.8M*, ’28 UFA
– Kyle Filipowski: $3.0M, ’28 RFA
– Isaiah Collier: $2.7M, ’28 RFA
– Hayden Gray: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Bez Mbeng: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Blake Hinson (two-way), ’27 RFA
Total: $142.1M
*- non-guaranteed
The biggest chunk of the Jazz’s salary leans on their top two veterans, Markkanen and Jackson Jr., each making a combined $95 million next season alone.
However, the rest of the roster isn’t taking up much money. No one else will be making more than $10 million, and their payroll is a little less than $150 million in total.
Another noteworthy fact: the Jazz’s key roster pieces outside of George and Sensabaugh are all under contract through the next two seasons.
Both of the aforementioned names are also bound to see extension discussions take place this summer, which might lock in their future for even longer.
Free Agents
A look at who from this season’s roster is set to hit the free agent market in July:
– Kevin Love (UFA)
– Jusuf Nurkic (UFA)
– Walker Kessler (RFA)
– Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way)
– Elijah Harkless (two-way)
The biggest name of note is, of course, the Jazz’s restricted free agent big man, Walker Kessler, who Utah is bound to hand a big payday, but it remains to be seen how much that contract––or offer sheet from another team––will be.
Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Love have also expressed their desire to return to the roster as they hit free agency. Re-signing both likely wouldn’t cost much for the Jazz financially, but instead relies on a question of whether the roster space is readily available to keep both.
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Utah
Golden Knights vs. Mammoth Game 1 prediction: NHL odds, picks, best bets for Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Utah Mammoth is going to be a trendy underdog pick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not only does Utah have the novelty of this being its first-ever appearance in the postseason going for it, but the Mammoth tick plenty of other boxes that punters look for in a dark horse. They’re fast, dynamic, and create plenty of quality scoring chances.
The only problem is that they are running into the Vegas Golden Knights, arguably the best defensive team in the Western Conference, in Round 1.
Vegas is a -170 favorite to win the series, and it is -152 to win Game 1 on Sunday night.
Mammoth vs. Golden Knights odds, prediction
The Golden Knights had a weird season. Vegas started hot, took its foot off the pedal, and struggled to regain its form down the stretch. That led to a surprising coaching switch late in the campaign, but the move paid immediate dividends as John Tortorella led the Knights to a 7-0-1 record in his eight games behind the bench.
It should be noted that Tortorella benefited from an easy schedule since taking over in Vegas, but it’s hard to deny that the team looks sparked with a new voice in their ear.
What’s especially encouraging for Vegas is that its most glaring weakness, the play of goaltender Carter Hart, has started to trend in the right direction at the exact right time.
And Vegas is so good in its own zone that Hart doesn’t need to stand on his head to get the team over the line against Utah. If he’s just average, the Knights will stand a chance, especially since Utah’s goaltending situation is just as much of a question mark.
Betting on the NHL?
Outside of Vejmelka outplaying Hart, the Mammoth will also need to get this series on their terms if they want to pull the upset. Utah grades out as a slightly above-average defensive outfit, but its strength is up front with dynamic playmakers like Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller, plus sharp-shooter Dylan Guenther.
For those stars to have an impact, the Mammoth will need to get Vegas to open up and engage in a back-and-forth style. I just don’t see that happening with a team that was so disciplined in its own zone all season. The Knights led the NHL in expected goals against and high-danger chances conceded at 5-on-5, which shouldn’t be a shocker given the personnel in Sin City.
Not only does Vegas boast a deep blueline, but forwards Mitch Marner and Mark Stone are regarded as two of the best defensive minds in the entire sport.
Perhaps Utah can blitz Vegas and pull the upset, but I’d need a bigger number to go against the experienced, defensively savvy Knights in a best-of-7.
And if you’re looking for a play with more upside, have a good look at Vegas to pull off the sweep at 12/1.
The Play: Vegas moneyline (-152) | Vegas to sweep the series (12/1, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
KANOSH, Utah — The United States Geological Survey recorded multiple earthquakes near Kanosh Sunday morning, each of them having an average magnitude of 3.0.
The first earthquake, magnitude 3.0, was detected just after 12:30 a.m., with the epicenter located half a mile south of Kanarraville.
The second quake, magnitude 3.2, was detected around 5:45 a.m., with the epicenter nearly five miles south-southwest of Kanosh. This was followed by two more quakes in the same area, a magnitude 2.5 quake coming in around 6:35 a.m., followed by a third around 7:45 a.m, which measured at magnitude 3.3.
This has since been followed by another quake, measuring at magnitude 3.7, being detected around 8:45 a.m. The geographic location in the USGS report places the epicenter approximately over two miles south of the Dry Wash Trail, about six miles south-southwest of Kanosh.
FOX 13 News previously spoke with researchers at University of Utah, who said that earthquake swarms are relatively common. A study published in 2023 posits that swarms may be triggered by geothermal activity. The findings came after a series of seismic swarms were detected in central Utah, within the vicinity of three geothermal power plants.
The study also says that the swarms fall into a different category than aftershocks that typically follow large quakes, such as the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that hit the Wasatch Fault back in 2020.
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